Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Defending CABA champ Merida narrowly took the Mexican League South Division again at 91-71, finishing two games ahead of both Leon and Mexico City. Mexicali would not repeat as North Division champs, as Juarez beat them out by two games at 94-68. In his one season south of the border, American Rich Pendley earned pitcher of the year for the Jesters. Ecatepec first baseman earned MVP, leading the ML in hits, RBI, AVG, OBP, and WAR.


In the Caribbean League, Havana led CABA in runs scored and fewest allowed for the Island Division title at 111-51. It was a stacked division again with Haiti (106-56) and Puerto Rico (99-63) missing the postseason despite great years. No team in the Continental Division posted a winning record as Panama took first at 77-86, one up on Costa Rica and three on Salvador.


The Hurricanes had the pitcher of the year in Julio Ruiz. The 33-year old lefty posted a 14.1 WAR season, which would be the only 14+ WAR pitching year in CABA history until 2025. Caligula Davalos of the Honduras Horsemen was MVP with the outfielder sitting the CABA home run mark at 57, a record that would hold until 1939.


Havana topped Panama in six games to claim the Caribbean title and Juarez edged Merida in seven games for the Mexican title. The Hurricanes wouldn’t fall victim to the rally this time in the CABA Championship as they swept the Jesters for the crown.


Other notes: Havana’s Baptiste Timothee threw a perfect game with 15 strikeouts against Santo Domingo. It was the second CABA perfecto, as Manniche Velez of Haiti did it against Santiago the prior year.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The top record in the American Association in 1912 went to Los Angeles, as the Angels finished 106-56 and scored a MLB-best 976 runs. 24-year old Aaron Wageman earned MVP from the Angels, while also earning left field’s Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. First baseman Bill Willis defied the trope of 1Bs being big and slow, leading the AA in runs scored, triples, and stolen bases Vancouver picked up second in the Western League at 97-65, fending off 93-win Portland and 91-win Calgary.


Defending World Series champ Houston won a fifth straight Southern League title at 103-59. The Hornets had the big free agent signing of the offseason, securing four-time pitcher of the year Josh Davis formerly of Cleveland to a seven-year, $33,900 contract. He wouldn’t get his fifth POTY in 1912 because new Houston teammate Jeremy Frechette would be getting HIS fifth. Charlotte finished second in the SL at 96-66 for their second playoff berth ever, joining the inaugural 1901 campaign.


Kansas City claimed the Midwest League at 95-67 with Chicago getting the second playoff spot at 91-71 for the first playoff berth for both squads.. Cougars second baseman Archie Meredith posted a 10.4 WAR season at age 24 to earn the National Association MVP. He beat out Toronto’s Jimmy Miller, who set the MLB record with a .390 batting average.


Washington narrowly won back-to-back Eastern League titles with a 96-66 record. Hartford finished second again, one back at 95-67. Boston (92-70) and Brooklyn (90-72) just fell short. Columbus’s Owen Swanson picked up his first pitcher of the year at age 25.


For the first time in the MLB playoff history, all of the first round series’ went five games. The league champs prevailed in each matchup with KC over Hartford, Washington over Chicago, LA over Charlotte, and Houston over Vancouver.


In the NACS, the Admirals dropped the Cougars in six games for Washington’s first Association crown. In the AACS, the Hornets defeated the Angels in six games for their sixth American Association title in eight years.


It was the AA’s turn to have home-field advantage in the World Series rotation and that paid off as the home team won each game. Houston defeated Washington in seven games with MVP going to second baseman Matt Whittington. Thus, the Hornets earned the first-ever World Series three-peat and their fourth title in five years.


Other notes: Houston’s Jeremy Frechette became the first MLB pitcher to each 200 career wins, doing so on 6/24/12. Detroit’s George Lacey became the second on 7/13. Oklahoma City’s Bas Pietersma became the first player to win 10 Gold Gloves. Although a career .208 hitter, the Aruban goes down as an all-time great defender at shortstop, generating 20.0 career WAR despite a career OPS+ of 55.

[artoodeetoo]

Really enjoying this so far. I've always wanted to do a fictional universe, but it's just easier to fall back on doing an MLB story and running with that.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Quote: Originally Posted by artoodeetoo

Really enjoying this so far. I've always wanted to do a fictional universe, but it's just easier to fall back on doing an MLB story and running with that.

Yeah it's a big time and energy investment and it takes a while to get going but once the lore starts getting established, it's a ton of fun.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Puebla had the top record in Mexico in 1913, winning the South division at 95-67 and dethroning Merida (92-70). The North had its third winner in three years as Tijuana took first at 91-71, beating out Mexicali (88-74).


Defending league champ Juarez limped to 75-87 despite having pitcher of the year Nick Bermea, a 23-year old American whom the Jesters purchased from San Francisco. Ecatepec first baseman Manny Arroyo again won MVP, although his .337/.391./.562 line; all league leading; wasn’t enough to get the Explosion a winning record.


In the Caribbean League, Havana again had the best record in CABA with a 115-47 mark. Jamaica finished above 100 wins for the second time, but the Jazz’ 107-55 couldn’t keep up with the Hurricanes. After no winning records in 1912, the Continental division had one solid team with Panama placing 91-71.


Havana’s Baptiste Timothee won his second pitcher of the year, finishing first in ERA (1.44), wins (22), WHIP (0.77) and second in strikeouts (339). Puerto Rico’s Jhoyce Hidrovo was MVP with a league best 1.000 OPS and 12.2 WAR added by great defense at shortstop.


The Parrots gave the Hurricanes a decent run, but Havana claimed the Caribbean title in seven games. The Toros topped the Pumas in six games for the Mexican title and Tijuana would unseat the Hurricanes as the CABA champ, winning in six games. Outfielder Jeison Miranda won series MVP, hitting nine home runs with 19 RBI over 12 playoff games.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The Houston Hornets powerhouse seemed to grow even stronger on paper in 1913 with the unexpected emergence of Aitor Cerda. The Mexican slugger came from a time before well-organized leagues where he was, making his official recognized debut along with CABA at age 39 for Salvador. After spending 1912 with Merida and leading the Mexican League with 39 homers, he signed with the Hornets.


Cerda would play only one season with Houston, but his 1913 would be remarkable, setting MLB records with 58 home runs and 175 RBI. The RBI record would remain untouched for more than a century. Cerda earned 1913 MVP and helped the Hornets to a MLB best 105-57 and new MLB record 1024 runs, the second team to cross 1000. Josh Davis, in his second year in Houston, earned his fifth career pitcher of the year and first in the American Association.


Memphis placed second in the Southern League at 98-64 with only 82-win Charlotte also finishing above .500 in the SL. In the Western League, Denver grabbed first at 104-58. Defending WL champ Los Angeles grabbed the second spot at 102-60 for a fifth straight playoff berth; which would ultimately be their last playoff spot for a decade.


The Hornets defeated the Angels in four games in the first round of the playoffs and the Mountain Cats outlasted the Dragons on the road for a five-game upset. The AACS would see a shocking result though as Memphis knocked out Houston in five games. Despite a $33,450 payroll compared to Houston’s massive $81,476 payroll, the Mountain Cats advanced and started would what become the franchise’s signature run.


In the National Association, Omaha emerged for their first playoff berth, leading the Midwest League at 104-58 led by the one-two pitching punch of Chris Krych and Casey Esnault. Defending ML champ Kansas City placed second at 98-64, just defeating Cleveland (97-65) for the spot. Duel pitcher/outfielder Angel Guerra won his second MVP in his final year with the Cougars. The Cuban would oddly bounce around to 10 teams in 12 years in the remainder of his career with mixed results.


No one dominated in the Eastern League as Boston picked up its first-ever playoff spot with the EL title at 93-69. Matt “Banjo” Newman, a small but very hard throwing righty and second-overall pick 1905, earned pitcher of the year from the Red Sox. Pittsburgh picked up the franchise’s second playoff appearance, finishing second at 91-71, four games over Hartford.


The Pirates were the top scoring NA team and used that to upset Omaha in four games in the first round. Kansas City stunned Boston in five, pitting the second-place finishers against each other in the NACS. Pittsburgh defeated the Cougars in six games for their only National Association crown of the 20^th century. The World Series crown though would go to the Memphis Mountain Cats, who easily took the title in five games.


Other notes: Los Angeles pitcher Dennis Belch threw MLB’s third perfect game in a speedy three strikeout game against Denver on 8/30.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The Mexican League North division came down to a tiebreaker game after defending CABA champion Tijuana and Mexicali both finished 98-64. The Toros took the tiebreaker game, aided by a 12.4 MVP series by Dominican catcher Mar Pavia. Although below .500 as a team, Juarez had the Pitcher of the Year in a back-to-back effort for Nick Bermea. The 24-year old from Columbus, Georgia became the first CABA pitcher to win the Triple Crown at 20-7, 1.55 ERA and 356 strikeouts.


In the South division, it was a three-team battle between Puebla, Leon, and Ecatepec. The defending champ Pumas ultimately prevailed at 98-64, ahead of the Lions (95-67) and the Explosion (94-68). The Mexican League Championship Series rematch went seven games with Los Toros again coming out on top.


Havana’s hold on the Island division was ended in 1914. Despite a 92-70 record, the Hurricanes wouldn’t keep up with Puerto Rico’s 102-60 season and a second MVP season by Pelicans shortstop Jhoyce Hidrovo and a 13.2 WAR, 119 run, 135 RBI season.


Panama again was the only team above .500 in the Continental division with a 95-67 finish. The Parrots had Pitcher of the Year Juan Mendoza and the best team ERA in the Caribbean League at 3.00 even. The Pelicans claimed the CLCS in six games against the Parrots. However, it would be Tijuana securing back-to-back CABA titles with the swept of Puerto Rico in the championship.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

After his stunning record-setting MVP season at age 41 with Houston, Aitor Cerda signed with the Denver Dragons for a one-year, $5,500 contract. Cerda’s numbers wouldn’t be as eye popping, but he’d earn another American Association MVP before finishing his career with weak seasons with Charlotte and San Francisco in 1915 and 1916.


Cerda wasn’t the only big addition for Denver. Former Phoenix MVP outfielder Jason Salvage, who was traded at the deadline to Houston in 1913, signed a five-year, $26,500 deal with the Dragons. These signings pushed Denver not only to back-to-back Western League titles, but the MLB’s best record at 110-52. Portland picked up the second place spot in the WL at 96-66, the first playoff berth for the Pacifics. Calgary had the most runs scored, but placed third at 91-71.


Defending World Series champion Memphis won their first-ever Southern League title at 94-68, reversing position with Houston. The Hornets placed second at 92-70, getting the second-ever 300+ strikeout season and a record sixth Pitcher of the Year from Josh Davis. It would be his final great season due to an ulnar nerve entrapment in his throwing elbow the following May.


Houston’s playoff experience paid off as they shocked top-record Denver with a road sweep in the first round. Memphis topped Portland in four games for an AACS rematch between the Southern League rivals. The series went the distance and despite their lack of big stars and stats, the Mountain Cats prevailed for the second straight year, winning in seven games.


With aging stars, this would prove to be the end of Houston dynasty. Although the Hornets would have some solid seasons in the next decade, their run of eight American Association finals appearances and six titles in 10 years would go down as arguably the best decade in AA history. Manager Erick Stockmann would be the only MLB manager to win four World Series titles until Dian Gesang and the San Diego dynasty of the 2020s.


Columbus would boast the National Association MVP and PotY in taking theie first Midwest League title at 100-62. 25-year old Outfielder Jonathan Gibbs grabbed his second MVP and 27-year old righty Owen Swanson his second Pitcher of the Year. After coming close last year, Cleveland finally earned a playoff spot with a second-place 98-64 record, beating out solid seasons from Chicago (93 wins), Omaha (93), and Kansas City (92).


In a competitive Eastern League, 1912 NA champ Washington bounced back after a down 1913, finishing first in the EL at 95-67. Hartford picked up a third wild card in four years at 93-69, outlasting last year’s Association champ Pittsburgh (89-73), as well as Montreal (88-74) and Boston (86-76).


It would be an all Eastern League NACS as in the first round, the Huskies upset the Chargers in five games and the Admirals bested the Cobras in four. Despite being close in the regular season, Washington handled Hartford in five games to give the Admirals their second NA title in three years.


Memphis would not be able to pull off back-to-back World Series titles, as Washington won the Fall Classic in five games. It was Washington’s first-ever World Series title and the second National Association winner in the last eight years.


Other notes: Calgary’s Max Pohorence broke his own 1911 single-season hits record, one-better with 241. Pohorence also scored a new record 141 runs, one ahead of Alex Rodriguez’s 1901 mark.


Vancouver third baseman Dusty Knight become the second player to win 10 Gold Gloves. Knight would be one of two MLB players ever to eventually rack up 15 Gold Gloves over his career with six teams (WAS, CIN, LAA, VAN, MON, CAL). Despite 2788 career hits, his relatively unremarkable hitting kept him from a Hall of Fame spot.


Omaha pitcher Casey Esnault became the first pitcher to reach 3000 career strikeouts. Esnault eventually finished with 3776 and would stay in the top 20 even into the new Millennium, although his 71.8 WAR and 254-227 record still wouldn’t be enough to get him into the HOF with unremarkable 3.89 career ERA and 1.34 WHIP.