[Rocketdawg2016]

1880

12 years of NOBB baseball have come and gone as we enter the 1880's. A strong 12 years of league play, the game of baseball is thriving in the Eastern United States. With the shift to different teams yearly coming out of the Colonial League and Atlantic League after the long run of Manchester, league popularity has skyrocketed, with rumors of even more expansion being considered, possibly across the Midwest. While the newspapers are scurrying with reports of potential expansion, fans across the East are excited for yet another season of baseball.

In the Colonial League this year, Hartford ran away with the division title, finishing 95-41 and 19 games over the next best team. The Angels were far and away the best team in the league that year, and the obvious playoff favorites going in. In the wildcard race however, it was a tight battle between Newport and Providence to make it in. Down to only three games separating the two teams, Providence lost a crucial 3-game series to Boston, allowing Newport to safely clinch the wildcard despite a valliant late-season effort from the Fighters. The midshipmen would have the honor of playing Hartford yet again in the wildcard round.

In the Atlantic League, New York, Brooklyn and Pittsburgh were the major contenders for the year, but Philadelphia made a late run towards the wildcard round with a 14-4 W/L July to get back into it. Even with a run, Philly finished the year a brutal 7-15 to knock themselves out before the season ended. That left NY, Brooklyn and Pittsburgh to battle it out for the two playoff spots. It became clear within the final two weeks that New York would likely win the division title, leaving Brooklyn and Pittsburgh to battle it out. Lucky for the both of them, they finished the season playing one another, which set up a win-and-in scenario for both teams. Brooklyn and Pittsburgh both sat at 73-60, only needing to win two games to clinch the wildcard. Game 1 went to Brooklyn, Game 2 went to Pittsburgh, which set up the playoff-deciding Game 3 in Brooklyn. In a pitchers duel, both Roman Hebert and Eddie Rivas went toe-to-toe late into the game, but with two outs and Brooklyn's best hitter, Greg Sanders, up to bat, he delivered. In the bottom of the 8th inning, Sanders hit a monster left field home run, putting the Barons up 1-0. Brooklyn would shut the door in the top-half of the 9th, and win. They clinched their first ever playoff appearance in only their 5th season, and earned a chance to play their cross-town rivals in New York.



What better way to start off the 1880's than with the craziest playoffs to-date. In the wildcard round, it really was the wildcards that made the biggest impact. Despite being a major underdog, Newport stunned the 95-win Angels, dispatching them in four games to advance to the National Championship. Hartford only lost 41 games in the regular season, but 14 of those losses came to the Midshipmen, who had their pitching figured out. In the end, its Newport, not Hartford, that ends up advancing, despite everybody thinking the other outcome would happen. On the other side of the bracket, it was Brooklyn who ran away to victory after dispatching their in-state rivals in a clean sweep. 3 games up, 3 games down as New York yet again falls short of the National Championship in what was an inexcusable performance. Brooklyn dropped 19 runs on New York in the first two games and steadily coasted to a Game 3 win after a 6-2 rout. With their cross-town rivals gone, this set up the first ever meeting between two expansion teams in the National Championship. Brooklyn would meet Newport in a matchup of freshly minted teams for the league, and it was the first time these two squads would ever have played one another.

The National Championship of 1880 was the hottest draw of the late summer period, even outselling the New York ballet, which at the time was raking in tens of thousands of viewers a year. Tickets for this game went for a premium, and the ballpark was sold out all FIVE games. Yep, a full series. Game 1 went Brooklyn's way as they opened up a 5-0 lead and built on it, winning in comfortable fashion, 7-1. Game 2 was a different story, however, as Newport held the normally explosive Brooklyn offense in check. A 5-4 victory notched things up. Game 3 swung back to Brooklyn as they took a slim, 1-0 victory into a decisive Game 4. In that game, the Midshipmen came out firing, scoring 7 runs in the first 3 frames and only allowing 3 hits the rest of the game, leading to a resounding 9-2 victory. This set us up for Game 5, winner take all situation as we were back in Brooklyn. Roman Hebert was on the mound for the Barons, and he pitched a gem. Hebert went the full nine frames, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and effectively shutting down the Midshipmen offense. Brooklyn got the scoring started in the 1st inning, and they built up a 5-0 lead by the 8th inning. Despite scoring one run in the final two frames, the hill was too much to climb for Newport. The final out goes to the Barons, who conquer the mountain and win it all in 1880. In fitting fashion, the pitcher that recorded the final out also gets the hardware. Roman Hebert was named MVP of the National Championship. His spectacular 4-0 record was backed up behind 10 strikeouts, a 0.67 ERA and only 4 earned runs over 4 games! A magificent season that saw Brooklyn win their first title and set up hope for their fanbase that this team would be competitive for a long time.



Season Awards
CL Most Valuable Player: Antonio Arangua, Hartford Angels - .312 AVG|153 H|28 2B|13 3B|4 HR|69 RBI|
AL Most Valuable Player: Greg Sanders, Brooklyn Barons - .340 AVG|155 H|28 2B|12 3B|2 HR|41 RBI|96 R|

CL Pitcher of the Year: Joey Stringer, Hartford Angels - 35-16|194 K|2.41 ERA|
AL Pitcher of the Year: Eddie Rivas, Pittsburgh Iron Camels - 30-20|169 K|2.09 ERA|

Arangua also wrangled in his 6th straight Defensive Wizard Award, finishing the season as the best defender by metrics and analytics.

Cuban Professional League: Santiago de Cuba Panthers sweep the San Cristobal Panthers, 3-0