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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-16-2024, 03:00 PM

The Mexican League’s North Division was very competitive with three teams fighting for the top spot. Hermosillo and Torreon tied for first at 99-63, while Chihuahua was two back at 97-65. The one-game tiebreaker went to the Hyenas for their first division title since their 1989 championship season. Hermosillo did earn a third straight playoff berth.

The Tomahawks were the first wild card, ending a two-year playoff drought. The Warriors were the second wild card, which ended the longest active playoff drought in CABA. Chihuahua hadn’t been in the playoffs since 1962, a 45-year drought. That was the longest drought in Mexican League history and the second-longest in CABA history.

Ecatepec repeated as South Division champ at 94-68, earning their 14^th playoff berth in 16 years. Merida finished two back at 92-70 with Leon four back a 90-72. The Mean Green and Lions were five and seven back in the wild card race, respectively. Reigning Mexican League champ Mexicali dropped to 86-76.

3B/1B Donald Gonzalez finally willed Chihuahua to the playoffs and won his fifth Mexican League MVP (2002, 04, 05, 07, 08). He also joined legends Kiko Velazquez and Prometheo Garcia (5) as four-time Triple Crown winners. The 29-year old Puerto Rican had 52 home runs, 145 RBI, and a .370 average. It was his sixth time leading in homers, fifth in RBI, and fifth in batting average. It was also good for his seventh Silver Slugger and his second at third base (the previous five were at first base).

Gonzalez also led in hits (220), total bases (412), OBP (.428), slugging (.692), OPS (1.120), wRC+ (223), and WAR (11.4). He also posted a 37-game hitting streak that carried over from the prior year, which fell one short of Ivan Iniguez’s CABA record of 38 from 1911. The Warriors would have him for another two seasons before he left for a historic five-year, $90,000,000 deal with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals.

Hermosillo’s Simon Leal won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 31-year old Mexican righty led in wins (22-9), ERA (1.99), FIP- (68), and WAR (7.1). Leal had 313 strikeouts in 253 innings with a 182 ERA+. He fell a mere five strikeouts short of his own Triple Crown. The Hyenas signed him to a seven-year, $66,500,000 extension the prior spring.

Hermosillo swept Chihuahua in the first round and Ecatepec outlasted Torreon 3-2. It was the second Mexican League Championship Series in three years for the Hyenas and the 13^th since 1993 for the Explosion. Top-seeded Hermosillo rolled to the title 4-1 over Ecatepec; their first since 1989. The Hyenas became eight-time Mexican champs.

Two-time defending CABA champ Haiti showed no sign of slowing down. The Herons had the Caribbean League’s best record at 108-54 atop the Island Division, extending their playoff streak to 12. It was their 11^th division title of that stretch. The Herons had a team OBP of .345, which set a new CABA record that held until 2028.

The Continental Division was tight with Salvador (96-66) topping Panama (94-68) and Nicaragua (90-72). The Stallions grew their playoff streak to six seasons and earned their 15^th berth in 17 years. For the Parrots, they ended the longest playoff drought in CABA history. Panama hadn’t made it since their 1946 championship; 61 years prior. That was also the longest drought in professional baseball history.

The Navigators also ended their own significant playoff drought at 17 seasons, taking the second wild card by six games over Costa Rica and seven over Santo Domingo. Honduras was at 79-83, ending a ten-year playoff streak. It was the Horsemen’s first losing season since 1992.

Despite that, Honduras 1B Salvador Soliz picked up Caribbean League MVP honors. The 27-year old Guatemalan led in hits (213), RBI (135), total bases (412), average (.340), slugging (.658), and wRC+ (169). Soliz added 7.4 WAR and 51 home runs, falling two dingers short of a Triple Crown.

Panama’s Adrian Estrella won Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 25-year old Salvadoran led in quality starts (25) and posted a 2.38 ERA over 227 innings, 285 strikeouts, 13-11 record, 173 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. Also of note, Haiti’s Vicente Gonzalez became a three-time Reliever of the Year winner.

Nicaragua shocked Haiti 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, ending the Herons’ three-peat bid. It was the Navigators’ first time making it to the Caribbean League Championship Series since their back-to-back pennants in 1989-90. Salvador survived in five over Panama, sending the Stallions to their tenth CLCS since 1992. Nicaragua stunned Salvador with a road sweep for their third-ever Caribbean title.

Incidentally, Hermosillo’s last win in the Central American Baseball Association Championship came at the expense of Nicaragua back in 1989. The Navigators were one of only eight CABA teams that hadn’t won it all. The other seven were all expansion teams, leaving Nicaragua as the only original team not to win it all in the prior 97 years.

The 98^th CABA Championship an all-timer as it was the fourth time that the series was decided with an extra innings game seven. In the bottom of the 15^th inning, Hermosillo CF Jeronimo Martinez smacked the walk off RBI single to give the Hyenas a 10-9 victory. Nicaragua remained ringless in three tries, while Hermosillo won its fourth title (1947, 1983, 1989, 2008). The Hyenas were the first Mexican League North Division team to win it all since Monterrey in 1996.

Ironically, finals MVP went to 3B Gilberto Serrano. He played from 1996-07 with the Navigators, but was traded to Hermosillo in January 2008. The 33-year old native Nicaraguan thwarted his former squad, getting 16 hits, 6 runs, 2 double, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 8 RBI over 14 playoff starts.

Other notes: Furgan Kalkavan had a 34-game hit streak, which was the fifth-longest in CABA history to that point. San Luis Potosi had a team ERA of 4.86 with 832 runs allowed and 784 earned runs. Each was an all-time Mexican League worst. The ERA and runs mark would be beat, but the earned runs stat still holds in 2037.

Luis Fernandez and Corneles Menendez both reached 600 career home runs, making it 15 batters in CABA to hit the mark. Menendez also became the 23^rd player to cross 1500 RBI.

07-16-2024, 03:00 PM	#1432
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,972	2008 in CABA The Mexican League’s North Division was very competitive with three teams fighting for the top spot. Hermosillo and Torreon tied for first at 99-63, while Chihuahua was two back at 97-65. The one-game tiebreaker went to the Hyenas for their first division title since their 1989 championship season. Hermosillo did earn a third straight playoff berth. The Tomahawks were the first wild card, ending a two-year playoff drought. The Warriors were the second wild card, which ended the longest active playoff drought in CABA. Chihuahua hadn’t been in the playoffs since 1962, a 45-year drought. That was the longest drought in Mexican League history and the second-longest in CABA history. Ecatepec repeated as South Division champ at 94-68, earning their 14^th playoff berth in 16 years. Merida finished two back at 92-70 with Leon four back a 90-72. The Mean Green and Lions were five and seven back in the wild card race, respectively. Reigning Mexican League champ Mexicali dropped to 86-76. 3B/1B Donald Gonzalez finally willed Chihuahua to the playoffs and won his fifth Mexican League MVP (2002, 04, 05, 07, 08). He also joined legends Kiko Velazquez and Prometheo Garcia (5) as four-time Triple Crown winners. The 29-year old Puerto Rican had 52 home runs, 145 RBI, and a .370 average. It was his sixth time leading in homers, fifth in RBI, and fifth in batting average. It was also good for his seventh Silver Slugger and his second at third base (the previous five were at first base). Gonzalez also led in hits (220), total bases (412), OBP (.428), slugging (.692), OPS (1.120), wRC+ (223), and WAR (11.4). He also posted a 37-game hitting streak that carried over from the prior year, which fell one short of Ivan Iniguez’s CABA record of 38 from 1911. The Warriors would have him for another two seasons before he left for a historic five-year, $90,000,000 deal with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals. Hermosillo’s Simon Leal won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 31-year old Mexican righty led in wins (22-9), ERA (1.99), FIP- (68), and WAR (7.1). Leal had 313 strikeouts in 253 innings with a 182 ERA+. He fell a mere five strikeouts short of his own Triple Crown. The Hyenas signed him to a seven-year, $66,500,000 extension the prior spring. Hermosillo swept Chihuahua in the first round and Ecatepec outlasted Torreon 3-2. It was the second Mexican League Championship Series in three years for the Hyenas and the 13^th since 1993 for the Explosion. Top-seeded Hermosillo rolled to the title 4-1 over Ecatepec; their first since 1989. The Hyenas became eight-time Mexican champs. Two-time defending CABA champ Haiti showed no sign of slowing down. The Herons had the Caribbean League’s best record at 108-54 atop the Island Division, extending their playoff streak to 12. It was their 11^th division title of that stretch. The Herons had a team OBP of .345, which set a new CABA record that held until 2028. The Continental Division was tight with Salvador (96-66) topping Panama (94-68) and Nicaragua (90-72). The Stallions grew their playoff streak to six seasons and earned their 15^th berth in 17 years. For the Parrots, they ended the longest playoff drought in CABA history. Panama hadn’t made it since their 1946 championship; 61 years prior. That was also the longest drought in professional baseball history. The Navigators also ended their own significant playoff drought at 17 seasons, taking the second wild card by six games over Costa Rica and seven over Santo Domingo. Honduras was at 79-83, ending a ten-year playoff streak. It was the Horsemen’s first losing season since 1992. Despite that, Honduras 1B Salvador Soliz picked up Caribbean League MVP honors. The 27-year old Guatemalan led in hits (213), RBI (135), total bases (412), average (.340), slugging (.658), and wRC+ (169). Soliz added 7.4 WAR and 51 home runs, falling two dingers short of a Triple Crown. Panama’s Adrian Estrella won Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 25-year old Salvadoran led in quality starts (25) and posted a 2.38 ERA over 227 innings, 285 strikeouts, 13-11 record, 173 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. Also of note, Haiti’s Vicente Gonzalez became a three-time Reliever of the Year winner. Nicaragua shocked Haiti 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, ending the Herons’ three-peat bid. It was the Navigators’ first time making it to the Caribbean League Championship Series since their back-to-back pennants in 1989-90. Salvador survived in five over Panama, sending the Stallions to their tenth CLCS since 1992. Nicaragua stunned Salvador with a road sweep for their third-ever Caribbean title. Incidentally, Hermosillo’s last win in the Central American Baseball Association Championship came at the expense of Nicaragua back in 1989. The Navigators were one of only eight CABA teams that hadn’t won it all. The other seven were all expansion teams, leaving Nicaragua as the only original team not to win it all in the prior 97 years. The 98^th CABA Championship an all-timer as it was the fourth time that the series was decided with an extra innings game seven. In the bottom of the 15^th inning, Hermosillo CF Jeronimo Martinez smacked the walk off RBI single to give the Hyenas a 10-9 victory. Nicaragua remained ringless in three tries, while Hermosillo won its fourth title (1947, 1983, 1989, 2008). The Hyenas were the first Mexican League North Division team to win it all since Monterrey in 1996. Ironically, finals MVP went to 3B Gilberto Serrano. He played from 1996-07 with the Navigators, but was traded to Hermosillo in January 2008. The 33-year old native Nicaraguan thwarted his former squad, getting 16 hits, 6 runs, 2 double, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 8 RBI over 14 playoff starts. Other notes: Furgan Kalkavan had a 34-game hit streak, which was the fifth-longest in CABA history to that point. San Luis Potosi had a team ERA of 4.86 with 832 runs allowed and 784 earned runs. Each was an all-time Mexican League worst. The ERA and runs mark would be beat, but the earned runs stat still holds in 2037. Luis Fernandez and Corneles Menendez both reached 600 career home runs, making it 15 batters in CABA to hit the mark. Menendez also became the 23^rd player to cross 1500 RBI. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)