What Could Have Been: An Alternate Baseball Reality

[Big Six]

June 1, 1939

The cream began to rise to the top in May, as the leader in each of the four divisions opened up some ground on their pursuers.

• The American League leaders, the Sacramento Solons and the Seattle Rainiers, were the hottest teams in baseball, winning 22 and 21 games respectively. The Solons rode the league's best pitching staff, headed by May's AL Outstanding Pitcher, Marius Russo (9-1, 1.14 ERA). Three Sac-town hitters boast averages of .300 or better, and AL Outstanding Hitter Joe DiMaggio smacked 12 homers and drove in 44 runs during May to raise his totals to 22 and 60, respectively.
  
  
• Seattle's roster might not boast a lot of household names, but they're getting the job done. Johnny Allen, who's tied for the MLB lead with nine wins, is the biggest name on a team full of useful, but uncelebrated players who have pulled five games ahead of the tough Portland Beavers.
  
  
• The Chicago White Sox' Oscar "Ox" Eckhardt is now the all-time leader in hits, with a total of 3475. The Ox's formidable bat is slowing somewhat, but he recaptured some of his old magic on May 5, when he ripped four singles and a solo home run in a 13-8 victory over their crosstown rivals, the Cubs.
  
  
• The Detroit Tigers keep rolling in the National League Mid-East, and their biggest star last month was 3B Harlond Clift. On the strength of 10 homers, 26 RBI, and a .371 average, Clift took home his league's Outstanding Hitter Award for May.
  
  
• New York Giants' righthander Bob Feller leads both leagues in strikeouts with 104, and he punched out 45 batters in 51 innings en route to an NL Outstanding Pitcher Award in May. He went 4-1 with a 1.59 ERA during the month. His Giants are three games behind the Red Sox in the NL Northern.

[Big Six]

June 15, 1939

This year's rookie draft class lacks the hype that has surrounded several of the last few classes. Still, there appear to be several solid major league regulars among the 120 players who were selected in today's draft.

The Cleveland Indians surprised many "experts" by choosing a teenaged pitcher with great upside who is, nevertheless, years from contributing at the major league level. The Tribe is taking its chances with Vince Richards, a husky 18-year-old righthander from Kentucky.

The Indians' choice foreshadowed a run on pitchers that didn't end until four other teams selected hurlers. The Oakland Oaks picked the first position player, outfielder Wally Judnich, who reported immediately to the big league club.

The St. Louis Cardinals, currently leading the American League Contintental division race, were excited to see outfielder/third baseman Pete Reiser still on the board when their turn came around at #10.

With the 18th pick, the Sacramento Solons chose Dominic DiMaggio, younger brother of their superstar outfielder, Joe. Dom, who might be an even better defensive player than his brother, will report straight to Sacramento and play beside Joe.

The Portland Beavers then chose shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a slick-fielding 20-year-old with the potential to grow into a decent hitter.

Other recent draftees with promise include C Walker Cooper (#21, San Diego), LHP Harry Brecheen (2nd round, Cincinnati) and SS Marty Marion (2nd round, Oakland).

[Big Six]

July 1, 1939

If you like offense, you would have loved the 1939 All-Star game, when sluggers from both leagues teed off at the Polo Grounds. The National Leaguers won, 14-12, on a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth by Detroit 3B Harlond Clift.

Here are the rosters for the 1939 All-Star Game. Their statistics are updated through the end of play on June 30.

NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STARS
SP  Paul Dean, MIL         11-5, 2.57, 85 K
SP  Bob Feller, NYG        10-5, 2.65, 148 K
SP  John Jackson, DET      12-4, 3.13
SP  Jorge Garcia, PIT      9-5, 2.76, 92 K
SP  Satchel Paige, BOS     9-7, 3.02, 115 K
SP  Rusty Chandler, BOS    11-4, 3.69
RP  Hugh Casey, NYG        6-4, 2.72, 4 SV
RP  Pat Richardson, DET    3-1, 0.75, 12 SV
RP  Ray Harrell, PHI       3-6, 2.77, 12 SV
RP  Milt Shoffner, NYY     2-0, 3.07, 10 SV
RP  Ed Heusser, PHI        3-2, 3.04, 7 SV
RP  Bucky Jacobs, BRO      3-2, 2.42, 8 SV

C   Bob McBryde, WAS       .353-5-41
C   Rudy York, NYY         .318-7-40
1B  Buck Leonard, NYY      .355-18-64
1B  Lou Gehrig, PIT        .289-14-39
1B  Hank Greenberg, MIL    .330-20-71
1B  Johnny Mize, DET       .319-17-70
1B  Jim Bottomley, WAS     .325-10-40
2B  Bobby Doerr, BOS       .351-8-60
3B  Harlond Clift, DET     .361-23-81
SS  Andrew Mann, NYG       .326-3-49
LF  Mule Suttles, WAS      .297-16-58
LF  Buzz Boyle, BOS        .332-3-39
CF  Wally Moses, DET       .349-2-41
CF  Lloyd Waner, CIN       .318-4-35
RF  Bob Fothergill, WAS    .321-7-46
RF  Enos Slaughter, BRO    .336-10-46


AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STARS
SP  Johnny Allen, SEA      13-3, 2.12, 113 K
SP  Marius Russo, SAC      13-2, 1.75
SP  Pat Caraway, POR       11-3, 2.28
SP  Fred Barnes, SAC       11-4, 1.96
SP  Grady Price, CHC       9-6, 2.28, 92 K
SP  Paul Baker, SAC        11-4, 3.58
RP  Jaime Soto, CHW        7-3, 3.93, 9 SV
RP  Harry Eisenstat, SEA   8-3, 3.60, 4 SV
RP  William Jones, STL     7-1, 0.72, 4 SV
RP  Italo Chelini, CHW     5-1, 2.54, 5 SV
RP  Brennan Thomas, SEA    6-2, 2.14, 4 SV
RP  Lorenzo Garcia, SAC    5-4, 2.58, 1 SV

C   Josh Gibson, POR       .332-21-62
C   Mickey Cochrane, STL   .292-4-40
1B  Jimmie Foxx, KC        .312-24-65
1B  Hal Trosky, CHC        .315-16-65
1B  Raul Cardenas, POR     .344-7-46
2B  Joe Gordon, SAC        .334-19-55
3B  Stan Campbell, CHC     .349-6-38
3B  Buddy Lewis, SD        .311-2-63
SS  Ray Dandridge, POR     .342-3-50
LF  Joe DiMaggio, SAC      .374-33-95
LF  Roy Weatherly, POR     .322-5-55
LF  Charlie Keller, STL    .362-16-57
CF  Cool Papa Bell, SD     .393-0-27
RF  Chuck Klein, POR       .338-7-60
RF  Arturo Reyes, SAC      .359-11-58

• Speaking of Harlond Clift, he's taking dead aim at a National League Triple Crown. However, his power stats pale in comparison to those of Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, who is on pace to club 63 home runs and drive in 181 runs. The current single season records in these categories are held by Wally Berger, who hit 57 homers in 1930, and Mule Suttles, who drove in 194 runs in 1932.
  
  
• Hollywood's veteran portsider Carl Hubbell wasn't an All-Star this year, but he would have been a deserving choice. During June, he was as good as anyone in the game, pitching to a 5-1 record and a 1.74 ERA and winning the American League Pitcher of the Month Award.
  
  
• The Cleveland Indians have a losing record this season, but they can't blame Bob Lewis for that. Lewis, 38, went 5-0 in June, and struck out 31 batters in 35 innings. He ran his record to 10-2, and earned the NL's monthly pitching prize.
  
  
• Now in his tenth big league season, the Yankees' Buck Leonard has been among the game's most fearsome sluggers for years. His .442 average, seven homers, and 25 RBI paced the Yankees as they moved into second place in the NL Northern Division, and he picked up the National League Outstanding Hitter Award.
  
  
• Ted Williams of the Oakland Oaks has now played 154 major league games--the equivalent of one full season. His numbers: .370/.477/.701, 48 home runs, 128 RBI, 151 runs scored. "The Kid" hit .385 with a .495 OBP during June, hammering ten homers, and won the American League Batter of the Month Award.
  
  
• Chris Thornton of the New York Giants fired a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on June 16. Thornton allowed only three hits and three walks, striking out two batters during his gem. Thornton, a 27-year-old lefthander, has a career record of 37-36 and a 3.62 lifetime ERA.
  
  
• Two veteran sluggers reached milestones during June. On June 3, Portland's Chuck Klein smacked his 2500th career hit. All-time hit king Oscar Eckhardt recorded career hit #3500 on June 28.
  
  
• The Red Sox, Tigers, Cardinals, and Solons still hold the lead in their respective divisions, but the Cardinals are facing a stern challenge from the perennial contenders up in Portland. The Beavers, who have added young infielder Raul Cardenas to a lineup that already featured hitters like Ray Dandridge, Roy Weatherly, Josh Gibson, and Chuck Klein, have closed to within two games of the lead. Cardenas plays both first and third, and the verstatile Dandridge has played some shortstop in an effort to keep Cardenas' bat in the lineup.

[Big Six]

Just dropping by to let everyone know I haven't let this dynasty die. I've been enjoying a few other sports games lately, but as the baseball season draws near, I'm getting the urge to get this one up and running again.

I'll also be posting the results of our first Hall of Fame voting.

I hope those of you who followed this story back in the summer and fall will pick it up again, and maybe we'll have some new fans come on board, too.

[NYY #23]

Good to see you back! I'm looking forward to the return of one of my favorites.