1934 All-Star Series MVP

It is not often that a player on a team that did not win a series is named series MVP. But it does happen sometimes, and this All-Star Series is one of those times. Mel Ott takes home the trophy after batting .385 with 2 home runs, 3 runs scored, and a remarkable 8 RBI in just three games. Batting cleanup, Ott carried the NL offense throughout the series with all five of his hits going for extra bases. Master Melvin's productive bat reminded Giants fans of his dominant performance a year earlier when he helped New York prevail in the 1933 World Series. Other leading NL contributors included Frankie Frisch, who batted .455 with 3 walks and 3 runs scored. Leadoff hitter Arky Vaughn batted .333 and scored twice. Carl Hubbell tossed a complete-game victory with just two earned runs in Game 2 to keep his team in contention.

There were several key contributors to the series victory by the American League All-Stars. Lou Gehrig batted .556 and scored a couple runs, but his only RBI came on a solo home run. Mickey Cochrane hit .462 and drove in a pair of runs. Earl Averill also batted over .400 and drove in all three runs for the AL in the championship game. Lefty Gomez surrendered only three runs in his complete-game victory in Game 3.

Cool Papa Bell led the Negro National League attack with four hits, 3 runs scored, 2 RBI, and a stolen base in his two games. Ray Dandridge and Oscar Charleston each tallied three hits and combined for three RBI. Satchel Paige gave up only one earned run in six innings to pick up the victory in Game 1.

NL All-Stars vs. AL All-Stars

The top players from the National League and the American League headed to Ebbets Field for a final game to determine the 1934 All-Star Series champion. The Junior Circuit, the home team in this contest (via coin flip), gave the ball to Cleveland ace Mel Harder. The NL sent Cubs hurler Lon Warneke to the mound.

Both pitchers kept the opposing bats in check over the first three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Red Sox third baseman Billy Werber led off with a single. Two batters later, Cleveland centerfielder Earl Averill belted a Warneke fastball over the right field wall. The AL maintained its 2-0 lead through the next three innings. In the top of the 8th, Frankie Frisch drew a one-out walk. Bill Terry followed with a single and Mel Ott tied the game with a two-run double into the right field corner.

Neither team scored in the ninth and the game headed to extra innings. Bobo Newsom, who replaced Harder after the eighth, surrendered a leadoff single to Arky Vaughn in the top of the tenth, but then retired the next three NL batters in order. Phillies ace Curt Davis came out of the bullpen to pitch the bottom of the 10th—this would be his first action of the series. Bill Dickey, pinch hitting in the pitcher's spot, drew a leadoff walk. Werber then hit a slow roller to short that Vaughn barehanded but then threw wildly to first. With AL runners at second and third with nobody out, Davis intentionally walked Charlie Gehringer to load the bases. Averill then singled through the drawn-in infield to drive in the winning run.

The American League claimed the championship in a competitive series that came down to the final at bat.

All-Star Series Game 4: AL 3, NL 2 (10 innings)

NNL All-Stars vs. AL All-Stars

The Negro National League All-Stars controlled their own fate heading into the third game of the series. With a win, the NNL would be crowned champions. But an AL victory would mean that all three teams finished at 1-1 and a tie-breaker (total run scored) would determine the two teams that would play for the title. The venue for this matchup was the Polo Grounds. The American League started Lefty Gomez; the NNL gave the ball to their elite southpaw, Slim Jones.

The NNL scored first when Cool Papa Bell tripled in the top of the third to drive in Chester Williams. The AL answered in the bottom of the frame after two errors and three singles plated three runs. An inning later Jones ran into more trouble after three singles loaded the bases. Bob Johnson of the Athletics then unloaded them with a three-run double. Joe Cronin later doubled home Johnson to put the AL ahead 7-1.

The NNL closed the gap in the top of the fifth after three doubles (Chester Williams, Cool Papa Bell, and Sam Bankhead) tallied a couple runs. An inning later the AL increased their lead to 9-3 after Lou Gehrig homered and Mickey Cochrane delivered an RBI single. Gomez cruised the rest of the way for a complete-game victory in which he surrendered only six hits.

Given that all three teams finished at 1-1, those last two runs by the AL proved far more important than just insurance. Total runs in the series after this game: NL (15), AL (11), NNL (9). The National League will play the American League in a final game to determine the All-Star Series champion.

All-Star Series Game 3: AL 9, NNL 3  

AL All-Stars vs NL All-Stars

The American League all-stars battled the National League all-stars at Ebbets Field in Game 2 of my 1934 series. Thwarted by defensive miscues in their first contest, the NL turned to Carl Hubbell to try to keep the powerful AL bats in check. The Junior Circuit gave the ball to Schoolboy Rowe.

The AL scored in the top of the first when Bob Johnson singled to drive in Billy Werber, who had led off the game with a double. Mel Ott put the NL on top in the bottom of the opening frame with a two-run homer that plated Arky Vaughn. Both Rowe and Hubbell then settled down to toss four straight scoreless innings. But in the sixth, Lou Gehrig tripled and came home on a Babe Ruth groundout.

With the AL leading 2-1, Wes Ferrell relieved Rowe for the seventh. The Boston hurler immediately ran into trouble. After Frankie Frisch singled, his Cardinal teammate Ripper Collins blasted a two-run shot to put the NL in front. Later in the inning, two singles, a walk, another single, and an RBI groundout added three more runs for the Senior Circuit. Lefty Stewart came on to pitch the eighth for the AL and fared no better. NL hitters put up five more runs on a three-run homer from Ott and a two-run blast from Gabby Hartnett. Hubbell went the distance for the National League, while his offense pounded out 20 hits.

The American League will try to shake off this drubbing and right the ship against the Negro National League in Game 3.

All-Star Series Game 2: NL 12, AL 2

NL All-Stars vs. NNL All-Stars

For my next set of Diamond Legacies games, I've created all-star teams from the three major leagues in 1934: American League, National League, and Negro National League. Each team will play the other teams one time. If one of the teams wins both of its games, that team is the champion. If all three teams go 1-1, then the two teams that have scored the most runs will face off in a final game for the championship.

The National League all-stars played the Negro National League all-stars in the first game. Yankee Stadium hosted the contest, and a coin flip determined the NNL was the home team. Dizzy Dean and Satchel Paige were the starting pitchers. The National League took a 1-0 lead in the second when a Gabby Hartnett groundout allowed Mel Ott to score. Arky Vaughn scored on an error in the top of the sixth to increase the NL lead to two.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Cool Papa Bell doubled. The next four NNL batters reached on two errors and two singles, scoring three runs. Bert Johnson drove in another run on a groundout and Sam Bankhead delivered an RBI-single to put the NNL ahead 5-2. Hits from Bell and Ray Dandridge in the seventh plated another run for the home team. Doubles by Bill Terry and Mel Ott in the eighth narrowed the gap to 6-3, but the National League would not score again. Paige pitched six innings to pick up the win, while Dean took the loss despite surrendering only one earned run in six innings.

All-Star Series Game 1: NNL 6, NL 3

Diamond Legacies Book 4

Time for an update about the next volume of Diamond Legacies. Work has begun! The featured year is between the first volume and the third volume in the series. The upcoming Book 4 will include the following new items:

• Hit and Run Rule: Get ready to put those runners in motion!
• Conversion Chart to translate player ratings into 1/2 and 1/3 values. Now you will instantly know what that Elite fielder needs to roll to make a diving stop of a would-be base hit.
• Modifiers List of all the modifiers used in the game. This will make it easier to remember that a batter trying to bunt gets to lower his Strikeout rating by 15.

Diamond Legacies Book 4 will be available later this spring.

1975 World Series MVP

Joe Morgan is the clear choice for my World Series MVP. The Reds second baseman batted .450 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. He also drew 3 walks and one HBP, boosting his OBP to .542. The driving force in Cincinnati's offense, Morgan adds this award to the regular season MVP he won in 1975.

Other key contributors to the Reds series triumph include George Foster who hit .364 with 3 walks and a home run. Johnny Bench batted just .182, but still led his team with 5 RBI. Pete Rose also did not hit well (.185), but he did belt a home run and scored 4 runs to lead the Reds. On the mound, Cincinnati starter Fred Norman threw a dominating shutout in Game 4, his only appearance in the series. Don Gullett matched this brilliance in winning the all-important Game 7, but his struggles in his other two starts removed him from MVP consideration.

Carlton Fisk was the top performer in the Red Sox offense with a .435 average, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI. He also drew 3 walks and led all players with 10 hits. Carl Yastrzemski batted .240, drew 3 walks and scored 3 runs. His 5 RBI paced Boston and his 2 home runs led all players in the series. Dwight Evans contributed .250, but Fred Lynn disappointed at the plate (.125). Luis Tiant pitched well in his three starts (2.11 ERA), while posting a 1-1 record. Rick Wise (1 ER in 10 innings) delivered stellar mound work for the Red Sox as did relievers Jim Willoughby, Jim Burton, and Dick Drago, who did not allow an earned run in their combined 13 1/3 innings.

It was a competitive series, with five of the seven games decided by 2 runs or less.