Replay Update: June 21, 1950

It's been a while since I updated the 1950 APBA baseball replay I'm doing, but, despite being slower than normal, the games are still being rolled.

There have been several excuses for my plodding play of late. First, the baseball playoffs were pretty interesting this year and in a season where I really did not watch much of the games before the playoffs, I found myself caught up in the drama and stories unfolding in Kansas City and Baltimore, especially.

Also, I bought the APBA hockey card season for 2013-14 and have been tossin' games with that set for a bit as well.

And I don't understand the mechanics behind this, but I changed my work hours, coming in an hour earlier than before. That one-hour difference has kept me from playing a couple of games each morning now. Why I can't do them at night when I come home an hour earlier is beyond me.

But, that said, I've continued rolling the 1950 season and it continues being a good one.

Here's the update through June 21, 1950:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1. New York Yankees (42-21, –) Joe DiMaggio leads AL with 18 home runs and pitching has been the mainstay for the Bronx Bombers. Ed Lopat is 10-1 on the mound and Allie Reynolds has a 9-3 record so far. The team already has 10 shutouts and scored 10 or more runs in a game 14 times.
2. Boston Red Sox (43-23 .5GB) The Red Sox have remained close behind the Yankees in part for the same reasons that have given New York the AL lead so far. Both Ted Williams and Vern Stephens have 16 home runs and Joe Dobson and Mel Parnell each have eight wins. Don't count the Sox out. They've had winning streaks of eight, seven and six games already and have won eight of their last nine game and are set to play cellar dwellers St. Louis and Philadelphia in upcoming games before hosting the rival Yanks.
3. Detroit Tigers (38-23 3 GB) Art Houtteman leads the league with 12 wins and Paul Calvert has seven saves in an era that doesn't really rely on relief pitching much. The Tigers are 2-4 against New York and 2-10 against Boston. They're going to have to do better against the leaders for any chance. My stat keeping has really fallen off, but I do know George Kell has 18 doubles as of June 21, 1950.
4. Cleveland Indians (36-28 6.5GB) The Indians are an odd team to play. Al Rosen has 16 home runs and Luke Easter has 15. Early Wynn has a 10-1 record and Bob Feller has won eight games. But just as they begin rolling (they won nine games in a row in May), they lose to Chicago and Philadelphia.
5. St. Louis Browns (27-37 15.5 GB) The Browns are about as bland as a team in this replay that I've seen. Don Lenhardt has 11 home runs and pitcher Ned Garver has six wins. That's it. They have the worst defense in the league; they lost 18-13 against Boston the other day. They are on a 5-11 run now and look to maintain that substandard pace.
6. Washington Senators (25-38 17GB) The Senators have only played the Yankees six times so far this season and they've split those games, actually outscoring New York, 53-44 in those games. But they're 2-9 against Detroit and 3-5 against lowly Philadelphia. Sid Hudson has seven wins on the mound.
7. Chicago White Sox (22-42 20.5 GB) Luis Aloma has eight saves. Gus Zernial has the same number of home runs. At least they aren't in eighth place.
8. Philadelphia As (22-43 21 GB) This team began losing 10 of the As first 12 games and 17 of their first 20. But just when things looked really dismal, they won six in a row, including sweeping a three-game series against New York. Pitcher Lou Brissie is a workhorse, starting and coming in at relief. He's 5-10 with three saves. Shortstop Eddie Joost, who died in 2011 at the age of 100, leads the As with 10 home runs.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1. Boston Braves (38- 25 –GB) The Braves are the biggest surprise in this replay. Starter Warren Spahn leads the team with 11 wins and catcher Walker Cooper actually hit for the cycle against Brooklyn on May 28. Bob Elliott leads the team with 13 home runs. They just won't lose.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (36-27 2GB) Stan Musial's 15 home runs and clutch hits make the Cards over achievers. Max Lanier has nine wins as a starter and Cloyd Brazle has saved seven games so far.
3. Brooklyn Dodgers (35-28 3 GB) The Dodgers began slowly, but picked up as of late. Jackie Robinson was batting around .200 early (remember, my stat keeping is way behind), but he's improved to over .300 now. Duke Snider has 15 home runs and Don Newcombe leads the team with 10 victories. Brooklyn has become one of the more fun teams to replay.
4. New York Giants (34-30 4.5 GB) Led by Sal Maglie and Bobby Thomson, the Giants challenged for first place late in May by winning 13 of 14 games. Since then, they've cooled off, winning 10 of 20 games. They just lost two of three hosting the Cardinals and are 2-4 against their crosstown rivals in Brooklyn.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (33-20 5 GB) Ralph Kiner's team appeared to completely turn reality upside down and win the pennant. In the real 1950 season, the Pirates came in last place, 33.5 games out of first. Kiner has 17 home runs so far in the replay and Cliff Chambers has 8 wins. They won 10 of their first 12 games and were in first place as late as May 31. In June, they've gone 7-13 and have fallen to fifth place.
6. Philadelphia Phillies (28-38 11.5 GB) This is the most frustrating team to play. The Whiz Kids of the real season – winning the pennant by two games over Brooklyn – are more like the Was Kids in the replay. Del Ennis leads the majors with 19 home runs for the Phillies, but the pitching is not holding up well. Curt Simmons is the ace with a record of 7-6. Robin Roberts has a 6-6 pitching record so far. Only Jim Konstanty, with 14 saves to lead the majors, is a star on the Philadelphia pitching mound and he can't start games. They've lost 13 one-run games as of June 21 and are one and three in extra inning games. Each replay has a team that really under performs, and it appears the Phillies are this replay's version.
7. Chicago Cubs (25-35 11.5 GB) Hank Sauer leads the team with 18 homers and Bob Rush is a surprising 8-4 as the pitching ace. In real life, he went 13-20 for the Cubs. Paul Minner, on the other hand, is a bleak 2-9.
8. Cincinnati Reds (23-39 14.5GB) If not for Ted Kluszewski's muscle-flexing and 17 home runs, the Reds would lose games by scores of 10-3 or 7-1. Instead, with Ted's clouts, they lose 10-5 and 7-4. Ewell Blackwell did toss a no-hitter on May 3 against the Giants, one of the few bright spots for the team.

So, there's the replay so far. Realistically, five National League teams have a chance and three in the American League could take the pennant. Hopefully, now that the World Series is over and I'm more motivated to continue play, I can step up the pace on this 1950 season and see how it turns out.