WORCESTER RUBY LEGS

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WORCESTER RUBY LEGS

1927 CL WORLD CHAMPIONS

THE WORCESTER RUBY LEGS' WEB PAGE

The Ruby Leg franchise is named in honor of the ill-fated NL team of the late 1800's. The Ruby Legs reside the Eastern Division of the Continuing League. They won the 1st World Series in 1927, behind Tony Lazzeri, and Bill Sherdel.

Table of Contents

1. Brief Bio of Owner Joe Kowal

2. Who is the Greatest Ruby Leg Ever?

3. Season Recaps

1. Brief Bio of owner Joe Kowal

Hello everyone,

I am an 18 year old college student at the University of Buffalo, presently majoring in Business, still entertaining dreams of being a lawyer. In order to pay for my expenses, I work at a local taco place, making $6.00/hr. I have been with the league since its inception in 1927. I have developed a rivalry with the Boston Dead Sox, who always seems to pull out the late season heroics. I love baseball history, but cannot divulge my favorite team, as I could suffer a tactical disadvantage in trade talks and auctions. Living in Buffalo, I am within driving distance of many major league cities. Places I have attended major league games: Toronto (I liked Exhibition Stadium much better than Skydome), Pittsburgh (Have gone there three times, all three times it was VERY hot at 3 Rivers), Cleveland (The old stadium was awful, at Jacobs I payed alot of money for tickets, and ended up w/HORRIBLE seats, I will NEVER go back there again), Oakland (before they moved in the fences), Detroit (Tiger Stadium is cool, they shouldn't take it down), Boston (The fans at Fenway were awesome, the game was the best I ever saw, Boston was down by three with two outs in the ninth, and came back to win), and Shea Stadium in New York City (I got Ozzie Smith's autograph), and the traffic was horrible. I enjoy talking baseball, so feel free to send me an email if you want to talk about the '97 season or if you have an interesting trivia question.

Joe

2. Who is the Greatest Ruby Leg Ever??? This section contains both single season, and lifetime stats, with an all-time team at the end.

SINGLE SEASON LEADERS RECORD BOOK Lifetime Leaders Player Amount Player Amount BAVG (500 AB) Kluszewski 0.333 ERA (300 IP) Nuxhall 2.87 BAVG (1000 AB) McManus 0.326 ERA (500 IP) B. Shaw 3.22 BAVG (2000 AB) Francona 0.298 ERA (1000 IP) Short 3.29 BAVG (4000 AB) F. Alou 0.288 Win Pascual 111 GM F. Alou 1066 Lost Pascual 97 AB F. Alou 4299 Win% (100 dns) Short .655 R F. Alou 629 G Pascual 299 H F. Alou 1237 GS Pascual 274 2B F. Alou 237 CG Burdette 105 3B F. Alou 36 SHO Burdette 15 HR F. Alou 151 SV Perranoski 110 RBI F. Alou 595 IP Pascual 1967.33 BB Hoak 318 BB Pascual 698 SO Demeter 600 SO Pascual 1577 SB Weis 21 Season Records Player Season Amount Season Records Player Season Amount BAVG Knickerbocker 1934 0.347 ERA Conley 1960 2.00 GM Many tied with 162 Win Warneke 1934 23 AB Knickerbocker 1934 692 Lost Whitehill 1930 22 R Ripper Collins 1934 143 Win% Conley 1960 0.824 H Knickerbocker 1934 240 G Whitehill 1930 82 2B Knickerbocker 1934 49 GS Pascual/Burdette 64/60 42 3B Neal 1962 22 CG Burdette 1959 29 HR R. Collins 1934 41 SHO Petty/Nuxhall 27/63 6 RBI R. Collins 1934 144 SV Perranoski 1965 37 BB Blefary 1965 93 IP Burdette 1959 314.33 SO Stuart 1964 169 BB T. Brewer 1956 136 SB Weis 1963 21 SO Pascual 1963 268 Most seasons Alou 8 Pascual 10 seasons All-Time Team C Gene Oliver 1962-1965 SP Camilio Pascual 1954-1966 1B Ripper Collins 1934-1941 SP Chris Short 1960-present 2B Tony Lazzeri 1927-1934 SP Lonnie Warneke 1934-1941 SS Bill Knickerbocker 1934-1941SP Lew Burdette 1954-1961 3B Don Hoak 1954-1961 SP Gene Conley 1954-1961 LF Tito Francona 1956-1962 RP Bob Shaw 1961-1966 CF Don Demeter 1959-1964 RP Ron Kline 1966 RF Felipe Alou 1959-1966 RP Bobby Shantz 1950-1963 DH Felix Mantilla 1961-1965 Closer Ron Perranoski 1962-1965 Util Marty McManus 1927-1930 Util Max Alvis 1963-1965 Util Doc Cramer 1930-1941 "Best Seasons" Team C Shanty Hogan 1930 SP Lonnie Warneke 1934 1B Ripper Collins 1934 SP Joe Nuxhall 1963 2B Tony Lazzeri 1927 SP Camilio Pascual 1959 (Cy Young winner) SS Bill Knickerbocker 1934 SP Chris Short 1964-1965 3B Marty McManus 1930 SP Jesse Petty 1927 LF Tito Francona 1961 RP Bob Shaw 1963 CF Don Demeter 1962 RP Bobby Shantz 1962 RF Felipe Alou 1962 RP Ron Kline 1966 DH Leon Wagner 1963 Closer Ron Perranoski 1962 Util Dick Stuart 1964 Util Bobby Morgan 1954 Util Felix Mantilla 1964

RUBY LEGS SEASON RECAPS History: The Worcester Ruby Legs have been a participant in the Continuing League since its inception in 1927. Since ‘27, the Ruby Legs have resided in the Eastern Division and have had many legendary battles with the Boston Dead Sox and more recently, the Anchorage Attack. The Ruby Legs were founded by high school student Joe Kowal, and have progressed with Joe as he graduated from high school and college. The name of the franchise pays tribute to the old Worcester teams of the 19th Century National League. 1927: The Ruby Legs won the inaugural season of the CL due to strong pitching and the leagues best double play tandem. Bill Sherdel and Jesse Petty each won 20 games and Earl Whitehill won 15, despite suffering from control problems. Marty McManus and Tony Lazzeri led the teams offense as McManus paced the team with 23 homers and Lazzeri had team best marks of a .331 batting average, 104 runs batted in, scored 112, rapped out 206 base hits, and drew 80 walks. Phil Todt and Taylor Douthit provided excellent defense at 1B and CF, and Dick Burrus (.330) provided timely hitting off the bench. Strong offensive seasons were posted by 3B Sammy Hale (.312, 77 RBI’s), LF Bill Lamer (.304), and RF Bill Barrett (.291, 78 RBI’s). The 1927 was marked by no trades made by the Rubies. The Ruby Legs defeated the Kansas City Monarchs in the World Series 4 games to 3, behind the performance of MVP Bill Sherdel. 1930: The Rubies fell from 1st place to last, as the team is building for the future. They had a poor draft and decided to trade it’s big stars, with a blockbuster deal sending Johnny Hodapp and receiving young stars Ed Brandt and Doc Cramer. Holdovers Shanty Hogan (.330), Tony Lazzeri (.300-10-107) and Marty McManus (.340, 84 RBIs, 18 SB) all had outstanding years at the plate. Cramer, Brandt and outfielder Roy Johnson showed considerable promise. Earl Whitehill pitched nearly everyday (82 games), and Bill Sherdel again led the team in victories. 1934: Almost went from worst to first, the 1934 team was regarded as stronger than the champion ‘27 squadron. The 1934 club was paced by Ripper Collins and Bill Knickerbocker, both of whom set many Ruby Leg records which are still in place today. Collins hit .321 with 44 homers and 144 RBI’s, and Knickerbocker had a .347 average and added 87 RBI’s. Young prospects Doc Cramer (.333) and Roy Johnson (.314, 81 RBI’s) performed as advertised. Dutch Holland hit .443 but could not crack the starting lineup. The pitching was anchored by the “$100 man” Lonnie Warneke who proved he was worth the big bucks as he went 23-6. Swingman Bill Lee won 16 games, and led the team in saves with 7. Johnny Murphy and Odell Hale were big parts of achieving a club record 99 wins. 1941: Was nosed out by Boston (again) on the last day of the season for the CL East crown. Babe Dahlgren provided the power with 33 homers and 116 RBI’s. Knickerbocker and Cramer returned and each hit .270, and were buoyed by the offensive performance of newcomers Bruce Campbell (93 RBI’s) and Taffy Wright (.301). Last season acquisition Pinky Higgins hit .340 and proved worthy of the investment as he took over for the injured Dick Bartell. The pitching was led by 1934 fireman Paul Derringer, who became a starter and posted a 17-10 record. Warneke chipped in with 15 wins and Max Lanier went 14-5. Johnny Murphy set a Ruby Leg record with 14 saves and received set-up help from Norm Branch. 1950: Very disappointing year, as the Rubies fell to 64-98 and returned to last place. Eddie Robinson was the sole offensive bright spot as he hit .310 and drove in 100 runs. The Rubies held a fire sale at midseason and sold productive hitters Wally Westlake (.291 10 Hr’s), Al Zarilla (.313) and Jack Phillips (.336). One proceed was the promising infielder Bobby Morgan who showed power potential with 6 homers in 136 at bats. On the pitching end, league ERA leader Willie Ramsdell (2.88) was a casualty of the fire sale. Eddie Lopat pitched a team high 280 innings, allowing 321 hits. Bob Feller posted a 3.28 ERA in half a season. 1954: It was a mixed season for the Ruby Legs, as Morgan delivered as advertised (.280-21-79), but the team posted a 73-89 record. 1954 brought the debut of two much hyped young pitchers Lew Burdette and Camilio Pascual. Both should be an anchor of future staffs, but posted losing records in ‘54. Burdette led the team in wins with 15, and the third of the Rubies “young guns” Gene Conley added 10. Bob Feller (4-14) and Hal Newhouser were unable to capture past glory. Free agent Randy Jackson (.222) was a huge disappointment. Defensive whiz Billy Cox did not hit at all (.139). Young center fielder Jim Busby provided Gold Glove defense and provided offense (.280, 85 RBI’s). Don Hoak took over for Jackson at 3B and provided hope for the future, as well as a .298 batting average. The team had no power at 1B, as Eddie Watikus only hit 3 homers in 400 at bats. 1956 should provide an improvement as the pitchers should mature. 1956: Another mediocre season, this time one game worse (72-90) than last season. Lew Burdette matured and won 19 games. 4th “Young Gun” Tom Brewer won 15 games despite walking a club record 136. Conley and Pascual struggled to a combined 9-20 record. Rookie DH Tito Francona showed promise for the future. The team spent the year searching for a shortstop, as Fred Hatfield and Eddie Miksis combined for an amazing 67 errors. Jim King led the offense with a .274 average, 23 homers and 76 RBI’s. The 76 RBI’s were the fewest by a club leader. 1959: The Rubies closed an unsuccessful decade with an 80-82 record. 1959 saw promise as Camilio Pascual matured and won the Cy Young award with a 20-12 record and a 2.48 ERA. Lew Burdette won 21 games, giving the Rubies two 20 game winners for the 1st time since 1927. The offense was led by high priced rookies Felipe Alou and Don Demeter, who should man CF and RF for the next decade. Both hit over 20 homers, and Demeter won a Gold Glove, making only 3 errors. Holdovers Don Hoak (.321) and Tito Francona (.312) lived up to their potential and had good seasons, but the lack of a supporting cast really cost the team. Middle infielders Ron Samford and Rocky Bridges combined to hit .230 and make over 50 errors. Outfielder Lee Walls disappointed and hit only .223. The Rubies look to contend in 1960 and many future years with the base of Hoak, Francona, Alou, Demeter, Pascual, Burdette and Conley. 1960: The Rubies returned to an over .500 record and finished the season with a second place finish and a 86-76 record. Once again, the middle infield disappointed, as free agent signee Daryl Spencer hit only .224 and made 42 errors. Alou regressed into a .239 average, and Pascual fell to a 8-10 record. Like Spencer, free agent signee Pancho Herrera provided bad offense at 1B, and bad defense at 2B, hitting only 8 homers and under .250. Bright spots included the maturation of Gene Conley who finally channeled his tall body into good pitching mechanics and a 14-3 2.00 season. Lew Burdette paced the team with 18 victories and had another strong season. Tito Francona hit over .300 and Don Hoak and Gus Bell supplied the run production. The Rubies hope the Pascual, Alou and Demeter can rebound from disappointing seasons. Good-looking, but raw rookie Chris Short saved 9 games. 1961: Things totally fell apart as the Rubies lost 97 games. Lew Burdette and Gene Conley were ineffective and went 15-34, and ended their Ruby Leg careers. The bullpen was ineffective and combined for only 12 saves as a team. Harvey Kuenn hit .239 and made 39 errors as Worcester continued their search for a SS. The poor season was typified by the Rubies loss of promising catcher Tim McCarver in the offseason. The Ruby Legs posted a powerful outfield, as Francona, Alou, Demeter and rookie Don Dillard each hit over 20 homers. Francona also hit .325 and had a wonderful season. Don Hoak hit .305 and had another strong season. Young infielder Felix Mantilla showed versatility and promise. 1962: The Ruby Legs almost went from worst to 1st again, as the Rubies won 93 games and once again finished in 2nd place. This season had a lot of promise and the fans were upset at the failure to make the playoffs. Worcester had computer problems, as the computer refused to play Gene Green and Russ Nixon who hit .300 in a combined 50 at bats. . The team finally fulfilled its potential, as Alou, Demeter and powerful rookie Gordy Coleman all hit over 30 homers. The search for a shortstop was supposed to be solved by high priced signee Chico Fernandez but he hit only .170 and made 21 errors in 96 games. Young catcher Gene Oliver provided offense to the position that had not been seen since the days of Shanty Hogan, and set a record for most homers by a catcher (15 in only 341 ab’s). Backup catcher Bob Schmidt chipped in with 14 homers. Alou and Demeter set club marks for most homers by a RF (30) and by a CF (34). The prime beneficiary of all the power were staff aces Camilio Pascual and Bob Shaw who both won 16 games. The bullpen was led by rookie fireman Ron Perranoski who set a club record with 26 saves and also posted a 1.98 ERA. The other members of the high priced bullpen, Bobby Tiefenauer, Claude Raymond and Marshall Bridges disappointed and were outpitched by the underrated Frank Funk (1.90 ERA). 1963: was a very rewarding year for the Rubies, as they set a club record with 103 wins while returning to the playoffs, this time as a wild card when they defeated Nashville in a one game playoff. Pascual pitched brilliantly in the playoff, but Worcester was eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs. Alou, Demeter and Oliver continued their powerful hitting, while the offense was led by high priced rental Leon “Big Daddy” Wagner. Wagner led the team with 32 homers and drove in 115 runs. The sparkplug of the Rubies was leadoff hitter and shortstop Al Weis, who brought a rare speed dimension to the club besides solving the ever-present SS problem. Weis hit .281 and stole a club record 21 bases. Felix Mantilla matured and matched Alou with a .317 batting average, good for the team lead. Midseason rental Johnny Callison drove in 32 runs in his brief appearance with the team. Late season acquisition Ed Bailey hit .293 when he took over for an injured DH Jerry Lynch. Gordy Coleman slumped to a .184 average, but smooth fielding Vic Power took over at 1B. The pitching was led by Joe Nuxhall who prior to a late season injury went 21-8 with a 2.40 ERA. Pascual chipped in with 17 wins, and Dennis Bennett went 16-5. Chris Short ended his three year apprenticeship and won 10 games. Once again Ron Perranoski (29 saves) led a strong relief core, supported by converted starter Bob Shaw (8 saves), Ruby Leg veteran Bobby Shantz (7 saves) and Frank Funk (2.08 ERA). 1964: The Rubies had another 2nd place finish, their 4th in the last 5 years. Poor performance by DH Walt Bond (.225), and many, many blown saves by the bullpen (25 blown saves) kept the Ruby Legs from contending. Once again, the computer and it’s poor bullpen managing techniques kept Ron Herbel (5.02, 4 blown saves), Joe Gibbon (5.13, 0 saves in 4 chances), Fred Gladding (4,42 ERA, 5 blown saves) and Joe Nuxhall (5.68) in save situations, instead of Jack Baldschun (0.51 ERA, 6 saves) and Ron Perranoski (18 saves). High priced rental Milt Pappas went 11-17 as the Rubies really disappointed. On the positive side, Chris Short emerged into one of the league’s top southpaws, and posted a 19-6 record with a 2.96 ERA. Pascual won at least 15 games for the 4th straight year. The offense was the strength of the team, as newcomer Dick Stuart led the way with 37 homers and 116 RBI’s. catchers Bob Tillman and Gene Oliver platooned and combined for 25 homers and 93 RBI’s. Second baseman Felix Mantilla developed power and hit more homers than any 2B in Worcester history (28). Holdovers Jerry Lynch, steady Max Alvis and Demeter all exceeded 20 homers, as Demeter won a Gold Glove and made 0 errors in 147 games in CF, his Rub Leg career ended with a record 147 homers. SS Eddie Bressoud removed the curse of Chico Fernandez and had a solid season. Youngster Willie Horton impressed in AAA and had his first major league hit. 1965: Another 2nd place finish for Worcester, as they won 95 games but missed the playoffs again. They were hurt by the now-defunct rule allowing the rental of players. The Rubies had a strong draft and signing period but opted against renting players. Chris Short had another outstanding season and displaced Pascual as the staff ace. Short won 20 games for the first time and posted a 2.90 ERA and 300 innings pitched. Lee Stange led the team with a 2.13 ERA and won 15 games. Cleaning up after the strong performance of the starters was an improved bullpen, as Perranoski shattered his team record with 37 saves. Set-up man Johnny Klippstein posted a 1.90 ERA, Hal Woodeshick added 7 wins and 7 saves and Dan Osinski and good-looking rookies Jim Brewer and Nelson Briles led one of the league’s top bullpens. Bob Shaw returned to the starting rotation after two years in the pen and won 16 of his 37 starts. “Young Guns Part II” consisted of rookies Brewer, Briles, and starting rotation members Pete Richert and Larry Dierker who combined for 9 wins. Once again Marshall Bridges disappointed, posting a 5.40 ERA while appearing in only one game due to injury problems after a 2 year hiatus. The injury problems also bothered Don Dennis and returnee Fred Gladding who combined for only 18 innings despite a good ERA. The hitting was not to be overlooked on this squad. as Willie Horton led the team with 24 homers and 89 RBI’s. He had help from a strong supporting class, all of who were Ruby Leg veterans: catcher Gene Oliver (23 HR, 76 RBI), 3B Max Alvis (20 homers) and of course, Felipe Alou (20 homers, 81 RBI’s). Rookie OF Curt Blefary (20 HR, 85 RBI, team record 93 walks) completed and outfield where everyone had 20 homers and at least 80 RBI’s. Felix Mantilla provided strong play at 2nd, and let the team with a .308 average, and added 16 homers and 71 RBI’s. On the negative end backup catcher Jerry Zimmerman went 0-22, and the team received no production from DH’s Bill “Moose” Skowron (9 HR, 53 RBI) and Sandy Valdespino (.195) or SS Dick Howser (.233), Larry Brown (11 errors) or Roy McMillian (.148). The 1965 offseason resulted in some sadness and controversy, as long-time veterans, Max Alvis, Gene Oliver, Ron Perranoski and Bob Shaw were let go. Young and productive players Pete Richert, Lee Stange, Fred Gladding were also unable to be retained. 1966: The 1966 campaign ended with a 88-74 3rd place finish. The newsworthy offseason continued as minor league pitching star Bill Hands and holdover Chuck Hinton were packaged and sent to Orlando for 2B Jim Lefebvre who disappointed with a .236 average despite 23 homers. 1956 hitting leader Jim King was reacquired then traded to fill a hole at SS and brought over Zollio Versailles (.233, 1 HR, 29 errors). Willie Horton regressed to a .236 average, and young CF prospect Gary Geiger (.229) failed to deliver. Worcester remained in the race untill the very end thanks to the offensive production of Felipe Alou who hit .322 with 99 RBI’s in his final year as a Ruby Leg. Alou’s name is all over the hitting side of the Worcester record book. The pitching side is primarily covered by Camilio Pascual, who battled injury problems in his final year of a Ruby Leg, ended with a disappointing 6.98 ERA. Chris Short and Larry Dierker led the pitching and combined for 32 wins. Rookie Pat Jarvis won 13 games and ended his season by throwing a no-hitter. Jarvis and Dierker should lead the staff for years to come. The 1966 club remained in contention due to the strong bullpen. Ron Kline posted 32 saves, Dennis Higgins added 16 saves and 122 relief innings. Nelson Briles and Minnie Rojas were workhorses who appeared in 124 games. Rookie Lee May impressed, hitting .357 in 112 at bats. Curt Blefary (23 Homers) and Bruce Howard (3.04 ERA) were traded for disapointing stretch drive acquisition Rico Carty, who battled injuries and hit only .227.