Weekly Report: June 29, 1931

The White Sox continued to dazzle as baseball’s top powerhouse this week, while the defending champ Bears challenged the Guardians for first in the West.

Spring Training for the NPL wrapped up on Saturday, and the Regular Season for Uplantica’s junior league will get started on Wednesday. The Carver Canaries will look to defend their inaugural National Cup championship.

Meanwhile, in the premier UA, All-Star voting got underway on Friday for the 4th UA All-Star Game, happening next month in Deerborn. You can vote for your favorite players at ballparks around the country, including all NPL parks.

This latest collaboration between the two leagues is fueling rumors of a possible cross-league playoff or merger in the future. NPL commissioner Shannon Mukai has made public statements pushing the idea of a UA-NPL championship series since the inception of the NPL. As of this writing, officials from both leagues declined to comment on planned or possible future collaborations.

(Jump to UA Standings & League Leaders)

(Jump to NPL Final Spring Standings)

UA News:

6/22:

SP Mathew Huertata strikes out 7 and RF Curt Sawyer goes 2 for 2 as Deerborn takes game 2 from Northsouth, 4-3. Deerborn has won 7 games in a row.
Brothers LHP Jeff Walker strikes out 9 in 6 innings with only 3 hits, but the Stags get the win in 10 innings, 2-1, on Albert Pentana’s walk-off double.
Trail Blazers 1B Bob Gunther goes 3 for 5 with a double and a grand slam to lift the Blazers over the Stars, 10-8.
Bears RHP Justin Russell allows just 2 hits while striking out 14 batters over 8 innings in Platte’s 7-3 win over Taawa. Russell’s 14 Ks are 1 short of the Mark Lia Yorino’s record of 15 Ks in a game.

6/23:

Trail Blazers LF Juan Tumaini hits his 10th home run, but the Blazers fall to the Stars, 3-2.
The White Sox beat the Guardians, 9-5, sweeping the series and earning Deerborn their 8th win in a row. Unfortunately, White Sox 2B Daniel Lia Yorino suffers a concussion in a collision at 2nd base and will be day-to-day depending on symptoms over the next two weeks or so.
Salvation avoids the sweep and manages to stop another Stags comeback win, defeating Roland in 10 innings, 3-2.
Bears RHP Will Shufflebottom strikes out 9 in 8 IP as Platte stomps Taawa for the sweep, 8-1. The Bears have now won 6 in a row.
Lia Kompos 3B BJ Horton has a record-tying 5-hit day in the Miners’ 18-7 pounding of the Owls. Hichem Colle and Ivan Tuwaa each hit 2 HR and account for a total 9 RBI int he Lia Kompos romp.

6/24:

White Sox 2B Daniel Lia Yorino’s concussion lands him on the IL for the next 10 days.
The White Sox continue to climb and the Brothers continue to slide as RF Curt Sawyer hits his 11th home run of the year and CF Hamilton Cole contributes a double and HR for 3 RBI in his 2nd appearance of the season. The Sox embarrass the Brothers, 11-1. The first-place White Sox have now won 9 in a row. Salvation RHP Austin Edwards injures his back in the game. He is day-to-day, awaiting diagnosis. CF Andy Thompson makes his 1931 debut for Salvation after missing 5 weeks with plantar fasciitis. He goes 0 for 4 in the loss.
Baseball’s best-paid player, Cal Oluoch, is 4 for 4 with a double and a triple for 3 RBI in Northsouth’s 7-2 win over Redwood.
Stars SP Ron Rivera shines with 10 Ks in Delle’s 3-2 win over Railey. After moving to the bullpen this season for the Rivals, RHP Alfredo Hernankez leaves today’s game, holding his shoulder, after just 5 pitches. He awaits an official diagnosis.

6/25:

Railey LF Julio Kastro hits a double and 2 home runs in the Rivals’ 7-4 win over the Stars. RHP Stanley Quinn strikes out 7 in 7 innings for Delle, but the Rivals rally for 5 runs off of Amin Roux and Jim Stanley in the 8th to grab the win.
Salvation SP Austin Edwards is diagnosed with back spasms. He may miss a start, but should make a quick recovery.
White Sox RF Curt Sawyer goes deep again for his league-leading 12th HR to give Deerborn another win in Tiny Sea, 2-0 over the Brothers in 11 innings. Deerborn’s current win streak is now at 10 games. They’ll go for the sweep tomorrow at Tiny Sea City Center.

6/26:

Northsouth CF Tom Katamori smacks 5 hits to tie the league record and scores 3 times as the Guardians beat the Owls, 10-5. Northsouth sweeps Redwood and keeps pace with the Bears atop the UA West.
Stags CF Ramon Zuniga hits his 9th HR and Trail Blazers LF Juan Tumaini hits his 11th, as Roland beats Prissley, 8-4, for the sweep on the road. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 and trail the White Sox by just 2 1/2 games ahead of Deerborn’s game at Salvation this evening.
Stars RHP Gurr Gurr racks up 10 Ks in 8 innings of scoreless pitching for the 6-0 win over the Rivals. Stars 3B Mario Olivo hits his 9th dinger in the win.
The Bears stay hot, beating Cherricaw 10-5 to take 2 of 3 in the series. Platte is tied with Northsouth for first place in the West.
White Sox RHP Mathew Huertata wins his 5th straight decision, striking out 11 in Deerborn’s 2-1 win at Salvation. The win gives Deerborn the sweep and their 11th straight win. They lead the East by 3 games and have baseball’s top record at 21-4. Austin Edwards takes the loss for Salvation, pitching 3 innings despite ongoing issues with back spasms.

6/28:

Curt Sawyer hits his 3rd HR in the last 4 games, his 13th of the year, as the White Sox take their 12th straight win. They have the UA’s top record at 22-4. Final: DEE 4, PRI 2.
The Guardians walk off in the 10th on RF Paul Miller’s solo home run. Northsouth beats Lia Kompos by a final of 4-3.
Bears RHP Justin Russell strikes out 6 with just 2 hits in 5 scoreless innings, but leaves the game with what appears to be a fairly serious elbow injury. Platte blanks Delle, 5-0. The Bears have been surging, but an injury to Russell, along with injuries keeping SPs Martinezto and Nunez out of action, could spell trouble for the defending champs.
Brothers CF Andy Thompson launches a pair of home runs, his first of the season since returning to the lineup on Wednesday, as Salvation takes game 1 in Redwood, 4-1. Salvation is 3 games behind the Guardians and Bears for the top spot in the UA West.

6/29:

Railey fan-favorite, RHP Alfredo Hernankez has been diagnosed with a torn labrum in his shoulder. This is the same shoulder he tore in 1928, when it kept him out for the remainder of that year. The latest re-injury has led Hernankez to hang it up, putting an end to his career as a ballplayer. “No, I’m not happy at all, obviously. The road back to pitching at this point is just not what I need to be doing with my time. It’s a bitter feeling to end things this way, but I’ve made nice chunk of cash in baseball, and I’m looking forward to spending time with my kids.”

Current UA Standings:

Current UA League Leaders:

NPL Watch:

After a great 1930 season in Plains City featuring a 1.65 ERA, 34-year RH CL Gustavo Retoyes signs with Elderwood for 2 years. (6/26)
NPL Spring Training comes to a close. The Carp, Metros, and Canaries led the way atop the spring standings in what appears to be a fairly accurate preview of the 1931 Regular Season. The season begins July 1. (6/27)