Here Comes The Paragon Baseball League!

[luckymann]

The brief Showalter tenure at the Grays is over, with Buck leaving the way he came: in mid-season, with Washington in last place. A 187-301 record in between tells the whole story.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

Well, with just 7 games to go two of the races - the North, won by Boston, and the South, won by KC - are in the bag.

The other two, however, look like this:

Let's see how things swing on a daily basis from here on in.

[luckymann]

Wins to Indy and Carolina maintain their status quo, while the Lizards reduce their MN to 6 and put Seattle on the brink, with Portland also losing to Rocket and the Canaries.

[luckymann]

Travel day today, so no games. Instead, here are the awards details for the previous month.

September Award Winners

Northeast League

• Batter – Buck Leonard (Virginia): 312 / 11 HR / 27 RBI
• Pitcher – Mike Mussina (Virginia): 4-0 / 2.85 / 25 K / 47.1 IP

Southwest League

• Batter – Rogers Hornsby (Portland): 361 / 5 HR / 20 RBI
• Pitcher – Roger Clemens (Los Angeles): 4-0 / 1.74 / 35 K / 46.2 IP

Weekly Award Winners

• 2nd: Frank Robinson (New Jersey) / Billy Hamilton (Atlanta)
• 9th: George Davis (Carolina) / Ernie Banks (New Orleans)
• 16th: Buck Leonard (Virginia) / Rogers Hornsby (Portland)
• 23rd: Darrell Porter (New Jersey) / Rogers Hornsby (Portland)
• 30th: Aaron Judge (New York) / Todd Helton (Florida)

[luckymann]

In what could prove a season-defining series, the Trips draw first blood and get level, while the Lizards stumble at LA and are made to pay with Portland winning to put them into a tie. Seattle is all but buried with another loss.

[luckymann]

Caro wins again to make it 100 for the year and get their noses in front, while the Lizards play their "Get out of Jail" card with a late win over the Canaries. The Stags put themselves in the hot seat with a messy loss to the F-birds, while Seattle loses again and is officially gone.

[luckymann]

The Triplets show the nerveless and clinical professionalism for which they have become renowned, dispatching Indy for the third straight game to take a stranglehold on the East.

That leaves the standings looking thus entering the final series:

[luckymann]

Indy's insipid capitulation is almost complete with a belting at the hands of Boston, but Carolina also lose at New York to keep the race alive. LA and Portland both win, with the Stags' a 14-inning thriller at Florida, keeping the Lizards one to the good.

[luckymann]

Another Arrows loss officially ends their challenge, even though Carolina also loses at the Gothams. Meanwhile, a Lizards loss combined with a Stags win puts them all square for the final game. A tiebreaker looms large here.

[luckymann]

No need for extras here as Portland gets through with a win to the Lizards' loss.

Carolina's Frank Thomas and Pops Lloyd of Florida win the 1968 season's final weekly awards.

[luckymann]

And so the final standings are as follows:




It is amazing that Carolina nearly didn't win the East, given their vast run diff superiority over Indy. Their negative 4 Pythag speaks volumes.

George Sisler wins his second batting title, and first since the 1961 inaugural PBL season, while Billy Hamilton wins his third, all successive since 1966.

Virginia's Buck Leonard literally smashes the HR title, with his 46 ten more than his nearest rivals, Larry Walker and Johnny Mize, and falls just two shy of the all-time season record. His 127 RBI also lead the league.

Christy Mathewson and Nap Rucker tie for the most wins with 22, while Chris Sale edges out Fernando Valenzuela 260-256 to be the King of K and Bill Donovan once again records the most saves with 52, almost catching Bob Friend's record of 53.

And just a quick update at Washington, where Jim Leyland has taken over the managing reins.


Final Top 20s and Leaders

[luckymann]

NE League

Carolina Triplets (102-66) v Boston Beacons (88-80)

Best of seven, Triplets with home-field advantage.

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Game 5



Game 6



Game 7




Carolina wins series 4 games to 3

SERIES MVP: Larry Walker (CARO)

SW League

Kansas City Blues (99-69) v Portland Stags (85-83)

Best of seven, Blues with home-field advantage.

Game 1



Game 2



Game 3



Game 4



Game 5



Game 6



Game 7




Kansas City wins series 4 games to 3

SERIES MVP: Lou Gehrig (KANC)

[luckymann]

Carolina Triplets v Kansas City Blues

Best of nine, Triplets with home-field advantage.

I'm not sure if these two groups will have anything left after surviving those astonishing League Championship Series - KC in particular; they looked gone for all money not once but twice, and yet somehow managed to find a way past a ferociously brave Stags outfit.

For the neutrals, we get to see the two best sides this year duking it out and I honestly hope it goes down to the wire. Trips in eight for mine.

[luckymann]

Game 1 in Carolina

TRIPS RIDE HOSS MASTERPIECE FOR GAME 1 WIN

WP: Old Hoss Radbourn (2-0) 9 IP / 4 H / 0 ER / 4 K
LP: Pete Alexander (1-2)


CARO: Larry Walker 2-5 / 2-run HR [4]. Roger Bresnahan 3-3 / RBI. Joe Cronin 2 RBI. John Olerud 2-4 / RBI. Frank Thomas 2-5 / 2B. George Davis 2-5.

KANC: Tony Phillips 2-3.


PotG: Old Hoss Radbourn (CARO)

[luckymann]

Game 2 in Carolina

GRINDING WIN PUTS CARO TWO TO THE GOOD

WP: George Uhle (2-0)
LP: Robin Roberts (0-2)
SV: Tommy Bond (2)


CARO: Roger Bresnahan 2-4 / 2-run HR [1]. Reggie Smith 3-4 / 2B. Mel Ott solo HR [1]. Joe Cronin, George Davis 2-5.

KANC: Bill Freehan 2-4 / solo HR [2]. Cody Bellinger 2-2 / 2B / 2 RBI.


PotG: Roger Bresnahan (CARO)

[luckymann]

Game 3 in Carolina

HALLADAY, CARO JUST TOO STRONG, MAKE IT THREE FROM THREE

WP: Roy Halladay (1-0) 7 IP / 4 H / 1 ER / 8 K.
LP: Claude Osteen (1-1)


CARO: Dick Lundy 4-4 / RBI. John Olerud 2 RBI. Larry Walker 2-5 / 2B.

KANC: Miguel Cabrera solo HR [1].


PotG: Roy Halladay (CARO)

[luckymann]

Game 4 in Kansas City

BLUES FINALLY GET ON THE BOARD WITH HARD-FOUGHT 6-4 HOME WIN

WP: Bret Saberhagen (1-1)
LP: Nap Rucker (1-1)
SV: Dennis Eckersley (3)


KANC: Lou Gehrig 4-4 / HR [4] / 4 RBI. Bill Dahlen 3-3 / 3B / RBI.
CARO: Larry Walker 2-run HR [5]. John Olerud 2B / solo HR [2]. George Davis 2-4.

PotG: Lou Gehrig (KANC)

[luckymann]

Game 5 in Kansas City

RADBOURN ON SONG AGAIN, BLANKS BLUES TO GET TRIPS ONE WIN FROM THE TITLE

WP: Old Hoss Radbourn (3-0) 9 IP / 3 H / 0 ER / 5 K
LP: Pete Alexander (1-3)


CARO: Larry Walker 2-3 / HR [6] / 3 RBI. Frank Thomas 2-4 / RBI. George Davis 2-4 / 2B.
KANC: Willie McCovey 2-4 / 2B.

PotG: Old Hoss Radbourn (CARO)

[luckymann]

Game 6 in Kansas City

ALL OVER AS BLUES GO DOWN MEEKLY TO GIVE TRIPLETS THEIR 4TH CHAMPIONSHIP

WP: George Uhle (3-0)
LP: Robin Roberts (0-3)


CARO: Larry Walker 3-5 / 2 HR [8] / 3 RBI. Mel Ott 3-4 / 2B / solo HR [2]. George Davis 2-run 2B. John Olerud 2-3 / 2B / RBI.
KANC: Bill Dahlen 2-3 / 2B / 4 RBI. Bill Freehan 2-4.


PotG: Larry Walker (CARO)


CAROLINA WINS SERIES 5-1
SERIES MVP: Larry Walker (CARO)