1919 Vernon Tigers season

The 1919 Vernon Tigers season was the 11th season in the history of the Vernon Tigers baseball team. Playing in the Pacific Coast League (PCL), the team compiled a 111–70 record and won the PCL pennant.[1] "Vinegar Bill" Essick was the team's manager from 1918 to 1925. Film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was the team owner and president.[2]

1919 Vernon Tigers
Bill Essick, "Leader of Champs"
Minor league affiliations
Location
Results
Record111–70
League place1st
Other information
Owner(s)Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
Manager(s)"Vinegar Bill" Essick
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After the regular season ended, the Tigers defeated Mike Kelley's St. Paul Saints in a nine-game series at Washington Park in Los Angeles The series was billed as the "Little World Series" to determine the championship of western minor league baseball.[3][4]

Bribery scandal
Babe Borton

The Tigers' championship was marred by revelations of a gambling scandal involving first baseman Babe Borton. Borton admitted paying money to three players on the Salt Lake City Bees to throw games against the Tigers. Borton claimed that bribes had also been paid by a teammate to Portland and Seattle players, that the bribes were paid out of a pool of money funded by numerous teammates, and that the bribes were instigated by Vernor manager Bill Essick. Borton was released by the Tigers in 1920 and never again played professional baseball. Other accounts indicated that a Seattle gambler was behind the bribery scheme.[5]

Position players

Third baseman/outfielder Bob Meusel led the Tigers with a .337 batting average, 221 hits, 38 doubles, 14 home runs, a .504 slugging percentage, and 330 total bases.[6] His 221 hits ranked second in the PCL behind Sam Crawford. Meusel later played 10 seasons for the New York Yankees from 1920 to 1929.[7]

Babe Borton compiled a .303 batting average with 15 doubles, 10 triples, and 14 home runs (tied with Meusel for third in the PCL).[6]

Left fielder Hugh High, who played in the majors from 1913 to 1918, had a .317 average to finish second on the team behind Meusel.[6][8]

Center fielder Chet Chadbourne, who played in the majors off-and-on from 1906 to 1918, ranked second on the team behind Meusel in hits (212), doubles (33), and total bases (269).[6][9]

Pitchers

Wheezer Dell, a native of Tuscarora, Nevada, led the team with 25 wins, 50 pitching appearances, and 351 innings pitched.[6] Dell won 103 games for Vernon from 1919 to 1922 and was later inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.[10]

Art Fromme, who played in the majors from 1906 to 1915, also pitched well for the 1919 Tigers, compiling a 20-7 record and leading the team with a 2.23 earned run average.[6][11]

Byron Houck, who played in the majors off and on from 1912 to 1918, compiled a 19-16 record with a 3.88 earned run average.[12]

Happy Finneran, who pitched in the majors from 1912 to 1918, compiled a 14-4 record (.778 winning percentage) with a 2.49 earned run average.[13]

1919 PCL standings
Vernon's pitching ace Wheezer Dell
TeamWLPct.GB
Vernon Tigers11170.613--
Los Angeles Angels10872.6002.5
Salt Lake City Bees8883.51518.0
Sacramento Senators8583.50619.5
Oakland Oaks8696.47325.5
San Francisco Seals8494.47225.5
Portland Beavers7896.44829.5
Seattle Purple Sox62108.36538.5

Statistics

Batting

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; SLG = Slugging percentage

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR SLG
3B, RFBob Meusel163655221.33714.500
LFHugh High128445141.3170.404
1BBabe Borton166587178.30314.434
RF, 1BStump Edington170593179.3021.408
CFChet Chadbourne182721212.2942.373
2BBob Fisher147563163.2902.364
SSJohnny Mitchell182720204.2830.329
PWheezer Dell5012829.2271.305
CAl DeVormer10332870.2132.262
3BZinn Beck9731266.2120.262

[6]

Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; PCT = Win percentage; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L PCT ERA SO
Wheezer Dell50351.02516.6102.38
Art Fromme45250.0207.7412.23
Byron Houck45278.01916.5433.88
Rex Dawson39231.01611.5932.96
Happy Finneran28195.0144.7782.49
Willie Mitchell26155.095.6432.61

[6]

References
  1. "Essick Leads Tigers To First Pennant in Vernon Club History". Los Angeles Evening Express. October 6, 1919. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Josh Jackson (January 3, 2020). "In PCL of 1919, Tigers were wild, dangerous: Film star Arbuckle took reins of rowdy franchise before title run". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  3. "Vernon Tigers Win Minor Championship". Bakersfield Morning Echo. October 18, 1919. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Paul J. Zingg; Mark D. Medeiros (1994). "Runs, Hits, and an Era: The Pacific Coast League, 1903-58". University of Illinois Press. p. 43. ISBN 025206402X.
  5. Josh Jackson (January 6, 2020). "Truth about Tigers emerges in pennant race: Grand jury exposes Borton's misdeeds, mars Vernon's 1919 title". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  6. "1919 Vernon Tigers". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  7. "Bob Meusel Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  8. "Hugh High Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  9. "Chet Chadbourne Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  10. "Wheezer Dell Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  11. "Art Fromme Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  12. "Byron Houck Minor & Independent League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  13. "Happy Finneran Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2020.

Further reading
  • "The Greatest Minor League: A History of the Pacific Coast League, 1903-1957", by Dennis Snelling (McFarland 2011
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