Weekly Report: September 20, 1931

The 1931 Regular Season Comes to a Close

The playoff field is set in the Uplantic Association, and the National Professional League has crowned a champion.

Coming into the final 12 days of the season, the Deerborn White Sox had all but wrapped up the UA East Pennant and the Mark Davis Trophy as Regular Season champs, which comes with a bye to the Windsor Cup Finals.

However, the UA West was still up for grabs between the Platte Bears and the Northsouth Guardians, while the Stars, Stags, Guardians, and Bears were all still in contention for the UA Wild Card.

The Carver Canaries entered the last week of the NPL season with a 2-game lead over the Wight Spiders for the top spot in the NPL. The Canaries looked to repeat as NPL Champs. As a reminder, the NPL does not hold a postseason. The team at the top of the standings after the 70-game season wins the National Cup.

The single-season home run records for both leagues were under threat as the season wound down.

(Jump to UA Standings & League Leaders)

(Jump to NPL Standings & League Leaders)

UA News:

9/7:

Miners LF Jesus Lia Taawa goes deep twice for 5 RBI as the Miners outlast the Chargers, 6-5.
Guardians LF Brad Bailey hits his 26th homer as Northsouth trounces the Owls, 11-0.
Stars 3B Mario Olivo crushes his 5th home run in the last 3 days, his 35th of the year. RF Antonio Teakowa hits his 34th HR as the Stars beat the Rivals, 4-1.
Trail Blazers RHP Fred Lia Itoldino goes 6.2 innings with 1 ER as Prissley beats Roland, 3-1. The Stags are now 3 games behind the Stars for UA Wild Card with 10 games to go.
Brothers RH RP Len Odden goes 5.1 innings with 7 Ks and just 1 ER on 2 hits in a spot start. Salvation beats Deerborn, 6-1. Brothers LF Andy Thompson leaves the game with an apparent injury to his right knee, which he has sprained several times this season.

9/8:

Platte RF Stan Davis goes 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and a homer, 3B Juan Tokorres hits his league-leading 40th HR of the season, and CF Andy Bernard scores 4 runs in the Bears’ 9-3 win over the Herders.
Trail Blazers LF Juan Tumaini hits his 30th and 31st home runs as Prissley takes 2 of 3 from Roland with a 9-7 win.
The Guardians sweep the Owls for their 4th win in a row. Final: NOR 3, RW 1.
Stars RH SP Stanley Quinn leaves with an apparently extremely painful elbow injury. We await a diagnosis, but Delle fans are fearing the worst with their team on the verge of a potential playoff appearance for the first time since 1928. Rivals LF Julio Kastro hits a pair of home runs in the game as Railey tops Delle, 4-3. The Stars now lead the Guardians by 2 games and the Stags by 3 for the UA Wild Card.
Brothers 1B Curt Lawson goes 3 for 4 with a double and 2 dingers as Salvation surprises Deerborn with a 7-3 to take 2 of 3 in the series. White Sox LF Bob Hove hits 2 HR in the loss. It’s only the 6th series loss of the year for the White Sox. However, it’s their 2nd series loss in a row, a first for them this season. Despite the loss, Deerborn’s magic number is now just 1 to win both the UA East Pennant and the Davis Trophy.

9/9:

The Cherricaw Herders have cut ties with manager Jamel Ollivier. Jamel has managed the Herders during their entire UA existence, going 160-231 for a .409 winning percentage with zero playoff appearances. The Herders have not yet named a successor. Bench coach Julien Labat will likely take the reins for the team in the meantime.
Stags CF Aubin Chapuis hits 2 solo shots, but Railey beats Roland, 5-4. The Stags have now lost 3 straight and have a losing record in September. They trail Delle by 3.5 games for the Wild Card, pending the outcome of Stars/Bears.
The Guardians win their 5th in a row, 8-5, over the Miners to keep pace with the Stars in the Wild Card race, as well as the Bears in the UA West race. The Bears and Stars are playing each other in Platte simultaneously to this game, so the Guardians will gain a game in one of the two races no matter who wins there.
Stars RHP Ron Rivera turns in a gem, allowing just 2 hits over 7 scoreless innings, but Will Shufflebottom and the Bears bullpen outdo him, leading the Bears to a 1-0 shutout. Platte wins the game on a walk-off double by Gabriel Martinezto to send Juan Tokorres home from 2nd in the bottom of the 9th. The Bears retain a narrow, 1-game lead over Northsouth in the West, but Delle draws even with the Guardians in the Wild Card standings. The Stags are lagging 3 games behind the Wild Card race. 8 games remain in the Regular Season.
White Sox starter Mathew Huertata notches 10 Ks in 8 innings with only 2 runs on 4 hits. Deerborn 3B Rygh Ogg hits his 26th and 27th HRs of the year. The slugging Sox get their 67th win of the season, 5-2, over the Trail Blazers. The White Sox have clinched their 2nd straight UA East Pennant, along with their first Davis Trophy as 1931 Regular Season Champs!

9/10:

Bad news for the Delle Stars and their fans as they chase the Wild Card: RHP Stanley Quinn’s season is over. He has been diagnosed with a torn UCL in his elbow. Surgery and recovery will keep Quinn out of baseball until late 1932 and possibly beyond. He turns 34 in December, and his contract with the Stars is up after this season. His future is very uncertain. RHP Pat Carter will join the rotation in Delle. He has pitched in 4 games, including 3 starts for the Stars this year, compiling a 3.86 ERA in 16.1 IP. Delle holds a 1-game lead over the Guardians for the UA Wild Card.
Deerborn LF Bob Hove hits his 28th HR, his 4 in the last 3 days, but the White Sox drop game 2 to the Trail Blazers, 5-2. Prissley LF Juan Tumaini hits his 32nd HR in the win. White Sox 3B Rygh Ogg and Trail Blazers starter Jeff Rogers are ejected in the 8th after Rogers hits Ogg with a pitch and the two engage in brief fisticuffs before umpires and teammates step in to separate them. Rogers Ks 8 and earns the win before his ejection. Ogg is given a 4-game suspension. Rogers gets an 8-game suspension, which means his season is done, and he is not eligible to start the 1932 season opener.
Roland is reeling and dropping in the standings. They lose their 4th straight, 3-2, in Railey. With pertinent games still pending today, the Stags are 3.5 games out of the Wild Card and are given a 1.3% chance of making the playoffs.
RHP Pat Carter steps into the starting rotation for Delle after the injury to Stanley Quinn. He is rocked for 5 runs on 6 hits in 2.2 IP. The Bears beat the Stars again, 5-4. Delle leads Northsouth by a half game for the Wild Card, pending the outcome of Guardians/Miners this evening. The Bears lead the Guardians by 1.5 games until tonight’s game.
Chargers 3B Ted Sharpe hits a 2-run walk-off blast in the bottom of the 13th. Taawa beats Cherricaw, 3-1.
Brothers LF Andy Thompson plays with a sprained right knee and hits his 19th HR in Salvation’s 8-5 win at Redwood. Salvation is still alive in the Wild Card race, but barely. They will need to win out and see the Stars and Guardians both go 0-7 to end the season.
Northsouth 1B Cal Oluoch goes 3 for 5 and hits a grand slam home run as part of a huge, 7-run 7th inning for the Guardians. Northsouth pounds Lia Kompos, 9-1. The Guardians are now tied with the Stars for the UA Wild Card with 7 games to go, and still trail the Bears by 1 game in the UA West.

9/11:

The Roland Stags get some bad news in the midst of their battle to stay alive in the Wild Card race as the season winds down: CF Ramon Zuniga’s dead arm will keep him out another 2-3 weeks, meaning his return this year is unlikely, even if the Stags manage to overcome their current skid and make the playoffs.
Bears RF Stan Davis hits a pair of triples for 3 RBI, but the Stars avoid a sweep in Platte, winning 9-6. Stars all-star 3B Mario Olivo comes up hobbling with a sore hamstring and will be day-to-day for the next 3 days or so.
White Sox 1B Jorge Oko has homered in 8 out of the last 10 games. He has 33 home runs on the season. Deerborn beats Prissley, 8-3. They are 68-26, 2 wins away from tying Platte’s record of 70.
Railey’s Michael Mercer and Roland’s Salim Mujer both give their teams 8-inning starts, but the Stags get the win, 4-2. They snap their 4-game losing streak and remain 3 out in the Wild Card race with 6 games to go.
Guardians RF Brad Bailey homers in back-to-back games for his 28th of the season. Northsouth wins their 7th straight to keep their tie with the Stars for the Wild Card, but LH RP Dave Bowling complains of shoulder pain after earning the save for the Guardians. His diagnosis is pending.
Owls RHP Vic Mitchell gives Redwood 7 scoreless innings with just 3 hits and 2 walks. The Owls shut out the Brothers, 1-0. Salvation is eliminated from playoff contention, and their 3-year streak as the only team to make the playoffs in each UA season is over.

9/12:

Northsouth reliever Dave Bowling’s shoulder inflammation is severe enough that it will keep him out of the game for the remainder of 1931. He will have to watch from the sidelines as the Guardians chase a playoff spot and the Windsor Cup.

9/13:

Brothers RHP Mike Gurr ties the Brothers team record with 12 Ks over 8.2 1-hit innings. Salvation beats Northsouth, 7-2. Brothers LF Andy Thompson hits another home run with his sprained knee, his 20th of the year.
Deerborn’s 2-time Pitcher of the Year winner, RHP Jorge Takato, returns to the mound today after 8 weeks away with bone chips in his elbow. He gets the win over the Rivals with 3 runs on 10 hits over 6.2 innings. White Sox 2B Luke Lia Puedris goes 3 for 4 with a 2-run home run in the win. Railey SS John Byrne leaves the game with an apparent elbow injury after a collision on a double play ball. With today’s win, Deerborn is now 1 win away from tying Platte’s record of 70.
Bears 3B Juan Tokorres hits his 41st HR, drawing within 2 of his own record of 43 in a season. Platte beats Roland, 9-4. Roland CF Albert Pentana ties the team record with 3 doubles in the game. Stags RF Francisco Kosgei will be day-to-day for the next 3 days after so after taking a fastball to the knee. The Stags playoff hopes grow ever slim with another loss. Platte gains a 1-game lead over Northsouth in the West.
Prissley LF Juan Tumaini hits another 2 HRs for 34 total on the year, but the Owls beat the Blazers in Prissley, 10-5. Redwood 1B Victor Thabet hits a grand slam in the win as part of a 6-run 2nd inning.
Stars 3B Mario Olivo overcomes his sore hamstring for a double and home run for 5 RBI. Delle beats Taawa, 6-0. The Stars lead the Guardians by 1 game in the Wild Card race.

9/14:

Tony Mawulawde has been ousted as Lia Kompos Miners general manager after 4 losing seasons in charge. Despite his lack of success, Mawulawde was reportedly taken aback by the news of his firing and was escorted out of the offices at Kompos Hill Stadium by security personnel after a heated exchange with team owner Jonathan Richards. After firing Mawulawde, Richards released manager Skaret Hove, who served as the team’s skipper for all 4 seasons under GM Tony Mawulawde. The Miners sit 20 games out of a playoff spot so far this season.
Rivals LHP George Webb strikes out 7 over 6 innings as Railey beats Deerborn, 3-2. The White Sox will need to win 2 of their last 4 games to break Platte’s record of 70 wins.
Platte’s Adam Evans and Roland’s Jose Verdier square off in a pitcher’s duel in Gateway Park. Evans gets the edge, allowing just 4 hits in 6 scoreless innings on the way to a 2-0 Bears win. The Bears retain their lead in the UA West. The Stags are on the ropes, 4.5 games out of the Wild Card with 5 games to go, pending the end of the Stars game against Taawa this evening.
Trail Blazers RF Vage Lek goes off for 2 doubles and a solo homer, but Redwood tops Prissley, 6-4.
Stars RF Antonio Teakowa hits his 35th and 36th home runs. Delle walks off against the Chargers in the bottom of the 12th on a solo home run by all-star relief pitcher Raul Babechi. It is the first home run and first RBI of the 32-year old pitcher’s career. The Stars maintain their narrow lead over Northsouth for the UA Wild Card. The Stags
Guardians 1B Cal Oluoch goes deep again for his 34th homer of the season, but Salvation rides a 10-K, 3-hit, 8-inning performance from LHP Jeff Walker to beat Northsouth, 7-1. The Guardians now trail the Stars by 2 games for the Wild Card and the Bears by 2 games for the UA West lead. With just 4 games remaining, their playoff hopes are dimming.
The Herders rally for 6 runs in the 9th inning and 3 runs in the 10th inning to beat the Miners, 12-9. C Jason Hall hits an RBI single in the 9th and a 3-run blast in the 1oth to sink Lia Kompos.

9/15:

Railey SS John Byrne will not return for the last 4 games this season after being diagnosed with an elbow sprain.
Bears 3B Juan Tokorres ties his own UA record with his 42nd and 43rd home runs of the year! Tokorres set the record in 1928. Delle’s Antonio Teakowa tied the record in 1929. RF Stan Davis hits his 24th for the Bears, SS Ralph Maxwell goes 3 for 5 with a HR and 4 RBI and CF Andy Bernard goes 3 for 5 with a HR and 3 RBI, all part of a 12-5 rout to finish a sweep of the Roland Stags. The Bears now have the Guardians on the ropes in the UA West. They lead by 2.5 games pending tonight’s Guardians game at Salvation. Only 3 games remain after today.
Miners 2B Jose Meza is ejected in the 5th inning for arguing with the home plate umpire over a called strike. Meza could be heard telling the official “Your eyes must be stuck up your pants. You’ll get an infection, stupid.” The Miners went on the beat the Herders, 3-2.
White Sox starter Mathew Huertata updates his 1931 resume for PotY consideration with an 8-inning, 8-K performance in which he allows 1 ER on 3 hits. Deerborn beats Railey, 3-2, to take 2 of 3 in the series. More impressively, the White Sox have tied the Bears’ 70-win record. If Deerborn can manage not to be swept in their final series of the year, they will break the record. Their opponent: the Platte Bears. The final series of the year both teams could be a preview of the Windsor Cup Finals.
Delle OF T.J. Harrison pinch hits in the bottom of the 9th and strokes a single to bring Yassine Joseph home from 2nd and secures a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Chargers. The Stars sweep Taawa for their 4th straight win.
Guardians 3B Luis Kastillo hits a 2-out double to bring home 2 runs in the top of the 9th as the Guardians edge the Brothers, 7-6. Starter Jaime Ruiz notches 7 stirkeouts and he and the Northsouth bullpen combine for 13 total Ks in the win. The Guardians stay alive. They still trail Platte by 2 games in the West, and Delle by 2 games in the Wild Card race, with only 3 games left in the Regular Season.

9/16:

The White Sox visit the Bears for 3 games with a chance to break the Bears’ wins record, set last year. Platte CF Andy Bernard goes 4 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI, but Deerborn wins, 9-6. The Deerborn White Sox break the Regular Season wins record with their 71st win of 1931. The Bears loss is good news for the Guardians, who now trail Platte by just 1.5 games ahead of their matchup with Prissley this evening.
Herders RHP Bryan Garrett allows just 1 hit over 7 scoreless innings as Cherricaw beats Delle, 5-1. Herders CF Ed DeMent steals his league-leading 32nd base in the win. The Stars loss is more good news for Northsouth, who have a chance to gain a much-needed game in the UA West standings with their backs against the wall.
Guardians OF Nathan Crayton homers in back-to-back games with a pinch-hit solo blast in the 6th. Northsouth beats Prissley, 5-4. Guardians pitching combines for 15 strikeouts in the win. Northsouth now trails both the Bears and the Stars by 1 game in the West and Wild Card races, respectively.

9/17:

Stars LHP Jeffrey Irvin continues to be a valuable pickup since his trade from Railey in August. He allows just 2 hits in 6 scoreless innings today as Delle beats Cherricaw, 5-2. Stars RF Antonio Teakowa hits his 37th HR. With a Guardians loss tonight, the Stars will clinch the UA Wild Card.
Bears 3B Juan Tokorres hits a 2-run blast off of Esteban Muiru to break the UA single season home run record with his 44th dinger of 1931! The White Sox tie the Bears with a 3-run rally in the 9th, but Bears RF Stan Davis hits a solo shot in the bottom of the 13th to end a 4-hour-13-minute game with a 5-4 Bears victory. Platte starter Will Shufflebottom leaves in the 2nd inning with back tightness, but team doctors say the injury shouldn’t linger. With a Guardians loss tonight, the Bears will secure the UA West Pennant.
Brothers CF Howard Tenney blasts 2 HR for 5 RBI in Salvation’s 9-3 win over the Miners, while Lia Kompos LF Jesus Lia Taawa also hits a pair in the loss.
Northsouth 1B Cal Oluoch goes 3 for 4 and hits his 35th home run. The Guardians beat the Trail Blazers, 6-0. The Guardians keep their season alive, but to make the playoffs they will need either a Platte or Delle loss and to complete the sweep of Prissley tomorrow.
Owls CF Bruce Willard has a 3-for-3 day with 2 home runs as the Owls beat the Rivals, 9-4.

9/18:

3B Mario Olivo and Rf Antonio Teakowa each go 2 for 4 with a HR as the Stars beat the Herders, 4-1. Delle has clinched the UA Wild Card on the final day of the season! It is the 2nd Wild Card for the Stars organization. They lost to the Brothers in the 1928 UA SemiFinal.
Stags SS Carlos Katamori hits a pair of home runs for 4 RBI as Roland ends a disappointing season on a high note, beating the Chargers, 6-3.
In a nearly 5-hour game, the White Sox overcome the Bears in 15 innings to take the final series of the Regular Season, 2 games to 1. Juan Tokorres launches his record 45th home run in the loss. The Guardians can force a 1-game playoff with the Bears with a win tonight against the Trail Blazers. The White Sox finish with a best-ever record of 72-28. Deerborn earns a bye to the 1931 Windsor Cup Finals.
Trail Blazers LF Juan Tumaini crushes his 36th home run, but the Guardians win, 6-3. Northsouth sweeps Prissley, but more importantly they force a 1-game playoff with the Platte Bears for the UA West pennant! This is the first time in the league’s short history that a tiebreaker game has been required. The winner of the 1-game playoff will host the Delle Stars in the UA SemiFinal Series.

9/19:

Herders ownership has cut ties with longtime GM Ryan Picard. Picard had been in the Cherricaw front office since 1920, three years after the team’s founding as a touring ball club. Picard took the General Manager position in 1928 when the Herders joined the UA for its inaugural season. Cherricaw has been one of the league’s worst team’s over the first 4 seasons of the league, never finishing above 5th place in the UA East.
Reports from Craterview Park are that tonight’s game will go ahead despite the massive electrical storm in the early hours of the morning that left millions without power across the entire continent. Thanks to a diligent and talented crew at the ballpark working in tandem with the City of Platte, UA league and Platte city officials have agreed that it is safe to go ahead with the contest. Seemingly related to the electrical storm is a phenomenon psychiatrists are calling “collective electro-psychosis,” in which a large percentage of the population have all reported sharing dreams in the early morning hours just before waking today. According to many, an overwhelming number of those dreams centered around today’s game, with a lopsided majority of those affected reporting that they not only dreamed of a Guardians blowout win over the Bears, but that they specifically dreamed of Guardians OF Brad Bailey hitting 3 home runs in the game.
Despite the eerie circumstances and reported widespread feelings of deja vu at Craterview Park, 26,644 fans turn out for bonus baseball, game 101! The Platte Bears host the Northsouth Guardians in a 1-game tiebreaker playoff for the UA West pennant! Bears starter Will Shufflebottom pitches on no rest at all and does an admirable job, eating up 3 scoreless innings to help Platte’s exhausted pitching staff. Northsouth 1B Cal Oluoch hits a grand slam home run in the 7^th inning to make 6-0, and it turns out to be the difference as the Guardians beat the Bears, 6-2! The Guardians knock out the defending champs, win their first UA West pennant, and head to their first postseason!
Northsouth 1B Cal Oluoch wins the 1931 UA Batting Title with an average of .336, beating out Jose Lia Tinta’s mark of .332.

The playoff field is now set in the Uplantic Association. The Northsouth Guardians will host the Delle Stars in the best-of-5 SemiFinal Series, while the Deerborn White Sox await the winner in the best-of-7 Windsor Cup Finals.

The White Sox hope to become the first team to win the Windsor Cup twice. They beat the Stags as the Wild Card to win the Cup in 1929.This will be a record third WCF appearance for Deerborn, and their third appearance in a row after winning in ’29 and losing to the Bears in ’30.

Turning to the Guardians and Stars, both will be vying for their first Windsor Cup appearance. The Stars have made the playoffs once before, losing the SemiFinal Series to the Salvation Brothers in 1928. This is the first playoff appearance for the Guardians. The tiebreaker game will give the Stars a slight advantage with an extra day’s rest before the series begins this Tuesday, September 22 at Trefellen Field in Northsouth.

Final UA Standings:

Final UA League Leaders:

NPL Watch:

9/7

Toppers 1B Lee Gutierrekaz goes 4 for 5 with 2 HR for 4 RBI and teammate LF Karl Spencer goes 3 for 3 with 2 HR for 4 RBI as Trimble stomps Carver, 11-1. Carver 2B Barney Lowery plays with a quadriceps strain and goes 0 for 4.
Wight puts up a 4-run 6th inning to beat the Reapers, 4-2. The Spiders pull within a game of the Canaries with the win. The Reapers are 6 games back with 6 games remaining. They will need to win out and have the Canaries lose their last 6 to have a shot at the National Cup.