Philadelphia ace Lefty Grove took a 3-hit shutout into the 8th, but the Detroit Tigers finally broke out, topping the Athletics 4-2 to take the 1st game of the series between the two teams. Mule Haas and Bing Miller led the Philly offense, each going 3 for 4. Haas had a triple and scored the 1st Athletics run in the 1st inning. The A’s lead 2-0 heading into the 8th. Grove struck out Gee Walker to lead off the 8th, his 6th K of the game. But Jo-jo White and Marv Owen hit back-to-back singles to get the rally started. Leadoff man Pete Fox followed with a game-tying double, and Mickey Cochrane singled to chase Grove. Eddie Rommel relieved but didn’t fare much better, allowing RBI singles to Charlie Gehringer and Hank Greenberg. Haas gunned down Gehringer going for 3rd on the Greenberg single before heavy rain delayed the game for 17 minutes. Rommel returned after the delay to escape the inning. Tommy Bridges scattered 10 hits and escaped some trouble, allowing just those 2 runs in 8 innings. The A’s chased Bridges in the 9th when Miller doubled, and Jimmy Dykes drew a walk. Roxie Lawson shut down the threat, retiring 3 straight for the save. The start of the game had been delayed by heavy rain for an hour.

’35 Tigers @ ’31 Athletics – 9/8/23

After needing a Game 5 win yesterday just to advance, the 1933 Washington Nationals came into the series with the 1939 New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium as heavy underdogs. A rare showing of power and some good pitching by General Crowder gave Washington an early series lead. Crowder allowed 3 runs on 8 hits while striking out 6 in his complete-game victory. Two of his allowed runs came when the Yankees put together 4 straight hits in the 4th inning. The Yankees Red Ruffing allowed just 5 hits, but walked 6 Nationals. But 2 of those hits were key home runs. Ossie Blueage hit a 2-run homer in the 7th to tie the game, and Joe Kuhel added a solo shot in the 9th for the go-ahead run. It was the 1st two home runs of the tournament for the Nationals. Jack Russell pitched a scoreless 9th to give Washington the 4-3 victory. Joe DiMaggio was hitless in 4 at-bats. DiMaggio struck out and grounded into a double play in his 1st game.

’33 Nationals @ ’39 Yankees – 9/8/23

It wasn’t pretty, but Washington’s Earl Whitehill pitched out of trouble several times to lead the Nationals to a 6-2 victory over the 1939 Boston Red Sox to advance in the Baseball Maelstrom Best of the 30s Tournament. It started early as Boston loaded the bases with one out in the 1st. But Joe Cronin struck out for the 1st of 3 times in the game, and Lou Finney popped up to Ossie Blueage. The Red Sox would have runners on in every inning that Whitehill pitched, but they couldn’t seem to do anything with them. Meanwhile, Lefty Grove allowed just 7 hits and struck out 7 in his 7 innings of work, but bad timing doomed him and Boston’s hopes. Grove allowed 6 straight baserunners in the 3rd inning, including 3 of his 4 walks to allow Washington to open up a 3-0 lead. Boston finally got to Whitehill in the 7th with back-to-back triples from Doc Cramer and Jimmie Foxx to cut the lead to 3-2. But in the 8th, the Nationals strung together 3 straight hits with 2 outs to score 3 more runs off reliever Emerson Dickman. Alex McColl pitched a perfect 9th to give Washington the win. As the Red Sox head home, the Nationals advance to play the 1939 New York Yankees in the real 1st round of the Tournament. The game was a rematch of the Game 1 starters with the same result.

’39 Red Sox @ ’33 Nationals – 9/7/23

Billy Werber was 3 for 4 with a walk, a home run, and 2 RBI, and Frank McCormick had a bases-loaded triple to lead the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates to advance to the next round of the Baseball Maelstrom Best of the 30s Tournament. The teams traded runs early against starters Lee Grissom and Bob Klinger before the 7th. That’s when Klinger walked 3 Reds to load the bases. Klinger struck out Ival Goodman, but Frank McCormick followed with the bases-clearing triple to give Cincinnati the 6-2 lead and eventual victory. Grissom finished with just two earned runs on 7 hits in 7 innings for the Reds. The loss eliminates the 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates from the tournament. The Reds will advance to play the top-seeded 1935 Chicago Cubs. Werber increased his average to .471 in the Tournament, while McCormick is batting .556. Lloyd Waner finished the Tournament with a disappointing .062 average.

’39 Reds @ ’38 Pirates – 9/5/23

The Washington Nationals were up by a run in the 10th and just 3 outs away from advancing in the Baseball Maelstrom Best of the 1930s Tournament, but the Boston Red Sox had other plans. Elden Auker and his unique submarine-style kept Washington hitters off-balance into the 7th inning when Luke Sewell hit an RBI single to tie the game at 2. Charlie Wagner had a rough 10th in relief for the Sox, loading the bases with no outs. But a Dave Harris Sac Fly plated the only Washington run. Meanwhile, Monte Weaver allowed just 7 hits and 2 runs in 9 innings for Washington. Jake Russell came in to close out the 10th, but walked Doc Cramer drew a walk to lead off the inning. Jimmie Foxx followed with a double. That’s when Ted Williams hit one back to the mound that Russell couldn’t hold on to, allowing the tying run to score. Two batters later, Lou Finney was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. Joe Vosmik was 0 for 4, but drew the bases-loaded walk to give the Boston Red Sox the win. After a day off for travel, the two teams will play back at Griffith Stadium to decide which will advance to face the 1939 New York Yankees.

’33 Nationals @ ’39 Red Sox – 9/5/23

Facing elimination in their first game at home, Cy Blanton and Paul Waner gave the Pittsburgh Pirates some hope. Blanton scattered 7 hits and struck out 5 in the 1st shutout of the Best of the Decades Tournament. Paul Waner kicked off the offense with a 2-run triple in the 3rd. Waner hit a double and scored on an RBI single by his brother Lloyd in the 6th. The 3-0 victory keeps Pittsburgh hopes alive. The teams will play again tomorrow. For the 2nd time in as many games, the Cincinnati lineup suffered another injury. In the 4th inning, Reds catcher Ernie Lombardi fell into the stands chasing down a foul ball. He’s expected to miss at least a week. Cincinnati center fielder Harry Craft will be returning to the lineup after missing a game after colliding with the outfield wall.

’39 Reds @ ’38 Pirates – 9/4/23

Facing elimination in their first game at home at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox showed they still had some fight left. Fritz Ostermueller retired the first 13 batters he faced, and allowed just 2 earned runs on 7 hits in 7 innings. Meanwhile, rookie Ted Williams continued to heat up. Williams was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and his 1st home run of the Tournament. He’s 5 for 8 in the last two games after an 0 for 4 start. Bobby Doerr added more power, hitting two solo shots in the leadoff spot. The Nationals Lefty Stewart struggled to find his rhythm, allowing 13 hits and 6 runs in 5 2/3 innings. The 7-3 win keeps Boston’s hopes alive. The teams will play a final game at Fenway tomorrow. If they Red Sox can win that one, the series will move back to Washington for the decisive 5th game.

’33 Nationals @ ’39 Red Sox – 9/4/23

The Cincinnati Reds offense continued to punish Pirates pitching en route to a 6-2 win, to take a 2-0 series lead and put Pittsburgh a loss away from a sweep and elimination. Frank McCormick picked up where he left off last game, doubling in Lonny Frey in the 1st inning and scoring on Ernie Lombardi’s single to give the Reds a 2-0 lead. The Pirates tied things up on a scary play in the 3rd. Johnny Rizzo hit one deep to center with 2 on and 2 out. Reds center fielder Harry Craft made a leaping attempt, but collided with the wall, leaving the game with an eye laceration. Rizzo ended up on 2nd with the bases-clearing double. Craft is expected to miss a few games. Unfortunately for the Pirates, their momentum was short-lived. Starter Jim Tobin gave up a lead-off triple to Lombardi en route to a 2-run inning to put the Reds back on top to stay. Tobin allowed 15 hits and 6 runs in 7 innings in the loss. Paul Derringer wasn’t sharp, but his 10 hits and 4 runs in 7 innings was good enough for the win. Gene Thompson allowed just a hit in 2 innings in relief for the save. The series heads to Pittsburgh where the Pirates hope to keep their hopes alive. The winner will face the 1935 Chicago Cubs in the opening round of the Tournament.

’38 Pirates @ ’39 Reds – 9/2/23

The Boston Red Sox couldn’t hold on to a lead, as the Washington Nationals had a 5-run 4th thanks to a broken-up double play to win 6-3 and take a 2-0 series lead. Lou Finney got the Sox on the board early with a 2-run single. A Bobby Doerr error led to an unearned run in the 3rd that cut the Red Sox lead in half before the big inning. Jack Wilson allowed three straight singles with one out to load the bases. Washington’s leadoff hitter, Buddy Myer, hit a sharp grounder to Doerr, who flipped to Joe Cronin for one out. But Luke Sewell’s slide prevented Cronin from turning two. Three more hits and a walk later, and the Nationals had a 6-2 lead, capped by Fred Schulte’s 2-run single. General Crowder allowed 12 hits, but Boston would only get one more run. The Nationals now have a chance for a sweep as the series heads to Fenway Park for Game 3. The winner will face the 1939 Yankees in the next round. Ted Williams was 2 for 4 in the loss. Schulte was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. He’s hitting .375 in the series.

’39 Red Sox @ ’33 Nationals – 9/2/23

The 1939 Cincinnati Reds destroyed the 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates 16-2 to make a statement in Game 1 of the 5-game Play-in Series in the Baseball Maelstrom Best of the 1930s Tournament. The Reds also turned a rare triple-play in the game. Pirates starter Russ Bauers lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing 8 runs on 8 hits, including 3 home runs. The Reds scored 4 runs each off relievers Joe Bowman and Ed Brandt. Five different Reds hitters hit homers, including back-to-back shots in the 8th by Billy Myers and Wally Berger. Frank McCormick led the offense, going 5 for 5 with a double, homer, and 3 RBI. Ival Goodman was 3 for 5 with 3 RBI, and Myers was 2 for 5 with 4 RBI. Bucky Walters went the distance, allowing 7 hits and walking 6, but holding the Pirates to 2 runs. Paul Waner hit a bases-loaded no-out single to drive in both runs. Brother Lloyd followed with a crazy play that ended the inning. Lloyd Waner hit a flyout to center, and Harry Craft gunned down Arky Vaughan at the plate for the 2nd out. Paul Waner tried to advance to 2nd after waiting to make sure the throw wasn’t cut-off, but was nailed by the throw from Ernie Lombardi to complete the 8-2-6 triple-play. The Pirates hope to shake off the embarrassing loss before tomorrow’s game.

’38 Pirates @ ’39 Reds – 9/1/23