An update on my classic baseball season has been long overdue, and on the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest Red Sox teams ever, I feel I have the squad on the right track. There is still room for improvement, as can be seen by standings, but there's lots of baseball to be played (and simulated) yet.
Bill Lee was able to break the skid on Mother's Day with a brilliant pitching performance in the getaway game in Texas. After the Rangers took the first two games of the three game series, Lee silenced their bats going 7.1 innings allowing only 4 hits and 1 earned run to notch his fourth win of the season in the 6-1 victory. He is second on the team in wins at 4-1 trailing Luis Tiant who is 5-2 with a 2.89 ERA. Both pitchers have had the hot hand as of late with Lee registering a 3-0 record over the last 10 games with a dazzling 0.86 ERA. Tiant is 3-1 in that same time frame with a 2.89 ERA.
Cecil Cooper broke the game open with a bases loaded single and Boston never looked back. Cooper currently leads the Red Sox in batting with a .351 mark. He's also the team and league leader in doubles with 15 and RBI with 30. Cooper is second in homers with 5. Highlights of the Texas game are below.
Here are the standings to date for my 70's dream season. I'll release a full statistical report on the Red Sox along with league leaders when the team hits the 54 game mark. Click here for a reminder of the franchise editions of late 70's teams (where applicable) that are included in my classic season.
American League Leaders - Notes
Out west, the Houston Astros lead the Majors in batting average and they are second in runs scored behind the Dodgers. Astros' ace J.R. Richard has won 5 games with four of those victories being shutouts which leaves him sporting an ERA of 0.81. Richard is backed by the efforts of teammate Ken Forsch who is a perfect 7-0 with a sparkling 1.43 ERA. Forsch also has 4 complete games. Houston is third overall in ERA bested only by the Yankees (second place) and the PIrates, who are the leaders. Boston sits fifth overall with a staff ERA of 3.48. Houston shortstop Craig Reynolds is tied for top spot in AL batting with a .360 clip. Bob Watson is third in RBI with 34
American League Central leaders, the Chicago White Sox, are fourth in the Majors in batting average and third in runs scored and total hits. Richie Zisk has been an offensive force for the South Siders drilling 10 homers and is second in league batting average at .358 and RBI with 35. Sisk is also third in the league in OPS 1.109. Ralph Garr also sits in the top five in this category at .353 and is tied for third with runs scored with 29. The team is third overall in slugging percentage at .461.
The AL East leading New York Yankees own the third best ERA in the Majors and the best winning percentage in the Majors. A huge part of that effort is due to the contributions of Ron Guidry, Ed Figueroa, and Jim "Catfish" Hunter Guidry is fifth overall in the AL with a stingy 2.00 ERA and second in strikeouts with 48. Figueroa and Hunter have submitted 3.09 and 3.65 averages respectively In the bullpen, flamethrower Goose Gossage is second in the AL in saves with 13 striking out 16 in 13 IP. Yankees' Reggie Jackson is tied with Craig Reynolds as the AL's best hitter with a.360 mark and also leads the league in homers with 11 and in OPS with a gaudy 1.159.
National League Leaders - Notes
Those NL East leading Nationals are really the '79 Montreal Expos and they are being led at the plate by a pair of outfielders. Andre Dawson in second in the NL in batting average at .383 while Ellis Valentine sits at seventh spot hitting.369. Valentine is also second in OPS with a mark of 1.083, third in homers with 11 and in RBI with 33. On the bump, Dan Schatzeder is a perfect 5-0 with a 2.42 ERA which is good for eighth overall in the NL. The pitching staff as a whole is the fourth best in the Majors with only 124 earned runs allowed. Montreal has the best winning percentage in the National League and second best overall behind the Yankees.
The 1978 Milwaukee Brewers have cooled as of late but still have a 3.5 cushion on the surging '75 Reds. The Brewers are sixth in the Majors in hits and third in doubles. On the mound the Brewers "Big Three" include Lary Sorenson, Bill Travers, and Mike Caldwell. All of these pitchers have sub 3.00 ERAs with Sorenson leading the group at 2.21. In the bullpen, Bob McClure is second in saves with 11. Offensively,Robin Yount comes in at ninth in batting average with a .364 mark and leads the league in hits with 55. He is also second in doubles with 12.
On the west coast, The 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers own the most potent offense in baseball topping the Majors with 238 runs scored. They also lead all of baseball in hits with 407 and home runs, clubbing 63 long balls. The Dodgers are second in team batting average with a .302 mark. This huge offensive presence has offset very mediocre pitching to this point and it'll be interesting to see if the pitching improves enough to enable the Dodgers to maintain their momentum throughout the course of the season. Dusty Baker leads the NL in home runs with 14 and Reggie Smith is tied for fourth with 10. Baker also leads in RBI with 36 with Smith again in a tie for fourth with 31 The Dodgers have the top three in the league in runs scored with Baker (32), Smith (30) and Bill Russell along with Davey Lopes tied for third (28). Baker and Smith rank fourth and fifth respectively in OPS with Baker at 1.060 and Smith with a 1.042. Ron Cey also cracked the top ten in batting average as he is eighth hitting.364.
I hope to update this season more regularly with the efforts of the Sawx now that I'm on holidays and have more opportunities to play some games. So, be looking for more classic 70s baseball news and highlights. GO SAWX!
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