08 Tuesday May 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
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The Boston Braves, returning north from spring training on April 5, 1935, beat North Carolina State College, 6-2, in a contest called in the seventh inning because the teams run out baseballs, having used the 100 put aside for the game.
Collegiate southpaw Olney Ray Freeman strikes out a 40 year-old Babe Ruth on a two-strike curveball, a feat the lefty would brag about until his death in 2008. Continue reading
19 Thursday Apr 2018
Posted in Milwaukee Braves (1953 - 1965)
The Braves’ spring training game on March 17, 1953, against the Yankees in Bradenton, will prove to be the team’s last full one representing the city of Boston. During the sixth inning of the next day’s exhibition contest, the club learns the National League has approved its shift next month to Milwaukee.
That is in contrast to the Junior Circuit that two days ago before denied Bill Veeck permission to move his Browns to Baltimore, citing insurmountable problems due to the short amount of time left before Opening Day.
By 1952, it was clear that there could only be 1 team in Boston. For 50 years, Major League Baseball did not have a relocation and was the same for 50 straight years. After the rise of Ted Williams for the Red Sox, it was clear the Braves were no longer Boston’s #1 team, even after gaining the reputation that the Braves Field is more Family Friendly than Fenway was. The Boston Braves played their last home game Sept. 21, 1952, losing to the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-2 before 8,822 at Braves Field.
On March 13, 1953, owner Lou Perini said that he would seek permission from the National League to move the Braves to Milwaukee. After the franchise’s long history in Boston, the day became known as “Black Friday” in the city as fans mourned the team’s exit after eight decades. Perini, however, pointed to dwindling attendance as the main reason for the relocation. He also announced that he had recently bought out his original partners. He announced Milwaukee as that is where the Braves had their top farm club, the Brewers. Milwaukee had long been a possible target for relocation.
15 Sunday Apr 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson, age 28, becomes the first African-American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves. Robinson broke the color barrier in a sport that had been segregated for more than 50 years.
Exactly 50 years later, on April 15, 1997, Robinson’s groundbreaking career was honored and his uniform number, 42, was retired from Major League Baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig in a ceremony attended by over 50,000 fans at New York City’s Shea Stadium.
Robinson’s was the first-ever number retired by all teams in the league.
Source: Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier – Apr 15, 1947 – HISTORY.com
20 Tuesday Mar 2018
Tags
1952, 1953, August 1, Boston Braves, Max Surkont, May 25, Milwaukee Braves, Tom Seaver
Boston starter Max Surkont matches goose eggs with Reds’ Ken Raffenberger during the first eight innings in a scoreless duel at Braves Field on August 1, 1952. The hard-luck right-hander will lose the game when he uncorks two wild pitches in the ninth inning that allows two unearned runs to score.
Max played for the Braves from 1950 to 1953. In 1953, the Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves. Against the Cincinnati Reds on May 25, 1953, he recorded eight consecutive strikeouts. Following his seventh straight strikeout, Surkont was forced to endure a thirty-five-minute rain delay. Afterward he struck out Andy Seminick to lead off the fifth inning. Surkont struck out thirteen batters in the game, a 10–3 Braves victory. He was 11–5 for the season and recorded a 61–76 career record. The record stood until Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, Tom Seaver, struck out ten in a row in 1970.
11 Sunday Feb 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
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There was a lot new in 1912, including the new name, the Boston Braves. Having played for the Rustlers in 1911, Cy Young reported to spring training. He stayed for three weeks and then left admitting his arm was no good.
What wasn’t new was their record. They finished last, 52 games behind the leader.
It was pretty bad that year but June 20 would highlight the calamity. The Giants set a modern record by stealing 11 bases, in one game, against the Braves. New York was ahead 14-2 after the eighth inning. In the ninth, they added seven more runs. The Braves had a rally in the bottom of the ninth for 21-12 score. The 17 runs scored in the ninth set a record.
16 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
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1922 was a disastrous year for the Boston Braves. It was Fred Mitchell second season as Manager. They finished eighth with a 53-100 record. They were 39 1/2 games behind the leader.
Fred Toney pitched for the NY Giants. On July 30, Toney was traded from the Giants to the Braves along with prospect Larry Benton and $100,000. They were traded for Braves right-hander Hugh McQuillan. Fred knew a bad team when he saw one. He refused to report to the Braves, who were headed for last, and sat out rest of the season.
As a Giants pitcher, Toney had seen his former teammates circling the bases for four inside the park home runs in April. That’s right, four. No way he wanted to pitch on a team that bad. And so he didn’t.
04 Thursday Jan 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
The good news is that in 1928 the Braves did not finish last. The Philadelphia Phillies had that honor. The Boston Braves came in seventh with a 50-103 record finishing 44 1/2 games behind. Jack Slattery and Rogers Hornsby were managers.
Uh oh. Another ugly year.
With 103 loses, I would thought they would have clearly been in last place. Philadelphia certainly earned it losing 109 games. I can’t imagine.
The year didn’t start with great promise. Owner Judge Fuchs hired a college coach Jack Slattery to manage. Two days later he acquired the ever tumultuous Rogers Hornsby in a trade.
Slattery did have some pro experience. He had coached under George Stallings in 1918 and 1919. He had a great record with Tufts, Boston College and Harvard. Slattery was very popular with the Boston sports writers. Judge Fuchs listened to the writers a lot. So Slattery was in. He wouldn’t last long though. Going 11-20, he was out by May 23.
Jack Slattery
28 Thursday Dec 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
It is Dave Bancroft’s 3rd year as manager. In 1926, the team is not heading in the right direction. The Boston Braves drop from fifth place to seventh place, 22 games behind the leader with a 66-86 record. Yikes! My oh my!
While they only lost 3 more games in 1926 than 1925, they managed to drop two places.
The Reds blasted the Braves pitching on July 22. They hit 11 runs in the second in a 13-3 game. And then 3 days later on the 25th, Cincinnati third baseman Babe Pinelli brushed up against Braves coach Art Devlin, who had been harassing him. Devlin took a swing at Pinelli and the benches cleared. The police get called in. Now that wasn’t a good thing. They ended up arresting the Braves outfielder Frank Wilson. Cops don’t appreciate getting punched.
It didn’t end there. The next inning Braves Jimmy Welsh collided with the Cincinnati catcher. Val Picinich took a swing at Welsh and got ejected. The benches cleared again. At least the Braves knew how to brawl.
19 Tuesday Dec 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
The 1920 Boston Braves came to the bottom of their slide. In George Stallings 8th year, Boston had a record of 62-90 to finish seventh — 30 games behind the leader.
The “Miracle Man” had long ago run out of miracles. Stallings was a very frustrated man. He blamed the new owners for lack of support. He learned what many have learned … you can’t fire the owners.
Stallings was talented as his 1914 season showed. The 1920 version was a poor example of a baseball team. The team led the league in errors, scored fewer runs than any other team, and was seventh in staff ERA and total runs allowed.
Boston finished just a half game ahead of last-placed Philadelphia because the Phillies played one more game, a loss.
By the end of the season, Stallings would resign.
14 Thursday Dec 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
1919 saw a very slight improvement from the previous year. The Boston Braves, under manager George Stallings, finished sixth with a 57-82 record. It was Stallings 7th season. They were only 38 games behind the leader.
Now to take a shot at things, they acquired the “worlds greatest athlete”, Olympic champion Jim Thorpe. The still finished sixth. Yee gads!
Now the challenge was that Thorpe wasn’t really a baseball player. He was a big name but he wasn’t going to win any games for Boston. The got him on May 21 from the Giants. He came over for the waiver price of $1,500. He ended the year for a .327 average but couldn’t hit a curve ball. He didn’t play any more baseball after 1919 and devoted himself to pro football.
05 Tuesday Dec 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
The slide continued for the Boston Braves in 1918. With a 53-71 record, they finished seventh, 28 1/2 games behind under the leadership of George Stallings. This was Stallings 6th year at the helm.
They started the year without Rabbit Maranville. Rabbit had enlisted in the Navy. Amazingly enough though, he did play during his 10-day leave. Incredibly he hit .316 in 11 games and didn’t strike out in 38 at bats. I guess the reprieve from the Navy suited him well.
Of course many teams were losing players to the war effort. One underutilized outfielder, Larry Chappell, didn’t return from the war, dying of influenza at an army camp during the winter. Larry was on 27 at the time. In May 1916, the Braves purchased him, and in 53 at-bats with them he hit .226. Overall, Chappell hit .218 with nine RBI and two stolen bases in 1916. Chappell played his final season in 1917, appearing in four games for the Braves, collecting no hits in two at-bats. He played his final game on April 25. Overall, Chappell hit .226 with no home runs, 26 RBI and nine stolen bases in 109 career games. He walked 25 times and struck out 42 times.
The war also shortened the season. In July, the leagues voted to end the season on September 2, Labor Day. The Braves were probably happy to leave early. They had lost 15 games in a row, only to win the last game of the season against the Giants.
Rabbit Maranville
28 Tuesday Nov 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
On September 15, 1928 the Boston Braves play their ninth consecutive doubleheader. Now that is a lot of work.
The streak, which began on September 4th, sees the team lose five in a row, including four to the Giants.
Here is the box score of the second game against Chicago Cubs at Boston Braves Box Score, September 15, 1928. The Braves lost 6-1. Lance Richbourg scored the lone Braves run.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lance Richbourg RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .336 |
| Jack Smith CF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .267 |
| George Sisler 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .338 |
| Rogers Hornsby 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .382 |
| Eddie Brown LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .272 |
| Les Bell 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .262 |
| Doc Farrell SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .202 |
| Al Spohrer C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .228 |
| Ed Brandt P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .254 |
| Foster Edwards P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .100 |
| Charlie Fitzberger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| Bill Clarkson P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Virgil Barnes P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .077 |
| Kent Greenfield P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .061 |
| Howard Freigau | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .246 |
| Clay Touchstone P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Team Totals | 28 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 33 | .143 |
16 Thursday Nov 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Rogers Hornsby played for the Braves as a second baseman in 1928. Hornsby was born in Winters, Texas on April 27, 1896. He passed away on January 5, 1963.
Hornsby was very, very talented. Talented enough that he won the batting title in his first year and was so controversial that he was traded at the end of the season.
Only nine men in Braves history have led the National League in hitting. Hornsby was the first in the 20th century to do so. He hit .361, second in the league for the Giants.
Where did that get him? Traded to the Braves. The New York manager knew what was going on. He wasn’t going to put up with it, no matter how good Hornsby was.n He was traded for Shanty Hogan, a very promising catcher and Jimmy Welsh, a so-so outfielder.
The Braves would learn the same lesson. Fortunately, it only took them one season.
Rogers Hornsby – 1928
14 Tuesday Nov 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
George Stallings entered his fourth season as manager for Boston Braves in 1916. They finished third, four games behind with a record of 89-63. Not a bad season continuing to decline from the miracle performance of 1914.
The World Series was back at Braves Field in 1916 but it was the Boston Red Sox who played not the Braves.
It would have been very special if it was an all Beantown series. It came close to happening. The Braves were in first as late as September 4th. The were close enough that they even printed tickets up. They weren’t eliminated until October 2 with only 2 games left to play.
07 Tuesday Nov 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
1942 Reds general manager Warren Giles announces the team has traded veteran catcher Ernie Lombardi to the Boston Braves for two players to be named later.
The 33 year-old future Hall of Famer will hit .330 during his one season with his new team, capturing the batting crown, a feat that will not be repeated by a catcher until 2006 when Twins backstop Joe Mauer leads the American League.
He became an All-Star and led the NL and Braves that season with a .330 batting average (albeit, in only 309 at-bats). As of 2017, Lombardi remains only one of three NL catchers to win a batting title (the others are Cincinnati Reds catcher Bubbles Hargrove in 1926 and SF Giants catcher Buster Posey in 2012). His final All-Star selection was during the 1943 season.
02 Thursday Nov 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Following the miracle of 1914, was it a fluke? Could the Braves repeat?
It was George Stallings 3rd year as manager. While they couldn’t repeat, they did come in second, 7 games behind the leader with a 83-69 record.
It was a year of injury and illness. Johnny Evers, the league’s MVP in 1914, hurt his ankle sliding. He had to be carried off the field. The injury on April 18 took him out for over two months. Not good timing early in the season.
The biggest blow came to their ace pitcher from 1914. “Seattle Bill” James led the league in winning percentage the year before. He had 26 victories in 1914. He got ill (developed a sore arm) and had to spend the season at home. Ouch!
James pitched in 33 fewer games and won 21 less games. At age 23, his career was over.
21 Saturday Oct 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Tags
1904, 1935, April 9, Babe Ruth, Boston Braves, Fred Frankhouse, Spitball
When you can win games on the worst team in the history of the Braves, that deserves a note. Not a footnote but a note.
Fred Frankhouse played for the Braves and the Bees from 1930-35 and 1939. He was a right handed pitcher born on April 9, 1904.
The 1935 Braves were flat out horrible. They lost a modern day record of 115 games. That was a record of .248, the worst in franchise history.
What about Frank? He managed to win 11 games and finish with a .423 record. Not bad all things considered. No other Braves pitcher won more than 8 games in 1935 and only one other, Bob Smith, managed to win more than five.
His specialty pitch was “the old roundhouse curve”, and he was often referred to as a “spitballer” during his career as a pitcher. Frankhouse pitched in Babe Ruth’s final game that year.
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 23 | STL | NL | 5 | 1 | .833 | 2.70 | 6 |
| 1928 | 24 | STL | NL | 3 | 2 | .600 | 3.96 | 21 |
| 1929 | 25 | STL | NL | 7 | 2 | .778 | 4.12 | 30 |
| 1930 | 26 | TOT | NL | 9 | 9 | .500 | 5.87 | 35 |
| 1930 | 26 | STL | NL | 2 | 3 | .400 | 7.32 | 8 |
| 1930 | 26 | BSN | NL | 7 | 6 | .538 | 5.61 | 27 |
| 1931 | 27 | BSN | NL | 8 | 8 | .500 | 4.03 | 26 |
| 1932 | 28 | BSN | NL | 4 | 6 | .400 | 3.56 | 37 |
| 1933 | 29 | BSN | NL | 16 | 15 | .516 | 3.16 | 43 |
| 1934 | 30 | BSN | NL | 17 | 9 | .654 | 3.20 | 37 |
| 1935 | 31 | BSN | NL | 11 | 15 | .423 | 4.76 | 40 |
| 1936 | 32 | BRO | NL | 13 | 10 | .565 | 3.65 | 41 |
| 1937 | 33 | BRO | NL | 10 | 13 | .435 | 4.27 | 33 |
| 1938 | 34 | BRO | NL | 3 | 5 | .375 | 4.04 | 30 |
| 1939 | 35 | BSN | NL | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.61 | 23 |
| 13 Y | 13 Y | 13 Y | 13 Y | 106 | 97 | .522 | 3.92 | 402 |
| 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 12 | 11 | .522 | 3.92 | 44 |
| BSN | BSN | BSN | BSN | 63 | 61 | .508 | 3.88 | 233 |
| STL | STL | STL | STL | 17 | 8 | .680 | 4.05 | 65 |
| BRO | BRO | BRO | BRO | 26 | 28 | .481 | 3.94 | 104 |
21 Thursday Sep 2017
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Al Dark played for the Braves in 1946, 1948-49 and then again in 1960. Al was born on January 7, 1922 and mainly played shortstop.
1948 was an amazing year for the Braves. Al Dark played a major role in what happened that summer.
We all remember Deion Sanders. Dark did even better being a three sport star at LSU. In addition to his baseball talent, he was the high scorer on the basketball team and a backfield player in football and drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.
After serving a tour of duty during WWII in the Marines, Dark signed with the Braves for $40k bonus. When Dark joined the Braves, we had not won a pennant since 1914. He was a rookie at age 26.
The Braves would turn the corner in 1948 and Dark led the way. As a rookie he batted .322, fourth in the Majors, and was also third in doubles (39) and fifth in hits (175). He also managed a 23 game hitting streak, equaling the modern (post 1900) rookie record.
16 Saturday Sep 2017
Tags
1953, 1961, Bobby Thomson, Boston Braves, Hank Aaron, John Quinn, Johnny Antonelli, Milwaukee Braves
Johnny Antonelli
Johnny Antonelli played with the Braves from 1948 to 1950, again in 1953 and 1961. Born on April 12, 1930 in Rochester, New York, he was a pitcher who batted and threw left.
It isn’t easy to cause a riot in New York City, but Braves General Manager John Quinn nearly accomplished it prior to the 1954 season. Several months later there was a celebration.
The two principles to the deal were Bobby Thomson and the young left handed pitcher Johnny Antonelli. Thompson hit the most dramatic home run in history in 1951.
The Braves needed a power hitting outfielder. The didn’t know that the future all-time home run king (Aaron) was about to make his presence known. So the Braves traded the 23 year old Antonelli to the Giants. That was a tough trade as Antonelli just finished fourth in the National League with a 3.18 ERA in 1953.
Understandably, the Giants were madder than a hornet at losing Thomson, who was coming off a 106 RBI season. It didn’t take long to change their thinking. Antonelli was 21-7 in 1954 and helped propel the Giants to win the NL pennant. He had a winning percentage of .750, 6 shutouts, and an ERA of 2.30. He also won a game in the World Series.
Thomson broke his leg in spring training, leading the Milwaukee Braves to insert Hank Aaron in the line up.
31 Thursday Aug 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
On February 2, 1950, at a Boston sports writers dinner, infielder Bobby Doerr receives the Fred Hoey Award. Doerr played his entire 14-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox (1937–51). A nine-time all star, Doerr batted over .300 three times, drove in more than 100 runs six times, and set Red Sox team records in several statistical categories despite missing one season due to military service during World War II. Doerr is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Hoey was a major league baseball broadcaster. Hoey called games for the Boston Braves from 1925–38 and Boston Red Sox from 1927-38.
The scrappy second baseman’s friend and Boston teammate, Ted Williams, surprises the gathering by attending the event wearing a tie.
Fred Hoey – Broadcaster for the Braves
22 Tuesday Aug 2017
Posted in Uncategorized
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Mel Ott 500th Home Run Bal
At the Polo Grounds on August 1, 1945, Mel Ott hits his historic 500th career home run off Braves’ hurler Johnny Hutchings in the Giants’ 9-2 victory over Boston.
‘Master Melvin’ becomes the third major leaguer to accomplish the feat, joining Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx in reaching the career milestone.
The Braves would end the 1945 season 67–85 (.441), 30 games behind the Chicago Cubs who led the National League (there were no Divisions then).
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Culler SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .273 | .331 |
| Phil Masi C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .309 | .393 |
| Tommy Holmes RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .368 | .447 |
| Joe Medwick 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .292 | .332 |
| Butch Nieman LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .236 | .371 |
| Carden Gillenwater CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .295 | .389 |
| Chuck Workman 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .265 | .343 |
| Whitey Wietelmann 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .258 | .331 |
| Nate Andrews P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .211 | .268 |
| Johnny Hutchings P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .286 | .306 |
| Ed Wright P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Jim Tobin PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .157 | .314 |
| Don Hendrickson P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .182 | .182 |
| Team Totals | 33 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 35 | .273 | .294 |
14 Monday Aug 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
The newspaper photo of the South Orange Ridgewoods that were coached by the Stonehams also shows the photo of future MLB pitcher Eddie Fallenstin. As youngster in Maplewood, Ed Fallenstin grew up with baseball. His father was involved in the first Lackawanna League in Summit. And with the Stonehams’ patronage of the South Orange Recreation Department, many of Giants players were visitors to the historic Cameron Field baseball diamond giving baseball clinics and day camps. Most notable was the one game exhibition by The Babe and Lou Gerhig in 1929 in which over 12,000 fans attended the NJ Semi-pro finals. Meeting and seeing of these great players of the 20’s and 3’0s inspired a young Eddie to make it in the Majors.
Although he won the little league title for Charles Stoneham’s team in the early 1920s and then Lackawanna League titles for the Maplewood Maples, he was not signed by the Giants. The Newark Bears got him first. After getting signed by the Bears he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre for a NY Penn League team. On June 1, he was noted that he had caught the eye of the manager and “would make good for the club.” (Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Jun 1, 1931). He did well there and moved up, making it to the Phillies in 1931 as a 22 -year old rookie with some promise. After a not too successful season mostly in relief with the woeful Phillies, they were only 35 games back in 1931 he was released. After a summer of ‘32 back in minors of Western Pennsylvania, this time at Scranton. He would finish the season with the Jersey City Skeeters. The Braves of that era were not known as a good team but always looking for pitching. And they found and signed Ed Fallenstin in time to start the 1933 season.
On the last Sunday of April, the old Braves field was buzzing, and near capacity crowd of some 35,000 loyalists filled the old ball park. The Giants were in town for a doubleheader, and expectations were not great, as the Braves were in their all too familiar last place position, while the Giants were atop the early season standings. In newspaper reports across the country noted, “The Boston Braves, climaxing a sudden rise from the National League Cellar to the first division.” The Braves had done the most unexpected, and swept the Giants.
The key pitcher in game one, in just one hour and twenty-eight minutes had achieved baseball success, a three hit, shut out. No Giant got past second base. The youngster on the hill for the Braves was making his first major league start. The newspaper accounts described him as, “…a Maplewood, NJ boy pitching his first full major league game…, a long and lean rookie.” Ed Fallenstin had just got his first MLB victory.
It was a gem and a good team effort, with the pitcher getting wo strikeouts and giving up just one walk. The Braves suddenly reliable infield turning three double plays resulting in one over the game minimum number of batters came to the plate to face the rookie. Two doubles by eventual Hall of Famer Rabbit Maranville, batting 8th were enough. The Braves won 3-0.
Yet on April 30, 1933 against Carl Hubbell and the NY Giants, the future NL MVP, and the 1933 World Champions of Baseball, Fallenstin pitched the game of a lifetime. At Braves Field on the last Sunday of April 1933 with one of the largest crowds in years, Horace Stoneham’s MLB Giants were soundly beaten by his former Little League star player.
Yet the story continues, for later that summer this time the game was at the Polo Grounds, and hopefully with some of his hometown friends and old teammates in the stands. It was June 15, a thursday afternoon game. The Giants again found themselves facing their little league nemesis, Braves rookie Ed Fallenstin. The Giants did find a way to master his pitches. Twenty-seven Giant at bats created 10 hits and three runs, in just five innings. Removed for a pinch hitter in the 6th, even though he had hit a one out two run scoring double in the 4th, Fallenstin’s day was done.
The lead was held by Tom Zachary, and when the last out was recorded Maplewood’s best little leaguer had done it again. Ed Fallenstin was victorious and had beaten the Giants and his former little league coach.
The scribe for the rival Dodgers, the old Brooklyn Eagle noted Ed Fallenstin pitched effective ball against the Giants and drove in two runs. (Brooklyn Eagle June 16, 1933.)
Later that summer on July 3rd back in Boston, the Giants finally got even. Although it took some help from a not-so-sure Braves infield. In that fateful fifth inning with help from a fielding error, a two- out walk, followed by a double and then single, the Giants had finally tagged Fallenstin. It was his only MLB loss. That inning the Fallenstin and the Braves needed to make four outs, and in before getting that critical inning ending out, three unearned runs scored and sealed the fate for a 5-2 Giants victory.
During the Summer of ’33 it was, Ed Fallenstin, a Boston Brave, a true Little League Giant tamer. If, if only not for a costly 5th inning lead off error.
He pitched in just a few more games, thus ending his short-lived and otherwise unremarkable MLB career. He did not beat another team nor lose to one either, and finished up with a record of 2-1, with an era of 5.52 and a WHIP of 1.800.
Given his release, he played for many years in semi-pro ball in NJ. In a unique turn, Fallenstin ended up in pitching for the Braves, but this time it was for the Belmar NJ Braves.
12 Saturday Aug 2017
Posted in Boston Bees (1936 - 1940)
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Warren Spahn
It isn’t every day you can do this. It turns out, in fact to be rare.
On June 4, 1940 the Braves sign South Park High School (Buffalo, NY) standout Warren Spahn, who will make his major league debut in 1942 when he appears in two games as a 20 year-old for Boston before serving three years in the Army during World War II.
The Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient will return to the National League in 1946 to win the first game of his career at the age of 25 en route to becoming the all-time winningest southpaw in the history of the game with 363 victories.
03 Thursday Aug 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
Tags
1948, Billy Southworth, Bob Feller, Boston Braves, Eddy Stanky, Johnny Sain, Phil Masi, Tommy Holmes
It was in the first game of the 1948 World Series held at Boston Braves Field against the favored Cleveland Indians that Phil Masi would become embroiled in a controversy that secured his place in baseball history.
The Braves’ Johnny Sain and Indians’ Bob Feller were engaged in a scoreless pitchers’ duel when the Braves came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. Feller walked Braves catcher Bill Salkeld to open the inning. Braves manager Billy Southworth then substituted the slow-footed Salkeld with Masi, who entered the game as a pinch runner. Now today, a catcher probably wouldn’t be your choice for a pinch runner. Mike McCormick followed with a sacrifice bunt, advancing Masi to second base.
Feller issued an intentional walk to Eddie Stanky, who was replaced by Sibby Sisti. Feller then made a pick off attempt of Masi at second base. Indians’ shortstop Lou Boudreau appeared to tag Masi out, but umpire Bill Stewart called him safe.
Tommy Holmes followed with a single that scored Masi with the only run of the game, giving the Braves a 1-0 victory. The umpire’s controversial ruling touched off heated debates among the media and fans, especially after Associated Press photographs of the play were published.
Although the victory gave the Braves a 1-0 lead, the Indians won the World Series in six games.
20 Tuesday Jun 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
The Phillies trade infielder Bert Niehoff (.255, 2, 42) on April 4, 1918 and send cash to the Cardinals for rookie right-hander Mule Watson. Niehoff will play just one more season before retiring.
Watson will pitch two seasons with Philadelphia, posting a 7-11 record, before being traded to the Braves.
Mule is very famous for starting both ends of a double header. On the 12th and 13 August 1921, Watson became the last pitcher in Major League history to start both games of a doubleheader twice in the same season.
On August 12, 1921, both teams used the same starting pitcher in both games of a doubleheader at Braves Field in Boston, the only time that’s happened in major league history. Phillies manager Kaiser Wilhelm (who had taken over from Bill Donovan less than three weeks earlier) sent George Smith to the mound in both games, while boston skipper Fred Mitchell called on Jack Scott, the same fellow who threw the two complete games in a 1927 twin-bill. (Scott had also started both games of a double dip in 1920.) The account in the New York Times doesn’t call any special attention to the situation: “Scott and Smith started both games, but the former was hit hard and finished neither, and Smith did not finish the first.” Scott took the loss in both games; neither pitcher made it our of the third inning of the opener, then Smith threw a 12-hit shutout in game two.
The next day, Mitchell started Mule Watson in both games of another doubleheader against Philly, and Watson went the distance in winning both games, holding on to win the first game 4-3, then retiring the first 14 batters he faced in game two on the way to a two-hit shutout. Watson, like Scott, had previous experience starting two games in a day, having done so twice in his first two months in the majors in 1918 for the A’s. That made Watson, who won 50 games in an otherwise unremarkable major league career, the last man to do doubleheader duty twice in a season.
20 Monday Mar 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Tags
1913, 1919, Boston Braves, February 1, Jim Thorpe, September 25
Jim Thorpe
Olympic hero Jim Thorpe, turning down an offer from the last-place Browns, signs with the Giants on February 1, 1913, the defending NL champs.
Because the minor league team that last held Jim Thorpe’s contract had disbanded in 1910, he found himself in the rare position of being a sought-after free agent at the major league level during the era of the reserve clause, and thus had a choice of baseball teams for which to play
The Native American, who grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma, will compile a lifetime .252 batting average during his six seasons in the major leagues, which also includes stints with the Reds and Braves.
His last appearance would be for the Boston Braves on September 25, 1919.
14 Tuesday Mar 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
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Boston Braves Logo
There are long games and then there are very long games. No one scoring a run makes it even worse.
So, on August 1, 1918, the Pirates break the longest scoreless tie in baseball history against the Boston Braves, when the team tallies two runs in the top of the twenty-first inning for an eventual 2-0 victory at Braves Field. The Braves had 15 hits but were unable to score. The lead off hitter, Buck Herzog, had 5 hits but nobody could get him home.
The mark will be matched by Giants and Reds in 1967, when each team is held scoreless for twenty innings, until the decisive run is scored in the next frame on a bases-loaded walk to Dick Groat.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Herzog 2B | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .229 | |
| Jim Kelly LF | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .207 | 2·SB,HBP |
| Red Massey CF | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .291 | |
| Al Wickland RF | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .266 | |
| Red Smith 3B | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .306 | SH |
| Ed Konetchy 1B | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .218 | |
| John Henry C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .208 | |
| Tom Miller PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| Doc Bass PR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | SB |
| Art Wilson C | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | |
| Jimmy Smith SS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .185 | HBP |
| Art Nehf P | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .179 | SH |
| Johnny Rawlings PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .209 | |
| Team Totals | 71 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 6 | .211 |
08 Wednesday Feb 2017
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
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Eddie Stanky Boston Braves
The Boston Braves acquire All-Star second baseman Eddie Stanky on March 6, 1948 from the Dodgers for Bama Rowell and $60,000. The hard-nosed infielder will play a pivotal role in Boston’s National League championship this season.
He was born in Philadelphia, and his original nickname, “The Brat from Kensington”, is in reference to the neighborhood where he grew up.
Stanky was famous for his ability to draw walks; he drew 100 or more walks in each of six different seasons, 140 or more in two of them. In 1946, he hit just .273 but his 137 walks allowed him to lead the league in OBP with .436, edging out Stan Musial—who led in more than ten hitting categories.
His best season was probably 1950 with the Giants, when he hit an even .300 and led the league in walks (144) and OBP (.460). On August 30, he tied a major league record when he walked in seven consecutive at-bats (in two games).
25 Friday Nov 2016
Posted in Milwaukee Braves (1953 - 1965)
Lou Perini
This is very clever. On March 3, 1953, citing territorial privilege due to the location of their minor league club, Lou Perini blocks the Browns’ attempt to move to Milwaukee from St. Louis.
Now why would he do that. Well, fifteen days later, the Braves’ owner will move his own major league club from Boston to that midwestern city.
In 1945, Lou purchased the club from Bob Quinn for $500,000 then moved the club to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the 1953 season after complaining of poor attendance and revenue in Boston.
At the completion of the 1961 season he sold the franchise for $5.5 million to Chicago insurance executive William Bartholomay who later moved the franchise to Atlanta for the 1966 season, while retaining a 10% interest in the club and sat on the Board of Directors for a number of years.
Prior to owning the Braves, Perini gained his fortune in his family’s construction business, Perini Corp, having started out his working life as a water boy in his father’s small construction firm, ending up running the major worldwide Perini Corporation. Continue reading
13 Thursday Oct 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
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Joe Oeschger
The longest game ever played ends after 26 innings in a 1-1 tie. They would have kept on playing but it was called because of darkness.
Now imagine this. Brooklyn Robin Leon Cadore and Brave Joe Oeschger both go the distance for their respective clubs. Braves’ Charlie Pick establishes the major league record for hitless at-bats in one game as he goes 0-for-11 in the marathon.
Oescheger only gave up 9 hits the entire game, while Cadore allowed 15.
For the rest of the 1920 season Oescheger won 15 games with a 3.46 earned run average.
24 Wednesday Aug 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
Billy Southworth moved to manage the Boston Braves in 1946. At the time, making $50,000 as a manager was a big deal. He had some fairly quick success.
Fourth in 1946. Third in 1947. First in 1948. Of course, it probably didn’t hurt that he had Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain pitching for him. They won their second NL pennant in the 1900’s under his great leadership. They were defeated however in the 1948 World Series in six games by the Cleveland Indians.
In 1949 many of the players rebelled against Southworth’s rules, regulations, and leadership. The Braves struggled on the field. The rumor mill had Southworth, an admitted alcoholic, drinking heavily and near a nervous breakdown.
So, in August Southworth turned the Braves over to someone else. Johnny Cooney, another Braves coach, took over. Southworth did come back to coach the Braves in 1950. It would be easier on him because most of the rebellious Braves had been traded away.
But the team was “older”. Attendance was in the toilet. In 1951 the Braves were barely 28-31 by June 19th. Part of the issue was probably competition. The Boston Red Sox was aggressively going after the fans. This was the first year they both broadcast their games on the radio. It only paid off for the Red Sox though.
Billy Southworth did the honorable thing. He “resigned”. Most reports have him being fired. He was replaced by a former right fielder, Tommy Holmes. He did remain with the Braves as a scout. Not uncommon. He never managed again.
In 1953 the Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves. Go figure.
31 Sunday Jul 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Judge Fuchs’, the owner, decided to make a change in the manager position.
It happens frequently in baseball. What you don’t see, because it can’t be done, is the owner being fired. I am sure there are lots of times the fans would prefer that. It can’t happen.
He selected Bill McKechnie as the Boston Braves manager in 1930. He had a pretty good track record. In Pittsburgh he won the World Series in 1925. In St. Louis he won the pennant in 1928. After he left Boston he won a World Series for Cincinnati in 1940.
In 1930 the Braves finished 6th, 22 games behind the leader. Their record was 70-84. It wouldn’t get much better during his eight years in Boston.
19 Tuesday Jul 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
This is stunning. We can’t imagine it today. It is hard to get one complete game now. Cardinals hurler Herman “Hi” Bell goes the distance in both games of a Sportsman’s Park doubleheader on July 19, 1924, beating the Boston Braves, 6-1 and 2-1.
The 27 year-old right-hander from Kentucky will be the last National League pitcher to win two complete game victories in one day.
For his career, he compiled a 32–34 record in 221 appearances, most as a relief pitcher, with an 3.69 earned run average and 191 strikeouts. Bell was a member of three National League pennant winners (1926, 1930 & 1933), winning two World Series with the 1926 Cardinals and the 1933 Giants. Don’t we all wish we could do that?
In World Series play, he recorded no decisions in three appearances, with a 4.50 earned run average and 1 strikeout.
05 Tuesday Jul 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
Boston Braves 1952
In their final season in Boston, on July 5, 1952, the Braves play in front of the largest home crowd of the season when 13,405 fans watch Brooklyn beat their team for the 12th consecutive time, a 5-3 complete-game victory by Carl Erskine.
The most memorable moment of the contest occurs in the second inning when the game is delayed because a small dog has to be escorted off the field by Dodger outfielders Carl Furillo and Duke Snyder.
04 Monday Jul 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
My dad was born on this day. He loved the Atlanta Braves. They were the Boston Braves at this point.
1919 was not a great year for the Braves and July 4th would be fairly typical of the season. The played a double header on this day. They split the pair with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
And so, my dad (Everett Wiley Wilson) was born and the Braves split a pair.
10 Tuesday May 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
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Lloyd Waner (The Poison)
There are some things as a fan you aren’t proud of. There are some records that are set where your team is on the loosing side of things.
On June 26, 1935, Pirates’ center fielder Lloyd Waner (his nickname was the Little Poison) sets the major league mark recording 18 putouts in a doubleheader sweep of the Boston Braves. He would later play for the Braves in 1941.
Not a pretty day for the Boston Braves.
And of course, 1935 wasn’t a great year for the Braves in general. They would finish dead last that year with the worst record in the National League. A 38-115 season is just not pretty.
It was also a year of dreams for Babe Ruth. He really wanted to manage. He came to Braves in February of 1935 as vice president and assistant manager. The Braves would give him a shot. To entice the Babe, the team owner, Emil Fuchs promised Ruth a share of the team profits (assuming there would be some). It just didn’t work out for the Babe.
28 Thursday Apr 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Tags
1917, 1923, 1924, Boston Braves, Jesse Barnes, June 26, New York Giants, No Hitter, October 2, Virgil Barnes
Jesse Barnes – Boston Braves
In a matchup at the Polo Grounds on June 26, 1924, Giants’ right-hander Virgil Barnes faces his older sibling, Jesse, marking the first time brothers have started against one another in major league history. Neither of Luther and Sade’s sons will be credited with the victory, but Jesse will be tagged with the loss when New York beats his Boston Braves, 8-1.
The Barnes brothers will match up four more times during their careers‚ the first, including three days from this date.
Jesse began his majors career in 1914 with the Boston Braves. In 1917 he led the National League with 21 losses. On October 2, 1917, he became the only NL pitcher to walk two times in one inning.
In 1918, Jesse was traded to the New York Giants. He had three very good years with the Giants. On the last day of the 1919 season, he won his National League-leading 25th victory, 6–1, over Lee Meadows and the Philadelphia Phillies at Polo Grounds. The game was played at a feverish pace and lasted a mere 51 minutes, a major league record that still stands as the shortest nine-inning game ever played.
In 1920 Jesse had 20 wins, following with 15 wins in 1921 and two victories in the 1921 World Series against the New York Yankees. Then, in 1922 he hurled a no-hitter against the Phillies.
He returned to the Boston Braves in 1923, playing for them three years before joining the Brooklyn Robins from 1926 through 1927. For the second time, he led the league in losses (20) in 1924.
Both Jesse and Virgil were teammates with the Giants from 1919 to 1923.
Here is the box score from June 26, 1924.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Bancroft SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .303 | .375 | .373 |
| Ray Powell CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .202 | .255 | .242 |
| Bill Cunningham LF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .311 | .351 | .429 |
| Stuffy McInnis 1B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .280 | .303 | .360 |
| Cotton Tierney 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .308 | .354 | .389 |
| Casey Stengel RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .259 | .325 | .362 |
| Ernie Padgett 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .297 | .353 | .416 |
| Mickey O’Neil C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .262 | .270 | .273 |
| Jesse Barnes P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .143 | .143 | .143 |
| Al Yeargin P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .316 | .316 | .421 |
| Team Totals | 33 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 5 | .212 | .212 | .212 |
18 Monday Apr 2016
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Boston Braves
On October 6, 1923. for only the second time in major league history, two 100-loss teams face one another when the 52-100 Boston Braves beat the 50-102 Phillies in the first game of a season-ending doubleheader, 5-4.
Boston, then known as the Beaneaters, was also part of the first occurrence of this rare type of matchup when the 50-100 club played the 45-103 team from Brooklyn in 1905.
Not the kind of record you want to be known for by any means. But that is the Braves. A long history, some not so fun to remember.
01 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
It’s opening day the year after the Miracle Braves won the World Series. So, on April 14, 1915, the Phillies beat the Braves 3-0. Dick Rudolph was the losing pitcher for the Braves. George Stallings, coming off the glow of 1914 is managing. The game is played at Fenway Park with 12,000 in attendance. The game started at 1:43.
The Braves start the season 0-1. They had lost opening day in 1914 as well.
No big deal. The Braves would finish 2nd in the National League with a 83-69 record, 7 games behind Philadelphia. The Boston Red Sox would end up beating Philadelphia in the World Series 4-1.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | PO | A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbie Moran RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1 | 0 | |
| Johnny Evers 2B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .500 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 | 2 | 2 | 2·SB |
| Joe Connolly LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1 | 0 | |
| Sherry Magee CF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .333 | .500 | .333 | .833 | 4 | 0 | |
| Butch Schmidt 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .000 | .250 | .000 | .250 | 7 | 0 | |
| Red Smith 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 1 | 1 | SB,SH |
| Rabbit Maranville SS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .667 | .667 | .667 | 1.333 | 2 | 3 | |
| Hank Gowdy C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 9 | 2 | |
| Dick Rudolph P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 2 | |
| Team Totals | 30 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 33 | .200 | .250 | .200 | .450 | 27 | 10 |
02 Wednesday Mar 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
Tags
1924, 1947, 1952, Boston Braves, Earl Torgeson, January 1, Ted Williams
Earl Torgeson
Earl Torgeson played for the Boston Braves from 1947 to 1952. He was a first baseman and outfielder. He was born on January 1, 1924.
Earl was a much ballyhooed prospect. He was 23 when he joined the Braves. He had an unusual blend of power and speed. He was a critical part of the pennant-winning club in 1948. He was productive but never seemed to live up to the hype.
When he first got to Boston, many compared him to Ted Williams. He was seen as the Braves’ best power-hitting prospect since Wally Berger.
We can’t really fault the left-hander for not being as good as Ted Williams. Who has been?
| Year | Tm | Lg | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | BSN | NL | 128 | 399 | 73 | 112 | 16 | 78 | .281 |
| 1948 | BSN | NL | 134 | 438 | 70 | 111 | 10 | 67 | .253 |
| 1949 | BSN | NL | 25 | 100 | 17 | 26 | 4 | 19 | .260 |
| 1950 | BSN | NL | 156 | 576 | 120 | 167 | 23 | 87 | .290 |
| 1951 | BSN | NL | 155 | 581 | 99 | 153 | 24 | 92 | .263 |
| 1952 | BSN | NL | 122 | 382 | 49 | 88 | 5 | 34 | .230 |
| 1953 | PHI | NL | 111 | 379 | 58 | 104 | 11 | 64 | .274 |
| 1954 | PHI | NL | 135 | 490 | 63 | 133 | 5 | 54 | .271 |
| 1955 | TOT | MLB | 136 | 450 | 87 | 125 | 10 | 67 | .278 |
| 1955 | PHI | NL | 47 | 150 | 29 | 40 | 1 | 17 | .267 |
| 1955 | DET | AL | 89 | 300 | 58 | 85 | 9 | 50 | .283 |
| 1956 | DET | AL | 117 | 318 | 61 | 84 | 12 | 42 | .264 |
| 1957 | TOT | AL | 116 | 301 | 58 | 86 | 8 | 51 | .286 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 30 | 50 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 5 | .240 |
| 1957 | CHW | AL | 86 | 251 | 53 | 74 | 7 | 46 | .295 |
| 1958 | CHW | AL | 96 | 188 | 37 | 50 | 10 | 30 | .266 |
| 1959 | CHW | AL | 127 | 277 | 40 | 61 | 9 | 45 | .220 |
| 1960 | CHW | AL | 68 | 57 | 12 | 15 | 2 | 9 | .263 |
| 1961 | TOT | AL | 42 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .091 |
| 1961 | CHW | AL | 20 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .067 |
| 1961 | NYY | AL | 22 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .111 |
| 15 Yrs | 1668 | 4969 | 848 | 1318 | 149 | 740 | .265 | ||
| 162 Game Avg. | 162 | 483 | 82 | 128 | 14 | 72 | .265 | ||
| G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | ||||
| BSN (6 yrs) | 720 | 2476 | 428 | 657 | 82 | 377 | .265 | ||
| CHW (5 yrs) | 397 | 788 | 143 | 201 | 28 | 131 | .255 | ||
| PHI (3 yrs) | 293 | 1019 | 150 | 277 | 17 | 135 | .272 | ||
| DET (3 yrs) | 236 | 668 | 124 | 181 | 22 | 97 | .271 | ||
| NYY (1 yr) | 22 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .111 | ||
| AL (7 yrs) | 655 | 1474 | 270 | 384 | 50 | 228 | .261 | ||
| NL (9 yrs) | 1013 | 3495 | 578 | 934 | 99 | 512 | .267 | ||
29 Monday Feb 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Rabbit Maranville
It is opening day in 1916. It is a great day for a win. The Boston Braves will not disappoint us this day. They beat the Dodgers 5-1. Playing at Ebbets Field, the attendance is projected to be around 10,000. Pretty good for those days.
The winning pitcher is Dick (Baldy) Rudolph. Rabbit Maranville will hit .500 starting the season very well. Sherry Magee will bat .600. The losing pitcher for the Dodgers is Larry Cheney.
I love opening day. A day filled with hope.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | PO | A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabbit Maranville SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .500 | .500 | .750 | 1.250 | 1 | 3 | 2B,SB,SH |
| Johnny Evers 2B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .000 | .250 | .000 | .250 | 0 | 5 | SH |
| Joe Wilhoit RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 2 | 0 | SB,2·SH |
| Sherry Magee LF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .600 | .600 | 1.000 | 1.600 | 3 | 0 | 3B |
| Ed Konetchy 1B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .500 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 | 13 | 0 | |
| Red Smith 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 1 | 1 | SH |
| Pete Compton CF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .000 | .750 | .000 | .750 | 3 | 0 | |
| Hank Gowdy C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .250 | .250 | .250 | .500 | 4 | 0 | |
| Dick Rudolph P | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .333 | .500 | .667 | 1.167 | 0 | 3 | 2B |
| Team Totals | 30 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 40 | .300 | .400 | .433 | .833 | 27 | 12 |
10 Wednesday Feb 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Tags
Ernie Padgett
Triple plays aren’t easy. Unassisted triple plays are very rare. They are an amazing thing to see.
I wished I could have seen this one. History in the making for the whole National League. No one had ever seen this before.
The first unassisted triple play in National League history occurs on October 6, 1923 when the Boston Braves’ shortstop Ernie Padgett catches Phillies first baseman Walter Holke’s line drive, doubles up James Tierney at second, and then tags Cliff Lee for the third out.
In MLB, a total of fifteen players have fielded an unassisted triple play,[3] making this feat rarer than a perfect game.[4] Of these fifteen players, eight were shortstops, five were second basemen and two were first basemen. TheCleveland Indians are the only franchise to have three players achieve the feat while on their roster: Ball, Bill Wambsganss and Asdrúbal Cabrera. The shortest time between two unassisted triple plays occurred in May 1927, when Johnny Neun executed the feat less than 24 hours after Jimmy Cooney.[5] Conversely, it took more than 41 seasons after Neun’s play before Ron Hansen performed the feat on July 30, 1968, marking the longest span between unassisted triple plays.[5] The last player to make an unassisted triple play is Eric Bruntlett, accomplishing the feat on August 23, 2009.[6] Only Neun and Bruntlett executed unassisted triple plays that ended the game.
Source: Wikipedia
08 Monday Feb 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
Tags
Charley Schanz – Philadelphia Phillies
In the first game of a twin bill on June 22, 1944, Charley Schanz gets the win when the Phillies blank the Boston Braves for 15 innings, matching the longest shutout in franchise history. Charley would later play in Boston in 1950 but for the Boston Red Sox, not the Braves.
Philadelphia right-fielder Ron Northey’s homer in the top of the frame scores the game’s only run in the 1-0 victory at Braves Field.
25 Monday Jan 2016
Tags
1930, 1948, 1953, 1961, April 12, Bonus, Boston Braves, Johnny Antonelli, Milwaukee Braves, September 4
Johnny Antonelli
John August Antonelli was born April 12, 1930. A left-handed starting pitcher who played for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves, New York and San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Indians.
One of Antonelli’s claim to fame is that he received the biggest bonus in history, at that point, when he signed with the Braves for $52,000 in 1948. Now that was a lot of money and other players took notice. He then served in Korea and became a regular in 1953.
He was later traded to the Giants along with several other players for Bobby Thomson. He split the 1961 season between the Indians and the Braves before his retirement in 1962 after having been recently acquired by the New York Mets. Antonelli said he was “tired of traveling” and wanted to be home with his family.
His last game was September 4, 1961 when the Milwaukee Braves lost to the Chicago Cubs 2-6. Carl Willey was the starting pitcher. Antonelli came in the bottom of the 7th, pitched 2 innings in relief and gave up 2 hits and 1 run. He struck out 3 and had an ERA of 6.75.
After his baseball career, Antonelli returned to Rochester and for many years ran a chain of Firestone Tire stores bearing his name.
Source: Johnny Antonelli – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | W | L | G | GS | GF | CG | Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 18 | BSN | NL | 0 | 0 | 2.25 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| 1949 | 19 | BSN | NL | 3 | 7 | .300 | 3.56 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 1950 | 20 | BSN | NL | 2 | 3 | .400 | 5.93 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1951 | Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service) | ||||||||||||
| 1952 | Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service) | ||||||||||||
| 1953 | 23 | MLN | NL | 12 | 12 | .500 | 3.18 | 31 | 26 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 1954 ★ | 24 | NYG | NL | 21 | 7 | .750 | 2.30 | 39 | 37 | 2 | 18 | AS,MVP-3 | |
| 1955 | 25 | NYG | NL | 14 | 16 | .467 | 3.33 | 38 | 34 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 1956 ★ | 26 | NYG | NL | 20 | 13 | .606 | 2.86 | 41 | 36 | 5 | 15 | AS,MVP-14 | |
| 1957 ★ | 27 | NYG | NL | 12 | 18 | .400 | 3.77 | 40 | 30 | 6 | 8 | AS | |
| 1958 ★ | 28 | SFG | NL | 16 | 13 | .552 | 3.28 | 41 | 34 | 5 | 13 | AS | |
| 1959 ★ | 29 | SFG | NL | 19 | 10 | .655 | 3.10 | 40 | 38 | 1 | 17 | AS | |
| 1960 | 30 | SFG | NL | 6 | 7 | .462 | 3.77 | 41 | 10 | 19 | 1 | ||
| 1961 | 31 | TOT | MLB | 1 | 4 | .200 | 6.75 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1961 | 31 | CLE | AL | 0 | 4 | .000 | 6.56 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1961 | 31 | MLN | NL | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 7.59 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 12 Yrs | 126 | 110 | .534 | 3.34 | 377 | 268 | 61 | 102 | |||||
| 162 Game Avg. | 13 | 12 | .534 | 3.34 | 40 | 28 | 6 | 11 | |||||
| SFG (7 yrs) | 108 | 84 | .563 | 3.13 | 280 | 219 | 39 | 86 | |||||
| MLN (5 yrs) | 18 | 22 | .450 | 3.88 | 86 | 42 | 22 | 16 | |||||
| CLE (1 yr) | 0 | 4 | .000 | 6.56 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| NL (12 yrs) | 126 | 106 | .543 | 3.26 | 366 | 261 | 61 | 102 | |||||
| AL (1 yr) | 0 | 4 | .000 | 6.56 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||||
20 Wednesday Jan 2016
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Tags
1914, April 14, Bert Whaling, Boston Braves, Brookly Robins, Butch Schmidt, Charlie Deal, Ebbets Field, George Stallings, Joe Connolly, Johnny Evers, Larry Gilbert, Lefty Tyler, Opening Day, Rabbit Maranville, Tommy Griffith
The 1914 Boston Braves started the season on April 14 at Ebbets Field against the Brooklyn Robins. Opening day is always amazing. No one knew it would be the “Miracle Braves” that year. The Braves performed one of the most memorable reversals in major league history, going from last place to first place in two months, becoming the first team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July.
They lost 8-2. The attendance was about 15,000 and started at 2:09. The losing pitcher was Lefty Tyler. The Braves had 9 hits for the game and scored 2 runs in the 8th. George Stallings was the manager for the Braves. It wasn’t a great start for World Series champs that year. It would get better though.
The starting line ups for the teams was as follows.
| Boston Braves | Brooklyn Dodgers | |||||
| 1 | Rabbit Maranville | SS | 1 | Jack Dalton | CF | |
| 2 | Johnny Evers | 2B | 2 | George Cutshaw | 2B | |
| 3 | Larry Gilbert | CF | 3 | Jake Daubert | 1B | |
| 4 | Tommy Griffith | RF | 4 | Zack Wheat | LF | |
| 5 | Butch Schmidt | 1B | 5 | Red Smith | 3B | |
| 6 | Joe Connolly | LF | 6 | Casey Stengel | RF | |
| 7 | Charlie Deal | 3B | 7 | Dick Egan | SS | |
| 8 | Bert Whaling | C | 8 | Otto Miller | C | |
| 9 | Lefty Tyler | P | 9 | Ed Reulbach | P |
Here is how the Braves batted that day.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
| Rabbit Maranville SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Johnny Evers 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Larry Gilbert CF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Griffith RF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Butch Schmidt 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Joe Connolly LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Charlie Deal 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Martin PR-3B | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oscar Dugey PH-3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bert Whaling C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hank Gowdy C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lefty Tyler P | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dick Crutcher P | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Les Mann PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Team Totals | 36 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Source: April 14, 1914 Boston Braves at Brooklyn Robins Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com
April 14, 1914
29 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
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Ted Cather
Theodore Physick Cather was born in Chester, Pennsylvania on May 20, 1889. Ted played outfielder from 1912-1915. He would play for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves.
In 1914, Cather was a member of the Braves team that went from last place to first place in two months, becoming the first team to win a pennant after being in last place on the Fourth of July.
Ted passed away on April 9, 1945 in Elkton, Maryland.
08 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
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Gene Mauch
Gene Mauch is well remembered as a Boston Brave. He did play for lots of teams however. He may well be remember as a manager.
He is the winningest manager to have never won a league pennant. Not a great claim to fame.
Gene was an Atlanta Cracker coach in 1953. Read more here.
Gene William Mauch (November 18, 1925 – August 8, 2005) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1944, 1948), Pittsburgh Pirates (1947), Chicago Cubs (1948–49), Boston Braves (1950–51), St. Louis Cardinals (1952) and the Boston Red Sox (1956–57).
Mauch was best known for managing four teams from 1960 to 1987. He is by far the winningest manager to have never won a league pennant (breaking the record formerly held by Jimmy Dykes), three times coming within a single victory. He managed the Philadelphia Phillies (1960–68), Montreal Expos (1969–75, as their inaugural manager), Minnesota Twins (1976–80), and California Angels (1981–82, 1985–87). His 1,902 career victories ranked 8th in major league history when he retired, and his 3,942 total games ranked 4th. He gained a reputation for playing a distinctive “small ball” style, which emphasized defense, speed and base-to-base tactics on offense rather than power hitting.
28 Wednesday Oct 2015
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
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Bob Elliott
Robert Irving Elliott was an American third baseman and right fielder who played most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves (1947-1951). He also briefly managed and coached in the Majors. Born in San Francisco, California, the right-handed batting and throwing Elliott stood 6 feet tall and weighed 185 pounds.
Elliott contributed some of the happiest memories to the Braves’ final Boston years, winning the 1947 National League Most Valuable Player Award and earning the nickname “Mr. Team.” The following season, his power hitting helped lift Boston to its second National League pennant of the 20th century, the team’s first in 34 years, and last before relocating to Milwaukee.
He was the second Major League third baseman to have five seasons of 100 runs batted in, joining Pie Traynor, and retired with the highest career slugging average (.440) of any NL third baseman. He also led the National League in assists three times and in putouts and double plays twice each, and ended his career among the NL leaders in games (8th, 1262), assists (7th, 2547), total chances (10th, 4113) and double plays (4th, 231) at third base.
23 Friday Oct 2015
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
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1929, Albany Senators, Bill McKechnie, Boston Braves, Emil Fuchs, Hank Gowdy, Johnny Evers, Rogers Hornsby
Johnny Evers
Johnny Evers rejoined the Boston Braves as a scout. As Braves owner Emil Fuchs sold manager Rogers Hornsby to the Cubs and assumed managerial duties himself for the 1929 season, Fuchs hired Evers as a coach. Fuchs had no experience as a field manager, and so Evers became captain of the Braves, directing the team during the game and dealing with umpires.
Evers and fellow coach Hank Gowdy played in one game in the 1929 season, coming into the bottom of the ninth inning on October 6, 1929. In the process, Evers became the oldest player in the league for the year. Evers remained a coach for the Braves under Bill McKechnie, who succeeded Fuchs as field manager in 1930, and served in the role through 1932. He continued to scout for the Braves, and then became general manager of the Albany Senators of the New York-Pennsylvania League in 1935.
He resigned from Albany at the end of the season. Over his managerial career, he posted a 180–192 record.
22 Thursday Oct 2015
George Barnicle
George Bernard “Barney” Barnicle (August 26, 1917 – October 10, 1990) was a pitcher who played three seasons with the Boston Bees / Braves from 1939 to 1941
His last game was on April 19, 1941. He pitched 6.2 innings against the Brooklyn Dodgers giving up 5 hits and 5 runs. The Braves lost 8-0. He struck out 2 and walked 4 batters.
