The 1959 Chicago White Sox have gone 3-1 in each of the first two weeks of the season, and that has given them a one-game lead in the standings at the one-quarter mark of the season. Despite having scored the second-fewest runs in the league, they’ve had by far the best pitching.
And though it appears to be another pitching-dominant league, at least by looking at the team batting averages, teams are actually scoring a fair amount of runs. The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates lead everyone at 4.9 runs per game.
Only two starting pitchers made it through two starts with two victories, and it’s a couple of unheralded names in the New York Giants’ Don Liddle and the White Sox’s Dick Donovan. Chicago reliever Turk Lown also has two wins.
The batting leaders is a who’s who list of all-time greats, with three of them so far outpacing the rest: Roberto Clemente at .438, Jackie Robinson at .429 and Dick Sisler at .424. Eddie Mathews has bashed five home runs in eight games.
The biggest series of week 3 pits the White Sox against the 1953 New York Yankees, one of three teams tied for second place (despite their .192 team batting average).
| Week 2 | W | L | PCT | GB | R | RA | +/- | AVG | ERA | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 Chicago White Sox | 6 | 2 | .750 | — | 24 | 16 | +8 | .220 | 1.95 | Stats |
| 1953 New York Yankees | 5 | 3 | .625 | 1.0 | 31 | 28 | +3 | .192 | 3.36 | Stats |
| 1954 New York Giants | 5 | 3 | .625 | 1.0 | 31 | 29 | +2 | .229 | 3.21 | Stats |
| 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates | 5 | 3 | .625 | 1.0 | 39 | 29 | +10 | .244 | 3.30 | Stats |
| 1957 Milwaukee Braves | 4 | 4 | .500 | 2.0 | 29 | 33 | -4 | .217 | 3.95 | Stats |
| 1950 Philadelphia Phillies | 3 | 5 | .375 | 3.0 | 38 | 41 | -3 | .262 | 4.13 | Stats |
| 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers | 3 | 5 | .375 | 3.0 | 32 | 38 | -6 | .234 | 4.56 | Stats |
| 1954 Cleveland Indians | 1 | 7 | .125 | 5.0 | 20 | 30 | -10 | .190 | 3.49 | Stats |
Week 2 recaps:
> Gameday #5
> Gameday #6
> Gameday #7
> Gameday #8
Week 2 featured YouTube broadcasts:
> 1954 Indians vs. 1959 White Sox (Gameday #6)
> 1960 Pirates vs. 1954 Giants (Gameday #8)
BATTING LEADERS
Average
.438 Roberto Clemente, 1960 Pirates
.429 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers
.424 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies
.344 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers
.344 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants
.333 Al Rosen, 1954 Indians
.323 Bill Virdon, 1960 Pirates
.323 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves
.314 Al Dark, 1954 Giants
.313 Don Mueller, 1954 Giants
.313 Jim Landis, 1959 White Sox
Runs
8 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves
7 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies
7 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers
7 Richie Asburn, 1950 Phillies
7 Phil Rizzuto, 1953 Yankees
Hits
14 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies
14 Roberto Clemente, 1960 Pirates
12 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers
11 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers
11 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants
11 Al Dark, 1954 Giants
Doubles
5 Roberto Clemente, 1960 Pirates
4 many
Triples
2 Luis Aparicio, 1959 White Sox
2 Hank Bauer, 1953 Yankees
1 many
Home Runs
5 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves
4 Dick Stuart, 1960 Pirates
3 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies
3 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers
3 Andy Seminick, 1950 Phillies
RBI
10 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies
9 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves
9 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers
8 Del Ennis, 1950 Phillies
8 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers
Stolen Bases
3 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers
3 Luis Aparicio, 1959 White Sox
2 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers
1 many
PITCHING LEADERS
Wins
2 Don Liddle, 1954 Giants
2 Turk Lown, 1959 White Sox
2 Dick Donovan, 1959 White Sox
1 many
ERA
0.96 Ruben Gomez, 1954 Giants
1.80 Dick Donovan, 1959 White Sox
1.88 Billy Pierce, 1959 White Sox
2.35 Early Wynn, 1954 Indians
2.40 Curt Simmons, 1950 Phillies
2.40 Vic Raschi, 1953 Yankees
Saves
3 Gerry Staley, 1959 White Sox
2 several
Strikeouts
19 Curt Simmons, 1950 Phillies
13 Johnny Antonelli, 1954 Giants
12 Sal Maglie, 1954 Giants
11 Early Wynn, 1954 Indians
10 MIke Garcia, 1954 Indians
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 