Hubbell was the first National League pitcher to win the MVP
Award, and is one of only two pitchers to win it twice (he repeated
the feat in 1936). Any discussion of the greatest left-handed
pitchers in baseball history must include Hubbell, the all-time
master of the screwball. This was his first of five straight 20+
win seasons.
Hubbell was nicknamed "King Carl"; Schumacher was fittingly
nicknamed "Prince Hal". This was Schumacher's first big season for
the Giants; he was the toughest pitcher in the league to hit,
though he didn't have Hubbell's control. Schumacher would follow up
with two more big seasons, then begin a remarkable seven-year stretch
in which he won between 11 and 13 games. He finished his fine
career with 158 wins.
The Boston Braves were sure glad to have Ed Brandt and Ben
Cantwell pitching for them. The Braves had a poor offense, but
managed to have a winning season thanks to their pitching. Brandt
had a miserable start to his career, but had now settled down into
being a pretty good pitcher. The same can be said of Cantwell, who
two years later lost 25 games in season. Both pitchers ended up
with career losing records.
I'm somewhat tempted to move Dizzy Dean up, but I do think
that Brandt was the better pitcher. Dean threw a lot of innings,
and was the top power pitcher in the league. But his ERA was just
a little below league average; this refects his won-loss record,
which is ordinary despite the fact he played for the top hitting
team in the league.
