Week 7 Summary (May 30, 1938 - June 5, 1938)

Week Seven of the 1938 BBW replay is in the books, and it was another exciting week. The week started off with a Memorial Day doubleheader extravaganza, sixteen games in all. The month of May has now completed, and the replay has moved into June, so there are plenty of games yet to be played. About half of the teams have reached or surpassed the forty-games played mark, and the remainder will make it there before the end of next week. 

It is a 24-week season, so the end of next week is the one-third point in the schedule. Teams should be right around the 50-games-played mark, so while some may make that by the end of next week, most teams have plenty of games yet to make up. The doubleheaders on Monday don’t count toward reducing the delta - those games were already scheduled. Peeking ahead into the upcoming weeks, doubleheaders start to appear, just as the weather warms up in the summer months of 1938.

In the AL, Detroit had the privilege of going into New York and Boston for their games this week, but still emerged in first place in the AL. Hank Greenberg had been on a hot streak, but if he is cooling off the Tigers could be in for a rough stretch. The Yankees sit in second place, a half-game out of first, and they play as though their ascension to the top is inevitable. They could use some help in the back end of their starting rotation, but their lineup is power-packed, and Joe Gordon will be returning to the starting lineup soon.

 

Joe McCarthy
Boston and St. Louis sit right behind New York, both with World Series dreams, but both knowing they have a tough row to hoe. Boston will continue to be a nuisance to anyone they are matched up with, as Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Grove make a formidable duo. St. Louis has played tough all season, but their inevitable collapse may soon come. I have mentioned their "inevitable collapse: for several weeks now, but it hasn't happened yet.

Cleveland and Washington sit behind St. Louis and would love nothing more than to move past the Browns in the standings. Both teams are rather inconsistent - on some days, they are a hitting powerhouse with good pitching, while on other days, they have neither. Opponents can't look past these two, though, because they can be dangerous and will make you pay if you get sloppy.

 

In the NL, Pittsburgh sits atop the NL standings, with pitching and timely hitting being their best weapons. Ditto for Chicago, currently 1.0 games being the first-place Pirates. The key to the current success of Pittsburgh and Chicago is that Mel Ott finally cooled off after a hot start, and the Giants have slowed down concurrently. The Giants have been here before, and like the Yankees, are built for the long haul, so there is no panic there, just a firm resolve to grit it out to the end.

 

Two unexpected teams so far sit right behind New York, as St. Louis and Brooklyn continue to surprise through the early season. The Cardinals may be weak around the edges, but any lineup that features Enos Slaughter, Joe Medwick, and Johnny Mize in the middle of it is a team to consider. Brooklyn may be doing it with mirrors, but they have proven thus far to be a tough out. Cincinnati is currently the hottest team on the NL with wins in eight of their previous ten games. They have almost caught up to Brooklyn, and have their eyes set on a higher standings placement.

 

There were a pair of events that occurred during the Memorial Day doubleheaders that require further highlighting. In Game One of their doubleheader in Philadelphia, Washington collected thirty-two hits, including thirteen for extra bases, as they pounded the A's 20-3. In the middle of that fiasco, second baseman Buddy Myer went 5-for-6, drove in four runs, and hit for the cycle. For what it's worth, Washington was held to four hits in Game Two and for a doubleheader split.

 

The other occurrence of note was an Unassisted Triple Play by Cubs second baseman Billy Herman:

 



 



The thing is, it happened so quickly … one second the Reds are threatening, then, all of a sudden, they are taking the field … just like that. I am in the middle of my ninth full-season replay, and this was the fourth triple play I have seen. I had one in 1949 and two in 1957, so it's not like they never happen, but they are pretty rare.


 



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