OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The National Pastime: The United States Baseball Federation rises

KCRoyals15 · 12-08-2024, 12:55 AM

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.

12-08-2024, 12:55 AM	#55
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	A War is Won and a Star is Born 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. Last edited by KCRoyals15; 12-11-2024 at 12:55 AM.