[Izz]

78-84 for the Glou last season to 109-53 this season a World Series appearance.

The differences? Eppa Rixey (17-11, 2.77 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 6.9 WAR) and Austin Meadows (.281/.348/.482, 22HR, 128OPS+) both had good starts to their careers.

Peak Pedro went 27-4, with a 1.59 ERA and 259 strikeouts, falling 1 win shy of another Triple Crown (dammit).

Partway through the season I finished the AL live missions, earning Peak Gossage, who immediately replaced 89OVR Dennis Eckersley as my closer (an emotionally tough decision as Eck had been my closer since 2024, racking up 1809 saves across all levels). Gossage appeared in 33 games across the last half of the season, going 1-0 with 23 saves and a 0.88 ERA.

In one of the diamond packs for finishing the final AL division mission I ripped 96 OVR Al Hrabosky, who also immediately came into my bullpen. He went 5-0 with 3 saves and a 2.49 ERA in 26 games as my setup guy.

I also finished 8 games above pythag.

However, the biggest reason for my excellent season was that I ended up in one of the weakest perfect league conferences I have seen, as evidenced by 1 wildcard having an 81-81 season and 2 teams on 77-85 having to go to game 163 to see who would get in as the second wildcard.

The only team of any real strength on my side of the league was the 4-time PL champs the Pawnee Swansons who boasted 24 perfect cards on their active roster. They went 122-40, though their unusual strategy of running 15 pitchers and only 10 hitters had to cost them a few wins.

We swept the Arizona Dangersnakes in the Division Series and went on to face the Swansons. Peak Pedro got some small revenge in Game 1 for missing the Triple Crown by defeating 28-game winner Ed Walsh. We lost the next one but then won the 3 at home to progress to the World Series... where we promptly got swept by the San Francisco 49ers, who picked up their 12th perfect title.

We finished the live Brewers mission this week also, which means perfect Yelich will join the team next season as a replacement for 76OVR Tony Gwynn. In one of the diamond packs for finishing that NL division we pulled 92OVR Gary Peters, who I wouldn't use as a starting pitcher but am tempted to bring into the bullpen to replace long-serving LHP Hong-Chih Kuo. Still no replacement yet for live deGrom as my 5th starter. I'm aiming to finish the Nationals live mission this week, my first target of the remaining cards Rendon, who will replace live Bregman. That's still a couple days away, though.