HOB3 begins

[rogmax11]

Hey TF, just a quick question: Did you use settings for this replay that were the same as in previous histories? And if not, what did you change? Minors on or off? Finances? How did Sandy Koufax do?

Yes, I know; my one question was like when my kids were little and at bedtime would plead for "just one more minute, Daddy, pleeeaaasssee."

[Raidergoo]

Originally posted by Tiger Fan
Dan Driessen becomes the 9th member of the 3000 hit club and at age 38 is just 152 hits away from being the alltime hit king.

Dan Driessen is one of my all-time least favorite players, right up there with Alex Trevino.

I started with the 1981 season, and have played 13 seasons. Wouldn't you know that Driessen had a fantastic career after a trade to Atlanta?

[Tiger Fan]

Originally posted by rogmax11
Hey TF, just a quick question: Did you use settings for this replay that were the same as in previous histories? And if not, what did you change? Minors on or off? Finances? How did Sandy Koufax do?

Yes, I know; my one question was like when my kids were little and at bedtime would plead for "just one more minute, Daddy, pleeeaaasssee."

Quite different from previous versions in that I used real ballparks and used the new recalculate for historical accuracy every season rather than manually doing the league settings myself. Finances were on with a max cash number of 100 million. Minors and all other options enabled and finally rookies were assigned to their original team.

As for Koufax, rather than retiring at age 30 as he did in real life he went on to have a stellar 18 year career that saw him go 291-169. Only Steve Barber with 309 had more victories than Koufax out of pitchers from his era. He is second alltime to Bob Gibson with 4093 career strikeouts.

Koufax of course started his career with the Dodgers and pitched a no-hitter in 1961. Following a 28-5 1962 campaign in which he won the first of his 4 Amos Rusie Awards, Koufax signed with the White Sox as a free agent. He would spend 7 years at Comiskey before ending his career with 5 years in Boston.

He was 5-1 in 9 postseason starts. He was 2-0 when the White Sox beat Houston in 6 games in the '67 series. The 1970 postseason was his greatest achievement. He made 4 starts, going 3-0 with a 0.50 era. He capped it off with a 2-hit shutout of St Louis in the 7th game to give the Red Sox their first World Championship since 1948.

[spleen1015]

TF, which version of the DB did you use?

[Tiger Fan]

Originally posted by spleen1015
TF, which version of the DB did you use?

Original Lahman 5 until about 1920, when Ankit released his which I used from the early twenties on.

[spleen1015]

Did you do any editing at all?

[sporr]

Originally posted by Tiger Fan
REGGIE JACKSON
Just like in real life, the HOB3 Reggie Jackson surpassed the 500 homer plateau. In the HOB3 Jackson finished with 507 - good for 12th on the alltime list as of the 1986 season. He played 33 postseason games but was hardly a Mr. October, hitting just .242. He won his only 2 World Series rings in his first two seasons, but his best playoff performance was saved for the 1982 NLCS. Reggie batted .381 with 2 homers and 7 rbi's but his Houston Astros blew a 2 game lead and lost the series in 5 to the Mets.
Never an MVP, Jackson did have a solid 17 year career with Oakland, Baltimore and Houston. A 10-time allstar he was an automatic Hall of Famer due to his 500 homers.

CAREER STATS
REAL LIFE 2820 games, .262, 563 HR, 1702 RBI
HOB3 2585 games, .282, 507 HR, 1739 RBI

Reggie! How well did he do during those 1st few seasons? I'm wondering if my dad would have given me "Jackson" as a middle name (as he did in real life) if we were living in the HOB3 universe.

[Tiger Fan]

Spleen - No editing aside from improving Bob Feller after Ankit posted about problems with him.

Sporr - Not sure on the Jackson middle name. If it was because he was an A's fan in the early 70's your middle name might well have been Bob or Willie after either Bob Gibson or Willie Mays who were the key pieces of the A's pennant winners in the late sixties. Mays was making a serious run at the Babe's career homer mark during that time.

Here are Reggie Jackson's season by season stats. (wish I could figure out how to eliminate the double spacing though)

Year  G      AB   H   2B 3B  HR  RBI   R    BB  K   SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS Teams 

1968  135   422  121   9  8  17   60   74   46  98  18  7 .287 .357 .467  .824 OAK 

1969  147   484  146  17  8  23   91   93   78 103  17 13 .302 .399 .512  .911 OAK 

1970  152   514  146  25  7  46  101  107  114 123   8 10 .284 .414 .628 1.042 OAK,AL 

1971  154   556  156  31  11 33  111  110   97 141  13  6 .281 .387 .554  .941 OAK,AL 

1972  156   530  152  30  8  38  114   95   77  96  17  6 .287 .377 .589  .966 OAK,AL 

1973  133   465  138  21  6  35  105   92   81  78  19  4 .297 .401 .594  .995 OAK 

1974  155   525  155  34  4  39  120  100  115  73   7  5 .295 .422 .598 1.020 BAL,AL 

1975  156   544  148  21  6  38  111  105   98  67  11  8 .272 .383 .542  .925 BAL 

1976  156   555  142  27  3  29  130   92   90  55   6  3 .256 .360 .472  .832 BAL,AL 

1977  154   554  141  39 10  37  106  100   86  81   3  7 .255 .355 .561  .916 BAL,AL 

1978  155   567  151  26  6  29  113  104   93  48   3  4 .266 .370 .487  .856 BAL 

1979  155   557  181  33  4  37  131  132   94  39   4  3 .325 .422 .598 1.020 HOU,NL 

1980  156   578  168  28  6  23  102   89   94  41   6  1 .291 .390 .479  .869 HOU 

1981  157   554  174  31  5  22   93  103   91  27   9  1 .314 .411 .507  .918 HOU,NL 

1982  153   545  147  22  5  18   75   84   88  31  12  4 .270 .370 .428  .797 HOU 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total 2274 7950 2266 394 97 464 1563 1480 1342 1101 153 82 .285 .388 .534 .922 
		

[Dargone]

Not to bad for Reggie...

[Tiger Fan]

1993 is in the books. The articles will come much quicker once I get 2002 finished but I had to set the stage for my next story. Atlanta Braves and California Angels in the 1993 series.



It is the game 7 pitching match that I found intriguing. Greg Maddux (remember him Cub fans...you dealt him to the halos for Bill Buckner) against Tom Glavine. They split their first two starts with Glavine earning the POG award in game 1 - score was 2-1 Atlanta. Maddux got the POG in game 4 with an 8 inning. 3 hit effort that kept the Angels alive.

Atlanta had won the first 3 games before Maddux got California into the victory column with that 4-3 win in Game 4. The Angels took game 5 by a 7-4 count and then evened the series at home with a 3-2 win in the 6th game. Dante Bichette's rbi single with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th broke a 2-2 tie.

So we are at one final game. Glavine vs Maddux. Can the Braves avert another choke? The franchise has been to 8 World Series and has yet to win one.

We will find out late tonight. This is one game I have to watch.

[Dargone]

Go HALOS!!!!

[Dargone]

What's interesting for me is, I've always really liked Maddux. Great seeing him as an Angel

[Tiger Fan]

1993 WORLD SERIES GAME 7
ATLANTA (Tom Glavine 20-10) at CALIFORNIA (Greg Maddux 13-7)

Starting Lineup

ATLANTA
1 Herm Winningham CF
2 Gary Templeton SS
3 Lou Whitaker 2B
4 Dave Justice RF
5 Brian Hunter 1B
6 Sam Horn 3B
7 Mike Scioscia C
8 Jeff Blauser DH
9 Mike Devereaux LF

CALIFORNIA
1 Shane Mack CF
2 Kent Anderson SS
3 Don Slaught C
4 Tim Salmon RF
5 Dante Bichette LF
6 Brook Jacoby 3B
7 Robby Thompson 2B
8 Clint Hurdle 1B
9 Kevin McReynolds DH

Atlanta looked to a quick start as Herm Winningham led off with a single but Gary Templeton grounded into a doubleplay.

Don Slaught hit a two-out single in the first for the hometown Angels but Salmon popped out to end the inning. Glavine cruised through the second and struck out the side in the third. In the bottom of the 4th, the Angels staged a mini-rally after singles from Anderson and Salmon. However, Glavine got Bichette to pop up to short center and with two out Jacoby hit a screeching drive but it was right at Atlanta thirdbaseman Sam Horn. Meanwhile, Maddux was mowing the Braves down and had not allowed a hit since the Winningham leadoff single.

Maddux retired the Braves in order in the top of the fifth before the Angels bats came alive. Robby Thompson stroked a lead-off single and after Hurdle hit into a fielder's choice Kevin McReynolds singled. A Shane Mack base hit scored Hurdle with the game's first run. Kent Anderson followed with a sacrifice fly that was deep enough for McReynolds to tag and make it 2-0. Glavine retired Don Slaught to end the 5th but the damage had been done.

Another 1-2-3 inning for Maddux and Glavine recovered and retired the Angels in order in the 6th.

Trailing 2-0, Lou Whitaker ripped a 1-out double in the top of the 7th. It was just the second hit Maddux had surrendered. Justice worked Maddux for a walk. Brian Hunter hit a slow roller to Angel second baseman Robby Thompson. They forced Justice at second but the throw to first was not in time. Hunter beat it out and Whitaker moved to third with 2 away. Sam Horn stepped to the plate. Horn, a slow footed slugger with 259 homers to his name surprised everyone with just the 8th triple of his 7 year career, tying the game at 2. The Braves, losers of 3 straight, were back in business.

Glavine retired the Angels in order in the bottom of the 7th and Maddux did the same to Atlanta in the top half of the 8th inning. After 3 foul balls on a full count, Glavine gave Shane Mack a free pass to lead off the home half of the 8th. Anderson laid down a nifty sacrifice to move Mack into scoring position. Don Slaught was up next and the California catcher bounced an easy grounder to Atlanta shortstop Gary Templeton. Templeton spent just a hair too long looking back Mack at second, as a result he rushed his throw to first and it was in the dirt. Slaught was safe at first and Mack moved on to third with just one away. Tim Salmon was looking for a sac fly to give the Angels a lead but instead he popped out to Lou Whitaker.

There were 2 away now in the bottom of the 8th with runners on the corners. Dante Bichette came to the plate. Bichette's 3 run homer in Game 5 was the key blow in California's 7-4 win and he drove in the winning run in Game 6. Here was his chance to play hero for the third time. The Braves elected to go with Glavine rather than call on Greg McMichael or Jeff Dedmon from the pen. It would come back to haunt them as Bichette's bloop single found a hole in the infield and made it 3-2 California. Brook Jacoby grounded out to end the inning but the damage was done.

Just 3 outs away from an improbbale comeback, the Angels relieved Maddux with closer Bryan Harvey. Harvey was in search of his 4th save of the postseason to go with the 35 he had during the year. He would face Templeton, Whitaker and Justice. The Braves had the players they wanted up in this situation but each of the three grounded out and the series was over. California would win 3-2 and complete a rally from a 3-0 series deficeit.

The Braves have never won a World Series in the 93 years the franchise has been around, and have now dropped 8 Fall Classic's. This loss had to hurt the most but there were others that were nearly as painful for Braves fans whether they be in Boston early in the century or more recently in Atlanta.

In 1924 the Braves were up 3 games to 2 over Babe Ruth and the Yankees but lost games 6 and 7 at home. Ruth hit 4 homers in the final two games to dash the hopes of Boston's other team.

1948 was also a tough loss to take for the Braves as they were beaten by their cross-town rival Red Sox in 5 games.

In 1975 the Red Sox were again the opponent, this time in a 7 game series. Atlanta won game 6 but the Braves fell at home in Game 7 by a 5-2 score. Dave Concepcion's bases loaded double was the big blow for Boston in that one.

The Braves lost in 6 games in both 1983 and 1985. California won game 6 in 11 innings for the Angels first World Championship in 1983. In 1985, a Brett Butler throwing error in the bottom of the 9th inning allowed Dave Concepcion (him again) to score the winner in game 6 as Kansas City beat the Braves 4-3.

[HolyCow98]

UGGG...

Man..its bad enough Maddux had to go to the Angels instead of the Braves, but to have your heart ripped out like that...

Good stuff....

[Dargone]

Way to go Halos

[BaseballMan]

looks like the game didnt think much of kingman as player either.

[gbmoore121]

Hey Tiger Fan, great reads. How's Eddie Murray doing?

[blubbla]

Sam Horn at THIRD!!!

Never thought I'd see that.

[HolyCow98]

Maybe he joined a weight watchers program??

[Tiger Fan]

MORE ON THE HARDLUCK BRAVES
Before I get back to what I wanted to write about next (the Phillies of the early 30's, and Willie McCovey's homerun chase) I just had to go into more detail on the Braves. Sorry Atlanta fans, you may not want to read this as it is not very pretty and seems to mirror real life a little to well.

As mentioned a couple of posts above the Braves are winless in 8 World Series appearances through 1993 and have blown some big leagues. Well, they finally did win one in the final decade of the HOB3 but they also let some more get away.

The Braves won the NL East 7 times between 1994 and 2003 and earned a wildcard berth in one of the 2 seasons they didn't finish first. Making the playoffs has not been a problem for Atlanta. What they do when they get there has been the issue.

1994 - With a 94-68 record the Braves finish 1 game behind the Mets but promptly lose the wildcard series in 4 games to the Dodgers.

1995 - A 99 win season earns the Braves the best record in the National League. This is the year Braves fans can always look back on with a smile whenever any of the many playoff collapses a brought up.
The Braves lineup featured Jacy Lopez (.278,15,47) behind the plate. The infield consisted of Ryan Klesko (.322,41,135), Jeff Blauser (.254,20,88), Chipper Jones (.310,21,96) and Gary Templeton (.255,5,51). The outfield featured David Justice (.275,61,156) who should have been MVP but wasn't, Kal Daniels (.283,23,94) and Jerome Walton (.310,40sb). Tom Glavine had left for Toronto as a free agent but the rotation was solid with Pete Smith (21-7,2.90), Rusie Award winner Steve Avery (21-4, 2.76) and Bob Tewksbury (13-10, 4.25). Closer Kent Mercker had 46 saves.

The divisonal playoff pitted the Braves against San Diego. The Padres scored 5 runs in the final 3 innings to win the opener 7-5 but Atlanta overcame a 4-0 deficeit to take Game 2 8-4. The Braves bats exploded with 20 hits in a 13-7 Game 3 victory but San Diego stayed alive taking Game 4 by a 3-2 count. How many times before had the Braves had their opponent on the brink of elimination only to collapse? When San Diego jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning of game 5 most felt it was time for another painful playoff exit for Atlanta. It was 7-3 heading into the bottom of the 8th when Atlanta did something no Braves team had ever done in the deciding game of a series - they rallied, scoring 5 times in the eighth and won the game 8-7. Herm Winningham's pinch hit 3 run homer was the key blow.

Next came the NLCS and a matchup with Philadelphia, who had beaten Cincinnati in the maximum 5 games. Atlanta took the series in 6 games and the Braves were ready for their 9th World Series appearance.

Toronto and ex-teammate Tom Glavine were the Braves opponents. The Jays had plenty of power in Cecil Fielder and Geronimo Berroa who had combined for 99 homers. Like the Braves, the Jays were looking for the first World Series title but this was Toronto's first trip to the Fall Classic. The Braves took the first two games before Glavine stopped his old mates in a 10-2 Toronto win in game 3. The Braves won the fourth game and then clinched their first World Series title when David Justice homered for the only run in a 1-0 victory in Game 5. The curse that haunted the Braves in deciding games all these years was finally over.....or had it just taken a year off.

1996 - A major league best 106 wins...easy series victories over Houston and Los Angeles and the Braves, having tasted victory once looked ready to belly up to the bar for another round of victory champagne. When the White Sox took game 1 of the series it was viewed as merely a minor setback. Jeff Blauser 2 run homer in the 8th inning gave the Braves game 2 by a 3-2 margin. A tremendous effort from closer Kent Mercker preserved a 6-5 victory in Game 3. Pete Smith pitched a 3-hitter in a 3-1 victory in game 4. The series was now 3-1 Atlanta and the Braves were confident.
Chicago took game 5 at home 5-3. Just a last gasp from the White Sox thought confident Atlanta rooters. They'll wrap it up in Game 6 at home. No they won't. Doc Gooden tossed a 6-hit shutout as Chicago hammered Atlanta 8-0 to force a 7th game.
You can guess what happened here. Jack McDowall and a pair of relievers allowed just 4 hits and the White Sox won their third straight game to snatch the series away from the Braves.

1997 Another first place finish in the east but the Braves lose the NLCS in 5 games to the Dodgers.

1998 First place again and the Braves survive a 3-2 deficeit in the NLCS by winning games 6 and 7 from Philadelphia. Oakland is the World Series opponent and Atlanta wins the first two games and leads the series 3 games to 2 heading home to Turner Field. Guess what happens. The Braves get 2-hit in game 6 falling by a 3-0 score. Game 7 has Roger Clemens on the mound for Oakland and the A's build a 2-0 lead for the Rocket. Atlanta scratches out runs in the 4th and 6th inning to tie the game but Mark McGwire's solo homer in the 8th stakes Oakland to a 3-2 lead. The A's add a run in the 9th and win the game 4-2 to give Atlanta fans yet another bitter World Series memory.

1999 Perhaps mercifully for Braves fans, Atlanta finishes third in the east and misses the playoffs.

2000 Best record in baseball with 106 victories. Round one opponent is Los Angeles and the Braves take the opener of the best of 5 series 3-1. The Dodgers win the second game but the Braves respond in fine fashion in game 3. Trailing 5-1 Atlanta gets 3 in the 8th and a run in the 9th to tie the game. Rafael Furcal singles in the game winner in the 10th and the Braves lead the series 2 games to 1.
Ismael Valdez and a pair of relievers combine on a 6-hit shutout as LA takes game 4 3-0. In game 5, Mike Piazza hits his 3rd homer of the series and Pedro Martinez is brilliant in a 3-1 Los Angeles win. It wasn't the World Series but it was still another postseason collapse for the Braves.

2001 Stop me if you have heard this one before. First place in the east and a matchup with Houston in the divisional series. Atlanta wins 2 of the first 3 but drops game 4 to the Astros. Game 5 has the Braves ahead 2-1 entering the top of the ninth. Kent Mercker on to earn the save. Mercker had 38 saves during the season but this is the playoffs and Atlanta fans know what that means. 3 straight singles and the Astros tie the game. The Braves escape the jam and we head to extra innings. Atlanta leaves runners in scoring position in the 10th and 12th innings. The Braves have a runner on third with one out in the bottom of the 13th but they still can't score. Houston, quiet until the 13th, loads the bases with two-away in the 13th but Chad Fox escapes by fanning Mitch Meluskey. Once again the Braves have a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the 14th but can not cash in. Top of the 15th and Houston takes the lead thanks to a Russ Johnson rbi single. Johnson had also singled in the tying run way back in the 9th inning. The Braves go quietly in the bottom of the 15th and another postseason ends in heartbreak.

2002 First place yet again. The Braves beat Houston in 4 games and prepare for San Diego in the NLCS. Leading 3-2 Atlanta drops game 6. The 7th game pits young Adam Eaton against Braves ace Pete Smith. Smith was on the losing end of games 1 and 4 in the series but he pitches a 4-hit gem as the Braves win 2-0. Hey, a 7th game victory for Atlanta. Unbelievable.

The momentum carries over in to the World Series as the Braves beat the New York Yankees by identical 3-2 scores in games 1 and 2. The series shifts to the Big Apple and the Atlanta offense shifts into high gear in a 9-5 victory. Could it be a sweep?

Nope. Game 4 goes to the Yankees 4-1. Game 5 is knotted at 1 until the bottom of the 8th when the Yanks explode for 6 runs thanks to a pair of homers from Ellis Burks and Lee Stevens. Back to Atlanta for game 6 and again the 8th inning haunts the Braves as New York scores 5 times to win 5-1.

There 3-0 series lead erased the Braves are in tatters. New York waltzes to a 10-2 victory in game 7 and the Braves have blown their second 3-0 World Series lead in a decade.



I am sorry Atlanta fans but all of this is true. I do not consider myself a Braves fan but I by no means dislike the club. However, I can't help but chuckle at the bad luck this franchise endured in postseason play throughout the HOB3. And it all started with 4 Babe Ruth homers in games 6 and 7 of the 1924 series. 82 years later Ruth's Yankees do a number on the Braves once again.