STANDINGS
 

W

L

GB

Last

Washington

41

22

--

7-7

St. Louis

41

23

0.5

8-6

Brooklyn

38

26

3.5

11-3

Chicago

37

27

4.5

7-7

New York

31

34

11

8-6

Los Angeles

30

34

11.5

6-8

San Francisco

28

35

13

6-8

Boston

26

39

16

5-9

Detroit

24

40

17.5

6-8

Louisville

24

40

17.5

6-8

INJURED LIST

BOS

CF Mickey Mantle (1 wk)

BRO

SP Tom Gorman (season)
LF Sandy Amoros (4 days)
SP Bob Purkey (3 days)
CHI

SS Ernie Banks (1 wk)
MR Vic Raschi (3 days)

LOU

MR Luis Arroyo (4 wks)

NYG

SP Jim Hearn (5 wks)

SF

1B Vic Wertz (1 wk)

WAS

RF Jimmy Piersall (season)
  

TRANSACTIONS

May 8

NYG

Signed MR Alex Kellner to minor league contract
May 16

BRO

Signed MR Morrie Martin to minor league contract
June 1

BRO

Signed SS Lou Boudreau and 2B Bobby Young to minor league contracts
  


 

  

United League of American Base Ball Clubs          est. 1951
 
LEAGUE FILE (3/31) · HEADLINES · NEWS LOG · TRANSACTIONS · INJURIES · FINANCES
STANDINGS · BOX SCORES · SCHEDULE · BATTING · PITCHING · FIELDING · LEADERS
LEAGUE RULES · TEAM INFO · ROSTERS · FREE AGENTS · TOP PROSPECTS · TOP FARMS
TOP PERFORMANCES · RECORD BOOK · PAST LEADERS · CAREER LEADERS
BEGINNINGS · CITIES · BALLPARKS · PLAYER PHOTOS
TOTAL UL  · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 DRAFTS
4/5 (Season Preview) · 4/17 · 5/1 · 5/16 · 6/1 · 6/15


    June 16, 1956

NEXT SIM
Sat 4/3 (to Jul 1)
Rosters due 12pm PT

UPCOMING SIMS
Wed 4/7 (to Jul 16)
Sat 4/10 (to Jul 31)
Wed 4/14 (to Aug 16)


Musial Hits in 20 Straight
Stan the Man Sparks 8-3 Run, Maroons Keep Pace
ST. LOUIS (June 16) -- After staring June with three straight losses at the Frank, St. Louis fell 2.5 games behind Washington, but an 8-3 run, sparked by Stan Musial's ongoing hitting streak, finds the Maroons within a half-game of the Monuments.  
   Musial has hit safely in 20 consecutive games since May 24.  He is batting .414 (36-87) during the streak, which encompasses a particularly torrid seven-game stretch (June 4-11) in which 'The Man' hit .467 (14-30) with 5 HR and 11 RBI, earning Player of the Week honors for the second time this season (eighth overall).
   Musial is on the inside track in the race to 1,000 hits.  He needs just 82 to become the first United Leaguer to reach that milestone.  Musial is also on pace to break Jackie Robinson's single season hits record (202 in 1952).  Musial has 93 hits through 64 games and is on pace for 223.
   The Maroons scored just one run in their three losses at Brooklyn, but Musial's 13th-inning home run averted a sweep on Sunday the 4th.  The next day in Detroit, the offense exploded for 13 hits and 8 runs as Billy Pierce shut out the Sound 8-0.  The Dark Reds swept San Francisco; Sam Zoldak threw a six-hit shutout on Thursday the 8th.
   The club has cranked up the power quotient recently, with 22 home runs in its last 11 games.  Dick Kokos homered twice in a 6-5 win over Chicago Tuesday the 13th.

Kiner Hits 200th Home Run
Milestone Clout for Sound Slugger 
DETROIT (June 16) -- Sound right fielder Ralph Kiner hit two home runs in back-to-back games to become the first United League to hit 200 home runs.  After just 8 homers in his first 44 games, Kiner walloped 9 in 9 games from May 26th to June 3, winning Player of the Week twice.  The landmark 200th homer came on Thursday, June 1, in a 7-5 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field.  With two outs in the seventh, Kiner deposited a Whitey Ford fastball into the seats, giving the Sound a 5-3 lead.  After the Colts tied it in the eighth, Kiner launched a two-run shot off Barney Schultz to win the game.  The day before in Detroit, Kiner homered twice off New York's Bob Friend -- home runs #198 and 199.  But despite Kiner's 5 RBI, the Gothams won 9-6.  Aside from his power, the New Mexican is having a career year at the plate, batting .379 (3rd in the league), a full 100 points above his career average.
   Despite Kiner's heroics, Detroit's problem lately has been lack of offense.  The Sound lost seven of eight games June 4-12, in which they were shut out twice and averaged just 3.0 runs per game.  But the pitching has improved of late, as Camilo Pascual (2-1, 2.01 in last 4 starts) and Johnny Podres (2-2, 3.38 in last 5 starts) recover from rough Mays, when each had ERAs over 7.00.  Reliever Art Ceccarelli (2.45 ERA in 23 games overall) has gotten stronger as the season progresses (0.71in last 14 games).
   The Sound snapped out of its 1-7 slump on June 13, winning three straight for just the second time this year.  Toby Atwell's 10th-inning single beat Louisville 4-3; Kiner walked three times and scored twice as Ted Gray beat Boston 7-2; and Kiner homered twice, driving in 5 in a 10-6 slugfest.  The mini-streak pulled the Sound into a tie with Louisville at 24-40.
 

Spahn Throws Two Shutouts
SAN FRANCISCO (June 16) -- GM John Nellis raised some eyebrows at this year's Reentry draft by paying premium salaries for castoffs such as Warren Spahn and Don Newcombe.  But the strategy just might be paying off.  Spahn (8-5, 5.42) threw a pair of four-hit shutouts in June (albeit either side of a 16-hit, 9-1 drubbing).  Spahnie's win column is already fast approaching last year's tally (12) with his former club Boston.  Meanwhile, Chicago castoff Don Newcombe (1-2, 2.93) may pitch himself into the starting rotation.  The spot starter has a 2.93 ERA in 30.2 innings.  The Spiders' pen has been surprisingly efficient as well.  Steve Ridzik has 9 saves and a 2.08 ERA, Brooks "Bull" Lawrence is 2-1, 2.57 in 12 games, and George Zuverink and Willard Schmidt are under 4.00.
 

Wilhelm Extends Zip Streak
BROOKLYN (June 16) -- Superbas closer Hoyt Wilhelm had six more appearances without an earned run, extending his no-earned-run streak to 31 games and 35.2 innings.  Wilhelm has not allowed an earned run since Aug. 21 last year, and has posted 23 saves and a perfect 0.00 ERA since then.  In 35.2 innings, the Huntersville, N.C. native has permitted just 18 hits and 12 walks.  Wilhelm, 32, is #3 on the all-time save list with 140.  He has posted 30+ saves in three of his first four seasons and has a 2.05 ERA in 114 games since 1954.  
   Wilhelm was Brooklyn's very first rookie pick, when then-GM Frank Thomas made him the second overall pick in the 1952 Rookie draft.  The 28-year-old was immediately slotted in the closer role, and saved 32 games in 49 appearances, posting a 3.47 ERA.  In 1953, Wilhelm appeared in a career-high 60 games, posting a 9-8 record and 30 saves.  His ERA dipped to 2.45 in 1954, but so did his saves and games (27 and 39), but in 1955 he helped the Superbas to their first pennant with a career-high 34 saves and a 2.72 ERA.
  

Miller Returns to Rotation,
Kaplan's Monuments Win 500
 WASHINGTON (June 5) -- Jay Kaplan's Washington Monuments notched the 500th win in club history today, just three days after Stu Miller made a not-so-triumphant return to the three-time champs' rotation.  On Friday, June 2, Miller was chased in the sixth, after allowing 9 hits and 8 runs against New York.  Bubba Church allowed 15 hits in the game, but managed to win 9-6.  Miller, the 1953 Cy Young winner, was 2-2, 4.65 in his first four starts after 11 months of rehab.
   Carl Erskine four-hit Los Angeles on Monday the 5th.  It was Washington's 500th win since joining the United League in 1951.  It took Washington just 824 games to win 500, a .607 winning percentage.  Fittingly, Willie Mays and Duke Snider homered in the landmark win.
 

Zernial, Thomson HR Frenzy
CHICAGO (June 16) -- Gus Zernial and Bobby Thomson combined to hit 15 home runs in Chicago's last 14 games.  With 11 games left in the first half, Zernial already has 24 tators, easily on pace to surpass Ralph Kiner's 1951 record of 41.  "Ozark Ike" has hit 30+ home runs in four of his five UL seasons.
   Thomson hit seven homers in seven games from June 4-13, including a pair of two-homer games.

Gus Zernial Career Batting Record

Avg

HR

RBI

OPS

1951

.305

33

112

.915

1952

.256

30

119

.823

1953

.274

30

105

.855

1954

.263

19

63

.845

1955

.253

33

91

.857

1956

.294

24

55

1.086

.273

169

545

.876
          

AROUND THE HORN
  Washington Monuments
Jay Kaplan		 St. Louis Maroons
Tim Smith

Mons are 2-5 since June 8.  Lost four straight at Boston and San Francisco June 8-12.  Dave Koslo blew 2-0 lead in the 9th on June 12. . .  Duke Snider hit 5 HR in four-game series at New York June 1-4, including a pair of 2-HR games and a 471-bomb off Jim Hearn.  The series was a 2-2 split. . .  Stu Miller went the distance for 8-2 win over Los Angeles June 15, after going 1-2, 5.72 in first 3 starts.

Allowed just 19 runs (2.7 per game) during 6-1 run June 4-11.  Billy Pierce shut out Detroit 8-0 on June 5 (Musial 3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI) and Sam Zoldak blanked S.F. 11-0 on June 8 (Musial 3-5, 3 RBI). . .  Closer Roy Face is 3-1 with 4 saves and 0.00 ERA in last 11 games. . .  Johnny Wyrostek (.266-2-6) had 4 hits against Louisville June 14.

  
Brooklyn Superbas
Glen Reed		 Chicago Colts
Lance Mueller

Bas are 11-3 since Gorman's season-ending injury May 31. . .  Lew Burdette (10-2, 3.86) and Don Mossi (4-3, 2.56) shut out St. Louis on the 1st and 3rd. . .  Burdette was 8-0 in 11 starts before losing 5-4 to Early Wynn and Chicago on June 14. . .  Bob Porterfield is 2-0, 1.13 in last 32.0 innings. . .  Gene Woodling has 15 RBIs in last 6 games, in which he hit .455 (10-22).  He was 4-6, HR, 6 RBI against Boston on June 13.

The Colts won four straight June 4-7, including Don Drysdale's 5-1 win over Detroit and Robin Roberts' six-hit CG in 6-1 win over New York. . .  Drysdale and Whitey Ford each have seven wins and almost identical ERAs (3.62, 3.63).  Ford is 31-5 in 45 starts since 1955. . .  Ernie Banks bruised his heel June 15 and will miss 1-2 weeks.  "Mr. Colt" is having his best month (.326-5-10)
 
New York Gothams
Jackie Robinson		 Los Angeles Outlaws
Chris McCreight

Rookie Art Ditmar (1-1, 2.63) entered the rotation after five-week shoulder injury to Jim Hearn (4-7, 5.36) on June 14. . .  Bubba Church is 2-0, 2.57 in last 4 starts. . .  Jim Busby leads the team in June batting (.365) and had 4 hits on June 2 and June 15. . .  Rookie shortstop Don Buddin is hot, batting .372 (16-43) in last 13 games. . .  Larry Doby and Wally Moon homered in 12th to beat S.F. 6-2 June 15.

Outlaws were 1-9 from May 28-June 6. . .  Dale Long is still hot, batting .458 (11-24) in his last 7 games.  He leads the team in batting, hits, and RBIs. . .  Roy Campanella (.158 in last 5 games) and Puddin' Head Jones (.188 in last 5 games) have cooled off in recent days., though Campy was 10-14 in three games against Detroit June 7-9. . .  MR Ed Roebuck has 0 earned runs in last six appearances.
      
San Francisco Spiders
John Nellis		 Boston Beacons
Charlie Qualls

Offense averaged just 2.7 runs in last 10 games.  Coldest bats belong to Vic Wertz (.094-0-3 in last 14 AB), Rocky Colavito (.156-0-0 in last 13 games), and Solly Hemus (.214-1-3 in last 12 games).  Wertz and Colavito combined for 6 RBI in May 31 blowout win.  Since then they have 3 RBI in 14 games. . .  Higher ticket price ($12, up from $10), has cut attendance by 30% (to 14,000 per game) and revenue per game by 7%, while payroll ballooned by 67%.

Beacons have lost 5 straight, including a pair at Detroit, whom they lead by just 1.5 games. . .  RF Hank Bauer had 4 hits against Louisville June 2.  Bauer leads the club with a .382 batting average in June. . .  Eddie Mathews (.359) and Pat Mullin (.350) are also having hot months. . .  Dave Philley (.182-2-8 in 14 games) has been a poor replacement for the injured Mickey Mantle (pulled calf muscle). . .  Red Worthington (5-7, 5.49) anchored a five-hit shutout, as Boston beat Louisville and Herm Wehmeier 1-0 on June 3. 
  
Detroit Sound
Sean Holloway		 Louisville Colonels
Mark Allen

CF Jim King (.270-9-37) is the most productive of Detroit's quartet of rookie starters.  King is 2nd to Kiner in RBI, and hit .385 with .692 SLG in early June. . .  Toby Atwell had 4 hits against St. Louis on June 6.  Atwell is hitting .289 with 15 RBIs in 48 games. . .  Camilo Pascual is 3-1, 2.06 in his last 5 starts.

Top of the rotation is coming around, but the club is still playing below .500 ball in June.  Johnny Antonelli was 4-0, 0.94 in his last 6 starts, and Herm Wehmeier is 3-1, 1.78 in his last 4 starts. . .  At the bottom of the rotation veterans Gromek, McDermott, and Mizell have flopped (combined 0-5, 6.63 in 10 June starts). . .  Offense is sputtering.  Colonels have scored 4 or fewer runs in 23 of last 28 games.
      

 

L
E
A
G
U
E

L
E
A
D
E
R
S

BATTING AVERAGE

HOME RUNS

RBI

OPS

 RUNS SCORED

Stan Musial, STL

.386

Dale Long, LA

.380

Ralph Kiner, DET

 .379

Gene Woodling, BRO

.349

*Hank Thompson, WAS

.343

Irv Noren, NYG

.338

Del Crandall, STL

.333

Joe Adcock, WAS

.332

Gus Bell, CHI

.332

Roberto Clemente, LA

.327

 

 

Gus Zernial, CHI

24

Ralph Kiner, DET

19

Stan Musial, STL

18

Willie Mays, WAS

17

*Duke Snider, WAS

15

Vern Stephens, STL

15

*Bobby Thomson, CHI

15

Dick Kokos, STL

14

   4 tied with

13

 

 

 

 

Ralph Kiner, DET

 63

Dale Long, LA

 58

Frank Robinson, LA

 56

Gus Zernial, CHI

 55

Stan Musial, STL

53

Vern Stephens, STL

 48

*Gene Woodling, BRO

48

Irv Noren, NYG

 47

*Hank Thompson, WAS

 47

*Willie Mays, WAS

 46

 

  

Ralph Kiner, DET

 1264

Stan Musial, STL

1143

Gus Zernial, CHI

1086

Duke Snider, WAS

 976

Dale Long, LA

 971

*Gene Woodling, BRO

 964

Joe Adcock, WAS

 957

*Hank Thompson, WAS

 937

*Willie Mays, WAS

 926

Irv Noren, NYG

921

 

 

BROOKLYN

352

WASHINGTON

344

LOS ANGELES

343

NEW YORK

338

CHICAGO

336

ST. LOUIS

316

DETROIT

303

BOSTON

298

SAN FRANCISCO

282

LOUISVILLE

258

 

 

EARNED RUN AVERAGE

WINS

STRIKEOUTS

RATIO

 RUNS ALLOWED

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

2.54

Billy Pierce, STL

 2.66

Sam Zoldak, STL

 2.81

Carl Erskine, WAS

 2.91

Dave Koslo, WAS

 3.09

Herm Wehmeier, LOU

 3.19

Warren Hacker, WAS

 3.21

Robin Roberts, CHI

3.24

*Larry Jansen, WAS

 3.31

Don Drysdale, CHI

3.62

 

  

Billy Pierce, STL

 11

Lew Burdette, BRO

 10

Warren Hacker, WAS

 9

Sam Zoldak, STL

 9

*Gene Conley, BRO

 8

*Carl Erskine, WAS

 8

Bob Friend, NYG

 8

Joe Presko, CHI

 8

*Bob Rush, LA

 8

*Warren Spahn, SF

8

 

  

Billy Pierce, STL

 169

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

 139

Bob Friend, NYG

 123

Whitey Ford, CHI

 114

Ted Gray, DET

 104

Sam Jones, LOU

 97

Harvey Haddix, BOS

95

Spec Shea, STL

 92

*Herb Score, SF

 89

*Bubba Church, NYG

 83

 

  

Billy Pierce, STL

 10.0

*Bob Porterfield, BRO

10.1

Sam Zoldak, STL

 10.1

Carl Erskine, WAS

 10.2

Whitey Ford, CHI

 10.2

Herm Wehmeier, LOU

 10.2

*Bubba Church, NYG

10.4

Robin Roberts, CHI

 10.6

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

 10.6

*Larry Jansen, WAS

10.8

 

  

ST. LOUIS

248

WASHINGTON

266

BROOKLYN

273

LOUISVILLE

288

CHICAGO

295

NEW YORK

329

SAN FRANCISCO

343

LOS ANGELES

345

BOSTON

364

DETROIT

419
   
   

 

H
O
N
O
R

R
O
L
L

BATTER OF THE MONTH

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

MILESTONES

APR

Stan Musial, STL

4/10

Stan Musial, STL

7/10

 Johnny Antonelli, LOU

Ralph Kiner, DET
200th home run (June 1), #1 all-time
Stan Musial, STL
900th hit (June 4), #1 all-time
Roy Campanella, LA
800th hit (June 8), #7 all-time
 Jackie Robinson, NYG
100th home run (June 5), #15 all-time
Willie Jones, LA
100th home run (June 9), #15 all-time
Gene Woodling, BRO
500th RBI (June 12), #8 all-time

MAY

Ralph Kiner, DET

4/17

Joe Cunningham, DET

7/17

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

JUN

 

4/24

Gus Zernial, CHI

7/24

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

JUL

 

5/1

Vic Wertz, SF

7/31

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

AUG

 

5/8

Frank Robinson, LA

8/7

 Johnny Antonelli, LOU

SEP

 

5/15

Frank Robinson, LA (2)

8/14

 Johnny Antonelli, LOU

PITCHER OF THE MONTH

5/22

Larry Jansen, WASOU

8/21

 Johnny Antonelli, LOU

APR

Sam Zoldak, STL

5/29

Ralph Kiner, DET

8/28

 Johnny Antonelli, LOU

MAY

Warren Hacker, WAS

6/5

Ralph Kiner, DET (2)

9/4

 Johnny Antonelli, LOU

JUN

  

6/12

Stan Musial, STL (2)

9/11

 Johnny Antonelli, LOU

RACE TO 1,000: CAREER HITS

JUL

  

6/19

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

9/18

 Johnny Antonelli, LOU
Stan Musial

918
Jackie Robinson

896
Gene Woodling

884
Minnie Minoso

862

AUG

  

6/26

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

9/25

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

SEP

  

7/3

Johnny Antonelli, LOU