The rise of the PCL - A Puresim alternate history of Baseball

[BYU 14]

As the 20th century dawned, the world of professional Baseball could best be described as tumultuous. Despite its popularity across the country there was really only one “Major League” and as the 1890’s came to an end it the National League was bring barraged with criticism concerning the behavior of its players, fans and owners. Salty language, questionable management practices and even rampant rumors of fixing had left a large portion of the American public doubtful that integrity would ever be restored to the game.

It was this skepticism, that in 1901 led Ban Johnson to declare his Western League as a “Major League” and in short order go after some of the established stars of the National League. Promising a more family friendly atmosphere, Johnson brought in deep pockets and set up shop with three teams (Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston) in direct competition with existing National League franchises. Though many of the National League owners dismissed Johnson’s new American League as the folly of a madman, it was soon apparent they posed a legitimate threat to the old school.

While court battles raged throughout the season over territorial rights, player contracts and anti-trust violations, the American League treated its fans to an exciting three team race between the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Americans and Baltimore Orioles that saw parks packed to the rafters over the final two weeks of the campaign. While the National League pennant race was all but decided by that time, with the Philadelphia Phillies coasting to the pennant by 8 games over both Pittsburgh and Brooklyn, the American League race went to the wire. On the final day of the season the Red Sox lost, while Philadelphia won to force a one game playoff for the American League Pennant.

Ted Lewis (23-8 1.84) took the hill for the Americans, while Rookie Eddie Plank (17-11 1.97) countered for the Athletics. The game was a nail biter, tied 1-1 through 7, when the Athletics pushed across 2 in the top of the 8th inning, then 4 more in the top of the 9th to win going away 7-2. With the pennant winners from both leagues residing in the same city it was not long before the clamor arose for the two to meet. Johnson welcomed the idea, but National League ownership did not. It was only after the public pressure became so intense that the elder league relented, hopeful that a sound thrashing of the upstarts would destroy their claim to “Major League” status and lure the public back to the National League ball yards.

The dream of the National League owners quickly became a nightmare of epic proportions however, as the Athletics thrashed the Phillies 4 games to nil in the “World Series” capturing the prestigious Temple Cup in the process. The Phillies failed to tally a single run in the best of 7 matchup falling 1-0, 9-0, 2-0 and 1-0 in a result so embarrassing that it forced the National League to sue for peace in the winter of 1901 and begrudgingly accept the American League as equals. The move also effectively ended the reserve clause, allowing players to move between teams, but only when the terms of their current contract expired and only then if another team exceeded the offer of their current team……Unwittingly, be doing this the owners of both leagues had left a door ajar and peaking in through the crack was group of ambitious business men based in the western United States. Their business……The Pacific Coast League.

As the 1902 season got into to full swing, owners of both leagues suddenly realized they could not only co-exist, but make a nice profit in doing so, especially with the advent of the Temple Cup showdown between the winners of both leagues, which played to standing room only crowds in both Philadelphia Ballparks the previous October. In their zeal to stuff their Piggy banks however they had neglected to realize that what had happened once, could indeed happen again. In their arrogant belief that men of money resided only in the big cities of the east, and in fact those that lived west of the Mississippi were barely civilized, let alone rich, they had overlooked a gathering storm on the west coast.

[BYU 14]

Backed by Mine owners, Cattle Ranchers and Oil and Railroad tycoons, the Pacific Coast League, while not at the talent level of either the American or National Leagues, was an ambitious enterprise that offered the hard working folks of the west a welcome respite after a grueling day of manual labor and as the only game in town, turned a handsome profit while doing it. With Teams in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Portland, Seattle and Spokane, the PCL had kept an interested eye on the developments of 1901 and set their own course to carve a generous piece of the Baseball pie for themselves. With a battery of attorneys and accountants in tow, the owners formulated their plan to breach the national Baseball stage following the conclusion of the 1902 season.

While the PCL owners collaborated behind a veil of secrecy, business went on as usual for the owners of the National and American Leagues. Connie Mack’s Athletics, led by Eddie Plank (24-8 1.99) and Nap LaJoie (.274 – 8 – 58) came home 4 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox and 6 up on Baltimore. The NL race was again anti-climatic as the Chicago Orphans rode 90 wins to a 7 game cushion over the Cincinnati Reds behind the Outfield trio of Topsy Hartsel, (.293 – 5 – 56) Frank Chance (.273 – 8 – 57, 52 Steals) and Danny Green. (.295 – 8 – 72) Pop Williams and Rube Waddell both chipped in 18 wins and led the Orphans into the Temple Cup as slight favorites.

Once again however Mack’s boys would ride their arms to a 4-1 Cup win over the Windy City nine.
Game 1 – Philadelphia 5 Chicago 3
Game 2 – Philadelphia 2 Chicago 1
Game 3 – Philadelphia 1 Chicago 0
Game 4 – Chicago 2 Philadelphia 1
Game 5 – Philadelphia 1 Chicago 0
The series hero was Nap LaJoie who hit the sphere at a .500 clip, pilfered 5 bases and scored 3 runs.

Shortly before Christmas 1902, the Pacific Coast League played its hand declaring itself a Major League and petitioning for recognition as a professional entity in direct competition with the American and National Leagues. As part of the petition the Pacific Coast League demanded inclusion into the existing Major League structure, including any post season competitions to declare a true “Worlds” Champion. They also announced their intent to actively pursue contracts with any player in the existing “Major Leagues” who had not agreed to the renewal offers of their current teams and were therefore free to negotiate with other teams under the terms of the 1901 settlement between the American and National Leagues.

[BYU 14]

The ensuing court battle between the upstarts from the West and the snooty old school East raged on well past the start of the 1903 season. The American and National Leagues successfully staved off attempts by the PCL to raid their rosters in time for opening day, relegating them to another season in the shadow of the big two. Lost in the legal morass was an excellent pennant race in the National League that saw Philadelphia and Cincinnati end up in a dead heat at seasons end, with the Pittsburgh Pirates just two games back. In the American League the Boston Americans rode a league high .271 team average to a 3 game cushion over Baltimore to grab the pennant.

The Phillies eliminated Cincinnati in the one game playoff and moved on to face the hard hitting Bostonians, led by 3B Jimmy Collins (.308-6-87), CF Patsy Dougherty (.304-2-49) and 1B Buck Freeman (.301-4-76). The American also boasted a veteran pitching staff with Ted Lewis (21-9 2.64) and ageless Cy Young (17-10 2.73) leading the way. The Philadelphia squad countered with power, boasting an amazing five players (Rudy Hulswitt 17, Hughie Jennings 14, Shad Barry 14, Elmer Flick 13 and Hugh Duffy 12) with over 10 home runs. In addition Flick (69) and CF Roy Thomas (66) were two very capable base stealers. Another oddity with this bunch was their best pitcher Doc Scanlan (27-5 3.19) never even started a game, earning all his victories in relief. Leading the starters were Doc White (14-7 2.16) and Bill Duggleby (14-7 2.84).

The Temple Cup was a hard fought affair, which eventually saw Philadelphia prevail 4 games to 2 and give the city of brotherly love their third straight Temple Cup after the American League Athletics won the first two.
Temple Cup Scorecard
Game 1 Boston 2 Philadelphia 0
Game 2 Philadelphia 6 Boston 2
Game 3 Philadelphia 3 Boston 0
Game 4 Philadelphia 3 Boston 2
Game 5 Boston 8 Philadelphia 5
Game 6 Philadelphia 1 Boston 0

The final game was a brilliant pitching duel that saw Doc White and George Winter match zeros for 6 innings. In the top of the 7th Hughie Jennings singled home Red Dooin (who had doubled off Winter) and Fred Burchell came on to stymie Boston over the final three innings to clinch the cup. Winter had the misfortune of twice facing White, who authored 15 scoreless innings in winning 2 games for the new World Champions.

With an exciting season over, the attention of the Baseball world turned full cry to the continuing battle between the Pacific Coast League and the American and National Leagues. The existing Major Leagues pointed to a bargaining agreement between them that protected their players and in effect prevented roster raiding from other professional Baseball leagues. The Pacific Coast League lawyers countered that the bargaining agreement was in fact an open ended contract and illegal as in its present form could in fact inhibit future competition for an eternity and therefore was still in violation of anti-trust laws and should be declared null and void.

[BYU 14]

On November 17th 1903 the case reached the Supreme Court with a verdict being handed down in favor of the Pacific Coast League. Baseball would now have 3 leagues on equal footing beginning in April 1904. The next several months were spent hammering out an ironclad contract between the three leagues, void of loopholes and containing protections for teams whose had players under contract, as well as providing players the ability to market their services when the terms of these contracts expired, which in effect ended the reserve clause.

The League Champions would meet in a post season playoff to battle for the Temple Cup, though seeding was a point of contention. In the end a suggestion was brought forth to allow a 4th team (the team with the best record that was not a league winner) to enter the playoffs as well. John T Brush, owner of the Giants was incensed, ridiculing the idea that rewarded a team for finishing in the bridesmaid role. In an impassioned speech he implored all to vote against it stating. “Why must those who have toiled hard and rightfully earned their spots as League Champions be subjected to possible elimination by a rogue wildcard team?”

The speech failed to sway the vote and the measure was passed, but as a lasting tribute to Brush, this fourth team was given the designation of wildcard team, which the Giants owner took as an indignant slap in the face and in fact never fully forgave those who voted the “Wildcard” rule in.

The last two years had been a wild ride and there was still much to prove for the Teams of the Pacific Coast League. Part of the settlement was a clause that prohibited them from offering deals to any players under a valid contract to any American or National League teams. A concession made for the PCL teams was American and National League teams were not allowed to protect their entire roster, leaving these players available for an “expansion” draft. Still the pickings were slim as only aging veterans and untested youngsters were left unprotected. In addition, there was skepticism that a League based on the west could succeed at the level of the big two and many players who could have jumped leagues chose to stay put, fearful of being blackballed if the PCL went belly up.

Still some familiar names dotted the PCL rosters as the 1904 season approached and there were also several promising young players who had eschewed offers from the big two to ply their trade in the fledgling league. Despite this, there was no doubt that a large chasm in talent existed between the PCL and the AL and NL franchises and it would likely be several years before they were all on equal footing. A fact that the original 16 teams were banking would drive the Pacific Coast League out of business. As an aside to this line of thinking, the National League owners had pushed a provision to allow the 3 leagues to play games against each other during the season, with the reasoning being that clear dominance would be established by the two existing leagues and also eliminate any opportunity for a Pacific Coast League team to claim the fourth playoff spot. The measure passed 14-10 and set the stage for yet another innovation brought about by the PCL lawsuit, inter-League play. Whatever the results were on the field, it was clear the fans would benefit greatly by being able to see all of the stars of the game throughout the season.

Of course, for me the most interesting development of this was the telegram I received from the Mercantile Co-op (ZCMI) that owned the Salt Lake City franchise. While they had been successful in running a minor league franchise, they decided after assembling the team for the their maiden major league season that they were not up to snuff when matching wits with the owners of the AL and NL teams. For this reason they decided to bring in an East Coast Baseball man and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. By accepting the job and leaving the Brooklyn franchise in the lurch, I had also made some enemies who would likely prevent me from ever working for an American or National League team again. It was an unsettling thought, but it also made me determined to help the new league succeed. Besides, I was sick of the stuffed shirt dandies that ran “eastern” Baseball anyway; this would be a good change.

[BYU 14]

As I made my way by rail to Salt Lake, I picked up a copy of The Police Gazette. While devoting over a dozen pages to the American and National League previews for 1904, it ran a bare 1 page story on the Pacific Coast League featuring the likely opening day line ups. It was here, while reading these projected starting line-ups, that I truly realized the enormity of not only my task, but the leagues in general. Some of the players on my Salt Lake roster I had never heard of and it became crystal clear that I had some work to do. The Salt Lake nine had been assembled by others and it was now up to me to test the integrity of that assembly.

The projected opening day lineups for the 1904 Pacific Coast League season

Los Angeles Stars
Name Age (Career Stats)
C – Tacks Latimer 27 (.295 – 0 – 18) expansion pick from Boston (A)
1B – Hal O’Hagan 35 (.206 – 0 – 3) last played 1902 St Louis
2B – Peaches Graham 25 (.174 – 1 – 5) expansion pick from Cleveland
3B – Andy Oyler 24 (.175 – 2 – 20) released by Washington
SS – Ed Glenn 29 (.148 – 1 – 8) last played 1902 Chicago (A)
RF – Bill Carney 30 (.000 – 0 – 0) unsigned rookie
CF – Jimmy McAleer 40 (.252 – 12 – 474) unsigned free agent - Philadelphia (A)
LF – Henry Krug 28 (.234 – 9 – 41) released by Philadelphia (N)
Rotation
1 – Ed Walsh 23 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie
2 – Elmer Stricklett (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie
3 – Harry McNeal 26 (4-4 6.38) expansion pick from Cleveland
4 – Claude Elliott 28 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie

Portland Beavers
Name Age (Career Stats)
C – Duke Farrell 38 (.270 – 57 – 899) unsigned free agent – Brooklyn. 14th on career RBI list
1B – Slats Jordan 26 (.269 – 2 – 13) released by Baltimore
2B – Matt Broderick 27 (.000 – 0 – 0) expansion pick from Cincinnati
3B – Charlie Buelow 27 (.199 – 7 – 70) released by Boston (N) – 4 serious injuries in 3 yr career
SS – Barry McCormick 30 (.244 – 23 – 445) released by Chicago (N)
RF – Bill Hallman 28 (.252 – 9 – 180) expansion pick from Milwaukee – only missed 2 games in 3 years
CF – Algie McBride 35 (.281 – 14 – 197) unsigned free agent - Chicago (A)
LF – Billy Hamilton 38 (.339 – 47 – 764) unsigned free agent – Boston (N) only hit .200 in 1903
Rotation
1 – Len Swormstedt 26 (2-2 6.75) expansion draft from Cincinnati
2 – Bill Popp 27 (0-0 0.00) expansion pick from Chicago (N)
3 – Dad Hale 24 (3-9 5.45) expansion pick from Boston (N)
4 – Warren McLaughlin 28 (0-0 4.50) expansion pick from Pittsburgh

Sacramento Trappers
Name Age (Career Stats)
C – Jim O’Rourke 54 (.311 – 62 – 1203) unsigned free agent (last played in 1893 with Washington)
1B – George Rohe 30 (.195 – 4 – 36) released by Baltimore
2B – Danny Murphy 28 (.241 – 4 – 34) unsigned free agent – Boston (A) (3 teams in 4 years)
3B – John McGraw 31 (.330 – 16 – 470) unsigned free agent – Washington
SS – Joe Marshall 28 (.000 – 0 – 0) released by St Louis (0 for 21 in major league career)
RF – Jock Menefee 36 (.188 – 0 – 31) released by Chicago (N)
CF – George Van Haltren 38 (.313 – 83 – 1054) unsigned free agent – New York
LF – Herm McFarland 34 (.253 – 17 – 156) unsigned free agent – Chicago (A)
Rotation
1 – Buttons Briggs 29 (17-28 4.84) unsigned free agent (last played in 1898 with Chicago)
2 – Beany Jacobson 23 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie
3 – Tom Fisher 24 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie
4 – Ed McNichol 25 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie

Salt Lake Bees
Name Age (Career Stats)
C – Deacon McGuire 41 (.285 – 51 – 759) unsigned free agent – last played in 1902 for Philadelphia (N)
1B – Candy LaChance 34 (.286 – 61 – 677) unsigned free agent – New York (led NL with 86 RBI in 1903)
2B – Frank Bonner 35 (.260 – 6 – 103) unsigned free agent - Chicago (A)
3B – Bobby Lowe 39 (.282 – 73 – 869) unsigned free agent – Philadelphia (N) hasn’t hit over .217 since 1900
SS – George McBride 24 (.154 – 0 – 1) expansion pick from Milwaukee (2 hits in 41 career AB)
RF – Jimmy Ryan 41 (.305 – 125 – 1147) unsigned free agent – Washington, tied for all-time homerun king
CF – Ed Bruyette 30 (.232 – 1 – 36) expansion pick from Milwaukee (A very short term fix in CF)
LF – Jack Gilbert 29 (.222 – 0 – 1) unsigned free agent – last played in 1898 with New York
Rotation
1 – Howie Camnitz 23 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie (coveted by several AL/NL teams, he will be trade bait)
2 – Henry Schmidt 31 (13-14 3.60) expansion pick from Boston (A)
3 – Ed Murphy 27 (37-53 3.84) expansion pick from St Louis
4 – Joe Corbett 29 (27-10 3.14) unsigned free agent – last played on Baltimore in 1897 went 24-8, then hurt)

San Diego Missions
Name Age (Career Stats)
C – Tom Leahy 35 (.291 – 2 – 41) unsigned free agent – released by Milwaukee after 1902 season
1B – Davey Crockett 29 (.238 – 7 – 102) unsigned free agent - Detroit
2B – Jake Atz 25 (.188 – 0 – 2) expansion pick from Pittsburgh
3B – Jimmy Mattison 26 (.167 – 1 – 3) expansion pick from Boston (N) – spent all of 1903 in the minors
SS – Herman Long 38 (.279 – 100 – 1069) unsigned free agent Chicago (A) – a top power hitter in the 1890s
RF – Harry Croft 29 (.209 – 0 – 6) expansion pick from Baltimore
CF – James Frye 32 (.000 – 0 – 0) unsigned rookie, a bit long in the tooth.
LF – Ed Delahanty 37 (.334 – 106 – 1392) unsigned free agent Brooklyn – all-time great, PCL’s biggest coup
Rotation
1 – Frank Corridon 24 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie – a promising talent
2 – Gus Dorner 28 (3-3 5.32) expansion pick from Detroit
3 – Bill Wolff 28 (0-0 15.75) unsigned free agent Cleveland (0-6 5.02 in minors in 1903)
4 – Walter Clarkson (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie – could be a steal

San Francisco Seals
Name Age (Career Stats)
C – Bill Byers 27 (.000 – 0 – 0) unsigned rookie
1B – Bill Everitt 36 (.305 – 18 – 401) unsigned free agent Washington – capable veteran
2B – Truck Egan 27 (.178 – 6 – 33) unsigned free agent Cleveland
3B – Larry Hoffman 26 (.161 – 0 – 2) unsigned free agent, last played for Chicago (N) in 1902
SS – George Bone 30 (.243 – 1 – 5) released by Milwaukee in 1902
RF – Harry Cassady 24 (.000 – 0 – 0) expansion pick from Pittsburgh - rookie
CF – Mike Lynch 29 (.000 -0 – 0) expansion pick from Cleveland – 2 career Major League AB’s
LF – Ben Harrison 34 (.155 – 2 – 8) released by Cincinnati after 1902 season
Rotation
1 – Frank Kitson 35 (84-77 3.18) unsigned free agent Brooklyn – 10-12 3.45 in 1903
2 – Pop Williams 30 (29-32 2.78) expansion pick from Chicago (N) – Led NL in ERA in 1902 (1.95)
3 – John Deering 25 (5-4 6.55) expansion pick from Detroit
4 – Doc Parker 32 (13-20 5.89) expansion pick from Boston (N) – spent 1903 in minors (0-9 3.29)

Seattle Whalers
Name Age (Career Stats)
C – Jack Ryan 36 (.236 – 9 – 173) unsigned free agent – last played for Washington in 1902
1B – Doc Hazelton 28 (.217 – 0 – 1) released by Detroit
2B – Kid Gleason 38 (.264 – 15 – 672) unsigned free agent Washington – hit .226 in 1903
3B – John Hinton 28 (.228 – 0 – 6) unsigned free agent Boston (N) – spent 1903 in minors (.239 – 3 – 26)
SS – Monte Cross 35 (.249 – 30 – 416) unsigned free agent – last played for Philadelphia (N) in 1901
RF – Ernie Diehl 27 (.000 – 0 -0) expansion pick from Pittsburgh
CF – Mike Donlin 26 (.309 – 27 – 218) unsigned free agent Baltimore – 1901 AL MVP, led AL in 3B in 1903
LF – Stevie Hill 19 (.000 – 0 – 0) unsigned rookie
Rotation
1 – Frank Smith 25 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie
2 – Mike Lynch 24 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie
3 – Archie Stimmel 31 (22-26 4.17) expansion pick from Cincinnati
4 – Cowboy Jones 30 (31-38 3.93) expansion pick from St Louis – Career high 13 wins in 1900

Spokane White Caps
Name Age (Career Stats)
C – Ed McFarland 30 (.281 – 17 – 282) unsigned free agent – last played for Philadelphia (N) in 1901
1B – Burt Hart 34 (.189 – 1 – 10) released by Baltimore in 1902
2B – Benny Bowcock 25 (.000 – 0 – 0) released by Philadelphia (N) in 1903 – 2 career at bats.
3B – Chink Heileman 32 (.179 – 13 – 56) released by Brooklyn in 1903
SS – Mike Jacobs 27 (.133 – 1 – 2) released by Cincinnati in 1903 – played all of 1903 in minors
RF – Sam Dungan 38 (.276 – 13 – 252) released by Chicago (A) in 1903 after starting 126 games
CF – John Plummer 31 (.000 – 0 – 0) unsigned rookie
LF – Frank Murphy 28 (.276 – 0 – 1) unsigned free agent – last played for Boston (N) in 1902
Rotation
1 – Henry Thielman 24 (4-6 4.05) unsigned free agent Chicago (N)
2 – Ham Iburg 31 (6-8 4.04) unsigned free agent Philadelphia (N) – had 8 saves in 1902
3 – Chick Robitaille 25 (0-0 0.00) unsigned rookie
4 – Bill Magee 29 (35-67 5.14) expansion pick from New York – 16 of his wins came in 1898 (Louisville)

[BYU 14]

With the start of the season approaching I felt the need to grab a veteran pitcher and using Howie Camnitz as bait send “seed” stories to papers in Chicago and Pittsburgh as both teams had pursued him prior to Salt Lake signing him. The stories detailed his phenomenal training performances and included “quotes” from teammates that found excuses not to have to hit against him. Sure enough after a telegram to the Chicago Orphans we have a deal.

Trade
Salt Lake Bees get – SP “Long” Tom Hughes 26 (46-41 3.09)
Chicago Orphans get – SP Howie Camnitz 23 (0-0 0.00)

Advantage: Salt Lake – I have to believe I got the better of this deal as Hughes has not been spectacular, but has proven consistent winning 14, 15 and 16 games in his first three full seasons. He also led the NL in strikeouts in 1901 with 141 and is still only 26. Camnitz does have good stuff, but has not shown the endurance needed to be a front line starter at this point. Things could go either way in the future, but I like our end of the deal better at this point.

One final bit of news sees a last minute move of the Milwaukee franchise to New York, where they will be known as the Highlanders. This makes sense in some ways as New York is a stronger market, but as in Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, the city will now have to support two teams.

In an effort to get the proverbial jump on the competition, the powers that be in the PCL had scheduled one game before any others, so the “official” 1904 Major League season would kick off with a battle between Portland and Sacramento (Where the PCL offices were based)

Buttons Briggs, coming off a 5 year absence from professional Baseball was stellar for the home town Trappers allowing 1 run through 7 innings before tiring late. Still, his performance was more than enough to lead Sacramento to a 7-3 opening day victory. Herm McFarland and Jock Menefee had 3 hits each for the Trappers and also each scored 2 runs. The true hero to the crowd however was 54 year old Jim O’Rourke, who entertained those within earshot between innings with his elegant prose, also went 2 for 3 and drove in a run in his first Major League game in 11 years. The Trappers battered Portland starter Len Swormstedt for 4 runs in the 1st inning and 14 hits all told before he was pulled for a pinch hitter in the 7th inning.

Note: From this point I will be doing monthly summaries focused mostly on my team (Salt Lake) with news of interest thrown in from around the league. Just wanted to highlight the first ever PCL game as a Major League.

[PilotMan]

Good Start BYU.

[BYU 14]

Salt Lake Bees: 11-16 5th place (April record: 11-16 )
Results
We open the season with a 3 game home stand against Spokane and the White Caps take 2 of 3 from us winning the first two 3-0 and 1-0 as Henry Thielman and Ham Iburg combine with Bugs Raymond in both games to silence our bats scattering 12 hits combined. In game 3 we bounce back to take a 7-2 win behind C Deacon McGuire and 2B Frank Bonner who rap 3 hits apiece.

We then set off on a 10 game road swing up the coast through Sacramento, Portland and Seattle. We lose the opener against Sacramento 5-4 when Art Weaver doubles home Herm McFarland in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs. We take the next two from the Trappers 3-2 and 5-1 as Tom Hughes and Ed Schmidt both turn in complete game efforts to square their records at 1-1. Leadoff hitter Ed Bruyette goes 3 for 4 in the rubber game with 2 RBI and a run scored to raise his average to .360.

Next stop Portland and we squander a 4 run 4th in losing 5-4 to the Beavers in the opener, but rally again to win the series with 4-1 and 5-3 victories in the final two games. Frank Bonner has a pair of two hit games in the series to raise his average to .351, while Deacon McGuire drives in 3 runs in the finale to make a winner of Tom Hughes, who improves to 2-1 with his second straight complete game effort. Joe Corbett earned his first win in 7 years in the second game, handing Portland’s Bill Popp his third loss of the season in the process.

We close the scenic road trip with 4 games against the Seattle Whalers and lose the first two by scores of 8-2 and 3-0 as Ed Schmidt is hammered for 6 earned runs in the opener and the Whalers Frank Smith stymies us on 4 hits in game 2. We salvage a split winning the final two games 3-2 behind another strong effort from Joe Corbett (2-0 1.50) and 8-3 as 1B Candy LaChance bangs out 4 hits and SS George McBride goes 3-5 with 3 RBI to pace our attack and help Tom Hughes (3-1 2.65) to his third straight win.

Back home to the friendly surroundings of Pioneer Park for 7 games we promptly get swept by San Diego losing 6-3, 12-1 and 3-2. The Missions Ed Delahanty blisters the ball in the opener going 5-5 with 3 runs as he raises his average to .446! It gets worse in the second game as the Missions batter 4 Bees hurlers for 18 hits as Ed Murphy falls to 1-3 on the season with a 4.03 ERA. Delahanty again crushes us with 3 more hits and 4 runs scored. The finale sees Doc Reisling waste yet another fine performance by Joe Corbett as he gives up a run scoring double to Jimmy Mathison in the top of the 14th.

The LA Stars arrive next and run our losing streak to 6 taking our measure in the first 3 games 5-2, 3-1 and 1-0. The loss in game three is our 4th shutout defeat and 5th loss by 1 run already as hard luck Ed Murphy sees his best outing of season wasted as the Star’s Claude Elliott scatters 11 hits and we leave 11 runners stranded. Joe Corbett (3-0 1.50) finally staunches the bleeding besting LA rookie Ed Walsh (2-3 1.54) in the final game of the series as we take a 2-1 victory.

Back out for an extended road trip, we take 2 of 3 from the San Francisco Seals winning the opener 3-2 as SS George McBride raps 3 hits and drives in 2 runs for the good guys. Game 2 sees us get shut out yet again, losing this time 4-0 as the Seals Pop Williams moves to 4-0 2.11, while Henry Schmidt (1-5 3.89) once again gets no run support. The rubber match brings a 5-2 win as we pound out 13 hits with 5 Bee’s getting 2 apiece and George McBride (.346) scoring 2 runs. Ed Murphy goes all 9 to pick up his second win against 4 defeats.

The true misery is only beginning though as we open inter-league play with a train ride to New York, where the Giants promptly make a statement by pounding us 11-0 in the opener of a 3 game set behind Roy Evans (2-4 5.60) whose ERA was 7.00 coming in. The Giants CF Irv Waldron raked us for 6 RBI, including a grand slam in the bottom of the 3rd inning to blow the game open. Game two saw the Giants beat us again 7-1 as Christy Matthewson (1-2 3.75) finally got off the snide and CF Irv Waldron tallied 4 more RBI with a 3 hit day to singlehandedly sink us again. Game three will forever be celebrated as we bounced New York starter Mordecai Brown with a 4 run third to take a 7-4 win, our first against an interleague foe. Our hero in game three was Frank Bonner whose sole hit accounted for all 4 of those 3rd inning tallies as he legged out an inside the park Homerun!

We conclude April with the first of a three game set at Cincinnati and the Red Legs take our measure 5-1 as Red Ames (4-2 2.67) limits us to 4 hits and RF Sam Crawford strokes 2 hits for the home town winners.

Team Leaders
Batting: George McBride .337
Home Runs: George McBride and Frank Bonner 2
RBI: Frank Bonner 15
Runs: Frank Bonner 13
Stolen Bases: Three tied with 2
ERA: Joe Corbett 2.81
Wins: Tom Hughes and Joe Corbett 3
Ks: Tom Hughes 18
IP: Tom Hughes 54

Team News
Tom Hughes P signs a 2 year contract extension @ $1,446.00 per season (signed for 5 years)
Jack Gilbert LF minor leg injury – 7 days
Who’s Hot – George McBride SS (.342 – 2 – 4) over his last 10 games.
Who’s not – Bobby Lowe 3B (.152 – 0 – 1) over his last 10 games.

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Good Start BYU.

Thanks PilotMan, Puresim has really drawn me back in, I hope it can survive the release of FM2010 though.

[BYU 14]

[BYU 14]

Diamond Notes:

1904 Team Payrolls – The Pirate are set to spend over $4000 more than the next highest team

Pittsburgh $20,168 - Brooklyn $16,129 - Boston (N) $16,067 - Philadelphia (A) $14,012
Boston (A) $13,377 - Philadelphia (N) $11,483 - New York (N) $11,282 - Cincinnati $11,000
Chicago (N) $10,685 - New York (A) $10,466 - Washington $10,316 - Baltimore $9,808
Seattle $8,326 - Detroit $8,289 - Chicago (A) $7,568 - Cleveland $7,322 - St Louis $6,463
San Diego $6,053 - Salt Lake $5,976 - Sacramento $4,877 - Los Angeles $4,112
San Francisco $3,917 - Spokane $3,610 - Portland $3,555

Interesting note that Seattle has a payroll higher than four established NL/AL teams and the skin flint owner of the Portland Beavers wonders why his team is 8-19.

Off to Market
I am not very happy with the production I am getting from CF Ed Bruyette. Through 28 games he is hitting .225 (400 vs L but only .208 vs R) so I go shopping for a replacement. I will be keeping Bruyette for depth and decide to shop one of my pitchers. Jesse Stovall is a 29 year old rookie who has been my #1 guy out of the pen. He has slightly above average stuff, poor velocity and decent control. On the season he is 2-0 with a 4.79 ERA, has a WHIP of 1.84 and opponents are hitting .303 against him (.364 vs L / .273 vs R). I shop him around for a CF and a couple of intriguing names come back as available in a straight up swap.

Portland offers Algie McBride 35 (.338 – 0 – 10) those numbers are appealing, but he has no range or power and is only hitting .125 vs lefties and I need a full time player, not a platoon CF.

Sacramento offers George Van Haltren 38 (.277 – 0 – 11) I would have jumped on this three years ago but George has been in steady decline and his average over the last three years has gone from .311 to .290 to .259 in 1903. He has also lost most of the speed that made him a 30-40 steal guy every year – I will pass.

The New York Giants offer Irv Waldron, who tore us up on our recent visit there. He is 32 and is hitting (.330 – 4 – 21). My only worry is he was a career .259 hitter coming into the season, but he is solid up the middle and I only need him for a couple of seasons at most. He is a definite possibility.

One final offer that catches my eye is 38 yr old Hugh Duffy from Philadelphia (N). He is a career .312 hitter, but has topped that mark only once in the last 6 seasons (.304 in 1900 with the Boston Beaneaters) He has 2573 career hits and 125 career homeruns. (2nd all-time) He would be a big draw for us, but has lost his job this season to 30 yr old Roy Thomas (.327 – 3 – 12, 11 SB) and only appeared in 3 games as a defensive replacement. In the end I have to pass here too.

After much deliberation I pull the trigger.
Salt Lake Bees get CF Irv Waldron 32 (.330 – 4 – 21) Career .259 hitter, only 3 errors in 4 major league seasons.
New York Giants get SP/RP Jesse Stovall 29 (2-0 4.79) .303 opponents BA against.

Advantage – Salt Lake: I get a big upgrade in CF in both production and defensively as Bruyette has made 5 errors this season alone (.954 fielding pct) and has no extra base power (6 2B 0 3B or HR) while Waldron should give me a solid .265 - .275 hitter with 4-6 home runs until a get a more permanent solution here. Plus no more dropped fly balls! Stovall is put in the Giants Bullpen and I have to think they will regret this trade when all said and done, unless they know something about Waldron I don’t.

My new line-up after the trade
Candy LaChance 1B (.314 – 0 – 8)
Deacon McGuire C (.303 – 0 – 8)
Frank Bonner 2B (.280 – 2 – 15)
Irv Waldron CF (.330 – 4 – 21)
Jimmy Ryan RF (.254 – 1 – 8)
Bobby Lowe 3B (.212 – 0 – 5)
George McBride SS (.333 – 2 – 10)
Ed Bruyette LF (.225 – 0 – 7)

[BYU 14]

Salt Lake Bees: 18-36 4th place 5 GB (May record: 7-20)
Results
Our entire league plays nobody but AL and NL teams this month and in what will become known as black May the results are not pretty! In fact when the blood on the base paths dries, not a single PCL team is left with a winning record.

We finish up the final two games of our series against Cincinnati and we open May on a high note taking a 7-3 win behind 3 hits and 3 RBI by 3B Bobby Lowe and 3 RBI from RF Jimmy Ryan. The Reds take the rubber match as both teams’ aces go at it and Noodles Hahn out duels Tom Hughes, who takes the 5-2 loss.

Back home to take on the Boston Beaneaters and we come out swinging taking the first two games of the series 5-4 and 6-5. 2B Frank Bonner and ageless C Deacon McGuire combine for 4 hits, 3 RBI and 2 runs to pace the offense in the first game, while game 2 is a classic! Tied at 2 we go into extra innings and Boston lights up Farmer Burns in the top of the 12th for 3 runs to seemingly salt it away. Not so fast as we rally to plate 4 runs in the bottom of the inning with Frank Bonner beating out a potential double play ball, allowing Irv Waldron to score on the fielder’s choice for the win. Boston gets a measure of revenge in the final game as they race to a 6-5 win behind Duff Cooley’s 3 RBI, holding off a 9th inning rally as Kid Nichols gets John Gochnauer to pop up with runners on 1st and 3rd.

Next up the Windy City’s Orphans hit town for a quick two game set, which we split taking the first game 4-0 as Tom Hughes scatter 8 hits to run his record to 4-4 (3.26) and RF Jimmy Ryan goes 3-4 and drives in 3 runs. Chicago gains revenge on getaway day jumping on Henry Schmidt (2-6 4.03) for 4 runs in the 1st en route to a 7-1 victory as Carl Lundgren (6-0 1.93) spins a two hitter for the visitors and Jack Doyle (.327) drives in 3 with a sacrifice fly and a single. Little did we know at the time this was only the beginning of a very painful stretch in which we lose 12 straight.

The next visitor in our Carnival of carnage is Brooklyn and they destroy us 13-1 with the lowlight being Farmer Burns giving up 3 runs in 1 inning of relief to run his ERA to 15.95. In all they pound out 19 hits with 3B Emil Batch (.295) and C Lew Ritter (.228) rapping out 4 apiece. In addition Batch drives in 5 for the victors. The second game sees Jay Hughes (3-4 3.15) stifle our bats in a 7-1 Superbas victory as Joe Corbett falls to 3-3. The big stick for Brooklyn in this one is Joe Kelly (.406) who goes 3-5 with 2 RBI and 2 Runs scored. The final game is nail biter of a pitchers duel in which Bill Donovan and Tom Hughes match zeroes for 7 innings. The Superbas break through with a run in the top of the 10th when CF Harry Lumley (.308) doubles in PH Doc Gessler steal the win. C Deacon McGuire drew a 2 out walk in the bottom of the 10th, but was stranded when Frank Bonner (.283) flew out to CF giving Brooklyn the 1-0 win and series sweep.

We then depart on a Train for St Louis where the Cardinals welcome us with an 8-1 thrashing as Chauncey Fisher wastes a decent effort on the hill by Henry Schmidt (2-7 4.07) by getting torched for 5 runs in 1 IP. In the second game we rally for 2 in the 8th to take a 2-1 lead on singles by Frank Bonner (.295) and Irv Waldron (.289 – 4 – 24) only to see Doc Reisling (0-2 6.35) blow it in relief giving up single tallies in the bottom of the 8th and 9th as we fall 3-2. The Cards complete another sweep and send us to our 7th straight loss with a 9-2 woodshed whipping behind a grand slam by LF Spike Shannon (.213 – 1 – 9) and 3 more RBI by 3B Otto Krueger (.275).

Next we are home to Pittsburgh and it doesn’t get better, only more heartbreaking as we are swept again by scores or 2-0, 4-1 and 3-2. Deacon Phillippe ( 5-3 2.62) gets the better of tough luck Tom Hughes (4-5 2.93) in the opener, with the only positive being we kept Honus Wagner (.261) silent. Game 2 sees Sam Leever (2-1 3.04) step in for an injured Jesse Tannehill in the 2nd inning and proceed to shut us down over the final 7 2/3 innings for the win. In the finale Wagner is again held hitless, but Claude Ritchey, Mike Kahoe, Tim Jones and Ginger Beaumont stroke 2 hits apiece and score all three Pirates runs in the 6th. Ed Doheny (2.87) stepped in for Clarence Currie over the final 4 innings to earn the save. SS George McBride (.277) got his lumber rolling again going 2-3 with a run and an RBI in the losing cause.

The Phillies are next in town and run our losing streak to 12 taking game one 8-1 as Al Orth wins his 6th for Philadelphia, while CF Roy Thomas and 1B Johnny Lush both get 3 hits. Another solid performance by Bill Duggleby (8-2 2.03) gives the visitors game two 4-1 as Tom Hughes falls to 4-6 2.77. Sherry McGee nabs 2 hits for the Phils, while our ancient warrior Deacon McGuire goes 2-4 to raise his season average to .319. We finally snap the losing streak with a 3-2 win in the third game as Doc Reisling wins his first major league game in relief. McGuire, Bonner and Lowe drive home the runs as we finally give the home fans a reason to cheer about.

A quick two game stop in Cleveland before returning home to host the Highlanders result in a pair of losses to the Blues as Earl Moore (9-2 1.94) bests Ed Murphy (2-8 3.35) 1-0 in the opener with a 3 hitter. Game two sees 18 runs scored, unfortunately we only have 5 of them in a 13-5 loss as 3B Bill Bradley goes 4-5 with 2 home runs, 9 RBI and 3 runs scored to sink us like a rock. The horrid pitching wastes solid performances by CF Irv Waldron 3-4, 1 RBI and 3B Bobby Lowe 2-4, 3 RBI and a run scored. Joe Corbett, who started so strong, is shelled for 8 runs in 6 innings to fall to 3-4 (4.40).

Back home we welcome the Highlanders rudely with an 8-3 win blowing it open with a 5 run 7th inning. Irv Waldron gets RBIs 28 and 29 and raises his average to .310 with 3 hits and Tom Hughes goes the distance for his 5th win of season. Games two and three are not quite as fruitful as we lose 7-3 and 8-1 as we waste 13 hits in the first loss (2 each by Bonner, Ryan, Lowe and McBride). In the final game of the series Bert Husting (7-1 1.91) silences our bats, scattering 7 hits while RF Jesse Burkett (.344) and LF Moose McCormick (.292) pace a 16 hit Highlander attack with 3 each.

We close the month with a 3 game trip to Baltimore and promptly get rolled up 9-0 in the opener as three Oriole pitchers combine on the shutout after starter Charlie Shields injures his arm with 1 out in the 1st. Joe Corbett only gives up 1 run in 5 innings, but Chauncey Fisher and Doc Reisling give up 4 a piece in relief. C Roger Bresnahan drives in 3 runs with a double for the Orioles. We rebound with an offensive explosion in game two to capture a 10-1 win as Tom Hughes evens his record at 6-6 (2.56) and CF Irv Waldron (.315) goes 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI, with Frank Bonner, George McBride and 1B Candy LaChance each scoring 2 as well. We close the month with a 4-2 loss as the Orioles 3, 4, 5 and 6 hitters (Bill Keister, Jimmy Williams, Cy Seymour and John Titus) account for all 8 of Baltimore’s hits, 4 RBI and 3 runs to do the damage. Irv Waldron collects 2 more hits to close May hitting .320 and has turned out to be a solid pickup thus far.

Team Leaders
Batting: Irv Waldron .320
Home Runs: Irv Waldron 4
RBI: Irv Waldron 32
Runs: Frank Bonner and Irv Waldron 26
Stolen Bases: Irv Waldron 12
ERA: Tom Hughes 2.56
Wins: Tom Hughes 6
Ks: Tom Hughes 43
IP: Tom Hughes 109

Team News
No Injuries
Who’s Hot – Irv Waldron CF (.438 – 0 – 7) over his last 10 games, Tom Hughes 2-1 1.38 last 3 starts.
Who’s not – Ed Bruyette LF (.114 – 0 – 0) over his last 10 games.

[BYU 14]

As you can see the interleague play has taken it's toll on the upstart PCL, much to the delight of the "Big 2." It will be a long road to respectability.



Despite the overall lackluster performance of the league, several PCL players dot the leaderboards, which does lend some credibility to our efforts.



Salt Lake Bees Roster June 1st 1904 - Waldron has taken to the new league well and 41 year old Deacon McGuire continues to amaze with his play.

[BYU 14]

Salt Lake Bees: 28-51 2nd place 4 GB (June record: 10-15)
Results

June begins with the Washington Senators coming into town for a 3 game set and we are unable to recover from an early 4 run deficit as they hang on to win the first game 4-3, sparked by a 3 run home run from 1B Mike Grady in the 3rd. CF Irv Waldron and RF Jimmy Ryan each collect 2 hits and 1 RBI in the losing cause. We take game two 3-0 behind a masterful 3 hitter by Joe Corbett (4-5 3.80) who has hopefully but his recent struggles behind him, while C Deacon McGuire paces the offense with 3 hits and LF Ed Bruyette drives in 2 of our 3 runs and “raises” his average to .200. Getaway day sees the Senators blow open a tie game with 3 runs in the 5th and 3 more in the 7th on their way to a 7-2 victory. Irv Waldron continues to swing a hot bat with 2 more hits and is now hitting .332 and has 35 RBI. 3B Bill Coughlin and 2B John Farrell both collect 3 hits for the winners as well as 4 RBI between them.

On the road again to Detroit, where Henry Schmidt (3-10 3.65) throws his best game of the year, shutting the Tigers down 1-0 on 3 hits. We collect 10 base knocks with 1B Candy LaChance (3), C Deacon McGuire (2) and CF Irv Waldron (2) combining for 7 of them. All hell breaks loose in game two as Roscoe Miller (9-6 2.44) pitches a 3 hitter and the Tigers strafe 4 Salt Lake pitchers for 14 hits in a 13-1 pounding led by Doc Casey’s 4 RBI and a 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 run performance from RF Pete Lepine, who is still only hitting .166 for Detroit 9. The series ends with a 2-1 loss as George Mullin (10-3 2.42) out pitches Joe Corbett (4-6 3.67) 2-1 with CF Jimmy Barnett driving in Doc Casey (.330) with a 1 out double in the bottom of the 8th.

Next stop Philadelphia to take on the A’s and we forget our bats the first two games getting shutout 1-0 and 5-0 to start the series. In the opener C Farmer Steelman knocks in 1B Harry Davis in the bottom of the 9th giving Chauncey Fisher (1-4 7.68) the loss in relief and wasting a eight innings of goose eggs by Tom Hughes. Game two is not as competitive as Wiley Piatt (6-5 3.31) scatters 7 hits for the game and Chauncey Fisher again brings the Kerosene, relieving Henry Schmidt in the 7th down 2-0 and promptly giving up 3 more. In the finale we rally against Philly ace Eddie Plank with single runs in the 8th and 9th to tie it, then steal it in the top of the 13th when 1B Candy LaChance (.259) singles past Lave Cross with 2 outs to drive home pinch hitter Jack Gilbert. The Bullpen is stellar in this game chipping in 7 innings of 1 run work, with Farmer Burns (2-0 9.00) going the final three to get the win 3-2.

Back to friendly grounds to host the White Sox and we split the two game set, losing 4-1 in the first game as RF Joe Martin and CF Fielder Jones pace the visitors with 2 hits apiece. The second results in a 2-1 win as C Deacon McGuire (.308), spry as ever, scores the eventual winning run on Irv Waldron’s sacrifice fly (his 37th RBI) in the bottom of the 6th. Tom Hughes goes the distance to even his record at 7-7 (2.55).

Next to drop in are the Boston Americans for three and the first two are back and forth affairs, with Boston taking the first 5-4 on the strength of a 2 run 8th when 2B Hobe Ferris (.265) doubles in Charlie Hemphill and Buck Freeman, with Chauncey Fisher (1-5 8.10) again providing the kindling. SS George McBride (.270) gets 3 hits in the loss. We take game two 5-4 on some late heroics of our own with 3 straight hits off Tiger reliever Ed Killian (5-2 3.43), the final blow a single to Center by Bobby Lowe (one of 4 hits on the day for our third sacker) that plates RF Jimmy Ryan, who scores 3 of our runs. The rubber game is the Boston Massacre gone west as the Americans give us our worst loss of the year 15-5 behind an 18 hit attack that sees Joe Corbett (4-8 3.98) give up 7 runs in 6 innings. Chauncey Fisher is flammable as always in relief and Farmer Burns (10.62 ERA) surrenders 4 runs of his own. Boston is led by CF Chick Stahl (.312) who garners 4 hits and score 3 runs, while 3B Jimmy Collins (.287) drives in 3. SS George McBride gives a good effort for the losers going 3-4 with 2 RBI.

Next we leave to Chicago for another 2 game set with the White Sox and we give the fans two nail biters, losing the opener 2-1 when Tom Hughes (7-8 2.51) gives up a two out walk off Home Run to SS Mark Thomas (his 3rd) with 2 out on the bottom of the 10th. Game two sees a great performance from Henry Schmidt (4-11 3.40) who shows flashes of brilliance in a 3 hit, 1-0 shutout of the Sox, making a hard luck loser of Nixey Callahan (3-9 4.04) who only gives up 3 hits of his own.

Next we board a train for Portland for a 3 game set against League rival Portland, but with an off day looming I decide I need to make some deals.

Trade-June 21st 1904
With the month winding down I go looking for more help in the Outfield. My search takes me to Cincinnati, where I am able to pick up a replacement for Ed Bruyette.
Salt Lake Bees get – LF/RF Fred Odwell 32 (.253 – 2 – 31)
Cincinnati Reds get – CF/LF Ed Bruyette 30 (.198 – 0 – 13) and P Chauncey Fisher 32 (1-5 7.63)

Advantage – Salt Lake
Considering they originally wanted Tom Hughes straight up for Odwell I think I came out in pretty shape here. Odwell is not a star by any means, but he gives me at least an average bat for the bottom third of the lineup compared to Bruyette, who is bigger threat to score runs for the other team with his glove, (7 errors) than he was for us. Fisher has been flammable and I can’t punch his ticket fast enough. What the Reds see in him I don’t know, as he will never be more than a mop up pitcher in the NL in my opinion. Age wise all three of these guys are past the age where any real improvement would be seen, but I am looking short term. One more plus for us is that Odwell has enough speed to bat him leadoff against Right handed Pitchers, so I can move Waldron to cleanup when we face a righty.

Free Agent signing
I have been searching for a Pitching help and after a steady stream of telegrams, I am able to coax 30 year old Jack Powell out of retirement with a two year deal worth $2533.00. Powell last played for St Louis in 1901 after trying to jump to the AL. When he did not find a taker, he was literally blackballed by the NL. His career numbers are 80-68 3.74 and he was a 2 time 20 game winner. I am hoping he makes the most of this second chance. I have so much faith in him that I move him behind Hughes as our #2 starter and place Joe Corbett (4-8 4.05) in the Bullpen to fill the departed Chauncey Fishers role.

I have been trying all month to get Ed Walsh from Los Angeles, who leads the league with a 1.55 ERA, but is only 4-9. The reason for this is Los Angeles is hitting .173 as a team and scores just 1.63 runs a game. I try several offers, giving up as many as 4 players, to try and pry him away from the Stars but they are not biting. Poor Ed will suffer in the city of the Angels for years to come unless they add some bats quickly!

Back to action we get to Portland with a renewed hope after our two acquisitions and promptly get pasted by the Beavers 6-2 when Ed Murphy (2-12 3.89) collapses in the 7th inning, giving up 3 tallies. C Duke Farrell(.283) slams 3 hits, knocks in 2 and scores 1 in the win, while Irv Waldron continues to hit well for us getting 3 hits in defeat. We then get busy in the final two games winning 8-7 in a grueling 15 inning affair when 2B Frank Bonner singles home PH John Gochnauer who had walked. Irv Waldron (.319) also chips in 2 runs scored. The series finale is a comfortable 5-1 win for the good guys as Tom Hughes (8-8 2.40) continues to pitch well crafting a 4 hitter. LF Fred Odwell arrives and makes his debut for us in style going 3-5 with a run and a ribbie, while Frank Bonner raps 4 hits and knocks in 2.

Back home where we take 2 of 3 from Sacramento winning game one 4-3 as we counter a 3 run Trapper 9th with 3 of our own in the bottom half, the winning hit a single by seldom used Pete Childs (.154 – 1 – 2) that brings in Candy LaChance. Jack Powell debuts for us and looks sharp going 8 scoreless innings before tiring and being forced to settle for the no decision. Game two is 5-2 Sacramento win as Henry Schmidt is wild and 2B Danny Murphy and CF George Van Haltren pace the Trappers with 3 and 2 hits respectively. We take the get away game 3-2, going 11 innings to do it with Candy LaChance (.267) bringing Fred Odwell (.263) home with a two out single past third base.

We close the month with a return to the windy city, this time for three against the Orphans and get swept 3-2, 9-4 and 6-5. Tom Hughes (8-9 2.45) was again solid in the opener, actually outpitching Rube Waddell, but gave up a 1 out single to RF Danny Green (.302) in the bottom of 8th that scored CF Frank Chance (.311). The potent Chicago bats really got untracked in game two with 2B Johnny Evers (4 hits, 3 runs, 2 RBI) and Frank Chance (3 hits, 3 RBI) leading the assault. Jack Taylor went the distance for the Orphans to move to 10-4 2.90. Jack Powell was tagged with the loss, but only gave up 2 earned runs in 6 innings. Our last game of the month was a heartbreaker. Starter Henry Schmidt was hurt and left the game in the 2nd. Doc Reisling pitched a whale of a game and we took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th, at which point Jack Hickey (3-2 9.19) fell apart giving up 3 and spoiling a solid day by RF Jimmy Ryan (3-4) as well as Reisling’s effort. The winning run was driven in by “The Peerless leader” himself as Chance stroked a single scoring Fred Raymer.

Team Leaders
Batting: Irv Waldron .309
Home Runs: Irv Waldron 4
RBI: Irv Waldron 43
Runs: Frank Bonner 38
Stolen Bases: Irv Waldron 16
ERA: Tom Hughes 2.45
Wins: Tom Hughes 8
Ks: Tom Hughes 59
IP: Tom Hughes 161.2

Team Buzz
Injuries
Joe Corbett P (Minor Shoulder injury – 6 days)
Henry Schmidt P (Moderate Knee injury – 2 days)

Who’s hot – Fred Odwell LF (.378 – 1 – 5) over his last 10 games, Jack Powell 0-1 1.29 first 2 starts.
Who’s not –Bobby Lowe 3B (.133 – 0 – 5) and George McBride SS (.135 – 0 -1) over their last 10 games.

[BYU 14]

[BYU 14]

In a surprising move, readers of the Police Gazette have elected two PCL Players to the mid-Season All-Star team as starters. Though both Ed Delahanty and Mike Donlin are National League Veterans the voice of the people is seen as acceptance of the new league and boosts out credibility in the wake of the less than stellar results the past two months against NL and AL clubs.

[BYU 14]

Salt Lake Bees: 40-62 Tied for 1st place - (July record: 12-11)
Results

A momentous month sees us move into a three way for first place with Sacramento and San Diego as we fashion a winning mark for the month with 9 of our 23 games against PCL opposition.

@ Cleveland
July 1st - Pete Dowling (12-3 3.13) throws goose eggs as we lose the first of two 3-0 to the Blues as Ollie Pickering drives in 2 for the winners, despite the fact we out hit them 6-5.
July 2nd - Tom Hughes falls to 8-10 2.63 giving up 4 first inning runs on 4 hits and an error by LF Fred Odwell, who at least chipped in 2 hits for us, as we are blanked again 5-0 by Ed Scott. (6-3 3.02) We again out hit the Blues 8-7 as we again fail to find the plate.

VS Spokane
July 7th- Jack Powell has his third straight solid outing for us and lowers his ERA to 0.86 as we notch our own shutout 1-0 over the visiting White Caps when Candy LaChance (.269) drives home Fred Odwell (.261) in the bottom of the 8th, as Doc Reisling (2-2 6.62) gets the win in relief of Powell.
July 8th - Frank Bonner (.276) smacks a 2 run double (his 33rd and 34th RBI) to key a 4 run first inning as we hold on for a 4-2 victory in game two. Jim Corbett (5-8 3.89) gives Spokane 2 runs in the 8th, but holds on for the win.
July 9th - We complete the sweep with a 5-2 win as Frank Bonner (.278), Irv Waldron (.304) and the ageless one Deacon McGuire (.300) all bang out 2 hits and tough luck Ed Murphy takes advantage of the outburst to move to 3-13 3.67, spoiling a perfect 3 for 3 day by the White Caps Catcher Ed McFarland (.312)

@ San Francisco
July 11th - We take our fourth in a row 4-0 as Tom Hughes (9-10 2.50) is in fine fettle tossing a 5 hitter. Irv Waldron (.306) sets the table with 2 hits and a walk and Bonner, LaChance and Odwell each drive in a run.
July 12th - Our win streak ends as the Seals pin a 4-2 loss on us with Ben Harrison (.199-1-19) goes 2 for 4 and drives in two for the victors. Jack Powell can only go 5 innings due to a dead arm and falls to 0-2, despite a 1.38 ERA.
July 13th - A 6-1 win in the series finale insures buoyant spirits as we collect 13 hits led by Candy LaChance who goes 3 for 5 and scores 2 runs to raise his average to .279. Frank Bonner (.278) collect two RBI and Joe Corbett authors another fine game to win his sixth contest of the season.

VS New York (N)
July 14th - Back home where the Gotham nine squeak out a 2-1 win in the opener when Kip Selbach singled past a drawn in infield to score Charlie Hickman with one out in the 9th inning, spoiling a solid effort by Ed Murphy as Doc Reisling (2-3 6.41) once again blows a game. Bill Phyle (7-4 4.67) picked up the win in relief of Dummy Taylor for the visitors.
July 15th - We draw even with a solid 5-2 win as our ace Tom Hughes (10-10 2.47) goes the distance and is our first hurler to double digit wins. Irv Waldron (.319-4-47) nabs three hits and drives in two against his former mates and Deacon McGuire (.315) also bangs three hits and scores twice.
July 16th - Another great outing for Jack Powell (1.09 ERA) ends in futility as Jack Hickey (3-3 9.17) implodes in the top of the 10th giving up three runs in the 4-1 loss, after we had tied it in the bottom of the 9th when Jimmy Ryan (.242) scored on an error by Jim Jones. Hooks Wiltse (8-4 2.46) grabbed the win for the visitors.

@ San Diego
July 17th - Back to our PCL rivals and a 4-1 win to open the series behind the right arm of Joe Corbett (7-8 3.51) and the bat of George McBride (.260) who scores twice in a 3 for 4 performance at the plate.
July 18th - Jimmy Ryan (.246) gets two hits and drives home his 31st run of the season and Ed Murphy (4-13 3.37) makes it stick in a 1-0 complete game victory. Murphy may be the best double digit loss pitcher in Baseball.
July 19th - Tom Hughes (10-11 2.46) goes the distance but is outworked by Frank Corridon (8-7 2.54) in a battle of staff aces 2-0 to close the series. Catcher Tom Leahy (.245) collects three hits and drives on both of the Missions runs with an 8th inning double.

VS Cincinnati
July 21st - Four game set against the Reds and we get out of the gate slow with a 3-1 loss, as Cincy ace Noodles Hahn (15-3 2.19) bests hard luck Jack Powell (0-3 1.32) in the opener. It could have been worse as Harry Bay (.286), Sam Crawford (.329) and Jake Beckley (.296) all stroke three hits for the winners.
July 22nd - Henry Schmidt (5-12 3.25) returns after missing a couple of starts and pitches us to a 3-0 win in game two crafting a spectacular one hitter! Ray Nelson (.307) knocked a 5th inning double for the Reds only hit and Frank Bonner (.260) drove in two for the good guys.
July 23rd - Ed Murphy finally looks like a 4-14 pitcher as the Reds hammer him and hand us a 6-0 thumping turning three double plays in the process. Every Red except pitcher Bob Ewing (3-1 1.66) gets at least one hit and Jake Beckley (.293) drives in two and scores one for the reds.
July 24th - We earn the split with a comfortable 4-1 victory in the finale as Tom Hughes draws even at 11-11 2.41, while Doc Reisling earns his first save of the year. Frank Bonner (.262) once again had the big stick for the Bees as he cracked two hits and drove in two runs.

Free Agent Signing – Doc Reisling goes down with a serious thigh injury, so I go looking for help on the mound. To my delight I coax Nig Cuppy off the farm with a one year deal paying him $123.00. Cuppy will help in the pen and last pitched in the big leagues last season for the Boston Red Sox, appearing in only 1 game before being released. He is 35 years old and should give us what we need for the rest of the season. His lifetime record is a respectable 173-99 with a 3.43 career ERA.

@ Boston (N)
July 26th - Off to Boston, where the NL Beaneaters hand us a heartbreaking 3-2 loss when PH Tom Needham leads off the bottom of the 13th with a Home Run (His first Major League hit!) off of Jack Hickey (3-4 9.41) New signing Nig Cuppy is impressive in his first action in over a year pitching three scoreless innings in relief of Jack Powell (0-3 1.50) in his Salt Lake city debut.
July 27th - Henry Schmidt (6-12 3.20) gets his second win out pitching Chief Bender (13-9 2.79) for the 4-3 win in game two and Joe Corbett (sent to the bullpen when Schmidt returned) records his first save of the campaign. George McBride (.259) drives in two runs and collects two hits to pace a 13 hit attack, that also sees Odwell, Waldron and Ryan get two hits apiece.
July 28th - The series ends in agonizing fashion as we take a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the 6th, only to see the Beaneaters hang eight runs on Ed Murphy (4-15 3.81) en route to an 11-5 win, that also sees Cuppy give up three runs in his second outing for us. Boston pounds out 16 hits led by Jimmy Slagle (.262) with two hits, two runs and two RBI. Teammate Fred Tenney (.269) joins in with three hits of his own. George McBride (.265) is our lone bright spot also collecting three hits.

VS St Louis
July 29th - The Cardinals visit and hand us another heartbreaking extra inning loss, 3-2 in 11 with Jack Hickey (3-5 9.40) once again being the fire starter giving up 3 straight hits to open the last inning. Homer Smoot (.291) stroked 3 hits and an RBI for the Cards, while Irv Waldron (.310) chipped in three hits to the losing cause.

Trade
Salt Lake Bees get 3B Lave Cross 38 (.275-2-34) aging veteran with 2,207 hits and a career .286 average. We are his 7th team since his debut with the Louisville Colonels in 1887.
Philadelphia Athletics get P Jack Hickey 23 (3-5 9.40) a youngster that really did not seem to have much of a future with us, so I was glad to unload him.

Advantage – Salt Lake: I have to think we got the better of this one. Even though Cross is 38 and likely only has a season or two left at most, I still believe he will give us more than Hickey will ever give the Athletics as he is just not good in my eyes. In fact I would not be surprised to see Cross stay in the league longer than Hickey. This is clearly just a move to dump salary by Connie Mack who had slowly phased Cross out as a regular, finally replacing him with Billy Lauder (.246) in late May. Relegated to pinch hitting by Mack, Cross will start for us, which I hope will rejuvenate him.

July 30th - We close the month in grand fashion with a 3-2 win, not only securing a winning record for the month, but giving Jack Powell (1-3 1.42) his first big league win in over 3 years! New acquisition Lave Cross (275-3-35) stroked his third Homerun of the season and Candy LaChance (.273) banged a couple of hits as well.

Team Leaders
Batting: Irv Waldron .307
Home Runs: Fred Odwell 5
RBI: Irv Waldron 51
Runs: Fred Odwell 46
Stolen Bases: Fred Odwell 17
ERA: Jack Powell 1.42
Wins: Tom Hughes 11
Ks: Tom Hughes 74
IP: Tom Hughes 209.2

Team Buzz
Injuries
Doc Reisling P (Moderate thigh injury – 4 ½ weeks)

Who’s hot – George McBride SS (.289 – 0 – 3) over his last 10 games, Henry Schmidt 2-0 1.06 last 2 starts.
Who’s not –Bobby Lowe 3B (.194 – 0 – 0) and Irv Waldron CF (.209 – 0 – 4) over their last 10 games.

How’s the weather treating you? An interesting tidbit is that it appears we heat up with the weather. Below is our record based on various temperature readings. (Wonder is Arizona wants a team?)
0-29 degrees 0-0
30-49 degrees 7-10
50-69 degrees 16-32
70-89 degrees 17-20
90+ degrees 0-0