Fall in northern Virginia, which means it's major leaf blowing, raking and bagging season. Mr. All Things Ed spent yesterday afternoon working in the yard, but cut the effort short and unfinished as Mrs. All Things Ed and I went to see Harry Potter VII(a), then did dinner and came home to watch FSU-MD. I have to finish the other half of my front yard today, as well as get the house together for our daughter and Junior, who are coming home for Thanksgiving break this week. But for my faithful readership of one, I didn't want to put off yet another blog post. A combined 35 and 34 days post. So, on with the countdown!!
The mid 30s, especially '34 and '35, were a dizzying time. No, really, a
Dizzying time. Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean won 58 games over those two seasons, with 53 complete games (oh, and another 28 in 1936). He boasted that in 1934, he and his brother Paul would win 45 games for the Gashouse Gang. Sure enough, on September 21, Dizzy pitched the front end of a double header, winning a 3 hit complete game shutout for win number 27, and Paul pitched a no hitter in the night cap for his 18th win. Dizzy said "If'n Paul had told me he was gonna pitch a no-hitter, I'd of throwed one too." They each won two more games before the end of the campaign. Dizzy was the NL MVP in 1934, and he and his brother lead the Cardinals to the World Series title, defeating the Tigers four games to three. I remember watching the Game of the Week and hearing Joe Garagiola recall a story about Dizzy. They were working a game, keeping score, and Garagiola looked down at Dean's scorecard and saw "WL", which is not a typical shortcut on a scorecard. Garagiola asked Dean what WL stood for, to which Dean replied "wasn't looking."
The '34 season saw Gehrig win the triple crown, with Lefty Gomez dominating the pitching side, going 26-5 with a 2.33 ERA and 158 K's. But in the All Star game, it was all Carl Hubbell of the Giants, who fanned (in order) Babe Ruth, Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx (to close out the first inning), then Al Simmons and Joe Cronin to lead off the second. He gave up a walk to Bill Dickey, but then stuck out Gomez to close the frame. Negro League ace Satchel Paige tossed a 4-0 no-hitter on July 4th against the Homestead Grays in Pittsburgh, and then drove to Chicago to shut out the Chicago American Giants 1-0 (in twelve innings) giving him two shutouts (in two different cities) on the same day.
In 1935, Ruth was released by the Yankees and signed with the Boston Braves. His final season was short lived, however. His final home run, number 714, came at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh on May 25. But after hitting just .181, he hung up his cleats for good on June 2. Ruth's final season was on par with the rest of the Braves, who finished with a 38-115 record, including an incredible 13-65 on the road. They compiled the most futile record in baseball, not equaled until the 1962 Mets lost 120! (sorry Ed.....)
Just nine days before Ruth's announcement came another milestone in major league baseball, this time in Cincinnati. The first night game was played with the Reds defeating the Phillies 2-1. The owners granted permission for a total of seven night games that season, and only if the Red's opponents agreed.
Just so this doesn't drag on.... here are some other quick highlights. Hank Greenberg won the AL MVP award, the Tigers downed the Cubs to win their first fall classic (after the Tigers had lost series in 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1934), and on August 31,White Sox ace Vern Kennedy tossed the first no-hitter (5-0) ever at Comiskey Park as well as the first no-no since the Senators' Bobby Burke's 5-0 gem on August 8, 1931 against the Red Sox. That drought between no hitters is the longest in modern day history. As a point of reference, there were four no-nos thrown in 2010 alone, not including Armando Galarraga's gem that should have been a perfect game. The most thrown in one season is seven, happening in both 1990 and 1991.
The mid 30s, especially '34 and '35, were a dizzying time. No, really, a
Dizzying time. Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean won 58 games over those two seasons, with 53 complete games (oh, and another 28 in 1936). He boasted that in 1934, he and his brother Paul would win 45 games for the Gashouse Gang. Sure enough, on September 21, Dizzy pitched the front end of a double header, winning a 3 hit complete game shutout for win number 27, and Paul pitched a no hitter in the night cap for his 18th win. Dizzy said "If'n Paul had told me he was gonna pitch a no-hitter, I'd of throwed one too." They each won two more games before the end of the campaign. Dizzy was the NL MVP in 1934, and he and his brother lead the Cardinals to the World Series title, defeating the Tigers four games to three. I remember watching the Game of the Week and hearing Joe Garagiola recall a story about Dizzy. They were working a game, keeping score, and Garagiola looked down at Dean's scorecard and saw "WL", which is not a typical shortcut on a scorecard. Garagiola asked Dean what WL stood for, to which Dean replied "wasn't looking."The '34 season saw Gehrig win the triple crown, with Lefty Gomez dominating the pitching side, going 26-5 with a 2.33 ERA and 158 K's. But in the All Star game, it was all Carl Hubbell of the Giants, who fanned (in order) Babe Ruth, Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx (to close out the first inning), then Al Simmons and Joe Cronin to lead off the second. He gave up a walk to Bill Dickey, but then stuck out Gomez to close the frame. Negro League ace Satchel Paige tossed a 4-0 no-hitter on July 4th against the Homestead Grays in Pittsburgh, and then drove to Chicago to shut out the Chicago American Giants 1-0 (in twelve innings) giving him two shutouts (in two different cities) on the same day.
In 1935, Ruth was released by the Yankees and signed with the Boston Braves. His final season was short lived, however. His final home run, number 714, came at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh on May 25. But after hitting just .181, he hung up his cleats for good on June 2. Ruth's final season was on par with the rest of the Braves, who finished with a 38-115 record, including an incredible 13-65 on the road. They compiled the most futile record in baseball, not equaled until the 1962 Mets lost 120! (sorry Ed.....)
Just nine days before Ruth's announcement came another milestone in major league baseball, this time in Cincinnati. The first night game was played with the Reds defeating the Phillies 2-1. The owners granted permission for a total of seven night games that season, and only if the Red's opponents agreed.
Just so this doesn't drag on.... here are some other quick highlights. Hank Greenberg won the AL MVP award, the Tigers downed the Cubs to win their first fall classic (after the Tigers had lost series in 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1934), and on August 31,White Sox ace Vern Kennedy tossed the first no-hitter (5-0) ever at Comiskey Park as well as the first no-no since the Senators' Bobby Burke's 5-0 gem on August 8, 1931 against the Red Sox. That drought between no hitters is the longest in modern day history. As a point of reference, there were four no-nos thrown in 2010 alone, not including Armando Galarraga's gem that should have been a perfect game. The most thrown in one season is seven, happening in both 1990 and 1991.
Greenberg accepts the MVP award from Judge Landis
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