Update: 8/17/1931
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Stearnes |
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All it takes for things to get tight at the top
is for the first-place team to play a little worse
than the second-place team while the second-place
team plays a little worse than the third-place
team. That’s exactly what happened this week, as
Hollywood (71-47) dropped four of seven contests
while Oakland (69-48) split their six and
Sacramento (65-52) won four of six. The Stars hold
a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Oaks, who lead
the Solons by four.
Los Angeles’ Turkey Stearnes took Player of the
Week accolades this week, the 19th time in his
career he has earned the honor. Stearnes hit .448
with two home runs, eight runs batted in, and
seven runs scored. The all-time P.C.L. leader in
the latter three categories, Stearnes seems intent
on proving his best years are not behind him; he
leads the league this season in home runs with 24,
and is third in RBI with 91. His batting average,
.323, places him seventh on the season.
Update: 8/10/1931
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Hack |
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Sacramento (61-50) dropped three key games to
Hollywood (68-43) in the middle of the week, but
the Solons still managed to go 4-3 and keep pace
with the Stars; more importantly, they picked up a
game on second-place Oakland (66-45), who went
3-4. The Solons trail the Oaks by five games.
Stan Hack, Sacramento’s rookie third baseman, is
making his mark in the Coast League at the tender
age of 21. Hack hit .552 to earn Player of the
Week honors this week, and is now hitting .332 for
the season—good enough for fifth in the league.
Hack is third in the league in runs scored (82),
fifth in the league in singles (103), and third in
bases on balls (65).
Update: 8/3/1931
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Berger |
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Hollywood (64-39) has reclaimed the top spot,
leading Oakland (63-40) by a game. The Stars won
their first four games this week but lost the last
two, Sunday’s loss coming at the hands of
Sacramento (56-47). The third-place Solons, eight
games out of first and seven behind the
second-place Oaks, have another ten games left
against Hollywood, four this week and six in
September. If Sacramento is going to make a
three-team race of it, they’ll have to take
advantage of their opportunities right away.
Los Angeles (48-55) isn’t going anywhere this
year but left fielder Wally Berger is playing
championship-caliber baseball anyway. Berger hit
.542 this week while popping six home runs and
driving in 14. He’s the Player of the Week for the
ninth time in his short career, and is second in
the league in home runs with 18 and fifth in RBI
with 69.
Update: 7/27/1931
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Beckwith |
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Hollywood (60-38) is back on track, beginning the
week by completing a sweep of San Francisco
(39-59) and finishing it with three wins in five
games against first-place Oakland (61-37). With
the Oaks going 3-4 overall, the Stars picked up a
game in the standings and are now just a game out
of first. Sacramento (52-46) kept pace with
Hollywood but the third-place Solons are still
nine games out of first and eight games behind the
Stars.
Hollywood’s John Beckwith hit .500 this week,
adding a home run and 11 runs batted in to his
season’s totals, an impressive 15 HR (third in the
league) and 83 RBI (tied for first with teammate
Earl Averill). He’s hitting .306 overall.
Update: 7/20/1931
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Pearson |
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While the rest of the teams beat up on each
other, Oakland (58-33) and Hollywood (55-36) just
keep on winning; the Oaks, three games ahead of
the Stars, now have a double-digit lead on the
rest of the field. Sacramento (47-44), the only
other team above .500, trails the Oaks by eleven
and the Stars by eight. The also-rans will have an
opportunity to gain some ground on one or both of
the leaders later this week when Hollywood hosts
Oakland in a five-game set beginning Wednesday.
Player of the Week Award voters almost always
choose a position player for the honor, mostly
because pitchers usually average less than two
starts a week. When a pitcher does manage to get
two starts in and also throws shutouts in both of
them, the voters tend to take notice. That’s what
Oakland’s Monte Pearson did this week, shutting
out Hollywood on four hits last Tuesday and then
coming back on Sunday to whitewash Los Angeles
with a three-hitter. Now 11-6 with a 2.78 ERA on
the season, Pearson has been a key component in
the Oaks’ pennant drive.
Update: 7/13/1931
No question about it, Sacramento’s Cristobal
Torriente is on what is colloquially referred to
as “a roll”. The age-defying 37-year-old center
fielder has picked up his second consecutive
Player of the Week award after hitting .433 with a
home run and 6 RBI. He’s raised his batting
average from .243 to .283 in the two-week span.
For some reason Torriente’s hot streak has not
translated into much success for Sacramento
(45-40), who dropped four out of five games at
Oakland (53-31) this week before salvaging a pair
of victories at Seattle (42-43). The Solons remain
six games behind second-place Hollywood (51-34),
who had their struggles this week against Los
Angeles (42-43) and Oakland. The Oaks lead the
Stars by two games, the Solons by eight, and the
Angels and Rainiers (42-43) by eleven.
Update: 7/6/1931
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Torriente |
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Hollywood (48-30) had been on quite a hot streak
of late, but the Stars cooled down enough this
week for Oakland (48-30) to make up a three-game
deficit and again pull even with them for first
place. The Oaks split the final two games of their
series with the Stars, then took four of five at
Sacramento (42-36) while the Stars were losing
four of five to Los Angeles (39-39). Sacramento
picked up a game on Hollywood in the standings but
lost two to Oakland; the Solons trail the leaders
by six.
Sacramento’s so-so results this week certainly
can’t be blamed on center fielder Cristobal
Torriente, who hit .417 with three home runs and
twelve runs batted in. The 37-year-old Player of
the Week honoree seems to be kicking his season
into high gear, as he has struggled a bit at the
plate this year, posting a .267 average, but with
52 runs scored and 42 runs batted in, he has
managed to remain productive even with a batting
average well below his standard.
Update: 6/29/1931
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Lazzeri |
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The two teams who call Los Angeles’ Wrigley home
are on the move—in different directions. Hollywood
(46-25) won six of seven this week and have opened
up a three-game lead over second-place Oakland
(43-28), while Los Angeles (35-36) lost
six of seven and are now eleven games behind the
Stars. The Oaks’ week sums up the current trend
thusly: they opened the week with three straight
wins over the Angels, and closed it with four
straight losses to the Stars. Third-place
Sacramento (39-31) trails the Stars by seven and
the Oaks by four.
it would have been surprising if the Player of
the Week had been someone other than a member of
the team that won six games in seven tries, and
indeed it is Hollywood’s Tony Lazzeri who has
captured the honor. Lazzeri hit .407 with three
home runs and eleven runs batted in to raise his
season marks to .310, 11 HR, 40 RBI. Lazzeri leads
the league in runs scored with 59.
Update: 6/22/1931
Hollywood (40-24) took two of the last three
games of their six-game set at Oakland (40-24),
and then won three straight at San Francisco
(25-39); the Stars are now tied with the Oaks for
first place. Sacramento (35-30), with four wins in
seven games this week, moved past Los Angeles
(34-30) into third place, but the Solons still
have some work to do, trailing the leaders by five
and a half games.
The Stars’ Earl Averill was the week’s top
performer. With a .444, 2-HR, 8-RBI ledger,
Averill raised his season average to a
league-leading .372, his home run total to 11
(second in the league), and his RBI total to 53
(also second in the league. It’s looking like
another great season for Averill, who has turned
in great seasons like clockwork since his P.C.L.
debut in 1926.
Update: 6/15/1931
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Douthit |
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Hollywood (35-23) completed a six-game sweep of
San Francisco (23-35) before dropping two of the
first three of a six-game set at Oakland (37-21).
The Stars have surged into sole possession of
second place, two games behind the Oaks and three
ahead of Los Angeles (32-26), who won only twice
last week against the same two teams. Sacramento
(31-27) had a similarly poor week and remains a
game behind the Angels, but now four behind the
Stars.
Taylor Douthit of Hollywood had a memorable week,
hitting .581 and driving in nine as the Stars
drove towards the top of the league. Douthit is
hitting .335 this season, which would be a career
high if he’s able to maintain it. The 31-year-old
center fielder, who was born in Arkansas but grew
up in Oakland, is known primarily as a glove man
but he can hit, too, collecting 36 or more doubles
in both of his first two seasons with the Stars.
Update: 6/8/1931
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Kress |
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Oakland (32-19) was still tied with Los Angeles
(30-21) going into their six-game set which
started this past Saturday. The Oaks took the
first two games and are now all alone in first
place. Even worse for the Angels is the fact that
Hollywood (30-21) also gained two games on them;
the Stars have caught the Halos and the two
park-mates are now tied for second. Just a game
behind them is Sacramento (29-22).
Seattle’s Red Kress is the Player of the Week.
The 27-year-old infielder, who’s mostly
concentrating on second base this season, hit a
sharp .394 with one home run and six runs batted
in. The Columbia, California native is hitting an
even .300 for the season. His 16 doubles are
second in the league, one behind George Scales of
Los Angeles. The Rainiers (22-29) are off to a
slow start but did play better than .500 ball
(4-3) this week.
Update: 6/1/1931
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Ostenberg |
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Los Angeles (27-17) took four games out of six
from Sacramento (25-19), taking over the Solons’
share of first place and dropping them into a
third-place tie with Hollywood (25-19), two games
out of first. Oakland (27-17) won four of seven
this week to hang onto a share of the top spot.
The Solons and Stars will fight it out in a
five-game set beginning today. The Angels and Oaks
will begin a six-game series on Saturday.
The Oaks’ third baseman Leo Ostenberg is the
Player of the Week. Ostenberg, relegated to
reserve status by Hollywood last season after two
solid years as a starter, has found new life in
Oakland. This week he hit .500 and drove in eight
runs. He’s hitting .318 for the season, and is
fifth in the loop with 32 runs batted in. Along
with a rejuvenated pitching staff that includes
Pitcher of the Month Leo Mangum (8-1, 2.42), and
contributions from veterans such as first baseman
Buzz Arlett (.374) and catcher Ernie Lombardi
(.359), Ostenberg is a key reason for the Oaks’
turnaround this season.
Update: 5/25/1931
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Burns |
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Oakland (23-14) has company. Sacramento (23-14)
took four of six this week against Mission (17-20)
and San Francisco (16-21) while the Oaks split six
games with the same two clubs, so the Solons are
now tied for first. Not far behind is Los Angeles,
a half-game back at 23-15, and Hollywood, two
games back at 21-16.
The Player of the Week is 38-year-old George
Burns, Hollywood’s age-defying first baseman.
Burns hit .579 with two home runs and six runs
batted in. With a .321 average, 6 home runs and 19
RBI, Burns is showing the young folks there’s
plenty of life in him yet. With Burns’ bat a
conspicuous contributor, the Stars won four of
five this week.
A couple of early-season standouts are Oakland’s
Leo Mangum and Sacramento’s Stan Hack. Mangum,
whose career record entering this season was
21-34, is 7-0. Hack, just 21 years old and playing
his first season for his hometown Solons, is
leading the league in hitting at .405.
Update: 5/18/1931
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Averill |
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Oakland (20-11) remains in first place after a
3-3 week, but playing .500 ball is no way to hold
onto a lead. Los Angeles (20-12) and Sacramento
(19-12) are breathing down the Oaks’ necks, a half
game out and a game out respectively. The Angels
won five of six this week and the Solons won four
of six.
Hollywood (17-15) is off to a modest start this
season; the Stars currently reside on fourth
place. Don’t blame left fielder Earl Averill,
though; this week the Washington-reared slugger
hit .458 with three home runs and eight runs
batted in. Averill’s hitting .375 for the season,
good enough for third-best in the league. His five
home runs place him in a tie for second place, and
his 23 RBI are fourth. Still just 28 years old,
he’s already made his mark in the league’s record
book: his .359 career average is the best in
P.C.L. history.
Update: 5/11/1931
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Boone |
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Oakland (17-8) is off to a great start. This week
they took three out of four against San Francisco
and split a pair with Mission, led by by their new
left fielder, 35-year-old Ike Boone. Boone hit
.481 and drove in 12 runs on the week, also
hitting his second home run of the campaign. His
.386 average is second in the league and his 29
RBI are tops.
The Oaks are scoring 5.3 runs per game, the most
on the league, and allowing just 3.7 runs per
game, second best by a hair behind Sacramento’s
3.6. The Acorns lead the second-place Solons by
two games and will be difficult to catch if they
can maintain their present pace.
Los Angeles and Hollywood both are 15-11 and tied
for third place, a half-game behind Sacramento and
two and a half behind Oakland. The rest of the
league is under .500 and at least five games out.
Update: 5/4/1931
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Statz |
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Los Angeles’ Jigger Statz is known more for his
stellar play in center field than for his bat, but
as his .295 career average attests, he gets his
licks in now and again. This week he got them in
to the tune of .407 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI,
bringing his season’s average up to .325 and
earning the Player of the Week award for the third
time in his career.
It wasn’t as good a week for the Angels (11-9) as
it was for Statz, however. In spite of Statz’
contributions they dropped four of seven games to
fall to third place, two and a half games behind
Oakland (13-6). The Oaks completed a six-game
sweep of Seattle (6-14), dropping the Rainiers
into the cellar, and then split the first two
games of a six-game set with San Francisco (9-10).
Mission (11-8) played just .500 this week and
therefore fell two games behind the Oaks, but fell
no further than second place. The Bells are two
games behind Oakland; Sacramento (10-9) is three
back. Hollywood (10-10) and the Seals are three
and a half and four games back, respectively.
Update: 4/27/1931
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Lombardi |
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There’s a three-way tie atop the standings after
two weeks. Los Angeles, Mission, and Oakland all
have 8-5 records. Sacramento is a game back at
7-6; Hollywood and Seattle are each a game under
.500 at 6-7, while San Francisco (5-8) and
Portland (4-9) have started slowly.
The Seals and Angels battled all day long on
Thursday, a game extended not only by each team’s
inability to score but also by by a half-hour rain
delay in the 13th inning. San Francisco finally
won it, 3-2, on Freddie Muller’s RBI-single in the
16th.
Oakland catcher Ernie Lombardi is the Player of
the Week, hitting an unbelievable .722 over the
Oaks’ last seven games. Not surprisingly, he’s
leading the league in hitting, with a .500 average
in 42 at-bats.
Opening Week 1931
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Dihigo |
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Seattle finished strongly last season and the
Rainiers are off to the league’s best start in
1931, beating World Champion Portland five times
in six tries. The Rainiers hit .314 against the
Beavers and outscored them 35-23.
Los Angeles and Mission got off to 4-2 starts,
beating their park-mates, Hollywood and San
Francisco, respectively. Oakland and Sacramento
split their opening six-game set.
The Player of the Week is Mission’s Martín
Dihigo, who blistered Seals pitching to the tune
of .500 with 2 home runs, 6 RBI, and 7 runs
scored. It’s the fourth time in his career that
Dihigo has captured the honor. Dihigo is .315
career hitter with 141 home runs to his credit.
1930-1931 Off-Season
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Seals
Stadium |
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The San Francisco Seals will unveil the sparkling
new Seals Stadium on Opening Day. The ballpark,
located at 16th and Bryant Streets, is a short six
blocks from the club’s old home at Recreation
Park, but in terms of aesthetics the modern
16,000-seat steel-and-concrete structure may as
well be on another world. Immediately Los Angeles’
Wrigley Field and Portland’s Vaughn Street Park
have another rival for the league’s most
attractive venue.
The Seals have rarely had difficulty drawing
crowds, so the Mission Bells, who will also take
up residency in the new facility, may be the
larger beneficiary. The Bells have had contending
teams and exciting stars but still haven’t seemed
to catch on in The City. Perhaps playing on the
league’s newest stage will attract the customers
that have been eluding them.
1930
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