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KCRoyals15 · 12-30-2024, 06:36 PM

1974

In just four years, the Hawaii Islanders transformed from a struggling American Baseball League side to a Pacific Coast League champion in their first season as a big league club, with a brand-new ballpark.

His work done in Honolulu, Trey Skipper departed the islands and moved to the mainland—4,800 miles away to Baltimore, where he would take over a Baltimore Terrapins team that was bleeding money and had not made the postseason since 1955.

In the Northern Conference, the New England League had three rather even teams, with the defending champion Philadelphia Quakers finishing at the top for the fourth year in a row, tied with Manhattan, who reached the postseason for the first time in seven years. Albany pushed hard, but finished third, three games out

The Midwest Association saw another dominant season from Milwaukee, won won ten less games than '73...but still went 109-53 for their sixth MWA pennant in a row (and fifth with over 100 wins). Toronto won 92 games to finish a distant second for the third year in a row, reaching the postseason.

In the postseason, Milwaukee avenged their first-round defeat from a season ago, defeating Toronto in six games. Manhattan, meanwhile, swept aside Philadelphia in a four-game rout. The Yankees kept it up in the conference finals, upsetting the Black Hawks in a rather swift five-game set.

In the Southern Conference, the Omaha Golden Spikes dominated the Western League with a franchise-record 108 wins, while St. Louis finished a comfortable second to take the other playoff spot, their third playoff appearance in a row. In the Eastern League, Washington won their first pennant since 1961, but the real story was their rivals in Baltimore, as the Terrapins improved by 34 games, nearly quadrupled attendance to a USBF-record 2,431,087 fans, and made the playoffs for the first time in 19 seasons, out-pacing Miami by one game.

Omaha avoided the upset in the divisional round, taking down St. Louis in six games. Meanwhile, Baltimore's stunning turnaround came to an end at the hands of Washington, who defeat the Terps in six games. The Senators then upset the Golden Spikes in six games, earning their first conference title since 1958.

The Pacific Coast League had a truly interesting season. Eight of the ten PCL clubs finished at or above .500. The two teams that didn't, though...were historically bad. Portland lost 133 games in 1973, only to lose 138 games in '74. Los Angeles was even worse, going 61-139 to match the worst season (1930 Mission Reds) in the PCL's big-league era.

At the top of the divisions, Seattle won the North, finishing first for a sixth year in a row and reaching the playoffs for a 12th-straight season. Sacramento finished second, making their seventh-straight playoff appearance by edging out Oakland by one game. In the South, Hawaii had the best record (121-79), while San Jose finished a comfortable second.

In the playoffs, Seattle was pushed to the limit by Sacramento, but defeated the Solons in seven games. The South saw Hawaii defeat San Jose in six games, then the Islanders completed their conquest of the mainland for a second year in a row, wiping away the Rainiers in a four-game sweep for the PCL crown.

Down in Texas, the North Division was very even, with four teams within three games, though that led to Fort Worth finishing first at 82-80. One year after winning 110 games, Oklahoma City sank to 80 wins, but squeaked into the playoffs one game ahead of Dallas and Tulsa. The South was dominated by defending champion Houston, who won a franchise-record 104 games and their first division title in a decade. Galveston finished second with 97 wins, making the playoffs for the 12th year in a row.

In the South, Houston brushed aside Galveston in five games, while Fort Worth defeated OKC in six games. Despite being 22 games worse in the regular season, the Panthers pulled a big upset, downing the Buffaloes in six games to win their second Texas League title in four seasons.

With the national tournament field set, the Manhattan Yankees (NOR) defeat the Washington Senators (SOU) in the east. Further west, the Hawaii Islanders (PCL) defeat the Fort Worth Panthers (TL) to set up a classic matchup of long-time powerhouse vs. pesky upstart. It was the upstart getting it done, as the Hawaii Islanders (PCL) defeat the Manhattan Yankees (NOR), 4-0 to give the Isles their first National Championship.

Just like his team in the standings, Milwaukee shortstop Mark Oxford continued to dominate MVP voting, being named best in the Northern Conference for a fourth year running. Oxford slashed .319/.392/.463 with 199 hits, 109 runs, 34 doubles, 7 triples, 14 homers, 78 RBI, and a career-high 63 stolen bases.

On the mound, another Black Hawk takes home Pitcher of the Year. Milwaukee's Willie Molina won 24 games in 1973 but no hardware, though his '74 season was excellent as well, going 21-8 with a conference-best 2.46 ERA, while logging 266.2 innings. The 34-year-old was a reliable weapon for the entire 70' in Milwaukee after being traded midway through 1970 in a crippling mistake made by Indianapolis.

In the Southern Conference, Luke Taylor had been an established power bat in Omaha, including 50 homers in 1971. This season saw him slash .310/.409/.581 with 169 hits, 118 runs, and a conference-leading 41 homers and 124 RBI, allowing him to sew up his first and only MVP award.

Right-hander Antonio Rodriguez was atrocious (6.51 ERA in 74.2 innings) in 1971 with the American Baseball League's 125-loss Albuquerque Dukes. After the team folded, the 22-year-old signed with Louisville and amazingly posted a 3.61 ERA as a big-league rookie. In 1974, the now-24-year-old went 15-5 with a conference-low 2.00 ERA, striking out 182 in 180.1 innings, winning Pitcher of the Year despite starting just 24 games, which ultimately ruffled some feathers.

Atlanta's Zach Harrington was something of an ageless wonder, still posting an .849 OPS in 112 games as a 45-year-old. The oldest player in the country also blasted 14 homers, including the 500th of his career in the early part of the season, becoming the fifth player in USBF history to hit that milestone.

In the Pacific Coast League, a 29-year-old rookie absolutely took the league by storm, as Hawaii's Brad Duty won the Triple Crown, slashing .347/.420/.623 (all league bests) with 52 homers and 166 RBI, while also adding 36 doubles, and leading the PCL with 251 hits and 147 runs. It was a landslide victory for a historic campaign.

Seattle lefty Mike Kaufman had a strong fourth season, going 18-12 with a 2.76 ERA, striking out 177 over 280.2 innings, while leading the league with six shutouts as he earned Pitcher of the Year.

Kauffman's batterymate, Jason Flores, was a unicorn by any sense. At 42 years old, Flores was still catching every day (152 starts) and on July 19, he slapped his 3,000th career hit—an unthinkable milestone for a catcher. Flores would play past his 45th birthday, ultimately playing 23 big-league seasons and a record 27 professional campaigns, catching all the way to the bitter end.

Like the PCL, the Texas League was ruled by an older rookie. A former Mexican League star, Danny Meza crossed the border and the 28-year-old's first year with the Austin Wranglers saw him slash .306/.384/.538 with 176 hits, a league-leading 39 doubles, with 31 homers and 104 RBI to earn MVP honors.

Starting to slow down slightly at 34 years old, Oklahoma City's Roy Hendricks won a somewhat surprising ninth Pitcher of the Year award. Despite going just 14-12, Hendricks logged a 2.56 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 257.0 innings to take the trophy.

---

For the first time since 1968, the American Baseball League East had a new champion, as the Newark Eagles (101 wins) edged Pittsburgh by a game, with the Eagles making their fifth-straight playoff appearance and the Ironmen made their tenth-straight appearance, winning 100 games for the seventh year in a row. Salt Lake City clipped Spokane to win the West, a repeat of the previous year's race.

The playoff race was overshadowed by rampant speculation on major ABL shakeup the following year, with the overwhelming belief that the Ironmen had outgrown the league. Amidst this backdrop, Pittsburgh out-dueled Salt Lake City in seven games, while Spokane upset Newark in the first round. The Ironmen then took down the Indians in six games to claim Pittsburgh's first league championship of any kind.

Despite the thin air of Colorado, Denver's Kyle Thibodeaux failed to homer for a third year in a row. However, he won the ABL batting title, slashing .346/.394/.424, while leading the league in hits (211) and steals (70) and adding 89 runs, 31 doubles, and 8 triples, winning MVP. On the mound, Newark's Ted Full won Pitcher of the Year for the second time in three years. The 38-year-old went 22-7 with a 2.04 ERA, leading the ABL in wins and strikeouts (284) over 295.2 innings.

The Eastern Baseball Federation sent a Southern Conference stalwart and five-time Pitcher of the Year to the Hall of Fame:

RHP Allen Staub (1957-68), 97.7%

The PCL also sent the USBF's all-time leader in home runs (654), and RBIs (2,074) to the Hall:

1B Griffin Searle (1950-71), 86.9%

---

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Knoxville Pioneers, 94-60, defeats Montgomery
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 82-58, defeats Hartford
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 86-54, defeats Dayton
Rocky Mountain League: Ft. Collins Grizzlies, 72-54, defeats Great Falls
Coastal League: Wilmington Blue Rocks, 93-61, defeats Macon
Northern League: La Crosse Loggers, 83-57, defeats Fargo-Moorhead (2nd straight)
Great Lakes League: Harrisburg Senators, 102-38, defeats Rochester
Southwest League: Albuquerque Dukes, 85-69, defeats Long Beach
Southern Association: Biloxi Pilots, 82-58, defeats Springfield
Northwest League: Bellingham Mariners, 95-59, defeats Reno
Can-Am League: Quebec Carnavals, 75-51, defeats Waterbury
Mid-Atlantic League: Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels, 85-55, defeats Altoona (3rd straight)
Lone Star League: Waco Twisters, 74-67, defeats Midland-Odessa
Great Plains League: Thunder Bay Timberjacks, 85-55, defeats St. Paul (4th straight)
Florida Coast League: Orlando Rays, 73-67, defeats St. Petersburg
Big Sky League: Regina Giants, 75-57, defeats Missoula

For 40 years, the River Valley League was dominated by either the Evansville Bees (18 championships) or Peoria Distillers (11 titles) and frequently both of them, as only one season (1962) from 1935-74 didn't see one of them in the RVL championship series (13 featured both of them). Evansville's runs of 28 finals appearances in 34 years ended in 1970, while this year marked the end of Peoria's current era of prosperity (10 finals appearances in 11 years).

12-30-2024, 06:36 PM	#84
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	Living on Island Time 1974 In just four years, the Hawaii Islanders transformed from a struggling American Baseball League side to a Pacific Coast League champion in their first season as a big league club, with a brand-new ballpark. His work done in Honolulu, Trey Skipper departed the islands and moved to the mainland—4,800 miles away to Baltimore, where he would take over a Baltimore Terrapins team that was bleeding money and had not made the postseason since 1955. In the Northern Conference, the New England League had three rather even teams, with the defending champion Philadelphia Quakers finishing at the top for the fourth year in a row, tied with Manhattan, who reached the postseason for the first time in seven years. Albany pushed hard, but finished third, three games out The Midwest Association saw another dominant season from Milwaukee, won won ten less games than '73...but still went 109-53 for their sixth MWA pennant in a row (and fifth with over 100 wins). Toronto won 92 games to finish a distant second for the third year in a row, reaching the postseason. In the postseason, Milwaukee avenged their first-round defeat from a season ago, defeating Toronto in six games. Manhattan, meanwhile, swept aside Philadelphia in a four-game rout. The Yankees kept it up in the conference finals, upsetting the Black Hawks in a rather swift five-game set. In the Southern Conference, the Omaha Golden Spikes dominated the Western League with a franchise-record 108 wins, while St. Louis finished a comfortable second to take the other playoff spot, their third playoff appearance in a row. In the Eastern League, Washington won their first pennant since 1961, but the real story was their rivals in Baltimore, as the Terrapins improved by 34 games, nearly quadrupled attendance to a USBF-record 2,431,087 fans, and made the playoffs for the first time in 19 seasons, out-pacing Miami by one game. Omaha avoided the upset in the divisional round, taking down St. Louis in six games. Meanwhile, Baltimore's stunning turnaround came to an end at the hands of Washington, who defeat the Terps in six games. The Senators then upset the Golden Spikes in six games, earning their first conference title since 1958. The Pacific Coast League had a truly interesting season. Eight of the ten PCL clubs finished at or above .500. The two teams that didn't, though...were historically bad. Portland lost 133 games in 1973, only to lose 138 games in '74. Los Angeles was even worse, going 61-139 to match the worst season (1930 Mission Reds) in the PCL's big-league era. At the top of the divisions, Seattle won the North, finishing first for a sixth year in a row and reaching the playoffs for a 12th-straight season. Sacramento finished second, making their seventh-straight playoff appearance by edging out Oakland by one game. In the South, Hawaii had the best record (121-79), while San Jose finished a comfortable second. In the playoffs, Seattle was pushed to the limit by Sacramento, but defeated the Solons in seven games. The South saw Hawaii defeat San Jose in six games, then the Islanders completed their conquest of the mainland for a second year in a row, wiping away the Rainiers in a four-game sweep for the PCL crown. Down in Texas, the North Division was very even, with four teams within three games, though that led to Fort Worth finishing first at 82-80. One year after winning 110 games, Oklahoma City sank to 80 wins, but squeaked into the playoffs one game ahead of Dallas and Tulsa. The South was dominated by defending champion Houston, who won a franchise-record 104 games and their first division title in a decade. Galveston finished second with 97 wins, making the playoffs for the 12th year in a row. In the South, Houston brushed aside Galveston in five games, while Fort Worth defeated OKC in six games. Despite being 22 games worse in the regular season, the Panthers pulled a big upset, downing the Buffaloes in six games to win their second Texas League title in four seasons. With the national tournament field set, the Manhattan Yankees (NOR) defeat the Washington Senators (SOU) in the east. Further west, the Hawaii Islanders (PCL) defeat the Fort Worth Panthers (TL) to set up a classic matchup of long-time *powerhouse vs. pesky upstart. It was the upstart getting it done, as the Hawaii Islanders (PCL) defeat the Manhattan Yankees (NOR), 4-0 to give the Isles their first National Championship. Just like his team in the standings, Milwaukee shortstop Mark Oxford* continued to dominate MVP voting, being named best in the Northern Conference for a fourth year running. Oxford slashed .319/.392/.463 with 199 hits, 109 runs, 34 doubles, 7 triples, 14 homers, 78 RBI, and a career-high 63 stolen bases. On the mound, another Black Hawk takes home Pitcher of the Year. Milwaukee's Willie Molina won 24 games in 1973 but no hardware, though his '74 season was excellent as well, going 21-8 with a conference-best 2.46 ERA, while logging 266.2 innings. The 34-year-old was a reliable weapon for the entire 70' in Milwaukee after being traded midway through 1970 in a crippling mistake made by Indianapolis. In the Southern Conference, Luke Taylor had been an established power bat in Omaha, including 50 homers in 1971. This season saw him slash .310/.409/.581 with 169 hits, 118 runs, and a conference-leading 41 homers and 124 RBI, allowing him to sew up his first and only MVP award. Right-hander Antonio Rodriguez was atrocious (6.51 ERA in 74.2 innings) in 1971 with the American Baseball League's 125-loss Albuquerque Dukes. After the team folded, the 22-year-old signed with Louisville and amazingly posted a 3.61 ERA as a big-league rookie. In 1974, the now-24-year-old went 15-5 with a conference-low 2.00 ERA, striking out 182 in 180.1 innings, winning Pitcher of the Year despite starting just 24 games, which ultimately ruffled some feathers. Atlanta's Zach Harrington was something of an ageless wonder, still posting an .849 OPS in 112 games as a 45-year-old. The oldest player in the country also blasted 14 homers, including the 500th of his career in the early part of the season, becoming the fifth player in USBF history to hit that milestone. In the Pacific Coast League, a 29-year-old rookie absolutely took the league by storm, as Hawaii's Brad Duty won the Triple Crown, slashing .347/.420/.623 (all league bests) with 52 homers and 166 RBI, while also adding 36 doubles, and leading the PCL with 251 hits and 147 runs. It was a landslide victory for a historic campaign. Seattle lefty Mike Kaufman had a strong fourth season, going 18-12 with a 2.76 ERA, striking out 177 over 280.2 innings, while leading the league with six shutouts as he earned Pitcher of the Year. Kauffman's batterymate, Jason Flores, was a unicorn by any sense. At 42 years old, Flores was still catching every day (152 starts) and on July 19, he slapped his 3,000th career hit—an unthinkable milestone for a catcher. Flores would play past his 45th birthday, ultimately playing 23 big-league seasons and a record 27 professional campaigns, catching all the way to the bitter end. Like the PCL, the Texas League was ruled by an older rookie. A former Mexican League star, Danny Meza crossed the border and the 28-year-old's first year with the Austin Wranglers saw him slash .306/.384/.538 with 176 hits, a league-leading 39 doubles, with 31 homers and 104 RBI to earn MVP honors. Starting to slow down slightly at 34 years old, Oklahoma City's Roy Hendricks won a somewhat surprising ninth Pitcher of the Year award. Despite going just 14-12, Hendricks logged a 2.56 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 257.0 innings to take the trophy. --- For the first time since 1968, the American Baseball League East had a new champion, as the Newark Eagles (101 wins) edged Pittsburgh by a game, with the Eagles making their fifth-straight playoff appearance and the Ironmen made their tenth-straight appearance, winning 100 games for the seventh year in a row. Salt Lake City clipped Spokane to win the West, a repeat of the previous year's race. The playoff race was overshadowed by rampant speculation on major ABL shakeup the following year, with the overwhelming belief that the Ironmen had outgrown the league. Amidst this backdrop, Pittsburgh out-dueled Salt Lake City in seven games, while Spokane upset Newark in the first round. The Ironmen then took down the Indians in six games to claim Pittsburgh's first league championship of any kind. Despite the thin air of Colorado, Denver's Kyle Thibodeaux failed to homer for a third year in a row. However, he won the ABL batting title, slashing .346/.394/.424, while leading the league in hits (211) and steals (70) and adding 89 runs, 31 doubles, and 8 triples, winning MVP. On the mound, Newark's Ted Full won Pitcher of the Year for the second time in three years. The 38-year-old went 22-7 with a 2.04 ERA, leading the ABL in wins and strikeouts (284) over 295.2 innings. The Eastern Baseball Federation sent a Southern Conference stalwart and five-time Pitcher of the Year to the Hall of Fame: RHP Allen Staub (1957-68), 97.7% The PCL also sent the USBF's all-time leader in home runs (654), and RBIs (2,074) to the Hall: 1B Griffin Searle (1950-71), 86.9% --- Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Knoxville Pioneers, 94-60, defeats Montgomery Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 82-58, defeats Hartford River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 86-54, defeats Dayton Rocky Mountain League: Ft. Collins Grizzlies, 72-54, defeats Great Falls Coastal League: Wilmington Blue Rocks, 93-61, defeats Macon Northern League: La Crosse Loggers, 83-57, defeats Fargo-Moorhead (2nd straight) Great Lakes League: Harrisburg Senators, 102-38, defeats Rochester Southwest League: Albuquerque Dukes, 85-69, defeats Long Beach Southern Association: Biloxi Pilots, 82-58, defeats Springfield Northwest League: Bellingham Mariners, 95-59, defeats Reno Can-Am League: Quebec Carnavals, 75-51, defeats Waterbury Mid-Atlantic League: Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels, 85-55, defeats Altoona (3rd straight) Lone Star League: Waco Twisters, 74-67, defeats Midland-Odessa Great Plains League: Thunder Bay Timberjacks, 85-55, defeats St. Paul (4th straight) Florida Coast League: Orlando Rays, 73-67, defeats St. Petersburg Big Sky League: Regina Giants, 75-57, defeats Missoula For 40 years, the River Valley League was dominated by either the Evansville Bees (18 championships) or Peoria Distillers (11 titles) and frequently both of them, as only one season (1962) from 1935-74 didn't see one of them in the RVL championship series (13 featured both of them). Evansville's runs of 28 finals appearances in 34 years ended in 1970, while this year marked the end of Peoria's current era of prosperity (10 finals appearances in 11 years). Last edited by KCRoyals15; 01-02-2025 at 02:03 PM.