The 1939 Brooklyn Dodgers (70-84, 5th)

[KG Erwin]

OK, I'm gonna have one more go at this. Finances OFF, 40-man historical rosters.

In the pre-season power rankings, the Dodgers are 3rd, behind the Yankees and the Cardinals. I look over my lineup/rotation, and there are a few weak spots. However, I will refrain from initiating any trades until the AI offers one. At that point, I will be offered free reign in making deals in the current season. This will be an ongoing house rule.

In future years, I will have no self-imposed trade restrictions BEFORE the first game is played. The IN-season "trigger rule" will remain in effect.

So, I am restricting myself, at least for now, to the historical roster.

The Dodgers haven't won a NL pennant since 1920. The mighty Yankees are poised to take their fourth straight AL pennant.

[KG Erwin]

On opening day, Monday April 17, the Reds defeat the Pirates 3-2 in 12 innings. In the AL, the Senators down the Yankees 7-1.
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Brooklyn, Tuesday April 18. The Giants come to Ebbets Field. Luke Hamlin vs Cliff Melton. A beautiful day at 67 degrees, with a 20mph swirling wind. The Dodgers win 7-6. WP: Hamlin LP: Melton SV: Ira Hutchinson
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Wednesday April 19. Hugh Casey vs Carl Hubbell. It's 43 degrees, with the wind blowing out to LF @ 18 mph. Brooklyn wins 8-6. WP: Casey LP: Johnny Wittig SV: Bill Crouch
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Thursday April 20. Tot Pressnell vs Harry Gumbert. 55 degrees, wind blowing in from RF @ 11 mph. The Giants win 3-1. WP, CG: Gumbert LP: Pressnell

[KG Erwin]

Philadelphia, Friday April 21. Freddie Fitzsimmons vs Hugh Mulcahy. 64 degrees, with the wind blowing in from LF @ 20 mph. Mulcahy pitches a 5 hit 1-0 shutout. Fitzsimmons loses.

Roster note: I signed a 22-year-old pitcher named Roy Bruner, assigned him to AA, and released a scrub player.
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Saturday April 22. Hamlin (1-0, 4.50) vs Higbe (0-1, 9.00). 70 degrees. Dodgers win 2-1. WP: Bill Crouch LP: Boom-boom Beck SV: Ira Hutchinson

Injury Report: on the 15-day DL are Cubs' P Claude Passeau and Yankees P Red Ruffing.
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Sunday April 23. Casey (1-0, 7.71) vs Max Butcher. 69 degrees, with a swirling 9 mph breeze. Brooklyn wins 8-4. WP: George Jeffcoat LP: Butcher

[KG Erwin]

Talent pool, position players:

[KG Erwin]

Talent pool, pitchers:

[KG Erwin]

Game commentary: I'm thinking that using 40-man rosters (rather than 50), results in a truer picture of the actual talent pool in this opening season. The included fictionals in the FA pool are true scrubs, and it's unlikely that they will have any major impact on any of the teams. At least in THIS association, I have enough minor-leaguers to populate both AAA and AA. 35 players per team is too few, 50 is too many (at least for this time period). 40 seems about right, as no real players from Lahman are excluded.

[KG Erwin]

Roster note: I signed 22-yr-old P Loy Hanning and assigned him to AA. A scrub was released.
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Brooklyn, Monday April 24. We host the Boston Bees. Whit Wyatt vs Danny MacFayden (0-1, 3.86). 53 degrees, with the wind swirling @ 20 mph. Boston wins 9-1. WP, CG: MacFayden LP: Wyatt
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Tuesday April 25. Pressnell (0-1, 3.86) vs Posedel (1-1, 5.54). 69 degrees, with the wind blowing in from LF @ 10 mph. The Bees win 5-1. WP, CG: Posedel LP: Pressnell
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Wednesday April 26. Hamlin (1-0, 3.00) vs Fette (1-0, 5.40). 58 degrees. The Dodgers win 4-2. WP: Hamlin LP: Fette SV: Hutchinson

[KG Erwin]

New York, Thursday April 27. Casey (1-0, 6.92) vs Hubbell (0-1, 7.36). 62 degrees, with the wind blowing OUT to RF @ 17 mph. A wild game in which nine HRs were hit. The Dodgers win it 9-8. WP: Casey LP: Hubbell SV: Crouch
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Friday April 28. Fitzsimmons (0-1, 1.29) vs Gumbert (2-0, 0.50). 47 degrees, with a 17 mph wind blowing IN from CF. The Giants win 5-4 in 10 innings. WP: Johnnie Wittig LP: Vito Tamulis

[KG Erwin]

Brooklyn, Saturday April 29. The Phillies visit. Pressnell (0-2, 4.85) vs Mulcahy (2-1, 2.74). 61 degrees, with a 16 mph wind blowing in from RF. The Phillies win 5-2 in 10 innings. WP: Syl Johnson LP: Crouch
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Sunday, April 30. Hamlin (2-0, 2.37) vs Higbe (0-2, 3.60). 52 degrees. The Phillies win 5-1. WP, CG: Higbe LP: Hamlin

[KG Erwin]

The standings:

[KG Erwin]

Brooklyn, Monday May 1. Casey (2-0, 7.71) vs the Phillies' Butcher (1-1, 4.56). 64 degrees, with a 14 mph wind OUT to RF. Casey pitches a 3 hitter as the Dodgers win 3-0. Butcher takes the loss.

[KG Erwin]

Brooklyn, Tuesday May 2. We host the Pirates. Fitzsimmons (0-1, 1.38) vs Sewell (1-0, 3.71). 58 degrees, with a breeze out to RF @ 3 mph. In the 2nd, Fitzsimmons suffers a rotator cuff injury. Wyatt relieves. The Pirates win 6-3. WP: Sewell LP: Fitzsimmons SV: Joe Bowman

We place Fitzsimmons on the 60-day DL, and call up P Carl Doyle. We also make a few position changes in order to rest tired players. Johnny Hudson moves over to 2B and Dixie Walker to 1B.
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Wednesday, May 3. Pressnell (0-2, 3.60) vs Bill Swift (2-1, 3.27). 61 degrees, with a 19 mph wind blowing OUT to CF. Swift gets injured in the 1st, and is relieved by Bowman. The Pirates win 4-0. WP: Bowman LP: Pressnell

[KG Erwin]

Brooklyn, Thursday May 4. The Cubs visit. Hamlin (2-1, 3.33) vs Bill Lee (0-2, 2.57). 60 degrees, with a 6 mph breeze out to CF. The Dodgers win 8-2. WP, CG : Hamlin LP: Lee
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Friday, May 5. Casey (3-0, 5.40) vs Root (1-2, 2.42). 52 degrees, with a 4 mph breeze in from CF. The Cubs win 3-2. WP: Whitehill LP: Casey SV: Olsen
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Saturday, May 6. Wyatt (0-1, 5.52) vs French (1-1, 3.86). 57 degrees. Chicago wins 4-2. WP, CG: French LP: Wyatt

[KG Erwin]

Brooklyn, Sunday May 7. The Cardinals come to town. Pressnell (0-3, 3.86) vs Warneke (2-0, 0.87). 73 degrees, with the wind blowing IN from CF @ 14 mph. Pressnell pitches a 5-0 shutout, and Warneke takes the loss.
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Monday, May 8. Hamlin (3-1, 3.00) vs Cooper (3-1, 2.18). 60 degrees, with the wind swirling @ 15 mph. The Dodgers win 6-5. WP: Hamlin LP: Dickson SV: Crouch

The Dodgers' Ira Hutchinson pitched briefly and suffered a serious rotator cuff injury. We must place him on the 60 day DL. We call up Van Mungo from AAA.
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Tuesday, May 9. Casey (3-1, 4.70) vs Weiland (1-1, 4.01). Casey pitches a six-hit CG shutout as we win 1-0. LP: McGee

[KG Erwin]

Brooklyn, Wednesday May 10. We face the first-place Reds. Wyatt (0-2, 5.40) vs Thompson (2-1, 1.80). 59 degrees, with the wind blowing OUT to LF @ 20 mph. The Reds win 8-5. WP, CG: Thompson LP: Wyatt
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Thursday, May 11. Pressnell (1-3, 2.92) vs Grissom (1-3, 3.00). 65 degrees, with the wind OUT to CF @ 13 mph. The Reds win 4-3 in 12 innings. WP: Barrett LP: Jeffcoat

[KG Erwin]

Boston, Friday May 12. Hamlin (4-1, 3.45) vs Fette (3-1, 3.52). 59 degrees. In the 7th, Johnnie Hudson hits a pinch-hit grand slam to give us a 5-4 lead. We end up winning 6-4. WP: Hamlin LP: Fette SV: Red Evans
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Saturday, May 13. Casey (4-1, 3.80) vs Turner (2-3, 4.01). 71 degrees, with a light breeze in from LF @ 4 mph. The Bees win 4-3 in 10 innings. WP: Shoffner LP: Mungo
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Sunday, May 14. Wyatt (0-3, 6.51) vs MacFayden (2-1, 2.01). 69 degrees, with the wind blowing IN from LF @ 16 mph. Wyatt pitches a 5-hit shutout as the Dodgers win 4-0. MacFayden loses.

We have a much-needed day off on Monday.

[KG Erwin]

Chicago, Tuesday May 16. Hamlin (5-1, 3.75) vs Dean (2-3, 3.38). 64 degrees. The Dodgers win 3-1. WP, CG: Hamlin LP: Dean

Brooklyn finally hits .500 (14-14).
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Wednesday May 17. Casey (4-1, 3.71) vs Lee (0-5, 4.50). 57 degrees, with a light breeze in from LF. The Cubs win 3-2 in 11 innings. WP: Olsen LP: Crouch
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Thursday, May 18. Pressnell (1-3, 2.93) vs Root (2-3, 2.87). 64 degrees. The Cubs win 5-3. WP, CG: Root LP: Pressnell

[KG Erwin]

Roster notes: I sign pitchers Joe Callahan and Bill Hoffman to minor-league contracts. Two scrubs are released.
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St Louis, Friday May 19. Wyatt (1-3, 4.91) vs Warneke (3-1, 0.71). 64 degrees, with a light 4 mph breeze out to CF. The Cardinals win 3-1. WP, CG: Warneke LP: Wyatt

The Cardinals now lead the NL by a half-game over the Reds. In the junior circuit, the Yankees have ripped 12 straight wins and now occupy first place. They lead the Indians by one game.
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Saturday, May 20. Hamlin (6-1, 3.34) vs Cooper (5-1, 1.42). 54 degrees. The Cards win 4-1. WP: Cooper LP: Hamlin SV: Bowman

[KG Erwin]

Cincinnati, Sunday May 21. Casey (4-1, 3.64) vs Walters (5-2, 2.18). 63 degrees, with a swwirling 9 mph wind. Walters pitches a 4-hit shutout and the Reds win it 2-0. Casey takes the loss.
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Monday May 22. Pressnell (1-4, 3.18) vs Derringer (5-1, 1.98). 59 degrees, with the wind blowing IN from LF @ 11 mph. The Dodgers win 2-0. WP: Jeffcoat LP: VanderMeer
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Tuesday May 23. Wyatt (1-4, 4.64) vs Thompson (3-2, 2.68). 65 degrees, with a 6 mph breeze out to CF. The Reds win 5-3. WP: Thompson LP: Wyatt SV: Moore

[KG Erwin]

Pittsburgh, Wednesday May 24. Hamlin (6-2, 3.48) vs Tobin (2-3, 2.38). 52 degrees, with a light 4 mph breeze out to LF. The Pirates win 4-1. WP, CG: Tobin LP: Hamlin

We drop to 6th in the standings.
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Thursday May 25. Casey (4-2, 3.53) vs Brown (3-4, 3.92). 62 degrees. We go scoreless through 9 innings. The Pirates win 1-0 in the 11th. WP: Heintzelman LP: Crouch

We have Friday off.