The Cubs won the pennant, edging the Pirates in a close pennant race. This was the year that Cubs' catcher Gabby Hartnett hit his heroic "homer in the gloamin'" off Pirates' pitcher Mace Brown, that put the Cubs ahead to stay. Over the course of the season, however, it was the Cubs' pitchers who were the biggest heroes. They were the best staff in the league, a rare feat for a Cubs team. Their ace was Big Bill Lee, who had his best season.

         Lee had such a dominant season, he almost won the MVP Award, finishing second in the voting behind Reds' catcher Ernie Lombardi. Lee was 29, and in his prime; he had one more big season left, than sank into obscurity. His career was still a pretty good one, with 169 career wins.
        The Cubs pitching staff was great, though it was also a strange one. Clay Bryant was a classic one-year wonder; he won only 32 games in his career, more than half of them this year. Larry French was a big-name pitcher, but he lost 19 games with the champions. Dizzy Dean was also on the staff; the Diz was trying to come back from a career-ending arm injury, and pitched brilliantly, posting a 7-1 record. But he was unable to ever pitch well again. Charlie Root was also still around, pitching well in a relief role. Though they held together during the season, it all came apart in the World Series, as the Cubs were swept by the mighty Yankees.
        I think that Lee and Paul Derringer were clearly the best two pitchers in the league. After that, it's a pick'em; this was not a memorable year for pitchers in the NL. Two Browns, Mace and Jumbo, had impressive seasons in relief. Mace was a pretty good pitcher, whereas this was easily Jumbo's best season. Jumbo is listed as weighing 295 lbs., making him a candidate for the title as Heaviest Player Ever.
        This was also the last year of operation for the Baker Bowl. After tormenting Phillie pitchers for decades, and boosting the numbers of all left-handed hitters who played there, the Bowl was laid to rest. The Phillies this year were still the worst team in the league; their pitchers were especially horrible. Their ace was Hugh "Losing Pitcher" Mulcahy, who lost 20 games. The nickname says it all; Mulcahy was an awful pitcher who managed to last for nine years, winning 45 games while losing 89.