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KCRoyals15 · 01-07-2025, 02:16 PM

1985

Back when there was Springsteen, Madonna, and way before Nirvana, there were repeats, dominance, and a few tight races in between. Then there were two teams in a final duel, which turned out to be pretty cool. That's how fans were preoccupied, in 19, 19, 1985.

In the Northern Conference, Newark won their third straight New England League pennant, just edging out the Philadelphia Quakers, who took second. For the second year in a row, Detroit won the Midwest Association, while Cleveland punched a playoff ticket for the third-straight season.

In the postseason, Detroit, started things off with a six-game series win over Cleveland, while Newark ripped through the Quakers as if they were a bowl of oats, sweeping Philadelphia. The Eagles continued their hot play, disposing the Wolverines in six games to win their second Conference Championship in three years.

In the South, Norfolk took their second Eastern League pennant in a row, finishing four games of Washington, who cruised into second to snag their 13th playoff berth in a row. The Western League saw New Orleans win an EBF-high 100 games for the pennant, while Kansas City finished second.

In October, Kansas City and New Orleans battled for seven games, ending with the Blues pulling off the first-round upset. Norfolk, meanwhile, took care of Washington in six games. The Admirals were more than admirable, sweeping Kansas City to secure the franchise's first Conference Championship.

The Pacific Coast League featured two runaway dynasties. In the North, it was Seattle winning 136 games, finishing 27 games ahead of Sacramento, who edged out San Francisco by three games to earn their first playoff spot in a decade.

The South featured San Diego going a jaw-dropping 141-59, the most wins in USBF history, while also becoming the first team to even top 3 million fans, with 3,128,541 customers clicking through the turnstiles. The Padres pummeled their division, finishing a record 53 games ahead of second-place Hollywood. In a division with the best team of all-time, the Stars became the worst playoff participant of all-time at 88-112, backing into their first playoff spot in seven years.

In the playoffs, Sacramento dealt Seattle a first-round upset, rupturing the Rainiers in six games. Meanwhile, Hollywood put up an admirable fight, but lost in six games to San Diego. The Solons did not have a second upset in them, as the Padres' wrecking crew took their fourth PCL title in five years in a six-game clash.

That left the Texas League, where the Dallas Lone Stars won the North with a league-high 99 wins, making the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 years. Wichita finished second to punch their first playoff ticket in three years. The South was a two-horse race that ended with El Paso edging out Austin by a nose (one game), with both teams heading to the postseason.

In the first round, an evenly-matched series between El Paso and Austin went the distance, with the Wranglers coming out on top. The North was the opposite, with Dallas sweeping Wichita. The well-rested Lone Stars were too much, defeating Austin in six games to hand Dallas their fourth Texas League title in nine years.

In the national tournament, the first trip for Norfolk was a quick one, as the Newark Eagles (NOR) defeat the Norfolk Admirals (SOU) in the first round, while the juggernaut out west kept rolling, as the San Diego Padres (PCL) defeat the Dallas Lone Stars (TL). For the second time in USBF history, the last two National Champions matched up in the championship series, but one of the best teams of all-time was too much, as the San Diego Padres (PCL) defeat the Newark Eagles (NOR), 4-2 to finish off a historic trek and repeat as National Champions, their fifth overall.

Detroit second baseman Jaylen Williams was already a .300 hitter and speed merchant for several years, but in the mid-80's, he kicked his production into another gear. After batting .350 in 1984, the 29-year-old slashed .372/.424/.495, winning the Northern Conference batting title and also leading with 245 hits, 133 runs, and 81 steals, while adding 26 doubles, 8 triples, 13 homers, and 76 RBI, easily winning his first MVP.

Right-hander John Tishler was a middling arm at best over 4½ mediocre seasons in Hawaii (52-75, 5.00 ERA). In mid-1984, he was traded to Newark and immediately the Eagles unlocked something and he flipped into an ace overnight. The following year, he was 18-8 with a conference-low 2.69 ERA, leading the North with 186 strikeouts in 254.1 innings, earning Northern Conference Pitcher of the Year.

In the Southern Conference, Jacksonville slugger Aaron Wolford led the conference in homers the first four years of his career. After failing to do so in 1984, he slashed .269/.330/.571 with a conference-best 51 homers and 125 RBI, posting the first 50-homer season in the South in 14 years and taking home the MVP trophy.

Norfolk's 25-year-old Taiwanese rookie Ming-Ah Zhu took the lead by storm, going 23-8 with a 2.61 ERA as a rookie, leading the South in both marks and striking out 154 in 238.1 innings to take home Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year. However, things went south very fast. Despite no discernable injuries, Zhu lost his rotation spot two years later, and threw his final MLB pitch just four years later, retiring with nearly half of his 47 big-league wins coming in his memorable rookie campaign.

The Pacific Coast League was completely overwhelmed by a rookie slugger from Seattle named Marco Adams. The 25-year-old first baseman won the PCL Triple Crown with an unfathomable .392/.464/.724 slash line (all league highs) and led the PCL with 280 hits, 62 homers, and 186 RBI, while adding 47 doubles and 166 runs. Adams tied the PCL record for homers, set still-standing records for slugging, OPS (1.188) and total bases (517), while his .392 average was the best since 1929 and his 186 RBI the most since 1930. All-told it was a laughably easy MVP (and Rookie of the Year) vote.

On the mound, it remained the Jamie Evans show as the Rainiers' lefty won his fifth Pitcher of the Year award. For the fifth-straight year, he led the PCL in wins and innings, going 26-9 in 329.1 innings, though his 3.01 didn't league the league (the first time he didn't), while he struck out 320 batters and led the PCL with 15 complete games and 7 shutouts. it would be the final award for the 28-year-old, who won 28 games in 1986 (along with a career-high 329 strikeouts), but then began fading in his 30's, retiring at 36 in 1992.

In the Texas League, Dallas ace Oscar Mondragon paced his championship club with his best year. He went 24-6 with a 1.96 ERA in 288.2 innings, leading the TL in all three categories, while adding 146 strikeouts and a league-leading 12 complete games and 5 shutouts. That effort earned him both his third Pitcher of the Year and an MVP award.

It was a banner year for longtime Fort Worth stalwart Manuel Barrientos, who was still humming along at 41 years old in his 19th season. On April 16, he earned his 250th career win, but the more notable accomplishment was picking up his 3,000th strikeout in his final start of the season on October 4, becoming the third (and most recent) TL pitcher to hit that mark.

The Eastern Baseball Federation had the busiest Hall of Fame weekend to date. Those elected included the only player with 3,000 hits and 500 homers, a rubber-armed righty, a slugger who barely missed 500 homers, a catcher who hit .302 lifetime while winning a record 16 Great Gloves, and the first reliever ever elected:

OF Tom Clark (1958-79), 96.7%
SP Willie Molina (1963-79), 83.5%
1B Steve Arnold (1958-76), 77.3%
C Andrew Garman (1957-76), 77.2%
RP Terry Schroeder (1964-76), 75.8%

Not to be outdone, the Pacific Coast League inducted a pair of new Hall of Famers as well, including a member of the 3,000-hit club:

OF Dan Maher (1956-73), 77.0%
OF Orlando Aviles (1961-75), 75.0%

---

In the American Baseball League, Boston, Spokane, and Birmingham won division titles, the latter with a franchise-record 102 wins. Denver then took the North with 114 wins, the second-most in ABL history. Richmond, Anaheim, Columbus, and Chicago took the wild cards, though Anaheim was .500 and Richmond was just 74-88, the worst playoff team in ABL history.

With many lopsided series, the first round was very uncompetitive, with three sweeps, and the other series going four games. However, all three sweeps were handed out by the wild card teams, with Boston being the only division winner to move on, joining Columbus, Anaheim, and Chicago. Both semifinals went the full five games, with Boston and Columbus coming out on top. The Pilgrims then emerged on top in a five-game series, earning their second American Baseball Cup in three years.

Birmingham first baseman Cale Ball did not debut until he was 29, he starred from the start. In his second season, he slashed .297/.420/.514 with 171 hits, 106 runs, 32 doubles, 29 homers, and 106 RBI, earning MVP. For the third year in a row, Nashville's Luis Acosta won Pitcher of the Year, going 19-12 with a 2.47 ERA, leading the ABL with 304 strikeouts and 38 starts in 270.0 innings.

---

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Savannah Cardinals, 82-72, defeat Memphis
Colonial League: Pittsfield Colonials, 85-55, defeats Reading (2nd straight)
River Valley League: Charleston (WV) Coal Sox, 89-51, defeats Grand Rapids
Rocky Mountain League: Ft. Collins Grizzlies, 79-47, defeats Butte
Coastal League: Charleston (SC) Cannons, 90-64, defeats Wilmington (DE)
Northern League: Green Bay Giants, 81-59, defeats Appleton Foxes
Southwest League: Modesto Growers, 98-56, defeats Santa Barbara
Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 75-65, defeats Springfield (2nd straight)
Northwest League: Yakima Tomahawks, 102-52, defeats Tacoma
Can-Am League: Portland Lobsters, 77-49, defeats Utica (2nd straight)
Mid-Atlantic League: Allentown Brewers, 82-58, defeats Roanoke
Lone Star League: Rio Grande White Wings, 84-56, defeats Laredo
Great Plains League: Topeka Hawks, 73-67, defeats Lincoln
Florida Coast League: Columbus Catfish, 73-67, defeats Daytona
Big Sky League: Regina Giants, 72-61, defeats Ogden (2nd straight)
Heartland League: Madison Black Wolves, 88-52, defeats Cedar Rapids

01-07-2025, 02:16 PM	#95
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	Re-Friared Dreams 1985 Back when there was Springsteen, Madonna, and way before Nirvana, there were repeats, dominance, and a few tight races in between. Then there were two teams in a final duel, which turned out to be pretty cool. That's how fans were preoccupied, in 19, 19, 1985. In the Northern Conference, Newark won their third straight New England League pennant, just edging out the Philadelphia Quakers, who took second. For the second year in a row, Detroit won the Midwest Association, while Cleveland punched a playoff ticket for the third-straight season. In the postseason, Detroit, started things off with a six-game series win over Cleveland, while Newark ripped through the Quakers as if they were a bowl of oats, sweeping Philadelphia. The Eagles continued their hot play, disposing the Wolverines in six games to win their second Conference Championship in three years. In the South, Norfolk took their second Eastern League pennant in a row, finishing four games of Washington, who cruised into second to snag their 13th playoff berth in a row. The Western League saw New Orleans win an EBF-high 100 games for the pennant, while Kansas City finished second. In October, Kansas City and New Orleans battled for seven games, ending with the Blues pulling off the first-round upset. Norfolk, meanwhile, took care of Washington in six games. The Admirals were more than admirable, sweeping Kansas City to secure the franchise's first Conference Championship. The Pacific Coast League featured two runaway dynasties. In the North, it was Seattle winning 136 games, finishing 27 games ahead of Sacramento, who edged out San Francisco by three games to earn their first playoff spot in a decade. The South featured San Diego going a jaw-dropping 141-59, the most wins in USBF history, while also becoming the first team to even top 3 million fans, with 3,128,541 customers clicking through the turnstiles. The Padres pummeled their division, finishing a record 53 games ahead of second-place Hollywood. In a division with the best team of all-time, the Stars became the worst playoff participant of all-time at 88-112, backing into their first playoff spot in seven years. In the playoffs, Sacramento dealt Seattle a first-round upset, rupturing the Rainiers in six games. Meanwhile, Hollywood put up an admirable fight, but lost in six games to San Diego. The Solons did not have a second upset in them, as the Padres' wrecking crew took their fourth PCL title in five years in a six-game clash. That left the Texas League, where the Dallas Lone Stars won the North with a league-high 99 wins, making the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 years. Wichita finished second to punch their first playoff ticket in three years. The South was a two-horse race that ended with El Paso edging out Austin by a nose (one game), with both teams heading to the postseason. In the first round, an evenly-matched series between El Paso and Austin went the distance, with the Wranglers coming out on top. The North was the opposite, with Dallas sweeping Wichita. The well-rested Lone Stars were too much, defeating Austin in six games to hand Dallas their fourth Texas League title in nine years. In the national tournament, the first trip for Norfolk was a quick one, as the Newark Eagles (NOR) defeat the Norfolk Admirals (SOU) in the first round, while the juggernaut out west kept rolling, as the San Diego Padres (PCL) defeat the Dallas Lone Stars (TL). For the second time in USBF history, the last two National Champions matched up in the championship series, but one of the best teams of all-time was too much, as the *San Diego Padres (PCL) defeat the Newark Eagles (NOR), 4-2* to finish off a historic trek and repeat as National Champions, their fifth overall. Detroit second baseman Jaylen Williams was already a .300 hitter and speed merchant for several years, but in the mid-80's, he kicked his production into another gear. After batting .350 in 1984, the 29-year-old slashed .372/.424/.495, winning the Northern Conference batting title and also leading with 245 hits, 133 runs, and 81 steals, while adding 26 doubles, 8 triples, 13 homers, and 76 RBI, easily winning his first MVP. Right-hander John Tishler was a middling arm at best over 4½ mediocre seasons in Hawaii (52-75, 5.00 ERA). In mid-1984, he was traded to Newark and immediately the Eagles unlocked something and he flipped into an ace overnight. The following year, he was 18-8 with a conference-low 2.69 ERA, leading the North with 186 strikeouts in 254.1 innings, earning Northern Conference Pitcher of the Year. In the Southern Conference, Jacksonville slugger Aaron Wolford led the conference in homers the first four years of his career. After failing to do so in 1984, he slashed .269/.330/.571 with a conference-best 51 homers and 125 RBI, posting the first 50-homer season in the South in 14 years and taking home the MVP trophy. Norfolk's 25-year-old Taiwanese rookie Ming-Ah Zhu took the lead by storm, going 23-8 with a 2.61 ERA as a rookie, leading the South in both marks and striking out 154 in 238.1 innings to take home Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year. However, things went south very fast. Despite no discernable injuries, Zhu lost his rotation spot two years later, and threw his final MLB pitch just four years later, retiring with nearly half of his 47 big-league wins coming in his memorable rookie campaign. The Pacific Coast League was completely overwhelmed by a rookie slugger from Seattle named Marco Adams. The 25-year-old first baseman won the PCL Triple Crown with an unfathomable .392/.464/.724 slash line (all league highs) and led the PCL with 280 hits, 62 homers, and 186 RBI, while adding 47 doubles and 166 runs. Adams tied the PCL record for homers, set still-standing records for slugging, OPS (1.188) and total bases (517), while his .392 average was the best since 1929 and his 186 RBI the most since 1930. All-told it was a laughably easy MVP (and Rookie of the Year) vote. On the mound, it remained the Jamie Evans show as the Rainiers' lefty won his fifth Pitcher of the Year award. For the fifth-straight year, he led the PCL in wins and innings, going 26-9 in 329.1 innings, though his 3.01 didn't league the league (the first time he didn't), while he struck out 320 batters and led the PCL with 15 complete games and 7 shutouts. it would be the final award for the 28-year-old, who won 28 games in 1986 (along with a career-high 329 strikeouts), but then began fading in his 30's, retiring at 36 in 1992. In the Texas League, Dallas ace Oscar Mondragon paced his championship club with his best year. He went 24-6 with a 1.96 ERA in 288.2 innings, leading the TL in all three categories, while adding 146 strikeouts and a league-leading 12 complete games and 5 shutouts. That effort earned him both his third Pitcher of the Year and an MVP award. It was a banner year for longtime Fort Worth stalwart Manuel Barrientos, who was still humming along at 41 years old in his 19th season. On April 16, he earned his 250th career win, but the more notable accomplishment was picking up his 3,000th strikeout in his final start of the season on October 4, becoming the third (and most recent) TL pitcher to hit that mark. The Eastern Baseball Federation had the busiest Hall of Fame weekend to date. Those elected included the only player with 3,000 hits and 500 homers, a rubber-armed righty, a slugger who barely missed 500 homers, a catcher who hit .302 lifetime while winning a record 16 Great Gloves, and the first reliever ever elected: OF Tom Clark (1958-79), 96.7% SP Willie Molina (1963-79), 83.5% 1B Steve Arnold (1958-76), 77.3% C Andrew Garman (1957-76), 77.2% RP Terry Schroeder (1964-76), 75.8% Not to be outdone, the Pacific Coast League inducted a pair of new Hall of Famers as well, including a member of the 3,000-hit club: OF Dan Maher (1956-73), 77.0% OF Orlando Aviles (1961-75), 75.0% --- In the American Baseball League, Boston, Spokane, and Birmingham won division titles, the latter with a franchise-record 102 wins. Denver then took the North with 114 wins, the second-most in ABL history. Richmond, Anaheim, Columbus, and Chicago took the wild cards, though Anaheim was .500 and Richmond was just 74-88, the worst playoff team in ABL history. With many lopsided series, the first round was very uncompetitive, with three sweeps, and the other series going four games. However, all three sweeps were handed out by the wild card teams, with Boston being the only division winner to move on, joining Columbus, Anaheim, and Chicago. Both semifinals went the full five games, with Boston and Columbus coming out on top. The Pilgrims then emerged on top in a five-game series, earning their second American Baseball Cup in three years. Birmingham first baseman Cale Ball did not debut until he was 29, he starred from the start. In his second season, he slashed .297/.420/.514 with 171 hits, 106 runs, 32 doubles, 29 homers, and 106 RBI, earning MVP. For the third year in a row, Nashville's Luis Acosta won Pitcher of the Year, going 19-12 with a 2.47 ERA, leading the ABL with 304 strikeouts and 38 starts in 270.0 innings. --- Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Savannah Cardinals, 82-72, defeat Memphis Colonial League: Pittsfield Colonials, 85-55, defeats Reading (2nd straight) River Valley League: Charleston (WV) Coal Sox, 89-51, defeats Grand Rapids Rocky Mountain League: Ft. Collins Grizzlies, 79-47, defeats Butte Coastal League: Charleston (SC) Cannons, 90-64, defeats Wilmington (DE) Northern League: Green Bay Giants, 81-59, defeats Appleton Foxes Southwest League: Modesto Growers, 98-56, defeats Santa Barbara Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 75-65, defeats Springfield (2nd straight) Northwest League: Yakima Tomahawks, 102-52, defeats Tacoma Can-Am League: Portland Lobsters, 77-49, defeats Utica (2nd straight) Mid-Atlantic League: Allentown Brewers, 82-58, defeats Roanoke Lone Star League: Rio Grande White Wings, 84-56, defeats Laredo Great Plains League: Topeka Hawks, 73-67, defeats Lincoln Florida Coast League: Columbus Catfish, 73-67, defeats Daytona Big Sky League: Regina Giants, 72-61, defeats Ogden (2nd straight) Heartland League: Madison Black Wolves, 88-52, defeats Cedar Rapids Last edited by KCRoyals15; 01-08-2025 at 02:33 PM.