End of Series 9

The standings

                                                W      L    Pct.     GB
Guilford Quakers                   18       9     .667   ---
Fordham Flashes                  15     12     .556    3
Lincoln Park Black Caps       13     12     .520    4
Ortonville Orators                  13     14     .481    5
Raymond Rams                    11     16     .407    7
Baltimore Orioles                   10     17     .370    8


Series 10
Quakers at Flashes (3)
Orators at Orioles (3)
Black Caps at Rams (3)

Series 9: Quakers take two of three from Orioles

Quakers 18-9, Orioles 10-17

Game One: Quakers 3, Orioles 0
WP: Lyons (4-2)
LP: Leonhard (0-2)
HR: Tinker (3)

Game Two: Quakers 4, Orioles 3
WP: Faber (5-2)
LP: Palmer (2-3)
Save: Wheeler (1)
HR: B Robinson (6). Doby (6)

Game Three: Orioles 4, Quakers 3
WP: Richert (3-0)
LP: Keen (2-1)
HR: F Robinson (11), Greenberg (7)

Joe Tinker clubbed a three-run homer and Ted Lyons spun a six-hit shutout in the opener. The Quakers turned a pair of double plays behind Lyons. Tony Perez went 3-for4 with a double and scored a run.

Guilford scored a pair of runs in the first and second innings, with Larry Doby hitting a two-run homer in the first. Jim Palmer and Eddie Watt held the Quakers scoreless after that, but Red Faber and Rip Wheeler held the lead despite a three-run homer in the fourth by Brooks Robinson. Faber allowed six hits in seven innings, and Wheeler faced only six hitters in two innings of relief.

Baltimore averted the sweep by scoring two runs in the eighth inning to tie the series finale before Frank Robinson hit a walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth off Vic Keen. Hank Greenberg's three-run homer off Mike Cuellar in the third accounted for all of the Quakers' runs.

Pitcher availability: Wheeler pitched in the last two games (2 innings in one game, 0.1 in the other) and should sit the next game for the Quakers. Keen worked two-thirds of an inning in the finale. Watt and Richert each pitched one inning for the Orioles in the finale. Hardin and Leonhard should sit at least one game before being used in relief.

Projected starters: Orioles -- McNally-Phoebus-Hardin-Palmer-Cuellar. Quakers: Kaufmann-Lyons-Faber-Jacobs (or Keen)-Aldridge.

Series 9: Orators sweep Rams

Orators 13-14, Rams 11-16

Game One: Orators 3, Rams 1 (10 innings)
WP: Sutton (3-2)
LP: Perry (4-3)
Save: Danforth (4)

Game Two: Orators 4, Rams 1
WP: Jenkins (4-3)
LP: Ruffing (2-4)
Save: Pruett (1)

Game Three: Orators 3, Rams 1
WP: Wingard (1-3)
LP: Whitehill (1-3)
Save: Vangilder (2)

In a rare low-scoring series, the Orators starters held Raymond to two runs in 24 innings.

The first game was a dandy duel between Don Sutton and Gaylord Perry, each of whom tossed nine scoreless innings. Sutton allowed four hits and walked one; he had to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning. Perry wasn't quite as efficient, allowing seven hits in his first nine innings. Perry opened the 10th, and three of the first four batters singled to force him from the mound. The Orators scored two more in the inning. The Rams got one back in the bottom of the inning off Dave Danforth, but it wasn't enough.

Ferguson Jenkins outworked Red Ruffing in the second game. The Orators strung together three singles and a double in the fourth for two runs and were never caught. Jenkins went eight innings allowing one run on eight hits and one walk while striking out seven. Richie Ashburn had three hits for Ortonville, including a pair of RBI doubles, and scored a run.

Ortonville completed the seep behind Ernie Wingard, who went seven innings for his first win. Jim O'Rourke had three hits for the winners, including a pair of doubles, and scored twice. The Rams left 10 men on base in Wingard's seven innings and 12 for the game.

Neither team had a home run or triple in the series.

Pitcher availability: Bill Bayne went 1.6 innings for the Orators in the finale and Lil Stoner went two for the Rams; ideally neither will pitch in their team's next game, but if they do, one game off for each inning. Elam Vangilder faced just one man in the finale, and that will not be held against him.

Projected rotations: Rams -- Collins-Perry-Ruffing-Holloway-Whitehill. Orators: Shocker-Sutton-Jenkins-Davis-Wingard.

Series 9: Flashes take two of three from Black Caps

Black Caps 13-12, Flashes 15-12

Game One: Flashes 3, Black Caps 2
WP: Jonnard (1-0)
LP: Cockrell (1-3)
HR: Hafey (6)

Game Two: Flashes 8, Black Caps 7 (12 innings)
WP: Bentley (1-0)
LP: Cockrell (1-4)
HR: Bottomley (6), Medwick (2), Pennington (4)

Game Three: Black Caps 6, Flashes 1
WP: Currie (1-1)
LP: V Barnes (3-2)
HR: Pennington (5)

Fordham got a pair of walk-off homers in the first two games of the series off Phil Cockrell to move ahead of Lincoln Park for second place.

Verdell Mathis and Burleigh Grimes dueled in the opener, with Mathis carrying a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. Frank Snyder and Dave Bancroft opened the frame with base hits. Pinch hitter Irish Meusel hit an apparent double-play ball, but Black Caps second baseman Bonnie Serrell booted the play, loading the bases with no outs. Ross Youngs promptly singled home Snyder and Bancroft. Webster McDonald got out of the inning with no further damage, but in the bottom of the ninth, Chick Hafey homered with one out off Cockrell for the winner. Serrell not only committed the costly error, he struck out in all five of his at-bats.

Game Two was a higher-scoring affair. Both teams scored three runs in the first inning, with Jim Bottomley and Art Pennington each hitting home runs. Cockrell threw four scoreless innings of relief, but didn't get past the first batter of the 12th inning. This time it was Joe Medwick who clubbed the game-winning four-bagger. Medwick scored four runs and drove in three. Jerry Benjamin scored three times for the Black Caps.

Rube Currie had his best outing of the season for the Black Caps in the finale, spinning a five-hit complete game and lowering his ERA from 8.40 to 5.63. Pennington hit a two-run homer in the seventh.

Pitcher availability: Claude Jonnard should miss the next two games for the Flashes.Wayland Dean pitched one inning in the finale. Currie should sit three games, Cockrell and Andy Cooper two, Mathis one for the Black Caps.

Projected rotations:  Flashes -- Nehf-Grimes-Haines-McQuillan-Barnes. Black Caps -- Williams-Holland- ??? (Streeter-Cockrell-Smith-Drake)

End of Series 9

Halfway though the season ....

The standings

Division A

Franklins 15 8 .652 --
Obamas 12 10 .545 2.5
Teddys 12 10 .545 2.5
Kennedys 10 11 .476 4
Ikes 9 13 .409 4.5

Division B

Homestead 14 7 .667 --
Crawfords 13 9 .590 1.5
X-Giants 12 11 .522 3
Hilldale 7 15 .318 7.5
Garfields 6 16 .272 8,5

Player/pitcher of series 9; Martin Dihigo of the X-Giants

Series 10:

Franklins at Garfields(2)

Ikes at X-Giants (2)

Kennedys at Hilldale (2)

Obamas at Homestead (2)

Teddys at Crawfords (2)

Series 9: Homestead sweeps Kennedys

Kennedys 10-11, Homestead 14-7

Pitcher use: Manning and Marichal need two games, Paige and Seaver need three, Drysdale needs one.

Game One: Homestead 11, Kennedys 3
WP: Manning (2-2)
LP: Marichal (1-3)
HR: Morgan (1), Scales (6), Moore (1), Wilson (2), Suttles (5) C. Smith (6)

Game Two: Homestead 17, Kennedys 9
WP: Paige (3-1)
LP: Seaver (2-2)
HR:R. Jackson (1), Brett (3), Bench 2 (6), Aaron (7), Scales 2 (8), C. Smith (7), Wilson (3), Suttles (6), W. Brown (7)

---

The combination of tiny Stars park and the powerful Homestead lineup resulted in some embarrassing pitching lines for the Kennedys.

Homestead scored 28 runs in the two games, pounding out 11 home runs and 29 hits.

The first game was tied at three entering the bottom of the fifth, but then Jud Wilson hit a grand slam off Juan Marichal. Four batters later, Dobie Moore hit a three-run bomb. Max Manning allowed just three baserunners the rest of the way for Homestead.

The second game was a flat-out slugfest, although Satchel Paige managed to get an ugly complete-game victory (9 innings, 13 hits, 9 runs -- all earned -- one walk and seven strikeouts). He allowed three homers in the first inning alone, five total for the game.

But Tom Seaver was even more battered -- 11 runs, 10 earned without retiring a man in the sixth inning. Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax weren't any better.

Tubby Scales was 6-for-11 for the series with three homers, six RBIs and six runs. Jud Wilson had 8 RBIs.

Series 9: Franklins take two of three from Ikes

Franklins 15-8; Ikes 9-13

Pitcher use: Wynn and Feller need three games; Hubbell and Spahn need two games; Ford and Grove need one game. Covaleski pitched one inning in finale, Newhouser and Wilhelm less than one.

Game One: Franklins 3, Ikes 2

WP: Grove (3-3)

LP: Ford (3-2)

Save: Dean (3)

HR: Mathews (4)

Game Two: Franklins 7, Ikes 2

WP: Hubbell (5-0)

LP: Spahn (2-3)

HR: Ruth 2 (13), Ott (2)

Game Three: Ikes 13, Franklins 12

WP: Wynn (1-4)

LP: Feller (2-1)

Save: Wilhelm (5)

HR: Ott (3), Hornsby (2), Gehrig (6), Dickey (2), Banks 2 (7), Snider (5), Wynn (1), Williams (3), Mays 2 (2)

---

The Franklins ran their winning streak to nine before losing a Home Run Derby of a finale (11 dingers)— but the streak ended hard, as the Franklins scored six times in the top of the ninth before falling a run short.

The first game was a taut pitchers duel, with Lefty Grove outlasting Whitey Ford. Eddie Mathews put the Ikes up 2-0 with a homer in the fourth, but the Franklins scored on sac flies in the fifth and sixth to knot it up. A two-single in the ninth by Paul Waner, making his first start of the season, put the Franklins up for the first time, and Dizzy Dean survived a leadoff hit and and an error to put the Ikes away.

The top of the order powered the Franklins in the second game. Babe Ruth homered twice, doubled and drew two walks; he scored three runs and drove in three. Joe DiMaggio and Mel Ott also scored twice. Carl Hubbell got three double plays and went the distance for his fifth win.

Gme Thre was a slugfest. Early Wynn picked up the win by minimizing the damage for eight innings; the Franklins scored in six of the innings, but never more than one. Bob Feller allowed no earned runs through the first five innings, but he did give up a three-run homer to Duke Snide after a Pie Traynor error, and he allowed four more homers in the sixth and seventh innings.

Stan Covaleski allowed another four runs in the eighth, with put the Ikes up 13-6. But Hal Newhouser walked six and allowed three hits; he left with the bases loaded, six runs in and two outs. Bill Dickey, who had homered earlier in the inning, popped up to end it.

Wynn and Newhouser walked 12 men. Ernie baks was 4-for-4 with two homers and a double, three runs and two RBIS; Willie Mays drove home four with his two homers (his first two of season), and Ted Williams had a three-run shot off Covaleski. Lou Gehrig and Dickey had three RBIs each for the Ikes.

For the series, Banks was 7-for-12; Ruth was 3-for-6 with seven walks and six runs scored.

Series 9: X-Giants take two of three from Hilldale

X-Giants 12-11, Hilldale 7-15

Pitcher use: Dihigo needs four games; Donaldson and SJ Williams need three games; Redding and R. Foster need two games; Hensley and Byrd need one game.

Game One: Hilldale 9, X-Giants 1
WP: Byrd (2-3)
LP: R. Foster (1-2)
HR: Dihigo (2)

Game Two: X-Giants 6, Hilldale 1
WP: Donaldson (2-2)
LP: Redding (1-3)
HR: Dihigo (3), Stearnes (2)

Game Three: X-Giants 8, Hilldale 0
WP: Dihigo (2-4)
LP: SJ Williams (2-4)
HR: Mackey 2 (2), Dixon (3)

---

Three one-side games featured three complete game victories and three contenders for pitcher of the series honors.

Bill Byrd tossed a six-hitter for Hilldale in the opener, allowing one earned run (on a Martin Dihigo homer). Rube Foster was torched for seven runs in the fourth inning and nine all told. The biggest blows were a pair of two-run doubles from Turkey Stearnes and Judy Johnson.

Cannonball Redding wasn't awful in the second game, but he was not match for John Donaldson. Redding. Two of the six runs Redding allowed were unearned. But Donaldson was brilliant, allowing just three hits (one a Stearnes homer), walking one and fanning five. Dihigo had three RBIs for the X-Giants, two on his second homer of the series.

Dihigo didn't go deep in the finale at the plate, but he pitched a nine-hit shutout -- and went 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and a walk. Biz Mackey hit a pair of homers, a triple and a single in five at-bats, driving in four runs.

Smokey Joe Williams matched Dihigo shutout frame for shutout frame through five innings, but Mackey homered in the sixth, Rap Dixon hit a three-run shot in the four-run seventh and Mackey abused reliever Eggie Hensley with a three-run bomb in the ninth to turn it into a rout.

Mackey was 6-for-12 in the series with two homers, a triple, three runs and five RBIs.

Series 9: Garfields take two of three from Crawfords

Crawfords 13-9, Garfields 6-16

Pitcher use: Trent and Welch need three games, Young and Foster need two games, Keef and Brewer need one game. Clarkson pitched one inning in finale.

Game One: Garfields 6, Crawfords 3
WP: Keefe (2-3)
LP: Day (2-2)
HR: Thompson (1), Burkett (1)

Game Two: Crawfords 7, Garfields 6
WP: R. Davis (2-0)
LP: Spalding (0-2)
Save: Day (1)

Game Three: Garfields 3, Crawfords 2
WP: Welch (2-2)
LP: Trent (2-1)
Save: Clarkson (1)

---

The Garfields not only broke their second long losing streak of the season, they nearly swept the series with the first-place Crawfords.

The first game was a well-pitched duel between Tim Keefe and Chet Brewer. The Garfields jumped out to an early lead on a homer by Sam Thompson and a squeeze bunt by John Ward in the second inning, but the Crawfords bounced back with three runs in the top of the third.

Keefe stiffened after that, allowing just four safeties the rest of the way. A Thompson triple and George Davis fly ball tied the game in the sixth.

The game turned in the ninth. Jesse Burkett misplayed Louis Santop's single leading off the top of the frame, allowing the big catcher to go to third. But Keefe fanned Dick Lundy, got Ray Dandridge to ground out harmlessly to second, then struck out pinch-hitter Fats Jenkins. Leon Day relieved, and the Crawfords' bullpen woes continued --with one out, Ward and pinch hitter Jimmy Collins each walked, and Burkett hit his first homer of the season.

If that was a heartbreaker for the Crawfords, the second game was for the Garfields. Cy Young held a 6-2 lead into the ninth inning, but the first six men reached for the Crawfords (three off Young, three off Al Spalding). Day held on to the one-run lead, cementing a solid four-inning, no-runs effort by the beleaguered bullpen.

That was the limit of the good news for the Crawfords, as Mickey Welch outdueled Ted Trent in the finale. Welch got 14 groundball outs in eight innings of work and survived another single-error misplay by Burkett.

For the series, Thompson was 9-for-13 with a home run, two triples, three RBI and five runs scored.

Series 9: Teddys sweep Obamas

Obamas 12-10, Teddys 12-10

Pitcher use: Ryan and Mathewson need three games; W. Johnson and Alexander need two games' Chesbro, Brown and Plank need one game. Gomez, McGinnity and Bender each pitched two innings in finale.

Game One: Teddys 5, Obamas 4
WP: Brown (3-1)
LP: Plank (3-2)
HR: Foxx (7), J. Robinson (1)

Game Two: Teddys 10, Obamas 8
WP: Alexander (2-4)
LP: W. Johnson (3-2)
Save: Rixey (2)
HR: Gehringer (1), F. Robinson (8)

Game Three: Teddys 4, Obamas 3 (11 innings)
WP: Bender (1-0)
LP: Willis (0-1)
HR: Mantle (7)

---

Same teams, different parks, different results.

The Teddys roughed up Eddie Plank in the seventh and eighth innings of the opener. The lefty had allowed just three harmless hits through six innings, but the Teddys racked up eight hits in the final two frames. Sam Crawford had a double and a triple with two runs and two RBIs.

Three Finger Brown also went the distance despite late struggles; he allowed solo homers in the eighth and ninth.

The Teddys got going early against Walter Johnson, scoring in all five innings the Big Train worked for a total of 10 runs on 17 hits. The Obamas made a game of it by putting up a five-spot on Pete Alexander in the sixth, and ultimately forced the Teddys to bring Eppa Rixey in to get the last out.

Eddie Collins went 4-for-5 with three runs and two doubles. Honus Wagner and Nap Lajoie each had three RBIs.

Game three was the first computer-driven game of the league, and it didn't go without glitches. In my opinion, the computer manager, which handled the visiting Obamas, messed up the ninth inning.

Problem One: In the top of the ninth, with the Obamas leading 3-1, the CM opted to pinch-hit Joe Kelley for Nolan Ryan. I would have stuck with Ryan, but it's a marginal call, and had I hit for Ryan, I would have used Kelley -- then used Kelley in left as a defensive upgrade for Billy Hamilton.

Instead, the CM wasted Kelley's glove. Worse (Problem Two), it brought in Jack Chesbro to open the ninth. Colby Jack, by my rules, wasn't eligible to pitch in this one, having worked three innings in the previous game. Anyway, Ed Walsh is the assigned closer.

But Chesbro was announced, and I couldn't override that selection. He allowed a single to Home Run Baker, then walked Roger Breshanan. This brought up Shoeless Joe Jackson, who has stayed in after pinch-hitting for Christy Mathewson in the sixth. At this point, (Problem Three) the CM brought in Plank.

Again, I couldn't override this selection. But I couldn't allow Plank to pitch, either. I re-ran the Jackson AB until it resulted in a reading on the hitter's card, then brought in Lefty Gomez. The resulting single will be charged to Gomez on my stat sheets. The CM stuck with Gomez for the blown save. Gomez pitched a scoreless 10th, then gave way to Vic Willis, who allowed single, single, ground out, wild pitch to take the loss in the 11th.

I have yet to figure out how to post the box score and game report to this blog. It's giving me an error reading, and I don't know why. It is my intent to run this league in larger form (162 game seasons) on the computer, but that won't come until this manual league is complete.

I suspect the Chesbro and Plank issues are related to this being, as far as CM knows, an exhibition game. The Kelley-Hamilton issue is debatable managerial stuff. I will not let the CM run the next game I experiment with, at least if it involves a contender.