West Race Tightens
Unhittable Carlton Leads Toppers Surge
ATLANTA (Sept. 24) -- The Atlanta Hilltoppers closed the gap from five games to one game in the span of six days, setting up one of the closest pennant races in UL history.  The Toppers won five of six games while the division-leading St. Louis Maroons lost five of six.  Atlanta pitchers allowed just five runs in the five wins behind gems by Earl Francis, Jim Perry, and especially Steve Carlton, who tossed a five-hit shutout at Washington Sept. 18 and followed it up with eight shutout innings in a 1-0 win over "Perfect" Dick Bosman at San Francisco Sept. 23.

Carlton is 9-1 with a 1.07 ERA in his last 10 starts, seven of which he allowed no earned runs.  He pitched 44 consecutive shutout innings from Aug. 4 to Sept. 1, hit a rough patch of three starts in early September, and has a current streak of 17 shutout innings.  Carlton (20-6, 2.12, 204 K) and Manhattan ace Johnny Podres (20-6, 2.08, 191K) are the leading candidates for the Cy Young Award and have very comparable stats, and some voters may use their late-season form as a tiebreaker.

Other hot Hilltoppers in the month of September include second baseman Bernie Allen (5 HR and 12 RBI in 22 games), shortstop Ron Hunt (.349 with 30 hits in 21 games), rookie catcher Ed Herrmann (.364 in 18 games), and closer Don Gross (0.79, 2 SV in 10 games).

St. Louis had a four-game lead after winning two of three against Atlanta Sept. 11-13, but has from poor performances by ace Bob Shaw (2-3, 5.40 in 5 starts) and rookie righthander Tom Phoebus (1-2, 6.30 in 4 starts), and catchers Johnny Romano (.171, .475 OPS) and Ellie Hendricks (.178, .447 OPS). 

The Maroons have led the West all season despite the loss of ace Don Sutton after just six starts and long spells on the DL for leadoff men Roy White and Joe Morgan.  The setbacks have been compensated for by surprising seasons for young and old alike.  Rookie pitchers Tom Phoebus (12-5, 3.81) and Luke Walker (9-4, 3.15) were thrust into regular starting roles and thrived, and 37-year-old Ron Kline (15-10, 3.86) bounced back after a dismal 1968 (5.91 in 14 starts).

Bas Streak Toward Pennant
11-1 Run Leaves Manhattan in the Dust
BROOKLYN (Sept. 24) -- Brooklyn won 11 of 12 to build a four-game lead over Manhattan with just seven games to play, closing in on their 10th East Division title in 14 years.  Southpaw Woodie Fryman is 4-0, 1.80 in 5 September starts.  The 29-year-old is having a breakout year, with a 15-6 record and 2.82 ERA after going 9-26 with a 4.52 ERA in his first three seasons.  Brooklyn's top two draft picks have established their roles in the staff.  Righthanded starter Bill Stoneman, the first round pick, is 6-2, 2.72 in seven starts since entering the rotation on Aug. 17.  After being chased after two innings in his first UL start, Stoneman pitched back to back outings without an earned run in 4-0 and 8-0 wins over Dallas and San Francisco.  Meanwhile, closer Dan McGinn, the second round pick, has notched 18 saves with a 2.68 ERA in 47 appearances.  Finally, 37-year-old Bob Friend, in his 19th UL season, has regained form after two off years, going 16-10 with a 3.38 ERA in 30 starts.

At the plate, Mickey Mantle has continued his torrid hitting (.353-10-21 with a 1.157 OPS in 21 games), winning Player of the Week Sept. 15, and Hank Aaron is slugging .654 in September, and shortstop Dick McAuliffe reached 100 RBIs for the first time in his career.