Field of Dreams

[Nick Soulis]

I am sure if every baseball player who ever played the game, alive or gone, could get another chance at an atbat, a defensive play, or a season, they would jump at the chance. The game gives us a special feeling of youth and hope, and thats a great part of the joy of OOTP, bringing the names and the teams back to try again.

Every baseball team is unique in its own way. There have been 2470 major league baseball teams between 1901 and 2017. My objective is to help relive each and everyone even for a moment. This is completely separate from my Excellence project, that's where the elite play, this is for the forgotten team, as well as every era played of this grand game.

So in my mind I see the baseball Gods picking two teams out of many and giving them the chance to play again. Kind of a field of dreams that I am sure every player would jump at the chance at.

I also love the randomness of any match up and being able to pick a team from history and actually study it to see how good or bad they really were.

In this thread I will simply take every team in MLB history and randomly pick two for seven games series. We may see upsets or great performances, but the matchups should be interesting in any event. Its not so much about how long it will take to finish, its just the fun of the process long the way.

This project will take years but I don't plan on leaving OOTP anytime soon. As new seasons come into play (like 2018) I will only take the top 10 teams of that season at the expense of the worst teams ever to play.

There is a preliminary round of 422 series, to make the numbers even and go from there

Here is the format:

• 2470 teams from 1901 to 2019 (every team, yes every team, good and bad, from every franchise)
• Matchups totally random
• Preliminary round 844 teams with 422 winners
• First round and forward 2048 teams play down to 1 winner
• All series best of 7

[Nick Soulis]

Results

Winners

1. 2017 Chicago Cubs (Defeat 1920 Brooklyn 4-2)
   
2. 1910 Pittsburgh Pirates (Defeat 1991 Rangers 4-3)
3. 1917 Cincinnati Reds (Defeat 1976 Expos 4-2)
4. 1927 Chicago Cubs (Defeat 1930 Senators 4-2)
5. 1979 San Francisco Giants (Defeat 1913 Braves 4-1)
6. 1910 Washington Senators (Defeat 2005 Giants 4-0)

[Nick Soulis]

Stats

Stats Leaders

Hits

1. Rafael Palmeiro (1991 Rangers) - 12
2. Tommy Griffith (1917 Reds) - 12
3. Julio Franco (1991 Rangers) - 10

Home Runs

1. Ivey Wingo (1917 Reds) - 3
2. Earl Webb (1927 Cubs) - 3

RBI

1. Addison Russell (2017 Cubs) - 7
2. Dean Palmer (1991 Rangers) - 7
3. Jim Flynn (1910 Pirates) - 7
4. Earl Webb (1927 Cubs) - 7

Strikeouts

1. Al Mamaux (1920 Robins) - 17
2. Nolan Ryan (1991 Rangers - 16
3. Burleigh Grimes (1920 Robins) - 14
4. Bump Hadley (1930 Senators) - 14

Longest Home Runs

[imhoff2]

Cool concept! Will be following!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nick Soulis]

Franchise Records

Chicago Cubs...............…... 2-0
Pittsburgh Pirates......…......1-0
Cincinnati Reds...………….1-0
New York/SF Giants...…….1-1
Brooklyn Dodgers .........…..0-1
Texas Rangers...................0-1
Montreal Expos...……….….0-1
Washington Senators...…...1-1
Boston/Atalnta Braves........0-1

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #1



1920 Brooklyn Robins (93-61) vs 2017 Chicago Cubs (92-70)


1920 Brooklyn Robins
Record: 93-61
Finish: Won NL Pennant
Manager: Wilbert Robinson
Ball Park: Ebbets Field
WAR Leader: Burleigh Grimes (8.4)

2017 Chicago Cubs
Record: 92-70
Finish: Lost in NLCS
Manager: Joe Maddon
Ball Park: Wrigley Field
WAR Leader: Kris Bryant (5.6)

Cubs Roar Back To Take Robins in Six



With the Cubs trailing two games to none and game three at Wrigley Field, the home team was down a run in the bottom of the ninth and short stop Addison Russell hit a walk off single that scored two and turned the series around. Russell would then hit a grand slam in game four that would even the series and the Cubs would win it all in six games after Jon Lester threw a typical Lester game to take game 6. Chicago looked like they were in trouble as the Robins took the first two at home as Al Mamaux pitched a shutout in game one and a Zack Wheat home run carried them in game two. Still Joe Maddon rallied his men and they played with heart to wrestle this series away from Brooklyn.






Series MVP: Addison Russell (.250, 1 HR, 7 RBI)

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #2

1910 Pittsburgh Pirates (86-67) vs 1991 Texas Rangers (85-77)

1910 Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 86-67
Finish: 3rd in NL
Manager: Fred Clarke
Ball Park: Forbes Field
WAR Leader: Honus Wagner (5.2)

1991 Texas Rangers
Record: 85-77
Finish: 3rd in AL West
Manager: Bobby Valentine
Ball Park: Arlington Stadium
WAR Leader: Julio Franco (6.2)

Pirates Take Hard Fight In Seven



A very good series between two teams that went back and forth and the 1991 Texas Rangers by all means were not pushovers. Nolan Ryan and Howie Camintz split two games in which both aces pitched exceptionally well. The series would carry all the way to a game seven at Forbes Field where the Pirates put five runs on the board in the very first inning against Bobby Witt including a three run home run by John Flynn. The Pirates would hang on behind Babe Adams and win the final game to the delight of their loyal fans 8 to 4. Tommy Leach hit two home runs in the series and was particularly good while for the losing side Rafael Palmeiro deserved better hitting .444 for the series. Star Honus Wagner only hit .233 for the series but did lead his team to a game 4 victory with a two run home run. This is in the end was a great series and a good win for the reputation of the dead ball era.




Series MVP: Tommy Leach (.391, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 5 R)

[skyballer455]

Thanks for doing yet another one of these. I've always wanted to do something like this but I have a couple of questions.

First, how do you randomize the matchups and secondly, how do you keep track of a 2048 team bracket?

[Nick Soulis]

Originally Posted by skyballer455

Thanks for doing yet another one of these. I've always wanted to do something like this but I have a couple of questions.

First, how do you randomize the matchups and secondly, how do you keep track of a 2048 team bracket?

Yeah its a years long project, because I am a complete nerd and love to watch the series matchup. I keep everything on excel, its a massive file in time, and I would love to know if there is a better way to track everything. I also track all the stats for the Hall of Famers.

As for the bracket, I dont quite have one yet, because there are actually 2470 teams. So the first thing I am doing is bringing that number down to 2048 teams. So I list all the the teams, I randomize 2470 numbers with the help of random.com, and then play out the matchups as they come up. I will do this until I eliminate 422 teams, then I can start the "bracket" of 2048 per say.

Massive project to say the least, but what do I care?, I truly love doing it.

Thanks for following.

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #3



1917 Cincinnati Reds (78-76) vs 1976 Montreal Expos (55-107)

1917 Cincinnati Reds
Record: 78-76
Finish: 4th in NL
Manager: Christy Mathewson
Ball Park: Redland Field
WAR Leader: Heinie Groh (7.0)

1976 Montreal Expos
Record: 55-107
Finish: 6th in NL East
Manager: Karl Kuehl
Ball Park: Parc Jerry
WAR Leader: Steve Rogers (4.6)

Clutch Reds Get By Stubborn Expos



Some clutch hitting helped the 1917 Cincinnati Reds get by the 1976 Montreal Expos who played like anything but a 100 loss side. The teams split the first four games and the pivotal game five told the tale. Down by a run in the top of the ninth inning with the series tied at 2. Hal Chase tied the game with a solo home run and Ed Roush, the very next batter, gave his side the lead with another home run all off Chuck Taylor. In the bottom of the ninth, with men on the corners and only two outs, young Gary Carter smashed into a 6-4-3 double play to end a classic game. In game 6 back home the Reds closed the door winning 10-4 as Ivey Wingo added his third home run of the series. Tommy Griffith was the MVP for the Reds as he had 12 hits but in reality a number of players stepped it up. For the hard luck Expos, a good showing aside, Pete Mackanin drove in 6 and had a grand slam while Steve Rogers deserved better for his quality starts.




Series MVP: Tommy Griffith (12 H, .482, 4 R, 1 SB, 1 3B)

[skyballer455]

Another question I forgot to ask, how do you get the picture of the series MVP?

[Nick Soulis]

Originally Posted by skyballer455

Another question I forgot to ask, how do you get the picture of the series MVP?

It comes off excel and I use Imgur.com.

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #4



1930 Washington Senators (94-60) vs 1927 Chicago Cubs (85-68)

1930 Washington Senators
Record: 94-60
Finish: 2nd in AL
Manager: Walter Johnson
Ball Park: Griffith Stadium
WAR Leader: Joe Cronin (8.5)

1927 Chicago Cubs
Record: 85-68
Finish: 4th in NL
Manager: Joe McCarthy
Ball Park: Wrigley Field
WAR Leader: Hack Wilson (6.3)

Pitching Arms Come Through For Chicago



Two good teams from the very same era faced off against each other and the results were some very competitive baseball. The Senators took a 2 games to one lead in the series before a Riggs Stevenson homer helped the Cubs tie the series. Chicago then pitched well behind Sherrif Blake and Guy Bush to win the next two games and wrap up the series at Griffith Stadium. Bush also won a classic game against Sad Sam Jones 1-0 in game 2. Earl Webb had seven RBI and showed his muscle with 3 home runs.




Series MVP: Earl Webb (3 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R, .789 SLG)

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Round Series #5



1913 Boston Braves (69-82) vs 1971 San Francisco Giants (71-91)

1913 Boston Braves
Record: 69-82
Finish: 5th in NL
Manager: Gene Stallings
Ball Park: Fenway Park
WAR Leader: Dick Rudolph (4.8)

1979 San Francisco Giants
Record: 71-91
Finish: 4th in NL West
Manager: Joe Altobelli
Ball Park: Candlestick Park
WAR Leader: Jack Clark (3.5)

Blue And Giants Handle Braves



Vida Blue pitched a complete game shutout in game five of this series as the 1979 San Francisco Giants impressed in a nifty win against the 1913 Braves. Blue won the game 1-0 to clinch the series against Lefty Tyler who also went the distance. A Jack Clark RBI single was the only run scored in cool Candlestick Park. The Giants swept all three games at home with Darrell Evans hitting .450 with two home runs and Clark hitting another two.




Series MVP: Vida Blue (2-0, 16 IP, 9 K, 0.56 ERA, 0.38 WHIP)

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #6




2005 San Francisco Giants (75-87) vs 1910 Washington Senators (66-85)

2005 San Francisco Giants
Record: 75-87
Finish: 3rd in NL West
Manager: Felipe Alou
Ball Park: SBC Park
WAR Leader: Noah Lowry (4.8)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/2005.shtml

1910 Washington Senators
Record: 66-85
Finish: 7th in AL
Manager: Jimmy McAleer
Ball Park: American League Park
WAR Leader: Walter Johnson (10.8)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSH/1910.shtml

GIANTS SWEPT BY SENATORS



Game 1 From SBC Park
1910 Washington Senators 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 1 6 9 2
2005 San Francisco Giants 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 12 1
WP: W. Johnson (1-0) • LP: T. Walker (0-1) • SV: F. Oberlin (1)
The Senators pick up three runs in the 7th to pick up a rusty Walter Johnson. Wid Conroy scored a run scoring triple in the inning while Jack Lelivelt made a diving catch in the 9th to end the game with the tying runners on base. No home runs in a good opening game.

Game 2 From SBC Park

1910 Washington Senators 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 4 8 1
2005 San Francisco Giants 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 1
WP: D. Walker (1-0) • LP: N. Lowrey (0-1) • SV: F. Oberlin (2)
HR: K. Elberfeld (1)
Kid Elberfield homered off of Noah Lowrey in the 7th inning to break up a shutout and tie the score. In the 8th Doc Gessler hammered a two run double to put the Senators on top and turn the game on its head. Its the second time the visitors came from behind to earn a road win and Dixie Walker took full charge of this game going seven strong. The Giants now head to the east coast having lost both games at home and down two games to none.

Game 3 At American League Park

2005 San Francisco Giants 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1910 Washington Senators 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 X 5 9 2
WP: D. Gray (1-0) • LP: B. Tomko (0-1)
Dolly Gray pitched 8 innings of shutout ball and struck out six as the 1910 Senators are on the verge of sweeping away the 2005 Giants. Brett Tomko was touched up for 4 runs in the first three innings as Bob Unglaub scored twice and is hitting .364 for the series. Now Matt Cain will take the mound for the Giants in hope of surviving another day.

Game 4 At American League Park

2005 San Francisco Giants 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 12 0
1910 Washington Senators 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 3 6 0
WP: D. Reisling (1-0) • LP: M. Cain (0-1) • SV: F. Oberlin (3)
The Senators touched up Matt Cain for three runs in the very first inning and that would be enough for winner Doc Resiling who scattered 8 hits and two runs in six innings. Doc Gessler and George McBride both doubled in runs to put the pressure on the Giants; Cain settled down but his team could not make it back. An extremely disappointing series for the 2005 Giants who were favored but instead get swept in four straight.




Series MVP: Doc Gessler (.438, 5 RBI, 7 H, 3 2B)

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #7



1924 Brooklyn Robins (92-62) vs 1928 Detroit Tigers (68-86)

1924 Brooklyn Robins
Record: 92-62
Finish: 2nd in NL
Manager: Wilbert Robinson
Ball Park: Ebbets Field
WAR Leader: Dazzy Vance (10.3)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BRO/1924.shtml

1928 Detroit Tigers
Record: 68-86
Finish: 6th in AL
Manager: George Moriarty
Ball Park: Navin Field
WAR Leader: Ownie Carroll (5.0)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/1928.shtml

Its All Robins



Game 1 at Ebbets Field
Detroit 1928 Tigers 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 0
Brooklyn 1924 Robins 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 2 7 0
WP: D. Vance 1-0 LP: D. Whitehill (0-1)
HR: P. Hargrave

Dazzy Vance shows why he is the ace of the Robins as he goes the distance striking out six and allowing only four hits i a fine pitching duel. A Zack Wheat RBI triple that was followed by a Jack Fournier RBI single tallied two in the first inning for the home side and that would be enough against a very hard luck loser Earl Whitehill.

Game 2 at Ebbets Field
Detroit 1928 Tigers 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 7 0
Brooklyn 1924 Robins 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 X 3 9 1
WP: D. Ruether (1-0) LP: O. Carroll (0-1)

Another tight pitchers duel with the Tigers throwing out their ace this time but in the end the Tigers come up short again and lose both games in Brooklyn. Zack Wheat added another two hits and an RBI and Dutch Ruether battled to the final out showing a calm demener in a big game. Now the Tigers are up against it as they head back home looking like a lesser team even as both games have been close.

Game 3 At Navin Field
Brooklyn 1924 Robins 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 9 0
Detroit 1928 Tigers 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 0
WP: B. Grimes (1-0) LP: G. Smith (0-1)
HR: J. Fournier 2 (2)

Jack Fournier hit a 404 foot home run in the top of the 11th inning, it was his second of the game and the game winner as the 1924 Robins win their third game of the series, all by one run. Ken Holloway pitched extremely well but made two mistakes to the big first baseman while Burleigh Grimes went all 11 innings for the win striking out four on 139 pitches.Now the Robins can go for the sweep in game four with Rube Ehrhardt taking the mound.

Game 4 at Navin Field
Brooklyn 1924 Robins 1 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 2 6 16 18 1
Detroit 1928 Tigers 0 0 1 2 5 0 0 1 1 3 13 21 1
WP: R. Yarrison (1-0) LP: G. Smith (0-2)
HR: Z. Wheat 2 (2), B. Fothergill (1), P. Hargrave (2), J. Tavener (1)

What can you say about this game? The Robins clinch the sweep in an absolute wild one that went 10 innings and saw the Robins score six times in the top of the frame to hold on 16-13. Zack Wheat capped a outstanding series with two home tuns including one inside the park. Andy High scored four runs and Tommy Griffith drove in three off the bench. The Tigers had 21 hits in the loss but their pitching imploded in this scorefest. A great series sweep by the Robins who prove a point and easily take apart a team from their own era.




Series MVP: Zack Wheat (.438, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 1 3B, 1.000 SLG)

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #8



1946 Cincinnati Reds (67-87) vs 1978 Atlanta Braves (69-93)

1946 Cincinnati Reds
Record: 67-87
Finish: 6th in NL
Manager: Bill McKechenie
Ball Park: Crosley Field
WAR Leader: Grady Hatton (3.4)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1946.shtml

1978 Atlanta Braves
Record: 69-93
Finish: 6th in NL West
Manager: Bobby Cox
Ball Park: Fulton County Stadium
WAR Leader: Phil Niekro (10.4)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/1978.shtml

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #12



2001 Pittsburgh Pirates (62-100) vs 1980 Texas Rangers (76-85)


Texas In Clean Sweep of Bucs


The 1980 Texas Rangers had no issues disposing of the 100 loss 2001 Pittsburgh Pirates. Pat Putman and Buddy Bell combined to drive in 13 runs in four games while Gaylord Perry threw 8 scoreless innings in a game 2 shutout. Bronson Arroyo and the Pirate arms were not in the zone while no Pirate hitter drove in more than 3 runs.





Series MVP:

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #13



1995 Los Angeles Dodgers (78-66) vs 1982 California Angels (93-69)


Dodgers Pull Upset In Battle of LA


The Dodgers have always felt they are the darling of California baseball, and in this series they set that claim true by defeating a favored and good Angels team. The teams split the first two games in Anaheim with Hideo Nomo pitching for the win in the opener. The Dodgers took 2 out of 3 at home and game six turned into a tight pitchers duel. Ismael Valdez struck out 14 in 15 innings of work in the series and did enough in the clincher to beat the Angels 2-1. Raul Modesi was the MVP driving in 10 runs while Brian Downing hit three home runs in the series for the Angels.

[Nick Soulis]

Preliminary Series #14


1956 Washington Senators (59-95) vs 1916 St. Louis Browns (79-75)

Browns Find Way To Survive Senators
It took to the final game where the Browns erased the Senators in a game seven 8-1 win for this tight series to end. Bob groom pitched well in both his starts but it was his game six effort that was most crucial. Surprisingly Whitey Herzog lead the Senators in hitting as Washington leaned on pitching and failed to register a single long ball for the series. The Senators turned around a 3-1 deficit in the series to take things to the final game, where they just ran out of momentum. Del Pratt and George Sisler each drove in seven runs in the series and Eddie Plank pitched a shutout in game one.