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JD396 · 04-08-2020, 05:48 PM

National Conference - Division A Spotlight

I had a little bit of a delay... the hard drive in my primary computer decided to take a dump the other day. Fortunately, my save survived, and my ten-year-old tank of a laptop can still run OOTP just fine for now!

1946 Boston Red Sox (104-50)
Result: Lost World Series, 4-3 to St. Louis Cardinals
Top Player: Ted Williams (10.6 WAR)
Manager: Joe Cronin

The 1946 Red Sox were one of the best teams not to win a World Series, losing a close Game 7, giving up the winning run to the Cardinals in a play known as the “Mad Dash”. This was the Red Sox first appearance in the World Series since winning in 1918, and would not appear in another World Series until 1967. Ted Williams, back after missing three seasons due to his service as a pilot in the Marine Corps – didn’t take much time to reacclimate himself to the major leagues, and easily won the MVP award that year. The overall strength of the roster was obvious, as several of his teammates trailed him in the voting – Bobby Doerr (3rd), Johnny Pesky (4th), Dave Ferriss (7th), Dom DiMaggio (9th), among others.

1978 New York Yankees (100-63)
Result: Won World Series, 4-2 over Los Angeles Dodgers
Top Player: Ron Guidry (9.6 WAR)
Manager: Billy Martin, Dick Howser, Bob Lemon

Another era, another Yankees dynasty. The Yankees hadn’t won a World Series since 1962, and they hadn’t won a pennant since 1964. [crocodile tears] In the meantime, the Yankees were purchased by one George Steinbrenner, who went to work putting together another contender. After losing to the Big Red Machine in 1976, Steinbrenner made use of the advent of free agency and the end of the reserve clause era. He brought in Reggie Jackson on a $2.96m contract, who would earn the moniker “Mr. October” pounding home runs, propelling the Yankees to a victory in the 1977 series. The team also provided a non-trivial amount of drama, particularly between Steinbrenner, Jackson, and Billy Martin. It famously came to a head at Fenway in 1977, but in 1978 Steinbrenner and Martin reached the end of the road, and Steinbrenner swapped Martin for Bob Lemon. Despite the drama, the Yankees and Red Sox came down to a tiebreaking Game 163 – famous for Bucky F’ing Dent’s home run, before going on to beat Tommy Lasorda’s Dodgers for the second year in a row.

1988 Oakland Athletics (104-58)
Result: Lost World Series, 4-1 to Los Angeles Dodgers
Top Player: Jose Canseco (7.3 bWAR)
Manager: Tony La Russa

The A’s went to three consecutive World Series from 1988-90. They lost two of them, and in the other there was an earthquake. 1988 was the highest win total for this generation of A’s, led by Dave Stewart in the rotation and the “Bash Brothers”, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire in the lineup. In 1989, the A’s would acquire Rickey Henderson on their way to the 1989 World Series title. Kirk Gibson's home run off of A’s closer Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 series remains one of the most iconic moments in World Series history.

1998 Atlanta Braves (106-56)
Result: Lost NLCS, 4-2 to San Diego Padres
Top Player: Andruw Jones (7.4 bWAR)
Manager: Bobby Cox

Although the Braves won the 1995 World Series over the Indians, their best regular season of the era was 1998, winning a franchise-record 106 games. The Braves were the winningest team of the 1990s, and won a run of 14 out of 15 division titles (including 11 straight from 1995-2005). They always had a strong lineup, and had the Hall of Fame trio of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz together on the pitching staff for a decade. It just doesn’t feel like one solo World Series victory does this team justice – and 1998 is emblematic of that. They seemed destined for a rematch of their 1996 series with the Yankees, but that would have to wait until 1999, as they fell to Tony Gwynn and the Padres in the NLCS.

2019 Houston Astros (107-55)
Result: Lost World Series, 4-3 to Washington Nationals
Top Player: Alex Bregman (9.1 bWAR)
Manager: A.J. Hinch

Just a few short years ago, the Astros were Major League Baseball’s doormat. After several years of mediocrity following the end of the “Killer B” era, the Astros took a turn for the suck and lost 416 games from 2011-2014, raising allegations of “tanking”. That was scarcely their only controversy – there were other things like the Brady Aiken signing and hacked internal front office notes. It was all 100% pure-as-the-wind-driven-snow controversy-free smooth sailing from there, though. In 2017, they won 101 games and claimed the franchise’s first World Series championship. They were a game better in 2018, but fell to the Red Sox. In 2019, they were better than ever, winning 107 games, and were a clear favorite to win the World Series – falling just a few innings short to the Nationals, in a bizarre series in which the visiting team won every game (sending over 300,000 total fans in attendance home disappointed). However, the Astros’ cheating scandal that kicked off shortly after the 2019 season ended dominated baseball news all through the winter into spring training. To date, the casualties include the jobs of GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch, as well the managerial jobs of then-bench coach Alex Cora and then-player Carlos Beltran. Fair or not, it also cost essentially anyone else associated with the 2017 Astros their reputation. If/when the 2020 season gets going, the season will be a tour of shame for everyone else, and a quest for redemption for Astros and their still talented, still dangerous roster.

Featured Games

Multi-HR Game for White in 8-6 Win
3/30/2020 - 2019 Houston Astros (4-7) @ 1978 New York Yankees (7-3)

Roy White made an impact in the 1978 Yankees' 8-6 Win over the 2019 Astros. White, who is a two-time All-Star, belted a pair of 3-run homers off of Astros starter Justin Verlander (1-2). A solo home run from Reggie Jackson and an RBI double from Willie Randolph made for a total of 8 earned runs credited to Verlander in an off-outing for the Astros ace.

Yankees starter Ed Figueroa (2-0) was saddled with six runs over 8+ innings, but a crooked 8th inning belied a much stronger start. Figueroa took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, broken up by catcher Max Stassi with a single, and a shutout into the seventh, broken up with a home run by Yordan Alvarez. Entering the 8th inning, Figueroa held a comfortable 8-1 lead, having surrendered only 5 hits and a walk on 92 pitches. Following a home run off the bat of Astros catcher Max Stassi, the Astros loaded the bases for Alex Bregman. Bregman then crushed the first pitch he saw, a 440-foot moonshot to right-center. Yankees closer Goose Gossage then took over the mound and claimed his 4th save of the season.

Player of the Game: Roy White - 3-for-4, 2 HR (2), 6 RBI

Rolen Leads Cardinals to .500
3/31/2020 - 2004 St. Louis Cardinals @ 1988 Oakland Athletics

2004 Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen went 4-for-4 and batted in 6 to defeat the 1988 A's and pull to 6-6 on the season.

Rolen went to work early on A's starter Storm Davis (1-2), with a two-run double in the first inning. The Cards never really looked back. In the third inning, Rolen cranked a three-run homer down the left field line, and Reggie Sanders followed with a solo shot of his own to run the score to 6-0. An RBI single in the third made it 6 RBI for the day.

Rolen's run support was more than enough for Cards starter Jason Marquis (1-1), who threw seven innings allowing only 1 run on 6 hits. Right-hander Cal Eldred took over with a clean eighth inning, but ran into trouble in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs and allowing three to score, on a wild pitch and two singles from Dave Henderson and Jose Canseco. For the final out, with the bases still loaded La Russa turned to lefty Steve Kline to retire Dave Parker and claim the 8-4 victory.

After the game, managers Tony La Russa of the Cardinals and Tony La Russa of the A's were unavailable for comment.

Player of the Game: Scott Rolen - 4-for-4, 2B, HR (1), 6 RBI

Boston Starts April Strong After Rough End to March
4/1/2020 - 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers @ 1946 Boston Red Sox

The 1946 Red Sox followed up Tuesday night's disastrous 28-6 beatdown with a solid, albeit less one-sided, 8-4 victory over the 1955 Dodgers at Fenway last night. It was a team effort for the Red Sox lineup - Ted Williams and Rudy York each hit their third home run of the season, and Dom DiMaggio batted in three. Every hitter in the Sox lineup except catcher Hal Wagner collected a hit, and every hitter, including Wagner, either scored or batted in a run.

The Red Sox bullpen was mostly given a needed respite following Tuesday's blowout. Starter Mickey Harris (1-0) surrendered 4 runs in 7 innings. The Dodgers' four runs came on three home runs - a pair of solo shots by catcher Roy Campanella (5) and a 2-run homer by second baseman Jim Gilliam (1). Lefty Earl Johnson came in to pick up a 2-inning save.

Player of the Game: Dom DiMaggio - 2-for-4, 3 RBI

Other Happenings

Keith Hernandez + Coke =

AC Player of the Week: J.D. Martinez, 2018 Red Sox

NC Player of the Week: Andres Galarraga, 1998 Braves

League Leaders

Batting Leaders

Pitching Leaders

Standings

Four of the divisions are led by Yankees teams, and another one is 1.5 games back. However, Mickey Mantle and his '56 Yankees aren't firing on all cylinders yet.

Up Next: American Conference - Division B highlight!

04-08-2020, 05:48 PM	#4
JD396 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: MSP Posts: 23	Oddball Historical Sims: Best Thirty Teams Showdown: S1E3 National Conference - Division A Spotlight I had a little bit of a delay... the hard drive in my primary computer decided to take a dump the other day. Fortunately, my save survived, and my ten-year-old tank of a laptop can still run OOTP just fine for now! 1946 Boston Red Sox (104-50) Result: Lost World Series, 4-3 to St. Louis Cardinals Top Player: Ted Williams (10.6 WAR) Manager: Joe Cronin The 1946 Red Sox were one of the best teams not to win a World Series, losing a close Game 7, giving up the winning run to the Cardinals in a play known as the “Mad Dash”. This was the Red Sox first appearance in the World Series since winning in 1918, and would not appear in another World Series until 1967. Ted Williams, back after missing three seasons due to his service as a pilot in the Marine Corps – didn’t take much time to reacclimate himself to the major leagues, and easily won the MVP award that year. The overall strength of the roster was obvious, as several of his teammates trailed him in the voting – Bobby Doerr (3rd), Johnny Pesky (4th), Dave Ferriss (7th), Dom DiMaggio (9th), among others. 1978 New York Yankees (100-63) Result: Won World Series, 4-2 over Los Angeles Dodgers Top Player: Ron Guidry (9.6 WAR) Manager: Billy Martin, Dick Howser, Bob Lemon Another era, another Yankees dynasty. The Yankees hadn’t won a World Series since 1962, and they hadn’t won a pennant since 1964. [crocodile tears] In the meantime, the Yankees were purchased by one George Steinbrenner, who went to work putting together another contender. After losing to the Big Red Machine in 1976, Steinbrenner made use of the advent of free agency and the end of the reserve clause era. He brought in Reggie Jackson on a $2.96m contract, who would earn the moniker “Mr. October” pounding home runs, propelling the Yankees to a victory in the 1977 series. The team also provided a non-trivial amount of drama, particularly between Steinbrenner, Jackson, and Billy Martin. It famously came to a head at Fenway in 1977, but in 1978 Steinbrenner and Martin reached the end of the road, and Steinbrenner swapped Martin for Bob Lemon. Despite the drama, the Yankees and Red Sox came down to a tiebreaking Game 163 – famous for Bucky F’ing Dent’s home run, before going on to beat Tommy Lasorda’s Dodgers for the second year in a row. 1988 Oakland Athletics (104-58) Result: Lost World Series, 4-1 to Los Angeles Dodgers Top Player: Jose Canseco (7.3 bWAR) Manager: Tony La Russa The A’s went to three consecutive World Series from 1988-90. They lost two of them, and in the other there was an earthquake. 1988 was the highest win total for this generation of A’s, led by Dave Stewart in the rotation and the “Bash Brothers”, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire in the lineup. In 1989, the A’s would acquire Rickey Henderson on their way to the 1989 World Series title. Kirk Gibson's home run off of A’s closer Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 series remains one of the most iconic moments in World Series history. 1998 Atlanta Braves (106-56) Result: Lost NLCS, 4-2 to San Diego Padres Top Player: Andruw Jones (7.4 bWAR) Manager: Bobby Cox Although the Braves won the 1995 World Series over the Indians, their best regular season of the era was 1998, winning a franchise-record 106 games. The Braves were the winningest team of the 1990s, and won a run of 14 out of 15 division titles (including 11 straight from 1995-2005). They always had a strong lineup, and had the Hall of Fame trio of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz together on the pitching staff for a decade. It just doesn’t feel like one solo World Series victory does this team justice – and 1998 is emblematic of that. They seemed destined for a rematch of their 1996 series with the Yankees, but that would have to wait until 1999, as they fell to Tony Gwynn and the Padres in the NLCS. 2019 Houston Astros (107-55) Result: Lost World Series, 4-3 to Washington Nationals Top Player: Alex Bregman (9.1 bWAR) Manager: A.J. Hinch Just a few short years ago, the Astros were Major League Baseball’s doormat. After several years of mediocrity following the end of the “Killer B” era, the Astros took a turn for the suck and lost 416 games from 2011-2014, raising allegations of “tanking”. That was scarcely their only controversy – there were other things like the Brady Aiken signing and hacked internal front office notes. It was all 100% pure-as-the-wind-driven-snow controversy-free smooth sailing from there, though. In 2017, they won 101 games and claimed the franchise’s first World Series championship. They were a game better in 2018, but fell to the Red Sox. In 2019, they were better than ever, winning 107 games, and were a clear favorite to win the World Series – falling just a few innings short to the Nationals, in a bizarre series in which the visiting team won every game (sending over 300,000 total fans in attendance home disappointed). However, the Astros’ cheating scandal that kicked off shortly after the 2019 season ended dominated baseball news all through the winter into spring training. To date, the casualties include the jobs of GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch, as well the managerial jobs of then-bench coach Alex Cora and then-player Carlos Beltran. Fair or not, it also cost essentially anyone else associated with the 2017 Astros their reputation. If/when the 2020 season gets going, the season will be a tour of shame for everyone else, and a quest for redemption for Astros and their still talented, still dangerous roster. Featured Games Multi-HR Game for White in 8-6 Win 3/30/2020 - 2019 Houston Astros (4-7) @ 1978 New York Yankees (7-3) Roy White made an impact in the 1978 Yankees' 8-6 Win over the 2019 Astros. White, who is a two-time All-Star, belted a pair of 3-run homers off of Astros starter Justin Verlander (1-2). A solo home run from Reggie Jackson and an RBI double from Willie Randolph made for a total of 8 earned runs credited to Verlander in an off-outing for the Astros ace. Yankees starter Ed Figueroa (2-0) was saddled with six runs over 8+ innings, but a crooked 8th inning belied a much stronger start. Figueroa took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, broken up by catcher Max Stassi with a single, and a shutout into the seventh, broken up with a home run by Yordan Alvarez. Entering the 8th inning, Figueroa held a comfortable 8-1 lead, having surrendered only 5 hits and a walk on 92 pitches. Following a home run off the bat of Astros catcher Max Stassi, the Astros loaded the bases for Alex Bregman. Bregman then crushed the first pitch he saw, a 440-foot moonshot to right-center. Yankees closer Goose Gossage then took over the mound and claimed his 4th save of the season. Player of the Game: Roy White - 3-for-4, 2 HR (2), 6 RBI Rolen Leads Cardinals to .500 3/31/2020 - 2004 St. Louis Cardinals @ 1988 Oakland Athletics 2004 Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen went 4-for-4 and batted in 6 to defeat the 1988 A's and pull to 6-6 on the season. Rolen went to work early on A's starter Storm Davis (1-2), with a two-run double in the first inning. The Cards never really looked back. In the third inning, Rolen cranked a three-run homer down the left field line, and Reggie Sanders followed with a solo shot of his own to run the score to 6-0. An RBI single in the third made it 6 RBI for the day. Rolen's run support was more than enough for Cards starter Jason Marquis (1-1), who threw seven innings allowing only 1 run on 6 hits. Right-hander Cal Eldred took over with a clean eighth inning, but ran into trouble in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs and allowing three to score, on a wild pitch and two singles from Dave Henderson and Jose Canseco. For the final out, with the bases still loaded La Russa turned to lefty Steve Kline to retire Dave Parker and claim the 8-4 victory. After the game, managers Tony La Russa of the Cardinals and Tony La Russa of the A's were unavailable for comment. Player of the Game: Scott Rolen - 4-for-4, 2B, HR (1), 6 RBI Boston Starts April Strong After Rough End to March 4/1/2020 - 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers @ 1946 Boston Red Sox The 1946 Red Sox followed up Tuesday night's disastrous 28-6 beatdown with a solid, albeit less one-sided, 8-4 victory over the 1955 Dodgers at Fenway last night. It was a team effort for the Red Sox lineup - Ted Williams and Rudy York each hit their third home run of the season, and Dom DiMaggio batted in three. Every hitter in the Sox lineup except catcher Hal Wagner collected a hit, and every hitter, including Wagner, either scored or batted in a run. The Red Sox bullpen was mostly given a needed respite following Tuesday's blowout. Starter Mickey Harris (1-0) surrendered 4 runs in 7 innings. The Dodgers' four runs came on three home runs - a pair of solo shots by catcher Roy Campanella (5) and a 2-run homer by second baseman Jim Gilliam (1). Lefty Earl Johnson came in to pick up a 2-inning save. Player of the Game: Dom DiMaggio - 2-for-4, 3 RBI Other Happenings Keith Hernandez + Coke = AC Player of the Week: J.D. Martinez, 2018 Red Sox NC Player of the Week: Andres Galarraga, 1998 Braves League Leaders Batting Leaders Pitching Leaders Standings Four of the divisions are led by Yankees teams, and another one is 1.5 games back. However, Mickey Mantle and his '56 Yankees aren't firing on all cylinders yet. Up Next: American Conference - Division B highlight! __________________ Discord: jd_396#7779 Last edited by JD396; 04-08-2020 at 06:09 PM. Reason: Image links got messed up somehow