Sunday, July 21, 2019

1939...Farewell Lou, Hello Ted...

1939, Comings and goings…

                A true recap of the 1939 baseball season would be incomplete without the most famous departure from a game, then the game, by Lou Gehrig.
                As his performance began to decline late in the 1938 season, through his less than mediocre showing during the ’38 Series, and on into Spring Training in 1939, it was obvious that his skill set was diminishing rapidly.
                Red Sox rookie outfielder Ted Williams made his major league debut in the Bronx. It was the only game that featured William and Gehrig. Williams struck out twice and hit a double in the 2-0 Yankee win. The ‘Iron Horse’ uncharacteristically committed an error, went oh for four, and hit into two double plays.
                That game featured seven other future Hall of Famers: Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove and Miller Huggins.

                As Gehrig reluctantly began to acknowledge his own descent, with his batting average below .200, on May 2nd, he asked to be removed from the lineup. Just eight games into the season, he was replaced by Babe Dahlgren. For the first time in 2,130 consecutive games, Gehrig would remain on the bench, and Dahlgren would become the answer to a trivia question.

                A proud, yet humble man, the Yankees Captain was embarrassed by not just his performance, but by his increasing inability to perform some of the simplest tasks, not all baseball related. Tying his own shoes would become a chore. Buttoning his shirts, tying his tie, signing an autograph. All became more challenging.

                While he was no longer in the Yankees line-up, he was still the Captain. He was in uniform for every game. Although, he would sometimes remove himself to the clubhouse while the games were played.
                In June, he would be diagnosed with the disease which now bears his name, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, to which he would succumb two years later.

                There is a story that Ray Negron tells about his introduction to the Yankees. He was caught spraying graffiti on the walls of the old Yankees Stadium one season, and was brought into the stadium by security personnel, and placed in a small room just outside of the Yankee clubhouse. Negron sat in solitude while Yankee officials and security decided what to do with the young man, who was in his early teens.
                  New Yankee’s principle owner George Steinbrenner had Negron brought to his office, where he laid down the law. Essentially, the offer was ‘work for me or I’ll call the cops’. Negron chose the former. His first order of business, understandably, was to clean the graffiti from the building, which he did.
                 (This is the basis for his wonderful children's book, "The Boy of Steel" published in 2006 by Reagan Books, a division of HarperCollins)
                He worked a variety of jobs for the Yankees, earning the trust and respect of Steinbrenner and others, eventually working his way up from batboy to special assistant to Mr. Steinbrenner. He also played minor league ball for the Pirates for a very short time.
                But, during his time as a batboy, during an Old Timer’s Day festivities, Ray was assigned to escort Mrs. Eleanor Gehrig for the day. During that day, as Ray was walking with Mrs. Gehrig, she told him that when Lou was feeling low, and was aware that his body was breaking down, the prideful man would excuse himself, and would seek the solitude of this little room next to the Yankee clubhouse, where he would sit and listen to the fans enjoying the game.
                He would sit and rest in that room for lengths of time, before regaining his composure and returning to the clubhouse. Negron realized immediately the room she was referring to was the same room that was his ‘holding cell’.
                That, and the fact that Old Timer’s Day was originated by the Yankees in remembrance of Gehrig, made that small conversation much more impactful.
                On July 4th, they Yankees held “Lou Gehrig Day”, in which they honored and paid their respects to the Yankee captain. Many dignitaries and special guests were in attendance. Several retired players made their way to the Bronx for the bittersweet ceremonies.
                Most notably of these was Babe Ruth, who had become estranged from the Yankees, and put aside the feud that he and Gehrig had, and gave his old teammate a hug.

                Gehrig acknowledged that adulations, the gifts, and the support he had received, and continued to receive. He stepped to the microphone and addressed the crowd, in one of the most heroic and humble speeches ever made:
                Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift – that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies – that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter – that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body – it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed – that's the finest I know. So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”


               
                In 1939, the Yankees essentially steamrolled the American League, winning 106 games, scoring 967 runs. That 1939 "Bronx Bombers" team may have been even better than the 1927 “Murderer’s Row” Yankees. They featured six players who scored ninety or more runs. And while they combined to hit .287, it was the Red Sox that garnered the highest team batting average that year, finishing at .291.
                And, the Yankees did it without Joe DiMaggio for a part of the season. “Joltin’ Joe” tor a muscle in his foot and missed thirty-five games. But they were stocked. Rookie pitcher established a record by winning twelve straight decisions. And third-baseman Red Rolfe scored in a record eighteen consecutive games. He scored thirty runs over that time frame.
                But complacency seemed to take a hold in the Bronx, as the Yankees won their fourth consecutive World Championship, their attendance dropped eleven percent from the previous season.

                The Cincinnati Reds were swept by the Yankees in the 1939 Series. It was their first National League pennant since 1919, the Series that they won over the White Sox under a very dark cloud. The Reds got there with the best pitching in the league, led by NL Most Valuable Player Award winner Bucky Walters, who also won the pitching Triple Crown, and Paul Derringer.
                Derringer, who came to the Reds in a trade in early 1933, still holds the team record for most losses in a season with 25. He finished that season with a 7-25 record for the Reds and lost 2 other games with the Cardinals.

                In 1939, He reversed that record, going 25-7. He was a twenty-game winner four times with Cincinnati and was on the mound for the Reds is the first ever night game in the major leagues. In 1939, he struck out just 35 batters in 301 innings, and at the time he retired, he was third lowest in walks per 9 innings, behind Christy Mathewson and Pete Alexander.
                The Reds were second in the league in team batting average and featured the only set of teammates in major league history to have more homers than strikeouts: Frank McCormick (18 HR, 16 Ks and Ernie Lombardi (20 HR , 19 Ks)

                The league’s team pitching rankings:
National League
American League
Reds
Yankees
Cardinals
Indians
Brooklyn
White Sox

                And the team hitting rankings:
Cardinals
Yankees
Reds
Red Sox
Cubs
Tigers

                And the team power rankings:
Cardinals
2nd in NL, 4.5 games back
Reds
NL Champions
Yankees
World Champions
Brooklyn
3rd in NL, 20.5 games back
Cubs
4th in NL, 22 games back

                In Boston, rookie outfielder Ted Williams became the fourth AL rookie to hit 30 homers in his first season. He was also the first hitter in the twentieth century to garner 90 or more walks in his first two seasons. And his 145 Runs Batted In remains the rookie record.

                His teammate Jim Tabor became the first Red Sox hitter to hit two Grand Slam home runs in the same game. This feat has been accomplished just ten times in the American League, four times by the Red Sox (along with Rudy York, Nomar Garciaparra and Bill Mueller) and three times by the Orioles (Jim Gentile, Frank Robinson and Chris Hoiles)


                St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Curt Davis became the oldest pitcher to win 20 games in the National League. That would be tied by Rip Sewell (1943) and Preacher Rowe (1951). The record would be broken by R.A. Dickey in 2012.

                Across town, the Browns struggled to one of the worst seasons in major league history. They lost 111 games and finished with a .279 winning percentage. However, at one point during the season, they swept a double-header from the Senators to end an eleven-game losing streak. The Browns would not win more than two games in a row during the season
.
                Cleveland’s Bob Feller became the youngest AL hurler to win 20 on a season, besting the record of Babe Ruth in 1916.

                “Rapid Robert’s” mother came to Cleveland to watch him pitch for the first time in the big leagues and received six stitches for her effort. She was struck in the head by a foul ball hit by Marv Owen of the White Sox.


               
Johnny Cooney, of the Boston Braves, would homer for the first time in his eighteen-year career. Apparently, he enjoyed that so much that he homered again in his next game.


                In the Japanese Professional Baseball League, Victor Starffin won forty-two of his teams ninety-six games. He would win another thirty-eight in 1940.


                And Bob Schmidt, of the Duluth Dukes of the Northern League, would hit for a professional baseball record .441 on the season. He would be a career minor leaguer over fourteen seasons and compiled a career batting average of .337.
                And although the Dukes were affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals, he never appeared in a major league game.

                Now, on to the statistical review. Beginning with the National League pitchers, who greatly benefitted from not having to face the likes of DiMaggio, Foxx, Williams, and held a 19.5% advantage over American League hurlers, we get this initial top ten list:
Pitcher
Team
W-L
ERA
Bucky Walters
Reds
27-11
2.29
Paul Derringer
Reds
25-7
2.93
Carl Hubbell
Giants
11-9
2.75
Claude Passeau
Cubs/Phillies
15-13
3.28
Gene Thompson
Cardinals
13-5
2.54
Bill Lee
Cubs
19-15
3.44
Bob Bowman
Cardinals
13-5
4.48
Hugh Casey
Dodgers
15-10
2.93
Luke Hamlin
Dodgers
20-13
3.64
Curt Davis
Cardinals
22-16
3.63

                Then, comparing to their team performances, we get this top ten list:     
Bucky Walters
Above


Lou Fette
Braves
10-10
3.96
Paul Derringer
Above


Claude Passeau
Above


Bill Lee
Above


Bill Posedel
Braves
15-13
3.92
Larry French
Cubs
15-8
3.29
Hugh Casey
Above


Luke Hamlin
Above


Gene Thompson
Above



                Then comparing, composing and analyzing, we get this list of top ANL pitching performers, with their post-season vote rankings:

NL Most Valuable Player
Paul Derringer
3rd in MVP vote
Claude Passeau
No votes
Carl Hubbell
No votes
Bill Lee
19th in MVP vote (tie)
Lou Fette
No votes
Hugh Casey
No votes
Luke Hamlin
10th in MVP vote
Gene Thompson
No votes
Larry French
No votes


                Now to the American League pitchers, our initial top ten list is:
Red Ruffing
Yankees
21-7
2.93
Ted Lyons
White Sox
14-6
2.76
Lefty Grove
Red Sox
15-4
2.54
Bob Feller
Indians
24-9
2.85
Tommy Bridges
Tigers
17-7
3.5
Dutch Leonard
Senators
20-8
3.54
Oral Hildebrand
Yankees
104
3.06
Steve Sundra
Yankees
11-1
2.76
Bump Hadley
Yankees
12-6
2.98
Bobo Newsom
Tigers/Browns
20-11
3.58

                Then, as compared to their team performances, we get:
Dutch Leonard
Above


Lefty Grove
Above


Ted Lyons
Above


George Caster
A’s
9-9
4.90
Lynn Nelson
A’s
10-13
4.78
Bob Feller
Above


Tommy Bridges
Above


Bobo Newsom
Above


Vern Kennedy
Browns
9-20
5.80
Mel Harder
Indians
15-9
3.50

                And those numbers bring us this American league top ten pitchers:
Lefty Grove
15th in MVP vote
Ted Lyons
17th in MVP vote
Red Ruffing
5th in MVP vote
Bob Feller
3rd in MVP vote
Dutch Leonard
7th in MVP vote
Tommy Bridges
22nd in MVP vote
Bobo Newsom
19th in MVP vote
Oral Hildebrand
No votes
Mel Harder
No votes
Steve Sundra
No votes


                Now moving to the very potent offensive side, where the combined leagues offenses outpaced the pitching by 25%, we’ll look at the National League first.
                Our initial top ten NL offensive performances were:

Team
HR
RBI
AVG
RCG
Johnny Mize
Cardinals
28
108
.349
1.20
Ival Goodman
Reds
7
84
.323
1.31
Joe Medwick
Cardinals
14
117
.332
1.34
Frank McCormick
Reds
18
128
.332
1.34
Mel Ott
Giants
27
80
.308
1.10
Hank Leiber
Cubs
24
88
.310
1.15
Dolph Camili
Dodgers
26
104
.290
1.17
Zeke Bonura
Giants
11
85
.321
1.21
Harry Danning
Giants
16
74
.313
1.01
Enos Slaughter
Cardinals
12
86
.320
1.13


                Now, against their team’ s average performance, we get this list:
Max West
Braves
19
82
.285
1.00
Morrie Arnovich
Phillies
5
67
.324
0.97
Mel Ott
Above




Dolph Camili
Above




Zeke Bonura
Above




Hank Leiber
Above




Ival Goodman
Above




Frank McCormick
Above




Tony Cuccinello
Braves
2
40
.306
0.99
Johnny Mize
above





                This brings the overall top ten NL offensive performers to this top ten list, with their post season voting rankings:

2nd in NL MVP
Ival Goodman
25th in NL MVP (tie)
Frank McCormick
4th in NL MVP
Joe Medwick
7th in MVP
Mel Ott
11th in MVP
Hank Leiber
No votes
Dolph Camili
12th in MVP
Zeke Bonura
No votes
Harry Danning
9th in MVP
Max West
No votes


                Now to the American League. This initial top ten list outshines their NL counterparts. While the NL list featured 4 Hall of Famers, the AL list’s top 5 players are all in the Hall and add another further down the list as well.
                The American League total offense held a 15.8% advantage over the National League, and the Junior Circuit scored 17.1% more runs than them. The Cardinals led the NL with 779 runs scored, while the American League teams averaged 801 runs. Four teams in the AL outscored the Cardinals (Boston, New York, Detroit and Cleveland)
                The potent American League initial top ten list:
Joe DiMaggio
Yankees
30
126
.381
1.70
Jimmie Foxx
Red Sox
35
105
.360
1.60
Ted Williams
Red Sox
31
145
.327
1.64
Bill Dickey
Yankees
24
105
.302
1.40
Hank Greenburg
Tigers
33
113
.312
1.30
George Selkirk
Yankees
21
101
.306
1.43
Charlie Keller
Yankees
11
83
.334
1.47
Hal Trosky
Indians
25
104
.335
1.38
Charlie Gehringer
Tigers
16
86
.325
1.32
Red Rolfe
Yankees
14
80
.329
1.35

                That top ten list averaged 33% more homers, 11% more runs batted in, a 3.4% higher batting average and 22% more runs created per game than the initial NL list.
                Then, as compared to team average performances, we get this list:

Jimmie Foxx
Above




Ted Williams
Above




Hal Trosky
Above




Joe DiMaggio
Above




Frankie Hayes
A’s
20
83
.283
1.04
Hank Greenburg
Above




Taffy Wright
Senators
4
93
.309
1.29
George McQuinn
Browns
20
94
.316
1.14
Gee Walker
White Sox
13
11
.291
1.30
Charlie Gehringer





               
                Which brings us to our overall top ten American League performers:
Joe DiMaggio
AL MVP
Jimmie Foxx
2in in MVP
Ted Williams
4th in MVP
Bill Dickey
6th in MVP
Hank Greenburg
18th in MVP
Hal Trosky
30th in MVP
George Selkirk
No votes
Charlie Keller
22nd in MVP (tie)
Charlie Gehringer
14th in MVP
Frankie Hayes
No votes


                My top five post season votes would have been:

National League


Bucky Walters
NL Player of the Year


Johnny Mize
NL Offensive Player of the Year

Ival Goodman
Frank McCormick
Joe Medwick



American League


Joe DiMaggio
AL Player of the Year

Jimmie Foxx
Ted Williams
Bill Dickey


Lefty Grove
AL Pitcher of the Year


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