[Tiger Fan]

1930 - The Greatest Offense Ever Assembled

1929 was a breakout year for offensive production as every American League team and half the National League clubs batted over .300. The stats came down a little in the 1930 season but someone forgot to tell that to the Chicago White Sox. The 1930 White Sox became the first HOB team to score over 1000 runs in a season and as a club they batted a record .327.

Here is a look at the most feared starting lineup in history:

               AVG  HR RBI SB

C  Grabowksi  .306   1  44  1 

   Rensa      .385   3  30  0 

1B Alexander  .367  26 118  3

2B Thompson   .306   4  72  3

SS Cronin     .336   3  68  3

3B Foxx       .398  39 170  2

OF L Waner    .374   3  61 60 

OF Averill    .348   7 111  6

OF Holm       .353  18 108  7

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The White Sox won 103 games and took the American League pennant by 20 games over second place Cleveland. With the season Jimmie Foxx had you would have to figure he was a lock for the MVP but not with the season Babe Ruth had. The Cleveland slugger broke his own homerun record of 57 set in 1927, by smashing 61 round trippers. The Bambino also set a major league record with 181 rbi's to win the 10th MVP Award of his career. What Ruth and the star-studded Indians club really want is a World Series appearance but once again, despite having far and away the league's highest payroll, the Tribe fell short.

Third year man Carl Hubbell, who the Yankees selected first overall in 1928, won his first Markle Award with a splendid 29-7 season. Hubbell's 2.55 era was almost a full run better than any other American League hurler and was just above half the league era total. Chicago's Pat Malone, who was chosen two picks after Hubbell in 1928, also received serious consideration after going 27-2 with a 3.66 era.
Philadelphia outfielder Wally Berger was named the top rookie in the American League. Berger, drafted 4th this year, batted .299 with 34 homers and 121 rbi's. St Louis Browns infielder Ben Chapman also was in the running for the newcomer award.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
For the first time since 1909 the Philadelphia Phillies can call themselves National League champions. The Phillies won 90 games, 5 better than second place Pittsburgh, thanks in part to a breakout year from veteran pitcher Johnny Werts. The 32 year old Werts won the Markle Award after going 26-8. Ed Brandt (20-15) and Hal Goldsmith (19-17) also had career years. The offense came from Frankie Frisch (.327,24,125), Irish Meusel (.289,25,120) and Marty Becker (.327,14,98).

That Frisch was even on the Phillies is a huge surprise. He started the year with Pittsburgh but refused to agree on a contract extension so Pittsburgh shipped him to the Phillies for some young talent. The Pirates were in first place at the time and the Phillies were in fourth but Philadelphia caught fire after the deal and the rest is history. The Pirates apparently felt Philadelphia would not be a factor so they could safely deal Frisch to them rather than to an American League club. Frisch was a major reason the Phillies beat out the Pirates as he was batter of the month in September, hitting .391 with 33 rbi's.
The Frisch trade was one of several big moves made by the Phillies this season in a gutsy bid to win the pennant. April deals with 2 American League teams netted 3B Travis Jackson and OF Mandy Brooks, both of whom played an important role in the pennant winning season. The deal to rent Frisch for 3 months (he has said he will test the free agent market) could prove very costly in the long run for the Phillies. 28 year old outfielder Cleo Carlyle (.355 in AA) and 27 year old C Bob Linton (.338 in A) may never pan out but the third player the Pirates got in the deal is already a star. George Watkins wasn't drafted until the third round this year by the Phillies mainly because he is 30 years old, but the outfielder made up for lost time by winning the National League rookie of the year award. Watkins (.338,18,132) also made the allstar team.

Cincinnati's Lou Gehrig (.319,48,154) was named MVP for the third straight season. The batting race went down to the final day and was a battle between Pittsburgh teammates Rogers Hornsby and Curt Walker. With one day to play Walker was hitting .358 and Hornsby .355 but Rogers went 3-for-4 on the final day while Walker managed just 1 hit. In the end Hornsby edged out Walker by .00022 to win his 4th batting crown.

 American League         W   L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA)

   Chicago (A)         103  51  .669    --  .327  4.62 

   Cleveland            83  71  .539    20  .301  4.57 

   New York             82  72  .532    21  .301  4.76 

   Philadelphia (A)     77  77  .500    26  .309  5.28 

   Boston (A)           74  80  .481    29  .304  4.68 

   Detroit              72  82  .468    31  .311  5.15 

   St Louis(A)          68  86  .442    35  .298  4.94 

   Washington           57  97  .370    46  .286  5.45 

 

  National League        W   L   PCT    GB   AVG  ERA)

   Philadelphia (N)     90  64  .584    --  .296  4.02 

   Pittsburgh           85  69  .552     5  .301  4.66 

   Chicago (N)          81  73  .526     9  .282  4.84 

   New York (N)         78  76  .506    12  .300  4.62 

   Brooklyn             76  78  .494    14  .296  4.92 

   Cincinnati           70  84  .455    20  .288  5.46 

   St. Louis (N)        70  84  .455    20  .280  4.97 

   Boston (N)           66  88  .429    24  .284  5.09 

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1930 ALL STAR GAME
Great drama in the 1930 midseason classic. The Nationals built a 4-0 lead thru 8 innings as pitchers Ted Lyons (Pit), Charlie Eckert (Bkn), Hal Goldsmith (Phi) and Jack Enright (Bos) combined on a 1 hitter. In the top of the ninth the American League rallied with 4 runs to tie the game, including a 2 run homer from Detroit's Whitey Witt. There would be no extra innings on this night as the Nationals greeted Cleveland pitcher Freddie Fitzsimmons with 4 straight singles including the game winner from the Cubs Ralph Miller to squeek out a 5-4 win.

1930 WORLD SERIES - CHICAGO WHITE SOX vs PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
The White Sox were making their first World Series appearance in decade and just the second in franchise history. In 1920, the White Sox club featuring Lou Gehrig and Cliff Markle defeated Brooklyn for the first World Championship in franchise history. Among the Dodgers that season was a rookie infielder named Frankie Frisch. It was Frisch's coming out party as he batted .360 and earned himself a starting job for the following season. Frisch would oppose the White Sox again, this time with a Phillies franchise that has not been to the World Series since losing to the New York Highlanders in 1909. The Phillies have never won the series, losing in 1907 to Detroit and 1902 to Boston.

FRANKIE FRISCH
The World Series seems to be drawn to Frankie Frisch like metal to a magnet - this will be Frisch's 7th World Series with 3 different teams. Here are his postseason career stats:

  YR AG  TM LG      G    AB    R    H  2B  3B  HR  RBI   SB  CS   BB    K      BA   OBP    SP  RESULT  

1920 21 BRO NL      6    25    5    9   2   1   0    2    1   0    0    0    .360  .333  .520  Lost

1922 23 BRO NL      4    18    3    5   1   0   0    2    1   0    2    0    .278  .350  .333  Lost

1923 24 BRO NL      5    21    4    6   2   0   0    2    2   0    2    0    .286  .348  .381  Lost

1924 25 BRO NL      6    21    1    5   1   0   0    5    1   0    3    1    .238  .333  .286  WON

1926 27 CHC NL      6    23    4    4   0   1   1    2    1   0    3    0    .174  .269  .391  Lost

1927 28 CHC NL      6    24    6    9   0   1   1    6    1   1    7    2    .375  .516  .583  WON

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Frisch was named MVP of the 1927 series.

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GAME 1 - The series opens in Philadelphia and the White Sox prove quickly their dominance over opposing hurlers is not restricted just to American League pitching. Chicago hammers Johnny Werts and the Phillies 11-3. Dale Alexander and Johnny Grabowski each have 3 of the White Sox 17 hits. Pat Malone gets the win, his 17th in a row. Malone hasn't lost a decision since June.

GAME 2 - Needing to make a statement, the Phillies do so in a big way, overcoming a 4-0 defeciet by scoring 7 unanswered runs in their final 3 at bats. Midseason acquisitions Frisch and Marty Becker each have two hits and score a pair of runs for the Phillies. The White Sox outhit the Phillies 12-9 including a 4-for-4 performance from Lloyd Waner, but the game ends 7-4 Philly. Hal Goldsmith gets the win over Chicago starter and loser Clint Brown.

GAME 3 - We did not expect many pitching duels between these two clubs but we got one in game 3. Each team managed only 5 hits in the game. The difference was a 2 run single in the 6th by Philadelphia catcher Pat Collins and the game ends 2-1 Phillies. Larry French went the distance for Chicago in taking the loss. Philadelphia's Ed Brandt got the win but left in the 8th with an arm injury that will end his season.

GAME 4 - Jimmie Foxx has 3 hits and 2 rbi's and Pat Malone extends his personal winning streak to 18 games as Chicago wins 5-3. NL Welch Award winner Johnny Werts takes his second loss of the series, allowing 12 hits.
GAME 5 - A 9-2 romp for the White Sox who take a 3-2 series lead. Fresco Thompson had 3 hits and 2 rbi's for Chicago with Earl Averill also driving in a pair of runs. Clint Brown got the win while Hal Goldsmith surrendered 15 hits in taking the loss.

GAME 6 - Philadelphia wins to stay alive, and the Phillies do it Chicago-style taking a 13-10 slugfest. The game was the Frankie Frisch show as the Philadelphia infielder set World Series records with 3 homers and 8 rbi's. Ed Morris got the win in relief after George Earnshaw left with a injury. Larry French suffered his second loss of the series.

GAME 7 - Twice NL Welch Award winner Johnny Werts has faced the White Sox. He has lost both times giving up 24 hits and has an era of 7.20. He gets the call again in Game 7 because he is clearly the best the Phillies have. The White Sox counter, of course, with Pat Malone who hasn't lost a decision since June.
Both pitchers start strong allowing just 1 hit each through 3 innings. In the top of the 4th Chicago's Lloyd Waner leads off with a double and moves to third on a wild pitch from Werts. Phillies rightfielder Marty Becker makes a critical error misjudging a fly ball from Joe Cronin that allows Waner to score the game's first run.

It stays 1-0 Chicago until the bottom of the 7th when Mandy Brooks hits a 1 out triple and scores on Irish Meusel's rbi double. The lead is shortlived as once again the Phillies defense does them in. Waner gets things started again just as he has done all season. He hits a 1-out single then steals second. After pinch hitter Dick Cox grounds out to pitcher Werts, Jimmie Foxx is intentionally walked to set up the force play. Earl Averill hits a hot smash that first baseman Art Shires makes a tremendous play just to knock the ball down. He hurries his throw to Werts covering the bag and it is behind the pitcher. Werts reaches back and snares the ball but he is unable to find first base and Averill is safe loading the bases. Chicago first baseman Dale Alexander follows with a groundball to Phillies second baseman Spencer Adams that should end the threat but Adams boots the ball allowing Waner to score the go-ahead run.

Malone retires the last 6 Phillies batters in order and the White Sox have clinched their second World Series title with a 2-1 win in Game 7.

The MVP decision is one of the toughest on record. Frankie Frisch gets serious consideration as the first player on a losing team to win the award. Frisch hit .379 with 11 rbi's in the series. Chicago's Jimmie Foxx hit .387 with 7 rbi's, pitcher Pat Malone won all 3 of his starts and posted a 2.16 era. However the award goes to Lloyd Waner. The Chicago leadoff man always seemed to be on base when the White Sox started a rally. He batted .500 in the series (16-for-32) and scored 8 runs.

Next up the 1931 season