National Baseball League

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San Diego Padres: 2nd NL Pennant
1906 1920

So here we are… the San Diego Padres. The team nobody — and I mean nobody — had in the World Series conversation. Not the Giants. Not the Reds. Not the Cardinals. The Padres.
They sweep St. Louis. They sweep San Francisco. They sweep Cincinnati. Nine games, nine wins. 9–0 in the postseason. That’s not just winning — that’s dominance. That’s the kid who was picked last in gym class suddenly running the floor and dropping 30 on you.
Think about this: it’s their second NL pennant ever. First one in 14 years. Fourteen years! A franchise known more for missed opportunities and what-ifs is now perfect in October.
Santiago Velasquez is the MVP of the NLCS. He’s hitting .529, getting on base more than half the time, and he’s been the spark. But the story isn’t just Velasquez — it’s the collective. It’s Eric Watt making plays. It’s Macario, it’s Gargallo, it’s Sporn. It’s a lineup that has gone from anonymous to America’s nightmare.
This is what sports does better than anything else. It surprises you. Nobody expected San Diego here. Nobody. And yet they’re the last National League team standing.
The Padres are hot, confident, and dangerous. They don’t know if it’s Cleveland or the Yankees waiting for them, but I’ll tell you this: right now, San Diego is the story of October.

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Cleveland Indians: 2nd AL Pennant
1919 1920

Mike: Well, Dog, just like we told ya, Cleveland was the deeper team. Yankees had a nice run, gave you a little bit of drama, but at the end of the day, the Indians are just better. They win it in six, 14–7 today, and it wasn’t even close.

Mad Dog: Mikey, Mikey, I mean COME ON! The Yankees givin’ up fourteen runs in a clincher? You can’t win playoff games when your staff is gettin’ lit up like that! Cantu, Andrade, West – ALL of ‘em! They were throwin’ BATTIN’ PRACTICE!

Mike: Yeah, but Dog, look at Cleveland. They’re the defending champs, they got the lineup, they got the arms. Justin Laird — series MVP, big hits all over the place — he’s just deliverin’ every time they need it.

Mad Dog: Oh Laird was FABULOUS! He was FABULOUS! Four hits today, drivin’ in runs left and right! And how about Cobos? How about Holdcraft? The whole lineup’s clickin’, Mikey, the whole lineup!

Mike: Yankees had the home runs late, Orosco, Moser with a couple, Kim, Shackford. But it’s all window dressing when you’re down double digits in the middle innings.

Mad Dog: That’s right, Mike! The game was over in the third! OVER! Indians put up three in the second, three in the third, two in the fourth, three in the fifth — I mean, the Yankees couldn’t stop the bleeding.

Mike: So now, Dog, we get Cleveland back in the World Series, second year in a row, goin’ up against San Diego.

Mad Dog: SAN DIEGO! Nine and oh! The Cinderella Padres against the champs! That’s your matchup, Mikey! That’s your SERIES!

Mike: Should be fun. But right now, Cleveland looks every bit the favorite to repeat.

Mad Dog: Ohhhhh, they look like a MACHINE, Mike. An absolute MACHINE!

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1920 World Series

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“Welcome back everybody, Jacobs Field, Game 1 of the World Series… and the Cleveland Indians pick up right where they left off. Final here: Indians 6, Padres 3.
J.P. Busch, your winner tonight, seven innings, five hits, a couple runs, worked out of some jams, and the Tribe takes the opener. He had the Padres off balance most of the night — or maybe they were just still celebrating that sweep over the Reds, who knows.
Now it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Third inning, Busch hangs one, Moreno smacks a triple, Padres push across three. Crowd got a little nervous. But then — boom! — shortstop Scott Arena puts one into the cheap seats, two-run shot, cuts it to a one-run game.
Then came the seventh. Pat Kresse at the plate, two outs, man on third, base hit up the middle, Indians take the lead. Fans go nuts. That, folks, was your ballgame. Add a couple more in the eighth for insurance, call it a night.
Padres couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat after the third inning. Nine men left on base, and you’re not winning a World Series game that way.
So, Game 1 to Cleveland. They’re up 1–0 in the best of seven. Busch your star, Kresse the clutch hit, Arena the long ball. Tomorrow we’ll do it all over again right here.
Indians 6, Padres 3. Tribe leads the Series.
...and for those of you keeping score at home — if you are, you really need to get out more.”

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“Helloooo baseball fans, welcome to Jacobs Field where the Cleveland Indians have just taken Game 2 of the World Series, 6–1 over the San Diego Padres.
Let’s get right to it — Ryan Phipps, first baseman, star of the night. Three hits, two walks, the guy reached base more times than I’ve had hot dogs today. Which, if you’re keeping score at home, is saying something.
And how about the kid? Matt Holdcraft. First overall pick a few years back, finally showing why. Third inning, he unloads one into the left field seats, solo homer. Crowd went bananas, beer sales spiked, and suddenly the Padres looked like they’d rather be back on the beach.
Padres? Well, they tried. Josh Sporn doubled one in during the sixth, and that was about all she wrote. They left more runners stranded than a broken-down trolley on Euclid Avenue. Eight men left on base, and you don’t win ballgames that way, folks.
On the mound, Jun-Seo Kim for Cleveland — steady, sharp, cool as a cucumber. Six and a third, one run, four strikeouts, and he gets the win. The bullpen locked it down from there. Padres’ starter Dave Monnin? Ehhh, let’s just say his ERA ballooned faster than my bar tab at happy hour.
So Cleveland takes it, six to one, and they’re now up two games to none in this best-of-seven series. Next stop, sunny San Diego. The Padres better find their bats or this thing’s gonna be over quicker than my last marriage.
Final again from Cleveland: Indians 6, Padres 1. Series moves to the coast.
And remember, folks — if you’re scoring at home… you really need to get out more.”

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“Good afternoon baseball fans, welcome to PETCO Park where the Padres finally showed up to the World Series. And boy, did they ever. San Diego wallops Cleveland by a score of 9–1, cutting the Tribe’s lead in this series to 2 games to 1.
The story? Enrique Moreno. Four hits on the day — single, double, couple more singles, and oh yeah — a moonshot in the third inning. Three runs scored, three driven in, the guy basically carried San Diego on his back. If he plays like this the rest of the way, Cleveland better start booking tee times.
Santiago Velasquez chipped in with a pair of hits and an RBI, Berto Gargallo doubled, stole a base, scored twice, and probably sold hot dogs between innings. Everybody in that Padre lineup got in on the fun — except poor Carlos Villa, who went 0-for-4 and looked like he was swinging a rolled-up newspaper.
Meanwhile for Cleveland? Well, Mike Niccolai wasn’t fooling anybody. Five and a third innings, nine hits, five runs, one ball launched halfway to Tijuana. The bullpen didn’t exactly slam the door either — Girard gave up three in a blink, Melanson added another, and by then the only suspense was whether the beer vendors would run out before the ninth inning.
On the other side, San Diego’s Jake Goebel was dealing. Six innings, eight punchouts, only one run allowed, and then Carrasco came in and slammed the door for a three-inning save. That’s how you pitch with a lead.
So the Padres make a statement here at home — they’re not dead yet, folks. Cleveland still up 2–1 in the series, but San Diego’s got momentum and another game tomorrow right here in PETCO.
Final score from San Diego: Padres 9, Indians 1. The fish tacos are hot, the beer is cold, and this World Series just got a whole lot more interesting.
And remember fans — if you’re scoring at home… get a life.”

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“Well folks, if you came to PETCO Park today looking for fireworks, I hope you got here early — because once Cleveland’s Matt Holdcraft parked one in the seats on the first pitch of the ballgame, it was basically lights out from there. Indians roll over the Padres, 8–0, and now sit one win away from back-to-back World Series titles.
Let’s talk about Jesus Becerra. This guy is about five-foot-nine, a buck-sixty soaking wet, and he made the Padres look like they were swinging wiffle ball bats. Eight and a third innings, two hits, six strikeouts, and about 114 pitches of pure dominance. By the time he left in the ninth, San Diego fans were begging for mercy.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s offense? Oh, they showed up. Holdcraft goes three-for-four with a homer, Cobos clears the bases with a triple, Arena hits one into the cheap seats, and P. Kresse legs out a triple in the seventh just to rub salt in the wound. Eight runs on nine hits, and believe me, it felt like eighty.
On the flip side, poor Frankie Adame started for San Diego, and after one inning, his ERA was already begging for a priest. Calderon came in later and… well, let’s just say he lit the match and handed Cleveland the gasoline.
The Padres, bless their hearts, scratched out just three hits all day. Gargallo had one, Velasquez another, and Watt the last. Everyone else? Nada. Moreno, the hero of Game 3, went 0-for-4 and looked like he’d forgotten which end of the bat to hold.
So, the Padres are now down 3-1 in the series, and unless they find nine guys named Cy Young in that clubhouse tomorrow, this thing could be over real fast.
Final again from PETCO Park: Cleveland 8, San Diego 0. And remember fans — if you’re scoring at home, it was a total waste of time.”

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Cleveland Indians: 1920 World Series Champions (2nd title)
1919 1920

“Well folks, it’s all over but the drinking! The Cleveland Indians—yeah, the Cleveland Indians—are once again on top of the baseball world. They’ve done it! They have completed the repeat. They’ve knocked off the San Diego Padres, five to one in ten innings, and for the second time in franchise history, the Tribe are World Champions.
How about that tenth inning, huh? Cleveland put up four runs like it was batting practice, and the Padres looked about as lively as a Halloween pumpkin on November first. Padres fans came to PETCO Park hoping for a little late-inning magic, but they got about as much spark as my ex-wife’s love life.
Big nights for Holdcraft, Kresse, and Phipps—those guys came through when it counted. And J.P. Busch, man, he shoved it for seven innings before Garcia shut the door. On the other side, San Diego’s bullpen folded faster than a cheap lawn chair.
So start the parade in Cleveland, roll out the barrels, and for the love of Chief Wahoo, somebody hide the champagne from Jobu before he drinks it all.
Final again from San Diego: Indians 5, Padres 1. Cleveland takes the series four games to one. They’re champions of the world, and I’m just about outta beer. See ya next year, folks!”

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1920 Awards

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All-Time Awards