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10-11-2025, 02:51 AM
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#861 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,977
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January 1, 1959
Looking Back: The 1948-49 Amateur Draft What a class. The amateur class of 1948-49 has all the hallmarks of being the deepest in United Leagues’ history. The first round has produced no less than five players whose career trajectories are on course for the Hall of Fame. Three of those players are starting pitchers. This was quite the turnaround, as the previous draft class produced no high quality pitchers. But this draft was more than just the first round. There were a number of quality players in the subsequent rounds that could have been singled out. I’ve limited myself to two along with one bust to go along with the five outstanding selections. Cream of the Crop:  OF Matthew Floyd – 1st overall pick by the Wellington Athletics Major League Career: .319/.398/.549, 1283 G, 4884 AB, 1558 H, 280-2B, 68-3B, 236 HR, 862 RBI, 898 R, 634 BB, 420 K, .947 OPS, 161 OPS+, 160 wRC+, 61.0 WAR Fielding – LF: .972 PCT, 2.67 RNG, +45.8 ZR, 1.020 EFF Achievements:
“Floyd is projected to be a fearsome hitter, with an ability to put a charge into the ball each time he steps up to the plate. If he works on his strength a little more, he will be a phenomenal contact hitter to go along with his formidable gap power. He is also a well-above average base runner whose best position in the field is in right.” Comments: Floyd proved to be a sure-fire no-doubter, tearing up Double-A before being called up to the majors after just 67 games. By October 1949 he was considered the top prospect in the ULB and won the 1949-50 Eastern League Rookie of the Year. By his second full season, he emerged as a perineal all-star and was rated as the top leftfielder in 1952-53. He no doubt would have been rated no. 1 in more seasons if not for the emergence of Pulberry’s Aidan Thirkettle. The 1953-54 season proved frustrating for Floyd as he suffered a broken elbow and missed the last four months of the season. But he bounced back the following year and has been one of the very best position players in the ULB. His best season was in 1956-57 where he batted .346/.440/.672, 33-2B, 49 HR, 115 RBI, 96 BB, 6 SB, 202 OPS+, 208 wRC+, 11.0 WAR. Although he came in second in the Eastern League Babe Ruth Award voting that season (behind only Cobourg’s CF Raymond Williams) he finally won the Award the following season, hitting .334/.413/.585, 25-2B, 37 HR, 102 RBI, 73 BB, 12 SB, 176 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 9.5 RC/27, 8.2 WAR. This season he entered as the top position player in the United Leagues for the first time as well. He currently holds the season records for total bases (379) and home runs (49) as well as the career mark for batting AVG (.3190) among all leftfielders. --------  OF Sam Tite – 2nd overall pick by the Cambria Cannons Major League Career: .285/.389/.528, 957 G, 3511 AB, 1002 H, 169-2B, 31-3B, 207 HR, 665 RBI, 640 R, 584 BB, 309 K, 40 SB, 38 CS, .917 OPS, 158 OPS+, 162 wRC+, 43.3 WAR Fielding – CF: 518 G, .989 PCT, 3.81 RNG, +5.8 ZR, .998 EFF Fielding – RF: 444 G, .981 PCT, 2.72 RNG, +2.9 ZR, 1.004 EFF Achievements:
“Tite has the potential to develop into a big-time hitter with impressive gap power and patience. But while he has some running ability and a decent arm, defense will be a challenge for him.” Comments: Selected immediately after Matthew Floyd, the Winnipeg, Canada born Tite took considerably more time to develop his craft in the minors than Floyd, not reaching the minors until the 1950-51 season. But Tite was the real deal, ranking as the No. 2 prospect (behind only Floyd) in October 1949, then No. 1 overall the following October. His rookie campaign was cut short after just 41 games due to post-concussion syndrome, but it proved to be just a temporary setback. The following season, he emerged as a solid all-around player with his defense not proving to be a challenge after all. But in 1956-57 he kicked things into high gear, establishing himself as the United Leagues’ top power hitter. After setting a then record of 49 home runs (tied with Floyd) in 1956-57, he bested that mark last season with 59, becoming the only player to hit 50 or more home runs in a season. He also became the first player (and to date, the only player) to surpass the .700 mark in SLG (.7045) in a season. He has been ranked as the top right fielder for the past three seasons and holds five other single season batting records among all right fielders – OPS (1.1277), Runs (116), TB (379), RBI (144) and WAR (10.47). He is easily on course to becoming one of the all-time great outfielders – just like Matthew Floyd. --------  RHP Logan Belsey – 4th overall pick by the Queensland Eagles Major League Career: 333 G, 333 GS, 163-127, 3.24 ERA, 2731.0 IP, 1070 BB, 1989 K, 191 CG, 33 SHO, 1.26 WHIP, .270 BABIP, 3.14 FIP, 69.8 WAR, 123 ERA+ Fielding: .950 PCT, 1.43 RNG, +2.3 ZR, 1.170 EFF Achievements:
“Belsey is blessed with above-average stuff with great movement and average control. With four solid pitches and terrific stamina, he should develop into a front-line starter.” Comments: In a draft class exceptionally deep in pitching, Logan Belsey emerged as the first one selected that delivered on his promise. He was not the first pitcher selected however; that distinction belongs to LHP Larry Kovnats (272 G, 268 GS, 106-115, 1 SV, 4.18 ERA, 1985.0 IP, 1326 BB, 1440 K, 94 CG, 1.55 WHIP, .271 BABIP, 4.21 FIP, 19.9 WAR, 95 ERA+ with the Hespeler Stars and Braeland City Monarchs), who while not a bust, has not had the career one would have expected from a 3rd overall pick. Belsey, however, spent no time in the minors, but hit the ground running, immediately entering the Eagles rotation and starting 20 games that initial season. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until 1951-52, his 4th season, that he began to find his groove. He picked up his first all-star selection that year, the first of seven consecutive selections. He has established himself as the United Leagues’ top strike-out artist, holding the single season pitching marks for strikeouts (266), K/9 IP (8.36) and WAR (11.07), while leading the ULB in career strikeouts (1989 and counting) after just 10+ seasons. He is just one of two pitchers who have struck out 15 or more players in a game and the only pitcher to have done so more than once. Wolseley’s RHP Theo Morse struck out 16 Downie Chief batters in February 1957. But Belsey was the first, striking out 16 Downie Chief batters in March 1955. He has since struck out 15 batters in a game three times (against Embro, Cobourg and Downie again). --------  LHP Bill Budd – 6th overall pick by the Cobourg Red Stockings/Redlegs Major League Career: 306 G, 305 GS, 148-103, 3.13 ERA, 2377.2 IP, 943 BB, 1453 K, 121 CG, 26 SHO, 1.26 WHIP, .259 BABIP, 3.41 FIP, 50.9 WAR, 128 ERA+ Fielding: .966 PCT, 1.50 RNG, +12.5 ZR, 1.025 EFF Achievements:
“Bill Budd from Rutherglen, Perth has the potential to be another solid young pitcher in the ULB especially if he works on his delivery mechanics. He has great movement and control with three solid pitches.” Comments: ‘Solid’ is the perfect word to describe Budd. While he didn’t skip the minors like Logan Belsey did, Budd did skip Double-A and spent just a season and a half in Triple-A before being called up to the majors. Budd made an immediate impact on a Cobourg ballclub that was in short supply of quality arms and immediately entrenched himself as the Red Stockings/Redlegs’ ace. He has made the All-Star team five times, including the last three seasons and won the Eastern League Satchel Paige Award in 1956-57, the third pitcher selected in this draft to win it. The runners-up that year were Logan Belsey and Robin Wadsworth, who will be discussed next. --------  LHP Robin Wadsworth – 16th overall pick by the Stratford Barons Major League Career: 250 G, 226 GS, 119-74, 3 SV, 3.29 ERA, 1762.2 IP, 693 BB, 1008 K, 86 CG, 23 SHO, 1.30 WHIP, .268 BABIP, 3.50 FIP, 33.3 WAR, 119 ERA+ Fielding: .963 PCT, 1.48 RNG, +0.8 ZR, .981 EFF Achievements:
“Wadsworth is a borderline starter that can take the next step if he develops his changeup (30/55). Otherwise, he has passable stuff with good movement and decent control, to go along with a fastball (40/50) and slider (40/50).” Comments: Wadsworth became more than just a ‘borderline starter’ and did indeed develop his changeup (currently 80/80, by far his best pitch). The Wolseley-native spent just one game in Double-A, a 6-hit, 1-run complete game effort before being promoted to Triple-A. After spending the equivalent of nearly two full seasons in the minors, Wadsworth was promoted to the majors, late in the 1950-51 season. But it was three seasons later at the age of 24 that Wadsworth became the Barons’ ace. The following season, he picked up the first of so far four straight All-Star selections. Then in 1955-56, he won the Eastern League Satchel Paige Award, nudging out Logan Belsey in a close race (90 points to 85 points). Unlike Belsey and Bill Budd however, Wadsworth is no longer considered Stratford’s top pitcher. But he remains a close second. -------- Later-Round Standouts As mentioned earlier, this was a particularly deep draft class and it hard to narrow this down to just a couple of players. Other players I could have highlighted were: RF Aidan Trembath (Rd 1, 15th overall pick, 6 All-Star selections, SS Kieron Bradridge (Rd 2, 25th overall pick, 3 All-Star selections, 2 Ball Hawk Awards), LF Carl Patton (Rd 3, 45th overall pick, 2 All-Star selections, 3 Ball Hawk Awards) and C Min-gook Lee (Rd 4, 50th overall pick, 2 All-Star selections, 1952-53 United Cup MVP). As fine as they are all, here are the two that I particularly wanted to single out:  OF Jim Mars – 19th overall pick (Round 2, Pick 3) originally by the Hespeler Stars. Major League Career: .309/.369/.447, 1183 G, 4344 AB, 1341 H, 213-2B, 67-3B, 85 HR, 593 RBI, 650 R, 427 BB, 276 K, .816 OPS, 124 OPS+, 126 wRC+, 32.1 WAR Fielding – CF: 482 G, .984 PCT, 3.86 RNG, -16.2 ZR, .981 EFF Fielding – RF: 587 G, .973 PCT, 2.50 RNG, +18.2 ZR, 1.016 EFF Achievements:
--------  C Ronald Armstrong – 127th overall pick (Round 8, Pick 15) originally by the Braeland City Monarchs Major League Career: .259/.339/.440, 398 G, 1299 AB, 336 H, 65-2B, 4-3B, 65 HR, 213 RBI, 181 R, 162 BB, 221 K, .804 OPS, 124 OPS+, 128 wRC+, 12.5 WAR Fielding – C: 349 G, .989 PCT, 5.58 RNG, +4.4 ZR, 1.013 EFF Achievements:
-------- Biggest Draft Disappointment Despite the bevy of talent, there was not a shortage of candidates from the first round that proved to be a bust. The three candidates that were taken in picks 11 through 13 all proved to be a disappointment. It was a tough choice, but ultimately, I went with Owen Claridge:  OF Owen Claridge – 13th overall pick by the Wolseley Unions Major League Career: .239/.287/.358, 816 G, 2869 AB, 693 H, 124-2B, 51-3B, 39 HR, 339 RBI, 324 R, 202 BB, 168 K, 19 SB, 21 CS, .645 OPS, 81 OPS+, 74 wRC+, 6.2 WAR Fielding – CF: 629 G, 620 GS, .980 PCT, 4.01 RNG, +27.9 ZR, 1.027 EFF Fielding – RF: 154 G, 147 GS, .978 PCT, 2.84 RNG, +9.4 ZR, 1.035 EFF Achievements:
“Claridge projects be a .330 hit who will be great at avoiding strikes (65/80), but with an average eye and little power (25/35). He will be one of the fastest players in the leagues (80) and thus very good at stealing and baserunning (55-65). Claridge will be very versatile in the field and solid defensively. He can play 3B (45) and SS (55), as well as anywhere in the outfield (80-75-65).” Comments: Claridge was selected by his hometown team and spent just 36 games in the minors. After playing three games in Triple-A to start the 1949-50 season, he was up with the big club for good. He took over centerfield that season and played outstanding defense. The following season though, he suffered a setback, losing his starting position and playing time for reasons not entirely clear to me. It was not due to any injury, as he suffered only a mild oblique strain that year that affected him for just a week. But he came back as a starter the following season, leading the team in triples (17) and enjoying his best season yet (.275/.318/.443, 10 HR, 78 RBI, 66 R, 36 BB, 18 K, 116 OPS+, 109 wRC+, 2.5 WAR). Alas, it proved to be the high water mark of his career. He severely regressed in 1951-52. Although his defense in centerfield was still top notch, he appeared lost at the plate. It was all downhill after that. He began playing in rightfield more often and was demoted to Triple-A to try and work things out. But his defense was never an issue, and he seemed to regain his form as a hitter while in the minors. But each time he returned to the majors, he suddenly lost his form. Wolseley finally released him in October 1957. Although the Hespeler Stars gave him a shot, he never returned to the majors and was released again in January 1958. In April of that year, he officially retired.
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United Leagues of Braeland |
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10-29-2025, 02:22 PM
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#862 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,977
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January 13, 1959
Western League Shuts Down the East in ‘Tite’ All-Star Game  -------- Downie, Perth (BP) – The Western League All-Stars blanked their Eastern League counterparts, 2-0 in the 1958-59 Mid-season Classic. It was just their third All-Star Game victory over the past 10 seasons and represents their 9th overall. It’s also only the second time a team has been kept off the scoreboard. Six seasons ago in 1952-53, the West blanked the East in Cobourg also by a score of 2-0 and did it as the visiting team as well. The East still leads the annual matchup, 13-9. The Western All-Stars wasted little time getting on the board in what proved to be a low-scoring affair. After both Kingston’s CF Dan Hesketh and Sherburn’s 3B Adrian Flynn flied out to begin the game, Cambria’s RF Sam Tite jumped on a 1-1 slider from Cobourg’s LHP Bill Budd that landed 334 ft. into the right field bleachers to open the scoring. The West would pick up an insurance run in the top of the 6th. After Sherburn’s CF Leon Albrecht drew a one-out walk and stole second without a throw with two out, Sherburn’s C Robert Kersey lined a double into right field off Wellington’s RHP Christian Wiley to score Albrecht. That was more than enough to seal the victory. Three times the East managed to get two runners on base, but each time the West snuffed out the threat. In the end, the Eastern All-Stars stranded 23 baserunners. For his at-bat that made the difference, Sam Tite wins his second All-Star game MVP award after first winning it back in 1956-57, two years ago. He is now the third player to win two All-Star Game MVP awards, after Cobourg’s CF Raymond Williams (1950-51, 1957-58) and 1B Stuart Bentham (1942-43, 1947-48). Tite is the first player to win both of his All-Star MVP awards as a member of the visiting team. Two years ago, he was declared the MVP as a member of the losing squad, the fourth time that has happened. He scored the only run for the West in a 3-1 loss. Interestingly, it too was a solo home run with Tite’s batting line exactly the same as this year: 1-1, HR, RBI, R, BB. -------- Here is the game summary as well as the complete All-Star rosters:    
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United Leagues of Braeland |
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03-23-2026, 12:15 AM
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#863 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,977
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January 14, 1959
Mid-Month Snapshot Here is a snapshot of the Leagues at the All-Star break as well as a couple of highlights that caught my attention over the past two weeks: January 10 – The Wellington Athletics arrived in Embro for a 4-game series against the Suns and came up short in Games 1 and 2, by the scores of 3-2 and 5-3 respectively. But they got back into the win column the next day, thanks to a masterful pitching performance from 31-year old RHP Mhelter Pilapil (10-8, 3.81 ERA). The 10-year veteran pitched a 1-hitter to lead the Athletics to a 5-0 victory. Pilapil’s line on the afternoon was 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 106 PI, GS: 87. The lone hit came in the bottom of 7th with one out, when Embro’s RF Bill Spaeth laid down an infield single, using his speed to beat out the throw to first. The big inning for Wellington was the top of the 7th, when the Athletics plated four runs thanks to 6 singles and a walk, all off RHP Bob Nord. January 11 – The next day, just before the All-Star break, another 1-hitter was thrown. This one by the Sherburn Tigers’ RHP Kieran Bunce (8-5, 3.70 ERA), who beat the Hespeler Stars, 9-0. The game started ominously for the 33-year old Bunce however, as his very first pitch hit Hespeler’s LF Gaberiela Keikikalani. But Bunce quickly settled down after that, not allowing a batter to reach base until the top of the 7th, when 2B Alistair Benney drove a two-out double down the left field line. Bunce’s final line was 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 84 PI, GS: 89. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 5th, when Sherburn scored 5 runs, thanks to a two-run double by 2B Vic Lewis and two-run home run from CF Leon Albrecht off RHP Battista Carotta. LF Carlos Cuevas added another 2-run home run in the bottom of the 6th after a short rain delay off Hespeler’s RHP Bonie Bandong. -----------    -----------    ----------- Here is the updated Top Farm Systems Ranking: 
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United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 03-23-2026 at 09:25 AM. |
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03-26-2026, 05:18 PM
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#864 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,977
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February 1, 1959
Eastern League: Athletics Hanging on to First    --------   The Wellington Athletics reclaimed first place in early December but quickly lost their footing, thanks to the strong play of both the Downie Chiefs and Braeland City Monarchs. By the 26th, they had fallen as much as 4-1/2 games behind. But a 9-game winning streak that began the next day catapulted them back into top spot early in the new year. They held a 5-game lead on January 18th, but the Monarchs continue to chip away, leaving the Athletics with little breathing room with two months to go. Wellington ranks highly in a number of batting, pitching and defensive rankings as a team in the East but they played barely .500 ball in December/January. And it’s what you do in the standings that ultimately count. Their inability to separate themselves from the rest of the League now may cost them dearly by season’s end. Notable Performers 23-year old RF Wan-hua Gu (.340/.377/.551, 18 HR, 74 RBI, 25 BB, 11 SB, 155 OPS+, 5.4 WAR) 31-year old LF Matthew Floyd (.300/.370/.511, 16 HR, 52 RBI, 42 BB, 10 SB, 143 ERA+, 3.5 WAR) 26-year old CF Greg Yates (.308/383/507, 9 HR, 35 RBI, 26 BB, 146 OPS+, 3.1 WAR) 32-year old 1B Carlos Camasura (.322/.405/.429, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 46 BB, 133 OPS+, 2.2 WAR) Rotation 27-year old RHP Mike Murray (8-7, 2.85 ERA, 161.1 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 3.58 FIP, 123 ERA+) Bullpen 25-year old stopper RHP Christian Wiley (6-5, 19 SV, 2.44 ERA, 77.1 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 3.22 FIP, 143 ERA+) 39-year old RHP Rizal Doctolero (1-2, 5 SV, 2.60 ERA, 45.0 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 3.58 FIP, 134 ERA+) All-Star Selections: SP Mike Murray (1st) ST Christian Wiley (2nd) C Declan Bugbie (3rd) 1B Carlos Camasura (7th) LF Matthew Floyd (8th) RF Wan-hua Gu (1st) Player of the Week Awards: January 5 – RF Wan-hua Gu (.583, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R) January 12 – RF Wan-hua Gu (.500, 11 H, 3 HR, 11 RBI) Noteworthy: December 17 – The Athletics and Queensland Eagles engaged in a wild shoot-out with Wellington pulling out a come from behind 13-10 road win. The teams combined for 35 hits with the Athletics collecting 23 of them, while both teams committed 2 errors each. The Eagles led 9-3 heading into the 5th inning, thanks to a Grand Slam home run by 2B Dennis Purcell off RHP Kaszunori Fujimoto in a 5-run 4th inning. But the Athletics would claw their way back, scoring a total of 9 runs in the 5th, 6th and 7th innings, including 5 in the 6th alone. Leading the way was clean-up hitter RF Wan-hua Gu, who went 5 for 6 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs, to go along with 4 R and 5 RBI. Gu singled in the 1st, hit a 2-run homer off RHP Kevin Jones in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, hit a 2-run home run off RHP Nicky Sherlock in the 6th, hit an RBI double in the 7th before striking out in the 9th. Gu’s game score on the day was 109, the top performance in the ULB thus far this season. --------   The Braeland City Monarchs were the United Leagues’ version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde over the course of December/January. Losing 7-straight games to start December, they then rattled off 6-straight victories before stumbling again, going 3-10 the rest of the way. That pushed them to just one game above .500 and 4 games back of 1st place. But they rebounded in the new year and finished January riding a 7-game winning streak to put them just two games back of first and three up on the third place Brunswick Legends. After a rough December (1-4, 5.88 ERA, 41.1 IP, 1.73 WHIP), RHP Jonathan Brookins got back on track in January to win his second Pitcher of the Month honour. He currently leads the East in Wins (13), WIN% (.684) and QS (18). Notable Performers 33-year old 2B Patrick Lidgate (.260/.365/.506, 16 HR, 51 RBI, 54 BB, 9 SB, 135 OPS+, 3.3 WAR) 35-year old 1B Dean Witherden (.307/.365/.489, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 30 BB, 131 OPS+, 2.5 WAR) 29-year old LF Hayden Goodale (.264/.344/.440, 17 HR, 69 RBI, 45 BB, 112 OPS+, 2.2 WAR) Rotation 25-year old RHP Jonathan Brookins (13-6, 3.34 ERA, 172.1 IP, 1.25 WHIP, 3.14 FIP, 118 ERA+) 22-year old LHP Charlie Honeysett (7-11, 3.51 ERA, 143.2 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 3.77 FIP, 112 ERA+) 27-year old RHP Dara Eaddy (12-7, 3.64 ERA, 143.1 IP, 1.39 WHIP, 4.17 FIP, 108 ERA+) Bullpen 23-year old RHP Ramón González (6-4, 21 SV, 1.97 ERA, 73.0 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 2.97 FIP, 199 ERA+) All-Star Selections: ST Ramón González (1st) 1B Dean Witherden (9th) 2B Patrick Lidgate (10th) Player of the Week Awards: December 22 – LF Hayden Goodale (.440, 11 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI) Noteworthy: January 25 – The Monarchs romped into Embro and swept all three games against the hapless Suns. In the final game, they blanked the Suns 2-0, thanks to a 2-hit shutout by RHP Jonathan Brookins. The 25-year old ace kept the Suns hitless until the bottom of the 9th, when he surrendered a lead-off single to PH William Beresford and a double by LF Jesús Abreu. But Brookins got the next three batters to go down in order to end the game and preserve the shutout. The Suns only other two baserunners reached base via an HBP and an error. Brookins line on the afternoon was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 104 PI, GS: 89. The Monarchs two runs came in the 4th and 5th innings, thanks to two lead-off triples by CF Bernard Burkitt and LF Stewart Wych respectively. Burkitt scored on a 1B Dean Witherden single while Wych was plated by a sac fly from 3B Jonathan Crang. Key Trade: January 27 with the Fort Richmond Generals: To Braeland City – 30-year old 3B Mason Geake (55/55) To Fort Richmond – 24-year old minor league RF Paul Provost (46/58) and 23-year old minor league RHP Dane Sharp (42/43) Knee-jerk reaction: With the club in a serious playoff race for the first time in five years, the Monarchs make a move to shore up a glaring weakness. Braeland City’s current crop of available third basemen all rank at the bottom of the ULB rankings and play like it. Thus, any player acquisition would count as an improvement. Mason Geake (.267/.310/.352, 2 HR, 42 RBI, 21 BB, 84 OPS+, 1.6 WAR) has seen better days offensively, but he still has a quick bat and can make consistent contact. A Ball Hawk Award winner for four of the past five seasons, he should be able to hold his own at the hot corner. He is rated 6th overall among third basemen in the United Leagues. The Generals on the other hand, are on course to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season. In return for the 7-year veteran Geake, Fort Richmond receives a mid-level prospect (#39 overall) in Provost. The 24-year old Canadian is projected to have very good contact (60/65) with some gap power (55/55) and speed to burn. However, he may have trouble drawing walks (35/40). But he has been lighting it up in Triple-A this season (.337/.372/.522, 11 HR, 48 RBI, 19 BB, 143 ERA+, 3.1 WAR) and has been promoted to the major league roster. He is now the highest ranked right fielder in the organization and should soon take over for the struggling 34-year old Nobuyoshi Yoshida (.209/.249/.289, 2 HR, 32 RBI, 11 BB, 49 ERA+, -1.3 WAR). Sharp, a 5th-round pick from 1955-56 has also been promoted to the major league roster to try and help a struggling bullpen. He has tremendous stuff (65/70) but is mediocre in everything else. He becomes the Generals’ long reliever.   --------   Like the Monarchs, the Brunswick Legends have been up and down this season. After finding themselves six games below .500 after the first two months, they came alive in December, winning 19 games and getting to within 2.5 games of first. But they nearly imploded in January, going just 4-12 before finishing the month with nine straight wins, the longest current winning streak in the ULB. When 2B Harley Truman, who was enjoying a break-out year, fell to an extended injury in mid-December, Brunswick desperately needed someone to step up and fill the void. 1B Jay Mitchell has been that somebody. He has so far won two Player of the Week Awards this season, the first two of his 6-year career, and leads the club in 16 offensive categories and is on pace for hitting 30 home runs, one more than he hit in the 1956-57 season, his best season thus far. Notable Performers 31-year old 2B Harley Truman (.326/.378/.633, 14 HR, 51 RBI, 18 BB, 4 SB, 171 OPS+, 3.9 WAR) 28-year old 1B Jay Mitchell (.294/.352/.534, 20 RBI, 68 RBI, 32 BB, 7 SB, 138 OPS+, 2.5 WAR) 24-year old CF Yae-hyang Lee (.309/.359/.436, 4 HR, 37 RBI, 20 BB, 116 OPS+, 2.7 WAR) 24-year old RF Eitoku Akiyama (.290/.345/.462, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 21 BB, 121 OPS+, 2.8 WAR) Rotation 26-year old RHP Dave Ball (7-10, 3.23 ERA, 167.1 IP, 1.25 WHIP, 3.50 FIP, 121 ERA+) Bullpen 33-year old RHP Byron Ollson (5-5, 7 SV, 3.04 ERA, 53.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 3.18 FIP, 128 ERA+) 27-year old RHP Pedro Peña (7-6, 3.54 ERA, 94.0 IP, 1.44 WHIP, 3.73 FIP, 111 ERA+) All-Star Selections: 1B Jay Mitchell (3rd) 2B Harley Truman (1st) CF Tae-hyang Lee (1st) Player of the Week Awards: December 8 – 1B Jay Mitchell (.429, 9 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R) January 26 – 1B Jay Mitchell (.414, 12 H, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R) Key Trade: January 31 with the Queensland Eagles: To Brunswick – 26-year old minor league LHP Adrian Buffey (52/52) and 24-year old minor league RF Eitoku Akiyama (48/48) To Queensland – 26-year old LF Terry Anderson (50/55) and 24-year old minor league RHP Marco Butcher (47/47) Knee-jerk reaction: Queensland and Brunswick, two teams in the midst of a wild card chase, pull the trigger at the trade deadline on a 4-player deal to try and address their immediate needs. Queensland especially, looks to add depth to their struggling rotation as well as the outfield. The Californian-born Anderson (.234/.323/.390, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 93 OPS+, 0.4 WAR) is added as a fourth outfielder – for now. But he may soon take over leftfield full-time as 30-year old John Oldknow (.256/.316/.312, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 19 BB, 75 OPS+, 0.2 WAR), a former 2nd-overall pick from 1946-47, has never delivered on his early promise and is now constantly dealing with nagging injuries. Anderson has the chance to be a league average outfielder with OK contact (45/50) to go along with solid power (60/60) and eye (55/60). He is a good defensive corner outfielder (55) with speed (60). But the acquisition of RHP Butcher is an interesting one. The former 8th-round pick has spent the previous 6-1/2 seasons toiling in the minors. But with the Eagles, he immediately becomes their No. 3 starter and is scheduled to make his major league debut on February 1 against the Wolseley Unions. Such is the pitiable state of Queensland’s rotation, especially after their Nos. 1 and 2 starters. Butcher is a power pitcher whose fastball is projected to top out around 98 mph. He is an extreme groundball pitcher with three (out of four) impressive pitches: fastball (50/60), curveball (55/55) and changeup (60/70). However, he may struggle with walks/control (40/40). But giving up on the LHP Buffey is a curious move on Queensland’s part, at least on the surface. After going 11-3, 1.84 ERA, 1.00 ERA, 207 ERA+ in Triple-A to start the season, it was clear Buffy had nothing left to prove. But after just one major league start back in October (7.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 3.86 ERA in a no-decision), the Eagles have shipped him off to Brunswick. He is slotted in as their No. 5 starter. His stuff, movement and control all rate a little better than Butcher the pitcher he is replacing, but his pitches are not as impressive at the moment. His fastball is only so-so (40/40) and his splitter is still a work in progress (30/65). But he does boast of the best circle changeups in the Leagues (80/80). The other promising rookie that the Legends received is 24-year Eitoku Akiyama. The Japanese-born outfielder has the chance to be an award-winner defender anywhere in the outfield, but he will need to continue developing his raw potential at the plate. But he performed admirably when OF Hal Dhu went down to injury and was named Rookie of the Month in January. He takes over rightfield from a slumping 29-year old OF Joshua Witherden (.203/.286/.350, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 35 BB, 5 SB, 73 OPS+, 0.4 WAR) and will bat out of the No. 4 spot going forward.     --------   After four consecutive winning seasons, including a 96-win season last year where they ended just 1 win short of winning the United Cup, the Queensland Eagles have seen it all crumble this year. The Eagles sport the worst run differential in the East (-34), and their suddenly porous defense and pitching are largely to blame. Still, the playoffs are not out of reach as they sit at .500 with 52 games to go. If they can find some stability on the mound behind their two aces (Belsey and Micklethwait) and correct some sloppy fielding, they have a chance to salvage the season. Notable Performers 32-year old 1B Rod Dennis (.310/.394/.562, 23 HR, 71 HR, 52 BB, 162 OPS+, 3.6 WAR) 26-year old 2B Dennis Purcell (.295/.390/.537, 19 HR, 80 RBI, 54 BB, 154 OPS+, 4.3 WAR) 29-year old 3B Apia Yarrah (.313/.365/.432, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 25 BB, 14 SB, 120 OPS+, 2.3 WAR) 28-year old CF Matsuo Oyama (.262/.340/.476, 14 HR, 38 RBI, 30 BB, 123 OPS+, 1.9 WAR) 25-year old RF Hal Dhu (.270/.321/.446, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 16 BB, 110 ERA+, 1.2 WAR) Rotation 31-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait (11-9, 3.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 3.29 FIP, 110 ERA+) 33-year old RHP Logan Belsey (12-8, 3.58 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 3.32 FIP, 103 ERA+) Bullpen 35-year old RHP Jeremy Albury (7-3, 3.36 ERA, 69.2 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 3.36 FIP, 110 ERA+ 26-year old stopper RHP Derek Tarn (1-2, 9 SV, 3.60 ERA, 55.0 IP, 1.45 WHIP, 5.18 FIP, 102 ERA+) All-Star Selections: SP Logan Belsey (8th) SP Stiofan Micklethwait (5th) RP Jeremy Albury (4th) 1B Rod Dennis (8th) 2B Dennis Purcell (3rd) RF Eitoku Akiyama (1st) Player of the Week Awards: January 19 – CF Matsuo Oyama (.562, 9 H, 2 HR, 2 RBI) Noteworthy: December 16 – Although RHP Logan Belsey did not have his best outing against the Wellington Athletics (8.0 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 3 HR, 139 PI, GS: 42), taking the loss 7-3 home defeat, his 6 strikeouts were significant. If fact, his strikeout of lead-off hitter CF Jack Jefferson in the top of the 2nd inning – his third of the game – represented the 2000th strikeout of his career. Belsey becomes the first pitcher in United Leagues’ history to reach that lofty mark.   January 19 – In the first game of a 4-game set against the Downie Chiefs, RHP Stiofan Micklethwait led the Eagles to a 1-0 victory on the strength of his 2-hit shut-out. Both hits came off the bat of LF Jon Berose, who hit a one-out double in the 4th and a one-out single in the 9th. The other three baserunners for Downie all reached base on separate errors. The Eagles’ lone run also scored on an error in the second inning. Micklethwait’s line on the day was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 103 PI, GS: 89. --------   The Cobourg Redlegs’ inconsistency continues, as they are unable to gain any traction in the standings as the season enters its final two months. Typical is their performance in December. They started the month 2-11; then immediately went on a 9-2 tear. January was more of the same. After a hot stretch around the All-Star break where they went 10-3, they then lost 7 of the next 10 games to finish the month. One season removed from when they won 96 games and the wild card, it looks as though their core is beginning to show its age, despite the outstanding performance of OF Raymond Williams, who won back-to-back Player of the Month Awards. Notable Performers 27-year old SS Douglas Jones (.273/.358/.471, 17 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB, 5 SB, 124 OPS+, 3.7 WAR) 32-year old LF Raymond Williams (.285/.362/.564, 26 HR, 75 RBI, 41 BB, 10 SB, 149 OPS+, 4.1 WAR) Rotation 30-year old LHP Bill Budd (11-8, 2.82 ERA, 175.2 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 3.09 FIP, 135 ERA+) 24-year old LHP Lachlan Lloyd (8-4, 2.68 ERA, 151.1 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 3.82 FIP, 142 ERA+) Bullpen 34-year old RHP Domingas Frias (3-2, 5 SV, 2.92 ERA, 52.1 IP, 1.59 WHIP, 4.08 FIP, 130 ERA+ All-Star Selections: SP Bill Budd (6th) SP Lachlan Lloyd (1st) C Yoshiake Ikeda (1st) SS Douglas Jones (3rd) LF Raymond Williams (12th) Player of the Week Awards: December 29 – LF Raymond Williams (.524, 11 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R) Key Trade: January 18 with the Downie Chiefs: To Cobourg – 26-year old 3B Noah Palmer (45/45) To Downie – 26-year old minor league RHP Shunen Minamimure (49/51) and 24-year old minor league 2B Michael Heyrick (37/40) Knee-jerk reaction: The Redlegs, struggling to stay relevant in the playoff chase, are facing the reality of an aging core that may force them to take drastic measures in the near future. In the meantime, they are taking a patchwork approach to try and prop things up, but with little success so far. 37-year old Alexander Tolmie (.321/.361/.507, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 9 BB, 1.2 WAR), who was entrenched as Cobourg’s third baseman for over 12 seasons, is now reduced to starting at first base when facing lefties. 31-year old Mark Johnson (.213/.292/271, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 23 BB, -0.2 WAR), who was acquired from the Kingston Pelicans last January, as well as 26-year old Harold Prudom (.125/.222/.208, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, -0.4 WAR) are both solid defensively, but have been abysmal at the plate. Thus, the trade now to acquire another third baseman. Rookie Noah Palmer (.265/.295/.424, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 6 BB, 0.7 WAR) was a depth player with Downie and on the surface does not seem to be much of an upgrade. While he has a good eye (55/55) and is an excellent defender (65), he struggles with making good contact (45/50). In my mind, it would seem the Redlegs’ best bet was to stay inhouse and restore Tolmie back to third as he is still effective at the plate. In exchange for Palmer, the Chiefs receive the still-developing Minamimure (0-2, 4.20 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 3.38 FIP, 89 ERA+). The 2nd-round pick from 1955-56 has decent stuff (55/60) and control (50/50) but iffy movement (45/45) to go along with three out of four very good pitches (curveball-55/55, changeup-80/80 and knuckle-curve-60/60). With Cobourg’s deep rotation, Minamimure was stuck in Triple-A this year, despite going 4-0, 2.87, 31.1 IP last season. Downie’s rotation has been very good this year as well, but they still found room in the rotation for the Japanese native. He will pitch out of the No. 4 spot. Downie also receives the British-born Heyrick, a 4th-rounder from 1956-57. He is outstanding defensively with speed to spare but with limited batting skills, it would appear his ceiling will be little more than a bench player.   --------   Despite cooling off in November and December, the Downie Chiefs still clung to top spot in the East, tied with the Wellington Athletics. But that all came crashing down with a disastrous January, where they won all of 7 games. In fact, since December 27, they have gone 7-23 and have tumbled 7 games out of a playoff spot. Still, they are not a lost cause. After winning an average of just 58 games over the previous two seasons, they still have a shot of finishing with a least a winning season for this first time in 7 years. In 1951-52, they won 79 games and the wild card. But they will have to right the ship and find some consistency if they want to repeat that performance. They can start by being more successful at home. So far, they are only 19-29, .396 at home (31-24, .564 on the road), the worst in the ULB. February will be a perfect time to turn that home record around: because of accidently using an old, unmodified schedule, they will play 23-straight home games (all against Western League teams) before finally heading back on the road. Notable Performers 24-year old rookie LF Jon Berose (.292/.369/.463, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 45 BB, 128 OPS+, 3.9 WAR) 29-year old 2B José Olivarez (.280/.322/.428, 11 HR, 29 RBI, 20 BB, 105 OPS+, 2.6 WAR) 30-year old 1B Louie Revill (.271/.319/.485, 22 HR, 67 RBI, 24 BB, 118 OPS+, 2.1 WAR) 27-year old RF Ewan Komaki (.258/.337/.445, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 42 BB, 114 OPS+, 2.0 WAR) 30-year old CF Greg Cusack (.301/.359/.393, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 34 BB, 8 SB, 109 OPS+, 2.7 WAR) Rotation 31-year old RHP Eddie Stannard (8-5, 3.14 ERA, 109.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 3.60 FIP, 119 ERA+) 27-year old RHP Stefan Rankin (12-6, 3.25 ERA, 166.1 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 3.34 FIP, 115 ERA+) All-Star Selections: 1B Louie Revill (3rd) 2B José Olivarez (1st) LF Jon Berose (1st) Key Trade: January 31 with the Fort Richmond Generals: To Downie – 30-year old CF Greg Cusack (59/59) To Fort Richmond – 24-year old minor league C Bill Cross (34/39) and 23-year old minor league RHP Ernesto Hale (34/34) Knee-jerk reaction: The Chiefs have been in dire need of a solid center fielder ever since they traded away their franchise player, Alfonso León, back in January of 1956. Ben Darvill and then Arnold Murray attempted to fill his shoes but did not come remotely close (Darvill returned to the minors and Murray retired this past off-season). Finally, Downie has made a move to shore up the position by acquiring three-time all-star, Greg Cusack (.301/.359/.393, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 34 BB, 8 SB, 109 ERA+, 2.7 WAR). Cusack is not the hitter León was, but he has decent contact (55/55) to go along with tremendous speed (70) and stealing ability (65) and excellent defensive skills anywhere in the outfield. He is rated 7th-overall among centerfielders in the United Leagues and takes over the lead-off spot in the Chiefs’ lineup. And Downie gives up relatively little in return. Neither Cross nor Hale are impressive and are destined to ride the bench or perform mop-up duty at best respectively.  --------   The Stratford Barons are in danger of doing something they have only done 4 times before in their 22-year history: finishing with a losing record. Their worst showing before this season was in 1951-52, when they finished in 7th place with 71 wins and 83 losses. This season they are on pace for only 69 victories. While the pitching staff has remained competitive, the offense has been lackluster. While 11-time All-Star 33-year old CF Alfonso León (.248/.313/.376, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 33 BB, 90 OPS+, 0.6 WAR), has picked up his game over the past two months (.295/.361/.439), 39-year old C Aaron Skidmore (.194/.311/.269, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 37 BB, 62 OPS+, 0.1 WAR) continues his struggles this season. And there is little relief coming soon: the Barons’ farm system is currently ranked 14th out of the 16 clubs. Notable Performers 30-year old 2B Matthew Channing (.270/.329/.464, 16 HR, 57 RBI, 32 BB, 8 SB, 116 OPS+, 3.9 WAR) Rotation 34-year old RHP Stephan Tindall (8-8, 2.92 ERA, 157.0 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 3.55 FIP, 126 ERA+) Bullpen 29-year old RHP Glen Limon (4-2, 2 SV, 2.44 ERA, 44.1 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 3.10 FIP, 151 ERA+) All-Star Selections: SP Stephen Tindall (2nd) SP Robin Wadsworth (5th) 2B Matthew Channing (6th) 3B Walter Beauvais (1st) SS Callum Spalton (4th) Player of the Week Awards: December 15 – 2B Matthew Channing (.464, 13 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R) --------   The Embro Suns saw modest improvement in their overall performance but still remain stuck in last place, a place where they have never finished a season before. Offense is the not the problem – they lead the East or are a close second in multiple categories. It’s the pitching and defense that has dragged them down. Their top two pitchers, RHP Bradley Strawson (2-1, 2.17 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) and RHP Bob Nord (3-2, 2.82 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) really picked up their game in January, but the Suns will need more out of the pitching staff if they want to avoid finishing in the cellar for the first time in team history. Notable Performers 30-year old 3B Moromao Nakagawa (.309/.367/.518, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 21 BB, 142 OPS+, 2.2 WAR) 29-year old LF Jesús Abreu (.291/.383/.454, 4 HR, 39 RBI, 47 BB, 5 SB, 130 OPS+, 2.5 WAR) 28-year old RF Bill Spaeth (.295/.353/.520, 13 HR, 48 RBI, 21 BB, 138 OPS+, 1.2 WAR) 31-year old 2B Napana Mamo (.284/.353/.430, 10 HR, 50 HR, 36 BB, 115 OPS+, 2.0 WAR) 25-year old 1B Damien Whetter (.299/.394/.472, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 42 BB, 138 OPS+, 2.4 WAR) Rotation 31-year old RHP Bradley Strawson (8-8, 3.59 ERA, 173.0 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 2.76 FIP, 103 ERA+) 28-year old RHP Bob Nord (7-7, 3.30 ERA, 160.2 IP, 1.34 WHIP, 4.18 FIP, 112 ERA+) Bullpen 28-year old RHP Rob Gladstone (7-5, 6 SV, 3.27 ERA, 77.0 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 4.10 FIP, 113 ERA+) All-Star Selections: C Gareth Mawle (4th) 1B Damien Whetter (2nd) RF Bill Spaeth (2nd) Noteworthy: December 26 – In the first game of a 3-game matchup against the Stratfor Barons, the Suns’ offense lit up the Barons’ pitching to the tune of a 10-1 victory. Leading the demolition was 28-year old RF Bill Spaeth, who hit 3 home runs. The clean-up batter hit a 2-run home run in the 1st, a 3-run homer in the 3rd and a 2-run home run in the 5th, all against LHP Robin Wadsworth. In all, Spaeth went 3 for 4 with 3 R and 7 RBI and becomes the 23rd player in ULB history and just the 2nd Embro Sun to accomplish the feat. IF Kian Meadmore last accomplished it for Embro back in February 1942. January 31 – The Embro Suns began their 24-game matchup against Western League teams on a high note, when they trounced the visiting Sherburn Tigers, 17-1 on 19 hits. Seven players had multi-hit games, including 2B Napana Mamo (.284/.353/.430, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 36 BB, 2.0 WAR) who went 4 for 6 with 1 HR, 1-2B, 4 RBI, 4 R as well as OF Ron Bell (.241/.306/.434, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 16 BB, 0.9 WAR) who went 3 for 6 with 2-2B, 5 RBI, 2 R. In all, the Suns belted out 8 doubles and 2 home runs on the afternoon scoring 4 runs in the 1st, 3 runs in the 2nd, 4 runs in the 3rd, 5 runs in the 6th and a run in the 8th. --------  
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United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 04-04-2026 at 12:12 AM. |
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03-28-2026, 10:11 PM
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#865 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,977
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February 1, 1959
Western League: Catch Me If You Can    --------   The Pulberry Trolleys kicked it into high gear in December, shaking off what was a slow start for them. Over the past two months, the Trolleys went 35-17 to take a strangle hold on top spot in the West and the best record overall (the Brunswick Legends had the second-best record over that stretch, going 32-21). The Trolleys are on pace for their 5th consecutive season with 90+ wins. The only team that comes closest is the Wolseley Unions, who won 90 or more games in a season 3 years in a row, from 1949-50 to 1951-52. The only area of weakness right now appears to the bullpen, whose ERA is ranked near the bottom in the West. Pulberry is attempting to shore up that area with a couple of transactions, including a minor deal where they acquired 29-year old RHP Damon Pinney (8-10, 3.56 ERA, 149.1 IP, 1.36 WHIP, 106 ERA+, 44/44) from the Fort Richmond Generals in exchange for a minor leaguer on January 30th. Pinney was Fort Richmond’s No. 3 starter, but he looks to pitch out of long relief with Pulberry. He has a good change and decent cutter but has struggled with his command at times. Notable Performers 28-year old C Paul England (.290/.363/.479, 12 HR, 61 RBI, 30 BB, 133 OPS+, 3.2 WAR) 30-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.281/.385/.497, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 55 BB, 8 SB, 144 ERA+, 4.2 WAR) 34-year old 1B Ellis Dibble (.296/.366/.433, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 43 BB, 122 OPS+, 2.8WAR) 31-year old CF Cooper Tyson (.298/.358/.456, 8 HR, 53 RBI, 36 BB, 9 SB, 125 OPS+, 5.3 WAR) 23-year old RF Joe Riding (.274/.346/.424, 10 HR, 46 RBI, 37 BB, 9 SB, 113 OPS+, 2.5 WAR) Rotation 23-year old LHP Bart Ohara (12-5, 3.08 ERA, 175.1 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 2.84 FIP, 114 ERA+) 31-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (15-4, 2.15 ERA, 163.1 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 2.98 FIP, 163 ERA+) 37-year old RHP Robin Medellin (12-6, 3.22 ERA, 156.1 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 3.27 FIP, 109 ERA+) 29-year old LHP Dermott Rathbone (4-10, 3.01 ERA, 143.1 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 3.14 FIP, 116 ERA+) Bullpen None. All-Star Selections: SP Alexander Ellacott (3rd) SP Taylor Folkard (4th) SP Robin Medellin (6th) SP Bart Ohara(4th) C Paul England (4th) LF Aidan Thirkettle (7th) CF Cooper Tyson (8th) Player of the Week Awards: December 29 –2B Yoshimi Sekozawa (.412, 7 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI) Noteworthy: January 19 – The Trolleys defeated the Stars in Hespeler, 9-5 for their 57th win of the season, but it will go down as a milestone for 37-year old RHP Robin Medellin, as he picked up his 200th career win in the process. Pulberry’s No. 3 starter went 7.0 IP, allowing 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 97 PI (GS: 45) on the day. The player of the game was Pulberrys’ lead-off hitter, 34-year old 1B Ellis Dibble, who went 4 for 5, with 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB and a solo home run in the 3rd inning off RHP Curt McKnight. The Downie-native Medellin becomes the 10th pitcher in ULB history to reach 200 victories in a career.   Key Trade: January 29 with the Fort Richmond Generals: To Pulberry – 35-year old RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin (47/47) To Fort Richmond – 24-year old minor league 2B Lester Margerison (44/50) Knee-jerk reaction: Firmly in ‘win-now’ mode, the Trolleys trade for a 11-year veteran with the apparent goal of shoring up the back end of the rotation. Drafted by the Hespeler Stars in the 3rd round in 1942-43, the South Korean-born Sin was traded to the Braeland City Monarchs and then to the Brunswick Legends before he finally reached the majors in 1947-48. After 6 unremarkable seasons in Brunswick, Sin was claimed off waivers by the Wellington Athletics in December 1953. It was in Wellington that Sin found his greatest success, going 18-5, 2.78 ERA, 213.1 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 3.53 FIP, 129 ERA+ in 1955-56 and finishing 4th in the EL Satchel Paige Award voting. He followed that up with a 20-12, 3.23 ERA, 239.1 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 3.18 FIP, 107 ERA+ campaign in 1956-57. He hasn’t reached that level of performance since, although he did win a Ball Hawk Award last season before being claimed on waivers by the Generals back in October. He is an average pitcher with an average changeup, a decent curveball and a fringy fastball, but who has missed just 2 days to injury in his career. He takes over from 37-year old RHP Alexander Ellacott (7-3, 3 SV, 2.41 ERA, 93.1 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 3.58 FIP, 145 ERA+) whose future role remains in limbo. In exchange, the Generals add to their already deep farm system by acquiring the speedy and defensively sound Margerison, who will get regular playing time in Triple-A for now. He is projected to have above-average contact skills (50/55) with quick hands and good pitch recognition (55/60). Evidently Pulberry deemed him expendable as they have 30-year old Yoshimi Sekozawa (.263/.324/.411, 10 HR, 49 RBI, 34 BB, 103 OPS+, 2.3 WAR) firmly entrenched at second base.   --------   The Cambria Cannons went only 27-26 over the past two months, but it was good enough to keep them tied for the wild card, thanks to middling performances elsewhere in the League. They are looking to make the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons. They have the offense to do it but are being undermined by a struggling starting rotation. To make matters worse, they have inexplicably demoted their top-performing starter, 23-year old rookie RHP Leo Lukies (10-8, 2.67 ERA, 165.1 IP, 1.21 WHIP, 3.03 FIP, 139 ERA+), to Triple-A. In January, the 23-year old Englishman went 3-1, 1.18 ERA, 38.0 IP in 5 starts before he was sent down in the final week of the month. There is no mention of an injury anywhere. If the Cannons are to make the playoffs, they will need their best-performing players on deck. I hope they know what they are doing. At least at the plate, 1B Carlos Corea certainly knows what he is doing. He got hot in mid-December and won Batter of the Month honours in January. He currently leads the entire United Leagues in AVG (.357), SLG (.575), OPS (.981), OPS+ (168) and wOBA (.431). Notable Performers 32-year old 1B Carlos Corea (.357/.405/.575, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 25 BB, 168 OPS+, 3.9 WAR) 29-year old RF Sam Tite (.262/.339/.510, 23 HR, 69 RBI, 43 BB, 131 OPS+, 3.5 WAR) 25-year old LF Kuauli Walenekino (.245/.330/.526, 23 HR, 49 RBI, 32 BB, 133 OPS+, 2.3 WAR) Rotation 31-year old RHP Fergus Hirst (8-8, 3.61 ERA, 147.0 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 4.01 FIP, 102 ERA+) 30-year old RHP Ray Lambright (7-2, 3 SV, 3.14 ERA, 91.2 IP, 1.44 WHIP, 3.40 FIP, 118 ERA+) 36-year old RHP Kelii Pelanekelina (3-1, 2.62 ERA, 65.1 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 2.92 FIP, 141 ERA+) Bullpen 29-year old LHP Ron Killingworth (5-0, 1 SV, 2.90 ERA, 40.1 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 4.62 FIP, 128 ERA+) All-Star Selections: C Mick Clark (1st) 1B Carlos Corea (7th) RF Sam Tite (4th) Player of the Week Awards: December 15 – 1B Carlos Corea (.476, 10 H, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 5 R) January 12 – 1B Carlos Corea (.458, 11 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI) January 19 – 1B Carlos Corea (.500, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R) --------   The Balmoral Giants parlayed a hot January to propel them into a tie with Cambria for the wildcard. On December 31st, they sat in 5th place, 6 games back of the Sherburn Tigers for the second spot. But after dropping the first 4 games in January, the Giants went 17-5 the rest of the way. This is all the more remarkable since they lost their top pitcher, LHP Carl McBroom (48/48) back in late November for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury. But they received a big boost from 22-year old sophomore RHP Ashley Tazwell (11-10, 3.65 ERA, 192.1 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 3.23 FIP, 98 ERA+), who won his first Pitcher of the Month honour in January by going 5-1, 2.44 ERA in 6 starts. The Giants will need all the help they can get to keep the momentum going as they do not have a lot of depth, and their offense has been performing below average overall. It has been 15 seasons since they last made the playoffs. Notable Performers 25-year old CF Quido De Jesús (.285/.365/.423, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 39 BB, 118 OPS+, 3.5 WAR) 29-year old 2B Morgan Tyreman (.268/.346/.432, 13 HR, 47 RBI, 37 BB, 114 OPS+, 3.5 WAR) 25-year old C Ellis Ford (.243/.335/.430, 13 HR, 57 RBI, 41 BB, 111 OPS+, 2.4 WAR) 38-year old 1B Ángel Costa (.279/.362/.411, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 17 BB, 114 OPS+, 0.6 WAR) Rotation 24-year old RHP Clive Kerwin (8-4, 3.11 ERA, 136.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 3.90 FIP, 115 ERA+) 32-year old LHP Carl McBroom (5-1, 2.40 ERA, 60.0 IP, 1.25 WHIP, 3.69 FIP, 141 ERA+) Bullpen 26-year old stopper LHP Christopher Baul (2-0, 3 SV, 2.89 ERA, 9.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 4.08 FIP, 124 ERA+) All-Star Selections: RP Gavin Duckering (1st) 2B Morgan Tyreman (1st) CF Quido De Jesús (2nd) Player of the Week Awards: December 8 – C Ellis Ford (.556, 10 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R) Noteworthy: January 21 – The Giants went into Sherburn for a 4-game set and took all four games from the struggling Tigers. In Game 3, lead-off hitter 29-year old LF Danny Jevons (.235/.331/.394, 10 HR, 30 RBI, 42 BB, 10 SB, 100 OPS+, 1.7 WAR) was a one-man wrecking crew, smashing 3 home runs on the afternoon. He hit solo home runs in the 1st, 3rd and 5th innings, all against RHP Kieran Bunce for 3 R and 3 RBI. He becomes the 24th player to hit 3 homers in a game in ULB history and the 4th player for Balmoral. --------   The Sherburn Tigers appeared to have righted the ship after a sluggish October, holding down the wildcard spot by 4 games over the Wolseley Unions and sat just 1.5 games back of the Trolleys at the end of December. They started the month of January 7-4. But things quickly derailed, as the club went 3-12 after the All-Star break, capped with an embarrassing 17-1 loss at the hands of the lowly Embro Suns to end the month. They remain just a game behind the Cannons and Giants for the wildcard, but the pursuit of a playoff spot has suddenly gotten crowded when it appeared that Sherburn was in the driver’s seat just 4 weeks ago. The culprit appears to be pitching. Apart from their ace, 35-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (67/67) who is having another fantastic season, the rotation is struggling. Notable Performers 27-year old CF Leon Albrecht (.305/.407/.485, 11 HR, 45 RBI, 64 BB, 141 OPS+, 3.9 WAR) 28-year old LF Ross Shewman (.265/.350/.476, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 40 BB, 122 OPS+, 2.4 WAR) 29-year old 3B Adrian Flynn (.273/.333/.467, 16 HR, 62 RBI, 34 BB, 114 OPS+, 2.8 WAR) 30-year old 1B Jay Durham (.255/.337/.438, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 42 BB, 109 OPS+, 1.4 WAR) 30-year old C Robert Kersey (.268/.361/.441, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 44 BB, 116 OPS+, 2.9 WAR) Rotation RHP Jesús Chapa (9-7, 2.46 ERA, 164.2 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 2.89 FIP, 156 ERA+) Bullpen 32-year old RHP Shusaku Sasaki (6-6, 6 SV, 2.63 ERA, 65.0 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 4.00 FIP, 146 ERA+) 30-year old stopper RHP Roy Hay (7-5, 18 SV, 3.57 ERA, 98.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 3.59 FIP, 107 ERA+) All-Star Selections: SP Jesús Chapa (10th) C Robert Kersey (8th) 3B Adrian Flynn (3rd) SS Dwayne Vick (6th) LF Ross Shewman (4th) CF Leon Albrecht (3rd) Noteworthy: January 24 – In the midst of a 7-game losing streak, the Tigers finally got into the win column with a 4-0 victory over the Fort Richmond Generals. Sherburn was led to victory by 34-year old RHP Paul Woodruff (6-4, 4.10 ERA, 105.1 IP, 1.39 WHIP, 4.39 FIP, 93 ERA+) on the strength of his 2-hitter. Woodruff went 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 108 PI, GS: 86. His no-hit bid was broken up in the bottom of the 4th inning when 26-year old 1B Takuji Kanno led off with a triple. The only other hit came in the bottom of the 9th when CF José Ibarra lofted a 2-out single into centerfield. --------   The Wolseley Unions were just a half-game back of first place at the end of November but then started to slip in December. Still, they were just 4 games back of the wildcard at the end of the calendar year. But they came crashing back to earth in January, going 5-10 after the All-Star break and dropping 6 games behind second place. That seems more realistic for this club; it’s been 6 seasons since they last had a winning record and have failed to win more than 68 games in a season since then. Reaching .500 would seem to be a more reasonable goal given their circumstances. They have some promising young talent on the major league roster and there is more on the way; their farm system is currently ranked 3rd overall. So, a ‘changing of the guard’ appears to be in order before they can seriously compete in the West once again. Notable Performers 24-year old RF Jonathan Higgins (.282/.351/.460, 13 HR, 40 RBI, 38 BB, 6 SB, 119 OPS+, 3.4 WAR) 24-year old LF Steven Burkill (.268/.356/.473, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 44 BB, 124 OPS+, 2.8 WAR) 37-year old 1B Carlton Hawking (.285/.376/.429, 13 HR, 51 RBI, 57 BB, 119 OPS+, 1.3 WAR) 37-year old SS George Kimpton (.276/.348/.431, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 40 BB, 111 OPS+, 1.7 WAR) Rotation 23-year old RHP Theo Morse (8-9, 3.10 ERA, 174.1 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 2.77 FIP, 124 ERA+) 25-year old RHP Yasuo Yamauchi (6-11, 3.15 ERA, 145.2 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 3.33 FIP, 122 ERA+) 33-year old RHP Roberto Garza (9-7, 3.82 ERA, 167.1 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 3.46 FIP, 101 ERA+) Bullpen None. All-Star Selections: SP Theo Morse (2nd) LF Steven Burkill (1st) CF Jonathan Higgins (1st) Player of the Week Awards: January 26 – SS George Kimpton (.393, 11 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R) --------   The Fort Richmond Generals are in a similar situation as the Wolseley Unions. They are treading water in the present while looking to a brighter future. Their future has the potential to be very bright. They boast the top farm system in the United Leagues. In addition to young standouts currently on the roster, such as 1B Takuji Kanno (61/61), RHP Kenete Yuri (60/66) and 22-year old LHP Ken Tester (46/79), they have a bevy of high-end talent in the minors. That includes such players as 20-year old C Yugoro Yasuda (31/80) and 23-year old OF Sami Michel (45/78) among others. However, the Generals are waiting to see if Michel can bounce back from ruptured Achillies tendon he suffered in late October. He is expected to return in 4 weeks if all goes well. Notable Performers 26-year old 1B Takuji Kanno (.322/.378/.491, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 24 BB, 140 OPS+, 2.6 WAR) 28-year old CF José Ibarra (.331/.397/.580, 9 HR, 40 RBI, 19 BB, 168 OPS+, 1.8 WAR) Rotation 25-year old RHP Kenete Yuri (9-5, 2.51 ERA, 176.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 2.72 FIP, 142 ERA+) 23-year old RHP Shotaro Tsuji (10-12, 11 SV, 3.42 ERA, 105.1 IP, 1.41 WHIP, 3.82 FIP, 104 ERA+) Bullpen 28-year old stopper LHP Ethan Hoyes (1-2, 6 SV, 2.92 ERA, 49.1 IP, 1.58 WHIP, 3.88 FIP, 122 ERA+) All-Star Selections: SP Kenete Yuri (2nd) 1B Takuji Kanno (1st) CF Greg Cusack (3rd) --------   After a horrendous start to the season where they fell to last place in the West and 15 games below .500, the Kingston Pelicans started to turn things around in December and actually enjoyed a winning record in January. That is due in large part, in fact – a VERY large part – to their offense. Their lineup is brimming with sensational, young talent, led by CF Dan Hesketh (77/77) and 2B Ivar Nuyten (51/56). C Ronald Armstrong (68/68), an 8th-round pick from 1948-49 and acquired from the Braeland City Monarchs in December 1952 continues to impress. He is currently ranked 4th overall among catchers. But the Pelicans’ Achillies heel remains their pitching. They have some young pitchers in the rotation, like 25-year old RHP Jacob Jones (4-12, 4.98 ERA, 135.2 IP, 1.50 WHIP, 3.99 FIP, 77 ERA+, 46/46), 24-year old LHP Logan Hoadley (6-8, 4.19 ERA, 141.2 IP, 1.36 WHIP, 3.88 FIP, 91 ERA+, 47/47) and just promoted 21-year old RHP Wayne Beardsall (42/46), but they are considered little more than back-end starters at best. Kingston will need to address this glaring weakness quickly if it wants to take advantage of a potentially explosive offense in the making. Notable Performers 25-year old CF Dan Hesketh (.328/.384/.532, 16 HR, 67 RBI, 35 BB, 6 SB, 146 OPS+, 5.4 WAR) 28-year old C Ronald Armstrong (.289/.378/.505, 16 HR, 58 RBI, 46 BB, 137 OPS+, 4.1 WAR) 23-year old rookie 2B Ivar Nuyten (.312/.361/.491, 12 HR, 39 RBI, 22 BB, 129 OPS+, 4.1 WAR) 26-year old 1B Ira Bannatyne (.293/.370/.498, 13 HR, 48 RBI, 39 BB, 133 OPS+, 2.5 WAR) 26-year old 3B Andy Wearne (.312/.382/.421, 3 HR, 35 RBI, 35 BB, 118 OPS+, 2.7 WAR) 28-year old RF Chris Ramsbottom (.296/.352/.418, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 32 BB, 13 SB, 108 OPS+, 2.4 WAR) Rotation None. Bullpen 29-year old RHP Lester Beddoes (6-5, 3 SV, 3.00 ERA, 87.0 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 3.52 FIP, 128 ERA+) 29-year old stopper RHP Vinnie Arnott (8-8, 13 SV, 3.35 ERA, 104.2 IP, 1.35 WHIP, 4.25 FIP, 114 ERA+) All-Star Selections: RP Lester Beddoes (1st) C Ronald Armstrong (3rd) 1B Ira Bannatyne (2nd) 3B Andy Wearne (1st) SS Ivar Nuyten (1st) CF Dan Hesketh (2nd) Player of the Week Awards: January 5 – RF Chris Ramsbottom (.500, 8 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R) --------   The Hespeler Stars continued to flirt with .500 into December but that all changed when the calendar switched over to 1959. They immediately started January with an 8-game losing streak. They went 1-10 before the All-Star break and won only 4 of the next 15. They were blanked 6 times in January and held to 2 runs or fewer 4 other times. Their rotation is bad, their defense is bad and their offense has been underwhelming. They have some promising talent down on the farm but that has been a broken record now for years. Over the years, very few draft picks have stayed and blossomed on this snake-bitten club. Notable Performers 27-year old 3B Clive Yarwood (.270/.361/.448, 12 HR, 32 RBI, 44 BB, 120 OPS+, 2.5 WAR) 26-year old C Aidan Bennie (.284/.343/.434, 11 HR, 39 RBI, 30 BB, 111 OPS+, 2.9 WAR) Rotation 29-year old LHP Amoka Kalea (5-11, 3.40 ERA, 145.2 IP, 1.36 WHIP, 4.12 FIP, 116 ERA+) 29-year old RHP Curt McKnight (4-3, 3 SV, 3.60 ERA, 75.0 IP, 1.57 WHIP, 4.00 FIP, 110 ERA+) Bullpen None. All-Star Selections: SP Pedro Peña (1st) C Aidan Bennie (1st) Player of the Week Awards: December 22 – RF Kai Faulkner (.458, 11 H, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 8 R) --------  
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03-31-2026, 11:46 PM
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#866 |
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Hall Of Famer
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Location: Winnipeg
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February 15, 1959
Mid-Month Snapshot Here is a snapshot of the Leagues, two weeks into the month of February:
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04-05-2026, 12:30 AM
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#867 |
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Hall Of Famer
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Location: Winnipeg
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March 1, 1959
March Snapshot The rosters have expanded and the Pennant chase is on! Here is a snapshot of the Leagues with four weeks remaining with the playoffs expected to begin on March 31st, barring any needed tiebreakers:
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United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 04-05-2026 at 11:55 AM. |
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04-12-2026, 12:39 AM
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#868 |
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March 29, 1959
Eastern League: Tiebreaker Game Required to Settle Wild Card  The United Leagues’ regular season has been extended for another day, as the Cobourg Redlegs and Braeland City Monarchs finished in a dead heat for second place in the East and will require a tiebreaker game to determine the Wild Card winner and who will move on to face the first-place Wellington Athletics for the Eastern League Pennant. It’s the seventh time in ULB history that a tiebreaker game has been required to settle the playoff picture and the first in 2 years. It’s also the second time that these two teams have met in a tiebreaker game to determine the Wild Card winner. Exactly five years ago – March 29, 1954 – the Monarchs trounced the Cobourg Red Stockings, 5-0 and moved on to face the Stratford Barons in the post-season that year. It just so happened that the Redlegs and Monarchs squared off against each other in the final three games of season with the Redlegs entering the series one game up on Braeland City. The series was played in Cobourg, but the Monarchs took the first game, 2-1, to pull even with two games remaining. The animosity between the two clubs quickly surfaced in the 4th inning after Cobourg’s LHP Axel MacKay threw at and hit 1B Dean Witherden on a 0-1 pitch. This was immediately after MacKay had surrendered a lead-off home run by LF Hayden Goodale, giving the Monarchs a 2-0 lead and one that would ultimately hold up. Witherden charged the mound and ignited a benches-clearing brawl. Both Witherden and MacKay were ejected. Cobourg won the second game, 5-0, as the Redlegs’ pitchers limited the Monarchs to 3 hits. The game was highlighted by a 4th inning Grand Slam home run by back-up catcher, 27-year old Salesi Lapaele (.292/.346/.500, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 129 OPS+, 0.3 WAR), an 8th-round pick from 1954-55. But Braeland City rebounded in the final game, beating Cobourg’s ace LHP Bill Budd, 4-1, to pull back into a tie and force the tie-breaker game. The Monarchs plated three runs in the 5th inning, including a lead-off homer by CF Bernard Burkitt. The two teams will not have to travel far, as Radcliffe Field in Cobourg will host the tiebreaker game. The Redlegs edged the Braeland City Monarchs in their regular season match-up, 8-7. No. 2 starter, 24-year old LHP Lachlan Lloyd (13-7, 2.70 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 142 ERA+), takes the hill for Cobourg, while the Monarchs respond with their No. 2 hurler, 27-year old RHP Dara Eaddy (17-9, 3.74 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 106 ERA+). The Redlegs will be without one of their key offensive cogs in 31-year old LF Juan Gonzáles (.242/.317/.457, 29 HR, 82 RBI, 54 BB, 8 SB, 109 OPS+, 2.5 WAR). Gonzáles, who started the season slow but batted .346/.397/.648, 13 HR, 33 RBI, 14 BB in the final two months of the season, strained a hamstring muscle in a game against the Brunswick Legends back on March 24th. He will be out for another 6 weeks.
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04-13-2026, 04:26 PM
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#869 |
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March 30, 1959
Cobourg Outslugs Braeland City to Clinch Eastern League Wild Card  The Cobourg Redlegs punched their ticket to the playoffs with an 8-5 victory over the Braeland City Monarchs in their tiebreaker game. The Redlegs captured the Wild Card and will face the Wellington Athletics for this year’s Eastern League Pennant. It was a tough day at the office for both pitching staffs, as they allowed a combined 27 hits and 13 runs on the afternoon. Cobourg got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the 2nd inning, when C Yoshiake Ikeda and 3B Noah Palmer doubled and singled respectively with one out to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. 2B Chia-liang Fang then grounded into a fielder’s choice at second base, scoring Ikeda. Braeland City responded in the top of the 4th as LF Hayden Goodale and 1B Dean Witherden hit back-to-back singles with one out. SS Nicholas Malcolm then lined a single into left field with two out, bringing home Goodale and tying things up at 1-apiece. Cobourg retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning. CF Raymond Williams led off with a walk followed by SS Douglas Jones who bunted and beat out the throw, putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Although the Monarchs got Yoshiake Ikeda to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, Noah Palmer, Chia-liang Fang and RF Nathan Ashman all followed with back-to-back-to-back singles, scoring Williams and Palmer for a 3-1 lead. In the top of the 5th, Braeland City got those runs back, as PH Vic Fairthorne and CF Bernard Burkitt led of with back-to-back singles. With one out, RF Aidan Trembath lined a double into right centerfield, scoring both Fairthorne and Burkitt to tie things up again. In the bottom of the 5th and facing relief pitcher RHP Shinzo Okamoto, 1B Harry Doxey slammed a 91-mph fastball 406 ft. into the right centerfield bleachers for a one-out solo home run as Cobourg retook the lead. Braeland City got the equalizer in the top of the 7th, as Bernard Burkitt sliced a single into leftfield to lead off and PH Thomas Message followed with a double into deep right centerfield, moving Burkitt up third base. Aidan Trembath then hit a hard grounder to shortstop, but SS Douglas Jones had trouble with the transfer and didn’t risk the throw. Trembath reached first base safely with an infield hit as Burkitt came home with the tying run. That ended LHP Lachlan Lloyd’s afternoon. But Cobourg began to pull away in the bottom of the 7th, as RHP Ramón González took the mound. After PH Robert Burgess led off with a full-count walk, LF Nihopalaoa Neho jumped on a 79-mph slider and sent it 343 ft. over the wall into the right field stands for 2-run homer. PH Declan Turner followed that with a solo home run of his own, sending a 1-1 slider 396 ft. to the opposite field and over the left field wall for a 7-4 Redlegs lead, forcing González out of the game. The Monarchs did not give up, however as 3B Danny Silk attacked an 1-0 cutter from RHP Brian McDaniel and sent it soaring, 444 ft. into the bleachers in dead centerfield for a two-out, solo home run in the top of the 8th. But Cobourg got that run back in the bottom half. After RHP Clive Howard hit lead-off hitter Noah Palmer with the first pitch, Chia-liang Fang singled. With runners on the corners and one out, 1B Isaac Harris lined a double past a diving 3B Danny Silk into leftfield, scoring Palmer. Although down to their last three outs, Braeland City refused to give up. Facing RHP Carl Lampley, RF Stewart Wych led off with a single. Hayden Goodale then singled with one out, moving Wych to 2B. With two out, C Ronald Kingsley drew a walk, loading the bases. But Lampley then got PH Andy Mack to popup into foul territory to C Yoshiake Ikeda to end the threat and game. With Cobourg’s victory, the United Leagues playoff picture is now clear, as the Redlegs will move on to face the Wellington Athletics for the Eastern League Pennant.  
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04-16-2026, 01:10 AM
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#870 |
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March 31, 1959
Western League: Pulberry, Sherburn Set to Battle for Pennant for Fourth Year in a Row    --------   The Pulberry Trolleys shook off a shaky February where they got roughed up by their Eastern League counterparts and powered their way to first place by winning an impressive 21 games in March. They secured a playoff spot on the 18th and locked up top spot in the West two days later, with 9 games left to play. It’s their 6th consecutive first-place finish, the longest stretch of consecutive first-place finishes in the United Leagues. The next longest is 4 straight seasons by the Wolseley Unions, from 1949 to 1952. However, the Kingston Pelicans still hold the record for most first-place finishes overall with 7. Pulberry is tied with the Stratford Barons with 6. Their 94 victories this season represents the 5th straight season where they have won 90 or more and the third time during that stretch that they have won exactly 94. The Trolleys’ starting lineup is perhaps the most formidable in the United Leagues. No starting player has an OPS+ lower than 101 and the offense as a whole generated 4.78 R/G. Only the Embro Suns surpassed that mark with 4.88 R/G. Two of their offensive players are ranked 1st overall at their respective position: 28-year old C Paul England (.285/.360/.489, 18 HR, 87 RBI, 41 BB, 134 OPS+, 4.4 WAR) and 30-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.300/.403/.542, 29 HR, 101 RBI, 86 BB, 15 SB, 161 ERA+, 7.7 WAR). England led the ULB in WPA (5.16), while Thirkettle led the West in OPB (.403) and OPS+ (161). But four other players enjoyed terrific seasons as well:
The one area of concern is the bullpen, which remains one of the weakest units in the United Leagues. 34-year old stopper RHP Quintiliano Galeo (9-13, 22 SV, 4.38 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 4.26 FIP, 80 ERA+) did lead the Western League in saves but had an uneven season otherwise to say the least. However, the Trolleys have moved No. 5 starter, 37-year old RHP Alexander Ellacott (8-4, 5 SV, 3.26 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 3.81 FIP, 108 ERA+), to the bullpen for the playoffs, which should provide some short-term help. 53-year old manager Ryo Ichikawa announced Pulberry’s playoff rotation:
Player of the Week Awards: February 9 –LF Aidan Thirkettle (.440, 11 H, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 6 R) March 23 – RF Joe Riding (.500, 11 H, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 8 R) First Round Draft Pick Update: 16th overall – IF/RF Hal Saunders (31/48). Saunders showed promise in Double-A, hitting .234/.301/.346, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 26 BB, 52 SO, 10 SB, 79 OPS+, 1.4 WAR in 85 GS and 321 AB. His focus will continue to be on improving at the plate, but he was very good in the field, playing the majority of the time at second base (.979 PCT, 6.02 RNG, 8.0 ZR, 1.069 EFF in 686.1 INN). Current prospect ranking: #86. --------   Like the Trolleys, the Sherburn Tigers endured a rough month of February facing the Eastern League teams but rebounded in March, winning 18 games to pull away from both the Balmoral Giants and Cambria Cannons and take the upper hand in the wild card chase. They were as much as 4 games ahead of the Giants on the 27th, the day the Tigers punched their ticket to the playoffs for the 4th straight season. Sherburn is a nicely balanced team but like the previous three seasons, they were not able to keep pace with the Trolleys. But unlike the previous three seasons, they did not run away with the wild card. Their having to fend off not one but two other teams to return to the playoffs may signal that the Tigers’ playoff window may be closing – as other teams appear to be finally closing in on them. This season, Sherburn boasted four players in the lineup with 20 or more home runs, just as they did last season. The record for most players with 20 or more home runs in a season is five, set by the Braeland City Monarchs in 1953-54. Both 30-year old C Robert Kersey (.273/.355/.461, 22 HR, 76 RBI, 60 BB, 119 OPS+, 4.4 WAR) and 29-year old SS Dwayne Vick (.312/.351/.403, 3 HR, 54 RBI, 31 BB, 104 OPS+, 6.7 WAR) are rated 2nd overall at their respective positions in the ULB. Vick was particularly outstanding on defense (.979 PCT, 5.84 RNG, 29.2 ZR, 1.086 EFF in 1242.0 INN). Other contributors to Sherburn’s success this season were:
45-year old rookie manager Lee Ayling revealed Sherburn’s playoff rotation:
 
Player of the Week Awards: February 16 –1B Jay Durham (.435, 10 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R) Noteworthy: March 17 – CF Leon Albrecht showed why he is Sherburn’s lead-off hitter in a game against the Wolseley Unions, by going 5 for 6, leading the Tigers to a 4-2 road victory. Albrecht collected five singles, including a 2-run single in the 2nd inning. He grounded out in the 9th. First Round Draft Pick Update: 13th overall – 2B Colin Lutz (34/50). The 23-year old infielder enjoyed a decent first year in the minors, batting .265/.309/.315, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 19 BB, 25 SO, 70 OPS+, 0.3 WAR in 85 GS and 317 AB. He will need more experience against quality pitching in the minors before he can advance. However, he was solid in the field at the keystone position (.991 PCT, 5.31 RNG, 1.6 ZR, 1.010 EFF in 717.0 INN). Current prospect ranking: #78. --------   The Balmoral Giants made a serious push for the wild card in the final half of the regular season, but in the end, they just could not keep up with a resurgent Sherburn Tigers team and ultimately missed the playoffs for the 15th straight season. Still, their 81 victories are the most in a season since 1954-55 when they won 82 and their competitiveness may be taken as an encouraging sign and something to build on for next season. Why They Missed the Playoffs: When one looks under the hood, this team was not much different from last season when they won only 71 games and finished 16 games behind the wild card. Thus, one is led to believe that the Giants benefited more from mediocre competition within the Western League this year than any great internal improvements. What they need to do: Balmoral has some fine players but a number of them are either well over 30 or will be turning 30 by the time the next season comes around. They do have a few promising young players on the major league roster, but not nearly enough to build any lasting success on. With a farm system that is ranked only 12th overall and few highly regarded prospects at Triple-A, they will need to beef up their prospect pool, something they should have been doing all these years when they have been toiling in the second division. Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
First Round Draft Pick Update: 6th overall – IF Edward Coxall (24/64). The 19-year old enjoyed a fine start in Double-A, batting .286/.336/.385, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 21 BB, 76 SO, 102 OPS+, 1.5 WAR in 87 GS and 304 AB. He played the majority of his games at third base and was solid (.981 PCT, 2.77 RNG, 3.2 ZR, 1.017 EFF in 506.0 INN). Current prospect ranking: #19. --------   The Cambria Cannons hung around the wild card chase for most the season and were tied with Sherburn for 2nd place as late as March 7th, but a 6-game losing streak that started immediately thereafter and a 7-13 finish knocked them out of contention and they were officially eliminated on March 24. While they managed to finish at .500, they miss the playoffs for the 4th-straight season. Why They Missed the Playoffs: The Cannons have been a very capable offensive squad for several years now, but their glaring weakness has always been their pitching and defense. That was no different this season, but there finally might be signs that improvements are close at hand, at least in terms of pitching. What they need to do: Although the Cannons’ farm system is ranked in the middle of the pack, there are a number of promising prospects either on the major league roster or in Triple-A. A couple of these prospects are pitchers. Thus, Cambria will do well to give these kids playing time when they reach the majors with the goal of supporting the starting lineup. If they can turn their rotation into a strength instead of the liability it has been for several years now, the Cannons may once again make some noise in the West. In addition to this year’s first-round pick SP Spencer Dicker described below, the Cannons also have 1955-56 2nd-round pick RHP Tom Roberts (0-0, 6.10 ERA, 10.1 IP, 1.84 WHIP, 3.58 FIP, 61 ERA+, 39/56) on the roster, after promoting him from Triple-A in March. Roberts is projected to become a mid-rotation starter with an outstanding changeup (60/80), cutter (55/60) and stuff (65/75). Current prospect ranking: #28. Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Player of the Week Awards: February 23 – LHP Derek Willday (2-0, 0.53 ERA, 17.0 IP, 9 K) March 2 – 2B Doug Martin (.500, 13 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6 R) March 9 – 1B Carlos Corea (.423, 11 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R) First Round Draft Pick Update: 9th overall – SP Spencer Dicker (38/69). The 22-year old southpaw pitched 58.2 innings and 7 GS in Double-A (4-3, 3.38 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 2.12 FIP, 113 ERA+) before getting the call up to Triple-A. He certainly appeared ready for the advancement, going 6-7, 3.08 ERA, 111.0 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 3.01 FIP, 114 ERA+ in 14 starts, including a pair of shutouts (a 2-hitter & a 7-hitter). Current prospect ranking: #5. --------   The Wolseley Unions surpassed the 70-win mark for the first time in 5 years and were even in the thick of the wild card chase for the first half of the season but a disastrous January where they won all of 9 games knocked them out of contention for good. On March 17, on the heels of a 5-game losing streak, they were officially eliminated. Why They Missed the Playoffs: An inability to score runs and a propensity for sloppy play in the field doomed their season. The good news is that their Triple-A farm club is brimming with prospects that are on the cusp of reaching the majors. What they need to do: Embrace the rookies when they start to arrive. The Unions have no less than six prospects (four position players, two pitchers) in Triple-A that could soon make an impact on their major league roster. That’s in addition to their top-ranked player, RF Jonathan Higgins (2nd overall pick, 1955-56 - 62/62) as well as LF Steven Burkill (6th-round pick, 1953/54 - 55/55) and 24-year old CF Jack Jarrom (.241/.291/.394, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 23 BB, 85 OPS+, 1.5 WAR - 1st overall pick, 1956/57 – 46/65) who are in the midst of establishing themselves in the majors. If these players can all deliver on their promise, the Unions will have enviable depth across their entire roster to say the least. Here are the six prospects that could be getting the call-up soon:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Noteworthy: February 24 – RHP Ekemona Koorong (3rd-round pick, 1956-57, 49/52) put on a pitching clinic against the home team, the Downie Chiefs, blanking them on 2-hits and taking the win, 9-0. Koorong carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the 7th inning, where CF Jon Berose punched a one-out single into shallow leftfield. In all, the Palauan-native surrendered two singles, going 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 112 PI, GS: 88. Koorong got help from SS Kane Viccars and 3B George Kimpton who both hit solo home runs. The Unions also scored 4 runs in the top of the 8th, when RHP Eddie Stannard walked the first four batters and then surrendered two singles and a sac fly. First Round Draft Pick Update: 3rd overall – OF Sam Cloherty (34/68). The young outfielder was absolutely sensational in Double-A, batting .329/.363/.565, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 8 BB, 22 SO, 3 SB, 153 OPS+, 2.3 WAR in 46 GS and 170 AB. He spent time at all three outfield positions, but the majority of the time was in centerfield (.977 PCT, 2.67 RNG, -2.6 ZR, .972 EFF in 428.0 INN). The 21-year old Australian was subsequently promoted to Triple-A and started 41 games with 154 AB, going .240/.286/.377, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 11 BB, 23 SO, 74 OPS+, 0.0 WAR. Current prospect ranking: #7. --------   The Fort Richmond Generals remained firmly in the second division all season. Still, toward the end of January they remained just 8 games below .500 and 7 games behind second place. While obviously not a very good team, they nevertheless remained on the fringe of the wild card chase. But a disastrous February pierced even that faint playoff hope. The Generals were officially eliminated on March 17, the same day as the Unions. Despite missing the playoffs for the 5th straight season, their 68 victories count as some progress as it represents the most since they won 79 in 1954-55. Also providing some optimism for the future is a farm system that is currently ranked 2nd overall. Why They Missed the Playoffs: The Generals boast the most anemic offense in the United Leagues, and they have done so for the past four seasons. Over the past three seasons, they have averaged just 3.7 R/G. The season before that, in 1955-56, they averaged 3.9 R/G. Coupled with an unimpressive pitching staff overall, it’s a wonder they even managed to win 68 games. What they need to do: Get some players that can produce at the plate. Fort Richmond has 1B Takuji Kanno (10th overall pick, 1953-54 - 61/61) and CF José Ibarra (4th-round pick by Queensland, 1953-54 - 57/57) batting out of the 2nd and 3rd spots respectively, but there is a steep drop off after them. 27-year old C Scott Sheelah (.215/.311/.306, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 60 BB, 73 OPS+, 1.6 WAR – 60/60), who batted out of the cleanout spot for most of the season, was a huge disappointment. Last season, he hit 21 HR, 140 OPS+ and 6.7 WAR. Hopefully, he can rebound next year. Help may soon be on the way. In addition to Kanno, Ibarra and RHP Kenete Yuri (2nd overall pick, 1956-57 - 63/68), the Generals have 5 prospects (1 pitcher, 4 position players) that can soon make an impact. In fact, they boast the Nos. 1 & 2 ranked prospects in Yasuda and Michel:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Noteworthy: February 25 – The Generals salvaged a win against the Stratford Barons, taking the third game of the 3-game series, 3-0. RHP Kenete Yuri was the star of the game, as he pitched a one-hitter. Yuri went 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 96 PI, GS: 87 on the afternoon. The only hit he allowed was a two-out, line drive single into rightfield by LHP Robin Wadsworth in the bottom of the 4th inning. After scoring a run in the top of the 1st inning, the Generals added to their lead in the top of the 9th when they hit 4 consecutive one-out singles, driving in two more runs. March 8 – LHP Larry Kovnats, who was claimed off waivers on February 15 from the Braeland City Monarchs, rewarded that move by pitching a 2-hitter against the Kingston Pelicans. His bid for a no-hitter was broken up in the top of the 7th inning when SS Vance Fendley punched a grounder into shallow leftfield with two out. On the mound, Kovnats went 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 107 PI, GS: 84. All of Fort Richmond’s four runs came off of home runs, including a 2-run homer by Kovnats in the 5th inning off RHP Ernesto Luna, one that landed 337 ft. into the leftfield bleachers. It was Kovnats’ first career home run. First Round Draft Pick Update: 1st overall – C Yugoro Yasuda (31/80). The 20-year old back-stopper enjoyed a solid first season in Double-A, hitting .267/.331/.396, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 20 BB, 21 SO, 101 OPS+, 1.6 WAR in 60 GS and 225 AB. All his starts were behind the plate, where his defense was .995 PCT, 7.25 RNG, 0.0 ZR, .989 EFF in 524.0 INN. Current prospect ranking: #1. --------   The promise of a 15-11 January gave way to reality in February and March, as the Kingston Pelicans could only muster 18 victories over the remaining 51 games. In fact, the Pelicans could only manage nine wins per month for four out of the six months of the season and won 10 fewer games than they did last year. They were officially eliminated from the playoffs on March 14. They have now missed the playoffs for the 7th consecutive season and there are questions about whether they can turn their fortunes around anytime soon. Why They Missed the Playoffs: The Pelicans are in desperate need of a stout pitching staff. They allowed 4.8 R/G, the second worst average in the United Leagues. What’s more, they do not have any promising pitching prospects in their farm system. That is a concern, as Kingston has potentially one of the most explosive lineups in the making. What they need to do: Get some decent pitchers by one means or another pronto, to take advantage of their promising young position players. Their ‘ace’ at the moment is 22-year old RHP Ernesto Luna (3-2, 3.13 ERA, 63.1 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 4.55 FIP, 124 ERA+ - 44/45), a 5th-round pick from 1953-54 that they acquired from the Pulberry Trolleys in a trade back in July 1956. Also in the rotation are 22-year old RHP Wayne Beardsall (1-5, 3.90 ERA, 55.1 IP, 1.36 WHIP, 3.89 FIP, 99 ERA+ - 46/46) and 24-year old LHP Logan Hoadley (8-11, 4.23 ERA, 189.1 IP, 1.37 WHIP, 4.09 FIP, 92 ERA+ - 46/46), but neither are considered more than future spot starters at best. Other than those three, they have 20-year old RHP Kyle Sherwin (3rd-round pick, 1957-58 – 30/48) in Triple-A, who is one quality pitch away from being a potential starter in the majors. That’s it. The rest of the prospects are young position players, some that Kingston already has plenty of:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Player of the Week Awards: February 2 – C Ronald Armstrong (.438, 7 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R) March 16 – 1B Ira Bannatyne (.524, 11 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R) Noteworthy: February 11 – It took 10 innings, but the Pelicans triumphed over the Embro Suns, 8-6. Leading the way for Kingston was their lead-off hitter, RF Chris Ramsbottom, who Hit for the Cycle, going 4 for 6. It was the 35th Cycle in ULB history and just the second in Pelicans’ history (1B Ira Bannatyne hit the first back in October 1956). Ramsbottom hit a solo home run off RHP Stefan Evans in the 3rd inning, doubled in the 5th and hit an RBI single in the 6th. But after Embro’s 2B Napano Mamo hit a game-tying solo home run with one out in the bottom the of the 9th inning, Ramsbottom stepped up to the plate in the top of the 10th with two on and two out and smashed a triple into the gap in right-centerfield to score both runners. This time the lead held up as the Pelicans went on to win their 49th game of the season.  February 19 – The Pelicans took two of three from the first-place Wellington Athletics and capped off the series with a 5-0 win in Wellington. RHP Ernesto Luna was the hero, as he threw a compete game 2-hitter. Luna’s no-hitter was broken up by RF Wan-hua Gu, who led off the bottom of the 7th with line drive single into leftfield. Luna went 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 104 PI, GS: 84. Kingston scored all its runs in the top of the 8th with two out, highlighted by a 3-run home run by PH Malcolm Wise off RHP Bert Desforges. March 1 – Not only did the Balmoral Giants sweep their two-game series against the Pelicans, but they also ended 1B Ira Bannatyne’s 22-game hitting streak in the second game, which the Giants won, 7-5. Bannatyne went 0-2 on the day with one walk. Modest as the hitting streak was, it was the longest such streak in the United Leagues since RF Aidan Trembath of the Braeland City Monarchs hit safely in 28 straight games in 1956. The longest hitting streak in ULB history is 39, set by SS Jake Walker of the Stratford Barons back in 1946. March 18 – The Pelicans came from behind to beat the Cambria Cannons, 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning, thanks to a pair of lead-off doubles, a 4-pitch walk and a pair of singles, including a walk-off single by 3B Andy Wearne. Cambria was unable to get an out in that fateful inning. The other player who singled in that inning was 2B Denzel Daintry who went 5 for 5 on the day. In fact, all his hits were singles. He also collected 2 R. March 23 – RHP Ernesto Luna was sensational against the Hespeler Stars, pitching 9 innings of scoreless ball while giving up just 1 H, 1 BB and striking out 10 (108 PI, GS: 94). But he was stuck with the no-decision, as the Stars’ pitchers matched his zeros, forcing the game into extras. Finally, in the bottom of the 13th inning, Hespeler’s SS Jean-Pierre Ferré led off with a double while facing Kingston’s RHP Lester Beddoes and scored the winning run from third base when RF John Anthony singled him home with two out as Hespeler walked it off, 1-0. First Round Draft Pick Update: 8th overall – OF David Derry (35/58). The 23-year old Queensland-native showed some poise at the plate in Double-A, hitting .266/.343/.424, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 21 BB, 35 SO, 112 OPS+, 0.4 WAR in 40 GS and 177 AB. He was then promoted to Triple-A and batted .339/.377/.645, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 5 BB, 12 SO, 178 OPS+, 0.7 WAR. On the other hand, he still has some kinks to work out defensively. He played mostly rightfield in both Double & Triple-A (.987 PCT, 1.62 RNG, -8.5 ZR, .888 EFF in 416.2 INN). Current prospect ranking: #38. --------   As what has become typical in recent years, the Hespeler Stars flirted with respectability in the first half of the season only to fall completely apart in the second half. On December 31st, the Stars sat in 6th place in the West and just 6 games back of the wild card with a 37-40 record. But as soon as the calendar flipped over to the new year, they went just 21-46 the rest of the way. Hespeler was pathetic on both sides of the ball, averaging just 4.0 R/G on offense, while allowing a United Leagues’ worst 4.9 R/G. The result was one of their worst seasons ever. Their 58 wins is their lowest win total since they lost 58 games back in 1939-40. Remarkably, they have never reached the 100-loss mark, at least not yet. So far, only the Cobourg Redlegs (103 losses in 1940-41; 101 losses in 1941-42) and the Pulberry Trolleys (100 losses in 1949-50) have reached that dubious milestone. Not surprisingly, Hespeler was the first team eliminated from playoff contention, on March 10th with 18 games left in the season. Why They Missed the Playoffs: It’s become abundantly clear that no one in the organization has a clue as to what they’re doing. For all of the Stars’ 22-year existence, they haven’t come even remotely close to making the playoffs. Their best finish was in 1937-38, when they went 79-75 – their only winning season – and finished 8 games back of the wild card. With all that losing, you would think that they would have built up a tremendous amount of draft capital and be overflowing with highly talented self-groomed stars. But unlike every other club, that has hasn’t happened with the exception of one – one – player, C Aidan Bennie (2nd overall pick, 1954-55 – 80/80). The rest of their prospects have either been seemingly mismanaged and ‘petered out’ or traded away before blossoming elsewhere soon thereafter. In its own way, it’s a remarkable achievement the likes of which I have never seen in all my years of playing OOTP. What they need to do: Everything. First by going back to the drawing board and drafting smartly and then developing smartly. In OOTP that’s got to happen sooner or later, shouldn’t it? The owner is fiscally charitable, demanding, hands-off and wants to team to achieve a winning record. Perhaps he shouldn’t be so hands-off? Perhaps he needs to be charitable enough to go out and get managers, coaches and scouting directors that have a reputation that is ‘good’ or better, rather than just ‘OK’, ‘Fair’ or ‘Average’. Hespeler has none that are ‘good’ or better throughout their system. In fairness, the organization is not completely devoid of up-and-coming talent, but will they finally break the trend and deliver on their promise? Here are the top players in Hespeler’s cupboard:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
First Round Draft Pick Update: 5th overall – SS Brad Common (36/65). The 21-year old infielder struggled at the plate in his first season in Double-A, hitting .223/.283/.290, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 25 BB, 60 SO, 57 OPS+, 1.9 WAR in 88 GS and 345 AB. But he was sensational defensively, going .979 PCT, 4.94 RNG, 19.3 ZR, 1.147 EFF in 760.0 INN, all at shortstop. Current prospect ranking: #9. -------- 
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04-17-2026, 12:07 AM
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#871 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Posts: 3,977
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1958-59 Western League End of Season Player Stats:
   
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United Leagues of Braeland |
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04-18-2026, 09:17 PM
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#872 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
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March 31, 1959
Eastern League: Athletics, Redlegs to Meet for First Time in Playoffs    --------   Last season, the Wellington Athletics won 84 games and finished in 4th place, 8 games back of the wild card. This season, their 85 wins were good enough to claim top spot in the East and return to the playoffs after a three-year absence. 85 victories is the lowest win total to capture top spot in the either the East or West since Wellington won 84 games back in 1951-52. There was no dominant team this year in the East, and this was exemplified by the Athletics, who went only 26-25 over the final two months of the season and didn’t lock up a playoff spot until March 27th, with two games left to play. The strength of the club this year was their pitching, which finished first in a number of categories. But their lineup is no slouch either. They boast the top-rated rightfielder in Wan-hua Gu (2nd-round pick by Fort Richmond, 1953-54 – 80/80) and the No. 2-rated leftfielder in Matthew Floyd (1st overall pick, 1948-49, 79/79). They also have a number of prospects drawing closer to the majors that could soon make an impact:
Notable Position Players
 64-year old manager Wildemar Aquino, who is in his 5th year as Wellington’s skipper, set the following playoff rotation:
Noteworthy: March 27 – Wellington’s 85th and final win of the regular season was a shoot-out against the hometown Downie Chiefs. Seven home runs in total were hit, six of them by the Athletics in a 12-7 victory. But RF Wan-hua Gu was the standout, as he hit 3 home runs on the afternoon. Gu hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the first and a one-out, three-run home run in the top of the 3rd, both off RHP Brody Wiltshire. He later added a lead-off solo home run in the 8th off LHP José Hernández. In all, Gu went 3 for 4, 3 R, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K. He becomes the 25th player in ULB history to accomplish the feat. First Round Draft Pick Update: 11th overall – IF/OF Jim Crittenden (28/61). The 19-year old Downie-native had a fine first season in Double-A, hitting .263/.307/.390, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 14 BB, 71 SO, 89 OPS+, 0.3 WAR in 89 GS and 373 AB. He played at the hot corner, going .951 PCT, 2.61 RNG, 0.3 ZR, .983 EFF in 538.1 INN. Current prospect ranking: #36. --------   After being six games back of the wild card in early February, the Cobourg Redlegs caught fire at just the right time, winning 33 of their remaining 52 games to catch up to the Braeland City Monarchs and force a tiebreaker. An 8-5 win over the Monarchs in game 155 of the season punched their ticket to the playoffs after a two-year absence. The Redlegs allowed just 3.9 R/G, the third-best mark in the United Leagues, while the offense pulled itself up by its bootstraps in the final half of the season. However, it may be severely tested in the playoffs as the club lost the services of its cleanup hitter, 31-year old LF Juan Gonzáles (.242/.317/.457, 29 HR, 82 RBI, 54 BB, 8 SB, 109 OPS+, 2.5 WAR), who caught fire in February. This is a team that was relying on just a few of its starters to carry the offense and the loss of Gonzáles will be a huge blow. Cobourg currently has the top-rated shortstop in SS Douglas Jones (68/68) and 2nd-overall rated centerfielder and starter, CF Raymond Williams (80/80) and LHP Bill Budd (63/63) respectively. Their 6th-overall ranked farm system also has some promising prospects either arriving or thriving in Triple-A:
Notable Position Players
56-year old manager Ethan Umbleby announced the following playoff rotation:
Other Notable Pitchers
Player of the Week Awards: February 9 – CF Raymond Williams (.417, 10 H, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 8 R) February 23 – CF Raymond Williams (.522, 12 H, 2 HR, 10 RBI) March 16 – C Yoshiake Ikeda (.474, 9 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI) First Round Draft Pick Update: 12th overall – IF Ramón Águila (32/58). The 21-year old Panamanian made 69 GS and 265 AB in Double-A, batting .264/.323/.415, 9 HR, 30 RBI, 22 BB, 35 SO, 97 OPS+, 0.8 WAR before getting the call to Triple-A. There he made 19 GS and 72 AB (.250/.304/.375, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 11 SO, 91 OPS+, 0.5 WAR). He spent practically all his time in the field at shortstop in Double-A (.963 PCT, 4.71 RNG, -1.2 ZR, .992 EFF in 745.2 INN. Current prospect ranking: #26. --------   Buoyed by a 14-game winning streak, the longest by any team in the United Leagues this season, the Braeland City Monarchs surged into first place, up by as much as two games over the Wellington Athletics on February 12. But then things began to fall apart. They went 19-26 the rest of the way, not only knocking them out of first place but forcing them to scramble just to force a tiebreaker for the wild card with the Cobourg Redlegs. An 8-5 loss in that game eliminated them from the playoffs for the 5th straight season. Their 83 wins is the most in a season since 1953-54, when they won 84 and the wild card. But they may have been overachieving a little this season, as they averaged just 4.1 R/G while allowing 4.2 R/G. Why They Missed the Playoffs: They came oh so close to salvaging their season, but in the end, inconsistent play doomed them. They have fine players both in the lineup and on the pitching staff and seem poised for more success, but they may have to find a few more standout players especially on offense to return them to the postseason. They don’t have an overly generous farm system (ranked 13th overall) with no high-end prospects that they can call up. What they need to do: Finding more consistency in the short term would help. GM Adam Trelawny would do well to work the phones in the off-season so as to swing a deal to bring in one or two impact players while at the same time focus on beefing up the talent pool in the farm system. The Monarchs appear to be on a bit of an upswing but just don’t have all the horses to move the needle any further. How’s that for mixing metaphors! They do have a few mid-level prospects that could provide some modest help in the future:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Player of the Week Awards: February 16 – 2B Patrick Lidgate (.440, 11 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R) March 23 – RF Aidan Trembath (.417, 10 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R) Noteworthy: February 13 – The Monarchs were swept by the Sherburn Tigers in Braeland City in rather convincing fashion as the Tigers won games 2 & 3 by scores of 7-3 and 11-5 respectively. The first game was the closest, with Sherburn pulling out a 7-5 victory in 12 innings. Lost in the loss was a fine performance by Braeland City’s lead-off hitter, CF Bernard Burkitt who went 5 for 6 on the afternoon. Burkitt hit 5 singles, including one in the 11th inning, driving in two runs. March 4 – The Monarchs suffered a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Queensland Eagles at home as well. In their game 3 loss which they dropped 6-3, CF Bernard Burkitt saw his 20-game hitting streak come to an end. Burkitt went 0-4 with 1 K on the day. First Round Draft Pick Update: 10th overall – 1B/OF Edward Harpham (31/50). Harpham showed promise at the plate in his first season in Double-A, hitting .266/.344/.342, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 31 BB, 46 SO, 87 OPS+, 1.5 WAR in 83 GS and 316 AB. A versatile defender, the 22-year old spent the majority of his time at centerfield (1.000 PCT, 2.87 RNG, -3.5 ZR, .985 EFF in 529.1 INN). Current prospect ranking: #89. --------   The Stratford Barons avoided a losing season by winning 33 of their final 51 games, but their 79 victories represent a 13-win drop from last season and their lowest total since 1951-52 when they won 71. It’s just the second time over the past seven seasons that they have missed the playoffs. But there are signs that this club could be struggling for at least a few more seasons before they turn things around. Why They Missed the Playoffs: While the pitching staff and defense overall was respectable (4.0 R/G), the offense was the worst in the Eastern League, averaging just 3.9 R/G. They just did not have enough impact players in the lineup to keep up with the competition and give the pitching staff a chance. And they have only a couple of prospects that are ready to step in and help at best. The Barons’ farm system is currently ranked 14th out of the 16 clubs. This season may also spell the end for one of the most decorated players in United Leagues’ history. 39-year old C Aaron Skidmore (.201/.322/.285, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 43 BB, 67 OPS+, 0.1 WAR) was reduced to being the Barons’ third-string catcher by season’s end. A 1st-overall pick by the Hespeler Stars back in 1940-41, Skidmore has been selected to more All-Star games (16) than any other player and has a Babe Ruth Award (1948-49), two Ball Hawk Awards, a Pennant Series MVP Award (1948-49) and an All-Star MVP Award (1946-47) to his credit. Whenever he does decide to ‘hang ‘em up’, he will be a ‘Hall of Famer for sure’. What they need to do: Get younger and better. The stating rotation, while stout, are all north of 30 and with little internal help on the way will soon join the lineup as a glaring weakness. I just don’t believe this season was a ‘blip’; the Barons appear to be on a precipitous decline to me and need to embrace a rebuild. They do have a few prospects, but not enough to bolster the Barons’ fortunes:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Player of the Week Awards: March 9 – 2B Matthew Channing (.429, 12 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI) Noteworthy: February 18 – The Barons took 2 of 3 from the visiting Pulberry Trolleys. After dropping the first game, 3-1, Stratford took the next game, 7-4, one that was highlighted by lead-off hitter CF Alfonso León’s performance. The 13-year veteran went 5 for 5, including 4 singles and a one-out, solo home run off RHP Taylor Folkard in the 3rd inning. León collected 1 R and 1 RBI on the day. March 22 – The Barons also took 2 of 3 from the visiting Downie Chiefs. In the third game, 32-year old RHP Joseph Sellwood (13-15, 3.94 ERA, 240.0 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 3.36 FIP, 94 OPS+) was masterful, pitching a complete 1-hit game and leading Stratford to a 4-0 victory. Sellwood had a perfect game going until the top of the 6th inning, when he gave up a lead-off walk to 2B José Olivarez. The lone hit surrendered came an inning later, when LF Greg Cusack led off with a single into shallow leftfield. On the afternoon, Sellwood went 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 105 PI, GS: 91. Stratford scored all the runs they would need in the 2nd inning, when they batted 5 singles, plating 2 runs. First Round Draft Pick Update: 14th overall – IF Larry Jackson (31/56). Jackson showed some pop at the plate in Double-A, going .247/.284/.379, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 15 BB, 38 SO, 80 OPS+, -0.2 WAR in 85 GS and 340 AB. Stratford played him mostly at shortstop, where it was obvious he needed further refinement (.962 PCT, 4.56 RNG, -8.9 ZR, .955 EFF in 603.1 INN). Current prospect ranking: #37. --------   The promise of last season where the Queensland Eagles finished first in the East with 96 wins and came within one victory of a United Cup championship all came crashing down around them this season. The Eagles were never able to gain much traction and were never a playoff threat. That is a shame, considering the success they had last year and the talent they have on the roster. They are by no means a lost cause, but they will need to address some weaknesses that were exposed this season. Why They Missed the Playoffs: The pitching staff beyond their top two starters and overall defensive play were a mess. While their offensive production was respectable, it was not enough to overcome a pitching staff and a porous defense that gave up 4.5 R/G. What they need to do: They need to relearn their fielding fundamentals as well as beef up the bullpen and 3/5ths of the rotation. Of course, GM Joe Carr can address their pitching needs through trades in the off-season if he’s so inclined, as there are not a lot of internal options. The Eagles do have some talent down in the minors despite their relatively low ranking (11th overall):
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Player of the Week Awards: February 2 – LF Rod Dennis (.600, 9 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R) Noteworthy: March 3 – The Eagles beat the Braeland City Monarchs, 11-6 in 10 innings to win their fourth game in a row. The offensive damage was largely done by LF Rod Dennis and RF Hal Dhu. Dennis went 3 for 6 with 2 R and 5 RBI, while lead-off hitter Dhu went 5 for 6 with 1 R and 2 RBI. Dhu hit three singles and two doubles. In the top of the 10th inning with two on, Dhu’s second double of the game drove in the go-ahead run. One out later and with the bases loaded, Dennis crushed an 0-1 pitch from LHP Charlie Honeysett 437 ft. into the bleachers in dead centerfield for a Grand Slam home run to put the game away. First Round Draft Pick Update: 15th overall – OF Kunisada Tenno (34/61). Tenno has been developing nicely at the plate, where in Double-A, he batted .244/.300/.392, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 20 BB, 30 SO, 90 OPS+, 0.2 WAR in 69 GS and 265 AB. Although defensively he is stronger at the corners, Queensland opted to play mostly at centerfield, where he struggled (.994 PCT, 2.54 RNG, -10.4 ZR, .912 EFF in 563.1 INN). The 23-year old Japanese-native was promoted to Triple-A later in the season and hit .259/.286/.444, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 4 SO in 7 GS, 27 AB. Current prospect ranking: #42. --------   The promise of a 16-8 October just could not be maintained by the Downie Chiefs as they quickly fell back to being a second division team for the rest of the season. Still, they remained just 3 games back of the wild card as late as March 10th but soon faded after that for good and were officially eliminated from the playoffs 13 days later. But their 77 wins were 18 more than last season and 20 more than the season before that. With further development of their young players and a strong farm system (4th overall), the prospect of ending their 7-year-and-counting playoff drought could end sooner rather than later. But they’re not quite there yet. Why They Missed the Playoffs: Their offense was near or at the bottom of a number of offensive measures. Interestingly, they mustered 4.1 R/G while only allowing 4.1 R/G as well. Their home-away record was a mirror of each other, 36-41 and 41-36 respectively. While their pitching staff was impressive overall this year, they really do not have either a No. 1 or No. 2-type starter to anchor the rotation. That could be a concern going forward as it would seem to be an unsustainable situation. What they need to do: Despite making a marked improvement this season, this is a team that could easily take a step a forward or a step back next year. They have some fine players on the roster, especially rookie CF Jon Berose (67/80) who must be considered a shoo-in for the Eastern League Rookie of the Year, but they don’t have that many impact players beyond him, and both 33-year old 1B Dominic Dudding and 31-year old CF Greg Cusack are not getting any younger. Thus, it’s critical their prospects arrive soon and deliver. They do have a number waiting in the wings however:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Noteworthy: February 10 – In the midst of an 8-game winning streak, the Chiefs swept the Hespeler Stars at home. In the first game, RHP Stefan Rankin was masterful, pitching a complete game 2-hitter to lead Downie to a 2-0 victory. Rankin surrendered just two singles early in game in the 2nd and 3rd innings respectively. His line on the day was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 103 PI, GS: 89. The Hespeler pitchers were no slouches either, allowing just 3 hits by the Chiefs. But the Stars’ LHP Nico can der Ham surrendered a one-out, solo home run by 2B José Olivarez in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Downie would get an insurance run in the 8th. First Round Draft Pick Update: 2nd overall – OF Logan McLaren (35/60). The 23-year old Hespeler-native showed his promise in Double-A, hitting .286/.359/.464, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 28 BB, 34 SO, 8 SB, 122 OPS+, 1.0 WAR in 67 GS and 252 AB. He played mostly in rightfield (.971 PCT, 1.52 RNG, -9.0 ZR, .892 EFF in 591.0 INN). He was then promoted to Triple-A for the final 20 games of the season (.205/.271/.308, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 7 BB, 16 SO, -0.2 WAR). Current prospect ranking: #31. --------   The Brunswick Legends were just 3 games back of the wild card towards the end of February, but they imploded soon thereafter, losing 19 of their final 28 games. They were eliminated from playoff contention on March 25th, with four games remaining and will miss the playoffs for the second straight season. But they won 11 more games than they did last season and they were consistent. Their home and away record were both 38-39. Why They Missed the Playoffs: The Legends were not particularly good at anything this year; they surrendered 4.6 R/G largely due to their porous defense and weak pitching staff. They need a shot in the arm and fortunately for them, they have the highest-rated farm system in the United Leagues with at least four prospects that appear ready for the major league challenge. What they need to do: Give the young players a chance next season. While Brunswick has some decent players on the major league roster, none of them are real standouts. If the Legends embrace an overhaul in the lineup, the make-up this squad could be very different and younger. It should also help greatly improve their depth, which was an issue with this club this season. Here are some of the top prospects in Brunswick’s pipeline:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
First Round Draft Pick Update: 4th overall – OF Nicky Milbank (38/65). The 22-year old Wolseley-native was terrific in Double-A, batting .310/.380/.477, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 26 BB, 26 SO, 132 OPS+, 2.6 WAR in 66 GS and 239 AB. He played mostly in centerfield and was very solid (.988 PCT, 2.77 RNG, -0.9 ZR, 1.020 EFF in 542.0 INN). He was then promoted to Triple-A for the final 17 games of the season (.219/.286/.328, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB, 12 SO, 70 OPS+, -0.1 WAR). The Legends had him play a new position, first base (1.000 PCT, 6.75 RNG, 0.2 ZR, 1.027 EFF in 26.2 INN). Current prospect ranking: #11. --------   The Embro Suns enjoyed a winning record in March, the only month this season where they accomplished that feat, but it was simply a case of too little, too late. Although their 75-win total represented a modest improvement compared to the past few seasons, it did not prevent them from finishing in last place in the East for the first time in franchise history. This team was a study in contrasts. On offense, they were the top team in the United Leagues in terms of R/G (4.9) and Runs Scored (752) and were second in the Eastern League in HR (164), behind only Cobourg (174). Offense was not the problem. Why They Missed the Playoffs: For the second season in a row, the Suns were saddled with one of the worst-ranked pitching staffs in the United Leagues, allowing 729 runs for a 4.7 R/G average. And they were a woeful defensive team as well. One time prospects, such as 26-year old sophomore RHP Jun Kichida (4-17, 5.98 ERA, 155.0 IP, 1.67 WHIP, 4.29 FIP, 63 OPS+), took a major step backwards. Kichida showed some promise in his rookie season last year when he finished 2nd in the Eastern League Rookie of the Year Award voting, but this season he was reduced to reliever duties. His 17 losses were tied for the most this season with three other pitchers. What they need to do: Beef up their rotation and bullpen to complement a very competent lineup. While they don’t have any player on offense that can be truly be called a ‘superstar’, they do have depth. They had eight players on the roster that hit at least 11 or more home runs this season. Improving their defensive work wouldn’t hurt either. While their farm system is rated in the middle of the pact (9th overall) and they have a number of prospects that could make an impact on the roster in the near future, few, if any, are pitching prospects. That is the concern that rookie GM Eli Covert will need to address quickly if they want to end their now four-year playoff drought anytime soon. Below is a quick sketch of the Suns’ top prospects:
Notable Position Players
Notable Pitchers
Player of the Week Awards: March 2 – 1B Damien Whetter (.500, 9 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R) First Round Draft Pick Update: 7th overall – C/1B Thaddeus Cagahastian (31/51). Cagahastian enjoyed a heck of season in Double-A, batting .284/.342/.457, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 23 BB, 20 SO, 119 OPS+, 2.4 WAR in 77 GS and 282 AB. He spent the entire time behind the plate and showed he belonged (.994 PCT, 6.60 RNG, 0.9 ZR, 1.088 EFF in 678.2 INN). It’s not hard seeing the 22-year old promoted to Triple-A next season. Current prospect ranking: #68. -------- 
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04-20-2026, 12:49 AM
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Hall Of Famer
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1958-59 Eastern League End of Season Player Stats:
   
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Today, 12:24 AM
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#874 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: May 2002
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  The Western League regular season ended on a familiar note, as the Pulberry Trolleys and Sherburn Tigers finished 1st and 2nd in the standings for the fourth straight season. While the Trolleys had a relatively easy time securing top spot once again, the Tigers had to fend off both the Balmoral Giants and Cambria Cannons until the next-to-last day of the season to secure their fourth-consecutive playoff appearance. For Pulberry, this will be their sixth-consecutive playoff appearance and sixth-consecutive first-place finish. After becoming the first team in ULB history to win three straight United Cups last year, the Trolleys are looking to equal another record, namely winning four-straight League Pennants. The Brunswick Legends first achieved it from 1942 to 1945 while Kingston Pelicans achieved it from 1943 to 1946, and the Wolseley Unions accomplished it from 1949 to 1952. Of course, Pulberry has its sights on winning an unprecedented fourth United Cup and they have a chance to be the first to win it in four-straight years. Thus, the Sherburn Tigers are once again facing a formidable opponent who are driven to make history. The Tigers are making their sixth playoff appearance as well their fourth in a row. But unlike the Trolleys, Sherburn has never finished a season in first place and have yet to win a Pennant. This year, they won the Wild Card by the fewest wins in their history and finished 11 games back of Pulberry. During the regular season, the Tigers were much more competitive in the 15 matches against the Trolleys, going 7-8 and scoring 40 runs while allowing 54. That is an improvement from the season before, where they won just 4 games and were outscored 49 to 72. Like last season, Sherburn is dealing with an injury to a pitcher. No. 3 starter, 22-year old RHP Ben Buschlen (13-14, 4.11 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 3.45 FIP, 94 ERA+; Career Postseason: 3 GS, 0-1, 3.91 ERA, 23.0 IP, 1.39 WHIP, 3.14 FIP, 105 ERA+) strained his back late in the season and will not be available for at least the Pennant Series. 45-year old rookie Lee Ayling makes his first playoff appearance as manager. The Sherburn Tigers parted ways with Jamie Blair (400-370, .519) last offseason after five years at the helm. While Blair led the Tigers to three consecutive playoff appearances, they were unable to unseat the Trolleys to win their first Pennant. Thus, all eyes will be on the Tigers to see if a new voice in the clubhouse can make a difference this time around. For Ryo Ichikawa (1292-1022, .558), the beat goes on as the 53-year old skipper has established himself as one of the most successful managers in the United Leagues. With the Trolleys qualifying for the playoffs once again this season, Ichikawa has now set a new record for most playoff appearances by a manager with eight. Six of those appearances have come with Pulberry, while the other two came with the Embro Suns in 1945 and 1946. While the story may sound familiar – with Pulberry and Sherburn squaring off against each other for the fourth straight year and the Trolleys looking to make history – the Tigers meanwhile are looking to finally ‘flip the script’ and usurp the vaunted Trolleys and finally win a playoff series. Thus, the Series should be a dandy. Play ball! -------- April 1 – Game 1 For the 6th straight year, Trolleys Stadium hosts Game 1 under clear, warm skies. Pulberry’s ace, 23-year LHP Bart Ohara (6-3, 2.08 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 11 career playoff starts) takes the hill, while Sherburn responds with their ace, 35-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (2-3, 1 SV, 3.29 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 6 career playoff starts). Bottom of the 1st: Ellis Dibble lines a 1-1 change-up into short centerfield for a lead-off single. With one out, Aidan Thirkettle smashes the first pitch he sees, a 90-mph fastball out toward deep right center for a double. RF Albert Sulley reaches for it but it’s way over his head as it falls in and bangs off the wall. Dibble heads to third then races for home. Sulley fires it home but 1B Jay Durham cuts it off as Thirkettle bolts for third. His throw to third is not in time as Thirkettle opens the scoring with an RBI double. Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 1 Bottom of the 5th: With two out, Aidan Thirkettle lofts a 92-mph fastball out toward deep left centerfield. RF Ross Shewman waves off CF Leon Albrecht but then flubs the catch as Thirkettle pulls up into second. Cooper Tyson then squeaks a hot grounder into rightfield. Thirkettle takes third then sprints for home. Thirkettle slides in headfirst, beating out the tag from C Robert Kersey as Tyson takes second. Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 2 Top of the 9th: Vic Lewis leads off and fouls off five straight pitches before lining out to 1B Ellis Dibble. PH Brendan Blowers then punches a slider through the hole and into rightfield for a base hit. That ends Bart Ohara’s day as manager Ryo Ichikawa calls to the bullpen for RHP Quintiliano Galeo. Leon Albrecht then battles Galeo to a full count before smashing a line drive out toward first. But 1B Ellis Dibble is right there to catch it on the fly. Blowers tries to get back to first, but Dibble beats him, stepping on the base to complete the game-ending double play. Pulberry takes game 1, shutting out the Tigers. FINAL: Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 2     -------- April 2 – Game 2 Clear, warm skies return to Trolleys Stadium for Game 2. After being stonewalled in a tough loss in Game 1, the Tigers call upon their No. 2 starter, 33-year old RHP Kieran Bunce (1-4, 3.49 ERA, 1.24 WHIP in 5 career playoff games.) for Game 2, while Pulberry’s No. 2 starter, 31-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (7-3, 2.78 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 14 career playoff starts) takes the mound. Bottom of the 1st: Yoshimi Sekozawa slices a 90-mph fastball into rightfield for a one-out single as it falls in before RF Albert Sulley can reach it. Aidan Thirkettle then breaks his bat on a chopper headed down the first-base line. 1B Jay Durham scoops it up and retires Thirkettle as Sekozawa takes second. Cooper Tyson then slices the first offering to leftfield past a diving SS Dwayne Vick. Sekozawa takes third, then heads for home, beating out the throw from RF Ross Shewman to open the scoring. Paul England then jumps all over the first he sees and sends it soaring out toward deep rightfield. RF Albert Sulley races back to the warning track but the ball hits high off the wall. Tyson takes third then breaks for home without a throw as England pulls up into second with an RBI double. Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 2 Top of the 5th: Sherburn finally ends their scoring drought. Robert Kersey leads off and slaps a grounder out toward short. SS Sean Abercrombie dives to knock it down then staggers to his feet to throw to first. But 1B Ellis Dibble can’t hang onto it as Kersey reaches safely on the error. Dwayne Vick then launches a 2-2 slider into the gap in deep right center. CF Cooper Tyson chases after it, but the ball sails over his head and kicks off the wall. Kersey moves up to third as Vick cruises into second. With Albert Sulley up to bat, Taylor Folkard uncorks a wild pitch. C Paul England tracks it all the way to the backstop, but Kersey slides into home safely as Vick takes third. Sulley then pounds a 91-mph fastball up the middle past a drawn-in infield for a base hit. Vick comes home to tie up the game. After Albert Sulley moves up to second on a sac bunt by Ross Shewman, Dwyane Vick punches a line drive out toward short rightfield for a base hit. Sulley moves up to third and is then sent home. Sulley slides in safely as the throw from RF Joe Riding is off target. Sherburn 3 - Pulberry 2 Top of the 7th: Albert Sulley draws a lead-off walk. Ross Shewman then sends a hard grounder that just stays fair down the third base line and into the corner. LF Aidan Thirkettle hurries the ball back in, holding Sulley at third while Shewman pulls up into second. Dwayne Vick then lofts one out to leftfield. Although not that deep, the speedy Sulley tags up at third and races home easily as Thirkettle simply throws the ball back to the infield. Sherburn 4 - Pulberry 2 Top of the 8th: Jay Durham drives a 1-2 slider out toward the gap in deep left center. LF Aidan Thirkettle makes the long run, but it sails over his head and caroms off the wall. Durham races around first and beats the relay from SS Sean Abercrombie, sliding in for one-out double. That ends Taylor Folkard’s afternoon as RHP Quintiliano Galeo comes on in relief. Robert Kersey then shoots a line drive just over the head of SS Sean Abercrombie into short left centerfield for a base hit as Durham takes third. Dwayne Vick then lofts his second sac fly of the game, this one to rightfield. Durham tags up and scores without a throw. Sherburn 5 - Pulberry 2 Bottom of the 9th: Guan-cai Zhuo punches the first offering from RHP Ramón Ortíz past a diving 2B Vic Lewis and into rightfield for a lead-off single. Sean Abercrombie then sends a sharp grounder past the pitcher toward second and into centerfield for a base hit as Zhuo takes second. After PH Ángelo Ríos and Ellis Dibble fly out to right and centerfield respectively, Yoshimi Sekozawa jumps on an 89-mph slider and punches it down the line into rightfield for a base hit, loading the bases with two out. That sets the stage for Aidan Thirkettle, who drives a 1-1 fastball out toward deep leftfield. LF Ross Shewman races back for it but it lands 397 ft. into the jubilant leftfield bleachers for Walk-Off Grand Slam home run. Pulberry comes from behind to take the second game in stunning fashion as the Series now heads to Sherburn. FINAL: Sherburn 5 - Pulberry 6     -------- April 4 – Game 3 Although cloudy, no rain is in the forecast and very mild temperatures set the stage for Game 3 at The Paramount in Sherburn. The Tigers are looking to see if some home cooking can change their fortunes. Pulberry taps their No. 3 starter, 29-year old LHP Dermott Rathbone (3-1, 9 SV, 3.82 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 2 career playoff starts). Sherburn calls upon 33-year old RHP Paul Woodruff (1-1, 1 SV, 4.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 2 career playoff starts) to try and crack the Trolley’s code. Bottom of the 1st: Leon Albrecht lines a 1-0 fastball into shallow right center for a lead-off base hit. After Dwayne Vick moves Albrecht up to second on a sac bunt down the first base line, Adrian Flynn slaps a hard grounder past a diving 2B Yoshima Sekozawa into rightfield for a base hit. Albrecht moves up to third, then breaks for home. RF Joe Riding whips the ball toward home, but Albrecht slides in safely for the game’s first run as Flynn moves up to second. Jay Durham battles Rathbone for 12 pitches, including 7 foul balls before drawing a walk. Robert Kersey then taps one out to 2B Yoshima Sekozawa and is thrown out at 1B as the runners advance. Ross Shewman then jumps on 88-mph fastball and launches it to deep right center. CF Cooper Tyson races back for it but it lands 396 ft. into the right centerfield bleachers for a 3-run home run. Pulberry 0 – Sherburn 4 Bottom of the 4th: Leon Albrecht hits a grounder to the right side with one out. 1B Ellis Dibble fields it and tosses it to SP Rathbone covering first. But Dibble’s throw is off the mark and Rathbone can’t handle it. Albrecht reaches safely on the error. After Dwayne Vick pops out 2B Yoshima Sekozawa, Adrian Flynn walks, moving Albrecht up to second. Jay Durham then turns on a 90-mph fastball and sends it soaring 361 ft. into the rightfield stands for a 3-run homer. Pulberry 0 – Sherburn 7 Bottom of the 6th: Adrian Flynn hits a scorcher towards the right side. 2B Yoshima Sekozawa intercepts it but is unable to corral it and doesn’t risk the throw as Flynn picks up an infield hit with two out. Jay Durham then jumps on RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin’s first offering and sends it soaring out toward deep right center. RF Joe Riding races back and lunges for it but he comes up short as the ball skips to the wall. Flynn hustles to third then breaks for home. He scores without a throw as Durham pulls up into second for an RBI double. Pulberry 0 – Sherburn 8 Bottom of the 7th: Ross Shewman leads off with a 5-pitch walk. Albert Sulley then slices one down the leftfield line as LF Aidan Thirkettle tries to track it down. Shewman moves up to third then heads home without a throw as Sulley pulls up into second. Vic Lewis hits one sharply toward first that gets through into leftfield for a base hit as Sulley moves up to third before putting on the brakes. After Paul Woodruff strikes out for the first out, Leon Albrecht pounces on a 3-1 fastball and sends it soaring to deep left center. CF Cooper Tyson hustles to the wall and lunges for it but it falls 379 ft. into the stands for a three-run home run. That prompts Pulberry manager Ryo Ichikawa to pull RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin in favour of RHP Damon Pinney. Pulberry 0 – Sherburn 12 Top of the 9th: Paul England leads off and grounds out to SS Dwayne Vick. Joe Riding then strikes out looking. Francis Jones battles Woodruff to a full count but breaks his bat grounding out to 3B Adrian Flynn for the final out. Paul Woodruff goes the distance as the Tigers roar their way back into the Series, obliterating the Trolleys. FINAL: Pulberry 0 – Sherburn 12     -------- April 5 – Game 4 The weather is a carbon copy of yesterday, with warm and cloudy skies greeting the fans and players alike at The Paramount. The Tigers are hoping that Game 4 will be a carbon copy of yesterday as well, as Sheburn easily derailed the Trolleys in stunning fashion. Pulberry looks to No. 4 starter, 38-year old RHP Robin Medellin (6-3, 3.54 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 16 career playoff starts with Braeland City Monarchs and Pulberry) to get them back on track. Sherburn calls upon to their No. 4 starter, 26-year old LHP Kozue Saito (1-0, 2.75 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 3 career playoff starts). Top of the 2nd: Aidan Thirkettle hits a slow dribbler toward the right side but uses his speed to beat out the throw from Kozue Saito for a lead-off infield hit. Paul England then lofts one out to left field that lands in front of LF Ross Shewman for a base hit as Thirkettle moves up to second. After Joe Riding strikes out swinging, Francis Jones then belts a 3-1 cutter down the rightfield line. RF Albert Sulley lunges for it but it sails past him and rolls into the corner. Thirkettle comes into score. England moves up to third and is waved home as Jones knocks in two with a double. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 0 Bottom of the 3rd: Vic Lewis battles Robin Medellin to a full count before driving one out toward left centerfield. LF Aidan Thirkettle lunges for it but it’s out his reach and it bounces to the wall as Lewis pulls up into second with a lead-off double. After Kozue Saito strikes out swinging, Leon Albrecht grounds out to 2B Yoshima Sekozawa as Lewis moves up to third. Adrian Flynn then sends 1-0 fastball soaring into deep right centerfield with RF Joe Riding in hot pursuit. Lewis crosses the plate to get Sherburn on the board as Flynn slides safely into second. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 1 Bottom of the 5th: Vic Lewis leads off and sends a 0-2 slider into shallow rightfield for a base hit. With two out, Adrian Flynn punches a 0-2 pitch into leftfield for a base hit. LF Aidan Thirkettle chases it into the corner. Lewis tears around third and scores the tying run as Flynn pulls up into second. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 2 Bottom of the 7th: Ross Shewman leads off and works the count full before being hit by Medellin. Shewman then takes second when Vic Lewis grounds out to 3B Francis Jones. PH Carlos Cuevas then steps in and crushes an 0-2 circle changeup toward the gap in right centerfield. CF Cooper Tyson races back but all he can do is watch as it sails 398 ft. into the stands for 2-run home run. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 4 Top of the 9th: Paul England leads off and rolls one back up the middle. But SS Dwayne Vick pounces on it and throws England out at first. Joe Riding then draws a full-count walk bringing the tying run to the plate. But Francis Jones flies out to LF Ross Shewman in shallow leftfield on the very next pitch and Sean Abercrombie grounds out to 2B Vic Lewis for the final out to end the threat. Sherburn wins its second in a row to tie up the Series. FINAL: Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 4    
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