Teams came and went at the top of the standings over the course of Great Teams of the Past season 4, which featured franchises from 1950-1960. Just one was consistently good throughout, and that was the 1953 New York Yankees, who set GTOP records for wins in a season (22) and victory margin (four games). All three previous winners had 21 victories and won their leagues by two games.
The Yankees were in the lead, or had a share of the lead, for 17 of the final 18 gamedays. For the entirety of the season, they were never more than one game out. After falling behind the 1957 Milwaukee Braves on gameday #18, they evened it up on gameday #19, took sole possession of the lead on gameday #20, and never let another team catch up.
After the first week of the season, three other teams besides the Yankees and Braves had a lead or share of the lead: the 1954 New York Giants, the 1959 Chicago White Sox and the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates. There was a four-way tie for first place on both gamedays #9 and #15. The 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers almost joined that group, as they overcame a slow start to pull within one game after gameday #26, but they faded after that.
The 1937 Yankees won GTOP season 3. With the 1961 Yankees coming up in season 5, there may be a good chance for a three-peat. Season 5 will feature teams from 1961-1969.
Sixteen games were shown on my YouTube channel.
The first eight gamedays were played with the APBA basic game, and then I moved to a hybrid game that married basic and master concepts.
GTOP Season 4 Home Page
GTOP Record Book
| FINAL | W | L | PCT | GB | Run Diff. | AVG | ERA | FLD | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 New York Yankees | 22 | 10 | .688 | — | +20 | .232 | 3.36 | .976 | Stats |
| 1954 New York Giants | 18 | 14 | .563 | 4.0 | +1 | .247 | 3.89 | .973 | Stats |
| 1957 Milwaukee Braves | 18 | 14 | .563 | 4.0 | -4 | .238 | 3.74 | .984 | Stats |
| 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers | 17 | 15 | .531 | 5.0 | +20 | .223 | 3.63 | .979 | Stats |
| 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates | 15 | 17 | .469 | 7.0 | -1 | .241 | 2.99 | .979 | Stats |
| 1950 Philadelphia Phillies | 13 | 19 | .406 | 9.0 | +7 | .254 | 4.12 | .974 | Stats |
| 1954 Cleveland Indians | 13 | 19 | .406 | 9.0 | -2 | .228 | 3.39 | .976 | Stats |
| 1959 Chicago White Sox | 12 | 20 | .375 | 10.0 | -41 | .209 | 3.92 | .980 | Stats |
| BATTING | AVG | R | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SLG | OBP | SB | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 New York Yankees | .232 | 137 | 40 | 11 | 24 | 129 | .360 | .322 | 5 | 134 |
| 1954 New York Giants | .247 | 144 | 50 | 5 | 36 | 143 | .403 | .316 | 2 | 109 |
| 1957 Milwaukee Braves | .238 | 123 | 46 | 18 | 38 | 122 | .422 | .286 | 7 | 114 |
| 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers | .223 | 147 | 58 | 6 | 34 | 137 | .383 | .300 | 23 | 116 |
| 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates | .241 | 109 | 49 | 14 | 21 | 103 | .374 | .299 | 5 | 89 |
| 1950 Philadelphia Phillies | .254 | 154 | 61 | 9 | 35 | 147 | .422 | .324 | 3 | 113 |
| 1954 Cleveland Indians | .228 | 112 | 38 | 6 | 28 | 102 | .354 | .301 | 6 | 113 |
| 1959 Chicago White Sox | .209 | 94 | 36 | 14 | 15 | 92 | .314 | .285 | 21 | 105 |
| PITCHING | ERA | CG | ShO | H | BB | K | BAA | WHIP | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 New York Yankees | 3.36 | 7 | 4 | 226 | 106 | 125 | .216 | 1.157 | 1.18 |
| 1954 New York Giants | 3.89 | 3 | 2 | 248 | 133 | 156 | .228 | 1.318 | 1.17 |
| 1957 Milwaukee Braves | 3.74 | 3 | 2 | 226 | 114 | 109 | .219 | 1.189 | 0.96 |
| 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers | 3.63 | 2 | 2 | 272 | 116 | 182 | .252 | 1.361 | 1.57 |
| 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates | 2.99 | 7 | 3 | 249 | 83 | 128 | .236 | 1.173 | 1.54 |
| 1950 Philadelphia Phillies | 4.12 | 3 | 0 | 279 | 109 | 162 | .255 | 1.346 | 1.49 |
| 1954 Cleveland Indians | 3.39 | 9 | 3 | 234 | 80 | 161 | .223 | 1.107 | 2.01 |
| 1959 Chicago White Sox | 3.92 | 3 | 3 | 258 | 104 | 132 | .243 | 1.270 | 1.27 |
TEAM NOTES
1953 New York Yankees: The Yankees won five of their seven series, including each of the last four by 3-1 counts, so they went 12-4 in the second half of the season after a 10-6 start. They made the most of their middling .232 team batting average to score 4.3 runs per game. Their team ERA (3.36) was second in the league, though by a pretty substantial margin. Mickey Mantle overcame a 3-for-19 start to the season to bat .327, fourth in the league. Hank Bauer’s triple in the final game of the season was his seventh, tying a GTOP single-season record. All four starters had at least four wins, led by Johnny Sain’s six.
1954 New York Giants: Willie Mays led the league in four categories and had a GTOP-record 18 doubles. The offense averaged 4.5 runs per game, but a 3.89 team ERA was near the bottom of the league. Johnny Antonelli was the highest-rated starter in the league but struggled with a 4.40 ERA. The Giants went 5-5 in their final 10 games but still managed a share of second place.
1957 Milwaukee Braves: The Braves started the season 5-6, then won seven straight games to take sole possession of first place at gameday #18. They lost the next four, then came right back with a five-game winning streak to pull within one game of the Yankees. The Braves went cold again at the wrong time, losing four of their final five games. Milwaukee led the league with 38 homers. Wes Covington hit 12 home runs to set a new GTOP record. Eddie Mathews hit seven, most of them coming early in the season. Hank Aaron was so-so, hitting .270 with six home runs. Gene Conley was the only starting pitcher in the league to not suffer a loss, and he tied for the league lead with six wins.
1953 Brooklyn Dodgers: The Dodgers hung around .500 or just below for a lot of the season, then got hot and won eight of nine games to pull within one game of the Yankees with six to play. They couldn’t finish it off from there, losing five of the last six, including three of four to the Yankees. Jackie Robinson led the league in four categories and had a GTOP-record .392 batting average. Shoutout to George Shuba, who was 0-for-19 coming off the bench until he doubled in the final game of the season.
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates were a contender when Roberto Clemente was hitting, and faded when he was not. He was batting .413 after 12 games and .361 after 16 games, a time when the Pirates were in the share of the lead for several gamedays. But he went cold and finished the season with a .266 average. Bill Virdon’s .336 average, tied for second in the league, helped pick up the slack. Led by Bob Friend (1.92) and Vinegar Bend Mizell (2.09), the Pirates had the league’s best ERA by far (2.99). But they scored just 3.4 runs per game, second-worst in the league.
1950 Philadelphia Phillies: The Whiz Kids had the best offense in the league, batting .254 and averaging 4.8 runs per game. They had three of the top 10 hitters in the league, led by Dick Sisler (.323) and Richie Ashburn (.320). But, the pitching vastly underperformed, with a league-worst 4.12 ERA. The Phillies never won more than two games in a row.
1954 Cleveland Indians: Take away an 0-6 start and the Indians played .500 baseball for the season. Al Rosen finished second in the league in home runs with nine, but they didn’t hit particularly well, finishing in the bottom half with a .228 team average and at 3.5 runs per game. Their best hitter among the starters was Al Smith at .282. They also had the worst hitter in the league (George Strickland at .125). The pitching kept the Indians in games, as a 3.39 ERA was third-best in the league.
1959 Chicago White Sox: The White Sox were atop the standings for a while after jumping out to a 6-2 record. But it was fool’s gold. They had two five-game losing streaks, followed by two three-game losing streaks, and after those first eight games, didn’t have another two-game winning streak until the final two games of the season. The hitting was atrocious, as the White Sox batted .209 and averaged 2.9 runs, league worsts. Their best hitter was Nellie Fox at .248. The pitching was so-so. Reliever Turk Lown recorded a team-high four wins.
BATTING LEADERS
| AVERAGE .392 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers** .336 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants .336 Bill Virdon, 1960 Pirates .327 Mickey Mantle, 1953 Yankees .323 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies .320 Don Mueller, 1954 Giants .320 Richie Ashburn, 1950 Phillies .305 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves .298 Bob Skinner, 1960 Pirates .297 Andy Seminick, 1950 Phillies RUNS 26 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants 25 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers 25 Richie Ashburn, 1950 Phillies 25 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves 24 Pee Wee Reese, 1953 Dodgers 23 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers 23 Whitey Lockman, 1954 Giants 22 Al Smith, 1954 Indians 21 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies 21 Hank Bauer, 1953 Yankees 21 Jim Gilliam, 1953 Dodgers HITS 47 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers 43 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants 43 Bill Virdon, 1960 Pirates 42 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies 41 Richie Ashburn, 1950 Phillies 41 Don Mueller, 1954 Giants 37 Mickey Mantle, 1953 Yankees 37 Gil McDougald, 1953 Yankees 36 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves 36 Hank Bauer, 1953 Yankees 36 Wes Covington, 1957 Braves 36 Bob Skinner, 1960 Pirates DOUBLES 18 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants** 12 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves 12 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers 11 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers 11 Eddie Waitkus, 1950 Phillies 10 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies 10 Richie Ashburn, 1950 Phillies 10 Bob Skinner, 1960 Pirates 10 Al Smith, 1954 Indians 10 Willie Jones, 1950 Phillies TRIPLES 7 Hank Bauer, 1953 Yankees* 6 Red Schoendienst, 1957 Braves 5 Bill Virdon, 1960 Pirates 5 Bill Bruton, 1957 Braves 4 Jim Landis, 1959 White Sox 3 Richie Ashburn, 1950 Phillies 3 Wes Covington, 1957 Braves HOME RUNS 12 Wes Covington, 1957 Braves** 9 Al Rosen, 1954 Indians 8 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers 8 Andy Seminick, 1950 Phillies 8 Ray Katt, 1954 Giants 7 Willie Jones, 1950 Phillies 7 Hank Thompson, 1954 Giants 7 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants 7 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves 7 Dick Stuart, 1960 Pirates 7 Larry Doby, 1954 Indians | RBI 31 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers 31 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants 28 Wes Covington, 1957 Braves 27 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies 27 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers 26 Willie Jones, 1950 Phillies 24 Del Ennis, 1950 Phillies 23 Hank Thompson, 1954 Giants 22 Andy Seminick, 1950 Phillies 22 Larry Doby, 1954 Indians TOTAL BASES 82 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants 78 Wes Covington, 1957 Braves 74 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers 72 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies 71 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers 70 Hank Bauer, 1953 Yankees 69 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves 69 Bill Virdon, 1960 Pirates 66 Willie Jones, 1950 Phillies 66 Al Rosen, 1954 Indians SLUGGING PCT. .641 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants .617 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers .614 Wes Covington, 1957 Braves .585 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves .573 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers .569 Hank Bauer, 1953 Yankees .568 Andy Seminick, 1950 Phillies .554 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies .540 Mickey Mantle, 1953 Yankees .539 Bill Virdon, 1960 Pirates ON-BASE PCT. .455 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers .449 Mickey Mantle, 1953 Yankees .412 Richie Ashburn, 1950 Phillies .392 Andy Seminick, 1950 Phillies .390 Al Smith, 1954 Indians .389 Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies .381 Willie Mays, 1954 Giants .378 Eddie Mathews, 1957 Braves .372 Monte Irvin, 1954 Giants .368 Bill Virdon, 1960 Pirates STOLEN BASES 11 Jackie Robinson, 1953 Dodgers 10 Luis Aparicio, 1959 White Sox 5 Duke Snider, 1953 Dodgers 5 Al Rosen, 1954 Indians 5 Pee Wee Reese, 1953 Dodgers 5 Al Smith, 1959 White Sox 3 Bill Bruton, 1957 Braves ** GTOP single-season record * ties GTOP single-season record |
PITCHING LEADERS
| WINS 6 Johnny Sain, 1953 Yankees 6 Gene Conley, 1957 Braves 5 Vinegar Bend Mizell, 1960 Pirates 5 Whitey Ford, 1953 Yankees 4 many ERA 1.92 Bob Friend, 1960 Pirates 2.02 Johnny Sain, 1953 Yankees 2.09 Vinegar Bend Mizell, 1960 Pirates 2.11 Mike Garcia, 1954 Indians 2.74 Bob Buhl, 1957 Braves 2.80 Eddie Lopat, 1953 Yankees 2.83 Gene Conley, 1957 Braves 2.95 Bob Shaw, 1959 White Sox 3.00 Billy Loes, 1953 Dodgers 3.00 Don Liddle, 1954 Giants COMPLETE GAMES 4 Vinegar Bend Mizell, 1960 Pirates 3 Eddie Lopat, 1953 Yankees 3 Early Wynn, 1954 Indians 3 Bob Lemon, 1954 Indians 2 many SHUTOUTS 2 Vinegar Bend Mizell, 1960 Pirates 2 Johnny Sain, 1953 Yankees 2 Billy Loes, 1953 Dodgers SAVES 9 Don McMahon, 1957 Braves 7 Jim Konstanty, 1950 Phillies 6 Roy Face, 1960 Pirates 6 Allie Reynolds, 1953 Yankees 6 Gerry Staley, 1959 White Sox 5 Don Mossi, 1954 Indians 5 Hoyt Wilhelm, 1954 Giants 4 Clem Labine, 1953 Dodgers 4 Marv Grissom, 1954 Giants INNINGS PITCHED 65.7 Bob Buhl, 1957 Braves 64.7 Vinegar Bend Mizell, 1960 Pirates 64.3 Eddie Lopat, 1953 Yankees 64.3 Warren Spahn, 1957 Braves 63.7 Gene Conley, 1957 Braves 62.3 Johnny Sain, 1953 Yankees 62.3 Early Wynn, 1954 Indians 61.0 Bob Friend, 1960 Pirates 60.3 Robin Roberts, 1950 Phillies 60.0 Bob Lemon, 1954 Indians 60.0 Don Liddle, 1954 Giants | STRIKEOUTS 67 Curt Simmons, 1950 Phillies 45 Early Wynn, 1954 Indians 44 Early Wynn, 1959 White Sox 41 Carl Erskine, 1953 Dodgers 39 Bob Lemon, 1954 Indians 39 Johnny Antonelli, 1954 Giants 38 Sal Maglie, 1954 Giants 37 Bob Friend, 1960 Pirates 34 Billy Loes, 1953 Dodgers 33 Whitey Ford, 1953 Yankees BATTING AVERAGE AGAINST .169 Bob Buhl, 1957 Braves .184 Johnny Sain, 1953 Yankees .184 Eddie Lopat, 1953 Yankees .187 Don Liddle, 1954 Giants .188 Bob Friend, 1960 Pirates .190 Warren Spahn, 1957 Braves .190 Vern Law, 1960 Pirates .191 Mike Garcia, 1954 Indians .194 Bob Shaw, 1959 White Sox .197 Robin Roberts, 1950 Phillies WHIP 0.883 Bob Buhl, 1957 Braves 0.914 Johnny Sain, 1953 Yankees 0.918 Bob Friend, 1960 Pirates 0.922 Mike Garcia, 1954 Indians 0.933 Eddie Lopat, 1953 Yankees 0.966 Vern Law, 1960 Pirates 0.995 Warren Spahn, 1957 Braves 1.075 Early Wynn, 1954 Indians 1.086 Bob Shaw, 1959 White Sox 1.094 Robin Roberts, 1950 Phillies K/BB 3.21 Early Wynn, 1954 Indians 2.93 Early Wynn, 1959 White Sox 2.47 Bob Friend, 1960 Pirates 2.31 Curt Simmons, 1950 Phillies 2.29 Bob Lemon, 1954 Indians 2.21 Russ Meyer, 1950 Phillies 2.13 Mike Garcia, 1954 Indians 2.13 Billy Pierce, 1959 White Sox 2.09 Harvey Haddix, 1960 Pirates 2.05 Carl Erskine, 1953 Dodgers |
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 