San Francisco Seals by Martin Jacobs

Author:Martin Jacobs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2012-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

FIVE

THE DEPRESSION ERA

The new Seals Stadium opened in 1931 with both the Seals and the Mission Reds as tenants. The Seals first game in their new ballpark was on April 7 as Sam Gibson blanked Portland 8-0 before an estimated crowd of 18,000. The Seals won the pennant with a 107-80 record. First baseman Jimmy Keesey (.358), outfielder Prince Oana (.345), and shortstop Frankie Crosetti (.343) were the most consistent hitters, while Sam Gibson (28-12, 2.48ERA) had the best record. Once again, the season was split into halves. Hollywood swept the first half, while the Seals ran away with the second half and won the playoffs. During the off-season, second baseman Jimmy Caveney was promoted to manager.

The Seals finished with a 96-90 record and in fourth place, 13½ games behind Portland, in 1932. Seventeen-year-old Joe DiMaggio was introduced at the end of the season and joined his older brother, Vince, on the roster. Outfielder Ernie Sulik (.313) and second baseman Art Garabaldi (.307) were magnates. Curt Davis (22-16, 2.24 ERA) and Bill Henderson (17-12) were steadfast pitchers.

For the 1933 season, Joe DiMaggio was paid $225 per month. This was an unheard of amount of money for a rookie ballplayer. Joe DiMaggio had an amazing season (.340 BA, 28 home runs, and 169 RBI). From May 28 to July 25, he achieved the record of batting safely in 61 straight games, and in those 237 plate appearances Joe hit 104 times for a .405 batting average. However, it was a shortstop named Augie Galan (.356) who was chosen as the team’s MVP. Despite all of this, the Seals slipped to sixth place with an 81-106 record for the year.

The Seals rebounded in 1934 to finish fourth with a 93-95 record. Even though Joe DiMaggio was out much of the season due to torn ligaments in his left knee, he still batted .341 and his 12 homers led the team. Pitchers Leroy Herrmann (27-13) and Sam Gibson (21-17) had admirable seasons.

To promote box-office appeal, owner Charlie Graham brought in “Lefty” O’Doul to manage the Seals for the 1935 season. O’Doul produced another pennant with a 103-70 record and a 5½ game lead in front of Los Angeles. While Los Angeles won the first part of the split season, the Seals rebounded and won the second half by three games. In the playoffs, the Seals won the overall crown, four games to two, from the Angels. Outfielders Joe DiMaggio (.398) and catcher Larry Woodall (.354) dominated opposing pitchers. On the mound, Sam Gibson (22-4) had a banner year with a .846 winning percentage—the highest in the PCL. The Seals also led the league with 178 total stolen bases.

The 1936 season wasn’t kind to the Seals. They slipped to seventh with an 83-93 record. With Joe DiMaggio now a Yankee, the veterans had to provide some stability. The dwindling stream of rookies lacked the punch even though they were entertaining. Veteran outfielders Joe Marty (.359) and Ted Norbert (.313), and rookie outfielder Brooks Holder (.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.