Evolution 1928

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1928 Recap

Reports:

League standings
League batting leaders
League pitching leaders
League fielding leaders

Teams:

World Series:

Expos defeat Red Sox

World Series Recap

MVP

Cy Young

First Team All-stars

Second Team All-stars

New Records

August

The big news in August was the Knickerbockers getting red hot and going 22-7 to vault into first place in the Western Division setting up an exciting four team race for the division title. None of the teams has been consistent enough to play .500 but each has managed to put together at least one very good month. Whoever manages to do so in September will find themselves in the playoffs. At this point the Knicks have to be the favourite as they appear to be the only team with enough pitching to match up down the stretch.

How much of a prize a playoff position will be however is an open question. The winner of the four team race in the West faces the unenviable task of facing either the powerful Expos or Red Sox teams. In any other division in any other league the Red Sox would be a first place team riding high after a 18-10 month. Unfortunately for the Red Sox 18-10 meant they lost four games to the league leading Expos who posted a 22-6 mark. Still its unclear that the Expos are that much a superior team. Since June 1 st when the Expos made their big in season trade acquiring Joe Sewell, Jim Botttomley and Alex Metzler the two top teams have identical 60-24 records. The Expos advantage in the standings stems from results in April and May before both teams made the moves that have transformed them into elite teams. Should they meet in the world series it may be a confrontation for the ages.

Before that can happen the wildcard team will have to face the winner of the Eastern Division. The Collusion enter the month of September with a sizeable lead but some usage problems with the starting rotation. Still barring a precipitous collapse they should be able to win their second straight division title. There could be some real drama in the race for the first pick overall (probably Bill Dickey) between the Redlegs and the Bandits.

In the awards races a monster summer by the Babe has brought him front and center for the MVP. It will be interesting to see how the voters choose to value the difference between Ruth and Gehrig. The Cy Young is too close to call at this point with a number of good candidates. Whomever puts up the numbers in September will likely walk away with the award.

A number of records will surely fall in the second season of the league. Lou Gehrig has already broken George Burns record for doubles in a season. Dazzy Vance has broken his own record for strikeouts in a season but only leads Lefty Grove by one. That record will go back and forth until the finish. This season has also seen Earle Combs tie his own record with a 31 game hit streak. On the team level the Expos are a good bet to set records for wins (98), runs scored (968) and runs allowed (697), while the Mud Hens will certainly break the record for losses (98) and runs allowed (976). Interestingly enough the Knicks could break the record for fewest runs scored (702) while still making the playoffs.

June

The month of June saw dramatic reversals in the Eastern and Western divisions as both the Redlegs and Pisces put up impressive months to take first place in their respective divisions. The Redlegs went 20-9 for the month and scored an amazing 242 runs in those 29 games to take a two game lead over the Collusion. The Redlegs aren't that good on offense but they picked the right time to get hot as both the Collusion and the Dodgers came back to earth in June. The Giants continue to hover around .500 but when other teams are scoring 8.3 runs a game that's just not good enough.

In the West the first place Bruisers suffered through a cataclysmic 4-22 month and now find themselves tied for last place trailing the Pisces by. Everything went wrong for the Bruisers led by the implosion of a pitching staff that posted a 8.30 ERA for the month. The beneficiary of this collapse is the Pisces who got hot at the right time and posted a 17-9 record. Still no team in the division is playing over .500 and with no good teams, all of the teams have a legitimate chance. This may be the most exciting race to watch as managers try and squeeze every victory out of their undermanned and unbalanced squads.

In the Central the Expos rode the momentum of their blockbuster deal with the Mud Hens (and Jim Bottomley's massive bat) to a 21-8 record in June. With this trade the Expos are the class of the league and should cruise to the playoffs. Hot on their heels, however, are the defending champion Red Sox who realized the dividends of acquiring reigning MVP Lou Gehrig, who hit an amazing .491 for the month, with a 20-9 record. The Red Sox only trail the Expos by six games and will surely do their best to make up the difference. The loser of that battle is a good bet to take the wildcard once again. It's been a disappointing season so far for the preseason favourite Bandits. They've been solid with the fourth best run differential in the league but their won-loss record is slightly more pedestrian and they find themselves mired in third place looking up at the playoffs. There is too much talent on this team for anyone to be satisfied with their performance so far. Look for them to make a big push in the second half of the season.

It was a month for the hitters as 6 different players hit over .400 for the month. Heinie Manush wasn't one of them but he did have a 29 game hitting streak, the second best in the history of the league. The MVP race is shaping up to be a great one as both Lou Gehrig and Jim Bottomley are putting up monster seasons. Throw in that they were both traded in mid-season and who knows with whom the voters will go. The best pitcher this season has been Charlie Root, but unless he wins some more games it looks like Dolly Gray or Lefty Grove are the leading candidates.

Player of the Month

Lou Gehrig (3), Red Sox, 491/597 /728 19 XBH, 32 runs, 27 RBI

Honourable Mention

Paul Waner, Redlegs, 429/520/675, 22 XBH, 39 runs , 23 RBI
Jim Bottomley (3), Expos, 374/492/710, 13 2B, 7 3B, 3 HR, 31 runs, 30 RBI
Al Simmons, Giants, 375/ 405/ 775 , 10 2B, 4 3B, 10 HR , 24 XBH , 21 runs, 42 RBI
Pie Traynor, Pisces, 448/475/664, 18 XBH, 26 runs, 30 RBI
Earle Combs (2), Expos, 419/490/574, 13 XBH, 33 runs, 36 RBI
Joe Judge, Giants, 421/488/617, 13 XBH, 21 run, 13 RBI
Del Bissonette (2), Dodgers, 371/402/647, 9 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 21 runs, 30 HR
Heinie Manush (2), Bandits, 385/427/598, 15 XBH, 24 runs, 11 RBI
Hack Wilson, Redlegs, 400/472/564, 16 XBH, 26 runs, 25 RBI

Pitcher of the Month

Guy Bush, Pisces, 4-0, 1.29 ERA, 4 GS, CG, SHO, 35 IP, 1.00 Qst%

Honourable Mention

Charlie Root (2), Giants, 4-0, 1.74, 6 GS, 2 CG, 47 IP, .833 Qst%
Hank Johnson, Redlegs, 3-0, 1 SV, 1.76, 4 GS, CG, SHO, 41 IP.75 Qst%
Ownie Carroll, Expos, 3-0, 1 SV, 1.78, 4 GS, CG, 35 IP, .75 QSt%
Dolly Gray (3), Red Sox, 6-2, 2.89, 8 GS, 2 CG, SHO, 65 IP, .625 Qst %
Waite Hoyt, Redlegs, 5-3, 2.77, 8 GS, 2 CG, SHO, 55 IP, .750 Qst%
Burleigh Grimes, Giants, 3-3, 2.63, 6 GS, 4 CG, SHO, 48 IP, .667Qst%
General Crowder, Expos, 4-1, 1 SV, 6 GS, 48 IP, 1.00 Qst%

May

The big story heading into the month of May was the blockbuster trade that sent MVP Lou Gehrig from the Knickerbockers to the defending champion Red Sox. This united the two best hitters in the league in a devastating one-two punch but at the expense of a great deal of the Red Sox depth. After one month the results of the trade have been mixed. While Gehrig and Ruth have certainly mashed the Red Sox' pitching has faltered and they finished with only a 14-13 record for the month, certainly a disappointment to management. The Knicks, on the other hand, rebounded from a horrible 6-18 start to go 14-13 and get right back in the race in a weak Western division. This could turn out to be quite a trade for the Knicks, especially if the Red Sox fail to make the playoffs and the first round pick that was traded turns into the first pick overall.

Elsewhere the Eastern division is shaping up for a great season long race as all four teams played over .500 for the month. The Collusion have the best record in the league despite a negative run differential. A 16-3 record in one run games will do that for you. The Dodgers are right behind them despite a run differential that is no better than the Redlegs and the Giants. A late month sweep by the Redlegs of the powerful Bandits put them right in the hunt as we head into the summer months. This division will certainly go down to the wire and with the wildcard likely to come from the Central division it will be no holds barred the rest of the way.

In the Central the Expos posted a league best 17-10 record to take over first place while the Bandits and Red Sox faltered some. While all three teams have the potential for dominating offenses and defenses it is the Expos that have come to play averaging a league best 6 r/g while only allowing under four. The Bandits haven't scored as many runs as expected. The offense while posting outstanding performances by its stars is weighed down by Pinky Whitney and Hod Ford who seem incapable of getting on base at an acceptable clip. The Red Sox, on the other hand, are scoring plenty of runs but are being dragged down by a 4.86 team ERA and Ted Lyons' disaster of a season (7.87 ERA). Look for both the Bandits and the Red Sox to play better in the summer months. Finally the Mud Hens came down to earth with a 7-20 record while playing the three powerhouse teams of the division. The Mud Hens finished in the first division last season but may have to do something dramatic to build for the future.

Finally the teams of the West continue to struggle without any standout team. The Bruisers and the Knicks posted the best months with 14 and 13 records leaving the Bruisers with a six game lead over the Pisces. If the Pisces or the Knicks can get hot they should be able to make up some ground as the Bruisers enter June with an injury depleted lineup. In any other division it may be over for the Pilgrims. Even so they'll have to make a move soon if the franchise wants to return to respectability.

Old pitchers continue to do well as 37 year old lefty spitballer Clarence Mitchell helped lead the Expos to a stellar month with a 5-0 record and an ERA under one. The only problem is that it's unlikely the old body will be able to maintain this amount of work. On the offensive side of the battle Heinie Manush of the Bandits used 51 hits and a .440 average to score 37 runs in the month. Manush who has already had a 19 game hit streak this season carries a 16 gamer into the month of June. Taylor Douthit of the Dodgers holds the longest hit streak of the season. He is at 22 games and counting. The Evolution record is 31 games set by Earle Combs last season.

Player of the Month

Heinie Manush Bandits, 440/463/707, 51 hits, 37 runs, 14 RBI, 13 2B, 35 RC

Honourable Mention

Jim Bottomley (2), Mud Hens, 380/466/740, 25 runs, 22 RBI, 10 2B, 6 HR, 35 RC
Babe Ruth (2), Red Sox, 304/484/641, 22 runs, 24 RBI, 10 HR, 30 RC
Lou Gehrig (2) , Red Sox, 375, 457, 607, 26 runs, 19 RBI, 12 2B, 30 RC
Jimmie Foxx, Dodgers, 404/485/629, 19 runs, 25 RBI, 27 RC
Del Bissonette, Pigrims, 295/383/648, 21 runs, 21 RBI, 8 HR, 26 RC
Earle Combs, Expos, 342/421/547, 25 runs, 16 RBI, 11 2B, 5 3B, 26 RC
Lloyd Waner, Bruisers, 368/400/535, 18 runs, 26 RBI, 25 RC

Pitcher of the Month

Clarence Mitchell (1), Expos, 5-0, 0.78, 9 G, 4 GS, 4 QS, CG, SHO, 39 IP

Honourable Mention

Carl Hubbell, Collusion, 4-0, 4/5 SV, 0.62. 10 G/2GS, 2 CG, 2 QS, 29 IP
Bump Hadley, Knicks, 4-0, 1.90, 5 GS, 3 CG, 4 QS, 43 IP
Art Delaney, Knicks, 1-2, 1.77, 6 GS, CG, 3 QS, SHO, 36 IP
Sherriff Blake, Giants, 3-1, 1 SV, 1.52, 4 GS, 2 CG, 3 QS, SHO, 30 IP
Ray Benge, Dodgers, 3-0, 2.06, 4 GS, CG, 3 QS, 35 IP
Lefty Grove (2), Collusion, 4-0, 2.21, 5 GS, 4 CG, 4 QS, 41 IP
Slim Harriss, Bruisers, 3-1, 2.30, 6 GS, 3 CG, 5 QS, 47 IP
Dolly Gray (2) , Red Sox, 4-2, 2.38, 7 GS, 3 CG, 5 QS, 53 IP

April

The 1928 season has started with a flourish with an exciting balance
of excellent pitching and hitting performances.  In the East both
Cuyahoga Falls and the Brooklyn franchise have raced out to the
front with 17-9 records.  Both of these teams are destined to come
back to earth as they have done surprisingly well in one run games. 
The Collusion have been especially lucky playing eight games
over .500 with only an eight run advantage in runs scored.  The
primary victim of that good luck appears to be the Giants as they
are six games under .500 despite a better run differential than the
Collusion.  The largest victim of this misfortune is pitcher Charlie
Root, who last season lost 21 games despite an ERA of 3.61, this
season has a record of only 1-2 despite leading the league with a
1.06 ERA in 42 IP.  Expect this trend to even out over the course of
the season for the Giants but it may not happen right away as the
Giants start the month of May with three outfielders, including star
Al Simmons, injured.

The Central Division showed its strength in the first month of the
season as all four teams posted winning records.  At the front of
the pack are preseason world series favourites the Beaver Falls
Bandits who hold a 16-7 record built on the strength of a six game
sweep of the Boston Pilgrims.  With 15 intra-divisional games the
month of May may set the pattern for this division the rest of the
season.

The Western Division saw immediate separation as both the
Knickerbockers and the Pilgrims have faltered early with 6-18
records.  For the Knicks the problem is an offense that scored only
83 runs in 24 games (3.5/g), worst in the league.  This despite the
efforts of reigning MVP Lou Gehrig who posted a 1203 OPS. 
Unfortunately for the Knicks every other player was below average as
the Knicks are last in almost every offensive category. The Pilgrims
have the opposite problem as they allowed 175 an amazing 7.2 r/g.. 
In the midst of these struggles the Bruisers (13-11) and the Pisces
(11-13) seek to make it a two team race.  The preseason wisdom was
that whatever team found some pitching would win the division.  So
far no one has but the Bruisers have scored the most runs in the
league and that's good enough for first place.

In the individual awards Jim Bottomley has gotten off of a great
start to take the lead over perennial contenders Rogers Hornsby, Lou
Gehrig and Babe Ruth.  On the pitching side 37 year old Eppa Rixey
has rushed to the lead with a 5-0 record to lead the league in
wins.  If the Dodgers hope to keep up their winning ways it will be
on the back of efforts like this one.

Player of the Month

Jim Bottomley—Detroit Mud Hens—390/500/780, 21 runs, 34 RBI, 7 HR, 4 3B

Honourable Mention
Rogers Hornsby—Bandits—423/536/718, 17 runs, 27 RBI, 5 HR
Babe Ruth—Red Sox—333/448/782, 18 runs, 31 RBI, 11 HR (including a 3 HR game)
Lou Gehrig—Knicks—402/520/683
Freddy Leach—Collusion—411/472/684, 39 hits, 12 2B
Lu Blue—Red Sox—355/459/613
Andy High—Redlegs—424/515/518, 36 hits

Pitcher of the Month

Eppa Rixey—Brooklyn Dodgers— 5-0, 1.85, 5 GS, 5 QS, 39 IP


Honourable Mention
Charlie Root, Giants, 2-3, 1.06, 5 GS, 5 QS, 42 IP
Dolly Gray, Red Sox, 4-2, 2.20, 6 GS, 4 QS, 49 IP, 1 SHO
Jack Quinn, Bandits, 2-0, 1.99, 4 GS, 4 QS, 32 IP
George Uhle, Dodgers, 3-1, 2.08, 5 GS, 4 QS, 39 IP, 1 SHO, 1 SV
Firpo Marberry, Pisces, 1-2, 1.65, 3 GS, 2 QS, 27 IP, 3/3 SV
Red Lucas, Expos, 2-1, 2.30, 4 GS, 4 QS, 31 IP, 2/2 SV
Jack Ogden, Bruisers, 3-0, 2.25, 4 GS, 3 QS, 32 IP
Lefty Grove, Collusion, 4-0, 2.83, 7 GS, 4 QS, 54 IP, 1 SHO