OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

FuzzyRussianHat · 06-13-2024, 12:20 PM

Cleveland took the top seed in the National Association at 103-59, winning the Upper Midwest Division for the second time in three years. Historic pitching led the way for the Cobras, who allowed 450 runs all season. This was the fewest in MLB history, topping New York’s 454 from way back in 1906. It would remain the record until Kansas City’s 442 allowed in 2019.

The #2 seed came down to a tiebreaker game for the Northeast Division. Both Hartford and Quebec City finished 97-65 in the regular season, with the Huskies taking the tiebreaker and the division. This was Hartford’s third playoff berth in four years, but their first division title since 1992. The Nordiques were the first wild card and ended a four-year playoff drought. Boston, last year’s Northeast winner and NACS runner up, fell to .500.

Philadelphia won the East Division at 95-67 and were the only returning playoff team from 2004 in the National Association. The Phillies won a third straight division title and fifth in seven years. They edged Brooklyn by only two games. In the Lower Midwest, St. Louis took it at 93-69, outlasting Cincinnati by one game. That gave the Cardinals their third division title in five years. Last year’s division winner Wichita, who won 100 games in 2004, plummeted to 69-93.

For the second wild card, Detroit (94-68) won a fierce battle over Brooklyn (93-69), Cincinnati (92-70), Buffalo (91-71), and Ottawa (89-73). The Tigers ended a three-year playoff drought. Reigning National Association champ Winnipeg missed the playoffs, dropping from 106 wins in 2004 to only 85 in 2005. Milwaukee, a wild card last year, also saw a rough drop down to 74 wins.

Pushing Detroit was National Association MVP Adrian Vega. The 30-year old Peruvian second baseman led in runs (107), OPS (.978), wRC+ (204), and WAR (10.2). Vega added 36 home runs, 117 RBI, and a .327 average. He was in his fifth year with the Tigers, having joined them in a 2001 trade with Cleveland.

Detroit also had Pitcher of the Year Theron Summers, who they acquired in a July trade from Pittsburgh. The 27-year old righty led in wins at 23-8 and complete games with 16. Summers added a 2.23 ERA over 271 innings, 199 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR, plus his fourth Gold Glove. He used this big season to cash in with a six-year, $67,800,000 deal in the offseason with St. Louis, although he’d be delightfully average for the rest of his career.

Quebec City beat St. Louis 2-0 and Philadelphia topped Detroit 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Both pulled off round two upsets as the Phillies swept Hartford and the Nordiques stunned Cleveland 3-2. This was only Quebec’s second-ever National Association Championship Series berth (1999), while it was the third in five years for Philly.

The NACS ended up being an absolute classic and the first to need all seven games since 1997. Game seven went 11 innings with Philadelphia winning it 5-4 on a walk-off. It was only the second time in NACS history that game seven went extras, joining 1972. This was the 11^th pennant for the Phillies (1917-18, 1941-47, 2001, 2005), tying Ottawa for the most among National Association teams.

Seattle’s playoff streak ended at six years in 2004 after they just missed the wild card at 90-72. The Grizzlies bounced back and earned the American Association’s top seed at 105-57. Seattle won the Northwest Division and took the top seed for the fifth time in six years.

Albuquerque earned the other bye and extended their playoff streak to five years. The Isotopes won the Southwest Division at 100-62 for their first division title since 2001. Two-time defending World Series champ Phoenix limped to an 80-82 record, ceding control of the division.

Houston won the South Central Division for the fourth consecutive season, finishing 95-67. Memphis was two back at 93-69, which earned them the first wild card. The Mountain Cats ended a 12-year postseason drought. In a weak Southeast Division, Jacksonville prevailed at 84-78, edging Atlanta by two games, Tampa by four, and Orlando by five. The Gators ended an 18-year playoff drought and got their first division title since 1984. Nashville, last year’s division winner, dropped to 78-86.

Salt Lake City and San Diego tied for the second wild card at 91-71. Austin, Portland, and San Francisco were all two back at 89-73. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Loons defeated the Seals. SLC earned repeat playoff berths and grabbed their fourth in six years.

Repeating as American Association MVP was Salt Lake City CF Morgan Short. The 24-year old lefty led in runs (130), doubles (40), average (.356), OBP (.438), OPS (1.036), wRC+ (170), and WAR (11.9). Short joined Hall of Famer Elijah Cashman as the only MLB batters with multiple seasons above 11+ WAR.

Houston’s Jared Huddleston won Pitcher of the Year in his Hornets debut. They picked him up in the offseason by sending five prospects to Buffalo. The 26-year old righty led in ERA (2.25) and quality starts (28). Huddleston added an 18-9 record over 272 innings, 168 strikeouts, and 7.6 WAR. Also of note was Oklahoma City’s Cody Lim, who won Rookie of the Year. He became the third ROTY winner in MLB history to debut with a 50+ homer season. Lim led the AA with 53 dingers and had 6.9 WAR.

Jacksonville swept Memphis and Houston edged Salt Lake City 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The top seeds survived in five games in round two with Seattle over the Gators and Albuquerque over the Hornets. This was the Grizzlies’ four American Association Championship Series berth in six years. One of the two years they missed was 2002, which saw the Isotopes win the pennant. Seattle cruised to an AACS sweep to earn their second pennant, joining the 2000 campaign.

Despite their success in the 2000s, Seattle hadn’t been able to win it all. When they made the World Series for the first time in 2000, they were swept by Cleveland. The 105^th Fall Classic finally saw the Grizzlies on top, defeating Philadelphia 4-2. It was fitting that after 15 seasons for his hometown club that 1B Bryson Wightman won World Series MVP. The three-time AA MVP had 15 playoff starts with 20 hits, 10 run, 2 doubles, 1 homer, and 9 RBI.

With Seattle’s win, 40 of MLB’s 56 teams have a World Series ring through 105 seasons. Of the original 48 teams, 38 have won it all. The original teams remaining without a title are Buffalo, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Columbus, Minneapolis, Omaha, San Antonio, Portland, and Oakland. Of those, the Blue Sox, Hawks, Oilers, and Owls are the only ones to never make it to the Fall Classic at least once.

Other notes: For the first time in MLB history, there were two perfect games in the same season. On April 18, St. Louis’ Jinlong Han tossed MLB’s 18^th perfecto by striking out seven versus Ottawa. On July 24, Oakland’s Reuben Blush tossed the 19^th perfect game with nine Ks versus Los Angeles. Vancouver’s Kulputih Najamuddin had a 37-game hit streak, the fifth-longest in MLB history.

Cincinnati pitcher Grayson Whittaker sent numerous single-season rate records that still hold as of 2037. He had a 4.92 H/9, 0.77 WHIP, .161 opponent batting average, and .459 opponent OPS. Whittaker only had 162.2 innings, but posted 6.5 WAR and a league-best 1.83 ERA. His season and career were both effectively ended by a torn rotator cuff and he’d never sniff a full season again.

Salt Lake City’s Reginald Parker had 152 RBI, becoming the first player since 1978 to reach the mark. Houston stole only 17 bases as a team in 2005, the lowest in American Association history. Bryson Wightman won his eighth Silver Slugger at first base and crossed 1500 runs scored.

06-13-2024, 12:20 PM	#1333
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,720	2005 in MLB Cleveland took the top seed in the National Association at 103-59, winning the Upper Midwest Division for the second time in three years. Historic pitching led the way for the Cobras, who allowed 450 runs all season. This was the fewest in MLB history, topping New York’s 454 from way back in 1906. It would remain the record until Kansas City’s 442 allowed in 2019. The #2 seed came down to a tiebreaker game for the Northeast Division. Both Hartford and Quebec City finished 97-65 in the regular season, with the Huskies taking the tiebreaker and the division. This was Hartford’s third playoff berth in four years, but their first division title since 1992. The Nordiques were the first wild card and ended a four-year playoff drought. Boston, last year’s Northeast winner and NACS runner up, fell to .500. Philadelphia won the East Division at 95-67 and were the only returning playoff team from 2004 in the National Association. The Phillies won a third straight division title and fifth in seven years. They edged Brooklyn by only two games. In the Lower Midwest, St. Louis took it at 93-69, outlasting Cincinnati by one game. That gave the Cardinals their third division title in five years. Last year’s division winner Wichita, who won 100 games in 2004, plummeted to 69-93. For the second wild card, Detroit (94-68) won a fierce battle over Brooklyn (93-69), Cincinnati (92-70), Buffalo (91-71), and Ottawa (89-73). The Tigers ended a three-year playoff drought. Reigning National Association champ Winnipeg missed the playoffs, dropping from 106 wins in 2004 to only 85 in 2005. Milwaukee, a wild card last year, also saw a rough drop down to 74 wins. Pushing Detroit was National Association MVP Adrian Vega. The 30-year old Peruvian second baseman led in runs (107), OPS (.978), wRC+ (204), and WAR (10.2). Vega added 36 home runs, 117 RBI, and a .327 average. He was in his fifth year with the Tigers, having joined them in a 2001 trade with Cleveland. Detroit also had Pitcher of the Year Theron Summers, who they acquired in a July trade from Pittsburgh. The 27-year old righty led in wins at 23-8 and complete games with 16. Summers added a 2.23 ERA over 271 innings, 199 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR, plus his fourth Gold Glove. He used this big season to cash in with a six-year, $67,800,000 deal in the offseason with St. Louis, although he’d be delightfully average for the rest of his career. Quebec City beat St. Louis 2-0 and Philadelphia topped Detroit 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Both pulled off round two upsets as the Phillies swept Hartford and the Nordiques stunned Cleveland 3-2. This was only Quebec’s second-ever National Association Championship Series berth (1999), while it was the third in five years for Philly. The NACS ended up being an absolute classic and the first to need all seven games since 1997. Game seven went 11 innings with Philadelphia winning it 5-4 on a walk-off. It was only the second time in NACS history that game seven went extras, joining 1972. This was the 11^th pennant for the Phillies (1917-18, 1941-47, 2001, 2005), tying Ottawa for the most among National Association teams. Seattle’s playoff streak ended at six years in 2004 after they just missed the wild card at 90-72. The Grizzlies bounced back and earned the American Association’s top seed at 105-57. Seattle won the Northwest Division and took the top seed for the fifth time in six years. Albuquerque earned the other bye and extended their playoff streak to five years. The Isotopes won the Southwest Division at 100-62 for their first division title since 2001. Two-time defending World Series champ Phoenix limped to an 80-82 record, ceding control of the division. Houston won the South Central Division for the fourth consecutive season, finishing 95-67. Memphis was two back at 93-69, which earned them the first wild card. The Mountain Cats ended a 12-year postseason drought. In a weak Southeast Division, Jacksonville prevailed at 84-78, edging Atlanta by two games, Tampa by four, and Orlando by five. The Gators ended an 18-year playoff drought and got their first division title since 1984. Nashville, last year’s division winner, dropped to 78-86. Salt Lake City and San Diego tied for the second wild card at 91-71. Austin, Portland, and San Francisco were all two back at 89-73. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Loons defeated the Seals. SLC earned repeat playoff berths and grabbed their fourth in six years. Repeating as American Association MVP was Salt Lake City CF Morgan Short. The 24-year old lefty led in runs (130), doubles (40), average (.356), OBP (.438), OPS (1.036), wRC+ (170), and WAR (11.9). Short joined Hall of Famer Elijah Cashman as the only MLB batters with multiple seasons above 11+ WAR. Houston’s Jared Huddleston won Pitcher of the Year in his Hornets debut. They picked him up in the offseason by sending five prospects to Buffalo. The 26-year old righty led in ERA (2.25) and quality starts (28). Huddleston added an 18-9 record over 272 innings, 168 strikeouts, and 7.6 WAR. Also of note was Oklahoma City’s Cody Lim, who won Rookie of the Year. He became the third ROTY winner in MLB history to debut with a 50+ homer season. Lim led the AA with 53 dingers and had 6.9 WAR. Jacksonville swept Memphis and Houston edged Salt Lake City 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The top seeds survived in five games in round two with Seattle over the Gators and Albuquerque over the Hornets. This was the Grizzlies’ four American Association Championship Series berth in six years. One of the two years they missed was 2002, which saw the Isotopes win the pennant. Seattle cruised to an AACS sweep to earn their second pennant, joining the 2000 campaign. Despite their success in the 2000s, Seattle hadn’t been able to win it all. When they made the World Series for the first time in 2000, they were swept by Cleveland. The 105^th Fall Classic finally saw the Grizzlies on top, defeating Philadelphia 4-2. It was fitting that after 15 seasons for his hometown club that 1B Bryson Wightman won World Series MVP. The three-time AA MVP had 15 playoff starts with 20 hits, 10 run, 2 doubles, 1 homer, and 9 RBI. With Seattle’s win, 40 of MLB’s 56 teams have a World Series ring through 105 seasons. Of the original 48 teams, 38 have won it all. The original teams remaining without a title are Buffalo, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Columbus, Minneapolis, Omaha, San Antonio, Portland, and Oakland. Of those, the Blue Sox, Hawks, Oilers, and Owls are the only ones to never make it to the Fall Classic at least once. Other notes: For the first time in MLB history, there were two perfect games in the same season. On April 18, St. Louis’ Jinlong Han tossed MLB’s 18^th perfecto by striking out seven versus Ottawa. On July 24, Oakland’s Reuben Blush tossed the 19^th perfect game with nine Ks versus Los Angeles. Vancouver’s Kulputih Najamuddin had a 37-game hit streak, the fifth-longest in MLB history. Cincinnati pitcher Grayson Whittaker sent numerous single-season rate records that still hold as of 2037. He had a 4.92 H/9, 0.77 WHIP, .161 opponent batting average, and .459 opponent OPS. Whittaker only had 162.2 innings, but posted 6.5 WAR and a league-best 1.83 ERA. His season and career were both effectively ended by a torn rotator cuff and he’d never sniff a full season again. Salt Lake City’s Reginald Parker had 152 RBI, becoming the first player since 1978 to reach the mark. Houston stole only 17 bases as a team in 2005, the lowest in American Association history. Bryson Wightman won his eighth Silver Slugger at first base and crossed 1500 runs scored. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)