Yankees vs. Indians Game 3

The Yankees-Indians semifinal matchup moved back to Yankee Stadium in 1927 for the deciding game of the best-of-three series. The visitors started Hall of Famer Bob Lemon (20-14, 2.82 ERA), while the home team countered with Urban Shocker (18-6, 2.84 ERA). 

Cleveland's MVP player-manager Lou Boudreau opened the scoring with a solo shot into the left field seats in the top of the first. An Earle Combs walk and Mark Koenig double gave New York men at second and third with nobody out in the bottom of the first. But Lemon struck out Babe Ruth and (after a walk to Gehrig) retired Meusel on a shallow fly and Lazzeri on a groundout to end the threat. In the top of the second, Cleveland scored three more when Gordon doubled, Robinson singled, Hegan reached on an error, and Lemon doubled.

Yankee fans grew restless as the visitors held their 4-0 advantage into the sixth. In the bottom of that frame, Ruth walked and Gehrig singled. Meusel then ripped a double into the gap in left-center to plate two runs for the Bombers. But in the top of the seventh, Ken Keltner doubled home Larry Doby to push the Cleveland lead back to three. Bob Lemon remained in command, but after he surrendered a double to Lazzeri to start the bottom of the ninth, Boudreau summoned Russ Christopher from the bullpen. After allowing a single to Dugan, Christopher retired the next two Yankee batters. Combs then singled to cut the deficit to two and put the tying run on base. But Christopher retired Koenig on a fly to center to end the game with Ruth in the on-deck circle.

Cleveland completes the surprising upset of Murderers' Row to advance to the tournament finals against the Gas House Gang.

1948 Indians 5, 1927 Yankees 3

Up next, Game 1 of the championship round!

Cardinals vs. Stars Game 2

Shibe Park in Philadelphia hosted Game 2 of the Cardinals-Stars semifinal matchup. After the marathon pitchers' duel in the series opener, batters were happy that Slim Jones and Dizzy Dean would not be playing in this game. But Philadelphia deployed another excellent southpaw hurler in Lefty Jones and St. Louis started another Dean on the mound: Dizzy's brother Paul.

Pepper Martin opened the game with a single and Frankie Frisch followed by drawing a walk. Ripper Collins then lifted a slicing fly ball to right that bounded off Jake Dunn's glove and rolled into the corner, allowing two runs to score. Following a sacrifice bunt, Jack Rothrock singled to give St. Louis an early 3-0 lead. In the second, Leo Durocher doubled, advanced to third on Dean's sac bunt, and scored on a Pepper Martin grounder to short.

Philadelphia got on the board in the third after Dick Seay walked and came around on a double by Holmes. Two batters later, Chaney White doubled to plate Holmes and cut the deficit to two. Paul Dean, however, was lights out the rest of the way. The young Cardinal hurler allowed only two singles after the third inning to pick up the complete-game victory.

The Gas House Gang sweeps the best two-of-three series and advances to the finals of the Tournament of Champions.

1934 Cardinals 4, 1934 Stars 2

Next up, the deciding Game 3 between the 1927 Yankees and 1948 Indians. 

Yankees vs. Indians Game 2

Municipal Stadium in Cleveland hosted Game 2 of this semifinal matchup between the 1927 Yankees and the 1948 Indians. Both teams started a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 19 games during the regular season: Herb Pennock vs. Bob Feller.

Earle Combs opened the game with a triple and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Mark Koenig. After Babe Ruth grounded out, Lou Gehrig blasted a deep drive over the right field wall to give the visitors an early 2-0 lead. Cleveland tied it in the second with a Joe Gordon home run, a pair of singles by Larry Doby and Eddie Robinson, and a squeeze bunt from Feller. In the top of the fourth, Ruth put the Yankees ahead again with a solo shot to center.

Cleveland claimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth with four hits (Mitchell double, Clark single, Boudreau double, Gordon single) that plated three runs. New York cut the lead to 5-4 in the sixth after Bob Meusel doubled home Ruth. In the bottom of that frame a walk to Robinson, a single by pinch hitter Joe Tipton, and a double by Allie Clark increased Cleveland's lead to three. Indians reliever Steve Gromek held the powerful Yankees lineup in check over the final three innings to even the series at one game apiece. Feller pitched five innings to pick up the win. The series moves back to the Bronx for the deciding third game.

Indians 7, Yankees 4

Next up, Game 2 of the Cardinals-Stars series.

Cardinals vs. Stars Game 1

The 1934 MLB champion St. Louis Cardinals hosted the 1934 NNL champion Philadelphia Stars at Sportsman's Park for Game 1 of their semifinal matchup. With the Stars dominant southpaw Slim Jones (20-4, 1.29 ERA) facing the Cards 30-game winner Dizzy Dean, a pitchers' duel seemed likely. But few could have predicted the extent of the mound excellence that was about to ensue.

Philadelphia put men at the corners with one out in the top of the fourth, but Dean escaped the jam with a strikeout and a ground out. Ernie Orsatti tripled with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but Jones extinguished the threat with a line out and a strikeout. Both aces were at the top of their game, handcuffing the batters in both lineups. With the game tied 0-0 after nine, the starters continued their duel into extras. Dean tossed 11 shutout frames before yielding the mound to Dazzy Vance. Jones did him one better, not allowing a run in 12 innings.

The scoreless tie continued into the 14th inning. St. Louis reliever Bill Walker sent the visitors down in order in the top of the frame. With one out in the home half of the inning, Frankie Frisch singled off fellow player-manager Webster McDonald. Frisch then called for a hit and run, which paid off when Ripper Collins singled to send him to third. McDonald intentionally walked Joe Medwick to set up a force at the plate. Batting with the bases loaded, Cardinals right fielder Jack Rothrock made solid contact, driving the ball to within a couple strides of the warning track in left. Deep enough for Frisch to sprint home with the winning run. And so ended this epic battle--the longest Diamond Legacies game I have ever played.

Cardinals 1, Stars 0 (14 innings)

Next up, Game 2 of the Yankees-Indians series.

Yankees vs. Indians Game 1

The 1948 Cleveland Indians battled the 1927 New York Yankees in Game 1 of the first semifinal matchup. Hoping to neutralize the powerful lefty bats in the home team's lineup, Lou Boudreau started southpaw Gene Bearden. Miller Huggins countered with Hall of Famer Waite Hoyt.

Babe Ruth gave the Yankees an early lead with a solo blast in the bottom of the first. Indians third baseman Ken Keltner evened things up when he went deep in the top of the second. Cleveland took the lead in the top of the fifth when Bearden singled to drive in Wally Judnich. An inning later, Joe Dugan delivered a two-out single to score Lou Gehrig, who slid home just ahead of Jim Hegan's tag at the plate.

The game remained tied heading into the bottom of the eighth. Ruth led off that frame by drawing a walk. Sam Zoldak, pitching in relief of Bearden, retired Gehrig and Bob Meusel without allowing the runner to advance. But Tony Lazzeri drilled a deep drive to the wall in center, allowing the Babe to come around to score the go-ahead run. Yankee reliever Wilcy Moore allowed a leadoff double to Keltner in the top of the ninth, before rebounding to retire the next three batters and preserve the narrow win for the Bombers. The teams will head to Cleveland for the second game in this series.

1927 Yankees 3, 1948 Indians 2

Next up will be Game 1 of the other semifinal: 1934 Cardinals vs. 1934 Stars.

Video Review of Book 4 and Semifinals Preview

Diamond Legacies 1948 was recently featured on Kurt Bergland's Baseball World. A big thank you to Kurt for discussing the latest volume of my game on his channel. Click the image below to watch the video.

Next item of business, the semifinals of my Tournament of Champions is set to begin. The 1927 New York Yankees will face the 1948 Cleveland Indians in one bracket. In the other bracket the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals will battle the 1934 Philadelphia Stars. This round will be best two-of three. As the higher seeded teams, the Yankees and Cardinals will host Game 1 and Game 3 if a third contest is necessary. The three-inning pitching restriction from Round 1 is no longer in effect, but the games are assumed to be played on consecutive days. So a starter who pitches deep into Game 1 could not appear again in the series without facing significant overuse modifiers.

Lastly, work has begun on Book 5 in the Diamond Legacies series. Your clue for the year featured in this volume is this: near the end of the book there will be a picture of a man who was the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces. That wasn't his job when the picture was taken, but it was a position he had held earlier. If you know who that man is, you can narrow down the range of years for Volume 5.

Cardinals vs. Red Sox

The 1975 AL champion Boston Red Sox travelled to Sportsman's Park to take on the 1934 MLB champion St. Louis Cardinals in the final first-round game of the Tournament of Champions. Combining for six innings, Luis Tiant and Rick Wise allowed only one hit and three walks while keeping the home team off the scoreboard. Redbird hurlers Dizzy Dean and his brother Paul similarly held Boston in check during their five frames. Jesse Haines followed by tossing three more scoreless innings for the Cards.

The game remained 0-0 into the eighth. In the bottom of that frame, with Jim Willoughby on the hill for Boston, Ripper Collins batted with two men on and one out. The Cardinal first baseman drilled a shot off the centerfield wall to plate two runs. Following a Medwick fly out, Jack Rothrock doubled home another run. Ernie Orsatti followed with a single to tally the fourth run of the inning for the Redbirds.

Veteran Dazzy Vance came on to close out the game, but ran into trouble. A Dwight Evans double and a Cecil Cooper single gave the Red Sox two baserunners with two outs. Fred Lynn and Denny Doyle followed with RBI-singles to bring Carl Yastrzemski to the plate representing the go-ahead run. Yaz lined a screamer back through the box that Vance somehow speared to end the game.

The Gas House Gang advances to the semifinals where they will face the Philadelphia Stars. Though he had only one hit in four at-bats, Ripper Collins is the player of the game for his two-run double that put St. Louis ahead in the eighth.

1934 Cardinals 4, 1975 Red Sox 2

Next up is the first game of the Semifinals: 1927 Yankees vs. 1948 Indians. 

Reds vs. Stars

The 1934 NNL champion Philadelphia Stars battled the 1975 MLB champion Cincinnati Reds in our next first round matchup. Though the Big Red Machine boasted a stronger offense, the Stars deployed an elite pitching staff led by their ace Slim Jones. The dominant southpaw displayed his excellence by striking out six straight Reds. But with one out in the bottom of the third, Cesar Geronimo broke that string of Ks with a solo homer to right.

Gary Nolan, Pedro Bourbon, and Clay Carroll kept the Philadelphia offense in check, preserving the 1-0 Cincinnati lead into the ninth. Though the Reds offense generated only two hits the entire game, that did not seem to be a problem as fireballing closer Rawley Eastwick came in to finish off the win for the Big Red Machine. But the Stars Hall-of-Fame catcher Biz Mackey singled to right with one out. After Jake Dunn grounded out, the light-hitting Pete Washington was due up next. Pitcher-manager Webster McDonald called on Phil Cockrell to pinch hit as his team's last hope. Though a pitcher, Cockrell was a good hitter who had batted over .300 on the year. Connecting on an Eastwick fastball over the outer edge of the plate, he drove the ball over the right field wall to give the Stars the lead. McDonald retired the Reds in order in the ninth to close out the stunning victory for the visitors. One out away from elimination, Philadelphia advances to the semifinals with a dramatic ninth-inning rally. Though his only appearance in this contest came in one pinch hit at-bat, the Player of the Game is Phil Cockrell.

Philadelphia Stars 2, Cincinnati Reds 1

Next up is the final first round game, the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals vs. the 1975 Boston Red Sox.

American Giants vs. Indians

Schorling Park in Chicago was the venue for the first-round game between the 1927 Chicago American Giants and the 1948 Cleveland Indians. The dominant southpaw Bill Foster took the hill for the home team, while the visitors opened with Bob Lemon on the mound.

In the bottom of the second, Chicago put men on second and third with nobody out. Sensing that runs would not be easy to come by against the elite American Giants staff, Lou Boudreau pulled his infield in. The move succeeded with third baseman Ken Keltner throwing out Steel Arm Davis at the plate. Cleveland threatened in the top of the third after Eddie Robinson doubled and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly by Jim Hegan. One of the top hitting pitchers of his day, Bob Lemon then lined a single into left to give the Indians the lead.

In the fourth, Chicago catcher James Bray doubled and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Cleveland pitcher Bob Feller then fired a heater past John Hines to record a key strikeout. Rapid Robert did not allow another hit during his three-inning stint. The game remained 1-0 into the bottom of the eighth when Jim Brown and Pythias Russ reached to put two men on with one out for the home team. But Steel Arm Davis lined into a double play to end the threat. Cleveland's rookie southpaw sensation Gene Bearden retired the side in order in the ninth to save the victory.

For pitching three scoreless innings and driving in the game's only run, Bob Lemon is the Player of the Game. Cleveland advances to the semifinals, where they will face the 1927 Yankees.

Cleveland Indians 1, Chicago American Giants 0

Next up is our third first-round matchup, the 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. the 1934 Philadelphia Stars.

Yankees vs. Grays

Yankee Stadium hosted the first game of the 8-team Tournament of Champions. Waite Hoyt started for the 1927 MLB champion New York Yankees. Tom Parker took the hill for the 1948 Negro League champion Homestead Grays. According to tournament rules, all pitchers are limited to three innings in this round.

Grays centerfielder Luis Marquez led off the game with a single and then stole second. One batter later Luke Easter singled to put Homestead on the board. The game remained 1-0 heading into the fifth, causing many observers to speculate about a possible upset. In the bottom of the frame, New York put two men on with two outs. The Yankees eighth-place hitter, catcher Pat Collins, drilled a liner into the left-center field gap to give his team a 2-1 lead. The flustered Homestead pitcher Garnett Blair then walked Yankee hurler Herb Pennock. Earle Combs and Mark Koenig delivered singles to drive home two more runs. Babe Ruth then blasted a three-run shot into the left field seats. Lou Gehrig followed with a solo homer to tally eight runs in the inning for the Bombers.

Homestead plated a run in the seventh and again in the eighth off Dutch Ruether to chip away at the deficit, but it was too little, too late. The 1927 Yankees advance to the semifinals. The Player of the Game is Pat Collins. Though the least-heralded member of Murderers' Row, the catcher went 3 for 3 with two key RBIs and a run scored.

New York Yankees 8, Homestead Grays 3

Next up, the 1927 Chicago American Giants vs. the 1948 Cleveland Indians.

Tournament of Champions

For my next set of games, I will be playing a tournament featuring the top two teams from each of the four published Diamond Legacies volumes. The first round will be a single elimination game. The second round (semifinals) will be best two-of-three. And the finals will be a four-of-seven series. All pitchers will be limited to no more than three innings of work in the first-round game.

Tournament brackets are based on seedings with the following first-round matchups. Higher seeds are the home team.

(1) 1927 New York Yankees vs. (8) 1948 Homestead Grays

(4) 1927 Chicago American Giants vs. (5) 1948 Cleveland Indians

(3) 1975 Cincinnati Reds vs. (6) 1934 Philadelphia Stars

(2) 1934 St. Louis Cardinals vs. (7) 1975 Boston Red Sox

All players on the team rosters are assumed to be healthy, so players like Jim Rice who missed the 1975 World Series will be eligible to play in this tournament.

Up first, the Yankees vs. the Grays.

1948 World Series MVP

The MVP of my World Series replay is Marv Rickert, a player who wasn't even on the Boston roster until the last week of the 1948 regular season. After the Braves lost their regular left fielder Jeff Heath to an ankle injury in late September, Boston made an urgent call to Rickert to join the team. Though Marv played in only three games for the Braves, the team made a successful appeal to Commissioner Happy Chandler to make him eligible for the World Series (Boston had already lost another starting outfielder, Jim Russell, to bacterial endocarditis earlier in the season).

Rickert played well in the actual 1948 World Series and he was the Braves top offensive star in my series replay. He batted .500 with four extra base hits and five RBI. Despite sitting on the bench in Game 3, Rickert led all players with 5 runs scored in the series. Other key contributors to Boston's victory included Eddie Stanky (.421, 5 RBI), Alvin Dark (.333, 4 runs scored), and Bob Elliott (.316, 1 HR, 4 RBI). On the mound, Johnny Sain posted a 1.53 ERA in his two starts and Nels Potter picked up two wins while not allowing an earned run in his 9 2/3 innings. Warren Spahn tossed a shutout in his only appearance.

Lou Boudreau led the offensive attack for Cleveland, batting .529 with three walks. Though he was continually on base, his teammates failed to drive him in for even a single run scored in the series. Wally Judnich was the only other Indian to excel at the plate, batting .357 with a homer and three runs scored. Bob Feller pitched well in his two starts (3.27 ERA), but received little run support. Gene Bearden allowed only one earned run in eight innings while picking up Cleveland's only win.

1948 World Series Game 5

Hoping to stave off elimination, Cleveland turned to 19-game winner Bob Feller to start Game 5. Hoping to wrap up the series, Boston gave the ball to veteran right-hander Nels Potter, who compiled a 2.86 ERA while pitching for three teams in the regular season.

The Braves jumped out to an early lead when Tommy Holmes led off the game with a double and later scored on a Bob Elliott single. Two innings later, Elliott collected another RBI with a double that drove in Earl Torgeson. Though Boston put at least two men on base in each of the first five innings, Feller continually worked out of trouble. In the bottom of the fifth, Cleveland cut the deficit to 2-1 after Eddie Robinson singled, advanced on a wild pitch, and came home when Mike McCormick dropped Jim Hegan's fly ball. 

With Feller removed for a pinch hitter in the fifth, left-hander Sam Zoldak came on to pitch the sixth for Cleveland. Boston quickly loaded the bases for Torgeson who drove in two with a single. Marv Rickert later drove in a run on a fielder's choice. Catcher Bill Salkeld followed by blasting a two-run homer to tally five runs in the inning for the Braves. An inning later, Rickert singled home another run for Boston. On the mound, Nels Potter remained in command for the visitors. Cleveland put two men on in the bottom of the ninth, but Hegan lined into a double play to end the game and the series.

Reversing history, the Braves claimed the World Series four games to one.

Boston 8, Cleveland 1

1948 World Series Game 4

Looking to even the series, Cleveland skipper Lou Boudreau called on Steve Gromek (9-3, 2.84 ERA) to start Game 4. More often used in relief during the regular season, the right-hander (sorry the "R" is missing from his roster entry in the book) made 9 starts in 1948. Boston manager Billy Southworth returned to his top ace Johnny Sain to start this contest. Because he was working with only two days rest, I gave Sain a -3 modifier to his Effectiveness, Strikeout, and Control ratings for this game.

An error by Boudreau allowed Braves shortstop Alvin Dark to reach base in the top of the first. Earl Torgeson followed with a double to plate the first run of the game. Two batters later Marv Rickert tripled to extend Boston's lead. The game remained 2-0 until the top of the sixth when the Braves loaded the bases with one out against reliever Satchel Paige. Center fielder Mike McCormick then grounded to third but beat the throw to avoid a double play and drive in Boston's third run.

In the bottom of the sixth, Larry Doby singled and advanced to second on a ground out. Joe Gordon then singled to center to plate Cleveland's first run and cut the deficit to 3-1. In the top of the ninth, Rickert led off with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly to right by McCormick. Catcher Phil Masi then delivered a sac fly to center to increase the Braves lead back to three. Sain, showing no ill effects from pitching on short rest, retired the last seven batters in a row to finish off the complete game victory.

In a reversal of how the actual World Series progressed, the Braves now lead the series three games to one.

Boston 4, Cleveland 1 

1948 World Series Game 3

As the series moved to Cleveland, Lou Boudreau turned to his rookie southpaw sensation Gene Bearden (20-7, 2.43) to right the ship. Boston skipper Billy Southworth called on his own star rookie Vern Bickford (11-5, 3.27) to try to keep the Indians winless in this series.

Boston cleanup hitter Bob Elliott started the scoring in the top of the second when he blasted a Bearden knuckleball over the left field wall. The drive led many Braves fans listening to the radio broadcast to start thinking of a possible series sweep. But in the bottom of the frame Cleveland right fielder Wally Judnich doubled home Ken Keltner to tie the game 1-1. In the bottom of the fifth, Judnich and Bearden singled to put runners at the corners with two outs. Dale Mitchell then beat out a slow roller to allow the go-ahead run to score. After Larry Doby drew a walk to load the bases, Boudreau singled to drive home two more for the home team.

The score remained 4-1 into the eighth. In the bottom of that frame, Keltner belted a two-run homer to extend the lead to five. Bearden ran into trouble in the top of the ninth when a single by Tommy Holmes and a double from Alvin Dark gave the Braves runners at second and third with nobody out. Boudreau summoned Ed Klieman from the bullpen to relieve Bearden. The Indians right-hander retired the next three batters in order to close out the victory. 

Cleveland 6, Boston 1

1948 World Series Game 2

Looking to even the series, Cleveland started 20-game winner Bob Lemon in Game 2. The home team countered with Warren Spahn (15-12), one half of the Braves elite pitching duo: "Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain."

Dale Mitchell opened the game by reaching base on a throwing error by shortstop Alvin Dark. The runner advanced to second on a groundout and then moved to third on a sharp single by Lou Boudreau. Indians cleanup hitter Joe Gordon lifted a fly ball to center. Mitchell tried to tag up and score but was cut down at the plate by a strong throw from Mike McCormick.

Back-to-back doubles by Bob Elliott and Marv Rickert put the Braves on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Boston increased its lead to 2-0 in the seventh when Eddie Stanky doubled home Rickert. After Alvin Dark tripled with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Boudreau brought in Sam Zoldak to replace Lemon. That move did not work out so well for Cleveland. A walk, two singles, and an error pushed two runs across for the Braves and loaded the bases. Stanky then doubled to drive in three more and put the game out of reach. Though Boston fans enjoyed the offensive outburst, Spahn did not need it. The ace southpaw allowed just five hits in a shutout victory.

The series moves to Cleveland for Game 3.

Boston 7, Cleveland 0

1948 World Series Game 1

The 1948 World Series between Cleveland and Boston opened at Braves Field. Bob Feller (19-15, 3.56 ERA) started for the AL champions while Johnny Sain (24-15, 2.60 ERA) took the hill for the NL champs. My lineups will follow the historical precedent, so Boston cannot play its injured outfielders Jim Russell and Jeff Heath.

Cleveland right fielder Wally Judnich opened the scoring in the top of the second with a solo home run over the right field wall. Boston answered in the bottom of the fourth when Bob Elliott led off the frame by drawing a walk. Marv Rickert followed with a single and both runners later advanced on a groundout. Braves second baseman Eddie Stanky then singled to tie the game. Two innings later, Rickert doubled and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Bill Salkeld. Feller then threw a wild pitch to allow Rickert to score.

Boston held a 2-1 lead heading into the ninth. Judnich opened the frame for Cleveland with a single. After Eddie Robinson flew out, player-manager Lou Boudreau summoned Hal Peck to bat for catcher Jim Hegan. The move paid off when Peck delivered a hit to put runners on the corners with one out. Braves manager Billy Southworth called on reliever Nels Potter to take over for Sain. With the pitcher's spot due up, Boudreau sent Hank Edwards to the plate. The Cleveland pinch hitter laid down a beautiful squeeze bunt to tie the game at two apiece.

Satchel Paige came on to pitch the bottom of the ninth. After the veteran retired the first two batters it appeared the game was heading for extra innings. But then Braves pinch hitter Clint Conatser sliced a fly ball to right that Judnich dropped to put the winning run on base. Leadoff hitter Tommy Holmes followed by grounding to second. The normally surehanded Joe Gordon rushed his throw to first into the dirt. The ball caromed away from Robinson, allowing Conatser to come around and score the winning run. After playing error-free ball for 8 2/3 innings, back-to-back miscues give Cleveland a tough-luck loss.

Game 1: Boston 3, Cleveland 2

My Website

For my next set of baseball games, I'm planning to replay the 1948 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Braves. But first, I wanted to post about a recent change.

My website kentkrause.com has been retired. This blog (where you are now) will be the primary location for news about Diamond Legacies volumes, game replays, and my other books.

I also have an online presence at:

Kent Krause Books on Facebook

Kent Krause Amazon Author Page

Goodreads Author Page

@Kent_Krause on Twitter. Yes, I still call it Twitter. No, I do not post much there anymore. The other options mentioned above are better for updates about my books.