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jamus23 · 10-24-2010, 11:13 PM

Axel Perez:

Over the years, it has become very clear that the most difficult position to achieve Hall of Fame immortality at is the catcher position. Currently, there are 122 position players in the Hall, and of those, only 7 spent their careers strapping on the "tools of ignorance." Every other position has at least 13 representatives. Thus far, we have discussed 3 of those catchers: Odon Lobo(12-time All Star, 406 career homeruns), Maurice Knox(5-time All Star, 433 homeruns), and James Paras(9-time All Star, 1-time Silver Slugger winner, 3-time Gold Glove Award winner, 645 homeruns). Now we come to a player who was one of the driving forces behind the Miami Dolphins becoming a perennial powerhouse within just a few years of entering the league.

After suffering through a disastrous expansion season in 2038 that saw the Dolphins lose a record 131 games, the Miami franchise faced an important decision: who to take with the #1 overall draft pick in the '39 amateur draft. The right choice would potentially give the fledgling Dolphins a cornerstone player around which to build an annual contender. Every year, the team at the top of the draft is forced to choose between several talented players. Sometimes they make the right choice, and sometimes they don't. Let's briefly look at some of the players that Miami didn't pick. For simplicity's sake, I'll stick with just the other players chosen in the top five.

With the 2nd pick in the draft, San Jose took shortstop William Westerlund. The infielder debuted in 2039 and became a regular the following season. He won the Rookie of the Year award and a Gold Glove Award in 2040, but was inconsistent in his first couple of seasons. He fell out of favor in San Jose in 2043, and got traded to Harrisburg in '44. He spent a few years in Washington before getting traded to Grand Rapids in 2047. Following the 2048 season, he was strictly a backup and bounced around from Knoxville to Kansas City to Grand Rapids to Portland to Buffalo to Washington, and finally, back to Kansas City. He retired after the 2054 season. Westerlund had decent power, but struggled to hit for average or make contact. He finished his career with a .740 OPS in a little over 4,000 at bats. Westerlund had a couple of pretty good seasons, but otherwise was a mediocre player. With the 3rd pick, Buffalo selected starting pitcher Eric Redus. The right-hander made his big league debut in 2041 and became a full time member of the Bills' rotation in 2043. He won 18 games with a respectable 4.00 ERA in 2044, but never really approached those numbers again. His strikeout rate was low and he had erratic control. By 2046, he was consistently walking more batters than he struck out. Nevertheless, Buffalo kept him in the rotation through the 2049 season. He signed with Portland in 2050, where he played until the end of his career in 2055. In just over 300 career starts, Redus had a 101-121 record, a 5.36 ERA, and more walks than strikeouts. The Denver Broncos took center-fielder Leroy Berning with the 4th pick in the draft. Berning reached the big leagues in 2042, and became a starter in 2044. Although he made the All Star team that year, the Broncos traded him to Hartford. He played a few years with the Whalers before getting traded to Nashville and then to San Jose in the 2047 season. He spent three seasons with Memphis from '48-'50, and then played for Rochester from '51 to '57. He also played briefly for Knoxville in the 2057 season, before ending his career with a stint in Buffalo in 2058. Berning has a decent case for the Hall of Fame, as he made 6 All Star teams, won a Silver Slugger Award in 2050, won 3 Gold Glove Awards, had an .880 career OPS, and hit 446 career homeruns. With the 5th pick in the 2039 draft, Grand Rapids also selected a center-fielder- James Williamson. Unfortunately, Williamson was pretty much a complete bust. He spent most of his career in the minor leagues, with the occasional big league cup of coffee. Williamson collected just 309 career at bats and posted a career .627 OPS. He bounced around the league, playing for Grand Rapids, Tucson, Portland, Nashville, Harrisburg, and San Joe, before retiring after the 2052 season.

While those four players wound up having vastly different careers, any one of them could have been chosen first overall, instead of Axel Perez. In fact, the choice of Perez wasn't exactly a clear cut decision for Miami. During the 2038 season, the Dolphins had traded for a young, and very talented catcher by the name of Dennis Gillespie(Note: We'll be seeing this name again pretty soon...). Why draft a catcher when you already have one and can draft a player at another position? Ultimately, however, the prospect of a catcher as talented as Perez was too much to resist, especially since the 23 year old was considered an extremely advanced hitter- advanced enough that he might not have to spend much time in the minor leagues. In fact, upon drafting Axel Perez, the Dolphins decided that he didn't have to spend any time in the minor leagues, and installed him as the starting catcher, moving Gillespie to DH in the process. Perez's rookie season was a little bumpy. He struggled in April(.623 OPS), but hit better with each successive month: .745 in May, .800 in June, and .849 in July. He did begin to tire, however, and posted OPS's below .700 in both August and September. Nonetheless, he managed a somewhat credible .726 OPS for the season, and poked out 14 homeruns. His numbers were good enough to earn him the American League Rookie of the Year Award. The Dolphins improved significantly from their expansion season, but were still pretty terrible. Miami finished in last place in the Southeast with a 61-101 record.

If you wanted examples of a "sophomore slump," Axel Perez's 2040 season would probably be at the top of the list. The young catcher struggled terribly through the first two months of the season. His bat began to pick up in June and July, but towards the end of July, he was injured in a collision at home plate. With a couple of broken ribs, Perez was done for the season. He finished the year with a pathetic .620 OPS in 295 at bats. About the only positive from the season was an increased walk rate. Despite Perez's struggles, the Dolphins burst onto the scene with a 91-71 record- good for 2nd place in the division, 8 games behind Atlanta.

Perez returned in a big way in 2041. He earned his first trip to the All Star game, and finished the season with an .882 OPS, 34 doubles, 16 homeruns, and 88 walks. Miami slumped to 83-79, and finished in last place in the Southeast Division. The following year, Perez made his second trip to the All Star game. He posted an .875 OPS, finished 2nd in the American League in doubles with 49, smacked 17 homeruns, drove in 82 runs, scored 109 runs, and drew 81 walks. Miami, meanwhile, bounced back from a mediocre season to win 93 games and a Southeast Division title.

Miami's first ever postseason appearance pitted the Dolphins against an 87-win Kansas City Royals team. The Dolphins swept Kansas City in 4 games, outscoring the Royals 23-13. Miami's World Series opponent would be a 101-win Portland team led by future Hall of Famer Hector Soriano(28-5, 1.50 ERA, 283 K's). In Game One, the Dolphins' own HOF starter, Robert Padgett, throttled the Trailblazers, limiting them to 2 hits over 9 innings in a 2-1 Miami victory. Miami edged Portland 6-4 in the second game; Perez contributed with 1 hit, 2 walks, and a run scored. Soriano dominated the Dolphins in Game Three with a 6-hit, 11-strikeout complete game. Portland won, 3-1. The Trailblazers evened the series in Game Four, with a 4-2 victory. In Game Five, Miami rallied from deficits of 4-0 and 5-3, eventually winning 6-5 in 11 innings. Perez walked and drove in a run in that game. The Dolphins clinched their first championship with a 7-3 win in Game Six. Perez produced a double and 2 runs batted in. Overall, however, Perez had a pretty poor postseason. In 36 at bats, he managed only 6 hits, and had a .491 OPS.

After two straight All Star seasons in '41 and '42, Axel Perez exploded in 2043. He finished 4th in the league in batting average(.351), 3rd in on base percentage(.463), 5th in OPS(1.064), 3rd in doubles(46), and 4th in walks(101). He added 23 homers, a career-best 121 RBI, and 109 runs scored. Miami won its second straight Southeast Division title with a 99-63 record. Despite being outscored 46-45 in a wild, 7-game ALCS, the Dolphins prevailed against an 88-win Denver team. In the deciding game, Perez belted a pair of homeruns, including a grand slam, drove in 6 runs, and scored 3 runs. Miami scored 7 runs in the third inning, and led 14-1 after 6 innings. The Broncos chipped away at that deficit, with 2 runs in the seventh, 3 runs in the eighth, and 1 run in the ninth, but lost, 14-7. With the win, Miami reached its second straight World Series. Once again, the Dolphins would have to face Portland, which finished the regular season with a 105-57 record.

Game One went to the Dolphins. Axel Perez doubled and drove in 2 runs in a 5-1 victory. Portland returned the favor with a 5-1 win in the second game; the Dolphins managed only 3 hits in the contest. Game Three was a back and forth affair. The Dolphins led 2-1 after three innings, but Portland struck for 4 runs in the top of the fourth inning. Runs in the fifth and seventh innings gave the Trailblazers a 7-2 lead. Miami, however, erupted for 5 runs in the bottom of the seventh-4 of which came from another Perez grand slam- tying the game at 7-7. Portland retook the lead in the ninth inning, and hung on for an 8-7 victory. For the first 8 innings of Game Four, Portland's ace Hector Soriano had the Dolphins' lineup at his mercy, as the Trailblazers led, 3-0. In the bottom of the 9th, however, Soriano tired. The Dolphins scored 4 runs- 3 off of Soriano- to win the game 4-3 and tie the series at 2 games apiece. Miami grabbed a quick 5-0 lead in Game Five, and held off Portland for a 5-4 win. Perez doubled twice, walked, drove in a run, and scored a run. Facing a second straight World Series defeat against Miami, the Trailblazers forced a seventh game, with a 5-1 victory in Game Six. Miami jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game Seven, but never scored again. Portland tied the game with 2 runs in the third inning, took the lead in the fifth, and secured a 5-2 victory with a pair of runs in the eighth inning. Perez had 2 hits and an RBI in the loss. Overall, Perez had a solid postseason. His batting average was an unimpressive .208, but among his 10 hits were 5 doubles and 3 homeruns. Throw in 9 walks, and he wound up with an .833 OPS. He also led the Dolphins with 15 RBI.

In '44, Perez's numbers slipped back to the level of his '41 and '42 seasons. He posted an .864 OPS, hit 20 homers, drove in 93 runs, scored 93 runs, and drew 82 walks. He did, however, win his first Gold Glove Award. Miami had another strong season, with a 93-69 record; however, that was only good enough for 2nd place in the division. The Dolphins finished 3 games behind the Nashville Predators, who went on to win the World Series. After the '44 season, Perez became a free agent. However, after testing the waters, he elected to resign with Miami.

Both the Dolphins and Perez bounced back in 2045. Perez made his 4th trip to the All Star game, and finished the season with a .964 OPS, 38 doubles, 22 homeruns, 94 RBI, 95 runs scored, and 97 walks. Miami, meanwhile, rolled to another division title. The Dolphins led all of baseball with a 105-57 record, and finished 25 games ahead of the defending champion Predators, who slumped to second place and an 80-82 record. Miami flattened a 95-win Tucson team in the ALCS, outscoring the Diamondbacks 32 to 16 in a 4-game sweep. After facing Portland in consecutive World Series, the Dolphins would finally get the opportunity to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates, a franchise that was the undisputed "King" of the baseball world. At this point in time, the Pirates had won 17 World Series. The next highest total belonged to Grand Rapids, with 5. The Dolphins were just an upstart team with 1 World Series title to their name.

Although Pittsburgh finished the regular season with "only" 100 victories, the Pirates actually finished 9 games under their Pythagorean record. To beat Pittsburgh, the Dolphins needed to be at the top of their game. Game One went in Miami's favor. The Dolphins prevailed, 5-4, in a back and forth game. In the second game, the Dolphins battered Pittsburgh's pitching staff into submission. Miami scored 4 runs in the first inning, 1 in the third, 6 in the fourth, and 1 run in the 5th, 7th, and 8th innings. The final score was a 14-4 beat-down. Perez ripped 2 hits, including a double, drove in 3 runs, scored 2 runs, and drew a walk. The Pirates battled back, winning Game Three by a 6-1 score, and Game Four by an 8-6 margin. Pittsburgh rallied from a 6-2 deficit to win the latter game. In Game Five, the Pirates grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning. It remained that way until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Miami erupted for 5 runs. Two innings later, the Dolphins again scored 5 runs. Miami cruised to a 10-3 victory. The Dolphins clinched their second championship when Albert Casey(17-9, 3.10 ERA, 196 K's) outdueled Dennis Hallowell(17-8, 3.44 ERA, 255 K's) in a 3-2 Miami victory. Perez contributed a double, 2 walks, and a run scored. Perez's final postseason numbers included an .878 OPS, 3 doubles, 5 RBI, 7 runs scored, and 11 walks.

Perez's second monster season came in 2046. He ranked 6th in the American League with a 1.035 OPS and led the league with a .449 on base percentage. He also smacked 28 homeruns, knocked in 97 runs, scored 102 runs, and finished 3rd in the league with 104 walks. Not surprisingly, he went to his 5th All Star game in '46. The Dolphins led all of baseball with a 108-54 regular season record, easily winning the Southeast Division by 22 games over Washington.

In the ALCS, the well-balanced Dolphins(4th in runs scored and 2nd in runs allowed) took on a 90-win Memphis team that had a powerful lineup(1st in homeruns, 2nd in runs scored) but an average pitching staff(12th in runs allowed). Despite Miami's seeming advantage, the two teams split the first four games of the series. The Grizzlies won Game Five by a score of 5-1; all 5 runs came off of the Dolphins' ace Robert Padgett(17-9, 2.90 ERA, 253 K's). Axel Perez's solo homerun in the 4th inning gave the Dolphins a 1-0 lead- a lead which disappeared when Memphis scored 4 runs in the fifth inning. Miami forced a seventh game when Albert Casey(23-9, 2.85 ERA, 231 K's) tossed a 3-hit, 10 strikeout, shutout in a 6-0 Game Six victory. Perez had 2 hits, including a triple, and a run scored in the win. The Dolphins drew first blood in Game Seven, with a run in the 2nd inning. Memphis took the lead with 2 runs in the top of the fourth, but Miami retook the lead with 2 runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth. In the top of the fifth inning, however, the Grizzlies erupted for 4 runs to take a 6-3 lead. Memphis added 2 runs in the eighth inning and 4 runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach. Miami managed 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, but fell, 12-5. The Grizzlies went on to win their first World Series since 2032. Despite the loss, Perez had a strong postseason, with a .967 OPS, a double, a triple, 2 homeruns, 5 RBI, and 4 runs scored.

Perez had his 3rd consecutive, and 6th overall, All Star campaign in the 2047 season. He produced a .967 OPS, with 44 doubles, 17 homeruns, 106 RBI, 97 runs scored, and 95 walks. Miami rolled to a league-best 109-53 record, winning the Southeast Division by 20 games over Washington. For the second straight season, the Dolphins would face Memphis in the ALCS, although the defending champion Grizzlies very nearly missed the playoffs. Memphis(87-75) lost 13 consecutive games to close out the regular season, and finished only 1 game ahead of second place Denver.

Memphis' late-season swoon had little bearing on the outcome of the ALCS. The Grizzlies stunned the powerful Dolphins, winning the series in 6 games. They outscored Miami 28-19 in the process. The clinching game was a 10-inning, 3-2 nail-biter. Memphis' designated hitter Bartolo Gurrola(.744 OPS, 18 HR, 64 RBI) hit a 2-out, solo homer in the top of the tenth inning for the eventual winning run. It was his 3rd homerun of the series. Memphis was unable to repeat as champions, however, losing to Pittsburgh in 6 games in the World Series. The 2047 ALCS was one of Axel Perez's worst postseason performances ever. He managed just 2 hits in 18 at bats, and had just a .607 OPS. His 8 walks did give him a .385 on base percentage, however.

Despite having an OPS above 1.000 for the third time in his career in 2048, Perez's streak of All Star appearances came to an end. Nevertheless, Perez ranked 2nd in the American League with a 1.054 OPS. He won his only batting title, leading the AL with a .365 average, and also paced the league in on base percentage(.455). He finished 2nd in the league in doubles, with a career-high 50, had a career-high 187 hits, hit 20 homeruns, knocked in 100 runs, scored 121 runs, and drew 84 walks. In addition to his outstanding offensive season, Perez also picked up his 2nd career Gold Glove Award for his work behind the plate. The Dolphins won their 4th straight division title, leading the American League with a 103-59 record. Miami's ALCS opponent was an 84-79 Kansas City team that finished 6 games over its Pythagorean record and had to win a 1-game playoff with an 83-80 Denver team that finished 5 games under its Pythagorean record just to get into the playoffs.

The Dolphins had very little trouble with overmatched Royals, outscoring them 50-23 in a 4-game sweep. The World Series looked to be a different story, as Miami would face an intimidating Pittsburgh team that went 111-51 in the regular season, and ranked 3rd in runs scored and 1st in runs allowed.

Despite limiting the Pirates to just 4 hits in Game One, the Dolphins lost, 1-0. Game Two was scoreless for 5 innings, but Miami grabbed a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. That lead disappeared in the top of the seventh, when Pittsburgh scored 3 runs, and then reappeared in the bottom half of the seventh, when the Dolphins scored 3 runs of their own. In top of the eighth, the Pirates promptly tied the game up at 5-all. An inning later, Pittsburgh went ahead 6-5 and hung for the victory. Down 2-0 in the series, Miami needed a big hit to get back on track. Axel Perez provided that big hit in Game Three. With 2 outs in the 3rd inning, and the game tied at 1, Perez smashed a 3-run homerun. Left-fielder Daniel Hayes followed with a solo homerun to give Miami a 5-1 lead. The Dolphins added 3 runs in the sixth, 1 run in the seventh, and another 3 runs in the eighth- Hayes hit his 2nd homerun of the game(a 2-run shot) during the latter outburst- to secure a 12-5 rout. Perez drove in 4 runs in the contest. Miami evened the series with another strong offensive performance in Game Four. The Dolphins scored 1 run in each of the first 3 innings, and then tacked on 3 runs in the fourth inning. Pittsburgh rallied to make it an interesting, but Miami escaped with an 8-5 victory. Perez produced 2 hits, a walk, and a run scored. Robert Padgett tossed a shutout in Game Five, leading Miami to a 5-0 victory and a 3-2 series lead. Perez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning of Game Six, the Dolphins quickly took control. Miami scored 3 runs in the bottom of the first, 2 in the third, and 2 more in the fifth. After that, it was just a matter of holding the Pirates off for 4 innings. Pittsburgh scored 3 runs in the sixth inning, but came no closer. The Dolphins clinched their 3rd World Series victory with a 7-4 win. Perez walked twice and a scored a run in the win. For the entire postseason, Perez had one of the best performances of his career. He managed a 1.097 OPS, with 11 hits, 3 doubles, a triple, a homerun, 8 RBI, and 11 runs scored. His 13 walks helped to give him a ridiculous .522 on base percentage.

For a second straight year, Perez put up an OPS above 1.000, and also for the second straight year, he did not go to the All Star game. Perez finished 3rd in the league with a 1.038 OPS, ripped 49 doubles and 23 homeruns, drove in 114 runs, and scored 116 runs. He led the league with 105 walks and ranked 2nd with a .447 on base percentage. He also earned his 3rd Gold Glove award. Miami tied Pittsburgh for the best record in baseball, at 111-51, and easily won the Southeast Division; the Dolphins finished a whopping 34 games ahead of second place Knoxville. Like in 2048, the Dolphins faced off against the Royals in the ALCS. Unlike the previous year, however, this Royals team was not one that barely squeaked into the playoffs. Kansas City finished 94-68 and won the Central Division by 12 games over Tucson. Still, the Dolphins, who ranked first in all of baseball in both runs scored and runs allowed, weren't too scared by a Kansas City team that ranked 5th and 6th, respectively, in those categories. Despite outscoring the Royals 31-29, however, the Dolphins fell in 6 games. Kansas City went on to beat Pittsburgh in 7 games in the World Series. Perez had one of his lesser postseason performances in '49. He managed just a .577 OPS, and had only 4 hits in 24 at bats.

Although his OPS slipped to .975 in the 2050 season, Perez made his 7th trip to the All Star game. He poked out 25 homeruns, drove in 96 runs, scored 111 runs, and drew 97 walks. Miami's 100-62 record led all of baseball, but the Dolphins did not win the Southeast as easily as they had the previous season. Second place Atlanta won 96 games and finished just 4 games out of first place. The Dolphins' ALCS opponent was Tucson, which finished 91-71. The Diamondbacks did not present much of a challenge, as Miami cruised past them in 5 games, outscoring them 31-17. In the World Series, Miami took the field against the 98-64 Hartford Whalers, a team that hadn't made the playoffs since 2003 and had never played in a World Series.

The Dolphins survived an early Whalers' outburst in Game One, rallying from deficits of 5-0 and 7-5, to pull out a 9-8 victory. Perez didn't contribute much to the win, going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. Game Two was similar to the first game, as Hartford had leads of 3-0 and 4-3, before falling 6-4. This time, however, Axel Perez was a huge factor in the Dolphins' victory. He had 2 hits, including a 3-run homer in the sixth inning that erased the Whalers' 3-0 lead, 2 walks, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Perez had another strong game in Game Three, but Hartford turned the tables on Miami. Perez had 4 hits, including 2 doubles and a homerun, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. The Dolphins jumped out to a 4-0 lead, and led 5-2 after the top of the fifth inning. Hartford erupted for 5 runs in the bottom of the fifth, and went on to win, 9-6. Perez led the attack again in Game Four, and this time, the Dolphins didn't squander their early lead. Miami scored twice in the first inning, 7 times in the second, and twice more in the third. Hartford got a couple of runs in the fourth inning, but the Dolphins tacked on a run in the eighth and 3 runs in the ninth, capping a 15-2 rout. Perez had 4 hits, a walk, 4 RBI, and a run scored in the laugher. Miami clinched its 4th World Series title by winning Game Five by a score of 4-1. Perez walked and scored a run in the game. For the entire playoff run, Perez was superb. He finished with a 1.230 OPS, 15 hits, 4 doubles, a triple, 2 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 11 runs scored.

In 2051, Perez had an OPS above 1.000 for the 5th time in his career, leading the American League with a 1.056 total. He also paced the AL in on base percentage(.438) and runs scored(130). He ripped 49 doubles and a career-best 29 homeruns, drove in 93 runs, drew 93 walks, and finished 2nd in the league with a .618 slugging percentage. Not surprisingly, Perez made his 8th trip to the All Star game. Miami rolled to a league-best 109-53 record, winning the Southeast Division by 11 games over Washington. For the second straight season, the Dolphins faced Tucson(85-77) in the ALCS. Miami flattened the out-manned Diamondbacks, outscoring them 40-14 in an easy 4-game sweep. Perez had 3 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in the clinching Game Four, a 7-6 victory. With the 104-win Pittsburgh Pirates blowing past Sacramento in the NLCS in a 4-game sweep of their own, the 2051 World Series looked to be a battle of heavyweights.

Game One went to Pittsburgh, as the Pirates overcame an early 2-0 deficit to win 8-3. Perez doubled, walked, and scored a run in the loss. Miami raced to a 5-1 lead after three innings in Game Two, and hung on for a 5-3 victory. Perez doubled, walked, and drove in a run. The Dolphins committed 6 errors in an 11-8 Game Three loss. Trailing 11-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Perez belted a 3-run homerun. Unfortunately, Miami's 5-run rally in that inning was too little, too late. The Dolphins blew a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning of Game Four, and lost 5-4, falling behind 3 games to 1 in the World Series. Miami survived for another day by blowing Pittsburgh out, 10-2, in Game Five. Perez had 2 hits, including a 3-run homerun, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. The Dolphins' offense battered Pittsburgh's pitching again in Game Six to force a seventh game. Miami pounded out 14 hits in an 11-5 thumping. Perez had 2 hits, a walk, and 2 runs scored. Game Seven was scoreless until Miami got on the board in the 5th inning. The Dolphins scored again in the 6th inning, but Pittsburgh tied the game with 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th. Miami, however, retook the lead in the eighth, and added an insurance run in the ninth to secure a 4-2 victory. Despite Miami's numerous championships, the '50 and '51 seasons represent the only time that the Dolphins have won consecutive World Series titles. Axel Perez had another outstanding postseason. He batted .419 with a 1.291 OPS, 18 hits, 7 doubles, 3 homeruns, 15 RBI, 14 runs scored, and 7 walks.

Perez made his 9th and final trip to the All Star game in 2052. He posted his 6th 1.000+ OPS that year, finishing with a 1.056 total that ranked 2nd in the American League. He added 50 doubles, 23 homeruns, 114 RBI, and 109 runs scored. He also led the league in both walks(114) and on base percentage(.461). Miami tied with Pittsburgh for the best record in baseball at 106-56, and won the Southeast Division by 7 games over Washington. For the third straight season, the Dolphins went up against Tucson(90-72) in the ALCS. After beating the Diamondbacks in 5 games and 4 games the previous two seasons, however, Miami had much more difficulty with them in the '52 ALCS. The Dolphins trailed 3 games to 1 heading into Game Five. Axel Perez led the attack in an 10-5 rout, as he doubled, homered, drove in 5 runs, and scored a run. The Dolphins forced a seventh game with an 8-4 victory in Game Six. Unfortunately, Miami's bid for a third straight championship came to an end in Game Seven of the ALCS. The Dolphins led, 3-1, after three innings, but watched the game and the series slip away from them. Tucson scored a run in the fourth inning, 2 runs in the fifth to take the lead, and insurance runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, ultimately winning the game by a score of 7-3. Perez's overall performance was mediocre: he managed a .789 OPS, with a double, a homerun, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored, and 4 walks.

The 2053 season proved to be Perez's last great season. He posted a .997 OPS, with 38 doubles, 23 homeruns, 89 RBI, 101 runs scored, and 97 walks. His OPS ranked 3rd in the American League. The Dolphins were easily the best team in baseball, as they tied their then franchise record of 111 wins. The next best team that year was Sacramento, with 97 wins. Miami won the Southeast Division by 17 games over Knoxville(94-68). In the ALCS, Miami went up against Kansas City(86-76), a team with a good lineup(3rd in runs scored) but mediocre pitching(13th in runs allowed). The Royals actually outscored the Dolphins 40-38 for the series, but Miami prevailed in 6 games. Trailing the series 2 games to 1, Kansas City evened things up with a 13-4 cakewalk in Game Four. In the fifth game, Miami rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win 6-4. Reserve infielder Santo Markowitz hit a grand slam in the 7th inning to give the Dolphins the lead. The clinching Game Six got out of hand early, as Miami erupted for 6 runs in the first inning. After five innings, the Dolphins led 10-1. Kansas City rallied, with 3 runs in the 6th inning and 3 runs in the 8th inning, but the Royals came up short in a 10-7 defeat. Perez doubled, homered, drove in 3 runs, and scored 2 runs in the game. For the entire ALCS, Perez hit .435 with 4 homeruns and 11 runs batted in. Miami's World Series opponent was Pittsburgh(96-66). It was the 4th World Series meeting between the two teams. The Dolphins and Pirates had previously met in 2045, 2048, and 2051, with the Dolphins winning each time.

Miami took Game One, 8-6. The Dolphins led 5-0 after 4 1/2 innings, and 7-1 after 5 1/2 innings, but allowed the Pirates to make things interesting. Perez singled, walked, and drove in a run. Pittsburgh captured Game Two without much difficulty; the Pirates led 7-0 after 5 innings and cruised to a 7-3 win. Perez walked and scored a run in the contest. Miami got a masterful pitching performance from Pete Young in Game Three(8 1/3 innings pitched, 7 hits and 1 walk allowed, 1 run allowed, and 9 strikeouts) en route to a 4-1 victory. Perez contributed little, going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. Miami took control of the series in Game Four with an 8-5 victory. The Dolphins broke open a 2-2 game with a 3-run sixth inning, a 2-run seventh inning, and a 1-run eighth inning. Perez walked twice, but had no hits, RBI, or runs scored. He made up for that, however, by leading the charge in a World Series-clinching Game Five victory. With the Dolphins trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Perez smashed a 2-out, 3-run homerun to give Miami a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Dolphins prevailed, 7-3, and Perez finished with 3 hits, including a double in addition to the homerun, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Perez's final postseason numbers included a 1.218 OPS, 14 hits, 2 doubles, a triple, 5 homeruns, 15 RBI, 11 runs scored, and 5 walks.

Age catches up to everyone eventually, and in the 38 year old Axel Perez's case, the first thing to go was his power. Usually a 20-25 HR hitter in his prime, Perez managed only 7 long-balls in the 2054 season. His other numbers remained solid, however, as he produced an .839 OPS, 37 doubles, 73 RBI, 78 runs scored, and 83 walks. He also earned his 4th career Gold Glove Award. Miami led all of baseball with a 101-61 record, and won the Southeast Division by 7 games over Atlanta. The Dolphins faced Denver(93-69) in the ALCS. Miami had little trouble with the Broncos, outscoring them 40-28 in a 5-game victory. The Dolphins' World Series opponent proved to be a familiar face: the Pittsburgh Pirates(98-64).

Game One started off as a close, low-scoring game. After 7 innings, the Pirates clung to a 3-2 lead. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, starting pitcher Granville Jarvis(16-9, 3.84 ERA, 152 strikeouts) and relief pitcher Joel Basabe(3.30 ERA in 19 games) completely imploded in the eighth and ninth innings. When the dust had settled, Pittsburgh had itself a 12-4 victory. Game Two was frustratingly similar to Game One. After 7 innings, the scored was tied at 4-all. The Pirates, however, struck for 3 runs in the eighth inning and 1 run in the ninth to secure an 8-4 win and a 2-0 series lead. In the two losses, Perez was a combined 0 for 8 with 4 strikeouts. The Dolphins got off to a quick start in Game Three, with 3 runs in the first inning. When Pittsburgh got close with a pair of runs in the sixth, Miami put the game out of reach with 3 more runs in the seventh inning. Despite a career high 7 walks, Miami starting pitcher Ervin Wright(12-11, 4.46 ERA, 145 strikeouts) went the distance in the 6-2 victory. Despite the win, Perez continued to struggle badly- he went 0 for 4 with 3 more strikeouts. The Pirates dominated most of Game Four, but nearly blew the game. Pittsburgh led 7-0 through seven innings, but allowed Miami to score 3 runs in the eighth inning and 2 runs in the ninth inning, turning what should have been a rout into a narrow, 7-5 victory. Although the Dolphins lost, Perez finally contributed something positive. He had 2 hits, including a double, 2 RBI, and a run scored. Miami managed to avoid elimination with a 7-1 whipping in Game Five. The Dolphins scored 6 runs in the first three innings. Perez hit a double, but did little else. After beating Pittsburgh in 4 previous World Series meetings, the Dolphins finally lost to the Pirates. Miami blew a 3-1 lead in Game Six, and ultimately lost, 5-3. Perez had a hit, a walk, and an RBI in the loss. The 2054 postseason run was one of Perez's worst. He managed a pathetic .573 OPS and struck out 19 times in 41 at bats. He did have 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 4 runs scored, and 5 walks.

Although Perez's power had declined in 2054, he had remained a productive hitter that season. That was not the case in the 2055 season, which proved to be Perez's last. He got off to a slow, but not completely terrible start, as he managed a .707 OPS in April. In May, however, he dropped off a cliff, going 5 for 60 with 22 strikeouts. At that point, backup catcher Juan Ornelas, who wasn't hitting especially well, either, moved into the starting lineup. Perez initially seemed to do better in a reserve role, with a .747 OPS in 24 June at bats, but went 5 for 49 in July and August combined. Perez actually got slightly more playing time than Ornelas in September(40 at bats to 33), but that probably had more to do with the fact that the Dolphins ran away with the Southeast Division and wanted to prevent injuries to their starters in meaningless games. As it was, Perez finished his final season with a horrendous .486 OPS and a pitiful .174 batting average in 241 at bats. The abrupt decline of its start catcher had little effect on Miami, as the Dolphins rolled to a league-best 112-50 record, won the division by 26 games over Atlanta, and ranked 1st in both runs scored and runs allowed. For the second straight season, the Dolphins faced Denver(90-72) in the ALCS.

After splitting the first two games, the Dolphins ripped off three consecutive victories to reach the World Series. Game Three was a 7-3 win in which Miami got 3 hits and 3 RBI from DH Daniel Hayes and 2 hits and 2 RBI from catcher Juan Ornelas. The Dolphins rallied from a 3-0 deficit in Game Four to win 4-3. Third-baseman Santo Markowitz homered and drove in 2 runs. The clinching game was a 4-2 victory. Miami's World Series opponent was fellow 2038 expansion team, San Jose(92-70). The Sharks had the playoffs only once before(2047), but in '55, they took out defending champion Pittsburgh in 7 games in the NLCS.

Game One of the World Series was an offensive slug-fest. The Dolphins struck for 4 runs in the top of the first inning, but the Sharks came storming back, with 2 runs in the second, and 7 runs in the third. Miami got a run in the fifth, but San Jose got 2 in the bottom half of the inning to make it 11-5. Another run in the seventh inning made it 12-5. The Dolphins cut it to 12-8 with 3 runs in the eighth inning, but the Sharks got another insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. San Jose pounded out 18 hits in the 13-8 victory. Game Two was much lower scoring, but the outcome remained the same. San Jose picked up 2 runs in the first inning, 1 in the fourth, and 2 more in the sixth. Miami rallied with 3 runs in the seventh inning, but fell, 5-3. The Dolphins led Game Three 2-1 after four innings, but fell apart in the fifth inning. San Jose scored 3 runs in that inning, and another one in the sixth. Miami made it a 1-run game with 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Sharks secured a 7-4 win with 2 runs in the top of the ninth inning. On the verge of having their season end with a shocking World Series-sweep, the Dolphins led Game Four 2-1 after 7 innings. Miami's bullpen, however, choked. San Jose took the lead with a 3-run eighth inning. The Dolphins scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, but could not complete the comeback. San Jose won the game, 4-3, and stunned Miami with a sweep. In their entire history, the Dolphins have lost 10 World Series, but only one, the '55 loss to San Jose, was a sweep. Axel Perez saw little action during this postseason run, but he acquitted himself respectably when he did play. In 6 at bats, he had an .833 OPS. One of his 2 hits was a double. After the 2055 season, Perez retired.

Although Axel Perez failed to reach any of the major career milestones- only 2371 career hits and 311 homeruns- there is certainly room in the Hall of Fame for a 9-time All Star, 4-time Glove Glove Award winning catcher with a career OPS of .933, and 6 seasons with a 1.000+ OPS. Throw in the fact that he played for a 6-time World Series winning team and was very good postseason performer(.909 OPS in 408 at bats), and you have one of the greatest catchers of all time.

Perez's stats:

Code:

Career Batting Stats 
 
 
Year     G   AB    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI    R   BB    K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS Teams 
2039   143  524  136  28  1  14   58   77   54  142  0  0 .260 .329 .397  .726 MIA 
2040    89  295   61  17  2   3   34   44   45   86  2  0 .207 .312 .308  .620 MIA 
2041   140  468  135  34  4  16   69   77   88  126  2  0 .288 .401 .481  .882 MIA,AL 
2042   145  521  151  49  2  17   82  109   81  127  4  3 .290 .385 .489  .875 MIA,AL 
2043   146  484  170  46  3  23  121  109  101  106  5  1 .351 .463 .601 1.064 MIA,AL 
2044   138  487  134  32  5  20   93   93   82  120  5  4 .275 .380 .485  .864 MIA 
2045   148  483  151  38  2  22   94   95   97  117  2  3 .313 .428 .536  .964 MIA,AL 
2046   137  433  137  25  4  28   97  102  104  112  4  4 .316 .449 .587 1.035 MIA,AL 
2047   142  481  153  44  5  17  106   97   95  124 11  9 .318 .431 .536  .967 MIA,AL 
2048   143  512  187  50  5  20  100  121   84  119  6 11 .365 .455 .600 1.054 MIA 
2049   147  499  165  49  6  23  114  116  105  127  6 12 .331 .447 .591 1.038 MIA 
2050   141  490  152  29  7  25   96  111   97  112 10  6 .310 .424 .551  .975 MIA,AL 
2051   148  500  167  49  3  29   93  130   93  119  7  5 .334 .438 .618 1.056 MIA,AL 
2052   141  489  164  50  4  23  114  109  114  116  3  4 .335 .461 .595 1.056 MIA,AL 
2053   135  451  142  38  2  23   89  101   97   94  0  1 .315 .436 .561  .997 MIA 
2054   123  426  124  37  1   7   73   78   83  102  1  3 .291 .407 .432  .839 MIA 
2055    76  241   42   6  1   1   23   22   30   81  1  0 .174 .266 .220  .486 MIA 
Total 2282 7784 2371 621 57 311 1456 1591 1450 1930 69 66 .305 .414 .519  .933   
 
 
Career Postseason Batting Stats
 
 
Year    G  AB   H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB   K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS 
2042   10  36   6  2  0  0   3  3  5  11  0  0 .167 .268 .222  .491 
2043   14  48  10  5  0  3  15  6  9  14  0  0 .208 .333 .500  .833 
2045   10  35  11  3  0  0   5  7 11   7  1  1 .314 .478 .400  .878 
2046    7  25   6  1  1  2   5  4  5  12  0  0 .240 .367 .600  .967 
2047    6  18   2  2  0  0   1  1  8   9  0  0 .111 .385 .222  .607 
2048   10  33  11  3  1  1   8 11 13   6  0  2 .333 .522 .576 1.097 
2049    6  24   4  0  0  1   3  3  4   9  1  0 .167 .286 .292  .577 
2050   10  37  15  4  1  2   9 11  7  10  0  1 .405 .500 .730 1.230 
2051   11  43  18  7  0  3  15 14  7  10  1  0 .419 .500 .791 1.291 
2052    7  21   5  1  0  1   5  3  4   6  0  0 .238 .360 .429  .789 
2053   11  41  14  2  1  5  15 11  5   7  0  0 .341 .413 .805 1.218 
2054   11  41   9  2  0  0   4  4  5  19  0  0 .220 .304 .268  .573 
2055    2   6   2  1  0  0   0  0  0   1  0  0 .333 .333 .500  .833 
Total 115 408 113 33  4 18  88 78 83 121  3  4 .277 .399 .510  .909 
 
 
Player History
 
 
Drafted in 1st round, 1st overall pick, by Miami in 2039...
Had first career hit on 4/1/2039, off Edson Villegas (WAS)...
Hit first career homerun on 4/9/2039, off Eric Laplant (NAS)...
Won Rookie of the Year Award in 2039, hitting .260 with 14 HR, 58 RBI...
Injured on 7/27/2040 with a Broken Ribs, out for 8-9 weeks...
Injured on 6/25/2041 with a Bruised Jaw, out for one week...
Was selected to the 2041 Allstar game...
Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against Kansas City on 5/9/2042...
Was selected to the 2042 Allstar game...
Won World Series with Miami in 2042...
Was selected to the 2043 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Denver on 10/14/2043...
Injured on 4/18/2044 with a Pulled Hamstring Muscle, out for one week...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2044...
Signed as a free agent by Miami on 2/24/2045 to a 6-year deal worth $20,000,000 per year...
Was selected to the 2045 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/1/2045, hitting .600 with 3 HR, 10 RBI...
Won World Series with Miami in 2045...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/21/2046, hitting .440 with 4 HR, 7 RBI...
Was selected to the 2046 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Nashville on 7/19/2046...
Injured on 9/16/2046 with a Bruised Jaw, out for 1-2 weeks...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Tucson on 5/20/2047...
Was selected to the 2047 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/8/2048, hitting .545 with 2 HR, 10 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Nashville on 9/22/2048...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2048, hitting .520 with 3 HR, 13 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 10/1/2048, hitting .485 with 6 HR, 28 RBI...
Won World Series with Miami in 2048...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2048...
Won Batter of the Month award on 6/1/2049, hitting .404 with 7 HR, 28 RBI...
Drove in 8 runs against Knoxville on 9/8/2049...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2049...
Was selected to the 2050 Allstar game...
Drove in 7 runs against Memphis on 7/24/2050...
Won World Series with Miami in 2050...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2051, hitting .500 with 4 HR, 9 RBI...
Had 21-game hitting streak snapped on 6/26/2051...
Was selected to the 2051 Allstar game...
Won World Series with Miami in 2051...
Was selected to the 2052 Allstar game...
Had 2000th career hit on 7/21/2052, off Eric Nicastro (WAS)...
Drove in 7 runs against Knoxville on 9/14/2052...
Won World Series with Miami in 2053...
Drove in 6 runs against Grand Rapids on 9/24/2054...
Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2054...
Injured on 10/6/2055 with a Inflamed Groin Muscle, out for one week...
Retired in 2056.
 
 
Batting Leader Boards Appearances 
 
AVG
2043 - .351 - 4th
2048 - .365 - 1st
2049 - .331 - 7th
2051 - .334 - 7th
 
OBP
2043 - .463 - 3rd
2045 - .428 - 3rd
2046 - .449 - 1st
2047 - .431 - 5th
2048 - .455 - 1st
2049 - .447 - 2nd
2050 - .424 - 3rd
2051 - .438 - 1st
2052 - .461 - 1st
2053 - .436 - 2nd
2054 - .407 - 6th
 
SLG
2046 - .587 - 10th
2048 - .600 - 6th
2049 - .591 - 8th
2051 - .618 - 2nd
2052 - .595 - 2nd
2053 - .561 - 5th
 
OPS
2043 - 1.064 - 5th
2045 -  .964 - 9th
2046 - 1.035 - 6th
2048 - 1.054 - 2nd
2049 - 1.038 - 3rd
2050 -  .975 - 7th
2051 - 1.056 - 1st
2052 - 1.056 - 2nd
2053 -  .997 - 3rd
 
Doubles
2042 - 49 - 2nd
2043 - 46 - 3rd
2047 - 44 - 9th
2048 - 50 - 2nd
2049 - 49 - 6th
2051 - 49 - 3rd
2052 - 50 - 3rd
 
RBI
2049 - 114 - 8th
2052 - 114 - 9th
 
Runs
2048 - 121 - 8th
2049 - 116 - 5th
2050 - 111 - 8th
2051 - 130 - 1st
 
BB
2041 -  88 - 8th
2043 - 101 - 4th
2045 -  97 - 7th
2046 - 104 - 3rd
2047 -  95 - 4th
2048 -  84 - 9th
2049 - 105 - 1st
2050 -  97 - 2nd
2051 -  93 - 5th
2052 - 114 - 1st
2053 -  97 - 2nd
2054 -  83 - 2nd

The next Hall of Famer on the list is Anthony Ludwick, a good-fielding, high-average hitting left-fielder. Before I get to him, however, I will be doing an update on the 2087 season. The season is currently at the All Star break, so in addition to discussing the season to date and how the Broncos are doing so far, there will be a report on the All Star teams and on the All Star game itself.

10-24-2010, 11:13 PM	#641
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	Remembering the Hall of Famers: C Axel Perez Axel Perez: Over the years, it has become very clear that the most difficult position to achieve Hall of Fame immortality at is the catcher position. Currently, there are 122 position players in the Hall, and of those, only 7 spent their careers strapping on the "tools of ignorance." Every other position has at least 13 representatives. Thus far, we have discussed 3 of those catchers: Odon Lobo(12-time All Star, 406 career homeruns), Maurice Knox(5-time All Star, 433 homeruns), and James Paras(9-time All Star, 1-time Silver Slugger winner, 3-time Gold Glove Award winner, 645 homeruns). Now we come to a player who was one of the driving forces behind the Miami Dolphins becoming a perennial powerhouse within just a few years of entering the league. After suffering through a disastrous expansion season in 2038 that saw the Dolphins lose a record 131 games, the Miami franchise faced an important decision: who to take with the #1 overall draft pick in the '39 amateur draft. The right choice would potentially give the fledgling Dolphins a cornerstone player around which to build an annual contender. Every year, the team at the top of the draft is forced to choose between several talented players. Sometimes they make the right choice, and sometimes they don't. Let's briefly look at some of the players that Miami didn't pick. For simplicity's sake, I'll stick with just the other players chosen in the top five. With the 2nd pick in the draft, San Jose took shortstop William Westerlund. The infielder debuted in 2039 and became a regular the following season. He won the Rookie of the Year award and a Gold Glove Award in 2040, but was inconsistent in his first couple of seasons. He fell out of favor in San Jose in 2043, and got traded to Harrisburg in '44. He spent a few years in Washington before getting traded to Grand Rapids in 2047. Following the 2048 season, he was strictly a backup and bounced around from Knoxville to Kansas City to Grand Rapids to Portland to Buffalo to Washington, and finally, back to Kansas City. He retired after the 2054 season. Westerlund had decent power, but struggled to hit for average or make contact. He finished his career with a .740 OPS in a little over 4,000 at bats. Westerlund had a couple of pretty good seasons, but otherwise was a mediocre player. With the 3rd pick, Buffalo selected starting pitcher Eric Redus. The right-hander made his big league debut in 2041 and became a full time member of the Bills' rotation in 2043. He won 18 games with a respectable 4.00 ERA in 2044, but never really approached those numbers again. His strikeout rate was low and he had erratic control. By 2046, he was consistently walking more batters than he struck out. Nevertheless, Buffalo kept him in the rotation through the 2049 season. He signed with Portland in 2050, where he played until the end of his career in 2055. In just over 300 career starts, Redus had a 101-121 record, a 5.36 ERA, and more walks than strikeouts. The Denver Broncos took center-fielder Leroy Berning with the 4th pick in the draft. Berning reached the big leagues in 2042, and became a starter in 2044. Although he made the All Star team that year, the Broncos traded him to Hartford. He played a few years with the Whalers before getting traded to Nashville and then to San Jose in the 2047 season. He spent three seasons with Memphis from '48-'50, and then played for Rochester from '51 to '57. He also played briefly for Knoxville in the 2057 season, before ending his career with a stint in Buffalo in 2058. Berning has a decent case for the Hall of Fame, as he made 6 All Star teams, won a Silver Slugger Award in 2050, won 3 Gold Glove Awards, had an .880 career OPS, and hit 446 career homeruns. With the 5th pick in the 2039 draft, Grand Rapids also selected a center-fielder- James Williamson. Unfortunately, Williamson was pretty much a complete bust. He spent most of his career in the minor leagues, with the occasional big league cup of coffee. Williamson collected just 309 career at bats and posted a career .627 OPS. He bounced around the league, playing for Grand Rapids, Tucson, Portland, Nashville, Harrisburg, and San Joe, before retiring after the 2052 season. While those four players wound up having vastly different careers, any one of them could have been chosen first overall, instead of Axel Perez. In fact, the choice of Perez wasn't exactly a clear cut decision for Miami. During the 2038 season, the Dolphins had traded for a young, and very talented catcher by the name of Dennis Gillespie(Note: We'll be seeing this name again pretty soon...). Why draft a catcher when you already have one and can draft a player at another position? Ultimately, however, the prospect of a catcher as talented as Perez was too much to resist, especially since the 23 year old was considered an extremely advanced hitter- advanced enough that he might not have to spend much time in the minor leagues. In fact, upon drafting Axel Perez, the Dolphins decided that he didn't have to spend any time in the minor leagues, and installed him as the starting catcher, moving Gillespie to DH in the process. Perez's rookie season was a little bumpy. He struggled in April(.623 OPS), but hit better with each successive month: .745 in May, .800 in June, and .849 in July. He did begin to tire, however, and posted OPS's below .700 in both August and September. Nonetheless, he managed a somewhat credible .726 OPS for the season, and poked out 14 homeruns. His numbers were good enough to earn him the American League Rookie of the Year Award. The Dolphins improved significantly from their expansion season, but were still pretty terrible. Miami finished in last place in the Southeast with a 61-101 record. If you wanted examples of a "sophomore slump," Axel Perez's 2040 season would probably be at the top of the list. The young catcher struggled terribly through the first two months of the season. His bat began to pick up in June and July, but towards the end of July, he was injured in a collision at home plate. With a couple of broken ribs, Perez was done for the season. He finished the year with a pathetic .620 OPS in 295 at bats. About the only positive from the season was an increased walk rate. Despite Perez's struggles, the Dolphins burst onto the scene with a 91-71 record- good for 2nd place in the division, 8 games behind Atlanta. Perez returned in a big way in 2041. He earned his first trip to the All Star game, and finished the season with an .882 OPS, 34 doubles, 16 homeruns, and 88 walks. Miami slumped to 83-79, and finished in last place in the Southeast Division. The following year, Perez made his second trip to the All Star game. He posted an .875 OPS, finished 2nd in the American League in doubles with 49, smacked 17 homeruns, drove in 82 runs, scored 109 runs, and drew 81 walks. Miami, meanwhile, bounced back from a mediocre season to win 93 games and a Southeast Division title. Miami's first ever postseason appearance pitted the Dolphins against an 87-win Kansas City Royals team. The Dolphins swept Kansas City in 4 games, outscoring the Royals 23-13. Miami's World Series opponent would be a 101-win Portland team led by future Hall of Famer Hector Soriano(28-5, 1.50 ERA, 283 K's). In Game One, the Dolphins' own HOF starter, Robert Padgett, throttled the Trailblazers, limiting them to 2 hits over 9 innings in a 2-1 Miami victory. Miami edged Portland 6-4 in the second game; Perez contributed with 1 hit, 2 walks, and a run scored. Soriano dominated the Dolphins in Game Three with a 6-hit, 11-strikeout complete game. Portland won, 3-1. The Trailblazers evened the series in Game Four, with a 4-2 victory. In Game Five, Miami rallied from deficits of 4-0 and 5-3, eventually winning 6-5 in 11 innings. Perez walked and drove in a run in that game. The Dolphins clinched their first championship with a 7-3 win in Game Six. Perez produced a double and 2 runs batted in. Overall, however, Perez had a pretty poor postseason. In 36 at bats, he managed only 6 hits, and had a .491 OPS. After two straight All Star seasons in '41 and '42, Axel Perez exploded in 2043. He finished 4th in the league in batting average(.351), 3rd in on base percentage(.463), 5th in OPS(1.064), 3rd in doubles(46), and 4th in walks(101). He added 23 homers, a career-best 121 RBI, and 109 runs scored. Miami won its second straight Southeast Division title with a 99-63 record. Despite being outscored 46-45 in a wild, 7-game ALCS, the Dolphins prevailed against an 88-win Denver team. In the deciding game, Perez belted a pair of homeruns, including a grand slam, drove in 6 runs, and scored 3 runs. Miami scored 7 runs in the third inning, and led 14-1 after 6 innings. The Broncos chipped away at that deficit, with 2 runs in the seventh, 3 runs in the eighth, and 1 run in the ninth, but lost, 14-7. With the win, Miami reached its second straight World Series. Once again, the Dolphins would have to face Portland, which finished the regular season with a 105-57 record. Game One went to the Dolphins. Axel Perez doubled and drove in 2 runs in a 5-1 victory. Portland returned the favor with a 5-1 win in the second game; the Dolphins managed only 3 hits in the contest. Game Three was a back and forth affair. The Dolphins led 2-1 after three innings, but Portland struck for 4 runs in the top of the fourth inning. Runs in the fifth and seventh innings gave the Trailblazers a 7-2 lead. Miami, however, erupted for 5 runs in the bottom of the seventh-4 of which came from another Perez grand slam- tying the game at 7-7. Portland retook the lead in the ninth inning, and hung on for an 8-7 victory. For the first 8 innings of Game Four, Portland's ace Hector Soriano had the Dolphins' lineup at his mercy, as the Trailblazers led, 3-0. In the bottom of the 9th, however, Soriano tired. The Dolphins scored 4 runs- 3 off of Soriano- to win the game 4-3 and tie the series at 2 games apiece. Miami grabbed a quick 5-0 lead in Game Five, and held off Portland for a 5-4 win. Perez doubled twice, walked, drove in a run, and scored a run. Facing a second straight World Series defeat against Miami, the Trailblazers forced a seventh game, with a 5-1 victory in Game Six. Miami jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game Seven, but never scored again. Portland tied the game with 2 runs in the third inning, took the lead in the fifth, and secured a 5-2 victory with a pair of runs in the eighth inning. Perez had 2 hits and an RBI in the loss. Overall, Perez had a solid postseason. His batting average was an unimpressive .208, but among his 10 hits were 5 doubles and 3 homeruns. Throw in 9 walks, and he wound up with an .833 OPS. He also led the Dolphins with 15 RBI. In '44, Perez's numbers slipped back to the level of his '41 and '42 seasons. He posted an .864 OPS, hit 20 homers, drove in 93 runs, scored 93 runs, and drew 82 walks. He did, however, win his first Gold Glove Award. Miami had another strong season, with a 93-69 record; however, that was only good enough for 2nd place in the division. The Dolphins finished 3 games behind the Nashville Predators, who went on to win the World Series. After the '44 season, Perez became a free agent. However, after testing the waters, he elected to resign with Miami. Both the Dolphins and Perez bounced back in 2045. Perez made his 4th trip to the All Star game, and finished the season with a .964 OPS, 38 doubles, 22 homeruns, 94 RBI, 95 runs scored, and 97 walks. Miami, meanwhile, rolled to another division title. The Dolphins led all of baseball with a 105-57 record, and finished 25 games ahead of the defending champion Predators, who slumped to second place and an 80-82 record. Miami flattened a 95-win Tucson team in the ALCS, outscoring the Diamondbacks 32 to 16 in a 4-game sweep. After facing Portland in consecutive World Series, the Dolphins would finally get the opportunity to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates, a franchise that was the undisputed "King" of the baseball world. At this point in time, the Pirates had won 17 World Series. The next highest total belonged to Grand Rapids, with 5. The Dolphins were just an upstart team with 1 World Series title to their name. Although Pittsburgh finished the regular season with "only" 100 victories, the Pirates actually finished 9 games under their Pythagorean record. To beat Pittsburgh, the Dolphins needed to be at the top of their game. Game One went in Miami's favor. The Dolphins prevailed, 5-4, in a back and forth game. In the second game, the Dolphins battered Pittsburgh's pitching staff into submission. Miami scored 4 runs in the first inning, 1 in the third, 6 in the fourth, and 1 run in the 5th, 7th, and 8th innings. The final score was a 14-4 beat-down. Perez ripped 2 hits, including a double, drove in 3 runs, scored 2 runs, and drew a walk. The Pirates battled back, winning Game Three by a 6-1 score, and Game Four by an 8-6 margin. Pittsburgh rallied from a 6-2 deficit to win the latter game. In Game Five, the Pirates grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning. It remained that way until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Miami erupted for 5 runs. Two innings later, the Dolphins again scored 5 runs. Miami cruised to a 10-3 victory. The Dolphins clinched their second championship when Albert Casey(17-9, 3.10 ERA, 196 K's) outdueled Dennis Hallowell(17-8, 3.44 ERA, 255 K's) in a 3-2 Miami victory. Perez contributed a double, 2 walks, and a run scored. Perez's final postseason numbers included an .878 OPS, 3 doubles, 5 RBI, 7 runs scored, and 11 walks. Perez's second monster season came in 2046. He ranked 6th in the American League with a 1.035 OPS and led the league with a .449 on base percentage. He also smacked 28 homeruns, knocked in 97 runs, scored 102 runs, and finished 3rd in the league with 104 walks. Not surprisingly, he went to his 5th All Star game in '46. The Dolphins led all of baseball with a 108-54 regular season record, easily winning the Southeast Division by 22 games over Washington. In the ALCS, the well-balanced Dolphins(4th in runs scored and 2nd in runs allowed) took on a 90-win Memphis team that had a powerful lineup(1st in homeruns, 2nd in runs scored) but an average pitching staff(12th in runs allowed). Despite Miami's seeming advantage, the two teams split the first four games of the series. The Grizzlies won Game Five by a score of 5-1; all 5 runs came off of the Dolphins' ace Robert Padgett(17-9, 2.90 ERA, 253 K's). Axel Perez's solo homerun in the 4th inning gave the Dolphins a 1-0 lead- a lead which disappeared when Memphis scored 4 runs in the fifth inning. Miami forced a seventh game when Albert Casey(23-9, 2.85 ERA, 231 K's) tossed a 3-hit, 10 strikeout, shutout in a 6-0 Game Six victory. Perez had 2 hits, including a triple, and a run scored in the win. The Dolphins drew first blood in Game Seven, with a run in the 2nd inning. Memphis took the lead with 2 runs in the top of the fourth, but Miami retook the lead with 2 runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth. In the top of the fifth inning, however, the Grizzlies erupted for 4 runs to take a 6-3 lead. Memphis added 2 runs in the eighth inning and 4 runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach. Miami managed 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, but fell, 12-5. The Grizzlies went on to win their first World Series since 2032. Despite the loss, Perez had a strong postseason, with a .967 OPS, a double, a triple, 2 homeruns, 5 RBI, and 4 runs scored. Perez had his 3rd consecutive, and 6th overall, All Star campaign in the 2047 season. He produced a .967 OPS, with 44 doubles, 17 homeruns, 106 RBI, 97 runs scored, and 95 walks. Miami rolled to a league-best 109-53 record, winning the Southeast Division by 20 games over Washington. For the second straight season, the Dolphins would face Memphis in the ALCS, although the defending champion Grizzlies very nearly missed the playoffs. Memphis(87-75) lost 13 consecutive games to close out the regular season, and finished only 1 game ahead of second place Denver. Memphis' late-season swoon had little bearing on the outcome of the ALCS. The Grizzlies stunned the powerful Dolphins, winning the series in 6 games. They outscored Miami 28-19 in the process. The clinching game was a 10-inning, 3-2 nail-biter. Memphis' designated hitter Bartolo Gurrola(.744 OPS, 18 HR, 64 RBI) hit a 2-out, solo homer in the top of the tenth inning for the eventual winning run. It was his 3rd homerun of the series. Memphis was unable to repeat as champions, however, losing to Pittsburgh in 6 games in the World Series. The 2047 ALCS was one of Axel Perez's worst postseason performances ever. He managed just 2 hits in 18 at bats, and had just a .607 OPS. His 8 walks did give him a .385 on base percentage, however. Despite having an OPS above 1.000 for the third time in his career in 2048, Perez's streak of All Star appearances came to an end. Nevertheless, Perez ranked 2nd in the American League with a 1.054 OPS. He won his only batting title, leading the AL with a .365 average, and also paced the league in on base percentage(.455). He finished 2nd in the league in doubles, with a career-high 50, had a career-high 187 hits, hit 20 homeruns, knocked in 100 runs, scored 121 runs, and drew 84 walks. In addition to his outstanding offensive season, Perez also picked up his 2nd career Gold Glove Award for his work behind the plate. The Dolphins won their 4th straight division title, leading the American League with a 103-59 record. Miami's ALCS opponent was an 84-79 Kansas City team that finished 6 games over its Pythagorean record and had to win a 1-game playoff with an 83-80 Denver team that finished 5 games under its Pythagorean record just to get into the playoffs. The Dolphins had very little trouble with overmatched Royals, outscoring them 50-23 in a 4-game sweep. The World Series looked to be a different story, as Miami would face an intimidating Pittsburgh team that went 111-51 in the regular season, and ranked 3rd in runs scored and 1st in runs allowed. Despite limiting the Pirates to just 4 hits in Game One, the Dolphins lost, 1-0. Game Two was scoreless for 5 innings, but Miami grabbed a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. That lead disappeared in the top of the seventh, when Pittsburgh scored 3 runs, and then reappeared in the bottom half of the seventh, when the Dolphins scored 3 runs of their own. In top of the eighth, the Pirates promptly tied the game up at 5-all. An inning later, Pittsburgh went ahead 6-5 and hung for the victory. Down 2-0 in the series, Miami needed a big hit to get back on track. Axel Perez provided that big hit in Game Three. With 2 outs in the 3rd inning, and the game tied at 1, Perez smashed a 3-run homerun. Left-fielder Daniel Hayes followed with a solo homerun to give Miami a 5-1 lead. The Dolphins added 3 runs in the sixth, 1 run in the seventh, and another 3 runs in the eighth- Hayes hit his 2nd homerun of the game(a 2-run shot) during the latter outburst- to secure a 12-5 rout. Perez drove in 4 runs in the contest. Miami evened the series with another strong offensive performance in Game Four. The Dolphins scored 1 run in each of the first 3 innings, and then tacked on 3 runs in the fourth inning. Pittsburgh rallied to make it an interesting, but Miami escaped with an 8-5 victory. Perez produced 2 hits, a walk, and a run scored. Robert Padgett tossed a shutout in Game Five, leading Miami to a 5-0 victory and a 3-2 series lead. Perez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning of Game Six, the Dolphins quickly took control. Miami scored 3 runs in the bottom of the first, 2 in the third, and 2 more in the fifth. After that, it was just a matter of holding the Pirates off for 4 innings. Pittsburgh scored 3 runs in the sixth inning, but came no closer. The Dolphins clinched their 3rd World Series victory with a 7-4 win. Perez walked twice and a scored a run in the win. For the entire postseason, Perez had one of the best performances of his career. He managed a 1.097 OPS, with 11 hits, 3 doubles, a triple, a homerun, 8 RBI, and 11 runs scored. His 13 walks helped to give him a ridiculous .522 on base percentage. For a second straight year, Perez put up an OPS above 1.000, and also for the second straight year, he did not go to the All Star game. Perez finished 3rd in the league with a 1.038 OPS, ripped 49 doubles and 23 homeruns, drove in 114 runs, and scored 116 runs. He led the league with 105 walks and ranked 2nd with a .447 on base percentage. He also earned his 3rd Gold Glove award. Miami tied Pittsburgh for the best record in baseball, at 111-51, and easily won the Southeast Division; the Dolphins finished a whopping 34 games ahead of second place Knoxville. Like in 2048, the Dolphins faced off against the Royals in the ALCS. Unlike the previous year, however, this Royals team was not one that barely squeaked into the playoffs. Kansas City finished 94-68 and won the Central Division by 12 games over Tucson. Still, the Dolphins, who ranked first in all of baseball in both runs scored and runs allowed, weren't too scared by a Kansas City team that ranked 5th and 6th, respectively, in those categories. Despite outscoring the Royals 31-29, however, the Dolphins fell in 6 games. Kansas City went on to beat Pittsburgh in 7 games in the World Series. Perez had one of his lesser postseason performances in '49. He managed just a .577 OPS, and had only 4 hits in 24 at bats. Although his OPS slipped to .975 in the 2050 season, Perez made his 7th trip to the All Star game. He poked out 25 homeruns, drove in 96 runs, scored 111 runs, and drew 97 walks. Miami's 100-62 record led all of baseball, but the Dolphins did not win the Southeast as easily as they had the previous season. Second place Atlanta won 96 games and finished just 4 games out of first place. The Dolphins' ALCS opponent was Tucson, which finished 91-71. The Diamondbacks did not present much of a challenge, as Miami cruised past them in 5 games, outscoring them 31-17. In the World Series, Miami took the field against the 98-64 Hartford Whalers, a team that hadn't made the playoffs since 2003 and had never played in a World Series. The Dolphins survived an early Whalers' outburst in Game One, rallying from deficits of 5-0 and 7-5, to pull out a 9-8 victory. Perez didn't contribute much to the win, going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. Game Two was similar to the first game, as Hartford had leads of 3-0 and 4-3, before falling 6-4. This time, however, Axel Perez was a huge factor in the Dolphins' victory. He had 2 hits, including a 3-run homer in the sixth inning that erased the Whalers' 3-0 lead, 2 walks, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Perez had another strong game in Game Three, but Hartford turned the tables on Miami. Perez had 4 hits, including 2 doubles and a homerun, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. The Dolphins jumped out to a 4-0 lead, and led 5-2 after the top of the fifth inning. Hartford erupted for 5 runs in the bottom of the fifth, and went on to win, 9-6. Perez led the attack again in Game Four, and this time, the Dolphins didn't squander their early lead. Miami scored twice in the first inning, 7 times in the second, and twice more in the third. Hartford got a couple of runs in the fourth inning, but the Dolphins tacked on a run in the eighth and 3 runs in the ninth, capping a 15-2 rout. Perez had 4 hits, a walk, 4 RBI, and a run scored in the laugher. Miami clinched its 4th World Series title by winning Game Five by a score of 4-1. Perez walked and scored a run in the game. For the entire playoff run, Perez was superb. He finished with a 1.230 OPS, 15 hits, 4 doubles, a triple, 2 homeruns, 9 RBI, and 11 runs scored. In 2051, Perez had an OPS above 1.000 for the 5th time in his career, leading the American League with a 1.056 total. He also paced the AL in on base percentage(.438) and runs scored(130). He ripped 49 doubles and a career-best 29 homeruns, drove in 93 runs, drew 93 walks, and finished 2nd in the league with a .618 slugging percentage. Not surprisingly, Perez made his 8th trip to the All Star game. Miami rolled to a league-best 109-53 record, winning the Southeast Division by 11 games over Washington. For the second straight season, the Dolphins faced Tucson(85-77) in the ALCS. Miami flattened the out-manned Diamondbacks, outscoring them 40-14 in an easy 4-game sweep. Perez had 3 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in the clinching Game Four, a 7-6 victory. With the 104-win Pittsburgh Pirates blowing past Sacramento in the NLCS in a 4-game sweep of their own, the 2051 World Series looked to be a battle of heavyweights. Game One went to Pittsburgh, as the Pirates overcame an early 2-0 deficit to win 8-3. Perez doubled, walked, and scored a run in the loss. Miami raced to a 5-1 lead after three innings in Game Two, and hung on for a 5-3 victory. Perez doubled, walked, and drove in a run. The Dolphins committed 6 errors in an 11-8 Game Three loss. Trailing 11-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Perez belted a 3-run homerun. Unfortunately, Miami's 5-run rally in that inning was too little, too late. The Dolphins blew a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning of Game Four, and lost 5-4, falling behind 3 games to 1 in the World Series. Miami survived for another day by blowing Pittsburgh out, 10-2, in Game Five. Perez had 2 hits, including a 3-run homerun, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. The Dolphins' offense battered Pittsburgh's pitching again in Game Six to force a seventh game. Miami pounded out 14 hits in an 11-5 thumping. Perez had 2 hits, a walk, and 2 runs scored. Game Seven was scoreless until Miami got on the board in the 5th inning. The Dolphins scored again in the 6th inning, but Pittsburgh tied the game with 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th. Miami, however, retook the lead in the eighth, and added an insurance run in the ninth to secure a 4-2 victory. Despite Miami's numerous championships, the '50 and '51 seasons represent the only time that the Dolphins have won consecutive World Series titles. Axel Perez had another outstanding postseason. He batted .419 with a 1.291 OPS, 18 hits, 7 doubles, 3 homeruns, 15 RBI, 14 runs scored, and 7 walks. Perez made his 9th and final trip to the All Star game in 2052. He posted his 6th 1.000+ OPS that year, finishing with a 1.056 total that ranked 2nd in the American League. He added 50 doubles, 23 homeruns, 114 RBI, and 109 runs scored. He also led the league in both walks(114) and on base percentage(.461). Miami tied with Pittsburgh for the best record in baseball at 106-56, and won the Southeast Division by 7 games over Washington. For the third straight season, the Dolphins went up against Tucson(90-72) in the ALCS. After beating the Diamondbacks in 5 games and 4 games the previous two seasons, however, Miami had much more difficulty with them in the '52 ALCS. The Dolphins trailed 3 games to 1 heading into Game Five. Axel Perez led the attack in an 10-5 rout, as he doubled, homered, drove in 5 runs, and scored a run. The Dolphins forced a seventh game with an 8-4 victory in Game Six. Unfortunately, Miami's bid for a third straight championship came to an end in Game Seven of the ALCS. The Dolphins led, 3-1, after three innings, but watched the game and the series slip away from them. Tucson scored a run in the fourth inning, 2 runs in the fifth to take the lead, and insurance runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, ultimately winning the game by a score of 7-3. Perez's overall performance was mediocre: he managed a .789 OPS, with a double, a homerun, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored, and 4 walks. The 2053 season proved to be Perez's last great season. He posted a .997 OPS, with 38 doubles, 23 homeruns, 89 RBI, 101 runs scored, and 97 walks. His OPS ranked 3rd in the American League. The Dolphins were easily the best team in baseball, as they tied their then franchise record of 111 wins. The next best team that year was Sacramento, with 97 wins. Miami won the Southeast Division by 17 games over Knoxville(94-68). In the ALCS, Miami went up against Kansas City(86-76), a team with a good lineup(3rd in runs scored) but mediocre pitching(13th in runs allowed). The Royals actually outscored the Dolphins 40-38 for the series, but Miami prevailed in 6 games. Trailing the series 2 games to 1, Kansas City evened things up with a 13-4 cakewalk in Game Four. In the fifth game, Miami rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win 6-4. Reserve infielder Santo Markowitz hit a grand slam in the 7th inning to give the Dolphins the lead. The clinching Game Six got out of hand early, as Miami erupted for 6 runs in the first inning. After five innings, the Dolphins led 10-1. Kansas City rallied, with 3 runs in the 6th inning and 3 runs in the 8th inning, but the Royals came up short in a 10-7 defeat. Perez doubled, homered, drove in 3 runs, and scored 2 runs in the game. For the entire ALCS, Perez hit .435 with 4 homeruns and 11 runs batted in. Miami's World Series opponent was Pittsburgh(96-66). It was the 4th World Series meeting between the two teams. The Dolphins and Pirates had previously met in 2045, 2048, and 2051, with the Dolphins winning each time. Miami took Game One, 8-6. The Dolphins led 5-0 after 4 1/2 innings, and 7-1 after 5 1/2 innings, but allowed the Pirates to make things interesting. Perez singled, walked, and drove in a run. Pittsburgh captured Game Two without much difficulty; the Pirates led 7-0 after 5 innings and cruised to a 7-3 win. Perez walked and scored a run in the contest. Miami got a masterful pitching performance from Pete Young in Game Three(8 1/3 innings pitched, 7 hits and 1 walk allowed, 1 run allowed, and 9 strikeouts) en route to a 4-1 victory. Perez contributed little, going 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. Miami took control of the series in Game Four with an 8-5 victory. The Dolphins broke open a 2-2 game with a 3-run sixth inning, a 2-run seventh inning, and a 1-run eighth inning. Perez walked twice, but had no hits, RBI, or runs scored. He made up for that, however, by leading the charge in a World Series-clinching Game Five victory. With the Dolphins trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Perez smashed a 2-out, 3-run homerun to give Miami a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Dolphins prevailed, 7-3, and Perez finished with 3 hits, including a double in addition to the homerun, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Perez's final postseason numbers included a 1.218 OPS, 14 hits, 2 doubles, a triple, 5 homeruns, 15 RBI, 11 runs scored, and 5 walks. Age catches up to everyone eventually, and in the 38 year old Axel Perez's case, the first thing to go was his power. Usually a 20-25 HR hitter in his prime, Perez managed only 7 long-balls in the 2054 season. His other numbers remained solid, however, as he produced an .839 OPS, 37 doubles, 73 RBI, 78 runs scored, and 83 walks. He also earned his 4th career Gold Glove Award. Miami led all of baseball with a 101-61 record, and won the Southeast Division by 7 games over Atlanta. The Dolphins faced Denver(93-69) in the ALCS. Miami had little trouble with the Broncos, outscoring them 40-28 in a 5-game victory. The Dolphins' World Series opponent proved to be a familiar face: the Pittsburgh Pirates(98-64). Game One started off as a close, low-scoring game. After 7 innings, the Pirates clung to a 3-2 lead. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, starting pitcher Granville Jarvis(16-9, 3.84 ERA, 152 strikeouts) and relief pitcher Joel Basabe(3.30 ERA in 19 games) completely imploded in the eighth and ninth innings. When the dust had settled, Pittsburgh had itself a 12-4 victory. Game Two was frustratingly similar to Game One. After 7 innings, the scored was tied at 4-all. The Pirates, however, struck for 3 runs in the eighth inning and 1 run in the ninth to secure an 8-4 win and a 2-0 series lead. In the two losses, Perez was a combined 0 for 8 with 4 strikeouts. The Dolphins got off to a quick start in Game Three, with 3 runs in the first inning. When Pittsburgh got close with a pair of runs in the sixth, Miami put the game out of reach with 3 more runs in the seventh inning. Despite a career high 7 walks, Miami starting pitcher Ervin Wright(12-11, 4.46 ERA, 145 strikeouts) went the distance in the 6-2 victory. Despite the win, Perez continued to struggle badly- he went 0 for 4 with 3 more strikeouts. The Pirates dominated most of Game Four, but nearly blew the game. Pittsburgh led 7-0 through seven innings, but allowed Miami to score 3 runs in the eighth inning and 2 runs in the ninth inning, turning what should have been a rout into a narrow, 7-5 victory. Although the Dolphins lost, Perez finally contributed something positive. He had 2 hits, including a double, 2 RBI, and a run scored. Miami managed to avoid elimination with a 7-1 whipping in Game Five. The Dolphins scored 6 runs in the first three innings. Perez hit a double, but did little else. After beating Pittsburgh in 4 previous World Series meetings, the Dolphins finally lost to the Pirates. Miami blew a 3-1 lead in Game Six, and ultimately lost, 5-3. Perez had a hit, a walk, and an RBI in the loss. The 2054 postseason run was one of Perez's worst. He managed a pathetic .573 OPS and struck out 19 times in 41 at bats. He did have 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 4 runs scored, and 5 walks. Although Perez's power had declined in 2054, he had remained a productive hitter that season. That was not the case in the 2055 season, which proved to be Perez's last. He got off to a slow, but not completely terrible start, as he managed a .707 OPS in April. In May, however, he dropped off a cliff, going 5 for 60 with 22 strikeouts. At that point, backup catcher Juan Ornelas, who wasn't hitting especially well, either, moved into the starting lineup. Perez initially seemed to do better in a reserve role, with a .747 OPS in 24 June at bats, but went 5 for 49 in July and August combined. Perez actually got slightly more playing time than Ornelas in September(40 at bats to 33), but that probably had more to do with the fact that the Dolphins ran away with the Southeast Division and wanted to prevent injuries to their starters in meaningless games. As it was, Perez finished his final season with a horrendous .486 OPS and a pitiful .174 batting average in 241 at bats. The abrupt decline of its start catcher had little effect on Miami, as the Dolphins rolled to a league-best 112-50 record, won the division by 26 games over Atlanta, and ranked 1st in both runs scored and runs allowed. For the second straight season, the Dolphins faced Denver(90-72) in the ALCS. After splitting the first two games, the Dolphins ripped off three consecutive victories to reach the World Series. Game Three was a 7-3 win in which Miami got 3 hits and 3 RBI from DH Daniel Hayes and 2 hits and 2 RBI from catcher Juan Ornelas. The Dolphins rallied from a 3-0 deficit in Game Four to win 4-3. Third-baseman Santo Markowitz homered and drove in 2 runs. The clinching game was a 4-2 victory. Miami's World Series opponent was fellow 2038 expansion team, San Jose(92-70). The Sharks had the playoffs only once before(2047), but in '55, they took out defending champion Pittsburgh in 7 games in the NLCS. Game One of the World Series was an offensive slug-fest. The Dolphins struck for 4 runs in the top of the first inning, but the Sharks came storming back, with 2 runs in the second, and 7 runs in the third. Miami got a run in the fifth, but San Jose got 2 in the bottom half of the inning to make it 11-5. Another run in the seventh inning made it 12-5. The Dolphins cut it to 12-8 with 3 runs in the eighth inning, but the Sharks got another insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. San Jose pounded out 18 hits in the 13-8 victory. Game Two was much lower scoring, but the outcome remained the same. San Jose picked up 2 runs in the first inning, 1 in the fourth, and 2 more in the sixth. Miami rallied with 3 runs in the seventh inning, but fell, 5-3. The Dolphins led Game Three 2-1 after four innings, but fell apart in the fifth inning. San Jose scored 3 runs in that inning, and another one in the sixth. Miami made it a 1-run game with 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Sharks secured a 7-4 win with 2 runs in the top of the ninth inning. On the verge of having their season end with a shocking World Series-sweep, the Dolphins led Game Four 2-1 after 7 innings. Miami's bullpen, however, choked. San Jose took the lead with a 3-run eighth inning. The Dolphins scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, but could not complete the comeback. San Jose won the game, 4-3, and stunned Miami with a sweep. In their entire history, the Dolphins have lost 10 World Series, but only one, the '55 loss to San Jose, was a sweep. Axel Perez saw little action during this postseason run, but he acquitted himself respectably when he did play. In 6 at bats, he had an .833 OPS. One of his 2 hits was a double. After the 2055 season, Perez retired. Although Axel Perez failed to reach any of the major career milestones- only 2371 career hits and 311 homeruns- there is certainly room in the Hall of Fame for a 9-time All Star, 4-time Glove Glove Award winning catcher with a career OPS of .933, and 6 seasons with a 1.000+ OPS. Throw in the fact that he played for a 6-time World Series winning team and was very good postseason performer(.909 OPS in 408 at bats), and you have one of the greatest catchers of all time. Perez's stats: Code: Career Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams 2039 143 524 136 28 1 14 58 77 54 142 0 0 .260 .329 .397 .726 MIA 2040 89 295 61 17 2 3 34 44 45 86 2 0 .207 .312 .308 .620 MIA 2041 140 468 135 34 4 16 69 77 88 126 2 0 .288 .401 .481 .882 MIA,AL 2042 145 521 151 49 2 17 82 109 81 127 4 3 .290 .385 .489 .875 MIA,AL 2043 146 484 170 46 3 23 121 109 101 106 5 1 .351 .463 .601 1.064 MIA,AL 2044 138 487 134 32 5 20 93 93 82 120 5 4 .275 .380 .485 .864 MIA 2045 148 483 151 38 2 22 94 95 97 117 2 3 .313 .428 .536 .964 MIA,AL 2046 137 433 137 25 4 28 97 102 104 112 4 4 .316 .449 .587 1.035 MIA,AL 2047 142 481 153 44 5 17 106 97 95 124 11 9 .318 .431 .536 .967 MIA,AL 2048 143 512 187 50 5 20 100 121 84 119 6 11 .365 .455 .600 1.054 MIA 2049 147 499 165 49 6 23 114 116 105 127 6 12 .331 .447 .591 1.038 MIA 2050 141 490 152 29 7 25 96 111 97 112 10 6 .310 .424 .551 .975 MIA,AL 2051 148 500 167 49 3 29 93 130 93 119 7 5 .334 .438 .618 1.056 MIA,AL 2052 141 489 164 50 4 23 114 109 114 116 3 4 .335 .461 .595 1.056 MIA,AL 2053 135 451 142 38 2 23 89 101 97 94 0 1 .315 .436 .561 .997 MIA 2054 123 426 124 37 1 7 73 78 83 102 1 3 .291 .407 .432 .839 MIA 2055 76 241 42 6 1 1 23 22 30 81 1 0 .174 .266 .220 .486 MIA Total 2282 7784 2371 621 57 311 1456 1591 1450 1930 69 66 .305 .414 .519 .933 Career Postseason Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 2042 10 36 6 2 0 0 3 3 5 11 0 0 .167 .268 .222 .491 2043 14 48 10 5 0 3 15 6 9 14 0 0 .208 .333 .500 .833 2045 10 35 11 3 0 0 5 7 11 7 1 1 .314 .478 .400 .878 2046 7 25 6 1 1 2 5 4 5 12 0 0 .240 .367 .600 .967 2047 6 18 2 2 0 0 1 1 8 9 0 0 .111 .385 .222 .607 2048 10 33 11 3 1 1 8 11 13 6 0 2 .333 .522 .576 1.097 2049 6 24 4 0 0 1 3 3 4 9 1 0 .167 .286 .292 .577 2050 10 37 15 4 1 2 9 11 7 10 0 1 .405 .500 .730 1.230 2051 11 43 18 7 0 3 15 14 7 10 1 0 .419 .500 .791 1.291 2052 7 21 5 1 0 1 5 3 4 6 0 0 .238 .360 .429 .789 2053 11 41 14 2 1 5 15 11 5 7 0 0 .341 .413 .805 1.218 2054 11 41 9 2 0 0 4 4 5 19 0 0 .220 .304 .268 .573 2055 2 6 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .333 .333 .500 .833 Total 115 408 113 33 4 18 88 78 83 121 3 4 .277 .399 .510 .909 Player History Drafted in 1st round, 1st overall pick, by Miami in 2039... Had first career hit on 4/1/2039, off Edson Villegas (WAS)... Hit first career homerun on 4/9/2039, off Eric Laplant (NAS)... Won Rookie of the Year Award in 2039, hitting .260 with 14 HR, 58 RBI... Injured on 7/27/2040 with a Broken Ribs, out for 8-9 weeks... Injured on 6/25/2041 with a Bruised Jaw, out for one week... Was selected to the 2041 Allstar game... Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against Kansas City on 5/9/2042... Was selected to the 2042 Allstar game... Won World Series with Miami in 2042... Was selected to the 2043 Allstar game... Drove in 6 runs against Denver on 10/14/2043... Injured on 4/18/2044 with a Pulled Hamstring Muscle, out for one week... Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2044... Signed as a free agent by Miami on 2/24/2045 to a 6-year deal worth $20,000,000 per year... Was selected to the 2045 Allstar game... Won Player of the Week award on 9/1/2045, hitting .600 with 3 HR, 10 RBI... Won World Series with Miami in 2045... Won Player of the Week award on 4/21/2046, hitting .440 with 4 HR, 7 RBI... Was selected to the 2046 Allstar game... Drove in 6 runs against Nashville on 7/19/2046... Injured on 9/16/2046 with a Bruised Jaw, out for 1-2 weeks... Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Tucson on 5/20/2047... Was selected to the 2047 Allstar game... Won Player of the Week award on 9/8/2048, hitting .545 with 2 HR, 10 RBI... Drove in 6 runs against Nashville on 9/22/2048... Won Player of the Week award on 9/29/2048, hitting .520 with 3 HR, 13 RBI... Won Batter of the Month award on 10/1/2048, hitting .485 with 6 HR, 28 RBI... Won World Series with Miami in 2048... Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2048... Won Batter of the Month award on 6/1/2049, hitting .404 with 7 HR, 28 RBI... Drove in 8 runs against Knoxville on 9/8/2049... Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2049... Was selected to the 2050 Allstar game... Drove in 7 runs against Memphis on 7/24/2050... Won World Series with Miami in 2050... Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2051, hitting .500 with 4 HR, 9 RBI... Had 21-game hitting streak snapped on 6/26/2051... Was selected to the 2051 Allstar game... Won World Series with Miami in 2051... Was selected to the 2052 Allstar game... Had 2000th career hit on 7/21/2052, off Eric Nicastro (WAS)... Drove in 7 runs against Knoxville on 9/14/2052... Won World Series with Miami in 2053... Drove in 6 runs against Grand Rapids on 9/24/2054... Won Gold Glove Award at Catcher in 2054... Injured on 10/6/2055 with a Inflamed Groin Muscle, out for one week... Retired in 2056. Batting Leader Boards Appearances AVG 2043 - .351 - 4th 2048 - .365 - 1st 2049 - .331 - 7th 2051 - .334 - 7th OBP 2043 - .463 - 3rd 2045 - .428 - 3rd 2046 - .449 - 1st 2047 - .431 - 5th 2048 - .455 - 1st 2049 - .447 - 2nd 2050 - .424 - 3rd 2051 - .438 - 1st 2052 - .461 - 1st 2053 - .436 - 2nd 2054 - .407 - 6th SLG 2046 - .587 - 10th 2048 - .600 - 6th 2049 - .591 - 8th 2051 - .618 - 2nd 2052 - .595 - 2nd 2053 - .561 - 5th OPS 2043 - 1.064 - 5th 2045 - .964 - 9th 2046 - 1.035 - 6th 2048 - 1.054 - 2nd 2049 - 1.038 - 3rd 2050 - .975 - 7th 2051 - 1.056 - 1st 2052 - 1.056 - 2nd 2053 - .997 - 3rd Doubles 2042 - 49 - 2nd 2043 - 46 - 3rd 2047 - 44 - 9th 2048 - 50 - 2nd 2049 - 49 - 6th 2051 - 49 - 3rd 2052 - 50 - 3rd RBI 2049 - 114 - 8th 2052 - 114 - 9th Runs 2048 - 121 - 8th 2049 - 116 - 5th 2050 - 111 - 8th 2051 - 130 - 1st BB 2041 - 88 - 8th 2043 - 101 - 4th 2045 - 97 - 7th 2046 - 104 - 3rd 2047 - 95 - 4th 2048 - 84 - 9th 2049 - 105 - 1st 2050 - 97 - 2nd 2051 - 93 - 5th 2052 - 114 - 1st 2053 - 97 - 2nd 2054 - 83 - 2nd The next Hall of Famer on the list is Anthony Ludwick, a good-fielding, high-average hitting left-fielder. Before I get to him, however, I will be doing an update on the 2087 season. The season is currently at the All Star break, so in addition to discussing the season to date and how the Broncos are doing so far, there will be a report on the All Star teams and on the All Star game itself. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver