Alltime Allstar League begins operation

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, June 23, 1909

NATIONAL LEAGUE

WHO'S FIRST IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE?

It is another rat race in the National League this year -- seven teams are still very much in the running for the pennant. At the season's halfway mark there is a three-way tie for first place and only 4.5 games separate them from seventh place.

Philadelphia, New York and surprising Pittsburgh are in the top spot with St. Louis lurching just one game behind in fourth place. Fifth place Brooklyn is three games out and the preseason favorite and defending champions, the Chicago Cubs, are sixth and trail by 3.5 games, followed by Cincinnati in the seventh spot.

Any one of them could win it. There really isn't very much difference in all of them. A good winning streak could set them off and running towards the flag. St. Louis might have the best chance. The Redbirds have been the hottest team of late. They are hands-down the best hitting team with an unbelievable .289 batting average and they have a decent 4.07 ERA.

The Philadelphia Phillies have the best pitching in the NL with a 3.94 ERA. Manager Danny Ozark has a good starting rotation with Steve Carlton (8-5 3.17) and Chris Short (7-1 2.36) in the forefront. Pete Alexander (5-5 3.64), Robin Roberts (6-6 4.15) and Curt Simmons (4-6 4.43) are his other starters.

Second-year reliever Billy Wagner (4-8 5.25) has staggered in the closing spot. Philadelphia really needs him to have a better second half to stay atop the standings.

The Phils have chilled in the batting department recently after a hot start. Only Chuck Klein (.319/10 HR/42 RBI/44 R), Mike Schmidt (.289/9 HR/35 RBI/27 R), Biz Mackey (.277/8 HR/45 RBI/38 R) and Billy Hamilton (.273/1 Hr/30 RBI/53 R/38 SB) have hit for average. Rookie first baseman Ryan Howard (.197/15 HR/43 RBI/39 R) has tailed off considerably after a great start and Ed Delehanty (.269/1 HR/28 RBI/33 R) has struggled in the first half of the schedule.

The New York Giants under manager John McGraw have the power and can hit, but need help pitching. The Polo Grounders are averaging .269, third best after St. Louis (.289) and Chicago (.270). New York tops the National League with 82 homers. It is a tough lineup to face with Martin Dihigo (.310/17 HR/52 RBI/46 R), Bill Terry (.309/4 HR/51 RBI/23 R), Mel Ott (.291/16 HR/59 RBI/68R), Barry Bonds (.272/12 HR/35 RBI/55 R) and Willie Mays (.271/12 HR/44 RBI/54 R).

In an attempt to get some better pitching, McGraw has brought up several experienced hurlers from the minors, all of whom has spotty success at the major league level. Sal Maglie, Joe McGinnity, Hooks Wiltse, Fred Toney and Art Nehf are back for another tour of duty.

The Giants current rotation include Christy Mathewson (9-5 3.74), Carl Hubbell (6-5 2.95), Johnny Antonelli (5-4 3.30) and Juan Marichal (6-8 4.76). Maglie and McGinnity will be added to the starting rotation.

In the bullpen New York has gotten an outstanding performance from Marv Grissom. In 43 games he had registered 5 wins and 2 losses, 8 saves and compiled an excellent 2.63 ERA. Middle relief has been a sore point for the Giants.

Just like the Cleveland Indians in the American League, Pittsburgh has totally reversed its fortunes, rising up from the basement and contending this season. How the Buccos are doing it is bewildering? They are absolutely last in the league with a sky-high 4.50 ERA and next-to-last with a .251 BA. The only solid pitchers are Deacon Phillippe (9-4 3.30), rookie Bruce Kison (6-4 4.10) and relief ace Kent Tekulve, who is 4-1 with 14 saves and a 3.98 ERA.

The only solid hitter has been the gifted Honus Wagner (.357/10 HR/43 RBI/52 R), who is having a career year. But the Pirates are second with 78 home runs. Nobody else is hitting for average, but they are banging homers and driving in runs. Sadaharu Oh (.184/18 HR/50 RBI), Dave Parker (.230/15 HR/40 RBI), Brian Giles (.255/12 HR/47 RBI) and Smokey Burgess (.251/9 HR/32 RBI) have produced runs for manager Danny Murtaugh.

To solve his pitching woes, at midseason Murtaugh made wholesale changes in this staff a la McGraw and the Giants. He recalled 6-year vet Vic Willis and 5-year vet Bob Veale from the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. The have both been out of the National League for a couple of years and have enjoyed success there. Career-wise Willis was 55-58 with a 3.65 ERA with the Pirates, while Veale was 37-38 and 3.98 ERA. Murtaugh has also promoted rookie righthander Doug Drabek (1-2 2.63) to starter.

After a slow start, manager Tony Larussa has got the St. Louis Cardinals headed in the right direction. In early May they were deep in the doldrums and in last place. Now they are challenging for the lead and only trail by one game. The Cards are wearing out National League pitchers to the tune of a .289 batting average.

Larussa can start seven .300 hitters. He has ten players batting over .300. The Redbirds also lead the league in runs scored. No wonder they have turned it around. Heading the hitters are regulars Rogers Hornsby (.315/6 HR/56 RBI/46 R), Stan Musial (.309/14 HR/56 RBI/60 R), Ken Boyer (.300/10 HR/48 RBI/46 R) and Austin McHenry (.309/9 HR/34 RBI/55 R). Jim Edmonds (.289/7 HR/29 RBI/21 R) and rookie Terry Moore (.327/2 HR/24 RBI/22 R) are platooned in center and doing well, too.

St. Louis is doing alright pitching, too. The staff has a 4.07 ERA, third in the NL, and is paced by starters Bob Gibson (9-5 3.47) and Satchel Paige (7-5 3.16) and rookie reliever Dan Quisenberry (2-3 3.21), who has saved 10 games and made 34 appearances. If Dizzy Dean (5-7 4.58), Matt Morris (5-10 5.61) and Chris Carpenter (7-4 4.65) can recover from poor seasons and have good second halves, the Cardinals could win in a breeze.

The Brooklyn Dodgers are in fifth place, just three games out, mainly on the arms of three pitchers, Sandy Koufax (10-2 1.23), Dazzy Vance (8-5 3.58) and bullpen ace, Eric Gagne (1-2 3.95). Koufax has been superb and almost unhittable. Only hot-hitting St. Louis has been able to beat him, defeating him 1-0 and 4-3. The Dodgers are second with a 4.00 ERA.

For run production manager Tommy Lasorda depends on Cristobel Torriente (.312/11 HR/60 RBI/47 R), Jack Fourrier (.328/6 HR/40 RBI/51 R) and Jackie Robinson (.307/8 HR/36 RBI/52 R), who are all having very good years. Mike Piazza (.271/14 HR/44 RBI/39 R), Adrian Beltre (.283/11 HR/30 RBI/27 R) and Zach Wheat (.290/2 HR/37 RBI/27 R) have also contributed.

To make a run in the second half, Brooklyn also went the veteran route and called up several pitchers from Triple A. Don Sutton, Don Drysdale and Preacher Roe were recalled from St. Paul and Montreal and will join the starting rotation, along with Van Mungo (3-3 3.19).

It has been a frustrating year for the World Champion Chicago Cubs, who have wallowed in the second division for most of the season. Poor pitching is the problem. The Bruins are seventh with a very lofty 4.40 ERA. Last season the club led the league with a 3.56 ERA.

Mordecai Brown (8-4 3.33) and Rube Foster (8-6 3.45) have done well, but the only other dependable starter is Ed Reulbach (5-8 3.74) and he is not having a good season by his standards. Others starters and relievers have been dismal. The normally reliable Bruce Sutter (3-5) is in the throes of a bad season and his ERA has ballooned to 5.19.

Manager Charlie Grimm has promoted relievers Larry French (0-0 3.93), Pat Malone (3-1 3.43) and rookie Rick Sutcliffe (0-0 0.00) to starting positions and has recalled former Cubs Bill Lee and Lee Smith from their Los Angeles Angels PCL farm team.

The Chicago attack still consists primarily of the great Turkey Stearnes (.317/22 HR/64 RBI/59 R), Cool Papa Bell (.281/7 HR/32 RBI/59 R/55 SB) and Ernie Banks (.231/11 HR/44 RBI/38 R). The Cubs are hitting .270, second in the NL, but are not scoring runs like they are accustomed. Grimm needs help from the other regulars to get back in the driver's seat, which could easily happen. They are only 3.5 games out of first and could make that up with a good winning streak and a few more hits at the right time.

For most of the first half of the season the Cincinnati Reds were right near the top of the standings -- they have since tumbled to the second division. Sparky Anderson doesn't like being in seventh place, but he likes the fact that the Reds are only trailing by 4.5 games. It wouldn't take much of a turnaround to get back in the thick of the pennant race. Anderson is banking on new blood in the pitching corps and added punch in the batting order to do it. Like several other teams, he has made drastic changes to revamp his club.

Cincy is second best in the National League with a 3.97 ERA. That has been their strong point this season. Only co-leader Philadelphia is better at 3.94. Rob Dibble (6-5 2.82) has been a standout closer. Middle relief is Anderson's problem as his starters Gary Nolan (6-5 3.02), Jim O'Toole (5-6 3.29), Jim Maloney (7-7 3.97) and Eppa Rixey (4-7 4.09) have done a fairly good job. Anderson has inserted two little-used relievers, Tom Seaver (3-1 2.66) and Don Gullett (0-0 5.51), into the starting rotation and summoned Aaron Harang and Noodles Hahn from the Tulsa Oilers in the Double A Texas League. Harang and Hahn will be middle relievers.

Offensively, it has been the longball carrying Cincinnati, led by the talented rookie center fielder, Junior Griffey (.309/14 HR/49 RBI/45 R), vets Ted Kluszewski (.289/14 HR/60 RBI/40 R) and Frank Robinson (.255/16 HR/39 RBI/42 R). As a team the Reds are near the bottom in hitting with a .251 average. To generate some offense Anderson has promoted second baseman Joe Morgan from Nashville in the Southern Association and third baseman Tony Perez from Tulsa. Both have failed in several previous trials with the parent club.

Cincinnati is hoping last year's Golden Arm Award winner, Eppa Rixey, can get his stuff together in the second half and pitch like he did in 1908. The Reds could be a serious contenders for the NL crown, if this happens.

Boston fans can't be very happy this season. The Red Sox are last in the American League and the Braves are last in the National. The Braves got there because they are the worst hitting team in baseball. They are last with an abominable .234 team batting average. They are last in home runs with only 59 and last in scoring with 267 runs. Even Boston's fine pitching staff can't win with that kind of pathetic support. First baseman Buck Leonard (.292/14 HR/47 RBI) is the only offensive threat on the club. All the other regulars have done very little.

Bobby Cox still has some good arms in Carl Morton (7-5 3.45), Warren Spahn (6-9 3.48), John Smoltz (6-5 3.90) and Greg Maddux (5-9 4.11), but they can't win without runs.

The Boston Braves are the only NL team that has no chance to win the pennant this year.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, June 30, 1909

AL AND NL STATS LEADERS

At the halfway point in the 1909 season, here are the American and National League statistical leaders:

American League Leaders

Batting Average:
Heinie Manush (WAS) .328
Alejandro Oms (PHA) .317
Willie Wells (CLE) .315

Hits:
Nap Lajoie (CLE) 121
Willie Wells (CLE) 106
Tris Speaker (CLE) 106

Doubles:
Hank Greenberg (DET) 27
Harry Heilmann (DET) 26
Ken Williams (STB) 23
Charlie Gehringer (DET) 23

Triples:
Alejandro Oms (PHA) 9
Goose Goslin (WAS) 8
Torii Hunter (WAS) 8

Home Runs:
Ted Williams (BOS) 24
Alex Rodriguez (NYY) 23
Hank Greenberg (DET) 19

RBIs:
Willie Wells (CLE) 67
Ted Williams (BOS) 66
Hank Greenberg (DET) 64

Runs:
Ty Cobb (DET) 66
Tris Speaker (CLE) 66
Nap Lajoie (CLE) 63

Bases on Balls:
Ted Williams (BOS) 54
Tim Raines (CWS) 47
Babe Ruth (CWS) 47

Stolen Bases:
Oscar Charleston (BOS) 32
Ty Cobb (DET) 30
Eddie Collins (CWS) 27

ERA:
Hoyt Wilhelm (STB) 1.93
George Ruth (BOS) 2.67
Mel Stottlemyre (NYY) 2.75

Wins:
Mel Stottlemyre (NYY) 16-1
Addie Joss (CLE) 13-3
Ned Garver (STB) 11-3

Saves:
Dennis Eckersley (PHA) 20
Mariano Rivera (NYY) 17
Doug Jones (CLE) 16

Strikeouts:
Herb Score (CLE) 145
Tommy Bridges (DET) 121
Masaichi Kaneda (DET) 120

National League Leaders

Batting Average:
Honus Wagner (PIT) .354
Johnny Mize (STL) .318
Austin McHenry (STL) .316
Chuck Klein (PHI) .316

Hits:
Honus Wagner (PIT) 110
Turkey Stearnes (CHC) 106
Austin McHenry (STL) 104

Doubles:
Rogers Hornsby (STL) 32
Johnny Mize (STL) 29
Stan Musial (STL) 26
Austin McHenry (STL) 26

Triples:
Honus Wagner (PIT) 10
Barry Bonds (NYG) 10
Cool Papa Bell (CHC) 9

Home Runs:
Turkey Stearnes (CHC) 23
Sadaharu Oh (PIT) 22
Mel Ott (NYG) 18
Frank Robinson (CIN) 18
Martin Dihigo (NYG) 18

RBIs:
Turkey Stearnes (CHC) 70
Mel Ott (NYG) 66
Ted Kluszewski (CIN) 61
Cristobel Torriente (BRO) 61

Runs:
Mel Ott (NYG) 73
Cool Papa Bell (CHC) 67
Barry Bonds (NYG) 64

Bases on Balls:
Barry Bonds (NYG) 66
Sadaharu Oh (PIT) 60
Mel Ott (NYG) 41

Stolen Bases:
Cool Papa Bell (CHC) 63
Billy Hamilton (PHI) 39
Honus Wagner (PIT) 25

ERA:
Sandy Koufax (BRO) 1.27
Chris Short (PHI) 2.45
Carl Hubbell (NYG) 2.72

Wins:
Sandy Koufax (BRO) 12-2
Bob Gibson (STL) 10-5
Deacon Phillippe (PIT) 9-5

Saves:
Steve Bedrosian (BSN) 20
Billy Wagner (PHI) 17
Eric Gagne (BRO) 16

Strikeouts:
Steve Carlton (PHI) 131
Sandy Koufax (BRO) 126
Dazzy Vance (BRO) 118

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Friday, August 8, 1909

AMERICAN LEAGUE

INDIANS FOR REAL...TOP AL BY 6 GAMES

Going into the final month of the 1909 season the Cleveland Indians are for real this season. They didn't fade at midseason this year. The Tribe are in a commanding position and ahead of the second place Philadelphia Athletics by 6 games and 7 games over third place Detroit.

And Cleveland has done it, despite the severe loss of their number one pitcher Addie Joss (15-5 3.07), who went out July 17 with an arm injury, but may be back in time for the World Series. Stan Coveleskie (6-3 2.81) has taken his spot in the rotation and done an excellent job. Bob Feller (10-11 4.03) has won six of his last seven as well. Together with Bob Lemon (13-7 3.23), Herb Score (10-11 4.23) and relief specialist Doug Jones (3-3 2.89), the Indians seems to be headed for their first American League pennant.

Manager Steve O'Neill has Cleveland running on all cylinders with excellent pitching and hitting. The Indians top the league in hitting and pitching with a .273 batting average and a 3.64 ERA. O'Neill can start five .300 hitters on his scorecard.

But the Indians have to be a little wary of the on-coming Philadelphia A's, sparked by the pitching of Rube Waddell (17-6 2.79), Bobby Shantz (11-7 3.82) and bullpen ace Dennis Eckersley (9-3 2.84). Connie Mack's Athletics have started pitching and hitting better in the last two months. Even Ed Plank (6-8 5.21) has stepped it up and won 4 of his last 6 decisions. The A's have won 9 of the 16 games with Cleveland this season and have 6 more crucial games left on the schedule with them.

For the stretch run, Tim Hudson and Barry Zito (0-0 3.21) have been added to the starting rotation and Vida Blue will be a bullpen addition. Both Hudson and Blue were acquired from Oakland of the Pacific Coast League. This season with the Oaks Hutson was 17-and-5 with a 2.95 ERA, while Blue compiled a 14-and-9 mark with a 3.02 ERA. Zito has made 25 appearances in long relief for the Athletics this year.

The Detroit Tigers are hanging in, but don't seem to have the pitching to compete with Cleveland and Philadelphia. Tommy Bridges (15-6 2.70) is doing all he can and needs help from Hal Newhouser (8-8 3.78), Jack Morris (10-8 3.87) and Masaichi Kaneda (10-9 4.02). Skipper Hughie Jennings still hasn't found an effective closer and adequate long relief. That is Detroit's Achilles' heel. The Tigers have huge problems when they have to go to the bullpen. Francisco Cordero (3-2 5.06) took over at the All-star break as closer and needs to improve. So far, he hasn't done the job.

Detroit could only win 7 out of 22 games with first place Cleveland this year. The Tigers have 7 games remaining with Philadelphia and has a 7-8 record against them in the season series.

The fourth place St. Louis Browns are 10.5 games off the pace. Manager Earl Weaver has the same problem as the Tigers. He has wonderful starting pitching, but has nothing in the bullpen. His regular rotation has been excellent with Hoyt Wilhelm (16-7 2.44), Ned Garver (13-7 3.19), Urban Shocker (11-7 2.63) and Mike Cuellar (9-10 2.96). They lead the American League with an impressive 3.42 ERA.

For the stretch run the Browns have restored B. J. Ryan to the fireman's role and acquired Stu Miller and Tippy Martinez from the PCL Vancouver Mounties. Miller and Martinez will be middle relievers.

But there is no way they can catch the main contenders. That is just too much ground to make up in a month.

It has been a very disappointing year for the New York Yankees, who are in fifth place 12 games out of first. Mel Stottlemyre (19-4 3.02) is having another marvelous season. But there is not much after him, except for Whitey Ford (11-8 3.30). Casey Stengel's mound staff just hasn't done it this year -- starters and bullpen. Relief ace Mariano Rivera (1-7 4.30) has had a very poor season. Plus the Yanks have just not hit the ball well. They are tied for last in the AL. The Bronx Bombers still hit with the best power in the league, but are hitting only .249 as a team and their power numbers are down, too.

The Chicago White Sox are in the sixth spot in the standings, trailing by 18.5 games with a month to go in the season. Only pitchers Dick Donovan (13-7 3.17) and Ted Lyons (11-6 4.15) have done anything on the mound to speak of. As far as hitters, Shoeless Joe Jackson (.296/5 HR/64 RBI/69 R/27 SB) is the best of the lot.

It is unlikely the Chisox will catch the Yankees this year.

It has been a bad year for the Washington Senators. It has even been bad for their fine righthander Walter Johnson (4-13 4.67). Never has he had a season this bad. Manager Clark Griffith's club is in seventh place, 20 games behind the Indians. Only steady Alvin Crowder (11-8 3.72) has managed a winning record among the starting rotation, while rookie first baseman Justin Morneau (.261/12 HR/75 RBI/56 R) has had a decent season.

The Senators could -- with a little bit of good luck, catch the White Sox -- and with a little bit of bad luck, could catch the last place Boston Red Sox.

The Boston Red Sox are still in last place, 22 games back. It has been two seasons in the cellar for Manager Joe McCarthy. There are only a few bright spots for the Red Sox. Ted Williams (.284/32 HR/91 RBI/82 R) still is one of the best hitters in baseball and center fielder Johnny Damon (.287/10 HR/55 RBI/68 R/22 SB) is one of the better rookies in baseball. On the hill George Ruth (13-6 3.01) may have pitched better than his twin brother, Babe (.264/24 HR/64 RBI/70 R) hit this season and Bill Monbouquette (8-3 3.29) has show signs that he may have a good future in Boston, since being added to the starting rotation in June.

Actually the Bosox have the talent to catch and pass the Pale Hose and Senators. There is an outside chance they may escape the cellar -- this year.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Friday, August 8, 1909

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NY GIANTS TAKE OVER NL RACE

The New York Giants have broken out of the pack and opened up a seven-game cushion in the National League. For the last two months they have won 44 out of 65 games and surged ahead in the pennant race. The Philadelphia Phils are a distant second with the St. Louis Cardinals ten games behind. It looks like the Giants can start taking orders for the World Series.

John McGraw's Giants has put it all together -- outstanding pitching and solid hitting. New York leads the NL with a 3.73 team ERA, 130 home runs and 613 runs. They also have the third-best team batting average at .265.

On the mound Christy Mathewson (15-6 3.43), Carl Hubbell (12-8 2.40), Johnny Antonelli (11-6 2.89) and Juan Marichal (10-9 4.15) have led the way with some recent help from late-season call-ups, Joe McGinnity (2-2 2.13) and Sal Maglie (3-1 2.45). In the bullpen Marv Grissom (6-2 2.84) has been solid as a rock and has converted 22 saves.

McGraw's potent batting order features Bill Terry (.312/5 HR/72 RBI/41 R), Martin Dihigo (.302/28 HR/93 RBI/68 R), Barry Bonds (.284/28 HR/65 RBI/97 R), Mel Ott (.279/24 HR/89 RBI/98 R) and Willie Mays (.272/19 HR/75 RBI/81 R).

The runner-up Phillies are second with a 3.83 ERA, but are fifth in batting with an average of .255 and last in homers with only 85. Philadelphia's pitching corps is paced by Chris Short (12-4 2.77), Steve Carlton (13-7 3.60) and Robin Roberts (11-9 3.55), but overall they are no match for New York, especially when you consider the bullpen.

Manager Danny Ozark's top hitters are Biz Mackey (.306/13 HR/77 RBI/65 R), Chuck Klein (.297/15 HR/57 RBI/69 R) and Chase Utley (.279/12 HR/76 RBI/40 R) and pale in comparison to the Giant attack. Still the Phils are in the running for the flag.

The third place Cardinals were hitting at a record-setting .289 two months ago, but have since come down to earth at .277, still good enough to be best in the National League, but not good enough to carry their pitching staff, too. The Redbirds' ERA also took a nose dive to 4.15 during the period.

Skipper Tony Larussa has only two dependable starters in the rotation. Bob Gibson (16-7 3.26) is having another fine season and Satchel Paige (10-8 3.54) has had a good year. But the Cards have done well with rookie Dan Quisenberry as the finisher. He is 3-and-3 with a 3.45 ERA and 19 saves in his first season.

Leading the St. Louis hit parade are Stan Musial (.303/22 HR/79 RBI/84 R), Johnny Mize (.301/18 HR/75 RBI/69 R), Rogers Hornsby (.301/10 HR/75 RBI/63 R) and Austin McHenry (.297/12 HR/51 RBI/76 R). Rookie Terry Moore (.315/3 HR/34 RBI/33 R) has been a standout, sharing center field with Jim Edmonds (.275/13 HR/46 RBI/32 R).

The Cincinnati Reds are having a good season and have moved up to the fourth spot in the standings, 14.5 games behind the Giants. Cincy is getting by mainly on some good pitching from Gary Nolan (11-6 3.19), Tom Seaver (6-4 2.91), Don Gullett (4-1 3.63) and relief specialist Rob Dibble (8-7 2.80), who has chalked up 17 saves. Overall the staff is number three in the league with a 3.88 ERA.

Unfortunately, the Reds are last with a .250 batting average. Providing most of the punch for Sparky Anderson's crew are Ted Kluszewski (.291/22 HR/87 RBI/68 R), rookie Junior Griffey (.284/25 HR/76 RBI/79 R) , Frank Robinson (.278/25 HR/74 RBI/65 R) and Pete Rose (.288/4 HR/29 RBI/61 R).

The Pittsburgh Pirates were strong contenders at midseason, but have since faded to fifth place, falling fifteen games off the pace, mainly because of poor pitching. The Bucs ERA has ballooned upwards to 4.50, last in the NL. Only starter Deacon Phillippe (11-8 3.97) and reliever Kent Tekulve (5-4 3.59) are enjoying good seasons.

Batting-wise, not much to brag about here, either. But Honus Wagner (.329/13 HR/57 RBI/71) is the top hitter with a league-leading .329 average. And while Sadaharu Oh (.239/28 HR/80 RBI/70 R) doesn't hit for average, he does hit homers and drive in runs.

The preseason favorite, the Chicago Cubs, are still struggling mightily on the mound with a 4.41 ERA, next-to-last in the league. Only one pitcher has been effective and that is Mordecai Brown with an 11-and-6 mark and a 3.21 ERA. Consequently, the Chicubs are sixth in the standings and 15.5 games back.

But the Cubs can still bang with the best of them as long as Turkey Stearnes (.325/32 HR/106 RBI/81 R) is around. He could be headed for another Triple Crown. Cool Papa Bell (.281/10 HR/53 RBI/94 R/86 SB), platooners Kiki Cuyler (.313/4 HR/53 RBI/43 R) and Riggs Stephenson (.312/0 HR/23 RBI/25 R) provide some run production for Charlie Grimm's club, rated second to St. Louis with a .266 mark.

The seventh place Brooklyn Dodgers were close halfway through the year, but it is over now. They trail first place New York by sixteen games. If Tommy Lasorda could pitch the remarkable Sandy Koufax (17-4 1.60) every day, life would be a dream and the Dodgers would win the pennant and the World Series easily. But it is not a dream, it's the Alltime Allstar Association -- real life baseball.

While pitching has been a nightmare for Brooklyn, the hitting has been good. Topping the Dodger hitters are Cristobel Torriente (.318/12 HR/79 RBI/72 R), Mike Piazza (.287/29 HR/74 RBI/63 R), Jackie Robinson (.299/14 HR/56 RBI/80 R), Adrian Beltre (.281/16 HR/48 RBI/46 R) and Jack Fourrier (.285/8 HR/55 RBI/72 R). Torriente is challenging Honus Wagner and Turkey Stearnes for the batting crown. Midseason call-up Duke Snider has been a pleasant surprise, hitting .303 with 9 homers and 29 RBIs in just 42 games.

The Boston Braves are still in the basement and trail by 18 games. They are hitting a microscopic .239 and really have trouble scoring, ranking last in both categories. It a wonder that the fine mound staff ever wins a game, but they do. Manager Bobby Cox still has several quality hurlers in Greg Maddux (11-10 3.17), Warren Spahn (7-13 3.65) and Carl Morton (14-5 3.13).

At the plate, the only real threats the Braves have are first baseman Buck Leonard (.298/25 HR/86 RBI/65 R) and right fielder Hank Aaron (.286/15 HR/52 RBI/47 R), who played in only 97 games. And second baseman Hubert Long (.285/11 HR/43 RBI/63 R) has had a good season, playing in 116 games.

[reds1]

At the least the Reds are not in the cellar. Now if only their hitting could pick up, they might start making some noise!

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by reds1

At the least the Reds are not in the cellar. Now if only their hitting could pick up, they might start making some noise!

They need offensive help from Bench, Perez and Morgan.

I think next season they will be able to add John Franco as an expansion player. Since the Mets are not in the AAA and Franco played for Cincy, he is eligible to be drafted.

I can add only one player a year from the expansion team rosters.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, September 8, 1909

AMERICAN LEAGUE

CLEVELAND CRUISES TO FIRST AL FLAG

American League Final Standings

Team/Won-Lost/GB
Cleveland Indians 95-69 --
Philadelphia A's 86-68 9
Detroit Tigers 82-72 13
New York Yankees 77-77 18
St. Louis Browns 74-80 21
Chicago White Sox 72-82 23
Washington Senators 68-86 27
Boston Red Sox 62-92 33

The Cleveland Indians took charge of the American League race about the middle of May and never relinquished it to win their first title. Nobody ever seriously challenged them. The Indians won by nine games over the second place Philadelphia A's, thirteen over third place Detroit and outpaced the favored Yankees by eighteen games.

Cleveland, skippered by Steve O'Neill, will meet the champions of the National League, the powerful New York Giants, in the World Series, beginning Wednesday at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium.

The Tribe combined outstanding pitching with excellent hitting to take the AL flag. Cleveland topped the AL with a 3.48 ERA, scored the most runs (751), finished second with a .268 batting average and third in homers with 153.

Leading the charge were the pitching corps, which consisted of starters Addie Joss (15-5 3.07), Bob Lemon (14-9 3.19), Bob Feller (12-14 3.92), Herb Score (13-13 4.02) and spot starters, Don Mossi (9-4 2.90) and Stan Coveleskie (9-4 3.00). In relief, dependable Doug Jones (9-4 2.69) was one of the league's best with 29 saves.

O'Neill had plenty of offense, too, energized by Willie Wells (.312/30 HR/119 RBI/98 R), who won the batting and RBI titles. Major roles were also played by Nap Lajoie (.307/6 HR/62 RBI/109 R), Tris Speaker (.287/17 HR/78 RBI/109 R), rookie Juan Gonzales (.279/22 HR/69 RBI/68 R) and Jim Thome (.232/26 HR/87 RBI/73 R).

The second place Philadelphia Athletics under manager Connie Mack, were led on the hill by hurlers Rube Waddell (20-9 2.94), Lefty Grove (14-11 3.63) and Bobby Shantz (14-10 4.16). Closer Dennis Eckersley (11-4 2.64) had a brilliant season and had the second-best save record in AAA history with 41. Only B. J. Ryan of the Browns has done better with 45 in 1908.

In the hitting department, Alejandro Oms (.312/13 HR/65 RBI/99 R) was the runner-up to Wells. He lost the batting title by percentage points, .3119 to .3123. Other contributors to the A's success were outfielders Al Simmons (.281/14 HR/93 RBI/68 R) and Frank Baker (.280/25 HR/84 RBI/88 R).

The Detroit Tigers completed the year in the third spot in the AL standings. The Tigers strong point was their .272 batting average, tops in the league. Manager Hughie Jennings had six fine hitters in Harry Heilmann (.309/10 HR/66 RBI/82 R), Charlie Gehringer (.306/13 HR/86 RBI/80 R), Ty Cobb (.301/9 HR/85 RBI/100 R), Harvey Kuenn (.293/10 HR/57 RBI/88 R), Rudy York (.279/19 HR/83 RBI/66 R) and Hank Greenberg (.257/28 HR/95 RBI/82 R). The only thing lacking was power. Detroit was sixth in home runs with only 120. The Yanks again led the league with 199, followed by Boston with 160 and Cleveland with 153.

On the mound Jennings had good seasons from Tommy Bridges (17-8 3.18) and Jack Morris (14-9 3.42) and only decent years from Masaichi Kaneda (13-11 3.99) and Hal Newhouser (11-11 4.04). The starting rotation got very little help from the bullpen. Closers Todd Jones (1-7 6.17) and Francisco Cordero (4-7 5.16) both were ineffective.

Picked to win it all in the preseason baseball writers poll, the New York Yanks stumbled badly all season and finished a disappointing fourth, eighteen games back. They never got close enough to challenge Cleveland. New York can compete in every area but batting average. They hit only .250, tied for last in the American League.

Manager Casey Stengel's Bronx Bombers again hit homers with regularity and paced the league with 199, but that is not enough. The New York lineup is filled with superstars, but this year they just didn't have good years. Lou Gehrig (.295/24 HR/90 RBI/83 R) and Joe DiMaggio (.292/18 HR/64 RBI/92 R) were the best the Yankees had to offer.

Mickey Mantle (.278/28 HR/58 RBI/63 R) had a very productive half season, starting only 88 times. Babe Ruth (.269/31 HR/83 RBI/104 R) and Bill Dickey (.275/10 HR/79 RBI/59 R) had sub-par seasons. Two players with great potential, Alex Rodriguez (.249/34 HR/92 RBI/68 R) and Alfonso Soriano (.214/22 HR/56 RBI/80 R), hit home runs, but struck out too much.

New York got great pitching from Mel Stottlemyre (22-8 3.38), who led the AAA with 22 victories, but Stengel's other starters struggled. Vets Whitey Ford (12-12 3.74) and Ron Guidry (9-7 3.69) had off-years. So did Lefty Gomez (7-12 5.04) and relief ace Mariano Rivera (4-7 4.13). Rookie lefthander Randy Johnson (13-12 3.65) showed promise at times and could be a star of the future.

A bad August cost the St. Louis Browns a first division finish. Manager Earl Weaver's club ended the year in fifth place, twenty-one games off the pace. He has the second-best starters in the AL, headed by Hoyt Wilhelm (19-9 2.34), Ned Garver (17-8 3.31), Urban Shocker (12-9 2.71) and hard-luck Mike Cuellar (10-15 3.45). Wilhelm had the best ERA in the league. But St. Louis could use some help in the bullpen. He used three closers, Greg Olson (2-4 6.86), Eddie Watt (0-1 5.57) and B. J. Ryan (2-7 4.01) and none did the job. Overall the team was second to Cleveland with a 3.60 ERA. The Indians were number one with an impressive 3.48 ERA.

The Brownies main batting threats were Ken Williams (.293/13 HR/86 RBI/66 R), George Sisler (.287/6 HR/47 RBI/75 R) and Josh Gibson (.251/32 HR/83 RBI/79 R). St. Louis hit only .250 as a team, tied for the worst in the AL with New York and fifth in homers with 121. Until they hit better, it will be hard for them to move up high in the first division and contend for the pennant. An improved bullpen would do wonders, too.

It was another lackluster season for the Chicago White Sox. The Chisox finished up in sixth place and trailed the first place Indians by twenty-three games. Skipper Al Lopez got effective outings from starters Dick Donovan (15-10 3.28), Ted Lyons (15-7 3.84) and veteran Ed Walsh (14-12 3.34), but little else. It takes at least four good starters to compete in the league pennant chase. Using former starter Wilbur Wood (3-5 4.36) in the bullpen did not work out. Wood only had a fair season as the closer and probably will return to a starting role in 1910.

Lopez and the White Sox don't have enough hitters and power, either. The Pale Hose batted only .257 with just 112 roundtrippers. Only Washington had fewer home runs with a pathetic 80. Chicago's top batters were Joe Jackson (.311/5 HR/83 RBI/89 R), a very close third for the batting title at .311, Eddie Collins (.299/1 HR/43 RBI/89 R) and Dick Lundy (.279/18 HR/87 RBI/83 R). Frank Thomas (.226/287 HR/98 RBI/67 R) still supplies the longball and drives in the runs, but hits for a low average.

The Washington Senators were selected to finish fourth in the BWA preseason poll, but didn't get the improvement they expected and dipped to a dismal seventh spot in the standings, twenty-seven games out of first place. Washington tailed off in all departments. They hit only 80 homers, down from 100 last year, and saw the team ERA plummet to 4.24, next-to-last in the American League.

The only reliable starter for manager Clark Griffith was the steady Alvin Crowder (15-10 3.69). His ace, the durable Walter Johnson (7-15 4.36), had his second down year in the last three. Rookie Dean Chance (9-9 4.70) and Dick Redding (11-15 3.88) had some good moments during the season, but were inconsistent. Rick Aguilera (6-8 4.45) and Eddie Guardado (1-2 3.83) split bullpen duties and were only adequate at times.

Goose Goslin (.270/19 HR/81 RBI/80 R) was the most productive batter for the Senators. Newcomers to the lineup, rookie first baseman Justin Morneau (.256/14 HR/86 RBI/68 R) and center fielder Torii Hunter (.255/17 HR/82 RBI/70 R), had decent seasons, but need to hit for a higher average. Contact hitters Cecil Travis (.299/2 HR/74 RBI/41 R), Paul Molitor (.296/9 HR/59 RBI/78 R) and Heinie Manush (.294/6 HR/73 RBI/68 R) hit for a good average, but Washington needs more hits, more often and are in dire need of more power.

It was a terrible season for the Boston Red Sox -- they finished dead last this year -- a distant 33 games behind. Much of it can be blamed on the mound staff, whose ERA climbed out-of-sight to 4.64, the worst in both leagues. Manager Joe McCarthy had only two bright lights on the hill, George Ruth (16-10 3.42) and Bill Monbouquette (10-6 4.01). Monbouquette, who on his fifth try with the Bosox, looks like he may stick around awhile this time.

As usual Ted Williams (.288/36 HR/110 RBI/99 R) and Oscar Charleston (.299/25 HR/81 RBI/101 R/) did more than their share. Williams led the league in circuit clouts with 36 and was second with 110 RBIs, while Charleston topped the league in stolen bases with 56. Rookie center fielder Johnny Damon (.277/14 HR/67 RBI/84 R) turned in a good freshman season. And Nomar Garciaparra (.250/21 HR/72 RBI/77 R) and David Ortiz (.239/29 HR/92 RBI/70 R) helped out with the homers, but did not hit for average.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, September 8, 1909

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NO CONTEST IN NL...NY GIANTS EASY WINNER

National League Final Standings

Team/Won-Lost/GB
New York Giants 92-62 --
St. Louis Cardinals 82-72 10
Philadelphia Phillies 80-74 12
Brooklyn Dodgers 75-79 17
Pittsburgh Pirates 75-79 17
Cincinnati Reds 72-82 20
Boston Braves 70-84 22
Chicago Cubs 70-84 22

The New York Giants came on like gangbusters in the second half of the National League pennant chase and ran away with it. John McGraw's crew dominated and won by ten games over the runner-up Cardinals, twelve over the third place Phils and seventeen games better than the Dodgers and Pirates, who tied for fourth.

New York will now challenge the American League champs, the Cleveland Indians in the 1909 World Series. It will get underway Wednesday at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.

The New York Giants were a well-balanced team this season. They were ranked number one with a fine 3.60 ERA and in homers with 160. The Giants also finished second to the Cards with a .264 team batting average.

McGraw's highly-regarded mound staff included Christy Mathewson (18-8 3.16), Carl Hubbell (16-9 2.47), Johnny Antonelli (15-8 3.23) and Juan Marichal (12-11 3.98). Second half promotions Sal Maglie (5-2 3.08) and Joe McGinnity (5-4 1.73) helped greatly in the title run, too. In the bullpen Marv Grissom (7-4 3.01) had another solid year with 32 saves.

New York also fielded a formidable lineup with Mel Ott (.282/28 HR/105 RBI/117 R), Martin Dihigo (.301/36 HR/119 RBI/84 R), Bill Terry (.318/6 HR/89 RBI/53 R) and Barry Bonds (.277/31 HR/73 RBI/116 R).

The second place St. Louis Cardinals outscored the first place Giants, but they didn't have the pitching to compete with them. The Redbirds batted .276 as a team, but suffered with a 4.07 ERA.

Stan Musial (.301/29 HR/115 RBI/106 R) had another standout season to spark manager Tony Larussa's lineup. Johnny Mize (.300/26 HR/94 RBI/91 R), Austin McHenry (.302/15 HR/66 RBI/101 R) and Rogers Hornsby (.301/11 HR/86 RBI/81 R) also put up some good numbers. The center field tandem of rookie Terry Moore (.311/4 HR/44 RBI/41 R) and Jim Edmonds (.274/19 HR/64 RBI/45 R) chipped in productively, too.

The Cardinal mound corps was only so-so this year. Bob Gibson (19-10 3.18) was the only standout. After him Satchel Paige (12-11 3.68) and Dizzy Dean (10-10 4.12) were the best St. Louis had to offer.

The Philadelphia Phils stayed up with the Giants until midseason and then faded. Manager Danny Ozark got good pitching, but his hitting wasn't up to snuff this year. Power numbers were down, too.

On the hill Steve Carlton (17-10 3.57), Robin Roberts (15-10 3.49) and Chris Short (13-10 3.63) were solid and consistent performers with some help from Pete Alexander (11-12 3.60).

In the batter's box the Phillies were led by Chuck Klein (.299/21 HR/78 RBI/88 R), Biz Mackey (.294/15 HR/88 RBI/74 R) and Billy Hamilton (.288/4 HR/50 RBI/93 R/66 SB). Ed Delehanty (.246/5 HR/50 RBI/60 R) and rookie first baseman Ryan Howard (.213/25 HR/79 RBI/66 R) struggled the entire season, however Howard did hit 25 homers.

Two teams were tied for the fourth spot in the NL standings, the Dodgers and the Pirates. Both were below .500 and ended up seventeen games out of first.

The Brooklyn Dodgers rode the great arm of the superb southpaw Sandy Koufax (19-7 1.89) to fourth place. He was truly outstanding and set a new Alltime Allstar Association mark of 1.89 ERA. He and NY's Juan Marichal shared the record previously with a 2.16 ERA. Dazzy Vance (11-15 3.88) was also a good starter for manager Tommy Lasorda, but he didn't get enough bat support and picked up some tough defeats.

At bat the Dodgers were paced by Cristobel Torriente (.299/13 HR/93 RBI/87 R), Mike Piazza (.292/37 HR/101 RBI/81 R) and Jackie Robinson (.297/16 HR/68 RBI/100 R).

The Pittsburgh Pirates were deadlocked for first with the Phillies and Giants at the halfway mark, but couldn't keep up with New York's torrid second half pace. Manager Danny Murtaugh depended on his hitters to win ballgames as his pitching was atrocious. The Bucs 4.32 ERA was seventh in the league. Honus Wagner (.332/17 HR/81 RBI/91 R) captured the National League batting crown to lead the Pirates. He had plenty of help from sluggers Sadaharu Oh (.234/32 HR/101 RBI/82 R), Brian Giles (.252/24 HR/90 RBI/79 R) and Dave Parker (.240/25 HR/75 RBI/72 R).

On the mound Pittsburgh's best performers were rookie Bruce Kison (12-8 4.01), Deacon Phillippe (12-12 4.22) and Rip Sewell (9-6 3.93). In the bullpen Kent Tekulve (9-5 3.41) had another good year with 26 saves.

Believe it or not, the sixth place Cincinnati Reds had the second-best pitching in the league with a 3.90 ERA, yet finished twenty games behind the Giants. Gary Nolan (14-10 3.41), Eppa Rixey (13-12 3.81) and Jim Maloney (12-14 4.39) topped the pitching staff for Sparky Anderson. He also got good outings from Tom Seaver (6-9 3.21) and Don Gullett (6-4 3.21). In relief, the Reds closer Rob Dibble (8-9 3.17) collected 21 saves and made 80 appearances.

Cincy's fine first baseman Ted Kluszewski (.288/26 HR/107 RBI/87 R) delivered another solid season with the bat and was backed up by Frank Robinson (.274/33 HR/95 RBI/92 R) and rookie center fielder Junior Griffey (.266/32 HR/93 RBI/100). Griffey will be a strong contender for the Rookie of the Year honor. This terrific trio just couldn't do it all. With a little more help from the rest of the lineup, the Reds could have made the first division for the first time in its history. Cincinnati ranked second in roundtrippers with 153, just seven behind New York.

The Boston Braves endured another bad season and ended up tied with the Cubs for seventh place. Blame it on lousy hitting -- the Braves hit only .238 for the year. Good pitching from Greg Maddux (14-13 3.35), Carl Morton (17-8 3.53) and Warren Spahn (12-14 3.48) couldn't save them.

Manager Bobby Cox only had three reliable bats -- first baseman Buck Leonard (.289/28 HR/105 RBI/82 R), right fielder Hank Aaron (.288/20 HR/68 RBI/65 R) and second baseman Hubert Long (.291/13 HR/51 RBI/83 R).

From first to worst in one season. That's what happened to the proud Chicago Cubs, the defending World Series champions. Manager Charlie Grimm's ballclub still hit well, batting .264 and tied for second-best in the NL, but failing miserably in the pitching department with a 4.41 ERA.

Mordecai Brown (15-8 3.30) was the only strong starter this year as Ed Reulbach (10-16 3.54) and Rube Foster (10-17 4.88) faltered and no one else came to the rescue. Even Bruce Sutter (7-6 3.99) had trouble in the bullpen and compiled only 23 saves.

But superstar Turkey Stearnes (.322/41 HR/134 RBI/106 R) was his usual self and came close to his second Triple Crown. He pounded 41 home runs and drove in 134 runs to lead the National League in those categories, but fell 10 points short of the batting crown. Honus Wagner of the Pirates won it with a .332 average. Stearnes is in line for his fifth Golden Bat Award. He has led the league in home runs five times now and in RBIs four times.

Stearnes didn't have any help this year. Only Cool Papa Bell (.298/11 HR/71 RBI/112 R) and Billy Herman (.290/0 HR/61 RBI/80 R) lent any support. Bell tied his own AAA mark of 101 steals, originally set in 1904.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Tuesday, September 9, 1909

NY GIANTS FAVORITES IN WORLD SERIES

The American League has won five of the eight World Series to date, but this year the baseball experts are giving the edge to the National League's New York Giants over the Cleveland Indians in the 1909 World Series, which begins tomorrow in Cleveland.

In a close poll conducted by the Baseball Writers of American, the Giants were named on 53 ballots, while the Indians were picked on 47 of them.

The general consensus is that New York has the better starters overall with Christy Mathewson (18-8 3.16), Carl Hubbell (16-9 2.47) and Johnny Antonelli (15-8 3.23) slated to pitch. Cleveland will send Addie Joss (15-5 3.07), Bob Feller (12-14 3.92) and Herb Score (13-13 4.02) to the hill to oppose them.

The journalists give Cleveland the edge in the bullpen with Doug Jones (9-4 2.69) rated slightly higher than NY's Marv Grissom (7-4 3.01).

The Tribe is rated the stronger hitting team with good hitters top to bottom in the lineup. The Giants don't quite match up when you look at all of the starting lineups.

The Indians are ranked the better defensive team as well with a .983 fielding percentage this season, while New York was .980.

Despite this, the baseball experts think pitching will be the major factor in the Series and the Giants have it.

In the opening game NY's John McGraw has designated Christy Mathewson his starter, while Addie Joss got the call from Cleveland's Steve O'Neill. The first two games will be played at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland. Lefthander Carl Hubbell will go for the Giants in game two and will be opposed by Bob Feller of the Indians.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Wednesday, September 10, 1909

1909 World Series - Game One at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland

TRIBE WINS OPENER BEHIND JOSS' 3-HITTER

NYG- 000 000 001 - 1 3 1
CLE - 020 001 00x - 3 5 0
(Cleveland leads series 1-0)

WP: Joss (1-0 1.00)
LP: Mathewson (0-1 3.38)

HR: CLE - Martinez (1)

Recap: The baseball writers were right -- pitching will decide the World Series -- at least in the first game. They just picked the wrong team to have it. Cleveland's Addie Joss stopped the favored New York Giants 3-1 on just three hits to take the first game of the 1909 World Series. Victor Martinez provided the Indians with all the runs they needed with a two-run roundtripper in the second inning.

Cleveland added another score in the sixth on a single by Tris Speaker, a stolen base, an intentional walk to Willie Wells and an RBI single by Earl Averill.

Joss outpitched the more famous Christy Mathewson to send the underdog Indians one game ahead in the Series. He fanned three batters and walked only one in an outstanding performance. Joss had a two-hit shutout and 3-0 lead going into the ninth and got into a little hot water. The first two hitters got on base. Pinchhitter Ross Youngs singled and pinchhitter Will Clark was hit by a pitch. Joss got out number one when Barry Bonds hit into a fielder's choice, 3-6, and moved Youngs to third. Martin Dihigo then hit a deep sacrifice fly to center to score NY's first and only run of the game. The dangerous Mel Ott gave the fans quite a scare when he ripped a towering drive to center that could have tied the score, but Willie Mays hauled it in on the warning track for the final out.

Losing pitcher Mathewson pitched a solid game, yielding only five hits, struck out five and walked two. Joss just pitched better to get the victory.

Speaker and Averill both had two hits for Cleveland, while Dihigo got two for the Giants.

Bob Feller will try to make it two-in-a-row for the Indians tomorrow in game two. He was 12-and-14 during the regular season with a 3.92 ERA. Skipper John McGraw will send King Carl Hubbell to mound to even up the Series. Hubbell compiled a 16-9 record with an outstanding 2.47 ERA, second-best in the National League.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Thursday, September 11, 1909

1909 World Series - Game Two at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland

CLEVELAND STUNS GIANTS...GONZALES BLAST WINS IT

NYG- 030 010 000 - 4 12 1
CLE - 000 000 06x - 6 9 1
(Cleveland leads series 2-0)

WP: Lemon (1-0 0.00)
Save: D. Jones (1)
LP: Hubbell (0-1 6.75)

HR: NYG - Ott (1) CLE - Gonzales (1)

Recap: The upstart Cleveland Indians stunned the New York Giants 6-4 with a six-run explosion in the eighth inning to take a surprising two-game lead in the 1909 World Series.

The Giants Carl Hubbell was coasting along with a four-hit shutout and a 4-0 edge going into the bottom of the eighth, when all hell broke loose. Victor Martinez (.333) and Lou Boudreau (.333) singled to put runners on first and second. Pinchhitter Sandy Alomar (1.000) singled and drove in Martinez. Tris Speaker (.286) walked to load the bases. Willie Wells (.333) hit a sac fly and scored Boudreau to cut it to 4-2. Earl Averill (.429) followed with a single to score Alomar. Then Juan Gonzales (.143) finished off Hubbell and the Giants with a three-run smash to win the game.

Bob Feller started for the Indians and was roughed up by New York, who jumped on him for three runs in the top of the second. Willie Mays (.143) got to second on a throwing error by shortstop Willie Wells and advanced to third on groundout to short by Gary Carter (.167). He then scored, when Art Fletcher (.000) grounded out to second. Carl Hubbell (.333) aided his own cause with a single and scored on Larry Doyle's (.250) RBI double. Barry Bonds (.143) got the last run of the inning in with a single to scored Doyle from second. None of the runs were earned.

The Giants added another run in the fifth, when Mel Ott (.286) rapped Feller for a solo home run. That was Feller's last inning as he went out for a pinchhitter. Feller tossed five innings, allowed nine hits, four runs, walked one and fanned five.

Winning pitcher Bob Lemon came on in the sixth and shut down New York on two hits and no runs over three innings. He struck out three and walked none in a strong relief outing.

Dependable Doug Jones got the save stopping the Giants in the ninth on one hit to nail down the win for Lemon.

Cleveland was outhit twelve to nine with Wells (.333) and Boudreau (.333) getting a pair of hits each. Bill Terry (.429) paced New York with 3-for4, while Ott (.286) and Doyle (.250) chipped in two hits apiece.

The World Series will resume on Saturday with the next two games in New York at the Polo Grounds. Friday will be a day of travel. Manager John McGraw and the Giants are desperate for a win and will send Johnny Antonelli (15-8 3.23) to the mound in a battle of lefties. Fireballing Herb Score (13-13 4.02) will take the hill for Steve O'Neill's Indians.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Saturday, September 13, 1909

1909 World Series - Game Three at the Polo Grounds in New York

ANTONELLI PUTS NY IN WIN COLUMN IN SERIES

CLE - 002 000 010 - 3 6 3
NYG- 201 004 00x - 7 8 0
(Cleveland leads series 2-1)

WP: Antonelli (1-0 3.00)
LP: Score (0-1 4.50)
Harder (5th) Mossi (6th) Sabathia (8th)

HR: (none)

Recap: What Mathewson and Hubbell couldn't do, New York's Johnny Antonelli did -- he beat the Cleveland Indians 7-3 in game three of the 1909 World Series. At the Polo Grounds in New York, the stylish southpaw restricted the Tribe to six hits, while fanning seven and walking only one in a complete game performance. Cleveland had won the first two games.

Antonelli got plenty of run support. Jeff Kent (.500), Martin Dihigo (.364) and Bill Terry (.455) each had two hits. Kent hit a decisive three-run double in the sixth to put New York ahead to stay. He had three RBIs and Dihigo drove in two runs for the winners.

The Giants opened the scoring in bottom of the first. Barry Bonds (.200) walked and then scored on Dihigo's two-bagger. Mel Ott (.300) singled Dihigo in to make it 2-0.

In the top of the third, the Indians evened the score at 2-2 on four singles. Lou Boudreau (.333) and Herb Score (1.000) both singled, putting runners on first and third. Nap Lajoie (.250) got the first run across with a single and with Score on second and Lajoie on first, Earl Averill (.364) got a base-hit to tie the score.

In the bottom half of the inning the Giants broke the deadlock. Bonds walked, stole second and went to third on a bad throw by catcher Victor Martinez. Dihigo drove him in with a single to make it 3-2.

Mel Harder replaced Score in the fifth and was quickly victimized by New York to the tune of four runs. In the sixth inning Ott walked and was promptly driven in by Terry's double. Willie Mays (.111) worked another walk and Gary Carter (.100) loaded the bases on an error by first baseman Jim Thome, who muffed a ground ball. Kent then smacked a base-clearing double, putting the Giants in front 7-2.

In the eighth frame, Cleveland's Lajoie tripled and scored on Tris Speaker's sacrifice fly.

Herb Score absorbed the loss, hurling 4 innings and yielding 5 hits. He exited for a pinchhitter trailing 3-2. Only two of the runs were earned. Score struck out three and walked one.

The homestanding Giants will try to even up the series with Christy Mathewson slated to start. Cleveland will send first-game winner Addie Joss to the hill. Joss outdueled Mathewson 3-1 in that one.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Sunday, September 14, 1909

1909 World Series - Game Four at the Polo Grounds in New York

GIANTS EVEN WORLD SERIES...NIP INDIANS 7-6

CLE - 000 013 002 - 6 10 3
NYG- 301 102 00x - 7 15 2
(Series tied 2-2)

WP: Mathewson (1-1 2.70)
Save: Wiltse (1)
LP: Joss (1-1 3.55)
Harder (4th) Lemon (6th) S. Coveleskie (7th)

HR: NYG - Bonds (1)

Recap: The New York Giants bolted to a 5-0 lead and then had to hang on to beat the Cleveland Indians 7-6 in game four of the World Series. The win knotted up the Series at two games apiece. The Giants tagged Tribe pitching for 15 hits, powered by Martin Dihigo (.467), Willie Mays (.308) and Larry Doyle (.294), all with three hits. Dihigo drove in three runs, Mays two and Barry Bonds two.

New York pounced on starter Addie Joss for three runs in the opening frame. Base hits by Larry Doyle and Barry Bonds and a passed ball put runners on second and third. Martin Dihigo plated them with a single and moved to second on the throw home. After two flyouts, Willie Mays came through with an RBI single.

The Giants added another run in the third, helped out by a Cleveland error. Right fielder Earl Averill botched Mel Ott's (.200) easy fly and he moved to second on Bill Terry's (.400) single. That set the stage again for Mays to single in another run, making the score 4-0.

It increase to 5-0 in the fourth on a double by Mathewson (.167) and a single by Dihigo. That got rid of Joss and brought in reliever Mel Harder.

Christy Mathewson, the Giant starter, was breezing along with a 5-0 lead after four innings, when the Indians finally broke the ice and scored. In the top of the fifth Juan Gonzales (.143) belted a double and scored on a single by Jim Thome (.231).

The Cleveland comeback continued in the sixth in a big way as they narrowed the lead to 5-4. Lajoie (.250) singled and was wiped out on a fielder's choice by Willie Wells (.200). Earl Averill (.313) doubled in Wells. Gonzales' pop fly was muffed by Mays in center field and allowed Averill to come home. Jim Thome then came through again with an RBI double to plate Gonzales.

But New York pushed it to 7-4 in the bottom of the sixth on Doyle's single and Bonds two-run salvo. That ended the day for Harder and he was relieved by Bob Lemon. That also ended the scoring for the Giants for the day as Lemon and Stan Coveleskie held them scoreless the rest of the game.

Manager John McGraw stayed with Mathewson into the ninth, despite him being tagged for ten hits overall. After he got the first two men out, the Indians mounted another charge, when pinchhitter Charlie Jamison (1.000) slammed a double and scored on a throwing error by shortstop Dihigo, when he threw wildly to first on Lajoie's routine grounder. That cut the margin to 7-5. Tris Speaker's (.333) infield hit put two runners on first and second for Willie Wells, who came through with an RBI single. Lajoie scored to make it 7-6 with Speaker heading to second. At the point McGraw pulled Mathewson in favor of portsider Hooks Wiltse. McGraw wanted him to face the lefthanded-batting Averill. The strategy worked as Wiltse got the last out, when Averill grounded out to second and ended the rally.

Mathewson got the win, but gave up ten hits and all the runs. In his defense, a pair of errors cost him four runs. The Giant ace gave up only two earned runs. Mathewson struck out eight and walked two in a gritty performance.

Tris Speaker topped the Cleveland ten-hit attack with 3-for-5. Jim Thome had two hits and two RBIs.

First game winner Joss was the loser this time as he was shelled for ten hits and five runs in just over three innings. Harder was hit hard as well, giving up two runs and three hits in one plus innings.

After a travel day, the World Series will resume Tuesday in Cleveland. Games five and six will be played at Municipal Stadium. The starters will be Carl Hubbell (0-1 6.75) for New York and Bob Feller (0-0 1.80) for the Indians. Cleveland won it 6-4 with a six-run rally in the eighth inning.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Tuesday, September 16, 1909

1909 World Series - Game 5 at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland

NY GIANTS WALK AWAY WITH GAME FIVE

NYG- 031 000 020 - 6 5 0
CLE - 000 010 101 - 3 9 2
(New York leads series 3-2)

WP: Hubbell (1-1 4.76)
LP: Feller (0-1 5.63)
Lemon (4th) Mossi (6th) D. Jones (8th) Bell (9th)

HR: NYG - Ott (2) Terry (1) CLE - Wells (1) Gonzales (2)

Recap: The New York Giants literally "walked away" with game five of the 1909 World Series to take a three-games-to-two lead over the Cleveland Indians. The Giants got only five hits, but were gifted with six walks that were crucial in the 6-3 victory.

Bob Feller walked two in the three-run second inning and Don Mossi issued two more in the two-run eighth, while winning pitcher Carl Hubbell gave up no bases on balls, scattered nine hits and had three strikeouts. Feller, in a poor performance, was nailed with the defeat and surrendered four hits in three innings, walked three and struck out five.

Mel Ott (.211) put the Giants ahead with a leadoff homer in the second inning. After Bill Terry (.389) fanned, Willie Mays (.267) walked and Gary Carter (.118) singled with Mays stopping at second. Mays and Carter stole third and second respectively. Feller struck out Jeff Kent (.417) for the second out, but walked Hubbell (.167) to load the bases. Larry Doyle (.273) then came through with a two-run single to push New York up 3-0.

Bill Terry made it 4-0 with a solo homer in the third.

With two outs in the fourth, Cleveland tallied a run on Earl Averill's (.300) single and Juan Gonzales' (.278) two-bagger, narrowing it to 4-1.

With two away in the sixth, Willie Wells cracked a solo home run for the Tribe, cutting it to 4-2.

Reliever Don Mossi's wildness gave New York its final two scores in the eighth. He issued walks to the first two batters, Mel Ott and Bill Terry. That brought on Doug Jones to pitch for the Indians. Willie Mays grounded out to first and advanced the runners. Jones intentionally walked Gary Carter to load up the bases. Jeff Kent then hit a slow roller back to the mound that Jones couldn't handle, allowing Ott to score. Hubbell got an RBI, when he grounded into a force play at second. The Indians could not complete the double play.

Cleveland's Juan Gonzales belted a bases-empty roundtripper with one-out in the ninth to complete the scoring.

Game six will also be at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland with Johnny Antonelli (1-0 3.00) getting the call for New York and Herb Score (0-1 4.50) on the hill for the Indians. Antonelli hurled a 7-3 win over Score in game three.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Wednesday, September 17, 1909

1909 World Series - Game 6 at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland

GIANTS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT BEHIND ANTONELLI

NYG- 020 100 000 - 3 7 1
CLE - 200 000 000 - 2 5 0
(New York leads series 4-2)

WP: Antonelli (2-0 2.50)
LP: Score (0-2 4.09)
S. Coveleskie (8th)

HR: NYG - Mays (1) CLE - Averill (1)

Recap: The Giants took command of the 1909 World Series by edging the Indians 3-2 in game six at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland behind the strong pitching of lefthander Johnny Antonelli. He gave up a two-run clout to Earl Averill in the first frame, but stopped them cold after that. Antonelli got his second Series victory on a five-hitter with ten strikeouts and only two walks.

New York won the game in the fourth, when Barry Bonds (.174) walked, stole second and came around with the winning run on a double by Martin Dihigo (.375).

Southpaw Herb Score lost his second game in the Series, permitting six hits in seven innings and all three scores. He whiffed nine Giants and walked five. Stan Coveleskie finished it up for him and tossed two scoreless innings.

After Averill's roundtripper in the opening frame made it 2-0, the Giants got busy in the second and tied it up. Willie Mays (.263) hammered a solo home run for New York's first run. Then control got the best of Score. With one out, Jeff Kent (.375) singled and was wiped out on a fielder's choice by Antonelli (.000). Three successive walks to Larry Doyle (.308), Barry Bonds (.174) and Martin Dihigo (.375) forced in the tying run.

There is no travel day as the Series switches back to the Polo Grounds in New York for Thursday's game seven. The Giants need just one more victory in the best-of-nine series to capture their first World Series crown. John McGraw has his ace Christy Mathewson ready to wrap it up. Steve O'Neill has his best hurler ready as well. Addie Joss will be on the hill for the Indians. Joss (1-1 3.55) and Mathewson (1-1 2.70) have split games so far, Joss winning 3-1 and Mathewson 7-6.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Thursday, September 18, 1909

1909 World Series - Game Seven at the Polo Grounds in New York

CLEVELAND POUNDS NY...STILL ALIVE IN SERIES

CLE - 202 200 200 - 8 10 0
NYG- 000 100 000 - 1 7 1
(New York leads series 4-3)

WP: Joss (2-1 2.49)
LP: Mathewson (1-2 4.79)
McGinnity (5th) Marichal (6th) Grissom (7th) Maglie (8th)

HR: CLE - Wells 2 (3) Lajoie (1) NYG - Mays (2)

Recap: The Cleveland bats came alive and belted three homers to crush the Giants at the Polo Grounds 8-1. Addie Joss turned in a solid outing and checked New York on seven hits to cut the Giants margin to four-games-to-three in the World Series. New York only needs one more victory to be crowned the World Champions. The Indians need two more wins to take the title.

Willie Wells (.308) ripped a pair of homers and drove in five runs in all to spark the Tribe to victory. Nap Lajoie (.207) also had a two-run shot. All of them came off losing pitcher Christy Mathewson.

Backed by such strong hitting, Joss had an easy time with the Giants to win his second game in the Series. He fanned eight batters and walked two in subduing New York.

Wells put Cleveland in front 2-0 with a home run in the first inning with Tris Speaker (.393) on base.

They teamed up in the third for two more runs, when Speaker doubled and Wells homered again.

Nap Lajoie (.207) cracked his into the stands with Victor Martinez aboard to make it 6-0 in the fourth frame.

Willie Mays (.273) got the Giants only run with a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth.

Mathewson lasted only four innings and surrendered seven hits and six runs.

The Tribe got two more scores in the seventh off Juan Marichal. Speaker singled, stole second and was driven in by Wells, running the score up to 7-1. Earl Averill (.286) got a base hit and moved Wells to second and Juan Gonzalez (.231) drove in the last run with a single.

Cleveland totaled ten hits in the game. Wells and Speaker each went 3-for-5.

The Series will resume Friday afternoon at the Polo Grounds. The Giants will try to finish off Cleveland with portsider Carl Hubbell, while righthander Bob Feller will try to even up the Series at four games each. Hubbell lost the second game 6-4, but he came back to win game five 6-3. Feller started both games and got no decision in the win and reaped the loss in the other game.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Friday, September 19, 1909

1909 World Series - Game Eight at the Polo Grounds in New York

NEW YORK GIANTS CAPTURE '09 WORLD SERIES

CLE- 100 001 030 -- 5 11 1
NYG- 000 420 31x - 10 11 2
(New York wins series 5-3)

WP: Hubbell (2-1 4.01)
Grissom (8th)
LP: Feller (0-2 8.03)
Mossi (5th) Lemon (6th) D. Jones (7th) Harder (8th)

HR: NYG - Dihigo (1)

Recap: Bob Feller of the Indians mowed the Giants down in the first three frames, but then the flood gates opened and New York nailed him for four runs in the fourth and never looked back on the way to their first World Series title. The Giants mauled Cleveland 10-5 to take the Series five-games-to-three.

The New York hitters were the heroes. They banged out eleven hits, paced by Jeff Kent, who went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, Martin Dihigo with 2-for-4 and three RBIs and Bill Terry with 3-for-5 and an RBI.

The Tribe took a quick first inning lead against starter Carl Hubbell. They rapped three base hits off of him to go ahead 1-0. Nap Lajoie (.235) started it off with a single, was eliminated at second on fielder's choice by Tris Speaker (.375). Willie Wells (.355) singled Speaker to third and Earl Averill (.344) delivered the RBI single.

Bob Feller looked great for three innings as he held New York hitless, but his control failed him in the fourth. He issued free passes to Larry Doyle (.273) and Barry Bonds (.138) and hit Martin Dihigo (.406) to load the bases. Feller then forced in a run with a walk to Mel Ott to tie the score at 1-1. Bill Terry got the Giants first hit of the game and plated Bonds, but Dihigo was thrown out at home on a fine throw by right fielder Earl Averill. That put baserunners on second and third for Jeff Kent (.333), who drove them both in with a double. At this point New York led 4-1.

In the fifth, the Giants got to Feller for two more runs. A walk to Doyle and a home run by Dihigo made it 6-1.

In the sixth the Indians scored one time to cut it to 6-2. Jim Thome (.111) walked and was moved to third on Lou Boudreau's two-bagger. A walk to pinchhitter Manny Ramirez loaded the bases. Nap Lajoie got the run in on a fielder's choice. Cleveland tried for a double play, but didn't get it.

New York put it out of reach with three more scores in the seventh. Mel Ott (.226) and Bill Terry delivered singles off Bob Lemon to put runners on the corners. Willie Mays (.280) got one run in with a single and Jeff Kent doubled in two more to run up a 9-2 lead.

The Indians attempted to rally in the eighth. They tallied three times and got rid of Carl Hubbell. Pinchhitter Charlie Jamison (1.000) got to second on a two-base throwing error by third sacker Kent. Nap Lajoie singled him in. A double by Willie Wells plated Lajoie and Earl Averill singled and drove in Wells. That made it 9-5 in favor of New York.

Doyle's double and Dihigo's single closed out the Giant scoring in the last of the eighth.

It wasn't the best game Carl Hubbell ever pitched, but he got the job done. He went 7.2 innings, was touched for nine hits, gave up four runs, only two earned, fanned five and walked seven, but it was good enough to win. Reliever Marv Grissom allowed two hits and a run before he got Cleveland out in the eighth inning. However he retired them three up, three down in the ninth to wrap up the win and the World Series.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Saturday, September 20, 1909

ANTONELLI EDGES DIHIGO FOR SERIES MVP

New York's Johnny Antonelli and Martin Dihigo were both highly-instrumental in bringing the 1909 World Series trophy to the Polo Grounds. Both of them played like Most Valuable Players. Each one of them deserved the award. However, the Baseball Writers of America gave the edge to Antonelli, who won two games without a loss this year.

The final vote count had Antonelli outpolling Dihigo 51 to 49.

No other players received any support in the balloting.

For the Series Antonelli was 2-0 with a fine 2.50 ERA and two complete games. He won game three 7-3 on a six-hitter to cut Cleveland's margin to two-games-to-one. In game four, the crafty lefty throttled the Indians 3-2 on five hits and ten strikeouts to move the Giants ahead in the Series four-games-to-two. Overall Antonelli tossed 18 innings, allowed 11 hits, fanned 17 and walked only 3.

Dihigo had an excellent Series, too. The New York shortstop batted .406 with 11 RBIs with two doubles and a homer. He had 13 hits in 32 at-bats. Every time you turned around, Dihigo was driving in a run.

In game three, Dihigo drove in the go-ahead run with a third-inning single in the 7-3 victory.

In game four, he sparked the 7-6 victory with 3 RBIs.

The hard-hitting shortstop delivered the game-winning double in the fourth inning of the 3-2 win in game six.

And Dihigo had 3 RBIs in game eight to wrap up the series in the 10-5 rout.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Sunday, September 21, 1909

AL ANNOUNCES MAJOR AWARDS

The American League announced its major award winners today. The Golden Bat Award went to the Cleveland Indians hard-hitting shortstop, Willie Wells, the Golden Arm to St. Louis Brown knuckleballer, Hoyt Wilhelm and the Rookie of the Year was Boston's center fielder Johnny Damon.

The Baseball Writers of America voted Willie Wells the best hitter in the AL. Wells led the league with a .312 batting average and 119 RBIs. He collected 184 hits, 37 doubles, 9 triples, 30 home runs and scored 98 runs to spark the Cleveland Indians to their first league pennant and first World Series.

Detroit outfielder Ty Cobb finish second in the balloting by batting .301 with 33 doubles, 10 triples and 9 homers. He drove in 103 runs, scored 100 times and paced the league with 85 stolen bases. The Tigers came in a distant third in the standings.

Boston's Ted Williams came in third in the Golden Bat voting. He hit .301 and topped the league in homers with 36 and was second to Wells with 110 RBIs. The 29-year-old Red Sox left fielder also had 153 hits, 27 doubles, 2 triples and scored 99 runs. Despite Williams' good season, the Bosox still could not escape the basement.

The 1909 Golden Arm trophy went to Hoyt Wilhelm of the fifth place St. Louis Browns. He compiled a 19-9 won-lost record with a league-leading 2.34 ERA. Wilhelm started 32 games and completed 18 of them to top the AL.

Mel Stottlemyre of the fourth place Yankees led all pitchers with a 22-8 mark and a 3.38 ERA to finish second to Wilhelm in the Golden Arm race. Philadelphia's Rube Waddell was third in the voting and registered a 20-9 record and came in third with a 2.94 ERA. The A's ended the season in second place.

Boston's fine young center fielder Johnny Damon walked off with the American League Rookie of the Year honors. Damon got 173 hits and hit .277 in his first season, including 34 doubles, 4 triples and 14 home runs. He stole 27 bases, scored 84 runs and drove in 67.

New York's tall and talented pitcher, Randy Johnson, was second in the balloting. The 6-10 newcomer chalked up a 13-12 mark in his inaugural season and compiled a 3.65 ERA. Cleveland's outfielder Juan Gonzales slammed 22 roundtrippers, batted .279 and drove in 69 runs to come in third in the vote.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, September 22, 1909

Stearnes and Koufax win NL Awards Again...Griffey Best Rookie

For the umpteenth time Chicago's Turkey Stearnes and Brooklyn's Sandy Koufax have won the Golden Bat and Golden Arm Awards. Pretty soon they may have to name the awards after them. The best newcomer was Cincinnati's outstanding Junior Griffey, who received the Rookie of the Year trophy.

It was the fifth time Stearnes has carted off the Golden Bat honors. This year he almost won the Triple Crown again. He led the league with 41 homers and 134 RBIs, but lost out to Pittsburgh's Honus Wagner for the batting crown. Wagner hit .332 to Stearnes' .322 to deprive him of his second Triple Crown. Stearnes finished second in runs with 106, first in hits with 188, which included 41 doubles and 10 triples. He has topped the National League six times in homers and five times in RBIs.

His main competition was Stan "The Man" Musial of the second place Cardinals. Musial had a .301 batting average with 173 hits, 42 doubles, 7 triples, 29 home runs, 115 RBIs and 106 runs.

Rounding out the voting were two Giant teammates, right fielder Mel Ott and shortstop Martin Dihigo, who led their club to a first place finish and finished third and fourth in the voting. Ott hit .282 with 150 base hits, 33 doubles, 3 triples, 28 home runs, 117 runs scored and 105 RBIs. Ott paced the NL in runs scored. Dihigo batted at a .301 clip, was second in RBIs with 119 and third in homers with 36. He also piled up 168 hits, 25 doubles, 7 triples and tallied 84 runs.

Koufax won the Golden Arm Award for a record fourth time with a 19-7 record for the fourth place Brooklyn Dodgers. It was his best year ever with an astounding 1.89 ERA, which easily broke the old 2.16 mark he held jointly with NY's Juan Marichal.

St. Louis righthander Bob Gibson received the second highest vote total. He went 19-10 for the second place Redbirds and compiled a 3.18 ERA.

Other votegetters were two Giant hurlers, Christy Mathewson and Carl Hubbell. Mathewson was third in the voting and Hubbell fourth. Mathewson notched an 18-and-8 record with a 2.48 ERA, while Hubbell was 16-9 with a 2.47 ERA.

The 1909 NL Rookie of the Year was Junior Griffey of the Cincinnati Reds. The standout center fielder was a landslide winner and hit for a .266 average, scored 100 runs, batted in 93 and had 28 doubles, 6 triples and 32 roundtrippers to outpace all rookies.

Two Cardinals gave him a little competition, center fielder Terry Moore and relief specialist Dan Quisenberry. Moore was a very distant second in the balloting, while Quesenerry was third. Moore batted .311, hit 4 homers with 44 RBIs and scored 41 runs, while being platooned. Quisenberry registered 24 saves with a 4-and-5 mark and a 3.49 ERA in 74 appearances.