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KCRoyals15 · 12-25-2024, 12:56 PM

1969

After a successful turnaround in Louisville that saw the Colonels return to the playoffs after a sizable drought, Skipper Jr. decided two years in the Derby City was enough, and so he was on the move once more. This stop was at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, where the once-proud Norfolk Admirals bottomed out at 107 losses in 1968. They had not made the playoffs since 1946 and a sizable rebuild was necessary.

Bryan Adams got his first six-string, bought it at the five-and-dine, and played it till his fingers bled, while the summer of ’69 saw the United States Baseball Federation play their 70th season. After a historic pitcher-friendly season in 1968, most of the major leagues saw offense start to creep back upwards after mound dimensions and the strike zone were tweaked.

The Northern Conference saw the Philadelphia Quakers dominate once more on their way to a second straight New England League pennant, winning an Eastern Baseball Federation-best 108 games. Buffalo finished a distant second, outpacing Brooklyn and New York to reach the postseason for the first time in eight seasons. The Midwest Association saw Milwaukee win 103 games to take their third pennant in five seasons. Detroit took the second playoff berth in comfortable fashion.

In the semifinals, Buffalo pulled a stunner, sweeping the heavily-favored Quakers. Milwaukee, in a less-stunning development, also swept their first opponent, sending Detroit home with a quick exit. In the Conference Finals, the Black Hawks got the better of the Bisons, dispatching Buffalo in six games to win their second Conference Championship in four seasons.

In the Southern Conference, the Jacksonville Tars kept their well-oiled machine running, winning their second straight Eastern League pennant and reaching the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. For the third year in a row, their first-round opponent would be the Miami Gators, who squeaked past Atlanta by a game for the second playoff spot. The Western League saw the Louisville Colonels post their best season in 21 years, winning their first pennant since 1948. Kansas City slipped past Omaha by one game to earn the second playoff spot in the WL. This year saw the eight-year run of pennants by the St. Louis Browns come to an end as St. Louis finished fourth, their lowest finish in over two decades after 16 playoff berths in 17 years.

The season was also notable, as while offense bottomed out the year prior nearly everywhere else, the South’s pitching staffs hit their zenith a year prior. The entire conference posted a 2.97 ERA and hit just .231, averaging only 3.4 runs per game. The Omaha Golden Spikes set a still-standing conference record with a 2.37 team ERA—and missed the playoffs. Only four players hit over .300 and no hitter had more than 96 runs scored or 103 RBI. Birmingham scored just 476 runs (2.9 per game), the fewest scored by a big-league team since 1917 and still the fewest in Southern Conference history.

In the playoffs, defending Conference Champion Miami ended Jacksonville’s season in the first round for the second year in a row with a six-game defeat. Kansas City dispatched Louisville at the same time, also in six games. The Gators then repeated, beating the Blues in six to win their second conference title in a row and third in six seasons.

The Pacific Coast League saw the Seattle Rainiers return to the top of the league to punch their seventh straight postseason ticket, while San Diego sent their streak to four straight with a second place finish. Sacramento and San Francisco snagged the last two berths, as the Solons were in the field in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the mid-50’s.

In the first round, San Diego took care of Sacramento in a ho-hum five-game series, while Seattle was downed by San Francisco in a six-game upset. The Padres were in search of their fourth consecutive PCL title, but the Seals had another upset in them, toppling the San Diego dynasty in seven games to end the decade the same way they started it: with a PCL championship.

Down in the Texas League, the North Division saw a quiet October in the Metroplex, as both Dallas and Fort Worth missed the playoffs for the first time since 1960. That was the last time before this season that Oklahoma City was in the playoffs, and the Indians won their first outright division title (they tied in 1958) in 16 years. Tulsa was just 82-80, but they finished one game clear of both DFW teams to claim the second North bid. The South was much more clear-cut with Galveston and Houston tying for the division lead at a TL-best 97-65, with the Hurricanes winning their fifth-straight division title.

With a pair of rivalries on the docket, the battle of the Will Rogers Turnpike ended swiftly and decisively, as Oklahoma City swept Tulsa. Meanwhile, the Gulf Freeway series went the way of Galveston, who also swept their archrival for an anticlimactic outcome. The Lone Star Series was a different story, as the Hurricanes finally put a decade filled with postseason disappointment behind them, defeating the Indians in seven games for their first TL title in nine years.

With the final four teams in place, Galveston was gutted at the hands, as an underdog run continued with the San Francisco Seals (PCL) defeating the Galveston Hurricanes (TL). On the other side the Milwaukee Black Hawks (NOR) defeat the Miami Gators (SOU) to set up the finals. With all the marbles on the line, the Milwaukee Black Hawks (NOR) defeat the San Francisco Seals (PCL), 4-1 as the Black Hawks claim their first National Championship.

Though his club was never remotely a factor in the playoff race, Cleveland’s Joe Moore shined bright amidst the pack. The 28-yer-old enjoyed a career season, slashing .331/.389/.614 with 200 hits, 99 runs, 30 doubles, and a Northern Conference-best 45 homers and 132 RBI, setting career highs in nearly everything as he took home the MVP trophy.

For a second straight season, Buffalo’s Bill Lively was a force for the Bisons, going 18-11 with a 2.34 ERA. Striking out 182 in 277.0 innings, Lively also spun 14 complete games and a conference-high seven shutouts to take home his second Pitcher of the Year trophy and third overall.

This time, the offensive downturn in the South did effect the otherwise indomitable Steve Bishop. Nonetheless, the undisputed player of the 60’s ended the decade with yet another MVP trophy, his eighth in total and second in a row. Bishop did hit a respectable .293 and despite playing just 129 games, his 31 home runs, while a career low, still led the conference, and he drove in 95 runs along with 22 stolen bases.

In a year with many quality choices for Pitcher of the Year, in the end it was Kansas City righty Matt Peterson, who went 18-11 with a 2.18 ERA. The rubber arm led the conference in starts (36) and struck out a career-high 235 batters over 272.0 innings to take home the hardware.

Despite the dearth of runs in the South, one slugger reached a notable milestone. Zack Harrington of Atlanta cracked his 400th career big-league homers. As he played his first season when his club were technically a part of another major league (just for organizational purposes), the exact dates he reached that milestones are unknown.

Sometimes it seemed like Seattle shortstop Joseph Miller did his best to stretch the limits of how little he could actually hit and still garner MVP votes. In this season, Miller posted a batting average of just .231, but he still was on base enough to score 128 times and topped 50 homers for a record-breaking fourth time, leading the Pacific Coast League with 55 homers and driving in 114 runs, which was enough to earn him his fifth MVP as he rounded out his dominant decade.

A new ace hit San Diego in the form of second-year righty Chris Gose. The 27-year-old went 26-12 with a 2.82 ERA, leading the PCL in ERA and striking out 176 over 331.2 innings. The strong season was enough to earn him Pitcher of the Year honors.

The Texas League had a surprising MVP winner, as Galveston third baseman Kyle Hill topped the ballot. Though a perfectly good, if unspectacular, player for a long time, Hill’s numbers were rather pedestrian. The 30-year-old slashed .299/.377/.443 with 162 hits, 82 runs, 30 doubles, 16 homers, and 80 RBI.

After a couple years without an award, Oklahoma City ace Roy Hendricks earned his fifth Pitcher of the Year award. Though he was just 12-10, positing the fewest wins by a POTY winner, Hendricks did log a 2.26 ERA over 235.1 innings with 197 strikeouts to take the trophy.

Just three years after the first one, the Texas League saw their second four home-run game, from a very unlikely source. Austin first baseman Jason Harvey flashed some power during the club’s American Baseball League days, but hit just nine home runs in 98 games this year, his age-36 season. However, four of them came on April 25 against El Paso.

Two longtime stalwarts in the EBF heard their names called on Hall of Fame induction day:

1B Frankie Buchin (1946-63), 80.1%
2B Josh Burkhardt (1941-56), 76.7%

---

In the American Baseball League, the Pittsburgh Ironmen showed their mettle with their first division title and fifth straight playoff appearance. Meanwhile, after their historic 120-win season in ’68, New Haven fell by 21 games, but still finished a comfortable second to earn their seventh straight playoff berth, though their string of five straight division titles came to an end. San Jose, meanwhile, dominated with a franchise-record 110 wins to take the West, while Spokane took second. In the playoffs, Pittsburgh bounced Spokane in seven games, with San Jose waxed the Weavers in six games. The Gulls then melted the Ironmen in six games to win their second ABL title. On the flip side, Albuquerque plunged to 121 losses, finishing 69 games back of San Jose with the second-worst season in ABL history, lending serious questions to their financial health.

The ABL was a very pitching-heavy league (league-wide .234 batting average and 3.7 runs per game), and Spokane slugger Chris Scandariato was a curiosity of a player who won three home run titles, but batted .185 lifetime and led the ABL in strikeouts four times in a nine-year career. This year, he hiked his average to .222, but broke his own ABL home run record (of 49) by blasting 53 homers (still a league record 35 years later) and a league-best 128 RBI, which was enough to earn him MVP honors. San Jose rookie righty John Feld went 17-9 with a 1.98 ERA with 249 strikeouts in 272.1 innings to take home Pitcher of the Year.

---

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Mobile Marines, 87-67, defeats Baton Rouge
Colonial League: Binghamton Smokers, 84-56, defeats Scranton-Wilkes Barre
River Valley League: Toledo Mud Hens, 80-60, defeats Peoria
Rocky Mountain League: Casper Black Bears, 68-58, defeats Cheyenne
Coastal League: Richmond Giants, 103-51, defeats Charleston (SC) (3rd straight)
Northern League: La Crosse Loggers, 84-56, defeats Cedar Rapids
Great Lakes League: Allentown Brewers, 82-58, defeats Harrisburg
Southwest League: Bakersfield Conquistadors, 88-66, defeats Fresno
Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 78-62, defeats Springfield
Northwest League: Yakima Tomahawks, 91-49, defeats Salem
Can-Am League: Portland Lobsters, 71-55, defeats Ottawa
Mid-Atlantic League: Roanoke Red Hawks, 81-59, defeats Asheville
Lone Star League: Laredo Vaqueros, 78-62, defeats San Angelo (2nd straight)
Great Plains League: Lincoln Lions, 93-47, defeats St. Paul (2nd straight)
Florida Coast League: Columbus Catfish, 77-63, defeats St. Petersburg
Big Sky League: Twin Falls Timbers, 70-62, defeats Calgary

12-25-2024, 12:56 PM	#79
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	Summer of '69 1969 After a successful turnaround in Louisville that saw the Colonels return to the playoffs after a sizable drought, Skipper Jr. decided two years in the Derby City was enough, and so he was on the move once more. This stop was at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, where the once-proud Norfolk Admirals bottomed out at 107 losses in 1968. They had not made the playoffs since 1946 and a sizable rebuild was necessary. Bryan Adams got his first six-string, bought it at the five-and-dine, and played it till his fingers bled, while the summer of ’69 saw the United States Baseball Federation play their 70th season. After a historic pitcher-friendly season in 1968, most of the major leagues saw offense start to creep back upwards after mound dimensions and the strike zone were tweaked. The Northern Conference saw the Philadelphia Quakers dominate once more on their way to a second straight New England League pennant, winning an Eastern Baseball Federation-best 108 games. Buffalo finished a distant second, outpacing Brooklyn and New York to reach the postseason for the first time in eight seasons. The Midwest Association saw Milwaukee win 103 games to take their third pennant in five seasons. Detroit took the second playoff berth in comfortable fashion. In the semifinals, Buffalo pulled a stunner, sweeping the heavily-favored Quakers. Milwaukee, in a less-stunning development, also swept their first opponent, sending Detroit home with a quick exit. In the Conference Finals, the Black Hawks got the better of the Bisons, dispatching Buffalo in six games to win their second Conference Championship in four seasons. In the Southern Conference, the Jacksonville Tars kept their well-oiled machine running, winning their second straight Eastern League pennant and reaching the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. For the third year in a row, their first-round opponent would be the Miami Gators, who squeaked past Atlanta by a game for the second playoff spot. The Western League saw the Louisville Colonels post their best season in 21 years, winning their first pennant since 1948. Kansas City slipped past Omaha by one game to earn the second playoff spot in the WL. This year saw the eight-year run of pennants by the St. Louis Browns come to an end as St. Louis finished fourth, their lowest finish in over two decades after 16 playoff berths in 17 years. The season was also notable, as while offense bottomed out the year prior nearly everywhere else, the South’s pitching staffs hit their zenith a year prior. The entire conference posted a 2.97 ERA and hit just .231, averaging only 3.4 runs per game. The Omaha Golden Spikes set a still-standing conference record with a 2.37 team ERA—and missed the playoffs. Only four players hit over .300 and no hitter had more than 96 runs scored or 103 RBI. Birmingham scored just 476 runs (2.9 per game), the fewest scored by a big-league team since 1917 and still the fewest in Southern Conference history. In the playoffs, defending Conference Champion Miami ended Jacksonville’s season in the first round for the second year in a row with a six-game defeat. Kansas City dispatched Louisville at the same time, also in six games. The Gators then repeated, beating the Blues in six to win their second conference title in a row and third in six seasons. The Pacific Coast League saw the Seattle Rainiers return to the top of the league to punch their seventh straight postseason ticket, while San Diego sent their streak to four straight with a second place finish. Sacramento and San Francisco snagged the last two berths, as the Solons were in the field in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the mid-50’s. In the first round, San Diego took care of Sacramento in a ho-hum five-game series, while Seattle was downed by San Francisco in a six-game upset. The Padres were in search of their fourth consecutive PCL title, but the Seals had another upset in them, toppling the San Diego dynasty in seven games to end the decade the same way they started it: with a PCL championship. Down in the Texas League, the North Division saw a quiet October in the Metroplex, as both Dallas and Fort Worth missed the playoffs for the first time since 1960. That was the last time before this season that Oklahoma City was in the playoffs, and the Indians won their first outright division title (they tied in 1958) in 16 years. Tulsa was just 82-80, but they finished one game clear of both DFW teams to claim the second North bid. The South was much more clear-cut with Galveston and Houston tying for the division lead at a TL-best 97-65, with the Hurricanes winning their fifth-straight division title. With a pair of rivalries on the docket, the battle of the Will Rogers Turnpike ended swiftly and decisively, as Oklahoma City swept Tulsa. Meanwhile, the Gulf Freeway series went the way of Galveston, who also swept their archrival for an anticlimactic outcome. The Lone Star Series was a different story, as the Hurricanes finally put a decade filled with postseason disappointment behind them, defeating the Indians in seven games for their first TL title in nine years. With the final four teams in place, Galveston was gutted at the hands, as an underdog run continued with the San Francisco Seals (PCL) defeating the Galveston Hurricanes (TL). On the other side the Milwaukee Black Hawks (NOR) defeat the Miami Gators (SOU) to set up the finals. With all the marbles on the line, the *Milwaukee Black Hawks (NOR) defeat the San Francisco Seals (PCL), 4-1* as the Black Hawks claim their first National Championship. Though his club was never remotely a factor in the playoff race, Cleveland’s Joe Moore shined bright amidst the pack. The 28-yer-old enjoyed a career season, slashing .331/.389/.614 with 200 hits, 99 runs, 30 doubles, and a Northern Conference-best 45 homers and 132 RBI, setting career highs in nearly everything as he took home the MVP trophy. For a second straight season, Buffalo’s Bill Lively was a force for the Bisons, going 18-11 with a 2.34 ERA. Striking out 182 in 277.0 innings, Lively also spun 14 complete games and a conference-high seven shutouts to take home his second Pitcher of the Year trophy and third overall. This time, the offensive downturn in the South did effect the otherwise indomitable Steve Bishop. Nonetheless, the undisputed player of the 60’s ended the decade with yet another MVP trophy, his eighth in total and second in a row. Bishop did hit a respectable .293 and despite playing just 129 games, his 31 home runs, while a career low, still led the conference, and he drove in 95 runs along with 22 stolen bases. In a year with many quality choices for Pitcher of the Year, in the end it was Kansas City righty Matt Peterson, who went 18-11 with a 2.18 ERA. The rubber arm led the conference in starts (36) and struck out a career-high 235 batters over 272.0 innings to take home the hardware. Despite the dearth of runs in the South, one slugger reached a notable milestone. Zack Harrington of Atlanta cracked his 400th career big-league homers. As he played his first season when his club were technically a part of another major league (just for organizational purposes), the exact dates he reached that milestones are unknown. Sometimes it seemed like Seattle shortstop Joseph Miller did his best to stretch the limits of how little he could actually hit and still garner MVP votes. In this season, Miller posted a batting average of just .231, but he still was on base enough to score 128 times and topped 50 homers for a record-breaking fourth time, leading the Pacific Coast League with 55 homers and driving in 114 runs, which was enough to earn him his fifth MVP as he rounded out his dominant decade. A new ace hit San Diego in the form of second-year righty Chris Gose. The 27-year-old went 26-12 with a 2.82 ERA, leading the PCL in ERA and striking out 176 over 331.2 innings. The strong season was enough to earn him Pitcher of the Year honors. The Texas League had a surprising MVP winner, as Galveston third baseman Kyle Hill topped the ballot. Though a perfectly good, if unspectacular, player for a long time, Hill’s numbers were rather pedestrian. The 30-year-old slashed .299/.377/.443 with 162 hits, 82 runs, 30 doubles, 16 homers, and 80 RBI. After a couple years without an award, Oklahoma City ace Roy Hendricks earned his fifth Pitcher of the Year award. Though he was just 12-10, positing the fewest wins by a POTY winner, Hendricks did log a 2.26 ERA over 235.1 innings with 197 strikeouts to take the trophy. Just three years after the first one, the Texas League saw their second four home-run game, from a very unlikely source. Austin first baseman Jason Harvey flashed some power during the club’s American Baseball League days, but hit just nine home runs in 98 games this year, his age-36 season. However, four of them came on April 25 against El Paso. Two longtime stalwarts in the EBF heard their names called on Hall of Fame induction day: 1B Frankie Buchin (1946-63), 80.1% 2B Josh Burkhardt (1941-56), 76.7% --- In the American Baseball League, the Pittsburgh Ironmen showed their mettle with their first division title and fifth straight playoff appearance. Meanwhile, after their historic 120-win season in ’68, New Haven fell by 21 games, but still finished a comfortable second to earn their seventh straight playoff berth, though their string of five straight division titles came to an end. San Jose, meanwhile, dominated with a franchise-record 110 wins to take the West, while Spokane took second. In the playoffs, Pittsburgh bounced Spokane in seven games, with San Jose waxed the Weavers in six games. The Gulls then melted the Ironmen in six games to win their second ABL title. On the flip side, Albuquerque plunged to 121 losses, finishing 69 games back of San Jose with the second-worst season in ABL history, lending serious questions to their financial health. The ABL was a very pitching-heavy league (league-wide .234 batting average and 3.7 runs per game), and Spokane slugger Chris Scandariato was a curiosity of a player who won three home run titles, but batted .185 lifetime and led the ABL in strikeouts four times in a nine-year career. This year, he hiked his average to .222, but broke his own ABL home run record (of 49) by blasting 53 homers (still a league record 35 years later) and a league-best 128 RBI, which was enough to earn him MVP honors. San Jose rookie righty John Feld went 17-9 with a 1.98 ERA with 249 strikeouts in 272.1 innings to take home Pitcher of the Year. --- Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Mobile Marines, 87-67, defeats Baton Rouge Colonial League: Binghamton Smokers, 84-56, defeats Scranton-Wilkes Barre River Valley League: Toledo Mud Hens, 80-60, defeats Peoria Rocky Mountain League: Casper Black Bears, 68-58, defeats Cheyenne Coastal League: Richmond Giants, 103-51, defeats Charleston (SC) (3rd straight) Northern League: La Crosse Loggers, 84-56, defeats Cedar Rapids Great Lakes League: Allentown Brewers, 82-58, defeats Harrisburg Southwest League: Bakersfield Conquistadors, 88-66, defeats Fresno Southern Association: Little Rock Travelers, 78-62, defeats Springfield Northwest League: Yakima Tomahawks, 91-49, defeats Salem Can-Am League: Portland Lobsters, 71-55, defeats Ottawa Mid-Atlantic League: Roanoke Red Hawks, 81-59, defeats Asheville Lone Star League: Laredo Vaqueros, 78-62, defeats San Angelo (2nd straight) Great Plains League: Lincoln Lions, 93-47, defeats St. Paul (2nd straight) Florida Coast League: Columbus Catfish, 77-63, defeats St. Petersburg Big Sky League: Twin Falls Timbers, 70-62, defeats Calgary