Alt-1925 Home Stretch!

 

We're 150 games in (for most MLB teams), and it's past time for an update.

Pennant Races: Loooooong over for the American League. The Yankees at this writing have won 21 games in a row (!), which I believe the all-time record in this universe--the real-life 26-game winning streak the New York Giants enjoyed in 1916 didn't happen in Alt-1916, so the longest in-universe winning streaks should be (I think) the 21-game winning streak the 1880 White Stockings had (which neglects some ties), and/or the 20-game winning streak the 1884 Grays had. The old AL record was the 1906 White Sox' 19-gamer, though that also had ties, or the 17-game streak the 1912 Senators had if you want a win-only streak. In any case, the Yankees had been coming across as having a very good year but not on par with 1923-1924 until the winning streak. Now they have a chance (but still only an outside chance) to set the single-season record for wins. Needless to say, the Yankees are absolutely running away with the AL and had clinched even before this winning streak started. 

The Cardinals had also been running away with the NL but have been scuffling in September. Not awful (8-9), but not really putting the pennant away. At the same time, the Buffalo Blues have gone 15-4 in September and have closed to 3 games back. The most likely outcome is still a Yankees-Cardinals World Series, but it's not quite a done deal yet.

More about the Yankees: In theory, this would be the time for the Bombers to take the foot off the gas--the call-ups have happened, injuries have bitten the Yankees both this year and in past years, and the team really doesn't seem like it would have anything left to prove.  However, there are a few things that are still leading me to play the A lineup and run the usual rotation out there at least for now--I reckon the winning streak shouldn't end because I run the Maple Leafs out there, plus there still is the off chance we can set the record for wins. Babe Ruth, who's having one of the all-time great seasons, is about to set the single-season RBI record and the AL single-season HR record isn't out of the question for him. Getting 25 wins is very much in play for both Pennock and Luque, and 20 is possible for Fitzsimmons. Heilmann, Lazzeri, Charleston, and Santop all have 85 RBI or more, and it seems likely that at least one of them will reach 100 RBI given the number of runs that the Yankees are scoring. Collins is fighting for the batting title and is tied for the stolen base lead. He's at 199 hits also, and only 4 off the league lead in that. I assume that eventually the winning streak will end, and three losses would put the win record out of reach, at which point the regulars will all get rest. Even at this point, though, I'm trying to make sure there's plenty of rest. 

The minors: The Cotton States League is coming up to its last day or two before the playoffs, which will pit Hampton Roads vs. Meridian. The Eastern Classic pitted the Akron Pros vs. the Springfield Ponies, both of them winning their league's pennant for the first time. Sprinfield came back from a 2-0 deficit to shock Akron by winning in 5 games.  The Governor's Cup is returning to Milwaukee for Game 6 as Charlotte keeps hanging on after the Brewers put them in a 3-0 hole. The Maple Leafs won back-to-back Little World Series (and 3 of the last 4) in a rematch of 1923 against Sacramento. Toronto dominated the series, which somehow still went 6 games. 

International Baseball: As noted elsewhere, 1926 actually began with the Manila Bay League, where the Meralco Conductors won the regular season but was upended by the Post of Manila Bearcats in the finals. The Dutch league similarly found the regular-season winner Amsterdam Quick beated in the finals by Haarlem SC. The Nicaraguan Liga Interlocal was won by Xolotlán of Managua, who bucked these other trends and also won in the playoff. The Mexican LMB championship is still ongoing, with Equipo de Mexico currently leading that best-of-7 series 2 to 1 over Agraria. The Dominican and Cuban Winter Leagues have yet to get underway.

OK, back to it!