[Rocketdawg2016]

1877

While the offseason after 1876 was quite tame, there was no shortage of more expansion rumors and amateur leagues firing up elsewhere, striking some fear into fans of the NOBB that there may be competitive leagues within the United States soon. During the off-season the executive board of NOBB approved a decrease in free agent minimum service time, down from six years to five years. This allows players to hit the open market sooner rather than later into their careers.

Following last years electric finish in both leagues was going to be no easy feat. Lots of teams had rebuilt their rosters in light of the offensive explosion we saw (thank you executive board), but a lot of teams questioned how year two for the expansion franchises was going to affect the overall offense of the league.

One year removed from losing out on a chance at eight straight championships, Manchester came in refreshed and hungry for another. Unofortunately for the Eagles and their fans, they would be buried behind three other teams in their league. Hartford, Providence, and Boston all were in a heavy dogfight to finish out the year in the Colonial League, and while Manchester was good enough to finish six games over .500, they simply could not keep up with the powerhouse offenses between Providence and Hartford. It came down to two weeks before the playoffs, but Hartford locked up their first ever Colonial League pennant, and with that, a chance at a National Championship.

The Atlantic League had been a bloodbath the past couple of seasons, and that was no different oncemore as New York, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn (to the surprise of many) were competitive down the stretch. Brooklyn's achilles heel was experience, and their team could not sustain wins in late July, which doomed them in the final 3.5 weeks to the pennant, which left Philly and New York as the two, once again, fighting for a pennant. New York was simply the better team on all cylinders in August, and they wrapped up their 4th Atlantic League pennant in as many seasons.



That set the stage for the 1877 National Championship between the 95-41 Angels and 84-52 Battalion. While on paper this matchup seemed destined to be a blowout in favor of Hartford, New York did not roll over. After going down 0-2, New York rallied for two straight wins, to send us to a winner-take-all Game 5 in Connecticut, the second straight Game 5 in league history. Despite New York rallying, they fell apart in the final game of the season, falling 11-1 to Hartford, who claimed their first ever National Championship in franchise history! Jamie Miller, the kid from South Carolina, won MVP honors as he slashed a whopping .529, scorching the New York pitching staff to nine hits and five RBI's.

Season Awards
CL Most Valuable Player: Antonio Arangua, Hartford Angels - .311 AVG|30 2B|85 RBI|65 R|
AL Most Valuable Player: Josh Reichard, Washington Senators - 33-12|1.56 ERA|146 K|

CL Pitcher of the Year: Brad Eaton, Hartford Angels - 33-11|190 K|2.14 ERA|
AL Pitcher of the Year: Josh Reichard, Washington Senators - 33-12|1.56 ERA|146 K|

Josh Reichard become the second player in NOBB history to win the Most Valuable Player Award and Pitcher of the Year Award in the same season, and the first time ever having it happen in back-to-back seasons. Chris Van Sickle of the Worcester Pirates hit the second cycle in NOBB history, going for 4-of-6 with one home run and one run batted in against Hartford.

Two more no-hitters were added to the list in 1877, last years AL MVP/POTY Award winner Carson Cowlee pitched a no-hitter on April 15th against the Senators, striking out two batters. The reigning CL POTY also pitched a no hitter on June 7th, striking out five batters.

While the offense certainly quieted down this year after last years executive mistake, one must wonder if offensive will ever have an explosion like that again.