1947 Begins

Starting an APBA replay of a new season is always fun and interesting, and I think that’s why most of us do it. It takes dedication and determination to plow through an entire season, rolling the dice game by game, but it is also rewarding.

And, you can learn something along the way. Sure, we know about the “headliners” of whatever season we’re doing. We know all about the Ty Cobbs, Henry Aarons, Mickey Mantles, Barry Bonds et al.  Because APBA is an intellectual game, most of the players are also avid readers as well. I’m sure we’ve all delved into our share of baseball biographies and histories. But, there are also the other, less known players that pop up in a replay and, after rolling many games, we begin to learn their characteristics.
I began rolling 1947 about a month ago after finishing my four-year odyssey of the 1991 season. Based upon my own baseball likes and particulars, this may be the best season for me to replay.

Examples: I’m not one of those “managers” who replaces pitchers for every batter in the late innings. I’m still of the old school of leaving a starter in until he really gets into trouble and then, finally, bringing in a relief pitcher to mop up. I may end up using only three or four pitchers in a game, which works because the APBA company only designates cards for a certain amount of players. Generally, when you buy the basic set, you get nine to 11 pitchers on average. Subtract the regular starters and spot starters and you have three or four relief pitchers.

That said, in 1947, managers didn’t go to their bullpens that often.  New York Yankee pitchers completed 47 percent of the games they started that season. Brooklyn starters finished 42 percent of their contests.  Last year, the Yankees had one pitcher, Masahiro Tanaka, complete a game. The other 161 games New York played in 2017 had at least two pitchers.

So, I can leave pitchers in longer and, because it’s that era, I don’t completely skew the game.

There were no designated hitters in 1947, so that lets managers have at least one more element of strategy. Despite my penchant for keeping pitchers in longer, do I pull a starter late in the game and pinch hit for him when it’s his turn to bat?

Home runs are at a premium. It’s not a slugfest like it is today. The National League’s 1947 home run hitters, Ralph Kiner and  Johnny Mize, each had 51 dingers to lead the league. That’s more than enough.  Ted Williams’ 32 home runs lead the American League.

Other interesting observations from 1947 include a lot of walks. Pitchers almost toss as many base-on-balls as they do strikeouts. In the first replay game for the Boston Red Sox, Williams had four walks. In his complete, 2-1, victory over the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland pitcher Bob Feller notched six walks to his 2 strike outs.

Scoring varies. In my replay, the St. Louis Cardinals clubbed Cincinnati, 17-0. A few games later, the Pirates edged the Reds, 2-0. Many games are pretty close and entertaining to the end.  In one contest, Brooklyn beat the Boston Braves in 17 innings when, with one out in Brooklyn, Pee Wee Reese singled in Dixie Walker who was on second for the win. Where else can you say something like that but APBA?

And here are a couple of other notes from the first month of the 1947 replay. Fitting, Joe DiMaggio had the first RBI of the season, leading his Yankees to a 10-4 win over the Washington Senators.  Thomas Henrich had a grand slam for the Yanks in that game, too.

Kiner hit a home run in his first game against Chicago. Willliams hit two home runs against Washington. Mize and Terry Moore also had two-HR games.

Williams leads the AL now with four home runs after games through April 27, 1947. Bill Nicholson of the Cubs also has four homers to lead the National League.

And there are a few surprises with the teams. The Cardinals lead the NL with an 8-2 record, 1.5 games ahead of the New York Giants and their 7-4 mark. The Dodgers, those Bums, are, surprisingly, only 5-6. In the American League, sparked by Williams’ early Triple Crown run of 4 HRs, 12 RBIs and .395 batting average, the Red Sox are 8-3 and lead the Yankees, who are 7-5. DIMaggio has yet to hit a home run, but is batting .370 and has seven RBIs.

It’s early in the season and anything can happen as the games progress. But so far, 1947 looks like a very interesting and enjoyable season to do.