Midway through the 32-game season, it’s the 1961 New York Yankees and the 1967 St. Louis Cardinals that are still tied atop the league. The two squads split their four-game series in week four and are at 10-6.
Teams three through seven in the standings are all within three games in the standings. Most of those teams would have to get awfully hot to have a chance, but they’re not out of it.
Season 5 has seen much more offense than previous seasons, but only two teams have scored more runs than they’ve given up. The Yankees are at +16 and the third-place 1969 Minnesota Twins are at +25. The Cardinals are -1 at this point.
As you might expect, the Yankees are leading the league in home runs (29), but they’re winning on the strength of their pitching, with a team ERA of 2.86, almost 0.70 better than anyone else. The Twins, averaging 6.2 runs per game, are on pace to shatter the GTOP record for runs in a season.
Through 16 games, there are two .400 hitters: Rico Petrocelli of the 1967 Boston Red Sox and Norm Cash of the 1961 Detroit Tigers. There are also two 4-0 pitchers after four starts, but names that you’d expect: Jim Kaat of the Twins and Gary Bell of the Red Sox.
The Yankees and Twins square off in the featured matchup of week 5.
| Week 4 | W | L | PCT | GB | R | RA | +/- | AVG | ERA | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 New York Yankees | 10 | 6 | .625 | — | 65 | 49 | +16 | .205 | 2.86 | Stats |
| 1967 St. Louis Cardinals | 10 | 6 | .625 | — | 58 | 59 | -1 | .246 | 3.55 | Stats |
| 1969 Minnesota Twins | 9 | 7 | .563 | 1.0 | 99 | 74 | +25 | .296 | 4.34 | Stats |
| 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers | 8 | 8 | .500 | 2.0 | 53 | 65 | -12 | .231 | 3.93 | Stats |
| 1967 Boston Red Sox | 8 | 8 | .500 | 2.0 | 71 | 73 | -2 | .262 | 4.55 | Stats |
| 1961 Detroit Tigers | 7 | 9 | .438 | 3.0 | 65 | 78 | -13 | .236 | 4.19 | Stats |
| 1962 San Francisco Giants | 7 | 9 | .438 | 3.0 | 81 | 83 | -2 | .275 | 4.99 | Stats |
| 1969 New York Mets | 5 | 11 | .313 | 5.0 | 53 | 64 | -11 | .228 | 3.88 | Stats |
Week 4 recaps:
> Gameday #13
> Gameday #14
> Gameday #15
> Gameday #16
Week 4 results:
Dodgers d. Twins 3-1
Yankees and Cardinals split 2-2
Giants and Red Sox split 2-2
Tigers d. Mets 3-1
Week 4 YouTube broadcasts:
> Cardinals vs. Yankees (Gameday #14)
> Twins vs. Dodgers (Gameday #16)
BATTING LEADERS
Average
.400 Rico Petrocelli, 1969 Red Sox
.400 Norm Cash, 1961 Tigers
.394 Orlando Cepeda, 1962 Giants
.373 Tony Oliva, 1969 Twins
.371 Rod Carew, 1969 Twins
.362 Ron Fairly, 1962 Dodgers
.357 Jose Pagan, 1962 Giants
.348 Ken Boswell, 1969 Mets
.338 Curt Flood, 1967 Cardinals
.333 Roger Maris, 1967 Cardinals
.333 Rich Reese, 1969 Twins
Runs
18 Rod Carew, 1969 Twins
17 Tony Oliva, 1969 Twins
15 Orlando Cepeda, 1962 Giants
14 several
Hits
26 Rod Carew, 1969 Twins
26 Orlando Cepeda, 1962 Giants
25 Tony Oliva, 1969 Twins
23 Curt Flood, 1967 Cardinals
23 Rich Reese, 1969 Twins
Doubles
8 Rich Reese, 1969 Twins
7 Rod Carew, 1969 Twins
7 Lou Brock, 1967 Cardinals
6 Cleon Jones, 1969 Mets
6 Mike Shannon, 1967 Cardinals
Triples
4 Mike Ryan, 1967 Red Sox
3 Roger Maris, 1967 Cardinals
2 several
Home Runs
7 Tom Haller, 1962 Giants
7 Harmon Killebrew, 1969 Twins
7 Dick Brown, 1961 Tigers
6 Willie Mays, 1962 Giants
6 Orlando Cepeda, 1962 Giants
6 Rocky Colavito, 1961 Tigers
6 Roger Maris, 1961 Yankees
RBI
23 Harmon Killebrew, 1969 Twins
21 Dick Brown, 1961 Tigers
19 Tony Oliva, 1969 Twins
17 Rico Petrocelli, 1967 Red Sox
15 Orlando Cepeda, 1962 Giants
15 Rich Reese, 1969 Twins
Stolen Bases
9 Maury Wills, 1962 Dodgers
7 Rod Carew, 1969 Twins
4 Tony Oliva, 1969 Twins
4 Reggie Smith, 1967 Red Sox
4 Cesar Tovar, 1969 Twins
PITCHING LEADERS
Wins
4 Jim Kaat, 1969 Twins
4 Gary Bell, 1967 Red Sox
3 Ray Washburn, 1967 Cardinals
3 Steve Carlton, 1967 Cardinals
3 Whitey Ford, 1961 Yankees
ERA
2.00 Ray Washburn, 1967 Cardinals
2.03 Bill Stafford, 1961 Yankees
2.32 Jim Kaat, 1969 Twins
2.32 Whitey Ford, 1961 Yankees
2.48 Gary Bell, 1967 Red Sox
2.48 Lee Stange, 1967 Red Sox
2.64 Don Mossi, 1961 Tigers
2.65 Juan Marichal, 1962 Giants
2.93 Frank Lary, 1961 Tigers
3.00 Don Drysdale, 1962 Dodgers
Complete Games
3 Juan Marichal, 1962 Giants
2 Jim Kaat, 1969 Twins
2 Don Drysdale, 1962 Dodgers
2 Billy O’Dell, 1962 Giants
2 Tom Seaver, 1969 Mets
Saves
4 Luis Arroyo, 1961 Yankees
4 Joe Hoerner, 1967 Cardinals
4 Ron Perranoski, 1962 Dodgers
4 John Wyatt, 1967 Red Sox
3 Ron Perranoski, 1969 Twins
Strikeouts
35 Jerry Koosman, 1969 Mets
31 Don Drysdale, 1962 Dodgers
31 Tom Seaver, 1969 Mets
28 Jim Bunning, 1961 Tigers
25 Whitey Ford, 1961 Yankees
25 Sandy Koufax, 1962 Dodgers
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 