1948 – The Braves win the Pennant!

Boston Braves finish 91-62-1, first in NL

The Braves had been setting themselves up with a lot of talent over the past couple of years, and continued to this year – trading for second baseman Eddie Stanky, bringing up their new starting shortstop Al Dark (NL Rookie of the Year in 1948,) and in mid 1947 they traded for pitcher Bill Voiselle. All of these players would help them win the pennant this year but none of them would stay with the Braves very long afterwards. This would be the first time the Braves won the NL pennant since their World Series winning season of 1914.

This season is always associated with Spahn and Sain and their excellent pitching, but looking at it now it’s clear that while Sain was absolutely amazing this year, Spahn was only good, not great. Given Spahn’s greatness to come it may seem wrong to criticize his 1948 performance (15-12, 3.72 ERA) but in fact that was his highest ERA until 1964. He and Sain certainly had their moments, especially the one which led to the famous lines written by Boston Post sports editor Gerald Hern:

First we’ll use Spahn

then we’ll use Sain

Then an off day

followed by rain,

Back will come Spahn

followed by Sain.

And followed

we hope

by two days of rain.

It started with a Labor day doubleheader, where Spahn won the first game in a 14 inning complete game win, and Sain the second with a shutout. Following two off days, it did rain. Spahn won the next day, and Sain won the day after that. Three days later, Spahn won again. Sain won the next day. After one more off day, the two pitchers were brought back and won both ends of another doubleheader. All in all, Sain and Spahn were 8-0 in 12 days. In fact though, the rest of the Braves’ rotation, Bill Voiselle and Vern Bickford also pitched pretty well this year.

All-Stars

Eddie Stanky, 2B

Eddie was traded from the Dodgers to the Braves this year and was a solid utility infielder, mostly at second base. He played for a lot of teams during his career, and appeared in three different World Series, but never won. Stanky was a notoriously tricky player who would do anything to win and was especially known for his ability to draw walks, leading the NL in walks three times and in OBP twice. One of his famous tricks (which led to a rule change banning it) was as a baserunner on third with less than two out, he would stay back from the base several steps into left field, and when any outfield fly was hit, he would time it so he could start running, step on the bag just as the ball was caught and be running at full speed for home, easily beating any throw. After his playing career was over, he managed in the majors and minors, and eventually was the manager of the University of South Alabama’s baseball team for many years.

Bob Elliott, 3B

Bob had another great year for the Braves, though not quite as good as his 1947 performance. He had 23 home runs, 100 RBIs, 131 walks (a career high) and hit .283, finishing with a .897 OPS. He would go on to play well for the Braves for three more seasons and another All-Star appearance.

Tommy Holmes, OF

Tommy has been with the Braves since 1942 and won one previous All-Star nod, in 1945. He hit .325 this year and would never has as good of a hitting season again. Tommy was a fan favorite, especially by those of the bleachers behind right field where he played – he was known to carry on conversations with fans during games. Tommy was also known during his career for being amazingly difficult to strike out (love to see that in the current Braves.) I actually found that by one measure he might have been the fourth most difficult guy to strike out in baseball history – in his career he had 5,565 plate appearances and only struck out 122 times.

Phil Masi, C

Phil split catching duties in 1948 with Bill Salkeld but was mostly the starter – the last season he would start for the Braves. Phil has been with the Braves sine 1939 and with all their player movement has been one of their regulars. He became especially known for a play in Game One of this year’s World Series – while on second as a pinch runner (yes a catcher as a pinch runner) in the eighth inning of a scoreless pitcher’s duel, Bob Feller tried to pick him off. It looked to almost everyone like Lou Boudreau had put the tag on him but the umpire called him safe. Tommy Holmes then hit a single which scored Masi, giving the Braves a run which proved the clincher in a 1-0 win. The controversy of this play would follow Masi to the end of his career, so much so that when he died in 1990 his will stated that yes, he had really been out on that play.

Johnny Sain, P

Johnny had the best year of his career in 1948 as he led the Braves to the pennant, winning twenty-four games and losing fifteen, with a 2.60 ERA.He led the league in wins, games started, complete games (28) and innings pitched and finished as second in Most Valuable Player voting but lost to Stan Musial’s absolute wrecking ball of a season with the Cardinals. (For those interested, Stan hit .376, had 39 home runs, 131 RBIs, .450 on-base percentage, OPS of 1.152.) It wouldn’t be until 1956 that pitchers got their own separate Cy Young award, though Sain did win the Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year Award this year, which was established in 1944 and continues to this day.

1948 World Series

The 1948 OOTP Braves finished at 92-61 and won the NL pennant as they should have, and played the Indians as they did in real life. However the Indians swept the Braves in the World Series in OOTP, unlike in real life when Cleveland won in 6.

The Braves won Game 1 1-0 as I described earlier, with a Sain-Feller pitching duel going the whole way. The Indians’ Bob Lemon defeated Warren Spahn in Game Two, 2-0 and Cleveland went on to win games three and four at home. Spahn defeated Feller in Game Five in Cleveland, 11-5, and it would return to Boston for a final chance. World Series pitching became integrated for the first time when Satchel Paige pitched for the Indians in relief in Game 5. The Braves’ hopes were dashed, however, when Bob Lemon defeated Bill Voiselle in Game 6, 4-3 and Cleveland won the Series.

The World Series had appeared on television in a limited basis the previous year, and now with Cleveland involved, the use of television was extended – this series was the first World Series to be viewable aboard a train, and in the days of separate TV networks in the Northeast and Midwest, something had to be done so that fans of both teams would be able to watch all the games. So a remarkable experiment was tried – called Stratovision, a special B-29 was rigged up so it could fly over Pennsylvania and “bounce” a TV signal from a Pittsburgh studio, enabling a large area of the midwest to view Game 6 of the World Series. It had its limits, and in the end additional connector cables were laid the next year so that the World Series was viewable from a much farther area.

1947 – the emergence of Spahn

Boston Braves finish 86-68, 3^rd in the NL

The war had delayed the arrival of the Braves deadly pitching duo, Spahn and Sain, but now both were back in force. Sain won 20 games for the Braves in 1946 but missed being an All-Star.  Warren Spahn came back mid-1946 and was used as a mix of starter and relief, winning 8 games but this year both will be in the starting rotation for sure. Braves fans will have the pleasure of watching Spahn win 348 more games in a Braves uniform. The Braves have also added some other new players this year who will help them turn their luck around – guys like slugging third baseman Bob Elliott from the Pirates and rookie 1^st baseman Earl Torgeson.

All-Stars

Johnny Sain, P

Johnny is one of those players whose career is filled with what-ifs. What if he had reached the majors before the age of 25, and what if he had been able to pitch instead of losing three prime seasons to the war. What if he hadn’t been converted to primarily relief by the Yankees? He was so good, so fast after reaching the majors in 1942 (four 20 win seasons between 1946-1950) that it always makes me wonder what he could have done if he reached the majors a few years earlier and there was no war. There was one though, and instead of being remembered as a dominant pitcher in his own right he usually gets thrown in with Spahn as a great duo (which they were.) Sain had a 21-12 record in 1947, with a 3.52 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.

Bob Elliot, 3B

 Bob came over this year in a trade from the Pirates, where he had been a star and been in three All-Star games. The friendly confines of Braves field allowed him to hit quite a few more home runs than he had in Pittsburgh, and he proved himself by winning the National League Most Valuable Player this year, with 22 home runs, 113 RBIs, and hitting 317. He had a great nickname as well -Mr.Team.

Warren Spahn, P

Warren still pitched in a few games in relief but this was his first season doing a full year as a starter, and it was a great one. He finished 21-10 with a 2.33 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. This would be the first of many 20 game win seasons for him with the Braves, as well as the first All-Star appearance of many.

Phil Masi, C

Phil had another great year at catcher, and hit pretty well too, to get to another All-Star game. He hit .304 this year which would be the last time he topped .300 in his career. Phil would start for the Braves in 1948 as well before being traded to the Pirates mid-1949.

The 1947 sim Braves finished in fourth place with an 82-72 record. The sim World Series would be between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers with the Tigers winning in 7. The real World Series this year was quite historic, being the first integrated Series of course as Jackie Robinson’s Dodgers faced the Yankees, but lost in 7 games, but also was the first televised World Series (though it was limited to a few major cities in the Northeast.) Game 4 was the famous “Cookie Game” where Bill Bevins of the Yankees had a no hitter 8 2/3 innings in, until it was broken up, and the game lost with an incredible pinch hit by Cookie Lavagetto, winning the game for the Dodgers. Cookie was the hero of Dodger fans everywhere, but never had another major league hit.

1946 – Let there be lights!

Boston Braves finish 81-72-1, fourth in the NL

Braves field had some improvements begun before this season, and one of them was lights so there could be the occasional night game – though they wouldn’t be fully installed until after this season. With the end of the war and some players returning for Opening Day, and others returning throughout the year, the Braves new manager Billy Southworth had some promising things happening with the team. Southworth had been an outfielder with several teams throughout the teens and twenties, including the Braves for a few years. He became a manager after his retirement and made his name by winning two championships with the wartime Cardinals. He would end up managing the Braves through 1951 and eventually make it into the Hall of Fame, though only long after his death (in 2008.)

 

All-Stars

Mort Cooper, P

Cooper had come over to the Braves from the Cardinals in 1945 after having three straight 20 game seasons with them in 1942-1944. Once the cream of the league’s hitting returned from the war Mort wasn’t really an ace anymore but bounced around with various teams until 1949. In 1946 he was 13-11 with the Braves and had a very respectable 3.12 ERA and 1.11 WHIP but it was the last time he really pitched well.

Phil Masi, C

Phil had been with the Braves since 1939, but mostly as the backup catcher (though he did catch knuckleballer Jim Tobin) until last season, where he surprised the team by being able to hit quite a bit. No doubt he would have been an All-Star in ’45 if there had been any, and he made it this year with a solid .267 average and knocking in 62 runs, a career high. Phil was an excellent defensive catcher as well, so being able to hit even some was enough to win him three All-Star nods before his time with the Braves was done.

Johnny Hopp, OF

 

Hopp came over from the Cardinals this year along with Billy Southworth – he had won two championships with the Cardinals, and would end up winning two more with different teams before his career was over. He was a solid hitter, good for .333 average this year and stealing 20 bases as well, finishing with a n OPS of .827. Hopp would leave the Braves after the 1947 season and would eventually play with the Pirates, Dodges, Yankees, and Tigers.

The 1946 OOTP Braves weren’t too hot, and ended up finishing fourth with a 73-80 record. Phil Masi was an All-Star as well as relief pitcher Ed Wright. The Cardinals lost a very close World Series to the Yankees in 7 games, but in real life they won a close one over the Red Sox this year.

 

1945 – Will this war ever end?

Boston Braves finish 67-85-2, 6^th in the NL 

You might be as tired as I am of seeing these blundering, losing Braves teams for so long. Trust me, you don’t have to wait a whole lot longer until they actually become decent. In fact when the war ends they are going to be as surprised as anyone to have a pretty good team on their hands. The war would claim one final baseball casualty – no 1945 All-Star game would be held due to wartime movement restrictions. Some sportswriters and others named an unofficial team but I won’t be concerning myself with them. One guy who was robbed of his deserved All-Star spot was Braves outfielder Tommy Holmes who had a fantastic year this year – 28 home runs, 117 RBIs, hitting .352. Holmes finished second in the MVP voting to the Cubs’ Phil Cavaretta who hit .355 but had a lower OBP and OPS than Holmes.

 

The sim 1945 Braves finished dead last in the NL, at 59-92. Holmes still hit well but couldn’t save them from terrible pitching. The Cubs, led by Cavaretta, beat the Yankees in 6 games for the World Series title. Cubs winning a championship? This thing is all screwed up. The Cubs actually did reach, and lose the World Series that year, the last one they have played in.

1944 – War turns the corner, the Braves don’t

Boston Braves finish 64-89-1

Interim manage Bob Coleman was in charge, and trying to get the Braves depleted roster to do much day to day was a struggle. They tried everything, including using Nate Andrews as a starter – Andrews had so far had a pathetic career as a reliever with the Cardinals and Indians. They also had a new starter at second base, well until he got hurt – Connie Ryan would end up playing at second and other infield spots for the Braves through 1950. Even though their record was pretty shabby, they had the most All-Stars from the team they’d ever had – four in total.

All-Stars

Connie Ryan, 2B 

Ryan had come to the Braves from the Giants as part of the Ernie Lombardi trade in 1943. Giants manager Mel Ott had discovered him and brought him up to the majors the in 1942, though he barely played. He had been a workhorse second baseman for the Braves in ’43 but struggled to hit the ball at all. In 1944 his hitting improved, and he was named to his only All-Star appearance, hitting .295 in 88 games before his number was called and he left for the military. Ryan remained with the Braves until 1950, and later on became a minor league manager and coach for the Braves, even managing the Atlanta Braves for 27 games at the end of the 1975 season.

Jim Tobin, P

I previously mentioned Tobin for hitting three home runs in a game a couple years back, but he continued to be a capable relief pitcher and sometime starter for the Braves through the war years, and this was his best season by far. He started throwing the knuckleball this year and it showed immediate returns. He threw two no-hitters this year (one would not count by modern rules, only 5 innings) and finished 18-19 with 3 saves, with a 3.01 ERA. He also led the league in complete games with 28 – amazing to think how often starters would be asked to go the distance throughout baseball history. I looked up the leader in complete games in 2012 – Justin Verlander, with six. Six!

Nate Andrews, P

Nate had come to the Braves the previous season from Cleveland, and was put into the starting rotation despite only starting one game the previous four years in the majors. He went on to lead the National League in losses and finish 14-20. In 1944 he got things turned around, as he won 16 games and lost 15, with a 3.22 ERA ad 1.31 WHIP and his only career All-Star appearance. Like many of the players I have mentioned here recently, he wouldn’t remain in baseball much past the war. Andrews lived in North Carolina his whole life outside of baseball., and pitched for the University of North Carolina before he came to the majors. 

Al Javery, P

Javery continued to be a wartime core of the Braves’ rotation this year, though he certainly did not pitch as well as in 1943, losing 19 games to winning only 14 and finishing with an ERA of 3.54. This was also his last season where he would start more than 15 games – aftet this year he would be used less and less the next two seasons and then disappear entirely from baseball history.

The 1944 OOTP Braves finished 5^th in the league, 69-85. Wartime slugger Butch Neiman pounded 39 home runs this year, a lot better than the 16 he managed in real life. He was named to the All-Star game this year, as well as Jim Tobin and Chuck Workman. The Cardinals beat the Yankees in 5 in the sim World Series.

1943 – War continues

Boston Braves finish 68-86. 6^th in the NL

The impact of players leaving for the war really started to be felt in 1943 – many players including Spahn, Sain, Max West, and others were missing from the team this year and in the following seasons. They were short on pitching, aside from good starters like Al Javery and Red Barrett, and with Lombardi moving on to the Giants they were glad to have capable catcher Al Masi.

This year would be the last with the Braves for Casey Stengel as well – he led the team for part of this year before moving on, and interim manager Bob Coleman took over until after the war, when the Braves would get yet another Hall of Fame manager.

All-Stars

Al Javery, P 

Al did not join the military due to his varicose veins, and a good thing too, as he was a real workhorse for the Braves during the war years. He finished 17-16 this year wih a 3.21 ERA and 1.28 WHIP – pitching in over 300 innings this year. His nickname for some reason was “Bear Tracks.” Apparently his arm gave out after just a few years of good pitching for the Braves, and his last in the majors would be 1946.

The Braves were quite good in OOTH 1943, managing a 83-68 record and finishing third in the league. Outfielder Tommy Holmes put up some great numbers, hitting .332 with 85 runs batted in and a 7.5 WAR (fourth in the NL.) A certain Stan Musial had a really crazy year to win the National League MVP – hitting .391, with 20 home runs and 142 RBIs, and finishing with an almost unheard of 13.4 WAR. OOTP seems to have some particularly inflated WAR numbers throughout this period, as I see 23 guys with a WAR above 10 since I started the league in 1933. To compare that to real life, at least how Baseball Reference calculates it, only 20 guys have had a season above 10 in WAR from 1948 through 2012 (going by leaders, may be slightly more.) 

In the 1943 sim World Series, finally the exact two teams played as they did in real life, the Cardinals and the Yankees, though in OOTP the Cardinals won, unlike real life.

 

 

I forgot that SS Eddie Miller was also an All-Star for the Braves in 1942. I guess that post was already getting so long, and I had some issues getting everything to cooperate, that I totally forgot about it. It was also his last season with the Braves.

1942 – WAR!

Boston Braves finish 59-89, 7^th in National League

With the war officially on, baseball would definitely change over the next few years, with many major and minor leaguers going overseas. I found a list of all the Braves that joined the military and believe me, it was extensive, including former All-Star Max West. Many did not join immediately and fortunately none were killed (actually only two Major Leaguers were killed in World War 2.) The Braves also had acquired some really promising players – the main one was hard hitting star catcher Ernie Lombardi, who they had purchased from the Reds.

They had also brought in some much needed pitching prospects, as they had little in the way of starters besides the talented Al Javery. One was a lanky southpaw who would have a huge impact on the Braves – Warren Spahn. Unfortunately Spahn only pitched in four games this year because he clashed with manager Stengel after Casey ordered him to throw at Pee Wee Reese of the Dodgers in an exhibition game and Spahn refused. Casey sent him packing to the minors for this.

The team also grabbed up a talented righty prospect as well – Johnny Sain. Sain had been acquired after commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis’ attempts to crack down on the farm system of minor league teams led to 91 players from the Tigers organization being named free agents, including Sain.

Additionally, the team brought up Tommy Holmes, a quick-hitting outfielder with a great arm. He would also be a big part of turning the Braves around in the next several years, as well as Spahn and Sain.

I have to mention one incredible incident that happened on May 13, 1942. Starting pitcher Jim Tobin hit three home runs in one game – which has never been done again by a pitcher (another pitcher did so in the nineteenth century.)

All-Stars 

Ernie Lombardi, C

Ernie had become a star catcher with the Reds for many years before the Braves picked him up, known for his hard hitting, as well as his lack of speed. In 1938 he hit .342 to lead the league and won the MVP of the NL that year. The Braves were rewarded for buying him, as in 1942 he hit .330 to lead all National League hitters, slugged 11 home runs and finished with a .886 OPS. For some reason, despite this performance they would trade him to the Giants . No other catcher would win a batting title until Joe Mauer did it in 2006.

In 1942 the OOTP Braves would finish 73-75, fifth in the league. A great performance by Tommy Holmes helped, as well as Jim Tobin winning 24 games for the club. The crosstown rivals Red Sox beat the Cardinals in 7 games to win the World Series.

 

1941 – Hitting Bottom

Boston Braves finish 62-92, 7^th in the NL

The team was bad this year – really no other way to describe it. There were some signs of promise, however – the team had brought in a young starting pitcher, Al Javery, and he looked like he might be pretty good, and the talented defensive shortstop Eddie Miller they had traded from the Yankees had been good last year. The good news, though they did not know it, was that there was light at the end of the tunnel. The Braves would not lose this many games in a season again until the mid-1970s. In other good news, the short-lived Bees experiment is over with, the team is back to the Braves!

All-Stars

Eddie Miller, SS

Eddie Miller started with the Reds for a couple years, made a brief stop with the Yankees before coming to the Braves and then back to the Reds in 1943. He was known for his defensive skill and was one of the better fielding shortstops in the National League through the 1940s. He would finish his career with seven All-Star game appearances, including a few more with the Braves. This year though he hit a feeble .239 though he did manage to knock in 68 runs, and had a .614 OPS.

When researching Eddie, I actually discovered that the Braves All-Star list I have been using is wrong – Eddie was actually an All-Star for the Braves in 1940 as well! He certainly hit better in 1940 than in ’41, delivering 14 home runs, 79 RBIs, while hitting .276 and a .748 OPS. From now on I will be double checking the list on the Braves page with Baseball Reference to make sure no other players are missed.

The 1941 OOTP Braves were bad, but not as bad as in real life, finishing 71-83 and 6^th in the league. Max West had a great year for them and led the team in most offensive stats. Al Javery won 15 games and had a 2.31 ERA, 1.15 WHIP. You know I have to give you a great name run-down – this team included Buddy Gremp, Sibby Sisti, Buster Bray, and George Barnicle (who barely hung on to his job, pitching one game in the majors this year and then never again.)

1940 – Still Struggling

Boston Bees finish 65-87, 7^th in the NL 

Not much new for the Bees this year. I did read some interesting stuff about their ballpark, Braves Field aka The Bee Hive. It was the home of the Braves until they left town after the 1952 season when it was sold to Boston University, and though it has been quite changed and eventually named Nickerson Field, apparently parts of it like the concourse under parts of the seating area would still be familiar to the Braves even today. It seated 45,000 for the 1940 season.

All-Stars

Max West, OF

Max joined the Bees for the 1938 season and showed a bit of home run capability but not much average that year. He had a good year in 1939 and continued to be solid but not great in his All-Star year of 1940. Despite that had one of the few moments of fame in his short career in the 1940 All-Star game. Hitting in the first inning off future Hall of Famer Red Ruffing, with two men on, he bashed a three run home run to spark the National League to a rare All-Star game win, 4-0. That was to be the only All-Star at bat of his career, as he was injured later in the game and was never an All-Star again.

The 1940 OOTP Boston Bees were on track with their real performance, finishing 67-85 and 7^th in the National League. They had no All-Stars this year. The Cardinals won the World Series over the Yankees, 4-2. I’m actually wondering if the World Series results will ever mirror the real ones – so far I don’t think I’ve ever seen both real teams in it.

 

Since this is about All-Stars, it seemed a side post about how All-Stars were selected would be appropriate. I actually found that I was not really knowledgeable how they are selected even today – obviously there is the highly hyped fan voting, which lets fans vote for which position players will be named to play in the game. I’ve voted enough to be aware of this part. Players, coaches and managers vote to select the starting pitchers and relief pitchers, as well as a backup position player for each position. Then after all this, the manager of each league’s All-Star team decides on the remaining roster spots, which is how they try to make sure each team has at least one person representing it. These rosters are posted, then there is a final internet vote for one more player by the fans.

Of course this modern system tries to be a lot more fair about including all the parties involved – I think you will not be surprised that this was not always the case. Especially in the era we’ve been discussing here, the manager of each All-Star team just selected all the players he thought appropriate. This may explain some of the baffling selections (believe me, some of the Braves picked so far have not exactly been putting up great numbers, except Wally Berger.) In 1947 it was decided to give fans a vote for position players, but after an incident in 1957 when Cincinnati fan stuffed the ballot box and voted in Reds players in every position but one, fan voting was removed until 1970.  (The commissioner had to step in and remove a couple of Reds and add in Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.) Further changes happened, including the brief 1959-1962 period where two All-Star games were held each season, but eventually things settled down towards the modern system.

One final note about All-Star game history – there have been many years where the starting group were very good, but it will be hard to surpass the 1934 game in which all but one of the starting 18 are in the Hall of Fame. The one is our old friend Wally Berger.

1939 – Beginning of a Slide

Boston Bees finish 63-88, 7^th in the NL

The Braves started a series of really bad seasons this year – they wouldn’t finish better than 6^th until 1946. They made some changes, including bringing in star Al Simmons in from the Senators in the offseason, but he was aging and wouldn’t add much to the team. Simmons had been a big part of the Philadelphia Athletics run in the late 20s, winning two World Series with them, and then racking up three straight All-Star seasons with the White Sox. He would later be named to the Hall of Fame but was not much for the Bees this year. They also added a colorful character, outfielder “Ugly” Johnny Dickshot – self proclaimed as the ugliest man in baseball, but he moved on to the Giants before the season started.

All-Stars

Lou Fette, P

Lou came into baseball with Boston and had three good seasons as a starter right off – winning 20 games in 1937, leading the NL in shutouts twice in those three years, and then winning an All-Star nod in 1939. After his All-Star year he never really pitched well again, perhaps getting hurt – he pitched a bit in the majors in 1940 and 1945 but that was it.

The OOTP Bees finished 70-81 and 6^th in the National League. As has been happening often in this dynasty, a bunch of players were named tot he NL All-Star team but not Lou Fette. This year pitchers Danny MacFayden and Lou Posedel, reliever Johnny Lanning, second baseman Rabbit Warstler, aging star Al Simmons, and outfielder Max West were all on the team. They had as many All-Stars as the Cardinals who won 100 games this year! The Yankees beat the Cardinals in 5 to win the Series – in real life they swept the Reds.

1938 – New Year, New Manager

Boston Bees finish 77-75. 5^th in the NL

Changes continues for the club this year – Wally Berger is gone, traded to the Giants. A promising new outfielder has come up from the minors, Max West – hopefully to fill his shoes. The biggest change is a new manager – a relatively untested guy named Casey Stengel. Casey, who was originally called K.C. from his birthplace in Kansas City had managed the Brooklyn club for a few years (1934-36) but that was it for his managerial experience. Of course after leaving the Bees several years later he would helm the Yankees and eventually wiu seven championships with them and get into the Hall of Fame.

All-Stars

Tony Cuccinello, 2B

A small, feisty New Yorker, Cuccinello came to Boston in 1936 and has already had two All-Star seasons in the OOTP-verse. In real life he was known for his defense, especially with assists and double plays from second. He hit .308 in the real 1936 and showed a bit of power in 1937 but he’s certainly known for his fielding more than his solid, unspectacular hitting. After he finished his playing career he had a long stretch as a manager for some minor league teams and a coach in the majors, especially the Tigers where he coached during their championship winning 1968 season.

Jim Turner, P

Milkman Jim Turner has been mentioned a few times before – he won 20 games and was the NL ERA leader in his first season with Boston in 1937, and was 14-18 with a 3.46 ERA in his All-Star year. He would later go on to win a NL pennant with the Reds in 1942 and become even more well known after his playing days as being Casey Stengel’s pitching coach for the Yankees run of championship years in the 1950s, and even came back as the Yankees pitching coach from 1969-1973, finishing up at the age of 70.

In OOTP, the Braves were middle of the road through most of the year, and when All-Star time rolled around, they had pitcher Lou Fette and outfielder Vince Dimaggio nominated, but not Turner or Cuccinello. They finished up 72-80, 5^th in the NL. Cuccinello hit .275 and drove in 61 runs, with a .695 OPS. Turner outmatched his real self, finishing 17-14 with a 2.37 ERA. The Yankees won the World Series in 5 over the Cardinals.

1936 – Welcome the Bees

Boston Bees finish 71-83, 6^th in the NL

The bad taste of the last season lingered, causing a new owner to try changing the team’s nickname – it didn’t really help because they didn’t add much in terms of players. However, they stayed the Bees only until 1940.

All-Stars 

Wally Berger, OF 

Getting tired of just seeingWally’s name? Well this is his last All-Star season with the Braves. After this he started a downward trend in his stats, and left Boston after the 1937 season.

Boston’s roster for 1936 contained such names as Swede Larson, Pinky Whitney, Art Doll, Amby Murry, and my favorite, Flint Rhem. I really love those 1930s baseball names, have I mentioned that?

 

OOTP Ben Cantwell managed to get the All-Star nod he missed in 1933 – so far ha has managed to post a 2.70 ERA but a 5-8 record. Reliever Bill Weir also was an All-Star, as well as second baseman Tony Cuccinello, brought in through a trade in the offseason. Oh yes, and don’t forget Wally! The Bees finished out at 70-84, 6^th in the NL. The Yankees keep rolling, defeating the Pirates 4-1 in the World Series, but at least they actually win the World Series in 1936. Wally Berger had 25 home runs and 99 RBIs, hitting .264 with a .813 OPS.

1935 – Historically Bad

Boston Braves finish 38-115, last in the NL

This was the worst Braves team of all time – they had virtually the same roster from the previous year but with one big exception – Babe Ruth. An aging Bambino was added almost as a publicity stunt, angering the team so much some tried to go on strike, and others seemed to refuse to play with him. The team seemed to get worse and worse as management, ownership, and the team fought, turning this year into a once in a lifetime debacle. Ruth ended up retiring mid-year, finishing his time in baseball on a sour note.

All-Stars

Wally Berger, OF

Wally had a career high 130 RBIs this year, along with 34 home runs, so he certainly did not seem to give up on the team, but it seems to have been a solitary bright spot for the Braves.

I have noticed that Ruth has been doing better in his final years than his real life counterpart, so I doubt the Braves will be nearly as bad as they were in 1935. Of course a computer game can’t really simulate the things that went wrong for the Braves that year.

The OOTP 1935 Braves finished 7^th in the NL with a 52-99 year – pretty close I’d say! Their hitting was terrible aside from Berger, and their pitching was mediocre. Ruth played in 104 games, not the 28 he did in real life, but still didn’t add a whole lot. Farewell. The Yankees continue their OOTP dominance with a World Series sweep of the Cubs.