This Week in Stratball - 7/24/17

CRAWFORDS CRUISE!!

Paige & Company on a Roll

Winners of 13 Games in 16 Outings

The Pittsburgh Crawfords resumed their schedule with a series of 4-game sets against the 1934 National League clubs. The Crawfords had completed one run through the league, compiling a satisfying 13-8 record in their first 21 games. The next 13 wins can in a flurry - it took only 16 games against four opponents to double their win total and create a 26-11 record!!

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Shop for Crawfords Gear!!

Pittsburgh first traveled to St, Louis to take on the world-champion Cardinals, featuring 30-game winner Dizzy Dean. In the opener, Harry Kincannon allowed a 2-run homer in the first to STL first-baseman Rip Collins and a run-scoring triple in the second to SS Leo Durocher. The Crawfords scratched out runs in the second, third and fourth innings to tie it. The score held at 3 until the 9th when Ted Page doubled and Josh Gibson tripled. Satchel Paige came on for the bottom half of the 9th and picked up his second save of the year.

The Cards came back the next day to even the series at 1 game apiece with a 6-4 victory. Rip Collins's triple set up a 2-run 8th inning that secured the win for Bill Walker, who provided 4 innings of stellar relief.

With Dizzy Dean on the mound for STL, the situation looked good for the Cards. But Josh Gibson led a parade of Crawfords batters with a 2-run homer in the first and a grand slam in the fourth which chased Ol' Diz from the hill. Oscar Charleston and Vic Harris also homered and the Pittsburghers came away with a 9-2 win. Sam Streeter evened his record at 3-3.

Oscar Charleston
#1 On Buzzfeed's Best Players who Never Played in MLB

Diz and Satch, planning a barnstorming tour for the off-season

The finale took 12 innings to settle as the teams were knotted at 5 after 9 innings. Satchel Paige came on in the 10th and hurled 3 innings of 1-hit ball. He wound up as the winning pitcher by driving in 2 runs off of Dizzy Dean (who was looking to prove himself after his short outing the day before) with a single in the 12th. Satch ran his record to 6-0 while Diz fell to 1-4.

Satch!

Next, the Crawfords came home to host the Chicago Cubs. Paige pitched the opener and was outstanding - 3 hits, 2 walks and 14 Ks as he went to 7-0 on the year! The Cubbies took the next 2, scoring 18 runs off of Bert Hunter and William Bell in the process. Sam Streeter broke the mini-slump and began a 9 -game win streak with a complete game, 4-2 win. Back-up catcher Bill Perkins came off the disabled list to drive in all four runs.

The home-stand extended to include 4 games each against the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies. By scoring 59 runs in these 8 games, the Crawfords seemed invincible! They won all 8 games and provided clear evidence that these players - outlawed by the senseless Jim Crow mentality of pre-Jackie Robinson baseball - would have easily competed in 1930s-era baseball. Some highlights from these games:

- Chet Williams, SS, drove in 11 runs and started numerous doubleplays.
- Josh Gibson, the Crawfords' best player, was injured in the second game... the team won all 5 games he missed!
- Cool Papa Bell and Ted Page each stole 5 bases.
- Satchel Paige followed his 3-hitter with a 2-hit shutout, striking out 11 in the process.
- William Bell got his first victory of the year with a shutout of the reds.
- Pitcher Leroy Matlock swatted a grand slam homer in his complete-game victory over the Phillies.

One final note about the team so far: Paige and Matlock have a combined record of 15-1!!

Next up will be an Eastern road trip as the Craw-dads head to NYC where they'll face both the Giants and Dodgers, then off to Beantown to face the Boston Braves. All three teams, especially the Giants, represent a step up from the recent competition; how far can the Crawfords run their streak?

ONE YEAR AGO IN STRATBALL ...

July, 2016 - News from the Depression Era League

The 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates took 4 of 5 from the 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers, bringing each team's record to 15-9. Larry French ran his record to 5-1 with a win in the fourth game while Paul Waner, Fred Lindstrom, and Pie Traynor all homered for the Bucs.

The 1934 Detroit Tigers fashioned 5 straight come-from-behind victories over the 1941 St, Louis Cardinals.  In game one, they scored 2 in the ninth to tie, and 2 in the 10th to win it! Game two; 3 in the 9th, 3 in the 10th to win again! Eighth and ninth-inning runs in game three and 2 in the 10th to win game four. Down 7-3 in the fifth game, the Tigers scored 3 in the 7th and 2 more in the 8th to walk away with an 8-7 win!!

We are Tigers ... hear us roar!

This Week in Stratball - 7/14/17

This Week in Stratball

7/14/17

NATIONAL LEAGUE CATCHES UP

The Pittsburgh Crawfords enjoyed a week's respite as the schedule-makers provided an opportunity for the rest of the National League to engage in internecine battle - the seven NL teams took turns hosting one another in single-game action.

Brooklyn got surprising pitching from Johnny Babich and Boom-Boom Beck as, early on, they moved to a 4-1 record. Babich pitched into the 9th against the Cincinnati Reds before faltering and allowing the Rhinelanders to tie it up at 5. The Dodgers prevailed in the 11th when Len Koenecke's 4th hit of the game drove in the go-ahead run.

Babich's performance was a pleasant surprise: Beck's effort was shocking! "Boom-boom" earned his nickname from contemporary observers who tried to describe the sound of balls hitting bats ... and then outfield walls in rapid succession! His 7.42 ERA for 1934 seems to corroborate this description.

Larry "Boom-boom" Miller

Boom-boom, as portrayed by comedian Larry Miller

In Beck's start against the Boston Braves, the first inning went according to script. Wally Berger, slugging Boston CF, drove one of Beck's offerings into the seats for a 2-0 lead. But Beck settled down and, remarkably, held the Braves scoreless for the rest of the game: Boom-boom went the distance while striking out 7, surrendering 6 hits, and walking only 2.

In other news from around the league ...NY Giants screwballer Carl Hubbell  subdued the St, Louis Cardinals in a 4-2 victory. Mel Ott homered for the Giants. The Phillies outslugged the Reds 11-8 as Bucky Walters drove in 4 runs on a homer and a double. Walters, later to transform into an outstanding PITCHER for the Reds, was the Phillies' third baseman in 1934.

Bucky Walters, seeing into his future as a Red

The Cubs' Lon Warneke won his second game of the year, outpitching the Cards' Dizzy Dean, 6-1. Both of these top-notch clubs are struggling in the early going and are looking forward to playing the softer spots on the schedule.

The early standings:

Pittsburgh Crawfords               13-8
Brooklyn Dodgers                     5-2
New York Giants                       4-2
Philadelphia Phillies                  4-3
St. Louis Cardinals                    2-4
Chicago Cubs                            2-4
Boston Braves                           2-5
Cincinnati Reds                         1-5

NEWS FROM OTHER LEAGUES

The New York teams are claiming the top spots in the Top Teams of the 90s league. The 1988 Mets and their vaunted pitching rotation are leading the "Early 90s" division with an 8-4 record. The 1998 Yankees, with their 9-3 record, lead the "Late 90s" division.

In the Roaring Twenties league, the 1927 Yankees sport a 24-11 record, good for the top ranking in the "Mostly AL" division. In the "Mostly NL" division, the 1920 Cleveland Indians, led by Tris Speaker, have an identical 24-11 record, two games better than the 1911 New York Giants. Though dormant since this past December, play should be resuming in this league quite soon.

Speaking of dormant, the Johnson-Nixon league has been suspended since May of 2014!! It features a dog-fight in the 1964 (Johnson) division - both the Minnesota Twins and New York Yanks are 33-22. In the 1971 (Nixon) division, the Baltimore orioles are 5 games ahead of the LA Dodgers with a 35-17 record.

The Depression Era league has the 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers atop the "Pre-War"division with a 23-12 record, comfortably ahead of the 1941 Red Sox (with .406-hitting Ted Williams) and the 1941 Yanks (with 56-game hitting streak Joe DiMaggio). In the "Dust Bowl" division, the 1930 A's (23-12) are a game ahead of the 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates and 2 ahead of the 1934 Detroit Tigers.

Finally, with a 15-9 record, the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers lead the 50s division of the NL Pennant Winners league, while the 1962 San Francisco Giants (16-8) are one game up on the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates in the 60s division.

This Week in Stratball - 6/26/17

This Week in Stratball 

6/26/17

CRAWFORDS STUMBLE, THEN ROAR

With a 5-4 record, the barnstorming Pittsburgh Crawfords came home to host the Brooklyn Dodgers. Though not a formidable team, Brooklyn slapped around Sam Streeter for 7 runs in little more than 3 innings and cruised to a 9-5 win (see side note regarding Astoria-born Tony Cuccinello's contributions). The Crawfords' Bert Hunter dug a hole for himself in the next game, allowing 4 runs in the opening frame. The Craws fought back and tied the game after 5 innings, but Hunter stumbled in the 8th and the Dodgers walked away with a 6-4 win. Buzz Boyle (3-run double in the first) and Len Koenecke (solo HR in the 8th) provided the offensive spark for Brooklyn.

Buzz Boyle, Brooklyn

Len Koenecke, Dodger slugger

With a record of 5-6, Pittsburgh seemed listless. But, sparked by the bottom of their lineup and some stout pitching from Leroy Matlock, they evened their record the next day by beating Brooklyn 7-4. In that game, the bottom third of the order, including Matlock in the 9-hole, collected 7 hits and scored and drove in 2 key runs. John Henry Russell collected three of those hits and scored both of the runs.

The New York Giants, featuring Carl Hubbell, Bill Terry, and Mel Ott, then came into town. Satchel Paige committed an error in the first, leading to 3 runs. Josh Gibson responded with a 2-run HR in the bottom of the first and Oscar Charleston supplied his own 2-run bomb in the third. Paige, meanwhile, allowed just 2 hits for the rest of the game, improving his record to 4-0. Though Prince Hal Schumacher quieted Crawford bats the next day - he allowed just four hits en route to a 4-2 victory - a corner had been turned. Pittsburgh went forward to win 6 of the next 7, completing its first tour of the National League with a 13-8 record.

Some highlights of those games:

- an 11-run inning against the Giants in which Charleston doubled and tripled in the same inning.
- a 12 strikeout performance by Paige against the Phillies, running his record to 5-0.
- Judy Johnson went 5-5 with 3 doubles, leading a 14-3 shellacking of the Phillies.
- the reversal of Sam Streeter, winner of 2 straight games with fine pitching performances.
- a thrilling comeback from a 7-1 deficit against the Boston Braves, with Paige providing 9th-inning relief help in a 9-7 win.

"COOCH" REPRESENTS ASTORIA COMMUNITY

My hometown burg, Astoria, is a busy little NYC community bordered,  on the west, by the East River and framed by the Triboro (now RFK) and Hell Gate Bridges. 

The Hell Gate Bridge, looking heavenly

Though now bustling, in the early 20th century it was countryside and farmland, famously referenced in The Great Gatsby. It was THIS Astoria that gave major league baseball the Cuccinello brothers, Tony and Al.

Tony, the focus of these thoughts, became the first Astoria-born batter (I've used the great Whitey Ford - a Hall-of-Fame pitcher for the Yankees who grew up in Astoria - many times) that I've ever used in Strat-o-matic. He was a capable middle infielder who bounced around the National League during the Great Depression. He made the All-star team three times and occasionally garnered some MVP votes. Looking through the record book, it's clear that Tony, while not a star, was a valuable guy to have on your team. I had long been aware that he was from Astoria and looked forward to using his card in one of my games.

All the way from "the country"... Astoria, NYC

His debut was sensational. In the first, he singled and drove in a run. In the third, he doubled and drove in a run. In the fourth, he put the game away with a 3-run homer! In his fourth at bat, "Cooch" completed the cycle with a triple. In his first 4 at bats, he drove in 5 runs and completed one of the rarest batting feats in baseball! My hometown heart swelled. Congrats, Cooch, ya dun good ...

This Week In Stratball - 6/19/17

Satchel Paige, ready to fire!

THIS WEEK IN STRATBALL

JUNE 19, 2017

CRAWFORDS CRASH 1934 NATIONAL LEAGUE

Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Oscar Charleston are leading a parade of Pittsburgh Crawfords stars into battle against the 1934 National League. They are replacing the Pittsburgh Pirates and retroactively integrating the league thirteen years ahead of schedule.

The Crawfords' Strat cards come courtesy of Paul Dylan, long-time Strat player and curator of the awesome One For Five website, from which one can download the cards. This is a single team from the barnstorming winter of 1933 & 1934 and, as such, has the feel of a real team - some great players, for sure, but others of just modest talent. Managing the team will have its challenges as one will need to balance the front-line talent with a shallow bench.

Paige got the team off to a fast start, out-pitching Dizzy Dean and the Gas House Gang on Opening Day. He struck out 9 en route to a 3-hit shutout and received some surprising support from Judy Johnson who crushed a grand-slam homer in the 6-0 win.

After 9 games, however, the Craw-dads are scuffling with a 5-4 record. They run hot and cold, capable of scalding opposing pitchers for 28 hits and 16 runs one day and being shackled to just 1 run the next. Satch is 3-0 with 3 complete games - he's had just one earned run scored off of him! But the pitching seems pretty thin after him. And, outside of Gibson and Charleston, there's little homerun muscle - though that seems true for most 1934 NL teams.

Next up is Brooklyn, then across the river to the New York Giants of Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell fame.

TOP TEAMS OF THE 90S LEAGUE GETS UNDERWAY

Grab 5 teams from the 90s, one from the late 80s, 2 from the early aughts, and 4 fictionalized teams and what would you call it? Well, I settled on "Top Teams of the 90s" and, frankly, the playing of the league is much more interesting than the naming of the league.

The league is divided into two divisions: an Early 90s and a Late 90s division:

EARLY:

1988 NEW YORK METS
1990 OAKLAND A's
1993 TORONTO BLUE JAYS
1996 ATLANTA BRAVES

LATE:

1998 NEW YORK YANKEES
1998 HOUSTON ASTROS
2001 SEATTLE MARINERS
2002 ANAHEIM ANGELS

Each division is rounded out with "semi-stars" of Strat's 42 Old-Timer Teams. For those in the know, the names will delight - Lew Riggs, Alpha Brazle, Curly Ogden, etc. They are organized by decade and were allowed to draft one era-specific star (say, Tris Speaker for the 1920 American League team), one modern hitter (Larry Walker, par example), and one modern pitcher (Pedro Martinez is represented by both his 1999 and 200 cards). More on these teams at a later time.

Randy Johnson doesn't like you.

One notable feat has already occurred in this young league: Randy Johnson, pitching for the 1998 Houston Astros, tossed a no-hitter in the team's 9th game. It was, perhaps, the worst no-hitter ever thrown: he walked 13, including four in the first to give up a run, and needed 9th-inning heroics from Craig Biggio who singled home Brad Ausmus for the walk-off: Astros won 2-1.

Randy's pitching line: 9 IP, 1 ER, 0 Hits, 13 walks, 7 strikeouts and the win. I'm guessing a pitch count of at least 160.