|
Greatest
Teams
by
Aman Verjee
So, who's the greatest? The best
measure of success is, of course, the
number of games they've won - based on winning percentage, then, we've
culled the best squads of the century:
| |
Team |
Record |
Win
pct. |
| 1902 |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
103-36 |
.741 |
| 1906 |
Chicago Cubs |
116-36 |
.763 |
| 1909 |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
110-42 |
.724 |
| 2001 |
Seattle Mariners |
116-46 |
.716 |
| 1927 |
New York Yankees |
110-44 |
.714 |
| 1929 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
104-46 |
.693 |
| 1931 |
Philadelphia Athletics |
107-45 |
.704 |
| 1939 |
New York Yankees |
106-45 |
.702 |
| 1942 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
106-48 |
.688 |
| 1954 |
Cleveland Indians |
111-43 |
.721 |
| 1961 |
New York Yankees |
109-53 |
.673 |
| 1969 |
Baltimore Orioles |
109-53 |
.673 |
| 1970 |
Baltimore Orioles |
108-54 |
.667 |
| 1975 |
Cincinnati Reds |
108-54 |
.667 |
| 1984 |
Detroit Tigers |
104-58 |
.642 |
| 1986 |
New York Mets |
108-54 |
.667 |
| 1998 |
New York Yankees |
114-48 |
.704 |
Next, here's what we looked for to rank the teams:
First of all, forget about sentimental notions regarding clutch
performances and winning close games. Truly great teams win their
fair share of tight games, sure, but where they really set themselves
apart is in run differential - runs scored minus runs allowed.
Since 1900, teams with winning percentages of .600 or above have an
aggregate winning percentage of .633 - .686 for blowouts (4-run
games or more) and .580 for close games. So the great teams play
well in close games but make their money in the blowouts. So the
most important consideration was run differential - how many runs did
the team score, relative to the league mean? How many did they
allow, again relatively speaking?
Using this formula approach one can develop a Pythagorean mean - a
number of expected wins based on runs scored and runs allowed.
Pythagoras was of course the great mathematician who lived around 530
BC, and whose ideas of the tripartite soul and whose unique blend of
mysticism and science informed his observation of the length of the
hypotenuse of triangle. I have run dozens of statistical analyses
to determine the relationship between runs scored, runs allowed and
winning percentage, and the resulting relationship can be described as a
Pythagorean relationship such that:
Expected winning %
=
Runs scored 1.8
_______________________________
(Runs Scored 1.8 + Runs Allowed 1.8)
So, for instance, the 1998 New York Yankees scored 965 runs and allowed
656 - based on the formula above, they should have won .667 of their
games. That translates to a 108-54 record; by winning 114, they
outperformed my expected wins measure by 6 wins. Notice
that the creation of runs increases wins not in a linear relationship
but roughly in relation to the square root of the runs created.
Other researchers have used variations of a Pythagorean
expectation. Rob Neyer and Eddie Epstein used a standard
deviation score, which measures how many standard deviations above a
league average an offense performs, and adds that to the number of
standard deviations below league ERA a pitching staff performs.
Through 1998, only 37 teams have put together a cumulative standard
deviation score of 3.00 or better. For instance, in 1927, the New
York Yankees scored 975 runs while the league mean was 762; the standard
deviation that year was 115, so the Yankees were 1.85 SD above the
mean. Meanwhile their formidable pitching allowed 599 runs; the
standard deviation of runs allowed was 88.5, so the Yankees were 1.84 SD
better than the league in runs allowed. In total, the '27 Yankees
were 3.69 SD (1.85 + 1.84) better than the American League.
I looked at both of these statistics, as well as others, to set my
rankings. But I also looked for teams with stars, players who could lift their
performance to levels consistent with the occasion. Teams without
league leaders and Hall of Famers typically are beneficiaries of luck -
out of context seasons where everything clicks, but then reversion to
the mean brings them down the following year.
Finally, I looked for depth - players without weak links can sustain
rallies and beat you in many more different ways than teams with just a
few sluggers, who can be intentionally walked or who can get cold.
Based on these criteria, here are my rankings of the greatest teams of
the century:
1.
1939 Yankees
2.
1906 Cubs
3.
1927 Yankees
4.
1975 Cincinnati Reds
5.
1970 Baltimore Orioles
6.
1929 Philadelphia Athletics
7.
1998 New York Yankees
8.
1954 Cleveland Indians
9.
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates
10.
2001 Seattle Mariners
Honorable
Mention - 1986 New York Mets
They
just missed the cut: 1902 Pirates, 1942 Cardinals, 1912 New York
Giants, 1961 Yankees, 1990 Oakland Athletics, 1962 Giants, 1955 Dodgers,
1974 Oakland Athletics, 1911 Philadelphia Athletics, 1995 Indians, 1998
Atlanta Braves, 1953 Yankees
1.
1939 Yankees - 106-45, .702
Manager:
Joe McCarthy
Runs
Scored: 967 (20.7% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 556 (30.6% below league average)
ERA+:
132
SD
score: + 3.52
Pythagorean
Expectation: .730
Expected
Record: 110-41
Actual
Record: 106-45
Hall
of Fame talent: CF Joe DiMaggio; C Bill Dickey; 1B Lou Gehrig (did not
play most of season); and P Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez. Manager
Joe McCarthy.
Very underrated 2B Joe Gordon is not in the Hall of Fame, but should be.
Lineup:
SS
- Frank Crosetti
3B
- Red Rolfe - .329 AVG, 14 HR, 80 RBI
RF
- Charlie Keller - .334 AVG, .447 OBA, 11 HR, 83 RBI
CF
- Joe DiMaggio - MVP - .381 AVG, .448 OBA, .671 SLG, 30 HR, 126 RBI
C
- Bill Dickey - .302 AVG, 24 HR, 105 RBI
LF
- George Selkirk - .306 AVG, 21 HR, 101 RBI, .452 OBA
2B
- Joe Gordon - .284 AVG, 28 HR, 111 RBI, 11 SB
1B
- Babe Dahlgren
For my money, the
'36-'39
Yankees are the best four-year dynasty in baseball history. Much
less celebrated than their 1927 counterparts, the 1939 Yankees dominated
their league to an almost equal extent; during the year, sportswriters
constantly referred to the rest of the league as "The Seven
Dwarfs." In every season from 1936 through 1939, the Yankees
led the league in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed.
In 1939, the team was led by DiMag at the height of his career - 30 HR,
126 RBI, and he flirted with .400 for most of the year before settling
at .381. Dago, George Selkirk and Charlie Keller finished third,
second and fourth in the AL in on-base average that season. They also got great production from second baseman Joe
Gordon, who had over 100 RBI, and
catcher Bill Dickey (.302, 24 HR, 105 RBI) - five regulars hit over
.300, same as the 1927 Yankees. For that matter, so did pitcher Red Ruffing - he hit .307
and drove in twenty runs in 114 at bats. All-Stars Red Rolfe, Keller, Selkirk, and Gordon (an underrated second
baseman who should be in the Hall of Fame) each had career years,
and pinch-hitter Tommy Henrich kept getting big hits in key situations -
he found his way into 99 games and drove in 57 runs.
But their real strength was in their pitching
staff and impeccable defense - next to the 1906 Cubs, no one has
ever had better pitching. The Yankees made 41 fewer errors than
any other team, while their pitchers' 3.31 earned run average also
topped the league; no other American League team had an ERA below 4.00. They are the only team since 1920 to allow 30% fewer
runs than the league average.
The 1939 Yankees had three great starters: Red Ruffing (21-7, 2.94 ERA) and Lefty
Gomez (12-8, 3.41 ERA) finished fourth and fifth in the ERA race that year, and Bump
Hadley (12-6, 2.98 ERA) would have finished fourth but didn't work the
10 complete games necessary to qualify him for the ERA title. Their fourth starter - hard-throwing Atley Donald - went 13-3 with a
3.71 ERA, well below the league average ERA of 4.62, and would have
finished in the top 10 pitchers in ERA if the AL had used the modern
standard of one inning pitched per game played instead of the 10
complete-game requirement to qualify pitchers for the ERA title.
And Monte Pearson (12-5, 4.49 ERA), their weakest starter, could have
been a number 3 on most other teams.
But flame-throwing Marius Russo was arguably the best of the lot - with
an 8-3 record, and a 2.41 ERA, he threw 9 complete games (one more CG
and he would have won the ERA title) in 11 starts, performed in relief
10 times and threw 116 innings. Playing in an era before
specialized relief pitching became the norm, Johnny Murphy posted a
league-best nineteen saves, while Steve Sundra (11-1, 2,76 ERA) and Oral
Hildebrand (10-4, 3.06 ERA) combined to deliver 248 IP, a 2.92 ERA and a
21-5 record, numbers which look a lot like Ruffing's stats.
Simply incredible - a team with three, maybe four All-Star starting
pitchers, and three pitchers in Russo, Sundra and Hildebrand
who made 37 starts between them and platooned their way to a Cy Young
performance.
So why this team and not the 1927 Yankees? Well, this squad
actually underperformed their Pythagorean expectation by 4 games.
Their run differential of 411 is the highest of this century, but
somehow they didn't live up to what they could have done.
In part, that's because Joe DiMaggio missed almost six weeks due to a
torn calf muscle. (On the other hand, they did go 28-7 in his
absence, so maybe he wasn't missed after all.) The team also lost
Lou Gehrig on May 2, and had to replace him with the mediocre Babe
Dahlgren - he was the worst first baseman in the AL tha year.
Throw in a month of Joe DiMaggio, give them a capable first baseman, and
let them play the three extra games that were missing on the schedule,
and this team would have won the four more games it needs to catch the
'27 squad. Plus, they had better depth in their bullpen and better
defense - in a series against another team, that counts for something.
2.
1906 Cubs - 116-36, .763 (1st)
Manager:
Frank Chance
Runs
Scored: 705 (28.4% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 381 (44.0% below league average)
ERA+:
150
SD
Score: + 3.73
Pythagorean
Expectation: .752
Expected
Record: 114-38
Actual
Record: 116-36
Hall
of Fame talent: Player/mgr 1B Frank Chance; P Mordecai Brown; 2b Johnny
Evers; and SS Joe Tinker
Lineup:
CF
- Solly Hofman
LF
- Jimmy Sheckard
RF
- Wildfire Schulte - .281 AVG, 7 HR, 60 RBI, 25 SB
1B
- Frank Chance - .319 AVG, 3 HR, 71 RBI, 57 SB
3B
- Harry Steinfeldt - .327 AVG, 3 HR, 83 RBI, 29 SB
SS
- Joe Tinker
2B
- Johnny Evers - 49 SB
C
- Johnny Kling
The Cubs from 1906-1908 posted a record of 322-136, a .704 winning
percentage - the best three-year total this century. Although they
really only had one legitimate Hall of Famer - pitcher Mordecai
"Three Finger" Brown - they simply had no weaknesses:
their pitching and the depth of talent on this team was unmatched - they
were also fundamentally supersound on defense, with every position
filled capably and most positions filled by All-Stars.
They had three pitchers finish 1-2-3 in the league in ERA, something
which only a handful of other teams can claim to have done: the 1907
Cubs repreated the feat, the 1927
Yankees did it, the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals did it, and the 1954
Cleveland Indians managed to do it as well. Mordecai Brown himself posted his single best season - perhaps the
single best season by any pitcher, anywhere: a 26-6 record, 277 IP, 27 complete
games in 32 starts, 9 shutouts, 4 saves, and a microscopic ERA of 1.04 (the league
average ERA was
2.62) that still stands as the third best all-time. Teammates Jack Pfiester and Ed Reulbach were second and
third in the ERA race, with 1.51 and 1.65 marks; the front three
starters were a combined 65-18. And two other
starters - Orval Overall and Jack Taylor - were both 12-3, and would
have finished 5th and 7th in the ERA race if they had qualified ( Taylor pitched 147 innings and Overall had
144 innings, but neither worked the 10 complete games necessary to
qualify for the ERA title.)
Incredibly, the Cubs came close to doubling their
opponents' runs, outscoring all comers by a shocking 705 to 381 margin; Chicago lost just 10 of their last 65
games to finish twenty games ahead of the second-place Giants.
First baseman Frank Chance and third baseman Harry Steinfeldt, who had
been acquired in the off season, ranked
second and third in runs created, behind Honus Wagner, and both
finished in the top five in the league in batting average and on-base
average. But the real key to the lineup was its depth - everyone
except Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers had an on-base average above the league average;
all but Tinker and outfielder Jimmy Slagle had an above-average slugging
percentage. Chance's .327 average, coupled with the league-leading
83 RBIs compiled by Steinfeldt, provided a strong anchor for a
well-rounded lineup which consistently plated the Cubs' swift
baserunners.
The Cubs scored runs with a slash and
burn offense, not with power - manager Frank Chance used speed to create
runs by stealing bases, developing hit and runs, sacrificing batters,
and moving runners along. He perfected "Whitey ball"
before Herzog was even born. Realizing two to three runs was all
he needed per game, Chance utilized his team's speed whenever possible,
ordering his men to run at any opportunity. Chance himself totaled
a league-high 57 steals but he was by no means the only man in the Cubs'
lineup who knew how to swipe a bag - everyone
in the lineup stole 25 bases or more that season, except catcher Johnny
Kling, who swiped 14 bases in under
100 games.
This was the famous "Tinkers to Evers to Chance" squad, a
keystone combination made famous by a Giants fan, Franklin P. Adams, in
a poem published in the New York Evening Mail, on July 10,
1910. While the Tinker-Evers duo never led the NL in double plays,
and it has become fashionable of late to question their Hall of Fame
selections, the fact is that when you look at the number of baserunners
allowed by the Cubs' superlative pitching staff, this keystone
combination was the finest of its era. For instance, from 1906 to
1911, the duo turned 491 double plays; that puts them third in the
National League. But if you adjust for the number of runners who
made it to first base (thereby controlling for the chances the team had
to turn a double play), they rank first for this period. They may not have been as
good as Bill Mazeroski and Gene Alley, but they were certainly in the
top handful.
Unfortunately, the Cubs of 1906 were tarnished by an inexplicable World
Series loss to a White Sox team that had been mired in fourth place in
the American League in the beginning of August. Known as the
"Hitless Wonders," the South Siders (who had posted an
AL-worst .230 batting average, not to mention a .286 slugging
percentage) closed out the
overconfident Cubs in six games;
they got superlative pitching from Nick Altrock in Game and Ed Walsh in
Game 3, and while Three Finger Brown's Game 4 shutout leveled the Series
at 2-2, the White Sox (led by star shortsop George Davis)
uncharacteristically got to Reulbach and Pfiester in Game 5 for 7
runs. In Game 6, Chance went with an exhausted Brown on the mound,
and the star pitcher gave up 7 runs in 1 2/3.
The Cubs rebounded in 1907 and 1908 to win the World Series in both
years.
3.
1927 Yankees - 110-44, .714 (5th best)
Manager:
Miller Huggins
Runs
Scored: 975 (28.0% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 599 (22.7% below league average)
ERA+:
120
SD
score: + 3.52
Pythagorean
Expectation: .706
Expected
Record: 109-45
Actual
Record: 110-44
Hall
of Fame talent: RF Babe Ruth; 1B Lou Gehrig; 2B Tony Lazzeri; OF Earle
Combs; P Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock. Manager Miller Huggins.
Lineup:
CF
- Earle Combs - .356 AVG
SS
- Mark Koenig
RF
- Babe Ruth - .356, 60 HR, 164 RBI, 158 R, .487 OBA,
.772 SLG
1B
- Lou Gehrig - MVP - .373 AVG, 47 HR, 175 RBI, 52 2B
LF
- Bob Meusel - .337 AVG, 8 HR, 103 RBI, 47 2B
2B
- Tony Lazzeri - .309 AVG, 18 HR, 102 RBI
3B
- Joe Dugan
C
- Pat Collins
This was the famous "Murderer's Row" squad: the moniker
usually refers to the heart of the lineup - Ruth, Gehrig, Meusel and
Lazzeri - though sometimes leadoff man Combs is included. Ruth, at
the height of his powers, hit 60 HR and scored 158 runs, and Lou Gehrig
drove in 175 runs - all league-leading totals. Ruth in particular
was spectacular, putting in one of the five greatest non-pitching
performances in baseball history, according to Total Baseball -
the other four are Ruth in '21, Ruth in '23, Barry Bonds in 1992 and Cal
Ripken, Jr., in 1984.
The league ERA that season was 4.14, lower than it has been in recent
years, so it isn't taking numbers out of context when I note that the
team hit .307, and posted an awesome
slugging percentage of .489 - 90 points above the league average.
Five regulars topped .300: Ruth (.356), Gehrig (.373), Combs (.356),
Meusel (.337), and Lazzeri (.309). Ruth and Gehrig finished
one-two in slugging percentage and one-three in on-base average.
Ruth and Gehrig were neck-and-neck in the home run department until Ruth
went on a late season tear, hitting 17 of his 60 in the month of
September. No American League club had as many as 57. Gehrig finished
with 47 for the year, topping all but three other teams; teammate Tony
Lazzeri was a distant third in the AL home run chase with 18.
And maybe the most incredible stat of all: in road games, the Yankees
outhomered their opponents 75-12. Overall, they out-tatered their
opponents 158-42 - that gives you an indication of just how
dominant these guys were (for instance, Gehrig's 47 circuit clouts were
more than four other teams in the league).
But while the Bronx Bombers led the league in every individual offensive
category except for batting average, what is little known is that their
pitching staff dominated the league to an almost equal extent, with an
ERA over seven-tenths of a run lower than the nearest rival. They
had three pitchers finish 1-2-3 in the league in ERA: Wilcy Moore (19-7,
2.28 ERA), Waite Hoyt (22-7. 2.63 ERA), and Urban Shocker (18-6, 2.84
ERA). Moore pitched mostly in relief, winning 13 games out of the
bullpen and leading the league with 13
saves. The team's third and fourth starters were terrific as well:
Herb Pennock was 19-8, with a 3.00 ERA (that would have placed him
8th in the AL by today's methodology), and Dutch Ruether was 13-6 with a
3.38 ERA. They may not have the bullpen or the depth of the 1939
Yankees, but they were still one of the top pitching staffs this century
has produced.
4.
1975 Reds - 108-54, .667
Manager:
Sparky Anderson
Runs
Scored: 840 (25.7% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 586 (12.3% below league average)
ERA+:
107
SD
score: + 3.42
Pythagorean
Expectation: .657
Expected
Record: 106-56
Actual
Record: 108-54
Hall
of Fame talent: C Johnny Bench; 2B Joe Morgan; and 1B Tony Perez. Manager Sparky Anderson.
3B Pete Rose is ineligible, but would be voted in on the first ballot.
Lineup:
3B
- Pete Rose - .317 AVG, 7 HR, 112 R, 74 RBI, 47 2B
RF
- Ken Griffey - .305 AVG
2B
- Joe Morgan - MVP - .327, 17 HR, 94 RBI, 132 BB, 10.52 RC/27
outs
C
- Johnny Bench - .283 AVG, 28 HR, 110 RBI
1B
- Tony Perez - .282 AVG, 20 HR, 109 RBI
LF
- George Foster - .300 AVG, 23 HR, 78 RBI, 24 2B
SS
- Dave Concepcion
CF
- Cesar Geronimo
Oh, what a lineup - maybe the best ever. The Murderer's Row
Yankees could beat you with their power, but the Big Red Machine was a
more nuanced threat. They outscored their closest competition by
over 100 runs, led the league in stolen bases and committed 25 fewer
errors than any other team. While they didn't score runs at the
same clip as Ruth's Yankees, they were arguably just as difficult to
keep off the scoreboard - they had two players finish in the top five in
on-base average, and two different players finish in the top five
in slugging. Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench and Pete Rose all finished
in the top five in MVP voting. And while the '27 Yankees had a
couple of weak hitters in their lineup, every one of the Reds had a
total production number above the league average.
It isn't an exaggeration to say that Joe Morgan's season was just as
impressive as Ruth's 1927, and may be one of the top
ten seasons of all
time. His on-base average topped the league average by 139 points
(Ruth in '27 topped the AL average by 123 points) and while his slugging
prowess didn't match Ruth's, his 67 steals added a dimension to his team
that the '27 Yankees didn't have. And, of course, he was a Gold
Glove caliber player at a key defensive position - in fact, he was one
of four Reds to win Gold Gloves that year (Concepcion, Bench, and
Geronimo were the others).
One more factor that would have made this team extremely difficult to
beat in any sustained series - they rode a tremendous home field
advantage by going 64-17 in Riverfront
Stadium.
If only this club had a staff ace, they might have been even
higher. As it was, their top two starters - Don Gullett (15-4,
2.42 ERA, 8 CG), who missed half the season due to a broken finger, and
Gary Nolan (15-9, 3.16 ERA) - were as good as any other front two in the
league, save perhaps the Dodgers' Andy Messersmith and Don Sutton.
The Reds' strong defense and reliable bullpen masked a mostly mediocre
and unmemorable bunch of starters, and Sparky Anderson (dubbed
"Captain Hook" for his numerous pitching changes during
ballgames - 277 all told in 1975) did a masterful job of making the most
with what he had; six Cincinnati pitchers managed double-digit win
totals. His Reds tossed the fewest complete games in the NL, but
led the league in saves by a wide margin. The bullpen was reliable
and deep - an earlier version of the 1990 Nasty Boys. Clay Carroll
(2.63 ERA) was the bullpen ace, but
24-year-old stopper Rawley Eastwick's 22 saves tied for the lead in the
National League with Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky.
Co-closer Will McEnaney put together a string of 52 appearances without
allowing a home run. Though not used to the pressure of pitching
in big games, Eastwick also won two World Series games and saved
another.
(At one point, the Reds set a record for
most consecutive games without a starter going the distance. When
Pat Darcy endured oppressive heat for nine innings to record his first
complete game of the year, breaking the streak, he was asked if he knew
people were fainting in the stands. "Because I pitched a
complete game?" he replied.)
The post-season added to the Reds' case as the best team of the last
half-century. They won their first of two consecutive championship
trophies, sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS and then defeating
the stubborn Boston Red Sox in a memorable seven-game World Series.
5.
1970 Baltimore Orioles - 108-54, .667
Manager:
Earl Weaver
Runs
Scored: 792 (17.2% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 574 (17.8% below league average)
ERA+:
116
SD
score: + 3.31
Pythagorean
Expectation: .641
Expected
Record: 104-58
Actual
Record: 108-54
Hall
of Fame talent: 1B Boog Powell; 3B Brooks Robinson; OF Frank Robinson;
and P Jim Palmer. Manager Earl Weaver.
Lineup:
LF
- Don Buford - .272 AVG, .406 OBA, 109 BB, 99 R
CF
- Paul Blair
1B
- Boog Powell - .297, 35 HR, 114 RBI, .549 SLG
RF
- Frank Robinson - .306, 25 HR, 78 RBI
3B
- Brooks Robinson - .294 AVG, 18 HR, 94 RBI
C
- Elrod Hendricks
2B
- Davey Johnson
SS
- Mark Belanger
I could just as easily have picked the 1969 Orioles - or the 1971
Orioles, for that matter. The '69 squad actually had a better SD
score (+3.33) but this one, the crown jewel of the three-year dynasty,
was the only one to win the World Series. The talent level was
roughly the same across the board in these years, but the '69 and '71
squads caught some tough breaks. In 1970, Brooks Robinson would
cement his reputation as one of baseball's greats by almost
single-handedly dismantling the Reds at the plate and in the field
during the World Series. "I will become a lefthanded hitter to keep
the ball away from that guy," Reds catcher Johnny
Bench said after the Series.
Their post-season mediocrity aside, during those three seasons, their
regular season SD score (+9.86) was the best ever over a three-year
period, and they had nine
20-win seasons in this stretch. They had three first-ballot HOFers,
and a Hall of Fame manager - I mean, what else can you do?
They were so steady and fundamentally sound, they were almost
boring. But with a deep and well-balanced attack, they scored a
surprisingly high number of runs considering that they only had one .300
hitter and one 100-RBI man. Boog Powell put up an MVP season, with
a 961 OPS (second only to Yaz that season), and Frank Robinson (who
missed about 30 games) finished fifth in the batting race and had a
solid season. No one else starred on this team (though Brooks
Robinson had some solid numbers) but everyone except Mark Belanger had a
slugging percentage above the league average, and all but Belanger and
catcher Ellie Hendricks hit above the league mean.
While the Orioles hit .257 (7 points above the league average), their
league-leading OBA of .351 (29 points higher than the average) is a
better measure of their patient, opportunistic offense. The '70
Orioles drew 248 walks more than they gave up - the highest this
century. With Mark Belanger and Brooks Robinson, no infield has ever
had a slicker leftside duo on defense, and 2B Davey Johnson gave them a
third Gold Glover in the infield. Paul Blair also won a Gold Glove
that year, giving them four fielders who were tops at their position -
only the Reds in the mid-70s matched that feat (the '69 and '71 Orioles
actually did have four Gold-Glovers; in 1970 Mark Belanger was beaten
out by Luis Aparicio, though he would go on to win 6 more from 1973 to
1978).
Their patient, balanced, clutch-performance attack was supplemented by
the best pitching staff in this half of the century - three starters
logged 296 innings or more, and two were 24-game winners (Mike Cuellar,
24-8, 3.48 ERA, and Dave McNally, 24-9, 3.22 ERA). But their staff
ace was 24-year-old Jim Palmer, who was 20-10 with a league best 2.71
ERA and a league-leading 305 innings. Cuellar (who had won the Cy
Young in 1969), McNally and Palmer finished second, fourth and fifth in
Cy Young voting, an unprecedented event. With so much talent among
the starters, relievers seemed almost superfluous, but manager Waever
had no shortage of quality arms to choose from in his bullpen. Two
lefties (Marcelino Lopez and Pete Richert) threw over 55 IP each and had
ERA's below 2.08. Dick Hall and Eddie Watt provided steady,
middle-innings relief - though with their front three starters providing
54 complete games, the importance of relief was greatly diminished.
With their three top starters going at you, the Orioles were a
formidable opponent in a short series. From 1969 to 1971,
they swept the competition in three games each time. McNally,
Cuellar and Palmer won 7 of those 9 games. But in the World
Series, the heavily favored Orioles were upset in the 1969 World Series
by the Miracle Mets: Cuellar out-pitched Tom Seaver in Game 1, but
McNally lost a 2-1 pitching duel in Game 2 to Jerry Koosman.
Palmer pitched well in Game 3, but the Orioles were shut out by Gary
Gentry and Nolan Ryan. In Game 4, Cuellar was magnificent, but Tom
Seaver's 10-inning performance beat him 2-1. Koosman outduelled
McNally again in Game 5.
In 1970, the Orioles beat the Reds in 5 - their pitching was solid
though not spectacular. In 1971, the Orioles lost a Game 7 to the
Pirates - McNally won twice and Palmer won Game 2, but the decider was a
terrific pitching duel with Cuellar scattering 4 hits and no walks over
8 innings, but the Pirates' Steve Blass getting the win, 2-1.
6.
1929 Athletics - 104-46, .693
Manager:
Connie Mack
Runs
Scored: 901 (17.5% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 615 (19.8% below league average)
ERA+:
123
SD
score: + 2.97
Pythagorean
Expectation: .676
Expected
Record: 101-49
Actual
Record: 104-46
Hall
of Fame talent: 1B Jimmie Foxx; C Mickey Cochrane; OF Al Simmons; and P Lefty
Grove. Manager Connie Mack.
Lineup:
2B
- Max Bishop - 232, 3 HR, 36 RBI, 128 BB
CF
- Mule Haas - .313 AVG, 115 R, 82 RBI
C
- Mickey Cochrane - .331 AVG, 95 RBI, 113 R, .412 OBA
LF
- Al Simmons - .365 AVG, 34 HR, 157 RBI, .642 SLG, .398 OBA
1B
- Jimmie Foxx - .354 AVG, 33 HR, 117 RBI, .625 SLG, .463 OBA
RF
- Bing Miller - .335 AVG, 93 RBI
3B
- Jimmy Dykes - .327 AVG, 79 RBI
SS
- Joe Boley - .251 AVG
The Yankees introduced uniform numbers in 1929, but the numbers put up
by their rivals were the only ones that mattered. Fifteen years
after his perennial pennant-winning powerhouse was dismantled in 1914,
Connie Mack finally managed to build his dynasty in Philadelphia in the
late 1920s. After a valiant but unsuccessful run at the powerful
Yankees in 1928, Mack's Philadelphia Athletics finally took the pennant
in 1929. Philadelphia's White Elephants had finally usurped New
York's Murderer's Row as the dominant force in the American League.
This squad won the World Series in 1929 and 1930, and lost the 1931
joust in seven games to the Cardinals. Over those three years,
they won 313 games and posted a winning percentage of .686 - the
third-best this century. Their winning percentage in 1931 was
actually better than it was in 1929, at .704, but their SD score in 1931
was just +2.26, and they didn't win the World Series that year.
Their three-year SD score of +7.22 is not in the top 50 performances
this century - it is well below the 1969-71 Orioles (+9.86), the
1937-1939 Yankees (+9.70), and the latest edition of the Yankees
(1997-1999: +9.41).
But the numbers alone don't do this team justice. They offered up
a blend of hitting, pitching and sound fundamentals that created a
juggernaut that simply rolled away from the competition. Jimmie
Foxx and Al Simmons were the top two offensive threats in the Al
that year, leading even Ruth and Gehrig
in runs created; Simmons, who won two batting titles in 1930 and
1931 with .381 and .390 batting averages, was second in the AL in
batting average and in slugging percentage (to Ruth). He topped
the loop in RBI. The As also had the best catcher in the game in Mickey
Cochrane, who hit .331 and scored 113 runs. With three Hall of
Famers in the batting order, they did the little things well enough to
score runs opportunistically and win games in the clutch.
They also featured spectacular pitching - Lefty Grove (20-6, 2.81 ERA)
and George Earnshaw (24-8, 3.29 ERA) led the AL in ERA and wins
respectively, and Rube Walberg (18-11, 3.60 ERA) was a solid third
starter. Eddie Rommel (12-2, 2.85 ERA, 114 IP) had a tremendous
year working out of the bullpen, and Howard Ehmke (7-2, 3.29 ERA) was
solid and dependable in his 8 starts.
The team had a couple of soft spots in the lineup - weak-hitting Joe
Boley and leadoff hitter Max Bishop didn't sustain high batting
averages, and with a weak-hitting pitcher in the lineup, the team didn't
have the consistent string of hitters needed to produce runs. In
fact, they trailed the Tigers that year in runs scored - led by second
baseman Charlie Gehringer, rookie phenom 1B Dale Alexander, and
All-Stars third-baseman Marty McManus and LF Roy Johnson, the Tigers
scored 926 runs.
7.
1998 New York Yankees - 114-48, .704
Manager:
Joe Torre
Runs
Scored: 956 (17.7% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 656 (19.2% below league average)
ERA+:
116
SD
score: + 3.88 (highest this century)
Pythagorean
Expectation: .663
Expected
Record: 107-55
Actual
Record: 114-48
Hall
of Fame talent: Maybe OF Bernie Williams, SS Derek Jeter. Maybe P
David Cone and Mariano Rivera. Probably manager Joe Torre.
OF Tim Raines was also a Yankee that year.
Lineup:
2B
Chuck Knoblauch - .265, 17 HR, 64 RBI, 117 R, 31 SB
SS
Derek Jeter - .324, 19 HR, 84 RBI, 127 R, 30 SB
RF
Paul O'Neill - .317, 24 HR, 116 RBI
CF
Bernie Williams - .339, 26 HR, 97 RBI
1B
Tino Martinez - .281, 28 HR, 123 RBI
DH
Darryl Strawberry - .247, 24 HR, 57 RBI
C
Jorge Posada .268, 17 HR, 63 RBI
3B
Scott Brosius .300, 19 HR, 98 RBI
LF
Chad Curtis - .243, 10 HR, 56 RBI, 21 SB
Although it may be early to anoint the recent Yankees, 114 wins and a
World championship says a lot. They led the league in runs scored,
in ERA, and posted the highest SD score this century - of course, the
higher number of teams since the 1960s has substantially lowered
standard deviations and raised SD scores.
Still, they had six regulars bat over .300 - the '27 Yankees had
only five - and posted consistent excellence from all parts of their
lineup. It was frequently said that this team had no superstars,
though Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams played their key defensive
positions as well as anyone that year, and David Cone qualifies as a
superstar. I should also point out that Tim Raines was a Yankee in
'98, and he is a likely Hall of Fame candidate. Still, the point
is made that this was a deeply talented team, one with no holes in it -
the nine-hitter hit .300 and drove in almost 100 runs. Not a
single regular starter had an OBA below the league average, an almost
impossible feat, and only Chuck Knoblauch and left fielder Chad Curtis
had slugging percentages below the league average.
Their team batting average of .288 was 17
points above the league average, and their league-leading .369 OBA was a
testament to their patient, selective plate discipline. Chuck
Knoblauch and shortstop-sensation Derek Jeter at the top of the order,
the Yanks wore out opposing pitchers with their patience at the plate.
The middle of the lineup featured fiery-tempered Paul O'Neill, AL
batting champ Bernie Williams, and 1997 AL MVP runner-up Tino Martinez -
all extremely effective when it came to driving men in. The trio,
equally adept against both lefties and righties, drove in 336 runs in
1998. The bottom of the order, a weakness for most teams, was a
major strength for the Yanks. Darryl Strawberry, who missed most
of 1997 with leg injuries, subbed admirably for injured DH Chili Davis,
smacking 24 homers while platooning with Tim Raines. When Straw
went down late in '98 with what was later diagnosed as colon cancer,
rookie sensation Shane Spencer picked up the slack. He smacked
eight home runs - including three grand slams - in the month of
September. Catcher Jorge Posada, blossoming under the tutelage of
defensive whiz Joe Girardi, became a force to be reckoned with both at
and behind the plate. Oakland castoff Scott Brosius - batting
seventh and eight for most of the year - raised his batting average 97
points from the previous season, while hitting 19 homers and driving in
98 runs.
The pitching staff was terrific as well, featuring Cone (20-7, 3.55 ERA)
and a career year by David Wells (18-4, 3.49 ERA), who finished sixth
and fifth in the ERA race. Orland Hernandez (12-4, 3.13 ERA) would
have finished third, behind Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens, if he had
logged about 20 more innings. And Hideki Irabu (13-9, 4.06 ERA)
and Andy Pettite (16-11, 4.24 ERA) were the best fourth and fifth
starters in the game, and Ramiro Mendoza pitched 14 starts and 27 relief
appearances, totalling 130 IP and compiling an impressive 10-2 record
with a 3.25 ERA.
The league ERA was 4.65, giving the Yankees six quality starters with
below-average ERA numbers. And the bullpen, while The club's
bullpen, although not as overpowering as it was in 1996 when the
unhittable Mariano Rivera was the setup man for '96 World Series MVP
John Wetteland, was nevertheless extremely effective. Rivera had
36 saves and a 1.91 ERA. In the post-season, he didn't allow a
single run. The lefty-righty setup combination of Graeme Lloyd and Jeff
Nelson was extremely solid, and lefty specialist Lloyd enjoyed his best
season ever, with a stingy 1.67 ERA in fifty appearances. With
Mendoza working out the bullpen as well once El Duque came onto the
scene, the Yankees had more than enough arms to beat you with.
8.
1954 Indians - 111-43, .721
Manager:
Al Lopez
Runs
Scored: 746 (14.8% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 504 (22.5% below league average)
ERA+:
132
SD
score: + 2.21
Pythagorean
Expectation: .699
Expected
Record: 107-47
Actual
Record: 111-43
Hall
of Fame talent: OF Larry Doby; and P Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, and Bob
Feller. P Hal Newhouser was also on the pitching staff, working
out of the bullpen.
Lineup:
LF
- Al Smith
2B
- Bobby Avila - .341 AVG, 15 HR, 67 RBI
CF
- Larry Doby - .272 AVG, 32 HR, 126 RBI
3B
- Al Rosen - .300 AVG, 24 HR, 102 RBI
1B
- Vic Wertz
RF
- Dave Philley
SS
- George Strickland
C
- Jim Hegan
7 years after Jackie Robinson
and Larry Doby integrated the game in 1947, racist resistance to black
ballplayers was still rampant across the major leagues. 10 of the
16 major-league teams still had lily-white rosters in September 1953,
but Bill Veeck's willingness to sign black ballplayers created a
powerhouse. In some circles, Veeck's willingness to sign black
players was criticized. As historian Jules Tygiel later pointed out,
"as the number of black Indians rose, some observers blamed the
team's failure to repeat its pennant success of 1948 to an excess of
blacks."
But the 1954 edition, well-stocked
with black stars, helped put the issue to rest by winning an American
League-record 111 games. They
had signed Doby in 1947, and leadoff man Al Smith was black as well;
Doby and Jewish slugger (and defending AL MVP) Al Rosen anchored the
lineup in the three-four spots. Even though the Yankees scored
more runs than the Tribe and had a higher batting and slugging averages, the Indians outpaced the Bronx Bombers with their superior
pitching.
Like the '27 Yankees and '06 Cubs (also the '43 Cardinals, who don't
make this list) the Indians in 1954 had the top three
ERA leaders in their pitching staff. The Indians had 4 Hall of
Fame pitchers on their roster, more than any other team in baseball
history. Mike Garcia won the ERA
title with a 2.64 mark, going 19-8; Bob Lemon was even better, going
23-7 with a 2.72 ERA; and Early Wynn was best of all, posting a 23-11
record, putting up a 2.73 ERA, striking out 155 and leading the league
in innings pitched with 270. And the number four starter was a
fella by the name of Robert Feller, he of the incomparable fastball and
hard-breaking curveball - Feller only started 19 games, but pitched 140
IP, went 13-3 and had a 3.09 ERA. Near the end of his magnificent
career, during which he led the league in innings pitched and in wins 5
times each, and in strikeouts 7 times, Feller put in one last great
performance to help the Indians down the stretch.
The Tribe also
boasted one of the most dominant bullpens in the American League, led by
the rookie tandem of Don Mossi and Ray Narleski, and backed up by a
33-year-old Hal Newhouser, almost a
decade past his MVP years and well past his prime (Prince Hal won just
22 of his 207 career games after his 30th birthday) but still good
enough to go 7-2 and save 7 games.
8 Indians reached double-digit home run totals, as they led the league
with 156 round-trippers. Third baseman Al Rosen didn't match his
amazing numbers of a year before (he had been the first unanimous
selection for MVP) but remained a key part of the Cleveland attack,
hitting 24 home runs while maintaining a .300 batting average. (In
1953, he had hit 43 HR, driven in 145 runs and batted .336, missing a
Triple Crown by one base hit).
Of course, the team was felled in the 1954 World Series by the New York
Giants. It all began when Willie Mays
made his famous over-the-shoulder catch of Vic Wertz's 460-foot blast to
center field, and Dusty Rhodes won the game in the tenth inning with a
260-foot pinch-hit home run down the right field line. Rhodes
smacked another key homer in Game Two, and Johnny Antonelli's sublime
pitching shut the Indians down. Ruben Gomez and Don Liddle pitched
marvelously in Games 3 and 4, shutting the Indians down again, allowing
11 hits and 3 ER over 14 innings, and New York took games three and four
easily as the bewildered Indians were swept by the triumphant Giants.
9.
1909 Pirates - 110-42, .724
Manager:
Fred Clarke
Runs
Scored: 699 (23.1% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 447 (21.3% below league average)
ERA+:
131
SD
score: + 2.68
Pythagorean
Expectation: .691
Expected
Record: 106-48
Actual
Record: 110-42
Hall
of Fame talent: SS Honus Wagner; player/mgr Fred Clarke; and P Vic
Willis.
Lineup:
3B
Bobby Byrne - .256, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 8 SB, 78 BB
CF
Tommy Leach - .261, 6 HR, 43 RBI, 27 SB
LF
Fred Clarke - .287, 3 HR, 68 RBI, 80 BB
SS
Honus Wagner - .339 AVG, .420 OBA, .489 SLG, 5 HR, 100
RBI,
2B
Dots Miller - .279, 3 HR, 87 RBI, 35 SB
1B
Bill Abstein - .260, 1 HR, 70 RBI
RF
Owen Wilson - .272, 4 HR, 59 RBI
C
George Gibson - .265, 2 HR, 52 RBI
With one of the great offenses of the dead ball era, the '09 Pirates
marched to a 6.5 game pennant win over the Cubs and their great
pitching. Honus Wagner led the team with a terrific season:
"The Flying Dutchman" anchored Pittsburgh's lineup as the
cleanup man and won his fourth straight batting title with a .339
mark. He led the league with 100 RBIs, 242 total bases, 39 doubles
and a .489 slugging percentage. Player/manager Fred Clarke was 36,
but while hitting in the third spot in the order, he was a still a
formidable presence in the lineup - he hit .287 with eleven triples, 68
RBI, and 31 stolen bases. He also led the league with 80 walks.
The well-balanced offense - every single regular hit above the league
average batting average of .244 - plus strong defense and daring
baserunning gave the Bucs a lineup that provided few easy outs.
Pittsburgh had easily the best offense in the league, leading in runs,
doubles, triples, batting average and slugging average. With the
exception of catcher George Gibson, all had more than 14 stolen bases.
The Pirates' pitching staff was equally well-balanced; their team ERA of
2.07 was second only to Chicago's microscopic 1.75. While the Cubs
Three Finger Brown and Orval Overall,
and the Giants Christy Mathewson,
were the league's premier pitchers, staff ace Howie Camnitz (25-6, 1.62
ERA) finished fourth in the ERA race, and Vic Willis (22-11, 2.23 ERA,
24 CG) and Lefty Leifield (19-8, 2.36 ERA) were a solid front three, and
Nick Maddox (13-8, 2.22 ERA) chipped in 13 wins. The savior of the
season may have been an unknown 27-year-old left-hander named Babe
Adams. In his first full big-league season, Adams posted a 12-3 record
to go with a sparkling 1.11 ERA in 130 innings. His biggest
contribution came in the World Series, when Clarke turned to him three
times against the Detroit Tigers. Adams responded with three
victories, including a complete-game shutout in Game Seven in which he
held Ty Cobb hitless. Thanks to Adams, the 1909 Pirates can still
claim the highest winning percentage (regular season and post-season) of
any modern World Series winner.
10.
2001 Mariners - 116-46, .716
Manager:
Lou Piniella
Runs
Scored: 927 (17.8% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 578 (25.5% below league average)
ERA+:
116
SD
score: + 3.35
Pythagorean
Expectation: .672
Expected
Record: 109-53
Actual
Record: 116-46
Hall
of Fame talent: Doesn't seem like any players have a shot, though it's
too early to tell for P Garcia and RF Suzuki. Veteran DH Edgar
Martinez, perhaps. Possibly manager Lou Piniella.
Lineup:
RF Ichiro Suzuki - .350 avg, 127 R, 242 H, 56 SB
LF Stan Javier
DH Edgar Martinez - .306 avg, .423 OBA, 23 HR, 116 RBI
1B John Olerud - .302 avg, 21 HR, 95 RBI
2B Bret Boone - .331 avg, 37 HR, 141 RBI, .578 SLG
CF Mike Cameron - 25 HR, 110 RBI
SS Carlos Guillen
3B David Bell
C Dan Wilson
The Mariners were definitely a
great team - they scored the most runs in the AL, allowed the fewest
runs scored, committed the fewest errors and stole the most bases. I
mean, what else could you want? No wonder they finished with a league
record 116 wins.
But a few things keep them from getting ranked higher. First of
all, they had no true superstars or future HOFers in their lineup;
best-ever DH Edgar Martinez was the only real candidate for
Cooperstown. Instead, they got career-making performances from
newcomers Ichiro Suzuki (the 2001 Al MVP), 2B Bret Boone (141 RBI, to
lead the league - he posted numbers not seen at his position since
Rogers Hornsby), 24-year-old ERA champ Freddy Garcia, second-year relief
pitcher Kaz Sasaki, and 20-game winner Jamie Moyer.
As a team, the top five or six
hitters melded beautifully, producing runs exactly the way a perfectly
balanced lineup should. Also, their bullpen was fantastic, with
the league's top set-up duo in Jeff Nelson (2.72 ERA in over 60 IP) and
Arthur Rhodes (a microscopic 1.72 ERA in over 60 IP) backing up Sasaki,
who logged 45 saves. So the Mariners won a lot of tight games.
But weaknesses at key positions like shortstop and left field meant
their offense didn't produce a tremendous amount of runs, and their SD
score was somewhat below that of the '98 Yankees. Interestingly,
they outperformed their Pythagorean expectation by 7 games, more than
anyone else on this list except for the '98 Yankees - chalk it up to
their great bullpen and tight defense.
Their pitching was terrific as a
team, but outside of their top two or three starters it got pretty weak
- in fact, an argument can be made that #2 starter Jamie Moyer wouldn't
have been successful in any ballpark except cavernous Safeco
Field. This
caught up with the M's in the playoffs, when the Yankees top three
pitchers (Clemens, Pettitte and Mussina) outduelled the Mariner's
threesome.
Had the Mariners captured the World Series, they might have ranked
higher, but losing in five to the Yankees is an ominous sign.
Honorable
Mention:
1986 Mets - 108-54, .667
Manager:
Dave Johnson
Runs
Scored: 783 (16.0% above league average)
Runs
Allowed: 578 (14.4% below league average)
ERA+:
114
SD
score: + 3.62
Pythagorean
Expectation: .633
Expected
Record: 103-59
Actual
Record: 108-54
Hall
of Fame talent: Possibly 1B Keith Hernandez; C Gary Carter.
Possibly manager Dave Johnson.
Lineup:
CF
Lenny Dykstra - .295 AVG, 8 HR, 45 RBI, 31 SB
2B
Wally Backman - .320 AVG, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 13 SB
1B
Keith Hernandez - .310 AVG, .413 OBA, 13 HR, 83 RBI, 94 R, 94
BB
C
Gary Carter - .255, 24 HR, 105 RBI, 81 R
RF
Darryl Strawberry - .259, 27 HR, 93 RBI, 28 SB
3B
Ray Knight - .298, 11 HR, 76 RBI, 24 2B
LF
Mookie Wilson - .289, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 25 SB
SS
Rafael Santana - .218, 1 HR, 28 RBI, 36 BB
I remember this team as unbeatable. A good part of my youth was
spent watching sports, and the '86 Mets (along with the Edmonton Oilers)
seemed as invincible to me as gods.
While the '98 Yankees won coolly and professionally, the 1986 Mets won
easy and loud, wherever and whenever they took to the field. They
were 55-26 at home, 53-28 on the road - unlike the '75 Reds or the
'29-31 Athletics, it simply didn't matter where they played. They
were the best team in the majors, and knew it. Their swagger,
cockiness, and 108-54 record annoyed opponents, who were probably
already frustrated by the Mets' uncanny knack for winning. Their
SD score is third on this list, and their clutch hitting and sound
fundamentals allowed them to outperform their Pythagorean expected wins
by 5 games - only the '98 Yankees and '01 Mariners outperformed to a greater extent.
In every facet of the game, the Mets were deep, talented and
passionate. The well-balanced offense - every single regular hit above the league
average batting average of .253 except SS Rafael Santana - had power,
speed and guys who could manufacture runs. Their defense was
strong - Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling all won Gold
Gloves throughout their careers, and Santana and Backman were also a
superb keystone combination - and manager Davey Johnson established
himself as one of the best tacticians in the game.
Of course, the heart of this team was its starting rotation.
Dwight Gooden, the man they called "Dr. K," followed his 24-4,
1.53 ERA, 268 K 1985 season - which ranks as one of the greatest
all time - with a 17-6, 2.84 ERA campaign and 200 strikeouts.
Bobby Ojeda was just as good, going 18-5 with a 2.57 ERA (second in the
NL behind Mike Scott), and Ron Darling (15-6) finished third in the ERA
race with a 2.81 mark. Sid Fernandez went 16-6, and his 3.52 ERA
was better than the league average of 3.59, making him the best fourth
starter in the game. And Rick Aguilera (10-7, 3.88 ERA) was the
best fifth starter around.
The bullpen was solid, too. Doug Sisk provided excellent middle
relief throughout the year, while the wacky Roger McDowell (3.02 ERA in
128 IP) and reliable Jesse Orosco (2.33 ERA 81 IP) shared the closing
duties, each racking up over 20 saves. Rick Anderson appeared in
15 games, tossed 50 IP and posted a 2.72 ERA.
The swaggering Mets were almost dethroned in the playoffs. The '86
NLCS was one of the most entertaining of all time. The Houston
Astros' Mike Scott, that year's Cy Young winner, had been overpowering
down the stretch and compiled an 18-10 record and league-best 2.22
ERA. He simply blew away the Mets in Games 1 and 4 - he had a
complete game, 5-hit shutout with 14 Ks in Game 1, and had a 3-hit
complete game 3-1 win in Game 4. The Mets won Game 2, behind a
terrific performance by Bobby Ojeda, and took Game 3 6-5 on a two-run
homer in the bottom of the ninth after Wally Backman beat out a
controversial drag bunt single. Dwight Gooden went in Game 5, and
worked 10 innings and allowed 1 run; Nolan Ryan was just as impressive
for the Astros, and it took 12 innings for the Mets to eke out a 2-1
win. The Mets won Game 6 - and avoided facing Scott in Game 7 -
with another exhausting extra-inning win; the Astros were ahead after 8
innings by a score of 3-0, with Bob Knepper working a two-hitter.
But the Mets got to him and tied it. In the 14th the Mets went
ahead 4-3, but the Astros tied in the bottom half of the frame. In
the 16th, the Mets added three more runs, and must have thought they
were safe - but the Astros were not be denied. With one down
in the bottom of the 16th and Jesse Orosco on the mound, pinch-hitter
Davey Lopes walked, and singles by Bill Doran and Billy Hatcher plated
him. One out later, Glenn Davis singled in Doran, making it
6-5. With two runners on, a tired Orosco threw six breaking balls
to Kevin Bass and struck him out.
The '86 playoffs were another memorable event. the Red Sox jumped
out to e 2-0 Series lead, thanks to a shutout by Bruce Hurst and Calvin
Schiraldi in Game 1 and a much-anticipated duel between Rocket Roger
Clemens and Dr. K Dwight Gooden (with both starters getting knocked out
before the 6th inning) ending in a 9-3 rout. They came back to win
Game 3, 7-1, and Game 4, 6-2, behind solid pitching from Ojeda and
Darling. In Game 5, Gooden got roughed up again, and Hurst beat
him with a great performance.
Game 6 was Boston's great chance, with Clemens providing 7 solid innings
and leaving with a 3-2 lead. What happened
thereafter haunts Red Sox fans and we'll gloss over it here, though
you can read about it in our Century of
Sports section - and the Mets knocked Hurst and Schiraldi around in
Game 7 to win 8-5.
|
