Update: 5/26/1941
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Wells |
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The 1941 Coast League race is shaping up to be
another fiercely competitive one. San Francisco
(22-16) retains the top spot this week but the
Seals’ lead over San Diego (21-17) is down to a
game. Los Angeles (21-18) picked up two games in
the standings; the Angels are now in third place
and just a game and a half out of first.
Sacramento (19-19) and Seattle (20-20) are three
back, Hollywood and Portland (both 18-21) are just
4½ back, and Oakland (16-23) is 6½ back. A lot of
baseball left to be played, and everyone is still
very much in it.
Sacramento’s Willie Wells is the Player of the
Week. Wells hit a blistering .522 (12-for-23) and
drove in eight runs. He also hit his first home
run of the year. The 35-year-old star battled
injuries the last two seasons while playing for
Seattle but seems to have a new lease on life as a
Solon. He’s hitting .325.
Update: 5/19/1941
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Dihigo |
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Martín Dihigo of Hollywood hit .423 (11-for-26)
and knocked in eight runs, adding a pair of
homers, as the Stars (15-18) took four of seven
games. It wasn’t enough to get Hollywood out of
seventh place but this year’s race remains fairly
tight from top to bottom. Hollywood is 4½ games
out of first. Dihigo, the Player of the Week, is
hitting .342.
San Francisco (19-13) dropped its first game this
week but won its next five, so the Seals have
taken over the top spot, leading San Diego (17-15)
by two games. Portland (17-16) is now in third
place, 2½ games out, and Sacramento (16-16) and
Seattle (17-17) are tied for fourth, three games
out. Los Angeles is 3½ out, and last-place Oakland
is still just 5½ out.
Update: 5/12/1941
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Scales |
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Los Angeles (14-12) made its way into a crowded
field of teams at or near the top of the standings
thanks to the exemplary play of player/manager
George Scales this week. The ageless Scales—he’ll
be 41 in August—collected 16 hits in 33 at-bats
for a .485 average, adding a homer, seven runs
batted in, and ten runs scored. The Angels won
four of six and are now a game out of first.
While only a game back they are still just in
third place, and they’ve got lots of company. San
Diego and Sacramento (both 15-11) are leading the
field, and Los Angeles, Portland, and San
Francisco (all 14-12) are in a three-way tie for
second. Seattle (12-15) is 3½ games back,
Hollywood (11-15) is four back and Oakland (10-17)
has dropped into the cellar, 5½ games back.
Update: 5/5/1941
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Williams |
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Ted Williams of the first-place San Diego Padres
(13-7) is the Player of the Week for the second
time this season. The 22-year-old Williams hit
.478 (11-for-23) with a pair of home runs, seven
runs scored, and seven runs batted in as the
Friars took four of seven games to secure sole
position of the top spot. Williams is hitting .390
and the Padres are a game ahead of their closest
competitors.
Sacramento (12-8) is in second place, San
Francisco (11-8) is a game and a half behind in
third place, Portland (10-10) trails by three
games, Los Angeles (9-10) trails by 3½, Seattle
(9-12) trails by 4½, Oakland (8-12) trails by
five, and Hollywood (7-12) trails by 5½.
Update: 4/28/1941
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Bankhead |
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It was a perfect week for San Diego (9-4), as the
Padres traveled north and swept Hollywood (4-9) in
a five-game set and won the first two games of a
five-game showdown at Los Angeles (5-8). The
Friars are the undisputed kings of Southern
California right now but they have company atop
the Coast League standings, with San Francisco
also sitting at 9-4.
Portland shortstop Sam Bankhead is the Player of
the Week. Although known more for his glove than
for his bat, the 30-year-old veteran wore out
opposing pitchers, collecting 14 hits in 30
at-bats for a .467 average, adding runs batted in
and six runs scored. The Beavers (6-7) went 4-3.
San Diego and San Francisco lead Sacramento (8-5)
by a game. Portland is three games back, Oakland
and Seattle (both 6-8) are 3½ games back, the
Angels trail by four and the Stars trail by five.
Update: 4/21/1941
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Williams |
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The first week of the 1941 season separated the
league into teams with winning records and teams
with losing records, as each six-game series
concluded with one team defeating the other four
times.
San Diego (2-4) was not one of the teams that
emerged victorious from the majority of their
games this week, but the week’s standout player
wears a Padres uniform. That man is 22-year-old
right fielder Ted Williams. Williams collected 13
hits in 28 at bats for a .464 average, scoring
seven runs and driving in a pair. The San Diego
native is already in his sixth big league season,
with a career batting average sitting just below
.300, at .297.
Hollywood, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle
are all 4-2; Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, and
San Diego are 2-4.
1940
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