The virtual 1969-76 Yankees, Red Sox, and Indians (Part 6: 1973-74)
Last week, the 1973 season saw the Red Sox and Yankees deliver good performances, but not as good as either anticipated. Meanwhile our Cleveland Indians surpassed both, striding forward with an impressive 92-win, second-place finish.
Yankees: Actual Red Sox: Actual Indians: Actual
Year W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA
1969 80 81 5 562 587 87 75 3 743 736 62 99 6 573 717
1970 93 69 2 680 612 87 75 3 786 722 76 86 5 649 675
1971 82 80 4 648 641 85 77 3 691 667 60 102 6 543 747
1972 79 76 4 557 527 85 70 2 640 620 72 84 5 472 519
1973 80 82 4 641 610 89 73 2 738 647 71 91 6 680 826
Yankees: Virtual Red Sox: Virtual Indians: Virtual
Year W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA
1969 80 81 5 594 617 85 77 4 775 781 68 93 6 576 658
1970 95 67 2 677 599 89 73 3 781 706 82 80 4 706 680
1971 87 75 3 662 611 84 78 4 690 673 73 89 5 657 748
1972 82 73 3 590 545 89 66 1 627 579 82 74 4 558 534
1973 86 76 4 709 630 89 73 3 721 633 92 70 2 740 679
With all three poised as contenders for 1974, what maneuvers will each undertake in preparation for the battle ahead?
The 1973-74 offseason: Actual deals we will make
Oct. 23, 1973: The Boston Red Sox traded outfielder Ben Oglivie to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Dick McAuliffe.
We like Oglivie, but he isn’t developing and we don’t have the room to really allow him to. The veteran McAuliffe can provide immediate help at second base.
Oct. 25, 1973: The Boston Red Sox released pitcher Bob Veale.
We’ve got younger arms coming along to compete for this veteran lefty’s bullpen spot.
Dec. 3, 1973: The New York Yankees drafted infielder Billy Parker from the California Angels in the 1973 Rule 5 draft.
This veteran handyman can compete for a bench role.
Dec. 6, 1973: The New York Yankees purchased infielder Jim Mason from the Texas Rangers.
Dec. 7, 1973: The New York Yankees purchased infielder-catcher Bill Sudakis from the Texas Rangers.
It isn’t clear why Texas GM Dan O’Brien was willing to surrender these useful commodities for straight cash, but we’re happy to comply with his wishes.
Dec. 11, 1973: The New York Yankees released outfielder Ron Swoboda.
He had a bad year in ’73, and finding no takers in the trade market, we’ll let Swoboda go.
March 23, 1974: The New York Yankees purchased outfielder-infielder Elliott Maddox from the Texas Rangers.
Another guy whom it’s peculiar to find available for just cash, but again, if the Rangers are selling, we’ll buy.
March 25, 1974: The Cleveland Indians purchased infielder Jack Heidemann from the Oakland Athletics.
The more marginal sort of talent more typically available for sale.
March 26, 1974: The Boston Red Sox released shortstop Luis Aparicio.
March 26, 1974: The Boston Red Sox released designated hitter Orlando Cepeda.
March 26, 1974: The Boston Red Sox released pitcher Bob Bolin.
March 26, 1974: The Cleveland Indians released pitcher Ray Lamb.
March 28, 1974: The Cleveland Indians released pitcher Mike Kekich.
March 28, 1974: The Boston Red Sox purchased catcher Bob Didier from the Detroit Tigers.
The rosters getting pruned. The only high-profile moves are the bidding of adios to Srs. Aparicio and Cepeda. Like the actual Red Sox, we just see better and younger alternatives available.
The 1973-74 offseason: Actual deals we will not make
Oct. 24, 1973: The Boston Red Sox traded pitcher Marty Pattin to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Dick Drago.
It is the case that the 30-year-old Pattin suffered a rough year in 1973, and his days as a full-time starter may be over. But even though Drago is two years younger, the exact same description applies to him. And even at his best, Drago has never been as good as Pattin at his best.
We don’t think the two-year difference in age is crucial at this point. We think Pattin not only has a better past, but still a better future than Drago.
Oct. 26, 1973: The Boston Red Sox traded outfielder Reggie Smith and pitcher Ken Tatum to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Rick Wise and outfielder Bernie Carbo.
Here was our assessment of this Blockbuster:
The all-around abundantly talented Smith had spent seven full seasons in Boston, knocking on the door of superstardom. Yet he’d never crossed that threshold, and worsening knee problems in 1972 and ’73 made it plain that his days as a center fielder were numbered. Thus [Boston GM] Dick O’Connell decided to accept this offer from the Cardinals of the solid workhorse Wise and the deluxe platoon hitter Carbo.
It would be a trade that helped both teams. While Wise would uncharacteristically get hurt in 1974, he would return to his customary strong form in the following seasons. Carbo would deliver consistently well in his against-righties-only role, and both would be major contributors to the Red Sox’ championship in 1975. Smith, playing right field and first base, would give the Cardinals exactly the robust performance they were counting on from him, though his recurrent injury trouble would prompt St. Louis to trade him for too little in mid-1976.
Our Red Sox like both Wise and Carbo, and are thus tempted by this offer. But even with his injury problems, we just like Smith’s terrific bat a little bit more. We think we can relieve some of the stress on Smith’s knees by primarily deploying him at DH, and we look forward to more big years from him.
Nov. 3, 1973: The Cleveland Indinas traded pitcher Jerry Johnson to the Houston Astros for pitcher Cecil Upshaw.
We don’t have Johnson and don’t want Upshaw.
Dec. 7, 1973: The New York Yankees traded pitcher Lindy McDaniel to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Lou Piniella and pitcher Ken Wright.
Our Yankees dumped McDaniel following the 1971 season (oops), so no Sweet Lou for us.
Dec. 7, 1973: The Boston Red Sox purchased pitcher Juan Marichal from the San Francisco Giants.
He’s been a great one, but our Red Sox just don’t see a spot for the 36-year-old Marichal on our staff.
Dec. 10, 1973: The Boston Red Sox sold infielder Buddy Hunter to the Kansas City Royals.
We’re ready to move him, but our Red Sox have a different deal in mind for Hunter.
Dec. 12, 1973: The Cleveland Indians traded outfielder Roger Freed to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Steve Blateric.
Our Indians found Freed quite useful in a utility role in 1973, and aren’t ready to part with him.
Feb. 12, 1974: The Cleveland Indians traded infielder Leo Cardenas to the Texas Rangers for catcher Ken Suarez.
We don’t have Cardenas, and don’t need Suarez.
March 19, 1974: In a three-club deal, the New York Yankees traded catcher Jerry Moses to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Ed Farmer. The Tigers sent pitcher Jim Perry to the Cleveland Indians, and the Indians sent outfielder Walt Williams and pitcher Rick Sawyer to the Yankees.
Neither our Yankees nor our Indians have the players to make this exact deal, and we wouldn’t be particularly interested anyway.
March 26, 1974: The Boston Red Sox traded catcher Vic Correll to the Atlanta Braves for infielder-outfielder Chuck Goggin.
We’ll stick with Correll in a backup role.
The 1973-74 offseason: Deals we will invoke
Oct. 26, 1973: The New York Yankees released infielder Bernie Allen.
It’s the end of the line for this veteran.
Dec. 5, 1973: The Boston Red Sox traded infielder Buddy Hunter and cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Bob Johnson.
Dec. 5, 1973: The Cleveland Indians traded outfielder Burnel Flowers to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Luke Walker.
Actually during this week, the Pirates traded Johnson to the Indians for Flowers, and sold Walker to Detroit. Our Indians don’t want Johnson but do want Walker, and our Red Sox can make use of Johnson, so we’ll satisfy the Pirates’ desire to offload these journeymen.
Dec. 7, 1973: The New York Yankees sold catcher Hal King to the Cincinnati Reds.
With the switch-hitting Sudakis on hand, we won’t be needing another backup catcher who can bat from the left side.
Dec. 7, 1973: The Boston Red Sox traded pitchers John Curtis and Sonny Siebert to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Reggie Cleveland and infielder Terry Hughes.
The actual trade was Curtis, Lynn McGlothen, and Mike Garman for Cleveland, Hughes, and Diego Segui. We’ll scale it down, but the essence of the deal remains Curtis-for-Cleveland, one mid-grade innings-eater for another, with the motivation for both teams simply to achieve a better lefty-righty balance.
Dec., 1973: The Boston Red Sox traded pitcher Don Newhauser to the Cleveland Indians for infielder Eddie Leon.
Our Indians have other options for utility infielder, and our Red Sox get another element to attempt to plug the second base hole.
Jan., 1974: The New York Yankees signed pitcher Bob Veale as a free agent.
He’ll get a shot at a bullpen job.
March 21, 1974: The Cleveland Indians sold pitcher Ed Farmer to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Actually it was the Yankees selling Farmer to Philadelphia. He’s not making our Cleveland staff either.
March 28, 1974: The Boston Red Sox selected outfielder Leron Lee off waivers from the San Diego Padres.
Actually it was Cleveland claiming Lee, but our Red Sox have a spot for him instead. Lee isn’t a good fielder, but he’s still just 26, and hit up a storm a couple of years ago.
March, 1974: The Cleveland Indians purchased pitcher Gary Ryerson from the California Angels.
March, 1974: The Cleveland Indians sold pitcher Steve Dunning to the Texas Rangers.
March, 1974: The Cleveland Indians sold pitcher Mike Garman to the St. Louis Cardinals.
March, 1974: The New York Yankees sold pitcher Tom Buskey to the Detroit Tigers.
March, 1974: The New York Yankees sold pitcher Vicente Romo to the San Diego Padres.
And the pitching staffs get tidied up for Opening Day.
The 1974 season: Actual deals we will make
May 5, 1974: The New York Yankees purchased infielder Fernando Gonzalez from the Kansas City Royals.
He’s got a bit of pop in his bat.
June 1, 1974: The Cleveland Indians traded infielder Jack Heidemann to the St. Louis Cardinals for infielders Ed Crosby and Luis Alvarado.
Why not convert one garden-variety utility infielder into two garden-variety utility infielders?
June 5, 1974: The Cleveland Indians purchased first baseman-outfielder Joe Lis from the Minnesota Twins.
He doesn’t offer much defensive value, but this guy can hit.
June 15, 1974: The New York Yankees purchased pitcher Rudy May from the California Angels.
He’s slumped his way into Angels’ manager Bobby Winkles’s doghouse, but May is not yet 30 years old and has pitched quite well in the past. He’s definitely worth a chance.
June 17, 1974: The Cleveland Indians released pitcher Ken Sanders.
He was terrific down the stretch in ’73, but this year, um, not so good.
July 8, 1974: The New York Yankees purchased infielder Sandy Alomar from the California Angels.
His days as a regular are through, but the slick-fielding Alomar can still provide value off the bench. We’ll help the slumping Angels clean house.
July 17, 1974: The Cleveland Indians purchased first baseman-outfielder Tom McCraw from the California Angels.
And our Indians will claim this piece of Angel inventory.
Aug. 17, 1974: The Cleveland Indians purchased first baseman-outfielder Rico Carty from the Cafeteros de Cordoba of the Mexican League.
If ever a guy seemed born to be a designated hitter, it would be Carty, a phenomenal batsman and brutal defender. But when finally getting the opportunity to DH with Texas in 1973, the 33-year-old Carty was nagged by injuries and failed badly.
But banished to the Mexican League for ’74, he’s hitting .354, and like the actual Indians, we figure, what the heck?
Sep. 1, 1974: The Boston Red Sox purchased catcher-first baseman Tim McCarver from the St. Louis Cardinals.
A helpful veteran bat to beef up the bench for the stretch run.
The 1974 season: Actual deals we will not make
April 26, 1974: The Cleveland Indians traded first baseman Chris Chambliss and pitchers Dick Tidrow and Cecil Upshaw to the New York Yankees for pitchers Fritz Peterson, Steve Kline, Fred Beene, and Tom Buskey.
What can one say? What we’ve said is this:
The Yankees would never have become quite the juggernaut they were in the late 1950s and early 1960s without the kind assistance of the Kansas City Athletics, tossing them regular trade lollipops. Similarly, George Steinbrenner’s first great Yankee team owed a debt of gratitude to the incompetence of Cleveland Indians’ management, both in this deal and the Graig Nettles laugher.
Suffice to say our Indians aren’t so helpful. Our Yankees have already acquired Chambliss anyway, but paid a fair price.
May 22, 1974: The Cleveland Indians traded pitcher Steve Blateric to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Johnny Jeter.
We wouldn’t mind having Jeter, but we don’t have Blateric.
Sep. 7, 1974: The Boston Red Sox purchased first baseman Deron Johnson from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Much as we’ve always been intrigued by the idea of big Deron wearing the home whites at Fenway Park, at this point he’s 36 years old and hitting .175. We think that’s an idea whose time has come and gone.
Sep. 9, 1974: The New York Yankees purchased outfielder Alex Johnson from the Texas Rangers.
Nor are our Yankees much tempted by this offer. Though this Johnson fields like a DH, he really doesn’t hit like one.
The 1974 season: Deals we will invoke
May 5, 1974: The New York Yankees sold infielder Frank Baker to the Baltimore Orioles.
We’re trying Fernando Gonzalez in this utility spot.
May 7, 1974: The Cleveland Indians traded catcher Duke Sims to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Larry Gura and cash.
Actually it was the Yankees making this deal with Texas. Our Indians have loved Sims, but he’s getting near the end and the strike-throwing young lefty Gura is a nice return.
June 5, 1974: The Cleveland Indians traded outfielder Roger Freed to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Johnny Jeter.
We didn’t accept Cincinnati’s offer of Steve Blateric for Freed last winter, but we’ve just acquired Joe Lis, and he can fill Freed’s role. We’re assuming the Reds traded Blateric to the White Sox for Jeter (given that the White Sox would actually make that swap in the spring of ’74), and now we’ll allow them to have Freed. We’ll put Jeter in triple-A as injury insurance.
June 15, 1974: The New York Yankees traded cash and a player to be named later to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Steve Arlin. (On June 21, 1974, the Yankees sent pitcher Brent Strom to the Padres, completing the deal.)
Actually it was Cleveland making a Strom-for-Arlin deal this month. Since our Yankees have Strom, they’ll do it. Arlin has fallen on hard times, but was quite promising a few years ago.
July 8, 1974: The New York Yankees sold second baseman Horace Clarke to the San Diego Padres.
He’s had a nice run for us, but Clarke is now 34 and showing it, and we’ll replace him with Alomar.
July 17, 1974: The Cleveland Indians sold outfielder Richie Scheinblum to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Scheinblum’s always been a streaky hitter, but his slump this year is a whopper and we’ve run out of patience.
Aug. 3, 1974: The Boston Red Sox signed first baseman Jim Hickman as a free agent.
Hickman’s recently become available, released by the Cardinals despite not hitting badly. Andy Kosco’s slumping, so we’ll replace him with Hickman and see what happens.
Sep. 12, 1974: The Cleveland Indians traded outfielder Rusty Torres and cash to the California Angels for designated hitter Frank Robinson.
The actual deal included backup catcher Ken Suarez along with Torres. We’re sure he wasn’t a crucial factor. Like the actual Indians, we’ll eagerly allow the great Robinson to finish his playing career with us, and do more than that.
1974 season results
Yankees
We know we were a better team than our 86-76 record indicated in 1973, and we haven’t undertaken major moves in the offseason. We’ve invested cash to upgrade the bench, importing Mason, Sudakis, and Maddox from Texas.
1974 New York Yankees Won 80 Lost 82 Finished 3rd
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
1B C. Chambliss* 25 127 467 47 119 20 3 6 52 28 48 .255 .295 .349 .644 86
2B-SS J. Mason* 23 125 363 35 91 14 6 4 33 29 71 .251 .299 .355 .654 89
SS R. Metzger# 26 136 515 60 133 19 8 0 32 27 66 .258 .284 .326 .610 76
3B B. Bell 22 116 423 52 112 15 1 7 48 35 28 .265 .318 .355 .673 95
RF-CF B. Murcer* 28 156 606 70 166 25 4 10 90 57 59 .274 .331 .378 .709 105
CF-RF E. Maddox 26 113 385 53 117 22 2 2 39 57 40 .304 .390 .387 .777 126
LF R. White# 30 136 473 69 130 19 8 7 45 67 44 .275 .362 .393 .755 119
C T. Munson 27 144 517 65 135 19 2 13 62 44 66 .261 .315 .381 .696 101
DH R. Blomberg* 25 90 264 40 82 11 2 10 50 29 33 .311 .375 .481 .856 147
OF-1B J. Briggs* 30 102 332 45 84 18 5 11 48 41 60 .253 .333 .437 .770 122
2B S. Alomar# 30 68 251 33 68 7 0 1 24 13 22 .271 .301 .311 .612 78
UT B. Sudakis# 28 71 207 21 47 6 0 6 33 19 39 .227 .286 .343 .629 82
OF-1B O. Velez 23 70 167 27 40 6 1 7 25 41 63 .240 .388 .413 .801 132
D-1-C J. Ellis 25 64 191 24 55 9 2 4 28 13 20 .288 .332 .419 .751 116
UT D. Cater 34 56 126 14 32 6 0 3 20 10 13 .254 .314 .373 .687 98
3B-2B F. Gonzalez 24 51 121 11 26 5 1 1 7 7 7 .215 .254 .298 .551 59
2B H. Clarke# 34 38 77 5 17 1 0 0 2 6 7 .221 .271 .234 .504 47
3B-2B B. Parker 32 26 45 6 11 2 0 1 7 3 11 .244 .306 .356 .662 91
SS F. Baker* 27 5 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .167 .286 .167 .452 34
Others 8 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .125 .125 .125 .250 -27
Total 5544 679 1467 224 45 93 645 527 699 .265 .324 .372 .696 101
* Bats left
# Bats both
Pitcher Age G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA ERA+
P. Dobson 32 39 39 12 19 15 0 281 282 111 96 23 75 157 3.07 116
D. Medich 25 38 38 17 19 15 0 280 275 122 112 24 91 154 3.60 99
F. Peterson* 32 35 27 3 9 12 1 161 196 94 76 16 38 59 4.25 84
R. May* 29 17 15 8 8 4 0 114 75 36 29 5 48 90 2.29 156
M. Stottlemyre 32 16 15 6 6 7 0 113 119 54 45 7 37 40 3.58 100
S. Kline 26 22 14 1 5 8 0 97 94 58 48 11 35 25 4.45 80
S. McDowell* 31 13 7 0 1 6 0 48 42 27 25 6 41 33 4.69 76
D. Segui 36 58 0 0 5 7 14 108 102 52 44 7 50 77 3.67 98
F. Beene 31 42 0 0 4 3 5 91 85 55 47 9 30 50 4.65 77
B. Veale* 38 29 0 0 1 1 3 28 25 19 18 2 19 32 5.79 62
D. Pagan 24 20 4 1 1 2 0 65 67 40 38 2 36 51 5.26 68
L. Clemons* 26 14 0 0 1 0 0 30 35 23 17 2 12 17 5.10 70
S. Arlin 28 11 3 0 1 2 0 29 36 22 19 0 15 15 5.90 61
Others 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 4 3 0 5 5 3.86 93
Total 162 48 80 82 23 1452 1440 717 617 114 532 805 3.82 94
* Throws left
Our pitching suffers a big blow, as longtime ace Mel Stottlemyre is felled with an arm injury that will prove to be a career-ender. Fellow right-handers Pat Dobson and Doc Medich step forward with strong workhorse performances, and the mid-season addition May is terrific, but the staff has a lot of issues, in particular a weak bullpen.
Our offense doesn’t encounter that much trouble, but it’s less potent than last year as well. Bobby Murcer and Chris Chambliss are both slump-ridden, and Buddy Bell misses seven weeks with knee injuries. The only pleasant surprise is Maddox, who blossoms so nicely that he takes over the regular center field job, bumping Murcer to right and Johnny Briggs into a utility role.
It’s a distinctly disappointing year. We finish in third, but well out of contention, and our 80-82 record is the worst by a Yankee team since 1967.
Red Sox
Reconfiguring our defense, we’re installing sophomore Rick Burleson as the first-string shortstop, moving incumbent Juan Beniquez to center field, where he will compete with Rick Miller. Reggie Smith is set to be our primary DH.
At second base, we’ll try a platoon of Dick McAuliffe and Eddie Leon.
1974 Boston Red Sox Won 98 Lost 64 Finished 1st
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
1B C. Cooper* 24 121 414 57 114 24 1 8 43 32 74 .275 .324 .396 .720 100
2B E. Leon 27 85 213 22 45 6 1 2 17 16 44 .211 .257 .277 .534 49
SS R. Burleson 23 137 459 45 131 26 0 5 53 25 41 .285 .319 .375 .693 93
3B R. Petrocelli 31 129 454 55 121 23 1 15 76 48 74 .267 .336 .421 .757 110
RF-CF D. Evans 22 133 463 63 130 19 8 10 70 38 77 .281 .331 .421 .752 109
CF R. Miller* 26 140 390 58 101 12 3 6 33 50 62 .259 .339 .351 .690 93
LF-1B C. Yastrzemski* 34 148 515 96 155 25 2 15 79 104 48 .301 .414 .445 .859 140
C V. Correll 28 82 253 29 59 19 1 6 36 21 47 .233 .299 .387 .687 91
DH-RF R. Smith# 29 143 517 90 163 27 5 30 100 57 70 .315 .378 .561 .939 160
OF J. Beniquez 24 106 389 62 104 14 3 5 33 25 61 .267 .307 .357 .665 85
2B-3B D. McAuliffe* 34 100 272 33 57 13 1 5 24 39 40 .210 .307 .320 .627 75
IF M. Guerrero 24 93 284 19 70 6 2 0 23 13 22 .246 .280 .282 .561 57
LF-DH L. Lee* 26 79 232 22 57 14 1 4 25 15 41 .246 .290 .366 .657 83
C C. Fisk 26 52 187 37 56 12 1 11 26 24 23 .299 .380 .551 .930 157
DH-1B A. Kosco 32 54 134 16 30 6 0 4 18 11 20 .224 .277 .358 .635 76
C B. Didier# 25 44 110 8 20 4 0 1 6 11 12 .182 .276 .245 .521 47
UT T. Hughes 25 51 96 7 20 3 0 2 7 7 21 .208 .271 .302 .573 60
DH-LF J. Rice 21 24 67 6 18 2 1 1 13 4 12 .269 .307 .373 .680 89
C T. McCarver* 32 11 28 3 7 1 0 0 1 4 1 .250 .324 .286 .609 72
DH J. Hickman 37 3 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .222 .300 .222 .522 48
Others 55 6 21 2 2 2 11 7 8 .382 .453 .6001.053 192
Total 5541 734 1481 258 33 132 694 552 799 .267 .331 .397 .728 103
* Bats left
# Bats both
Pitcher Age G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA ERA+
L. Tiant 33 38 38 25 23 12 0 311 281 106 101 21 82 176 2.92 133
B. Lee* 27 38 37 16 18 14 0 282 320 123 110 25 67 95 3.51 111
L. McGlothen 24 31 31 8 17 11 0 237 215 80 73 16 70 142 2.77 140
R. Moret* 24 33 21 7 9 8 2 151 137 68 62 13 69 98 3.70 105
R. Cleveland 26 27 18 5 8 7 0 126 139 67 59 14 40 60 4.21 92
M. Pattin 31 25 11 2 5 6 0 117 121 54 53 12 28 50 4.08 95
S. Lyle* 29 66 0 0 10 2 21 114 95 30 23 8 42 87 1.82 214
B. Johnson 31 25 2 0 4 2 0 53 56 24 22 5 23 25 3.74 104
C. Skok* 26 22 2 0 3 2 0 40 39 17 15 4 15 30 3.38 115
Others 2 1 1 0 0 24 25 13 11 2 10 14 4.13 94
Total 162 64 98 64 23 1455 1428 582 529 120 446 777 3.27 119
* Throws left
We encounter a catastrophic injury, as star catcher Carlton Fisk blows out a knee in late June and is lost for the season. Backup Vic Correll fills in and holds his own, but he’s no Fisk.
And second base remains a problem, as neither McAuliffe nor Leon does well.
But this Boston team has more than enough talent to overcome those obstacles. Smith delivers his best season yet, and the 34-year-old Carl Yastrzemski is excellent again as well. Rico Petrocelli, Dwight Evans, and Cecil Cooper all swing solid supporting-cast bats, and Burleson is just fine.
But our core strength is clearly the pitching, which is brilliant, the best staff in the league by a wide margin. Ace Luis Tiant is superb, and he’s more than ably backed up by southpaw Bill Lee and by young righty Lynn McGlothen, blossoming in his third season. Fireman Sparky Lyle delivers a terrific year as well.
We win the division going away, convincingly surpassing the defending champ Orioles, capturing our second title in three years.
Indians
We’ve made few alterations to the roster that made such a strong showing in 1973. The only significant change is in right field, where we’ll give power-hitting rookie Charlie Spikes the opportunity as the regular, bumping Oscar Gamble to left. We’re also giving youngsters Milt Wilcox and Gary Ryerson opportunities in our bullpen, joining the veterans Ken Sanders and Tom Hilgendorf.
1974 Cleveland Indians Won 71 Lost 91 Finished 6th
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
1B G. Scott 30 158 604 72 168 36 2 18 80 59 90 .278 .342 .434 .776 124
2B D. Nelson 30 99 356 47 86 10 1 3 26 25 55 .242 .289 .301 .589 71
SS F. Duffy 27 150 494 52 115 16 0 7 40 27 58 .233 .265 .308 .573 66
3B G. Nettles* 29 155 566 69 140 21 1 21 71 60 78 .247 .318 .399 .717 107
RF C. Spikes 23 155 568 60 154 23 1 22 78 34 100 .271 .319 .431 .750 116
CF-LF G. Hendrick 24 139 495 62 138 23 1 19 65 33 73 .279 .322 .444 .767 120
LF J. Lowenstein* 27 93 254 30 62 7 1 4 22 26 44 .244 .310 .327 .637 85
C D. Duncan 28 136 425 42 85 10 1 16 44 42 91 .200 .272 .341 .613 77
DH-LF O. Gamble* 24 135 454 71 132 16 4 19 57 48 51 .291 .363 .469 .833 140
2B J. Brohamer* 24 76 210 20 57 7 1 1 18 17 15 .271 .326 .329 .655 90
CF R. Torres# 25 108 150 17 28 2 0 3 10 13 24 .187 .243 .260 .503 46
IF E. Crosby* 25 55 127 14 27 5 0 0 7 9 16 .213 .257 .252 .509 48
LF T. McCraw* 33 45 112 15 34 8 0 3 15 5 11 .304 .333 .455 .789 127
C R. Dempsey 24 43 109 9 26 3 0 2 11 8 7 .239 .286 .321 .607 76
DH R. Scheinblum# 31 46 109 8 19 2 0 0 5 9 10 .174 .237 .193 .430 26
DH-LF R. Carty 34 33 91 5 33 5 0 1 15 5 9 .363 .396 .451 .846 145
2B D. Kuiper* 24 24 77 14 26 4 0 0 7 5 8 .338 .386 .390 .775 125
OF T. Smith* 25 32 69 7 13 3 1 1 4 3 13 .188 .227 .304 .531 53
DH F. Robinson 38 15 50 6 10 1 1 2 5 10 10 .200 .328 .380 .708 105
DH R. Freed 28 15 45 4 10 2 0 2 6 8 15 .222 .340 .400 .740 114
DH J. Lis 27 19 36 5 7 1 0 2 5 5 10 .194 .293 .389 .682 96
C D. Sims* 33 5 15 1 2 1 0 0 2 1 5 .133 .188 .200 .388 12
SS J. Heidemann 24 12 11 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .091 .091 .091 .182 -47
Others 36 7 10 1 0 0 2 3 9 .278 .325 .306 .631 84
Total 5463 639 1383 207 15 146 595 455 804 .253 .310 .377 .686 98
* Bats left
# Bats both
Pitcher Age G GS CG W L SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA ERA+
G. Perry 35 37 37 28 20 14 0 322 230 98 90 25 99 216 2.52 144
J. Colborn 28 33 31 10 10 14 0 224 227 106 101 28 61 86 4.06 89
S. Bahnsen 29 38 35 10 11 17 0 216 220 127 109 19 111 103 4.54 80
D. Tidrow 27 37 29 5 10 14 1 210 230 120 99 18 67 107 4.24 86
L. Gura* 26 21 13 5 7 6 2 114 106 38 32 8 23 54 2.53 144
L. Walker* 30 28 9 0 5 5 0 92 96 56 49 9 54 52 4.79 76
M. Wilcox 24 41 2 1 2 5 5 71 74 42 37 10 24 33 4.69 77
T. Hilgendorf* 32 39 0 0 2 5 4 53 65 30 30 7 19 24 5.09 71
G. Ryerson* 26 35 2 0 3 7 1 99 116 62 50 6 37 52 4.55 80
K. Sanders 32 9 0 0 0 2 1 11 21 12 12 5 5 4 9.82 37
Others 4 1 1 2 0 35 38 23 20 3 25 19 5.14 71
Total 162 60 71 91 14 1447 1423 714 629 138 525 750 3.91 93
* Throws left
Things don’t go nearly as expected. Spikes does well, but overall the offense performs sluggishly. Though we again lead the league in home runs, it’s a one-dimensional attack, and slumps particularly afflict Scheinblum, Dave Duncan, and John Lowenstein. Over the season’s final weeks, newcomers McCraw, Carty, and rookie Duane Kuiper liven things up, but it’s too little, too late.
And the offensive disappointment is nothing compared to that regarding our pitching staff. Ace Gaylord Perry is brilliant, and new arrival Larry Gura does splendidly, but they sorely lack for company. Neither Jim Colborn nor Stan Bahnsen comes close to repeating his 1973 form, and our bullpen provides no help whatsoever.
We careen to a 21-game slide from the ’73 finish, and tumble all the way back to last place. What a disaster. The first African-American manager in the history of major league baseball is going to have his work cut out for him.
Yankees: Actual Red Sox: Actual Indians: Actual
Year W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA
1969 80 81 5 562 587 87 75 3 743 736 62 99 6 573 717
1970 93 69 2 680 612 87 75 3 786 722 76 86 5 649 675
1971 82 80 4 648 641 85 77 3 691 667 60 102 6 543 747
1972 79 76 4 557 527 85 70 2 640 620 72 84 5 472 519
1973 80 82 4 641 610 89 73 2 738 647 71 91 6 680 826
1974 89 73 2 671 623 84 78 3 696 661 77 85 4 662 694
Yankees: Virtual Red Sox: Virtual Indians: Virtual
Year W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA W L Pos RS RA
1969 80 81 5 594 617 85 77 4 775 781 68 93 6 576 658
1970 95 67 2 677 599 89 73 3 781 706 82 80 4 706 680
1971 87 75 3 662 611 84 78 4 690 673 73 89 5 657 748
1972 82 73 3 590 545 89 66 1 627 579 82 74 4 558 534
1973 86 76 4 709 630 89 73 3 721 633 92 70 2 740 679
1974 80 82 3 679 717 98 64 1 734 582 71 91 6 639 714
Next time
Can either our Yankees or Indians turn it around, and pose a threat to our dynasty-threatening Red Sox?
Wow. To unceremoniously erase Piniella’s time as a Yankee was a little shocking, even for a non-Yankee-fan like me.
Well, if you want to make an omelette, you’ve got to break some eggs!
Steve Treder said…
Well, if you want to make an omelette, you’ve got to break some eggs!
I hope we actually end up with an omlette. The virtual Yankees were better mostly because they had John Briggs instead of the parade of Johnny Callison types, but Briggs career is about to fizzle out.
I can’t understand the Piniella trade not happening. Because McDaniel wasn’t there? I don’t understand that one either, it’s not like the virtual Yankee bullpen was deep. I don’t understand signing the aging Bobby Veale but selling Tom Buskey, a prospect who had a decent career for the rest of the 70’s.
Broken eggs can make an omlette or a mess. I’m not very optimistic.
McDaniel isn’t there because he had a terrible year in 1971 at the age of 35, and our Yankees very sensibly concluded that he wasn’t worth hanging on to at that point. It isn’t plausible to imagine foreseeing the rejuvenation McDaniel would enjoy in 1972 and especially 1973.
And without McDaniel, there is no Piniella, because it isn’t plausible to imagine the Royals trading Piniella without receiving McDaniel in return. Our 1973 Yankees don’t have a suitable replacement for McDaniel that the Royals would plausibly accept in trade for Piniella.
And moreover, it isn’t logical for our Yankees to be targeting Piniella in the 1973-74 offseason. He’s a 30-year-old corner outfielder, average at best defensively, without speed or particular power, coming off a bad 1973 season. Our Yankees have an outfield of White/Murcer/Briggs, and Blomberg and Ellis at DH. What conceivable need would Piniella fill? Why should we expend anything to acquire him?
In real life, the Yankees’ McDaniel-for-Piniella trade worked out exceptionally well, as McDaniel did soon (finally) hit the end of the line and Piniella, limitations noted, would last for an exceptionally long time as a productive role player. It isn’t plausible to imagine foreseeing that in 1973 (I sure didn’t at the time).
“I don’t understand signing the aging Bobby Veale but selling Tom Buskey, a prospect who had a decent career for the rest of the 70’s.”
Buskey in 1974 was a 27-year-old right-handed middle relief candidate. He was no sort of serious prospect.
Veale throws left-handed. Our greater need in the bullpen was for a lefty, not another righty.
Steve Treder said…
In real life, the Yankees’ McDaniel-for-Piniella trade worked out exceptionally well…It isn’t plausible to imagine foreseeing that in 1973 (I sure didn’t at the time).
I was 10 at the time and I probably would have agreed (I can’t remember). I do remember absolutely hating the Murcer for Bonds trade a year later. I hope you see things differently since that turned into Bonds for Rivers and Figueroa. I aslo didnt like trading Doc Medich for some kid named Willie Randolph, but I was short-sighted back then.
I was 15 at the time. What I recall thinking is that it was a peculiar move on the part of both teams … for the Royals to give up their regular left fielder (even though Piniella had slumped in ‘73, he was their regular LF) for a 38-year-old reliever, and for the Yankees to surrender a guy who’d been so important in their bullpen in ‘73 for a player for whom they had no apparent need.
As a Giants fan, I was decidedly unenthused about Bonds for Murcer.
The Red Sox are going to be tough to beat in 1975. Their biggest problem is going to be finding enough at-bats for everyone once Jim Rice and Fred Lynn make the team in the spring. Or maybe they trade one of the veterans to get some help at second base.
McGlothen wasn’t as good in ‘75, but Pattin and Moret had much better seasons. Tiant and Lee were just a little better than league-average, but league-average with this offense might mean 20-plus wins.
The real 1975 Red Sox also beat their pythag by seven games, so if we’re counting that, this version will probably top 100 wins. I think this exercise bears out a study that Bill James did after the 1981 season, where he pointed out that the Red Sox—by far—had produced the most talent from their farm system in that era. Problem was that the real Red Sox squandered it. This bunch isn’t.
But do your Indians suffer a forfeit due to 10-cent beer night?