1922 Classic Past Season with transaction and lineups available now!
1922: The Browns Fall Short and the Giants Rampage
by Steve Ehresman
In 1922, the St. Louis Browns featured the American League stolen base leader and batting champion George Sisler (134 R, 246 H, 42 2B, 18 3B, 105 RBI, 51 SB, .420) and the American League home run and RBI leader Ken Williams (128 R, 194 H, 34 2B, 39 HR 155 RBI, 37 SB, .332). In addition to superstars Sisler and Williams, St. Louis fielded two more 100-RBI men: Marty McManus (189 H, 34 2B, 109 RBI, .312) and Baby Doll Jacobson (22 2B, 16 3B, 102 RBI, .317).
With this ferocious lineup, the Browns ran away from Ty Cobb (99 R, 211 H, 42 2B, 16 3B, 99 RBI, .401) and the Detroit Tigers, as well as Tris Speaker (48 2B, .378) and the Cleveland Indians. On their way to a 93-61 (.604) record, the Browns paced the American League in triples (94), stolen bases (135), and batting average (.313). Featuring a superb pitching staff, anchored by the American League strikeout king Urban Shocker (48 G, 38 GS, 29 CG, 348 IP, 24-17, 149 K, 2.97) and steady Elam Vangilder (43 G, 30 GS, 19 CG, 245 IP, 19-13, 3.42), St. Louis, not coincidentally, led the Junior Circuit in strikeouts (534 K) and earned run average (3.38).
In short, the Browns did everything. Everything except win the pennant.
While their palatial stadium was being built--- set to open in 1923 with John Philip Sousa conducting “The Star-Spangled Banner” and New York Governor Al Smith throwing out the first pitch--- the defending American League Champion New York Yankees duked it out all summer with the Browns. Because Bob Meusel (16 HR, 84 RBI, 13 SB, .319) and Babe Ruth (35 HR, 99 RBI, .315) were suspended by Commissioner Landis until May 20, the Yankees did not wrest first place from the Browns until mid-August. Once in control, New York never relinquished their lead and edged the best team in the history of the St. Louis American League franchise by a single game: 94-60 (.610) to 93-61 (.604).
Like the Browns, the Yankees relied on good pitching. With Bullet Joe Bush (39 G, 30 GS, 20 CG, 255 IP, 26-7, 3.32), Bob Shawkey (39 G, 33 GS, 19 CG, 300 IP, 20-12, 2.91), and Waite Hoyt (37 G, 31 GS, 17 CG, 265 IP, 19-12, .343) steadying the staff, New York led the American League in complete games (98) and finished second in earned run average (3.39), providing just enough mound presence to push their team over the top for another pennant.
In the National League, the New York Giants, the Yankees’ inhospitable landlord at the Polo Grounds, cruised to victory over the Cincinnati Reds by a 7-game margin. The defending World Series champions featured a formidable offense, led by George Kelly (96 R, 194 H, 33 2B, 17 HR, 107 RBI, .328), Frankie Frisch (101 R, 13 3B, 31 SB, .327), Ross Youngs (105 R, 185 H, 34 2B, 86 RBI, 17 SB, .331), and Irish Meusel (100 R, 204 H, 28 2B, 17 3B, 16 HR, 132 RBI, 12 SB, .331). Oh yeah . . . a mid-season replacement in centerfield, Casey Stengel (250 AB, 10 3B, 48 RBI, .366), also made an impact on the Giants’ pennant run.
Beyond the Giants’ stellar performances, offensive in the National League was dominated by one man, Rogers Hornsby. Although his St. Louis Cardinals finished the season tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8 games behind the Giants, Hornsby topped all Senior Circuit hitters in batting average (.401), home runs (42), and RBI (152) to win the National League’s first Triple Crown. Further, the Texas native led the league in runs (141), hits (250), doubles (46,) and triples (14). Hornby’s 1922 season is one of the greatest offensive performances of all-time.
The 1922 season featured not only great hitting, but also great pitching. Bucking the trend toward more explosive offenses, Eddie Rommel enjoyed a season for the ages (51 G, 33 GS, 22 CG, 294 IP, 27-13, 3.28), all for a Philadelphia Athletics team that won only 65 games. In the Queen City, Eppa Rixey (40 G, 38 GS, 26 CG, 313 IP, 25-13, 3.54), Pete Donohue (33 G, 30 GS, 18 CG, 242 IP, 18-9, 3.12), and Johnny Couch (43 G, 33 GS, 18 CG, 264 IP, 16-9. 3.89) did their best to keep the Reds in the National League pennant race. American League earned run average leader Red Faber of the Chicago White Sox (43 G, 38 GS, 31 CG, 353 IP, 21-17, 2.80) and National League earned run average leader Phil Douglas of the New York Giants (2.62) were star performers, although Douglas’s season was limited to 24 games, 21 starts, and 9 complete games in 156 innings because of a mid-season letter in which he suggested that he would gladly accept bribes to throw games.
Wilbur Cooper (41 G, 36 GS, 27 CG, 295 IP, 23-14, 3.18) of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dutch Ruether (35 G, 35 GS, 26 CG, 267 IP, 21-12, 3.54) of the Brooklyn Dodgers; Herman Pillette of the Detroit Tigers (40 G, 37 GS, 18 CG, 275 IP, 2.84); and George Uhle (50 G, 40 GS, 23 CG, 287 IP, 22-16, 4.08)) and Stan Coveleski (35 G, 33 GS, 21 CG, 277 IP, 17-14, 3.31) of the Cleveland Indians also enjoyed good seasons on the mound.
After the Phil Douglas debacle, Art Nehf (37 G, 35 GS, 20 CG, 268 IP, 19-13, 3.29), Rosey Ryan (46 G, 22 GS, 12 CG, 192 IP, 17-12, 3.00), and Jesse Barnes (37 G, 29 CG, 14 CG, 213 IP, 13-8, 3.51) assumed leadership of the New York Giants pitching staff, carried their teammates to the pennant, and won the earned run average crown in the National League with a 3.45 mark.
American Leaguers who put up outstanding numbers in 1922 were Wally Pipp (96 R, 190 H, 32 2B, 90 RBI, .329) and Wally Schang (12 SB, .319) of the New York Yankees; Jack Tobin (122 R, 207 H, 34 2B, .331) and Harry Severeid (32 2B, .321) of the St. Louis Browns; Lu Blue (131 R, .300), Harry Heilmann (21 HR, 92 RBI, .356) and Bobby Veach (96 R, 202 H, 34 2B, 13 3B, 126 RBI, .327) of the Detroit Tigers; Bill Wambsganss (89 R, 17 SB) and Charlie Jamieson (183 H, 15 SB, .323) of the Cleveland Indians; Eddie Collins (92 R, 194 H, 20 SB, .324) and Harry Hooper (111 R, 183 H, 35 2B, 80 RBI, 16 SB, .304) of the Chicago White Sox; Joe Judge (32 2B, 15 3B, .294) and Sam Rice (37 2B, 13 3B, 20 SB, .295) of the Washington Senators; Bing Miller (21 HR, 90 RBI, .336) and Tilly Walker (111 R, 31 2B, 37 HR, 99 RBI) of the Philadelphia Athletics; and Tioga George Burns (32 2B, .306), Del Pratt (183 H, 44 2B, .301), and Joe Harris (30 2B, .316) of the Bambino-cursed Boston Red Sox.
National Leaguers who made important contributions to their teams in 1922 were Dave Bancroft (117 R, 209 H, 16 SB, .321) and Frank Snyder (.343) of the New York Giants; Jake Daubert (114 R, 205 H, 22 3B, .338), George Harper (.340), George Burns (104 R, 180 H, 30 SB, .285), and Pat Duncan (94 R, 199 H, 44 2B, 94 RBI, .328) of the Cincinnati Reds; Cotton Tierney (14 3B, 86 RBI, .345), Rabbit Maranville (115 R, 198 H, 15 3B, 24 SB), Max Carey (140 R, 207 H, 28 2B, 12 3B, 70 RBI, 51 SB, .329), and Carson Bigbee (113 R, 215 H, 29 2B, 15 3B, 99 RBI, 24 SB, .350) of the Pittsburgh Pirates; Jack Smith (117 R, 12 3B, 18 SB, .318) and Milt Stock (33 2B, .305) of the St. Louis Cardinals; Ray Grimes (99 R, 180 H, 45 2B, 12 3B, 99 RBI, .354), Charlie Hollocher (90 R, 201 H, 37 2B, 19 SB, .340) and Hack Miller (.352) of the Chicago Cubs; Jimmy Johnston (110 R, 181 H, 18 SB, .319), Hy Myers (196 H, 89 RBI, .317), and Zack Wheat (92 R, 201 H, 29 2B, 12 3B, 16 HR, 112 RBI, .335) of the Brooklyn Dodgers; Curt Walker (102 R, 196 H, 36 2B, 89 RBI, .337), Cy Williams ( 98 R, 180 H, 30 2B, 26 HR, 92 RBI, .308) and Cliff Lee (29 2B, 27 HR, .322) of the Philadelphia Phillies; and Tony Boeckel (14 SB, .289,) and Ray Powell (82 R, .296) of the woebegone Boston Braves.
In the World Series, the New York Giants trounced the New York Yankees to capture their second consecutive championship. Babe Ruth hit like an apple-knocker (.118). while Heine Groh (.474) and Frankie Frisch (.471) ab-so-lute-ly slashed Yankee pitching en route to a 4-0 Giant triumph, as baseball returned to its traditional best-of-seven format in the Fall Classic.
In 1922, James Joyce’s modernist novel Ulysses was published in Paris; Sinclair Lewis’s satirical novel Babbit was a best seller in America; Albert Einstein explained The Meaning of Relativity to the world; the vampire Nosferatu haunted movie audiences; Rudolph Valentino captured the hearts of female fans in The Young Rajah; Warren G. Harding became the first president to have his voice transmitted by radio; and the Roaring Twenties hit full stride. Having emerged from the Great War as a superpower, America enjoyed a prosperous, even extravagant, life-style without an inkling of what lay ahead. The time was right for listening to jazz, dancing with flappers, visiting a speak easy, and cheering mammoth home runs.
For the moment, these pleasures were enough. For the moment, they were the cat’s meow.
In ball parks across America, baseball fans witnessed 1.055 baseballs sail over the outfield walls, primarily because the lively ball had been introduced and the spitball had been banned. The fame and fortune to be won by hitting home runs influenced more hitters to aim for the fences, as baseball evolved from Cobb’s game of hustle to Ruth’s game of raw power. In that spirit, Diamond Mind Baseball presents the 1922 Major League Baseball season, a year of robust performances by star players whose names are writ large in the annals of their sport and in the history of a rollicking decade.
The 1922 Classic Past Season database contains everything you need to play games using teams and players from the 1922 season -- a full set of ratings and statistics for every player who appeared in the big leagues that year, plus team rosters, manager profiles, ballpark ratings and league schedules. Statistics include official batting, pitching and fielding totals for all batters and pitchers.
Also included is a complete set of real-life player transactions -- trades, disabled list moves, promotions, demotions, suspensions, and more -- plus the actual starting lineups for every regular season game played.
View the full list of recent new and upgraded DMB seasons
Note: This season database is a companion product for the Diamond Mind Baseball version 11 game. To use this database, you must also have Diamond Mind Baseball version 11. The game software provides you with all of the tools you need to play simulated games, make roster moves, produce dozens of statistical reports, generate league schedules, and more.
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