Hot Stove: 5/3

History of Baseball: 1921
World Series Champions: New York Giants (94-59, .614 WPCT).
     The 1921 season was highlighted by numerous individual accomplishments.  First off, two future Hall of Famers, Pittsburgh (and later Chicago) outfielder Kiki Cuyler and Washington outfielder Goose Goslin made their major league debuts.  On August 19th, Ty Cobb became the fourth player, following Cap Anson, Honus Wagner, and Nap Lajoie, to knock 3000 career hits.  The most notable individual accomplishment of the year was owned by Babe Ruth, who on July 12th became the new all time Home Run King.  His 137th career home run surpassed Roger Connor's career record of 136.  Ruth was just 26 years old and had been a full time hitter for just three seasons at that point, yet he held what is now known as the most prestigious honor in baseball.  Baseball also lost one great while gaining another.  Hugh Nicol, to this day the single season stolen base record holder at 138, passed away on June 27th at 63, but not before one of the greatest left handed pitchers of all time, Warren Spahn, was born in Buffalo, New York.
       The season saw the Babe Ruth-led Yankees cruise to the AL Pennant, finishing at 98-55 with a 4.5 game lead over Cleveland (94-60).  The New York Giants came from behind the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the NL, going 94-59 to finish four games ahead of Pittsburgh (90-63).  Three firsts occurred in the 1921 World Series.  The New York Yankees made their first of 40 trips to the World Series, unmatched by any team.  However, they would have to wait a couple years for the first of 27 World Series titles.  The meeting with the Giants also meant baseball's first "Subway Series" between two New York teams, though subways would not actually be needed due to another first.  At the time, the Yankees and Giants shared the Polo Grounds as their home field, marking the first Series all at one stadium.  WJZ Newark broadcasted the World Series, making the '21 Series the first ever to be broadcasted on the radio.  Despite a valiant effort by Yankees pitcher Waite Hoyt, who tossed three complete game shutouts (two of which were ruined by unearned runs), the Giants managed to overcome the Yankees and win the crown.  They were led by outfielder Irish Meusel, who batted .345 with a home run, seven RBI, and four runs scored over the eight game series.  Second baseman Frankie Frisch also scored five runs while stealing three bases and batting .300 for the Giants.
     Statistically, 1921 was all about three players.  Babe Ruth put up the greatest offensive season anybody had ever seen, smashing 59 home runs, driving in 171, and batting .378 while also scoring 177 runs.  He led the entire major leagues in runs, home runs, RBI, walks (145), on base percentage (.512), slugging percentage (.846), OPS (1.359), total bases (457), and extra base hits (119).  His home runs, RBI, total bases, and extra base hits set new single season records, and his 457 total bases and 119 extra base hits are still single season records to this day.  He gained all those extra base hits through 44 doubles (second in league), 16 triples (ninth in league), and 59 home runs (first in league by a margin of 35).  At this point, Ruth had combined for 113 home runs from 1920-1921, while the next closest player over that time interval, the A's' Tilly Walker, had hit exactly 40 (17 in 1920 and 23 in 1921).  Another player who really shined in 1921 was the Cardinals' Rogers Hornsby, who had a huge breakout season by hitting 21 home runs, driving in 126, and batting a league leading .397 with 131 runs scored.  The 1921 season would be the beginning of an exceptional string of offensive years that would almost rival Hornsby with Ruth himself.  Also coming up huge in 1921 was Detroit's Harry Heilmann, who hit 19 home runs, drove in 139, and batted .394 with 114 runs scored.  Ty Cobb, though 34 years of age and in his 17th season, set a career high with 12 home runs and batted .389 with 124 runs scored to prove he was still one of the best in the game.  Pitchers, having to adjust to the newly arrived offensive era, had a tough time on the mound.  The White Sox' Red Faber, who had gone 25-15, led the majors with a 2.48 ERA, much higher for a league leader than in previous years.  Pittsburgh's Babe Adams, who was 14-5 with a 2.64 ERA, led the majors with 1.08 WHIP.  Two pitchers, the Yankees' Carl Mays and the Cardinals' Urban Shocker, led baseball with 27 wins.  Mays also led with seven saves.  Not to be kept from the spotlight, 33 year old Walter Johnson struck out 143 batters to top the league while going 17-14 with a career worst (as of 1921) 3.51 ERA.  Also in 1921, the Cardinals' Lou North became the first reliever in history to appear in 40 games without making a single start.  He finished 4-4 with a 3.54 ERA and seven saves.

News
Former shortstop Jason Bartlett announced his retirement after ten major league seasons.  The 34 year old was an All Star in 2009 with the Rays (14 HR, 66 RBI, .320 AVG, 30 SB) and last appeared with the Twins on April 6th.
Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper tore a ligament in his thumb and is out until the All Star Break.
Tigers signed Joel Hanrahan (2013: 0-1, 9.82 ERA, 2.18 WHIP, 4 SV, 2014 age: 32) to a one year, $1 million deal (plus up to $2 million in incentives).
Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun hit the Disabled List with a strained rib.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia knocked his 100th career home run.

Game Scores
Nationals (17-12) beat the Phillies (13-14) 5-3.
Red Sox (14-16) beat the A's (18-11) 7-1.
Rays (14-16) beat the Yankees (15-13) 10-5 (14 innings).
Marlins (15-14) beat the Dodgers (17-13) 6-3.
Cubs (10-17) beat the Cardinals (15-15) 6-5.
Tigers (15-9) beat the Royals (14-14) 8-2.
Rockies (18-13) beat the Mets (15-13) 10-3.
Top Scorers: Indians beat the White Sox 12-5.

Standings
AL East: Orioles (15-12, .556 WPCT).  AL Central: Tigers (15-9, .625).  AL West: A's (18-11, .621).
NL East: Braves (17-11, .607).  NL Central: Brewers (21-9, .700).  NL West: Giants (18-11, .621).
AL Wild Cards: Rangers (16-13, .552) and Yankees (15-13, .536).  NL Wild Cards: Nationals (17-12, .586) and Rockies (18-13, .581).
Bottom Team: Diamondbacks (10-22, .313).  Longest W Streak: Marlins, 4 games.  Longest L Streak: Twins and Braves, 4 games.

League Leaders
Offensive: AVG: Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), .385 (37-96).  Home runs: Jose Abreu (White Sox), 11.  RBI: Jose Abreu and Giancarlo Stanton (Marlins), 33.  Stolen bases: Dee Gordon (Dodgers), 16.
Pitching: Wins: Mark Buehrle (Blue Jays), Zack Greinke (Dodgers), and Adam Wainwright (Cardinals), 5.  K's: Stephen Strasburg (Nationals), 58.  ERA: Johnny Cueto (Reds), 1.15 (47 IP, 6 ER).  Saves: Francisco Rodriguez (Brewers), 14.  

Top Performers
Offensive: Starling Marte (Pirates): 4-5, home run (2), RBI, run, AVG up .024 from .241 to .265, hitting streak to 3 games (7-12, .583 AVG).
Pitching: Ubaldo Jimenez (Orioles): Win (1-4), 7.1 shutout innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 10 K's (31), ERA drop: 1.40 runs from 6.59 to 5.19.
Worst Pitching Performance: Chris Leroux (Yankees): Loss (0-1), 1 inning, 5 earned runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, 2 K's (3), ERA jump: 22.50 runs from 0.00 to 22.50.

-- 
Teams followed in this update: Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers
If your team is not included, please leave a comment.
HR: home runs.  RBI: runs batted in.  AVG: batting average.  SB: stolen bases.  ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched.  K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage
Zack Silverman