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KCRoyals15 · 12-13-2024, 12:19 AM

1953

The previous season had seen the Toronto Maple Leafs win their first pennant after moving north. Seeing that success, the Brooklyn Dodgers said goodbye to Flatbush after a 114-loss season (their fifth 100-loss campaign in six seasons) and the lowest attendance in the United States Baseball Federation.

With Canada's largest city taken, they went to the second-largest one, Montreal, where they would hope to channel the rabid passion of the French Canadian sports fans as the Montreal Royals took the field.

Montreal improved by 32 games, but still finished seventh as the Philadelphia Athletics edged out the Boston Pilgrims for the New England League title, though the Pilgrims did punch their postseason ticket for the first time in 29 years. In the Midwest Association, Montreal's northern neighbors in Toronto took their second straight pennant, with Indianapolis defeating Cleveland (by one game) and Detroit (two games) for the second playoff spot.

In the Southern Conference, the Birmingham Barons took the Eastern League, winning their first pennant and punching their playoff ticket for the first time as a big-league squad, while former Southeastern League rival Atlanta took second. In the Western League, St. Louis cruised to an EBF-most 99 wins, while Skipper Jr. got his mojo back, guiding Denver past Kansas City in a one-game playoff for the Bears' first postseason action since 1914.

In the North, Boston brushed off Philly in five games, while Toronto needed a full seven games to vanquish Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the South saw Atlanta beat down Birmingham in a five-game set, which was one better than St. Louis' four-game sweep of Denver.

In the semifinals, Toronto took their turn getting out the brooms in sweeping Boston, while St. Louis needed all seven to defeat Atlanta. In the Eastern Baseball Federation finals, the Maple Leafs won Canada's first meaningful title, taking the EBF in six games over St. Louis.

In the Pacific Coast League, the Hollywood dynasty rolled on with their third-straight pennant, while Oakland posted their first winning season since 1940 to take a surprise second-place finish, with Sacramento and San Diego tying for third.

In the postseason, both semifinals went five games, with Hollywood sinking Sacramento, and San Diego over Oakland. The Stars got all they could handle from the Padres in the PCL Championship, but Hollywood shined the brightest for their third-straight PCL title.

Looking to repeat as National Champions, the Stars and Maple Leafs matched up and once more, Hollywood got their best shot from their opponent. Once more, though, the tried-and-true champs came through, as the Hollywood Stars defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3 for the Stars ' second-straight National Championship and third overall.

Following up his MVP rookie campaign from a season ago, Philadelphia A's outfielder Larry Meyer took it up a notch, slashing .347/.417/.638, leading the Northern Conference in slugging, hits (208), runs), and RBI (130), while ripping 31 doubles, 16 triples, and 37 home runs, making him an easy choice for back-to-back Northern Conference MVPs.

On the mound, Boston had the best pitching staff in the league and their top arm was soft-tossing righty Frisco Padilla, a 29-year-old who went 18-10 with a 2.84 ERA over 260.0 innings, which got him enough votes for Pitcher of the Year.

Rookie of the Year Tim Dubberke of Albany, acquired in a regrettable 1951 trade by Los Angeles, exploded onto the scene by batting .372, the highest average in the EBF between 1950 and 1980. Interestingly, despite embarking on a 20-year career that landed him in the Hall of Fame, Dubberke did not win another batting title.

In the Southern Conference, Second-year St. Louis centerfielder Justin Elliott did a little bit of everything, slashing .333/.373/.496 with 207 hits, 105 runs, 34 doubles, 17 homers, and 95 RBI, while also snagging the first of five Great Gloves. That earned MVP honors for the 26-year-old.

His workhorse teammate John Engelhart was hitting his prime on the mound, going 21-6 with a 2.73 ERA, leading the South in wins and innings (293.2), while striking out 177 batters in a Pitcher of Year-worthy (and winning) season.

40-year-old Louisville righty Chris Killian won Reliever of the Year for the fourth and final time in his fascinating career. Going pro at 18, Killian was one of the greatest Texas League pitchers ever for a decade, winning nearly 200 games, five Pitcher of the Year honors, and two MVP awards. Inexplicably, he shifted to the bullpen at 29 (after posting a 1.44 ERA as a starter the previous season) and after three dominant seasons (Reliever of the Year each season), he was finally purchased by Hollywood...then immediately flipped to Louisville. Debuting in the majors at 32, Killian still posted a 2.58 ERA over 629 games in 11 big-league campaigns. He finished his pro career with 280 wins and 259 saves—a combination no one has come close to matching—and pitched in nearly 1,200 games, eighth-most in professional baseball history.

Back to present day in the PCL, Oakland first baseman John DeNoia hit ten home runs as a rookie...then exploded in his second season. The 23-year-old set USBF history as the first 50-home run hitter in major-league history, leading the PCL with 52 homers and 156 RBI, alongside a .326/.414/.603 slash line, 222 hits, and 127 runs. Easy MVP choice here.

Further south, Hollywood rookie Steve Redner made a statement out of the gate, going 24-12 with a 3.40 ERA and leading the PCL in wins, innings (328.0) and strikeouts (217) to earn PCL Pitcher of the Year as a 23-year-old rookie.

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 96-59, defeats Mobile
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 88-52, defeats Scranton-Wilkes Barre (6th straight)
Texas League: Galveston Hurricanes, 89-67, defeats Phoenix
River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 87-53, defeats St. Joseph (2nd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Ogden Railroaders, 61-65, defeats Butte
Coastal League: Charleston (SC) Cannons, 90-64 defeat Wilmington (4th straight)
Northern League: Sioux City Cornhuskers, 95-45, defeats Cedar Rapids (2nd straight)
Great Lakes League: Rochester Red Wings, 87-53, defeats Allentown
Southwest League: Tucson Cowboys, 99-55, defeats Fresno
Southern Association: Shreveport Captains, 79-61, defeats Texarkana
Northwest League: Vancouver Mounties, 109-31, defeats Victoria (3rd straight)
Can-Am League: Utica Blue Sox, 72-54, defeats London
Mid-Atlantic League: Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels, 79-62, defeats Asheville
Lone Star League: Waco Twisters, 81-59, defeats Rio Grande

12-13-2024, 12:19 AM	#63
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	Stars and Syrup 1953 The previous season had seen the Toronto Maple Leafs win their first pennant after moving north. Seeing that success, the Brooklyn Dodgers said goodbye to Flatbush after a 114-loss season (their fifth 100-loss campaign in six seasons) and the lowest attendance in the United States Baseball Federation. With Canada's largest city taken, they went to the second-largest one, Montreal, where they would hope to channel the rabid passion of the French Canadian sports fans as the Montreal Royals took the field. Montreal improved by 32 games, but still finished seventh as the Philadelphia Athletics edged out the Boston Pilgrims for the New England League title, though the Pilgrims did punch their postseason ticket for the first time in 29 years. In the Midwest Association, Montreal's northern neighbors in Toronto took their second straight pennant, with Indianapolis defeating Cleveland (by one game) and Detroit (two games) for the second playoff spot. In the Southern Conference, the Birmingham Barons took the Eastern League, winning their first pennant and punching their playoff ticket for the first time as a big-league squad, while former Southeastern League rival Atlanta took second. In the Western League, St. Louis cruised to an EBF-most 99 wins, while Skipper Jr. got his mojo back, guiding Denver past Kansas City in a one-game playoff for the Bears' first postseason action since 1914. In the North, Boston brushed off Philly in five games, while Toronto needed a full seven games to vanquish Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the South saw Atlanta beat down Birmingham in a five-game set, which was one better than St. Louis' four-game sweep of Denver. In the semifinals, Toronto took their turn getting out the brooms in sweeping Boston, while St. Louis needed all seven to defeat Atlanta. In the Eastern Baseball Federation finals, the Maple Leafs won Canada's first meaningful title, taking the EBF in six games over St. Louis. In the Pacific Coast League, the Hollywood dynasty rolled on with their third-straight pennant, while Oakland posted their first winning season since 1940 to take a surprise second-place finish, with Sacramento and San Diego tying for third. In the postseason, both semifinals went five games, with Hollywood sinking Sacramento, and San Diego over Oakland. The Stars got all they could handle from the Padres in the PCL Championship, but Hollywood shined the brightest for their third-straight PCL title. Looking to repeat as National Champions, the Stars and Maple Leafs matched up and once more, Hollywood got their best shot from their opponent. Once more, though, the tried-and-true champs came through, as the *Hollywood Stars defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3 for the Stars ' second-straight National Championship and third overall. Following up his MVP rookie campaign from a season ago, Philadelphia A's outfielder Larry Meyer* took it up a notch, slashing .347/.417/.638, leading the Northern Conference in slugging, hits (208), runs), and RBI (130), while ripping 31 doubles, 16 triples, and 37 home runs, making him an easy choice for back-to-back Northern Conference MVPs. On the mound, Boston had the best pitching staff in the league and their top arm was soft-tossing righty Frisco Padilla, a 29-year-old who went 18-10 with a 2.84 ERA over 260.0 innings, which got him enough votes for Pitcher of the Year. Rookie of the Year Tim Dubberke of Albany, acquired in a regrettable 1951 trade by Los Angeles, exploded onto the scene by batting .372, the highest average in the EBF between 1950 and 1980. Interestingly, despite embarking on a 20-year career that landed him in the Hall of Fame, Dubberke did not win another batting title. In the Southern Conference, Second-year St. Louis centerfielder Justin Elliott did a little bit of everything, slashing .333/.373/.496 with 207 hits, 105 runs, 34 doubles, 17 homers, and 95 RBI, while also snagging the first of five Great Gloves. That earned MVP honors for the 26-year-old. His workhorse teammate John Engelhart was hitting his prime on the mound, going 21-6 with a 2.73 ERA, leading the South in wins and innings (293.2), while striking out 177 batters in a Pitcher of Year-worthy (and winning) season. 40-year-old Louisville righty Chris Killian won Reliever of the Year for the fourth and final time in his fascinating career. Going pro at 18, Killian was one of the greatest Texas League pitchers ever for a decade, winning nearly 200 games, five Pitcher of the Year honors, and two MVP awards. Inexplicably, he shifted to the bullpen at 29 (after posting a 1.44 ERA as a starter the previous season) and after three dominant seasons (Reliever of the Year each season), he was finally purchased by Hollywood...then immediately flipped to Louisville. Debuting in the majors at 32, Killian still posted a 2.58 ERA over 629 games in 11 big-league campaigns. He finished his pro career with 280 wins and 259 saves—a combination no one has come close to matching—and pitched in nearly 1,200 games, eighth-most in professional baseball history. Back to present day in the PCL, Oakland first baseman John DeNoia hit ten home runs as a rookie...then exploded in his second season. The 23-year-old set USBF history as the first 50-home run hitter in major-league history, leading the PCL with 52 homers and 156 RBI, alongside a .326/.414/.603 slash line, 222 hits, and 127 runs. Easy MVP choice here. Further south, Hollywood rookie Steve Redner made a statement out of the gate, going 24-12 with a 3.40 ERA and leading the PCL in wins, innings (328.0) and strikeouts (217) to earn PCL Pitcher of the Year as a 23-year-old rookie. Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 96-59, defeats Mobile Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 88-52, defeats Scranton-Wilkes Barre (6th straight) Texas League: Galveston Hurricanes, 89-67, defeats Phoenix River Valley League: Evansville Bees, 87-53, defeats St. Joseph (2nd straight) Rocky Mountain League: Ogden Railroaders, 61-65, defeats Butte Coastal League: Charleston (SC) Cannons, 90-64 defeat Wilmington (4th straight) Northern League: Sioux City Cornhuskers, 95-45, defeats Cedar Rapids (2nd straight) Great Lakes League: Rochester Red Wings, 87-53, defeats Allentown Southwest League: Tucson Cowboys, 99-55, defeats Fresno Southern Association: Shreveport Captains, 79-61, defeats Texarkana Northwest League: Vancouver Mounties, 109-31, defeats Victoria (3rd straight) Can-Am League: Utica Blue Sox, 72-54, defeats London Mid-Atlantic League: Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels, 79-62, defeats Asheville Lone Star League: Waco Twisters, 81-59, defeats Rio Grande