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KCRoyals15 · 12-28-2024, 12:41 PM

1972

“PCL Expansion on the Horizon” declared the Sporting News in February, 1972. “For over 70 years, the Pacific Coast League has held a monopoly on high-caliber west coast baseball, but the brass of the eight-team league has expressed desire to grow."

“The circuit has had no change in membership since the Mission Reds moved north to become the Portland Beavers in 1947 and has fielded exactly eight clubs in each and every season of its existence. With stability in place, there is now the growing sense that this is the time to grow, especially with the Northern Conference at 16 teams, the Southern at 14 clubs, and the Texas League fielding 10 teams.”

“The question is where would the PCL go? Spokane and Hawaii have found success in the American Baseball League, but have questions. Spokane boasts sustained success, but one of the smallest ABL markets. Hawaii has a larger market and a 50,000-seat multi-purpose stadium set to open in 1973, but has only hosted a team for four seasons."

“Perhaps Salt Lake City, which is a further away from the league, but has had success in the ABL, could be on the table. Vancouver would make a natural rival for Seattle, but has had two teams struggle mightily. Similar questions exist about Phoenix. San Jose is very successful in the Bay Area, but PCL rules would allow San Francisco and Oakland to object to a third team in the area.”

“No one has publicly slipped any word about who the front-runner is or what exactly the existing PCL clubs are taking into consideration. We know this: the PCL will field the same eight clubs for a 26th season in a row this summer. Beyond that is anyone’s guess.”

This season was defined by several strong teams dotted around the country, though none more so than in the Northern Conference, where three teams topped 100 wins. The Philadelphia Quakers earned their fourth New England League pennant in five years with 104 victories, comfortably outpacing second-place Brooklyn, who took the second playoff spot. The Midwest Association was dominated by Milwaukee (106 wins) and Toronto (103), who easily took those two playoff berths. Both teams tied franchise records for wins, with the Black Hawks winning their fourth-straight pennant.

In the postseason, Philadelphia withstood a challenge from Brooklyn, holding off the Dodgers in seven games. Milwaukee and Toronto, meanwhile, waged one of the greatest first-round series to date, playing a seven-game battle that the Black Hawks came out victorious in. Milwaukee then took down the Quakers for the Black Hawks’ second conference title in three seasons.

The Southern Conference was not quite as strong, particularly in the Eastern League, where Jacksonville needed only 90 wins to win their fifth-straight pennant. Atlanta finished just one game back, good for second place and their first playoff berth in eight seasons. The Western League had St. Louis win a conference-leading 103 games, while Omaha held off Louisville to take second.

In the Eastern League, Jacksonville made quick work of Atlanta, turning the Crackers into crumbs in a four-game sweep. Meanwhile, Omaha made waves in West when they downed the Browns in six games. The Golden Spikes then beat the tar out of the Tars, sweeping Jacksonville to claim the Southern Conference title.

The Pacific Coast League was dominated in the regular season by a strong Seattle squad that won their fourth-straight regular-season title, while winning their most games (127) since 1943. San Francisco turned in a second-place finish with their best record (118-82) in 28 years. Sacramento reached the playoffs for the sixth year in a row in third, while Los Angeles, despite a losing record, snuck in for the second time in three years, finishing one game ahead of Hollywood.

On the other side, San Diego went 94-106 and finished sixth, posting their first sub-.500 mark in two decades, while Portland absolutely wasted any momentum from their surprise PCL title the previous season, finishing dead last, 51 games out of first place with their worst record in 11 seasons.

One of the bigger shockers in recent seasons occurred in the PCL semifinals, when the Los Angeles Angels stunned the Seattle Rainiers in a seven-game series, winning a postseason series for the first time since 1944. San Francisco also went the distance in the semis, defeating Sacramento. With the path to the title much more clear, the Seals swept the Angels in the PCL Finals, giving San Francisco their second league championship in four seasons.

Like usual, the Texas League saw no dominant teams, starting with the North Division where 85 wins was enough for Oklahoma City to earn the division title, while Dallas finished one game behind, taking the second playoff spot. The South saw El Paso and Galveston each win 93 games, taking the two playoff spots there in what was certainly the stronger division. Galveston christened new brand-new Gulf Stadium by making their tenth-straight playoff appearance, while El Paso’s split division crown was bookended by last-place finishes.

In the North Finals, Dallas defeated Oklahoma City in a very evenly-matched series, with the Lone Stars needing all seven games. Despite finishing the regular season in a dead heat, the playoff matchup between El Paso and Galveston was all Hurricanes in a four-game sweep. Galveston continued their march, defeating Dallas in six games for their second TL title in four years.

In the national tournament, the battle-tested favorite came through in the first round as the Milwaukee Black Hawks (NOR) defeat the Omaha Golden Spikes (SOU), while out west the San Francisco Seals (PCL) defeat the Galveston Hurricanes (TL). The machine continued rolling along as the Black Hawks put the cap on a dream season in an emphatic way. The Milwaukee Black Hawks (NOR) defeat the San Francisco Seals (PCL), 4-0, giving the Black Hawks their second National Championship in four seasons.

Not surprisingly, the North MVP went to the top player on its top team, as Milwaukee shortstop Mark Oxford took the hardware home for the second year in a row. The 25-year-old was arguably at his best, winning his lone batting title (.338), slashing .338/.380/.518 with a conference-leading 220 hits, 106 runs, 33 doubles, 9 triples, 22 homers, 96 RBI, and 36 steals.

Shoh Nakamura spent all of his 30’s in the American Baseball League or Triple-A, but in his 20’s, he spent seven-plus seasons with Cleveland and was an All-Star every full season. This year, he was 19-10 with a 2.31 ERA, leading the conference with 36 starts, striking out 181 in 268.2 innings to win Pitcher of the Year.

Detroit pitcher Juan Osornio enjoyed his best year to date, winning 15 games on a 2.82 ERA, but that was overshadowed by the first Northern Conference perfect game in eight seasons. On August 9, Osornio struck out nine Albany Adirondacks in a 111-pitch gem for the perfecto.

For the second year in a row, St. Louis first baseman George Turner dominated in route to an easy Southern Conference MVP. Turner won his second straight batting title, slashing .366/.430/.625 with conference-high totals of hits (223), runs (113), and RBI (155), the latter not hit in the EBF in a decade. He also added 39 doubles, 8 triples, and 35 homers to bolster his MVP case.

Despite solid results, lefty Danny Cisneros split time between San Diego and Triple-A Yakima in 1971. Shortly before PCL’s Opening Day in ’72, Cisneros was surprisingly cut, only to shortly afterwards land with Washington. In his second season with the Senators, Cisneros went 23-9 with a 2.24 ERA, leading the South in both categories. Cisneros also struck out 178 in 273.1 innings to help win Pitcher of the Year honors.

In the Pacific Coast League, Sacramento’s Orlando Aviles had been a steady contributor for the previous decade and continued to be an offensive force at 33 years. The outfielder slashed .304/.372/.491 with 218 hits, 121 runs, 34 doubles, 32 doubles, a league-leading 123 RBI, and 22 steals to earn his first and only MVP award.

In his second season, 26-year-old Sam Puntenney put together a season for the ages. The Seattle right-hander went 32-5 with a 1.70, leading the PCL in both categories and becoming the first 30-game winner in a decade. Puntenney also led the league in starts (43), innings (344.2), complete games (20), and shutouts (7), while striking out 201 batters. He won PCL Pitcher of the Year with ease.

Though his streak of three straight MVP awards was snapped, Seattle shortstop Joseph Miller won his fourth-straight PCL home run title with 38 round-trippers, including his 500th on May 10, becoming the third hitter in PCL history to hit that benchmark.

In the Texas League, offense was down and pitching was the story of the league. Oklahoma City’s Roy Hendricks had long established himself as the front-runner of that pack, going 16-11, but leading the league with a 1.97 ERA, striking out 205 over 278.1 innings, earning both MVP and Pitcher of the Year, his sixth POTY award.

The longest-tenured player in the Texas League, El Paso third baseman Jared Robinson was still an everyday player at 43 years old in his 24th professional season. On April 9, he collected his 3,000th Texas League hit, becoming the second player in league history to reach that mark. Robinson lasted two more seasons, finally retiring at 45 as the last remaining player from the TL’s first big-league season in 1955. He finished with 3,206 Texas League hits, still the most in league history (2,898 as a big-leaguer), and 3,712 as a professional, fourth-most all-time.

In the Eastern Baseball Federation, one player had their name called to the Hall of Fame:

3B Felipe Meneses (1950-66), 86.7%

---

The American Baseball League saw a notable change to the league lineup. After 14 losing seasons in Ohio’s capital and usually finishing near the bottom in attendance, the Columbus Jets threw in the towel and moved southbound, setting up shop in Tennessee as the Nashville Vols. The results were immediate: they posted the franchise’s first winning season.

The league was dominated by two Eastern teams, as Pittsburgh (105 wins) and Newark (99) were the only ABL teams to win over 85 games, easily claiming a pair of playoff spots. The Ironmen won their fourth-straight division title and made the playoffs for the eighth year in a row. The West was much more mediocre, but much more competitive as well. Spokane won their first division title in seven years, while Hawaii needed a one-game playoff to punch their playoff ticket over San Jose, as five West teams finished within six games of each other.

In the postseason, Pittsburgh won what was widely believed to be the true American Baseball Cup finals, winning the East in a five-game set over Newark. Hawaii, meanwhile, swept Spokane to win the West. In the Cup finals, the Islanders pulled a massive upset, downing the Ironmen in a seven-game series to win their second ABL title in a row. Despite a considerably worse regular-season record than the year before, Hawaii shattered the ABL record by drawing 1,866,585 fans in their final season at the crumbling 25,000-seat Termite Palace, leading to legitimate questions on if their new big-league caliber stadium across town would be hosting big-league baseball in the near future.

Once more, Hawaii’s Dusty Frailey rose to the top of the crop. The 27-year-old shortstop won his third MVP in three seasons, taking the ABL batting title (.336) while also leading the league in hits (215) with 107 runs, 42 doubles, 7 triples, 8 homers, 68 RBI, and 25 steals. On the mound, Newark’s Ted Full struggled to establish himself before arriving in Newark in 1970, but at 35 years old, logged a 1.88 ERA in 1971. A year later, the right-hander went 19-12 with an ABL-best 1.85 ERA, striking out 261 in 296.1 innings with 20 complete games and a league-high 6 shutouts, earning Pitcher of the Year.

---

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Mobile Marines, 86-69, defeats Chattanooga
Colonial League: Pittsfield Colonials, 92-48, defeats Worcester (2nd straight)
River Valley League: St. Joseph Snakes, 98-42, defeats Peoria (2nd straight)
Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 75-51, defeats Great Falls
Coastal League: Richmond Giants, 97-57, defeats Macon
Northern League: South Bend Silver Sox, 78-62, defeats Fargo-Moorhead
Great Lakes League: Rochester Red Wings, 96-44, defeats Harrisburg
Southwest League: Bakersfield Conquistadors, 99-55, defeats Long Beach
Southern Association: Beaumont Exporters, 82-58, defeats Biloxi
Northwest League: Tacoma Mountaineers, 90-50, defeats Stockton
Can-Am League: London Braves, 68-58, defeats Quebec
Mid-Atlantic League: Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels, 78-62, defeats Charleston (WV)
Lone Star League: Amarillo Gold Sox, 72-69, defeats Rio Grande
Great Plains League: Thunder Bay Timberjacks, 82-59, defeats Lincoln (2nd straight)
Florida Coast League: Daytona Islanders, 77-63, defeats West Palm Beach
Big Sky League: Ogden Railroaders, 73-59, defeats Idaho Falls

A couple of excellent races shaped up in the lower minors. The Lone Star League North had the entire five-team division bunched within seven games, with Amarillo and Lubbock tied at 71-69 for the division crown. The Gold Sox won the one-game playoff, then the LSL title. The Florida Coast League had the top four teams in the league all bunched within four games, though first-place Daytona came through with the league title.

12-28-2024, 12:41 PM	#82
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	The Baseball That Made Milwaukee Famous 1972 “PCL Expansion on the Horizon” declared the Sporting News in February, 1972. “For over 70 years, the Pacific Coast League has held a monopoly on high-caliber west coast baseball, but the brass of the eight-team league has expressed desire to grow." “The circuit has had no change in membership since the Mission Reds moved north to become the Portland Beavers in 1947 and has fielded exactly eight clubs in each and every season of its existence. With stability in place, there is now the growing sense that this is the time to grow, especially with the Northern Conference at 16 teams, the Southern at 14 clubs, and the Texas League fielding 10 teams.” “The question is where would the PCL go? Spokane and Hawaii have found success in the American Baseball League, but have questions. Spokane boasts sustained success, but one of the smallest ABL markets. Hawaii has a larger market and a 50,000-seat multi-purpose stadium set to open in 1973, but has only hosted a team for four seasons." “Perhaps Salt Lake City, which is a further away from the league, but has had success in the ABL, could be on the table. Vancouver would make a natural rival for Seattle, but has had two teams struggle mightily. Similar questions exist about Phoenix. San Jose is very successful in the Bay Area, but PCL rules would allow San Francisco and Oakland to object to a third team in the area.” “No one has publicly slipped any word about who the front-runner is or what exactly the existing PCL clubs are taking into consideration. We know this: the PCL will field the same eight clubs for a 26th season in a row this summer. Beyond that is anyone’s guess.” This season was defined by several strong teams dotted around the country, though none more so than in the Northern Conference, where three teams topped 100 wins. The Philadelphia Quakers earned their fourth New England League pennant in five years with 104 victories, comfortably outpacing second-place Brooklyn, who took the second playoff spot. The Midwest Association was dominated by Milwaukee (106 wins) and Toronto (103), who easily took those two playoff berths. Both teams tied franchise records for wins, with the Black Hawks winning their fourth-straight pennant. In the postseason, Philadelphia withstood a challenge from Brooklyn, holding off the Dodgers in seven games. Milwaukee and Toronto, meanwhile, waged one of the greatest first-round series to date, playing a seven-game battle that the Black Hawks came out victorious in. Milwaukee then took down the Quakers for the Black Hawks’ second conference title in three seasons. The Southern Conference was not quite as strong, particularly in the Eastern League, where Jacksonville needed only 90 wins to win their fifth-straight pennant. Atlanta finished just one game back, good for second place and their first playoff berth in eight seasons. The Western League had St. Louis win a conference-leading 103 games, while Omaha held off Louisville to take second. In the Eastern League, Jacksonville made quick work of Atlanta, turning the Crackers into crumbs in a four-game sweep. Meanwhile, Omaha made waves in West when they downed the Browns in six games. The Golden Spikes then beat the tar out of the Tars, sweeping Jacksonville to claim the Southern Conference title. The Pacific Coast League was dominated in the regular season by a strong Seattle squad that won their fourth-straight regular-season title, while winning their most games (127) since 1943. San Francisco turned in a second-place finish with their best record (118-82) in 28 years. Sacramento reached the playoffs for the sixth year in a row in third, while Los Angeles, despite a losing record, snuck in for the second time in three years, finishing one game ahead of Hollywood. On the other side, San Diego went 94-106 and finished sixth, posting their first sub-.500 mark in two decades, while Portland absolutely wasted any momentum from their surprise PCL title the previous season, finishing dead last, 51 games out of first place with their worst record in 11 seasons. One of the bigger shockers in recent seasons occurred in the PCL semifinals, when the Los Angeles Angels stunned the Seattle Rainiers in a seven-game series, winning a postseason series for the first time since 1944. San Francisco also went the distance in the semis, defeating Sacramento. With the path to the title much more clear, the Seals swept the Angels in the PCL Finals, giving San Francisco their second league championship in four seasons. Like usual, the Texas League saw no dominant teams, starting with the North Division where 85 wins was enough for Oklahoma City to earn the division title, while Dallas finished one game behind, taking the second playoff spot. The South saw El Paso and Galveston each win 93 games, taking the two playoff spots there in what was certainly the stronger division. Galveston christened new brand-new Gulf Stadium by making their tenth-straight playoff appearance, while El Paso’s split division crown was bookended by last-place finishes. In the North Finals, Dallas defeated Oklahoma City in a very evenly-matched series, with the Lone Stars needing all seven games. Despite finishing the regular season in a dead heat, the playoff matchup between El Paso and Galveston was all Hurricanes in a four-game sweep. Galveston continued their march, defeating Dallas in six games for their second TL title in four years. In the national tournament, the battle-tested favorite came through in the first round as the Milwaukee Black Hawks (NOR) defeat the Omaha Golden Spikes (SOU), while out west the San Francisco Seals (PCL) defeat the Galveston Hurricanes (TL). The machine continued rolling along as the Black Hawks put the cap on a dream season in an emphatic way. The *Milwaukee Black Hawks (NOR) defeat the San Francisco Seals (PCL), 4-0, giving the Black Hawks their second National Championship in four seasons. Not surprisingly, the North MVP went to the top player on its top team, as Milwaukee shortstop Mark Oxford* took the hardware home for the second year in a row. The 25-year-old was arguably at his best, winning his lone batting title (.338), slashing .338/.380/.518 with a conference-leading 220 hits, 106 runs, 33 doubles, 9 triples, 22 homers, 96 RBI, and 36 steals. Shoh Nakamura spent all of his 30’s in the American Baseball League or Triple-A, but in his 20’s, he spent seven-plus seasons with Cleveland and was an All-Star every full season. This year, he was 19-10 with a 2.31 ERA, leading the conference with 36 starts, striking out 181 in 268.2 innings to win Pitcher of the Year. Detroit pitcher Juan Osornio enjoyed his best year to date, winning 15 games on a 2.82 ERA, but that was overshadowed by the first Northern Conference perfect game in eight seasons. On August 9, Osornio struck out nine Albany Adirondacks in a 111-pitch gem for the perfecto. For the second year in a row, St. Louis first baseman George Turner dominated in route to an easy Southern Conference MVP. Turner won his second straight batting title, slashing .366/.430/.625 with conference-high totals of hits (223), runs (113), and RBI (155), the latter not hit in the EBF in a decade. He also added 39 doubles, 8 triples, and 35 homers to bolster his MVP case. Despite solid results, lefty Danny Cisneros split time between San Diego and Triple-A Yakima in 1971. Shortly before PCL’s Opening Day in ’72, Cisneros was surprisingly cut, only to shortly afterwards land with Washington. In his second season with the Senators, Cisneros went 23-9 with a 2.24 ERA, leading the South in both categories. Cisneros also struck out 178 in 273.1 innings to help win Pitcher of the Year honors. In the Pacific Coast League, Sacramento’s Orlando Aviles had been a steady contributor for the previous decade and continued to be an offensive force at 33 years. The outfielder slashed .304/.372/.491 with 218 hits, 121 runs, 34 doubles, 32 doubles, a league-leading 123 RBI, and 22 steals to earn his first and only MVP award. In his second season, 26-year-old Sam Puntenney put together a season for the ages. The Seattle right-hander went 32-5 with a 1.70, leading the PCL in both categories and becoming the first 30-game winner in a decade. Puntenney also led the league in starts (43), innings (344.2), complete games (20), and shutouts (7), while striking out 201 batters. He won PCL Pitcher of the Year with ease. Though his streak of three straight MVP awards was snapped, Seattle shortstop Joseph Miller won his fourth-straight PCL home run title with 38 round-trippers, including his 500th on May 10, becoming the third hitter in PCL history to hit that benchmark. In the Texas League, offense was down and pitching was the story of the league. Oklahoma City’s Roy Hendricks had long established himself as the front-runner of that pack, going 16-11, but leading the league with a 1.97 ERA, striking out 205 over 278.1 innings, earning both MVP and Pitcher of the Year, his sixth POTY award. The longest-tenured player in the Texas League, El Paso third baseman Jared Robinson was still an everyday player at 43 years old in his 24th professional season. On April 9, he collected his 3,000th Texas League hit, becoming the second player in league history to reach that mark. Robinson lasted two more seasons, finally retiring at 45 as the last remaining player from the TL’s first big-league season in 1955. He finished with 3,206 Texas League hits, still the most in league history (2,898 as a big-leaguer), and 3,712 as a professional, fourth-most all-time. In the Eastern Baseball Federation, one player had their name called to the Hall of Fame: 3B Felipe Meneses (1950-66), 86.7% --- The American Baseball League saw a notable change to the league lineup. After 14 losing seasons in Ohio’s capital and usually finishing near the bottom in attendance, the Columbus Jets threw in the towel and moved southbound, setting up shop in Tennessee as the Nashville Vols. The results were immediate: they posted the franchise’s first winning season. The league was dominated by two Eastern teams, as Pittsburgh (105 wins) and Newark (99) were the only ABL teams to win over 85 games, easily claiming a pair of playoff spots. The Ironmen won their fourth-straight division title and made the playoffs for the eighth year in a row. The West was much more mediocre, but much more competitive as well. Spokane won their first division title in seven years, while Hawaii needed a one-game playoff to punch their playoff ticket over San Jose, as five West teams finished within six games of each other. In the postseason, Pittsburgh won what was widely believed to be the true American Baseball Cup finals, winning the East in a five-game set over Newark. Hawaii, meanwhile, swept Spokane to win the West. In the Cup finals, the Islanders pulled a massive upset, downing the Ironmen in a seven-game series to win their second ABL title in a row. Despite a considerably worse regular-season record than the year before, Hawaii shattered the ABL record by drawing 1,866,585 fans in their final season at the crumbling 25,000-seat Termite Palace, leading to legitimate questions on if their new big-league caliber stadium across town would be hosting big-league baseball in the near future. Once more, Hawaii’s Dusty Frailey rose to the top of the crop. The 27-year-old shortstop won his third MVP in three seasons, taking the ABL batting title (.336) while also leading the league in hits (215) with 107 runs, 42 doubles, 7 triples, 8 homers, 68 RBI, and 25 steals. On the mound, Newark’s Ted Full struggled to establish himself before arriving in Newark in 1970, but at 35 years old, logged a 1.88 ERA in 1971. A year later, the right-hander went 19-12 with an ABL-best 1.85 ERA, striking out 261 in 296.1 innings with 20 complete games and a league-high 6 shutouts, earning Pitcher of the Year. --- Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Mobile Marines, 86-69, defeats Chattanooga Colonial League: Pittsfield Colonials, 92-48, defeats Worcester (2nd straight) River Valley League: St. Joseph Snakes, 98-42, defeats Peoria (2nd straight) Rocky Mountain League: Pueblo Miners, 75-51, defeats Great Falls Coastal League: Richmond Giants, 97-57, defeats Macon Northern League: South Bend Silver Sox, 78-62, defeats Fargo-Moorhead Great Lakes League: Rochester Red Wings, 96-44, defeats Harrisburg Southwest League: Bakersfield Conquistadors, 99-55, defeats Long Beach Southern Association: Beaumont Exporters, 82-58, defeats Biloxi Northwest League: Tacoma Mountaineers, 90-50, defeats Stockton Can-Am League: London Braves, 68-58, defeats Quebec Mid-Atlantic League: Raleigh-Durham Tar Heels, 78-62, defeats Charleston (WV) Lone Star League: Amarillo Gold Sox, 72-69, defeats Rio Grande Great Plains League: Thunder Bay Timberjacks, 82-59, defeats Lincoln (2nd straight) Florida Coast League: Daytona Islanders, 77-63, defeats West Palm Beach Big Sky League: Ogden Railroaders, 73-59, defeats Idaho Falls A couple of excellent races shaped up in the lower minors. The Lone Star League North had the entire five-team division bunched within seven games, with Amarillo and Lubbock tied at 71-69 for the division crown. The Gold Sox won the one-game playoff, then the LSL title. The Florida Coast League had the top four teams in the league all bunched within four games, though first-place Daytona came through with the league title. Last edited by KCRoyals15; 12-29-2024 at 12:10 AM.