The Brooklyn Dodgers bring back images of great power hitting teams. In the late 1940s and 1950s, Brooklyn was the National League's offensive powerhouse, averaging almost 190 home runs a season, hitting a high of 208 in 1953. But it was not always so. In 1908 the Brooklyn Dodgers hit .213 and scored 377 runs.
A .213 Batting Average and 377 Runs Scored
It was a different game in 1908. National League teams hit .239 that year, but a .213 team batting average and only 377 runs scored in 154 games are remarkable negative feats. The World Champion Cubs (does anything sound as strange?) hit .249 and scored 624 runs, but offensively challenged Brooklyn led in home runs and Brooklyn first baseman Tim Jordan was the home run champion with 12.
An Offensively Challenged Batting Order
Bill Bergen was Brooklyn's regular catcher, appearing in 99 games. He hit .175 with no home runs, but what is remarkable is that he scored only eight runs. No one who plays in 99 games can score only eight runs, but that is what happened. Bergen's backup, Lew Ritter, appeared in 38 games, hitting .192 with no home runs. Ritter scored six runs. The rest of the offense was not much different. Outfielder Billy Maloney, appearing in 113 games, hit .195 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs. Al Burch was second to Jordan with a .243 batting average. Brooklyn had a .277 team slugging average.
The Yankees Hit Only .214
Sixty years later was the Year of the Pitcher. The New York Yankees, the team of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, and Alex Rodriguez, batted .214. Read that again and compare it to the Brooklyn Dodgers 1908 batting average. Yes, .213 to .214. The Yankees batted .001 point higher. The Yankees were not alone. American League teams hit .230.
The 1968 Yankees Won 83 Games
In 2005, the Red Sox led the majors with 910 runs scored, and in 2006, the Yankees scored 930 runs. Quite a contrast to the 1908 Brooklyns and the 1968 Yankees However, we all know that pitching, not hitting, is what wins games. The 1908 Brooklyns had a 2.47 ERA and finished seventh (eight teams in the league). The 1968 Yankees had a 2.79 team ERA and actually won 83 games, lost 79, and finished fifth in the ten team American League.
Brooklyn's PItching Was Worse Than the League Average
When one states Brooklyn had a 2.47 ERA, it is easy to conclude that they had effective pitching, which is true, but compared to the league ERA of 2.34, Brooklyn's pitching was worse than the league average. While Brooklyn's .213 batting average is pathetic, compared to the league's .239, it seems less wretched. Taking statistics out of context can be deadly.
