United League Baseball

Miller Cruises to Cy Young
No Sophomore Jinx, Only Records, in Monumental Season
WASHINGTON (Oct. 1) -- Even on one of the greatest pitching staffs of all time, Stu Miller stood head and shoulders above the rest this season, cruising to his first Cy Young Award, which he will proudly display next to last season's Rookie of the Year trophy. There was never any doubt who would win this year's prize. Miller was fast out of the gate, already 9-0 five weeks into the season, and did not lose until his 12th start on May 24. He was 15-1 in mid-June before losing three straight. But after that mini-slump, the 25-year-old went on another win streak of eight games. Miller (28-7, 2.24) won five more than any other pitcher, smashing Sam Zoldak's 1951 UL record (24). He won his second ERA title (2.24), again finishing ahead of teammate Steve Gromek, and though he fell 26 strikeouts shy of the Triple Crown, became just the sixth 25/250 pitcher since the Taft Administration [see "Miller Time" sidebar].
   Overall, the Washington Monuments' pitching staff was the greatest in the brief history of the United League, establishing new records for best team ERA and fewest runs allowed. Washington trimmed its 1952 ERA by 18 points, to 3.31, and allowed just 576 runs (3.74/game), 138 runs fewer than any other team, a margin so huge that only the 1939 New York Yankees and last year's Monuments have surpassed it this century. Miller, Gromek (21-9, 2.59), and Larry Jansen (20-10, 3.07) each won 20 games, making the Monuments only the third team since 1920 with three 20-game winners. Jansen and Gromek also became just the sixth pair of teammates to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards in the lively-ball era [see "Build a Monument" sidebar].

Gothams Eat Crowe
St. Louis Grabs Second Place, Again
BRONX, N.Y. (Sept. 27) -- George Crowe cranked a three-run homer to break open a close game, and added another in ninth, as the St. Louis Maroons clinched second place for the second year running, 11-3. The Maroons won four of their last five to go to the front of a four-team pack, and clinched second on the season's penultimate day. Crowe, a first baseman who was acquired from Washington after Stan Musial's season-ending injury last summer, entered the starting lineup on Sept. 1, and was a key contributor during the Maroons' "runners-up" drive. Batting fifth behind the slugging trio of Campanella, Musial, and Stephens, "Big George" batted 30-74 (.405) in September, driving in and scoring 16 runs in 21 games. It was a rollercoaster season for the 31-year-old Crowe, who was batting .204-3-8 after 24 games at the midsummer break. Only St. Louis' lack of first base prospects kept Crowe from being sent to Indianapolis, and after batting 7-for-17 (.412) in July and August, mostly in a pinch-hitting role, manager Smith inserted him into the starting nine, shifting Musial to right field.
   Another late call-up who gave the Dark Reds a lift was pitcher Bob Buhl. A 25-year-old righthander from Saginaw, Mich., Buhl was the 15th overall pick of this year's rookie draft. After tearing up AA ball, and going 4-2 with AAA Indianapolis, Buhl earned a major league callup in July, and maintained a 0.00 ERA in four relief appearances, earning his first start on Aug. 5. Buhl won six straight before finally losing at New York 9-5 on Sept. 6, but then finished strong, going 3-1 in his last five starts to end the season 9-2 with a 3.36 ERA, securing a spot in the St. Louis starting rotation next spring.
   The Maroons finished with the exact record (82-72) and in the exact position(2nd) as last year. New York stumbled to a fourth place tie with Chicago, but established a club record with 79 wins. "With our young pitchers developing and Teddy (Williams) coming back next year, this was a good foundation for better things to come," manager Jeremy Weimer was misquoted.

Mantle Named MVP
Musial Snubbed in Controversial Vote
BOSTON (Oct. 1 ) -- Boston's Mickey Mantle won the 1953 Most Valuable Player award in a controversial decision that left Stan Musial "shocked and dismayed." Mantle, the 16th overall pick in the UL's Initial Draft in 1951, had a solid 1952, but a breakout year this season, batting .317 with 32 HR and 121 RBI.
   St. Louis' Stan Musial made a run for the Triple Crown, before fading in the final weeks and ending the year leading none of the Triple Crown categories. But despite the late season slump, "Stan the Man" was considered the leading candidate for MVP honors in most quarters.

	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	R	SO	BB	SB	CS	RC	RC/27
Musial	.324	.414	.598	1.013	550	178	36	5	35	103	121	44	82	11	9	139.7	9.31
Rank	2	2	2	2		1	5	--	3	6	1	--	3			1	1
Mantle	.317	.382	.572	.954	558	177	28	9	32	121	96	114	61	12	10	128.4	8.54
Rank	4	6	3	3		2	--	1	4	2	11	4	--			3	3

Musial led the league in hits, runs, and runs created, was second in batting, OBP, slugging, and OPS, and third in home runs and walks. In all, Musial finished in the top three in 10 offensive categories, compared to Mantle's seven. Musial slugged higher, got on base more often, hit three more home runs and eight more doubles, struck out less, and walked more than Mantle. And to top it off, Musial played for a second place team, while Mantle's Beacons landed in sixth place.
How, then, did the Commerce Comet garner enough votes to overtake Stan the Man in the MVP ballot? Two theories come to mind. One category where Mantle did have a substantial advantage over Musial was in RBI. Mantle's 121 were just one behind league leader Ralph Kiner, while Musial finished sixth with 103. MVP voters notoriously are suckers for ribs. The other factor is late season form. Stan had a wide lead in the batting race all year, until the final days [see Kuenn story below]. He cooled off in September and basically contributed nothing to the Maroons 16-9 finish, batting .258 with just one home run and 8 RBI. Mantle, meanwhile, had his best month in September, batting .379 and slugging .632, with 25 RBI and 24 runs in 24 games. Only teammate Gus Zernial's even-hotter month denied the Mick his first Player of the Month Award. But ask him and he'll tell you, he'd much rather have the annual prize than the monthly prize on his mantle.

Red-Hot Kuenn Steals Batting Title
BOSTON (Sept. 28) -- Boston shortstop Harvey Kuenn overtook Stan Musial with a 4-for-4 game on the next-to-last day, en route to the United League batting title. Kuenn, a 22-year-old Wisconsinite, hit .422 in September and 15-for-25 in the last week to overtake Stan Musial and win the batting title. Kuenn came into September with a .309 average, 28 points behind Musial's .337, but slowly ate into the slugger's lead. Kuenn hit just 4-18 (.222) in the first six games of the month, dropping to .306, while Musial dropped to .331. From Sept. 7-13, Kuenn had five multi-hit games in six days to lift his average to .313, but still trailed Musial by 20 points. But from Sept. 16 on, Kuenn was in another dimension. In a nine-day span, he had four three-hit games, and batted 22-for-39 (.564). In that same period, Musial hit 9-for-37 (.243). On the next to last day of the season, Kuenn hit 4-for-4 in a 5-1 win over Brooklyn. The four-hit day raised his average five points to .331 and overtook Musial for the first time. Stan was just 1-for-16 (.063) in the season's last four days, dropping five points to a .324 finish.

	Aug 31	Sep 7	Sep 14	Sep 17	Sep 20	Sep 22	Sep 23	Sep 24	Sep 25	Sep 26	Sep 27
Musial	.337	.331	.331	.329	.332	.331	.329	.329	.327	.326	.324
Kuenn	.309	.307	.312	.314	.315	.320	.322	.325	.326	.331	.329

Chicago, Brooklyn Most Improved in '53
The Chicago Colts and Brooklyn Superbas both climbed into the league's upper division this season, after wallowing in the bottom three in 1952. The Colts were the most improved team, winning 12 more games that a year ago to climb from last place to a fourth place tie. There were no pitching standouts on the Colts this year, with five starters clustered in the range of 10-14 wins, but likewise there were no 18-game losers as last year (Saul Rogovin). Offensively, catcher Yogi Berra fell short of his 1951 All-Star numbers, but led the team with 98 RBI. Other stars where newcomers Johnny Lindell (.264-14-78) and Dick Gernert (.271-12-50), and leadoff stalwart Pee Wee Reese (.271-13-55), who led the team with 98 runs and 38 stolen bases. "The fans came back, the profits came back, and the team is looking to do more of the same next season," manager Lance Mueller said.
In Brooklyn, manager Glen Reed lifted his Superbas three positions to a third place finish, with a club record 80 wins, a nine-game improvement. Fred Hutchinson (17-12, 3.23) was again the staff ace, while Tom Gorman (13-11, 3.62) and lefty Lou Brissie (13-8, 4.09) emerged as a quality starters. Offensively, the addition of Richie Ashburn was less of a factor than expected. The Superbas actually scored 26 runs less than last year. Richie fell short of expectations, but nonetheless batted .294 with a .346 OBP, 75 runs, and 42 steals. Gil Hodges remains one of the most productive players in the league (36 HR, 94 RBI), despite a batting average that keeps sinking (.234). Gene Woodling (.310-13-93) proved that 1952 was no fluke, and Minnie Minoso lead the team in slugging (.491) and runs (106), while batting .300 and driving in 81 runs.

Mercifully, Season Ends for Louisville
LOUISVILLE (Oct. 1) -- It was the worst season yet for the league's most stuggling franchise. The Louisville Colonels lost 12 more games than last year, posting a 58-96 record, the worst in UL history, and finishing 39 games behind Washington. Colonel pitchers allowed 134 more runs than any other team, and the main culprits were 15-game loser Ned Garver (9-15, 5.08) and rookie Johnny Antonelli (12-12, 4.75), who showed flashes of greatness. Garver's 5.08 ERA was actually a point-and-a-half improvement over his previous best UL season, which only underscores the point that this staff has a long way to go. The club allowed 211 more runs than it scored, another UL record. Jackie Jensen had 100+ RBIs and 100+ runs for the second time in three years, and fell just four homers shy of the first 30/30 season in UL history. The club will have the first pick in the Reentry Draft, which for the first time features several big-name stars who could make an immediate impact on a struggling club such as Louisville.

Detroit Stumbles to 7th Place
DETROIT (Oct. 1) -- After second and third place finishes and 80-win seasons in each of his first two years, Detroit Sound manager Brad McNeely felt no need to make radical changes to his successful formula. The problem was that most other teams were upgrading, and Detroit's roster was graying. Robin Roberts had another good year (16-12, 3.24), but Bob Porterfield's 16 wins turned into 16 losses, and Ted Gray lost 16 as well. Ironically, the Sound were fourth in the league in run differential, which is usually correlated with winning. But whereas last year, Detroit won nine more games than they "should have" based on their -58 run differential, in '53 the club won nine less. The answer to this apparent quandry has a name: Clem Labine. Labine led the league in saves in the UL's first two seasons, with 37 last year against just three blown saves. But this year, Labine's ERA nearly doubled (from 2.77 to 5.01), and he earned just 23 saves with a league-high 12 blown saves. For the second year running, Detroit had the league's worst offense. The club suffered from off-years by Monte Irvin and Ferris Fain. Both hit over .300 with 80+ RBIs in 1952, and both hit under .270 with less than 60 RBI this year. Irvin's performance was just poor enough to have him released by McNeely, and some pundits have him rated as the top catch in the upcoming Reentry Draft.

Three Beacons Win Gold Gloves
Spahn, Kuenn Among Four Repeat Winners

League Revenues Dip 2.3 Percent
Detroit, Boston Hardest Hit, Three Clubs in the Red
League's $22 Million Profit Concentrated on Two Clubs

TOTAL ATTENDANCE			TOTAL REVENUE
1953		Change	1953 ($ million)		Change
WASHINGTON ST. LOUIS CHICAGO DETROIT NEW YORK BROOKLYN BOSTON LOUISVILLE Total Average	2,344,008 2,096,443 1,711,500 1,542,222 1,515,475 1,289,473 1,070,386 812,332 12,381,839 1,547,730	71,156 (144,316) 24,174 (300,102) (214,521) 98,773 (234,755) (137,238) (836,829) (6.3%)	WASHINGTON ST. LOUIS CHICAGO NEW YORK DETROIT LOUISVILLE BOSTON BROOKLYN Total Average	67.39 62.45 60.36 58.24 57.52 53.32 52.54 52.08 463.90 57.99	1.20 (1.35) 0.42 (2.08) (3.15) (1.64) (2.53) (1.67) (10.80) (2.2%)
PLAYER EXPENSES			NET PROFIT
1953 ($ million)		Change	1953 ($ million)		Change
ST. LOUIS NEW YORK WASHINGTON DETROIT LOUISVILLE BROOKLYN CHICAGO BOSTON Total Average	62.27 59.19 57.42 55.63 53.36 52.77 51.78 49.60 442.02 55.25	2.58 3.16 2.64 (0.31) (4.70) 1.65 (3.98) (5.55) (4.52) (1.0%)	WASHINGTON CHICAGO BOSTON DETROIT ST. LOUIS LOUISVILLE BROOKLYN NEW YORK Total Average	9.97 8.58 2.94 1.89 0.18 (0.04) (0.69) (0.95) 21.88 2.74	(1.44) 4.41 3.02 (2.84) (3.93) 3.06 (3.32) (5.24) (6.28) (2.2%)

YEAR IN REVIEW

WASHINGTON MONUMENTS 97-57 -- 6-7		When Duke Snider left for military service, the team was worried since Snider provided the largest share of homers and RBIs. In his absence, Sid Gordon had a career year, putting up "Duke-type" offensive numbers (.285-29-94) and was a critical part of the team's repeat pennant. For his efforts, Gordon has not been resigned since Snyder is returning, the team has great outfield depth, the team wanted to keep Kluszewski and Garagiola, and management did not want to commit a high salary to Gordon who will be turning 36. If Gordon is still available, he may be resigned in the reentry draft. For the 1954 season, the team is looking for a third straight title. All the key parts remain and Snyder is returning. Don Larsen looks to have the potential to be another ace on the staff and may make the jump from AAA, although Erskine will make the move first since he was ready to go from AAA to the ML roster when the war interrupted his career. Although only 22, Dick Groat also deserves to make the graduation from AAA to the majors, but there is nowhere to put him unless Dillinger fails to perform at 3B. The 1954 team looks to be the strongest yet as Mays has reached 21 and is ready to have a breakout season. The young team still has many fine seasons ahead and unless another team can make a significant jump in talent, Washington has to be the favorite. -- Jay Kaplan
ST. LOUIS MAROONS 82-72 15 8-5		"Musial's late slump was unfortunate, and seeing him come away with not even the batting title was a disappointment after his tremendous year. Vern Stephens was a rib machine, and gets a large measure of credit for Stan's great year. Our offense is set, though we need to get on base more and add some speed. Pitching: Billy Pierce had just a tremendous year, but our rotation never really settled down. Raffy was solid again, Vern Law pitched well. Bob Buhl was quite a revelation, going 9-2 in the last few weeks. Unfortunately Zoldak never bounced back from last year's injury. Klipp emerged as a quality stopper. I think the pieces are there to keep us in the hunt for at least the next few years." -- Tim Smith
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS 80-74 17 9-4		The drive for ’55: Superba facelift continues Superba founder Frank Thomas didn’t leave an empty cupboard, but rather a bunch of ingredients that didn’t add up to much, or fit this cook’s recipe—a lineup full of slap hitters in a slugger’s park, decent pitching talent, but few glove men. Did I mention the park? So the mandate was simple—rebuild around pitching and defense (a.k.a. “The Monument Model”), and get into a pitcher’s park. Destination: 1955, when the league’s least hitter-friendly yard outside of Washington’s home pitch is scheduled to open. The theme on the personnel front is much the same: A long line of trades and contract shenanigans have as their goal building a core of young players set to mature in ’55. Unfortunately, the plan—hatched on the wide avenues of suburban Elk Grove on a tummy full of Robo’s famous ham and turkey sammies—never envisioned sacrificing players and prospects to expansion in ’54! Can the BROs dethrone King Kaplan? Arguments for are that though we’re still in the early stages of the rebuilding plan, we’ve played the Monuments to a standstill the last few years, even as the capital-city crushers were defacing the rest of the league. But the reality is that before long the league will likely be erecting monuments to Kaplan’s sterling young pitching staff, so it seems unlikely they’ll topple anytime soon. Add it all up, and expectations here are more modest—we’d be more than happy to be the best of the rest. -- Glen Reed
CHICAGO COLTS 79-75 18 4-9		"The Colts did a nice job of bouncing back from a dismal season especially considering the absence of their #1 offensive threat, Bobby Thomson. Once again Chicago clung tightly to the #2 position until another late season swoon left them tied for fourth in the league. But the fans came back, the profits came back, and the team is looking to do more of the same next season. For the Colts, 1954 will be a year of deep player analysis, especially with the expansion draft coming near the end of the season. We're looking to make some key draft acquisitions, possibly make a few big-name trades, and shake things up in the lineups in an effort to put a more offensively potent team on the field. Again, with the expansion draft coming, Colts players will be expected to do well or they may find themselves left unprotected or uses as trade bait...any way you slice it, things are gonna be interesting." -- Lance Mueller
NEW YORK GOTHAMS 79-75 18 6-7		Despite the turmoil in the New York front office, the Gothams had a good season on the field, winning a franchise-best 79 games and landing in a fourth place tie with Chicago. The Gothams suffered from the loss of Ted Williams, who spent the year in Korea. The club scored 104 fewer runs than last year, dropping from 1st to 4th in runs. But the club's young pitching staff improved. Mike Fornieles, 21, had a strong sophomore effort, leading the staff with an 18-10 record and 3.52 ERA, and Early Wynn tossed the league's first no-hitter on July 27. Ewell Blackwell (12-16, 4.51), a 20-game winner a year ago, was a disappointment, and the team still lacks a quality closer (Bob Hooper was 7-7, 6.42 with 26 saves, 12 blown saves). Offensively, the 2-5 hitters (Noren, Robinson, Wertz, and Doby) each had 80+ RBI. Irv Noren stands out as the surprise player, leading the team with a .310 average, with 16 HR and 81 RBI (.299-3-54 in 1952). Gothams fans are hoping for a steady hand to transform their heroes from the league's midtable to contenders. -- Tim Smith
BOSTON BEACONS 74-80 23 9-4		Break Outs and Break Downs Despite a disappointing 6th place finish, the Boston Beacons have much to be excited about. Several players had career years, and yet still others are showing signs of age. Earl Torgeson worked on his Jackie Jensen impersonation during the off-season and threw his hat into the 30/30 ring, displaying uncharacteristic power (27 dongs) while swiping 41 bases. Harvey Kuenn solidified his presence by winning the batting title (.329) as well as his second consecutive Gold Glove at short. Warren Spahn finally eclipsed the 20 win mark and was nearly unbeatable toward the end of the season. Gus Zernial once again kept pace with the leagues top power men, slapping 30 dingers for the third straight season. Eddie Mathews proved he could play with the big boys by going deep 27 times, however his 155 strike outs were a league high (or low). But the biggest story was the emergence of Mickey Mantle. The Mick has developed as expected and won his first MVP award, and was 2nd in RBI’s. On the break down side, the Sam Jethroe experiment proved a minor failure, but Jet came in handy as an expensive pinch hitter and pinch runner. Ed Lopat also had a forgettable season and may be showing signs of uselessness. Hopeful Harvey Haddix proved fairly ineffective early in the season as well as struggling to stay healthy. But like so many other Beacon players, Haddix turned up the heat late (too late) in the season. This emerging pattern has GM Qualls concerned. Said Qualls, “I don’t mind if guys want to pad their personal stats, but lets try to find more opportune times to do it. If the guys can only carry that ‘end of the season’ fire into next year, we may have a shot at contention.” A minor note: The Beacon’s front office is reluctant to pull the trigger on 22-year-old “Bullet” Bob Turley. In 455.2 Minor League innings, Turley has racked up 838 strike outs. More than one-and-a-half K’s per inning! The problem? Those few batters that are not missing the ball are absolutely mashing it. Boston hopes Turley can work on bringing his ERA down before offering a promotion. -- Charlie Qualls
DETROIT SOUND 67-87 30 4-9
LOUISVILLE COLONELS 58-96 39 6-7		Louisville was VERY disappointed in their season. Not only was there no improvement but actually a decline. For the upcoming season the lineup will basically be the same but Ed Bailey and Steve Bilko may see significant action come mid season depending on how the Colonels are faring. Young Al Kaline is an outside shot for some time. With a slew of young underperforming pitching that has caused a shuttle from the big club to AAA Pittsburgh the Colonels will be deciding on the staff (both SP and RP) depending on spring training. The colonels "say" that they will give whoever comes out of ST at least 1/2 season on the club before they make any changes, but we wouldn't hold our breath. Probably the only sure lock to make the rotation is Antonelli. -- Mark Allen