1962 Baseball Season

If you ask Ralph Houk, he'll tell you that the American League is really superior to the National, that the greater competition credited to the senior circuit is a myth.

Bring more than a decade of All-Star competition, Houk points to the Yankees' easy victory over Cincinnati in last year's World Series as evidence that his team harder time defeating rivals in its own league than it did trouncing the best team the National League had to offer.

Well, Ralph, old man, here's ten that says National League teams will dominate the World Series in the next ten years in the same way that the National League has dominated ten years of All-Star games. From the confusion which arrived with the eclipse of the great Brooklyn Dodgers, two teams have now emerged to dominate all of base-ball for some time to come.

DODGERS LEADING MAJORS

Just because they are currently leading the league, let's take the Dodgers first. Los Angeles may not win the pennant, but, with a healthy Sandy Koufax, they could take a World Series from New York in five games.

At the week's end, Los Angeles as a team was third in batting (.274) and third in pitching (E.R.A 3.58). They held a slim margin of four over San Francisco in the all-important category of runs scored, and led the major leagues in RBI, triples, and stolen bases.

In fielding, on the other hand, they have not been doing so well. Although their aggregate average of .972 is only 8 percentage points behind league leading San Francisco's .980, the Dodgers have committed more errors than any other team except the New York Mets, and have a league low of only 96 double plays.

As individuals, though, Dodgers are leading the majors in an astonishing number of categories. On Monday, Tommy Davis sneaked ahead of Stan Musial to lead the majors with a .345 B.A. He has also collected the most hits (164) and driven in the most runs (118).

Elsewhere, Maury Wills is setting the pace with 100 runs scored and his phenomonal 60 stolen bases. In pitching, Sandy Koufax, who hasn't worked since July 17, still leads the majors with 209 strikeouts and starting pitchers with a 2.15 E.R.A. Don Drysdale's 21 wins are pretty much out of reach.

Then there's Stan Williams. What I mean is that behind Koufax, Dyrsdale, and a revitalized Johnny Podres, there isn't much in the way of a fourth starter. The Dodger farm system is full of potentially great pitchers, but Joe Moeller, Pete Richert, Phil Ortega and Nick Willhite are far from ready for the majors.

It may well be, though, that Los Angeles doesn't need a fourth starter this year, Since the loss of Koufax, the Dodgers have not slumped perceptibly. Although it's true that they've been feasting on second-division teams of late, Drysdale's history of strong finishes, Podres' recent fine showing, and the inevitable return of the best pitcher in baseball make Los Angeles the logical choice for the pennant.

If the San Francisco pitching staff were slightly more consistent, you'd have to give it to the Giants. Sa Francisco has a great outfield, a fine infield, and the best bench in the National League. They have the edge over the Dodgers in the field, but despite greater power they are only about equal in run production, and appreciably behind in pitching.

Juan Marichal, Billy O'Dell, and Jack Sanford are all strong starters but all too often weak finishers. Behind the starters, Giant relief pitching is not up to past standards. Stu Miller isn't as sharp as he used to be, and Don Larsen, having abandoned the search for another perfect game, is still groping for competence.

Despite this only relative weakness on the mound, the Giants had no trouble with Los Angeles in the weekend series, although the Dodgers still lead in the season's series, 8 to 6. The return of old reliable Billy Pierce, demonstrated in his victory over L.A. Saturday, could boost San Francisco over the top. The two teams meet in Los Angeles for a final four-game series in September that will probably be decisive.

Third-place Cincinnati has not, surprisingly enough, fallen off from its first-place pace of last season. The Reds have a record comparable to last season, but their task has been made impossible by the vast improvements in the Dodgers and Giants.

LOST THIRD BASEMAN

It's hard to calculate the importance of the loss of thirdbaseman Gene Freeze. Eddie Kasko has done a fine job filling in for the injured Freeze, though, and in some respects, Cincinnati is a stronger team than they were last season.

The Reds' three starters, Jim O'Toole, Joey Jay, and Bob Purkey are all having fine years, although O'Toole's 12-12 won-lost record might not indicate as much. Short-stop Leo Gardenas and second-baseman Don Blasingame are holding up well, and at first base, cast-off Marty Keough has done some timely power hitting.

PITCHERS PLAGUED

Definitely below par have been the performances of the Reds' relief pitchers. Jim Brosnan, one of the rare breed of pitchers to admit he has thrown at hitters, must be engaged in writing another diatribe against Los Angeles, and his effectiveness in the bullpen has suffered as a result. Bill Henry has not been as good as he was last year either.

Plagued by injuries to its pitching staff, fourth-place Pittsburgh is currently in an off swing in their on-again-off-again season. A fine outfield, and an excellent infield have not been able to compensate for injuries to the like of righthander Bob Gibbon or for Vern Law's failure to make a completely successful comeback.

The Pirates remain an exciting team, however. All-Stars Roberto Clemente, Dick Groat, and Bill Mazeroski, and relief pitcher Elroy Face rank high among the individual stars of today.

Breathing down the Pirates' neck is fifth-place St. Louis, for whom the inability to win the close one has been a crippling weakness. Further, although the Cardinals have been able to hold their own against the first three clubs, they have been unable to fatten their record by preying on the second division teams.

Pittsburgh has won ten of twelve from St. Louis, and the Braves hold an 8 to 5 edge. Even the Mets and the Colts have managed to take four and five games respectively from the Cardinals.

You've got to hand it to the Cardinals, though. They've got Stan Musial, and as long as they do, they're a fine team. The question is whether Musial will still be alive by the time he's eligible for the Hall of Fame. If he keeps on playing as long as he's able, he may be dead long before the required five-year waiting period has elapsed.

BRAVES DOING FINE

You've got to hand it to the Braves, too. Warren Spahn may not win twenty this season, but the great lefthander can still, on a given day, be one of the best around. The Braves have also had fine performances from Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and even aging Joe Adcock; but the pitching staff is no longer one of the best in the league, and the infield isn't as impressive as it once was.

The seventh-place Phillies have done O.K. this year. The big bat of Roy Sievers has given them needed power and All-Star righthander Art Mahaffey has pitched solid ball all season. Outfielder Tony Gonzales has been hitting steadily at slightly over .300.

Besides these, though, the Philies are pretty much the same old gang that lost 23 straight last season and finished dead last.

Behind Philadelphia, Chicago and Houston are battling for inclusion in the eight-team National League, with the Cubs holding a slim edge at the moment. Chicago has a number of fine young players like Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and George Altman, but the club has almost nothing in the way of a pitching staff and virtually no manager.

Houston has done respectably to stay even with them. With a 5 and 24 record in July, the Colts have sunk a long way since their impressive beginning, and only time will tell whether or not their young players will ever make it big. At least they've stayed way ahead of the Mets.

Ah, yes, the Mets. Without a decent pitcher, or a competent fielder on the team, the amazin' Mets are really in bad shape. Rookie secondbaseman Hot Rod Kanehl is the only young player of promise on the team, and despite the game determination of the fading Gil Hodges and Richie Ashburn to play again next season, the Mets may be even worse next year than they are now.

Frank Thomas is definitely a major-league power hitter, and a good one, but he, Ashburn, and Kanehl, are really the only bright spots in the Mets' bleak picture. and next year there may be just Thomas and Kanehl.

Casey Stengel claims he'll be back next season, but whether or not many of Mets fans will is a moot point