Background
The
1957 disk and cards are actually a 3R set or a third revision. I do like the
revised sets. Every player is carded (or disked), the cards include the Master
Game symbols, and the offensive, defensive, and pitching numbers have been
adjusted according to the current algorithms. The changes are not drastic, but
I do think they even out some of the rough edges, especially in the area of
pitching grades. I previously completed a replay using the 1949-R disk
previously and was pleased with the outcome just as I was the 1957-R disk. And
if you are curious, I did purchase both the player's disk and the card set. I do
like to thumb through the cards plus I want to support the company in my own
small way.
I
keep all of my pre-work notes, daily recaps, and weekly summaries in MicrosoftOneNote. There are a ton of electronic note-taking tools out there, but OneNote
fits the bill for me. I rarely if ever actually print anything to paper, but I
do print directly into OneNote quite a bit.
My
blog is located at Blogger.com, a free Google blog tool, and of course I
converse with my APBA colleagues via a Facebook group. Both companies have
tuned out to be quite creepy over the past several years but at this point I
am invested in the infrastructure (and yes, they are free), so I am not sure
what I will do going forward.
No-Hitters
A
word about no-hitters. This replay featured a total of seven no-hitters:
04/28/1957
- Lindy McDaniel (St. Louis) at Chicago (NL) - 2-0
05/22/1957
- Jim Wilson (Chicago -AL) at New York (AL) - 1-0
06/13/1957
- Art Ditmar (New York - AL) at Chicago (AL) - 2-0
06/19/1957
- Moe Drabowsky (Chicago - NL) vs Philadelphia -
5-0
07/28/1957
-Jack Sanford (Philadelphia) at Chicago (NL) -
10-0
07/31/1957
- Jim Bunning (Detroit) at Boston - 6-0
09/24/1957
- Bennie Daniels (Pittsburgh) at Brooklyn - 2-0
I
have had multiple no-hitters in each of my previous replays:
1901
- 4 (two perfect games)
1930
- 5 (one perfect game)
1949
- 4
No,
I don’t understand why. I often read comments about APBA players experiencing
their first no-hitter in years, or even decades, but that just isn't my
experience. It's the computer game, so it's not like I can fudge dice rolls or
replay an at-bat somehow, it just kind of is what it is. I do rely on the
actual lineups as played, so I am not trying to maximize any particular team's
chances to win a game, but the White Sox and the Yankees took turns no-hitting
each other within a matter of weeks, and then later in the year the hit-happy
Red Sox were no-hit while at home in Fenway. I just don’t know. I am not
unhappy about it, but it does puzzle me.
For
what it’s worth, I have never had a "D" pitcher throw a no-hitter.
Daniels was the lowest with a "6W" grade and the fact that it
occurred in his first major league start and in the last game in Ebbetts Field
makes it even more amazing, but that's why we play the game.
1957
Replay - Team-by-Team Recap
American
League
Chicago
White Sox - Final
Record 103-51; Actual 90-64 (+13)
I
expected the White Sox to be a good team, and I expected them to mix it up with
the Yankees all the way to the end, but I didn't expect this. Chicago spent a
few days in week two in second place, but by the end of Week 5, they were
playing .800 ball. At the end of week 11, their winning percentage was .667, but
they still had a 3.5 game lead over Detroit. Then they got hot again,
occasionally touching .700, but generally maintaining a winning percentage of
around .680. The Yankees did manage to draw within 3.0 games a few times, but
they couldn't maintain and the White Sox would build their lead back up.
Chicago
led the AL in both batting average (.276) and on-base percentage (.357), were
second in walks (636) led in runs (800), and actually outhomered the Yankees
(131-to-128). They also led in ERA and gave up the fewest walks, plus the led
the league in fielding. The Chicago MO was to get a lead, always threaten to
add on, and then let their pitching grind their opponents down.
Minnie Minoso was the White Sox MVP. He finished
third in hitting (.354), led the league in hits (206), was tied for sixth in
runs (102), fifth in RBI’s (105), second in doubles (36), tied for fourth in
triples (9), and was tied for ninth in walks (71). The White Sox led the league
in stolen bases (96) and also had the bases SB% (62.8) and Minoso contributed
16 stolen bases, good enough for a tie for fourth place.
Larry Doby had 80 RBI’s despite missing 30+
games and Chicago had a total of eight players with 50+ RBI’s, which gives
credence to the “a different hero everyday” style of play. Their first base
combo of Earl Torgeson and Walt Dropo combined for 34 homeruns and 116
RBI’s, with the midseason acquisition of Torgeson being one of the most
important player acquisitions of the season. In addition to playing stellar
defense up the middle Luis Aparicio checked in with 26 steals and 99 runs
scored, while Nellie Fox hit .320, had an OBP of .412 and
scored 102 runs. Catcher Sherm Lollar missed a third of the season due to
various ailments but still contributed 21 homeruns and 72 RBI’s in 101 games.
Billy Pierce (24-6, 2.60) and Dick Donovan (21-6, 2.43) anchored the pitching
rotation with Jim Wilson (18-8, 3.37) and Bob Keegan (14-7, 3.35) right behind. The bullpen
had an ERA of 2.96, the best in the league, so there was no hoping to get past
the starters and into a weaker bullpen either.
Basically,
the White Sox dominated the league in this replay and there just wasn’t much
anybody else could do about it. Their World Series match up with Milwaukee
really should be a good one.
One
last note: There were seventeen grand slams in the AL this season, and the
White Sox hit eight of them, including Dropo with three.
New
York Yankees
– Final Record 97-57; Actual 98-56 (-1)
The
Yankees spent much of the first half of the season rotating through second,
third and fourth-place with Detroit and Boston, and they did make a couple of
charges towards the White Sox during the second half of the season, but it’s
just hard to play .700 ball and to have to stay there long enough to catch the
team ahead of you that is consistently hot as well. I am sure the Yankees were
sure the White Sox would cool off and then they could make their move, but it
never happened.
New
York finished behind Chicago and Boston in many offensive categories - second
in hitting (.275), third in OBP (.345), and third in runs (.757). Their ERA was
second (3.30) but their walks allowed (587) were the highest among the five
teams at the top of the standings. They did finish with a league-leading 35
saves and their relief ERA (3.70) was third in the AL.
Mickey Mantle finished second in hitting (.354),
led in runs (118), tied for third in RBI’s (109), was fourth in doubles (30),
led the league in triples (14), and tied for sixth in homeruns (25). He
finished with 158 walks (Ted Williams was second with 112) and finished
tied for second in steals (17). Yogi Berra only hit .263 but chipped in with 22
homeruns and 85 RBIs. Gil McDougald played multiple positions and hit
.327 and had 18 homeruns and 81 RBI’s. Tony Kubek played multiple positions as well and
hit .322 in his rookie season. Hank Bauer started off among the league leaders
in batting average but ended the season at .253. Bauer still contributed 15
doubles, 13 triples, 18 homeruns, and had 62 RBI’s.
The
Yankees had seven pitchers finish with ten or more victories, but four of the
seven finished with exactly ten and another finished with eleven. None of the
Yankees pitchers reached the 200 innings pitched mark. Whitey Ford (10-5, 2.45) missed a month+ in
mid-season and upon his return found his appearances limited. Bob Turley (17-3, 2.45) led the teams in wins.
The
Yankees did something similar for me in my 1949 replay - they moved into second
place behind Boston and just seemed content to stay there. 1949 was Casey Stengel’s first year with the Yankees, and
it appears to me they were all about the post-season and the regular season was
somehow less of a concern. Lineups were adjusted regularly and the pitching
staff was handled in such a way to ensure all of their horses were rested and
ready for the World Series. Unfortunately, the replay 1949 Red Sox and the replay
1957 White Sox didn’t cooperate.
Boston
Red Sox
- Final Record 87-57; Actual Record 82-72 (+5)
The
Red Sox had Ted Williams, and as Williams went, so went the
Red Sox. Williams, as much as anyone ever did, picked this whole team up and
placed them on his back, and carried them to third place. The Red Sox were third
in hitting (.269), second in OBP (.348), led in homeruns (171), were second in
runs scored (765), and led in walks (641). Boston pitchers finished fifth in
ERA (4.01), leading only the trio at the bottom of the standings.
Williams
led the league in hitting (.415), was third in runs (111), led the league in
RBI’s (121), was fifth in doubles (28), second in homeruns (39), and was second
in walks (112). Williams missed two full weeks in September and then was
limited to pinch-hitting duties for the week after that, effectively spoiling his
chances for a triple crown. Jackie Jensen finished tied for third with 109
RBI’s and finished fourth with 32 homeruns. Jensen was pretty quiet throughout
much of the first third of the season, but then he went on a three-run homerun
binge and did his bit to help Williams throughout most of the summer, although he
did cool off towards the end. Jimmy Piersall chipped in with 25 homeruns from
the leadoff spot and Frank Malzone hit 15 homeruns and drove in 67
runs, but after that, the rest of the lineup was rather thin. Second and short
were never truly settled, nor was first base, and the catchers struggled to
contribute as well.
Frank Sullivan (20-6, 1.78) led the league in ERA
and he threw six shutouts to lead the Boston pitching staff. Tom Brewer (15-13, 4.04) was the second Red Sox
started, and Bob Porterfield (11-3, 3.24) provided 5 wins he
picked up as a reliever. The Red Sox finished sixth in team defense, but
without a set second baseman or shortstop, you are just asking for trouble.
Williams
actually hit .388 in 1957, so a jump up to .415 isn’t that big of a jump.
Williams has a week around mid-season where his average fell below .400, but he
immediately went on another hitting tear and it was never threatened afterward.
Hitting over .400 certainly draws the eye though, and with the rest of the
numbers he put up (at 38-years-old) it would not be unexpected that he would
receive an MVP award for such a season.
Detroit
Tigers –
Final Record 84-70; Actual Record 78-76 (+6)
The
Tigers displaced the White Sox in first place for a few days in week two but
they spent most of the first half of the season moving in and out of second, third,
and fourth place amongst New York and Boston. In the second half of the season,
it was Boston and Detroit fighting for third, but over the last month of the
season, the Tigers had settled into fourth place by themselves. The Tigers
finished third in ERA (3.50), but their 645 runs scored were well behind the
three teams in front of them and barely ahead of the ones behind them.
Al Kaline finished eighth in hitting (.317), seventh
in RBI’s (98), sixth in hits (179), third in doubles (34), and tied for ninth
in homeruns (22). Charley Maxwell finished fifth in homeruns (30),
but after that, let’s face it, without their strong pitching the Tigers would
have been wallowing somewhere in the bottom half of the standings.
Jim Bunning (22-7, 2.43) spent most of the first
month of the season working out of the bullpen, but once he got plugged into
the starting rotation he really went on a roll. Billy Hoeft (16-9, 2.88) and Paul Foytack (16-9, 3.34) followed Bunning, with Duke Maas (12-11, 3.61) and Frank Lary (11-19, 4.03) in there as well. The
run support for those last two was about a full run behind that of the first
three. The Tigers bullpen also picked up 16 losses as they let numerous
possible wins slip through their fingers.
No
matter how you look at it, Al Kaline is not Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle and while Kaline had a Kaline type
of season, the Tigers needed really needed something more. Maxwell did what he
could, but Bill Tuttle had a tough year while covering
center, Ray Boone didn’t do much at first base, third
base was unsettled, and Frank Bolling and Harvey Kuenn were merely adequate up the middle.
They did the best with what they had, which was fourth place.
Baltimore
Orioles –
Final Record 70-82; Actual Record 76-76 (-6)
The
Orioles spent much of the middle third of the season right around the .500 mark
but faded badly towards the end. They actually played the White Sox and Yankees
very tough early, but both teams made them pay for by going a combined 17-7
during the second half of the season. The Orioles were in a curious place – not
good enough to move up in the standings, but too good to move down. They made
several trades and signings over the course of the season (43 different players
donned an Orioles uniform), plus they weren’t afraid to play some of the
youngsters (i.e., Brooks Robinson, Tito Francona, and Lenny Green), so they were pretty much in their
own space for most of the season.
Baltimore
finished fifth in hitting (.258) and finished with 622 runs scored, right in
between Detroit (645) and Cleveland (619). They hit the fewest homeruns of any
AL team (89), with Al PIlarcik (65) and Gus Triandos (63) leading the team in RBI’s.
First baseman Bob Boyd finished fourth in the AL in hitting
(.344) but most of the offensive accolades went to Billy Gardner who was second in runs (114), tied
for fourth in hits (181), and led the league in doubles (44).
Connie Johnson (14-12, 2.42), Billy Loes (11-8, 2.49), and Hal Brown (10-7, 3.45) led the starters, but a
total of thirteen different pitchers made starts for Baltimore. The Orioles
bullpen had the second-best relief ERA (3.29) but had 21 losses for the season,
led by George Zuverink (6-8, 12 Saves, 2.15).
Despite
their struggles, they were better than their predecessor, the St. Louis Browns,
and had already managed to work their way out of the basement in the AL. It
would be another decade before the Orioles really broke out but in the interim
they would be a “good” team looking to get better.
Cleveland
Indians –
Final Record 70-83; Actual Record 76-77 (-6)
In
1957 the Indians got off to a hot start, spent much of the first third of the
season among the top four teams in the AL. This was also about the time that
the runs allowed by Cleveland surpassed their runs scored, and while the run
differential would stay negative for the rest of the season, the Indians
managed to stay at or above .500 through Week 15. There have been other teams
that have done it, but that’s a hard way to live, and it finally caught up with
the Indians.
The
thing to remember about Cleveland was that they had just gone to the World
Series in 1954 and while they were starting to age, they had several younger
players they wanted to work into the lineup in preparation for making another
charge. Herb Score was a young fireballer that was going
to lead the starters, with reliable veterans like Bob Lemon, Early Wynn, and Mike Garcia right behind him in the rotation.
Veterans like Gene Woodling and Vic Wertz were brought in to anchor the offense,
but Rocky Colavito and Roger Maris were ready to step into starting
positions in the outfield.
Unfortunately,
it didn’t work out. Score was hit in the head by a line drive in early May and
missed the remainder of the season. Their other mound starters all of a sudden
moved from “veteran warhorses“ to just “old,” and Maris and Colavito never
truly developed like the Indians hoped they would. In the replay, the Indians
never got off to a good start and stumbled around for much of the time,
although they put up a six-game winning streak at the end of the season –
including three in a row in Chicago to end the season – to finish one half-game
behind the Orioles.
Woodling
finished sixth in hitting (.320) and Wertz finished tenth (.296), Wertz
finished sixth in RBI’s (103) and third in homeruns (39). Al Smith finished third in walks (91) and
finished second in the Indians in runs (77) behind Wertz (83). Colavito hit
.239 with 21 homeruns, 61 runs score, and 78 RBI’s, while Maris hit .192 with 9
homeruns, 41 RBI’s. Wynn (13-16, 3.75) finished second in innings pitched
(269), Garcia (10-8, 3.61), and Lemon (8-7, 4.89) were the main starters,
although Lemon missed the final month+ of the season.
Mismanagement
would keep the Indians in the second tier of the AL teams for many more years (both
Maris and Colavito would soon be traded), but they were still a fun team to
play.
Kansas
City –
Final Record 54-99; Actual Record 59-94 (-5)
Similar
to Baltimore, the A’s moved away from their old home (Philadelphia) and were
under new management, hoping to throw away their old bonds and find success in
their new environs. Also similar to Baltimore, the A’s made several trades,
signed several players, and were not afraid to give younger players an
opportunity. Unfortunately, the decision to become a de facto farm team
for the Yankees might not have been a good one for the A’s, although it
certainly benefitted the Yankees.
The
A’s hit .233 as a team and finished last in walks (392), while their 4.52 ERA
was only better than Washington. They did finish second in triples (47) and
second in homeruns (167), four behind league-leading Boston. Kansas City ended
the season with a 4.53 ERA, seventh in the AL, and the A’s surrendered the most
walks (648).
Catcher
Hal W. Smith was tied for seventh in doubles
(27), Gus Zernial was tied for sixth in homeruns (25),
and Bob Martyn and Joe DeMaestri were among a group of four tied for
seventh in triples (7). Zernial led the team in RBI’s (66), just ahead of Smith
(60), and pitcher/pinch-hitter Mickey McDermott hit nine homeruns. Three of the
top four strikeout victims were from the A’s. Veteran Alex Kellner (10-7, 4.54) led the pitching staff,
but Ralph Terry (6-6, 3.52) and Jack Urban (6-7, 3.21) both showed promise during
the second half of the season.
There
doesn’t appear to be much hope for this version of the Athletics. They will
flounder for most of the next decade and then new management will suddenly redirect
their fates, and in a different location too.
Washington
Senators –
Final Record 49-105; Actual Record 55-99 (-6)
Washington
– first in war, first in peace, but last in the American League. Again. The
Senators finished last in hitting, pitching, and fielding, but they did beat
the Yankees nine times over the course of the season, so I suppose that would
count as a success.
The
highlights for the Senators begin and end with Roy Sievers. He hit over .300 for much of the
season, but a late-season slump saw him end at .275. Sievers finished tied for
sixth in runs scored (102), was second in RBI’s (112), and led all of baseball
with 48 homeruns, one ahead of Hank Aaron. Jim Lemon was second on the Senators with 74
RBI’s, but nobody else had more than 35. Chuck Stobbs (9-18, 5.73), Camilo Pascual (8-13, 5.04) and Pedro Ramos (6-17, 4.98), and Russ Kemmerer (6-19, 5.65) were the primary
starters, although a total of fifteen pitchers made starts, and some of their late-season callups had some strong performances.
Pascual,
Lemon, and Harmon Killebrew won’t be the only ones making
the move to Minnesota in a few years, but the success the future Twins will
have really won’t be coming from most of this bunch. Having said that, the
“Minnesota Senators” will make it to a World Series before either Baltimore,
Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, or A's (regardless of where the A's might call
home).
National
League
Milwaukee
Braves
– Final Record 94-60; Actual Record 95-59 (-1)
Another
team still settling into their new home town, the Braves got off to a slow
start. Lew Burdette struggled, their bullpen was a mess,
second base was a hole, first baseman Joe Adcock broke his ankle and missed most of the
season, and then center fielder Bill Bruton ripped up his knee and missed the
second half of the season. Hank Aaron had 30 homeruns by the middle of June
and pretty much carried the team at the start, but then things began to fall
into place. Red Schoendienst was acquired to settle the
infield, Burdette turned his season around, Don McMahon was called up and settled the bullpen
down, Eddie Mathews got hot, Wes Covington was recalled from the minors and
then he got hot, and Bob Hazle was called up and he had a half-season
for the ages. The Braves didn’t move into first place until mid-August, but
once they did they ran away with the NL pennant, finishing the season with a
10.0 game lead over the second-place Cardinals.
The
Braves led the NL in hitting (.277), were second in OBP (.333), and led the league
in homeruns (208). They finished third in ERA (3.67) and second in fielding.
Aaron finished third in hitting (.322), led the NL in hits (201), was first in
runs scored (131), first in RBI’s (150), and led the NL in homeruns (47), an
MVP-type performance. Schoendienst finished eighth in hitting (.308), was
second in hits (198), and was fourth in runs scored (106). Mathews was ninth in
hitting (.304), was second in runs scored (112), was second in RBI’s (123), and
finished fourth in homeruns (38). Covington was on the opening day roster but
was sent down to the minors for almost two months before he came back and hit
31 homeruns, tied for ninth in the NL. Hazle didn’t hit .400 – he got off to a
slow start and spent most of his 40-game season hitting around .370 – and
finished at .366. In his half-season, Bruton hit 15 triples, a number that
wasn’t surpassed until the final few weeks of the season.
The
big three on the mound – Warren Spahn (21-8, 3.19), Bob Buhl (18-8, 1.71), and Burdette (21-9, 3.31)
– formed a formidable core. Buhl led the league in ERA, but missed out on
twenty wins when he spent a month on the injured list late in the season.
McMahon (4-1, 9 saves, 3.38) was called up in mid-season and proved to be a
season saver for the Braves - their relief ERA finished at 4.78, even with
McMahon.
This
was definitely a storybook season for Milwaukee and the Braves. How does one
account for all of the injuries - and key injuries too -, the call-ups and
trades, the early season struggles, and then everything just came together. Fred Haney may deserve manager of the century for
this performance.
St.
Louis Cardinals – Final Record 84-70; Actual Record 87-67 (-3)
The
first two months of the NL saw five different teams vying for first place and
it seemed like each of the five teams took a turn at the top of the pile. The
Cardinals made some adjustments to their rotation, Stan Musial got hot, and St.
Louis moved into first place and stayed there for the middle third of the NL
season. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they peaked way too early and they
cooled off at the same time the Braves were getting hot and the Braves
steamrolled in the final third of the season.
When
St. Louis was on their mid-season surge their team batting average was over
.300, but they finished second in the NL in hitting (.274). Their pitching
finished second as well, with a team era of 3.66. 36-year-old Stan Musial led the NL in hitting (.378), was
third in runs (108), was fourth in RBI’s (104), was third in hits (193), eighth
in doubles (29), and third in homeruns (40). Musial led the league in many of
these categories all summer, but a two+ week absence in September allowed
others to finally catch and pass him. Don Blasingame was sixth in runs scored (96) and
finished eighth in hits (168), while Al Dark finished ninth in hits (167). Wally Moon finished sixth in RBIs’ (98) and Del Ennis finished eighth (96).
Lindy McDaniel (18-4, 2.30) won his first twelve
starts of the year and threw a no-hitter, while Larry Jackson (17-6, 2.21) spent most of the
first two months of the season working out of the bullpen, but once he joined
the rotation the Cardinals got hot. Von McDaniel (6-6, 2.87) pitched well considering
he came right out of high school, and Sam Jones (8-12, 3.24) had a poor end of the
season, but was just as responsible for the mid-season hot streak as anyone
else.
Imagine
a game with a 40-year-old Murry Dickson throwing to a 42-year-old Walker Cooper behind the plate. The Cardinals
were a team of aging talent mixed with younger players that would never quite
live up to their potential. Musial would have several more “good” years, but no
more “great” years, so this was likely the Cardinal's last chance to get a title
for their hero. Unfortunately, for this year they got caught in the Milwaukee
thunderstorm and it was not to be.
Brooklyn
Dodgers
– Final Record 83-71; Actual Record 84-70 (-1)
The
Dodgers and the Yankees were supposed to meet in the World Series in my 1949
replay, but the Yankees seemed content to ride the season out in second place
and the Dodgers moved up and down the standings, but never really turned it on
and made a charge for the top, and both teams performed similarly in my 1957
replay. At one point early in the season, the Dodgers found themselves as low as
in seventh place, but they followed that with a hot streak that moved them out
of the bottom half of the league, but they leveled off and never really moved
beyond that.
It
wasn’t their pitching. The Dodgers led the league in pitching the entire
season, their 3.24 ERA almost a half-run better than second-place Milwaukee.
The problem was their hitting, or rather the timeliness of their hitting. They
resided in fifth place in hitting for most of the season, but to coin a phrase,
the Dodgers offense never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. With
that team ERA all that was needed would be a key hit here or there and all of a
sudden, their season would have been completely different, but it was not to
be.
Gil Hodges finished tenth in the NL in runs (90),
was ninth in RBI’s (92), and finished fifth in homeruns (36). Duke Snider was tied for eighth in homeruns (31)
and was tied for sixth in triples. Lead-off man Jim Gilliam finished tied for ninth in hits (167)
and was second in stolen bases (22). Johnny Podres (18-8, 2.76), Don Drysdale (16-8, 2.38), and Don Newcombe (15-8, 3.17) led the starters, but Sal Maglie only went 4-10 despite a 2.35 ERA and Danny McDevitt only went 4-11 despite a 3.47 ERA.
After
this season the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and their fortunes
change dramatically. This group of Dodgers had been together for many years
and had experienced tremendous success, finally culminating in a World Series
victory in 1955. But by 1957 many were starting to show their age and the team
was looking to incorporate new blood while getting the old gang together one
more time to make another run for the pennant. They fell short this season, but
with their influx of young pitching – don’t forget Sandy Koufax – they were actually in a better
situation going forward than they might have realized.
Pittsburgh
Pirates
– Final Record 80-74; Actual Record 62-92 (+18)
Every
replay I have done usually sees one team get out of the chute fast, contend for
a few weeks, and then the fact that they are not a good team weighs in and they
eventually settle down to where they are supposed to. The Pirates actually
finished with 62 wins, but they ended up +18 in wins for me - an amazing
season. They were in the rotation of teams holding onto first place in the NL
over the first two months of the season, but then they assumed the sole leader
role for several weeks in late-May and early-June. Then the Cardinals got hot
and the two traded spots back and forth for several weeks, the Pirates
eventually settling into second place, and then Milwaukee ran (not walked)
past both of them. The Pirates did stumble a bit down the end and allowed the
Dodgers to slip past them into third place, which only means their +18-win
differential was actually higher for much of the season.
How
did they do it? A different hero every day, plus Bob Friend (28-8, 2.66) pitched out of his mind.
The Pirates were a young team with several good young talents getting their
opportunity, so manager Bobby Bragan spent much of the first half of the
season juggling the lineup on an almost daily basis trying to find the magic
formula. All that meant for me was that every day someone different delivered
the big hit and kept the Pirates winning. Even after Bragan was replaced with Danny Murtaugh additional lineup changes followed
but the winning continued.
Bill Mazeroski spent most of the first third of
the season in and out of the lineup before assuming everyday duties at second
base but ended up tenth in hitting (.301). Dick Groat finished seventh in hitting (.306),
and even with my restrictive rules on the use of the hit-and-run play still put
his four 31’s to good use and I think he must have picked up ~20 singles this
way. The Pirates MVP was Frank Thomas who spent the first part of the
season at third base, moved to the outfield for the middle third, and then ended
the season at first base, but all along the way he ended third in the NL in
RBI’s (121) and finished with 28 homeruns. Bill Virdon (38) and Groat (36) were first and
second in doubles and Bob Skinner (12) and Virdon (11) were fourth and
fifth in triples. This was not one of Roberto Clemente’s good seasons as he finished
the season with a .253 batting average and missed almost a full month due to an
injury.
Besides
the aforementioned Friend the rest of the Pirates rotation included Vern Law (12-8, 2.61), and Bob Purkey (10-9, 3.55). On the other hand, it
also included Ron Kline (9-20, 5.42), the only 20-game loser. I
think it is safe to say that if the Pirates had really been contending in 1957,
they might have found someone else to go with, but I also think it is safe to
say that if they were contending in 1957 that Kline would have likely performed
better to begin with.
The
1957 Pirates were and up and coming team and they would go on to a World Series
in only four more years. They had been really bad at the beginning of the
decade and were still working their way out at this point. I kept expecting
them to roll over at almost any point of the season but they were a tenacious
group for me and refused to do so.
Cincinnati
Reds
– Final Record 76-78; Actual Record 77-77 (-1)
The
Reds could hit. They finished third in the NL in hitting but led in on-base
percentage and their 196 homeruns were second to Milwaukee’s 208. The Reds
also led the league in fielding, but unfortunately, in that other category,
pitching, the Reds, the Reds finished seventh with a team ERA of 4.44,
including giving up a leading total of 181 homeruns.
The
Reds got off to a good start and were in the mix for the top of the NL
throughout the first month of the season, but good hitting all by itself could
only do so much and eventually, that pitching caught up with them, and they
slowly drifted down in the standings, saved only from going lower by the
presence of Chicago and New York. The Reds did get hot the last month of the
season though. At the end of Week 20 they were seven games under .500, but for
a few days in Week 24 they were actually two games above .500, although the
week ended badly for them and they finished two games below .500.
Frank Robinson was fourth in hitting (.321),
seventh in runs scored (94), was fourth in hits (190), third in doubles (32),
and finished with 21 homeruns. George Crowe took over first base for the injured
Ted Kluszewski and ended tied for seventh in
RBI’s (96) and finished with 29 homeruns. Shortstop Roy McMillan actually hit .272 in 1957 but spent
much of the first quarter of the season hanging around the .400 mark. He
leveled off of course but ended up fifth in the NL in hitting (.315) and tied
for seventh in doubles (29).
Brooks Lawrence (16-10, 3.78) and Hal Jeffcoat (12-15, 3.66) were the two bright
spots in the Reds pitching rotation, plus Jeffcoat hit seven homeruns. The Reds
had already strung together several years of powerful offense and with young
players like Robinson and Don Hoak joining the lineup they expected more,
but Kluszewski’s back injury turned out to be much more career-threatening than
originally anticipated, so this year was a bit of a setback. This team would
reach a World Series in only five more years though, so the enthusiastic Reds
fans would continue to have something to cheer for.
Philadelphia
Phillies
– Final Record 71-83; Actual Record 77-77 (-6)
The
Phillies were yet another NL team that found themselves in the mix for the
first month of the season but faded shortly thereafter and never recovered.
The Phillies had gone to a World Series in 1950 but were by now a shell of
themselves with aging veterans and too many one-dimensional young players, the
result being a team that finished last in hitting and next-to-last in homeruns,
and even though they led the NL in walks, they finished next to last in runs
scored as well. Their pitching was fifth in the NL, so while not bad in and of
itself, you don’t score runs from the pitching mound. They also finished last
in fielding, with 20 more errors than the next-to-last team.
Richie Ashburn finished sixth in hitting (.315),
was fifth in hits (186), finished second in walks (94), was tied for third in doubles
(32), and was third in triples (13), but even with all that Ashburn only scored
86 runs as the rest of the lineup were runs-averse.
Robin Roberts (12-15, 5.04) did not have a good
season, Curt Simmons (13-12, 3.52) had his moments, and Jack Sanford (16-10, 2.30) was a welcome addition
to the rotation, but overall they were often stymied by the team’s offensive
woes.
The
Phillies were only a few years away from having a competitive team again, but
the collapse at the end of the 1964 season set them back for another decade. The
Phillies are in a bad spot – Milwaukee is ascendant, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati
are obviously teams on the rise, and once the Dodgers and the Giants settle
into their new homes next year they will both take off as well.
Chicago
Cubs
– Final Record 67-87; Actual Record 62-92 (+5)
If
the season starts off with six teams stumbling all over themselves trying to
claim the top spot in the NL then those teams need to get their consistent wins
from somewhere and it fell on the Cubs to take their beatings on an almost
daily basis. That’s a rough way to live for a baseball team, but the Cubs hung
tough moved ahead of the Dodgers into sixth place for a few days before
mid-season, and then towards the end of the season came within a few games of
passing the then-struggling Reds. They did take particular pleasure in
bedeviling St. Louis by going 12-10 versus them over the course of the season
and ensuring the Cardinals missed their World Series opportunity.
Ernie Banks spent most of the first half of the
season at third base but moved back to shortstop when it was clear Banks
replacement at shortstop had failed. Banks finished eighth in runs scored (82),
fifth in RBI’s (102), and second in homeruns (41). Dale Long was acquired from Pittsburgh early in
the season, didn’t play much initially, but when he did get on the field, he
finished the season by hitting .349 with 80 RBI’s and 26 homeruns. Walt “Moose” Moryn hit .295 and drove in 79 runs
while hitting 17 homeruns. The Cubs finished seventh hitting and led the league
in strikeouts.
Moe Drabowsky (13-11, 3.54) threw a no-hitter and
Dick Drott (9-15, 3.51) led the league in both
walks and strikeouts. The Cubs finished sixth in the NL in pitching, finishing
just ahead of the Reds. The Cubs routinely juggled their lineup and their
defense suffered for it, finishing seventh, ahead of only Philadelphia.
The
thing about Chicago is that if the Bears only win two games all year, but both
of those wins come against Green Bay, then it was a great season. The Cubs won
the season series against the Cardinals, so in that sense, it was a great season
as well. But let’s face it – this team was a mess. It’s basically Banks against
the world. Cubs fans may not realize it yet but this drought is still in its
early phases (1984 is 27 years away), so buckle up – it’s gonna be a long ride.
New
York Giants
– Final Record 61-93; Actual Record 69-95 (-8)
The
Giants actually got off to a hot start in 1957, but similar to the Cubs, those
teams struggling for the top of the NL needed to get their wins from somewhere
and the Giants took their beatings as well. Also similar to the Cubs, the
Giants were a mess. They had Willie Mays and not much else. They were old,
slow, and on their way out of New York.
The Giants finished sixth in hitting and fifth in fielding but finished last in
pitching with a team ERA of 4.59. Mays finished second in hitting (.330), sixth
in hits (181), fifth in runs (103), tenth in RBI’s (88), had 25 doubles, was
seventh in homeruns (32), led in triples (17), and led in stolen bases (39). Hank Sauer finished sixth in homeruns (34) and
had 83 RBI’s. Ruben Gomez (15-17, 3.66), Johnny Antonelli (10-17, 4.75) and Curt Barclay (11-12, 5.13) led the pitching
staff.
The
move to San Francisco will change the fortunes of the Giants in many ways. They
have a lot of young players soon to be in the pipeline and pitchers like Stu Miller, Al Worthington, and Mike McCormick will be able to make their mark as
well. But as for now, this version of the Giants is just an ugly team.
In
Memoriam
When
I started this replay I really hadn’t thought about the fact that players from
the 1957 season might actually pass away while I was completing it. I am sure I
have overlooked someone and I do not wish to appear morbid, but here is the
list of the players from 1957 who have died since the replay commenced (in no
particular order):
Conclusion
First
of all, I still need to play the World Series. This really should be a good
series as both teams have a strong starting staff and they each led their
league in runs scored and homeruns. I don’t see any real favorites here, so
stay tuned for details.
Beyond
that, 1911 is in the queue for my next replay. The disk and cards have already
been acquired, but I may take a step back for a few weeks to recharge a little
before jumping back into my next project.
Enjoyed reading this. Good job!
ReplyDelete