Baseball Premier League

[NYY #23]

New Orleans Crescents (107-65) vs. Massachusetts Generals (112-60)



The Massachusetts Generals entered the series as the favorites, but the Crescents would prove too tough of an opponent winning the series in seven games, defeating the Generals 4-3 to advance to the League Championship Series.

[NYY #23]

San Diego Sailors (111-61) vs. Detroit Giants (123-49)



After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the series the Giants found themselves down 3 games to 2 and needing to win the final two games in the series to advance. They got solid starts from Zhang Seow and Chris Jones in the final two games of the series to advance to the League Championship Series

Gary Hansen was named Series MVP after going 2-1 with a 1.00 ERA.

[NYY #23]

Reading Railers (89-83) vs. Seattle Aviators (118-54)



The Reading Railers won 29 games less than the Aviators this season, but managed to pull off the biggest upset of the playoffs so far with a 4 games to 3 series win. Nate McCabe was named series MVP after hitting .345 with 3 RBI during the series.

[NYY #23]

New Orleans Crescents (107-65) vs. Salt Lake City Bees (115-57)



Buttons Briggs won his first game of the series when it really mattered, pitching a two hit shutout in Game 7 as the Crescents beat the Bees 2-0 to win the series and complete the upset.

Solly Hoffman was named MVP of the League Championship Series after going 10-25 (.400) at the plate with 2 RBI.

[NYY #23]

Reading Railers (89-83) vs. Detroit Giants (123-49)



The Railers weren't expected by many to go far in the playoffs, but after completing their second upset of the postseason they proved that the best team doesn't always win, just the hottest team.

Justin White went just 15-17 with a 2.40 ERA during the regular season, but won the MVP of the League Championship Series after going 2-0 with an 0.50 ERA. He's now 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA in the playoffs.

The heavily favored Giants will head home for the offseason after winning 123 games during the regular season.

[NYY #23]

Reading Railers (89-83) vs. New Orleans Crescents (107-65)



The Reading Railers continued their run through the postseason to capture their first Premier League Championship after defeating the Crescents 4 games to 1.

Catcher Jack Zalusky was named MVP after hitting .313 with 6 RBI.

[NYY #23]

The North Carolina Tarheels captured both the regular season title and beat Port City in the playoffs 3 games to 2. Barney Pelty was named series MVP after going 2-1 with a 1.04 ERA.

[NYY #23]

Eddie Quick was 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in the Northeast League Championship as the Metropolitans beat the Red Wings 3 games to 1.

[NYY #23]

The Royals defeated the Minnesota Muskies 4 games to 1 to win the PCL title. Clay Hodge was 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA to win the series MVP.

[NYY #23]

The Washington Maroons didn't finish with the best record in the league, but after winning 107 games during the regular season they beat the Columbus Explorers 4 games to 1, the New York Yankees 4 games to 2, and the Ahwatukee Desert Dogs 4 games to 1 to win the International League.

[NYY #23]

After a 76 game season the Portland Moose finished the season tied with the New York Titans with identical 44-32 records in the Premier League East. Both teams were looking to get back to the playoffs after a long absence. The Portland Moose haven't been to the playoffs since 1908 when they won it all, while the Titans last appeared in the playoffs in 1905.



Eddie Quick was on the mound for the Titans after going 13-11 with a 2.19 ERA this year.



Bill Essick was taking the mound for the Moose after going 7-2 with a 1.63 ERA. The Titans would get out to an early 2-0 lead when Kyle Fuller tripled in a run and came home to score on a single by Eddie Quick. Quick would remain in control until the eighth when the Moose would come back and score 3 runs, 2 of which were unearned, but Quick would again play the hero with his bat driving in a run for the second time in the game to tie the game at 3.

It was only fitting that after being tied for 76 games the two teams would be tied after nine innings. With Elmer Califf on the mound for the Moose the Titans would get a walk from Mark Gilmore, who would advance to second on a fielder's choice, move to third on a passed ball, and came home to score the winning run on an error. The Titans would walk off winners in the strangest way possible and end their playoff drought, while the Moose will head home for the winter.

[NYY #23]

Things look a little bit differently in the Premier League in 1915. After the big shake up of 1907 and 1908 I've decided to fast forward to let things settle and pick things back up. I was aiming for ten years but decided to jump back in after seeing the tie at the end of the regular season.

There are now 24 teams in the Premier League, and each team has three minor league affiliates. I'll take a look back at "some" of the history I missed, but I'm happy with a smaller focus. Teams also play a 76 game season which runs from May to the end of September/ early October.

I found a schedule that I like, which helped shape the final number of teams. Games will be played on the weekends only, Friday through Sunday.

I've liked one I've seen so far with the abbreviated schedule and smaller number of teams, so hopefully things will work out well.

[NYY #23]

Let's take a quick look at the standings in the Premier League to see the 24 teams, and take a quick look at the four playoff teams before heading to the playoffs.

New York Titans:


Minnesota Golden Gophers:


Los Angeles Bombers:


Miami Hurricanes:

[NYY #23]

The Northeast League Championship started off with a thrilling 17 inning game between the New York Titans and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Both Dave Thompson of the Titans and 18 game winner Brad Hort of the Golden Gophers were long out of the game before the game would end, but it would be Thompson who would fall apart AJ Hasty reached on an error. Thompson would hit a batter, then throw to first on a groundball back to the pitcher for the second out of the inning, putting runners on second and third before throwing a wild pitch to tie the game at three and send it to extra innings.

In the top of the fourteenth Kyle Fuller would put the Titans up with a pinch hit sacrifice fly, but Ben Shelter would deliver an RBI single in the bottom of the fourteenth to tie the game at 4.

It would remain tied until the top of the seventeenth with Allen Taylor on the mound for Minnesota, who would hit two batters, intentionally walk Eddie Collins, and then see the Titans go up for good on a passed ball.

36 year old Thurston Pierce would pick up the win for the Titans with 1 2/3 hitless innings, while Taylor would take the loss after 4 hitless innings.

[NYY #23]

Dave Thompson was making his third start of the series in a decisive Game 7. His previous two starts the Titans won both games in extra innings, but Thompson didn't get a decision. Game 7 would be different for Thompson, who pitched a complete game while allowing 3 runs on 7 hits as the Titans won the game 7-3 and the series 4 games to 3 to send the Titans to the World Series.

Jack Coffey had a big night at the plate for New York going 2-5 with a home run and 4 RBI. That would cap a series in which he hit .353 and earned the Series MVP. After hitting just .211 this season his postseason success should help New York fans forget his season long woes.

Eddie Collins would have a disappointing series for New York after hitting .354 during the regular season, picking up just 6 hits in 30 at-bats.

[NYY #23]

Dode Criss capped a tremendous series for the Hurricanes with a 3-4 night with a solo home run, double, and single to help the Hurricanes defeat the Bombers 5-2 to advance to the World Series.

Criss would win the Series MVP after hitting .478 with 3 RBI. Chuck Collins picked up a win for the Hurricanes while pitching 15 2/3 innings with a 0.57 and the Hurricanes will advance to take on the Titans in the World Series, with both teams playing for their first Championship.

[NYY #23]

The Miami Hurricanes captured their first World Series with a 7-1 win over the Titans to win the series 4 games to 2. The Hurricanes got a big start from John Halla, who allowed just one run in the complete game win to earn his third win of the postseason, and his second win of the World Series.

His 2-0 record and 0.50 ERA was enough to earn Halla the World Series MVP. Teammate Chuck Collins picked up the other two wins in the World Series, although his ERA was 3.18.

Left fielder Sam McGovern drove in 7 runs in the series for the Hurricanes while hitting .370.

------

A look at the previous Champions:

1914 - Salt Lake City Bees defeated the Boston Pilgrims
1913 - Salt Lake City Bees defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes
1912 - Dallas Tycoons defeated the Boston Pilgrims
1911 - Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Salt Lake City Bees
1910 - Indianapolis Ravens defeated the San Francisco Legion
1909 - Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes
1908 - Portland Moose defeated the San Francisco Legion
1907 - Arizona Wildcats defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers

[NYY #23]

Inside the PBL
November 8, 1915



Harry Stout did something that no other batter in the history of the Premier League has done before, won the Triple Crown, leading the Northeast League with 7 home runs, 53 RBI, and a .361 batting average. The 27 year old is playing in his sixth season in the Premier League, all with Portland.

Stout finished second in MVP voting to Eddie Collins of the Titans, who hit .354 with 4 home runs and 43 RBI. Finishing third in MVP voting was Pitcher of the Year Ed Walsh of the Atlantics who was 13-8 with a 1.80 ERA this year. It was the fifth year in a row where Walsh won Pitcher of the Year honors.



In the Southwest League it was Charlie Smith of the Bees who won Pitcher of the Year honors after going 12-12 with a 2.00 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 197 2/3 innings. Tris Speaker of the Bombers was named MVP after hitting .360 with 7 home runs and 31 RBI.

With the first pick in the amateur draft the Indianapolis Ravens picked 22 year old center fielder Matt Wright.

-----

I'm not sure if I mentioned this but I've decided to stop adding real players and go strictly fictional going forward. There are still plenty of real players in the league, as you've probably noticed with Eddie Collins and Tris Speaker, but the current crop will be the last crop.

[NYY #23]

Hurricanes Win Second Straight World Series

The Miami Hurricanes took their place in history when they captured their second straight World Series after defeating the Golden Gophers 4 games to 1. The Hurricanes were just the second team in history to win back to back World Series, joining the Salt Lake City Bees who won the World Series in 1913 and 1914. They also join a rare club of teams that have won two championship, with the Iowa Hawkeyes the other team winning two championships.

Tad Quinn won the World Series MVP after going 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA in the World Series. While Quinn captured the World Series MVP Bryan Mietus was 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA in the League Championship and captured the MVP.

As a team that relied on their offense to carry them through the season it was their pitching that got the Hurricanes through the postseason.



It was another disappointing end to the season for Brad Hort and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The 34 year old has spent his entire career with Minnesota and 1915 was the first year that the Golden Gophers not only went to the playoffs, but had a winning record. Hort went 18-8 with a 2.03 ERA and 11-8 with a 1.68 ERA this season. Hort did his part in the postseason going 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA, but the Golden Gophers still came up short.

Standings

[NYY #23]

Last year it looked like the New York Titans had finally turned things around, jumping from third to first place and making it all the way to the World Series before being defeated by the Miami Hurricanes.

This year the Titans fell all the way to last place, losing 14 more games than they did last season. If that wasn't bad enough for the Titans they got even worse news at the end of the season when they found out that their best player, Dave Thompson (13-7, 2.50) tore his labrum and will miss the next ten months. At 34 years old it will be a difficult injury for Thompson to recover from.

It also looks like age caught up to 34 year old Eddie Quick, who was 13-11 with a 2.19 ERA last year, but fell to 5-18 with a 4.17 ERA this year. Only two pitchers have ever lost more games in a season than Quick, Mark Roulston and Josh Muscat who each lost 19 games.

The Titans are hoping that top prospect Omar Pena is ready for the majors. Pena got his feet wet in September going 2-1 with a 3.34 ERA.

At the plate Eddie Collins had a down season seeing his batting average fall from .354 last year to .276 this season. His WAR fell from 4.6 to 1.8.