1930: Full Sail

1930: Full Sail

The 1930 season will go down as one of the most competitive in Continental Association history. The Philadelphia Sailors—two-time defending pennant winners (and 1928 World Champs)—won a third straight pennant in 1930. They did so in an all-out dogfight, with three teams finishing within four games of first, five teams ending over .500, and only one club (the dismal Toronto Wolves) completely out of contention.

The Sailors (88–66) had dominated the CA recently, but that reign appeared to be nearing its end. The Baltimore Cannons (86–68) were a rising force, as were the Chicago Cougars (84–70). In a surprise, the Montreal Saints (86–68) tied with the Cannons for second place, just two games back of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia prevailed on the strength of its pitching staff, which finished with an ERA a full run better than the league average—just enough to offset the CA’s seventh-best offense (better only than the Wolves). The Sailors’ staff was both good and deep: five hurlers topped 200 innings while notching double-digit victories, though none reached 20 wins. Oscar Morse (17–8, 3.27) led the staff and also led the league in ERA. Rollie Beal (16–10, 4.08) threw the most innings (245), with Herm Lowman (14–10, 3.58), Russ Real (12–11, 4.45), and William Jones (13–11, 3.95) rounding out the rotation. Philly’s offense was below average but got solid contributions from 1B Dick Walker (26 triples, .327 average), LF Irv Brady (19 HRs), and veteran CF Dick Merchant (.298–8–64). Young 2B Jack Cleaves led the team with 110 RBIs and posted double figures in doubles (26), triples (19), and homers (15). RF Tom Taylor had a down year with a .261 average and 15 homers, well off his back-to-back Allen Award–winning performances in 1928 and ’29.

Second place was a tie between Baltimore and Montreal. The Cannons were expected to contend—the Saints were not. Baltimore was a well-rounded club that finished second in both runs allowed and runs scored. The Cannons featured a pair of superstars in 1B Lou Kelly (.363–33–159) and C Lou Welch (.350–33–123), plus an ace in Rabbit Day (22–10, 3.93), who captured the CA Allen Award.

Montreal, on the other hand, was coming off a 77–77 campaign that left them 26 games back of the juggernaut Sailors in ’29. Their nine-game improvement was powered largely by 1929’s No. 1 overall pick, CF Cliff Moss (.345–26–101). The Saints were middle of the pack offensively and above average in run prevention, led by top hurler Charlie Stedman (17–12, 4.08), though they lacked other “name” pitchers.

Fourth place went to the up-and-coming Chicago Cougars, whose 22-game improvement over their last-place 1929 finish vaulted them into the pennant race. Chicago led the league in runs scored (6.3 per game) despite a noticeable lack of power (their 68 homers were second fewest in the CA). They got strong performances from a host of good young hitters—all under age 26—who easily topped .300: RF Vince York (.368–15–115), 2B Harry Simmons (.369, 91 runs), 1B Bill Ashbaugh (.321–16–131, 24 triples), SS Russ Combs (.342), 3B John Kincaid (.340), and C Fred Barrell (.324). The lone “old” hitter among them was the 41-year-old LF John Dibblee, who still managed to hit .359. Pitching was the Cougars’ Achilles heel, with the staff posting a 4.65 ERA and lacking a true breakout arm.

The New York Stars (78–76) dropped to fifth after consecutive runner-up finishes. They did have the league’s batting champ in 28-year-old 3B John Lawson, who racked up 247 hits and flirted with .400 before settling at .392, earning the 1930 CA Whitney Award for his dominant performance.

Brooklyn finished sixth at 75–79, a three-game improvement over 1929. RF Doug Lightbody was again outstanding, hitting .387 to finish second to Lawson in the batting race. However, Brooklyn continued to struggle on the mound, allowing the most runs in the league (even more than Toronto) while scoring the CA’s third-most.

Seventh-place Cleveland (69–85) was in the midst of a rebuild, with budding star RF Moxie Pidgeon (.355–27–107) a bright spot alongside established star LF Joe Perret (.356–14–64). As in Brooklyn, Cleveland’s woes centered on a lack of quality pitching; the club finished with a 5.21 ERA, the CA’s third worst.

Last-place Toronto was a mess. Its 50–104 mark left it 19 games behind seventh-place Cleveland. There were no real bright spots apart from 24-year-old CF Cy Bryant, who hit .353 in limited action (201 ABs). Frank Howk (9–15, 4.62 ERA) was the best of a bad group of hurlers; at age 25, there was some hope he could develop into a reliable arm.

CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS

Over in the Federal Association, the big story was the rise of the New York Gothams. Their 98–56 record marked a 36-game improvement over 1929’s last-place finish, landing them atop the Fed. Star 1B Bud Jameson led the charge, tying for the batting crown with a .381 average while adding 32 homers and 114 RBIs. The Gothams finished second in runs scored—behind only the powerhouse offense in Philadelphia—and their improved pitching made the difference. Ace Jim Lonardo (25) emerged with a 21–11, 3.06 campaign to capture the Allen Award. Veteran Steve Castellini (35) also turned in an excellent season (19–7, 2.67), and 25-year-old Walter Murphy (13–7, 3.13) showed promise.

The Philadelphia Keystones (93–61) boasted the best offense in baseball, scoring 999 runs with a .319 team average. Dependable 1B Rankin Kellogg (.338–36–136) once again anchored the lineup, and the Stones scored often—which was fortunate, given their pitching was only slightly better than average (though technically third best in a league skewed by the Gothams’ outstanding numbers).

Detroit (85–69), the defending FABL champions, dropped to third despite a monstrous season from 22-year-old RF Al Wheeler. Wheeler won the Whitney Award behind a .372–36–122 stat line, adding 129 runs, 29 doubles, 19 triples, and a 1.117 OPS that produced a 9.2 WAR. Though 1B Frank Shafer (.317–13–102) and LF Henry Jones (.297–30–120) also contributed, the rest of the Dynamos’ lineup did not measure up to 1929. On the mound, Roy Calfee (20–14, 3.42) pitched at a near-Lonardo level, but the Gothams and Keystones were simply stronger overall in 1930.

The Boston Minutemen finished fourth at an even 77–77, improving by five wins over 1929. Their offense was anemic, the only Fed club to average fewer than five runs per game, while their pitching was merely average. 3B Charlie Berry (.363–13–92) remained Boston’s star, and a pair of 25-year-olds—LF Chick Dyer (.331–11–104) and RF Ron Davis (.337–11–79)—showed promise. Joe Hogue (14–13, 4.07) was the best of a middling staff and, at 25, offered some hope of emerging as a needed reliable arm.

The Chicago Chiefs, who won the pennant in 1928, finished fifth at 70–84. They did have LF Jim Hampton, who tied Bud Jameson for the batting crown at .381 (while adding 19 homers and 111 RBIs), and 3B Joe Masters (.311–33–167) provided ample run production. After those two, however, the offense cratered, and the pitching was mediocre except for a breakout effort by 20-year-old Milt Fritz (16–7, 3.63) on a staff whose overall ERA was 5.10.

Pittsburgh led a trio of Fed teams in the 60-win range. The Miners (67–87) remained in building mode but showcased C Jim Pool (.294–27–105) and RF Frank Lightbody (.338–5–91, 102 runs). LF Tom Hopkins (.331–16–91) was productive, but the rest of the roster was underwhelming. RHP Bill Morrill (15–9, 4.52) led a middling pitching group, with 23-year-old Ollie Denton (10–5, 3.71 in half a season) providing a glimmer of hope.

Washington (64–90) claimed seventh place, finishing near the bottom in both runs scored and allowed. Superstar C T.R. Goins (.334–28–106) toiled on a roster lacking quality aside from 24-year-old SS Andy Carter (.317, 28 triples, 94 RBIs). The pitching was below par but not terrible, led by Ivy Newsom (11–19, 4.25) and Dick Dennis (11–14, 4.31).

St. Louis brought up the rear at 62–92. The Pioneers, in full rebuild mode, still featured the game’s biggest name in RF Max Morris. In what became his swan song in St. Louis, Morris posted yet another outstanding season—48 homers, 132 RBIs, and a .360 average. He would be traded to the Gothams in the offseason, netting five young players for St. Louis. The Pioneers did have a promising 24-year-old in LF Alex Ingraham (.324–24–118), but their pitching staff was atrocious, surrendering 1,027 runs (an area they hoped to address with the Morris deal).

The World Championship Series pitted the Gothams against the vaunted Sailors. Both teams had excellent pitching, and the matchup proved thrilling. Philadelphia ultimately prevailed in a seven-game classic, earning the Sailors their second title in three years. For the Gothams, the meteoric rise from last place ended just short of the summit, though they possessed enough talent for another run—even before acquiring a certain slugger in a post-series trade.

FEDERAL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS