Sweet songs from The Spile

[stl jason]

A standing-room-only crowd at the Spile spilled over into the streets for game 5 of the ALCS and watched as Silver King pitched a masterful 5 hit shutout to clinch the series 4 games to 1.

"We're tryin' not to think too much and just play." said first baseman and ALCS MVP Stuffy McInnis, who's .455 average and 5 RBIs helped propel the squad to the World Series.


Waffletown will await the winner of the Asbury Park Brewers and Uecker's Underdogs to see who they will face in the World Series.

[stl jason]

Silver King pitches the first no-hitter in Waffletown history, and it happens in the World Series!

(1 walk away from a perfect game)

[stl jason]

The streets of Waffletown celebrated into the night and well into the next day as the Syrups swept their way to an Iron tier World Series championship.

"If you woulda asked me what I thought our chances were before the playoff started, I wouldn't have given us much of a shot." said designated hitter and World Series MVP Chuck Klein. "Just goes to show what a crazy game this really is."

Klein powered the offense in the series with 3 home runs, 7 RBIs and a .353 average.

[stl jason]

End of season hardware for 2025:

-Chuck Klein takes home the Platinum Stick at DH

-Heinie Groh takes the Gold Glove award at 3B (his first)

-Buck Herzog takes his second consecutive Gold Glove award at SS

[stl jason]

In an off-season move, the GM of Waffletown nabbed a new starting pitcher off the waiver wire to bolster the staff for the shift up to Bronze league. Joining the squad:

SP - Kid Nichols (91) - 1897


Sam Gray will be sent to the reserves. Johnny Beazley will shift to the bullpen and Nichols will slide into the starting rotation.

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/2ad88b62

[stl jason]

With the offense struggling to find their groove this season (a dismal .240 team average so far), the GM of Waffletown browsed over the waiver wire for any potential help. As the centerfield position has been struggling most of all this year (Jacobson batting a microscopic .151 and Koenecke not too far behind at .200), a new outfielder was nabbed to try and give the team some new blood. Joining the squad:

CF - Ned Hanlon (86) - 1885


Ethan Allen will be sent to the reserves to make room. Hanlon will take up residence in centerfield, while Jacobson and Koenecke will backup all three outfield positions as they try to rediscover their swings.


https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/1e360183

(Ned's facegen needs to add his mustache )

[stl jason]

The addition of Hanlon has now dropped the Waffletown lineup's average year to 1918 ('peak' players given estimates of their best real-life season). The 'newest' player left on the roster is closer Gordon Maltzberger from 1944

[stl jason]

After their championship run last season and promotion to the Bronze tier, fans weren't sure what to expect for the new season. For most of the year, it appeared the team was still drunk from celebrations as they struggled to hit the ball (ending with a rather dismal team average of .241). When the dust settled after game 162, the Syrups shockingly found themselves tied for the 2nd wild card spot with Port Ruppert.

Waffletown proceeded to lose game 163 to Port Ruppert and put an end to their uninspired season.

"Just wasn't our year." said DH Chuck Klein. "We need to get our focus back, so another year at this level might be the right way to go." Klein was one of the bright spots for the offense, winning his second consecutive home run title (38 home runs, 123 RBIs).

On the mound, Kid Gleason quietly went about his business out of the 4th starters slot and set the pace for the staff with a record of 14-6, and a team low 2.86 era.

With the war chest at an all time low, management will expect the current squad to pick up their pace of play next season. Barring a find from the scouting department, it could be awhile for any roster improvements.

[stl jason]

and it was as if the scouting department was waiting for the end of the season to trot out their latest find. Joining the squad for next season:

SP - Cy Young (91) - 1903


Slim Harriss will be sent to the reserves to make room on the roster. Young will step into a starter's role for the club. Kid Nichols will shift to the closer role, where his boost to 104 stuff should make him a formidable presence on the mound in the late innings.

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/dae2fb8a

[Lemandria]

But...Cy doesn't believe in relievers.

[stl jason]

Originally Posted by Lemandria

But...Cy doesn't believe in relievers.

the bullpen will enjoy a day off during his starts

[stl jason]

Harry Hooper picks up the All-Star MVP award (though to be honest, if I was making the pick I would have gone with Jeff Bagwell from the Arkansas Hillbillies who went 1-2 with a home run and 2 RBIs, including the game winning run)

[stl jason]

while browsing the waiver wire on a rainy morning in early August, the GM of Waffletown spotted a potential deal that piqued his interest. He mulled over the price for a bit as he examined the current Syrups roster and eventually decided to take the chance (and as a bonus, he's another super-old-timey player). Joining the squad:

SP - Mickey Welch (91) - 1885

Larry French will be sent to the reserves to make room on the roster. Welch will take up residence in the bullpen as a long/middle reliever. With a nice boost in his stuff (up to 100) he should provide a solid arm in the pen for the stretch run.


https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/62fde0bd

[stl jason]

After a so-so season in 2026, and few roster changes rolling into the new season, fans of Waffletown weren't expecting much from their boys in 2027... it was the same club that struggled to win 84 games the prior year afterall...

So when the regular season ended with a champagne celebration in the clubhouse, it was a pleasant surprise, and the fact the same club won 26 more games this year and set a new all-time best team record of 110-52 was an even bigger surprise.

"It was a total team effort this year." said ace starter Silver King, who had his best season yet, leading the league in both wins and ERA with an impressive 25-4 record and 2.31 ERA (as well as 27 quality starts, 9 complete game and 6 shutouts). King also set new team marks for winning streak (16) and undefeated streak (22).

The pitching staff as a whole set numerous new team records with bests in ERA (3.25), lows in hits allowed (1282), runs allowed (547), earned runs allowed (528), and Oavg (.233); and high marks for Ks (1241), complete games (23) and shutouts (22)

In the field, the team set a new low mark for errors (49) and a high mark for fielding percentage (.992)


Waffletown will host the Gainesville Colonels in the LDS. The two teams met 6 times during the regular season and split the series 3 games each.

[stl jason]

In a "road warrior" LDS, the home team lost every single game. Unfortunately for Waffletown, 3 of the 5 games were played at the Spile.

"Can't help but feel I let the team down..." said Silver King. "...what's the point of winning 25 games during the regular season if you can't be counted on to win just one in the playoffs?"

[stl jason]

End of year awards for 2027:

-Silver King takes home the Pitcher of the Year award.

-Chuck Klein takes home the Silver Slugger award for DH

[stl jason]

In an off-season move, the GM of Waffletown snapped up a deal off the waiver wire. Joining the squad for next season:

SP - Tony Mullane (93) - 1884

Carl Weilman will be sent to the reserves to make room. Mullane will step into the starting rotation, and Cy Young will shift to the bullpen.

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/90b73fb3

[stl jason]

It was a tale of two halves this season, as the Waffletown Syrups stumbled out of the gate and didn't regain their footing until half the season was already behind them. From April through June, Waffletown went 34-49 (.410) and were in serious contention for relegation. Whatever the reason, things turned around when the calendar switched to July. From that point until the end of the season, Waffletown went 46-33 (.582) and nearly evened out their record, finishing just below .500 at 80-82.

"If we coulda played at that clip all season, we woulda won the division." said ace starter Silver King, the only starter to finish with a winning record this season at 17-12. "but that's why every game counts."


Management hopes the team can build off their second half and carry that into next season, as the squad will remain the same (barring a blockbuster find from the scouting department).

[rburgh]

But it must be hellishly hard to get started since there are so few players and virtually no bench players.

[stl jason]

Originally Posted by rburgh

But it must be hellishly hard to get started since there are so few players and virtually no bench players.

yeah, the super old timey theme is a challenge, especially trying to do it F2P, since a lot of the really quality players are crazy expensive.... but that's all part of the fun.... it's a journey, not a race