OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Bucs Start Here - A Pirates Do-Over

luckymann · 12-12-2023, 12:30 AM

This one was up there with the best yet, folks.

We begin the final section with an epic 17-inning 6-5 win at Montreal in which the BP gives us 8+ scoreless and are tied with the Cubs for first when they host us for three at Wrigley.

They beat us three from three as once again we fail to show our usual level of application and professionalism. It is a real problem with this current group, who simply float in and out of the proper mindset far too regularly. That won’t work, especially against teams as hot as the Cubbies are at this point, running up a 14-game win streak around this series and looking like a team on a mission this year. Granted, all the flux this season hasn’t helped but we need to cut this out.

Three more straight losses to the Phils give us our third 6-game run of losses this season and this time it reaches 8 before we get a win against Cincy. That puts us at 6-16 in our last 22 and, if not torpedoing our season entirely, it must has gone very close to, leaving us six adrift of the Cubs with 40 to play.

Next on the injury roundabout is Sangy, who goes down for a minimum IL stint with an ab strain, paving the way for Gary Alexander’s return.

We are lucky in that the Cubs come back to earth and the field bunches once again in mid-August with just 3 ½ games separating us in fourth from them, with the Phils and Mets in between us. But we certainly can’t afford any more slip-ups.
We’d like some of what our AAA Links have at this point as they win 11 straight and look almost guaranteed of a post-season berth, which they subsequently lock down easily.

We neither lose nor make ground on the Cubs over the next 10 and still trail by 4 ½ with 30 to play. Whatever happens from here Al Oliver can say he did his bit and wins the August batter award for his efforts. In the end, his stretch run is among the best I’ve ever seen. From August 1 to the final game, he hits 395 with 8 HR and 43 RBI.

Sadly, however, it looks doomed to be for nothing as a shocking home series against the Braves sees us lose three of four and Pop is incapacitated again, this time for a week or so. But none of the other teams are playing well either and so we somehow remain in the hunt and when we take tow of two from the Mets we are just two back again with 20-odd to play.

Every race bar the AL West is at this point, held with just a one-game lead.

The final push – which includes six against the Cubs (1st), three against the Mets (2nd) and five against the Phils (3rd) – begins.

We immediately put ourselves under the pump, dropping some games as the Cubs win all of theirs but hang in there just and we know that, with all of those games still to play against the Cubs, we still have some sliver of a chance if we just stay close enough.

When the first of those fixtures arrive, three at Wrigley, we have strung together 5 straight wins and trail them by just 1 ½ with 10 to play. The Phils and Mets are just one game behind us.

They beat us two from three and that final series between us looms larger than ever.

A trip to Montreal before that gets completely under our guard and we lose both to be on the precipice: 2 ½ back; 6 to play. The Phils now lead by a half-game from the Cubs.

A loss the next day and we’re done. there are few pennant races in which you go 3-7 over the closing stages and come out on top. This was not one of them.

Entering the final day, the standings are just full-blown chaos:

We knock off the Phils 3-2 in the final game, meaning that when the Mets beat the Cubs 3-2 they also lock down the second playoffs appearance in franchise history.

The Padres win their final game but have their hearts broken when Cincy does as well to get home by a game.

The Yanks and O’s are never more than a couple games apart the entire race and finish within that margin as the New Yorkers win a 4-3 decision against the Tribe on a walkoff 10th-inning RBI double by Cesar Cedeno and the Orange Birds lose 6-1 at Detroit to put the Pinstripers in the postseason for the just the third time since 1950.

How, might I ask, have we got through all of that with no need for a tiebreaker?

The Twins, no fun at all as usual, take the AL East emphatically, including a run of 13 straight wins in the final swing.

Hooley effing dooley. What a run we’ve had these past few seasons.

Disappointed as I am at missing out, the standings rarely lie and they aren't here. We're close but not quite there and changing that will be my entire focus over the break.

Batting titles to Ron LeFlore, who had an absolute breakout year, and George Foster, who also leads all players with 125 RBI and finishes top 3 across the TC stat cats. Mike Schmidt is easily the King of Clout this season with 44, 9 more than his nearest rival.

Willie Wilson knocks off Morris Nettles' single-season steals record of 124 by a single swipe.

Dave Goltz's 23 Wins are the most of all, while unheralded David Clyde records the low ERA with 249 and Nolan Ryan wins the K title with 280.

Final Top 20s and Leaders

Monthly Award Winners

August

American League

Batter – Eddie Murray (Orioles): 340 / 7 HR / 24 RBI
Pitcher – Scott Sanderson (Indians): 5-0 / 1.69 / 22 K / 48 IP
Rookie – Scott Sanderson

National League

Batter – Al Oliver (Pirates): 417 / 7 HR / 21 RBI
Pitcher – Dave Goltz (Reds): 6-0 / 2.38 / 39 K / 56.2 IP
Rookie – Bob Horner (Braves): 311 / 8 HR / 19 RBI

September

American League

Batter – Cecil Cooper (Tigers): 348 / 6 HR / 20 RBI
Pitcher – Jim Palmer (Orioles): 4-1 / 1.29 / 24 K / 49 IP
Rookie – Scott Sanderson (Indians): 3-1 / 2.22 / 39 K / 44.2 IP

National League

Batter – George Foster (Reds): 415 / 6 HR / 26 RBI
Pitcher – Doug Rau (Mets): 5-1 / 1.63 / 26 K / 49.2 IP
Rookie – Don Robinson (Padres): 3-2 / 1.81 / 25 K / 44.2 IP

Milestones and Observations of Note

2000 Hits: Bert Campaneris, Joe Morgan, Reggie Smith
250 Wins: Jim Kaat
Chicago pitcher Mike Hedlund’s season ends early and he’s off for some elbow surgery that will keep him out of the game close enough to a full year. The Cubs lose Don Aase for the rest of the campaign to a torn RC
Stretch finishes the season on 620, just one shy of a tie and will have to come back again next year if he wants all that glory.

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12-12-2023, 12:30 AM	#2492
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 13,627	The View from the Gangplank: end of regular season, 1978 This one was up there with the best yet, folks. We begin the final section with an epic 17-inning 6-5 win at Montreal in which the BP gives us 8+ scoreless and are tied with the Cubs for first when they host us for three at Wrigley. They beat us three from three as once again we fail to show our usual level of application and professionalism. It is a real problem with this current group, who simply float in and out of the proper mindset far too regularly. That won’t work, especially against teams as hot as the Cubbies are at this point, running up a 14-game win streak around this series and looking like a team on a mission this year. Granted, all the flux this season hasn’t helped but we need to cut this out. Three more straight losses to the Phils give us our third 6-game run of losses this season and this time it reaches 8 before we get a win against Cincy. That puts us at 6-16 in our last 22 and, if not torpedoing our season entirely, it must has gone very close to, leaving us six adrift of the Cubs with 40 to play. Next on the injury roundabout is Sangy, who goes down for a minimum IL stint with an ab strain, paving the way for Gary Alexander’s return. We are lucky in that the Cubs come back to earth and the field bunches once again in mid-August with just 3 ½ games separating us in fourth from them, with the Phils and Mets in between us. But we certainly can’t afford any more slip-ups. We’d like some of what our AAA Links have at this point as they win 11 straight and look almost guaranteed of a post-season berth, which they subsequently lock down easily. We neither lose nor make ground on the Cubs over the next 10 and still trail by 4 ½ with 30 to play. Whatever happens from here Al Oliver can say he did his bit and wins the August batter award for his efforts. In the end, his stretch run is among the best I’ve ever seen. From August 1 to the final game, he hits 395 with 8 HR and 43 RBI. Sadly, however, it looks doomed to be for nothing as a shocking home series against the Braves sees us lose three of four and Pop is incapacitated again, this time for a week or so. But none of the other teams are playing well either and so we somehow remain in the hunt and when we take tow of two from the Mets we are just two back again with 20-odd to play. Every race bar the AL West is at this point, held with just a one-game lead. The final push – which includes six against the Cubs (1st), three against the Mets (2nd) and five against the Phils (3rd) – begins. We immediately put ourselves under the pump, dropping some games as the Cubs win all of theirs but hang in there just and we know that, with all of those games still to play against the Cubs, we still have some sliver of a chance if we just stay close enough. When the first of those fixtures arrive, three at Wrigley, we have strung together 5 straight wins and trail them by just 1 ½ with 10 to play. The Phils and Mets are just one game behind us. They beat us two from three and that final series between us looms larger than ever. A trip to Montreal before that gets completely under our guard and we lose both to be on the precipice: 2 ½ back; 6 to play. The Phils now lead by a half-game from the Cubs. A loss the next day and we’re done. there are few pennant races in which you go 3-7 over the closing stages and come out on top. This was not one of them. Entering the final day, the standings are just full-blown chaos: We knock off the Phils 3-2 in the final game, meaning that when the Mets beat the Cubs 3-2 they also lock down the second playoffs appearance in franchise history. The Padres win their final game but have their hearts broken when Cincy does as well to get home by a game. The Yanks and O’s are never more than a couple games apart the entire race and finish within that margin as the New Yorkers win a 4-3 decision against the Tribe on a walkoff 10th-inning RBI double by Cesar Cedeno and the Orange Birds lose 6-1 at Detroit to put the Pinstripers in the postseason for the just the third time since 1950. How, might I ask, have we got through all of that with no need for a tiebreaker? The Twins, no fun at all as usual, take the AL East emphatically, including a run of 13 straight wins in the final swing. Hooley effing dooley. What a run we’ve had these past few seasons. Disappointed as I am at missing out, the standings rarely lie and they aren't here. We're close but not quite there and changing that will be my entire focus over the break. Batting titles to Ron LeFlore, who had an absolute breakout year, and George Foster, who also leads all players with 125 RBI and finishes top 3 across the TC stat cats. Mike Schmidt is easily the King of Clout this season with 44, 9 more than his nearest rival. Willie Wilson knocks off Morris Nettles' single-season steals record of 124 by a single swipe. Dave Goltz's 23 Wins are the most of all, while unheralded David Clyde records the low ERA with 249 and Nolan Ryan wins the K title with 280. Final Top 20s and Leaders Monthly Award Winners August *American League* Batter – Eddie Murray (Orioles): 340 / 7 HR / 24 RBI Pitcher – Scott Sanderson (Indians): 5-0 / 1.69 / 22 K / 48 IP Rookie – Scott Sanderson *National League* Batter – Al Oliver (Pirates): 417 / 7 HR / 21 RBI Pitcher – Dave Goltz (Reds): 6-0 / 2.38 / 39 K / 56.2 IP Rookie – Bob Horner (Braves): 311 / 8 HR / 19 RBI September *American League* Batter – Cecil Cooper (Tigers): 348 / 6 HR / 20 RBI Pitcher – Jim Palmer (Orioles): 4-1 / 1.29 / 24 K / 49 IP Rookie – Scott Sanderson (Indians): 3-1 / 2.22 / 39 K / 44.2 IP *National League* Batter – George Foster (Reds): 415 / 6 HR / 26 RBI Pitcher – Doug Rau (Mets): 5-1 / 1.63 / 26 K / 49.2 IP Rookie – Don Robinson (Padres): 3-2 / 1.81 / 25 K / 44.2 IP Milestones and Observations of Note 2000 Hits: Bert Campaneris, Joe Morgan, Reggie Smith 250 Wins: Jim Kaat Chicago pitcher Mike Hedlund’s season ends early and he’s off for some elbow surgery that will keep him out of the game close enough to a full year. The Cubs lose Don Aase for the rest of the campaign to a torn RC Stretch finishes the season on 620, just one shy of a tie and will have to come back again next year if he wants all that glory. S+ HOME REPORTS HOME PIRATES HOME __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS CUSTOM SAVES ECLIPSE LEAGUE MOON SHOT LEAGUE EVERYMAN LEAGUE LGB USBA