We Have a Winner!

I hit the ol' Rewind button and brought Tiebreaker Take Two back to the end of the eight inning. This time, I made sure not to lift Amos Rusie for an ineligible pitcher. Rusie stayed in the game and carved up Canary hitters for four more innings, and the Haymakers won 6-4 in 12. As such, they claimed first place and home-field advantage in the championship series. After finishing Season 1 in last place, the Haymakers have reeled off three straight first-place finishes and will now be looking to claim a third straight playoff championship.

But are they the best team this year? Definitely not. Their 13-8 record gave them a .619 winning percentage, but their run differential was only +6. Indeed, their Pythagorean (expected) winning percentage, based on runs scored and runs allowed, was just .538. It looks like Lady Luck was smiling on Cap Anson's boys all season. The Canaries truly were the better team. They had a +27 run differential (the best in league history) and an expected winning percentage of .637 (compared to their actual winning percentage of .571). If their luck starts to turn around, they could become the first second-place team to claim a championship.