[Marmel]

1941

April

The A’s begin the season 18-7, 1st place in the AL East. Boston is 3 games back, while Cleveland is in third at 6 games back. Both Montreal and Washington are 8 games back. In the West, Atlanta opens up 17-8 and they lead both Detroit and LA by 5 games. Vegas is 7 out while the Westerners are 8 out.

In the NL East, Syracuse is in first place with a 15-10 record. Pittsburgh is just 1 game back while Brooklyn and New York are both 3 back. The champs, the Phillies are in last place, 4 games back. In the Midwest, Cincinnati takes the early lead, 3 games better than both Chicago and Dallas. Houston and St. Louis are both 4 back

May

In the AL East, the A’s have the best record in baseball at 35-19. They are 6 games up on 2nd place Boston and 9 games up on Montreal. In the West, Detroit has moved into first with a 32-22 record. They are 2 games better than Atlanta. San Francisco, Vegas and LA are 6, 7, and 8 games out respectively.

In the NL East, Pittsburgh took over first place, but only by 2 games over the Phillies. Syracuse is just 3 games back. Both the Dodgers and Giants are 8 games out. In the Midwest, St. Louis won 9 of their last 10 and took over first place with a 31-23 record. Houston is just 3 back while Cincinnati is 4 back. Both the Cubs and Dallas Braves are 6 back.

June

In the AL East, the A’s continue to lead the Red Sox, and now the lead is 5 games. The rest of the division is 12 back or more. In the West, Detroit remains in first and widens their lead to 7 games over both Atlanta and San Francisco.

In the NL East, Pittsburgh stays in first with a 46-35 record. The Phillies are hanging tough, just 3 games back. New York and Syracuse are both 7 out. In the Midwest, St. Louis extended their lead to 5 games over the Houston Astros. The rest of the division has played their way out of it already.

In the All-Star game, the NL won 3-0. Dib Williams was 2 for 3 with a homer and an RBI, and was named MVP.

July

The A’s remain the team to beat in the AL East. The Red Sox have only cut 1 game off their lead and are 4 back. In the West, pencil Detroit into the playoffs. They hold a 10 game lead over second place San Francisco.

In the NL East, the Champion Phillies have now moved into first place, by 2 games over the Pirates. Syracuse is 8 back. In the Midwest, St. Louis is clinging to a 2 game lead over the Houston Astros. Chicago and Cincinnati are both 9 back.

August

In the AL East, Boston is creeping ever closer to the A’s. With a month to play, the lead for the A’s has been cut down to just 2 games. In the West, it is still all Detroit. Their lead is now 15 games.

In the NL East, Philadelphia has opened up a 6 game lead on the Pirates. Syracuse is 8 back. In the Midwest, Houston won their last 12 games of August and have moved out in front of the Cardinals by 5 games.

On August 4, Cleveland’s Lou Gehrig becomes the third man in baseball history to hit 500 career Homeruns!

September 17, 1941

The Detroit Tigers have clinched the AL West. In the East, the A’s have opened up a 7 game lead.

In the NL, the Phillies and Astros are looking like sure things to win their divisions.

September 22, 1941

The Philadelphia Phillies have clinched the NL East, and will return to the playoffs to defend their crown!

The A’s and Astros should clinch tomorrow or the day after.



September 23, 1941

Both the Philadelphia A’s and the Houston Astros have clinched, so the playoffs are set for 1941.


1941 Final Standings

AL Standings :
(Name W L PCT GB AVG ERA)
East
Philadelphia (A) 97 65 .599 -- .237 2.97
Boston 90 72 .556 7 .244 3.29
Montreal 89 73 .549 8 .254 3.42
Cleveland 76 86 .469 21 .238 3.73
Washington 62 100 .383 35 .240 4.53
West
Detroit 99 63 .611 -- .244 3.22
San Francisco 87 75 .537 12 .234 3.45
Atlanta 73 89 .451 26 .240 3.78
Las Vegas 71 91 .438 28 .236 3.86
Los Angeles 66 96 .407 33 .240 4.44
NL Standings :
(Name W L PCT GB AVG ERA)
East
Philadelphia (N) 91 71 .562 -- .245 3.44
New York 83 79 .512 8 .227 3.92
Pittsburgh 83 79 .512 8 .246 3.57
Syracuse 80 82 .494 11 .241 4.24
Brooklyn 65 97 .401 26 .222 3.88
Midwest
Houston 94 68 .580 -- .259 3.62
St. Louis 89 73 .549 5 .233 3.30
Chicago 76 86 .469 18 .226 3.63
Dallas 75 87 .463 19 .236 4.15
Cincinnati 74 88 .457 20 .238 4.13






1941 Statistical Leaders

TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.369 Lloyd Waner( LV SYR)
.323 Joe Dimaggio(LA,AL)
.314 Buddy Lewis(MON,AL)
.302 Art Parks(CLE)
.302 Bob Seeds(PHI,NL)
TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
49 Rudy York(PHA,AL)
47 Ted Williams(DAL,NL)
45 Hank Greenberg(SLN)
43 Joe Dimaggio(LA,AL)
42 Wally Judnich(CIN,NL)
TOP 5 in RBI :
124 Joe Dimaggio(LA,AL)
118 Rudy York(PHA,AL)
117 Zeke Bonura(PIT,NL)
116 Ben Chapman(LV,AL)
114 Johnny Mize(MON,AL)
TOP 5 in ERA :
1.49 Bill Swift(SLN)
2.02 Cliff Melton(HOU,NL)
2.18 Mel Harder(SF)
2.28 Sid Hudson(MON,AL)
2.46 George Hockette(PIT,NL)
TOP 5 in WINS :
26 George Hockette(PIT,NL)
25 Syd Cohen(BOS,AL WS1)
24 Cliff Melton(HOU,NL)
23 Roy Sherid( DET)
22 Spud Chandler(PHA,AL)
TOP 5 in SAVES :
13 John Michaels(PHI)
13 Pat Mclaughlin(DET)
11 Ed Fallenstein( HOU)
10 Allyn Stout(SYR)
10 Jim Henry(BRO,NL)



ALCS

The Series opens in Detroit. In the first inning of game 1, the A’s take the 2-1 lead, and that score holds until the end, so the road team, the A’s take a 1-0 series lead. Detroit breaks a tie game in the bottom of the ninth to win game 2, 9-8 and even the series up at 1.

The A’s have a big game 3, crushing the Tigers, 8-1 to claim a 2-1 Series lead. Detroit comes right back in game 4 with a 7-3 win and the series is again evened up. Philadelphia takes game 5, 5-3, which gives them a 3-2 Series lead as it heads back to Detroit for the final 2 games.

In game 6, the game was tied going into the ninth. Detroit forces a game 7 with a run in the bottom of the inning for a 8-7 victory!

In game 7, Detroit puts up 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning for a 4-0 lead. The A’s get 2 back in the 4th inning and another run back in the 8th to make it 4-3 heading into the ninth inning.

The A’s manage to get runners on 1st and 2nd with only 1 out in the ninth, but that is as close as they come. The Tigers win 4-3 and advance to the World Series!


NLCS

Houston, at home for game 1, shuts out the Phillies, 6-0 on a five hitter. Game 2 goes to extra innings and the Phillies get 2 in the top of the tenth. The Astros come back in the bottom of the 10th with 3 runs to retain home field advantage with a 8-7 win and now a 2-0 Series lead.

Game 3 is another extra inning game. Houston gets 1 run in the top of the 11th, but the Phillies avoid going down 3 games to none by scoring twice in the bottom of the 11th for a 7-6 win. Game 4 is the third consecutive extra inning game in the NLCS. Houston gets 1 in the top of the 12th inning, and this time they hold on for the 10-9 victory. They now lead the Series 3-1. The Phillies crush the Astros 10-4 in game 5 to send the Series back to Houston. Still the Astros lead 3 games to 2.

The Phillies refuse to die, as they shut out the Astros 8-0 on a 2 hitter in game 6. The Phillies have come back from a 3-1 Series defecit to force a game 7!

In game 7, Houston scores early and often. The game turned out to be a laugher as the Astros went on to win 11-1 and will advance to the World Series!




World Series

The World Series opens in Detroit, but the Astros take the 2-1 lead heading into the ninth inning. Detroit comes out with 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth to steal game 1 from the Astros, 3-2.

Game 2 also goes to the home team, as the Tigers double up the Astros, 4-2. The Series shifts to Houston now, with the Tigers up 2-0.

The Houston bats come alive in game 3 with a 7-2 victory. They now trail 2 games to 1.

In game 4, a 6 run 2nd inning was too much for the Astros to overcome, and they fall 12-7. They now trail 3-1 in the Series, and things look bleak for Houston fans.

In game 5, Houston shows no quit in them, and they double up the Tigers, 8-4, and send this Series back to Detroit for at least 1 more game. Detroit leads the Series 3-2.

In game 6, Detroit used a 3 run 3rd inning to take a lead they would never surrender. The final score was 5-3 and the Detroit Tigers are the 1941 World Champions! This is Detroit’s 3rd World Title, their others coming in 1920 and 1937.

Champion Review

Roy Sherid was the anchor of the Detroit rotation. He went 23-10 with a 3.03 ERA. Whitney Hilcher won 15 games and posted a 3.52 ERA. Dick Coffman went 11-9 with a 3.64 ERA.

RF Pepper Martin had a team high .291 batting average. CF Joe Medwick batted .283 with 22 homeruns and a team high 108 RBI. 1B Art Shires batted .256 with 18 homeruns. LF Moose Solters batted .247 and hit a team high 26 homeruns. 3B Pinky Whiteney batted .247 with 21 homeruns. 2B Augie Galan batted .242 with 22 homeruns and a team high 32 stolen bases.

Ty Cobb Award

AL: LF Joe Dimaggio, LA, (563 AB, .323 AVG, 43 HR, 124 RBI, 97 R, 182 Hits, 1.007 OPS)
NL: RF Ted Williams, DAL, (545 AB, .301 AVG, 47 HR, 100 RBI, 110 R, 164 Hits, 1.044 OPS)



Cy Young Award

AL: Sid Hudson, MON, (Record: 22-11, 2.28 ERA, 304.1IP, 188 Ks, 114 BB)
NL: Cliff Melton, HOU, (Record: 24-9, 2.02 ERA, 312IP, 199 Ks, 60 BB)



Bob Meusel Award

AL: Paul Erickson, BOS, (Record: 15-16, 3.54 ERA, 323.1 IP, 186 Ks, 170 BB)
NL: Early Wynn, SYR, (Record: 10-10, 4.36 ERA, 177.1 IP, 109 Ks, 114 BB)



1941-1942 Offseason

Retirees:

Joe Bowman retires ...
Sugar Cain retires ...
Ivy Andrews retires ...
Clint Brown retires ...
Ed Cotter retires ...
Wayland Dean retires ...
Gene Desautels retires ...
John Bottarini retires ...
George Cox retires ...
Ray Hayworth retires ...
Joe Glenn retires ...
Milt Galatzer retires ...
Paul Gregory retires ...
Mule Haas retires ...
Ray Dobens retires ...
Art Mclarney retires ...
Jack Russell retires ...
Dutch Leonard retires ...
Oral Hildebrand retires ...
Bob Osborn retires ...
Red Ruffing retires ...
Bill Mcafee retires ...
Si Rosenthal retires ...
Pat Malone retires ...
Jimmy Moore retires ...
Greg Mulleavy retires ...
Sam Leslie retires ...
Lee Grissom retires ...
Jay Partridge retires ...
Tommy Thevenow retires ...
Jack Saltzgaver retires ...
Red Rollings retires ...
Art Ruble retires ...
Doc Marshall retires ...
Rufus Smith retires ...
Steve Slayton retires ...
Carl Yowell retires ...
Russ Van atta retires ...
Ray Treadaway retires ...
Carl Sumner retires ...
Red Rolfe retires ...
Dick Terwilliger retires ...
Red Worthington retires ...
BOS: Dick Bass retires ...
MON: Neal Finn retires ...
MON: Alex Mustaikis retires ...
MON: Evar Swanson retires ...
PHA: Travis Jackson retires ...
ATL: John Stone retires ...
ATL: Hal Wiltse retires ...
DET: Johnny Vergez retires ...
LV: Charlie Engle retires ...
LA: Dick Gyselman retires ...
NY1: Brad Springer retires ...
PIT: Jim Peterson retires ...
CHN: Al Simmons retires ...
CIN: Augie Walsh retires ...
CIN: Ed Morgan retires ...
HOU: Harry Kimberlin retires ...
SLN: Lyn Lary retires ...
SLN: Ed Brandt retires ...
SLN: Wattie Holm retires ...
SLN: Joe Cascarella retires ...





League Outlook

A lot of teams were out of the divisional races fairly early this year and it hurt attendance all over the league. I am going to hope this was a 1 year aberration, and see what happens next season. Some classically popular baseball towns really suffered.

Free Agency, of Note

The Free Agency market this year has so many great power hitters that the power structure of the entire league could change in the next 30 days. On the other hand, there is not a single SP worth big bucks this year.

The first big signing was by LA. Actually, they were able to retain the rights of Ty Cobb winner, Joe DiMaggio (7-6-5). He resigned for 4 more years.

San Francisco signed RF Shanty Hogan (6-7-6) to a 3 year deal at 9 million per year.

Lou Gehrig (5-6-7) decided to finish his career (he is 37) with the Dallas Braves. He signed for 1 year.

The Boston Red Sox signed lifetime LA Wave, 3B Ben Chapman (6-8-8) to a 4 year deal at 11 million oer year.

Boston also signed CF Joe Medwick (8-6-6) to a 3 year deal at 8.5 million per year.

The Cubs signed CF Jeff Heath (6-5-6) to a 3 year contract.

Las Vegas signed 1B Jack Burns (7-6-6) to a 3 year contract at 7 million per year.

Amateur Draft


Here is how the entire first round played out:

Washington pick: P Hank Borowy
Brooklyn pick: P Hi Bithorn
Los Angeles pick: P Russ Christopher
Las Vegas pick: P Warren Spahn
Atlanta pick: P Bill Voiselle
Cincinnati pick: CF Tommy Holmes
Dallas pick: P Andy Lapihuska
Chicago pick: LF Clyde Vollmer
Cleveland pick: SS Johnny Pesky
Syracuse pick: 1B Eddie Robinson
Pittsburgh pick: P Hank Wyse
New York pick: SS Buddy Blattner
San Francisco pick: 2B Connie Ryan
St. Louis pick: P Dewey Adkins
Montreal pick: C Cliff Dapper
Boston pick: P Lou Tost
Philadelphia (N) pick: CF Jim Russell
Houston pick: CF Marv Rickert
Philadelphia (A) pick: LF Willard Marshall
Detroit pick: RF Johnny Barrett