Update: 9/4/1939
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Gibson |
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Josh Gibson, Sacramento’s slugging catcher,
captured Player of the Week honors after a .526
(10-for-19), one homer, five runs batted in
performance. Gibson is having another productive
campaign, hitting .348 with 21 HR and 97 RBI.
That’s good enough for fifth in the league in
hitting and second in RBI (just three behind San
Francisco’s Joe DiMaggio, who drove in his 100th
run this week).
The Solons (67-61) have won four straight and are
now just a half-game behind second-place San
Francisco (68-60). Portland (63-64) trails the
Seals by 4½, Oakland (63-65) trails them by five,
San Diego (62-66) trails them by six, and Seattle
(60-68) trails them by eight. On the opposite ends
of the standings are Los Angeles (79-48), who lead
San Francisco by 11½ games, and Hollywood (49-79),
who trail the Angels by 30½ and the Seals by 19.
Update: 8/28/1939
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Clarkson |
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Buzz Clarkson is Portland’s 24-year-old rookie
shortstop. To say that he has enjoyed a productive
first season in the Pacific Coast League would be
to severely understate the case. Clarkson is
hitting .314 with 20 home runs and 79 runs batted
in—numbers that would make most veterans proud.
This week he earned a Player of the Week nod by
slamming three homers, knocking in seven, and
hitting a robust .560 (14-for-25). The Beavers
(60-61) won only two games this week, but even if
the club falls short of the playoffs this season
fans will remember it as the year their star
shortstop made his astonishing debut.
There was little movement in the standings this
week. Los Angeles (64-57) went 4-3 and the Angels
hold an 11½-game lead over San Francisco (64-57).
The Seals also won four but played one fewer game,
so they picked up a half-game on the leaders and
on third-place Sacramento (63-58), who also went
4-3 to remain 12½ games out of first. Portland
maintained fourth place but dipped below .500 and
is now 15½ games back. Oakland and San Diego (both
59-62) are now tied for fifth, 16½ games out,
Seattle (58-64) is still seventh, 18 games out,
and Hollywood (46-75) appears to have a lock on
the cellar, 29½ games back.
Update: 8/21/1939
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Heath |
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The hottest team in the P.C.L. right now is not
league-leading Los Angeles (72-43), but
suddenly-fourth-place Portland (58-57). The
Beavers are on a seven-game winning streak, and
after sweeping San Diego (56-58) this week, they
are just two games behind second-place San
Francisco (60-55). Portland was in seventh place
just two weeks ago, and now they’re knocking on
the door to the playoffs. With seven weeks left in
the season, only five games separate second and
seventh place. The Angels’ lead seems safe, but
after that the race is wide open: the Seals are 12
games back; Sacramento (59-55) trails by 12½;
Portland trails by 14; the Padres trail by 15½;
Oakland (55-59) trails by 16½; Seattle (55-60)
trails by 17.
Hollywood (43-71) would prefer to forget about
this season, but left fielder Jeff Heath is still
playing like the games matter. Heath took home
Player of the Week honors after hitting .500
(12-for-24) with a homer and six runs batted in
this week. Heath is a .289 hitter this season,
adding 15 home runs, 66 RBI, and 70 runs scored to
his resumé.
George Scales of Los Angeles collected his 3000th
hit on Monday, becoming the fourth player to amass
that number in Coast League play. He joins Turkey
Stearnes, Tony Lazzeri, and Cool Papa Bell in the
elite club. Seattle catcher Biz Mackey is poised
to be the next to attain the mark; he needs 35
more hits to do it.
Update: 8/14/1939
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Lazzeri |
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Tony Lazzeri’s great career in the Pacific Coast
League is probably in the early stages of winding
down, but it’s hard to tell from the way he’s
playing. The 35-year-old Portland second baseman
certainly looked more like a young man this week,
hitting .545 with three home runs and ten runs
batted in. Indeed, Lazzeri has barely shown hints
of his true age all season, with nine homers and
50 RBI augmenting a .332 average. While taking
home Player of the Week honors he also led the
Beavers (52-57) to four wins in six games. It was
almost enough to get the club out of
seventh place, where they have resided most of the
season; Portland is now a half-game behind
sixth-place Oakland (52-56).
Los Angeles (69-40) didn’t fare quite as well,
earning just a split in their six games, but the
Angels will be near-impossible to catch even if
they only play .500 ball the rest of the way. The
Halos lead Sacramento (57-51) by 11½ games, San
Francisco (56-53) by 13, San Diego (55-53) by 13½,
Seattle (53-56) by 16. the Oaks by 16½, the
Beavers by 17, and Hollywood (40-68) by 28½.
Update: 8/7/1939
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Williams |
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Another week, another Player of the Week Award
for Ted Williams. The San Diego slugger collected
18 hits in 34 at-bats for a .529 average, hitting
three home runs and driving in eight along the
way. Unfortunately the Padres (51-51) dropped four
of seven and dropped to 14½ games behind Los
Angeles (66-37), but they remained in the hunt for
second place, trailing Sacramento (55-47) by just
four games. Williams saved his biggest day of the
year for the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader,
going 5-for-6 with a triple and a home run,
driving in four and scoring four as the Friars
crushed Portland (48-55), 26-10.
Elsewhere the Angels remain firmly in control of
the top spot, leading the Solons by 10½ games. San
Francisco (51-52) is 15 back, Oakland (50-52)
trails by 15½, Seattle (50-53) trails by 16, the
Beavers trail by 18, and Hollywood (39-63) trails
by 26½.
Update: 7/31/1939
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Williams |
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20-year-old Ted Williams, a San Diego native, is
having quite a year for the local Padres (48-47).
With a .342 average, 16 home runs, and 63 runs
batted in, he leads the club in all three
categories. This week he really put on a show,
hitting .441 with three HR and 13 RBI as the
Friars embarked on what so far is a six-game
winning streak. San Diego was looking close to
moribund before the week began but now the Padres
are over .500, in the first division, and within
four games of second place, which of course
represents a playoff berth. There’s still a bit of
hill to climb but Padres fans may rejoice; their
team is far from finished in the 1939 race. As for
Williams, his star has certainly arrived.
Los Angeles (61-35) stumbled to a 2-4 finish this
week but the Angels remain 8½ games ahead of
second-place Sacramento (52-43), who also lost
four of six. Third-place Oakland (49-46) went just
3-3 but in so doing picked up a game on both
leaders; the Oaks are 11½ behind the Halos and
three behind Sacramento. The Padres are 12½ games
out of first, Seattle (48-48) is 13 back, San
Francisco (46-50) is 15 back, Portland (45-51) is
16 back, and Hollywood (33-62) is 27½ back.
Update: 7/24/1939
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Wells |
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Seattle (46-43) is on the rise. The Rainiers
dropped the first game they played this week, 2-1
to Sacramento (50-39), but were victorious in the
next five, with two triumphs over the Solons and
three over Oakland (also 46-43). These are
precisely the teams the Rainiers must beat if they
hope to make a playoff run. Seattle is now tied
with the Oaks for third place, 12½ games behind
first-place Los Angeles (59-31) but a manageable
four behind second-place Sacramento.
The Rainiers’ star shortstop, Willie Wells,
earned the Player of the Week award with his
gritty .464, 1-HR, 9-RBI performance. The
33-year-old is having another fine season, hitting
.306 with a team-leading 11 home runs and 58 runs
batted in, and, of course, his usual stellar
defense.
Update: 7/17/1939
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Johnson |
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It was another good week for Los Angeles (55-29),
as the Angels won four of six and increased their
lead over Sacramento (46-37) to a hefty 8½ games.
The World Champion Solons are struggling; over the
past two weeks they’ve dropped seven of ten
against Oakland (45-38) and two of three against
Seattle (41-42). But they remain in second place,
a game ahead of Oaks and five games ahead of the
Rainiers.
Thanks to a poor April and May, Portland (37-46)
has not really been a player in this year’s
pennant race (currently sitting 17½ games out of
first and nine out of second), but the Beavers
have put together consecutive .500+ weeks, so they
at least seem to have righted the ship. Their top
hitter, Bob Johnson, is having his usual solid
campaign and earned Player of the Week honors this
week by hitting .455 (10-for-22) with four home
runs and nine runs batted in. Johnson is just a
couple of ticks under .300 this year (.297) but is
second in the league in home runs (18) and tied
for third in RBI (59).
Update: 7/10/1939
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Mackey |
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Los Angeles (51-27) was victorious in five of
seven games this week, so the Angels’ lead over
second-place Sacramento (44-33) is back to a
commanding 6½ games. Nobody is taking anything for
granted at this point, but one could be forgiven
for shifting one’s focus to a more hotly-contested
battle, such as the one for second place. In that
one Oakland (42-35), having defeated the Solons
five times in seven tries this week, now trails
them by just two games. The Northern California
rivals play each other three more times over the
next three days—and then not again until the final
week of the season—so those games are as big as
games in July can be.
Biz Mackey, Seattle’s ageless catcher, seems
intent on keeping the fourth-place Rainiers
(38-39) in the hunt, but the club dropped four of
seven this week and are six games behind
Sacramento. You can’t blame their struggles on
Mackey—all he did was hit .455 (10-for-22) with a
pair of homers and eleven runs batted in. A .299
hitter for the season, the 41-year-old Mackey
boasts a .332 career average in the Coast League.
Update: 7/3/1939
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Kelleher |
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Frankie Kelleher batted only four times this
week, but he made his limited time on the field
count. On Tuesday at Portland (29-41), he went
3-for-3—with three home runs. The Oakland (37-33)
left fielder drove in six of of his team’s nine
runs as the Oaks crushed the Beavers 9-3. Kelleher
is hitting .283 but has ten home runs in 178 AB,
so he’s making a case for more playing time.
Sacramento (42-28) won five of their seven games
this week, enabling them to pick up a game on Los
Angeles (46-25). The Angels lead the Solons by 3½
games, the Oaks by 8½, Seattle (35-35) by 10½, San
Diego (34-35) and San Francisco (35-36) by 11,
Portland by 16½, and Hollywood (22-47) by 23.
Update: 6/26/1939
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Heath |
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Hollywood (18-44) appears to be en route to the
worst season in franchise history but not every
member of the Stars is just going through the
motions. Left fielder Jeff Heath, for one, is
still playing every game like there’s a pennant on
the line. This past week Heath went 13-for-26 for
a .500 average, picking up three home runs and
nine runs batted in along the way. The Stars? They
lost four of six, including the last three in a
row to arch-rival Los Angeles (42-22).
By winning five of six the aforementioned Angels
regained a bit of the margin they lost last week
and now lead second-place Sacramento (37-26) by 4½
games. The Solons maintained their lead over
third-place Oakland (33-30); the Oaks trail the
Halos by 8½ and the Solons by four. Fourth-place
Seattle (32-31) is 9½ games out of first, San
Francisco (32-32) and San Diego (31-31) are both
10 games out, Portland (27-36) is 14½ back and
Hollywood trails by 23.
Update: 6/19/1939
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Gibson |
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How often does a team get off to a good start in
the P.C.L., and then just coast the rest of the
way to an easy pennant? Almost never, and it
doesn’t appear that it’s going to happen this
year, either. Los Angeles (37-21) had built up a
6½-game lead over their closest competitors, but a
perfect week by second-place Sacramento
(34-23)—including three wins in three games with
the Angels—has the Solons knocking at the door,
trailing the Halos by just 2½-games.
Solons catcher Josh Gibson was the catalyst to
his team’s success, hitting .545 to nab Player of
the Week accolades. Gibson is hitting .348 this
season, with eight home runs and 40 runs batted
in. The 40 RBI is tied for fourth-most in the
loop, just five behind league-leader (and
Sacramento teammate) Joe Cronin.
Seattle (31-26), with nine wins in their last
eleven games, has climbed into third place, 5½
games behind Los Angeles. Oakland (30-27) remains
6½ back, San Francisco (29-29) is eight back, San
Diego (27-29) is nine back, Portland (24-33) is
12½ back, and Hollywood (16-40) trails by 20.
Update: 6/12/1939
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Irvin |
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Even in a largely forgettable season there will
be events that are worth remembering. The year
Hollywood (13-37) is having is the kind a team
would prefer to pretend never happened, and
although they didn’t exactly set the world on fire
this week, winning three and losing three, they
were treated to a glimpse of what looks like a
much brighter future. The Stars’ 20-year-old
shortstop, Monte Irvin, collected 13 hits in 26 at
bats for a neat .500 average, earning a Player of
the Week nod along the way. Irvin is hitting .286
with six home runs and 28 RBI in this, his rookie
season.
Elsewhere not a whole lot looks different from
last week, as every team in the league split its
six scheduled games except Seattle (26-25), who
won four, and San Diego (26-24), who lost four.
Los Angeles (35-17) remains at the top; Sacramento
and Oakland (both 28-23) are 6½ games out; the
Padres and San Francisco (27-25) are eight out;
the Rainiers are 8½ out; Portland (21-30) is 13½
out, and the Stars are 21 out.
Update: 6/5/1939
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Stearnes |
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It was quite a week for Turkey Stearnes, and
quite a week for Los Angeles (32-14). On Wednesday
Stearnes picked up his 3500th major league hit.
Stearnes is already the all-time Coast League
leader in hits and Ty Cobb is the only major
leaguer with more than Turkey. Overall the
38-year-old Stearnes hit .500 for the week
(12-for-24) with four home runs, six runs batted
in, and nine runs scored. He’s hitting .345 on the
season.
Stearnes’ Player of the Week performance led the
Angels to six wins in seven games, and suddenly
L.A. has opened up a 6½-game lead over Oakland and
Sacramento (both 25-20). The race for second
remains tight, however; San Diego (24-20) is just
a half-game behind the Oaks and Solons; San
Francisco (24-22) is just 1½ games out of
second, and Seattle (22-23) is just three games
removed from a coveted postseason berth.
Update: 5/29/1939
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Dandridge |
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San Francisco’s Ray Dandridge was the league’s
standout performer this week, hitting .500 (a neat
15-for-30) while driving in 12 runs. The
slick-fielding third-sacker is hitting .350 with a
league-leading 16 doubles; his 30 RBI also ties
him for the league lead with Sacramento’s Joe
Cronin.
Dandridge’s fireworks were enough to propel the
Seals to four wins in seven games, but that was
not sufficient to keep San Francisco on pace with
first-place Los Angeles (26-13), or second-place
Oakland (23-15); they did pick up a half-game on
third-place Sacramento (22-16). The Angels lead
the Oaks by 2½ games, the Solons by 3½, the Seals
by five, San Diego (20-18) by 5½, Seattle (19-20)
by seven, Portland (14-25) by twelve, and
Hollywood (9-29) by 16½.
Update: 5/22/1939
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Williams |
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Los Angeles (20-12) stayed atop the standings
with a 4-2 record this week, but the Angels can
hardly rest on their laurels, with five teams
within three games of them. Sacramento (19-13)
also went 4-2 and are now in sole possession of
second place, a game behind the Halos. San Diego
and Oakland (both 18-14) are two games back and
San Francisco and Seattle (both 17-15) are three
back.
Ted Williams, the Padres’ 20-year-old left
fielder, is already in his fourth season, and even
after a breakout 1938, during which he reached the
20-home-run plateau for the first time, he still
has goals to achieve. One of those goals is to hit
.300 for a season (his career high is .284). This
may be the year he does that—after a .519
(14-for-27) performance this week, his average
sits at .350. That’s third best in the league
right now, and Williams’ five home runs are also
third-most (tied with four other players) in the
league.
Update: 5/15/1939
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Collins |
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It’s been a poor start to the season for Portland
(10-16) and Hollywood (6-20), but no one else can
complain—every other team in the league is at .500
or better and within 3 games of first place. Los
Angeles (16-10) squeezed into sole possession of
the top spot this week with four wins in six
tries, while Sacramento, San Diego, and Seattle
(all 15-11) are now in a three-way tie for second,
a game behind the Angels. Oakland (14-12) is two
games out of first and San Francisco (13-13) is
three games back. It’s usually unwise to make
predictions about a pennant race before Memorial
Day, but it’s shaping up to be another tight race
with nearly the entire league in the mix.
Ripper Collins, the Halos’ 35-year-old first
baseman, took Player of the Week honors on the
strength of a .533 (8-for-15) average, adding
three homers and seven runs batted in to his
credentials. Collins, acquired in a trade-deadline
deal from St. Louis last season, is hitting .333.
Update: 5/8/1939
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Mackey |
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It was a great beginning of the week for Seattle
(12-8), as they beat Oakland (10-9) three times
and Los Angeles (12-8) once, but things ended on a
sour note as they dropped the next three to the
Angels. This dropped them into a second-place tie
with the Halos; they both trail San Diego (13-6)
by a game and a half. The Rainiers’ uneven
performance was certainly not the fault of veteran
catcher Biz Mackey, who earned a Player of the
Week nod after hitting .500 (12-for-24) with a
pair of homers and 5 RBI. The ageless backstop (He
turns 42 in July) is hitting .349 this season, his
19th in the Coast League.
The fourth-place Oaks trail the Padres by three
games; San Francisco (10-10) is 3½ out; Sacramento
(9-10) is four out; Portland (8-12) is 5½ out;
Hollywood (4-15), losers of five straight, is
already nine games back.
Update: 5/1/1939
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Leonard |
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San Diego (9-4) rode first baseman Buck Leonard’s
hot bat into first place, winning five of seven to
skip past Seattle (8-5), who dropped four of
seven. The Padres lead the Rainiers by a game, Los
Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco (all 7-6) by
two games, Sacramento (6-7) by three games,
Portland (5-8) by four games, and Hollywood (3-10)
by six.
Leonard, the 31-year-old smooth-swinging slugger
from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, hit .560 this
week, driving in 12. He leads the league in
hitting (.467) and RBI (17). Leonard has not hit a
home run yet this season and hit only 12 last
year—a far cry from the 47 round-trippers he hit
as a P.C.L. rookie in 1934—but the Padres
understand that home runs are hard to come by in
spacious Lane Field, and feel they will be in good
shape indeed if Leonard can duplicate his .346
average from last season. That mark, .346, happens
to be his career average as of Sunday.
Update: 4/24/1939
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Hutchinson |
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Seattle native Fred Hutchinson turned in a solid
rookie campaign for the Rainiers last season, but
if his Opening Week performance is any indication,
last year was only a hint at what’s to come. In
two starts against Portland last week, Hutchinson
threw eighteen innings, yielding 17 hits and only
two runs, striking out six, walking no one, and of
course, picking up two complete-game victories,
including a shutout. Hutchinson’s dominance—worthy
of the league’s first Player of the Week award for
1939—was an integral component of Seattle’s 5-1
start.
The Rainiers were the only team to log five wins,
so they’re all alone on first place with a week in
the books. Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Diego are
all 4-2 and tied for second place; Hollywood,
Sacramento, and San Francisco are 2-4 and tied for
fifth, and Portland is in the cellar at 1-5.
1938-1939 Off-Season
The Hollywood Stars will unveil 12,987-seat
Gilmore Field on Opening Day. It’s a smaller, more
intimate venue than the Angels’ Wrigley Field,
where the Stars set up temporary camp last year,
but it’s all theirs. For the first time in
decades, every team in the league will be playing
its home games in a ballpark that no other team
calls home.
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Gilmore
Field |
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The Stars expect to come close to jamming their
new home to near-capacity most days. There is room
for the stadium to expand if the demand is there,
but for now, the club will be content to build its
following at a leisurely pace after playing too
many dates in a half-filled stadium last season.
For the moment it appears all eight Coast League
franchises have settled into their respective
locations, but there will always be talk of
relocation whenever a team’s attendance begins to
flag. The Sacramento Solons, for all their
on-field success in recent years, still occupy a
metropolitan area that is tiny by big league
standards. The Solons’ ability to thrive in such a
market has been impressive, but their ability to
continue to do so is far from a certainty.
1938
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