New Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB) with random introduction feature opens in 1901

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1901 Season

The inaugural season of Metaphysical League Baseball, MLB for short, using the new OOTP Random Introduction feature, begins in 1901.

The year 1901, beginning with the formation of the American League, and the first World Series, was a great success. The season provided amazing drama right down to the final out, and even offered an international flare with the participation of Japanese legend Ichiro Suzuki and Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.

Both pennant races went down to the wire. In the American League, the newly formed Milwaukee Brewers led for much of the year, but dropped their final 2 games to fall into a first place tie with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles finely prevailed when with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th, Graig Nettles singled, stole 2nd, and scored on a single by PH Tim Shinnock (3-9 for the year). The Orioles finished 86-55.

In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals won 8 of 9 down the stretch, while the New York Giants dropped 6 of 10, and surpassed the Giants by a half game. With the Giants schedule completed, the Cards only had to win the finale. They faltered, and the playoff was on. The Giants’ John E. Farrell bested Willard Mains, the league’s best pitcher, and the Cards, 2-0, to finish 92-49 and win the title.

The excitement of the World Series actually surpassed that of the pennant races. The Giant’s leading HR/RBI producer, Joe Carter, would be out with an injury for the entire series, while the Orioles would be without the big bat of Joey Votto. The Orioles impressively jumped out to a 3-1 series lead on the back of timely hitting and a big running game. The Giants, however, eaked out a close Game 5 victory in Baltimore, then roared back to win the final two in New York, taking the finale 5-1, behind the league’s leading hitter, Benny Kauff, who finished the series with a home run, 7 RBIs, and a .385 batting average.

Top Newcomer and Outstanding Pitcher awards each league were:
• AL: Crazy Schmit, 25, Bal, 22-8, 2.02, 263 IP, 240 H, 56 BB, 122 K
• NL: Willard Mains, 24, NYG, 27-10, 2.32, 329 IP, 298 H, 86 BB, 137 K, 35 CG

Outstanding Hitter awards:
• AL: George Wright, 27, SS, Bal, 4 HR, 76 RBI, .349, 167 H, 25 2B, 30 3B, 92 R, 36 SB
• NL: Benny Kauff, 27, CF, NYG, 7 HR, 100 RBI, .383, 194 H, 28 2B, 8 3B, 104 R, 48 SB (NL batting title)

AL Batting Title; Lou Brock, LF, Bos, .365
Top Prospect: Al Rosen, 23, 3B, NYG
Major Disappointments:
• Ichiro Suzuki, 37, RF, Phil N, 121-26-0-15-.215, retired
• Bob Feller, 30, P, Cle, 16-17, 2.95, 277 IP, 316 H, 77 BB, 64 K

Top Position Player and Pitcher by Franchise:
• Baltimore George Wright Crazy Schmidt
• Bos A Lou Brock Esteban Yan
• Bos N Milton Bradley Sad Sam Jones
• Brooklyn Dave Hanson Cliff Melton
• Chi A Gary Redus Johnny Welch
• Chi N Kirby Puckett Clayton Richard
• Cincinnati Ron Fairly Ray Moss
• Cleveland Hank Majeski Bob Feller
• Detroit Joe Evans Dan Adams
• NY Giants Benny Kauff Steve Sundra
• Phil As Adrian Gonzalez Scott Chiamparino
• Phil Phillies Ray Chapman Ryan Drese
• Pittsburgh Harry Rice Ray Keating
• Milwaukee Dusty Cooke Joe Yeager
• St. Louis N Bobby Tolan Willard Mains
• Washington Harold Baines Dennis Blair

Stay tuned for the 1902 season!

[CT Wolverine]

Hi all, following is a synopsis of my 1902 season. If there is interest, I would be happy to exclude/include information to make it more meaningful to others. If so, let me know. Thanks.


Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1902 Season

The second season of Metaphysical League Baseball saw a bit of a power shift in both leagues.

The first round of the draft had some interesting names:
• #1 SP Frank Knaus to Brooklyn
• #2 LF Edd Roush (19) to Washington
• #5 3B Bob Horner to Chicago Orphans
• #10 SP Danny Friend to Cincinnati
• #12 3b Scott Rolen to Detroit
• #13 1B Travis Hafner to StL Browns
• #15 Vlad Guerrero to StL Cardinals
• #16 SP Early Wynn to NY Giants

The defending AL Champion Orioles never got untracked, finishing 21 games off the pace, and their manager, John McGraw, was sacked at season’s end. Meanwhile, the Boston Americans, who stood pat over the Winter, made a couple of savvy early-season rotation acquisitions, and outlasted the Athletics to win the AL by 3 games, with an 81-59 mark.

The defending NL Champion Giants started strong and led for the first half, but their star CF Benny Kauff went down for 6 weeks early in July. In the end, both the Reds and Cards passed them by. The Reds rode a sensational second half by their #1 and #2 picks, Danny Friend and Jerry Garvin, who finished 1-2 in ERA in the NL, to a 6-game margin over St. Louis, finishing 88-52. Friend was so dominant that he won 14 starts in a row at one point.

The Reds were heavily favored in the World Series, with Friend and Garvin expected to start up to 5 games if necessary. True to their billing, the dual aces won the first two games for the Reds at home, 6-1, and 7-3. At home in Boston, their rookie starter, Fred Gladding, returned the favor, 5-1 Americans. Game 4 was a shock. Boston got to Friend early with 5 runs in the first 3 innings for a 9-1 victory to tie the series. Then in Game 5, early-season acquisition Alfredo Martinez outpitched Garvin in a 4-3 Boston win. In Game 6, Gladding sewed up the MVP award, going 8.2 innings and getting the key hit, a 2-out, 2-run triple in the top of the 8th to put the Americans up for good, as Boston won the game 7-5 and the series 4 games to 2.

Outstanding Pitcher
• AL: Sam Shaw, 23, PhilA, 23-11, 1.98 34 GS, 295 IP, 280 H, 68 BB, 197 K, .250 avg (Rnd 4)
• NL: Danny Friend, 21, Cin, 29-5, 1.42, 35 GS, 324 IP, 238 H, 58 BB, 308 K, .200 avg

Outstanding Hitter
• AL: Edd Roush, 19, LF, Was, 2 HR, 51 RBI, .339, 178 H, 62 SB
• NL: Bobby Tolan, 25, CF, StL, 7 HR, 73 RBI, .323, 147 H, 60 SB

Batting Leaders
AL: HR: Harold Baines, SLA, 10; RBI: Harold Baines, SLA, 89; Avg: Steve B Dunn, Phi, .348;
SB Steve B Dunn, Phi, 105
NL: HR: Bob Horner, Cin, 11; RBI: Bill Serena, StL, 82; Avg: Jimmy Bannon, NYG, .345;
SB: Jim Chatterton, BosN, 66

Pitching Leaders
AL: Wins: Sam Shaw, Phi, 23; Sv: Floyd Giebell, Chi, 4; ERA: Chief Yellow Horse, Was, 1.62;
K: Larry McWilliams, Chi, 204
NL: Wins: Danny Friend, Cin, 29; Sv: Earl Henry, StL, 5; ERA, Jerry Garvin, Cin, 1.40;
K: Danny Friend, Cin, 308

Manager of the Year:
AL: Jimmy Collins, 32, Bos, 82-58, 2nd year
NL: Bid McPhee, 42, Cin, 88-52, 2nd year

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1903 Season

The character of the MLB and of many of the players began to take shape in this, the 3rd season of operation. For the third consecutive year, two new teams found their way to the World Series, this time the Philadelphia Athletics from the AL and the St. Louis Cardinals from the NL. The overall balance is evident. One team is standing out, however, the Cardinals, who have finished in a 1st place tie (lost playoff), 2nd, and 1st. No other club has come close to the Card’s consistency. On the flip side, On the White Sox and Tigers in the AL, and Phillies and Boston Beaneaters in the NL have been consistent also-rans.

In the 1st round of the draft:
• #1 SP Doc White – Chicago Cubs
• #4 1B Pedro Guerrero – Philadelphia Phillies
• #12 RF Vlad Guerrero – Washington (not sure some guys are drafted in successive yrs)
• #14 SP Cliff Lee – NY Giants
• #16 SP Juan Pizarro – St. Louis Cardinals (big role in upcoming season)

A tremendous highlight in league history occurred on 8/3/03, when 22-year-old rookie hurler Harry Moran of the Ny Highlanders took the mound vs the league-leading Philadelphia Athletics. Twenty seven batters later, Moran left the mound with the first perfect game in MLB history. Moran struck out 8 A’s in the process.

On 8/18/03, teammate Dave Davenport became the MLB career leader in Wins with 49, ending the season at 55 Wins for his career.

Steve B Dunn of the Philadelphia Athletics, the biggest surprise of all the players, set a new single-season hits record with 195 on 9/19/03, finishing with 206. Dunn has won a batting title (.348 in 1902), an Outstanding Hitter award (1903), and twice consecutively cracked the single-season stolen base record with 105 in 1902 and then 118 in 1903.

As for the Pennant races, the Athletics, led by Dunn, rattled off 7 in a row late in the year and clinched with 4 games to play over Cleveland, finishing 89-51. Cleveland finished 5 behind. Similarly, St. Louis sewed up the NL race with 5 games to play, finishing 89-51, with defending champion Cincinnati 5 back. For the 3rd consecutive year, dominating pitching was even more the story in the NL than in the AL.

For the first time, the World Series would be a best 5 of 9 affair. The visiting Cardinals took the first two games, 6-5, and 9-3 on the strength of SPs rookie Juan Pizarro (26-9, 1.69) and Mike Regan (27-6, 1.63), # 2/1 respectively in wins and ERA in the NL, and the hitting of Charlie Lindstrom, David Eckstein and Graig Nettles. It looked like a rout was on. However the A’s won Game 3 in St. Louis, 5-0, on Bill Hubbell’s shutout and Bert Campaneris’ 5 RBIs. The Cards won Game 4, 6-2 on 3 first-inning runs and Nettles’ 3-4 2-RBI day. But again the A’s got a shutout, this time 1-0 by Sam Shaw, in Game 5 (over Pizarro), again the lone run driven in by Campaneris. The Cards took a 4-2 series lead in Game 6 with a solid 9-4 victory, led by Nettles 2-4, HR, 2 RBI day. The A’s won Game 7, as Dunn finally made his presence felt but it only staved off the inevitable as the Cards won Game 8, 7-4, for a 5-3 series victory. Nettles was the MVB, with a 2-8-.370 line, and spectacular play at 3B.

League Awards

Outstanding Pitcher /Newcomer
• AL: Norm Bass, 21, Cle, 26-8, 1.66
• NL: Juan Pizarro, 19, St.L 26-9, 1.69, 329 IP*, 257K

Outstanding Hitter
• AL: Steve B Dunn, 25, Phil A’s .334, 206 H, 31 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 75 RBI, 94 R, 118 SB
• NL: Duff Cooley, 22, Bro .322, 168 H, 21 2B, 24 3B, 4 HR, 75 RBI, 81 R, 54 SB

Batting Leaders
AL: HR: Al Shaw, Cle, 10; RBI: Joey Votto, NYH, 90; Avg: Edd Roush, Was, .341;
SB Steve B Dunn, Phi, 118*
NL: HR: Mack Jones, Bro, Graig Nettles, St.L, 10; RBI: Pedro Guerrero,PhilP, 76, Graig Nettles, StL, 76; Avg: Pete Browning, Cin, .332;
SB: Roxey Roach, BosB, 80

Pitching Leaders
AL: Wins: Norm Bass, Cle, 26; Sv: 3 players, , 3; ERA: Norm Bass, Cle, 1.66;
K: Frank Knaus, Chi, 271
NL: Wins: Mike Regan, St.L, 27; Sv: 4 players, , 3; ERA, Mike Regan, St.L, 1.63;
K: Doc White, ChC, 307

Manager of the Year:
AL: Vincinte Garcia, PhilA, 89-51, 1st, 2.5 years 209-155 lifetime
NL: Juan Sendejas, Pit, 78-62, 3rd, 2 years, 154-126 lifetime

Biggest Contracts

Edd Roush, Was, $2419; Benny Kauff, NYG, $2387; George Wright, NYH, $2343; Scott Rolen, Det, $2240; Tommy Henrich, St.L Cards, $2218


* MLB Record

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1904 Season

For the first time, MLB expanded to a 154-game schedule. Balance continued to be the overall theme of the new league as, for the fourth consecutive year, two new teams made it into the World Series. Altogether, however, 1904 was a relatively bland year, as pitching dominated even more than in the previous three seasons.

The 1903 draft leading into the season was very weak.
• #1 CF Dutch Zwilling – Chicago White Sox
• #3 CF Jim Wynn – New York Giants
• #12 SP Ray Collins – Pittsburgh Pirates
were the only real notables who were either big names or would play a big role during the season.

The early leaders in the pennant races were the Cleveland Naps and New York Highlanders in the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League. The defending champion St. Louis Cardinals got off to a terrible start and traded star 3B Graig Nettles to the Chicago White Sox on May 11. This proved to be key to the AL race as the White Sox took the lead by the end of June and never looked back, winning by a 5 game margin over the Philadelphia A’s. In the NL, the Phillies led until August when their intra-state rival Pittsburgh Pirates passed them and won going away by 10 games. The White Sox (1903 cellar-dwellers in the AL at 50-90) concluded an incredible turnaround at 90-64, while the Pirates established a new record for wins at 97-57.

Expectations were that pitching would dominate the World Series, and in this case the expectations were fulfilled. Every game was a shutout except for one. Visiting Chicago took Game 1, 3-0, on Frank Knauss’ (27-11, 1.76) 3-hitter and the bats of #1 pick Zwilling and Nettles. Game 2 went to Pittsburgh, 2-0, behind Buddy Napier’s (18-13, 1.74) 5-hitter, a clutch sac fly by Larry Parrish and a big RBI triple by 2B Carlos Rodriguez. Chicago bounced back in Game 3, 2-0, as rookie Catfish Hunter (13-9, 1.90) twirled a 3-hitter and Jack Wilson
had the game-winning RBI in the 4th. Pittsburgh’s Game 4 win, 3-0, knotted the series on rookie Ray Collins (23-14, 1.42) 3-hitter and Carlos Rodriguez GW RBI. Game 5 was the turning point. In an 11-inning affair, Buddy Napier of Pittsburgh pitched a complete game (163 pitches), allowing 6 hits, for his 2nd win of the series as Pittsburgh took the game on the road, 4-2 for a 3 games to 2 lead. The go-ahead run scored on back-to-back doubles by David Justice and Larry Parrish. The finale was a pitchers’ duel between Catfish Hunter for the White Sox and Anibal Sanchez for the Pirates. The Pirates got a run in the bottom of the 5th on a Bream bunt single, Carlos Rodriguez single and a 2-out single by Stennett, and Sanchez made it hold up, tossing a 4-hit shutout, Pittsburgh 1 Chicago 0.
Pittsburgh wins 4 games to 2!
Series MVP was Buddy Napier for his 2 complete-game victories and 0.45 ERA in 20 IP.

During the regular season, the second no-hitter in league history was pitched Gary Serum of the St. Louis Browns vs. the Chicago white Sox in a 1-0 victory on 9/29. He allowed only 2 BB and struck out nobody.

Season record-breakers and season leaders are listed below. Before closing, a note regarding the upcoming 1905 season. The November 1904 draft for the upcoming season will be the best to date, with prospects like Stephen Strasburg, Johnny Bench, Frank Tanana, Reggie Sanders, Max Carey, Pascual Perez, Chris Chambliss, Lou Whitaker, Willie Davis, Monte Ward and Carl Crawford. In addition, I will begin to profile a team, starting with the New York Giants, who have fallen from World Champions in 1901 to last in the NL in 1904, and have the #2 pick in the upcoming draft. I will cut back on the more mundane parts of this report to compensate.

1904 Single Season Records:

• Triples: Bill Delancey, Cle, 31
• Losses (pitching): Jean Dubec, Detroit, 27
• Saves: Nelson Cruz, NYH, 6
• Complete Games: Doc White, ChC, 37
• Shutouts: Tim Belcher, Boston Beaneaters, 9
• Innings Pitched: Glenn J. Liebhardt, ChC, 381
• Strikeouts: Juan Pizarro, St.L Cardinals, 327
• Opp Avg: Anibal Sanchez, Pit, .196
• Opp SLG: Anibal Sanchez, Pit, .259

League Awards

Outstanding Pitcher
• AL: Frank Knauss – Chicago White Sox 27-11, 1.76, 357.2 IP, 291 K
• NL: Glenn J. Liebhardt – Chicago Cubs 24-13, 1.68, 381 IP, 204 K

Outstanding Hitter
• AL: Joe Evans, Cleveland 1-68-.305, 20 2B, 27 3B, 26 SB
• NL: Steve Yerkes, Pittsburgh 1-48-.312, 30 2B, 22 3B, 31 SB

Batting Leaders
AL: HR: Vlad Guerrero, Was, 10; RBI: Joey Votto, NYH, 77; Avg: Joe Evans, Cle, .305;
SB Steve B Dunn, Phi, 95
NL: HR: David Justice, Pit, Larry Parrish, Pit, Rick Wilkins, Pit, 7; RBI: Larry Parrish, Pit, 74: Avg: Steve Yerkes, Pit, .312:
SB: Ward Miller, Phil, 76

Pitching Leaders
AL: Wins: Frank Knauss, ChW, 27; Sv: Nelson Cruz, NYH, 6; ERA: Ken Gables, Cle, 1.54;
K: Frank Knauss, ChW, 291
NL: Wins: Anibal Sanchez, Pit, 25; Sv: Hipolito Pichardo, Pit, 5; ERA, Ray Collins, Pit, 1.42;
K: Juan Pizarro, St.L, 327

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1905 Season


The 1904 draft leading into the 1905 season was the most promising to date, with prospects such as Johnny Bench, Stephen Strasburg, Frank Tanana, Reggie Sanders, Max Carey, Pascual Perez, Chris Chambliss, Lou Whitaaker, Carl Crawford and Willie Davis.
The top 4 selections were:
• #1 SP Stephen Strasburg – Detroit Tigers
• #2 C Johnny Bench – New York Giants
• #3 LF Max Carey – Boston Beaneaters
• #4 SP Pascual Perez – Boston Americans

Beginning this season, the New York Giants will be profiled. The Giants were the first-ever MLB World Champions (1901), led by MVP CF Benny Kauff. The following season they finished in third place, as Kauff began a pattern of being injured often. In 1903 and 1904, the Giants really hit bottom, finishing dead last, with their 60-94 record in 1904 being their worst.

The 1904-1905 offseason began as a major rebuilding project: as the Giants:
• Fired Manager Joe Brown and replaced him with Ricky Hicks
• Selected Johnny Bench with the 2nd pick of the draft
• In Round 2, selected SP Monte Ward
• In Round 3, selected SP Gary Ryerson
• All would play a huge part in the 1905 Giants team.
• Traded the aging Benny Kauff (4-48-.256 in 1904) was traded for SS/2B Alexi Casilla and SS Doug Flynn. This allowed the move of Jimmy Wynn from SS to his natural position of LF and improved their infield defense tremendously.
• Traded 2B Joe Sewell and SP Dennis Tankersley to the St.Louis Browns for CF Dusty Cooke.

This left the Giants with an Opening Day lineup mixed with youth and veterans and a youthful but developing pitching staff:

C: Johnny Bench – 18 SP: Monte Ward – 22
1B: Babe Young – 21 SP: Early Wynn – 20
2B: Felix Milan – 31 SP: Jack Neagle – 22
3B: Al E Smith – 32 SP: Gary Ryerson – 22 (SP: Ernie Shore – 25 in AAA)
SS: Alexi Casilla – 28 MR: Rod Scurry – 24
LF: Jim Wynn – 20 MR: Clay Smith – 25
CF: Don Lock – 30
RF: Dusty Cooke – 29

The revitalized Giants started faster than anyone expected. By the end of May, they were 24-14, only 3 games behind the league-leading Phillies. Mote Ward was named the Rookie of the Month for May with a 6-1, 1.59 ERA in 7 starts, and stood 4th in the league in ERA at 1.68, while Gary Ryerson led the league with a 0.82 ERA.

By the end of June, the Giants were 41-23, and pulled with 1 ½ games of Philadelphia. Every starting pitcher had at least 10 wins, led by Ward with 14. Ward led the league in K’s and Ryerson continued to lead the league in ERA.

Spurred by their great start, the Giants engineered two deals early in July:
• Obtained SP/RP George Dumont – 18 (1-1-2, 2.00) from St.LN in return for Randy Elliott, Rob Nelson and Red NonnenKamp
• Obtained 3B/1B Scott Livingstone – 33 (0-14-.387 in 93 AB) from Cleveland in return for Jake Kafora and Justin Ruggiano

Shortly after the Dumont trade, Ryerson went on the DL for 15 days with elbow soreness and Dumont filled his rotation slot.

July saw the Giants slip back a bit, going 11-15, but their 56-40 record left them still only
4 ½ games back.

In August, the defending World Champion Pirates made a run and the Giants fell into 3rd, finishing the month at 71-49, still within striking distance, 5 games behind the league-leading Pirates.

The wheels finally came off in September. The Giants dropped 8 of the first 10 and fell 9 ½ games behind. Ernie Shore replaced Ryerson in the rotation. Then on 9/11, Johnny Bench fractured a finger and was lost for the remainder of the year. Bench’s first year stat line:
2-67-.254 in 481 AB, not bad for an 18-year-old! Finally, on 9/29, with 8 days remaining, SS Alexi Casilla (3-60-.279, 20 SB) tore an oblique and the Giants faded home.

The Giants finished 8 ½ games back in the end, at 85-69, but all-in-all the season was a success for a team that nobody thought would contend at all, let alone through the end of August. The club’s first three draft picks showed that they have promising futures in the majors, and each of the Giants trades paid dividends. The Giants finished second in the league in 4 offensive categories, which is something to build upon. Their pitching however, faded, finishing 5th in ERA, and the defense was 5th as well, so these areas need to be improved further if the Giants are to continue to move up.

As for the pennant races, the stretch runs in both leagues were tremendously exciting. The new real-time simulation feature was terrific to watch the final days unfold.

In the NL, as mentioned, the defending-champion Pirates overtook the Phillies in late August. The Phillies, however, fought back and caught Pittsburgh with 2 weeks remaining. After see-sawing back and forth, the teams were again tied with 3 games remaining. By way of schedule, Philadelphia went ½ game up with a victory, then both teams lost 2 in a row, allowing Philadelphila to clinch a tie with Pittsburgh to play 1 last game. The Pirates came through on a 4-0 win over the Reds and a 1-game playoff was scheduled for Philadelphia.

Neither club had their best pitchers available due to the stretch run. Pittsburgh threw Buddy Napier (18-18, 2.22), while Philadelphia countered with Nellie King (6-6, 2.25). Pittsburgh had won 14 of 22 during the season, but this day belonged to King and the Phillies. Taking an early lead on great hitting by Jack Heinzman (4-3-3, SB, scored all 3 runs), the Phillies held on for a 3-2 victory behind King (8-8-1-0-0-3) and the pen to dethrone the champs and move to the World Series for the first time).


In the American League, the defending-champion Chicago White Sox were never a factor. The St. Louis Browns jumped out to an early lead and were ahead by 6 games at the Al-Star break. By the middle of August, however, the Philadelphia Athletics had overtaken the Browns by 1 game. Again the Browns fought back, and the teams were tied with 3 games remaining. Philadelphia traveled to Washington where they lost their next two games, while St. Louis defeated their rival White Sox in their next game to clinch a tie for the title. With their backs to the wall, the Phillies won their final game over the Senators, but starting 2 hours later, the Browns easily finished off the White Sox, 9-2 to win their first AL title.

Five times in five years there would be new franchises in the World Series!
It was anyone’s guess who would win this one. The Browns (94-60) were given a slight advantage given their home-field advantage and an extra day’s rest due to the Phillies (94-61) one-game playoff for the NL title. The Phillies had the stronger offense and the Browns the better pitching:
• Game 1: St. Louis bats won the game, 5-4, for rookie SP John Skopec (22-15, 2.24), led by Harold Baines, 2-4, 2-run HR; Adolpho Phillips 4-4, RBI; Mickey Cochrane 3-3
• Game 2: St. Louis won 4-3 (12 inn). An exciting battle. Dennis Tankersley (19-6, 1.91) kept St. Louis in it for 11 solid innings. Then in the bottom of the 12th, star-of-the-game Adolpho Phillips (3-6, 2 3B, 2 R, RBI) smashed a 1-out 3B, and Hal Warnock grounded a game-winning single up the middle for the victory.
• Game 3: Philadelphia 3, St. Louis 0. Nellie King (7-6-1, 2.11) who came up big in the 1-game playoff vs the Pirates does it again with an 8-hit shutout.
• Game 4: St. Louis 3, Philadelphia as Skopec wins his 2nd and Phillips continues his hit hitting, going 2-5, RBI, R
• Game 5: St. Louis 7, Philadelphia 0. Tankersley with a masterful 6-hit shutout for his 2nd win and the World Series victory. Harold Baines went 2-4, HR, RBI, R
• Series MVP was Adolpho Phillips: 12-23-.522, 2B, 2 3B, 3 SB, 5 R, 3 RBi

Two major regular-season highlights to mention:
• Steve B Dunn (Phil A) set the MLB record consecutive-game hitting streak at 39 games!
• Bob Horner (22) (Cin) shattered his own single-season HR record (previously 11, set at the age of 19), by clobbering 14 HRs.

Other 1905 Single Season Records:

• Hits: Steve B Dunn, PhilA, 223
• Total Bases: Steve B Dunn, PhilA, 278
• Singles, Steve B Dunn, PhilA, 176
• Doubles: Steve B Dunn, PhilA, 41
• Saves: Rick Steirer, BosA, 10
• Games: Rick Steirer, BosA, 58
• Strikeouts: Juan Pizarro, St.L Cardinals, 327
• Opp Avg: Anibal Sanchez, Pit, .196
• Opp SLG: Anibal Sanchez, Pit, .259


League Awards

Outstanding Pitcher
• AL: Jim Scott, PhilA, 25-13, 2.11, 346 IP, 191 K
• NL: Ray Collins, Pit, 26-13, 1.86, 362.1 IP, 188 K, MLB record 16 consecutive wins

Outstanding Hitter
• AL: Cupid Childs, NY Highlanders, 3-87-.325, 197 H, .403 OBP, 107 Runs
• NL: Dustin Ackley, Phil Phillies, 3-97-.309, 182 H, 24 2B, 27 3B, .353 OBP, 78 Runs

Batting Leaders
AL: HR: Travis Hafner, St.L, 10; RBI: Lefty Marr, St.L, 92; Avg: Steve B Dunn, PhilA, .355;
SB Steve B Dunn, PhilA, 108
NL: HR: Bob Horner, Cin, 14; RBI: Dustin Ackley, PhilN, 97: Avg: Pete Browning, Cin, .342:
SB: Ward Miller, PhilN, 81

Pitching Leaders
AL: Wins: Jim Scott, PhilA, 25; Sv: Rick Steirer, BosA, 10; ERA: Chick Robitaille, PhilA, 1.84;
K: Frank Tanana, Cle, 206
NL: Wins: Ray Collins, Pit, Monte ward, NYG, 26; Sv: Brian Shouse, PhilN, 6; ERA, Gary Ryerson, NYG, 1.73;
K: Monte Ward, NYG, 239

[CT Wolverine]

The young New York Giants had high hopes after showing great improvement in the 2005 season. The 2005 draft class had a few top prospects at the top but fell off quickly. Among the coveted names were Mark McGwire, Charlie Pick, Pascual Perez and David Price. The top 3 selections were:
• #1 LF Charlie Pick – Boston Beaneaters
• #2 1B Mark McGwire – Boston Americans
• #3 SP David Price – Chicago Cubs

The Giants, picking #13, selected C Mike Diaz. Other notable New York picks: Dick Green, 2B (2) and sleeper 2B Lou Whitaker (9).

The Giants surprising stood pat during the off-season, only making one minor deal, sending reserve 3B Scott Livingstone to Cleveland for prospects RP Bobby Locke and CF Bill Whaley.
Spring training featured several battles for positions as rookie Mike Diaz was given 1B and OF gloves and quickly entered into a 1B platoon with Claude Cooper. Erv Dusak emerged as the starter at 3B over Al Smith.. Dick Green and Lou Whitaker battled for 2B. Green appeared to emerge as the winner before an injury sent him to the DL to start the season. Cooper and Diaz challenged for OFD time when not playing 1B. On the mound, Gary Ryerson earned his way back into the starting rotation.

The youthful Giants got off to a fast start, going 9-6 in April, holding a percentage points lead over the Reds in the NL. Early Wynn (now the MLB career innings pitched leader) was named NL Pitcher of the Month, going 4-0 with a 0.47 ERA. Lou Whitaker was named Rookie of the Month, finishing 1-11-.318.

May was another solid month overall. Ryerson struggled and was replaced in the rotation by George Dumont, but Mote Ward emerged to win NL Pitcher of the Month, going 6-1, 0.75. The Giants ended May 22-17 overall, ½ game behind the defending champion Phillies.

In June, reality began to set in. New York played .500 ball for the month, dropping to 3rd place, still only 3 ½ games back of the Phillies.

The Giants slid further back in July, to 48-47, 5th place, 7 games behind the surging Cardinals. They seemed to give up on the season on 7/30 when they dealt 4th OF Jim Russell, hitting .308 to the A’s for prospect MR Rex Dawson.

In the end, the Giants finished a disappointing 5th, 78-76, 16 games back, a step back from the previous year. Some individuals showed good growth however:
• Johnny Bench (20) finished 5-64-.259, and threw out more than 50% base-stealers
• Monte Ward finished 21-17-1.59
• Early Wynn went 22-17-1.98
• George Dumont established himself as 3rd starter, 17-14, 2.13
Overall, however, the team still needs more consistent offense and a bullpen that can hold a lead (they finished dead last in bullpen ERA).


As for the pennant races, the Cincinnati Reds (94-60) got stronger as the year evolved, and eventually ran away with the NL race, winning by 11 games over the Cardinals. The Reds were led by SP Harry Salisbury. Salisbury became the first player to win the pitching Triple Crown with 28 wins, a 1.49 ERA and 257 K’s. By winning, the Reds became the first team in MLB to make a second appearance in the World Series.

The AL race was much tighter. With 2 days left, the Senators held a ½ game lead on the Tigers. The Senators had 1 game to play and the Tigers had 2 remaining. The next day a Senators victory and Tigers loss sent the Senators (86-68) to their first World Series appearance.

The Reds were heavy favorites in the World Series, but the teams were deadlocked after 6 games. The finale was played in Cincinnati with “triple-crown” Harry Salisbury, already 2-0 in the series on the mound for Cincinnati. However, on this day, John Fulgham of Washington shut down the Reds and Washington won 2-0 to take the World Championship, denying Salisbury his perfect season.

Of Note:
• Rookie David Price(ChC) pitched a no-hitter vs St.L 9/1, with 4 K’s and 6 BB’s
• Harry Salisbury (Cin) won the pitching “triple crown” at 28-9, 1.49, 257 K’s

[deandean1998]

Go Boston Americans. Can you do something on them?

[CT Wolverine]

Sure, I will do something on Boston Americans. I have been away from site for awhile, so i apologize for delay in response to you. I am about to post 1907 league write-up (featuring Giants) now.

I will go back and put something together for you and post it in these threads.

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1907 Season


The 2006 draft class had some interesting players:
• #1 - Chicago Cubs: SP Mordecai Brown
• #2 – Boston Doves: SP Preacher Roe
• #7 – New York Highlanders: 1B Mike Hargove
• #9 – New York Giants: RF Glenallen Hill
• #11 – Pittsburgh Pirates: CF Vada Pinson (18)
• #12 – Brooklyn Superbas: 1B Nap Lajoie

Once again, the Giants were surprisingly passive during the off-season, only sending 34-year-old 3B Al Smith to the Cubs for MR Milt Jordan and CF Art Gardner, neither of which figured in their immediate plans. Overall, it was a quiet off-season. The Phillies made the most noise, upgrading at 2 positions with SP Chuck Robitaille and RF Augie Bergamo for retiring C.-M. Wang and Ron Gant respectively.

In an effort to upgrade the team’s power, speed and defense, the Giant’s Opening Day lineups included changes from the previous year, with Mike Diaz at 1B, speed Claude Cooper in RF and slick Lou Whitaker at 2B. On the mound, young George Dumont looked good in Spring Training and earned the 4th slot in the rotation.

This New York team showed more power, but seemed to be missing something. They got out of the blocks slowly at 5-11 and continued to play around .500 ball after that until the end of July, where they sat at 45-53, in 6th place. From August 1 until the end of the season, they showed a bit of a turnaround, going 33-23 to finish at 78-76 (still in 6th place) with an identical record to the previous year.

There were some bright spots along the way:
• In April, Early Wynn earned his 100th win (3rd on the career list)
• Lou Whitaker was Batter of the Month for May
• Johnny Bench was Batter of the Month for July
• Monte Ward was Pitcher of the Month for August
• The Giants led the NL in home runs with 24, led by Don Lock with 6
Overall, however, it was a club fraught with inconsistent performance.

On October 15th, owner Dave Ross sold the Giants to Enrico Salcido, whose reputation is tolerance and financial charitability. Shortly thereafter, on November 1, the Giants traded prospects Joe Cicero, Gordon Massa and Art Gardner to the Boston Doves to obtain lefty Joe Nuxhall, 26, expected by most to be a strong addition to the shaky bullpen or even close.


As for the pennant races, the defending champion Cincinnati Reds (94-60) led the NL from the beginning. Then in early August, the Phillies went on a 9-1 spurt to take the lead. The race stayed close, but the Phillies won by 4 games. The AL was another story. The St. Louis Browns led for the first half of the season. The A’s then caught them in early July. The two clubs jockeyed for the lead the rest of the way until the Browns finally took the pennant with an A’s loss on the next to last day of the season.

The World Series was a repeat match of the 1905 series, won by the Browns in 5 games. The Phillies ((90-64) were a well-balanced club, slightly stronger in offense (they led the NL in runs scored) with batting champ Jack Heinzman (.295), Dustin Ackley (72 RBI) and Bryce Harper (6 HR). On the mound, Oyster Burns led the league in wins (27), albeit his ERA was not dominant (2.33). The Browns were led by MLB’s first 30-game winner, Rick Reed (31-6, 1.19) and 2 other starters with ERAs under 2.00. The offense was led by Ken Boswell 2-80-.304-12) and Ray Chapman (2-72-.276-62), with occasional power, 4 HRs each, from Harold Baines and Don Mincher.

The first 2 games were split. The Phillies took Game 1, 6-3, on a solid performance from Jesse Litsch and bit hits from Bryce Harper, 2-5 2B, 2 RBI, R. Game 2 belonged to Rick Reed, Browns 6, Phillies 1, with Reggie Sanders 3-5, 2B, RBI, R, and Mincher providing key hits.

In the third game, the Browns inexplicably fell apart. They committed 7 errors, for 6 unearned runs. The score: Phillies 6, Browns 1. Oyster Burns was the winner.

Game 3 seemed to be a momentum change, as in Game 4 Litsch sailed through the Browns lineup on the way to a 2-1 victory, aided by Heinzman’s 3-4 day.

Game 5 was almost a repeat of Game 3 as 2 1st inning errors by the Browns led to 7 runs, 6 unearned, and an easy 8-3 victory for the Phillies.

The Phillies win 4 games to 1 for their first MLB title. MVP was Jesse Litsch, 2-0, 1.50.

Highlights and Awards

• MLB single season records:
o Rick Reed, St.L A, 31 wins
o John Fulgham, Was, 1.16 ERA
o David Price, Chi Cubs, 28 losses
• Avg: AL: Mike Hargrove, NYA, .341; NL: Jack Heinzman, Phi, .295
• HR: AL: Scott Rolen, Det, 7; NL: Benny Kauff, Chi, 7
• RBI: AL: Mike Hargrove, NYA,82; NL: Nap Lajoie, Bro, 73
• SB: AL: Steve B Dunn, Phil A, 96; NL: Otis Clymer, Bos, 77
• Wins: AL: Rick Reed, StL, 31; NL: Oyster Burns, Phil, 27
• Sv: AL: Sergio Romo, Phil, 9; NL: Scott Stewart, Bro, 8
• ERA: AL: John Fulgham, Was, 1.16; NL: Ray Collins, Pit, 1.42
• K’s: AL: Frank Tanana, Cle, 233; NL: Rip Egan, Bor, 204

Rookie of the Year:
• AL: Wally Hebert, 23, Phil, 26-10, 1.96
• NL: Preacher Roe, 21, Bos, 15-19, 1.98

Best Pitcher:
• AL: Rick Reed, StL, 31-6, 1.19
• NL: Harry Salisbury, Cin, 25-13, 1.91 (2nd consecutive year)

Best Hitter:
• AL: Mike Hargrove, NYA, 2-82-.341, 207 H, 24 2B, 8 3B, 63 R
• NL: Dustin Ackley, Phil, 3-72-.272, 155 H, 13 2B, 25 3B, 75 R

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
Boston Americans


The Boston Americans were one of the early success stories in MLB. In their first season, management was determined to excite the fans with a lively brand of baseball. It began with the offseason acquisition of LF Lou Brock from Detroit (in return for Ed Charles). stole Led by batting champion Brock, 32, .365/.397/.453, 47 SB, and 2B Quilvio Veras , 24, 48 SB, the Americans pilfered 247 based in 140 games. Still, with all that speed, they were only 5th in runs scored and finished with a 71-69 record, tied for 4th with Cleveland, 14 ½ games behind Baltimore. More changes were in order.

In the 1901 draft, the Americans selected IF/OF John Hummel, 19, in Round 1, SP Fred Gladding, 22, in Round 2, and SP Rick Steirer, 23, in Round 4. All were to play major roles in 1902, which was to be the American’s big year. Returnees C Mike Stanley, 2B Quilvio Veras, CF Cy Williams and RF Harry Hooper retained their starting roles. Pat Collins earned a platoon share of 1B with Pop Dillon. Dave Cash, 23, took the 3B job from Ron Gant. and Tommy Sheehan, 20, took SS from Royce Clayton. The biggest surprise, however, was when rookie Hummel and Ron Gant (moved from 3B) shared LF over defending batting champion Brock. The starting pitching was nearly completely overhauled., with Bill VanLandingham the only returning starter. He was complemented by rookies Gladding and Steirer.

On July 5, the Americans, still struggling with pitching, traded Ron Gant, hitting .353 with 3 HRs and 11 SBs, to the Phillies in return for Ryan Drese and Alfredo Martinez, inserting both into the rotation, and promoting Hummel to full-time LF. All the juggling did the trick. The Americans went on a tear to win the American League pennant by 3 games at 82-58. The Americans easily had the most attendance in the league and made the most profit.

The Americans played as a team. Americans were noticeably absent from the offensive leaderboards. However, Rookies Sheehan and Hummel hit .313 and .304 respectively. Four players stole over 30 bases, led by Sheehan with 44. Cash hit .299 and played solid defense at 3B. Stanley hit 6 HRs from the catcher’s spot. Gladding and Steirer stood out among the staff. G;adding was 2nd in the league in ERA at 1.86 and went 18-8. Steirer went 19-7, 2.03, for the league’s best winning percentage. The rest of the staff went 45-43 combined.

The Reds were heavily favored in the World Series, with Friend and Garvin (#s 1&2 in the NL in ERA) expected to start up to 5 games if necessary. True to their billing, the dual aces won the first two games for the Reds at home, 6-1, and 7-3. At home in Boston, their rookie starter, Fred Gladding, returned the favor, 5-1 Americans. Game 4 was a shock. Boston got to Friend early with 5 runs in the first 3 innings for a 9-1 victory to tie the series. Then in Game 5, mid-season acquisition Alfredo Martinez outpitched Garvin in a 4-3 Boston win. In Game 6, Gladding sewed up the MVP award, going 8.2 innings and getting the key hit, a 2-out, 2-run triple in the top of the 8th to put the Americans up for good, as Boston won the game 7-5 and the series 4 games to 2. The Americans were World Champions!

The bottom fell out on the Americans the next three seasons as they went 59-81, 70-84, and 56-98 respectively, never finishing higher than 7th place nor less than 20 games out. While it appeared that some of the position players had career years in 1902, the biggest reason for the drop-off was the collapse of the pitching staff. In 1903 and 1905, the Americans had the worst ERA in the AL, at 3.82 (league avg 3.04) and 3.38 (league avg 2.56) respectively, and in 1904 they were 7th in that category. Fred Gladding, the staff ace in 1902, went 7-16, 3.83 in 1903, and 3-3, 4.37 in 1904 before being traded in May with Steve Dignan for 1B Greg Walker. Amid all the hubbub, Lou Brock quietly retired at the end of the 1904 season with 52 SB and a .360 life-time avg in 470 AB.

By the end of the 1905 season, it was clear that sweeping changes were in order. With the 2nd pick in the 1905draft, the Americans were delighted when the Boston Beaneaters went with LF Charlie Pick at #1, and the Americans quickly snatched up 1B Mark McGwire, 21. With pick 1-5 they selected SP Al Downing, 18. Pick 2-3 went for SP Brad Halsey, 21. Pick 4-2 was Ed Eiteljorge, 22.

On 11/2/05, they traded MR Willie E Smith and C Jim Byrnes to the Cubs for C Cam Carreon, 30. On the same day, the Americans dealt MR Red Anderson and 2B Charlie Sweasy to Cincinnati in return for RF Roy Cullenbine, 32. All 3 players would find themselves in the 1906 Opening Day lineup. Hummel was still at 2B. Eduardo Nunez took over at 3B and Phil Lewis was at SS. The OF left-to-right was 1903 rookie sensation Tim Hendryx, 1904 2nd Round pick Willie Davis and Roy Cullenbine. Rookies Downing, Halsey and Eiteljorge all made the starting staff along with converted reliever Bill Atkinson, for a complete revamp of the rotation from the previous season. Converted Rick Steirer would anchor the pen.

The changes paid off as the Americans climbed to respectability at 75-79, 6th place, 11 games back. The biggest improvement was in the pitching, which came in at a league average 2.36 ERA. Downing (18) went 20-15, 1.88; Halsey 19-18, 2.65; Eiteljorge 17-22, 1.97. McGwire led the league in HRs (9) was 2nd in BBs and 1st in IWs (28). Tim Hendryx was 2nd in the league in hitting, finishing 1-47-.311-24. Willie Davis tied McGwire for the team lead with 61 RBIs and stole 43 bases. Otherwise the offense was anemic. The club only hit 16 HRs in total and averaged 3.5 runs/game. But youth and, therefore, hope prevailed. All the aforementioned players were 22 years of age or younger.

On to 1907. The off-season draft saw them pick up OF Mike Tiernan, 18, in Round 1 and MR Jose Valverde, 23, in Round 4. Tiernan won the RF in spring training. Chris Sabo, who had an off year in 2006, regained the 3B spot, forcing Nunez into a SS platoon with Phil Lewis. Otherwise, for the first time in several years , the lineup remained stable. On the pitching side two changes of note. Fred Toliver, who came from Cleveland in an off-season deal, made the rotation, and Jose Valverde was installed as the closer.

The result was more consistency, but not much change in the standings as the Americans finished 77-77, up to 4th place, 16 games back of the Browns. Holding them back was still the offense, at 3.5 runs/game. This year only 13 HRs left the yard, and no player, even McGwire, hit more than 3. The pitching continued to improve. Eiteljorge finished 25-11, 2.50 and Downing was 18-16, 2.65. Valverde did his job with a 1.76 ERA.

In summary, as the Americans prepare for 2008, they have the advantage of youth and of recent, albeit slow improvement. They hold one world title, which is more than the majority of clubs can claim. Their seven-year record, however, is 490-546, with a history of instability. Only 1 player, John Hummel, has held a starting spot for 6 seasons, and only 1 more, Tim Hendryx, for 5 seasons. They desperately need to improve their offense to take the next step forward. Possibly part of the answer is in the recent draft with first-rounder OF George Burns, 20, and third-rounder 1B/OF Billy Goodman, 19. 1908 is an historic year for the club as they are renamed the Boston Red Sox. Hope springs eternal.

[CT Wolverine]

Boston Doves


The Boston Doves (known as the Beaneaters through the 1906 season) have struggled in their first 7 years in MLB. Witness:
• 441-595, .426% overall record
• Never finished better than 6th
• Never finished less than 20 games out of 1st place
• Never cracked 70 victories until 1907, when they went 70-84 and still finished 7th

Nonetheless, the Doves can fly. In 1907, they stole a league-record 441 bases, nearly 3 SBs per game, and touted the top 4 base-stealers in the NL. With all that, however, they still finished only 4th in the NL in Runs Scored. The Doves problem is three-fold:
• Defense
• Starting Pitching
• Power
They finished last in the NL in each category. However, before we address the 1908 addition of the club, let’s take a brief look back at some of its history.

Most of the successful players on the club have come from the draft’s first 2 rounds:
• 1901: SS Roxey Roach, SP Joe Kennedy
• 1902: SP Tim Belcher
• 1903: OF Otis Clymer
• 1904: CF Max Carey, LF Gus Williams (sup 1), LF Carl Crawford
• 1905: 3B Charlie Pick (overall #1)
• 1906: SP Preacher Roe, SP Joe Haynes, SP Todd Stottlemyre

Exceptions are OF Johnny Bates, who is an original member of the club, holding several career and single season offensive records, and 1B Dolph Camilli, who came over from the Cardinals in November of 1906 in return for reliever John Gillespie and C Harry O’Neill. Camilli is, notably, the only source of power on an otherwise anemic team.

Other than for its stolen base prowess, the Doves never make the offensive leader boards. In stolen bases they are dominant every season. In 1907, they held the top 4 spots: Otis Clymer, 77, Gus Williams, 74, Max Carey, 71, Charlie Pick 64. Substitute OF Carl Crawford even had 29 SBs.

The Doves had had some bright spots in starting pitching, but they have been peaks and valleys, with never any depth on the staff. Joe Kennedy, for example, went 26-9 in his rookie season of 1902, with the league’s best winning percentage, and started for 5 seasons, with an overall 86-84 record, the teams most career wins and best winning percentage. Tim Belcher has also been at it for 5 seasons, from 1903-07, surpassing Kennedy in IP, K’s, complete games and shutouts, but he holds a career 84-101, 2.36 record. He also had a great season, in 1904, going 23-16, 1.59, but has faded since.

The new breed of Roe, Haynes and Stottlemyre is showing promise, and with 1907 draft Round 1 pick Bob Turley, there is hope for more improvement.

On the position player side, CF Johnny Bates (7 yr, lifetime .270/.339/.376, 296 SB) and SS Roxey Roach (6 yr, lifetime .254/.297/.331, 270 SB) have had the longest runs. Roach is still expected to start while Bates will battle Max Carey (.275/.325/.352), Jim Chatterton and Carl Crawford for playing time. The current team leaders are (2007 stats) 1B Dolph Camilli, 6-66-.248 and RF Gus Williams, 2-64-.291, 74 SB. Catcher is wide open. Light-hitting Babe Pinelli (.206) returns at 2B, but there is talk of switching Otis Clymer (0-45-.284, 77 SB) to 2B to make room for one of the other bats in the OF. Charlie Pick (1-98-.277, 123 SB over his first 2 seasons is a promising fixture at 3B.

The big worries, of course, are still the lack of power and poor defense, not addressed by the last draft or the current crew. It remains to see whether the young pitching staff takes care of itself through development. The fan loyalty is poor and fan interest is down, so, while the club has still been making sizable profits, their time may be running out.

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1908 Season


The 2007-08 draft class included:
• #1 - Cleveland Naps: RF Mickey Mantle (18)
• #3 – Boston Doves: SP Bob Turley
• #5 – Chicago White Sox: SS Chipper Jones (20)
• #7 – Boston Red Sox: LF George J Burns
• #8 – New York Giants: RF Joe Lahoud
• Rnd 2 #12 – Brooklyn Superbas: SP Johnny Cueto

As the 1908 season began, the New York Giants, underachievers for years, shot out to the lead in the NL with a 9-2 start. The Philadelphia A’s , 2nd in the AL in 2007, were even better, going 12-0 to start the year. The Giants, however, lost RF Don Lock on 5/15 for 3 months, then 3 days later lost his replacement Joe Lahoud for 5-6 weeks and they started to revert to their old form quickly. In the AL, the A’s also cooled but held their lead well into May on the strength of their early blitz

On May 31, Danny Friend, 27, of the Reds suffered a career-ending injury. Friend, while struggling this season, was 87-59, 2.14 lifetime and won both the NL Rookie of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards in 1902 in leading the Reds to the World Series.

By June 1 there were tight races in both leagues. Washington, led by Edd Roush and Vlad Guerrero, took a slim lead in the AL on the strength of an 8-game winning streak. They were trailed closely by the Tigers, A’s and defending champion Browns. In the NL, the Cardinals and Pirates shared the top spot, followed closely by the Reds and Superbas.

Four different clubs held the AL lead in June before the Browns, behind Mickey Cochrane and Steve Hargan asserted themselves and led from July through mid-September, when they were caught by spurts from the A’s and Senators. Finally it came down to Washington and St. Louis. The Senators took the lead with 10 days to go, but didn’t finally clinch until the 153rd .

Back in the NL, it became a race to the finish between Cincinnati, led by Pete Browning and Harry Salisbury (1.37 ERA) and Pittsburgh, led by the pitching triumvirate of Anibal Sanchez, Kelly Downs and Ray Collins, who had the worst ERA of 2.02. Cincinnati was 1 up with 1 to play, and won their final game to move on to the World Series.

The World Series was a repeat match of the 1906 series, won by the Senators in 7 games. This would be the Reds 3rd Series appearance, the most by any team in either league (having also lost in 1902).

The Senators, playing at home, quickly jumped out to a 2-0 series lead. They won Game 1, 6-1 on a pitching rematch of the 1906 Series finale (won by Fulgham of the Senators). Again Fulgham bested MLB ERA leader Harry Salisbury, allowing only 1 unearned run for the victory. Game 2 was 5-4 (10 innings) in favor of Washington. The winning run scored when Reds pitcher Patterson muffed a 2-out bases-loaded grounder. Mordecai (Three Finger) Brown went all 10 innings for the win.

Cincinnati turned the tables quickly at their place. The Reds took Game 3, 7-1. Game 4 went to Cincinnati, 2-1, as Salisbury finally bested Fulgham behind a walk-off RBI 2B by Grady Sizemore. After falling behind 3-0 in Game 5, the Reds scored 5 in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th, walking away with an easy 9-4 victory and a 3 game to 2 lead going back to Washington.

But this is where it fell apart in the Reds in 1906, up 3-2 going back to Washington. Would it happen again? Not this time. Aided by shocking defensive play by the usually reliable star Edd Roush of the Senators, who dropped 2 fly balls with runners in scoring position, the reds bested the Senators 5-2 to win 4 games to 2.

The Reds had their first World Series title.
Pete Browning was the series MVP: 12-23-.522, 4 2B, 8 RBIs, 5 R, SB


Highlights and Awards

• MLB single season records:
o Sergio Romo, Phil A’s, 19 Svs
o Lucas Harrell, NY Highlanders, 70 games pitched
o Jose Rosado, Phil Phillies, 41 games started
o Juan Pizarro, St.L Cards, 37 complete games
• Avg: AL: Mike Tiernan, Bos, .305; NL: Nap Lajoie, Bro, .304
• HR: AL: Joey Votto, NYA, 10; NL: Bobby Morgan, Pit, 8
• RBI: AL: Rico Petrocelli, Det, 85; NL: Nap Lajoie, Bro, 71
• SB: AL: George Burns, Bos, 69; NL: Otis Clymer, Bos, 106 (new NL record)
• Wins: AL: Steve Hargan, SLA, 25; NL: Kelly Downs, Pit, Harry Salisbury, Cin, 25
• Sv: AL: Sergio Romo, Phil, 19; NL: Neftali Feliz, Pit, 11
• ERA: AL: Bill C Lee, CHA, 1.44; NL: Harry Salisbury, Cin, 1.37
• K’s: AL: Al Downing, Bos, 215; NL: Rip Egan, Bro, 265

Rookie of the Year:
• AL: Denny Galehouse, 22, St.L., 19-8, 1.61
• NL: Kelly Downs, 25, Pit, 25-13, 1.70

Best Pitcher:
• AL: Steve Hargan, 23, St.L., 25-12, 1.71
• NL: Harry Salisbury, Cin, 25-14, 1.37 (3rd consecutive year)

Best Hitter:
• AL: Joey Votto, 35, NY, 10-70-.284, 155 H, 27 2B, 2 3B, .355 OBP
• NL: Nap Lajoie, 22, Bro, 2-71-.304-36, 185 H, 22 2B, 18 3B, .325 OBP

[CT Wolverine]

1908 Update:

The Red Sox made a sizeable leap forward in 1908 to a record of 82-72, good for 5th place, 9 games back. They were led by:
• Mike Tiernan, 20, RF, 1906 first-round pick who led the AL in Avg: .305, OBP: .405, and OPS: .793 and was 3rd in RBIs: 74 and SBs: 61
• Al Downing, 21, who led the AL in K’s: 215, and tied for 2nd in wins: 23, going 23-12, 2.02
• George Burns, 20, LF, who led the AL in SB’s with 69
Mark McGwire was also a bit of a disappointment, with 5 HRs and a .221 avg

Overall, they were 1st in the AL in runs scored, batting average OBP and SBs, so they improved their offense as needed. However, they were still slowed by their 6th place spot in both runs allowed and defense. Improvements in those areas, along with much needed power are the steps needed to close the gaps with the leaders. They have youth on their side to sustain the improvements made to date.

[CT Wolverine]

1908 Update

The Doves made a significant advance in 2008, going 81-73, finishing 4th, 6 GB. They were 1st in the NL in runs scored, batting average and stolen bases. However they were 5th in runs allowed, and hampered by their bullpen, which was 7th in ERA at 2.74. Their starting staff ERA was 2.42, good for 5th place.
The Doves were led by:
• Otis Clymer, 32, RF who led the NL in SBs: 106 (new NL record), was 2nd in hits: 171 and runs: 82
• Charlie Pick, 27, 3B who tied for 2nd in the NL in RBIs: 70, was 3rd in hits: 166, tied for 4th in runs: 71 and 5th in SBs: 62
• Gus Williams and Max Carey who finished 3rd and 4th respectively in the NL in SBs with 77 & 68
• Preacher Roe, 22, who tied for 1st in the NL in shutouts: 7, and went 21-13, 2.15
• Rookie Bob Turley, 20, who came through at 20-18, 2.06
The OF evolved into a solid combo of Carey in LF, Bates in CF and Williams in RF. The team struggled at the SS position. Ray Blades, brought over in an off-season trade, initially helped but never recovered from nagging injuries and veteran Roxey Roach hit .175 for the year.

Overall, though, there are less holes to fill and a solid base going forward if they can add a bit of power, shore up the pitching staff and get more consistent play at shortstop.

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1908 Season


The 2007-08 draft class included:
• #1 – Chicago Cubs: LF Sherry Magee
• #2 - Cleveland Naps: RF Mickey Mantle (19)
• #3 – Cleveland Naps: SP George Zettlein
• #4 – New York Highlanders: SP Josh Johnson
Otherwise, this season’s draft was very light in talent.
As the season began, Cleveland had the #1 & #2 rated prospects in Mickey Mantle and George Zettlein..

Both pennant races were very tight in the 1909 season. In the AL, five different clubs, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis and defending champion Washington held the lead at various time during the season. The race was decided on the very last day as New York’s victory gave them a 1-game margin over Detroit, St. Louis and Washington, and sent them to their first World Series since they moved to New York from Baltimore.

In the NL, the New York Giants started fast and led the league through the end of June with a 37-29 mark. They faded fast however, finishing with a 74-80 mark, resulting in the firing of their GM. The defending champion Reds stayed in the race through July, but also faded. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were in the hunt throughout. The Brooklyn Superbas, however, were the big surprise. Standing only 18-24 at the end of May and only at .500 by the end of June, the Superbas made a huge late-season push, clinching their first pennant with 2 games remaining, finishing at 88-66, (54-33 in their final 77 games).

The World Series was an exciting one. The New York Highlanders won the series, 4 game to 3, by taking the finale 1-0 behind the shut-out pitching of rookie Josh Johnson, who was named the series MVP. It was Johnson’s 2nd series victory.


Highlights and Awards

• MLB single season records:
o Preacher Roe, Boston Doves, 38 complete games
o Stephen Strasburg, Detroit, Opp Slugging Avg, .252
o Vada Pinson, Pittsburgh, 650 ABs
• No-hitter: Kelly Downs, Pittsburgh, 7/9/09, @ NYG, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
• Avg: AL: Al Dark, Cle, .322; NL: Oyster Burns, Phi, .313
• HR: AL: Rico Petrocelli, Det, 10; NL: Johnny Bench, NYG, 8
• RBI: AL: Frank Thomas, ChW, 88; NL: Kevin Millar, Bro, 73
• SB: AL: Dutch Zwilling, ChW, 74; NL: Max Carey, Bos, 104
• Wins: AL: Doc White, PhiA, 27; NL: Preacher Roe, Bos, 25
• Sv: AL: Jamie Vermilyea, Was, Jose Valverde, ChW, 11; NL: Phil Hughes, Bro, 9
• ERA: AL: Stephen Strasburg, Det, 1.25; NL: Vic Aldridge, Cin, 1.54
• K’s: AL: George Zettlein, Cle, 247; NL: Rip Egan, Bro, 241

Rookie of the Year:
• AL: George Zettlein, 26, Cle, 20-18, 1.88, 247 K (league leader)
• NL: Lou Fiene, 21, Phil, 19-11, 2.25, 105 K

Best Pitcher:
• AL: Stephen Strasburg, Det, 22-13, 1.25
• NL: Preacher Roe, BosN, 25-16, 2.31, 38 CG

Best Hitter:
• AL: Joey Votto, NY, 5-60-.319-6
• NL: Oyster Burns, phil, 1-54-.313-38

[CT Wolverine]

1909 Update

The White Sox showed very little improvement over the previous season, finishing 72-80. 6th, 14 GB. Their offense did improve, scoring 470 runs (vs 377 the year before) thanks largely to Frank Thomas, who led the AL in RBI’s with 88. However, that was still the 2nd worst offense in the AL. After Thomas, Dutch Zwilling (MLB’s highest salaried player @ $3660), led the league in SBs with 74, but hit only .216 with 5 HRs and 49 RBIs. Not a single starting position player hit as much as .250.
The pitching however, was outstanding. The starting staff had a league-leading 2.08 ERA and the bullpen also led the league @ 1.44. Frank Knauss (16-18, 2.39) lead in wins, Bill Lee (15-23, 2.00) lead in ERA, and Chan Ho Park, who was called up part way through the season, had a remarkable 13-5, 1.55 record. Jose Valverde (8-3, 0.74) with 11 saves was nearly unhittable out of the bullpen.
The White Sox still have a long way to go to have a competitive offense. They must count on development of youngsters like Chipper Jones, even more outstanding performances from Thomas, and possibly dealing some of their pitching for offensive help.

[CT Wolverine]

1909 Update

The Superbas had a breakthrough season in 1909. They finished at 88-66, winning their first NL Championship, and taking the Highlanders to 7 games before losing in the World Series.
The biggest difference over the course of the entire season for the Superbas over past years was their pitching. The Superbas led the NL in starting pitching ERA (1.99) and bullpen ERA (1.67), leading to a league- leading 464 Runs-Against. Their Big Three were:
• Rip Egan: 18-10, 1.57, league-leading 241 Ks
• Jim Conway: 19-13, 1.57
• Aaron Harang: 19-12, 2.44
Other major contributors were:
• Phil Hughes: 9-12, 1.41, 9 saves in 53 games
• Matt Clement: 8-1, 1.95, 4 saves in 16 games (7 starts)
Even with their pitching, however, Brooklyn probably would not have won the NL had it not been for two timely midseason trades. As of the end of May, the Superbas stood 18-24, in 7th place, 6 ½ games off the pace. Then they looked for deals to shore up weaknesses:
• On 6/16, they obtained C John Stearns for 4 minor leaguers
• By the end of June, Brooklyn stood 34-33, tied for 4th, 3 ½ games behind
• On 7/6, they obtained SS/3B Eduardo Nunez for Grant Balfour
• Both Stearns and Nunez played starting roles for the remainder of the year.
• On 7/20, Brooklyn moved into 1st place for the first time, at 46-39
• They were never passed again, although they won the NL by a mere 2 games.

While pitchers were the club’s stars this season, several offensive players had key roles:
• 2B Nap Lajoie: 3-60-.277, 46 SB, was a 5-tool threat
• 1B/OF Kevin Millar: 4-73-.250, led the NL in RBIs
• C John Stearns: 0-30-.264-12 after coming to Brooklyn, improved the C position both defensively and offensively

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
Chicago Cubs


The hapless Chicago Cubs hold a 545-799-.406 record over the league’s first 9 seasons, easily the worst record in MLB The Cubs only once finished over .500, at 78-76, in 1904. They are currently on a streak of 4 straight last place finishes with little hope of immediate improvement in sight.

The Cubs are largely placing their future hopes in developing a strong starting pitching staff.
They drafted Dick McBride, 22, with the 1st overall pick in the 1909 draft. He joins David Price, 25, Craig Swan, 26, and Adonis Terry, 22, in the Cubs rotation. Under development is Johnny Cueto, 22, (1907 R#2).

The Cubs have no real offensive weapons. 1B Bob Horner, 27, is a possibility with his lifetime 43 HRs, but he has faded badly with only 1 HR in each of the last two seasons. They have high hopes for OF Sherry Magee (1909 R1 pick #2), but he is more of a speed player than an RBI guy.

The Cubs two offseason trades were both signs of aiming for the long-term rather than the near-term:
They dealt RF Lon Knight, 31, career 3-251-.270 to the Boston Doves in return for 2 young catchers, Art Weaver, 22, and Gordon Massa, 23.
They dealt SP Dixie Leverett, 28, career 19-30-2.62 to Cleveland in return for 5 youngsters, each of which is a flyer to have a big-league career.

The Cubs finished last in the NL in both runs scored and runs allowed, with an astounding run differential of -1.2 runs per game. There is little reason to believe that there will be an improvement from their last place finish in the immediate future.

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
Cleveland Naps


The Cleveland Naps have been the weakest franchise in the AL, with a 613-731-.456 record over the league’s first 9 seasons. They have finished in last place in each of the last 4 seasons. However, this has allowed them to collect several big draft picks over the last few seasons. Combined with a few off-season trades, they look poised to start making their move upward in 1909.

The Naps 2010 lineup is expected to be (career #s):
C: Mike Maksudian 7-46-.237
1B: Tony Solaita (1909 R#1)
2B: Art Phelan (1908 R#2) 1-31-.226-66 SB
SS: Alvin Dark (1908 R#@) 2-47-.322-18 (led league in avg.)
3B: Jim Tabor 5-63-.206-35
LF: Mike Shannon (1906 R#3) 5-50-.263
CF: Mickey Mantle (1908 R#1) 1-46-.257-18
RF: Kiki Cuyler (1906 R#2) 6-113-.264-96

SP: George Zettlein (1908 R#1) 20-18-1.88 (1909 Rookie of the Year)
SP: Pascual Perez (1905 R#10) 51-76-2.38
SP: Dixie Leverett (Cubs, 1907 R#2, obtained trade 12/09) 19-30-2.62
SP: Luis Aquino (1905 R#3) 18-31-2.62
CL: Jose Valverde (obtained trade 11/09) 12-12-19-1.74

The Naps off-season acquisitions concentrated on pitching. They acquired SP Dixie Leverett, 28, from the Cubs in return for OF/1B Bobby Tolan, 33. Closer Jose Valverde, 26, also came over from the Cubs in return for a package of 5 prospects. Setup man George Cunningham,27, career 53-54-15-2.84, was obtained from the Cardinals in return for RF Tony Torcato, 23, and RF Hank Eibel, 24.
On the position player side, the Naps acquired backup IF Alexi Casilla, 33, from the Athletics in return for RP Jack McAdams, 25, and 2B Al Cuccinello, 19.
Altogether with expected improvements from youngsters like Mantle, Dark and Zettlein, Solaita’s bat and the additions to the pitching staff, the Naps hope to make big strides from their last place finish in runs scored and 6th place finish in runs allowed. Finishing at .500 would give the club a big boost toward the future.

[CT Wolverine]

Metaphysical League Baseball (MLB)
1910 Season


The 1909 draft class included:
• #1 – Chicago Cubs: SP Dick McBride
• #2 – Chicago Cubs: LF Sherry Magee
• #3 - Cleveland Naps: 1B Tony Solaita
• #7 – Chicago White Sox: SP Kerry Wood
• #9 – New York Giants: C Chief Meyers
• #11 – Philadelphia Athletics: 3BDavid Wright
• #15 – Philadelphia Athletics: 3B Brett Lawrie

During the off-season, the Cleveland Indians looked to be one of the most improved clubs, obtaining SP Dixie Leverett, closer Jose Valverde, RP George Cunningham, and utility IFs Chris Sabo and Alexi Casilla in various deals, losing only RP Ramon Hernandez and a bunch of prospects in the process. When the finished 15-9 in the exhibition season, tops in the AL, there was excitement in Cleveland. Likewise, the Philadelphia Athletics looked much-improved. On the flip side, The Chicago Cubs in the NL and Washington Senators in the AL undertook massive rebuilding programs.

Cleveland’s hopes were damaged early by injuries to starting position players. On 4/14, RF Kiki Cuyler went down for 2 weeks. On 4/20, 2B Art Phelan went out for 38 days. On 4/21, 1B Tony Solaita was lost for 25 days. By the time they all were healthy at the beginning of June, Cleveland stood at 16-27, in 7th place, 11 ½ games behind the 1st place White Sox. The White Sox led the AL for most of the season except for a period of 3 weeks in late June and July when the A’s pulled ahead, and found themselves with a 4 ½ game lead on September 5. Then in the next 3 weeks, the A’s went 14-4 while the Pale Hose went 9-10, and the A’s pulled ahead. The A’s clinched the title with 2 games remaining, their first since 1903.

The NL was more of a donnybrook. The first 1/3 of the season belonged to the Cincinnati Reds, who finished May 27-17, 1 ½ games ahead of Brooklyn. But a maturing Johnny Bench of the NY Giants, relocated to RF, was menacing the league, leading in HR (4), RBI (26), and 2nd in avg (.338). The second 1/3 of the year belonged to Brooklyn, who finished July at 56-40, 1 ½ games ahead of the surging Pirates. By September, however, both Cincinnati and Brooklyn had faded. The Giants now led at 71-51, 4 games up on the Cardinals. By 10/1 the Giants were still up by four, but this time it was the Phillies turn to enter the chase in 2nd place. Finally, with 4 games to play the Giants clinched the NL title, their first since 1901.

The Athletics (94-60) were the Series favorites over the Giants (90-64) based on their much stronger offense and somewhat deeper starting pitching. They did not disappoint, taking the first two games at home 6-4 and 3-2 behind Doc White and Gary Ryerson, who entered when starter Aaron Harang was injured. As the action moved to New York, the A’s had AL ERA leader Rollie Naylor to start. Naylor pitched a 5-0 shutout for an A’s 3 game lead. The Giants salvaged Game 4 behind league victory and ERA leader Monte Ward, 6-1. However, Jim Scott, subbing for the ailing Harang, allowed only 4 hits and 3 unearned runs in Game 5 as the A’s won 6-3 for a decisive 4 games to 1 World Series victory, their first in MLB.

Scott and Naylor were voted co-MVPs.


Season Highlights and Awards

• 5/26: Joey Votto, 36, New York Highlanders, hits 55th career HR, breaking record previously set by Harold Baines
• 9/21: Harry Salisbury, Cin, wins 20 games for 7th consecutive season (each yr he has been in league)
• Avg: AL: Cleon Jones, Phi, .337; NL: Shin-Soo Choo, StL, .311
• HR: AL: Don Mincher, StL, 10; NL: Johnny Bench, NYG, 13
• RBI: AL: Cleon Jones, Phi, 97; NL: Brandon Belt, Pit, 81
• SB: AL: George Burns, Bos, 96; NL: Hans Lobert, StL, 97
• Wins: AL: Bill Lee, ChW, 27; NL: Monte Ward, NYG, 27
• Sv: AL: Bill Henry, StL, Kameron Loe, Bos, 8; NL: Armando Benitez, Pit, 13
• ERA: AL: Rollie Naylor, Phi, 1.88; NL: Monte ward, NYG, 1.68
• K’s: AL: Will Sawyer, Was, 223; NL: Bob Turley, Bos, 229

Rookie of the Year:
• AL: Kerry Wood, 20, ChW, 19-15, 2.82, 198 K
• NL: Russ Miller, 27, Phi, 14-19, 2.42, 98 K

Best Pitcher:
• AL: Bill Lee, ChW, 27-11, 2.15 (led league in W)
• NL: Monte Ward, NYG, 27-10, 1.68, 191 K (led league in W & ERA)

Best Hitter:
• AL: Cleon Jones, Phi, 7-97-.337-39, 195 H, 31 2B, 14 3B (led league in RBI & avg)
• NL: Shin-Soo Choo, StL, 5-64-.311-31, 167 H, 26 2B, 9 3B (led league in avg)