The virtual 1969-76 Phillies, Cardinals, and Mets (Part 6: 1973-74)
Through five seasons of this exercise, we encountered our most surprising turn of events in 1973, when an out-of-nowhere young Phillies ball club rudely interrupted a Cardinals mini-dynasty. Meanwhile our Mets are stuck in the bridesmaid role.
Phillies: Actual Cardinals: Actual Mets: Actual
Year W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA
1969 63 99 5 645 745 87 75 4 595 540 100 62 1 632 541
1970 73 88 5 594 730 76 86 4 744 747 83 79 3 695 630
1971 67 95 6 558 688 90 72 2 739 699 83 79 3 588 550
1972 59 97 6 503 625 75 81 4 568 600 83 73 3 528 578
1973 71 91 6 642 717 81 81 2 643 603 82 79 1 608 588
Phillies: Virtual Cardinals: Virtual Mets: Virtual
Year W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA
1969 64 98 5 611 691 98 64 2 659 528 101 61 1 638 550
1970 77 84 5 596 691 80 82 4 742 703 84 78 3 687 619
1971 86 76 4 629 598 102 60 1 787 647 89 73 3 643 561
1972 68 88 5 585 638 105 51 1 675 478 93 63 2 551 523
1973 93 69 1 680 572 80 82 3 621 593 91 70 2 625 539
What’s in store for ’74?
The 1973-74 offseason: Actual deals we will make
Oct. 23, 1973: The St. Louis Cardinals sold infielder Mick Kelleher to the Houston Astros.
Oct. 25, 1973: The St. Louis Cardinals sold outfielder Matty Alou to the San Diego Padres.
Neither of these guys are making our 40-man winter roster.
Dec. 7, 1973: The St. Louis Cardinals traded pitchers Reggie Cleveland and Diego Segui and infielder Terry Hughes to the Boston Red Sox for pitchers John Curtis, Lynn McGlothen, and Mike Garman.
We have no problem with either Cleveland or Segui, but this is just too nice an offer to refuse. Curtis basically replaces Cleveland, and McGlothen and Garman are very worthwhile prospects.
The 1973-74 season: Actual deals we will not make
Nov. 7, 1973: The Philadelphia Phillies traded pitcher Billy Wilson to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Frank Linzy.
Dec. 3, 1973: The Philadelphia Phillies traded pitcher Barry Lersch and infielder Craig Robinson to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Ron Schueler.
Our Phils no longer have Wilson or Lersch, and aren’t especially interested in Linzy or Schueler.
Dec. 4, 1973: The Philadelphia Phillies traded first baseman-outfielder Bob Beall to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Gil Garrido.
We really don’t see the point in essentially giving away Beall, who’s demonstrated exceptional on-base ability in the minors.
Dec. 5, 1973: The St. Louis Cardinals traded outfielder Tommie Agee to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Pete Richert.
Dec. 7, 1973: The Philadelphia Phillies sold outfielder-infielder Cesar Tovar to the Texas Rangers.
Our Cards never acquired Agee, and our Phils never acquired Tovar.
Dec. 7, 1973: The Philadelphia Phillies purchased pitcher Eddie Watt from the Baltimore Orioles.
No need for him.
Dec. 19, 1973: The Philadelphia Phillies signed infielder Tony Taylor as a free agent.
Our Mets still have Taylor, and aren’t letting him go.
March 21, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies purchased pitcher Ed Farmer from the New York Yankees.
Not interested.
March 23, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals traded pitcher Scipio Spinks to the Chicago Cubs for first baseman-outfielder Jim Hickman.
We don’t have Spinks.
April 3, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies signed outfielder Jay Johnstone as a free agent.
He isn’t available (see below).
The 1973-74 offseason: Deals we will invoke
Oct. 18, 1973: The St. Louis Cardinals traded pitcher Jerry Reuss to the Pittsburgh Pirates for second baseman Dave Cash.
Actually on this date, the Pirates traded Cash to the Phillies for Ken Brett. Our Phils aren’t shopping Brett, and aren’t in the market for a second baseman.
But our Cardinals are, and moreover the Pirates actually acquired Reuss from Houston this month (in a deal we’ll reference below). So we’ll let Pittsburgh get one of its southpaws this way.
Oct. 26, 1973: The New York Mets traded outfielder Dave Schneck to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Sonny Siebert.
In reality it was the Cardinals picking up the veteran Siebert in exchange for an outfield prospect. Our Mets will do it instead.
Oct. 26, 1973: The Philadelphia Phillies traded pitcher Rick Wise and outfielder Bernie Carbo to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Reggie Smith and pitcher Ken Tatum.
It was actually the Cardinals executing this one with Boston. Our Phils will be happy to do it instead. No offense to Wise and Carbo, who are both fine players, but Smith is the kind of talent you grab when you can.
Oct. 31, 1973: The New York Mets traded pitchers Jim Bibby and Buzz Capra and catcher Ron Hodges to the Pittsburgh Pirates for catcher Milt May.
Our Mets’ acquisition of Siebert to fill the spot-starter role behind our big four allows us to expend the hard-throwing Bibby. May is the guy Pittsburgh actually traded for Reuss. Here the Pirates get Bibby effectively in place of Ken Brett, as well as a couple of decent young talents in Capra and Hodges. May is a fine-hitting young catcher, a real upgrade for us.
Nov. 9, 1973: The St. Louis Cardinals traded outfielder Bobby Tolan and pitcher Jim Kremmel and cash to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Clay Kirby.
Actually. the Padres swapped Kirby to the Reds in exchange for Tolan and a young lefty. Our Cardinals will oblige them this way.
November 1973: The New York Mets sold catcher Duffy Dyer to the Houston Astros.
The Astros’ consolation prize for not getting May.
Dec. 3, 1973: The Philadelphia Phillies sold infielder Terry Harmon to the Atlanta Braves.
We won’t let the Braves have Craig Robinson. Instead, we’ll have Robinson take over Harmon’s utility infielder role, and allow the Braves to take this journeyman.
Dec. 6, 1973: The St. Louis Cardinals traded second baseman Ken Boswell to the California Angels for infielder Billy Grabarkewitz, pitcher Aurelio Monteagudo, and outfielder Chris Coletta.
The Angels actually acquired Denny Doyle from the Phillies on this date. Our Phils aren’t giving up that left-handed-batting second baseman, so our Cardinals will provide the Angels with this left-handed-batting second baseman.
December 1973: The St. Louis Cardinals traded pitcher Harry Parker to the New York Mets for outfielder Leroy Stanton.
The departure of Bobby Tolan creates an opening in our Cardinals outfield. Parker can surely help our Mets bullpen.
December 1973: The New York Mets traded pitchers Hank Webb and Tommy Moore and outfielder-first baseman Bruce Boisclair to the Philadelphia Phillies for first baseman Andre Thornton.
With the retirement of Willie Mays, our Mets are seeking a right-handed bat for first base. Our Phillies, with Greg Luzinski on board at first, can afford to part with the impressive prospect Thornton in exchange for three so-so prospects.
Jan. 9, 1974: The New York Mets purchased outfielder Jay Johnstone from the Oakland Athletics.
Actually it was the Cardinals buying Johnstone on this date (before releasing him at the end of spring training), but our Mets have a greater need for a left-handed outfield bat. Johnstone’s career has skidded into a ditch, but he’s performed quite well in the past and is still a few years shy of 30.
March, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies sold pitcher Ken Tatum to the Chicago White Sox.
March, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies sold outfielder Joe Lis to the Minnesota Twins.
March 28, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals sold outfielder Leron Lee to the Cleveland Indians.
March 1974: The New York Mets sold pitcher Bob Miller to the Cleveland Indians.
March 1974: The New York Mets sold pitcher George Culver to the California Angels.
March 1974: The New York Mets sold pitcher Mike Thompson to the Cincinnati Reds.
This year’s cut-down roster trimming.
The 1974 season: Actual deals we will make
July 12, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies purchased pitcher Gene Garber from the Kansas City Royals.
He doesn’t throw hard, but Garber is a 26-year-old side-arming righty with real good control. We can make room for him in our bullpen.
The 1974 season: Actual deals we will not make
April 27, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals traded pitcher Ken Tatum to the Chicago White Sox for infielder Luis Alvarado.
Don’t have Tatum, don’t want Alvarado.
May 3, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies traded pitcher Mike Wallace to the New York Yankees for pitcher Ken Wright.
Do have Wallace, don’t want Wright.
June 1, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals traded infielders Luis Alvarado and Ed Crosby to the Cleveland Indians for infielder Jack Heidemann.
We’ll give the Indians half of what they want (see below).
June 14, 1974: The New York Mets purchased pitcher Jack Aker from the Atlanta Braves.
June 21, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies purchased pitcher Pete Richert from the St. Louis Cardinals.
June 24, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies selected outfielder Ollie Brown off waivers from the Houston Astros.
Aug. 5, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals purchased outfielder Richie Scheinblum from the Kansas City Royals.
Aug. 15, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals traded pitcher Ron Selak and a player to be named later to the Houston Astros for pitcher Claude Osteen. (On Oct. 14, 1974, the Cardinals sent pitcher Dan Larson to the Astros, completing the deal.)
Our ball clubs have no need for any of these veterans.
Sept. 1, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals sold catcher Tim McCarver to the Boston Red Sox.
Our Phils have McCarver, and aren’t giving him up.
Sept. 5, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals selected second baseman Ron Hunt off waivers from the Montreal Expos.
We don’t require this ultra-scrappy veteran.
The 1974 season: Deals we will invoke
June 1, 1974: The St. Louis Cardinals sold infielder Ed Crosby to the Cleveland Indians.
The Tribe wants him, and we don’t need him.
June 6, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies purchased outfielder Jim Lyttle from the Montreal Expos.
It was actually the Mets purchasing Lyttle, but our Phillies have the need.
June 15, 1974: In a three-club deal, the St. Louis Cardinals traded pitcher Tom Hall to the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds sent pitcher Dave Tomlin to the San Diego Padres, and the Padres sent pitcher Steve Arlin to the Cardinals.
Actually on this date the Padres sent Arlin (who was highly regarded a couple of years ago, before encountering serious struggles) to the American League. Our Cardinals won’t let him clear waivers, not because we have a spot for Arlin (who’ll be placed in Triple-A), but because we want to move Hall (who’s declining rapidly) and make room for young Bob Forsch. And we know that the Reds liked Hall, and the Padres liked Tomlin.
July 13, 1974: The Philadelphia Phillies sold pitcher Bob Johnson to the Texas Rangers.
We think Garber is a better choice at this point.
1974 season results
Phillies
The big trade with the Red Sox is the only significant change we’ve made to our defending-champion roster. Smith becomes our new right fielder, and replacing Wise in the rotation will be rookie right-hander Dick Ruthven.
1974 Philadelphia Phillies Won 86 Lost 76 Finished 2nd
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
1B G. Luzinski 23 85 302 29 82 14 1 7 48 29 76 .272 .330 .394 .724 99
2B T. Sizemore 29 123 428 61 111 15 0 3 38 60 31 .259 .337 .315 .653 81
SS L. Bowa# 28 142 502 52 137 14 8 1 32 16 40 .273 .287 .339 .625 72
3B M. Schmidt 24 162 568 108 160 28 7 36 116 106 138 .282 .394 .546 .939 157
RF R. Smith# 29 143 517 104 161 26 8 26 88 70 68 .311 .389 .544 .932 155
CF M. Anderson 23 145 395 34 99 22 2 5 34 37 75 .251 .313 .354 .667 84
LF J. Briggs* 30 135 416 69 107 23 6 15 45 60 76 .257 .349 .450 .799 119
C B. Boone 26 131 392 32 96 19 3 3 42 29 22 .245 .294 .332 .626 72
1B-OF W. Montanez* 26 129 422 43 127 26 1 6 63 26 46 .301 .338 .410 .748 106
OF B. Robinson 31 100 280 29 66 14 1 5 29 17 61 .236 .276 .346 .623 71
1B-OF B. Beall# 26 70 149 26 35 4 0 2 15 33 37 .235 .371 .302 .673 87
2B D. Doyle* 30 74 170 16 45 6 1 0 11 9 17 .265 .295 .312 .607 68
C T. McCarver* 32 85 134 16 30 1 0 1 12 26 7 .224 .347 .254 .601 68
SS C. Robinson 25 73 151 15 34 1 2 0 10 8 19 .225 .257 .258 .516 43
UT B. Sudakis# 28 67 130 12 28 4 1 4 20 13 25 .215 .284 .354 .638 75
P-PH K. Brett* 25 43 87 12 29 4 1 2 15 4 19 .333 .347 .471 .819 124
OF J. Lyttle* 28 42 46 3 8 2 1 0 2 3 14 .174 .220 .261 .481 32
Others 33 4 5 1 0 0 2 4 8 .152 .243 .182 .425 19
Pitchers 293 14 42 5 0 1 17 11 116 .142 .157 .169 .326 -10
Total 5415 679 1402 229 43 117 639 561 895 .259 .322 .382 .704 94
* Bats left
# Bats both
Pitcher Age G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA ERA+
C. Morton 30 34 34 6 14 11 0 247 263 96 86 8 82 103 3.13 121
J. Lonborg 32 31 31 13 14 10 0 226 221 88 79 18 56 99 3.15 120
D. Ruthven 23 32 32 5 8 12 0 192 163 93 84 10 104 139 3.94 96
K. Brett* 25 27 27 10 12 9 0 191 204 85 76 10 53 96 3.58 106
W. Twitchell 26 25 18 2 6 9 0 112 122 71 65 11 65 72 5.22 73
G. Stone* 27 15 7 1 1 5 0 51 70 36 29 7 15 20 5.12 74
H. Webb 24 6 5 0 1 2 0 25 29 16 15 3 19 18 5.40 70
D. Giusti 34 62 0 0 5 5 10 92 97 43 41 3 38 47 4.01 94
G. Jackson* 31 49 0 0 6 4 10 67 53 22 22 7 25 56 2.96 128
G. Garber 26 34 0 0 4 0 2 48 39 15 11 1 31 27 2.06 184
R. Sadecki* 33 32 4 1 7 5 0 73 83 34 29 5 29 30 3.58 106
M. Wallace* 23 23 1 0 6 0 0 52 43 18 16 3 40 34 2.77 137
B. Johnson 31 21 0 0 1 1 0 36 36 18 17 5 21 20 4.25 89
Others 3 1 1 3 2 35 36 19 17 3 24 24 4.37 87
Total 162 39 86 76 24 1447 1459 654 587 94 602 785 3.65 104
* Throws left
Smith comes through just as we’d hoped. Better still, sophomore Mike Schmidt suddenly blossoms into superstardom. Ruthven holds his own, and veteran starter Jim Lonborg bounces back from a poor 1973.
However, several problems materialize. Luzinski misses nearly half the season with a knee injury, and his power is sapped when he does play. Outfielder Bill Robinson and pitcher Wayne Twitchell both flop following their ’73 breakthroughs, and ace reliever Dave Giusti has an off-year.
So we’re good, but not good enough to repeat the division title.
Cardinals
Looking to rebound from a problematic season, we’re getting younger. Bake McBride, in his first full season, will get the opportunity to take center field. Clay Kirby, John Curtis, and Lynn McGlothen will get starts, and sophomore Mike Garman and rookie Al Hrabosky join the bullpen.
1974 St. Louis Cardinals Won 100 Lost 61 Finished 1st
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
1B D. Allen 32 128 462 87 141 22 2 30 91 54 92 .305 .375 .556 .932 159
2B D. Cash 26 161 679 91 200 26 11 1 57 47 34 .295 .347 .370 .717 101
SS M. Tyson 24 101 211 18 45 6 3 1 19 10 36 .213 .251 .284 .535 50
3B-1B J. Torre 33 147 476 53 134 25 1 10 63 62 79 .282 .370 .401 .771 117
RF-CF L. Hisle 27 143 510 63 144 20 7 18 77 53 112 .282 .353 .455 .808 126
CF B. McBride* 25 135 478 75 154 18 5 5 52 39 44 .322 .379 .412 .792 122
LF L. Brock* 35 153 635 108 194 25 7 3 48 61 88 .306 .367 .381 .748 110
C-1B T. Simmons# 24 152 599 66 163 33 6 20 101 47 35 .272 .326 .447 .774 116
RF-LF L. Stanton 28 87 231 27 63 12 2 6 33 20 60 .273 .331 .420 .751 110
OF J. Cruz* 26 107 209 30 55 6 4 6 26 27 34 .263 .343 .416 .759 113
3B K. Reitz 23 77 193 16 50 9 1 2 17 7 23 .259 .284 .347 .631 77
IF Grabarkewitz 28 87 155 28 35 3 3 1 14 27 39 .226 .341 .303 .644 82
SS J. DaVanon 28 70 141 16 30 5 1 1 10 10 18 .213 .274 .284 .558 57
1B T. Hutton* 28 64 104 16 24 3 2 1 15 14 8 .231 .317 .327 .644 81
C S. Jutze 28 24 61 5 14 3 1 0 5 3 10 .230 .258 .311 .569 59
OF-1B J. Dwyer* 24 29 34 5 10 0 0 1 4 4 6 .294 .359 .382 .741 108
Others 70 7 18 3 2 0 5 13 16 .257 .373 .357 .731 106
Pitchers 403 27 72 9 2 0 28 13 120 .179 .189 .210 .399 12
Total 5651 738 1546 228 60 106 665 511 854 .274 .334 .391 .725 103
* Bats left
# Bats both
Pitcher Age G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA ERA+
S. Carlton* 29 35 35 15 18 10 0 262 222 101 87 18 120 218 2.99 120
B. Gibson 38 30 30 8 12 10 0 216 210 99 91 21 94 117 3.79 95
C. Kirby 26 31 30 6 10 8 0 199 182 85 72 11 80 142 3.26 111
F. Norman* 31 32 23 7 12 11 0 167 156 64 59 13 64 131 3.18 113
L. McGlothen 24 29 21 5 12 6 1 158 137 51 45 7 59 98 2.56 140
J. Curtis* 26 33 19 3 9 8 1 130 129 59 53 9 55 61 3.67 98
A. Hrabosky* 24 65 0 0 9 1 11 88 71 34 29 3 38 82 2.97 121
M. Garman 24 59 0 0 7 2 5 75 59 23 21 4 25 42 2.52 143
B. Reynolds 27 54 0 0 7 3 7 69 79 26 23 4 16 43 3.00 120
N. Briles 30 27 2 0 2 1 0 52 54 21 20 3 12 24 3.46 104
T. Hall* 26 16 0 0 0 1 0 22 20 11 11 3 12 13 4.50 80
B. Forsch 24 12 1 0 1 0 0 20 16 7 6 1 7 9 2.70 133
Others 0 0 1 0 0 14 15 10 7 1 5 5 4.50 80
Total 161 44 100 61 25 1472 1350 591 524 98 587 985 3.20 112
* Throws left
Just about everything falls neatly into place. Dick Allen is healthy until early September, and provides consistent thunder in the middle of the order. Lou Brock, far from slowing down at age 35, sets a single-season stolen base record. Larry Hisle hits his way into the first-string right field job. Ted Simmons achieves career highs in home runs and RBIs, and Dave Cash delivers 200 hits.
Steve Carlton is in winning form again as the ace, fronting a deep and nearly flawless staff.
We run away with the division, reaching the century mark in wins for the third time in four years.
Mets
May will take over as the primary catcher, and Thornton will challenge Mike Jorgensen at first base. Harry Parker as well as rookies Bob Apodaca and Craig Swan will seek to shore up the bullpen, a key 1973 weakness.
1974 New York Mets Won 83 Lost 79 Finished 4th
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
1B M. Jorgensen* 25 131 287 50 86 16 1 11 54 71 38 .300 .433 .477 .911 156
2B F. Millan 30 136 518 52 139 15 2 1 33 31 14 .268 .304 .311 .615 74
SS B. Harrelson# 30 106 331 38 75 10 0 1 18 71 39 .227 .359 .266 .625 78
3B W. Garrett* 26 151 522 60 117 14 3 13 53 89 96 .224 .336 .337 .673 90
RF K. Singleton# 27 148 511 68 136 20 2 9 73 94 82 .266 .376 .366 .742 110
CF A. Otis 27 146 552 87 153 31 8 12 72 65 67 .277 .344 .428 .772 116
LF J. Milner* 24 137 507 73 128 19 0 20 63 66 77 .252 .337 .408 .745 109
C M. May* 23 127 405 47 118 17 3 9 54 41 31 .291 .352 .415 .766 115
1B A. Thornton 24 107 303 41 78 16 3 10 45 49 50 .257 .366 .429 .795 123
OF J. Johnstone* 28 113 306 46 86 17 3 11 42 38 53 .281 .360 .464 .824 131
IF T. Foli 23 101 294 27 72 7 2 0 26 18 18 .245 .280 .282 .563 59
OF L. Melendez 24 83 124 15 26 4 3 0 8 12 8 .210 .277 .290 .567 60
C J. Grote 31 49 106 10 26 3 0 2 12 10 12 .245 .308 .330 .639 80
C C. Sands* 26 54 83 6 16 2 0 4 13 25 18 .193 .382 .361 .743 110
IF T. Taylor 38 62 64 5 20 4 0 2 13 7 6 .313 .378 .469 .847 138
Others 37 3 5 0 0 1 4 3 9 .135 .190 .216 .407 14
Pitchers 394 20 52 5 1 0 26 31 154 .132 .178 .149 .326 -7
Total 5344 648 1333 200 31 106 609 721 772 .249 .333 .358 .691 95
* Bats left
# Bats both
Pitcher Age G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA ERA+
N. Ryan 27 37 36 23 20 14 0 291 195 124 101 16 196 326 3.12 115
J. Koosman* 31 35 35 13 16 10 0 265 258 115 99 16 85 188 3.36 107
J. Matlack* 24 34 34 14 14 14 0 265 221 83 71 8 76 195 2.41 149
T. Seaver 29 32 32 12 12 10 0 236 199 90 84 19 75 201 3.20 112
S. Siebert 37 21 15 4 6 6 0 100 110 50 42 7 38 52 3.78 95
W. Fryman* 34 50 2 0 3 5 4 78 61 37 32 7 36 55 3.69 98
T. McGraw* 29 37 0 0 5 9 3 61 74 32 30 8 25 40 4.43 81
H. Parker 26 30 2 0 2 3 4 57 70 27 24 3 22 23 3.79 95
B. Apodaca 24 29 2 0 3 5 3 68 67 33 30 5 30 35 3.97 91
C. Swan 23 14 3 0 1 3 0 30 27 18 14 1 21 11 4.20 86
R. Sterling 23 5 1 0 1 0 0 9 13 8 5 0 3 2 5.00 72
Others 0 0 0 0 0 10 12 5 5 1 1 2 4.50 80
Total 162 66 83 79 14 1470 1307 622 537 91 608 1130 3.29 109
* Throws left
Generally, things go well. May is very good, and Jorgensen and Thornton provide a superb platoon. Our offense is improved, and our starting rotation remains unmatched.
But though we have no major setbacks, a lot of little things are suboptimal. Tom Seaver misses a few starts with a hip injury, and is less than his sharpest. Tug McGraw has another poor year. The power production of Ken Singleton and Amos Otis is reduced.
We’re a remarkably talented ball club, but we don’t perform as well as we’re capable. Finishing miles behind the Cardinals, it’s a most frustrating season.
Next time
We understand that trouble may be afoot for the champion Cardinals, in the form of the sudden “retirement” of their cleanup-hitting slugger. Will the St. Louis juggernaut be stalled?
Phillies: Actual Cardinals: Actual Mets: Actual
Year W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA
1969 63 99 5 645 745 87 75 4 595 540 100 62 1 632 541
1970 73 88 5 594 730 76 86 4 744 747 83 79 3 695 630
1971 67 95 6 558 688 90 72 2 739 699 83 79 3 588 550
1972 59 97 6 503 625 75 81 4 568 600 83 73 3 528 578
1973 71 91 6 642 717 81 81 2 643 603 82 79 1 608 588
1974 80 82 3 676 701 86 75 2 677 643 71 91 5 572 646
Phillies: Virtual Cardinals: Virtual Mets: Virtual
Year W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA
1969 64 98 5 611 691 98 64 2 659 528 101 61 1 638 550
1970 77 84 5 596 691 80 82 4 742 703 84 78 3 687 619
1971 86 76 4 629 598 102 60 1 787 647 89 73 3 643 561
1972 68 88 5 585 638 105 51 1 675 478 93 63 2 551 523
1973 93 69 1 680 572 80 82 3 621 593 91 70 2 625 539
1974 86 76 2 679 654 100 61 1 738 591 83 79 4 648 622
You have taken an awful lot of liberties with the Pirates roster in your unlikely fantasy world. Oh yeah, of course, Jim Bibby is the same as Ken Brett in 1973. Obviously the Pirates would jump on Rooker instead of trading Cash to the Phils. Enjoy your fantasy, I guess, the Pirates still rule the 70s.
Steve:
Does Allen “retire” before the playoffs?
The Mets are going to look interesting next week. Thornton and Johnstone should fit in nicely. With thier crowded outfield, will they still purchase Dave Kingman from the Giants? He has played some third base and would be a huge offensive upgrade, but I imagine a lot of balls will skip past him into left field.
Under deals NOT made I would have thought Carlton for Wise would at least get mention…
“Does Allen “retire” before the playoffs?”
An interesting question … in actuality, Allen “retired” from the White Sox on Sept. 14. He was genuinely hurt that month with one of his recurrent leg injuries. I don’t know whether the injury was severe enough to have kept him out for all of the month of October, and of course with his team in the post-season it’s worth pondering whether he would have been motivated to undertake an aggressive rehab. The only thing one can say with certainty about Mr. Allen is that one never knows.
“You have taken an awful lot of liberties with the Pirates roster in your unlikely fantasy world. Oh yeah, of course, Jim Bibby is the same as Ken Brett in 1973. Obviously the Pirates would jump on Rooker instead of trading Cash to the Phils.”
Every counterfactual implies related counterfactuals, unavoidably. Bibby wasn’t the same as Brett, but every team requires a willing partner to swing a deal. In our scenario, Brett wasn’t available to the Pirates. (And in our scenario there is no reason to believe the Pirates wouldn’t have already acquired Rooker in 1972, as they actually did.)
“Under deals NOT made I would have thought Carlton for Wise would at least get mention…”
That was covered back in Part 4:
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/the-virtual-1969-76-phillies-cardinals-and-mets-part-4-1971-72/
i heventread ina whilei likeyore stuff im not ure howyou chane the stats and excepttrdes when where thevlst oones keep up thegood work
t
Thanks, I’ve been enjoying this series!
One thing’s for sure:
With a World Series title in 1967, a pennant in 1968 and with whatever additional flags the three 100+ division-winning seasons in 1971, 1972, and 1974 has brought, Cardinals skipper Red Schoendienst is well on his way to Cooperstown.
I expected the Phillies to jump at the chance to put the switching-hitting Reggie Smith into their lineup. But it will be Boston who gets the best of that trade in the long run as injuries in the late 70s take their toll on Reggie’s production.
With hot prospects Jim Rice and Fred Lynn looking to join Dwight Evans in the outfield in 1975 (and with Carl Yastrzemski and Cecil Cooper filling in at first and DH duties), the Red Sox will appreciate Rick Wise in the rotation and Bernie Carbo’s clutch bat.
I do wonder about the Phils not moving Denny Doyle. If they in the real time-line thought they needed to upgrade at 2nd from Doyle, it’s not unreasonable to assume they would have thought the same re: Sizemore. (Although, granted, winning sometimes leads to an over-valuation of your players).
In 1973, Doyle was the Phils’ regular 2nd baseman and hit .273/.327/.338 (avg,obp,slg) with an OPS of .665. Sizemore, the Cards’ real-life 2nd baseman hit .282/.365/.334 with an OPS of .699.
Neither had much power. Sizemore’s league-leading 25 SH had more to do with him hitting second behind Lou Brock than being a better bunter than Doyle. Likewise, Sizemore getting more walks than Doyle might have had more to do with first base being open a lot for him once Lou Brock swiped second.
But, perhaps being the defending division champs in this alternative reality and also not having lefty Steve Carlton makes the Phillies reluctant to move lefty Ken Brett to acquire Cash.
Still, if the Phillies moved Doyle to upgrade their starting 2nd baseman, they might have been even more likely to have moved him if he was merely Sizemore’s backup. In fact, maybe the Angels would have even offered more to get him.
But if the Phillies do hold firm and don’t send Doyle to the West Coast, the Angels cannot then afford to sell Sandy Alomar to the Yankees on July 8, 1974.
At the time of the trade, the Yankees were in last in the AL East at 39-43, 6 1/2 behind division-leading Cleveland. (They would end up just 2 games short of the division-winning O’s.)
That means New York continues using Gene Michael and Fernando González (and his .215 average) at 2nd for the rest of the 1974 season.
Without the improved bat in the lineup (Alomar had 22 multiple-hit games the rest of the season after joining the club), the Yankees never make a late season run and finish a disappointing third behind the O’s and Red Sox.
When the season ends, George Steinbrenner fires manager Bill Virdon and in the off-season settles on recently fired Cleveland skipper Ken Aspromonte (who was hired there by Gabe Paul when the new Yankees president was in Cleveland).
Aspromonte lasts the full 1975 season in the Bronx, the Yankees missing a chance to get dismissed Rangers manager Billy Martin, who replaces Al Dark in Oakland at season’s end.
(perhaps all this even gives the Pirates a chance to bring in Chuck Tanner a year earlier.)
The Red Sox still win the 1975 pennant (as the O’s are weaker without Singleton). But Doug Griffin just isn’t the answer to their 2nd base problem.
So does Pirates GM Joe Brown swing a deal with the Red Sox, sending pitchers Doc Ellis and Bruce Kison and infield prospect Willie Randolph up north for Rick Wise?
No? Is that really much different than Doc Medich for Doc Ellis, Ken Brett and Randolph?
Wise put up numbers similar to Medich. Although three years older, Wise would have now just won a pennant and his shutting down of the A’s offense in the final game of the ALCS sweep showed he could be the dominant right-hander the Bucs were looking for.
Pittsburgh was also anxious to get rid of Ellis, wasn’t sure about Brett’s arm and badly under-rated Randolph.
With Fisk-Burleson/Randolph-Lynn up the middle for the Bosox in 1976, can anyone say “repeat”?
Heck, just in case the Yankees try to make the deal with Medich, Boston throws in Butch Hobson (simultaneously taking A’s owner Charlie Finley up on his straight-up offer of Sal Bando for Fergie Jenkins).
Post-Scenario:
(Assuming the free agent era begins as it did)
After the Yankees fire Aspromonte (or whoever might have replaced him for 1976, perhaps Yogi Berra), Steinbrenner finally gets the manager he wants and hires Dick Williams for the 1977 season, reuniting Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter with their former skipper in Oakland.
In the N.L. West, the loss of Fred Norman hurt the Reds again in 1976. It already cost them the 1973 division crown. Dodgers’ skipper Walt Alston has now already won back-to-back division titles in 73-74 (possibly even pennants and World Series). Although 1975 was a disappointing year, another division title in 1976 might have him being given yet another one-year contract for 1977. Is third base coach Tom Lasorda going to remain patient? Especially that once again the Expos are calling?
We can assume the Phillies have no interest in trading Ted Sizemore for Willie Crawford like St. Louis did when the Dodgers panicked when Davey Lopes had a 1976 spring training injury. With no hole in RF, the Dodgers also don’t go trading foe Ferguson for Reggie Smith (who also isn’t with the Cardinals).
But if the Dodgers still want to move Bill Buckner, to get him and his bad knees a first base job someplace, they could still swing the trade with the Cubs for Rick Monday.
However, the Dodgers had nearly made a deal with the Kansas City Royals after 1975: Buckner and shortstop Bill Russell for Amos Otis and Freddie Patek.
If the Mets have another disappointing season in 1976, that deal might be re-visited/re-imagined.
Mike Jorgenson had a disappointing season in 1976 and the Mets have Lee Mazzilli primed to take over someplace in the outfield.
Otis and Buddy Harrelson for Buckner and Russell? Certainly the Dodgers would make that deal, as they then have Ivan DeJesus to take over at short (instead of him going to the Cubs in the Monday deal).
And Buckner could take over first base nicely for the Mets for the next decade. Now, how ironic would that be?
Buckner takes over first base for the Mets, and helps the New Yorkers reach the 1986 World Series.
He was on the field when the Mets lost the ‘86 Series in heartbreaking fashion, after the Boston Red Sox’ Dwight Evans led off the top of the 11th inning of Game 6 with a home run that eventually gave his team a 6-5 win and its first World Championship in 68 years. The Mets had nearly won the game in the last of the 10th, tying the game up before a tough ground ball off the bat of Mookie Wilson was gobbled up by slick-fielding Boston first baseman Keith Hernandez. Hernandez, acquired in a lopsided trade with St. Louis in 1983, beat Wilson to the bag to keep the game alive for Boston.
Buckner played four more seasons in the majors after that disappointment, but garnered over 2,700 hits in his major-league career and is a popular Hall of Fame candidate today, as a successful clean player just prior to the dawn of the Steroid Era.
Steve, great article once again. I do have a question about the Mets 1974 final results. How could Jay Johnstone get 306 at bats and 113 games played during this season? Singleton plays 148 games with 511 times up, Otis 146 and 552 and Milner 137 and 507. With Luis Melendez playing in 83 games with 124 at bats I don’t see how Johnstone could get to play as much as your final stats indicate. 162 game season offers a total of 486 game starts. Singleton, Otis and Milner use up 431 games, leaving 55 games available for Melendez and Johnstone. Your final tallies show Melendez in 83 games and 124 at bats. If I am missing something obvious please respond.
“How could Jay Johnstone get 306 at bats and 113 games played during this season?”
Since the outfield bats (excepting Melenedez) are generally the team’s best, they’re generally occupying the upper slots in the order. This team consumes nearly 5,800 PAs, and that means the upper slots consume over 700 each. Johnstone not only takes the starts not taken by Otis, Singleton, and Milner, but all of those guys are doing much of the team’s pinch-hitting when not in the lineup, and this team does a lot of pinch-hitting not only for the pitchers, but for the middle infielders in late-inning situations. As for Melendez, most of his playing time is as a late-inning defensive replacement for Milner or Singleton.
(That’s nearly 5,800 PAs excluding the pitchers.)
the person who tlked about 85 nymets forgot they hd herndez didnt need bucker
As Red Sox fan, I don’t fault Buckner or John McNamara for the 1986 loss.
Had Buckner not suffered that knee injury in 1975 trying to slide like Davey Lopes, he would have probably remained a popular fixture in left field for the Dodgers for many years and likely would have had 3,000 hits and a Hall of Fame plaque.
Fred, I think the point John C is making is that with Buckner, the Mets wouldn’t have traded for Hernandez.
Not only that, if Steve’s alternate time line continued past 1976, I doubt he’d have the Cardinals sending Hernandez anywhere, let alone to the Mets for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey.