Week 21 Summary (September 5, 1938 - September 11, 1938)

Week Twenty-One of the 1938 BBW Replay is in the books, and things are getting interesting in the NL. The week started off with a Labor Day holiday doubleheader explosion, with all teams getting in two games. Three weeks are remaining, and most teams still have a full schedule with which to get played yet, so it doesn't get easier, it just gets closer to the end. St. Louis (AL) and Chicago (AL) had a mid-week series interrupted by weather, so they are the only teams that have not yet reached the 130-Games-played mark, but it won't be long before they get there as well.

In the AL, the Yankees still maintain a double-digit (10.0 games) lead over the second-place Red Sox, and their magic number is down to twenty. I suppose something could happen and Boston make some serious cuts in that New York lead, but no one is expecting that. However, Boston is currently on a seven-game winning streak, so never say never.

 

The only race in the AL that anyone is looking at is the race between Hank Greenberg and Jimmie Foxx for the homerun and RBI titles. Greenberg currently has 48 homeruns and 163 RBI's, while Foxx has 51 homeruns and 169 RBI's. Greenberg was on a real tear in the mid-season, propelling the Tigers into the upper echelons of the AL standings, but over the past few weeks, his bat has grown strangely quiet, and Detroit's sagging win total is reflected in his struggles. For the past two months, it has been Foxx who has been on a tear, as he has been able to catch and pass Greenberg, and more importantly, drive the Red Sox up towards the top of the standings. They may never catch the Yankees, but that won’t be Foxx's fault. Foxx is also leading the AL in hitting (.433!), so his winning the Triple Crown is not beyond the pale as well.

 

In the NL, Pittsburgh started the week off with a 3.0-game lead over second-place Chicago. The Cubs started off the week by sweeping a doubleheader against the Pirates and cutting their lead to only 1.0 games. By Thursday, it was Chicago in first place, with a full game over second-place Pittsburgh. This time, the Pirates fought back, playing tough games, and by the end of Sunday's games, it was Pittsburgh back on top of the NL with a 0.5-game lead over Chicago.

Obviously, the fans in both towns are nearly apoplectic. Pittsburgh hasn't been in the World Series since 1927, and even though they were drubbed by the Yankees then, they want another chance to face up against the New York powerhouse. The Cubs were last in the World Series in 1935, and with player-manager Gabby Hartnett almost fully back from his broken finger (he was limited to pinch-hitting duties this past week), Cubs fans are confident his imminent return to the starting lineup is a good omen.

 

Next week starts off with a travel day, with the AL East Coast franchises taking their final swing through the Midwest. For the NL, it is the opposite, with the Midwest teams taking a final tour of the East Coast. We are approaching that point in the season where teams will be finishing off their season series versus their opponents, and a few have reached that point already. That can only mean one thing - let's go play!


 


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