United League Baseball

STANDINGS
EAST	W	L	GB	Last
Brooklyn*	93	48	--	8-5
Washington	84	56	8.5	7-6
Detroit	67	74	26	4-9
Boston	62	79	31	7-7
New York	59	81	33.5	6-7
* Magic number = 6
WEST	W	L	GB	Last
Louisville+	73	67	--	6-8
St. Louis	73	68	0.5	7-7
Chicago	68	72	5	7-4
San Francisco	66	75	7.5	9-6
Los Angeles	58	83	15.5	6-8
+ Magic number = 14

TRADE

July 5
to BRO:	SP Dick Donovan ($1264) STL '58 3rd Rd Rookie pick
to STL:	C Yogi Berra ($6300) RF Gene Woodling ($4220) BRO '58 2nd Rd Rookie pick
July 31
to BRO:	MR Chet Nichols ($3500) C Hobie Landrith ($668) $500k cash
to NYG:	C Russ Nixon ($500) BRO '58 1st Rd Rookie pick BRO '59 2nd Rd Rookie pick
July 31
to BRO:	LOU's '58 3rd Rd Rookie pick
to LOU:	SP Bob Porterfield ($6600)

INJURED LIST

BOS	CF Mickey Mantle (5-6 wks) SP Harvey Haddix (5 days)
BRO	SP Paul Foytack (AAA) - career ending rotator cuff injury SP Don Mossi (1 wk) SP Lew Burdette (1 wk)
CHI	SP Whitey Ford (1-2 wks)
LA	RF Roberto Clemente (season) SP Jim Bunning (1-2 wks)
STL	SS Johnny 'Skids' Lipon (3 days)
WAS	1B Joe Adcock (2-3 wks)

DOWN THE STRETCH

United League of American Base Ball Clubs est. 1951

LEAGUE FILE (6/23) · HEADLINES · NEWS LOG · TRANSACTIONS · INJURIES · FINANCES
STANDINGS · BOX SCORES · SCHEDULE · BATTING · PITCHING · FIELDING · LEADERS
LEAGUE RULES · TEAM INFO · ROSTERS · FREE AGENTS · TOP PROSPECTS · TOP FARMS
TOP PERFORMANCES · RECORD BOOK · PAST LEADERS · CAREER LEADERS
BEGINNINGS · CITIES · BALLPARKS · PLAYER PHOTOS (1957) · OOTP 6.1 PATCH
TOTAL UL · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 DRAFTS
4/7 (Season Preview) · 4/17 · 5/1 · 5/16 · 6/1 · 6/16 · 7/5 · 7/16 · 7/31 · 8/16 · 9/1 · 9/17

Sept. 17, 1957

NEXT SIM
Sun 6/27 (to Sep 24)
Rosters due noon ET

UPCOMING SIMS
Wed 6/30 (to Oct 1)
Sat 7/3 (World Series
Games 1-2)

In the Nip of Time
Ninth Inning Rally Keeps Colonels in First
LOUISVILLE (Sept. 16) -- Nippy Jones delivered a two-out bases-loaded pinch hit in the ninth inning to cap a two-run rally and give the Louisville Colonels a 3-2 win over San Francisco. The win preserved first place for the Colonels, who lead the St. Louis Maroons by a half-game with two weeks left in the closest United League pennant race since 1951.
   San Francisco led 2-1 behind the five-hit effort of Tom Sturdivant, who left the game after walking Ed Bailey to lead off the ninth. Closer George Zuverink (7-5, 2.98, 29 SV) took the mound for the Spiders, and Hank Aaron singled to right, and rightfielder Jim Lemon nailed Bailey at third base for the first out, as Aaron went to second on the play. Bill Skowron and Elmer Valo were given free passes, loading the bases, and Jackie Jensen provided the tying run with a flyout to center, deep enough to plate Aaron from third. With two outs, Wayne Causey then reached on a Solly Hemus throwing error, again loading the bases. Nippy Jones then replaced Antonelli in the on-deck circle, and slapped the ball into right field to score Al Kaline for the winning run.
   Jones, a career minor leaguer who spent five years in the Chicago Colts organization and a year with St. Louis, is batting .304-1-7 in 29 games, 18 as a pinch hitter, eight as a first baseman, and three as a catcher. It was the second big RBI for Nippy in four days. On Sept. 12, Nippy hit a sacrifice fly in the three-run eighth inning that toppled St. Louis 5-2 in the rubber game of their three-game series. Prior to that game, the 'Nipster' did not have an RBI since July 9.
   Louisville and St. Louis have been neck-and-neck atop the West Division since late July. The two clubs have three more head-to-head meetings Sept. 17-19 at Sportsman's Park.


	The emergence of rookie St. Louis starter Jack Sanford (6-1, 3.86) has compensated for a week offense and kept the pressure on Louisville.

One-Hitter Keeps Maroons in Hunt
Rookie Jack Sanford Dominates Washington
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 15) -- Jack Sanford took a no-hitter into the seventh inning today, as the St. Louis Maroons blanked Washington 5-0 to maintain a first place tie with the Louisville Colonels. Dave Philley homered and Stan Musial was 3-for-4 for St. Louis. Joe Ginsberg's leadoff single in the seventh proved to be the only hit the 28-year-old rookie would concede. Sanford, the Maroons' first pick (9th overall) this spring, is 6-1, 3.86 in 7 games, including six starts. The righthander has been particularly strong in September, winning three straight starts and allowing just 16 hits in 26 innings for a .174 opponent batting average.
St. Louis has kept pace with Louisville since Sept. 1, when they lost in dramatic fashion at Chicago. Leading 11-8 in the ninth, Jim Brosnan retired the first two Chicago batters, when a Hector Lopez error opened the floodgates. Brosnan walked Gus Zernial and Bill Virdon to load the bases, setting up Jack Dittmer's game-tying pinch single. After manufacturing a go-ahead run in the 10th, St. Louis again blew the lead, as Sanford, St. Louis' seventh pitcher of the game, loaded the bases with a single and two walks. Despite the jam, the Maroons were still one out from victory when Gus Zernial stepped to the plate. Zernial deposited a Sanford fastball into the center field bleachers, winning the game 15-12 with a dramatic grand slam. It was Zernial's 37th home run, inching him one behind Ralph Kiner as both approached the single-season home run record.
After the demoralizing loss, the Dark Reds won their next two games to pull within a game of Louisville, then beat Boston 4-2 on Sept. 8 to move into a tie.

Colonels Win Key Series Over Maroons
Wehmeier, Antonelli Shut Down St. Louis
Focus Shifts to Sportsman's Park Next Week
LOUISVILLE (Sept. 12) -- In the first of two pivotal three-game series, the Louisville Colonels took two of three from St. Louis to maintain their slim lead over the Maroons. The teams entered the three-game set tied for first. The Colonels won the opener 6-1 on Herm Wehmeier's seven-hit complete game, chasing Larry Jansen in the sixth with a ten-hit barrage. It was Wehmeier's 20th win, making him the fourth 20-game winner this season. In Game 2, the Maroons jumped all over Bob Porterfield, with seven runs, four of which were unearned, on home runs by Gene Woodling and Del Crandall. Woodling's clout in the third was the longest of his UL career (448 feet). With first place riding on the rubber game, Johnny Antonelli anchored an eight-hitter and the Colonels prevailed 5-2. The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth, when the wheels fell off for St. Louis. Elmer Valo, Nippy Jones, and Wally Post each drove in a run, as the Colonels scored three on three hits, two walks, two sacrifices, and a stolen base. Don Cardwell and Cloyd Boyer combined to pitch two perfect innings in relief of Antonelli, who allowed eight hits and two runs in seven innings.
The clubs will meet again next week (Sept. 17-19) at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Louisville is dominating the season series to date, with 13 wins in 18 meetings.

Zernial, Kiner on Brink of HR Record
NEW YORK (Sept. 12) -- With two weeks left on the league calendar, Ralph Kiner's four-year-old single season home run record (41 HR in 1953) looks poised to fall, as Chicago's Gus Zernial and Kiner himself sit just one behind the record.
   Zernial and Kiner each have 40 home runs, tied for the league lead. Zernial threatened the record last season but fell two homers short after hitting just seven home runs in 49 games after Aug. 1. "Ozark Ike," 33, is having the best month of his season in September (.368-4-14, .763 SLG in 11 games). Kiner hit seven home runs in each of the first three months, before walloping nine in July and eight in August. After hitting his 38th home run on Aug. 21, Kiner seemed a sure bet to break his own record. But the Sound slugger fell into his worst slump of the season (.156 in last 13 games), and has just two round-trippers in his last 23 games. Kiner, the 11th overall pick in the 1951 Initial draft and two-time MVP (1951, 1956) has been the United League's most productive hitter, amassing 262 home runs with seven straight seasons with at least 35 home runs and 97 RBI.
   Of the other main individual races, the race for the batting crown is the most intriguing. As of Sept. 16, Brooklyn's Minnie Minoso leads teammate Granny Hamner by 2 pts (.369 to .367). But the larger story is the Superbas' possible sweep of the top four, possibly five, places in the batting race. Sandy Amoros (.343) has leapfrogged Richie Ashburn (.340) for third place, and Hobie Landrith is just a point behind St. Louis' Gene Woodling for fifth place. Meanwhile, Gene Conley is battling Carl Erskine for the win championship. Conley is 24-2 after suffering his first loss in 21 starts on Sept. 2. Erskine sits one win behind, at 23-6 overall, but is 9-0, 2.08 in his last 11 starts. The RBI, ERA, and strikeout races are all but decided, with Kiner, Conley, and Herb Score, respectively, holding sizable leads.

Rumors Swirl in Beantown
BOSTON (Sept. 17) -- Sources close to the Boston front office indicated this week that owner Charles Benson Qualls is giving serious consideration to relocating the troubled franchise. The source identified waning fan interest and continuing revenue shortfalls as prime motivators for the proposed move. Though attendance has increased the last two years from a 1954 nadir (a UL-record low of 807,445), the club is averaging only 13,300 per game over the last three seasons, about 38 percent below the league average. Only Detroit has had a smaller gate over that period.
   Civic leaders in Philadelphia have been actively lobbying for a UL franchise. The city was home to two (largely unsuccessful) major league teams for 50 years before the bankruptcy and dissolution of the American and National Leagues in 1950. To the bitter consternation of fans and city officials, the City of Brotherly Love was left off the UL slate twice -- once in 1951, when tiny Louisville appeared on the franchise list but Philly did not, and again in 1955, when owners choose two West Coast sites for the first round of expansion.
   UL President Timothy J. Smith has said that their will be another round of expansion, bringing the league to 12 teams, but has given no timetable. Philadelphia is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Beacons.

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W E S T D I V I S I O N		E A S T D I V I S I O N
Louisville Colonels Mark Allen		Brooklyn Superbas Glen Reed

St. Louis Maroons Tim Smith		Washington Monuments Jay Kaplan	The Mon are 2-5 in their last 7 and have scored just 54 runs in their last 16 games (3.4 per game).
		The defending champs are 25-25 since their record breaking first half. Key slumpers of late include Hank Thompson (.139-0-2 in last 11 games), Willie Mays (2-for-17 in last 6 games), and Sherm Lollar (1-for-12 in last 5 games). Carl Erskine is 9-0, 2.08 in his last 11 starts, and Stu Miller is 3-0, 2.57 in his last three starts. The other starters have been less impressive. Warren Hacker has lost four straight, despite a four-hit gem in a 1-0 loss to San Francisco Sept. 10. And Dave Koslo was smacked mercilessly (9 runs in 0.2 innings) on Sept. 11 and lost two straight after going 6-1 in 8 previous starts.
Chicago Colts Lance Mueller	Continued dominance of L.A. with a three-game sweep at home Sept. 10-12, but lost 2 of 3 at L.A.	Detroit Sound Sean Holloway	Malzone (Sept. 6) and Cunningham (Sept. 10) had two-homer games.
The Colts took advantage of Louisville's and St. Louis' slumps, winning 7 of 11 games to slice their deficit 2.5 games to 5 games. The pennant remains in their grasp -- of their last 14 games, five are at Louisville and the final three are at home vs. St. Louis. To have a chance, however, the pitching must stabilize. "Baby Joe" Presko is the only consistent starter lately (3-0, 1.73 in last 3 starts). Fifth starter Bill Henry (1-4, 5.73) has lost three straight starts. . . Ernie Banks has pennant fever, batting .591-2-9 in his last 5 games. He drove in his 100th run on Sept. 14. . . Bill Virdon celebrated his contract renewal by batting 7-for-12 with 6 RBIs in 4 games.		Frank Malzone has emerged from a summer slump. The rookie third baseman hit .425-4-25 in May, but then wilted like a pansy in the summer heat. (I'm not saying Malzone is a pansy, I'm saying he wilted like one. Hold your hate mail.) Frankie hit .259-3-37 in 68 games in June, July, and August. Since Sept. 1, he has he swing swing back (.364-2-7, .545 SLG in 12 games). "Take Me Home" Dusty Rhodes is hot too, batting .440 (11-25) in his last 6 games. Manager Sean Holloway slotted him in the leadoff spot on Sept. 1. Johnny Podres' bad luck continues. The 24-year-old southpaw is 1-2 in his last 5 starts, despite 4 quality starts.
San Francisco Spiders John Nellis	The Spiders won 3 of 4 in D.C., including a combined 3-hit 1-0 shutout by Score and Zuverink.	New York Gothams Shawn Martin	Don Buddin was New York's fourth Player of the Week 9/8 (Busby twice and Church).
The Spiders are poised to finish ahead of expansion rivals Los Angeles for the first time, after finishing 21 games and 6 games behind them in '55 and '56. Bobby Shantz is 4-0, 2.91 in his last 5 starts, including a three-hitter against Chicago on Sept. 7. Shantz is 5-0, 2.41 in 5 starts against the Colts. Seven-year minor leaguer Ed Fitz Gerald, drove in four runs in an 18-2 rout of Washington on Sept. 11. . . Herb Score struck out 13 Colonels in a three-hit 2-1 win on Sept. 2, but also broke the record for most walks in a season (148) in the same game.		Don Buddin hit .429 and slugged .941 in the week ending Sept. 7 to win Player of the Week. The shortstop broke out of a 1-for-22 slump with an 11-game hitting streak Sept. Aug. 31-Sept. 12. Irv Noren has managed to drive in eight runs despite hitting .116 in his last 13 games. He had 4 RBI in a 10-6 win over Brooklyn Sept. 6, and hit a three-run homer in a 5-2 win at Fenway Park Sept. 15. Bubba Church (18-15, 3.89) is closing in on 20 wins, going 3-0, 2.77 in his last 3 starts.
Los Angeles Outlaws Chris McCreight	Due to finances, Clemente was the only keeper out of a renewal class of 15 players.	Boston Beacons Charlie Qualls	The Beeks won five straight Sept. 2-6, but are just 2-6 since.
Dale Long drove in 5 runs in the Outlaws' 11-4 win at Louisville Sept. 7. Long is batting .462 (7-13) with 6 RBI in his last 7 games. Roy Campanella and Frank Robinson are tied for the club lead with 23 HR. Campy leads Robinson 82 to 81 in RBIs. Rookie Ed Bouchee, who hit .316-41-110 in 127 games at Dallas (AAA), leads the team with 9 RBIs in September. Center fielder Johnny Groth leads the league with 16 outfield assists.		Larry Jackson lost his 20th game Sept. 10, establishing a Beacons club record for losses, and he lost in style: a 19-3 drubbing by New York. After tying the record with his 19th loss on Aug. 13, Jackson was 3-0 in his next four starts. Gil Coan had four hits against New York on Sept. 15. Coanie apparently favors Gotham pitching (.383). He had four hits against them on May 19. Hank Aguirre is 3-0, 2.38 in his last three starts and boasts the league's 7th best ERA (3.31).

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BATTING AVERAGE

HOME RUNS

RBI

OPS

RUNS SCORED

Minnie Minoso, BRO	.369
Granny Hamner, BRO	.367
Sandy Amoros, BRO	.343
Richie Ashburn, BRO	.340
Gene Woodling, STL	.315
Hobie Landrith, BRO	.314
Jim Busby, NYG	.311
*Ernie Banks, CHI	.308
*Dale Long, LA	.307
*Willard Marshall, STL	.307

Ralph Kiner, DET	40
Gus Zernial, BOS	40
Hank Aaron, LOU	34
Gil Hodges, CHI	33
Ernie Banks, CHI	31
Rocky Colavito, SF	30
Willie Mays, WAS	29
Ed Bailey, LOU	29
*Eddie Mathews, BOS	24
3 tied with	23

Ralph Kiner, DET	122
Granny Hamner, BRO	104
Ernie Banks, CHI	102
Gus Zernial, CHI	97
Minnie Minoso, BRO	94
Rocky Colavito, SF	91
Jim Lemon, SF	91
Hank Aaron, LOU	88
Bill Skowron, LOU	88
*Gene Woodling, STL	88

Minnie Minoso, BRO	1004
Granny Hamner, BRO	971
Ralph Kiner, DET	959
Hank Aaron, LOU	946
Sandy Amoros, BRO	935
Willie Mays, WAS	929
Ernie Banks, CHI	920
Gene Woodling, STL	900
*Gus Zernial, CHI	891
*Ed Bailey, LOU	889

BROOKLYN	763
CHICAGO	682
LOUISVILLE	675
DETROIT	671
WASHINGTON	671
SAN FRANCISCO	656
ST. LOUIS	636
LOS ANGELES	625
BOSTON	620
NEW YORK	615

EARNED RUN AVERAGE

WINS

STRIKEOUTS

RATIO

RUNS ALLOWED

Gene Conley, BRO	2.37
Billy Pierce, STL	2.88
Carl Erskine, WAS	3.17
Whitey Ford, CHI	3.22
Johnny Antonelli, LOU	3.28
Spec Shea, STL	3.29
Hank Aguirre, BOS	3.31
Bob Friend, NYG	3.36
Don Mossi, BRO	3.44
Pedro Ramos, DET	3.44

Gene Conley, BRO	24
Carl Erskine, WAS	23
Pedro Ramos, DET	21
Herm Wehmeier, LOU	21
Bubba Church, NYG	18
Stu Miller, WAS	18
Billy Pierce, STL	18
Dave Koslo, WAS	17
5 tied with	15

Herb Score, SF	254
Gene Conley, BRO	198
Johnny Antonelli, LOU	190
Billy Pierce, STL	167
Herm Wehmeier, LOU	157
Whitey Ford, CHI	155
Vinegar B. Mizell, LOU	155
Don Mossi, BRO	153
Robin Roberts, CHI	148
Stu Miller, WAS	146

Gene Conley, BRO	9.1
Billy Pierce, STL	9.7
Whitey Ford, CHI	10.4
Carl Erskine, WAS	10.4
Bob Friend, NYG	10.5
Lew Burdette, BRO	10.6
Robin Roberts, CHI	10.9
*Herm Wehmeier, LOU	11.0
Johnny Antonelli, LOU	11.1
Sam Zoldak, STL	11.3

BROOKLYN	547
WASHINGTON	608
ST. LOUIS	624
LOUISVILLE	626
NEW YORK	671
CHICAGO	675
BOSTON	686
DETROIT	687
LOS ANGELES	745
SAN FRANCISCO	745

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BATTER OF THE MONTH			PLAYER OF THE WEEK					MILESTONES
APR	Dick Kokos, STL		4/14	Bill Skowron, LOU	7/7	Bubba Church, NYG		Willie Mays, WAS 1,000th hit (Sept. 14), #6 all-time Ralph Kiner, DET 800th RBI (Sept. 2), #1 all-time Roy Campanella, LA 700th RBI (Sept. 7), #2 all-time Billy Pierce, STL 2,000 innings (Sept. 12), #1 all-time Ray Narleski, LA 100th save (Aug. 31), #5 all-time Stu Miller, WAS 20th shutout (Sept. 8), #1 all-time
MAY	Ernie Banks, CHI		4/21	Don Mossi, BRO	7/14	Jim Busby, NYG (2)
JUN	Granny Hamner, BRO		4/28	Dick Kokos, STL	7/21	Roy Campanella, LA (2)
JUL	Jim Busby, NYG		5/5	Stu Miller, WAS	7/28	Ralph Kiner, DET
AUG	Minnie Minoso, BRO		5/12	Frank Thomas, BRO	8/4	Tom Brewer, DET
SEP			5/19	Jim Busby, NYG	8/11	Walt Moryn, CHI
PITCHER OF THE MONTH			5/26	Bill Skowron, LOU (2)	8/18	Minnie Minoso, BRO
APR	Stu Miller, WAS		6/2	Ed Bailey, LOU	8/25	Dick Kokos, STL
MAY	Dave Koslo, WAS		6/9	Granny Hamner, BRO	9/1	Hank Aaron, LOU
JUN	Carl Erskine, WAS		6/16	Hank Aaron, LOU	9/8	Don Buddin, NYG
JUL	Gene Conley, BRO		6/23	Roy Campanella, LA	9/15	Granny Hamner, BRO (2)
AUG	Carl Erskine, WAS		6/30	Ernie Banks, CHI	9/22
SEP					9/29
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