An update on my 1952 Replay, which has now reached the end of May and has seen 311 games played.
One thing I have definitely noticed with the '52 season… the A-ranked pitchers are nearly un-hittable. Batter’s cards with 10’s and 11’s are not very common (but lots of 8’s and 9’s). As a result, of the pitchers with 35+ innings pitched so far, there are eleven with ERA’s south of 2.00. Not surprisingly, nine of those eleven pitchers are A’s.
On the other end of the scale is poor Herm Wehmeier (D-W) of the Reds. He is 0-6 after seven starts, and has given up 51 earned runs in 40 innings (11.48 ERA). The Pirates’ Ron Kline and the Phillies’ Howie Fox (both D’s) have combined to pitch 43.2 innings and are 0-9 between them with a combined ERA of 12.57. The D’s are really tough to watch sometimes.
Anyway, here’s where things stand, as this highly-enjoyable Replay on GO heads into June…
AMERICAN LEAGUE
In real life, the 1952 Yankees were middle-of-the-pack as May ended. But here, they already lead the division by 2.5 games over Cleveland. The bigger story in the Replay has been the pitching woes in Boston. It’s not uncommon to see the Red Sox lose a high-scoring game, as the dice have been painfully unfriendly through the first one-quarter of their season. Will be interesting to see if it continues.
American League Standings:
Yankees 25-10 (-)
Indians 26-16 (2.5)
White Sox 24-18 (4.5)
Athletics 18-16 (6.5)
Nationals 18-21 (9)
Tigers 17-21 (9.5)
Browns 18-27 (12)
Red Sox 11-28 (16)
AL Batting Average: .249 (Real life .253)
AL OPS: .698 (Real life .695)
AL Pitching ERA: 4.00 (Real life 3.67)
AL WHIP: 1.36 (Real life 1.37)
AL Fielding %: .977 (Real life .977)
AL Individual Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Mitchell (CLV) .358; Throneberry (BOSA) .356
OPS: Robinson (CHIA) .999; Jensen (WSH) .954
Home Runs: Easter (CLV) 11; Doby (CLV) & Rosen (CLV) each with 10
RBI: Robinson (CHIA) 35; Rosen (CLV) 32
Stolen Bases: Rivera (STLA) 7; Throneberry (BOSA) 6
AL Individual Pitching Leaders:
Pitching W-L: Lemon (CLV) 8-1; Wynn (CLV) 7-1
ERA: Wynn (CLV) 1.18; Lemon (CLV) 1.50
WHIP: Wynn (CLV) 0.81; Shantz (PHLA) 0.82
K’s: Pierce (CHIA) 46; Shantz (PHLA) 38
Saves: Kuzava (NYY), Consuegra (CHIA) & Brissie (CLV) each with 5
Team Thumbnails: (number in parentheses is +/- wins from real life in '52)
Yankees (+7)
A well-balanced attack, led by Yogi Berra’s 7 HR’s and 26 RBI’s. Mickey Mantle is batting .311 with 5 HR’s and 20 RBI’s. On the mound, Vic Rashi and Allie Reynolds are both 6-2. Defensively, the Yankees have committed a league-low 23 errors in 35 games.
Indians (+1)
Three hitters and three pitchers have carried them. Easter, Rosen and Doby have combined for 31 HR’s and 89 RBI’s. Lemon, Wynn and Garcia are a combined 21-3 with a 1.55 ERA. Those three starters will keep them in the race.
White Sox (+1)
First baseman Eddie Robinson has been outstanding, leading the league in RBI’s and OPS, while batting .331. Sherm Lollar has contributed with 6 HR’s and 26 RBI’s. Billy Pierce (6-4, 2.50 ERA) leads the pitching staff.
Athletics (+3)
The A’s have over-achieved a bit, especially when you consider nobody has hit more than three homers for them. On the mound, Bobby Shantz is 5-2 with a 1.64 ERA. But nobody else on the Philadelphia staff has an ERA under 3.70.
Nationals (-3)
Jackie Jensen has starred since coming over in a trade with the Yankees, batting .314 and driving in 21 runs. On the mound, four-game winner Bob Porterfield has been solid with a 1.60 ERA. Reliever Sandy Consuegra has five saves.
Tigers (+4)
After an impressive start, the Tigers are starting to fade a bit. Batting only .225 as a team, there is little offense other than Vic Wertz (.248, 7 HR, 26 RBI). Shortstop Johnny Lipon is batting only .138. Dizzy Trout (3-1, 1.82 ERA) leads the pitching staff.
Browns (-2)
The Browns have recovered nicely from a dreadful 1-and-13 start. Bob Nieman (.322, 6 HR, 31 RBI) has been a big surprise, as has Clint Courtney (.298, 4 HR, 29 RBI). Ageless Satchel Paige is 2-2 with 2 saves and an ERA of 1.89 out of the pen.
Red Sox (-11)
Yikes. An overall team ERA of 6.27 is downright frightening. Once you get past ace Mel Parnell (5-3, 2.35 ERA), it’s a trainwreck. The hitting’s pretty good - Faye Throneberry (.356) has been sensational - but something needs to be done. There are rumors of a big upcoming trade with Detroit in the works.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
In the National League, it’s shaping up to be a good three-team race… or even four, if the Cubs can pick things up a bit. But the Giants will now be without young Willie Mays for the rest of the season. That loss is gonna hurt. The Phils’ Robin Roberts (AC-YZ) is on a blazing pace for a season for the record books, while the Pirates’ pitching (with four D-W’s) is starting to go off the rails.
National League Standings:
Dodgers 25-12 (-)
Giants 23-14 (2)
Phillies 22-15 (3)
Cubs 19-21 (7.5)
Cardinals 19-21 (7.5)
Reds 17-22 (9)
Braves. 13-22 (11)
Pirates 16-27 (12)
NL Batting Average: .247 (Real life .253)
NL OPS: .688 (Real life .697)
NL Pitching ERA: 3.96 (Real life 3.73)
NL WHIP: 1.30 (Real life 1.34)
NL Fielding %: .975 (Real life .976)
NL Individual Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Snider (BRK) .357; Baumholtz (CHIC) .350
OPS: Sauer (CHIC) 1.037; Mays (NYG) 1.018
Home Runs: Sauer (CHIC) 15; Seminick (CIN) 11
RBI: Sauer (CHIC) 38; Snider (BRK) & Hamner (PHLN) each with 32
Stolen Bases: Ryan (PHLN) & Fondy (CHIC) each with 9
NL Individual Pitching Leaders:
Pitching W-L: Roberts (PHLN) 9-0; Roe (BRK) 7-1
ERA: Spahn (BOSN) 0.96; Rush (CHIC) 1.03
WHIP: Erskine (BRK) 0.47; Roberts (PHLN) 0.65
K’s: Roberts (PHLN) 52; Spahn (BOSN) 48
Saves: Black (BRK) & Wilks (PGH) each with 7
Team Thumbnails: (number in parentheses is +/- wins from real life in '52)
Dodgers (-2)
Strength up the middle has carried Brooklyn. CF Duke Snider (.357, 32 RBI) has been outstanding. Middle infielders Pee Wee Reese (.309) Jackie Robinson (.305) each have three homers and 20 RBI. On the mound, Preacher Roe is 7-1 with a 1.99 ERA. The Dodgers’ .984 fielding % leads both leagues.
Giants (-4)
This week’s loss of Willie Mays (.315, 5 HR, 28 RBI) to the US Army will hurt a lot. But New York still has Don Mueller (.345, 29 RBI) and Davey Williams (.310, 23 RBI). The Giant’s team ERA of 4.06 has been a disappointment, although Hoyt Wilhelm (2-1, 0.64 ERA, 4 Saves) has been stellar out of the pen.
Phillies (+5)
Just give Robin Roberts the Cy Young right now. He’s 9-0 with a 1.19 ERA, as the Phils’ team ERA of 3.13 is best in the league. Karl Drews is 5-1, 1.76. Granny Hamner (.340, 6 HR, 32 RBI) has been the NL’s best Shortstop. Over-achieving quite a bit from real life, this team is not going away anytime soon.
Cubs (-4)
With the league’s second-best pitching stats, the Cubs should be higher in the standings. Bob Rush (6-2, 1.03 ERA) and Paul Minner (6-0, 2.68) have carried the freight. Hank Sauer (1.037 OPS) has been a machine with his 15 homers and 38 RBI, while Frank Baumholtz is batting .350. Chicago should still climb.
Cardinals (+1)
After Stan Musial (.336, 3 HR, 22 RBI) and Red Schoendienst (.320, 4 HR, 25 RBI), there’s not much to brag about offensively. Nor on the mound. Nobody on the pitching staff has more than three wins, and ace Gerry Staley is 2-5 with a 3.03 ERA. The Cards’ 46 defensive errors lead both leagues.
Reds (-2)
Catcher Andy Seminick’s 11 homers have been a huge surprise, considering he belted only 14 all year in real life. Joe Adcock (.358, 6 HR, 23 RBI) has been fantastic in platoon duty, but needs to start more often. Pitching ace Ken Raffensberger (5-1, 2.06 ERA) has been excellent.
Braves (E)
Boston’s 13-22 record matches what they did in real life. But the Braves simply can’t hit. They’re batting .211 and have scored only 116 runs (the other seven NL teams are averaging 182). Rookie 3B Eddie Mathews is batting .178. Pitching ace Warren Spahn (5-3, 0.96 ERA) could sue this entire team for non-support.
Pirates (+6)
Incredibly, the last-place Bucs are the NL’s biggest overachievers. Ted Wilks (3-1, 1.19 ERA, 7 saves) has been outstanding coming out of the pen. Ace Murry Dickson (5-5, 2.32 ERA) has also been very good, but the rest of the staff is weak. Ralph Kiner has 6 homers and 25 RBI, but is hitting only .194. Gus Bell claims Pittsburgh’s best batting average at .261.