OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The National Pastime: The United States Baseball Federation rises

KCRoyals15 · 01-04-2025, 01:40 PM

1981

With new teams emerging as powerful forces, optimism was high that overall parity in the United States Baseball Federation would be improving throughout the 1980's.

That belief was first put to the test in the Northern Conference where a pair of unusual suspects were atop the New England League, the Albany Adirondacks winning, followed by Newark in second. The Midwest Association, meanwhile, once more featured the Milwaukee wrecking crew at 109 wins, winning their sixth pennant in a row and 12th in 13 years. Defending Conference Champion Toronto finished second.

In the first round, Milwaukee took care of Newark in six games, while Albany took down Toronto, also in a six-game set. The Adirondacks then pulled off a big upset, downing Milwaukee in seven games to give Albany their second conference title in four years.

The Southern Conference, meanwhile, saw a tight race in the Eastern League, where Jacksonville snapped a string of five-straight losing seasons with a surprise pennant, their first playoff bid in eight years. Washington and Tampa were tied for second two games back, but the Senators claimed the one-game playoff to earn their ninth-straight postseason trip.

The Western League was much more cut-and-dry, with Kansas City exploding for 107 wins (their most since 1923) to easily win the pennant. Pittsburgh finished a cozy second, reaching the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years.

The postseason, meanwhile, featured a significant upset, as Washington walloped Kansas City in five games in the first round. Pittsburgh then swept Jacksonville, but they were no match for the upset-minded Senators, who took down the Ironmen in seven games for their third Conference Championship in eight years.

In the Pacific Coast League, the talk of the league was the Seattle Rainiers, who set an all-time major league record with 141 wins, posting a 141-59 record. With the most wins by a PCL team since 1923 (they joined the majors in 1926), the Rainiers finished 20 games ahead of second-place San Francisco. The South featured San Diego winning the division by seven games over Hawaii, with the two squads taking the postseason spots.

In the postseason, all those regular-season wins did no good for Seattle, as the Rainiers were toppled by San Francisco in six games. San Diego also defeated Hawaii in six games. In the finals, it was San Diego's turn for an upset, and the Padres sank the Seals in five games for their first PCL title since 1968.

The Texas League featured two very close races, starting in the North where Wichita edged Fort Worth by two games. The South featured the two best teams, with El Paso winning the division and Galveston finishing one game back (four games ahead of Austin) for the other playoff spot.

In the postseason, Fort Worth overtook Wichita in six games, while El Paso took care of Galveston in five. The Texans then flexed their muscles, overpowering the Panthers in six games to finally end decades of playoff frustration. In their 18th playoff appearance as a major-league team, the Texans at last earned their first Texas League title as a big-league club and first overall since 1948.

Washington was no stranger to the postseason, but was still a surprise in the national tournament, but their run continued, as the Washington Senators (SOU) defeat the Albany Adirondacks (NOR). Meanwhile, a first-time participant was not in the mood for a short run, as the El Paso Texans (TL) defeat the San Diego Padres (PCL). The boys from the West Texas town of El Paso then capped off their dream season in style, as the El Paso Texans (TL) defeat the Washington Senators (SOU), 4-3, giving El Paso it's first National Championship and the Texas League's second in a row after just two in 25 years.

When they returned to the major leagues in 1979, Newark beefed up it's roster and one addition was third baseman Peter Fredette. In his third season, the 28-year-old slashed .325/.402/.466 with a Conference-leading 201 hits, 101 runs, 33 doubles, 6 triples, 14 homers, 74 RBI, and 38 steals to take home his first Northern Conference MVP.

Meanwhile, also in 1979, Milwaukee made a mid-season deal with Hawaii to acquire Isles ace Jorge Esquivel. Two years later, the 34-year-old had his best season, going 23-7 with a 1.97 ERA, leading the conference in both marks, while striking out 154 in 260.2 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year.

The Southern Conference, meanwhile, was ruled by Kansas City ace Jose Lopez. The 24-year-old phenom had a season to remember, going 24-7 with 2.25 ERA, leading the conference in wins, while also striking out an Eastern Baseball Federation-record 289 batters over 264.1 innings while walking just 22. For his efforts he took home both Pitcher of the Year and MVP.

Louisville outfielder Shane McLaughlin never won an MVP award, but the 12-time All-Star was rock-solid over 19 years with Louisville. In his penultimate, he stroked his 3,000th career hit on September 19, becoming the seventh hitter in EBF history to do so.

Though Seattle dominated the season, it was San Francisco centerfielder Aaron Navarro who dominated the MVP voting in the Pacific Coast League. The 24-year-old slashed .303/.374/.529 with 219 hits, 117 runs, 28 doubles, 9 triples, and led the PCL with 39 homers and 169 RBI, the latter mark the most by a big-league hitter since 1955. He also added 36 steals, taking the hardware home.

Meanwhile, a Seattle hurler took home the pitching hardware. 24-year-old rookie lefty Jamie Evans stormed onto the scene with a Triple Crown as a rookie, going 27-7 with a 2.14 ERA and 246 strikeouts, while also logging a league-leading 340.1 innings. Amazingly, he did not win Rookie of the Year (Hawaii's Andrew Hairston did).

Of note, San Francisco's Javon Beavers set a PCL record with his fifth batting title (in six years), leading the loop with a .334 mark.

In the Texas League, the National Champion El Paso Texans were led by Daniel Alcaraz, who won his third MVP award by slashing .316/.364/.606 with 187 runs, a league-leading 111 runs, 24 doubles, 14 triples, and a TL-tops 40 home runs and 135 RBI.

On the hill, Dallas' Bryan Belk was named best on the bump, also for a third time, going 21-7 with a 2.46 ERA, leading the Texas League in wins and complete games (13), while logging 256.1 innings.

The Eastern Baseball Federation had a busy Hall of Fame induction weekend, sending a pair of men who spent their entire 20-year careers as teammates on the Milwaukee Black Hawks, plus a Southern Conference hitter who reach 3,000 hits, and another who nearly did, but also bashed over 500 homers:

1B Justin Watts (1956-75), 98.6%
OF Zack Harrington (1954-75), 98.1%
C Brent Murphy (1948-70), 84.3%
C Ramon Coca (1956-75), 77.4%

In addition, the Texas League inducted a slick-fielding, late-blooming first baseman who made up for it by staying productive well into his 40's:

1B Josh Pinedo (1952-67), 85.9%

---

In the American Baseball Legaue, the four-division setup again caused some chaos. Denver, Nashville, Vancouver, and Boston won their divisions (though the Mounties were just 81-81), while Chicago, Columbus, Richmond, and a 78-win Spokane won a tiebreaker over Anaheim to get the last spot. Most notably, Boston reach the postseason for just the third time in their 82-year history (first since 1953) and Denver had their best year ever and drew a still-standing ABL-record 2,694,929 fans.

In the first round, three of the four series were three-game sweeps, with Nashville's five-game win over Columbus the exception. Richmond, Denver, and Spokane also moved on. Denver defeated Richmond, and Spokane upset Nashville, both in five games, putting a sub-.500 team in the ABL finals again. Once again, though, Denver ended the Cinderella story, defeating the Indians in six games to boost the Bears to their second-straight American Baseball Cup.

To the surprise of many, Denver's Joe Floyd was not MVP in 1980, but a year later, he left no doubt, slashing .363/.402/.544 with a league-high 255 hits, 50 doubles, and 138 RBI, while also adding 105 runs and 25 homers. His doubles and RBI totals set (since-broken) ABL records, while his hit total is still the best in league history. Unfortunately, Floyd was already 31 and ripped up his knee early the following year, which hampered him for three years before finally emerging as a productive part-time player in St. Louis in 1985. However, his days as an everyday player abruptly ended.

Another Bear, righty Justin Baker, made history as the first ABL reliever to win Pitcher of the Year. Baker went 17-5 with a 1.59 ERA in 68 games out of the bullpen, earning 23 saves and striking out 118 batters in 124.1 innings. The Bears moved him to the rotation the following season and he nearly won POTY again (he finished second), posting four solid seasons as a starter later on.

---

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Baton Rouge Cajuns, 89-65, defeats Jackson
Colonial League: Pittsfield Colonials, 84-56, defeats Harrisburg
River Valley League: Grand Rapids Griffins, 80-60, defeats Erie
Rocky Mountain League: Rapid City Goldpanners, 69-58, defeats Ft. Collins
Coastal League: Charlotte Hornets, 86-68, defeat Augusta
Northern League: Appleton Foxes, 90-50, defeat Green Bay
Southwest League: Modesto Growers, 87-67, defeat Santa Barbara
Southern Association: Corpus Christi Gunslingers, 83-58, defeats Beaumont
Northwest League: Tacoma Mountaineers, 118-36, defeats Stockton
Can-Am League: Ottawa Capitals, 70-56, defeats Springfield
Mid-Atlantic League: Greensboro Patriots, 82-58, defeats Allentown
Lone Star League: Lubbock Hubbers, 80-60, defeats Rio Grande
Great Plains League: Peoria Distillers, 80-60, defeats Salina
Florida Coast League: Fort Lauderdale Flamingos, 74-66, defeats Columbus
Big Sky League: Regina Giants, 67-65, defeats Missoula (2nd straight); entire Can. finished ahead of entire Amer.
Heartland League: Madison Black Wolves, 76-64, defeats Youngstown

Several leagues had very tight races, with the Rocky Mountain League having four teams within three games of the top, the Coastal League had five teams within four games, and the Florida Coast League ended up with three teams separated by a game for their last playoff spot.

One oddity occurred for the first time in baseball history. In the Big Sky League, the entire Canadian Division finished above .500 and the entire American Division was below .500 (four teams each).

Lastly, the Tacoma Mountaineers put together one of the greatest minor league teams of all-time, going 118-36 to win the Northwest League. Outside of the early PCL that played 200 games, the Mountaineers set a minor league record for wins, surpassing the long-standing 117-23 mark by the 1900 New Orleans Pelicans. Tacoma averaged 5.9 runs per game (.277/.384/.399 team slash), while posting a team ERA of 2.60 and led the NWL in just about everything on both sides of the ball, outscoring opponents 910-459.

01-04-2025, 01:40 PM	#91
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	Out in the West Texas Town of El Paso 1981 With new teams emerging as powerful forces, optimism was high that overall parity in the United States Baseball Federation would be improving throughout the 1980's. That belief was first put to the test in the Northern Conference where a pair of unusual suspects were atop the New England League, the Albany Adirondacks winning, followed by Newark in second. The Midwest Association, meanwhile, once more featured the Milwaukee wrecking crew at 109 wins, winning their sixth pennant in a row and 12th in 13 years. Defending Conference Champion Toronto finished second. In the first round, Milwaukee took care of Newark in six games, while Albany took down Toronto, also in a six-game set. The Adirondacks then pulled off a big upset, downing Milwaukee in seven games to give Albany their second conference title in four years. The Southern Conference, meanwhile, saw a tight race in the Eastern League, where Jacksonville snapped a string of five-straight losing seasons with a surprise pennant, their first playoff bid in eight years. Washington and Tampa were tied for second two games back, but the Senators claimed the one-game playoff to earn their ninth-straight postseason trip. The Western League was much more cut-and-dry, with Kansas City exploding for 107 wins (their most since 1923) to easily win the pennant. Pittsburgh finished a cozy second, reaching the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years. The postseason, meanwhile, featured a significant upset, as Washington walloped Kansas City in five games in the first round. Pittsburgh then swept Jacksonville, but they were no match for the upset-minded Senators, who took down the Ironmen in seven games for their third Conference Championship in eight years. In the Pacific Coast League, the talk of the league was the Seattle Rainiers, who set an all-time major league record with 141 wins, posting a 141-59 record. With the most wins by a PCL team since 1923 (they joined the majors in 1926), the Rainiers finished 20 games ahead of second-place San Francisco. The South featured San Diego winning the division by seven games over Hawaii, with the two squads taking the postseason spots. In the postseason, all those regular-season wins did no good for Seattle, as the Rainiers were toppled by San Francisco in six games. San Diego also defeated Hawaii in six games. In the finals, it was San Diego's turn for an upset, and the Padres sank the Seals in five games for their first PCL title since 1968. The Texas League featured two very close races, starting in the North where Wichita edged Fort Worth by two games. The South featured the two best teams, with El Paso winning the division and Galveston finishing one game back (four games ahead of Austin) for the other playoff spot. In the postseason, Fort Worth overtook Wichita in six games, while El Paso took care of Galveston in five. The Texans then flexed their muscles, overpowering the Panthers in six games to finally end decades of playoff frustration. In their 18th playoff appearance as a major-league team, the Texans at last earned their first Texas League title as a big-league club and first overall since 1948. Washington was no stranger to the postseason, but was still a surprise in the national tournament, but their run continued, as the Washington Senators (SOU) defeat the Albany Adirondacks (NOR). Meanwhile, a first-time participant was not in the mood for a short run, as the El Paso Texans (TL) defeat the San Diego Padres (PCL). The boys from the West Texas town of El Paso then capped off their dream season in style, as the *El Paso Texans (TL) defeat the Washington Senators (SOU), 4-3, giving El Paso it's first National Championship and the Texas League's second in a row after just two in 25 years. When they returned to the major leagues in 1979, Newark beefed up it's roster and one addition was third baseman Peter Fredette. In his third season, the 28-year-old slashed .325/.402/.466 with a Conference-leading 201 hits, 101 runs, 33 doubles, 6 triples, 14 homers, 74 RBI, and 38 steals to take home his first Northern Conference MVP. Meanwhile, also in 1979, Milwaukee made a mid-season deal with Hawaii to acquire Isles ace Jorge Esquivel. Two years later, the 34-year-old had his best season, going 23-7 with a 1.97 ERA, leading the conference in both marks, while striking out 154 in 260.2 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year. The Southern Conference, meanwhile, was ruled by Kansas City ace Jose Lopez. The 24-year-old phenom had a season to remember, going 24-7 with 2.25 ERA, leading the conference in wins, while also striking out an Eastern Baseball Federation-record 289 batters over 264.1 innings while walking just 22. For his efforts he took home both Pitcher of the Year and MVP. Louisville outfielder Shane McLaughlin* never won an MVP award, but the 12-time All-Star was rock-solid over 19 years with Louisville. In his penultimate, he stroked his 3,000th career hit on September 19, becoming the seventh hitter in EBF history to do so. Though Seattle dominated the season, it was San Francisco centerfielder Aaron Navarro who dominated the MVP voting in the Pacific Coast League. The 24-year-old slashed .303/.374/.529 with 219 hits, 117 runs, 28 doubles, 9 triples, and led the PCL with 39 homers and 169 RBI, the latter mark the most by a big-league hitter since 1955. He also added 36 steals, taking the hardware home. Meanwhile, a Seattle hurler took home the pitching hardware. 24-year-old rookie lefty Jamie Evans stormed onto the scene with a Triple Crown as a rookie, going 27-7 with a 2.14 ERA and 246 strikeouts, while also logging a league-leading 340.1 innings. Amazingly, he did not win Rookie of the Year (Hawaii's Andrew Hairston did). Of note, San Francisco's Javon Beavers set a PCL record with his fifth batting title (in six years), leading the loop with a .334 mark. In the Texas League, the National Champion El Paso Texans were led by Daniel Alcaraz, who won his third MVP award by slashing .316/.364/.606 with 187 runs, a league-leading 111 runs, 24 doubles, 14 triples, and a TL-tops 40 home runs and 135 RBI. On the hill, Dallas' Bryan Belk was named best on the bump, also for a third time, going 21-7 with a 2.46 ERA, leading the Texas League in wins and complete games (13), while logging 256.1 innings. The Eastern Baseball Federation had a busy Hall of Fame induction weekend, sending a pair of men who spent their entire 20-year careers as teammates on the Milwaukee Black Hawks, plus a Southern Conference hitter who reach 3,000 hits, and another who nearly did, but also bashed over 500 homers: 1B Justin Watts (1956-75), 98.6% OF Zack Harrington (1954-75), 98.1% C Brent Murphy (1948-70), 84.3% C Ramon Coca (1956-75), 77.4% In addition, the Texas League inducted a slick-fielding, late-blooming first baseman who made up for it by staying productive well into his 40's: 1B Josh Pinedo (1952-67), 85.9% --- In the American Baseball Legaue, the four-division setup again caused some chaos. Denver, Nashville, Vancouver, and Boston won their divisions (though the Mounties were just 81-81), while Chicago, Columbus, Richmond, and a 78-win Spokane won a tiebreaker over Anaheim to get the last spot. Most notably, Boston reach the postseason for just the third time in their 82-year history (first since 1953) and Denver had their best year ever and drew a still-standing ABL-record 2,694,929 fans. In the first round, three of the four series were three-game sweeps, with Nashville's five-game win over Columbus the exception. Richmond, Denver, and Spokane also moved on. Denver defeated Richmond, and Spokane upset Nashville, both in five games, putting a sub-.500 team in the ABL finals again. Once again, though, Denver ended the Cinderella story, defeating the Indians in six games to boost the Bears to their second-straight American Baseball Cup. To the surprise of many, Denver's Joe Floyd was not MVP in 1980, but a year later, he left no doubt, slashing .363/.402/.544 with a league-high 255 hits, 50 doubles, and 138 RBI, while also adding 105 runs and 25 homers. His doubles and RBI totals set (since-broken) ABL records, while his hit total is still the best in league history. Unfortunately, Floyd was already 31 and ripped up his knee early the following year, which hampered him for three years before finally emerging as a productive part-time player in St. Louis in 1985. However, his days as an everyday player abruptly ended. Another Bear, righty Justin Baker, made history as the first ABL reliever to win Pitcher of the Year. Baker went 17-5 with a 1.59 ERA in 68 games out of the bullpen, earning 23 saves and striking out 118 batters in 124.1 innings. The Bears moved him to the rotation the following season and he nearly won POTY again (he finished second), posting four solid seasons as a starter later on. --- Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Baton Rouge Cajuns, 89-65, defeats Jackson Colonial League: Pittsfield Colonials, 84-56, defeats Harrisburg River Valley League: Grand Rapids Griffins, 80-60, defeats Erie Rocky Mountain League: Rapid City Goldpanners, 69-58, defeats Ft. Collins Coastal League: Charlotte Hornets, 86-68, defeat Augusta Northern League: Appleton Foxes, 90-50, defeat Green Bay Southwest League: Modesto Growers, 87-67, defeat Santa Barbara Southern Association: Corpus Christi Gunslingers, 83-58, defeats Beaumont Northwest League: Tacoma Mountaineers, 118-36, defeats Stockton Can-Am League: Ottawa Capitals, 70-56, defeats Springfield Mid-Atlantic League: Greensboro Patriots, 82-58, defeats Allentown Lone Star League: Lubbock Hubbers, 80-60, defeats Rio Grande Great Plains League: Peoria Distillers, 80-60, defeats Salina Florida Coast League: Fort Lauderdale Flamingos, 74-66, defeats Columbus Big Sky League: Regina Giants, 67-65, defeats Missoula (2nd straight); entire Can. finished ahead of entire Amer. Heartland League: Madison Black Wolves, 76-64, defeats Youngstown Several leagues had very tight races, with the Rocky Mountain League having four teams within three games of the top, the Coastal League had five teams within four games, and the Florida Coast League ended up with three teams separated by a game for their last playoff spot. One oddity occurred for the first time in baseball history. In the Big Sky League, the entire Canadian Division finished above .500 and the entire American Division was below .500 (four teams each). Lastly, the Tacoma Mountaineers put together one of the greatest minor league teams of all-time, going 118-36 to win the Northwest League. Outside of the early PCL that played 200 games, the Mountaineers set a minor league record for wins, surpassing the long-standing 117-23 mark by the 1900 New Orleans Pelicans. Tacoma averaged 5.9 runs per game (.277/.384/.399 team slash), while posting a team ERA of 2.60 and led the NWL in just about everything on both sides of the ball, outscoring opponents 910-459. Last edited by KCRoyals15; 01-05-2025 at 01:34 AM.