Brooklyn Baseball post-1957

[ctorg]

The Robins bring up three players onto the expanded September roster: Willard Nixon, Rube Walker, and Roger Craig. Walker and Craig played for Brooklyn earlier in the year, but this is Nixon’s first time up after signing as a mid-season free agent.

Chadwick Harrelson calls another meeting, this time with a congratulatory feel.

“I realize I have been somewhat harsh this year. I am not accustomed to losing at anything. But I have seen that the group I have assembled here now is more than capable of putting a winning team out there. I have confidence in all of your abilities, and I will keep all of you through the winter. I know I made some threats earlier in the year, but I have decided that I have seen enough of an improvement in the Robins that I am satisfied. Now let’s make it through these last few weeks, put this dreadful season behind us, and look forward to a winning year in 1959.”

[ctorg]

9/1

The Robins open the month by losing both ends of a doubleheader to first place Milwaukee, 7-5 and 6-5. Snider and Neal both homered in the first game, which was also Newcombe’s thirteenth loss. In the second game, Snider and Howard both blasted homers.

9/3

The Robins host St. Louis at home and drop the game, 10-6. Howard, Demeter, and Allison all homer in the loss. Duren has a rare bad outing for his 8th loss, going only 2.2 innings and allowing 4 runs.

9/4

St. Louis wins again on Thursday, 5-2 over Koufax, handing him his 16th loss against 9 wins. Howard homers twice for the only two Brooklyn runs.

9/5

San Francisco comes to town, and Brooklyn beats them narrowly, 8-7, handing Podres his 9th win against 6 losses.

9/6

The Robins drop the second game against the Giants, 4-2. Drysdale pitches nicely in his ninth loss. Howard hits another homerun, his 23rd of the year.

9/7

Duren pitches like a true ace, combining with Sherry for a 3-hit shutout and striking out ten. The Robins win 2-0.

9/9

The Robins travel to St. Louis on their day off, then go down. 3-2. Koufax loses his seventeenth, despite pitching well again. The Robins manage only five hits as Larry Jackson posts his 24th win against them.

9/10

Allison and Demeter blast shots into the bleachers at Sportsman’s Park, helping Brooklyn to an 11-inning 7-6 victory over the Cardinals. Pizarro pitches two perfect innings for the win.

9/13

After two days off, the Robins arrive in Chicago and beat the Cubs, 4-2. Allison and Burgess hit homers, and Ryne pitches another gem for his 18th win.

9/14

Brooklyn splits a doubleheader in Pittsburgh. They drop the first game 7-3, Koufax’s 18th loss of the year and Roy Face’s 15th win. Demeter hits his 11th homerun of the season. Podres pitches well for his 10th win in the second game, which the Robins win 7-4. He also hits a triple to help his own cause.

9/16

After a day off, the Robins show up in Philadelphia and lose 7-5. Drysdale pitches a strong game, but the bullpen can’t hold it. Duke Snider and Bob Allison both hit homeruns.

9/17

Duren pitches yet another gem to win his 19th game of the year, 5-1. Demeter helps by going 3 for 3 with two doubles.

9/19

Bob Allison and Smoky Burgess both hit homeruns as the Robins come home to host the Redlegs, but those are the only two runs the Robins score as they lose 5-2. It is Sandy Koufax’s 19th loss of the season.

9/20

The Robins can’t hang onto an early lead, and they lose 7-6 in 11 innings. Frank Howard hits his 24th homerun of the season.

9/21

Ryne Duren pitches well enough to win his 20th game, a remarkable accomplishment for a pitcher on such a bad team. Granted, he was with the Yankees early on, but most of his season has been with Brooklyn. The Robins win in a slugfest, 12-10, but only four runs are scored on Duren. The rest is the bullpen’s doing. Zimmer, Snider, and Demeter all homer in the win.

9/23

The Robins travel to San Francisco on their day off, where Duke Snider drives in Brooklyn’s only two runs with a long homer, but the Robins fall, 5-2. It is the 20th loss of a very forgettable season for Sandy Koufax, who surrenders 5 runs in 7 innings.

9/24

Gilliam, Burgess, and Neal all homer, but the Robins fall again, 6-5. They lead by one going into the bottom of the ninth, but Pizarro cannot hold it and gets the loss.

9/26

The Robins play a doubleheader at Cincinnati and split the games. The first game earns Duren his 21st win as he strikes out ten. For the second straight game, Gilliam, Burgess, and Neal all hit homeruns. The second game is a 6-1 loss, Drysdale’s 10th of the season.

9/27

The Robins’ final game of the season is a good one, but ends sadly with a 1-0 loss. The Cincinnati Redlegs score in the ninth inning on a bases loaded wild pitch by Larry Sherry, winning the game.

[ctorg]

END OF REGULAR SEASON

Standings:

American League Standings	

AL	

Team		W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec		Diff		Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak		Last10	
New York	94	58	.618	-	90-62		4		45-30	49-28	9-5	32-15	*	L1		8-2	
Chicago (A)	88	65	.575	6.5	89-64		-1		42-35	46-30	6-7	20-25	-	L2		5-5	
Cleveland	85	68	.556	9.5	83-70		2		44-33	41-35	4-4	21-19	-	W2		7-3	
Detroit		83	69	.546	11.0	73-79		10		35-42	48-27	8-8	26-15	-	L2		3-7	
Baltimore	75	78	.490	19.5	77-76		-2		36-40	39-38	11-9	19-22	-	W1		3-7	
Boston		66	87	.431	28.5	76-77		-10		35-41	31-46	4-16	22-32	-	L1		7-3	
Washington	62	91	.405	32.5	66-87		-4		28-48	34-43	12-7	18-21	-	W1		4-6	
Kansas City	58	95	.379	36.5	55-98		3		28-49	30-46	8-6	19-28	-	W2		4-6	

National League Standings	

NL	

Team		W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec		Diff		Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak		Last10	
Milwaukee	88	65	.575	-	88-65		0		45-31	43-34	9-8	28-23	*	L1		4-6	
St. Louis	83	71	.539	5.5	77-77		6		39-38	44-33	3-3	27-22	-	L1		7-3	
San Fran	78	74	.513	9.5	79-73		-1		39-37	39-37	6-0	17-25	-	W1		6-4	
Pittsburgh	77	76	.503	11.0	78-75		-1		37-40	40-36	6-8	21-23	-	L1		8-2	
Philadlphia	76	76	.500	11.5	74-78		2		36-40	40-36	6-8	25-19	-	W1		3-7	
Chicago (N)	72	82	.468	16.5	68-86		4		33-44	39-38	3-6	29-22	-	W1		4-6	
Cincinnati	72	82	.468	16.5	80-74		-8		37-40	35-42	10-6	23-26	-	W2		5-5	
Brooklyn	67	87	.435	21.5	69-85		-2		29-48	38-39	5-9	20-30	-	L2		3-7

Overall Batting:	

Name		G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	
D. Howell 	18	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	
B. Birrer 	76	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.500	.500	.500	
D. Newcombe	27	68	23	3	1	0	7	10	3	8	.338	.366	.412	
C. Furillo 	121	450	145	26	8	7	58	67	21	31	.322	.350	.462	
S. Burgess 	143	483	153	21	5	18	95	71	45	29	.317	.373	.493	
E. Valo 	118	251	76	9	3	4	34	44	19	8	.303	.352	.410	
D. Zimmer 	88	236	71	12	3	5	41	28	13	41	.301	.335	.441	
D. Snider 	152	558	159	18	9	35	98	112	76	99	.285	.369	.538	
J. Gilliam 	128	425	120	22	6	7	50	76	67	14	.282	.378	.412	
C. Neal 	149	505	141	16	7	29	90	73	57	91	.279	.350	.511	
E. Averill 	30	47	12	1	0	0	2	3	1	12	.255	.271	.277	
B. Lillis 	94	196	50	6	1	2	19	20	15	8	.255	.311	.327	
F. Howard 	141	422	106	13	3	24	61	71	55	116	.251	.337	.467	
N. Larker 	133	365	90	15	2	6	39	37	40	26	.247	.323	.348	
D. Demeter 	52	197	47	8	0	12	28	25	5	38	.239	.257	.462	
K. Hadley 	20	22	5	0	0	0	1	0	3	3	.227	.308	.227	
B. Allison 	94	261	56	6	4	12	38	40	50	60	.215	.345	.406	
R. Jackson 	73	129	27	3	0	2	10	11	10	20	.209	.266	.279	
G. Cimoli 	81	128	24	4	3	0	9	16	7	22	.188	.230	.266	
D. Drysdale	21	48	9	1	0	0	3	0	0	18	.188	.188	.208	
J. Podres 	27	61	10	0	3	0	5	4	3	8	.164	.203	.262	
C. Mclish 	35	31	5	1	0	0	2	2	0	6	.161	.156	.194	
R. Duren 	39	97	13	1	0	0	4	3	1	41	.134	.143	.144	
S. Koufax 	41	94	6	3	0	0	3	2	0	31	.064	.064	.096	
K. Johnson 	14	37	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	16	.027	.027	.027	
J. Pizarro 	54	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	
C. Labine 	50	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	
L. Sherry 	71	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	.000	.000	
R. Walker 	3	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000

Overall Pitching:	

Name		G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	BB	K	
R. Duren 	39	39	21	8	0	3.26	267.2	188	109	97	132	292	
J. Podres 	27	22	10	6	0	5.40	163.1	185	104	98	62	82	
S. Koufax 	41	41	9	20	0	4.55	251.1	244	151	127	111	206	
D. Newcombe	27	24	6	13	2	4.99	182.1	204	117	101	55	68	
J. Pizarro 	54	0	4	3	16	4.50	54.0	49	29	27	22	37	
D. Drysdale	21	21	4	10	0	4.90	121.1	132	69	66	35	74	
L. Sherry 	71	0	4	4	5	5.13	79.0	98	47	45	44	50	
C. Mclish 	35	11	3	7	1	6.26	109.1	138	82	76	33	36	
K. Johnson 	14	14	3	9	0	5.21	102.0	127	72	59	32	49	
B. Birrer 	76	0	2	4	3	5.08	83.1	98	55	47	14	42	
C. Labine 	50	0	2	4	3	6.00	51.0	66	41	34	13	32	
D. Howell 	18	0	1	1	1	2.12	17.0	18	6	4	7	8	
R. Craig 	4	0	0	2	0	40.50	2.0	8	9	9	2	0	
W. Nixon 	4	0	0	2	0	2.70	3.1	5	2	1	1	0

AL Leaders:

#  TOP 10 AVG 		AVG 
1  B. Goodman (CHA) 	.359 
2  B. Boyd (BAL) 	.353 
3  N. Fox (CHA) 	.342 
4  Y. Berra (NYA) 	.331 
5  B. Nieman (BAL) 	.331 
6  E. Howard (NYA) 	.328 
7  R. Nixon (CLE) 	.327 
8  B. Skowron (NYA) 	.319 
9  R. Colavito (CLE) 	.316 
10  A. Kaline (DET) 	.311 

#  TOP 10 HR 		HR 
1  M. Mantle (NYA) 	46 
2  R. Colavito (CLE) 	44 
3  N. Cash (CHA) 	38 
4  J. Jensen (BOS) 	35 
5  H. Killebrew (WS1) 	26 
5  L. Doby (CLE) 	26 
5  W. Held (KC1) 	26 
8  J. Lemon (WS1) 	25 
9  R. Sievers (WS1) 	23 
9  B. Cerv (KC1) 	23 

#  TOP 10 RBI 		RBI 
1  J. Jensen (BOS) 	119 
2  M. Mantle (NYA) 	116 
3  N. Cash (CHA) 	113 
4  R. Colavito (CLE) 	109 
5  L. Doby (CLE) 	101 
6  B. Skowron (NYA) 	99 
7  Y. Berra (NYA) 	97 
7  V. Wertz (CLE) 	97 
9  G. Woodling (BAL) 	93 
10  J. Lemon (WS1) 	86 

#  TOP 10 Wins 			W 
1  D. Lee (DET) 		23 
2  M. Garcia (CLE) 		21 
2  D. Donovan (CHA) 		21 
4  H. Score (CLE) 		19 
5  C. Johnson (BAL) 		18 
5  B. Monbouquette (BOS) 	18 
5  W. Ford (NYA) 		18 
5  T. Sturdivant (NYA) 		18 
9  F. Lary (DET) 		16 
9  B. Grim (NYA) 		16 

#  TOP 10 ERA 			ERA 
1  B. Monbouquette (BOS) 	2.78 
2  C. Beamon (BAL) 		3.10 
3  M. Pappas (BAL) 		3.28 
4  C. Pascual (WS1) 		3.68 
5  D. Hyde (WS1) 		3.70 
6  T. Sturdivant (NYA) 		3.74 
7  J. Bunning (DET) 		3.74 
8  D. Donovan (CHA) 		3.76 
9  B. Grim (NYA) 		3.76 
10  W. Ford (NYA) 		3.93 

#  TOP 10 Strikeouts 		K's 
1  H. Score (CLE) 		294 
2  J. Bunning (DET) 		209 
3  B. O'dell (BAL) 		202 
4  C. Pascual (WS1) 		200 
5  D. Lee (DET) 		173 
6  W. Ford (NYA) 		172 
7  C. Johnson (BAL) 		163 
8  T. Sturdivant (NYA) 		158 
9  H. Wilhelm (CLE) 		151 
10  T. Clevenger (WS1) 		148

NL Leaders:

#  TOP 10 AVG 		AVG 
1  W. Mays (SFN) 	.344 
2  H. Aaron (ML1) 	.343 
3  O. Cepeda (SFN) 	.335 
4  D. Groat (PIT) 	.331 
5  J. Lynch (CIN) 	.327 
6  G. Bell (CIN) 	.324 
7  C. Furillo (BRO) 	.322 
8  W. Moon (SLN) 	.321 
9  S. Musial (SLN) 	.317 
10  S. Burgess (BRO) 	.317 

#  TOP 10 HR 		HR 
1  J. Adcock (ML1) 	42 
2  H. Aaron (ML1) 	41 
2  E. Banks (CHN) 	41 
4  L. Wagner (SFN) 	40 
5  D. Stuart (PIT) 	35 
5  D. Snider (BRO) 	35 
7  W. Mays (SFN) 	34 
7  W. Covington (ML1) 	34 
9  F. Thomas (PIT) 	32 
10  C. Neal (BRO) 	29 
 
#  TOP 10 RBI 		RBI 
1  J. Adcock (ML1) 	127 
2  W. Mays (SFN) 	116 
3  L. Wagner (SFN) 	112 
4  H. Aaron (ML1) 	111 
5  W. Covington (ML1) 	106 
6  F. Thomas (PIT) 	105 
7  O. Cepeda (SFN) 	103 
8  E. Banks (CHN) 	102 
9  D. Ennis (SLN) 	101 
10  D. Stuart (PIT) 	100 

#  TOP 10 Wins 		W 
1  L. Jackson (SLN) 	26 
2  R. Duren (BRO) 	21 
3  G. Conley (ML1) 	18 
3  S. Miller (SFN) 	18 
5  S. Jones (SLN) 	17 
5  T. Farrell (PHI) 	17 
7  J. O'toole (CIN) 	16 
7  R. Face (PIT) 	16 
9  B. Friend (PIT) 	15 
9  H. Haddix (CIN) 	15 

#  TOP 10 ERA 		ERA 
1  R. Duren (BRO) 	3.26 
2  R. Face (PIT) 	3.55 
3  J. O'toole (CIN) 	3.59 
4  S. Jones (SLN) 	3.79 
5  D. Hillman (SFN) 	3.83 
6  L. Mcdaniel (SLN) 	3.94 
7  T. Farrell (PHI) 	3.94 
8  B. Buhl (ML1) 	3.96 
9  J. Jay (ML1) 	4.04 
10  B. Henry (CHN) 	4.07 

#  TOP 10 Strikeouts 	K's 
1  R. Duren (BRO) 	292 
2  S. Jones (SLN) 	267 
3  T. Farrell (PHI) 	211 
4  S. Koufax (BRO) 	206 
5  G. Conley (ML1) 	198 
6  B. Henry (CHN) 	187 
7  S. Miller (SFN) 	184 
8  R. Face (PIT) 	183 
9  G. Witt (PIT) 	181 
10  J. Meyer (PHI) 	167

American League-Pitcher of the Month:
Milt Pappas (BAL)!
He had a record of 5-0 in 7 games started, with an ERA of 1.24.
American League-Batter of the Month:
Rocky Colavito (CLE)!
He batted .353 in 85 AB, with 9 homers and 18 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month:
Ryne Duren (BRO)!
He had a record of 5-1 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 2.48.
National League-Batter of the Month:
Joe Adcock (ML1)!
He batted .356 in 90 AB, with 10 homers and 24 RBI.

It was not a good season for the Robins by any real measure. The team dug its grave early and was never able to climb out. There were, however, bright spots that came out as the season went on. Ryne Duren rose to be one of the best pitchers in the league. He will probably miss out on the Cy Young Award simply because of Larry Jackson’s 26 wins, even if Jackson was not actually as good a pitcher. Duren set a new NL record for strikeouts with 292. Charlie Neal shocked everyone with a great season, thrusting him into the upper eschelon of second basemen. Burgess was a huge pickup, slugging .317 with 18 homers and 95 RBI. Snider had another great year. Frank Howard finally came around and ended up with good numbers for the season after a very strong finish. The team managed to finished third among all teams in homeruns with 164.

On the downside, there was the rest of the pitching. Koufax lost 20 games. Drysdale was very uneven and nothing like the 17 game winner of 1957. The Newcombe of old was nowhere to be found. Starting pitching should have been a strength for Brooklyn, but it was actually one of the teams worst areas. Not worse, however, than the relief pitching. The Robins really didn’t have any decent relievers all year until Pizarro, and even he was only stellar for one month. The Robins finished with the worst team ERA in baseball (4.81) and the most runs allowed (815).

Around the league, New York and Milwaukee both hung on to win their respective pennants. Three teams in the AL finished with a worse record than Brooklyn, who had the worst record in the NL. Boston (66-87), Washington (62-91), and Kansas City (58-95) have a lot more to complain about than Brooklyn.

Here are the Robins’ leaders in some important categories:
Batting: Burgess, .317
Homeruns: Snider, 35
RBI: Snider, 98
Runs: Snider, 112
Stolen Bases: Snider, 10
OPS: Snider, .906
ERA: Duren, 3.26 (led league)
Wins: Duren, 21
Saves: Pizarro, 16
Strikeouts: Duren, 292 (led league and set new NL record)

[ctorg]

THE WORLD SERIES

Milwaukee Braves vs. New York Yankees

GAME 1 – 10/1 @ Milwaukee
The Braves are never really in this game. The Yankees jump all over them for a 12-1 win, Whitey Ford pitches a real gem, and the Yankee offense piles it on.

GAME 2 – 10/2 @ Milwaukee
Another blowout. Bobby Shantz makes Milwaukee hitters look bad as the Yankees win 6-0 to go up 2-0 in the series. Milwaukee fans see their team head off to New York down by two, and they wonder what happened to the team that won so many games over the course of the season.

GAME 3 – 10/4 @ New York
Game three is a bit more of a contest, but Milwaukee still never poses a real threat. The Yankees take the game 5-3. The Yankees have never been down in the entire series.

GAME 4 – 10/5 @ New York
The Braves manage to hold off the Yankees and force a fifth game. Thanks in part to a two run homer by Hank Aaron, the Braves hang on to win 4-3.

GAME 5 – 10/6 @ New York
The Yankees close out one of the least exciting World Series in history with an overpowering 9-4 win. The Braves never really looked alive all series, and the Yankees proved again that they are the best team in the game.

[ctorg]

The Awards:
American League Rookie of the Year:
Norm Cash (CHA)!
He batted .309 in 475 AB, with 38 homers and 113 RBI.
National League Rookie of the Year:
Leon Wagner (SFN)!
He batted .316 in 528 AB, with 40 homers and 112 RBI.
American League Cy Young Award:
Don Lee (DET)!
He had a record of 23-13 with an ERA of 4.00 and 1 shutouts.
In 42 games started, he pitched 321.2 innings, fanning 173 and walking 115 batters.
American League Most Valuable Player:
Rocky Colavito (CLE)!
He batted .316 in 566 AB, with 44 homers and 109 RBI.
National League Cy Young Award:
Larry Jackson (SLN)!
He had a record of 26-10 with an ERA of 4.28 and 1 shutouts.
In 39 games started, he pitched 303 innings, fanning 166 and walking 75 batters.
National League Most Valuable Player:
Hank Aaron (ML1)!
He batted .343 in 578 AB, with 41 homers and 111 RBI.
American League Gold Glove Winners:
Pitcher: Billy Hoeft (DET)
Catcher: Gus Triandos (BAL)
First Base: Harmon Killebrew (WS1)
Second Base: Ken Aspromonte (BOS)
Third Base: Frank Malzone (BOS)
Shortstop: Chico Carrasquel (CLE)
Leftfield: Bob Cerv (KC1)
Centerfield: Bill Tuttle (KC1)
Rightfield: Al Kaline (DET)
National League Gold Glove Winners:
Pitcher: Don Elston (CHN)
Catcher: Smoky Burgess (BRO)
First Base: Dick Stuart (PIT)
Second Base: Tony Taylor (CHN)
Third Base: Eddie Mathews (ML1)
Shortstop: Dick Groat (PIT)
Leftfield: Leon Wagner (SFN)
Centerfield: Willie Mays (SFN)
Rightfield: Wally Post (PHI)

[ctorg]

Closing out 1958

Jack and Chadwick Harrison meet to discuss the future of the team. Despite a very strong season, they decide to let Carl Furillo go to free agency in favor of youth. Goals for the off season will include landing a new right fielder and a reliable leftfielder, and possibly picking up a new shortstop and moving Demeter to his natural position of thirdbase. Additionally, the Robins will look to strengthen the pitching staff, and particularly the bullpen, in any way possible. Duren is a good anchor, but none of the other starters can be relied upon. Drysdale may or may not return to form in 1959. Koufax may never develop all that potential. Newcombe may be headed for an early retirement. Podres may not be the pitcher he was thought to be. This will be a very important offseason for the Robins. They hope to turn everything around and compete for the pennant.

[ctorg]

Author’s Note

Using the real schedule for 1958 was far more of a headache than it was worth. I will probably use stickware to generate the 1959 schedule. I now understand why people complain about the game’s inability to handle doubleheaders properly. It seems to like starting the same pitchers for both games. The ERAs were higher than I would have liked, but I always seem to have that problem with historical leagues. I ran a few tests, but the only way to lower them was to lower other categories that I didn’t want lower. This is the first true historical league I have done in a long time. It’s interesting to see real names on these players, but I think I still prefer fictional leagues.

Anyway, I’ll try to keep this going if people find it interesting enough. I’m having fun creating the character of Chadwick Harrelson. I imagined him as a sort of hyper-Steinbrenner at first, but I find I can even use him to make excuses for certain things in the game, like implementing free agency in 1959. Next, I want to figure out a good reason to get rid of the All Star Game, which I find pointless.

Harrelson is a bit insane and rash, but it’s interesting to make moves with a team based on what I think a fictional person would do, rather than what I would necessarily do. For instance, I might have kept Furillo, or I might have traded him before the deadline to get something for him. It didn’t seem like something Harrelson would do, though.

I hope anyone reading this far has enjoyed it. I don’t know if I can keep up this sort of pace, but I’ll try to keep this updated.

[seth70liz76]

Just a thought on the AS Game. It has--thanks to ESPN, MLB.com, Directv, interleague play, et al--become a worthless relic. But at the time of your replay, it was one of the few ways to see stars from the other league. The explosion of coverage in the 80's and 90's has rendered it useless (to everyone but Allan Selig). A more logical demise of the AS game would be to kill it in the early 90's (with the ESPN contract) or at the advent of interleague play. It was an "important" date in the baseball calendar for at least 50 years, and is still the best "all-star" game in the big 4, err, big 3 sports--but the bar isn't that high anyway.

[ctorg]

Originally Posted by seth70liz76

Just a thought on the AS Game. It has--thanks to ESPN, MLB.com, Directv, interleague play, et al--become a worthless relic. But at the time of your replay, it was one of the few ways to see stars from the other league. The explosion of coverage in the 80's and 90's has rendered it useless (to everyone but Allan Selig). A more logical demise of the AS game would be to kill it in the early 90's (with the ESPN contract) or at the advent of interleague play. It was an "important" date in the baseball calendar for at least 50 years, and is still the best "all-star" game in the big 4, err, big 3 sports--but the bar isn't that high anyway.

Yeah, I've been trying to come up with an excuse to kill it off earlier. Another thing that has helped kill it is free agency. Players change teams so much now that it's rare for a guy to stay in one league for his whole career.

[rogmax11]

Perhaps the stickware module allows for the exclusion of the ASG? And Good Riddance if the sub-routine has the gaping logic flaw that would allow any pitcher with the WMD record posted by "Stan Williams" anywhere near an ASG without a ticket.

On an upbeat note, this is a very absorbing thread that reflects a ton of commitment by the author, and the level of reportage is first rate! I hope you can find the time and energy to keep at it Ctorg.

[ctorg]

Originally Posted by rogmax11

Perhaps the stickware module allows for the exclusion of the ASG? And Good Riddance if the sub-routine has the gaping logic flaw that would allow any pitcher with the WMD record posted by "Stan Williams" anywhere near an ASG without a ticket.

On an upbeat note, this is a very absorbing thread that reflects a ton of commitment by the author, and the level of reportage is first rate! I hope you can find the time and energy to keep at it Ctorg.

Thanks. I basically spent all my free time this weekend on this thing.

I can take out the ASG from the schedule. It's finding an excuse within the context of the game that is eluding me. I'm thinking that maybe Chadwick Harrelson will be a reason, or maybe players refusing to show up.

[ctorg]

Dixie Howell and Bob Wilson retire. Carl Furillo, Jim Gilliam, Clem Labine, Elmer Valo, and Willard Nixon all declare free agency in the first ever free agent period.

Over the winter, the free agent crop is rather thin, but there are several quality players available. The top priority for Brooklyn is securing a new rightfielder. Furillo had a good season in 1958, and his bat would definitely need to be replaced. The Robins quickly snatch upAl Kaline with a seven year deal. The 24-year-old former Tiger hit .311 with 13 homeruns in 1958. He has a lifetime .308 average and plays a very solid RF. A great pickup, Kaline’s signing allows Brooklyn to not only replace Furillo, but improve upon him.

Another very important task is to improve upon last year’s big weakness: the bullpen. The Robins sign George Zuverink and Steve Ridzik. While neither is anywhere near greatness, they can only improve what was a terrible abomination.

The Robins also want to move Demeter to his natural position of thirdbase. Zimmer had platooned with the departed Gilliam there and done well, but Demeter looked good in his stint last year, so Brooklyn wants to use him. That means they need a shortstop. There are no quality shortstops available, but there is a pretty good first baseman who has some ability to play short, a guy named Pete Runnels. He’s not a great fielder, but he can hit the ball. The Robins end up in a bidding war with several other teams and end up paying much more for him than they should, but they do get him.

Two areas that were marked for improvement at the end of last year but were not improved were starting pitching and leftfield. Chadwick Harrelson has decided that Bob Allison will get another shot at the job in left. He is only 24 and still shows great potential. Despite hitting just .215 in 1958, he had an on base percentage of .345, thanks to 50 walks against 261 at bats. He also hit 12 homeruns. As for pitching, the Robins make attempts to sign several starters. The primary target, Sam Jones, who pitched well for the Cardinals last year, goes to Baltimore in a huge deal. No others seem particularly interested in playing for a team that will not let them get wins.

The Robins also hire a new manager in the offseason, a man with nothing but high school coaching experience, but excellent strategic instincts, named Tim Bottel. The media criticizes Harrelson for the move (though not too harshly, given his power), and fans are worse. Robins fans begin to wonder if keeping the team in Brooklyn really was best for it (though they would still fight hard to keep it, of course).

Chadwick Harrelson begins talks with the city of New York about building a new ballpark on the site of the current Parade Grounds in Brooklyn.

[ctorg]

Just before the end of spring training, Chadwick Harrelson calls a meeting of his baseball people.

“This new guy, Runnels,” Harrelson says. “What do you guys think of him?”

“He’s certainly adding a lot of offense this spring,” says Jack. “He’s batting .360, last I checked. He’s not the fielder we expected, but hopefully that will improve.”

“I don’t like him,” says the elder Harrelson. “He’s not a good shortstop. He has no real power. We paid way too much for him. I like the other moves, Jack, but not this one.”

Bottel chimes in. “I do like his bat, but I agree. When we spoke to him in the offseason, he said he made himself out to be a much better fielder than he is. Or maybe he really thinks that. Either way, I’m not very comfortable with him at short. The man I do like is that Maury Wills. He’s one of the best base stealers I’ve ever seen, and he’s a good fielder, too. He’s pretty untested, but I like him more.”

“He has been surprisingly good,” Jack asks. “So what do we do then? We have an extra shortstop.”

“Can we unload Runnels?” asks the elder Harrelson.

“That’s a little questionable,” says Jack. “I mean, we just signed the guy to a pretty big deal for the next four years. He’s a decent guy and he’s just getting used to the idea of playing in Brooklyn. It doesn’t seem right to ship him off without even playing him.”

Chadwick Harrelson glares at his son.

“All right, Dad,” says Jack, sounding like a scolded teen. “I’ll look around. Maybe we can get another starting pitcher.”

[ctorg]

The 1959 season begins earlier than 1958 did, on Tuesday, April 7th. The Robins open the season in Cincinnati for three games before coming home to host the Phillies.

Author’s note: I used Stickware rather than an actual historic schedule. It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot less of a headache than dealing with the doubleheaders.

The Robins arrive back from spring training with a lot more confidence than in 1958. This time it’s not just about recapturing the heart of a town they almost left. It’s about giving the town a reason to want them to stay. Al Kaline is a huge boost in right. Ken Johnson, acquired last year in a trade with the A’s, looked good in spring training and has made the major league rotation. Newcombe and Podres both fail to make the big league roster. For Newcombe, it is a steep drop from his productive days. For Podres, he appears to simply not be as good as was expected.

Here’s a roundup of the 1959 Brooklyn Robins:

The Starting Rotation:

1. RHP Ryne Duren, 30. (21-8, 3.26 ERA, 292 K). He led the league in ERA and strikeouts in 1958 and was second in wins, despite working for the last place team. His control left something to be desired (132 walks), but Duren was among the league’s elite in 1958. Can he repeat his performance?

2. LHP Sandy Koufax, 23. (9-20, 4.55 ERA, 206 K). He lost 20 games in 1958, but he looked pretty good doing it, allowing less hits than innings pitched and striking out over 200. Koufax has the potential to shine brightly, but last year showed he may still have a long way to go.

3. RHP Ken Johnson, 25. (3-9, 5.21 ERA). He was disappointing for the A’s, but in the minors for Brooklyn, he went 12-3. He was the Robins’ best pitcher in spring.

4. RHP Don Drysdale, 22. (4-10, 4.90 ERA). Two years ago, Drysdale was the talk of the town. Last year, he struggled mightily and spent a good portion of the year in the minors. At only 22, he has time to regain his form, but some believe his good start was a fluke.

5. RHP Roger Craig, 29. (in AAA: 13-6, 2.76 ERA). With Bottel favoring a five man rotation to keep the pitchers well rested (believing that to be a contributing factor to poor performances last year), the fifth slot was expected to go to Newcombe or Podres. Both of them had dismal springs, however, and Craig looked very good. Roger appeared in four games in 1958 and gave up nine runs in two innings. We will know quickly if his winning the starting role was a mistake.

Bullpen:

RHP Steve Ridzik, 29. (in AAA: 4-5, 4.13 ERA). He is not expected to win any awards, but he may be a more solid reliever than the Robins had last year.

LHP George Snyder, 28. A rookie with potential, Snyder needs to work on getting the ball over the plate, but when he does (or even when he doesn’t), he can be unhittable.

RHP Jim Umbricht, 28. A rookie picked up in a deal with Pittsburgh, Umbricht looks quite a bit better than most of last year’s bullpen.

RHP George Zuverink, 34. (4-1, 4.88 ERA, 1 SV). He was good in tight spots for Baltimore last year. He comes to Brooklyn as a free agent.

LHP Juan Pizarro, 22. (4-3, 4.50 ERA, 16 SV). Pizarro showed good promise in 1958 and may anchor the bullpen this year. He is only 22 and should improve with time.

Starting Players:

C Smokey Burgess, 32. (.317, 18 HR, 95 RBI). Burgess is among the best catchers in the game. He can hit for average and power and can block seemingly anything behind the plate. Last year was his best year to date. Can he repeat it?

1B Frank Howard, 22. (.251, 24 HR, 61 RBI). Frank Howard slumped for the first half of 1958. Gil Hodges, who was traded away to make room for him, was sorely missed by fans. Then he came alive in the second half and ended up with pretty good numbers. If he can continue the success of the second half of 1958, the Robins will have a productive first baseman.

2B Charlie Neal, 28. (.279, 29 HR, 90 RBI). Neale shocked everyone with his power numbers. For much of 1958, he was among the leaders in several categories, but he fell off at the end in a big way. The question now is whether the Charlie Neal of the early part or the late part of 1958 will show up.

3B Don Demeter, 23. (.239, 12 HR, 28 RBI). Demeter is a big prospect, but many question whether he is ready to start every day. He was productive after being called up at the end of the year, but cooled off near the end. His power numbers were good, but he only walked 5 times against 197 at bats and had a .257 on base percentage. Will he produce more over a full season?

SS Pete Runnels/Maury Wills, 31/26, (Runnels: .271, 7 HR, 66 RBI, Wills is a rookie). The situation at shortstop is likely to change shortly, but for now, it is Pete Runnels and Maury Wills battling it out. The Robins overpaid for Runnels in a mad dash to find a suitable shortstop and overlooked a potential star in Wills.

LF Bob Allison, 24. (.215, 12 HR, 38 RBI). Allison was supposed to start in left for Brooklyn last year, but he never did get it together. He will get his chance again this year, and the Robins hope he fulfills the potential his bat has shown on occasion.

CF Duke Snider, 32. (.285, 35 HR, 98 RBI). Snider was the undeniable offensive leader in 1958 with a .906 OPS. He is truly the most solid position player the Robins have.

RF Al Kaline, 24. (.311, 13 HR, 79 RBI). Kaline is a huge pickup for Brooklyn. He’s young, he’s an all star, and he has a dangerous bat. Look for him to be one of the offensive leaders and a good right fielder (though no one can match Furillo’s arm).

On the bench:

C Earl Averill, 27. Averill was a good waiver pickup for Brooklyn last year. He backed up Burgess well and showed a good arm. He’s also capable of filling in at first and third in a pinch.

1B/OF Norm Larker, 28. Larker came through in a lot of big spots last year and spent a lot of time playing left field in place of the underperforming Allison. He probably won’t get as much time this year, but he’s a good guy to have on the bench.

IF Don Zimmer, 28. Zimmer played a lot of games at thirdbase last year and actually served as a third catcher as well. He hit .301 and drove in 41 runs in 236 at bats. Another high quality bench player.

IF Bob Lillis, 28. Lillis is an excellent fielder who is pretty decent at getting base hits. He’s a great guy to have late in a tight game when you want your best defense out there.

OF Jim Bolger, 27. Bolger signed as a free agent in the offseason. He can play all three outfield positions and a little bit of third base. His versatility is his main value.

OF Gino Cimoli, 29. Cimoli was inept with the bat last year, but he can play all three outfield positions, which opens up possibilities for the Robins.

[ctorg]

4/7/1959

The Robins win their opener, a 10-8 slugfest with the Reds in which both teams have 16 hits. The star of the game is new guy Maury Wills, who goes 3 for 6 with 2 runs scored, a homerun, and 2 RBI. He also steals a base. Duren looks bad in his rain-delayed first start, giving up eleven hits and five runs in five innings and striking out just one. The offense is great, though. They manage to come back from an 8-4 deficit going into the eighth inning with a three run homer from Snider in the eighth and another run in the ninth to tie it, then take the lead on solo shots by Wills and Howard in the tenth.

[ctorg]

In the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, the Robins and Red Sox hammer out a six player deal. Runnels, Podres, and minor league outfielder Don Miles go to the Red Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Frank Sullivan, reliever Earl Wilson, and second base prospect Pumpsie Green. Robinson is the key for the Robins. He is a very capable starter with a 75-59 record at 29 years of age. Though he was 13-15 with a 4.30 ERA in 1958, most people in baseball believe he will return to the strong numbers he put up in previous years. Earl Wilson will also join the major league staff. Wilson has not pitched in the majors yet, but he has shown great potential and may even develop into a starter. Green is a long shot to ever become a regular in the majors, but he has a good eye and may end up being a valuable bat on the bench. The Robins send Craig and Snyder to the minors to make room for Sullivan and Wilson. Interestingly, the trade returns Runnels to his former team, a team he left on something less than good terms as a free agent.

[ctorg]

4/8/1959

In the second game with Cincinnati, Koufax pitches a real gem. After 8 innings, he has a 2-hit shutout going. Upon coming out for the ninth, he immediately gives up a hit and two walks, then a sac fly to blow the shut out. Bottel wisely removes him for Pizarro, who allows one more run before closing it out with a double play for a final score of 4-2. Frank Howard homers for the second straight game.

4/9/1959

Bad relief pitching does Brooklyn in again. Leading 5-4 in the eighth, Umbricht gives up five hits and two runs to give the Reds the lead for good, ruining Sullivan’s strong performance in his first outing for the Robins. Maury Wills steals four bases in the game and has six steals on the year now, twice anyone else’s total, without getting caught.

4/10/1959

It’s opening day at Ebbets, and the crowd is far more energized than one would expect for a team that just finished last in the league. They are not disappointed. Smokey Burgess leads the way, going 3 for 4 with 2 homers, and the Robins defeats the Phillies 5-4 to give Ken Johnson his first win as a Robin. The game is hard fought and tied up for most of the innings, but a bases loaded hit by Kaline in the eighth breaks the tie for good. Chadwick Harrelson smiles in the owner’s box as the fans celebrate. These Robins certainly don’t look much like the team that lost 87 games last year, but it is too soon to tell how much they might have improved.

4/11/1959

The Robins lose a real heartbreaker to the Phillies. They go down 3-0 early in the game, but chip away to tie it up. The game goes into extra innings and the Phillies add a run in the eleventh, but the Robins match them. In the top of the thirteenth, Stan Lopata blasts a two run homer off Pizarro to put the Phils ahead for good.

4/12/1959

Another heartbreaker. This time it ends in the fourteenth after Solly Hemus blasts a two run shot over the big wall in right to put the Phillies on top for good. Ryne Duren pitches the first 6.1 innings and gives up just 1 hit while striking out 6, but he also walks 9 batters. Somehow, only 2 runs are charged to him. Duke Snider has 4 hits and Frank Howard hits his third homerun.

4/13/1959

The Robins travel to Milwaukee to take on the best team in the league and are promptly shown why the Braves are so good. Aaron, Adcock, and Mathews all homer against Koufax, who pitches a complete 8-inning loss, 6-3.

4/14/1959

The Robins are beginning to look more like the 1958 team as they drop their fourth in a row. This time, it goes down to the wire. In the bottom of the ninth, with a man on first and two outs and the score tied, Mathews blasts a Pizarro ball over the wall to win, 6-4. Neal hits his first homer for the Robins in the loss.

4/15/1959

Robins hitters are baffled in a 4-0 shutout loss, their fifth straight. Johnson, who pitches well for 7.2 innings, gets the hard luck loss. The only bright note is that Maury Wills steals his twelfth (!) base of the year. The Robins are now in last place again.

4/17/1959

Back home after a day off and hosting St. Louis, the Robins work on forgetting the trip to Milwaukee. Thanks in part to a masterful performance by Ryne Duren, they overpower the Cardinals to win. Neal hits his 2nd homer.

4/18/1959

Koufax has another complete game loss as the Robins fall, 6-4. Smokey Burgess does manage to knock in three and has 12 RBI.

4/19/1959

The Robins get a very uplifting 5-4 victory. With the game tied going into the 8th inning, the Cardinals get two runs off Umbricht to take a 4-2 lead. The Robins respond with three runs in the bottom of the inning, including Kaline’s first, and hold on for the victory. Though Sullivan doesn’t get the win, he does lower his ERA to an impressive 2.21.

4/21/1959

San Francisco comes to town and gets thoroughly pummeled by the well-rested Robins, 11-3. Kaline and Howard both homer. Howard also has 3 singles and 4 RBI, and the Robins pound out 15 hits. Johnson pitches very well, giving up just 3 hits in 7 innings for his 2nd win.

4/22/1959

Another pounding of the Giants in Brooklyn, this one ending 11-4. Neal, Kaline, and Demeter all homer. Duren strikes out 9. Wills steals two to bring his total to 16 and now has a 12 game hitting streak.

4/23/1959

A third straight trouncing of the Giants and the fourth straight win for Brooklyn, this one ends 10-2. Burgess and Demeter hit homers and Koufax has a very strong performance, striking out 9 in 8 innings.

4/24/1959

After a flight to St. Louis, the Robins come up big, winning 5-2 for their fifth straight victory. Neal and Demeter homer (third straight game for Demeter after a slow start). Sullivan pitches like an ace for his first win. Wills steals number 18 (out of 20 attempts) and extends his hitting streak to 14 games.

4/25/1959

The Robins are on a roll! Their sixth straight victory comes in St. Louis, an 8-4 win for Drysdale. Burgess homers and knocks in his 20th run. Kaline is 4 for 4.

4/26/1959

Johnson pitches like a winner, but the bullpen fails to hold the lead and the Robins fall to the Cards, 5-4. Howard hits his fifth homer and Wills extrnds the streak to 16 games.

4/28/1959

After a day off, the Robins show up in Philly and beat them, 4-1, to pull even with them for second place behind the Braves. Howard and Demeter both smash longballs, and Koufax has his great stuff. Wills keeps his streak going and is now at 17.

4/29/1959

The Phillies come back to beat the Robins, but just barely. It is another bullpen failure for Brooklyn, as Pizarro loses his fourth game of the year. The Robins are up 5-3 going into the ninth when the bottom falls out and the Phillies score three to win. Howard homers and Wills keeps the streak alive at 18. Another good Ryne Duren performance goes wasted as the Phillies regain sole possession of second place.

4/30/1959

On the last day of the month, the Robins beat the Phillies to pull even with them in the standings once again. The 5-3 win features a homer by Demeter and a strong pitching performance by Sullivan for his second victory.Wills finally has a day without a hit, ending the streak at 18.

[ctorg]

END OF APRIL

Standings:

American League Standings	

AL	

Team		W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff		Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10	
Detroit		14	7	.667	-	16-5	-2		8-4	6-3	0-0	1-4	133	L1	7-3	
Chicago (A)	13	8	.619	1.0	12-9	1		7-2	6-6	1-0	6-3	-	W1	7-3	
Boston		12	9	.571	2.0	11-10	1		5-4	7-5	0-0	4-1	-	W3	7-3	
New York	11	10	.524	3.0	11-10	0		7-5	4-5	1-0	2-3	-	W2	5-5	
Washington	11	10	.524	3.0	11-10	0		5-4	6-6	1-1	2-2	-	L2	5-5	
Cleveland	11	12	.478	4.0	11-12	0		6-8	5-4	0-1	2-3	-	L1	4-6	
Baltimore	10	13	.435	5.0	9-14	1		2-7	8-6	0-0	1-2	-	W1	4-6	
Kansas City	4	17	.190	10.0	4-17	0		2-10	2-7	0-1	2-2	-	L6	1-9	

National League Standings	

NL	

Team		W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff		Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10	
Milwaukee	16	5	.762	-	15-6	1		10-2	6-3	2-0	4-2	130	W3	8-2	
Brooklyn	12	9	.571	4.0	13-8	-1		6-3	6-6	1-2	2-3	-	W1	8-2	
Philadlphia	12	9	.571	4.0	11-10	1		5-7	7-2	4-2	4-2	-	L1	7-3	
Cincinnati	10	11	.476	6.0	11-10	-1		6-6	4-5	0-3	4-4	-	W4	6-4	
Pittsburgh	9	12	.429	7.0	9-12	0		4-5	5-7	0-0	2-0	-	L3	3-7	
San Fran	9	12	.429	7.0	9-12	0		5-4	4-8	0-1	2-5	-	L4	3-7	
St. Louis	9	12	.429	7.0	9-12	0		3-6	6-6	2-1	2-4	-	W2	4-6	
Chicago (N)	7	14	.333	9.0	7-14	0		4-8	3-6	1-1	2-2	-	L2	1-9

Overall Batting:	

Name		G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	
S. Burgess 	19	68	29	8	0	4	20	10	9	7	.426	.494	.721	
D. Zimmer 	13	19	8	1	0	0	2	5	1	5	.421	.450	.474	
F. Howard 	20	83	30	5	0	7	21	15	6	18	.361	.404	.675	
A. Kaline 	21	77	26	4	0	3	17	20	14	8	.338	.440	.506	
M. Wills 	21	96	29	1	1	1	9	17	5	12	.302	.337	.365	
B. Lillis 	13	20	6	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	.300	.300	.300	
R. Duren 	5	10	3	1	0	0	2	1	0	3	.300	.300	.400	
D. Demeter 	21	78	22	4	0	5	17	11	3	16	.282	.309	.526	
N. Larker 	17	18	5	0	0	0	2	2	2	0	.278	.381	.278	
C. Neal 	20	84	21	1	2	4	8	14	10	18	.250	.330	.452	
D. Snider 	21	82	19	2	0	1	8	11	12	12	.232	.326	.293	
D. Drysdale	2	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.200	.200	.200	
G. Cimoli 	12	11	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	.182	.250	.182	
E. Averill 	4	6	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	.167	.167	.167	
F. Sullivan	5	13	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	.154	.154	.154	
B. Allison 	21	74	11	3	0	0	7	5	16	18	.149	.308	.189	
S. Koufax 	5	15	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	.067	.125	.067	
K. Johnson 	4	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	.000	.000	.000	
R. Jackson 	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	.000	.500	.000	
G. Zuverink	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000

Overall Pitching:	

Name		G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	BB	K	
S. Koufax	5	5	3	2	0	3.70	41.1	34	17	17	19	35	
R. Duren 	5	5	2	0	0	3.54	28.0	22	12	11	17	29	
K. Johnson 	4	4	2	1	0	2.86	28.1	24	12	9	10	12	
F. Sullivan	5	5	2	0	0	2.48	36.1	36	15	10	7	23	
J. Umbricht	12	0	1	1	1	5.74	15.2	18	10	10	10	12	
S. Ridzik 	3	0	1	0	0	1.80	5.0	2	1	1	1	3	
D. Drysdale	2	2	1	0	0	2.51	14.1	12	5	4	4	7	
E. Wilson	8	0	0	0	2	3.68	7.1	6	3	3	5	4	
J. Pizarro	9	0	0	4	4	9.39	7.2	13	8	8	1	8	
G. Zuverink	5	0	0	0	1	4.00	9.0	7	4	4	2	3	
J. Bolger	1	0	0	1	0	18.00	1.0	2	2	2	2	0

AL Leaders:

#  TOP 10 AVG 		AVG 
1  P. Runnels (BOS) 	.387 
2  Y. Berra (NYA) 	.382 
3  P. Ward (CLE) 	.380 
4  H. Kuenn (DET) 	.377 
5  R. Bridges (DET) 	.373 
6  T. Kubek (NYA) 	.371 
7  C. Maxwell (DET) 	.358 
8  B. Cerv (KC1) 	.341 
9  J. Gilliam (BOS) 	.333 
9  N. Cash (CHA) 	.333 

#  TOP 10 HR 		HR 
1  V. Wertz (CLE) 	9 
2  N. Cash (CHA) 	7 
3  J. Lemon (WS1) 	5 
3  M. Mantle (NYA) 	5 
3  C. Maxwell (DET) 	5 
3  B. Cerv (KC1) 	5 
7  G. Mcdougald (NYA) 	4
7  B. White (NYA) 	4 
7  G. Green (KC1) 	4 
7  M. Keough (BOS) 	4 
 
#  TOP 10 RBI 		RBI 
1  V. Wertz (CLE) 	25 
2  G. Mcdougald (NYA) 	20 
3  N. Cash (CHA) 	19 
4  R. Sievers (WS1) 	17 
5  C. Maxwell (DET) 	16 
5  H. Kuenn (DET) 	16 
5  Y. Berra (NYA) 	16 
8  P. Ward (CLE) 	15 
8  B. Nieman (BAL) 	15 
8  E. Howard (NYA) 	15 

#  TOP 10 Wins 			W 
1  D. Donovan (CHA) 		5 
2  B. Monbouquette (BOS) 	4 
3  C. Pascual (WS1) 		3 
3  C. Beamon (BAL) 		3 
3  D. Larsen (NYA) 		3 
3  J. Podres (BOS) 		3 
3  J. Bunning (DET) 		3 
3  J. Kaat (WS1) 		3 
3  J. Brosnan (CHA) 		3 
3  D. Mossi (CLE) 		3 

#  TOP 10 ERA 		ERA 
1  C. Pascual (WS1) 	1.82 
2  F. Lary (DET) 	2.18 
3  D. Donovan (CHA) 	2.79 
4  R. Kemmerer (WS1) 	2.81 
5  D. Mossi (CLE) 	3.25 
6  B. Shaw (DET) 	3.26 
7  B. Hoeft (DET) 	3.42 
8  J. Kaat (WS1) 	3.47 
9  R. Terry (KC1) 	3.56 
10  B. Grim (NYA) 	3.58 

#  TOP 10 Strikeouts 		K's 
1  H. Score (CLE) 		34 
2  C. Pascual (WS1) 		30 
3  S. Jones (BAL) 		29 
4  W. Ford (NYA) 		28 
5  B. O'dell (BAL) 		24 
5  T. Sturdivant (NYA) 		24 
5  J. Bunning (DET) 		24 
5  J. Kaat (WS1) 		24 
9  C. Beamon (BAL) 		23 
10  B. Monbouquette (BOS) 	22

NL Leaders

#  TOP 10 AVG 		AVG 
1  S. Burgess (BRO) 	.426 
2  E. Mathews (ML1) 	.408 
3  B. Skinner (PIT) 	.400 
4  W. Covington (ML1) 	.384 
5  K. Boyer (SLN) 	.383 
6  B. Tuttle (CIN) 	.371 
7  D. Groat (PIT) 	.370 
8  J. Adcock (ML1) 	.362 
9  F. Howard (BRO) 	.361 
10  G. Hamner (PHI) 	.357 

#  TOP 10 HR 		HR 
1  W. Covington (ML1) 	10 
2  O. Cepeda (SFN) 	8 
2  E. Banks (CHN) 	8 
4  E. Mathews (ML1) 	7 
4  L. Wagner (SFN) 	7 
4  F. Howard (BRO) 	7 
7  B. Thomson (CHN) 	6 
7  H. Aaron (ML1) 	6 
9  K. Boyer (SLN) 	5 
9  J. Adcock (ML1) 	5 
 
#  TOP 10 RBI 		RBI 
1  W. Covington (ML1) 	26 
2  E. Banks (CHN) 	24 
3  E. Mathews (ML1) 	23 
4  O. Cepeda (SFN) 	21 
4  F. Howard (BRO) 	21 
4  B. Thomson (CHN) 	21 
4  J. Adcock (ML1) 	21 
8  S. Burgess (BRO) 	20 
9  H. Aaron (ML1) 	17 
9  A. Kaline (BRO) 	17 

#  TOP 10 Wins 		W 
1  J. Jay (ML1) 	5 
2  S. Morehead (PHI) 	4 
3  D. Elston (CHN) 	3 
3  S. Koufax (BRO) 	3 
3  R. Face (PIT) 	3 
3  E. Johnson (ML1) 	3 
3  G. Conley (ML1) 	3 
3  M. Cuellar (CIN) 	3 
3  B. Friend (PIT) 	3 
3  D. Mcmahon (ML1) 	3 

#  TOP 10 ERA 		ERA 
1  J. Meyer (PHI) 	1.93 
2  F. Sullivan (BRO) 	2.48 
3  K. Johnson (BRO) 	2.86 
4  J. Jay (ML1) 	2.89 
5  R. Duren (BRO) 	3.54 
6  E. Broglio (SLN) 	3.56 
7  S. Koufax (BRO) 	3.70 
8  M. Cuellar (CIN) 	3.78 
9  B. Conley (PHI) 	4.01 
10  C. Short (PHI) 	4.01 

#  TOP 10 Strikeouts 	K's 
1  S. Koufax (BRO) 	35 
2  E. Broglio (SLN) 	31 
3  R. Duren (BRO) 	29 
4  H. Haddix (CIN) 	27 
4  J. Jay (ML1) 	27 
6  B. Anderson (CHN) 	26 
6  J. Meyer (PHI) 	26 
8  B. Gibson (SLN) 	24 
9  F. Sullivan (BRO)	23 
9  G. Conley (ML1) 	23

American League-Pitcher of the Month:
Dick Donovan (CHA)!
He had a record of 5-0 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 2.79.
American League-Batter of the Month:
Vic Wertz (CLE)!
He batted .280 in 75 AB, with 9 homers and 25 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month:
Joey Jay (ML1)!
He had a record of 5-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 2.89 and 1 shutouts.
National League-Batter of the Month:
Wes Covington (ML1)!
He batted .384 in 86 AB, with 10 homers and 26 RBI.

The Robins of 1959 have shown that they are a vast improvement over the Robins of 1958. One of the key sparkplugs has been rookie shortstop Maury Wills, who is hitting .302 and tearing up the basepaths. Wills has stolen 23 bases in 25 attempts. No one else in baseball has more than 6 steals. Smokey Burgess has been one of the best players in the game with an OPS of 1.214 and a league leading .426 batting average. Frank Howard is continuing to play like he did in late 1958. Four of the ten top ERAs in the league belong to Robins pitchers. Sullivan and Johnson have been phenomenal. Koufax, when on, has been great, as has Duren. Even Drysdale, in his two starts, has been dominant. The bullpen is still a weak point, but not as weak as it was last year.

The team is fourth in baseball in batting average, fourth in homers, and first (of course) in steals. More to the point, they are second in ERA and batting average against, and have allowed the second fewest runs.

Meanwhile, around the league, the Tigers have risen to the top of the AL, thanks to having the top batting average in the majors (.303), fewest runs allowed (75), and lowest ERA (3.39). Back in Boston after a trip to New York, Pete Runnels leads the AL in batting at .387. The Braves have risen to the top of the NL again. Despite last year’s World Series flameout, they are still the team to beat in the NL. In other NL news, Richie Ashburn of the Phillies gave the opening day home crowd something to cheer for when he stroked his 2000th career hit.

A big trade came on April 12th, as Cleveland sent Larry Doby and minor leaguer Ray Webster to St. Louis for Bob Boyd and monetary considerations. Doby drove in 101 runs playing left for Cleveland last year and is now 35. Boyd hit .353 for Baltimore while playing first.

[rogmax11]

Aging Carl Furillo out, youthful Al Kaline in.
Disgruntled Pete Runnels out ( though seriously rakin' it ), young Maury Wills in.
Ryne "Anybody seen my glasses?" Duren picked up for a song.

D00D! We talkin' serious Exec-of-the-year stuff here!

As always, nice job ctorg.

[ctorg]

Originally Posted by rogmax11

Aging Carl Furillo out, youthful Al Kaline in.
Disgruntled Pete Runnels out ( though seriously rakin' it ), young Maury Wills in.
Ryne "Anybody seen my glasses?" Duren picked up for a song.

D00D! We talkin' serious Exec-of-the-year stuff here!

As always, nice job ctorg.

Thanks.

The Runnels thing was kind of weird. He wasn't playing much SS at that point in his career, and I had him rated at 2 (out of 5). I only had them pick him up because I managed to overlook the fact that Wills was on the team. I usually do drafts for rookies, but in this league, I'm assigning guys to their original teams. When I realized I had two shortstops, I knew I had to get rid of one, and Runnels made more sense to me since Wills was young. I do believe trading him right after signing him was against the real baseball rules, but oh well.

And having Ryne Duren as a starter is kind of stretching things, but his endurance was good enough so I figured why not. Man, he sure does walk a lot of guys. He's like a young Nolan Ryan.