The Beautiful Game (of Baseball)

[jasg224]

The year is 1884, and a protest amongst English baseball clubs just broke out. More than 30 clubs all over England want professionalism to be legalised within the game they had been playing for over 20 years now. For two years in a row, shamateur teams had won the national cup, and the opinions were split. On one side, the traditional high class "public school" clubs want to keep it a purely amateur "Gentleman's Game". On the other side, Factory and other "working class" club owners saw potential to make the game much bigger than it currently is and, in order to do so, they figure they must pay the best players to focus only on baseball. After 18 months and many clubs threatening to withdraw and form their own professional association, the Baseball Association finally gives in and in 1885, professional clubs are legally allowed to compete in the national cup.


At this point, clubs arranged their own games amongst each other, as well as participating in the national cup and other regional tournaments. It was then that William McGregor came up with the idea of a formal league with a set schedule. Following a meeting with the owners of the 12 clubs invited, the Baseball League was born and set to begin in April of 1888.


The 12 founder clubs were: Stoke Potters, Everton Toffees (Liverpool), Burnley Clarets, Notts County Magpies (Nottingham), West Bromwich Throstles, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa Lions (Birmingham), Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, Wolverhampton Wolves, Accrington Club and Derby Rams.


The new league format will see the clubs play two three-game series against each other, once away and once at home, for a total of 66 games. Tied games are allowed after 9 innings. The club with the best record at the end of the season will be crowned Champions.


And so, for the first time in history, a professional baseball league is set to begin play. Do these pioneers know how far the game will go?

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If you couldn't tell by now, this save will mirror the history of world football (soccer), but through OOTP Baseball. All competitions, clubs being founded and folded, etc. will mirror real life. Players, relegations, owners, coaches and all results will be entirely fictional. I will decide which leagues and competitions to add (or not) based on importance for the game and quality, in order to avoid bloating my OOTP database. Ultimately though, I hope I can end up with a pretty large universe with a rich history.


In the next update, we'll go over the results of the 1888 British Home Championship, played by all (at the time) 4 countries in the British Isles. Then we'll go over the 1888 Baseball League season. I still haven't decided on what format to give the updates, so bear with me as I experiment until I find a format I like for this.


Thanks for reading!

[Salathor]

Sounds fun. I often fantasize about baseball being the world's sport instead of soccer. If only!

[jasg224]

The 1888 British Home Championship Review.

Prior to the tournament, England were clear favorites, with star players at every position. Players like RHP Everton Taylor, 1B James Harley and CF Lee Patterson might be all-time greats. Wales were second favorites, picking some English-born players such as Blackburn's Leon Taylor and Bolton's Kane Williams to join their best player in Welsh-born 2B Shane Pollard. Scotland also has some talent on their roster, with Finlay "Red Dog" Irvine considered by many as the best catcher in the game. Ireland is clearly the weakest team, as only 9 of their players are currently on a Baseball League roster. At the end of the day, it's England's cup to lose.
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Game 1 - Scotland vs Ireland
Ireland shocks everyone after they get an early run on a triple from RF Quinn Martin. They add two more runs in the 3rd after LF Feheen Pannett hits a single followed by a throwing error, and then a sac fly as Martin gets 2 RBI. Scotland get 2 back in the 8th after singles from Samuel Mackenzie and Andrew Allan. In the bottom of the 9th, Finlay Irvine ties it with a single and Samuel Mackenzie walks it off with a sacrifice fly.
Final score: SCO 3-2 EIR
PotG: Scotland RHP Christopher Clark - 9 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 K

Game 2 - England vs Wales
England dominate as expected, scoring in the 3rd and 5th before lashing out for 6 in the 8th. 3B Danny Campbell got 3 hits, including a two-run homer in the 8th. For Wales, their only runs came in the 4th and 6th innings with RBI from C Ashley Reader and 1B Jayden Boulton. England pitcher Everton Taylor commited 2 errors.
Final score: ENG 8-2 WAL
PotG: England RHP Everton Taylor - 9 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 6 K

Game 3 - Wales vs Ireland
In a tight pitching game, Wales manage to win by 3, with RBI from CF Scott Chilvers, RF Leon Taylor and C Ashley Reader. Ireland's only run came in the 5th inning on a single from 1B Nevan Burnett. Ireland SS Keely Donovan steals a base after reaching on an error.
Final score: WAL 4-1 EIR
PotG: Wales LHP Douggie Murray - 9 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 6 K

Game 4 - England vs Scotland
The first of 3 encounters between the competition's strongest teams ends in a 6 hit shutout for England. Scottish shortstop Jonathan Young has a 2-hit game, both singles. England leave it late, scoring 3 of their 4 runs in the 7th and 8th innings. RBI came from a Danny Campbell triple, Toby Gilmour homer and LF Noah Mathieson's single.
Final score: ENG 4-0 SCO
PotG: England LHP Everton Hanson - 9 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 6 K

Game 5 - Ireland vs Wales
The first rematch brings no surprises as Wales smashes Ireland 17 hits to 3. All of Wales' starting players got a hit, with SS Kane Williams and LF Brian Algar getting 3 hits each. Algar gets 3 RBI as well as 3B Fergus Harper who did it with a three-run bomb.
Final score: EIR 0-10 WAL
PotG: Wales RHP Stuart Miles - 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K

Game 6 - England vs Scotland
England's 5 errors prove to be very costly, as they lose their first game against Scotland. Despite connecting for 8 hits, with Danny Campbell counting for 3 of them, the Three Lions failed to score until it was too little, too late. Finlay Irvine got 2 RBI on 2 hits for the Scots. Andrew Allan had 3 hits but only 1 RBI.
Final score: ENG 1-5 SCO
PotG: Scotland RHP Christopher Clark - 9 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Game 7 - Wales vs Ireland
In the final game between these two, Wales grabs another smashing victory scoring 3 in the 2nd, 5 in the 3rd and another one in the 4th. DH Dylan Jack got 2 hits, one of which was a homer with 2 runners on. Wales won 3 from 3 facing Ireland, outscoring them 23-1.
Final score: WAL 9-0 EIR
PotG: Wales LHP Douggie Murray - 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Game 8 - Scotland vs England
Also the final game between bitter rivals, England hoped to end Scotland's perfect home record. Matthew Grant's single in the bottom of the 1st gave the Scots an early lead and they added another on a Jamie Young single in the 2nd. The Tartan Army got another hit in the 3rd but were held hitless for the following 5 innings. Meanwhile England got 9 hits, including multiple hits from Anthony Dean and Toby Gilmour. Apparently, that wasn't anywhere near enough as they left a total of 10 runners on base.
Final score: SCO 2-0 ENG
PotG: Scotland RHP Jack Thompson - 9 IP, 9 H, 0 ER, 6 K

Game 9 - England vs Ireland
England get back to winning ways against the weakest team in the competition. All of their players but 2 (2B Clyde Martin and C Sean Bernerd) got exactly one hit. Everton Taylor is also back to winning ways, holding Ireland to only 3 hits.
Final score: ENG 4-0 EIR
PotG: England RHP Everton Taylor - 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 11 K

Game 10 - Wales vs Scotland
As the tournament reaches the halfway point, Wales drops a very close one to Scotland. Both pitchers were excellent, but two errors in a row by Wales CF Scott Chilvers allows Samuel Mckenzie to score. In the end, this one run was enough for Scotland to claim sole leadership of the competition.
Final score: WAL 0-1 SCO
PotG: Scotland RHP Christopher Clark - 9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Game 11 - Ireland vs England
Ireland score their 5th run of the tournament but England win behind Lee Patterson's 3 hit game. For the second time this tournament, Ireland lose a game after scoring in the 1st inning. With the loss, Ireland is mathematically out of the title race.
Final score: EIR 1-5 ENG
PotG: England LHP Keith Coleman - 9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Game 12 - Scotland vs Wales
In yet another close game, Wales hits back at Scotland as Kane Williams drives one deep to left in the 1st. Shane Pollard scores Wales' second run on a passed ball in the 7th. Jonathan Young and David Shaw are the only players to get hits for Scotland. Wales, Scotland are England are now tied at the top of the table with 3 games to go.
Final score: SCO 0-2 WAL
PotG: Wales LHP Douggie Murray - 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Game 13 - Ireland vs Scotland
Ireland out-hits Scotland but are still unable to win, even after leading the game 2-1 after the 8th. A combination of passed balls, throwing errors and hits from Ben Cochrane and Finlay Irvine allow Scotland to take the lead in the 9th before swiftly closing it out for another win.
Final score: EIR 2-4 SCO
PotG: Scotland RHP Christopher Clark - 9 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 7 K

Game 14 - England vs Wales
England continue their perfect record at home in a victory against Wales. RF Dennis Cox hits the first ever Grand Slam in the bottom of the 3rd. The Dragons scored twice in the 7th and twice again in the 9th, but the 5 run inning in the 3rd by England allowed them to hold on to victory in the end. England and Scotland are now tied at the top with Wales just one game behind.
Final score: ENG 7-4 WAL
PotG: England RF Dennis Cox - 3-4, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 out grand slam in the 3rd

Game 15 - Ireland vs Scotland
Ireland manage to tie a game with their home advantage, scoring in both the 8th and 9th innings. Both teams combined for 25 hits. Scotland's Ben Cochrane (3), Andrew Allan and David Shaw had multiple hits. Feheen Pannett (4), Lynch Gifford, Stiofan Rice and Cleary O'Connor managed the same for Ireland.
Final score: EIR 5-5 SCO
PotG: Ireland LF Feheen Pannett - 4-5, 1 RBI, 3 R, 2 2B

Game 16 - Wales vs England
Despite getting 10 hits, Wales manage to win by only one run after Kane Williams hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th inning. Scott Chilvers, Leon Taylor, Ashley Reader and Fergus Harper got multiple hits for Wales. England managed only 3 hits and a run that came on a double from Oliver Creamer. The race is still on, with Wales and England just a half game back from Scotland.
Final score: WAL 2-1 ENG
PotG: Wales LHP Douggie Murray - 9 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K

Game 17 - England vs Ireland
England extend their home winning streak to 5 games, smashing Ireland in the process. Anthony Dean, James Harley, Dennis Cox and Paul Brodie all get 2 hits for England, while Ireland's only hits came from two Alan Taylor singles. The title now depends on the Scotland vs Wales game.
Final score: ENG 8-0 EIR
PotG: England RHP Everton Taylor - 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K

Game 18 - Wales vs Scotland
So this is it, the game that defines the championship. Scotland lead 3-1 by the 6th, but they quite literally drop the ball. 4 errors and a lack of an offensive performance through the end of the game give Wales a win. Samuel Mackenzie had a 4-hit game for Scotland, but only one run driven in. Ashley Reader also had a 4-hit game for Wales with no RBI, but Fergus Harper drove him in twice and Jayden Boulton once for a 3 RBI game.
Final score: WAL 5-3 SCO
PotG: Wales RHP Stuart Miles - 9 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K



England and Wales finish atop the BHC table with 6-3 records. Drawing Ireland hurts Scotland who end up just a half game behind. In the end, England's +22 run differential and 2-1 record against Wales makes the difference and the Three Lions are crowned 1888 British Home Championship winners!
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The Players
Bold means the players led in that statistic.
Top Hitters
RF Jayden Boulton (WAL) - .385/.448/.423, 1 2B, 2 RBI
RF Dennis Cox (ENG) - .333/.438/.704, 1 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI
LF Brian Algar (WAL) - .364/.447/.545, 12 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI
C Ashley Reader (WAL) - .364/.400/.364, 12 H, 4 RBI
1B Oliver Creamer (ENG) - .207/.333/.345, 4 2B, 2 RBI

Top Pitchers
LHP Douggie Murray (WAL) - 4-0, 36.0 IP, 0.50 ERA, 0.42 WHIP, 18.5 K%, 3.1 BB%
RHP Everton Taylor (ENG) - 4-1, 44.0 IP, 1.43 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 22.6 K%, 0.6 BB%
LHP Everton Hanson (ENG) - 1-2, 25.2 IP, 1.05 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 12.9 K%, 3.0 BB%
RHP Jack Thompson (SCO) - 1-2, 26.0 IP, 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 16.5 K%, 8.7 BB%
RHP Christopher Clark (SCO) - 4-1, 44.0 IP, 1.43 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 16.3 K%, 2.8 BB%
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For the history books:
- England win their 1st British Home Championship title!
- England have a 5-game winning streak at home.
- Ireland have a 5-game losing streak away.
- Ireland's 7-game losing streak is a new record.
- Wales' 10-0 win over Ireland is the biggest win in history.
- England's 7-4 win over Wales is the highest scoring game in history.
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From the history books:
- England win their first undisputed BHC, after sharing the 1886 title with Scotland. They had a near-perfect tournament, allowing goals only against Wales and Ireland.
- Wales' 11-0 win over Ireland was the biggest win of the tournament.
- Scotland's 10-2 win over Ireland was the highest scoring match of the tournament.
- Wales' Jack Doughty was the tournament's top scorer with 6 goals

[jasg224]

The 1888 Baseball League season came to an end in late June, with the Burnley Clarets being crowned the league's first champions!



The preseason predictions had Notts County as title favorites. They have several important players who you may recognize from their 1888 BHC mentions: Welsh 2B Shane Pollard, English SS Anthony Dean, as well as others such as RHP Darren Hutton, 1B Griff Blackburn and LF Alan White. All of them are considered top 3 players in their position. However, 10 tied games and 4 less wins than Burnley, see the Magpies finish in 2nd. Their head-to-head record against Burnley was 2-2-2, with a 12-11 run record.

Eventual champions Burnley were predicted to be the 3rd best team before the season. Overall, their squad is balanced but no player stands out, besides pitcher Everton Hanson (who was one of the best in the BHC). The lefty is considered to be the best pitcher in the league, and he proved why, finishing top 3 in ERA, WHIP and WAR. Another lefty in Keith Coleman also emerged as a star for Burnley, leading the league in ERA in spite of losing more games than he won, but I guess that also proves how mediocre Burnley's offense is. Key events for them were: a season sweep of Everton, two ties and a win against Notts County to end May, an 8 game unbeaten run to end April and start May. Thus, despite going 7-11 in June, the Clarets are crowned champions for the first time.

The real-life champions in Preston North End were predicted to be the worst team in the league, but ended up 8th. Catcher Sean Bernerd and third base James Harley are considered the best at their position. The team's offense was impressive, leading in several categories including: average, on-base percentage, slugging, hits and base on balls. Their pitching and defense on the other hand hovers around the 10th place overall. Preston were a long way off from the unbeaten footballing season they had 135 years ago.
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Award Winners
In real life, awards weren't given out to players until the Football Writers' Association gave Stanley Matthews the 1948 Footballer of the Year Award. In OOTP, I'll be handing out awards every single season. I'll also name players for the Ballon d'Or (Fun Fact: Stanley Matthews was also the first Ballon d'Or winner in 1956), Pitching Award and Best U21 Player award. These can't be put in the game of course, but it's still fun to add to the save's lore. In the beginning, they'll be a repeat of the league awards, but these awards will become more relevant as we add more leagues into the game. Without further ado, here are the 1888 Baseball League award winners:

Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Ballon d'Or and World Pitcher Award - LHP Everton Hanson, Burnley

The 34 year-old lefty was the main award winner this year, taking home a total of 4 trophies. The Londoner took his BHC domination into the Baseball League, pitching in 22 games this year. Hanson ended with a 15-4 record after 192.2 IP, a 1.87 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 11.2 K% and 5.0 WAR. Everton Hanson was the biggest contributor in Burnley's title winning season with the 5.0 WAR as well as 4.0 WPA.

Young Player of the Year - 3B Riley Creamer, Stoke

"Rolo" was the only player 21 years or younger who qualified for the award. Either way, his performance earned him the starting spot and the award, as he appeared in every game. Creamer hit .237/.267/.451, leading the league in triples (22) and RBI (40). Riley is fit and fast, but going forward, playing an easier position might benefit his poor ability with the glove.

Team of the Year
C Sean Bernerd, Preston - .234/.362/.323, 7 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 23 RBI
1B Noah Mathieson, Bolton - .337/.374/.511, 17 2B, 15 3B, 36 RBI
2B Neil Thomson, Accrington - .297/.338/.505, 8 2B, 13 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI
3B James Harley, Preston - .295/.359/.428, 13 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 33 RBI
SS Gary Smith, Wolves - .309/.332/.417, 13 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 24 RBI
LF Darren Hartshorn, Blackburn - .249/.303/.407, 15 2B, 8 3B, 3 HR, 29 RBI
CF Paul Brodie, West Brom - .256/.315/.378, 11 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 35 RBI
RF Oliver Creamer, Derby - .298/.382/.397, 7 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 36 RBI
DH Marcus Warn, West Brom - .281/.339/.407, 15 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 31 RBI
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For the history books
- Burnley win their first Baseball League Championship!
- Top run producer: 3B Riley Creamer, Stoke; CF Farrell Kennedy, Bolton; 2B Clyde Martin, West Brom - 40 RBI each
- Biggest home win: Bolton 15-2 Preston, June 20th
- Biggest away win: Everton 12-2 Accrington, April 15th
- Highest scoring: Stoke 16-11 Burnley, June 10th
- Longest winning run: 7 matches, Burnley
- Longest unbeaten run: 9 matches, Burnley
- Longest losing run: 13 matches, Wolverhampton
- Longest winless run: 13 matches, Wolverhampton
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From the history books
- Preston North End win the first edition of the Football League after an unbeaten season, winning 18 and drawing 4 games
- Preston's John Goodall was the top goalscorer, with 21 in 21 appearances
- Welsh goalkeeper James Trainer conceded only 13 goals in 20 games
- Burnley, Derby, Notts County and Stoke were obliged to seek re-election at the end of the season and were al re-elected for the 89-90 season

[jasg224]

With no changes going into the 1889 season, let's jump straight into the British Home Championship.

Prior to the tournament, England were once again favorites, mainly due to having the best players at every position except for 2B. This year, Leon Harvey is in charge of the team. Harvey led Wales to their 2nd place finish last time out. Players such as CF Lee Patterson (.296/.321/.481 in the 1888 BHC) and 1B Noah Mathieson (.281/.351/.281) are set to make an impact again this year. The Three Lions have some interesting debutants: RHP Kyle Smith (1.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP in 11 G with Preston), C Dwaine Lightfoot (.255/.308/.345 in 56 G with Everton), C Zak Marshall (.265/.312/.309 in 58 G with Wolves), 1B Riley Creamer (1888 YPOTY with Stoke), 2B Alex Matthams (.279/.338/.414 in 37 G with Aston Villa), LF Douggie Davies (.280/.306/.473 in 38 G with Bolton), CF Everton Brown (.220/.298/.311 in 65 G with Aston Villa) and RF Richard Dundon (25 y/o, unsigned).

Once again looking for 2nd place, Wales is led by Bert Beveridge this year. Beveridge hasn't managed a team in professional baseball so far. The same base of players will rally around their best player in 2B Shane Pollard, who's hoping to improve on his .152/.263/.242 slash from last year. 9 new faces in this year's team, including 5 players 17 or younger, though none are really worth mentioning.

Scotland are considered to be the 3rd team in the race, managed this year by Luke Riley. Riley also doesn't have experience at the professional level. Last year's best such as C Finlay Irvine (.242/.359/.303 last year) are joined by a couple of youngsters, but perhaps the most interesting new addition is 30 year-old CF Ross Matheson. Ross is a veteran of the Scottish game, with unmatched speed and contact abilities. He's set to join the English team who makes the best offer but is yet unsigned.

Finally, Ireland will be hoping to improve on last year's humiliating results. Only 4 players from last year's team will play again: Derby's RHP Conroy Brewer, Preston's RHP Shanahan Pierce, Accrington's SS Alan Taylor and Aston Villa's young RF Cormac O'Doherty. Perhaps the best addition to the team is Swords native Devin Brennan. The left fielder played in 12 games for Notts County in 1888, slashing .171/.209/.171.
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Changes were made to the schedule: teams will now face each other in 3-game series instead of sporadic games, so now the tournament is shorter (time-wise).

Scotland vs England
The away team shutout the Tartar Army in the first of the series, scoring a record 11 runs in the 8th inning. Everton Hanson keeps the Scots at bay, allowing 4 hits and a walk while striking out 4. The Three Lions go all out in the second and score 17 in another shutout! This time Everton Taylor allows only 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7. James Harley, Paul Brodie and Anthony Dean all get 3 RBI. England get the sweep in a closer 9-2 encounter. Kyle Smith has a good debut but allows 2 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks.

Wales vs Ireland
The first game of the series shows what happens when you don't have an actual catcher behind the plate. Wales scored 26 runs on 19 hits and only 3 RBI! Behind the plate for Ireland was Stoke left fielder Ross Martin, who allowed a record 47 passed balls! Ireland score their first run of the tournament, but it doesn't matter as they're brushed aside 32-1. Wales close out the series with a 25-0 victory.

England and Wales share the first place after their all-out offensives in the first series.

Ireland vs Scotland
Scotland keep on where Wales left off, beating Ireland 13-0 in the first game. Jack Thompson allows 4 hits as Scotland win 20-0 in the second game. Ireland score their second run of the tournament but get beat 14-1 as Scotland gets the sweep.

Wales vs England
England's offense is relentless, scoring 13 runs on 17 hits in the first game. Everton Hanson allows his first 3 runs of the tournament. Wales get 10 hits but can only score 3 runs. Everton Taylor pitches a gem as England beat the Dragons 16-0. James Harley has a 4 hit, 4 RBI game. England all but secure the trophy after the 7-0 victory to sweep Wales.

England are just one game away from being crowned British Champions once again!

Scotland vs Wales
Finlay Irvine hits a bases clearing double and Ross Matheson has a 3 hit, 2 RBI game, winning it 6-1 for Scotland. David Shaw hits a grand slam in Scotland's 16-2 victory in the second game. They are unable to complete the sweep as Wales hit back 15-8 in the final game of the tournament. Wales' Elton Turkington has a 3 hit, 5 RBI game.

England vs Ireland
The Three Lions secure the title and are on pace for a perfect tournament after beating Ireland 31-0. They win the second game of the series 17-2, including 2 homers from Clyde Martin. England complete the perfect tournament after a 26-1 victory.



England win the 1889 British Home Championship! It's their second title in a row.
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The Players
Bold means the player led in that statistic.
Top Hitters
CF Paul Brodie (ENG) - .438/.600/.938, 7 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI
1B Noah Mathieson (ENG) - .444/.545/.694, 5 2B, 2 3B, 7 RBI
3B James Harley (ENG) - .400/.571/.750, 1 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI

Top Pitchers
RHP Everton Taylor (ENG) - 27.0 IP, 0.33 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 21.0 K%
RHP Kyle Smith (ENG) - 26.0 IP, 1.04 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 19.6 K%
LHP Everton Hanson (ENG) - 27.0 IP, 1.00 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 13.9 K%
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For the history books
- England win their second British Home Championship in a row
- England are on a 10 game winning streak
- England are on a 8 game winning streak at home
- Ireland are on a 10 game losing streak
- Ireland are on a 18 game winless streak
- Wales' 32-1 win over Ireland is the biggest and highest scoring match in history
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From the history books
- Scotland win their 5th BHC title, 4th undisputed. They allowed 2 goals in the tournament, both against England.
- Scotland's 7-0 win against Ireland was the biggest and highest scoring match in the tournament.
- Scotland's Willie Groves, England's Billy Bassett and John Yates and Wales' Richard Jarrett scored 3 goals each to lead the tournament

[jasg224]

After the 1889 Baseball League season, the Burnley Clarets are two-time champions!



The preseason predictions had a three-way tie at the top between Everton, Notts County and West Brom. Statistically, the Toffees were the 3rd best team, with players such as Everton Taylor (2.12 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) and RF Charles Stone (.290/.356/.364) playing key roles in a 2nd place season. It has been said that baseball is a game of inches and in this case, Everton finishes only a half game back from the championship. Notts County also came ridiculously close, just a game and a half back, with Darren Hutton (1.94 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) helping them keep the 2nd best defensive record in the league. Finally, West Bromwich came 11th, with the worst defensive record and the 3rd worst offensive record.

Burnley had a worst record than last year, as they were predicted to finish in 9th place. In the end they managed to do a little bit better and secure their second title. Pitching continues to be key for them and around the league, as proven by them being the 2nd worst offense. Luckily for them, they have the best pitcher and the best player in the world in lefty Everton Hanson. Hanson is proving to still be a fantastic pitcher through age 35, collecting a 1.92 ERA and 1.04 WHIP through 50 professional career games (including 6 BHC games). In the future, the competition might be tighter, so getting better hitters should be a priority for Burnley.

Real-life champions Preston North End improved on their 8th place finish in 1888 and came in 3rd, just one game back from Burnley. Before the season they were predicted 5th place, with England star Kyle Smith going from an alright reliever to a star pitcher in the offseason. His 11 wins in 24 starts saw him lead Preston's rotation to a 3rd place finish, though Smitty wouldn't have done it without battery mate Sean Bernerd (.246/.407/.388), their England teammate James Harley (.340/.416/.443) and Daniel Barker (.270/.334/.408). Contrary to their real life counterparts, OOTP's Preston North End seems to be moving in a positive direction for the near future.
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Award Winners

Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year


As mentioned, pitching continues to be everything in this league, and there is nobody better at throwing the ball than Burnley's Everton Hanson. The Londoner had 9 wins in 22 starts, collecting a 1.96 ERA as well as leading the league with 1.12 WHIP and 4.7 WAR. This year he became a strikeout pitcher, setting down 101 of the batters he faced, though his walks increased by more than double, to 56. Hanson continues being the best pitcher and the most impactful player in the league, leading the Clarets to another title.

Young Player of the Year


Once again, competition isn't very stiff for this category (I have set the development target age to Much Younger and batter dev speed to 1.15 going forward). This year's winner is Derby catcher Jamie Smullen, who had turned 22 just a couple months before the season start. He appeared in only 17 games, starting 14 of them and hit .224/.321/.265. His catching was good, framing is not his strongest suit but he threw out nearly half of the players who decided to run on him (23 RTO, 46.9%) and made no mistakes behind the plate.

Team of the Year
C Sean Bernerd, Preston - .246/.407/.388, 4 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 31 RBI
1B Noah Mathieson, Bolton - .331/.384/.496, 12 2B, 16 3B, 46 RBI
2B Daniel Barker, Preston - .270/.334/.408, 16 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 27 RBI
3B Toby Gilmour, Stoke - .344/.426/.484, 12 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 46 RBI
SS Jonathan Young, Bolton - .348/.370/.470, 16 2B, 6 3B, 38 RBI
LF Darren Hartshorn, Blackburn - .305/.387/.429, 16 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 37 RBI
CF Ross Matheson, Accrington - .336/.382/.476, 18 2B, 7 3B, 34 RBI
RF Mason Price, Wolves - .241/.353/.373, 14 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 29 RBI
DH Billy Brook, Blackburn - .245/.308/.370, 8 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 28 RBI
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For the history books
- Burnley win their second title in a row!
- Top run producer: SS Danny Campbell, Aston Villa - 52
- Biggest home win: Derby 12-2 Blackburn, June 13th
- Biggest away win: Acrrington 15-0 Derby, April 21st
- Highest scoring: Everton 16-14 Aston Villa, April 23rd
- Longest winning run: 6 games, Burnley
- Longest unbeaten run: 6 games, Burnley
- Longest losing run: 8 games, Wolves
- Longest winless run: 9 games, Burnley
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From the history books
- Preston North End win their second Football League title in a row, this time losing 4 games
- Stoke came last and were not re-elected into the league, they joined the Football Alliance for a year
- Sunderland were elected into the league for the 1890-91 season
- Jimmy Ross was the top goalscorer with 24 goals

[jasg224]

Changes prior to the 1890 season:
- Stoke weren't re-elected to the Baseball League after a 4th place finish (32-26-8)
- Stoke joined the newly formed Baseball Alliance along with 11 other teams, this league will compete with the Baseball League though their quality and economic power is inferior
- There are newly formed leagues in both Scotland and Ireland, though they've chosen to remain purely amateur for now...
- Argentina and Denmark organize their first national tournaments, though the baseball quality is still poor.

Historically, the Scottish and Irish football associations banned professional players from their national teams. Of course there's no way to do this in OOTP other than choose the teams manually, but I think it's more fair to just let the AI choose whoever it thinks the best players are and see them compete. However, Scotland selected only 9 players while Ireland 8 players from The Baseball League. This means the majority of their rosters should still be amateur. I've nerfed the player quality in both leagues, with the Scottish league being almost on par of the English one and the Irish league being considerably weaker. Anyway, hopefully the expanded player pools make it a more entertaining tournament and we get less 30 run games.

So, without further ado: the 1890 British Home Championship!

Prior to the tournament, England were favorites to win it once again as their league is the strongest and their players are already experienced at the international level. Stars such as Everton Hanson and Everton Taylor, who have kept a combined 1.02 ERA in 123.2 innings, and a lineup that has combined for a .309 average will keep England as the forerunners for the 1890 title. Only 4 players make their debut in relievers Gareth Fitch (Preston) and Frazer Williams (Burnley), 3B Douglas Gilbert (Rangers), and SS Bill Cairns (Blackburn).

Scotland will be hoping to put up a more competitive 2nd place finish than last year. Glasgow's best in Benjamin Boyd (Rangers) and Joshua Murphy (Celtic) join Derby's Cristopher Clark and his 1.43 ERA at the BHC. The Tartan Army are at their best at the plate, where greats such as SS Jonathan Young (Bolton) and CF Ross Matheson (Accrington) are looking to replicate their league form while newcomers like 1B Leon Fraser (Cambuslang) and CF Lewis Johnston (Dumbarton) get their first taste of international ball.

Wales' core remains the same as last year, which means we can probably expect another 3rd place finish. Star 2B Shane Pollard (Notts County) will hope to improve on his .182/.423/.418 slash in the tournament. The most interesting additions to the team are 1B Marcus Chapman (Sunderland) and 2B Tim Smith (Cowlairs).

Finally, Ireland are able to recruit an entirely new core with players from their league. Perhaps none of them are stars, but they should be able to be more competitive than in 1889. Preston RF Feheen Pannett returns to the national team, and having the nation's best player on the roster can only be good news.
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England vs Scotland
We get what's probably the most interesting series of the tournament to begin with. In the first game, England out-hit Scotland but still lost the game 8-4. Cambuslang's Leon Fraser's 3 RBI game outweighed Paul Brodie and Danny Campbell getting 3 hits each. Christopher Clark wins his 5th BHC game after allowing only 4 runs (3 earned) in 7.1 innings, he struck out 5 batters. England tie the series in a smashing 10-4 victory with Danny Campbell (3 hits, 4 RBI) being the hero. James Harley also has 3 hits, including 2 doubles and 2 RBI. The Three Lions end up taking the series with a 4-3 victory, holding Scotland runless after scoring 3 in the 6th. Lefty Keith Coleman allows just 5 hits and 3 runs (1 earned) for England.

Ireland vs Wales
The Welsh Dragons strike first, winning 5-2 behind a nice pitching performance from Stuart Miles. Scott Chilvers hits 4 for the Welsh team but was only driven in once. In another close encounter, Wales win 3-1 behind Douggie Murray's gem of 6 hits allowed, 3 K and just one unearned run in the complete game. LF Brian Algar also has a 4 hit, 1 RBI game for Wales. The Welsh complete the sweep after another 3-1 victory, led by Bertrand Paterson's performance (CG, 7 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K).

Wales vs England
England stop Wales' streak, smashing them 7-1 in the first game. Aaron Watkins and Paul Brodie get 3 hits each while James Harley has 4 RBI on 2 walks and a 3 run homer. Everton Hanson recovers from a losing performance against Scotland by striking out 4 and allowing just one unearned run. Wales go top of the table with a 7-1 win, holding England to just 3 hits! 5 players have a multiple hit day for Wales. Douggie Murray has a good start: 3 hits allowed, 1 run, 7 walks, 3 strikeouts. England take the series with a dazzling 20-3 victory. Aaron Watkins has a 4 hit, 4 RBI game; Everton Brown has a 4 hit, 2 RBI game and Dennis Cox has a 3 hit, 5 RBI game.

Ireland vs Scotland
Ireland score 3 but Scotland prove their superiority by putting 14 past them. Joe Rennie and Ross Matheson have 3 RBI each. Ireland keep it close but a 5 run 6th from Scotland makes it a 6-3 loss for them. Darryl Murphy has a 4 hit game for Ireland. The Scots complete the sweep with a 5-2 win behind Joshua Murphy's performance: CG, 4 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, 5 Ks.

England, Scotland and Wales are tied at the top of the table with a 4-2 record and one series to go.

England vs Ireland
England start it off with an easy 20-6 victory. Every player but starting 1B James Harley (4 walks) and pinch-hitter Anthony Dean get a hit. Douglas Gilbert has 3 RBI on 4 hits while Aidan Hunter has 4 RBI on 3 hits. Ireland tried to come back from a 5 run England rally in the 1st, but ultimately fell 2 runs short. Lee Patterson hit a grand slam for England. The Three Lions secure their third title after a 9-2 win. Both Bill Cairns and Paul Brodie hit 3 run homers in the 7th inning. Keith Coleman allowed 2 unearned runs and struck out 3 in the complete game.

Scotland vs Wales
Scotland win their first home game of the tournament 10-1, with Christopher Clark lowering his tournament ERA to 1.42 after the complete game performance. Ross Matheson has a 4 hit game for Scotland. The Welshmen take the second of the series by 5-3, despite Thomas Jackson's best efforts (3 hits, 1 RBI). Douggie Murray has his 8th win in 10 BHC games after his complete game performance (7 HA, 3 ER, 10 BB, 3 K). A 4 run rally allows Scotland to win it 10-8, netting them the second place. Ross Matheson has 4 RBI in 2 hits.


England win the 1890 British Home Championship! It is their 3rd win in a row.
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The Players
Bold means the player led in that statistic.
Top Hitters
LF Brian Algar (WAL) - .394/.487/.455, 2 2B, 3 RBI
CF Lewis Johnston (SCO) - .355/.535/.484, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI
2B Darryl Murphy (EIR) - .355/.394/.548, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 RBI
1B Aaron Watkins (ENG) - .389/.521/.500, 14 H, 4 2B, 8 RBI
CF Paul Brodie (ENG) - .364/.500/.667, 1 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI
SS Danny Campbell (ENG) - .371/.419/.486, 2 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBI

Top Pitchers
LHP Douggie Murray (WAL) - 3-0, 27.1 IP, 1.32 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 21 BB, 9 K
LHP Keith Coleman (ENG) - 3-0, 27.0 IP, 1.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 9 BB, 10 K
LHP Brock Adams (EIR) - 0-3, 26.0 IP, 4.15 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 6 BB, 9 K
LHP Everton Hanson (ENG) - 2-1, 24.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 14 BB, 13 K
RHP Benjamin Boyd (SCO) - 1-2, 24.0 IP, 5.25 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 7 BB, 9 K
RHP Everton Taylor (ENG) - 2-1, 24.2 IP, 4.01 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 8 BB, 10 K
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For the history books
- England win their 3rd British Home Championship in a row
- Scotland's 8-4 win over England ended the Three Lions' 10-game win streak and 8-game home win streak
- England are on a 4 game winning streak and on a 5 game winning streak at home
- Ireland extend their losing streak to 19 games and their winless streak to 27 games
- England's 20-3 win over Wales was the biggest win of the tournament
- England's 20-6 win over Ireland was the highest scoring game of the tournament
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From the history books
- England and Scotland share the title for the second time in history, this was Scotland's 6th win and England's 3rd
- Scotland's William Paul finished the tournament as top scorer with 4 goals
- England's 9-1 win over Ireland was the biggest win and the highest scoring game of the tournament

[jasg224]

With the addition of more leagues, I thought it would be fun to go month-by-month and observe the races "in real time". So here's the report after April 1890:

England - The Baseball League


With a month and a half to go, Everton lead the league but are being chased by Preston, reigning champions Burnley and newcomers Sunderland. The Toffees are the best team on both sides of the ball and we can probably expect them to come out on top at the end of the season. Preston's defense is carrying an average squad into a title race, improvements are needed it they are to close the gap. The reigning champions' offensive woes might have finally caught up to them as being one of the worst offenses in the league is seriously dragging their pitching back. Finally, Sunderland are the surprise team. The newcomers are relying on decent batting to lift up some pretty bad pitching. I don't expect them to mount a serious challenge, but it's fun having the new team involved at the top of the table.

Hitting Leaders
CF Ross Matheson - Accrington - .310/.406/.563, 8 2B, 7 3B, 13 RBI, 3 SB
1B Oliver Creamer - Derby - .367/.462/.456, 5 2B, 1 3B, 12 RBI
LF Douggie Davies - Bolton - .315/.396/.528, 3 2B, 8 3B, 10 RBI, 30 SB
3B Liam Mack - Aston Villa - .330/.396/.462, 6 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB
SS Anthony Dean - Notts County - .354/.394/.469, 7 2B, 2 3B, 11 RBI, 1 SB

Pitching Leaders
LHP Edward Middleton - Accrington - 2-1, 28.1 IP, 1.27 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 13.8 K%, 8.1 BB%
LHP Keith Coleman - Burnley - 4-3, 71.0 IP, 1.65 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 10.6 K%, 2.9 BB%
LHP Everton Hanson - Burnley - 7-1, 71.1 IP, 2.02 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 11.1 K%, 4.0 BB%
RHP Everton Taylor - Everton - 5-2, 70.1 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 11.6 K%, 9.9 BB%
LHP Gary Johns - Aston Villa - 2-5, 56.0 IP, 2.09 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 10.1 K%, 8.5 BB%

Scotland - Scottish Baseball League


With just over a month to go, the race for the title is most definitely on! Abercorn's offense has got them in 1st place for now, with Cambusland and Rangers in hot pursuit. Hearts, Dumbarton, Celtic, 3rd Lanark and Cowlairs might have what it takes to make it a very, very exciting finish. Particularly Dumbarton, Rangers and Celtic who have the three best players in the league, with quality to become stars in any league. At just 12 games shorter than the Baseball League, we'll know who the champions are earlier than in England.

Hitting Leaders
RF Douglas Gilbert - Rangers - .333/.434/.567, 6 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 38 SB
LF John Urquhart - Dumbarton - .277/.415/.508, 6 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 9 SB
C Callum McLennan - Vale of Leven - .361/.391/.494, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI
RF Scannell Plunkett - 3rd LRV - .379/.440/.425, 4 2B, 17 RBI, 1 SB
RF Blair Anderson - Rangers - .300/.411/.467, 2 2B, 4 3B, 6 RBI

Pitching Leaders
LHP Charlie Marshall - Hearts - 6-1, 71.0 IP, 1.52 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 12.9 K%, 3.0 BB%
LHP Matthew Gordon - Celtic - 4-3, 69.0 IP, 1.83 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 7.2 K%, 7.8 BB%
LHP Aiden Kennedy - St. Mirren - 4-2, 57.1 IP, 2.04 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 10.6 K%, 6.5 BB%
RHP Connor Millar - 3rd LRV - 5-3, 67.0 IP, 2.15 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9.8 K%, 8.1 BB%
LHP Connor Mackenzie - Celtic - 3-3, 51.0 IP, 2.29 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 9.8 K%, 11.6 BB%

Ireland - Irish League


The shortest league has just about 3 weeks left, with Linfield leading by a game and a half. They're offensive and defensive leaders, and it will be hard for any team to make it any closer. However, Clarence and their league best rotation will most certainly try and perhaps they might take it all the way to the last series when they visit Linfield's Ulsterville stadium.

Hitting Leaders
1B Keane Hobbs - Distillery - .369/.460/.512, 3 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 12 SB
3B Finney Martin - Linfield - .357/.443/.452, 4 2B, 2 3B, 13 RBI, 4 SB
CF Scanlon Graham - Glentoran - .326/.418/.463, 7 2B, 3 3B, 13 RBI, 12 SB
3B Kathel Taylor - Ulster - .304/.440/.418, 6 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB
LF Bowie Jackson - Oldpark - .305/.371/.516, 6 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 SB

Pitching Leaders
LHP Brock Adams - Linfield - 7-1, 78.1 IP, 1.49 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 7.7 K%, 4.2 BB%
RHP Bob Montgomery - Clarence - 4-4, 68.2 IP, 2.23 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 10.5 K%, 7.9 BB%
RHP Brandon Collins - Glentoran - 3-1, 42.1 IP, 2.34 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 6.5 K%, 8.2 BB%
LHP Elton Berry - Cliftonville - 2-1, 45.0 IP, 2.40 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 6.2 K%, 7.8 BB%
LHP Quirke O'Callaghan - Clarence - 5-2, 70.2 IP, 2.55 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 10.0 K%, 10.0 BB%

England - The Baseball Alliance


Of course, the only club with top quality players is dominating the league, losing only once to Walsall. It's just a matter of time before Stoke are crowned champions in this independent league.

Top Hitters
1B Riley Creamer - Stoke - .393/.500/.843, 13 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 11 SB
LF Cedric Pearson - Stoke - .416/.485/.809, 6 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 6 SB
SS Harry Howarth - Stoke - .380/.477/.620, 5 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 28 RBI
RF Douglas Cooney - Stoke - .392/.472/.608, 7 2B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB
2B Kyle Garrett - Stoke - .319/.430/.628, 8 2B, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 6 SB

Top Pitchers
RHP Jayden Lucas - Stoke - 5-0, 43.1 IP, 0.83 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 30.8 K%, 1.9 BB%
RHP Kai Morris - Stoke - 8-0, 71.0 IP, 1.14 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 36.2 K%, 7.5 BB%
RHP Spencer Charlesworth - Stoke - 8-0, 71.0 IP, 1.27 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 31.0 K%, 2.7 BB%
RHP Daniel Scott - Grimsby - 6-2, 61.2 IP, 1.75 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 17.0 K%, 8.9 BB%
LHP Douglas Cleghorn - Birmingham SG - 6-3, 72.0 IP, 1.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 18.8 K%, 5.6 BB%

Find out how the season ended in the next post! Thanks for reading!

[Salathor]

This is a really fun series. I've been tinkering with setting up an English football style promo/relegation league with 4 tiers of 20 teams each and a bottom tier of two 20-team subleagues, but it's tough figuring out how to balance the finances well.

I might consider doing something smaller like this and turning finances off entirely. Not sure yet! Or maybe I'll do reserve clause financials.

[jasg224]

Originally Posted by Salathor

This is a really fun series. ...

Thanks for following along!
I haven't given much thought to the finances as Free Agency as we know it in football didn't actually exist until the Bosman ruling in 1995 (a very distant future). What I've gathered from other threads and my own saves is that the best thing to do is keep all tiers as "Major Leagues" with varying finances and player qualities. I might talk about my own settings for this in a year or two in game as the Baseball Alliance becomes a second tier league with promotion. In the end most of this game is just tinkering with settings until you find the ones you like the most.

[jasg224]

1890 Season Review

So, I didn't assign awards in time for the other leagues so only the Baseball League has awards in game.

England - The Baseball League


Preston North End have an excellent close, overtaking Everton for their first ever Baseball League title! Their offense and defensive play were key for them lifting the trophy, even if their pitching wasn't great. In real life, Everton won the league for the first time, with Preston coming in 2nd.

Player of the Year: LHP Keith Coleman - Burnley - 11-10, 1.86 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 12.6 K%, 5.3 BB%
Pitcher of the Year: LHP Keith Coleman
Young Player of the Year: C Jamie Smullen - Derby - .241/.318/.309, 5 2B, 4 3B, 27 RBI
Team of the Year:
C Bryan Myatt - Burnley - 1st, .310/.399/.379, 8 2B, 3 3B, 18 RBI
1B James Harley - Preston - 2nd, .343/.479/.439, 12 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 30 RBI
2B Shane Pollard - Notts County - 1st, .283/.454/.395, 8 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 37 RBI
3B Nevin Smith - Derby - 1st, .288/.398/.441, 13 2B, 11 3B, 36 RBI
SS Anthony Dean - Notts County - 1st, .352/.398/.458, 17 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 45 RBI
LF Douglas Davies - Bolton - 1st, .254/.355/.409, 10 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 25 RBI
CF Douglas Rousset - Everton - 1st, .272/.338/.399, 11 2B, 8 3B, 35 RBI
RF Mason Price - Wolves - 2nd, .256/.354/.424, 10 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 37 RBI
DH Carlton Deacon - Preston - 1st, .274/.386/.365, 8 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 34 RBI

Scotland - Scottish Baseball League


Heart of Midlothian win the first edition of the SBL! A series win to end May against Cambuslang allowed Hearts to steal the lead from them and win it all by 3 games. Dumbarton and Rangers shared the first SFL title after the 1890-91 season.

Player of the Year: RHP Benjamin Boyd - Rangers - 11-7, 2.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 10.8 K%, 5.2 BB%
Pitcher of the Year: RHP Benjamin Boyd
Young Player of the Year: LHP Ben Little - Hearts - 7-6, 2.94 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 13.3 K%, 7.3 BB%

Ireland - Irish League


Cliftonville win the first edition of the Irish League! A single game separated them from Linfield, who won the real life edition of the competition. The series between them was 3-3 on the season, but Cliftonville sweeped Glentoran to end the season while Linfield lost the last game of the season.

Player of the Year: LHP Maolruanai Clark - Distillery - 8-6, 3.06 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 13.8 K%, 5.7 BB%
Pitcher of the Year: LHP Maolruanai Clark
Young Player of the Year: LF Conchur Stephens - Cliftonville - .229/.339/.321, 1 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI

England - The Baseball Alliance


Unsurprisingly, Stoke City win the season, losing only 3 games. In real life, they also won the league, losing only 2 games. Stoke and Darwen will join the Baseball League for the 1891 season.

Global Awards
Ballon d'Or and Pitching Award
LHP Keith Coleman - Burnley - 1st

Best Player U21
RHP Lewis Mitchell - Cowlairs - 1st, 11-9, 2.80 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 6.5 K%, 5.2 BB%

In the next update we'll go over the 1891 British Home Championship. Thanks for reading!

[jasg224]

Changes prior to the 1891 Season

England
- Stoke is back in the Baseball League
- The Darwen Salmoners (3rd place in the Baseball Alliance) are also elected as the Baseball League expands to 14 teams
- Sunderland Albion defect from the Baseball Alliance
- The Burton Swifts (Burton Albion in the far future), Ardwick Brewerymen (Manchester City in the near future) and Lincoln Imps join the Baseball Alliance

Scotland
- Cowlairs are voted out of the league due to fielding professional players
- Clyde, Leith Athletic and Renton join the Scottish League, expanding it to 12 teams

Ireland
- Clarence and Milford fold
- The Irish League also expands to 10 teams: Lancashire Fusiliers, Milltown, Ligoniel and YMCA join the league

Argentina
- A 5-team league has been founded in Argentina, set to run for the first time in 1891

[jasg224]

1891 British Home Championship

In the run up, England are once again title favorites. The already stacked roster is joined by Everton RHP Oscar Swan (2.70 ERA, 1.21 WHIP in 1890), Burnley C Bryan Myatt (.310/.399/.379 1890), Wolves RF Mason Price (.256/.354/.424 1890), Dumbarton RF Thomas Barrett, and Lincoln 1B Arthur Pembroke and RF Edward Sinclair. They're once again expected to run away with it and add to their 22 wins over the last 3 years.

Scotland are runner-up favorites once again with their core being pretty much the same as last year. RHP Christopher Clark (1.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP in BHC career) and LF Ross Matheson (.324/.446/.544 BHC career) will be at the forefront once again as 5 potential debutants join the squad.

Wales will be hoping LHP Douggie Murray (1.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP BHC career), LF Brian Algar (.366/.458/.515 BHC career) and Shane Pollard (.224/.441/.388 BHC career), now moved to first base might be just enough to manage a second place finish for the first time since 1888.

At the end of the spectrum, Ireland will be hoping to avoid total humiliation. Ulster 3B Kathel Taylor (.281/.418/.425 in 1890) might be their most interesting debutant this year, being classed as the best 3B in the competition. 9 other players have been called up for the first time, though there's no notable additions for this year's BHC.
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Scotland vs Wales
Wales win the first game of the tournament in a close 1-0 affair. 1B Tim Smith drove in the only run of the game, but 38 year-old Stuart Miles took home the player of the game award after shutting out the Scots on 7 hits and 4 walks. Scotland drop the second one 4-1, with LHP Douggie Murray (9 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 K) leading the way for the Dragons. Scotland get one back in the final game of the series, with LHP Joshua Murphy (9 IP, 8 H, 3 K) shutting out Wales in a 4-0 game.

England vs Ireland
Keith Coleman (9 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 4 K) leads England to an Opening Day 6-2 win over Ireland. 2B Danny Campbell's 3-hit 5 RBI day means England win the second one 9-1 with lefty Everton Hanson allowing just 2 hits. Ireland win their first ever British Home Championship game! C Enos McCormick (2-4, 3 RBI) and SS Canice Jones (2-4, 2 RBI) provide the boom while lefty Brock Adams allows just 2 unearned runs to get the Irish their first win!

Wales vs England
SS Aidan Hunter (3-5, 2 RBI) and DH James Harley (3-6, 2 RBI) pave the road to England's first win of the series. The Three Lions take the second one 13-0. James Harley went 2-4, with 4 RBI and a 3 run bomb. Everton Hanson pitches another shutout, lowering his BHC ERA to 1.14. Wales win the third game 9-5. Oscar Swan has now allowed 14 runs in his first two BHC starts. Tim Smith (3-5, 1 RBI), Brian Algar (2-3, 3 RBI) and 2B Shane Pollard (2-4, 2 RBI) lead the way for Wales.

Scotland vs Ireland
Ireland extend their winning streak to 2 games after a 4-1 win despite being outhit 3-10. Brock Adams keeps another powerful offense at bay, allowing a 3 run homer from 1B Reggie Scotney to seal the win. Scotland bounce back to take the second of the series behind a Benjamin Boyd shutout: 9 IP, 6 H, 3 K. Scotland end up winning the series after smashing Ireland 9-3 behind Joe Rennie's 3 hit game.

Going into the final series, England lead the league with Wales and Scotland one game behind.

England vs Scotland
Christopher Clark wins his 8th game in the BHC, allowing 4 runs in 8 innings as Scotland beat England 5-4. England hit back 3-1 in the second, powered by another Everton Hanson masterpiece, allowing 8 hits and striking out 3. The Scots win the series! A 7-4 win with Archie Burnd (4-5, 1 RBI) and Aidan Weir (2-4, 3 RBI) having good days for Scotland. Joshua Murphy earns player of the game honors, despite allowing 4 unearned runs in 9 innings. This result ties England and Scotland at the top of the table.

Ireland vs Wales
Lefty Brock Adams wins his third game this year, this time holding Wales to 3 runs as Ireland wins 6-3. Maolruanai Clark limits Wales to one run as Ireland win their 4th game, 4-1. C Enos McCormick has a 2 hit, 3 RBI day. Ireland sweep Wales to make it a three way tie at the top! Colman O'Brien allows just 2 runs over 9 innings, while a 3-run 7th inning gives Ireland a 5-2 win!



Scotland win the 1891 British Home Championship! It is their first win. Scotland were 2-1 against both England and Ireland, giving them the top spot. England was 2-1 against Ireland, making them 2nd place.
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The Players
Bold means the player led that category.

Top Hitters
C Aidan Weir (SCO) - .407/.515/.630, 2 2B, 2 3B, 10 RBI
2B Tim Smith (WAL) - .436/.436/.590, 17 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI
SS Conor Morrison (EIR) - .286/.342/.429, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI
CF Lewis Johnston (SCO) - .333/.368/.528, 1 2B, 3 3B, 2 RBI
SS Aidan Hunter (ENG) - .258/.361/.516, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI

Top Pitchers
LHP Everton Hanson (ENG) - 3-0, 0.57 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 11.2 K%, 2.6 BB%
LHP Maolruanai Clark (EIR) - 1-2, 5.48 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 8.7 K%, 2.2 BB%
LHP Keith Coleman (ENG) - 2-1, 2.67 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 7.8 K%, 6.1 BB%
LHP Joshua Murphy (SCO) - 3-0, 1.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 6.9 K%, 6.9 BB%
LHP Brock Adams (EIR) - 3-1, 2.31 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 5.3 K%, 4.0 BB%
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For the history books
- Scotland win their first British Home Championship!
- Ireland's 6-2 win over England ended their 21 game losing streak and 29 game winless streak!
- England's 13-0 win over Wales was the biggest win of the tournament
- Wales' 9-5 win over England was the highest scoring game of the tournament
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From the history books
- England win the 1891 British Home Championship with a prefect record
- England's 6-1 win over Ireland was the biggest win of the tournament
- Ireland's 7-2 win over Wales was the highest scoring game of the tournament

[jasg224]

April 1891

England - The Baseball League


At this point last year, Wolves had lost 16 games. This time around, they lead the league with 16 wins as their offense has turned into the 2nd best in the league. LF William Phillips leads the team with a .344/.392/.500 slash, much improved on his slightly below average line last year. Their pitching has also improved on last year, with Daniel Perrin firing to a 3rd best 1.94 ERA. Everton's pitching has got them into second place. Oscar Swan has recovered wonderfully from a terrible BHC performance and teammate Theo Sanderson leads the league with a 1.65 ERA. Blackburn's league best offense and West Brom's balanced but talented squad also have the potential to make it an interesting race in this 78 game season.

Hitting Leaders
CF Paul Brodie - West Brom - .337/.411/.495, 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 17 SB
SS Aidan Hunter - Derby - .371/.462/.573, 6 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 22 RBI
CF Everton Brown - Aston Villa - .269/.393/.366, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 26 SB
LF Ross Matheson - Accrington - .370/.453/.533, 5 2B, 5 3B, 13 RBI, 2 SB
CF Lee Patterson - Wolves - .287/.406/.506, 2 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 7 SB

Pitching Leaders
RHP Oscar Swan - Everton - 8-2, 1.78 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 44 K, 23 BB
RHP Daniel Perrin - Wolves - 8-1, 1.94 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 22 K, 19 BB
RHP Aidan Andrews - Preston - 3-4, 3.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 33 K, 24 BB
LHP Everton Hanson - Burnley - 0-5, 3.18 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 24 K, 20 BB
LHP Marvin Healy - West Brom - 4-2, 2.03 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 18 K, 24 BB

Scotland


Dumbarton lead in Scotland behind a powerful offense that has scored 13 more runs than Celtic. Scotland star Lewis Johnston has been key for the Sons, slashing .354/.409/.424, with 3 doubles, 2 triples and has produced 22 runs. His blazing speed has him 2nd in steals with 27, while teammate Thomas Barrett leads the league with 29. Abercorn, St. Mirren and defending champions Hearts should make this an interesting race.

Hitting Leaders
RF Thomas Barrett - Dumbarton - .364/.467/.477, 4 2B, 3 3B, 10 RBI, 29 SB
CF Lewis Johnston - Dumbarton - .354/.409/.424, 3 2B, 2 3B, 22 RBI, 27 SB
LF Ross Henderson - Hearts - .316/.381/.382, 5 2B, 7 RBI, 17 SB
SS Kai Reid - 3rd LRV - .314/.391/.490, 5 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 16 SB
RF Lewis Duff - Leith - .287/.356/.447, 4 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 8 SB

Pitching Leaders
LHP Charlie Marshall - Hearts - 6-3, 3.00 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 26 K, 15 BB
RHP Benjamin Boyd - Rangers - 7-1, 2.41 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 21 K, 14 BB
LHP Scott Weir - St. Mirren - 2-6, 3.03 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 23 K, 21 BB
RHP James Ross - 3rd LRV - 4-4, 5.49 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 13 K, 15 BB
RHP Sean Cairns - Cambuslang - 4-3, 2.91 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 15 K, 16 BB

Ireland


Despite a rough start from their pitching, a league best offense led by LF Caoimhin Green (.333/.402/.490) has Distillery in first place. One month left, including a very important series at Linfield is all that stands between Distillery and their first title. As mentioned, defending champions Linfield are the closest competitors in the league, but their great pitching might not be enough to defend their 1890 achievement.

Hitting Leaders
LF Caoimhin Green - Distillery - .333/.402/.490, 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 10 SB
CF Corcoran Spear - Distillery - .345/.395/.491, 7 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 11 SB
SS Canice Jones - Ulster - .298/.359/.394, 1 2B, 4 3B, 10 RBI, 3 SB
1B Liam Moffat - Distillery - .316/.420/.484, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 8 SB
3B Kathel Taylor - Ulster - .337/.455/.457, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 8 SB

Pitching Leaders
LHP Brock Adams - Linfield - 6-1, 0.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 35 K, 15 BB
LHP Maolruanai Clark - Distillery - 6-0, 2.39 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 27 K, 12 BB
RHP Steve Lawrence - Cliftonville - 4-3, 3.06 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 27 K, 20 BB
RHP Kennedy Skeene - Lancashire - 0-6, 2.14 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 26 K, 21 BB
LHP Egan Baid - Distillery - 4-4, 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 26 K, 20 BB

Argentina


With the season all but done, St. Andrew's lead the league with 6 games (3 for them) left. It will all come down to the final series between Belgrano, St. Andrew's and Buenos Aires and Rosario.

Hitting Leaders
LF Durkin Brown - St. Andrew's - .392/.511/.527, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI
RF Vic Ferguson - St. Andrew's - .329/.455/.463, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB
CF Sam Kelly - St. Andrew's - .239/.396/.324, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI
SS Brock Palmer - BA&R - .278/.373/.361, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB
CF Rogan Hamilton - Belgrano - .333/.432/.444, 3 2B, 2 3B, 14 RBI, 1 SB

Pitching Leaders
RHP Franklin Mata - Buenos Aires - 3-2, 2.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 32 K, 18 BB
LHP Alex Powell - Belgrano - 4-0, 1.62 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 21 K, 8 BB
RHP Steve Fulton - Old Caledonians - 2-5, 4.06 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 35 K, 33 BB
LHP Aaron French - St. Andrew's - 5-1, 3.51 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 26 K, 16 BB
RHP Chris Martinez - 3-3, 3.19 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 22 K, 10 BB

England - Baseball Alliance


The Imps lead the independent league in England with Burton and Ardwick shortly behind them with a month and a half left.

Hitting Leaders
CF Dermott Cookson - Ardwick - .384/.455/.646, 7 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 25 SB
CF Dwayne Baird - Burton - .354/.432/.604, 8 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 17 SB
RF Jordan Sullivan - Ardwick - .400/.455/.660, 8 2B, 6 HR, 32 RBI
RF Arthur Pembroke - Lincoln - .400/.450/.600, 11 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 2 SB
SS James Jones - Burton - .330/.452/.560, 9 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI

Pitching Leaders
RHP Callum Hamilton - Ardwick - 9-0, 0.48 ERA, 0.49 WHIP, 70 K, 5 BB
RHP Ben Gibson - Burton - 6-1, 0.95 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 88 K, 12 BB
RHP Bryan Taylor - Burton - 5-1, 1.23 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 82 K, 11 BB
RHP Kian Aldridge - Lincoln - 7-1, 3.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 73 K, 15 BB
LHP Isaac Clark - Grimsby - 1-5, 2.60 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 60 K, 13 BB

[jasg224]

May 1891

England - The Baseball League


Wolverhampton hold onto their lead as only two teams remain in the race. Daniel Perrin has won 15 of the 19 starts he's made for the Wolves this year, pitching to a league leading 2.25 ERA. CF Lee Patterson is putting up career numbers (.290/.392/.470) as the West Midlands club remains as the 2nd best offense in the league. Just one game behind are the Blackburn Rovers, who are the best offense. The Rovers have rallied behind 1B Aaron Watkins and a 25-game hitting streak, which is an all-time record. This year, Watkins is hitting .339/.457/.466, with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers and 34 runs driven in. Their rotation has been good, and Josh Cartwright (2.51 ERA in 11 starts) has emerged as a reliable option, but consistency on this front as well as the defense behind them can be a bit better and help push Blackburn over the line.

Hitting Leaders
SS Aidan Hunter - Derby - .335/.420/.527, 10 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 1 SB
1B Aaron Watkins - Blackburn - .339/.457/.466, 8 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 5 SB
2B Clyde Martin - West Brom - .324/.435/.486, 11 2B, 6 HR, 35 RBI
RF Oliver Creamer - Derby - .333/.439/.412, 7 2B, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 1 SB
CF Lee Patterson - Wolves - .290/.392/.470, 8 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 14 SB

Pitching Leaders
RH Daniel Perrin - Wolves - 15-2, 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 35 K, 46 BB
RH Oscar Swan - Everton - 14-5, 2.39 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 73 K, 45 BB
RH Sebastian Burns - West Brom - 12-3, 2.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 61 K, 67 BB
RH Edward Lovell - Aston Villa - 10-5, 2.56 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 50 K, 40 BB
RH Everton Taylor - Everton - 8-6, 2.70 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 56 K, 61 BB

Scotland - Scottish Baseball League


15 games are left in the season and Dumbarton have held their opponents at bay. Despite a struggling rotation (8th/12), a league best offense is being led by Englishman RF Thomas Barrett. In his first year in Scotland, Barrett is hitting .381/.480/.519, with 8 doubles and 9 triples. "Honey" has driven in only 17 runs, but is just 6 stolen bases away from the Scottish record, currently standing at 68 (Rangers' Douglas Gilbert in 1890). Dumbarton are so close to the title they can smell it, with a series against Heart of Midlothian being the toughest of the remaining 5.

Hitting Leaders
RF Thomas Barrett - Dumbarton - .381/.480/.519, 8 2B, 9 3B, 17 RBI, 63 SB
RF Charlie McIntosh - Renton - .380/.470/.465, 3 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 1 SB
1B Alexander Robb - Clyde - .374/.435/.472, 10 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 28 RBI, 4 SB
RF Leon Fraser - Cambuslang - .326/.420/.423, 9 2B, 4 3B, 19 RBI, 8 SB
LF Sean Douglas - Celtic - .353/.421/.442, 10 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 28 RBI, 19 SB

Pitching Leaders
RH Samuel Stewart - Renton - 13-4, 2.52 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 58 K, 51 BB
RH Benjamin Boyd - Rangers - 12-6, 2.16 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 44 K, 29 BB
LH Aiden Kennedy - St. Mirren - 10-4, 2.68 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 48 K, 51 BB
RH Glen Oakley - Abercorn - 8-4, 3.86 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 13 K, 34 BB
RH Graeme Reynolds - Dumbarton - 6-2, 2.47 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 19 K, 7 BB

Ireland - Irish League


Barring a disaster in the final series against Milltown, Distillery are the 1891 Irish League Champions! They opted for an all-offensive team with bad defending and just average pitching, and it paid out. LF Caoimhin Green has a .145 average in British Home Championship play, but he proves why he's one of the best in Ireland by putting up a .290/.368/.430 slash in the league. Some say his talents would play out in England, but with professionalism still banned in Ireland, Green might decide to stay put and play for the national team.

Hitting Leaders
3B Jackie Curtis - Ligoniel - .318/.403/.465, 2 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI
C Jack Murray - Linfield - .274/.381/.439, 8 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 7 SB
RF Bernard Saxton - Distillery - .316/.409/.412, 13 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 28 RBI, 6 SB
3B Daire Mulqueen - Distillery - .293/.387/.443, 8 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 25 RBI
CF Corcoran Spear - Distillery - .306/.354/.468, 12 2B, 9 3B, 2 HR, 28 RBI, 21 SB

Pitching Leaders
LH Brock Adams - Linfield - 11-4, 1.49 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 72 K, 23 BB
RH Steve Lawrence - Cliftonville - 8-6, 2.53 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 72 K, 35 BB
LH Sullivan Reynolds - Linfield - 8-5, 2.26 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 53 K, 44 BB
RH Nevan Robertson - Ulster - 9-6, 2.60 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 41 K, 51 BB
LH Ross Donnelly - Lancashire - 8-6, 2.65 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 51 K, 52 BB

Argentina - Primera División


The smallest league at this point in time ended in the first week of May. St. Andrew's Athletic win the first edition of the Primera División, just as they did in real life. The difference is that their counterparts were tied at the top of the table with Old Caledonians, leading to a "medal match" where St. Andrew's won 3-1. Also, at this point the league is mostly made up of British immigrants with a few Argentinians joining them. The English were extremely influential in the Argentinian sports scene, with football, rugby and tennis being popular sports where Argentinians have excelled over the years.

Best Team
C Jack Ward - Belgrano - .341/.443/.447, 3 2B, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 1 SB
1B Alan White - Old Caledonians - .296/.452/.432, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 SB
2B Keenan Kavanagh - St. Andrew's - .203/.323/.367, 3 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 1 SB
3B Conor Davidson - Buenos Aires - .323/.378/.424, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI
SS Brock Palmer - BA&R Railway - .260/.366/.333, 4 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB
LF Durkin Brown - St. Andrew's - .384/.481/.500, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 13 RBI
CF Clyde Atkins - Buenos Aires - .304/.337/.481, 5 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI
RF Aiden Bell - Belgrano - .337/.441/.380, 1 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI
DH Aindreas Argent - Old Caledonians - .333/.392/.389, 3 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI
P Alex Powell - Belgrano - 4-0, 2.64 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 27 K, 16 BB

England - The Baseball Alliance


The race between Lincoln and Burton is still on, as several clubs will be looking to be voted into the Baseball League in 1892. Meanwhile, rumours about a merger with the Baseball League are starting to circulate, with the Alliance being incorporated officially into the BA.

Hitting Leaders
LF Gerald George - Grimsby - .389/.465/.695, 23 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 15 SB
1B Edward Sinclair - Lincoln - .329/.489/.608, 20 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 8 SB
RF Jordan Sullivan - Ardwick - .383/.439/.631, 17 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 52 RBI
RF Arthur Pembroke - Lincoln - .400/.468/.563, 21 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 31 RBI, 5 SB
CF Dermott Cookson - Ardwick - .367/.431/.614, 18 2B, 6 3B, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 49 SB

Pitching Leaders
RH Callum Hamilton - Ardwick - 18-1, 0.90 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 167 K, 15 BB
RH Bryan Taylor - Burton - 15-1, 1.61 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 174 K, 22 BB
RH Kian Aldridge - Lincoln - 13-3, 2.44 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 164 K, 29 BB
RH Ben Gibson - Burton - 11-4, 1.68 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 173 K, 27 BB
LH Quentin Ward - Lincoln - 11-0, 2.09 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 138 K, 20 BB

[jasg224]

June 1891 - End of Season Report

England - The Baseball League


It was a tough battle between two even rivals. On June 26th, Blackburn defeated Burnley 2-1 while the Wolves lost 3-4 at the hands of Stoke, extending a losing streak that would last 8 games. In the end, this was all that was needed for Blackburn to seize the lead and never look back. A 4-1-1 record against Wolverhampton and a run differential of +146 also make Blackburn Rovers the 1891 Baseball League Champions! It is their first championship in the league's short history. Lefty Brad Burrows was the best pitcher on the team after having a 16-8 record, 2.75 ERA, 1.34 WHIP with 98 strikeouts and 121 walks. On the other side of the ball, LF Darren Hartshorn was the best player for the Rovers, hitting .289/.390/.430 with 11 doubles, 6 triples, 6 homers and 39 runs driven in.

Player of the Year
There was a change in thought, were field players are seemed more deserving of PotY awards, unless pitchers have truly outstanding seasons. With that said, the 1891 PotY winner is: SS Aidan Hunter - Derby
Season: .309/.400/.455, 12 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 44 RBI, 1 SB, 17.1 ZR (SS), 5.7 WAR

Pitcher of the Year
LHP Everton Hanson - Burnley - 3rd time
Season: 13-7, 228.2 IP, 2.24 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 84 K, 56 BB, 2.49 FIP, 6.1 WAR

Young Player of the Year
SS William Hogarth - Preston
Season: .241/.288/.310, 5 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 1 SB, 11.6 ZR (SS), 1.9 WAR

Team of the Year
C Jamie Smullen - Derby - 1st, .253/.340/.308, 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI
1B Aaron Watkins - Blackburn - 1st, .330/.447/.448, 12 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 49 RBI
2B Gary Collins - Burnley - 1st, .265/.331/.332, 7 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 19 RBI
3B Liam Mack - Aston Villa - 1st, .331/.372/.451, 10 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 49 RBI
SS Aidan Hunter - Derby - 1st, .309/.400/.455, 12 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 44 RBI
LF Darren Hartshorn - Blackburn - 3rd, .289/.390/.430, 11 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 39 RBI
CF Lee Patterson - Wolves - 1st, .290/.386/.438, 9 2B, 6 3B, 7 HR, 40 RBI
RF Riley Creamer - Stoke - 1st, .306/.345/.492, 23 2B, 14 3B, 2 HR, 45 RBI
DH Carlton Deacon - Preston - 2nd, .346/.415/.450, 11 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 41 RBI

Scotland - Scottish Baseball League


Dumbarton held onto their lead, going 8-6-1 in June to St. Mirren's 6-7-2 to win their first league! 22 year old James McDonald was the best pitcher on the Sons' squad, going 12-8 with a 3.71 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. McDonals struck out 57 batters and walker 54 in 189 innings. RF Thomas Barrett was the best hitter on the team, slashing .369/.476/.533 with 11 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 20 RBI, setting a world record with 89 stolen bases.

Player of the Year
RF Thomas Barrett - Dumbarton - 1st
Season: .369/.476/.533, 11 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 89 SB, 6.0 ZR (RF), 6.7 WAR

Ireland - Irish League


Also as mentioned above, Distillery hung onto their lead by winning their series against Milltown 2-1. It's their first title!

Player of the Year
LHP Brock Adams - Linfield - 1st
Season: 11-5, 165.1 IP, 1.47 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 77 K, 25 BB, 1.95 FIP, 5.8 WAR

Young Player of the Year
1B Calum Rankin - Glentoran
Season: .268/.363/.380, 8 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 35 RBI, 4 SB, 3.3 ZR (1B), 1.6 WAR

Team of the Year
C Jack Murray - Linfield - 1st, .273/.376/.430, 8 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 25 RBI
1B Calum Rankin - Glentoran - 1st, .268/.363/.380, 8 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 35 RBI
2B Trevor Murphy - Linfield - 1st, .262/.354/.366, 10 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 32 RBI
3B Jackie Curtis - Ligoniel - 1st, .310/.400/.452, 3 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI
SS Keane Hobbs - Distillery - 1st, .284/.371/.358, 7 2B, 4 3B, 27 RBI
LF Alfie Lawlor - Lancashire - 1st, .290/.398/.395, 7 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 27 RBI
CF Corcoran Spear - Distillery - 1st, .308/.361/.462, 12 2B, 9 3B, 2 HR, 28 RBI
RF Bernard Saxton - Distillery - 1st, .305/.395/.395, 13 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 31 RBI
DH Sammy Carroll - Distillery - 1st, .230/.332/.335, 7 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 25 RBI

England - The Baseball Alliance


Lincoln win the last season of the Baseball Alliance as an independent league.

[jasg224]

Changes prior to the 1892 season

England
- The Baseball Alliance is incorporated as the Baseball League Second Division
- Darwen are relegated into the Second Division
- Nottingham Forest, The Wednesday (Sheffield) and Newton Heath (Manchester) are promoted to the First Division
- Birmingham St. George's decide not to apply to the Baseball League due to significant debt and disbanded
- Sheffield Blades (United), Northwich Victoria and Port Vale are admitted into the Baseball League Second Division

Scotland
- Cambuslang were not re-elected into the league, they would never seek to join again
- Vale of Leven were also not re-elected, though this is not the last we've seen of them
- No new teams are admitted and the league contracts to 10 teams

Ireland
- The league contracts to 6 teams. Lancashire Fusiliers, Milltown, Ligoniel, Oldpark and YMCA are out of the league.
- Derry Olympic joins the league.

Argentina
- No 1892 season was played.

[jasg224]

1892 British Home Championship

As usual, England come with the best players in the world. Lefty pitcher Marvin Healy who joins the rotation after a great season with West Brom and left fielder Sean Standfield, who is the ultimate contact hitter, make the England squad for the first time. The team managed by Daniel Moore is hoping to get some silverware after a tight second place finish in 1891.

Defending champions Scotland present a couple new faces in the squad, though it is only young 3B Michael Shaw and SS Arran Crawford who make the projected starting lineup. The Tartan Army are the second best team once again, but they have a couple of weak spots that could lead to a poor title defense.

Despite not having a professional league yet, Wales are the third best team. They too present two new starters in Clyde 2B Frazer Hutchison who will need to prove himself and his arm at short, and Grimsby 2B Idris "Engine" Vaughan who will also need to prove his worth in the hot corner. This is definitely a team with potential but all players must perform to their full capabilities in order to achieve something.

Finally, Ireland come with the same base. They're clearly the worst British team, but they are no longer an easy win for the rest of the teams. They can only hope for another 5-4 tournament or better, even if it means another last place finish.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ireland vs England
England and Keith Coleman get off to a good start, winning game one by 3-0. Coleman allowed no runs on 7 hits, striking out 4 Irishmen. Oscar Swan is still looking for his first BHC shutout after he allowed 2 runs in a 7-2 win for England. Paul Brodie has a 3 hit game while Sean Bernerd makes the difference with a 3 run homer. England complete the sweep with Marvin Healy allowing just one run in his England debut. Anthony Dean has a 3 hit game.

Wales vs Scotland
The Scots brush the Welsh aside, winning 4-0 as Rangers pitcher Benjamin Boyd allows just 5 hits and a walk. BHC legend Christopher Clark one-ups Boyd in game two, allowing just one hit and two walks as Scotland win 1-0. Wales win the third of the series by the minimum, with Scotland failing to score despite having 8 hits and 7 walks.

England lead the way with a perfect first series, followed by Scotland, Wales and a winless Ireland.

England vs Wales
The Three Lions win the first one 5-2. Coleman gets his 2nd win of the tournament. Aaron Watkins has a 4 hit, 2 RBI game for England. England take a close game two 4-2. Oscar Swan lowers his ERA to 5.84 after 5 BHC games. England complete the sweep in a 14-2 game. Toby Gilmour has 3 hits and 3 RBI, Aidan Hunter has 3 hits and 2 RBI, Paul Brodie has 2 hits and 3 RBI in a fantastic offensive day for England.

Ireland vs Scotland
Scotland smash Ireland 7-0 as Boyd gets his 2nd win of the tournament. He's yet to allow a run in this year's edition. With Christopher Clark on the mount, we get a repeat score. Michael Shaw and Arran Crawford have 3 hit games, while Lewis Johnston has a 3 RBI day with a double and a walk. Ireland get their first win of the tournament as Colman O'Brien allows just one run in a 2-1 win. Brogan Moore gets two hits and an RBI.

England get a 2 game lead into the final series, with Scotland close behind. Wales and Ireland share the last spot with a 1-5 record.

Wales vs Ireland
Stuart Miles fights off a feisty Ireland lineup who got 3 runs in 12 hits, but Wales end up winning 4-3. A 9th inning single from Brian Algar prevents a Welsh loss and the second game ends 5-5. Ashley Reader has a 3 hit, 3 RBI game for Wales. Brogan Moore hits thrice as Ireland win 4-1 in the final day.

Scotland vs England
Archie Burns and Ross Matheson get 9th inning RBI as Scotland dramatically ties England 4-4 to start off the most important series of the tournament. Oscar Swan gets his first career BHC shutout as England clinch the title in a 4-0 win! The Scots got 8 hits and 5 walks but couldn't break through as they secure another 2nd place finish. The final game of the tournament is a 4-3 win for Scotland


England win the 1892 British Home Championship! It is their 4th win.
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The Players
Bold means the player led that category.

Top Hitters
3B Brogan Moore (EIR) - .471/.514/.529, 1.043 OPS, 16 H, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 10 SB
C Ashley Reader (WAL) - .333/.333/.667, 1 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI
CF Lewis Johnston (SCO) - .265/.359/.382, 4 2B, 3 RBI, 6 SB
RF Thomas Barrett (ENG) - .167/.268/.306, 1 2B, 2 3B, 7 RBI, 8 SB
CF Paul Brodie (ENG) - .400/.450/.543, 2 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 7 SB

Top Pitchers
LH Keith Coleman (ENG) - 2-0, 27 IP, 2.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 11 K, 7 BB
RH Oscar Swan (ENG) - 3-0, 27 IP, 1.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 7 K, 10 BB
LH Charlie Marshall (SCO) - 1-2, 25 IP, 2.16 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 6 K, 6 BB
LH Marvin Healy (ENG) - 2-1, 26.2 IP, 2.36 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 12 K, 8 BB
RH Stuart Miles (WAL) - 1-2, 26 IP, 4.15 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 3 K, 5 BB
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For the history books
- England win their fourth British Home Championship!
- England tie their first game ever, their record now stands at 34-10-1
- England's 14-2 win over Wales was the biggest win and highest scoring game of the tournament
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From the history books
- England win their fifth title with a perfect 3-0-0 record and allowing only one goal
- 5 players end up tied at the top of the charts with 2 goals each
- Scotland's 6-1 win over Wales is the biggest win and highest scoring game of the tournament

[RMc]

Also, are real American players going to cross the pond and play in the UK? And vice versa? Will every sentence in this post end with a question mark? Probably not...but who can say?

[jasg224]

Originally Posted by RMc

Also, are real American players going to cross the pond and play in the UK? And vice versa? Will every sentence in this post end with a question mark? Probably not...but who can say?

I can give you a quickstart of the 1893 season as I've already begun the 1892 sims, if that's something you'd be interested in.


Also, eventually I'll have several leagues across the world and I'll try to emulate the transfer market with trades between leagues, etc. There hasn't been any player movement aside from released players so far because the first IRL transfer happened in 1893, so I'll activate trades next year.