Here Comes The Paragon Baseball League!

[luckymann]

Still super tight across the board with no lead greater than two games in any of the divisions and only two teams more than eight games out of first.

Monthly Award Winners

Northeast League

• Batter – Buck Leonard (Virginia): 427 / 5 HR / 17 RBI
• Pitcher – Johan Santana (Washington): 4-1 / 2.61 / 30 K / 41.1 IP

Southwest League

• Batter – Mike Trout (Seattle): 333 / 8 HR / 26 RBI
• Pitcher – Fernando Valenzuela (Portland): 3-1 / 1.84 / 48 K / 49 IP

Weekly Award Winners

• 5th: Frank Thomas (Carolina) / Mike Trout (Seattle)
• 12th: Larry Walker (Carolina) / Lou Gehrig (Kansas City)
• 19th: Ted Williams (Connecticut) / Mike Trout (Seattle)
• 26th: Buck Leonard (Virginia) / Mickey Mantle (Portland)

Milestones

• 200 HR: Mike Trout, Aaron Judge

Top 20s

[luckymann]

Another season of futility beckons for the Florida Panthers, who are still yet to finish higher than third. Some good players among them, most notably Pujols, but they remain well off the pace set by Atlanta and KC.

Still, another one of their stars is The Toddfather, having his best campaign in some time, and he puts together a lovely game here in an 11-6 victory over fellow cellar-dwellers New Orleans.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

Some weeding out is in process but only toward the bottom of each division. The races themselves continue to be furious and look like being so right to the very end.

Monthly Award Winners

Northeast League

• Batter – Buck Leonard (Virginia): 336 / 8 HR / 23 RBI
• Pitcher – Old Hoss Radbourn (Carolina): 6-0 / 1.98 / 14 K / 50 IP

Southwest League

• Batter – Billy Hamilton (Atlanta): 432 / 1 HR / 25 RBI
• Pitcher – Cole Hamels (Portland): 4-1 / 1.54 / 43 K / 46.2 IP

Weekly Award Winners

• 3rd: Arky Vaughan (Boston) / Joey Votto (Atlanta)
• 10th: Fred Clarke (Boston) / Joe Morgan (New Orleans)
• 17th: Turkey Stearnes (Boston) / Tony Phillips (Kansas City)
• 24th: Larry Walker (Carolina) / Rogers Hornsby (Portland)
• 31st: Frank Robinson (New Jersey) / Billy Hamilton (Atlanta)

Other Observations and Points of Interest

• Nellie Fox hits his first PBL home run.
• Sam Leever gets his first win since 1963 and 8th overall, Tom Zachary his 5th, Jesse Tannehill and John Candelaria each his 7th. Red Lucas also pops up for his 8th career win.
• It takes him 270 AB, but Babe Ruth finally hits his first homer of the season. He hits one the next day as well for good measure.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

This engrossing 1967 PBL season enters the stretch with all four races still up for grabs. Oddly, every team in the North is well below 500, with the 66-72 Beacons and Gothams tied for the lead in a bunched division. A 21-7 August has seen the Panthers give themselves some hope in the South, while the East and West look races in two.


Monthly Award Winners

Northeast League

• Batter – Tris Speaker (Indianapolis): 438 / 0 HR / 13 RBI
• Pitcher – Eustaquio Pedroso (Los Angeles): 4-0 / 1.08 / 25 K / 50 IP

Southwest League

• Batter – Albert Pujols (Florida): 319 / 8 HR / 29 RBI
• Pitcher – Pud Galvin (Florida): 6-0 / 2.12 / 15 K / 51 IP

Weekly Award Winners

• 7th: Gary Sheffield (New Jersey) / Shoeless Joe Jackson (New Orleans)
• 14th: Frank Thomas (Carolina) / Bill Dickey (Las Vegas)
• 21st: Al Kaline (New Jersey) / Rogers Hornsby (Portland)
• 28th: John Olerud (Carolina) / Richie Ashburn (Seattle)

Milestones

• 200 HR: Frank Robinson, Johnny Mize, Barry Bonds

Other Observations and Points of Interest

• Red Ruffing gets his first win since 1964 and 6th overall.
• Jim Whitney – one of the PBL’s few two-way players – hits his 4th career HR, and then his 5th later in the month.

Top 20s





Standings & Leaders

[luckymann]

No-no number 13 for the PBL and the first of the season. It's the third for Portland and the third against Seattle.

[luckymann]

With all four division races seemingly destined to go down to the wire, every game counts for those involved. Boston - currently enjoying a narrow lead in the North, which is the tightest of the races with just 5 games separating them from last-placed Connecticut - most definitely falls into this category, making this stellar effort from Ed Delahanty all the more precious.

[luckymann]

OK, so this has easily been the most fascinating PBL season yet and these division races are borderline ridiculous, so I thought we'd look at how things play out over the final three scheduled games.

Here's where things stand at the outset.




30 September, 1967

• North: New York and Boston both lose, as does Connecticut. New Jersey wins.
• East: Indy and Carolina both win. Indy clinches, ending Carolina's hopes of a fourpeat.
• South: KC and Atlanta both win.
• West: Portland wins, Vegas loses.

1 October, 1967

• North: New York loses again, as does Connecticut, eliminating them. Boston and New Jersey win.
• South: KC and Atlanta both lose.
• West: Portland loses, Vegas wins and clinches.

2 October, 1967

• North: New Jersey loses. New York wins. Boston wins and clinches.
• South: Atlanta loses. KC wins and clinches.

[luckymann]

Which leaves the final standings in their entirety as follows:




September Award Winners

Northeast League

• Batter – Charlie Gehringer (Indianapolis): 356 / 5 HR / 27 RBI
• Pitcher – Doc White (Boston): 5-0 / 2.02 / 28 K / 49 IP

Southwest League

• Batter – Jesse Burkett (Las Vegas): 418 / 2 HR / 13 RBI
• Pitcher – Pud Galvin (Florida): 5-1 / 2.44 / 16 K / 48 IP

Weekly Award Winners

• 4th: Reggie Smith (Carolina) / Jesse Burkett (Las Vegas)
• 11th: Buck Leonard (Virginia) / Jim O’Rourke (Kansas City)
• 18th: Goose Goslin (Indianapolis) / Tom Seaver (Florida)
• 25th: Wade Boggs (Washington) / Buck Ewing (New Orleans)

• 2nd: Ed Delahanty (Boston) / Billy Hamilton (Atlanta)

Milestones

• 200 HR: Willie McCovey, Cody Bellinger, Mickey Mantle.

Other Observations and Points of Interest

• Mariano Rivera gets just his 3rd career win.

Tris Speaker wins his first batting title with a career-high 365 and sets a new single-season bWAR mark with 9.2, while Billy Hamilton repeats with a 371 mark, the highest in league history, as is his 481 OBP.

Buck Leonard and Albert Pujols tie for the most HR with 33, while Barry Bonds' 117 RBI is the highest.

Christy Mathewson leads the PBL with an ERA of 2.64, Pud Galvin and Claude Passeau each post 21 wins and Chris Sale is the strikeout champ with 274. Bill Donovan's 49 saves

Roger Clemens earns a record he surely didn't want with 23 losses, while Jose Mendez's 37 GS is also a new high.


Final Top 20s and Leaders

[luckymann]

NE League

Indianapolis Arrows (104-64) v Boston Beacons (81-87)

Best of seven, Arrows with home-field advantage.

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Game 5




Indianapolis wins series 4 games to 1

SERIES MVP: Fred Clarke (BOST)

SW League

Kansas City Blues (95-73) v Las Vegas Lizards (89-79)

Best of seven, Blues with home-field advantage.

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Game 5




Las Vegas wins series 4 games to 1

SERIES MVP: Willie Keeler (LASV)

[luckymann]

Indianapolis Arrows v Las Vegas Lizards

Best of nine, Arrows with home-field advantage.

The Arrows have had a dominant season, at or near the top of almost every metric, both offensive and defensive, and go into this series as heavy favourites. That said, the Lizards have two PBL Championships to their name and know what it takes at this point of the season, so they can’t be written off – especially with guys like Bonds and Dickey at their disposal. I’m nevertheless tipping the Arrows in 7.

[luckymann]

Game 1 in Indianapolis

LATE BURST GETS ARROWS OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT

WP: Satchel Paige (1-1) 7 IP / 5 H / 1 ER / 7 K
LP: Bobby Mathews (1-1)
SV: Bill Donovan (4)


INDI: Goose Goslin 3-4 / 2B / 3 RBI. Tris Speaker 2-4 / 2B / RBI. Mickey Cochrane 2 RBI. Edgar Martinez, Nap Lajoie 2-4.

LASV: Willie Keeler 3-3 / 3B


PotG: Goose Goslin (INDI)

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Game 2 in Indianapolis

INDY SEES OFF SPIRITED LIZARDS TO TAKE 2-0 LEAD

WP: Justin Verlander (2-0)
LP: Adam Wainwright (1-1)
SV: Jim Bunning (2)


INDI: Charlie Gehringer 2-4 / HR [1] / 4 RBI. Ozzie Smith 2-4 / RBI. Mickey Cochrane 2-4. Mookie Betts 2-5.

LASV: Cal Ripken jr 2-3 / solo HR [1]. Willie Keeler 2-4 / 2B. Dan Brouthers 2 RBI.


PotG: Charlie Gehringer (INDI)

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Game 3 in Indianapolis

INDY IN CRUISE CONTROL WITH 9-3 VICTORY

WP: Kevin Appier (2-0)
LP: Martin Dihigo (0-1)


INDI: Charlie Gehringer 3-run HR [2]. Mookie Betts 3-5 / 2 RBI. Ozzie Smith 2 2B. Tris Speaker 2-4 / RBI. Edgar Martinez solo HR [1]. Goose Goslin solo HR [1]. Nap Lajoie 2-4.

PotG: Mookie Betts (INDI)

[luckymann]

Game 4 in Las Vegas

ARROWS ON TARGET FOR MAIDEN TITLE WITH 4TH STRAIGHT

WP: Eustaquio Pedroso (2-1) 7 IP / 3 H / 1 ER / 2 K
LP: Jose Mendez (1-2)
SV: Bill Donovan (5)


INDI: Mickey Cochrane 2-4.
LASV: Dan Brouthers 2-4 / 2B. Rod Carew 2 RBI.

PotG: Eustaquio Pedroso (INDI)

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Game 5 in Las Vegas

VEGAS FINALLY GETS A WIN TO KEEP SERIES ALIVE

WP: Bobby Mathews (2-1)
LP: Satchel Paige (1-1)
SV: Ron Guidry (2)


LASV: Rod Carew 3-4 / RBI. Jesse Burkett 2-5 / 2 RBI. Martin Dihigo 2-4 / 2B / RBI. Bill Dickey 2-4 / RBI. Sammy Sosa solo HR [1].
INDI: Nap Lajoie 2-4 / 3B / RBI. Tris Speaker 2-4 / 2B / RBI. Ozzie Smith 3-5 / 2B. Mookie Betts 2-4 / RBI. Adrian Beltre 2-4.

PotG: Rod Carew (LASV)

[luckymann]

Game 6 in Las Vegas

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED AS ARROWS WIN IT ALL

WP: Justin Verlander (3-0) 7.1 IP / 6 H / 1 ER / 5 K
LP: Adam Wainwright (1-2)
SV: Bill Donovan (6)


INDI: Nap Lajoie 2-4 / 3B / RBI. Charlie Gehringer 2-4 / 2B / RBI. Adrian Beltre solo HR [1]. Tris Speaker 2-3 / 2B.
LASV: Vladimir Guerrero solo HR [2]. Willie Keeler 2-4.


PotG: Justin Verlander (INDI)


INDIANAPOLIS WINS SERIES 5-1
SERIES MVP: Tris Speaker (INDI)

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Gold Glove

Platinum Stick

Veeck Medal - Manager

NE: Sparky Anderson (Indianapolis)
SW: Ralph Houk (Las Vegas)

Chadwick Medal - Best Reliever

Adams Medal - Pitcher of the Year

First win for Big Six, fifth for The Claw.

Rickey Medal - Most Valuable Player

Rajah goes back-to-back, Spoke nabs his first.

[luckymann]

Lou Piniella (Seattle), Mike Scioscia (LA) and Bruce Bochy (Virginia) each gets cut.

They are replaced by Miller Huggins, Dick Williams and Al Lopez, respectively - all first-time PBL Skippers.