April 28th, 1934 - AL Game Summaries

Harder Shuts Down Tigers in 2-1 Pitching Duel
Bridges held Tribe to 1 over 8th

Cleveland 2 10 0
Detroit 1 9 0

In a tension filled pitchers' duel in Detroit, Cleveland pitcher Mel Harder (pictured) was only a little better than his rival, Tiger Tommy Bridges, but it was just enough to give the Tribe its 5th win of the season. 'Tommy was brilliant for us today,' said Tigers manager Mickey Cochrane. 'The boys and me just couldn't get it done at the plate.' A pivotal moment came when Tigers third baseman Billy Rogell was thrown out at home plate in the bottom of the 8th with what would have been the tying run.

Joe Vosmik hit one over the fence and Mel Harder allowed Walter Johnson tor est his bullpen, tossing a complete game at Navin Field. Harder(2-0) gave a fine effort for Cleveland. He went 9 innings allowing 9 hits and 4 walks improving his ERA from 2.00 to 1.50. Detroit threatened in the 9th but their rally came up short. Bridges(0-1) suffered the loss.



Red Sox Take Opener Against NY Rivals
Boston makes it seven straight with win

Boston (AL) 7 9 5
New York (AL) 5 12 3

Right fielder Moose Solters had 2 base hits at Yankee Stadium as the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 7 to 5. Gordon Rhodes(2-1) contributed a pedestrian performance to earn the win. Heallowed 7 hits and 6 walks in 6 and 1/3 innings. Although they lost, New York did out-hit Boston 12 to 9. Rhodes was helped out by Fritz Ostermueller who recorded his 2nd save. RussVan Atta (0-1) absorbed the loss. He was knocked around pretty good, givingup 6 runs in 5 innings. Boston won for the 7th straight time. 'Everything seems to be going right forus' said Bucky Harris (pictured from his playing days in Washington). 'I've got the easiest job in the league right now!'


www.dickperez.com


White Sox Down Browns 7-3
Earnshaw picks up second victory

Chicago (AL) 7 16 0
St. Louis (AL) 3 11 1

George Earnshaw tossed a complete game and right fielder Frenchy Bordagarayhad 3 base hits as the Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Browns by a scoreof 7 to 3. Chicago set the tone of the game in the first inning scoring 2 runners on 2 hits. The highlight belonged to Zeke Bonura who silenced the stadium when helifted one out of the park for a two run home run (his 2nd of the season). Chicago banged out 16 on the afternoon. The victory was credited to Earnshaw (2-0) who went the distance, allowing 3runs. Bobo Newsom(0-1) was hit with the loss. He was knocked around by Chicago, allowing 14 hits and 5 walks in 7 and 2/3 innings.



Nationals Achieve Victory at Home Over A's
Senators improve to .500 with win

Philadelphia (AL) 4 10 1
Washington (AL) 6 8 2

In a good matchup it was the Washington Nationals 6, the Philadelphia Athletics 4 at Griffith Stadium. Washington brought 5 runs across the plate in the bottom of the 3rd inningwith the help of 4 hits. That early run support was enough for Tommy Thomas (2-0) and Washington. Philadelphia made it exciting in the 9th, but they were unable to push the needed runs across. Alex McColl got the save, his 1st. Sugar Cain (1-2) ended up with the loss. He was not very effective, surrendering 5 runs in 3 innings.

April 27th, 1934 - Book Review

Memories of a Baseball Player: Bill Werber and Baseball in the 1930s.

Bill Werber and C. Paul Rogers III

2001, pp. 250, index (privately printed)*

(Replay note: During 1934, Werber was the Red Sox's regular shortstop. Although error prone, he had an excellent season at the plate.)

Bill Werber (HA78) was mostly a journeyman infielder who had managed a few very good years during his playing career that spanned from 1933 to 1942 (with a few games in 1930).

The book is appropriately named as a collection of "memories" rather than a memoir or autobiography. It contains a broad range of Werber's anecdotes from his playing days, and does not pretend to be anything more. Because he played in both leagues, and for five teams, however, his experience was broad enough for that to give the reader a good sense of what baseball during the 1930s was like for the players. Great stories abound, of course, but the book is ultimately greater than the sum of its total.

In fact, because he was not a star, Werber's account is particularly useful. The stories are well written and well organized, which chapters specifically covering managers, various teams, umpires, etc. A fast reader could finish it in half an afternoon and, unless already well versed in the game during that era, will have a much better sense of the game during the period Werber describes when finished.

Memories suffers from the usual drawbacks of a book of its genre. It appears to be nothing more than Werber retelling all of his best baseball stories with Rogers helping to organize and edit them in an interesting, meaningful way. There are apparently no secondary sources, nor did either do any additional "homework" to make the book more than what it is. As a result, one would want to verify Werber's account, told decades after the fact. One example: Werber dates a self-inflicted foot injury to 1934, which, he explains, caused his game to decline. Bill James dates Werber's injury to 1938. Although one would think Werber himself would be the authority, a good researcher would probably want to do more digging on such points.

Still, what it is is quite enough to reward the reader well for the relatively small investment in time and attention it takes to read it.

* Publishing note: My copy only lists a printer; not a publisher. The book is available through the University of Nebraska's Bison Press at the link below. Amazon lists the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) as the publisher.

Rating: ***/**** (Recommend buying it discount or second hand)

Purchasing Information: It can be obtained from the University of Nebraska Bison Press in paperback, usually at a discount, at:

http://unp.unl.edu/bookinfo/4041.html

Or new or used through internet new and used book sellers.

April 27th, 1934 - NL Game Summaries

Warneke Blanks Cards in Cubs' 2-0 Win

Yields only two hits to earn third win


Cardinals....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 1
Cubs............... 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 x - 2 7 0



Lon Warneke (pictured) allowed only 2 hits while blanking St. Louis as the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 2 to 0. Warneke (3-0) was virtually untouchable. He didn't give up much, just 2 hits and 1 walk in 9 innings lowering his ERA to 0.67. The pitchers took over after the 2nd inning as neither team was able to score again. Tex Carleton (0-2) was given the loss. He pitched 7 innings, giving up 7 hits and 2 walks.

Warneke was obviously very pleased with his performance in the aftermath of the game, 'It was just one of those games where everything worked. My arm felt great, heck, I could have pitched another two or three innings. I only hope that I can do it again next time out!'

April 27th, 1934 - AL Standings and Leaders

Strat-O-Matic Report (brought to you by America's Railroads)

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NEWSPAPER STYLE RECAP FOR 1934 American League                 Date: 4/27/1934































 































TEAM     WON LOST   BATTING AVERAGE     HOME RUNS           RUNS BATTED IN































1934 BOA   6   2    J.Vosmik  CLA .640  J.Foxx    PHA    5  L.Gehrig  NYA   15































1934 CLA   4   2    E.Averill CLA .500  L.Gehrig  NYA    4  C.Reynold BOA   11































1934 CHA   4   3    L.Appling CHA .481  E.Averill CLA    3  P.Higgins PHA   11































1934 WAA   4   5    C.Gehring DEA .480  OTHERS TIED W    2  J.Foxx    PHA   10































1934 PHA   4   5    J.Foxx    PHA .462                      OTHERS TIED W    8































1934 DEA   3   4































1934 NYA   3   5    WINS                SAVES               ERA































1934 SLA   2   4    J.Welch   BOA    2  D.Coffman SLA    2  D.Coffman SLA 0.00































                    R.Ruffing NYA    2  OTHERS TIED W    1  R.Walberg BOA 0.00































                    E.Whitehi WAA    2                      R.Ruffing NYA 1.00































                    OTHERS TIED W    1                      G.Earnsha CHA 1.00































                                                            M.Harder  CLA 2.00































 































                    CUR HIT STREAK      STOLEN BASES        STRIKEOUTS































                    M.Solters BOA    7  E.Combs   NYA    2  J.Allen   NYA   14































                    R.Ferrell BOA    7  OTHERS TIED W    1  M.Pearson CLA   11































                    G.Walker  DEA    7                      M.Weaver  WAA    9































                    OTHERS TIED W    6                      L.Gomez   NYA    8































                                                            R.Ruffing NYA    8































 































YESTERDAY'S GAMES   TODAY'S SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS































BOA  5  at  WAA  2































CHA  2  at  DEA  9































PHA  2  at  NYA  5































 































YESTERDAY'S BEST PERFORMANCES































BATTER         TM OPP AB  R  H RB BB Ks HR SB































R.Johnson     BOA WAA  3  1  2  2  1  0  1  0































J.Foxx        PHA NYA  3  2  2  1  1  1  1  0































L.Gehrig      NYA PHA  4  2  3  2  0  0  0  0































B.Chapman     NYA PHA  4  1  2  2  0  0  0  0































H.Manush      WAA BOA  3  1  3  0  1  0  0  0































 































PITCHER        TM OPP  INN  H  R ER BB Ks HR WLS































V.Sorrell     DEA CHA  9.0  5  2  0  2  3  0 W  































J.Allen       NYA PHA  9.0  6  2  2  5 10  1 W  































H.Pennock     BOA WAA  1.1  0  0  0  0  1  0   S































B.Burke       WAA BOA  2.0  1  1  1  0  4  1    































 































WHO'S HOT - BEST IN LAST 10 DAYS































BATTER         TM  AVG AB  H RB BB HR  PITCHER        TM IP  H ER BB Ks HR WLS































J.Foxx        PHA .462 26 12 10 10  5  H.Pennock     BOA  5  2  0  0  4  0 001































E.Averill     CLA .500 24 12  6  5  3  R.Ruffing     NYA 18  9  2  4  8  2 200































L.Gehrig      NYA .382 34 13 15  4  4  J.Welch       BOA 17 16  4  6  6  0 200































B.Ruth        NYA .375 24  9  3 15  1  R.Walberg     BOA  9  8  0  1  0  0 100































C.Gehringer   DEA .480 25 12  5  8  1  E.Whitehill   WAA 18 17  6  6  5  1 200































 































WHO'S NOT - WORST IN LAST 10 DAYS































BATTER         TM  AVG AB  H RB BB HR  PITCHER        TM IP  H ER BB Ks HR WLS































O.Melillo     SLA .167 24  4  1  1  0  E.Wells       SLA  6 11  9  5  3  0 020































B.Dickey      NYA .130 23  3  3  0  0  L.Gomez       NYA  7 10  7  4  8  0 020































E.McNair      PHA .176 34  6  1  2  0  D.Macfayden   NYA 10 18 11  5  4  0 010































E.Coleman     PHA .111 18  2  2  1  0  F.Marberry    DEA 11 18 11  6  5  1 110































G.Goslin      DEA .156 32  5  4  1  0  R.Mahaffey    PHA 17 21 14  8  3  0 020































 































INJURY REPORT































No injuries to report

• Go to Strat-O-Matic Homepage

April 27th, 2934 - NL Standings and Leaders

NEWSPAPER STYLE RECAP FOR 1934 National League Date: 4/28/1934 TEAM WON LOST BATTING AVERAGE HOME RUNS RUNS BATTED IN 1934 CHN 7 2 S.Leslie BRN .500 H.Wilson BRN 3 W.Berger BON 10 1934 PIN 5 2 H.Wilson BRN .500 W.Berger BON 2 S.Leslie BRN 9 1934 BON 5 3 M.Ott NYN .500 J.Moore NYN 2 H.Wilson BRN 9 1934 NYN 4 4 C.Grimm CHN .485 M.Ott NYN 2 OTHERS TIED W 7 1934 BRN 4 4 B.Terry NYN .485 OTHERS TIED W 1 1934 PHN 3 5 1934 SLN 2 6 WINS SAVES ERA 1934 CIN 2 6 L.Warneke CHN 3 B.Smith BON 2 C.Hubbell NYN 0.00 E.Brandt BON 2 A.Herring BRN 1 B.Cantwel BON 0.00 G.Bush CHN 2 L.Warneke CHN 0.67 P.Derring CIN 2 B.Swift PIN 1.00 C.Hubbell NYN 2 C.Davis PHN 1.00 CUR HIT STREAK STOLEN BASES STRIKEOUTS M.Ott NYN 8 P.Martin SLN 3 L.Warneke CHN 20 J.Jordan BRN 7 W.English CHN 2 D.Vance CIN 16 F.Lindstr PIN 7 B.Jurges CHN 2 V.Mungo BRN 15 OTHERS TIED W 6 D.Bartell PHN 2 P.Malone CHN 11 L.Chiozza PHN 2 S.Johnson CIN 11 YESTERDAY'S GAMES TODAY'S SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS SLN 0 at CHN 2 BRN-Benge(1-0, 0.00) at PHN-Davis(1-0, 1.00) CIN-Stout(0-1, 3.00) at PIN-French(1-1, 4.61) NYN-Hubbell(2-0, 0.00) at BON-Brandt(2-0, 2.08) SLN-Dean(0-2, 3.71) at CHN-Lee(0-0, ----) WHO'S HOT - BEST IN LAST 10 DAYS BATTER TM AVG AB H RB BB HR PITCHER TM IP H ER BB Ks HR WLS H.Wilson BRN .476 21 10 8 6 2 L.Warneke CHN 18 7 0 1 12 0 200 M.Ott NYN .519 27 14 7 3 2 P.Derringer CIN 18 16 3 0 6 0 200 A.Vaughan PIN .348 23 8 7 4 1 G.Bush CHN 18 18 4 1 9 0 200 S.Leslie BRN .462 26 12 8 5 0 C.Davis PHN 9 4 1 2 2 0 100 B.Terry NYN .483 29 14 6 2 1 B.Cantwell BON 9 7 0 2 5 0 100 WHO'S NOT - WORST IN LAST 10 DAYS BATTER TM AVG AB H RB BB HR PITCHER TM IP H ER BB Ks HR WLS I.Shiver CIN .040 25 1 0 1 0 B.Hallahan SLN 8 19 11 7 4 0 010 J.Rothrock SLN .097 31 3 0 1 0 D.Luque NYN 5 15 6 1 2 0 010 J.Vergez NYN .125 24 3 0 2 0 S.Johnson CIN 13 18 12 10 6 0 020 W.English CHN .129 31 4 0 3 0 C.Moore PHN 12 18 10 7 9 2 010 J.Bottomley CIN .192 26 5 1 1 0 F.Frankhouse BON 15 24 13 9 1 0 110 INJURY REPORT No injuries to report

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 1934 National League WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC# ACTWON ACTLOST ACTPCT 1934 Chicago CHN 7 2 .778 ---- 146 86 65 .570 1934 Pittsburgh PIN 5 2 .714 1.0 74 76 .493 1934 Boston BON 5 3 .625 1.5 78 73 .517 1934 New York NYN 4 4 .500 2.5 93 60 .608 1934 Brooklyn BRN 4 4 .500 2.5 71 81 .467 1934 Philadelphia PHN 3 5 .375 3.5 56 93 .376 1934 St. Louis SLN 2 6 .250 4.5 95 58 .621 1934 Cincinnati CIN 2 6 .250 4.5 52 99 .344 OVERALL RECORD Team WON LOST PCT HOME ROAD LEFT RIGHT EXTRA 1-RUN LAST 10 STREAK BON 5 3 .625 1- 2 4- 1 0- 1 5- 2 0- 0 2- 0 5-3 Lost 1 BRN 4 4 .500 2- 3 2- 1 2- 1 2- 3 0- 0 1- 2 4-4 Won 1 CHN 7 2 .778 3- 1 4- 1 0- 0 7- 2 0- 0 1- 0 7-2 Won 2 CIN 2 6 .250 1- 4 1- 2 0- 1 2- 5 0- 0 0- 1 2-6 Lost 1 NYN 4 4 .500 4- 2 0- 2 1- 1 3- 3 0- 1 0- 2 4-4 Lost 3 PHN 3 5 .375 2- 0 1- 5 0- 1 3- 4 1- 0 2- 1 3-5 Won 2 PIN 5 2 .714 2- 0 3- 2 2- 1 3- 1 1- 0 1- 1 5-2 Won 4 SLN 2 6 .250 2- 3 0- 3 2- 1 0- 5 0- 1 1- 1 2-6 Lost 5 TOTAL 32 32 .500 TEAM -APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT+ BON 5- 3 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 BRN 4- 4 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 CHN 7- 2 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 CIN 2- 6 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 NYN 4- 4 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 PHN 3- 5 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 PIN 5- 2 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 SLN 2- 6 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 WINS ARE ACROSS, LOSSES ARE DOWN: TEAM BON BRN CHN CIN NYN PHN PIN SLN BON - 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 BRN 2 - 0 0 0 2 0 0 CHN 0 0 - 4 0 0 0 3 CIN 0 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 NYN 1 0 0 0 - 3 0 0 PHN 0 1 0 0 2 - 0 0 PIN 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 3 SLN 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 -

April 26th, 1934 - NL Player of the Week - Carl Hubbell

NL Player of the Week

“King Carl” Hubbell (HA13) pitched for the New York Giants from 1929 through 1943. He won 2 NL MVP awards and was a 9 time All Star.

In 1934 Hubbell was coming off his first MVP year (his second would be 1936). He was 21-12 with a 2.30 ERA. He led the NL in ERA and WHIP. Lifetime, Hubbell was 253-154 with an ERA of 2.98 for an almost unheard of ERA+ of 130.

Hubbell is known for his use of the screwball, which is generally thought to be the reinvention of the "fadeaway" pitch made famous by Christy Mathewson. After Mathewson retired, the pitch fell into disuse. Hubbell's use of the term "screwball" for the pitch may have caused confusion with another pitch of the same name from the 1920s, according to pitching expert and historian Rob Neyer, which was actually closer to what we now call a sinker. One possible explanation for why Hubbell's screwball was different from Mathewson's fadeaway was that the seams on the ball in the 1930s were raised, allowing for similar mechanics to produce different results. Hubbell, with his long wrists, could get an exceptional "snap" to the ball. GOI1, p. 163.

The single feat for which he is perhaps most remembered was striking out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin, all Hall of Fame hitters, in order, during the 1934 All Star game.

After retiring as a player, Hubbell became director of the Giants farm system until 1977, and then became a team scout. A "baseball man" through and through, Hubbell spent roughly 60 years with the Giants organization. According to baseball historian Bill James, during Hubbell's tenure running the Giant's scouting outfit, "the farm system was producing ballplayers like McDonald's produces hamburgers." Some of the players that emerged during Hubbell's tenure include Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, the Alou brothers, Orlando Cepeda and Gaylord Perry.

Hubbell was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/

http://www.carlhubbell.com/

April 26th, 1934 - NL Game Summaries

Pirates Beat Cardinals with Conviction
Birkofer holds Cards to 3 in first win


St. Louis (NL) 3 8 0
Pittsburgh 8 15 2


Ralph Birkofer (pictured) got far more help than he needed to get his first win of 1934 in an 8-3 win over the Cardinals. Birkofer went the distance and right fielder Wally Roettger had 2 base hits and 2 RBI as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals bya score of 8 to 3 at Forbes Field. Pittsburgh jumped on top to stay in the 3rd inning when they tallied 2 runs on 3 hits. Pittsburgh had 15 hits for the afternoon. Birkofer(1-1), allowing 3 runs for the game, picked up the victory. Bill Hallahan(0-1) was the losing pitcher. He allowed a few too many base runners giving up 11 hits and 4 walks in 3 and 2/3 innings.

Cubs Win 6th of Year in 4-1 Victory over Reds

Veteran Root goes 7 strong in Cubs' win

Cincinnati 1 6 0

Chicago (NL) 4 8 1

The Cubbies managed to win again despite trailing much of the game with a four run 8th. Charlie Root (pictured) kept the Cubs in the game by pitching 7 strong innings. 'Charlie did everything we could ask,' said manager Chuck Grimm. 'He gave us a chance to win, and I'm just glad we didn't blow it.' Cincinnati lost it in the 8th inning when Chicago did all their damage, scoring 4 runners on 4 hits. The crucial at-bat was provided by Dolph Camilli, who, while pinch hitting, electrified Wrigley Field when he slapped a single bringing in two baserunners. Chicago totaled 8 on the afternoon. Bud Tinning(1-0) was the winner allowing no runs in 2 innings. Si Johnson(0-3)was tagged with the loss. He pitched 7 and 1/3 innings allowing 5 hits and 5 walks.

Phillies Blast Giants 10-2

Outhit champs 21-6 behind strong pitching

New York (NL) 2 6 3

Philadelphia (NL) 10 21 1

The Phillies took the second game of their series with the Giants in dramatic fashion. 'We couldn't get anyone out today,' acknowledged manager Bill Terry. Philly pitcher, Phil Collins, had no such problems. Collins tossed a complete game and Don Hurst had 2 base hits and 3 RBI as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Giants by a score of 10 to2. Philadelphia went ahead for good in the bottom of the 3rd inning as theyscored 2 runs on 2 base hits. Philadelphia bats were hot in the 6th inning, which saw them plate 5 runs on 7 hits. Philadelphia totaled 21 on theafternoon. Collins(1-1) was the winner allowing 2 runs for the game. Fred Fitzsimmons(1-2) was the loser. He was knocked around pretty good, giving up5 runs in 4 innings.

Wilson Homers Twice to Lift Brooklyn in 12-2 Win

Six run 5th seals deal in Dodgers victory

Brooklyn 12 12 0

Boston (NL) 2 7 3

Hack Wilson (pictured) cracked 2 home runs and had 7 RBIs at Braves Field as the Brooklyn Dodgers, running on all cylinders, ripped the Boston Braves by a large 12 to 2 margin. Wilson provided much of the offense. He smacked a three-run homer in the 1st inning, delivered a one-base hit resulting in a run in the 5th inning, laced a base-hit in the 6th inning and belted a three-run homer (his 3rd of the season) in the 8th inning. Brooklyn had 12 hits overall, while Boston had 7. Dutch Leonard (1-0) went 7 and 2/3 innings allowing 2 runs for the win. Tom Zachary (0-1) took the loss. He was not very effective, surrendering 6 runs in 4 and 1/3 innings. 'I've spent a lot of time in the cage and made some adjustments and they've paid off,' Wilson said. 'I just take the same approach up there. I don't overanalyze it. I go up there, see the ball and try to put a good swing on it.'