[size=18:127608f232][b:127608f232]SEASON #1 RECAP[/b:127608f232][/size:127608f232]
The inaugural season of the 15-SEASON FRANCHISE LEAGUE saw the four playoff teams as clearly the class of the season. No team finished closer than 10 games to the closest playoff participant.
The Cubs won the Western Division by 10 games over the Indians, and the Northsiders were led by 3 20-game winners in Pete Alexander(24-13), Mordecai Brown(22-16), and Jack Pfiester(22-14), with Bruce Sutter (35 Saves) anchoring the bullpen. The Cubs were led at the plate by Hack Wilson(.285, 66 HR, 166 RBI) and Rogers Hornsby(.346, 50 HR, 153 RBI), while Ernie BAnks inexplicably batted .191 for the season.
The A's ran away with the Central, obliterating the field by 20 games. They also swept the Awards Race. Jimmie Foxx was the league's MVP, batting .346, with 69 home Runs and 155 RBI. Chief Bender(25-11, 3.59 ERA) was the Cy Young Award Winner, and Dennis Eckersley's 38 Saves swept him to the Fireman of the Year Award. The A's also received offensive support from Mark McGwire, Al Simmons, and Reggie Jackson, while Eddie Plank(21-11) and Catfish Hunter(23-13) also won 20 games.
The Eastern Division provided the only excitement as the regular season wound down to the final series. The Giants led the Yankees by 1 game going into the last series. While the Yankees were winning 2 out of 3 from the Braves, the Giants were swept by Ty Cobb and the Tigers, who would not go down without a fight. The Yankees won the East by one game over the Giants.
The Division Champion Yankees were led on the mound by ROn Guidry(20-17), JAck Chesbro(22-13), and Whitey Ford(23-16). The muscle at the plate was provided by Lou Gehrig(50 HR, 139 RBI), Babe Ruth(59 HR, 143 RBI), Joe DiMaggio(.332, 141 RBI) and Mickey Mantle(59 HR, 124 RBI), but the greatest punch was packed by rightfielder Roger Maris(72 HR, 160 RBI).
The Wild Card Giants were a pitching-dominated team, with Christy Mathewson(21-17), Tim Keefe(23-13), and ERA leader Joe McGinnity(21-16, 3.36 ERA)leading the boys at Coogan's Bluff to the playoffs.
In the playoffs, the A's swept the Giants in 3 games, as Mark McGwire blasted 4 home runs to pace the attack. The Yankees and Cubs semifinal was hotly contested, culminating in a winner-take-all Game 5. Pete Alexander and Ron Guidry each went the distance. The Yankees jumped to an early 3-0 lead after two innings, and then hung on as the Cubs scored one each in the last three innings, giving Guidry the victory.
The World Series was a continuation of the New York beat-down that the A's administered to the Giants in the semifinals, as they defeated the Yankees 4 games to 2. The A's spotted the Bronx Bombers the first two games, then swept the next four to grab the World Championship. Post-Season MVP Mark McGwire hit 7 Home Runs in the four A's victories. After the series, Yankees manager George M. Cohan said, "That's a great team OVER THERE."
[URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/tiny%20logos/?action=view¤t=vetgeqg92o7bdmgqav4kljjwb-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/tiny%20logos/vetgeqg92o7bdmgqav4kljjwb-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL] [color=green:127608f232][size=18:127608f232][b:127608f232]WORLD CHAMPION ATHLETICS[/b:127608f232][/size:127608f232][/color:127608f232] [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/tiny%20logos/?action=view¤t=vetgeqg92o7bdmgqav4kljjwb-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/tiny%20logos/vetgeqg92o7bdmgqav4kljjwb-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL]
[size=18:127608f232]MVP--Jimmie Foxx, A's [/size:127608f232][URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL] [img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/H-K/foxx31-1-2.jpg[/img:127608f232]
[size=18:127608f232]CY YOUNG--Chief Bender, A's [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL] [img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/A-C/ChiefBender-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
FIREMAN--Dennis Eckersley, A's [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL] [img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/D-G/dennis-eckersley-1-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
[b:127608f232]League Leaders[/b:127608f232]
Batting Average--Ty Cobb, Tigers .387 [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=txtu234jlffk0q5l62uhnwm3q-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/txtu234jlffk0q5l62uhnwm3q-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Decorated%20images/cobb1912-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Home Runs--Roger Maris, Yankees 72 HR [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=7205-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/7205-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/O-R/maris2.jpg[/img:127608f232]
RBI---Mark McGwire, A's 180 RBI [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/L-N/markmcgwire3-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Runs--BAbe Ruth, Yankees 161 R [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=7205-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/7205-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL] [img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/A-C/Babe_Ruth-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Hits---Ty Cobb, Tigers 247 H [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=txtu234jlffk0q5l62uhnwm3q-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/txtu234jlffk0q5l62uhnwm3q-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Decorated%20images/cobb1912-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Doubles--Ty Cobb, Tigers 54 2b [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=txtu234jlffk0q5l62uhnwm3q-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/txtu234jlffk0q5l62uhnwm3q-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Decorated%20images/cobb1912-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Triples--Elmer Flick, Indians 21 3b [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=wnyd2zhh84f50ux4uxyqbktbh-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/wnyd2zhh84f50ux4uxyqbktbh-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/D-G/elmerflick2-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Stolen Bases--Tim Raines, White Sox 41 SB [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=oxvkprv7v4inf5dgqdebp0yse-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/oxvkprv7v4inf5dgqdebp0yse-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/S-T/timraines-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Hit Streak--Harry Heilmann, Reds 34 Games* [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=2919-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/2919-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/H-K/heilmann2-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
[b:127608f232]Pitching Leaders[/b:127608f232]
Wins---Chief Bender, A's 25-11 [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/fbf8agpcrht8b1wlh5el22hba-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/A-C/bender-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Saves--Hoyt Wilhelm, White Sox 40 SV [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=oxvkprv7v4inf5dgqdebp0yse-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/oxvkprv7v4inf5dgqdebp0yse-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/H-K/PCHoytWilhelm-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Strikeouts--Tom Seaver, Reds 365 K* [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=2919-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/2919-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/S-T/1979Topps100TomSeaverReds-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
ERA--Joe McGinnity, Giants 3.36 ERA [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=cpqj6up5bvgpoedg5fwsk20ve-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/cpqj6up5bvgpoedg5fwsk20ve-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/H-K/image035-1.jpg[/img:127608f232]
Shutouts--Juan Marichal, Giants 4 ShO [URL=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/?action=view¤t=cpqj6up5bvgpoedg5fwsk20ve-1-1.gif][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/supersmall%20Logos/cpqj6up5bvgpoedg5fwsk20ve-1-1.gif[/img:127608f232][/URL][/size:127608f232][img:127608f232]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/andycummings/Players%20Photos/H-K/marichal-2.jpg[/img:127608f232]
[size=18:127608f232]* indicates Single Season Record[/size:127608f232]