Diamond Legacies Volume 3

February is here. That means Spring Training is right around the corner. Seems like a good time to reveal the year for the third volume of Diamond Legacies.

Start waving that fly ball fair, because the year is 1975. The new book will include rosters for all 24 major league teams that played in that historic season. As with the first two volumes, the possibilities are many. Replay either league championship series, the All-Star Game, or the epic World Series between Cincinnati and Boston. Or find out how the Big Red Machine stacks up against the Gas House Gang or Murderers' Row.

Diamond Legacies 1975 will be available before the current MLB teams finish playing their Grapefruit League and Cactus League games.

Video Review of Diamond Legacies 1927

The YouTube channel Hexed & Countered posted a video on Diamond Legacies 1927. Thank you to Joe for featuring the second volume of my game on his channel.

Diamond Legacies Kindle E-Books

Amazon has announced an upcoming change for its Kindle books that players of Diamond Legacies may find useful. Starting on January 20, verified purchasers can download their Kindle e-books as EPUB and PDF files if the titles are free of Digital Rights Management. All Kindle books in the Diamond Legacies series are DRM-free. Some players may find this PDF option helpful for printing the charts, rosters, and scorecards in the game book.

And now, another clue for the year of the upcoming third book: It is in the Divisional Era, when both the American League and National League had 12 teams.

Diamond Legacies Book 3

Work has begun on Book 3 of the Diamond Legacies series. The year for this volume is in a more recent era than the first two volumes, but still several decades ago. 

Similar to the first two books, the MLB champion in the third volume is considered one of the all-time greatest teams in baseball history.

Stay tuned ... ⚾

Yankees vs. American Giants MVP

Sportswriters in 1927 would have several candidates to consider when selecting the MVP of the series between the Yankees and the American Giants. My guess is that it would have gone to Waite Hoyt who recorded two wins and a solid 3.31 ERA over 16 1/3 innings.

Other pitching candidates include Herb Pennock, who tossed a three-hit shutout in his only start. Urban Shocker (1.93 ERA) and Bill Foster (1.06 ERA) also dominated from the mound, but their 1-1 records would have cost them some votes. 

On the offensive side, Chicago's Pythias Russ likely would have won the MVP had his team prevailed in the series. The shortstop remained red-hot over the six games with a .520 avg, 13 hits, 7 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 HR, and 5 stolen bases.

Lou Gehrig was the top offensive star for the Yankees, posting a .409 avg, 9 hits, 4 runs scored, 3 RBI, and 1 home run. Earle Combs batted just .250, but led all players with 8 runs scored. Chicago pitchers kept Ruth in check for the most part (.227), though the Babe did hit two home runs--the only player with multiple round-trippers.   

Yankees vs. American Giants Game 6

Game 6: Yankees 7, American Giants 5

New York held off a late Chicago rally to close out the best-of-seven series. Starter Waite Hoyt appeared to be cruising to a complete game victory heading into the ninth leading 7-2. But two doubles, a walk, and a Koenig error allowed the American Giants to close the gap to two with only one out. With a runner on second and the tying run at the plate, manager Miller Huggins summoned Wilcy Moore from the bullpen. The star rookie struck out Dave Malarcher and retired John Hines on a ground out to put out the fire. Gehrig went 3 for 4 with a two-run homer and Combs reached base four times, scored twice, and drove in two to power the Yankee attack.

It was a competitive series between these two league champions. The American Giants' stellar pitching corps matched the Yankees staff, but the Murderers' Row offense provided the decisive advantage for New York. 

Yankees vs. American Giants Game 5

Game 5: Yankees 4, American Giants 0

The bats cooled off again as starters Bill Foster and Urban Shocker matched each other with six scoreless frames. In the top of the 7th, Combs drew a leadoff walk and Koenig followed with a double. Ruth drove in the first run with a ground out and (following a Gehrig HBP) Meusel delivered the second tally with a sacrifice fly. In the ninth, Ruth cleared the right field wall at spacious Schorling Park to add two insurance runs. They were not needed. In a masterful mound performance, Shocker scattered six hits to shut out Chicago and give his team a 3-2 lead in the series.

The teams return to Yankees Stadium for Game 6.