Nineteen thirty was probably the greatest year for offense in the history of the game. The depression was fully developed and money for recreation was scarce. To create more action, the baseball was “juiced up,” resulting in nine teams having TEAM batting averages OVER .300. American League teams compiled a 288 batting average while National League teams batted .303.
The Yankees led the American League with an average of 6.90 runs per game, followed closely by the Athletics’ 6.18 runs per game. The league average for a team was 5.41. But scoring runs does not win games. Scoring more runs than the opposition scores wins games.
In 1930, Yankees pitchers allowed 5.83 runs a game, which was about one run less than the team scored each game. While scoring one run more than the opposition appears efficient, numbers are misleading. The Yankees won 86 games and lost 68, but yielding almost six runs a game will almost never produce a pennant winner. The Philadelphia Athletics won 102 games, lost only 52, and held their opponents to “only” 4.88 runs a game. The significant statistic is that Athletics’ pitchers allowed one run less per game that did Yankees’ pitchers.
Turning to the recent past, the 2001 season was great for offense. American League teams scored 4.86 runs per game, with the Yankees averaging 4.99 runs a game. But it was a lack of offense that cost the Yankees their fourth straight World Championship and it is hoped that a number of changes will result in the perennial World Champions’ fourth title in the last five years.
