Al Simmons became the 1st player to hit for the cycle as the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics topped the 1933 Washington Nationals 8-7 in a game that saw 5 lead changes. Washington scored twice in the 1st off George Earnshaw, but Philadelphia responded with 2 runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, capped by Simmons’ solo home run. His triple in the 5th tied the game, and he scored on a Jimmie Foxx single. Washington retook the lead in the 7th on RBI hits from Joe Cronin and Fred Schulte. Nationals starter General Crowder took a 7-5 lead into the 8th, but allowed 3 straight hits to start the inning. Jack Russell couldn’t save it, allowing a 2-run go-ahead double to Max Bishop. With 2 outs, Simmons came up needing just a single for the cycle, and he connected for a clean hit up the middle. Simmons finished 4 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs, and 2 RBI. He’s hitting .581 in the tournament. Washington was set down in order in the 9th, and the Athletics now have a 2-0 series lead.

’33 Senators @ ’31 Athletics – 9/16/23

Cincinnati leftfielder Wally Berger hit 3 solo home runs to lead the Reds in a 5-3 win over the 1934 New York Giants, evening the series 1-1. Berger hit his 1st homer in the 2nd inning to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. After Gus Mancuso hit a 2-run homer for the Giants, Berger hit a 2nd solo shot in the 5th to tie the game. His 3rd homer in the 9th extended the Cincinnati lead to 5-3. Berger now has 5 homers in the Tournament. The Giants collected 15 hits against Paul Derringer, but left 7 runners in scoring position. The series now heads back to Cincinnati all tied up.

’39 Reds @ ’34 Giants – 9/16/23

The 1939 New York Yankees topped the 1935 Detroit Tigers 5-2 to put the Tigers a game away from elimination. Detroit put up 12 hits and walked 4 times, but finished with just two runs to show for it. Six of those runners were left in scoring position, as New York Yankees starter Lefty Gomez found ways to get out of innings. Meanwhile, New York made the most of their baserunners. Joe Gordon and Tommy Henrich hit solo home runs. Tiger shortstop Billy Rogell made a costly error to lead off the 7th, which led to two unearned runs on a George Selkirk single. General Crowder got into trouble again in the 8th when Joe DiMaggio hit one off the wall for a triple. Pete Fox collided with the wall and was forced to leave the game. He’s expected to miss at least a week with an injured collarbone. As the series heads to Detroit, the Tigers will need to win the next 3 to avoid elimination.

’35 Tigers @ ’39 Yankees – 9/16/23

Hal Schumacher scattered 7 hits and allowed just 2 runs as the New York Giants topped the Cincinnati Reds in the 1st game of the elimination series between the teams. Ernie Lombardi’s solo home run in the 2nd was the lone Cincinnati run until the 9th. Schumacher had also only allowed 4 hits until that inning, when Billy Myers led off the inning with his 3rd homer of the Tournament. Reds ace Bucky Walters struggled. Jo-Jo Moore and Mel Ott hit solo shots in the 1st, and Blondy Ryan’s 2-run bases-loaded single kicked off a 3-run 6th for New York. Walters hit two batters in the game and also threw back-to-back wild pitches that led to a run in the 5th. Every Giants batter had a hit. Ott now has 6 homers in 6 games for New York.

’39 Reds @ ’34 Giants – 9/15/23

Yankees ace Red Ruffing allowed just 1 run on 5 hits in a complete game victory over the 1935 Detroit Tigers. The real story was the Yankees offense. New York came into the 1st game of this elimination bracket series with the lowest batting average in the American League, after being swept by the Washington Nationals in 3 games. Today, the Yankees hitters waited for their pitches, and the patience paid off. Detroit’s Elden Auker walked the bases loaded in the 3rd, and Joe DiMaggio hit a triple to put the 1st 3 runs on the board for New York. In the 5th, the Yankees scored 3 more on a Charlie Keller 3-run homer that took advantage of the short rightfield line. The next inning, George Selkirk got in on the action, capping another 3-run inning with a 2-run shot of his own. Hank Greenberg’s 8th inning sacrifice fly was the lone Tiger run. DiMaggio has been slumping to start the tournament, but went 2 for 4. Ruffing has now allowed just 5 hits in each of his 1st two complete game starts. Yankees fans are hoping that this is just the start as the team tries to work their way back up in the Tournament.

’35 Tigers @ ’39 Yankees – 9/15/23

Burleigh Grimes earned his 1st win of the tournament, as the 1931 St. Louis Cardinals battered the 1935 Chicago Cubs 11-4 at Wrigley Field to hand them their 1st loss. The Cubs had swept the 1939 Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round. Grimes allowed just a run in the 1st 6 innings to give St. Louis a chance to build a lead. Pepper Martin got the scoring going against Bill Lee, hitting a solo home run to lead off the 4th. The Cardinals built a 5-1 lead, scoring 2 runs in the 5th and 6th innings. Billy Jurges made a costly error in the 8th that lead to two more St. Louis runs. Phil Cavaretta hit a 2-run single to cut the lead to 7-4, but that’s as close as Chicago would get, as reliever Hugh Casey allowed 4 hits and walked 3 in a 4-run 9th. Jimmie Wilson went 3 for 5 and drove in 3 RBI for the Cardinals.

’31 Cardinals @ ’35 Cubs – 9/15/23

Roy Mahaffey allowed just 3 hits in 6 1/3 innings as the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics topped the 1933 Washington Nationals 6-2 to take the 1st game of their series. Mahaffey walked 6 and hit two batters, but the only run he allowed was unearned, as the Philadelphia defense helped him by turning four double plays. Washington lead-off hitter, Buddy Myer was the 2nd hit-by-pitch victim. This one, in the 7th with one out, led to both benches clearing. When order was restored, Myer and Mahaffey were ejected. Earl Whitehill allowed 4 hits and walked one with 3 outs in the 3rd as the Athletics scored 3 of their runs to take a lead they wouldn’t give up. Al Simmons was an offensive standout, going 3 for 3 with a walk. Mule Haas was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.

’33 Senators @ ’31 Athletics – 9/15/23

A deciding Game 5 between the New York Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals, billed as a matchup of aces Carl Hubbell and Bill Hallahan, turned into an offensive show. Mel Ott hit his tournament-leading 5th home run, and the Giants took a 4-0 lead into the 4th. Pepper Martin led off a 3-run inning for the Cardinals with a solo homer and added a game-tying RBI double in the next inning. The teams traded runs over the next few innings. In the 8th, for the 2nd time in the game, Martin gunned down a Giants runner at the plate, this time to end the inning. Cardinals reliever Jim Lindsey pitched out of a jam in the 9th to keep the game tied at 6. Chick Hafey led off the bottom half with a single, and Jim Bottomley hit a walk-off double in the gap to take the series for the Cardinals. They’ll face the 1935 Chicago Cubs tomorrow, while the Giants will face the 1939 Reds in the Loser’s Bracket. Lefty O’Doul was injured running to 1st in the 5th inning. His replacement Johnny Vergez hit a solo shot in his 1st at-bat.

’34 Giants @ ’31 Cardinals – 9/14/23