Greatest National League
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A little more than 1/5 of the regular season has been played. Here are the updated standings.
**East Division**1905 New York Giants 23-9
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 17-15
2019 Washington Nationals 17-16
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 13-19
1969 New York Mets 13-19
1997 Florida Marlins 13-19**Central/West Division**1942 St. Louis Cardinals 20-13
1907 Chicago Cubs 18-14
1976 Cincinnati Reds 17-15
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 15-17
1957 Milwaukee Braves 15-17
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 12-20The 1905 Giants finally came back to Earth a little, splitting a four game series with the 1979 Pirates before losing two of three to the 1997 Marlins; it is the first series they have lost this season. The 1942 Cardinals won seven in a row to propel them to the top of the Central/Western Division. Below are the updated league leaders.
*Batting Average**Mike Donlin (NYG) .416
Dan McGann (NYG) .387
Johnny Kling (CHI) .361
Lonnie Smith (PHI) .330
Stan Musial (STL) .328**Homeruns**Willie Stargell (PIT) 16
Bill Robinson (PIT) 10
Joe Morgan (CIN) 10
Tommy Agee (NYM) 9
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 8
Anthony Rendon (WAS) 8
Hank Aaron (MIL) 8
George Foster (CIN) 8**RBI**Dan McGann (NYG) 49
Willie Stargell (PIT) 36
Joe Morgan (CIN) 33
Goerge Foster (CIN) 31
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 28
Tony Perez (CIN) 28**OPS**Willie Stargell (PIT) 1.099
Dan McGann (NYG) 1.093
Joe Morgan (CIN) 1.090
Mike Donlin (NYG) 1.041
George Foster (CIN) .976**ERA**Ed Reulbach (CHI) 0.47
Mort Cooper (STL) 1.10
Pat Zachry (CIN) 1.37
Don Drysdale (LA) 1.49
Christy Mathewson (NYG) 1.57**Strikeouts**Sandy Koufax (LA) 53
Red Ames (NYG) 50
Kevin Brown (FLA) 50
Steve Carlton (PHI) 49
Mort Cooper (STL) 49
Max Lanier (STL) 49Here were some of the standout offensive performances: Joe Adcock hit a walkoff two run homer in the 11th to lead the Braves to a 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Yan Gomes hit a two out, two run single in the 9th to vault the Nationals over the Marlins 2-1. In the same series, Matt Adams hit a two-run go ahead homer in the 11th inning to give the Nats a 4-2 win. The Marlins hit into five double plays in that game. Mike Schmidt hit a walkoff single in the 9th to give the Phillies a 4-3 win over the Mets. Marty Marion hit a two-run go ahead double in the 9th to lead the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Dodgers. In the same series, the Cardinals bludgeoned the Dodgers with 21 hits en route to a 12-5 win. Jay Bell hit two homers to lead the Diamondbacks to a 6-3 win over the Dodgers. Jeff Conine pulled off the two homer trick for the Marlins in a 4-2 win over the Giants. The Pirates got two homers from Willie Stargell and Dave Parker in back-to-back games, both wins over the Reds.
There were several stellar pitching performances as well. At the top of the list was Johnny Beazley of the Cardinals who no hit the Nationals. Five other shutouts were pitched this week including a 1-hitter by Steven Strasburg in a 3-0 win by the Nationals over the Marlins and Mort Cooper who pitched a 4-hitter in a 3-0 win over the Nationals. The Cardinals got outstanding performances from their entire staff; Max Lanier struck out 12 in a 3-1 win over the Dodgers. In the same series, Ernie White pitched a complete game with 8 strikeouts in a 12-2 win while also going 3-4 at the plate with two RBI.
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Here are the updated standings after another week in The Greatest National League.
**East Division**1905 New York Giants 26-12
2019 Washington Nationals 21-18
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 20-18
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 16-22
1969 New York Mets 15-23
1997 Florida Marlins 14-24**Central/West Division**1942 St. Louis Cardinals 25-14
1907 Chicago Cubs 22-16
1957 Milwaukee Braves 20-18
1976 Cincinnati Reds 19-19
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 17-21
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 14-24The Cardinals remained red hot as they won five out of six games as did the Braves, who moved up into third place in the Central/West Division. Here are the updated offensive and pitching league leaders.
**Batting Average**Mike Donlin (NYG) .435
Dan McGann (NYG) .359
Johnny Kling (CHI) .333
Stan Musial (STL) .323
George Foster (CIN) .318**Home Runs**Willie Stargell (PIT) 17
Henry Aaron (MIL) 11
Tommy Agee (NYM) 11
Joe Morgan (CIN) 11
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 11**RBI**Dan McGann (NYG) 50
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 40
WIllie Stargell (PIT) 38
George Foster (CIN) 35
Joe Morgan (CIN) 35**OPS**Mike Donlin (NYG) 1.054
Joe Morgan (CIN) 1.045
Willie Stargell (PIT) 1.024
Dan McGann (NYG) 1.019
George Foster (CIN) .959**ERA** (minimum 50 innings)Bruce Kison (PIT) 1.40
Mort Cooper (STL) 1.58
Christy Mathewson (NYG) 1.63
Pat Zachry (CIN) 1.63
Johnny Beazley (STL) 1.69**Strikeouts**Sandy Koufax (LA) 65
Kevin Brown (FLA) 61
Steve Carlton (PHI) 60
Max Lanier (STL) 59
Randy Johnson (AZ) 57One of the wildest games of the season took place between the 1942 Cardinals and the 1997 Marlins. The Marlins hit five home runs in the game and tied it 7-7 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Bobby Bonilla hit a solo shot and Charles Johnson blasted a two-run dinger. The Cardinals took an 8-7 lead in the 11th only for Bonilla to hit another solo homer to tie the game again. The Cards finally put the game away with three runs in the 12th to win 11-8. The Cardinals went on to sweep the series by winning another 12 inning game 6-5, and 2-0 thanks to a Jonathan Beazley 3-hit shutout.
In other pitching exploits: 2001 Arizona’s Robert Ellis and Byung-Hyun Kim combined for a 2-hit, 10 inning shutout of 1957 Milwaukee in a Diamondbacks 2-0 win. Warren Spahn struck out 10 for the losing Braves. The Braves came back in the next game with a 5-0 win as Lew Burdette pitched a 5-hitter and Wes Covington hit two homers. Bruce Kison pitched a 3-hitter in the 1979 Pirates’ 5-0 win over the 1969 Mets. Max Scherzer did everything for the 2019 Nationals in a 1-0 win over the 1980 Phillies; he pitched a 2-hit shutout, struck out 9 batters, and drove in the only run with a single. Bob Miller pitched a 3-hit shutout for the 1963 Dodgers in their 3-0 win over the 1907 Cubs. Randy Johnson struck out 10 batters for 2001 Arizona in their 3-1 win over the 1980 Phillies. Sandy Koufax turned in the most dominant performance of the week against the 2019 Nationals with a 2-hit shutout and 12 strikeouts in the 1963 Dodgers’ 8-0 win.
There were some hitting heroes this week as well. Dave Parker of the 1979 Pirates hit a walkoff triple in the Pirates 2-1 win over the 1969 Mets. In the same series, Ed Ott drove in all three of the Pirates’ runs including a walkoff single in the 11th to give the Pirates a 3-2 win. Harry Steinfeldt of the 1907 Cubs hit a two-out walkoff single in the Cubs 7-6 win over the 1963 Dodgers. Pete Rose hit a two-out walkoff single for the 1976 Reds in a 1-0 10 inning win over the 1905 Giants. In perhaps the best offensive performance of the week, Sam Mertes of the 1905 Giants went 5-6 at the plate with two doubles, a triple, and four RBI to lead the Giants to a 13-3 win over the 1976 Reds. Sammy Strang hit a walkoff double to lead the 1905 Giants to a 10 inning 4-3 win over the 1907 Cubs.
In other highlights and lowlights: Mike Schmidt of the 1980 Phillies had a rough day against the 2001 Diamondbacks when he struck out five times. Despite that, the Phillies won the game 8-1. The 1963 Dodgers had butter fingers in their 8-4 loss to the 2019 Nationals when they committed an error during three consecutive at bats. Stan Musial saved the day for the 1942 Cardinals against the 1976 Reds when he threw out a baserunner at home in the 8th inning to preserve a 4-3 win.
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Both my Braves and Pirates are in 3rd place. Interesting project. I will be following along the rest of the way.
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@falcon4fever Thanks! It’s been a lot of fun so far. Eventually, there will be a Greatest American League as well. I’m almost finished playing out who will represent the Boston franchise.
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This week featured a three game series between the top two teams so far in The Greatest National League, with one team continuing their dominance. Here are the standings.
**East Division**1905 New York Giants 33-12
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 23-22
2019 Washington Nationals 23-23
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 20-25
1969 New York Mets 18-27
1997 Florida Marlins 16-29**Central/West Division**1942 St. Louis Cardinals 28-18
1907 Chicago Cubs 26-19
1957 Milwaukee Braves 23-22
1976 Cincinnati Reds 22-23
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 20-25
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 19-26The 1905 Giants won all seven games they played this week. They beat the 2019 Nationals 8-6 despite eight walks given up by Christy Mathewson. They won the next game in a wild 9-8 back-and forth contest on a two-run walkoff homer by Sam Mertes in a game that had eight lead changes or ties.The Giants went to St. Louis and swept them, thanks in large part to the Cardinals forgetting how to catch the ball. The Cards committed four errors in the first game, three by normally reliable shortstop Marty Marion, in a Giants 9-4 win. Game two had easily the most bizarre ending of any game this season. The Cardinals were holding on to a 1-0 lead with two outs and no one on and ace Mort Cooper on the mound. The Giants proceeded to score **10 runs ** on six hits, four errors, two walks, and a hit batter. Cooper ended up surrendering seven unearned runs before being pulled. The Cardinals tried to rally late in the bottom of the ninth with five runs of their own but the Giants held on to win 10-6. In all the Cardinals committed six errors in that game, four with two outs in the 9th. The Giants completed the sweep with a more ordinary 3-2 win. Here are the league leaders.
**Batting Average**Mike Donlin (NYG) .435
Dan McGann (NYG) .368
George Foster (CIN) .324
Stan Musial (STL) .315
Johnny Kling (CHI) .302**Homeruns**Willie Stargell (PIT) 21
Henry Aaron (MIL) 14
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 13
Joe Morgan (CIN) 13
Reggie Sanders (AZ) 11
Tommy Agee (NYM) 11**RBI**Dan McGann (NYG) 59
Willie Stargell (PIT) 49
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 47
George Foster (CIN) 42
Joe Morgan (CIN) 42**OPS**Joe Morgan (CIN) 1.086
Willie Stargell (PIT) 1.048
Mike Donlin (NYG) 1.044
Dan McGann (NYG) 1.025
George Foster (CIN) .967**ERA (minimum 60 innings)**Mort Cooper (STL) 1.32
Ed Reulbach (CHI) 1.35
Pat Zachry (CIN) 1.56
Steve Carlton (PHI) 1.82
Bruce Kison (PIT) 1.90**Strikeouts**Steve Carlton (PHI) 82
Mort Cooper (STL) 73
Red Ames (NYG) 71
Sandy Koufax (LA) 69
Kevin Brown (FLA) 66
Christy Mathewson (NYG) 66Here are some notable games to report: The 1969 Mets beat the 1997 Marlins 4-3 in 12 innings after Bud Harrelson hit a two-out two-run triple to tie the game. Tommy Agee hit a walk-off triple in the 12th to win the game. Bruce Kison is not only one of the top pitchers so far this year, he also showed some pop at the plate for the 1979 Pirates when he hit a two-run homer in a 14-5 win over the 2001 Diamondbacks. Jim Bibby struck out 10 Diamondbacks in the next game for a Pirates 6-2 win. The Diamondbacks managed to split that four game series which concluded with the Diamondbacks winning 9-8 on the strength of two Luis Gonzalez homeruns. It looked like the 1980 Phillies would spoil a 14 strikeout outing by Steve Carlton against the 1976 Reds when they trailed 2-1 in the 9th. Mike Schmidt tied the game with a solo dinger and Gary Maddox followed with a walk-off two-run blast to give the Phils a 4-2 win. The 1942 Cardinals took three of four from the 1963 Dodgers. Mort Cooper struck out 10 in a 9-1 win. Jimmy Brown hit a walkoff double in the 9th to give the Cards a 5-4 win. Warren Spahn did a little of everything in 1957 Milwaukee’s 5-4 win over the 1907 Cubs; Spahn pitched a complete game and hit a two-run homerun. The Cubs’ “Three Finger” Brown drove in two runs of his own to win the following game 3-2 in 10 innings.
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The 1905 Giants continue to have a stranglehold on the National League. They took three out of four games in St. Louis to highlight this week’s worth of games. The 1942 Cardinals won 7-2 in the first game only to drop the next three games. Dummy Taylor pitched a 3-hit shutout to give the Giants a 4-0 win in game two. They held on to win the next game 6-5 in which Christy Mathewson came in to get the save, and blew out the Cards 15-1 thanks to 20 hits and four Cardinal errors. Here are the updated standings and league leaders.
**East Division**1905 New York Giants 39-13
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 26-25
2019 Washington Nationals 25-27
1969 New York Mets 22-29
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 21-30
1997 Florida Marlins 20-31**Central/West Division**1907 Chicago Cubs 30-21
1942 St. Louis Cardinals 30-23
1957 Milwaukee Braves 27-24
1976 Cincinnati Reds 25-26
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 22-29
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 21-30******Batting Average (minimum 155 PA)******Mike Donlin (NYG) .427
Dan McGann (NYG) .366
George Foster (CIN) .313
Johnny Kling (CHI) .301
Stan Musial (STL) .297
Roger Breshnahan (NYG) .297**Homeruns**Willie Stargell (PIT) 22
Henry Aaron (MIL) 16
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 16
Joe Morgan (CIN) 15
Reggie Sanders (AZ) 14**RBI**Dan McGann (NYG) 68
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 54
Willie Stargell (PIT) 53
Joe Morgan (CIN) 48
Sam Mertes (NYG) 44
George Foster (CIN) 44**OPS**Joe Morgan (CIN) 1.089
Dan McGann (NYG) 1.050
Mike Donlin (NYG) 1.035
Willie Stargell (PIT) 1.015
Mike Schmidt (PHI) .938**ERA** (minimum 70 innings)Mort Cooper (STL) 1.29
Pat Zachry (CIN) 1.74
Christy Mathewson (NYG) 1.83
Steve Carlton (PHI) 2.05
Randy Johnson (AZ) 2.10****Strikeouts****Steve Carlton (PHI) 90
Kevin Brown (FLA) 82
Mort Cooper (STL) 82,
Sandy Koufax (LA) 81
Red Ames (NYG) 78Here are some highlights from this past week’s games: The 1997 Marlins beat the 1979 Pirates 8-5 in a wild 11 inning game. After Bill Robinson tied the game 2-2 for the Pirates on a two-run homer in the 8th inning, Kurt Abbott but the Marlins back in front with a two-run dinger of his own in the 10th to retake the lead 4-2. Dave Parker came right back with a two-run blast in the bottom of the 10th to extend the game before the Marlins came back with three runs in the 11th to win it. The 1969 Mets beat the 2019 Nationals in 10 innings on a walkoff passed ball. The loss spoiled a 12 strikeout outing by Stephen Strasburg. The Nats rebounded in the next games with six runs in the 8th inning in an 11-4 win. Howie Kendrick had six RBI in the game. The Mets won the final game in the series 4-2 in 10 innings on a walkoff homer by Tommy Agee. Tom Seaver struck out 10 in that outing. Before dropping three of four to the 1905 Giants, the 1942 Cardinals lost two of three to the 2001 Diamondbacks. The Cards won the first game 2-1 in 11 innings, a game that was scoreless for 10 innings. Walker Cooper hit a two-run walkoff homer after Jay Bell had put the DBacks ahead 1-0 in the top of the 11th with a solo blast. The DBacks won the second game 6-2 when Reggie Sanders hit a grand slam to break the tie. They won another 11 inning game 2-1 with a Sanders walkoff tater after Luis Gonzalez sent the game into extras with a solo HR. Sanders wasn’t done with blasting; he hit a grand slam to lead the Diamondbacks to a 8-1 win over the '69 Mets. The 1907 Cubs had two walkoff wins against the 1957 Braves; one by Jimmy Slagle in the 10th of a 1-0 win, the other by Solly Hoffman, a two-run single to give them a 2-1 win. The Braves salvaged the series with a 10-3 win led by a grand slam and six RBI by Henry Aaron. The Braves swept the 1980 Phillies in their other series; Don McMahon saved all three wins. John Milner hit two homers to lead the 1979 Pirates to a 8-6 win over the 2019 Nationals. Frank Chance had a unique stat line in the 1907 Cubs 7-2 win over the 1976 Reds: three hits, three stolen bases, and four RBI.
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As we get closer to the halfway point of the regular season, here are the current standings:
**East Division**1905 New York Giants 44-15
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 30-28
2019 Washington Nationals 29-30
1969 New York Mets 25-33
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 24-34
1997 Florida Marlins 23-35**Central-West Division**1907 Chicago Cubs 33-25
1957 Milwaukee Braves 32-26
1942 St. Louis Cardinals 32-28
1976 Cincinnati Reds 30-28
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 25-33
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 23-35The 1979 Pirates swept the 1942 Cardinals to move over .500 and in second place in the East Division. While the Giants have a stranglehold on the East, four teams in the Central-West Division are over .500 and within three games of each other. Here are the league leaders:
**Batting Average**Mike Donlin (NYG) .420
Dan McGann (NYG) .361
George Foster (CIN) .324
Roger Breshnahan (NYG) .310
Lonnie Smith (PHI) .302**Homeruns**Willie Stargell (PIT) 24
Henry Aaron (MIL) 18
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 17
Joe Morgan (CIN) 16
Reggie Sanders (AZ) 14
Tommy Agee (NYM) 14**RBI**Dan McGann (NYG) 73
Willie Stargell (PIT) 58
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 55
George Foster (CIN) 52
Joe Morgan (CIN) 51**OPS**Joe Morgan (CIN) 1.064
Dan McGann (NYG) 1.026
Mike Donlin (NYG) 1.010
Willie Stargell (PIT) .990
Mike Schmidt (PHI) .957**ERA**Mort Cooper (STL) 1.67
Christy Mathewson (NYG) 1.86
Jack Pfiester (CHI) 2.07
Don Drysdale (LA) 2.19
Pat Zachry (CIN) 2.21**Strikeouts**Steve Carlton (PHI) 105
Max Scherzer (WAS) 94
Sandy Koufax (LA) 93
Mort Cooper (STL) 92
Kevin Brown (FLA) 91The 1976 Reds beat the 1997 Marlins three out of four games, including a dramatic 5-4 win in 12 innings thanks to a Bobby Bonilla error that led to a Dave Concepcion go-ahead double. Earlier in the series, the Reds bludgeoned the Marlins 12-4 on the strength of 18 hits and four homeruns. The 1980 Phillies and 1942 Cardinals split a four game series with two dramatic wins. Marty Marion’s two-out RBI single in the 9th gave the Cards a 3-2 win in the first game, while the Phils got an unusual walkoff single from pitcher Ron Reed in the final game for a 3-2 Phillies win. The stars were out in the series between the 1963 Dodgers and the 1957 Braves. Don Drysdale pitched a 1-hitter with 9 strikeouts in a Dodgers 2-0 win. Drysdale also blanked the 1997 Marlins 3-0 with a 3-hit gem. Warren Spahn pitched a 1-hitter of his own in a Braves 6-0 win. Hank Aaron hit an 8th inning grand slam to propel the Braves to an 11-7 slobberknocker win. The 1907 Cubs pulled out a hard-fought win over the 1969 Mets 6-5 thanks to a Del Howard pinch-hit walkoff double after Ed Kranepool had tied the game for the Mets in the top of the inning with a solo homerun. The Mets came back later in the series with a 3-0 win. Don Cardwell and Tug McGraw pitched a combined five-hit shutout and all of the Mets runs came in the 9th inning. The 2019 Nationals beat the 2001 Diamondbacks up with pitching and hitting in a four game series; Max Scherzer struck out 12 in 7 innings to lead the Nats to a 2-1 win. They also slugged the Snakes 14-4 thanks to a 10 run 8th inning that included five homeruns (two by Anthony Rendon) and a grand slam by Adam Eaton. They hooked up again for a three game series with a number of pitching gems. Steven Strasburg struckout 10 in a Nationals 7-1 win. Miguel Batista struck out seven batters in a row in a Diamondbacks 5-3 win. Curt Schilling outdueled Max Scherzer in the finale 3-0 with a 3-hitter and 12 strikeouts while Scherzer struck out 11. The 1979 Pirates dropped three of four games to the 1905 Giants, but their one win was spectacular. Dave Parker hit a bases-clearing triple in the 9th to lead the Pirates to a 8-5 win. George Foster had a day for the 1976 Reds against the 1969 Mets; Foster went 4-4 with a homer and 6 RBI in a 14-8 Reds win. Jerry Koosman cooled off the Reds offense in the next game 3-0 with a 2-hit shutout and 8 strikeouts.
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There are five more series until the All-Star break. Here are the standings:
East Division1905 New York Giants 48-17
2019 Washington Nationals 33-32
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 32-32
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 27-37
1969 New York Mets 27-37
1997 Florida Marlins 26-38Central/West Division1907 Chicago Cubs 36-28
1957 Milwaukee Braves 35-29
1942 St. Louis Cardinals 36-30
1976 Cincinnati Reds 33-31
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 27-37
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 26-38The 2019 Nationals won four out of six games to move into second place in the East Division. After dropping their first two games to the 1907 Cubs, they won the final game 3-2 in 10 innings on a walkoff Trea Turner sacrifice fly. They followed with a three game sweep of the 1969 Mets. Victor Robles hit a walkoff single in the bottom of the 9th in Game One to give them a 2-1 win despite 12 strikeouts from Jerry Koosman. Anthony Rendon hit a grand slam in their 11-3 Game Two blowout in which they had only nine hits. They overcame a 6-1 deficit in the final game thanks to Matt Adams who hit two homeruns including a grand slam with 5 RBI as the Nats won 10-6. Here are the current league leaders:
Batting AverageMike Donlin (NYG): .440
Dan McGann (NYG) .360
George Foster (CIN) .317
Roger Breshnahan (NYG) .307
Sam Mertes (NYG) .293HomerunsWillie Stargell (PIT) 25
Henry Aaron (MIL) 21
Joe Morgan (CIN) 16
Reggie Sanders (AZ) 14
Tommy Agee (NYM) 14RBIDan McGann (NYG) 78
Willie Stargell (PIT) 60
Mike Donlin (NYG) 59
Henry Aaron (MIL) 55
Sam Mertes (NYG) 55OPSMike Donlin (NYG) 1.046
Joe Morgan (CIN) 1.021
Dan McGann (NYG) 1.013
Willie Stargell (PIT) .974
George Foster (CIN) .922ERAMort Cooper (St.L) 1.63
Jack Pfiester (CHI) 2.00
Johnny Beazley (ST.L) 2.21
Christy Mathewson (NYG) 2.27
Don Drysdale (LA) 2.28StrikeoutsSteve Carlton (PHI) 112
Sandy Koufax (LA) 104
Max Scherzer (WAS) 102
Mort Cooper (STL) 96
Christy Mathewson (NYG) 93
Red Ames (NYG) 93Andy Pafko hit two homeruns and drove in 5 RBI to lead the 1957 Braves to a 10-6 win over the 1942 Cardinals. Sam Mertes also hit a couple of dingers to lead the 1905 Giants to a 12-2 blowout over the 2001 Diamondbacks. Eddie Matthews also double dipped the dinger to lead the Braves to a 9-1 win over the 1976 Reds.
Some pitchers dominated both on the mound and at the plate. Alex Fernandez scattered six hits for the 1997 Marlins in a 4-0 win over the 1980 Phillies. Sandy Koufax pitched a three-hitter against the 1969 Mets and struck out 11 in a 3-0 win. Hooks Wiltse had quite a game for the 1905 Giants in their 18-3 win over the 2001 Diamondbacks. Wiltse struck out 12 and added four hits, three runs scored, and three RBI. Max Lanier pitched a three-hit shutout for the 1942 Cardinals in their 2-0 win over the 1957 Braves while also striking 10.
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The 1907 Cubs won six of their seven games this week to widen their lead in the Central/West Division over the 1957 Milwaukee Braves at three games. In their four game series with the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cubs won Game One 4-2. Orval Overall struck out nine on the mound and hit a homer and drove in three runs at the plate. The Cubs scored nine runs in the 8th and 9th innings to win Game Two 10-4. Their only loss was in the final game of the series as Bruce Kison led the Pirates to a 9-2 win with a complete game along with two hits and two RBI. The Cubs swept the 1997 Florida Marlins in their next series. Overall struck out 12 in his start, an 8-2 win; Joe Tinker drove in five RBI in the game. They bludgeoned the Marlins in the finale 18-0; The Cubs had 22 hits.Chick Fraser pitched a two-hit shutout. Every player had a hit and either a run scored or RBI; Frank Chance went 4-5 with a triple, two steals, four runs scored and five RBI. Here are the standings with one more week until the All Star break:
East Division1905 New York Giants 53-19
2019 Washington Nationals 36-36
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 35-36
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 30-41
1969 New York Mets 30-41
1997 Florida Marlins 27-44Central/West Division1907 Chicago Cubs 42-29
1957 Milwaukee Brewers 39-32
1942 St. Louis Cardinals 39-34
1976 Cincinnati Reds 37-34
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 30-41
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 30-41The Marlins continue to struggle mightily, but they pulled off a dramatic 7-6 comeback win over the 1905 Giants when Gary Sheffield and Charles Johnson hit back-to-back homeruns in the 9th off Christy Mathewson who was trying to close the game. The Giants came back to win the next game 14-3 despite pitcher Red Ames walking nine batters. The Giants stole seven bases and every starter either scored or drove in a run. They stole seven more bases in the final game of that series, a 12-2 blowout. Ron Fairly hit two dingers for the 1963 Dodgers to lead them to a 5-2 win over the 1976 Reds; one of them was a go-ahead blast in the 8th. The 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks blew out the 1969 Mets 11-3 in a game where every starter had a hit and either scored or drove in a run. The Diamondbacks won in more dramatic fashion in the final game of that series 3-1 on a Luis Gonzalez walk-off two-run homerun. The 1980 Philadelphia Phillies had 18 hits against the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals in a 8-1 win. Later in the series, Larry Christenson got the win on the mound and hit a three-run homer at the plate in a 7-5 win. In a scheduling quirk, the 1957 Braves played the 2019 Washington Nationals seven times this week in Milwaukee. Joe Adcock hit two homeruns for the Braves in a 7-5 win. The Nationals came back in the next game to win 16-2; Kurt Suzuki hit two homeruns, including a grand slam and had nine RBI. The 1963 Dodgers beat the 2001 Diamondbacks 2-1 in 12 innings after Jim Gilliam tied the game in the ninth with a solo homerun off Randy Johnson to send it to extras. Fairly then hit a walk-off double in the 12th. The 1976 Cincinnati Reds beat the 1969 Mets 3-2 in a game that went back-and-forth at the end; The Mets took a 2-1 lead in the 9th on a Ken Boswell two-run double, but the Reds came back in the bottom of the inning off closer Tug McGraw on a two-out pinch hit RBI double by Don Werner followed by a walk-off single by Pete Rose. Dave Parker hit two homeruns and drove in five runs to lead the 1979 Pirates to a 6-4 win over the 1942 Cardinals. Pitcher Jim Bibby hit two doubles and a homer and drove in three RBI in the next game as the Pirates won 7-4. Stan Musial thwarted a sweep in the three game series for the Cardinals when he hit a three-run walk-off homer down 2-0 for a 3-2 win. Here are the hitting leaders:
Batting AverageMike Donlin (NYG) .435
Dan McGann (NYG) .375
Sam Mertes (NYG) .315
Roger Breshnahan (NYG) .313
George Foster (CIN) .302HomerunsWillie Stargell (PIT) 25
Henry Aaron (MIL) 22
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 19
Anthony Rendon (WAS) 17
Luis Gonzalez (AZ) 16
Dave Parker (PIT) 16
Eddie Matthews (MIL) 16
Joe Morgan (CIN) 16RBIDan McGann (NYG) 88
Sam Mertes (NYG) 66
Mike Donlin (NYG) 63
Willie Stargell (PIT) 62
Mike Schmidt (PHI) 60OPSMike Donlin (NYG) 1.042
Dan McGann (NYG) 1.040
Joe Morgan (CIN) 1.014
Willie Stargell (PIT) .966
Henry Aaron (MIL) .895There were several pitching gems thrown this week. Jerry Koosman pitched a four-hit shutout for the 1969 Mets in a 10-0 win over the 2001 Diamondbacks. Johnny Beazley pitched a two-hitter for the 1942 Cardinals over the 1980 Phillies in a 5-0 victory. Sandy Koufax struck out 13 Diamondbacks in a 5-2 win for the 1963 Dodgers. Here are the pitching leaders:
ERAMort Cooper (STL) 1.96
Johnny Beazley (STL) 2.04
Jack Pfiester (CHI) 2.05
Jerry Koosman (NYM) 2.19
Max Scherzer (WAS) 2.32StrikeoutsSandy Koufax (LA) 124
Steve Carlton (PHI) 118
Max Scherzer (WAS) 108
Red Ames (NYG) 105
Randy Johnson (AZ) 101
Steven Strasburg (WAS) 101 -
The All Star Break has arrived. Here are the standings; note: A few teams have played a couple of more games than others because coordinating schedules wasn’t easy. :)
**East Division**1905 New York Giants 59-19
2019 Washington Nationals 40-38
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 37-40
1969 New York Mets 34-43
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 33-44
1997 Florida Marlins 29-48**Central/West Division**1907 Chicago Cubs 45-32
1942 St. Louis Cardinals 43-37
1957 Milwaukee Braves 41-36
1976 Cincinnati Reds 40-38
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 33-44
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 31-46Obviously, the Central/West Division race is more compelling because the '05 Giants are just ridiculous. They have a team batting average of .309. .309!! Their 521 runs scored are over 100 more than the Big Red Machine of 1976 (394). Either their cards are flawed compared to their actual stats, or they are getting the best run of random computer dice rolls ever. Dan McGann, the current favorite for MVP hit .299 in 1905 with 5 homeruns, 14 triples, 23 doubles, 75 RBI, and a .825 OPS. McGann after 78 games? .375, 10 homeruns, 11 triples, 18 doubles, 97 RBI, 1.033 OPS. Oh and 20 stolen bases too. Good grief. Here are the other All-Stars:
2B: Joe Morgan: .281, 16 HR, 62 RBI, 76 runs scored, 41 steals, 1.000 OPS.
3B: Mike Schmidt: .240, 21 HR, 62 RBI, .891 OPS
SS: Bill Dahlen: .277, 45 RBI, 45 runs scored, 24 SBs
OF: Mike Donlin: .436, 70 RBI, 67 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, 1.046 OPS.
OF: George Foster: .299, 14 HRs, 66 RBI, 46 runs scored, 18 stolen bases.
OF: Henry Aaron: .286, 24 HRs, 61 RBI, 51 RBI, .909 OPS
C: Roger Breshnahan: .318, 78 runs scored, 26 stolen bases.
SP: Johnny Beazley: 11-4, 1.98 ERA, .140 OBA
