The National Pastime: The United States Baseball Federation rises

[KCRoyals15]

1934

In the Chinese zodiac, 1934 was the year of the dog, but in the Eastern Baseball Federation, it was the year of the juggernaut. A record five teams won 100 games...but they were clustered in three leagues, meaning that two of them were left out of the championship hunt.

In the Eastern League, the Philadelphia Quakers bested the previous year's mark by a game, winning 109 contests to best their cross-town rivals, the Athletics, by a dozen games. Meanwhile, the only league champion to win less than 100 games was 92-win Kansas City, who easily won the Western League—far and away the weakest of the four eastern circuits.

That set up the Eastern League, which saw New Haven erupt for 111 wins to outlast New York by seven games for the third EL pennant. Lastly, the Midwest Association saw one of the greatest two-team races ever, as St. Louis and Indianapolis finished deadlocked at the top, but the Browns earned their 105th win of the season in a tiebreaker to win the MWA pennant.



Over the last two years, Kansas City has been notorious as a giant killer, winning the last two Eastern titles despite being the lowest postseason seed. Sure enough, the Blues took down mighty New Haven in six games in the first round. Philadelphia then outlasted St. Louis in a seven-game battle to face KC. The Quakers, though, had enough of the Blues' role as spoilers, and dispatched Kansas City in six games.



For the first time in 30 years, the Oakland Oaks finished atop the PCL, while playing for a title for the first time in eight seasons. Their opponent would be the two-time defending National Champions, the San Francisco Seals, in a Bay Ferry Battle (the Bay Bridge was under construction). After finishing two games behind the Oaks in the regular season, the Seals finished two games better in the PCL Championship, earning a six-game series win and a date with Philly.

In a quest for an unprecedented third-straight National Championship, the Seals ran out of gas as the Quakers steamrolled the Seals, with the Philadelphia Quakers defeating San Francisco Seals, 4-0 to earn the Quaker's first National Championship.



Amidst New Haven's jump from good to great, the face of that jump was second baseman Brett Freyre. Debuting as a 19-year-old in 1928, it took a few years to finally crack the starting lineup. In 1934, it all came together, as Freyre slashed .356/.437/.536 with 226 hits, 48 doubles, 18 homers, and 122 RBI. The best player in Weavers history, it was highlight of 17 seasons in New Haven for the Texas native.

After the 1933 season, Omaha dealt it's longtime ace Jim Alvarez to New York for a couple of players and a whopping $500,000. The cash infusion was helpful for a losing franchise, but the loss of their ace was a mistake than the Golden Spikes felt right away. In his first season in the Big Apple, Alvarez became the second pitcher to win a Triple Crown, leading the EBF with 25 wins, a 2.63 ERA, and 175 strikeouts. He also paced the Federation in innings (314.2), starts (39), and shutouts (7).

Kansas City right-hander Jason Confer had been as consistent as could be over his career. Though he had never won any awards, in his 17th season, he earned his 300th victory on June 20, amidst a strong 18-win season at the age of 42.

Another seemingly-ageless arm in Mike Sasser also made history, as the fellow 42-year-old earned his 350th win on September 15. After many years in New Haven and Washington, Sasser joined the Philadelphia A's for this season and went 15-9, but elected to hang it up after this season with 351 wins, third all-time in the EBF (now fifth).

After an induction-less 1933, a pair of right arms earned enshrinement in the Hall of Fame this year:

Phil Norris (1912-28), 90.4%
Jon Pruitt (1913-28), 82.9%



With Jared Krieger finally starting to slow down, a new superstar took the forefront in the Pacific Coast League, as Bryan Kunkel took home MVP honors. The San Francisco first baseman was already an established star, but posted his finest season, leading the PCL with a .387 average, 306 hits, and 158 runs, with swatting 58 doubles, 20 homers, and driving in 145 runs. 1934 would turn out to be Kunkel's only MVP, but not his only (or final) MVP-caliber season.

A native of New Hampshire, Jon Pryor began his career with Rochester and struggled mightily (18-38, 5.31 ERA) before the Red Wings gave up on him midway through 1933. Traded to Oakland, the change of scenery did him well immediately. In his first full season out west, Pryor led the PCL in wins for the first of three years in a row, going 27-10 with a 2.98 ERA over 350.1 innings as he headed Oakland's rotation for their successful pennant push.

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For the first time in a dozen years, a new minor league pops up as the Pacific Northwest gains a new league. The six-team Northwest League comes together to play it's first season, much to the interest of the PCL, as some teams have explored the possibility of partnering with teams in the new league to develop players.

Northwest League
Boise Broncos
Portland Beavers
Spokane Tomahawks
Tacoma Mountaineers
Vancouver Mounties
Victoria Trappers

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Nashville Vols, 91-63, defeats New Orleans
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 78-62, defeats Syracuse
Texas League: Oklahoma City Indians, 86-54, defeats El Paso (2nd straight)
River Valley League: Des Moines Demons, 97-43, defeats Wichita
Rocky Mountain League: Great Falls Explorers, 70-56, defeats Cheyenne
Coastal League: Miami Gators, 86-68, defeats Jacksonville
Northern League: Sioux City Cornhuskers, 77-49, defeats Duluth
Great Lakes League: Youngstown Steelers, 87-53, defeats Grand Rapids (3rd straight)
Southwest League: Fresno Raisin Eaters, 95-60, defeats San Jose
Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 84-56, defeats Jackson
Northwest League: Vancouver Mounties, 74-46, defeats Victoria

[KCRoyals15]

1935

After a staggering amount of success in the Big Apple (509 wins in five seasons, The Skipper, now in his 60's, elected to retire for good after the 1934 season, the only one of his five with the New York Gothams in which he failed to win the New England League pennant.

Now in his early 30's, Skipper Jr. was ready to lead his own ballclub after practically growing up as the right-hand man for his old man. "Start small," the old man told his son. "It's alright if you pick a minor league club to start off."

And so, ahead of the 1935 season, Skipper Jr. started off on his own, accepting a post running the Birmingham Barons of the Southeastern League. In the thriving steel town, the Barons had struggled to make headway in a league dominated by Atlanta and New Orleans. Nonetheless, the younger Skip boldly declared his first day in charge, "I feel certain that we are not too far away from the day when Atlanta and New Orleans are home to big-league clubs. When that day comes, I want to have Birmingham in line for one too."

Without The Skipper in charge, New York continued to fire on all cylinders, winning an EBF-best 109 games as they ran away with the NEL crown. After a run of uninspiring pennant runs, Kansas City put it all together in a 104-win game to win the Western League by 18 games.

For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Quakers and Indianapolis Hoosiers came through with pennant wins, with both teams finishing at identical 94-62 records.



New York and Philadelphia squared off in the first round and the two teams battled to a seven-game series that the Gothams came out on top in. Indianapolis, meanwhile, pulled off the upset over Kansas City, winning a six-game series. That set up New York and Indy, but the Hoosiers were no match, as the Gothams won the Eastern Baseball Federation title in a five-game set.



The Pacific Coast League has been dominated for the first half of the 1930's by San Francisco and nothing changed in the regular season as the Seals finished first. Oakland finished second, with the Bay Area teams flipping spots from a year ago. However, they also flipped results in the PCL Championship, as Oakland knocked off San Francisco in six games, lifting the Oaks to their second PCL title and first since 1904.

That set up a date between Oakland and San Francisco. However, the Oaks did not have another upset in them as the Gothams brushed aside Oakland in five games, earning New York their fourth National Championship.



For the third and final time in his outstanding career, New York outfielder Tyreek Norman was voted tops in the league, as the talented outfielder slashed .336/.410/.659 with 36 doubles, 26 triples, 30 home runs, and 140 RBI, leading the EBF in slugging, triples, and RBI, then also winning MVP honors in both rounds of the EBF playoffs.

How is it surprising for a first-ballot Hall of Famer to win a major award? Well, Jason Confer had already eclipsed 300 wins and turned 42 during the 1935 season. Nonetheless, he turned back the clock by winning a career-high and EBF-leading 25 games, going 25-5 with a 2.61 ERA—his best mark since 1919. He also logged 296.1 innings (most in 14 years) and allowed just one home run all season. Confer had been a star and an ace for nearly two decades, but improbably, he was at his best near the very end of it all.

The Hall of Fame did not induct anyone, as two players cleared 70%, but no one got in.



Amidst San Francisco's extremely successful run, the glue that held it together was arguably shortstop Everett Knueven. A superstar since arriving at 21 in 1928, Knueven was often the second or third-best player in the PCL, but finally rose to the top in '35. Batting .318, Knueven swatted 234 hits, scored 114 times, lined 28 doubles, a league-leading 34 triples, 13 home runs, and drove in 133 runs. He also was named the top fielder at SS in the league, the eighth-straight time (out of nine total in his career) earning that honor. His strong work in the box and exceptional defensive work ensured a quick Hall of Fame call, despite being through as an everyday player at 32 years old.

"Baffled" was the word uttered by many when word of the PCL Pitcher of the Year voting came out. Why? Sacramento's B.J. Pena won it a second time. Pena was a good pitcher who had fairly won the award two years prior, but this time? He was just 16-18. Yes, he posted a league-leading 2.62 ERA, but was 16-18 and led the league in nothing else, aside from shutouts (5). It was a feather in the cap of a Hall of Fame career, though many believed that it was a feather that should've gone to someone else.

History was made on April 26, with the 3,000th PCL hit by Los Angeles' Russ Myers. A longtime savant both in the box and in the field (11 Great Gloves), Myers began his career at 19 and played his first five seasons when the PCL was still a minor league. However, his best years came as an official big leaguer and while he was the fourth Pacific Coast League player to earn 3,000 hits, he was the first to swat the majority of them (nearly 2,400) in a big-league circuit.

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: New Orleans Pelicans, 99-55, defeats Birmingham
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 85-55, defeats Hartford
Texas League: Galveston Hurricanes, 93-47, defeats San Antonio
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 98-42, defeats Des Moines
Rocky Mountain League: Cheyenne Bulls, 77-49, defeats Great Falls
Coastal League: Miami Gators, 90-64, defeats Jacksonville (2nd straight)
Northern League: Duluth Dukes, 72-54, defeats Sioux City
Great Lakes League: Harrisburg Senators, 83-57, defeats Grand Rapids
Southwest League: Phoenix Firebirds, 87-68, defeats Tucson
Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 94-46, defeats Fort Smith (2nd straight)
Northwest League: Tacoma Mountaineers, 72-48 defeats Portland

[KCRoyals15]

1936

The Rochester Stars had their moments in the early part of the century, but more than two decades of awful play, combined with sliding attendance in a small market ultimately doomed them, as not even a name change (to the Red Wings) could save them. Only one man thought New York could handle a third team, with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the dominant New York Gothams firmly established in the market.

Nonetheless, that one man was new Red Wings owner Gordon Feldman, a bold, flashy man was able to strike a deal with the Gothams to share the Polo Grounds as his franchise moved to town. One club was wildly successful in the Big Apple, he thought. Why couldn't another? And so, the newly christened Manhattan Yankees were born.

Meanwhile, the once-proud Cleveland Buckeyes had fallen on hard times and looked to change that as they changed their name to the Cleveland Spiders.

Manhattan was never competitive as they lost 108 games and finished a staggering 65 games behind New York, whose 113 wins was one off their own EBF record. They repeated in the New England League, like the Philadelphia Quakers, Indianapolis Hoosiers, and Kansas City Blues, all of whom repeated after winning their respective leagues in 1935. The Western League was far and away the weakest league, as Kansas City was the only winning club and needed just 83 wins to earn the pennant, the fewest by a pennant winner in USBF history.



Earlier in the decade, Kansas City earned a reputation for knocking off teams substantially better than them in October. This time, though, a New York team that finished 30 games ahead of KC wiped out the Blues in a four-game sweep. Indianapolis, meanwhile, took down Philadelphia in a six-game set. The Gothams then claimed the EBF title in a seven-game showdown with the Hoosiers, earning a trip to the National Championship.



Like the EBF, name changes occurred out west as well, as the Seattle Indians paid homage to the notable nearby mountain by changing their name to the Rainiers. The Salt Lake City Mavericks had inherited the name from a previous move from San Jose changed their name to the Bees, matching that of the previously successful Rocky Mountain League franchise that had much success.

Once again, the Bay Area dominated the PCL as San Francisco and Oakland finished tied at the top, though the Seals won the tiebreaker that earned them the top seed. Even the third-place Mission Reds were a Bay Area team, sharing Seals Stadium with San Francisco. For the third year in a row, the Seals and Oaks squared off, and for the second time, it was San Francisco on top, as the Seals won a six-game series.

The National Championship saw a New York team that won one less game in 45 fewer games face San Francisco. Despite the clear favorite, an upset occurred, as the San Francisco Seals defeat the New York Gothams, 4-3 to claim their third National Championship in six seasons.



Detroit Wolverines outfielder Mike Walker had broken out with a pair of strong seasons. However, he upped his game further this season. Walker slashed .396/.431/.600, leading the EBF with 264 hits and 148 runs, while ripped 38 doubles, 16 triples, and 22 home runs with 144 RBIs, plus 30 stolen bases. Amazingly, Walker did not win the batting title (more on that in a moment).

Jarrod Fell spent three excellent seasons at Triple-A Wichita before the New York Gothams purchased his contract before the 1930 season. After winning 28 games as a rookie, Fell continued to excel. In addition to a 22-5 record, Fell shaved his ERA to an EBF-best 2.25, earning Pitcher of the Year despite making only 29 starts.

The EBF saw the tightest batting race to date with two hitters chasing .400. Buffalo’s Joe Christian already owned a .400 season, hitting .409 in 1931. He came up three hits shy of a .400 campaign, but hit .3962, edging out Mike Walker’s .3958 to earn his second batting title. This race would be the closest run at .400 for decades.

Several milestones were hit, most notable that of Chicago Colts outfielder Dean Hevner. On April 21, Hevner stroked his 3,000th hit, becoming just the second player to reach that mark in USBF play. Exactly three months later, Kansas City’s Jason Confer, a year after his stunning Pitcher of the Year victory, earned his 350th victory as he became the third USBF pitcher to reach that mark. Lastly, longtime Minneapolis Millers ace Carlos Perez ended 1934 with 294 wins, but won just four games in ’35. After that season, the Millers gave up on him on him and he signed with Newark. After winning just one games over an injury-riddled season, Perez finally came through in the final start of his career, at last earning win #300 on September 29.



Los Angeles centerfielder Cody Kulzer burst on the scene to win Rookie of the Year in 1935, then one-upped his performance the following year. In year two, Kulzer slashed .367/.476/.589, leading the PCL in on-base, slugging, OPS, runs (176), doubles (68), and walks (155), while hitting 27 homers and driving in 154 RBIs to win first MVP award as the Angels firmly found their successor in center to Jared Krieger.

A year after many felt he was snubbed out of the Pitcher of the Year trophy, Oakland’s John Pryor earned his second award in three years, leading the PCL in wins (27) for the third year in a row, as he posted a 3.07 ERA in 354.1 innings over a league-high 44 starts.

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Birmingham Barons, 98-56, defeats New Orleans
Colonial League: Scranton-Wilkes Barre Steamers, 88-53, defeats Hartford
Texas League: El Paso Texans, 80-60, defeats Galveston
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 81-59, defeats Des Moines
Rocky Mountain League: Great Falls Explorers, 73-53, defeats Cheyenne
Coastal League: Miami Gators, 93-61, defeats Jacksonville (3rd straight)
Northern League: Duluth Dukes, 85-41, defeats Sioux City (2nd straight)
Great Lakes League: Grand Rapids Griffins, 101-39, defeats Akron
Southwest League: Tucson Javelinas, 85-69, defeats San Bernardino
Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 78-62, defeats Beaumont (3rd straight)
Northwest League: Vancouver Mounties, 68-52, defeats Spokane

With Birmingham's Southeastern League title, Skipper Jr. earned his first league title

[KCRoyals15]

1937

On the East Coast, a truly remarkable season unfolded. In the Eastern League, the Philadelphia Quakers won 100 games, only to be bested by the upstart Norfolk Admirals, who won 103 contests and their first pennant since moving to Virginia five years prior.

That paled in comparison to the New England League, which saw New York win 108 games, though New Haven (104-52) and Newark (100-56) were right behind them, as the NEL saw an incredible three 100-game winners.

All those teams finished behind Indianapolis, though, as the Hoosiers set a still-standing franchise record with 109 wins as they ran away with the Midwest Association, becoming the sixth 100-win club. Lastly, the Western League went down to the wire, with 88-win Kansas City slipping one game past Louisville.



The Eastern Semifinals saw Indianapolis knock off Kansas City in six games, while Norfolk pulled off a mild upset with a seven-game victory over New York. In another seven-game bout, Indianapolis sank the Admirals to earn a trip to the National Championship.



Out west, the notable story in the Pacific Coast League was the toppling of the San Francisco Seals, who failed to reach the PCL Championship series for the first time since 1928. Los Angeles snapped a four-year drought, finishing three games above Seattle. The Angels also finished three games ahead of Seattle in the PCL Championship, winning in five games.

The Angels came in playing well, but ultimately proved to be no match in the National Championship, as the Indianapolis Hoosiers defeat the Los Angeles Angels, 4-0, with the Hoosiers claiming their first National Championship in 28 years and their second overall.



Despite the presence of six 100-win teams, the only pennant winner to finish (well) below that mark hosted the MVP winner, as Kansas City third baseman Noah Billings claimed the trophy. A top performer since winning Rookie of the Year in 1932, Billings reached his peak five years later, slashing .335/.440/.544, scoring 125 times, bashing an EBF-leading 33 home runs, and driving in 115 runs alongside strong defense.

On the mound, Indianapolis' Chaz Waddell also debuted in 1932, but didn't stick in the majors until 1935 and didn't fully break out until this season. Waddell led the EBF in wins, going 25-7 with a 2.63 ERA, logging 294.1 innings as he claimed Pitcher of the Year.

No major milestones were hit this season, but the effects of consistently elevated offense have been felt on career numbers, as a whopping nine players collected their 2,000th career hit during the 1937 season.

After two seasons without an inductee into the EBF Hall of Fame, one man saw his plaque be engraved:

RHP Myles Nichols (1916-31), 94.6%



For a second year in a row, Los Angeles' Cody Kulzer established himself as best in the PCL with an MVP trophy. Kulzer slashed .370/.485/.564, ripped 267 hits, scored a league-leading 162 runs, and ripped 57 doubles, 25 home runs, and drove in 143 runs. There was not much argument for anyone else.

On the mound, Jeremy Keene posted a strong half-season after debuting for Seattle the previous season. In his first full season, the 26-year-old went 23-11 with a 2.50 ERA, making a league-leading 43 starts and logging 335.1 innings with 209 strikeouts, earning Pitcher of the Year accolades.

Last we heard from Sacramento right-hander B.J. Pena, he was winning a controversial Pitcher of the Year award in 1935. Two years later, he claimed his 300th PCL victory. Though he pitched three years while the PCL was still technically a minor league, 267 of his 322 wins in a Solons uniform (and 378 as a pro) came as a big leaguer.

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A couple of league expansions occurred, with the Northwest League expanding by two to 8 teams, adding the Stockton Condors and Reno High Rollers. The Coastal League made a couple points of history: first, they became the first league in the country to move beyond eight teams, as they expanded to 10 teams by adding the Wilmington Blue Rocks and Winston-Salem Twins. Then, they became the first league to introduce divisional play, splitting their teams into a pair of five-team divisions. The CL also became the second league (after the Rocky Mountain League) to expand their playoff field to four teams.

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Birmingham Barons, 94-60, defeats New Orleans (2nd straight)
Colonial League: Albany Adirondacks, 80-61, defeats Hartford
Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 83-57, defeats Oklahoma City
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 89-51, defeats Evansville (2nd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Ogden Railroaders, 70-56, defeats Ft. Collins
Coastal League: Jacksonville Tars, 106-50, defeat Charleston
Northern League: Sioux City Cornhuskers, 88-38 defeats Duluth
Great Lakes League: Grand Rapids Griffins, 96-44, defeats Youngstown (2nd straight)
Southwest League: Phoenix Firebirds, 90-64, defeats San Jose
Southern Association: Shreveport Captains, 80-61, defeats Jackson
Northwest League: Portland Beavers, 88-52, defeats Tacoma

[KCRoyals15]

1938

Skipper Jr. has branched out from the long shadow of his wildly successful father by piloting the Birmingham Barons to back-to-back Southeastern League titles and shattering league attendance records in the process.

Owner Gordon Feldman had made the deal two years prior to bring the struggling Rochester Red Wings to New York City. After two dismal years on the field and at the gate (sharing the Polo Grounds with the wildly successful Gothams), he made a huge splash: the announcement of building a grand stadium in the heart of Manhattan, clearing out several blocks of Hell's Kitchen near the Lincoln Tunnel and Pennsylvania Station to build his new palace. The stadium would be ticketed to open for the start of the 1939 season.

In a city dominated by the Gothams, it was a shocking move. Now Feldman needed someone to turn his team around. While a telephone call to a former Gothams manager went nowhere, the old dugout boss told the owner, "my son is ready and I think he will get the job done." And so, on the man's word, Gordon Feldman hired Skipper Jr. to lead the Manhattan Yankees.

The Yankees would only rise one spot to seventh, though they did improve by 18 games and more than doubled their attendance amidst the buzz, drawing over a million fans to their final season at Polo Grounds to lead the EBF despite the 90-loss team.

Meanwhile, at the top of the standings there was little drama as all four EBF leagues were decided by at least eight games. The New York Gothams won 104 games in their fourth-straight New England League pennant and unprecedented fifth-straight 100-win season. The Norfolk Admirals also topped 100 wins for the second year in a row in rolling to an 18-game margin in the Eastern League.

Further west, two infrequent guests crashed the playoffs. St. Paul won the Western League as the Saints won just their second pennant and their first one since 1909. The Midwest Association saw the Detroit Wolverines snap a 13-year skid in emphatic fashion by exploding for 111 wins to lead the EBF and earn their second pennant.



The Detroit Cinderella story did not stop with the regular season. In the first round, they wiped out St. Paul in four games to set up a date with Norfolk, who edged New York in a seven-game set. The Wolverines were up to the task, though, defeating the Admirals in six games to win the EBF title.



For a second year in a row, the Los Angeles Angels won the Pacific Coast League regular-season title, finishing 13 games clear of Oakland. The Oaks, though, came to life in the PCL Championship, defeating the Angels to earn the Oaks their second PCL crown in four seasons.

That set up a matchup between Oakland and a Detroit team that played 44 fewer games but won just one fewer contest. As such a disparity would suggest, the Oaks were no match. The Detroit Wolverines defeat Oakland Oaks, 4-0 as the Motor City claims its first National Championship.



Perhaps the player most emblematic of Detroit's sudden rise was first baseman Bob Alvarez. Alvarez was acquired before the 1935 season after an uninspiring rookie season in Rochester. After three fully unspectacular seasons (no better than a .261 average, 14 homers, or 77 RBI), Alvarez inexplicably broke out after his 30th birthday. His average shot up to .348, with 205 hits, 115 runs, 40 doubles, an EBF-leading 32 home runs, and 144 RBI to earn a very unlikely MVP award. Alvarez never came close to those heights again, but he remained a big thumper for a few more years before his career abruptly ended at 35.

Norfolk left-hander Elijah Wilson had the Pitcher of the Year award in his sights for a couple years before claiming it with a 20-9 campaign, including an EBF-best 2.09 ERA. Amazingly, Wilson was given up on by Milwaukee, Brooklyn, and St. Louis before Norfolk picked him off the scrap heap late in the 1935 season. He would win 23 games in 1936 to kick off a run of six-straight 20-win seasons, including his POTY crown this year.

A pair of hurlers joined the ranks of the EBF Hall of Famers this year:

RHP Eric Miranda (1920-32), 83.4%
LHP Matt Williams (1911-29), 81.7%



Another PCL season, another dominant season and MVP for Cody Kulzer. The Los Angeles centerfielder earned his third-straight MVP, slashing .377/.472/.541, leading the PCL in all three categories. He also led the league with 182 runs—a mark that wouldn't be surpassed again by a USBF player for nearly six decades—and swatted 279 hits, with 25 home runs and 135 RBI. All-in-all, it was yet another extraordinary season.

On the mound, Eric Thomerson had already led the PCL in ERA five times in seven years, including a dazzling 1.55 mark in 1937. Despite no hardware, a year later Thomerson nearly matched it, logging a national-best 1.68 ERA, going 21-6 and also leading the PCL with 204 strikeouts (his sixth strikeout title).

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Atlanta Crackers, 96-58, defeats Birmingham
Colonial League: Scranton-Wilkes Barre Steamers, 85-56, defeats Hartford
Texas League: Galveston Hurricanes, 86-54, defeats El Paso
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 83-57, defeats Peoria
Rocky Mountain League: Ft. Collins Grizzlies, 65-61, defeats Ogden
Coastal League: Jacksonville Tars, 104-52, defeat Miami (2nd straight)
Northern League: Sioux Falls Packers, 76-50, defeats Duluth
Great Lakes League: Grand Rapids Griffins, 95-45, defeats Akron (3rd straight)
Southwest League: San Bernardino Highlanders, 100-54, defeats Fresno
Southern Association: Baton Rouge Cajuns, 78-62, defeat Fort Smith
Northwest League: Portland Beavers, 85-55, defeats Victoria

[KCRoyals15]

1939

Skipper Jr. had energized a burgeoning Manhattan Yankees fanbase in 1938, though the standings didn't reflect that. But 1939 was a completely different story. With money to snap up the top players on the market and make shrewd trades, a doormat would be transformed into a juggernaut almost overnight.

With their new 67,000-seat palace rising starkly above Hell's Kitchen, the Yankees made a stunning leap forward, improving from 66 wins to 111 victories as they ran away with the New England League to win the franchise's first pennant since moving to the Big Apple, all while leading the nation by drawing over 1.4 million fans.

Elsewhere, Norfolk cruised to their third straight Eastern League pennant, Detroit edged out Indianapolis by a game for their second-straight Midwest Association flag, and Kansas City outlasted Louisville by two games and Omaha by three in the Western League.



Manhattan's first trip to the postseason began by taking care of Kansas City in six games, while Detroit dispatched Norfolk in a five-game set. The previous year's upstart met this year's, and it was Detroit winning their second-straight Eastern Baseball Federation title with a seven-game series win over Manhattan.



For a second year in a row, the Los Angeles Angels won the Pacific Coast League regular-season crown, with the Oakland Oaks finishing second. However, the Angels avenged last year's championship series loss by sweeping the Oaks for the PCL Championship.

However, once more the PCL champion proved to be no match for Detroit, who became the fourth repeat national champion all-time, as the Detroit Wolverines defeat Los Angeles Angels, 4-1 for the franchise's second National Championship.



One of Skipper Jr.'s big acquisitions was outfielder Jake Hinson from the Philadelphia Quakers. Already a quality player, Hinson put up career highs in hits (214), runs (134, most in the EBF), doubles (43), and homers (29), while driving in 124 runs and slashing .334/.404/.562 as he took home the MVP trophy.

Another key addition was Jeremy Keene, who two years prior had been the top pitcher in the Pacific Coast League for Seattle. He pulled the trick once more, going 22-6 with an EBF-best 1.99 ERA over 281 innings, become the first player to win a major award in both the PCL and USBF/EBF since the PCL ascended to major-league status.

Longtime Philadelphia Athletics and Quakers ace Mike Chapman was well past his prime that saw him win two Pitcher of the Year awards, but had stilll churned out strong seasons throughout the decade. This would be his final solid season, going 18-12, with his victory on August 18 being the 300th of his career.

One EBF legend earned a plaque in the Hall of Fame this season:

RHP Jason Holland (1915-33), 98.6%



The three-year chokehold of Cody Kulzer on the MVP trophy came to a close, as Seattle's John Kirsten took home the hardware. Debuting at 20 years old, Kirsten steadily improved before putting it all together in his seventh season, slashing .319/.453/.514, leading the PCL in walks (169) and on-base percentage, slashing 215 hits, scoring 127 times, and adding 47 doubles, 11 triples, 21 home runs, and 126 RBI, to go along with 18 stolen bases.

Los Angeles' David Fischer, meanwhile, didn't debut until he was 27, but led the PCL in starts and strikeouts as a rookie. In his third season, he went 26-14 with a 3.04 ERA, leading the PCL with 201 strikeouts over 355 innings to claim the Pitcher of the Year crown.

Like the EBF, the PCL had been inducting players into their own Hall of Fame since 1927. However, all nine previous inductees had earned their votes primarily off their work when the circuit was considered minor league. That changed with this year's induction:

LHP Tony Rodriguez (1921-35), 95.3%

Rodriguez won 167 games and 3 Pitcher of the Year trophies as a big leaguer, while winning 391 games total as a professional, still the most in history.

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Atlanta Crackers, 96-58, defeats New Orleans (2nd straight)
Colonial League: Albany Adirondacks, 78-62, defeats Hartford
Texas League: Dallas Lone Stars, 80-60, defeats San Antonio
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 86-54, defeats Fort Wayne
Rocky Mountain League: Albuquerque Outlaws, 63-63, defeats Cheyenne
Coastal League: Jacksonville Tars, 89-67, defeat Miami (3rd straight)
Northern League: Duluth Dukes, 88-38, defeats Lincoln
Great Lakes League: Akron Rubbermen, 82-58, defeats Grand Rapids
Southwest League: San Bernardino Highlanders, 97-57, defeats Fresno (2nd straight)
Southern Association: Baton Rouge Cajuns, 77-63, defeat Jackson (2nd straight)
Northwest League: Victoria Trappers, 95-45, defeats Portland

[KCRoyals15]

1940

Four decades were down of United States Baseball Federation play and all seemed well. Two recently-relocated franchises (Manhattan and Norfolk) had found greener pastures and the PCL integration, now entering it's 15th season, had been successful. Multiple clubs in the high minors were clamoring for big-league membership. Other big-league teams were struggling. Change seemed like it was coming...

In the meantime, Manhattan, Norfolk, and Detroit all repeated in their respective leagues, with the latter two teams earning their third-straight pennants. The two-time defending National Champion Wolverines were a powerhouse again, winning an Eastern Baseball Federation-best 108 games.

In the Western League, two long-downtrodden clubs fought for the pennant. Minneapolis was searching for their first pennant in a decade and just their second ever. Omaha, though, won a Game 157 tiebreaker to earn their first pennant since their only pennant (and National Championship) way back in 1911.



Omaha kicked off the postseason by dealing Detroit a massive upset, as the Golden Spikes ended the Wolverines' reign with a seven-game series win in the first round. Manhattan, meanwhile, defeated Norfolk in six games in their semifinal. The Yankees then pulled off another six-game victory, ending Omaha's run with an EBF title.



In the Pacific Coast League, the Los Angeles Angels finished first for the fourth year in a row, eight games ahead of the Mission Reds, who edged Seattle by a game to earn their first postseason bid since 1922. That was as far as the Reds got, though, as the Angels dispatched them in five games to earn a date with the Yankees.

Manhattan had the upper hand from the beginning as they controlled a five-game series, with the Manhattan Yankees defeating Los Angeles Angels, 4-1 to lift the Yankees to their first National Championship. After his father claimed six National Championships, Skipper Jr. now had his first crown.



The Alaska-native fisherman turned star outfielder Mike Walker had continued to be an integral cog in Detroit's dynasty, even after his MVP award in 1936, culminating in taking home the hardware again. Walker slashed .362/.396/.529, swatting 243 hits, scoring 121 runs, and racking up 41 doubles, 10 triples, 17 home runs, and 122 RBI, along with 23 steals to take home his second MVP. At 28, he appeared primed for more, but only had one more year as an everyday player left.

Omaha right-hander Bryce Banks had been nothing if dependable for largely poor teams throughout his 20's. In his 11th season at 32, though, he was at the forefront of the Golden Spikes' surge to a pennant. He went 22-9 with a 2.55 ERA, leading the EBF in ERA while logging 311 innings as he earned Pitcher of the Year, the crowning achievement in a career in which he actually finished with a losing record (196-203).

The EBF elected a pair of standouts to the Hall of Fame, including just their second position player:

RHP Mike Sasser (1914-34), 83.2%
SS Kevin Penhorwood (1922-33), 79.9%



After not winning the award the year prior, Los Angeles centerfielder Cody Kulzer was back, winning his fourth MVP in five years. He won his second batting title, hitting a career-best .380, with a career-high and league-leading 282 hits, a PCL-high 176 runs, 32 doubles, a career-high 29 homers, and 152 RBI. It was the final MVP award for a man who packed an entire Hall of Fame career into just over nine full seasons.

Oakland right-hander Jimmy Gourley did not reach the majors until he was 29, but he kicked off a stellar six-year stretch by winning 26 games in his second season. In his fourth campaign, he went 23-11 with a league-leading 3.07 ERA, striking out 190 batters in 325.1 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year honors.

While he was six years removed from his only MVP award, San Francisco's Brian Kunkel continued his rock-solid run of production with his 11th straight season of at least 250 hits (and a league-leading 56 doubles). As a result, on August 22 he collected his 3,000th career hit. While he was the fifth PCL player to reach that mark, he was the first to play the entirety of his career after the PCL's ascension to MLB status in 1926.

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: New Orleans Pelicans, 96-58, defeats Charlotte
Colonial League: Albany Adirondacks, 82-58, defeats Scranton-Wilkes Barre
Texas League: El Paso Texans, 84-56, defeats San Antonio
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 80-60, defeats Evansville (2nd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Ogden Railroaders, 73-53, defeats Ft. Collins
Coastal League: Jacksonville Tars, 100-56, defeat Macon (4th straight)
Northern League: Duluth Dukes, 87-39, defeats Lincoln (2nd straight)
Great Lakes League: Grand Rapids Griffins, 80-60, defeats Akron
Southwest League: San Bernardino Highlanders, 91-63, defeats Los Angeles Conquistadors (3rd straight)
Southern Association: Jackson Junebugs, 88-52, defeats Baton Rouge
Northwest League: Victoria Trappers, 92-48, defeats Vancouver (2nd straight)

[KCRoyals15]

1941

In the summer of '41, war was raging in Europe, with the question being when, not if, it would come to the US. On the diamond, perhaps the rumblings of war weren't on the horizon, but as the season went on, it was clear that the USBF would look significantly different next season...

The burgeoning dynasty in Norfolk rolled on, as the Admirals won an EBF-best 104 games for their fifth-straight Eastern League pennant. Detroit, meanwhile, won their fourth-straight Midwest Association flag. In the Western League, a surprisingly strong Western League saw Kansas City fend off two other 90+ win teams for the pennant. Lastly, the Newark Eagles snapped a 21-year drought with their first New England League pennant since 1920, and third ever.

On the flip side, 1941 saw inarguably the worst major league team in USBF history take the field. A Boston Beaneaters franchise that was one of the best in baseball in the 1920's had endured a rotten 30's, but bottomed out with a ghastly 31-125 record, posting a .199 winning percentage that has never been seriously challenged by a USBF and a loss total that still is the most of any non-PCL club. The Beaneaters hit just .240 as a club, posted a 6.82 ERA, and were outscored 1197-580—the only big-league team to ever be outscored by more than a 2-to-1 margin. There was absolutely nothing good to say about this season.



Newark felt right at home in their first postseason in two decades, knocking off top-seeded Norfolk in six games in the semifinals. Kansas City then took down Detroit in five games. That set up Newark and Kansas City for the Eastern Baseball Federation crown, and the Eagles claimed their first EBF title with a seven-game series victory.



Out west, the Pacific Coast League was dominated start-to-finish by the Los Angeles Angels, who went 135-65. They finished 17 games ahead of the second-place Mission Reds, who finished runner-up for a second year in a row. Also for a second year in a row, they were no match for the Angels, who cruised to the PCL Championship in a five-game series.

That left the Angels as the clear favorite for the National Championship, but the Eagles gave them all they could handle. However, in the end, the Los Angeles Angels defeat the Newark Eagles, 4-3 and the Angels earn their fourth National Championship.



Not much noise has been made in Brooklyn since the late teens, but outfielder Jeff Healy led them to a third-place finish with a strong season. The 27-year-old had been excellent since debuting in 1936, but was at his best here, slashing .345/.436/.586, ripping 209 hits, scoring 120 times, and slashing 30 doubles, 22 triples, 24 home runs, and driving in 118 runs alongside 24 stolen bases as he took home MVP honors.

Another long-downtrodden franchise was represented in the Pitcher of the Year voting, as Cleveland right-hander Jessie Cardin logged a memorable third big-league season. The 28-year-old went 22-12 with a 2.06 ERA, leading the EBF with 177 strikeouts in 305.1 innings as he won Pitcher of the Year. Unfortunately, Cardin blew out his elbow early the next season, and while he did return, he was more hittable, more wild, and less overpowering, ending his career with a mediocre record (150-138) and more walks than strikeouts.

Columbus right-hander Brian White was a truly unmemorable pitcher (70-79, 4.89 ERA lifetime), but had the day of a lifetime against the Memphis Chicks on April 11/. White struck out just two batters, but retired all 27 Chicks in a 95-pitch masterpiece, spinning the sixth perfect game in EBF history.

Several major milestones were hit, starting with New York outfielder Tyreek Norman, who became the first USBF player to reach 300 home runs on June 1. Longtime Milwaukee Black Hawk William Robles had toiled since 1923 in anonymity, but stroked his 3,000th career hit on May 8, becoming the third EBF hitter to reach that milestone.

On the mound, longtime New York standout Jim Alvarez earned his 300th win on June 21, while on August 29, Milwaukee fireballer Felix Cepeda became the first EBF pitcher to strike out 3,000 batters.



In the PCL, Mission Reds second baseman Jeremy Gfeller enjoyed a true breakout season. In his first full season, he hit .318 with 228 hits, 144 runs, and led the PCL with 33 home runs and 145 RBI. It was truly a fluke season, as the 23-year-old never hit more than 14 homers or drove in more than 85 runs in any other season, and only twice more even played enough to qualify for the batting title.

Prior to 1941, Oakland traded ace Jimmy Gourley to Los Angeles for catcher David Zimmerman, who had a .362 lifetime batting average and three batting titles in six big-league seasons. As it turned out, though, Zimmerman's best days were behind him. Gourley's were still in front of him. In his first season in LA, Gourley went 32-8, with a 2.04 ERA and 189 strikeouts, becoming the first winner of the PCL pitching Triple Crown in the circuit's major-league era and an easy winner of the Pitcher of the Year.

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: New Orleans Pelicans, 86-68, defeats Atlanta (2nd straight)
Colonial League: Scranton-Wilkes Barre Steamers, 80-60, defeats Albany
Texas League: El Paso Texans, 87-53, defeats Austin (2nd straight)
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 85-56, defeats Fort Wayne (3rd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Ogden Railroaders, 74-52, defeats Cheyenne (2nd straight)
Coastal League: Jacksonville Tars, 95-61, defeat Savannah (5th straight)
Northern League: Lincoln Lions, 75-51, defeats Duluth
Great Lakes League: Harrisburg Senators, 86-54, defeats Grand Rapids
Southwest League: San Bernardino Highlanders, 107-47, defeats Long Beach (4th straight)
Southern Association: Jackson Junebugs, 79-61, defeats Joplin (2nd straight)
Northwest League: Victoria Trappers, 83-57, defeats Tacoma (3rd straight)

[KCRoyals15]

1941-42 Offseason

After two years of rumblings, seismic change hit the United States Baseball Federation. Shortly after the end of the season, perhaps the least successful franchise in the Eastern Baseball Federation, the Memphis Chicks, elected to give up on big-league baseball. They would be voluntarily demoting themselves to the Southeastern League. Shortly afterwards, the Boston Beaneaters, with the team and owner nearly bankrupt, closed up shop, ending operations after their dreadful 125-loss season in 1941, leaving the Pilgrims as the only team in Beantown.

The remaining 30 Eastern clubs met in October, 1941 to vote on the addition of additional clubs who had petitioned to join the Federation. Initial support was to accept arguably the two most successful minor league clubs: the Atlanta Crackers and New Orleans Pelicans.

However, representatives from the Albany Adirondacks, Birmingham Barons, Jacksonville Tars, and Miami Gators also were at the meeting to contend for their own big-league status. Ultimately, after two days of discussion and debate, the decision was made to admit all six clubs, and the EBF grew to 36 teams for 1942.

For scheduling purposes, the four leagues of the Eastern Baseball Federation would be grouped into two conferences (Northern and Southern), with the Eastern and Western League under the Southern Conference and the New England League and Midwest Association under the Northern Conference banner.

All three Pennsylvania teams would move to the New England League from the Eastern League, while the Newark Eagles would go the other direction. Meanwhile, the Columbus Cyclones (to Midwest Association) and St. Louis Browns (to Western League) swapped leagues as well.

Each conference would have 18 teams (one ten-team and one eight-team league apiece), and would expand their playoffs to include two teams in each league (four in each conference; eight total in the EBF), with the playoff format tweaked to feature intra-conference games, leading up to each conference's champion playing in the Eastern Championship (with the winner playing the PCL champion for the National Championship).

Speaking of the PCL, the Pacific Coast League was not entirely immune to change. After years of struggles in Utah, the Salt Lake City Bees moved back to the coast and under new owner Bob Cobb, they moved into a state-of-the-art facility near the famous movie studios of Hollywood. The Hollywood Stars were born. The PCL also voted to add a round to their own playoff system, expanding the postseason to four teams

All told, six new major league franchises emerged, a total of 16 professional franchises changed leagues, three teams relocated, three new franchises were established, and one (the Boston Beaneaters) folded.

When the dust settled, the major league landscape looked like this:










The minor league landscape, meanwhile, looked like this (leagues listed in order of founding):

Southeastern League (1900)
Baton Rouge Cajuns (moved from Southern Association 1942)
Chattanooga Lookouts (founded 1911)
Charlotte Hornets (founded 1911; moved from Coastal League 1933)
Jackson Junebugs (moved from Southern Association 1942)
Memphis Chicks (moved from Western League 1942)
Mobile Marines (moved from Coastal League 1926)
Montgomery Generals (moved from Charleston 1907)
Nashville Vols

Colonial League (1902)
Binghamton Smokers
Hartford Whalers (moved from Erie 1912)
Lowell Blue Sox
Providence Patriots (founded 1942)
Reading Keystones
Scranton-Wilkes Barre Steamers
Syracuse Chiefs (moved from Troy, 1905)
Worcester Tornadoes

Texas League (1903)
Austin Spurs
Corpus Christi Clippers (founded 1942)
Dallas Lone Stars
El Paso Texans
Fort Worth Panthers
Galveston Hurricanes
Houston Buffaloes
San Antonio Missions

River Valley League (1903)
Dayton Inventers (moved from Springfield 1914)
Des Moines Demons
Evansville Bees
Fort Wayne Westerns
Peoria Distillers
St. Joseph Snakes
Toledo Maumees (moved from Lincoln 1905)
Wichita Larks

Rocky Mountain League (1907)
Albuquerque Outlaws (moved from Cheyenne 1920)
Butte Copper Kings
Cheyenne Bulls (founded 1934)
Colorado Springs Millionaires
Ft. Collins Grizzlies
Great Falls Explorers
Ogden Railroaders
Pueblo Miners

Coastal League (1911)
Charleston Cannons
Columbia Roosters (displaced by Norfolk 1933)
Knoxville Pioneers (moved from Southeastern League 1926)
Macon Peaches
Savannah Cardinals (moved from Southeastern League 1926)
Tampa Tarpons
Wilmington Blue Rocks (founded 1937)
Winston-Salem Twins (founded 1937)

Northern League (1914)
Cedar Rapids Reds
Davenport Trappers
Duluth Dukes
Fargo-Moorhead Indians (moved from Superior 1938)
La Crosse Loggers
Lincoln Lions
Sioux City Cornhuskers
Sioux Falls Packers

Great Lakes League (1919)
Akron Rubbermen
Allentown Brewers
Erie Sailors (moved from Canton 1932)
Flint Vehicles
Grand Rapids Griffins
Harrisburg Senators
Rochester Red Wings (moved from South Bend 1942)
Youngstown Steelers

Southwest League (1921)
Bakersfield Conquistadors (moved from Los Angeles 1942)
Fresno Suns
Long Beach Earthquakes (moved from Reno 1933)
Phoenix Firebirds
San Bernardino Highlanders
San Jose Gulls (displaced from San Diego 1938)
Santa Barbara Foresters
Tucson Cowboys

Southern Association (1922)
Beaumont Exporters
Fort Smith Pioneers
Joplin Jaspers
Little Rock Travelers
Oklahoma City Indians (moved from Texas League 1942)
Shreveport Captains
Springfield Ozarks (founded 1942)
Tulsa Oilers

Northwest League (1934)
Boise Broncos (moved from Rocky Mountain League 1934)
Portland Beavers
Reno High Rollers
Spokane Tomahawks
Stockton Condors
Tacoma Mountaineers
Vancouver Mounties
Victoria Trappers

All told, now the United States Baseball Federation consisted of 44 major-league clubs and another 88 minor league operations, with the dust settling after the largest shakeup seen since the Federation was organized in 1900.

[KCRoyals15]

1942

With the dust settled on the Great Realignment, a radically different USBF unfolded in 1942. Four additional big-league teams were on the schedule, the four Eastern circuits were now playing 160 games (up from 156), the playoff field had doubled in size, and with two conferences now in place, each conference decided to issue their own awards, rather than one set for the entire Eastern Baseball Federation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you missed it, I began this league several years ago on OOTP 20, so this reorganization was multiple real-life years ago. After I split the EBF into two conferences, a later development ended up splitting off the Southern Conference into an entirely separate league and deleting the now-unneeded conference out the game. This resulted in over a decade of history for the Southern Conference being mostly lost.

I've been able to cobble standings together and figure out award winners through a lot of exhaustive work (i.e. trial and error), but had to throw it in an Excel spreadsheet, hence why it looks different than the game screenshots.

The Norfolk Admirals continued their march through the Eastern League with their sixth-straight pennant. Meanwhile, Kansas City took the Western League for the second year in a row, with new big-league squad New Orleans taking a notable second-place finish. However, the playoffs took the next two best teams, regardless of league, so the EL sent three teams (also Jersey City and Baltimore) and the Pelicans stayed home.

The EL also ended up with four of the six new big-league clubs and while Birmingham and Atlanta held their own, Jacksonville and Miami were decidedly the two worst teams in the Southern Conference.

In the Northern Conference, Manhattan held off their crosstown rivals, the New York Gothams, by one game to win the New England League. However, the Gothams also earned a ticket to the postseason. The NEL was also the home of the only new major league squad in the whole NC, the Albany Adirondacks, who lost 102 games.

Lastly, the Indianapolis Hoosiers took the Midwest Association, beating out Detroit by three games, who claimed the last playoff spot in the North by two games over both Columbus and the Philadelphia A's.



The New York teams started off strong as Manhattan swept Detroit and New York outdueled Indy in seven games. Baltimore beat Norfolk and Kansas City dispatched Jersey City in a pair of five-game series. In the semis, a Big Apple showdown saw Manhattan topple New York in seven games, while Kansas City beat Baltimore in six. The Blues and Yankees then battled for the EBF title, with Kansas City emerging victorious in a seven-game epic.



Out west, the Pacific Coast League saw two dominant teams (Seattle and Los Angeles), one other winning team (Mission), and a sub-.500 San Francisco earning the final playoff berth. Shockingly though, Mission wiped out Los Angeles and San Francisco stunned Seattle—both in shocking four-game sweeps. San Francisco then defeated their crosstown rivals in seven games, giving the 99-101 Seals the PCL crown.

That set up a National Championship of battle-hardened Kansas City and an improbable contender in San Francisco. The Seals' luck ran out, though, as the Kansas City Blues defeat the San Francisco Seals, 4-2 to give the Blues their record sixth National Championship, though this was their first one since the inclusion of the PCL.



For a second year in a row, an MVP award went to Brooklyn outfielder Jeff Healy, who took the Northern Conference trophy after leading the NC with 127 runs, stroking 208 hits, bating .335, and adding 31 doubles, 15 triples, 18 homers, and 103 RBI.

Eight years after his first Pitcher of the Year and a year after earning his 300th win, New York's Jim Alvarez was still going strong at 37, going 23-10 with a 2.15 ERA over 301 innings, leading the NC in wins.

Over in the South, Denver's Billy Ray was a surprising MVP pick, though he had a fine year, batting .307 with 195 hits, 43 doubles, 19 triples, 12 homers, and 84 RBI.

Right-hander Van Pankey was never anything special over 6 1/2 seasons in Cleveland (86-88, 4.43 ERA) before being dealt to Kansas City midway through 1940. With the Blues, though, Pankey put it together, culminating in a 20-5 season with a 2.17 ERA, earning a Pitcher of the Year that seemed extremely improbable just a couple years prior.

After being released by Kansas City, 40-year-old hurler John Little signed with New Orleans and rewarded the Pelicans with a 16-10 season, including his 300th career win on August 28.

Three days later, New York legend DJ Schreck, amidst a season in which he led the NC with a 2.00 ERA, turned in his 300th victory. Thirteen days after that, longtime Indianapolis ace Rich Malone earned his 300th win amidst his 11th and final 20-win season.

The EBF also sent two men to the Hall of Fame, as two positional players got the call in one class for the first time:

2B Anthony Lute (1924-36), 78.3%
OF Mike Nisim (1925-36), 78.0%

In the PCL, Mission shortstop Alex Miller had been a very good player for several years, but was at his best in '42. Slashing 229 hits and scoring 106 runs, Miller led the PCL with 46 doubles and 119 RBI, adding 12 triples, 20 homers, and 34 stolen bases. Stunningly, Miller seemed to lose it all the very next year. His production plummeted before being dealt mid-season to Albany, where he hit just .245 with minimal power over 6 1/2 seasons in the Empire State.

1941's Triple Crown was a nearly impossible act to follow for Los Angeles righty Jimmy Gourley, but he followed it well, going 28-12 with a 2.20 ERA over 348.1 innings, leading the PCL with nine shutouts. That was more than enough to earn his third straight Pitcher of the Year.

Late in the season, San Francisco's Bryan Kunkel became the second PCL batter to reach 3,500 career hits. He wasn't slowing down much at 36, leading the PCL with 232 hits.

The PCL followed the EBF's lead in inducting a pair of bats as a pair of Los Angeles legends got the call, headlined by the PCL's first big-league superstar:

OF Jared Krieger (1925-38), 97.2%
OF Russ Myers (1921-38), 78.6%

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Charlotte Hornets, 95-60, defeats Jackson
Colonial League: Lowell Blue Sox, 82-58, defeats Worcester
Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 96-44, defeats Austin
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 95-45, defeats Evansville (4th straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 63-64, defeats Cheyenne
Coastal League: Charleston Cannons, 99-57, defeats Macon
Northern League: La Crosse Loggers, 76-50, defeats Lincoln
Great Lakes League: Akron Rubbermen, 96-44, defeats Grand Rapids
Southwest League: Fresno Suns, 98-56, defeats San Jose
Southern Association: Tulsa Oilers, 89-51, defeats Joplin
Northwest League: Victoria Trappers, 97-43, defeats Tacoma (4th straight)

While the San Francisco Seals stunned the baseball world by winning the PCL as a sub-.500 team, they missed the distinction of the first sub-.500 league champion by a few weeks, as the Rocky Mountain League's Pueblo Miners (63-64) won the RML crown earlier in the fall.

[Sevster]

Read through this all... insanely good stuff.

[KCRoyals15]

Thank you sir!

[KCRoyals15]

1943

World War II is raging across the globe (though far away from the continental United States). The U.S. is in a full sprint in an effort to vanquish the world from the evils of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

At home, the U.S. Government has elected to exempt the players of the United States Baseball Federation from the military draft as a means of providing entertainment to those working on the home front. However, rations on needed materials have effected the composition of baseballs, as the use of rubber has been severely restricted. Consequently, the balls are more dead and scoring has dried up to a level (4.0 runs per game) not seen since the end of the Dead Ball Era nearly a quarter-century earlier.

In the Southern Conference, the Baltimore Terrapins are in the postseason for the second year in a row, but win their first Eastern League pennant in 20 years. The other three NC playoff teams come from the Western League, where Kansas City comes out in front for a third year in a row, but Louisville and Minneapolis each finish tied for second with 90 wins.

The North sees the Philadelphia A's and Manhattan win over 100 games to easily claim two playoff spots in the NEL. In the Midwest Association, Indianapolis and Detroit tied, with Indy winning a one-game playoff for the league title.



There was no drama (nor surprises) in the North as Philadelphia and Manhattan won their first-round series in five and four games, respectively. Louisville, though, vanquished Baltimore in six games, and Minneapolis—in just their second playoff field ever—upset Kansas City in seven.

In a clash of the titans, Philadelphia defeated Manhattan in five games, while the South saw Louisville also win a five-game set over Minneapolis. The Colonels, though, sprung a huge upset, KO'ing Philly in five games to win the Eastern Baseball Federation.



In the PCL, Seattle dominated the regular season, with Los Angeles, Mission, and Oakland considerably further down. In the semis, the Rainiers dispatch the sub-.500 Oaks in six games, while Mission deals a mild upset to Los Angeles in seven games. The Reds then pulled another seven-game upset over Seattle, winning their first PCL title since 1922.

That set up a showdown of two unexpected champions. However, the Colonels were firing on all cylinders and the series was not a close one, as the Louisville Colonels defeat the Mission Reds, 4-0 for the National Championship, the first for the Colonels.



In the North, the story awards-wise was Philadelphia's 27-year-old rookie Brandon Carter, who swept Rookie of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and MVP, going 22-8 with an EBF-best 1.57 ERA, also striking out 171 batters in 303.2 innings while spinning a Federation-best seven shutouts.

In the South, Louisville's 23-year-old James Najera also claimed ROTY and MVP in his debut season, slashing .315/.446/.467 with 112 runs, 15 doubles, 15 triples, 13 homers, and 77 RBI, while leading the South in walks (128), OBP (.446), and stolen bases (44).

On the pitching side, one of the most unlikely major award winners emerged. Kansas City's Matt Hanas washed out of the EBF in 1931 after two years in relief with Detroit. After nine years in the minors, he made it back with KC at 35 years old in 1941. Two years later, in his first season with more than nine wins, Hanas goes 20-8 with a 2.47 ERA over 251.1 innings, collecting nearly a third of his 73 career big-league wins in an improbable Pitcher of the Year award-winning season.

Two major milestones were hit in the EBF, with Indianapolis' perpetually-underrated Sam Melendez reaching 3,000 hits on August 27, becoming the fourth EBF player to do so. Three weeks later on September 16, New York's Jim Alvarez became just the fifth pitcher to reach 350 wins.

In the PCL, first baseman Gary Steinmetz had been overshadowed on the Los Angeles Angels for several years, but found the spotlight this season. Slashing .305/.393/.453, Steinmetz led the PCL with 235 hits, 145 runs, and 35 steals, while slashing 38 doubles, 20 triples, 12 homers, and driving in 99 runs. Steinmetz was one who randomly fell off early, with the following season being his last as a full-time starter at 29 years old.

For a fourth year in a row, it was LA's Jimmy Gourley winning Pitcher of the Year and for the second time in that stretch, he claimed a Triple Crown, leading the PCL in wins (27), ERA (2.25), and strikeouts (158) over 343.2 innings. It was the end of a stunning six-year run for the 35-year-old, who would be out of baseball just two years later.

In the EBF, two former Boston Beaneaters were inducted into the Hall of Fame, each of whom expressed regret for the demise of their former franchise two years prior in their speeches:

OF Trevor Collins (1923-33), 79.0%
1B Eduardo Saucedo (1921-34), 78.7%

The PCL also inducted one new Hall of Famer:

RHP Tommy Kingery (1926-39), 75.2%

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 109-45, defeats Charlotte
Colonial League: Binghamton Smokers, 94-46, defeats Worcester
Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 84-57, defeats El Paso (2nd straight)
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 89-51, defeats Peoria
Rocky Mountain League: Great Falls Explorers, 68-58, defeats Ft. Collins
Coastal League: Savannah Cardinals, 96-60, defeats Knoxville
Northern League: Lincoln Lions, 70-56, defeats Sioux City
Great Lakes League: Youngstown Steelers, 93-47, defeats Grand Rapids
Southwest League: San Jose Gulls, 85-69, defeats Long Beach
Southern Association: Joplin Jaspers, 86-54, defeats Beaumont
Northwest League: Vancouver Mounties, 86-55, defeats Spokane

[KCRoyals15]

1944


After six years of turning the Manhattan Yankees from a struggling second team to a hulking behemoth that wins championships and sells out the largest stadium in the country, Skipper Jr. resigned from the Yanks in the fall of 1943.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Jr. headed out west. Once again, though, his task is very similar as in Manhattan: take a struggling, newly-relocated team and compete against an established power—not only that, but in both cases a power that his father originally built.

Skipper Jr. would now be taking the reins of the Hollywood Stars.

Offense stayed low as the war dragged on, and the standings were topsy-turvy in several cases. With the playoff format re-drawn to guarantee the top two finishes in each league to make the postseason, it set up a pair of extremely exciting races in the Southern Conference.

The Eastern League saw the Washington Senators win their first pennant since 1931, finishing two games ahead of Norfolk and Jacksonville, who played a one-game playoff for the second bid, won by Norfolk. That paled in comparison to the Western League, where Louisville finished first, but New Orleans, Kansas City, and St. Louis all tied at 84-76, necessitating three tiebreaking games. New Orleans wound up on top, earning their first playoff berth as a big league team. In both the EL and WL, four teams were within 1.5 games for the final playoff berth.

The Northern Conference was not nearly as close. Manhattan cruised to the New England League pennant and New York comfortably finished second. There was even less drama in the Midwest Association, as Indianapolis coasted to the pennant, while the resurgent Cleveland Spiders cruised to the playoffs for the first time in 23 seasons.



In the postseason, Louisville and Washington took care of their lower-seeded foes with six-game series wins. In the North, though, New York upset Manhattan in five, and Cleveland hosed the Hoosiers in six. Cleveland then beat New York in seven, while Louisville fell to Washington in six. The Spiders then finished their conquest of the EBF with a five-game triumph over Washington.



In the PCL, San Francisco returned to the top of the table for the first time in seven seasons, with Los Angeles filing in behind. In his first season in Hollywood, Skipper Jr. led the Twinks to their first winning season in 29 years and first postseason bid of any kind (the then-San Diego Sailors did win the PCL pennant in 1906), with Seattle finishing fourth.

In the postseason, the Seals dispatched the Rainiers in five games, while an all-LA matchup saw the Angels turn out the lights on the Stars in six games, setting up San Francisco and Los Angeles, though it was once more all Seals in a five-game triumph. That set the stage for the National Championship, where the Cleveland Spiders defeat the San Francisco Seals, 4-2 to give the Spiders their third National Championship and first crown since 1916.



Despite Detroit missing the postseason, second-year first baseman Jacob Cox led the North with a .358/.449/.522 slash line, along with 200 hits, scoring 102 times, with 32 doubles, 15 triples, 10 homers, 82 RBI, and 19 steals to earn MVP.

On the hill, Manhattan's Aaron Cutrone was already established as one of the EBF's best hurlers, but the 28-year-old went 21-12 (his fourth-straight 20-win season) with an NC-best 1.94 ERA and nine shutouts over 306.1 innings to earn his first Pitcher of the Year trophy.

For the second year in a row, Louisville's James Najera was king of the South. He slashed .322/.442/.550 with 182 hits, a South-leading 118 runs, 29 doubles, 17 triples, 22 homers, 79 RBI, and 29 steals, earning a relatively easy MVP.

Second-year New Orleans hurler Bobby Dobrowski enjoyed a breakout season. The 28-year-old went 20-12, leading the conference with a 2.20 ERA and 155 strikeouts over 302.1 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year.

In the PCL, San Francisco third baseman Matt Bord had been an established contributor since 1937, but after a down year rebounded with a strong season, slashing .310/.416/.474 with 225 hits, 127 runs, 47 doubles, 15 triples, 14 homers, and 101 RBI, along with 26 steals to take home MVP honors.

On the hill, Hollywood right-hander Tom Dominick lost 30 games just two years prior, but turned it around with a strong 1943, then took it up a notch, going 34-13 in 50 starts and 414.1 innings—all figures not approached since. Skipper Jr. got all he could out of Dominick this year, as he was dealt midway through 1945 and won just 31 games the rest of his big-league career.

A notable milestone also was hit in the PCL, as Hollywood third baseman Travis Balogh, who had endured a lot of bad baseball since debuting for then-Salt Lake City in 1930, reached his biggest moment in his team's best season, swatting his 3,000th hit on July 20 to become the sixth PCL player to reach that mark, though just the third as a major leaguer.

In the Hall of Fame voting, the EBF elected a pair of decorated pitchers:

RHP Tony Stewart (1915-38), 96.2%
RHP Jason Confer (1918-38), 91.5%

The PCL also sent a starter to their Hall of Fame:

RHP BJ Pena (1923-40), 93.7%

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Chattanooga Lookouts, 89-65, defeats Jackson
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 80-60, defeats Reading
Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 83-57, defeats El Paso (3rd straight)
River Valley League: Peoria Distillers, 101-39, defeats Evansville
Rocky Mountain League: Albuquerque Outlaws, 78-48, defeats Ogden
Coastal League: Savannah Cardinals, 104-52, defeats Wilmington (2nd straight)
Northern League: Sioux City Cornhuskers, 69-57, defeats Sioux Falls
Great Lakes League: Grand Rapids Griffins, 105-35, defeats Youngstown
Southwest League: Santa Barbara Foresters, 89-65, defeats Fresno
Southern Association: Tulsa Oilers, 82-58, defeats Oklahoma City
Northwest League: Boise Broncos, 81-59, defeats Reno

[KCRoyals15]

1945

Morale was high in the U.S. as Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan each collapsed throughout the year. On the diamond, fans of all five United States Baseball Federation leagues were treated to outstanding races in each of them.

In the Southern Conference, The Miami Gators completed a stunning 26-game turnaround to win the Eastern League pennant and secure their first playoff bid as a big-league team, with Newark edging out Washington by a game for the second playoff spot. In the Western League, Louisville secured their second-straight pennant, but improbably, a three-way tie for the second playoff spot occurred for a second year in a row. St. Louis left no doubt, beating both Minneapolis and Omaha for the spot.

Up North, Manhattan cruised to the New England League pennant, but New York barely scraped by Buffalo (by one game) and Albany (two games) for the second bid. Cleveland won the Midwest Association for their first pennant since 1923, while Detroit defeated Indianapolis by a game for the final MWA playoff spot.



The NEL saw New York upset their cross-town rivals in Manhattan in seven games, while Cleveland dispatched Detroit in five games in the MWA. The EL saw Newark defeat Miami in seven games, while the WL witnessed St. Louis pull a mild upset by knocking out Louisville in six.

In the Conference Championships, New York knocked out defending National Champion Cleveland in five games, and St. Louis took care of Newark in six games. The Gothams then breezed through a five-game conquest of the Browns.



Out in the Pacific Coast League, the top three teams finished within two games of each other, with Seattle just edging out Hollywood and San Diego. Meanwhile Los Angeles and San Francisco tied at 100-100, with the Angels earning win #101 to take the final playoff spot, meaning that all five major leagues saw the final playoff spot come down to the final day, plus two tiebreakers needed.

The first round of the playoffs, though, saw little drama as the top seeds cruised, with Seattle sweeping Los Angeles and Hollywood knocking out San Diego in five games. The PCL Championship, though, saw the Stars claim their first PCL crown since 1906 (which they did as the San Diego Sailors) with a seven-game epic over the Rainiers.

The established Gothams and the upstart Twinks would be matched up for a National Championship, but the newcomers from California were up to the task, as the Hollywood Stars defeat the New York Gothams, 4-3 for the Stars' first National Championship.



The early 40's were not a great time to be of Asian descent in the U.S., but improbably Korean native Gwang-Soo Kim overcame those barriers to became a star from the moment he debuted for New York in 1943. Two years later, the 28-year-old was sparkplug, slashing .323/.403/.460 with 193 hits, 30 doubles, 14 triples, 8 homers, and 84 RBI, striking out just eight times all season as he took home MVP honors, albeit a somewhat surprising selection.

Two years after his ROY/POTY/MVP sweep, Philadelphia Quakers righty Brandon Carter was back at the top of the podium. The 29-year-old led the Northern Conference with a 2.18 ERA and 152 strikeouts, while going 19-11 over 285.1 innings.

In the Southern Conference, Louisville's James Najera made it three MVPs in three years, slashing .328/.454/.507 with 185 hits, 111 runs, 17 doubles, 15 triples, 18 home runs, and a career-best 92 RBI, in addition to 27 stolen bases and a league-high 131 walks. Like the previous two years, it wasn't a terribly difficult decision.

For the second year in a row, the top arm in the South went to New Orleans' Bobby Dobrowski. For the second year in a row, he topped the South in ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (134) while also going 21-11 and logging 302.2 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year.

In the PCL, Hollywood found an unexpected gem in 30-year-old rookie left fielder Caleb Wright, who slashed .313/.384/.463 and 215 hits, 108 runs, 41 doubles, 16 homers, and 88 RBI as he earned an unlikely MVP nod.

Amazingly, another Hollywood rookie earned Pitcher of the Year as 27-year-old Clint Albarracin burst onto the scene by going 24-12 with a 2.23 ERA, leading the PCL in starts (43) and logging 346.1 innings.

A widely-respected legend in the PCL reached a holy grail at the tail end of the season. On September 30, San Francisco's Bryan Kunkel swatted his 4,000th hit, becoming the first and still only major leaguer to reach that milestone, and just the second in professional baseball history.

while the PCL did not enshrine any new Hall of Famers, the EBF did induct a pair of players into their Hall this season:

RHP Carlos Perez (1918-36), 76.1%
OF Matt Swanson (1922-37), 75.2%

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 111-43, defeats Chattanooga
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 87-53, defeats Syracuse
Texas League: Dallas Lone Stars, 91-49, defeats Houston
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 89-51, defeats Peoria
Rocky Mountain League: Butte Copper Kings, 61-67, defeats Colorado Springs
Coastal League: Knoxville Pioneers, 93-63, defeats Columbia
Northern League: Sioux City Cornhuskers, 77-49, defeats Fargo-Moorhead
Great Lakes League: Grand Rapids Griffins, 92-48, defeats Akron (2nd straight)
Southwest League: Santa Barbara Foresters, 85-69, defeats San Jose (2nd straight)
Southern Association: Oklahoma City Indians, 82-58, defeats Tulsa
Northwest League: Tacoma Mountaineers, 84-56, defeats Victoria

Butte finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the Rocky Mountain League at 59-67, then won two tiebreaker games and a pair of playoff rounds to become the worst league champion in recorded baseball history.

[KCRoyals15]

1946

The war is over, the troops are home, and everything is fine as could be. The United States Baseball Federation is seeing attendance rise towards record heights with the wave of postwar optimism and newfound disposable income not seen before.

In the Southern Conference, the Norfolk Admirals and New Orleans Pelicans win their respective leagues with relative ease, with the Pelicans winning the Western League for the first time. Jacksonville earns the second Eastern League playoff spot, while the Omaha Golden Spikes earn just their third playoff spot all time and first in six years.

The Northern Conference sees an even less-intriguing race in the New England League, where Manhattan cruises to the pennant and New York comfortably takes the second spot. The Midwest Association, though, sees Indianapolis claim a pennant and Cleveland needing a 161st game to defeat Columbus in a tiebreaker for the final playoff spot.



The Eastern Baseball Federation teams elected to play a cross-division format, meaning New York faced (and upset in five games) Indianapolis, while Cleveland levied a first-round upset in seven games over Manhattan.

The opposite was true in the South, where pennant winners New Orleans (over Jacksonville) and Norfolk (over Omaha) claimed six-game series victories. Cleveland then downed New York and New Orleans knocked off Norfolk, both in five-game sets, setting up the Spiders for a seven-game triumph over the Pelicans for the EBF crown.



Out West, the Los Angeles Angels reclaimed the top spot in the PCL, with usual suspects in Seattle and San Francisco behind them. Hollywood and Sacramento tied for the fourth and final spot, and the Stars took the tiebreaker to reach the postseason.

In the semifinals, the Stars pulled off an upset over their crosstown rivals, as the Twinks vanquished the Angels in seven games. Meanwhile, Seattle defeated San Francisco in five games. The PCL finals were less dramatic, as Hollywood earned a repeat title with a five-game victory over Seattle.

That set up a matchup that had not been seen before: a National Championship tilt between each of the previous two national champs. In this case, though, it was the '44 winners earning a second crown in three years, with the Cleveland Spiders defeating the Hollywood Stars, 4-2 for their fourth National Championship.



On the National Championship squad, sophomore first baseman Troy Martin broke out in his second season with Cleveland. The 25-year-old slashed .327/.443/.524, with 101 runs, 35 doubles, 24 home runs, and a Northern Conference-leading 121 RBI, while also leading the league in slugging and OBP to earn NC MVP honors.

For a second time in three seasons, Manhattan ace Aaron Cutrone took home Pitcher of the Year honors. The 30-year-old won at least 20 games for the sixth straight season, going 20-10 with a 2.42 ERA, striking out 142 batters over 282.2 innings.

In the South, Atlanta rookie Cameron Don Carlos took home Rookie of the Year and MVP, slashing .330/.426/.528 and leading the South with 25 home runs and 101 RBI. It was a strong start for a 29-year-old late bloomer who remained a potent bat into his mid-30's.

Prior to the 1946 season, Omaha forked over four players to the Columbus Cyclones for their ace, 30-year-old Mike Poteat. The trade paid off immediately for the Golden Spikes, as Poteat led them to the postseason by going 19-10 with a 2.36 ERA over 270.1 innings, spinning an SC-leading six shutouts to earn Pitcher of the Year.

Out in the Pacific Coast League, a new superstar was emerging in San Francisco. In his third season, 25-year-old Randy Shaddon slashed .297/.384/.443 with 221 hits, a league-leading 132 runs and 36 steals, plus 39 doubles, 9 triples, 17 homers, and 80 RBI, all with tip-top defense in center field to earn his first MVP trophy.

Both Pitcher and Rookie of the Year went to Los Angeles righty Seth Kempf a 26-yer-old who won a league-high 26 games, logging a 2.74 ERA and 201 strikeouts over 354.1 innings—the high point of a career than mostly fizzled out after his 30th birthday.

The PCL said goodbye to one of its greatest players ever, as San Francisco's Brian Kunkel announced his retirement on November 4. The 40-year-old finished his career with a PCL-record 4,082 hits, 2,020 runs, and 1,950 RBI over 3,221 games. His league marks for hits, runs, total bases (5,789), and at-bats (12,133) still stand into the 21st century. His hit and doubles (816) total still remain big-league records, while his games, run, and walk (1,511) figures were big-league standards at the time of his retirement, though they've all since been topped.

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Charlotte Hornets, 97-57, defeats Jackson
Colonial League: Binghamton Smokers, 78-63, defeats Reading
Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 89-67, defeats Corpus Christi
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 86-54, defeats Peoria (2nd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 66-60, defeats Great Falls
Coastal League: Savannah Cardinals, 100-56, defeats Knoxville
Northern League: Duluth Dukes, 75-52, defeats Sioux City
Great Lakes League: Allentown Brewers, 100-40, defeats Grand Rapids
Southwest League: Long Beach Earthquakes, 84-70, defeats Santa Barbara
Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 79-61, defeats Joplin
Northwest League: Victoria Trappers, 82-58, defeats Reno

In the Southeastern League, the Savannah Cardinals picked up 25-year-old first baseman Erik Pare after being released by Miami on the eve of Opening Day. Pare then proceeded to erupt for a mind-blowing 78 home runs and 176 RBI, while adding 177 runs, and 39 stolen bases. The home run total is still the most ever hit in any professional league in North America. Incredibly, Pare only hit 58 total home runs in the other six years of his career (never more than 17 in a season) and never returned to the big leagues despite his incredible season.

[KCRoyals15]

1947

After a lull in offense during and immediately after the war, runs started to tick back up in 1947, matching attendance figures and overall popularity of the United States Baseball Federation. However, some change in the landscape occurred, as the Twin Cities were deemed to be a little too small to be a two-team market, as the St. Paul Saints headed out west to become the Salt Lake City Bees—becoming the Eastern Baseball Federation's westernmost team.

In the Southern Conference, both leagues saw excellent three-team races. Baltimore edged out Washington and Newark by a game, with the latter two teams tied. The Senators then won a one-game playoff for the final playoff spot in the Eastern League. The Western League saw St. Louis and New Orleans finish tied for the lead, with Louisville just two games back in third.

The Northern Conference saw some drama, albeit much less of it. Manhattan (104 wins), Cleveland (103) cruised to pennants, and New York easily claimed the second New England League playoff spot, but the Chicago Whales also needed an extra game to break a tie with Columbus to slip into the Midwest Association field.

Of note in the South, the Kansas City Blues bottomed out with a 64-96, last-place finish—far and away their worst year ever. Not only that, but it was the Blues' first losing season since 1900, snapping an incredible run of 46 straight winning campaigns.



In the South, St. Louis voted out the Senators in a landslide, walloping Washington in five games, while New Orleans edged New Orleans in seven games. The Browns then ripped through the Pelicans in a four-game sweep. The North saw New York upset Cleveland in five games, which was the same amount Manhattan needed to dispatch Chicago. New York then upset their crosstown rivals in five games to see the Gothams and Browns match up for the EBF title. In a matchup of two red-hot teams, St. Louis won a six-game showdown.



The Pacific Coast League saw changes as a second franchise in six years moved. The Mission Reds had enough of playing second fiddle in San Francisco and moved up the coast to become the second PCL iteration of the Portland Beavers, ending 15 years without PCL baseball in Oregon.

On the field, Los Angeles and Seattle finished well ahead of the pack, with Hollywood taking the third playoff spot and 98-102 San Diego taking fourth. The Padres then upset the Angels in a seven-game shocker in the semis. Seattle then ripped through Hollywood in five games, then took down San Diego in six to win the PCL to win their first PCL crown in 18 years.

the National Championship was one of the best ones in recent memory, and it ended with the St. Louis Browns defeating the Seattle Rainiers, 4-3 to take their second National Championship and their first in half a century.



Manhattan second baseman Josh Burkhardt had been an okay hitter with good defense and an excellent eye at the plate. Howeber, he put it together at the dish, slashing.300/.448/.469 with 32 doubles, 15 homers, 72 RBI, and 112 runs—all career bests for the 31-year-old who claimed Northern Conference MVP honors.

Another Yankee took home Pitcher of the Year, as 24-year-old rookie Art Lewis (who did not win Rookie of the Year) with 19-6 with a 2.41 ERA over 265.2 innings.

Despite a fifth-place finish, Minneapolis outfielder Josh Barnes earned MVP honors in the South. He slashed .340/.432/.526 with 191 hits, 25 doubles, 14 triples, 17 homers, and a SC-leading 114 RBI, as the 27-year-old set career highs in most categories.

The Philadelphia Quakers dealt two-time Pitcher of the Year Brandon Carter to New Orleans midway through 1946 and came to regret it quickly. In his first year in the Big Easy, Carter won his third POTY trophy, being named best in the South after going 17-9 with a 2.85 ERA, leading the SC with 164 strikeouts over 268.1 innings.

In the Pacific Coast League, Bobby Fox endeared himself to the new fans in Portland immediately, slashing .303/.415/.464 with 205 hits, 127 runs, 38 doubles, 13 triples, 15 homers, 77 RBI, and 17 steals, while winning the fifth of 14-straight Great Glove awards at third base. That was plenty to earn him the MVP trophy.

Seattle right-hander Trev Chatmon only went 21-18, but led the PCL in ERA (3.07) and innings (352.0), and the durable righty took home both Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

The EBF inducted a pair of new Hall of Famers:

RHP Mike Chapman (1925-41), 98.9%
OF Brian Holsinger (1922-41), 75.6%

---

With postwar prosperity in place, a pair of new minor leagues popped up, with the Can-Am League placing multiple teams on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, and the Mid-Atlantic League popping up in five Eastern states from North Carolina to Pennsylvania.

Can-Am League
London Braves
Manchester Monarchs
Montreal Royals
Ottawa Capitals
Portland Lobsters
Springfield Spinners
Toronto Maple Leafs
Waterbury Pipers


Mid-Atlantic League
Altoona Engineers
Atlantic City Aces
Asheville Tourists
Charleston (WV) Coal Sox
Greensboro Patriots
Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels
Roanoke Red Hawks
Trenton Tartans


Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 95-60, defeats Chattanooga
Colonial League: Providence Patriots, 81-59, defeats Worcester
Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 89-67, defeats Houston (2nd straight)
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 86-54, defeats Peoria (3rd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Ogden Railroaders, 72-55, defeats Pueblo
Coastal League: Savannah Cardinals, 96-60, defeats Knoxville (2nd straight)
Northern League: Davenport Trappers, 75-51, defeats Sioux City
Great Lakes League: Youngstown Steelers, 97-43, defeats Grand Rapids
Southwest League: Bakersfield Conquistadors, 82-72, defeats Long Beach
Southern Association: Biloxi Pilots, 83-57, defeats Joplin
Northwest League: Salem Senators, 79-61, defeats Victoria
Can-Am League: Waterbury Pipers, 71-55, defeats Toronto
Mid-Atlantic League: Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels, 80-60, defeats Asheville

[KCRoyals15]

1948

After a successful four-year stretch where Skipper Jr. injected a bountiful amount of life into a dead Hollywood squad, he had felt his work was through, and so up the coast he went, with his new task being a re-tooling of the sputtering Sacramento Solons.

Throughout their four-decade run, the original Memphis Chicks usually struggled mightily (one pennant, six 100-loss seasons) before dropping down to Triple-A, but undeterred, another struggling team elected to give the Bluff City a try. The Richmond Rebels had never sniffed the postseason (and only once had even sniffed second place), and so they took up residence on the shores of the Mississippi. The Memphis Chicks were back.

The playoff races in the Southern Conference were pretty drama-free. Washington and Newark took the two Eastern League spots, while Louisville and New Orleans took charge in the Western League, also without incident.

The Northern Conference was more hotly contested. The only two 100-win seasons were in the same league and same state, as Columbus (102 wins) edged out Cleveland (100), earning the two Midwest Association spots, while Columbus won just their second pennant and first since 1927. The New England League saw Albany and Manhattan tie for first at 97-63, holding off New York and Boston. The Adirondacks had their first playoff berth as a big-league squad.



In the SC, Washington dispatched New Orleans in five games, though Newark pulled an upset of Louisville, also in five. In the NC, both series went the distance, with Albany edging Columbus, and Manhattan outlasting Cleveland, both in mild upsets.

In a matchup of in-state rivals, Manhattan won another tightly-contested series, edging out Albany in seven games, while Newark took down Washington in six. The Yankees, though, out-classed the Eagles by winning the Eastern Championship in a four-game sweep.



The San Francisco Seals returned to the top of the PCL, outpacing Hollywood and Seattle, who finished tied for second. In fourth were the Sacramento Solons, who in their first year under Skipper Jr. snapped a 15-year postseason drought. In the postseason, the Solons were dispatched by the Seals in five games, while Seattle also needed just five contests to take down Hollywood. San Francisco then took down Seattle in six years for the PCL crown.

That set up a title matchup of two of the most successful franchises of the decade. However, it was all Seals as the San Francisco Seals defeat the Manhattan Yankees, 4-1 for the National Championship, handing the Seals their fourth title and their first in a dozen years.



In the Northern Conference, Cleveland first baseman Troy Martin put the bow on a strong three-year stretch by slashing .314/.421/.519 with 178 hits, 102 runs, 27 doubles, 29 home runs, and 112 RBI, taking home his second MVP award in three years.

23-year-old Columbus rookie right-hander Danny Childers was an integral part in the Cyclones' resurgence, going 16-8 with a conference-leading 2.43 ERA over 244.2 innings, earning Pitcher of the Year honors as the highlight of what wound up as an underwhelming big-league career.

In the South, a man unfortunately nicknamed "Kitten" was a big cat, as Washington first baseman Brad Kline earned Rookie of the Year and MVP honors by slashing .338/.438/.536 with 199 hits, 107 runs, 27 home runs, and 102 RBI in a stellar debut season.

On the mound, New Orleans' Dustin Anderson burst onto the scene with a 21-win rookie year in 1945 and continued to be a top arm for nearly a decade. Despite going just 14-7, Anderson led the South with a 2.75 ERA over 219.0 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year.

For a second time in three years, San Francisco centerfielder Randy Shaddon took home PCL MVP honors, slashing .294/.410/.465 with 208 hits, 128 runs, 31 doubles, 24 triples, 14 homers, and 72 RBI, alongside 141 walks and 24 steals. One of the best defenders of all time, Shaddon won his fifth of 15-straight Great Glove awards (which came across three different leagues/conferences).

For a second year in a row, Seattle right-hander Trev Chatmon took home Pitcher of the Year honors, going 23-14 with a 2.75 ERA, leading the PCL in wins and ERA, while also logging 350.1 innings and league-leading 27 complete games.

Two EBF legends got the call to the Hall of Fame:

RHP Felix Cepeda (1922-42), 93.4%
2B Josh Dubbelde (1926-40), 79.8%

---

Beginning around 1941 (Editor's note: I'm not sure exactly when I started this process, since I didn't do this all at once), big-league teams began snapping up minor league affiliates, with the USBF allowing each squad to have one affiliate. The PCL teams elected to snap up the entire Northwest League for this purpose, while the Eastern teams linked up with teams in the Southeastern, Coastal, Colonial, Great Lakes, River Valley, and Northern Leagues, though some teams remained independent within those leagues.

Also intriguing, the Texas League had been establishing itself rapidly as the biggest-drawing, highest-paying minor league, leading to some rumblings on if they would be making a big-league push before long.

Of note, the Texas League, now at ten teams, launched their very own development league, the Lone Star League, lending much more credibility to their big-league ambitions:

Lone Star League
North
Abilene Prairie Dogs
Amarillo Gold Sox
Lawton Miners
Lubbock Hubbers
Tyler Roughnecks

South
Laredo Vaqueros
Midland-Odessa Panthers
Rio Grande White Wings
San Angelo Colts
Waco Twisters


Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Chattanooga Lookouts, 90-64, defeats Montgomery
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 88-52, defeats Syracuse
Texas League: El Paso Texans, 83-73, defeats Ft. Worth
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 94-46, defeats St. Joseph (4th straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Great Falls Explorers, 66-60, defeats Cheyenne
Coastal League: Columbia Roosters, 85-69, defeats Wilmington
Northern League: Sioux Falls Packers, 86-54, defeats Sioux City
Great Lakes League: Youngstown Steelers, 93-47, defeats Allentown (2nd straight)
Southwest League: Long Beach Earthquakes, 83-71, defeats San Jose
Southern Association: Springfield Ozarks, 85-55, defeats Shreveport
Northwest League: Victoria Trappers, 88-52, defeats Salem
Can-Am League: Waterbury Pipers, 71-55, defeats London (2nd straight)
Mid-Atlantic League: Asheville Tourists, 84-56, defeats Altoona
Lone Star League: Laredo Vaqueros, 82-59, defeats Abilene

This year saw the Peoria Distillers snap a streak of 13 straight appearances in the River Valley League finals, while the Grand Rapids Griffins were at home after losing a streak of 14 straight finals bids in the Great Lakes League.

[KCRoyals15]

1949

Though the 1940's have seen a host of changes come for the United States Baseball Federation, industry experts and historians agree that the game is in an excellent place as half a century of USBF play concluded with the 1949 season. Attendance, salaries, and revenues are all at record highs, while recently tapped markets are seeing success.

Meanwhile, another new market is tapped, and for the first time, that market is north of the border. The Chicago Colts leave the Windy City as a one-team town and move north, becoming he first Canadian team in the USBF, becoming the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In the Southern Conference, the Jacksonville Tars take care of business in the Eastern League, with Washington edging out Atlanta for the second playoff berth. Meanwhile, St. Louis dominates with 106 wins to cruise past Kansas City, who earns the second Western League playoff bid.

The Northern Conference saw Manhattan and the Philadelphia Athletics take relatively easy spots in the New England League, while Detroit and the Chicago Whales take care of the Midwest Association



Detroit takes down Philadelphia in six games, while Chicago upsets Manhattan in seven to begin the playoffs. In the South, Kansas City upsets Jacksonville in six games, but Washington pulls off a bigger stunner with a seven-game triumph over St. Louis.

Chicago then dispatches Detroit in fives games and Kansas City waxes Washington in six, setting up the Blues for a four-game sweep of the Whales to win the Eastern Baseball Federation.



Hollywood dominates the Pacific Coast League, cruising to a pennant as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento scoop up the last three berths. However, the 99-101 Solons shock Hollywood in seven games as Skipper Jr. knocks off his former team, while San Francisco takes down Hollywood. The Solons' Cinderella run comes up just short as the Seals win a seven-game PCL Championship series.

However, the Seals could not slow down the red-hot Kansas City Blues. Just two years after their worst-ever season, the Kansas City Blues defeat the San Francisco Seals, 4-1 to win their unprecedented seventh National Championship—though it would be their last one for a while.



Manhattan shortstop Pat Keeney's career got off to a very slow start at the plate, but the slick fielder's bat finally caught up later in the decade. The 25-year-old put it all together, slashing .340/.431/.508 with 178 hits, 30 doubles, 16 home runs, and RBI, setting career highs in almost every category, while also claiming a Great Glove (his third) to go next to his Northern Conference MVP.

New York southpaw Rich Anderson pitched into his 40's as a journeyman, but in his late 20's was a legitimate frontline starter. As a 27-year-old in his third season, Anderson went 18-11 with a NC-best 2.45 ERA over a conference-leading 294.0 innings to take home Pitcher of the Year.

Louisville outfielder James Najera dominated the wartime years, but continued to excel post-war as well. Slashing .342/.496/.552 with 174 hits, 112 runs, 26 home runs, and 78 RBI, Najera set career highs in all three triple-slash categories and drew an absurd 158 walks, leading the Southern Conference in walks, OBP, and OPS (1.048) on his way to a fourth MVP trophy.

Washington righty Matt Wright won 20 games as a rookie, then topped it by leading the conference in wins (23), ERA (2.57) and innings (294.0) as a sophomore to earn South Pitcher of the Year. Though he never reached those heights again, Wright continued to get outs for the Senators until his 42nd birthday.

In the Pacific Coast League, Hollywood traded former MVP Caleb Wright to Columbus after the 1946 season. In return, it turns out they picked up a future MVP, as first baseman Chris Scholl slashed .305/.410/.535 and led the PCL with 37 homers, while also driving in 130 runs, ripping 203 hits, and scoring 131 times. Though just 25, Scholl only was an everyday player for one more season before losing his starting job due to injuries.

As he did as a rookie, San Francisco rookie Avraham Kirch won 22 games, while also logging a 3.12 ERA and logging a PCL-leading 44 starts and 355.0 innings, earning Pitcher of the Year honors.

The EBF elected a pair of first-ballot inductees to the Hall of Fame, including one of the top players in EBF history:

OF Tyreek Norman (1930-43), 98.1%
RHP Rich Malone (1929-43), 95.9%

The PCL also sent one stellar arm to the Hall:

RHP Eric Thomerson (1929-41), 79.4%

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 85-70, defeats Chattanooga
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 83-57, defeats Scranton-Wilkes Barre (2nd straight)
Texas League: Oklahoma City Indians, 96-61, defeats San Antonio
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 89-51, defeats Wichita (5th straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Cheyenne Bulls, 66-60, defeats Pueblo
Coastal League: Wilmington Blue Rocks, 94-60, defeats Charleston
Northern League: Cedar Rapids Reds, 86-54, defeats Sioux Falls
Great Lakes League: Allentown Brewers, 105-35, defeats Youngstown
Southwest League: Santa Barbara Foresters, 84-70, defeats Tucson
Southern Association: Joplin Jaspers, 80-60, defeats Springfield
Northwest League: Salem Senators, 85-55, defeats Vancouver
Can-Am League: Manchester Monarchs, 75-51, defeats London
Mid-Atlantic League: Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels, 84-56, defeats Altoona
Lone Star League: Abilene Prairie Dogs, 78-62, defeats Amarillo

[KCRoyals15]

1950

The 50's began with a first-time pennant winner in the Southern Conference as the Atlanta Crackers edged out Washington for the Eastern League crown, while the Senators took the second playoff spot. In the Western League, St. Louis edged out New Orleans by a game, with those teams punching their postseason ticket.

The Northern Conference saw rather little drama, with Manhattan cruising to the New England League title with 105 wins and Philadelphia taking second by five games. Similarly, Detroit coasted to 100 wins and Chicago finished five games clear of the field in second.



In the North, Manhattan swept Chicago in four games, while Detroit needed seven games to scrape past Philly. Meanwhile, Atlanta swept longtime rival New Orleans, while St. Louis took out Washington in six games.

In the Conference Championships, the Crackers banished the Browns in five games, while the Wolverines needed another seven-game set to take down Manhattan. That set up another dramatic Detroit victory, as the Wolverines won yet another seven-game series win, taking down Atlanta to win the Eastern Baseball Federation.



Out West, Los Angeles won the Pacific Coast League, with Hollywood, San Francisco and Seattle filing in behind for the other three playoff berths. The Rainiers kicked things off by upsetting the pennant-winning Angels in the first round, while the Seals stymied the Stars in five games. Seattle then took down San Francisco, as fourth-seeded Seattle won the PCL crown.

That set up a matchup with the battle-tested Detroit Wolverines, who needed to win three Game 7's to reach the National Championship. However, this time Seattle turned the tables by winning a seventh game, as the Seattle Rainiers defeat the Detroit Wolverines, 4-3 to win their second National Championship and first in 21 seasons.

This was the 25th season in which the National Championship was competed between the Eastern Baseball Federation and Pacific Coast League champions. The EBF is 14-11 in those series.



In a bit of a surprise, despite a sixth-place finish, the Cincinnati Tigers had the Northern Conference MVP, as outfielder Adam Folstad had a breakout third season, leading the NC with 124 runs, while slashing .343/.432/.576 with 198 hits, 33 doubles, 18 triples, 22 home runs, and 108 RBI.

On the hill, durable New York right-hander Mike Asari was in the midst of leading the Conference in innings four times in five years, but he was very good in those league-high 293.2 frames, going 18-11 with a 2.94 ERA to earn Pitcher of the Year.

In the South, another Louisville outfielder, Nate Caldwell, earned top player honors, slashing .324/.399/.606 while setting a new EBF record with 43 home runs, as well as a Conference-leading 128 RBI and 120 runs scored, making him an easy MVP choice.

St. Louis right-hander Victor Martinez didn't debut until he was 30 years old, but proved to be an ace right away, and was excellent in 1950, going 18-9 with a 2.99 ERA in 268.1 innings to earn Pitcher of the Year.

San Francisco outfielder Ian Wolan earned PCL MVP in his third season, slashing .326/.398/.556 with 234 hits, 126 runs, 37 doubles, 38 home runs, and 130 RBI.

For the second year in a row, San Francisco's Jewish right-hander Avraham "Love Machine" Kirch was best of the west on the mound, taking home PCL Pitcher of the Year after going 25-11 with a 3.47 ERA over 334.2 innings, leading the PCL in wins.

The PCL sent a pair of revered hitters to the Hall of Fame this year:

1B Bryan Kunkel (1929-46), 99.4%
OF Cody Kulzer (1935-46), 85.3%

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Mobile Marines, 90-64, defeats Montgomery
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 81-59, defeats Binghamton (3rd straight)
Texas League: Oklahoma City Indians, 82-74, defeats Dallas (2nd straight)
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 78-62, defeats Des Moines (6th straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 71-56, defeats Albuquerque Outlaws
Coastal League: Charleston (SC) Cannons, 89-65 defeat Wilmington
Northern League: Davenport Trappers, 90-50, defeats Sioux Falls
Great Lakes League: Erie Sailors, 88-52, defeats Akron
Southwest League: San Jose Gulls, 90-64, defeats Phoenix
Southern Association: Fort Smith Pioneers, 83-57, defeats Shreveport
Northwest League: Salem Senators, 97-43, defeats Reno (2nd straight)
Can-Am League: Ottawa Capitals, 78-48, defeats London
Mid-Atlantic League: Charleston (WV) Coal Sox, 83-58, defeats Asheville
Lone Star League: Amarillo Gold Sox, 78-63, defeats Laredo