1920 Vernon Tigers season explained

Vernon Tigers
Season:	1920
Record:	110–88
League:	Pacific Coast League
Ballpark:	Maier Park, Washington Park
City:	Vernon, California
League Place:	1st
Managers:	Bill Essick
Owners:	E. R. Maier

The 1920 Vernon Tigers season was the 12th season in the history of the Vernon Tigers baseball team. Playing in the Pacific Coast League (PCL), the team compiled a 110–88 record and won the PCL pennant.^[1] Vernon compiled the best record in the PCL for a third consecutive seasons under manager Bill Essick.

The Tigers' championship was marred by revelations during the 1920 season of a gambling scandal involving first baseman Babe Borton. Borton admitted paying money during the 1919 pennant race 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 August 1920 and never again played professional baseball.^{[2] [3] [4]} Borton was charged by a Los Angeles grand jury in December 1920 with criminal conspiracy for his role in the bribery scandal.^[5]

1920 PCL standings

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Vernon Tigers	110	88	.556	--
Seattle Rainiers	102	91	.528	5.5
San Francisco Seals	103	96	.518	7.5
Los Angeles Angels	101	95	.515	8.0
Salt Lake City Bees	95	92	.508	9.5
Oakland Oaks	95	103	.480	15.0
Sacramento Senators	89	109	.449	21.0
Portland Beavers	81	102	.443	21.5

^{[6] [7]}

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
1B		123	439	143	.326	10	.487
2B		190	787	244	.310	2	.395
3B		186	616	180	.292	1	.351
LF		177	664	191	.288	4	.373
CF		195	775	222	.286	3	.379
LF		74	149	42	.282	0	.336
RF		124	392	107	.273	0	.347
1B		124	394	107	.272	3	.343
SS		196	790	213	.270	1	.358
1B	Art Mueller	45	161	40	.248	0	.323
C		159	550	133	.242	3	.311
RF	Harry Morse	68	196	45	.230	0	.281
P		55	135	30	.222	0	.237

^[8]

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
	54	370.0	27	15	.643	2.99
	52	348.1	25	13	.658	2.38
	47	298.2	18	12	.600	2.71
	41	243.2	10	17	.370	2.62
	45	278.0	19	16	.543	3.88
	43	164.2	10	10	.500	3.94
	21	107.2	6	8	.429	2.67

^[8]

Further reading

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

Notes and References

1. News: Curtain Lowered on Coast League Season with Vernon Five and One-Half Games in Lead. Los Angeles Times. Ed O'Malley. October 18, 1920. 6. Newspapers.com.
2. Web site: Truth about Tigers emerges in pennant race: Grand jury exposes Borton's misdeeds, mars Vernon's 1919 title. Minor League Baseball. Josh Jackson. January 6, 2020. February 20, 2020.
3. News: Babe Borton Is Released. Los Angeles Times. August 11, 1920. III-1, III-3. Newspapers.com.
4. News: Claim Borton Was "Tool". Los Angeles Times. August 12, 1920. III-1, III-2. Newspapers.com.
5. News: Grand Jury Indicts Trio of Coast Ball Players. Los Angeles Times. December 11, 1920. 13. Newspapers.com.
6. News: Suds Lick Seals Twice; Finish In 2d Place. Los Angeles Express. October 18, 1920. 23. Newspapers.com.
7. News: Standing of Clubs. Los Angeles Times. October 18, 1920. 6. Newspapers.com.
8. Web site: 1920 Vernon Tigers . Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com. March 16, 2020.