1947 American League race

When June ended in my 1947 APBA baseball replay, the Boston Red Sox had a five-game lead over the New York Yankees and it seemed they were a lock to represent the American League in the World Series.

Sox’ outfielder Ted Williams was leading in the league in Triple Crown categories with 21 home runs, 87 RBIs and a .378 batting average. Pitcher Joe “Curly” Dobson had an 11-2 record to pace the team on the mound for the season and Red Sox pitchers had six shutouts in June. In fact, the team dominated everyone else that month, going 24-5.

But then July came and Boston fell back to earth and the American League race became a lot closer. The Red Sox gave up 13 runs to the lowly St. Louis Browns in a loss on July 25 and despite a relatively easy schedule for the month, could only put together a four-game winning streak. Although he hit nine home runs and drove in an astonishing 39 RBIs in July, Williams’ batting average dropped 26 points to .356. It seemed Williams wasn’t hitting in clutch situations like had done earlier.

And this is what makes APBA’s game even more enjoyable. The game is based upon statistics of the player’s real seasons. Each player is given a card with numbers that correspond with batting situations. Williams’ card is heavy with hits, of course, because in the real 1947 season he batted .343. Based upon the mathematical formula on its own, it would seem Williams would hit at a consistent pace to hit around .340. However, there are unexplained variances in this game. Players actually get “hot” with the bat or fall into slumps. All APBA players have seen certain players either shine above what they are expected to do (Richie Zisk was a monster for Seattle in my 1981 season replay) or fall short of their expectations (Mickey Mantle was a disappointment when I replayed 1957). So, as Williams cooled off so did the Red Sox.

Meanwhile, the Yankees were having issues in June, going 18-11 for the month and seemingly were not going to make the World Series as they did in the real 1947 season. Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio was clipping along with a .313 batting average with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs when July began. Pitcher Allie Reynolds had a 9-5 record on the mound and reliever Joe Page led the league with 10 saves, but New York seemed listless. They split a four-game series in St. Louis early in the month and then lost two of three in Chicago. On June 30, maybe as a foreshadowing of things to come, the Yankees did beat the Red Sox, 1-0, when consecutive errors by Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky and third baseman Eddie Pellagrini scored Robert “Doc” Brown, who had singled for New York in the second inning.

The Yankees went 17-9 in July to Boston’s 16-11 record. New York remained 3.5 games behind when August started with a 66-37 record. The Sox were at 69-33.

The Yanks beat Cleveland, 3-0, on Aug. 1, but then lost three in row to drop to 4.5 games behind Boston. However, the two teams met in Fenway Park on Aug. 8 and the season changed. New York won the first game, 8-7, holding off a ninth-inning rally by Boston. Dom DiMaggio hit a three-run home run with two outs to cut the Yankees’ lead to one run, but Williams then flied out to end the game. The following day, New York shut out Boston, 3-0, as Spud Chandler gave up only four hits in his complete game. Williams went 0-4. The third game of the set was a blowout. The Yankees beat their rivals, 19-1. Thomas “Old Reliable” Henrich hit his 19^th and 20^th home runs in the game and Page, in his first start of the season, clouted a homer. Williams went 0-3. The win gave New York a record of 72-40, a game behind Boston’s 72-38 record. Williams went one for 12 at the plate with no RBIs. DiMaggio had five hits in 12 at bats during the series with four RBIs.

A week later, Boston traveled to Yankees Stadium and lost two out of three games, including a 12-inning clash. Suddenly, New York was in first place with a 76-41 record. The loss dropped the Red Sox to 74-41.

The two teams play five more times, including a four-game series in Boston in early September. The Red Sox travel back to New York for one game on Sept. 25, in a quirky schedule that saw a lot of one-game or two-game series at the end of the season.

Despite his slump, Williams is still the Triple Crown leader as I head into games for Aug. 20. He’s batting .377 with 35 home runs and 145 RBIs. DiMaggio is hitting at .347 with 18 home runs and 102 RBIs. DiMaggio had a streak of 26 homerless games before he hit one. His bat went quiet again for 14 more games before he hit another. The following day, against Boston, he hit a grand slam in the Yankees’ 9-2 win.

It looks like it’ll be a great pennant race through the rest of August and the last of the season. Will Williams get hot again? Will DiMaggio find his home run swing?  Will some unsung hero step up to pace his team? We’ll see.

In the National League, St. Louis continues to lead Brooklyn by 3.5 games. The two teams play each other in a three-game set in St. Louis in mid-September. The Cardinals, like the Red Sox, seem unbeatable and are the likely team to represent the National League in the World Series. But then, a month ago, I thought the same about the Red Sox.