AL End Of May Report

Don't knock the Rock! My first favorite Tiger.

May was the month of The Rock in my 1964 AL! No, not Duane Johnson. Rocky Colavito! Shipped out along with Jim Bunning after the Tigers' disappointing performance in 1963, Rocky showed everyone he still has plenty of thump. For the month he had 8 doubles, 13 HR, an astonishing 35 rbi, 24 runs, and a cool .331 average. But while his A's floundered around the basement anyway, a pretty thrilling three-team race developed at the top:

BAL  28-17  ---  (11-5 in 1-run games)
CHI  26-16  0.5  (most x inning games--8)
NYY  26-16  0.5
CLE  23-21  4.5
DET  23-21  4.5
WAS  25-25  5.5  (11-4 in 1-run games, 4-1 in extras)
LAA  22-26  7.5 
MIN  19-26  9
KCA  17-29  11.5  (4-11 in 1-run games)
BOS  16-28  11.5  (1-8 in 1 -run games)

PITCHING (league 3.67)
CHI  2.61  (tie most saves 14, tie most SHO 5)
NYY  2.69  (least runs against 125, most CG 13, tie most SHO 5)
LAA  3.20  
WAS  3.23  (least K's 236)
BAL  3.37  (tie most saves 14, least HR against 36)
DET  3.54   (tie least SHO 2)
CLE  4.00  (most HR against 45, tie least SHO 2)
KCA  4.26  (least saves 4)
MIN  4.89  (most K's 324)
BOS  4.93  (least CG 5, most runs against 252)

BATTING (league .230)
BOS  .250  (most doubles 84--22 more than anyone else. Tie least triples 7, least SB 4)
BAL  .246  (tie least triples 7, most SB 23)
MIN  .239  (tie most HR 58, least CS 4, most runs 223)
DET  .239  (most triples 15)
NYY  .235  
CHI  .232  (least runs 164, least doubles 45, most CS 14)
LAA  .227  (least HR 22, tie most times shut out 6)
CLE  .226  (least GIDP 23)
KCA  .213 (tie most HR 58, most GIDP 51)
WAS  .202  (tie most times shut out 6)

FIELDING  (avg is IP divided by errors)
best--NYY 17.03
worst--CLE  6.72
Least errors--NYY 22
most errors--CLE 58
most DP's--BOS 46
least DP's--CHI  25

The bizarre-o world of Juan Pizarro.

 ERA (42 IP)
Pizarro-chi 1.82, Peters-chi 1.87, Bunker-bal 1.97, Ford-ny 2.01, Chance-la 2.08, Downing-ny 2.39, Kralick-cle 2.47, Cheney-was 2.62, Horlen-chi 2.71, Bouton-ny 2.79

WINS
Chance, la  8-2
Wickersham-det 7-3 
5 tied with 6 wins

IP
Chance, la 91
Osteen, was 87
Ford, ny 85

Earl! You lead the league in K's!

K's
Wilson, bos 69
Chance, la  68
Pena, kc  63
Kaat, min 61

SHO
6 tied with 2

SAVES
Wilhelm, chi 12
Radatz, bos 11
Kline, was 10
Hall, bal 9

What, me lose?

LOSSES
Newman, la 2-6
R.Lee, la  3-6
Pena, kc  3-6
Kaat, min  4-6

CG
5 tied with 6

Love the old halos on the helmets.

AVG (113 ab)
Fregosi-la  .342, Yaz-bos .327, Piersall-la .326, B.Robinson-bal .326, Fl. Robinson-chi .326, Orsino-bal .303, Hall-min .301, Colavito-kc .299, Stuart-bos .297, Allison-min .294

HR
Colavito-kc 16, Gentile-kc 13, Powell-bal 13, Lock-was 11, Mantle-ny 11, McAuliffe-det 11

RBI
Colavito-kc 41, Hall-min 39, Hansen-chi 32, Pepitone-ny 32, Killebrew-min 31, B.Robinson-bal 31

RUNS
Versalles-min 36
Colavito, kc  34
Hall, min  33
Mantle, ny 32

The cadaverous Mister Bressoud loves two-baggers. And coffins and stuff.

DOUBLES
Bressoud, bos 16
Hansen, chi 12
Mathews, kc 12

TRIPLES
Oliva, min  6
Wert, det 4

SB
Aparicio, bal  19
Howser, cle  8 (nicknamed Howser Mudda Howser Fadda)
Davalillo, cle  7
Hinton, was  6

GIDP
Green, kc  10
Adair, bal  9

ERRORS
Howser, cle 14
3 tied with 12

TEAM REPORTS (with May record)

"Think fast, kid!"

BIRD DROPPINGS  (22-11) The O's left a mediocre April behind and roared into first place on the hot hitting of Sam Bowens (5, 28, .286), John Orsino (7, 28, .303 because he knows it's me), Brooks Robby (8, 31, .326) and Boog Powell (13, 29, .261) and the stellar bullpen work of Hall (9 saves, 1.46), Haddix (4 saves 2.32) and Miller (2-0 1.93). Dave "McLucky" McNally, barely out of diapers in '64, leads the staff with 5 wins even though he hasn't been all that good. You may have noticed the Birds lead the AL in steals with 23. Aparicio has 19 and everybody else has 4.

WHITE SOX LAUNDRY  (20-10) Despite an avalanche of injuries (Weis, Hershberger, Buzhardt, Robinson, Buford, among many others), the Pale Hose did like the Orioles and caught fire anyway. They do it with pitching; the hitting--apart from Hansen (7, 32, .275) and Floyd Robinson (3, 28, .326)--is pretty awful. Pete Ward (3, 16, .204) was expected to produce, but hasn't. "I'd prefer not to," he opined. 

YANKEE DOODLES  (17-13) The Yanks, too, have depended on their stellar pitching staff. The only ERA on the starting staff above 3.00 is Roland Sheldon's, at 3.09. The bullpen by committee has been excellent as well, although lefty Steve Hamilton (4.50) has sometimes been an adventure. Mickey Mantle (11, 25, .269) started the month red hot but then tailed off. Your Impartial Goddess would like to see him rev up again. The bats have been so-so with Howard (2, 15, .268), Tresh (2, 14, .241), and Boyer (a dismal 1, 5, .145) not exactly lighting it up. Maris is hitting only .243 but has 27 rbi. Joe Pepitone is in the same category with 7, 32, .235. 

TRIBE WAMPUM  (14-16)  As Leon "Daddy Wags" Wagner goes, so go the Indians. He had a terrible April, then got red hot in early may, only to go to sleep again later. He shows 9, 26, .237 for the season. Fred "Wing Man" Whitfield, when not helping Wagner pick up dates, fizzled from a torrid April to a torpid May, settling in at 4, 22, .224 and a seat on the bench. "Mad" Max Alvis, though hitting a dismal .188, has 6 blasts and 25 rbi. When I dropped him to 5th and installed Jose Azcue (3, 17, .284) at clean-up, the team took off, only to stumble at month's end. Much ballyhooed lefty Sam McDowell is just 1-5. 

TIGER TALES  (16-15) The Tigers are what I suppose they should be in '64, a pretender and a tease. They have a very balanced line-up with a lot of platoon options, but they are inconsistent anyway. Cash (7, 21, .258) and Kaline (11 doubles, .286) have done their bit, but Freehan (1, 8, .245) just can't get untracked. Dave Wickersham has lived up to expectations at 7-3, 3.10, but Lolich has fallen short with 3-5, 4.27. fred "The Bear" Gladding is a bullpen gem with a sparking 1.35 ERA. 

He feels no pain.

WASHING-TOON  (16-19) The Nats are giddy to have reached the end of May with a .500 record! Winning squeakers right and left has been their trick. Sore-armed Tom Cheney (who fanned 21 in a game in 1962) leads the staff with 6-3, 2.62. In actuality, his arm was so sore he could not pitch more than 4 or 5 innings without severe pain in '64, but I spoke with his card and the card reports no pain at all. Quoth Tom: "I feel good. The pure uncut Turkish heroin really helps!" Tom wonders, though, why he has to meet the team trainer in a shitty part of town to get it. Tom also leads the team in K's, with 44. (Skipper Gil Hodges and Cheney argued about Cheney's sore arm, with Hodges wanting him to start and go deep into games, which Cheney could not. Hodges also suggested picking cotton and washing his car.) Don Lock (11, 27, .245) provides what pop the Senators have, and with his 1-5-5 power numbers, he waxes Ruthian any time there is a runner on first. 

ANGELS ANGLES  (14-19)  Dean Chance has been a beast so far, probably the most dominant pitcher in the league. After him , it gets dicey. Jim Fregosi (7, 28, .342) and relic Joe Adcock (8, 28,.248) provide the muscle. Relief man Bob Lee has coughed up several games, absorbing 6 losses against 3 wins and notching only 3 saves. His 2.23 ERA isn't bad, but he *is* an A&CX. C'mon, Bob. Twirler Ed Sukla has vowed to start spelling his name Suck-la after giving up 9 earnies in 2 and a third innings. What a fool!

TWIN KILLINGS  (15-16)  The Twinks' pitching has been absolutely horrid all year, but an 11-0 win over Boston on the final day of the month allowed the Twins staff to edge just ahead of Boston's in ERA and runs allowed. Hitting is no problem--the Twins bash the ball all over the place on a regular basis, though Killebrew (10, 31,.256) did inexplicably stop hitting homers mid-month, and Oliva, while slugging 10 homers, is batting just .265. But back to the pitching. The bullpen has been dreadful, losing numerous games the team was leading in. When they acquire some help in a few weeks, they should improve. 

"It's my last hurrah!"

FINLEY FOLLIES  (12-21)  What a weird team. The A's are 9th in the league in BA, but tied for the lead in HRs and third in runs scored. Most of the thunder comes from twin geezers Colavito (16, 41, .299) and Gentile (13, 31 .269) though Hawk Harrelson--who only plays against lefties--has battered them to the tune of 7, 26, .250. The team's pitching is sad, but they did receive unexpected gems from a couple of babies called up from the Asphalt City Slagheaps of the Industrial Waste League to make spot starts. Lew Krausse had a good game and Blue Moon Odom (2.26) was outstanding before returning to the Slagheaps for more seasoning. 

BOSTON BEANINGS  (12-18)  Ugh. This team may set a record for most innings pitched by DW pitchers. Monbouquette (4-3 3.25) and Wilson (5-3 3.55) are serviceable, but after that we have Lamabe (0-5 10.02), Morehead (0-3 9.13), Connolly (1-4 7.29) and a host of shit relievers like Charton (6.95), Gray (8.59) and Spanswick (6.75). The Bosox do have "The Monster", Dick Radatz, who boasts 44 K's in 37.2 innings, and 11 saves to go with a 2.63 ERA. But he is also 0-4. For some reason, the Cleveland Indians have his number, absolutely raking him twice in the month. "The only good Indian is a dead Indian," quipped Dick. For offense, the team favors doubles, rapping tons of them off the green monster. Bob Tillman just missed the batting leaders at .292. But Dick Stuart is a mystery. Counted on to slug HR's, he has just 3. But he has 27 rbi and is hitting .297 with 10 doubles. "All things in moderation," he advises. Spare part Roman Mejias, with an unprepossessing card, won the right field job by hitting .320 in 97 ab's, but then rampaging Visigoths slaughtered him and he's missed some action. I normally won't blatantly over-use players from what they actually did, but Mejias was a productive regular player as recently as 1962, so I feel like if he hit like he's been doing, they would have played him. The toga he favors is a bit much, though. Red Sox flannels, please, Roman!

I hope you enjoyed this update. If you missed the NL report, it's HERE. Bye for now.

Your Impartial Goddess. (If she were a lot younger, prettier, and had some balloons.)