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KCRoyals15 · 01-06-2025, 05:22 PM

1984

The year was 1984, but fortunately nothing Orwellian was going on this season, just the 85th season of USBF play, including the historic 30th season of the Texas League at the big-league level.

In the Northern Conference, the Newark Eagles won the New England League, earning their fifth-straight playoff birth. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Quakers and Manhattan tied for second, but the Quakers took the playoff for their first playoff spot in four years. The Midwest Association saw Detroit won 105 games, their most since 1940, to take the pennant, their third playoff spot in a row. Cleveland finished second to take the last playoff spot.

In the postseason, defending National Champion Newark started off their title defense by bouncing Philadelphia in five games. At the same time, Detroit was taking care of Cleveland in six games. The Wolverines, though, were too much for the Eagles, winning in six games to give Detroit their first Conference Championship since winning it all in 1950.

The Southern Conference featured a pair of 100-win teams, with Norfolk winning that many games for the first time since 1942 and won their first Eastern League pennant since 1946. Washington pushed hard, but settled for a comfortable second two games back, reaching the playoffs for the 12th year in a row. Kansas City won the Western League for the fourth year in a row with 101 wins, while St. Louis finished second four games back.

Norfolk started off their postseason journey well, defeating St. Louis in five games, while Kansas City also dispatched Washington quickly, sinking the Senators in five games. The Conference Championship went the distance, but the Blues came out on top, knocking off the Admirals to win their second conference title in three years.

The Pacific Coast League didn't have as stark difference in competitiveness as the last two years, but still had one juggernaut. Seattle took the North, with San Francisco filing in behind them, as each made their ninth playoff appearance in a row. In the South, San Diego posted the best season in franchise history, going 139-61 to win the South for the fifth year in a row, winning it by a staggering 46 games over Hawaii, who limped into second place (and therefore the playoffs) at 93-107.

in the postseason, the Islanders did not have a historic upset in them, as Seattle swept them in four games. Meanwhile, San Diego got a battle from San Francisco, but the Friars got the job done in seven games. The Padres then survived another push from the Rainiers, sending Seattle home with a six-game series win, San Diego's third PCL title in four years.

In the Texas League, Dallas made their third playoff appearance in a row, winning the North by two games over Fort Worth, setting up an all-Metroplex semifinal. In the South, Austin won 103 games, their most as a big-league team, and El Paso won a franchise-record 100 contests. This was the first season in TL history that two teams won 100 games.

The Texas League playoffs saw Fort Worth down their crosstown rivals in five games, while Austin vanquished El Paso in a seven-game battle that observers called the true Texas League championship. However, it wasn't the real one, as a motivated Fort Worth squad turned around and waxed Austin in five games to win their first league title in a decade. It also gave the Texas League six different league champions in the last six years—impressive for a ten-team league.

In the national tournament, three leagues were represented by heavyweights and two of them squared off right away, with the Detroit Wolverines (NOR) defeating the Kansas City Blues (SOU) at the same time that the top team in the country took care of business, as the San Diego Padres (PCL) defeat the Fort Worth Panthers (TL). With the top two regular-season records facing off, the Friars were too much, as the San Diego Padres (PCL) defeat the Detroit Wolverines (NOR), 4-2 to give the Padres their first National Championship since 1968 and their fourth overall.

For Newark's division-winner, third baseman Peter Fredette starred once more, winning his third Northern Conference MVP in four years. The 31-year-old slashed .312/.389/.525 with 189 hits, 104 runs, 26 doubles, 11 triples, 27 homers, 102 RBI, and 26 stolen bases as he collected the trophy in back-to-back years.

In a year devoid of a true dominant pitcher, a rather surprising Pitcher of the Year emerged: New York left-hander Alex Martinez. The 25-year-old, who made his only All-Star team this year, went 16-10 with a conference-best 2.09 ERA, striking out 135 in 250.0 innings. It was the highlight of a career where Martinez went just 84-93 as a big-leaguer.

Milwaukee shortstop Mark Oxford finally started to slow down after his seemingly-endless run of MVP-caliber seasons. The 37-year-old in his 16th season stroked his 3,000th hit on May 13, a lofty total that he was nowhere near done adding on to.

In the Southern Conference, Norfolk's historic season was led by outfielder John Schob. The 26-year-old already in his fifth season slashed .353/.441/.542 with 201 hits, 114 runs, 24 doubles, a conference-leading 18 triples, 16 homers, 86 RBI, and 63 steals, earning the only MVP of a career that could've easily had a few more.

Like the North, the South also saw a surprise Pitcher of the Year from a non-playoff team. Miami's Mark Culler was just 16-15, but led the conference in ERA (2.75), starts (36), and innings (265.1), while striking out 206 batters. Culler also had a middling career, going just 76-98 in nine big-league seasons.

New Orleans' Ryan Castillo had a strong injury-marred year, batting .343 with 27 homers in just 100 games. The most notable thing he did, though, was crushing a quartet of homers on July 5 against Atlanta, the fifth four-homer game in major league history and the first since 1969.

The Pacific Coast League had a superstar rookie crash onto the scene, as San Diego's historic year was power in large part by 24-year-old centerfielder Justin Arnold. He slashed .306/.415/.575 in his debut campaign, with 211 hits, 148 runs, 37 doubles, 11 triples, led the PCL with 42 homers and 149 RBI, and added 45 steals, easily earning Rookie of the Year and MVP.

On the mound, Seattle's Jamie Evans had already dominated his first three seasons, but this season was his magnum opus. The lefty went 31-3 with a 2.22 ERA, leading the PCL in wins, ERA, innings (344.0), complete games (19) and shutouts (9) while striking out 288 batters and becoming the most recent 30-game winner in professional baseball.

In the Texas League, El Paso outfielder Lance Corle had a 36-at bat cup of coffee in 1983. In his first full season, the 23-year-old logged a historic season, slashing .298/.386/.612 with 161 hits, 114 runs, 29 doubles, and led the league where 47 homers and a (since-broken) league-record 153 RBI, taking home MVP and Rookie of the Year.

On the mound, Dallas lefty Tony Dominguez had been generally solid over his first eight big-league seasons, but the 29-year-old hit his peak in year number nine, going 18-8 and led the TL with a 2.31 ERA and 236 strikeouts over 233.1 innings, earning the only Pitcher of the Year of his 17-year career.

The Texas League said goodbye to another Dallas pitcher, lefty Carlos Pena, who pitched his 20th and final season. Pena finished his career with 4,182 strikeouts, the most of any big-league pitcher ever.

In a quiet year on the Hall of Fame front, the Eastern Baseball Federation sent a stunningly consistent first baseman to the Hall:

1B Matt Schomberg (1959-74), 85.2%

---

In the American Baseball League, Boston, Vancouver, Nashville, and Denver took division crowns, with the Vols leading the pack with 101 wins. Richmond, Spokane, Columbus, and Chicago took the wild card spots. On the other side, Cincinnati's already-wretched franchise hit a new low, bottoming out at 40-122, their third 100-loss season in a row.

In the playoffs, every division winner except Vancouver advanced, with Boston, Denver, Nashville, and Spokane moved on, with all four series going four games. In the semis, Denver swept Boston in three, while Nashville took down Spokane in Spokane in four. In the finals, the Vols vaulted to the top, downing the Bears in seven games for Nashville's second American Baseball Cup in three seasons.

Denver's high-powered offense was led by Derrick Raney, who led the ABL in homers and RBI as a rookie, then did the same thing this season, slashing .260/.360/.560 with 49 homers and 129 RBI, also ripping 153 hits and 27 doubles, and scoring a league-high 111 runs. For the second-straight season, Nashville's Luis Acosta took Pitcher of the Year, going 19-10 with a league-leading 2.42 ERA, striking out 260 over 253.0 innings.

---

Southeastern League: Memphis Chicks, 84-70, defeats Savannah
Colonial League: Pittsfield Colonials, 81-59, defeats Reading
River Valley League: Erie Sailors, 81-59, defeats Charleston (WV) (3rd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 77-49, defeats Billings
Coastal League: Wilmington (DE) Blue Rocks, 88-66, defeats Charlotte (2nd straight)
Northern League: St. Paul Saints, 81-59, defeats Green Bay (2nd straight)
Southwest League: Santa Barbara Foresters, 103-51, defeats Modesto (2nd straight)
Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 82-58, defeats Biloxi
Northwest League: Reno High Rollers, 103-51, defeats Bellingham
Can-Am League: Portland Lobsters, 76-50, defeats Utica
Mid-Atlantic League: Worcester Tornadoes, 79-61, defeats Allentown
Lone Star League: Midland-Odessa Panthers, 77-63, defeats San Angelo
Great Plains League: South Bend Silver Hawks, 79-62, defeats Salina
Florida Coast League: St. Petersburg Saints, 75-66, defeats Huntsville
Big Sky League: Regina Giants, 65-67, defeats Calgary
Heartland League: Cedar Rapids Reds, 75-65, defeats Sioux City

The lower reaches of the minors had a pair of exciting races, with the Florida Coast League seeing three teams within one game for second place. St. Petersburg and Daytona tied for second and the Saints won the playoff, then beat Huntsville for the title.

In the newest circuit, the Heartland League, Sioux City won the league, but five teams were within five games of second, with Cedar Rapids emerging ahead of the pack and eventually winning the league.

01-06-2025, 05:22 PM	#94
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	Friar-ing the Competition 1984 The year was 1984, but fortunately nothing Orwellian was going on this season, just the 85th season of USBF play, including the historic 30th season of the Texas League at the big-league level. In the Northern Conference, the Newark Eagles won the New England League, earning their fifth-straight playoff birth. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Quakers and Manhattan tied for second, but the Quakers took the playoff for their first playoff spot in four years. The Midwest Association saw Detroit won 105 games, their most since 1940, to take the pennant, their third playoff spot in a row. Cleveland finished second to take the last playoff spot. In the postseason, defending National Champion Newark started off their title defense by bouncing Philadelphia in five games. At the same time, Detroit was taking care of Cleveland in six games. The Wolverines, though, were too much for the Eagles, winning in six games to give Detroit their first Conference Championship since winning it all in 1950. The Southern Conference featured a pair of 100-win teams, with Norfolk winning that many games for the first time since 1942 and won their first Eastern League pennant since 1946. Washington pushed hard, but settled for a comfortable second two games back, reaching the playoffs for the 12th year in a row. Kansas City won the Western League for the fourth year in a row with 101 wins, while St. Louis finished second four games back. Norfolk started off their postseason journey well, defeating St. Louis in five games, while Kansas City also dispatched Washington quickly, sinking the Senators in five games. The Conference Championship went the distance, but the Blues came out on top, knocking off the Admirals to win their second conference title in three years. The Pacific Coast League didn't have as stark difference in competitiveness as the last two years, but still had one juggernaut. Seattle took the North, with San Francisco filing in behind them, as each made their ninth playoff appearance in a row. In the South, San Diego posted the best season in franchise history, going 139-61 to win the South for the fifth year in a row, winning it by a staggering 46 games over Hawaii, who limped into second place (and therefore the playoffs) at 93-107. in the postseason, the Islanders did not have a historic upset in them, as Seattle swept them in four games. Meanwhile, San Diego got a battle from San Francisco, but the Friars got the job done in seven games. The Padres then survived another push from the Rainiers, sending Seattle home with a six-game series win, San Diego's third PCL title in four years. In the Texas League, Dallas made their third playoff appearance in a row, winning the North by two games over Fort Worth, setting up an all-Metroplex semifinal. In the South, Austin won 103 games, their most as a big-league team, and El Paso won a franchise-record 100 contests. This was the first season in TL history that two teams won 100 games. The Texas League playoffs saw Fort Worth down their crosstown rivals in five games, while Austin vanquished El Paso in a seven-game battle that observers called the true Texas League championship. However, it wasn't the real one, as a motivated Fort Worth squad turned around and waxed Austin in five games to win their first league title in a decade. It also gave the Texas League six different league champions in the last six years—impressive for a ten-team league. In the national tournament, three leagues were represented by heavyweights and two of them squared off right away, with the Detroit Wolverines (NOR) defeating the Kansas City Blues (SOU) at the same time that the top team in the country took care of business, as the San Diego Padres (PCL) defeat the Fort Worth Panthers (TL). With the top two regular-season records facing off, the Friars were too much, as the *San Diego Padres (PCL) defeat the Detroit Wolverines (NOR), 4-2* to give the Padres their first National Championship since 1968 and their fourth overall. For Newark's division-winner, third baseman Peter Fredette starred once more, winning his third Northern Conference MVP in four years. The 31-year-old slashed .312/.389/.525 with 189 hits, 104 runs, 26 doubles, 11 triples, 27 homers, 102 RBI, and 26 stolen bases as he collected the trophy in back-to-back years. In a year devoid of a true dominant pitcher, a rather surprising Pitcher of the Year emerged: New York left-hander Alex Martinez. The 25-year-old, who made his only All-Star team this year, went 16-10 with a conference-best 2.09 ERA, striking out 135 in 250.0 innings. It was the highlight of a career where Martinez went just 84-93 as a big-leaguer. Milwaukee shortstop Mark Oxford finally started to slow down after his seemingly-endless run of MVP-caliber seasons. The 37-year-old in his 16th season stroked his 3,000th hit on May 13, a lofty total that he was nowhere near done adding on to. In the Southern Conference, Norfolk's historic season was led by outfielder John Schob. The 26-year-old already in his fifth season slashed .353/.441/.542 with 201 hits, 114 runs, 24 doubles, a conference-leading 18 triples, 16 homers, 86 RBI, and 63 steals, earning the only MVP of a career that could've easily had a few more. Like the North, the South also saw a surprise Pitcher of the Year from a non-playoff team. Miami's Mark Culler was just 16-15, but led the conference in ERA (2.75), starts (36), and innings (265.1), while striking out 206 batters. Culler also had a middling career, going just 76-98 in nine big-league seasons. New Orleans' Ryan Castillo had a strong injury-marred year, batting .343 with 27 homers in just 100 games. The most notable thing he did, though, was crushing a quartet of homers on July 5 against Atlanta, the fifth four-homer game in major league history and the first since 1969. The Pacific Coast League had a superstar rookie crash onto the scene, as San Diego's historic year was power in large part by 24-year-old centerfielder Justin Arnold. He slashed .306/.415/.575 in his debut campaign, with 211 hits, 148 runs, 37 doubles, 11 triples, led the PCL with 42 homers and 149 RBI, and added 45 steals, easily earning Rookie of the Year and MVP. On the mound, Seattle's Jamie Evans had already dominated his first three seasons, but this season was his magnum opus. The lefty went 31-3 with a 2.22 ERA, leading the PCL in wins, ERA, innings (344.0), complete games (19) and shutouts (9) while striking out 288 batters and becoming the most recent 30-game winner in professional baseball. In the Texas League, El Paso outfielder Lance Corle had a 36-at bat cup of coffee in 1983. In his first full season, the 23-year-old logged a historic season, slashing .298/.386/.612 with 161 hits, 114 runs, 29 doubles, and led the league where 47 homers and a (since-broken) league-record 153 RBI, taking home MVP and Rookie of the Year. On the mound, Dallas lefty Tony Dominguez had been generally solid over his first eight big-league seasons, but the 29-year-old hit his peak in year number nine, going 18-8 and led the TL with a 2.31 ERA and 236 strikeouts over 233.1 innings, earning the only Pitcher of the Year of his 17-year career. The Texas League said goodbye to another Dallas pitcher, lefty Carlos Pena, who pitched his 20th and final season. Pena finished his career with 4,182 strikeouts, the most of any big-league pitcher ever. In a quiet year on the Hall of Fame front, the Eastern Baseball Federation sent a stunningly consistent first baseman to the Hall: 1B Matt Schomberg (1959-74), 85.2% --- In the American Baseball League, Boston, Vancouver, Nashville, and Denver took division crowns, with the Vols leading the pack with 101 wins. Richmond, Spokane, Columbus, and Chicago took the wild card spots. On the other side, Cincinnati's already-wretched franchise hit a new low, bottoming out at 40-122, their third 100-loss season in a row. In the playoffs, every division winner except Vancouver advanced, with Boston, Denver, Nashville, and Spokane moved on, with all four series going four games. In the semis, Denver swept Boston in three, while Nashville took down Spokane in Spokane in four. In the finals, the Vols vaulted to the top, downing the Bears in seven games for Nashville's second American Baseball Cup in three seasons. Denver's high-powered offense was led by Derrick Raney, who led the ABL in homers and RBI as a rookie, then did the same thing this season, slashing .260/.360/.560 with 49 homers and 129 RBI, also ripping 153 hits and 27 doubles, and scoring a league-high 111 runs. For the second-straight season, Nashville's Luis Acosta took Pitcher of the Year, going 19-10 with a league-leading 2.42 ERA, striking out 260 over 253.0 innings. --- Southeastern League: Memphis Chicks, 84-70, defeats Savannah Colonial League: Pittsfield Colonials, 81-59, defeats Reading River Valley League: Erie Sailors, 81-59, defeats Charleston (WV) (3rd straight) Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 77-49, defeats Billings Coastal League: Wilmington (DE) Blue Rocks, 88-66, defeats Charlotte (2nd straight) Northern League: St. Paul Saints, 81-59, defeats Green Bay (2nd straight) Southwest League: Santa Barbara Foresters, 103-51, defeats Modesto (2nd straight) Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 82-58, defeats Biloxi Northwest League: Reno High Rollers, 103-51, defeats Bellingham Can-Am League: Portland Lobsters, 76-50, defeats Utica Mid-Atlantic League: Worcester Tornadoes, 79-61, defeats Allentown Lone Star League: Midland-Odessa Panthers, 77-63, defeats San Angelo Great Plains League: South Bend Silver Hawks, 79-62, defeats Salina Florida Coast League: St. Petersburg Saints, 75-66, defeats Huntsville Big Sky League: Regina Giants, 65-67, defeats Calgary Heartland League: Cedar Rapids Reds, 75-65, defeats Sioux City The lower reaches of the minors had a pair of exciting races, with the Florida Coast League seeing three teams within one game for second place. St. Petersburg and Daytona tied for second and the Saints won the playoff, then beat Huntsville for the title. In the newest circuit, the Heartland League, Sioux City won the league, but five teams were within five games of second, with Cedar Rapids emerging ahead of the pack and eventually winning the league. Last edited by KCRoyals15; 01-08-2025 at 05:11 PM.