A New Record?

Can the 1949 Pirates go 10-0?

A New Record?

The story behind this one is simple. If the Pirates win, they will have won their 10th game in a row. That would have set the major league record for most consecutive wins to lead off a season in 1949.

Let’s get right down to it.

Missed Chances

Now, I know very well that the game engine doesn’t know if a record is going to be set or not. The players play the same way regardless of whether it’s a pivotal game for the pennant race or if it’s a hot and humid game in July between two basement dwellers.

Still, it felt like both of the teams were a tad nervous in this one.

Cincinnati had the first real scoring chance int he bottom of the 4th inning. Danny Litwhiler stood there on second base with Grady Hatton up, with two men out:

Not only did we have a rare play (a batter stepping back into the box to get the base hit), but we also had a great play at the plate by Clyde McCullough. I don’t think I was overly aggressive trying to score here, either.

Pittsburgh answered quickly with a chance of its own in the top of the 5th. First up was Johnny Hopp, who promptly doubled. That brought up pitcher Bill Werle, and the entire world knew what he was going to do:

Ted Kluszewski looked pretty nervous out there, but made the play anyway. Up came Wally Judnich with a real chance:

Judnich failed to do anything with the runner at third base, and Wally Westlake then popped out to first to end the threat.

And we were still scoreless.

Cincinnati had another shot in the bottom of the 5th, when Virgil Stallcup managed to reach third base with only one out. Up came catcher Ray Mueller:

And we were still scoreless.

Breaking Through

The Pirates finally broke through in the top of the 6th.

Eddie Bockman came up to bat with runners on first and second, but with two men out:

That scored McCullough, who had already had quite a game, making two putouts at the plate. And then came Hopp again:

And, just like that, it was a 2-0 Pittsburgh lead.

Comeback?

Cincinnati didn’t go out without a fight.

Jimmy Bloodworth led things off in the bottom of the 9th, still Pirates 2, Reds 0:

I decided to hit and run while down by two. I figured that Litwhiler could put the bat on the ball:

I guess I figured wrong.

That made two outs, and up came Kluszewski, the only man standing between the surprising Pirates and the record:

Man, oh man, what a thrilling season it’s been for Pittsburgh so far!

Werle wasn’t awful in real life, but he was nowhere near this good. He’s a big part of the reason why these Pirates look invincible. Cincinnati played fairly well, but not quite well enough.

Other Action

Red Sox 8, Yankees 1: At Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox scored early and often to demolish New York pitching. Watch the game here.

Indians 6, Tigers 5: At Detroit, a late Tiger rally fell just short. Read the summary here. Watch the game here.

Senators 5, Athletics 3: At Philadelphia, the Athletics ground into 2 double plays without turning any themselves, falling just short of the awful Senators.

Dodgers 6, Phillies 0: At Brooklyn, Ralph Branca threw a 3-hit shutout despite walking 6.

Giants 4, Braves 1: At Boston, the Braves had numerous chances to tie this game but couldn’t capitalize. Watch the game here.

Cubs 7, Cardinals 4: At Chicago, the Cubs surprised everybody (myself included) by exploding for 6 runs in the bottom of the 8th to overcome St. Louis. Read the summary here.

Pirates 2, Reds 0: See above.

Standings

We all know about the Pirates. How about the Giants, though? The National League looks absolutely fascinating at this point.

I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the Cleveland Indians, who seem more than happy to beat up on the rest of the American League while the Red Sox and Yankees duke it out.