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KCRoyals15 · 01-06-2025, 03:02 AM

1983

When the 1983 season got underway, the majority of the major leagues were more competitive than normal and there were less dominant teams than normal, leading up to an exciting summer.

In the Northern Conference, there was one dominant team and it was the Newark Eagles, who won 106 games to easily take the Eastern League, their fourth playoff appearance in a row. However, Albany and the Philadelphia A's needed a 163rd game to decide second place, with the Adirondacks taking the tiebreaker. The Midwest Association saw Cleveland take the pennant for their first playoff appearance in a dozen years, but first pennant since 1947. Detroit finished second, edging out Milwaukee by two games for the final playoff spot.

In the postseason, Albany got off to a roaring start, sweeping Cleveland in the semifinals. Newark, meanwhile, took care of business, downing Detroit in six games. The Eagles then firmly showed who the better team was, beating down the Adirondacks in a four-game sweep to win their first Conference Championship since the conference split and first big-league title since their 1941 Eastern Baseball Federation Championship.

The Southern Conference had no dominant teams, with nobody winning more than 92 games. Washington won 91 contests, finishing three games up on Norfolk, as both squads reached the playoffs from the Eastern League. It was the Senator's 11th playoff bid in a row and Norfolk's first in five years. In the Western League, Kansas City won their third-straight pennant, but New Orleans and Pittsburgh tied for second. The Pelicans took the 163rd contest, earning their first playoff trip in five seasons.

In the first round, the two top seeds took care of business, with Kansas City taking down Norfolk in five games and Washington doing the same with New Orleans, though in six contests. The greatest non-politicial dynasty in D.C. history continued as the Senators knocked off the Blues in seven games for their fourth Conference Championship in a decade.

While the rest of the country was far from dominant, the Pacific Coast League struggled with the same problem as the year prior: three dominant teams and almost nothing else. Seattle (125-75) outlasted San Francisco (123-77) to win the North, with both teams heading to October. San Diego won a league-best 128 games to cakewalk to the South title, while Los Angeles, 30 games back at 98-102, backed into the final playoff spot by finishing two games up on Hollywood.

The first round series were both sweeps, one surprising (San Francisco over San Diego) and one...not so much (Seattle over Los Angeles). With the two dominant North teams in the finals, the Rainiers sunk the Seals in six games, Seattle's third PCL title in five years.

Down in Texas, the Fort Worth Panthers won the North at a league-best 97-65, ten games ahead of Dallas, who held off Wichita for their eighth playoff bid in nine years. The South saw Galveston with their first division crown in six years, unseating El Paso, who finished three games back, but still reached the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.

In the first round, Fort Worth took out El Paso in seven games, while the Galveston Hurricanes also battled for seven games, before downing Dallas. The Hurricanes then blew right through Ft. Worth, pounding the Panthers in five games for Galveston's first TL title in 11 years.

In the national tournament, one of the two favorites got off a strong start, as the Newark Eagles (NOR) defeat the Washington Senators (SOU). The other co-favorite went down, though, as the Galveston Hurricanes (TL) defeat the Seattle Rainiers (PCL), guaranteeing a first-time National Champion. Galveston was looking to become the fourth-straight champ out of the Texas League, but it was not to be, as the Newark Eagles (NOR) defeat the Galveston Hurricanes (TL), 4-2 to win their first National Championship.

Two years after winning first Northern Conference MVP, Newark's Peter Fredette earned his second as he anchored the National Championship squad. The 30-year-old third baseman slashed .319/.381/.502 with 199 hits, a conference-high 117 runs, 28 doubles, 13 triples, 20 homers, 108 RBI, and 26 steals to take the trophy.

Lefty Hugh Marcotte spent the majority (17 years) of his 23-year pro career with Brooklyn, and despite pitching for a last-place team, the 26-year-old went 16-7 with a conference-best 2.59 ERA, working 222.2 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year, the only one of his long career.

Long removed from his days as a three-time Pitcher of the Year in the late 60's in the PCL, Albany's Kevin Corbett was still chugging along, posting 257.1 innings with a 3.11 ERA at 41 years old. In his 20th pro season Corbett earned his 300th win (and 200th for Albany) on July 2, becoming the first 300-game winner since 1941.

In the Southern Conference, a Hawaiian outfielder born in New Jersey dominated in Kansas City, as 26-year-old Penekiko Omaroo slashed .303/.377/.541, with 186 hits, 31 doubles, 29 home runs, 112 RBI, 31 steals, and conference-leading totals of 124 runs and 14 triples, taking home MVP honors.

Two years after taking home Pitcher of the Year and MVP, Blues righty Jose Lopez put together another strong year. The 26-year-old went 20-9 with a 3.24 ERA and 264 strikeouts in 255.2 innings, leading the South in wins and strikeouts. It was the first of four straight years Lopez would lead the conference in K's, putting him on track to blow past 3,000 strikeouts, but he came up just short after falling off hard after his 32nd birthday.

In the Pacific Coast League, San Francisco centerfielder Aaron Navarro won his second MVP in three years, slashing .323/.408/.552 with 218 hits, 142 runs, 37 doubles, 9 triples, 33 homers, a league-high 145 RBI, and 58 stolen bases to easily win the voting.

Another year, another Pitcher of the Year crown for Seattle's Jamie Evans, his third in a row. The Rainier ace went 27-10 with a 2.02 ERA, leading the PCL in wins, ERA, innings (343.2), complete games (21), and shutouts (6), while striking out 260. It was his third year in a row leading the PCL in wins, ERA, and innings, while he fell 20 strikeouts short of his third-straight Triple Crown.

Four years after his first Texas League MVP, Ft. Worth's Ramon Lugo won his second, slashing .328/.399/.639, while pounding out 189 hits, scoring 112 runs, and racking up 21 doubles, a league-high 16 triples, 42 homers, and 123 RBI, while stealing 33 bases, earning his award with ease.

For a second year in a row, Dallas' Oscar Mondragon was named king of the hill, going 17-13 with a league-leading 2.96 ERA, striking out 138 over a league-leading 273.1 innings, also tossing a league-high 11 complete games.

Though he never won a Pitcher of the Year award, Galveston's Phil Easton had a legendary career that came to an end this season. The rock-solid righty pitched 21 years on Galveston Island, winning 269 games and logging 4424.1 innings (both second all-time at his retirement) and a league-record 655 starts (since broken). He also set a still-standing Texas League record by being named to 17 All-Star teams.

The Eastern Baseball Federation send the Federation's all-time home run leader, plus an under-appreciated first baseman to the Hall of Fame:

2B Steve Bishop (1959-77), 96.9%
1B Tim Dubberke (1953-72), 76.5%

Meanwhile, the PCL inducted an ironman catcher who reache dup over 3,200 hits in 23 years behind the plate:

C Jason Flores (1955-77), 88.5%

Finally, the Texas League sent a slick-fielding (seven Great Gloves) with over 2,600 hits to the Hall, who also was the last Hall of Fame inductee to debut in the TL while it was still a minor league:

SS Bobby Lopez (1953-73), 75.7%

---

For the second year in a row, an American Baseball League team changed it's name, as New Haven looked to update their updated Weavers moniker that was once befitting of the former mill town, settling on the more modern New Haven Knights.

On the field, three of the four division winners (Richmond, Nashville, and Denver) all won at least 100 games, with Denver boasting the highest-scoring ABL offense (937 runs) of all time. Spokane, meanwhile, won a very competitive West with 89 wins. For the first time under the eight-team playoff bracket, all four wild cards (Boston, Anaheim, Birmingham, and Chicago) were above .500.

In the first round, Boston, Denver, Birmingham, and Anaheim all moved on, with Denver being the only division champ to survive an upset bid. Both semifinals went the full five games, with Boston upsetting Denver and Anaheim downing Birmingham. In an unlikely finals matchup, the Pilgrims said adios to the Amigos, earning the first league championship in the 84-year history of the franchise.

Nashville rookie Luis Acosta came on extremely strong, going 22-9 with a 2.22 ERA, leading the ABL in wins and striking out a league-high 312 batters in 276.0 innings earning a sweep of MVP and Pitcher of the Year awards. Oddly enough, he did not win Rookie of the Year somehow.

---

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 87-67, defeats Montgomery
Colonial League: Pawtucket Patriots, 83-57, defeats Pittsfield
River Valley League: Erie Sailors, 95-45, defeats Charleston (WV) (2nd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Billings Mustangs, 77-49, defeats Cheyenne
Coastal League: Wilmington (DE) Blue Rocks, 87-67, defeats Charlotte
Northern League: St. Paul Saints, 88-52, defeats La Crosse
Southwest League: Santa Barbara Foresters, 85-69, defeats Albuquerque
Southern Association: Joplin Jaspers, 79-61, defeats Biloxi
Northwest League: Tacoma Mountaineers, 92-63, defeats Reno
Can-Am League: Ottawa Capitals, 69-58, defeats Springfield
Mid-Atlantic League: Altoona Engineers, 77-63, defeats Worcester
Lone Star League: Rio Grande White Wings, 87-53, defeats Lubbock
Great Plains League: Peoria Distillers, 78-62, defeats South Bend (3rd straight)
Florida Coast League: Daytona Islanders, 79-61, defeats St. Petersburg (2nd straight)
Big Sky League: Ogden Railroaders, 76-56, defeats Calgary
Heartland League: Quad Cities Trappers, 80-60, defeats Madison

A couple leagues featured extremely tight races, starting with the Southern Association, where five teams within six games of first place. Not to be outdone, the Can-Am League had three teams finish a game apart at the top (including two tied) and six teams with 6 1/2 games of the top.

Lastly, the Big Sky League, split evenly between Canadian and American teams, saw U.S. teams win six of the first eight titles. However, the Canucks turned the tables, with a Canadian team winning ten-straight BSL titles, a streak that finally ended with Ogden's title this season.

01-06-2025, 03:02 AM	#93
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	On Eagles Wings 1983 When the 1983 season got underway, the majority of the major leagues were more competitive than normal and there were less dominant teams than normal, leading up to an exciting summer. In the Northern Conference, there was one dominant team and it was the Newark Eagles, who won 106 games to easily take the Eastern League, their fourth playoff appearance in a row. However, Albany and the Philadelphia A's needed a 163rd game to decide second place, with the Adirondacks taking the tiebreaker. The Midwest Association saw Cleveland take the pennant for their first playoff appearance in a dozen years, but first pennant since 1947. Detroit finished second, edging out Milwaukee by two games for the final playoff spot. In the postseason, Albany got off to a roaring start, sweeping Cleveland in the semifinals. Newark, meanwhile, took care of business, downing Detroit in six games. The Eagles then firmly showed who the better team was, beating down the Adirondacks in a four-game sweep to win their first Conference Championship since the conference split and first big-league title since their 1941 Eastern Baseball Federation Championship. The Southern Conference had no dominant teams, with nobody winning more than 92 games. Washington won 91 contests, finishing three games up on Norfolk, as both squads reached the playoffs from the Eastern League. It was the Senator's 11th playoff bid in a row and Norfolk's first in five years. In the Western League, Kansas City won their third-straight pennant, but New Orleans and Pittsburgh tied for second. The Pelicans took the 163rd contest, earning their first playoff trip in five seasons. In the first round, the two top seeds took care of business, with Kansas City taking down Norfolk in five games and Washington doing the same with New Orleans, though in six contests. The greatest non-politicial dynasty in D.C. history continued as the Senators knocked off the Blues in seven games for their fourth Conference Championship in a decade. While the rest of the country was far from dominant, the Pacific Coast League struggled with the same problem as the year prior: three dominant teams and almost nothing else. Seattle (125-75) outlasted San Francisco (123-77) to win the North, with both teams heading to October. San Diego won a league-best 128 games to cakewalk to the South title, while Los Angeles, 30 games back at 98-102, backed into the final playoff spot by finishing two games up on Hollywood. The first round series were both sweeps, one surprising (San Francisco over San Diego) and one...not so much (Seattle over Los Angeles). With the two dominant North teams in the finals, the Rainiers sunk the Seals in six games, Seattle's third PCL title in five years. Down in Texas, the Fort Worth Panthers won the North at a league-best 97-65, ten games ahead of Dallas, who held off Wichita for their eighth playoff bid in nine years. The South saw Galveston with their first division crown in six years, unseating El Paso, who finished three games back, but still reached the playoffs for the seventh year in a row. In the first round, Fort Worth took out El Paso in seven games, while the Galveston Hurricanes also battled for seven games, before downing Dallas. The Hurricanes then blew right through Ft. Worth, pounding the Panthers in five games for Galveston's first TL title in 11 years. In the national tournament, one of the two favorites got off a strong start, as the Newark Eagles (NOR) defeat the Washington Senators (SOU). The other co-favorite went down, though, as the Galveston Hurricanes (TL) defeat the Seattle Rainiers (PCL), guaranteeing a first-time National Champion. Galveston was looking to become the fourth-straight champ out of the Texas League, but it was not to be, as the *Newark Eagles (NOR) defeat the Galveston Hurricanes (TL), 4-2* to win their first National Championship. Two years after winning first Northern Conference MVP, Newark's Peter Fredette earned his second as he anchored the National Championship squad. The 30-year-old third baseman slashed .319/.381/.502 with 199 hits, a conference-high 117 runs, 28 doubles, 13 triples, 20 homers, 108 RBI, and 26 steals to take the trophy. Lefty Hugh Marcotte spent the majority (17 years) of his 23-year pro career with Brooklyn, and despite pitching for a last-place team, the 26-year-old went 16-7 with a conference-best 2.59 ERA, working 222.2 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year, the only one of his long career. Long removed from his days as a three-time Pitcher of the Year in the late 60's in the PCL, Albany's Kevin Corbett was still chugging along, posting 257.1 innings with a 3.11 ERA at 41 years old. In his 20th pro season Corbett earned his 300th win (and 200th for Albany) on July 2, becoming the first 300-game winner since 1941. In the Southern Conference, a Hawaiian outfielder born in New Jersey dominated in Kansas City, as 26-year-old Penekiko Omaroo slashed .303/.377/.541, with 186 hits, 31 doubles, 29 home runs, 112 RBI, 31 steals, and conference-leading totals of 124 runs and 14 triples, taking home MVP honors. Two years after taking home Pitcher of the Year and MVP, Blues righty Jose Lopez put together another strong year. The 26-year-old went 20-9 with a 3.24 ERA and 264 strikeouts in 255.2 innings, leading the South in wins and strikeouts. It was the first of four straight years Lopez would lead the conference in K's, putting him on track to blow past 3,000 strikeouts, but he came up just short after falling off hard after his 32nd birthday. In the Pacific Coast League, San Francisco centerfielder Aaron Navarro won his second MVP in three years, slashing .323/.408/.552 with 218 hits, 142 runs, 37 doubles, 9 triples, 33 homers, a league-high 145 RBI, and 58 stolen bases to easily win the voting. Another year, another Pitcher of the Year crown for Seattle's Jamie Evans, his third in a row. The Rainier ace went 27-10 with a 2.02 ERA, leading the PCL in wins, ERA, innings (343.2), complete games (21), and shutouts (6), while striking out 260. It was his third year in a row leading the PCL in wins, ERA, and innings, while he fell 20 strikeouts short of his third-straight Triple Crown. Four years after his first Texas League MVP, Ft. Worth's Ramon Lugo won his second, slashing .328/.399/.639, while pounding out 189 hits, scoring 112 runs, and racking up 21 doubles, a league-high 16 triples, 42 homers, and 123 RBI, while stealing 33 bases, earning his award with ease. For a second year in a row, Dallas' Oscar Mondragon was named king of the hill, going 17-13 with a league-leading 2.96 ERA, striking out 138 over a league-leading 273.1 innings, also tossing a league-high 11 complete games. Though he never won a Pitcher of the Year award, Galveston's Phil Easton had a legendary career that came to an end this season. The rock-solid righty pitched 21 years on Galveston Island, winning 269 games and logging 4424.1 innings (both second all-time at his retirement) and a league-record 655 starts (since broken). He also set a still-standing Texas League record by being named to 17 All-Star teams. The Eastern Baseball Federation send the Federation's all-time home run leader, plus an under-appreciated first baseman to the Hall of Fame: 2B Steve Bishop (1959-77), 96.9% 1B Tim Dubberke (1953-72), 76.5% Meanwhile, the PCL inducted an ironman catcher who reache dup over 3,200 hits in 23 years behind the plate: C Jason Flores (1955-77), 88.5% Finally, the Texas League sent a slick-fielding (seven Great Gloves) with over 2,600 hits to the Hall, who also was the last Hall of Fame inductee to debut in the TL while it was still a minor league: SS Bobby Lopez (1953-73), 75.7% --- For the second year in a row, an American Baseball League team changed it's name, as New Haven looked to update their updated Weavers moniker that was once befitting of the former mill town, settling on the more modern *New Haven Knights. On the field, three of the four division winners (Richmond, Nashville, and Denver) all won at least 100 games, with Denver boasting the highest-scoring ABL offense (937 runs) of all time. Spokane, meanwhile, won a very competitive West with 89 wins. For the first time under the eight-team playoff bracket, all four wild cards (Boston, Anaheim, Birmingham, and Chicago) were above .500. In the first round, Boston, Denver, Birmingham, and Anaheim all moved on, with Denver being the only division champ to survive an upset bid. Both semifinals went the full five games, with Boston upsetting Denver and Anaheim downing Birmingham. In an unlikely finals matchup, the Pilgrims said adios to the Amigos, earning the first league championship in the 84-year history of the franchise. Nashville rookie Luis Acosta* came on extremely strong, going 22-9 with a 2.22 ERA, leading the ABL in wins and striking out a league-high 312 batters in 276.0 innings earning a sweep of MVP and Pitcher of the Year awards. Oddly enough, he did not win Rookie of the Year somehow. --- Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 87-67, defeats Montgomery Colonial League: Pawtucket Patriots, 83-57, defeats Pittsfield River Valley League: Erie Sailors, 95-45, defeats Charleston (WV) (2nd straight) Rocky Mountain League: Billings Mustangs, 77-49, defeats Cheyenne Coastal League: Wilmington (DE) Blue Rocks, 87-67, defeats Charlotte Northern League: St. Paul Saints, 88-52, defeats La Crosse Southwest League: Santa Barbara Foresters, 85-69, defeats Albuquerque Southern Association: Joplin Jaspers, 79-61, defeats Biloxi Northwest League: Tacoma Mountaineers, 92-63, defeats Reno Can-Am League: Ottawa Capitals, 69-58, defeats Springfield Mid-Atlantic League: Altoona Engineers, 77-63, defeats Worcester Lone Star League: Rio Grande White Wings, 87-53, defeats Lubbock Great Plains League: Peoria Distillers, 78-62, defeats South Bend (3rd straight) Florida Coast League: Daytona Islanders, 79-61, defeats St. Petersburg (2nd straight) Big Sky League: Ogden Railroaders, 76-56, defeats Calgary Heartland League: Quad Cities Trappers, 80-60, defeats Madison A couple leagues featured extremely tight races, starting with the Southern Association, where five teams within six games of first place. Not to be outdone, the Can-Am League had three teams finish a game apart at the top (including two tied) and six teams with 6 1/2 games of the top. Lastly, the Big Sky League, split evenly between Canadian and American teams, saw U.S. teams win six of the first eight titles. However, the Canucks turned the tables, with a Canadian team winning ten-straight BSL titles, a streak that finally ended with Ogden's title this season.