Fall 2020: The American Association Playoffs, 1953-1957
Vol. 16, No. 2 of the American Association Almanac: The Playoffs, 1953-1957
Hot off the presses! Just released: The American Association Almanac's 37,000-word report on the American Association playoffs (print only) from 1953 to 1957. Data collection began in April and was completed through 1962 by mid-June when the writing process began. The original intent was to include game accounts through 1962 but that idea proved unfeasible. This way I was able to dedicate the wordage necessary for capturing the essence of each contest. In all, 84 games are covered. As it states in the Introduction:
This issue of the Almanac examines the American Association playoffs from 1953 to 1957 and accounts for all 84 playoff games for that time period. A brief introduction provides background for the contestants for each year, followed by a scoring summary and highlights for each season’s playoff.
Accounts for each of the 84 games contain essential information for documenting each event along historical lines, such as date and place, starting pitchers, scoring factors, scoring events, attendance, and the final score. In many instances anecdotal examples are also included, as are quotes from local press accounts. Box scores provided the data from which all statistical examples were made.
A variety of playoff records are presented here which allow the reader to develop an appreciation for these events in a postseason context. Access to online newspaper archives allowed the content to reflect the breadth of each contest within a unique local context. As a result, an attempt to revive the spirit of the playoffs by bringing to light the many fascinating aspects of the game is undertaken here.
Please note the following: each pitcher’s regular season record is contained within parentheses following each name, including handedness for left-handers only. For batters, the fielding position of included once per section (by round). The winning or losing pitcher is listed at the end of each game account only when that pitcher was not the starter. The attendance is listed at the end of each account. Unless noted, the games were played at night, which included most non-Sunday events. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of both the statistical data and events as they occurred on the field.
Yes, describing 84 descriptions of baseball games using various press accounts can be challenging when the goal is to keep each account as unique and vital as the game it is describing. My favorite strategy for meeting this challenge is using appropriate quotations from local press accounts, especially when it includes anecdotal references. One key description contained in this issue came from Tommy Fitzgerald, sports writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal, in which he described how the actress Janet Leigh had been in the stands at Toledo's Swayne Field and how her presence inspired the Sox to a ninth-inning rally against the Louisville Colonels. It's just fun writing. Finding the quote was like finding a buried jewel.
Another strategy I use is to develop my data in a way which allows me to compare performance records with past playoffs. For example, when it was found that one round of the playoffs featured three consecutive error-free contests, I could look through my records to determine whether this had ever happened previously. One statistical oddity involved St. Paul and Denver, who met in the final round of the 1957 playoffs: both teams registered the same combined (both playoff rounds) number of assists during the entire playoff that year. If you're into stats, you get it.
Sample Pages
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