Notes From the Shadows of Cooperstown: Chicago

SWEET SIXTEEN PLAYOFFS: PIRATES VS GIANTS

This is the fifth in a series of reports on a simulated playoff of the sixteen “original franchise” teams. The results of the first-round American League “brackets” are in NOTES 459-461. The first results of the NL brackets are in #462 . See NOTES #459 for the background and “ground rules.” So far in the NL, the Phils and Dodgers have advanced.

THE GIANTS

When I received my very first packs of APBA All-Timers, the top 25 players from each of the “original” sixteen franchises, the Giants appeared to me to be the strongest team — on paper, or rather, cardboard. But they finished 81-73 and six games back of the Cardinals, then 69-85, nearly last. They were not doing much better with the roster built from later drafts. For this Sweet Sixteen tournament, the Giants made an acquisition: Barry Bonds. Barry had been playing with the Pirates, but it seemed like a good chance to let him play alongside Willie Mays. The APBA card I have is based on his 1993 season — a great season, but not a monster year (no pun intended) like some that came later.

Besides Barry Bonds and Mays in their prime, the Giants have Mel Ott in their OF. With Bill Terry (.401) holding down 1B, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda switch off at DH. They also have Turkey Mike Donlin and Negro League draftee Willard “Home Run” Brown. Their infield is equally strong: Fred Lindstrom at 3B, Laughing Larry Doyle glad to be a Giant at 2B, Frankie Frisch ready to play anywhere, with Travis Jackson, Monte Irvin and NL draftee Lorenzo “Piper” Davis all able fill-ins. At catcher, I like Roger Bresnahan, and the Duke has one of those marvelous cards for a lead-off hitter; Chief Meyers backs him up.

Starters with A+ credentials are Christy Mathewson, Iron Man NcGinnity, Carl Hubbell and draftee Doc Gooden; Amos Rusie is A+ too, but his control problems put him in the pen. He’s in very good company: Juan Marichal, Sal Maglie, Jesse Barnes, and George “Hooks” Wiltse of Hamilton, NY (or in that vicinity). Yes, it is easy to be John McGraw, with this roster.

THE PIRATES

The Pirates — my Pirates, of course — struggled to play .500 in the first two simulated seasons, but helped immensely by the Negro League draft, they were +13 and leading the league in the latest one. The Negro League draft involved all sixteen teams, and was determined by a roll of the dice. Every team picked up talent to address their weakest positions, making juggernaut rosters even juggier. The Pirates picked last, but that was partly offset by getting two straight picks, and they ended up with that speedy leadoff hitter they always needed, Oscar Charleston; and a slugger somewhat less famous than Josh Gibson (drafted by the Cubs), George “Mule” Suttles. The addition of Mule made it easier to let Barry Bonds go off to the Giants.

Oscar Charleston was a marvelous talent, by all accounts, and plays a tough 1B if he’s not in the OF. This gives the Pirates an impenetrable infield, when Bill Mazeroski is at 2B, Honus Wagner at SS, and Pie Traynor at 3B. Maz’ bat makes him a late-inning sub, however; Arky Vaughan (.385) starts at short, with Honus at second. Bill Madlock can play some third, too. And when Oscar is not at first, Willie Stargell might be; or Ralph Kiner (both are good DHs, too, but that’s the Mule’s slot).

Roberto Clemente owns RF. Paul Waner — another guy who may have been a DH in his day — has to be in the lineup, and takes over LF from Bonds. Not a bad second string, either: Lloyd Waner, Dave Parker (a sleeker version of the Cobra), and draftee Larry Walker. At catcher, there is Smoky Burgess, with Jason Kendell backing up — a little less bat than Sanguillen, but a good OBA.

Pitching is not the All-Time Pirates’ forte. Just one A+ starter, Howie Camnitz (from the 1909 champs). But able arms include Vern Law, John Candelaria, and Deacon Phillippe. The pen is heavy on short relief, with Dave Giusti, Kent Tekulve and Roy Face; for longer stints, there’s Babe Adams (first name Charles) and the Blooper Man, (Truett) Rip Sewell. I try to manage this bunch like Danny Murtaugh, but pass on the rocking chair. And I try to be extra-fair when managing the Bucs, letting the dice decide the games, and not my calls, when I turn umpire.

GAME ONE, AT FORBES FIELD

Mathewson vs. Camnitz in the Series opener, which begins with a Bresnahan triple; he scores a moment later on a ground out and the Giants go up 1-0. A Charleston walk, Honus’ ground out, and Suttles’ single ties it at 1-1 after one. The teams trade runs in the second inning, too: Bill Terry’s wind-blown solo HR is matched by back-to-back doubles by Arky Vaughan and Stargell. Burgess walks, but the threat ends when Charleston’s liner to 2B is turned into a DP by Frisch.

Clemente’s HR to right, where the wind is blowing a gale today, puts the Pirates on top 3-2 in the third, but Terry’s second HR ties it. Then in the fifth, the Giants KO Camnitz with a two-run shot by Frankie Frisch. Babe Adams is greeted by a Monte Irvin single, followed by Barry Bonds’ HR, 7-3 Giants. The Pirates come right back, driving Matty from the box with three runs in their fifth. Clemente homers (that wind again!), then singles by Paul Waner and Vaughan and an error by Frisch load the bases. Smoky Burgess singles off Wiltse to make it 7-6, but Hooks fans Charleston to end the inning.

Babe Adams tosses hitless ball over the last four innings, yielding just two walks the rest of the way. But Wiltse settles down, too, giving up just a single to Vaughan in the ninth, and retiring Stargell to end it and put the Giants up in the Series.

GAME TWO, AT FORBES FIELD

Iron Man McGinnity duels today with Vernon Law. Double plays in the first two innings end Giant threats. Vaughan triples with two out in the Buc 2nd, but is stranded. Then in the top of the third, the Giants break through: Doyle and Frisch beat out infield hits. Bresnahan’s bunt to Pie Traynor is thrown away, Doyle scoring, Frisch to 3rd and Duke ending up on second. Then Monte Irwin pops up behind short, and Wagner collides with Arky Vaughan. Honus holds on for the out but a run scores, and Arky is injured — he leaves the game and will miss the next one, too. Bonds follows with a sac fly, 3-0. Another unearned run in the 4th (Charleston muffs a fly to LF with Terry on second after a walk and a steal), and another RBI by Bonds on a 7th-inning double ends the scoring. All the scoring, as McGinnity gives up just five hits in the 5-0 shutout. Law a tough CG loss, and the Giants go up 2-0 in games.

GAME THREE, AT THE POLO GROUNDS

Well, the Polo Grounds are closer than San Francisco, and we are all conserving on fuel these days. The Candy Man versus Carl Hubbell in Game Three. Bill Terry puts the Giants on top with a second-inning HR, his third solo shot of the series (and no help from any wind). Burgess’ hit and Charleston’s double ties it in the 3rd, but the Giants hit Candelaria hard in their half of the inning. A double by Piper Davis, another by Bonds, and Willie Mays’ towering HR to center has the home team up 4-1.

Dave Parker’s solo poke in the 4th makes it 4-2, and when Clemente HRs after Wagner’s double, it’s a new game. But not for long. Two singles (Davis and Frisch) and a walk to Bonds loads the bases for Mays with one out. Willie singles to put the Giants up 5-4 and Sewell takes over for Candelaria. The threat ends when Terry hits into a 6-4-3 DP. Fred Lindstrom’s HR in the Giant sixth has them up 6-4, Hubbell has settled down, and that’s the way it stands going into the ninth.

Bill Madlock starts off the Buc ninth with a hit, but pinch hitter Kiner grounds out and Stargell fans. Down to their last out, Charlestron doubles, and Sal Maglie takes over for Hubbell. He faces Honus Wagner, and the Dutchman singles to right to tie the game; the Barber then fans Clemente. Sewell holds the Giants in the ninth and it’s extra innings. Maglie fans Suttles in a 1-2-3 tenth. Sewell yields a one-out walk but nothming more. In the eleventh, Madlock starts it again with a single. Two outs later, he’s on second, after a steal. Then Charleston connects, driving a triple past Mays, and Honus doubles him home, 8-6. Tekulve comes in for the save, and gets it, nailing McCovey for the final out. Win to Sewell for one-hit relief in 5 2/3 innings, and it’s 2-2 Giants in games.

GAME FOUR, POLO GROUNDS

Deacon Phillippe, a first Pirate dynasty ace, takes on draftee Dwight “Doc” Gooden in Game Four. Most of the franchises have enough aces to stock their staffs, without draftees from the “expansion team” stars, or the Negro Leagues, but there are some pitchers — like Satchel Paige, Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson — that just seem like they ought to be in on any All-Timers playoffs. Doc Gooden is in that category.

And thru five innings, the Doctor is in charge and up 2-1. He gave up a run on Vaughan’s double after Madlock walked in the second (Arky is back), and was in trouble in the fifth when a hit, walk and error loaded the sacks with two out, but he fanned Mule Suttles. The Deacon gave up one run on Terry’s double and Lindstrom’s single, and another when Barry Bonds walked, stole second, and came in on Terry’s single.

Then in the sixth, the Pirates moved in front. Larry Walker, batting eighth, homered with two on to make it 4-2 Pirates. Cepeda’s HR made it 4-3 after six. But the Pirates’ bats stayed hot, and they chased Gooden in the 7th. Clemente homered, exit Doc, enter Amos Rusie. Suttles singled, Paul Waner walked and with one out, Vaughan singled to load the bases. Enter Juan Marichal. Walker singled in one run, then Smoky Burgess cleared the bases with a triple. Two walks and Clemente’s sac fly scored another, 10-3. And they were not done. A Madlock double and two walks loaded the bases in the Buc 8th with two out, and Oscar Charleston emptied them with a ringing double to left. Barry Bonds’ 3-run HR in the Giants’ 9th off Babe Adams made the final 13-6, and the series was all even at two games each.

GAME FIVE, AT THE POLO GROUNDS

Camnitz and Mathewson, in a rematch of Game One. The Bucs went ahead on a Charleston double and Clemente’s single, but the Giants came back on Frish’s triple and a sac fly by Doyle. The Pirates plated three in the fourth. Suttles singled, and with two out, Arky Vaughan walked. Larry Walked double home a pair, and Smoky Burgess’ single made it 4-1. Willie Mays’ HR following Bonds’ double brought the Giants to within a run after four.

Matty settled down, and when Mays homered again, after Bonds walked, he had a 5-4 lead. Burgess doubled and pinch-runner Kendall scored on Charleston’s hit in the 7th, 5-5, but the Giants scored two off Roy Face in their 7th, on Frish’s double and Doyle’s HR. After a walk, Face was gone and Tekulve took over, and retired Irvin and Bonds. The Pirates fought back in their 8th to tie it again: Big Poison Waner doubled and Little Poison ran for him. Madlock walked and after Vaughan flew out, Larry Walker’s third double of the game tied it at 7 apiece. Rusie came on to put out the fire.

Tekulve held the Giants, and Honus Wagner started the Buc ninth with a double. Clemente followed with a two-bagger to put the Pirates up, 8-7, and after Rusie walked Suttles, Wiltse came on. Lloyd Waner, trying to bunt, drew a walk to load the bases with none out. But Wiltse retired Madlock and Vaughan on flies to Mays, and fanned Walker. But the Giants could not manage to get anyone on against Tekulve, Mel Ott whiffing to end the game and send the series back to Pittsburgh with the Bucs up 3-2.

GAME SIX, AT FORBES FIELD

In Game Two, Iron Man McGinnity tossed a shutout and errors led to three unearned runs in the 5-0 Giant defeat of Vern Law. Law started off Game Six sharp, but got nicked for a run in the third (the RBI on an Ott single), three more in the fourth (Piper Davis a bases-loaded double and Bresnahan’s hit), and when Terry hit yet another solo HR in the fifth, it was 5-0. But the Bucs finally solved McGinnity. Larry Walker walked to start the inning, and stole second. Vaughan fanned, and Walker was tossed out trying to take third. That was costly, as Traynor followed with a triple. But Jason Kendell double home a run. Kendell had come in when Smoky Burgess was injured sliding into second in the third — it was serious, Burgess will miss eleven games.

Paul Waner’s hit in the 5th scored Wagner, after Honus singled and stole second, but 5-2 is as close as the Pirates got. The Giants added three in their eighth on an error, single, Doyle’s double and Davis’ single, all off Adams. Two more in the ninth off Giusti salted it away: Bonds doubled, moved to third on a grounder, and came in on Lindstrom’s sac fly. Frisch’s single and Doyle’s double ended the Giants’ scoring. Traynor’s hit off Barnes with Walker aboard made the final 10-3. The visitors had won all six games.

GAME SEVEN, AT FORBES FIELD

And the visitors jumped on top early in Game Seven, too, chasing Phillippe with four runs in the 2nd. Barry Bonds homered to deep right — the wind was blowing that way again, but this one needed no assistance. With two out, Frisch singled and Doyle knocked him around with a double. After Davis walked, Roger Bresnahan doubled home two, 4-0.

Carl Hubbell was pitching well, but in the third, the Bucs got to him. After a Lindstrom error (the ball hit a pebble on that hard Forbes infield, but the ruling was an error), Honus Wagner just beat out an infield hit, also to third. Clemente then smashed a deep fly to center, but Willie Mays ran it down at the batting cage, the runners advancing after this circus catch. Mule Suttles, who managed just four singles in the first five games (he was benched for Game Six), then lined one over short for two runs, and it was 4-2. After Waner walked, Kiner fanned.

Rip Sewell, who pitched so well in Game Three, had taken over for Phillippe in the second, held the Giants in their third and again in the fourth. In the Pirate fourth, the Pirates made their move. Vaughan singled and Traynor forced him. Jason Kendell leaned into a pitch and was hit, putting two on for Charleston. Oscar responded with a triple into the ivy in right-center, tying the game. With the infield in, Honus Wagner’s hit to Doyle was snagged, and Charleston thrown out at the plate. But Clemente followed with a double to put the Pirates up 5-4, and Mule Suttles connected off Doc Gooden, on in relief, to make it 7-4.

And just like Game Three, it was the tight relief pitching of Rip Sewell that won the game. In his 6 1/3 innings, he gave up two singles and Terry’s RBI triple in the 8th. Period. Meanwhile, the Bucs scored another run in their 6th (Charleston’s triple and a sac fly by Honus), then exploded for five unearned runs off Wiltse in their 8th. Larry Doyle had a great offensive series but was not so great in the field, and his muff started the inning. Wagner followed with a triple, and after Clemente fanned, Suttles walked. Waner was retired on a comebacker and Lloyd Waner, in for defense, walked. That brought up Bill Mazeroski, also in for his late-inning defense. Maz skied one to right and — remember that wind? His fly fell in over the screen, right down the line, just 301 feet but a grand slam in the box score, 13-5 Pirates. Roy Face got the last three Giants out in order. The Pirates move on to face the Phils in the second round of the NL playoffs.

This was an exciting, but odd series. Three of the games were close, and the Pirates won two of them, Three and Five, coming back in both. For much of the series, it looked like the transfer of Barry Bonds from the Pirates to the Giants tipped the scales. Barry batted .307, hitting safely in each game, with four doubles, three HRs, 8 RBI, 8 runs scored, but just 2 walks and one stolen base. But he fit into the Giants’ lineup nicely, in either the 3 or 4 slot, and looked good in the OF with Mays.

The four games that were not close showed how either team, on any given day, can dominate, can score in double digits. This is true of all of the Sweet Sixteen mega-teams. Imagine pitchers having to face a lineup stocked with Hall of Famers, top to bottom, sluggers and slashers and pesky bunters and stealers, all in their peak seasons. True, the batters also face a steady diet of Grade A (and better) pitching, rough on the averages. There is always a winner and a loser, but play enough games with these guys, and those labels become meaningless. They can all play .

The above is an excerpt from Issue #463 of Gene’s Notes From the Shadows of Cooperstown. To read the rest of the issue (or past issues), click here .