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FuzzyRussianHat · 06-12-2024, 11:44 AM

2005 was an odd one for the Bolivar League with no teams really standing out. The top three records all came out of the Colombia-Ecuador Division with Quito edging out defending Copa Sudamerica winner Bogota. The Thunderbolts took it at 94-68, ending a decade-long playoff drought. The Bats at 93-69 were the wild card, extending their playoff streak to three and earning their ninth playoff berth in a decade. Guayaquil was third at 87-75, which would’ve won the other two divisions. Alas, the Golds are on the outside.

Caracas won the Venezuela Division for the fourth year in a row and the tenth time in eleven years. The Colts barely got it though, finishing tied with Valencia at 83-79 while both Ciudad Guayana and Maracaibo were 82-80. Caracas won a tiebreaker game over Valencia to keep their hold on the division alive.

The Peru-Bolivia Division was an intense battle between five mediocre teams. La Paz won it at 75-87, edging Lima by one, Callao by two, and both Arequipa and Santa Cruz by four. It was the second berth in four years for the Pump Jacks. Only twice in pro baseball history has a team with a worse record made the playoffs (1995 Tokyo and 2002 Bengaluru, both at 74-88).

Bolivar League MVP went to Quito left fielder D.J. Serna. The 27-year old Venezuelan lefty led in runs (125), home runs (63), RBI (140), total bases (424), slugging (.744), OPS (1.160), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.6). Serna also had 199 hits and a .349 average. The Thunderbolts eventually extended Serna after the 2007 season for seven years and $58,400,000. He’d spend 15 of his 18 seasons with Quito.

Pitcher of the Year was Valencia’s Franco Rodriguez. The fourth-year righty from Argentina led in WHIP at 1.05 and posted a 2.44 ERA over 228.2 innings, a 15-6 record, 278 strikeouts, and 7.8 WAR.

Because the top division winner faces the wild card in the Divisional Series, the top two records met up in round one. Bogota edged Quito 3-2 in a classic, keeping the Bats’ repeat hopes alive. They earned a fifth Bolivar League Championship Series berth in six years. On the other side, La Paz stunned Caracas with a sweep for their first BLCS since 1999. The 75-win Pump jacks gave a hearty effort, but Bogota beat them 4-2 to repeat. This was the Bats’ third pennant in six years and their sixth overall.

Rio de Janeiro had the top record in the Southern Cone League at 96-66. The Redbirds repeated as Southeast Division champs and earned a third straight playoff berth. In the North Division, Fortaleza broke up a ten-year postseason drought, taking first at 95-67. Salvador, last year’s league champ, fell off hard to 76-86. In a tight South Central Division, Santiago (90-72) edged out Mendoza (88-74). The Saints ended their own six-year playoff drought with their first division title since 1997.

The wild card race was intense with Mendoza and Buenos Aires tying at 88-74. Rosario and Belo Horizonte were both at 86-76 and Brasilia was 85-77. The Atlantics won the tiebreaker game over the Mutants, returning to the playoffs after having a five-year streak ended in 2004. BA has earned eight berths in the last decade, although they had no pennants to show for it. Brasilia’s playoff streak ended at three years.

Southern Cone League MVP went to veteran 3B Pedro Souza. It was the second MVP for the Brazilian switch hitter, who had won it all the way back in 1996 with Fortaleza. Now 32-years old in his second year with Santiago, Souza led with 53 home runs and posted 120 RBI, a .309/.347/.618 slash, 168 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR.

Belo Horizonte’s Juliao Costa won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five seasons. The 29-year old Brazilian righty was the WARlord (10.8) and led in WHIP (0.83), K/BB (12.0), complete games (17), shutouts (4), and FIP- (51). Costa also had a 2.01 ERA over 268.1 innings, 337 strikeouts, and a 22-9 record.

Rio de Janeiro outlasted their divisional rival Buenos Aires 3-2 in the Divisional Series. The Redbirds earned their second Southern Cone Championship appearance in three years. Fortaleza downed Santiago 3-1, earning their first finals since winning the 1994 pennant. The Foxes surprised many by sweeping Rio in the final, taking their eighth Southern Cone title.

In the 75^th Copa Sudamerica, Bogota bested Fortaleza 4-2 to become the first repeat champ since Lima in 1997-98. There wouldn’t be another repeat Copa Sudamerica winner until the 2022-23 campaigns. The Bats became three-time champs, having also won in 2000. They’re the first BSA team to win three titles in a seven year stretch since Santiago in the 1960s.

Other notes: Caracas’ Milton Becker became the second to 800 career home runs. He finished the season at 808, second to Valor Melo’s all-time mark of 870. Becker also won his 10^th Silver Slugger, his seventh as a DH. Pedro Souza became the 11^th member of the 600 homer club. 1B DJ Del Valle won his 12^th Gold Glove. SS Luis Bravo won his seventh Gold Glove.

Mendoza’s bullpen had 62 saves in 2005, tying the Beisbol Sudamerica single-season record. Cordoba’s Ismael Velazquez became the seventh player to have a four home run game. 2005 didn’t have a single no-hitter in BSA. Caracas’ Randall Potter had a 37-game win streak, tying the second longest in BSA history.

06-12-2024, 11:44 AM	#1330
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,824	2005 in BSA 2005 was an odd one for the Bolivar League with no teams really standing out. The top three records all came out of the Colombia-Ecuador Division with Quito edging out defending Copa Sudamerica winner Bogota. The Thunderbolts took it at 94-68, ending a decade-long playoff drought. The Bats at 93-69 were the wild card, extending their playoff streak to three and earning their ninth playoff berth in a decade. Guayaquil was third at 87-75, which would’ve won the other two divisions. Alas, the Golds are on the outside. Caracas won the Venezuela Division for the fourth year in a row and the tenth time in eleven years. The Colts barely got it though, finishing tied with Valencia at 83-79 while both Ciudad Guayana and Maracaibo were 82-80. Caracas won a tiebreaker game over Valencia to keep their hold on the division alive. The Peru-Bolivia Division was an intense battle between five mediocre teams. La Paz won it at 75-87, edging Lima by one, Callao by two, and both Arequipa and Santa Cruz by four. It was the second berth in four years for the Pump Jacks. Only twice in pro baseball history has a team with a worse record made the playoffs (1995 Tokyo and 2002 Bengaluru, both at 74-88). Bolivar League MVP went to Quito left fielder D.J. Serna. The 27-year old Venezuelan lefty led in runs (125), home runs (63), RBI (140), total bases (424), slugging (.744), OPS (1.160), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.6). Serna also had 199 hits and a .349 average. The Thunderbolts eventually extended Serna after the 2007 season for seven years and $58,400,000. He’d spend 15 of his 18 seasons with Quito. Pitcher of the Year was Valencia’s Franco Rodriguez. The fourth-year righty from Argentina led in WHIP at 1.05 and posted a 2.44 ERA over 228.2 innings, a 15-6 record, 278 strikeouts, and 7.8 WAR. Because the top division winner faces the wild card in the Divisional Series, the top two records met up in round one. Bogota edged Quito 3-2 in a classic, keeping the Bats’ repeat hopes alive. They earned a fifth Bolivar League Championship Series berth in six years. On the other side, La Paz stunned Caracas with a sweep for their first BLCS since 1999. The 75-win Pump jacks gave a hearty effort, but Bogota beat them 4-2 to repeat. This was the Bats’ third pennant in six years and their sixth overall. Rio de Janeiro had the top record in the Southern Cone League at 96-66. The Redbirds repeated as Southeast Division champs and earned a third straight playoff berth. In the North Division, Fortaleza broke up a ten-year postseason drought, taking first at 95-67. Salvador, last year’s league champ, fell off hard to 76-86. In a tight South Central Division, Santiago (90-72) edged out Mendoza (88-74). The Saints ended their own six-year playoff drought with their first division title since 1997. The wild card race was intense with Mendoza and Buenos Aires tying at 88-74. Rosario and Belo Horizonte were both at 86-76 and Brasilia was 85-77. The Atlantics won the tiebreaker game over the Mutants, returning to the playoffs after having a five-year streak ended in 2004. BA has earned eight berths in the last decade, although they had no pennants to show for it. Brasilia’s playoff streak ended at three years. Southern Cone League MVP went to veteran 3B Pedro Souza. It was the second MVP for the Brazilian switch hitter, who had won it all the way back in 1996 with Fortaleza. Now 32-years old in his second year with Santiago, Souza led with 53 home runs and posted 120 RBI, a .309/.347/.618 slash, 168 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR. Belo Horizonte’s Juliao Costa won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five seasons. The 29-year old Brazilian righty was the WARlord (10.8) and led in WHIP (0.83), K/BB (12.0), complete games (17), shutouts (4), and FIP- (51). Costa also had a 2.01 ERA over 268.1 innings, 337 strikeouts, and a 22-9 record. Rio de Janeiro outlasted their divisional rival Buenos Aires 3-2 in the Divisional Series. The Redbirds earned their second Southern Cone Championship appearance in three years. Fortaleza downed Santiago 3-1, earning their first finals since winning the 1994 pennant. The Foxes surprised many by sweeping Rio in the final, taking their eighth Southern Cone title. In the 75^th Copa Sudamerica, Bogota bested Fortaleza 4-2 to become the first repeat champ since Lima in 1997-98. There wouldn’t be another repeat Copa Sudamerica winner until the 2022-23 campaigns. The Bats became three-time champs, having also won in 2000. They’re the first BSA team to win three titles in a seven year stretch since Santiago in the 1960s. Other notes: Caracas’ Milton Becker became the second to 800 career home runs. He finished the season at 808, second to Valor Melo’s all-time mark of 870. Becker also won his 10^th Silver Slugger, his seventh as a DH. Pedro Souza became the 11^th member of the 600 homer club. 1B DJ Del Valle won his 12^th Gold Glove. SS Luis Bravo won his seventh Gold Glove. Mendoza’s bullpen had 62 saves in 2005, tying the Beisbol Sudamerica single-season record. Cordoba’s Ismael Velazquez became the seventh player to have a four home run game. 2005 didn’t have a single no-hitter in BSA. Caracas’ Randall Potter had a 37-game win streak, tying the second longest in BSA history. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)