Season 6 Awards

Another season in the books! As always, the final step is to award our top performers.

Position Player MVP: Ed Delahanty, Canaries

Although the probabilities on my Strat cards tell me in black and white that Billy Hamilton has the best on-base percentage of all my nineteenth-century players, I say there's no tougher out in this league than Ed Delahanty. This perennial MVP finalist at last claimed the award for himself. In Season 6, Delahanty reached base more often than any other player, led the league in homers, took over the all-time home-run lead, and played error-free ball in left field. The Canaries may have finished in last place, but not because of this guy. Blue Legs first baseman Dan Brouthers and Delahanty's teammate Tommy McCarthy finished second and third, respectively.

Pitcher MVP: Old Hoss Radbourn, Blue Legs

Over the past couple of seasons, Radbourn has emerged as one of the league's top starters. He already owns a Playoff MVP trophy (despite his team losing in the playoffs, no less!) and now he joins the ranks of Pitcher MVP winners. Radbourn went 7-2 with a shutout, leading the league in wins and finishing second in innings pitched. His league-leading 2.42 ERA was a half-run better than the 2.90 ERA posted by runner-up Christy Mathewson of the Resolutes. Haymakers legend Cy Young finished third.

Playoff MVP: John McGraw, Resolutes

The Resolutes' win was a true team effort. Christy Mathewson and John Clarkson delivered dominant pitching performances, and position players like Frank Grant, Pete Hill, and Fred Clarke came through with clutch hits. No single player carried this team, but one demonstrated remarkable consistency over the five-game series. Third baseman John McGraw was an offensive catalyst whose four extra-base hits (a double and three triples) were more than any other player, even Big Dan Brouthers of the Blue Legs.

Season 6 Championship, Game 5

Season 6 is over, and we've crowned a new champion. Resolutes or Blue Legs? Recap below!

It was apparent right from the start that Radbourn and Clarkson both had their best stuff working. Radbourn's only mistake was grooving a pitch that Jake Beckley mashed for a triple in the second. Beckley scored on Frank Grant's sacrifice fly, giving the Resolutes an early 1-0 lead.

After that score, the pitchers settled in for a fearsome duel. Baserunners were few and far between, and the game moved quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the bottom of the sixth and Pete Hill had just singled. Hill dashed for second, but King Kelly -- healthy once more -- gunned him down with a perfect throw. The Resolutes failed to steal a base in this game after swiping five against Frank Chance in Game 4.

The score remained 1-0, but the Blue Legs had a golden opportunity in the top of the seventh with runners at the corners and only one out. Hughie Jennings, however, bounced the ball weakly toward first, allowing Beckley to field it cleanly. The big first baseman stepped on the bag and threw to second base to execute the rare and exciting 3-6 double play. Clarkson had escaped the jam, and was now six outs away from matching his understudy, Christy Mathewson, who had authored the league's first-ever playoff shutout in the previous contest.

With the pitcher's spot leading off in the eighth, the Blue Legs lifted Radbourn for a pinch hitter. Radbourn had given them seven innings of one-run ball, but Clarkson had been just that much better. After pinch hitter Chance failed to reach base, Billy Hamilton singled and soon was bolting for second. He had absolutely owned Connie Mack all through this series, but Mack threw him out in this absolutely pivotal moment. 

Al Spalding came in to pitch for the Legs and got three quick outs in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for a ninth inning that would determine the fate of two franchises. Nap Lajoie, Dan Brouthers, and King Kelly were next in line for the desperate Blue Legs, for whom a 1-0 deficit had never seemed so insurmountable. Lajoie grounded out and then Brouthers flied out to center. No game-winning homer for him tonight. The Blue Legs were down to their final out. Star catcher King Kelly lofted one into right field, and it fell harmlessly into the glove of Elmer Flick.

Game over. The Resolutes are champions!

We didn't get our first playoff shutout until Season 6. Turns out it would only take one more game to get the next one. Baseball is funny that way! On a related note, the key number for this series is 18; since winning Game 3 on Big Dan's walk-off bomb, the league's best offense went 18 straight innings without scoring a run. That, my friends, was a pretty epic collapse. Even so, I have to hand it to the Resolutes, who beat the odds and truly earned this championship.

Eldrith Eliminated

Nathaniel and I have been playing Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on Xbox on and off for the past five months or so. Today we finally beat the game, defeating the evil undead warlord Eldrith, architect of the titular dark alliance. It may be twenty years old, but the game aged well and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Game 5 Preview

Blue Legs. Resolutes. Game 5.

It all comes down to this. 

Their backs against the wall and staring at elimination, the Resolutes played their most complete game of the year, humiliating the hometown Blue Legs and setting the stage for what may be the biggest ballgame in the history of this league. The Resolutes have home-field advantage for the fifth and final game of the series, and they'll send ace John Clarkson back to the mound, opposed once again by his Blue Legs counterpart, Old Hoss Radbourn.

Some key storylines to watch:

• The King Is Back: Blue Legs catcher King Kelly returns to the lineup, and not a moment too soon. Frank Chance struggled mightily while Kelly was injured, allowing stolen bases on five out of six attempts. 
• Brouthers in Arms: Big boppers Nap Lajoie, Dan Brouthers, and Sam Crawford need to step it up. Brouthers was probably the leading candidate for Playoff MVP prior to the Legs' disastrous Game 4 loss. 
• Where's Clark(e) Kent?: Fred Clarke has a Clark Kent-esque ability to remain unnoticed until he appears to save the day in key moments, like he did in Game 1. The Resolutes will need Clarke to morph into Superman again in Game 5.
• Muggsy's Revenge: Resolutes rookie John McGraw got off to a slow start in his first season in this league. I viewed him as a potential leadoff man, but ultimately moved him down to second, seventh, eighth, and then right back to the bench after he started his career 0-for-19. His play gradually improved over the course of the season, but McGraw has really kicked it up a notch in the playoffs with four extra-base hits, including three triples. A stealth MVP candidate, perhaps?

Who will be the hero? Who will be the goat? I can't wait to find out!

Season 6 Championship, Game 4

With the Resolutes on the road and facing elimination, the second-year franchise turned to rookie pitcher Christy Mathewson to keep their season alive. Mathewson was a hard-luck loser in Game 2, but could he rebound and save his team in a do-or-die Game 4? Read on to find out!

Pud Galvin got two quick outs in the top of the first, but Fred Clarke hit a liner that Sam Crawford misplayed, giving the Resolutes a man on second and an opportunity to score early in the game. They didn't waste it. Clarke scored easily on a single by Jake Beckley.

In the top of the third, Blue Legs fans got a preview of things to come when Pete Hill broke for second. The throw by Frank Chance -- behind the plate because of King Kelly's injury -- was way off the mark. The Resolutes had the green light to run, and ended up stealing five bases over the course of the game. Hill scored moments later on Elmer Flick's single, giving the visitors a 2-0 edge.

The Resolutes continued to nickel-and-dime Galvin in the middle innings. Monte Ward scored on Hill's single in the fifth, and Frank Grant scored on John McGraw's triple in the sixth. It was now 4-0. The Legs, meanwhile, could muster nothing against Mathewson. 

Desperate for baserunners, the Legs pulled Galvin in the bottom of the seventh for a pinch hitter, but to no avail. Vic Willis entered in the top of the eighth to stop the bleeding, but immediately issued free passes to Clarke and Beckley. Grant's triple plated both men, running the score up to 6-0. McGraw's groundout brought Grant home, and a shell-shocked Willis could only stare in disbelief at a scoreboard that read 7-0 for the visiting Resolutes. The Blue Legs' dreams of winning the championship on their home field were quickly disintegrating.

The outcome of the game was not in doubt, but could Mathewson make history with the league's first playoff shutout? A couple of postseasons ago, Galvin took a shutout into the ninth inning but couldn't seal the deal. Now it was Mathewson's turn. Crawford was the first batter, and he went down quickly on strikes. Chance flied out to left for the second out. Now it was up to power-hitting third baseman Jimmy Collins to keep the Legs' hopes alive. The rookie was having none of it. He struck out Collins to notch the first shutout of his career and the first postseason shutout ever. 

The series is tied at two games apiece and going back to the Resolutes' home for the decisive fifth game!

Season 6 Championship, Game 3

Old Hoss Radbourn and John Clarkson toed the rubber in this rematch of our Game 1 starters. Unlike the previous two games of this series, the first inning was quick and scoreless. We did see some action in the second, however, when Resolutes third baseman John McGraw doubled -- his third extra-base hit of the playoffs -- and Clarkson later singled him home. The Legs struck back in their half of the frame; King Kelly singled, stole second, and scored on Sam Crawford's base knock. 

Speed has been such a critical factor in this series, and next it was the Resolutes' turn to score after a single and stolen base. In the fourth, Elmer Flick ran himself into scoring position and came home on a liner by Frank Grant. 

That play gave the Resolutes a 2-1 lead, but it was quickly overshadowed by a potentially series-changing injury. Before the fourth was over, Blue Legs catcher King Kelly would leave the game with an injury. Dr. Dee Twenty's prognosis is that Kelly will miss Game 4 as well. Up to this point, I would have rated Kelly -- a middle-of-the-order bat with great speed -- as the Legs' leading contender for Playoff MVP. Now he'll be on the sidelines with Frank Chance suiting up in the tools of ignorance. Chance is a solid hitter but a poor receiver, and the Legs have no one else on their roster who's rated at the catcher position. Ouch! Resolutes speedsters like McGraw, Grant, Flick, Pete Hill, and Monte Ward are going to run wild with Chance behind the plate. 

The Resolutes added to their lead in the top of the sixth. Connie Mack doubled into the gap and later scored on Hill's single. It was now 3-1 for the visitors, but the potent Blue Legs offense was about to awaken from its game-long slumber.

When the eighth inning came around, I put myself in the cleats of the Resolutes' manager and had a critical decision to make. Would I leave Clarkson in to get three more outs, or pull him out and see if submariner Joe McGinnity could get a two-inning save? I decided to stick with the starter, but my decision quickly backfired when pinch hitter Harry Wright singled to open the frame. Billy Hamilton walked, giving the Legs two on with nobody out. After Wee Willie Keeler went down on strikes, Nap Lajoie smacked an RBI single to make it 3-2. The next batter was Big Dan Brouthers, who tied the game with a sacrifice fly. 

We went into the ninth with the game tied at 3 and the series tied at 1. Al Spalding took over for Radbourn while Clarkson continued to throw for the Resolutes. Both pitchers worked a scoreless ninth. Then, in the bottom of the tenth, Keeler singled with one out and swiped second. Lajoie grounded out, bringing up Brouthers with two outs and the winning run in scoring position. The pitch from Clarkson was a curveball that didn't have quite enough bite. Brouthers launched it to right field and leaped for joy in unison with the Blue Legs fans as the ball sailed into the bleachers for a game-winning home run. 

That, folks, was our first-ever walk-off homer -- or first walk-off hit of any sort -- in a playoff contest, as well as just the second postseason game to go to extra innings. The final score was 5-3 for the Blue Legs, and now with back-to-back wins, this team can secure a Creighton Cup championship with one more victory in either Game 4 or, if necessary, a winner-take-all Game 5.

Season 6 Championship, Game 2

Down by a game in this best-of-five series and starting to feel the urgency, the Blue Legs came out swinging against rookie phenom Christy Mathewson. Billy Hamilton singled and snagged second, later scoring on a sacrifice fly from second baseman and captain Nap Lajoie, who was now back in the lineup after recovering from his injury. Dan Brouthers doubled to keep the inning alive and then scored on a single by King Kelly. 

The Legs handed Pud Galvin a 2-0 lead when the veteran took the mound in the bottom of the first. That lead was quickly cut in half by Resolutes leadoff man Pete Hill, who homered on the first pitch. Galvin got three quick outs after that, and it was a 2-1 Blue Legs lead heading into the second inning.

The next several innings passed quickly as the pitchers mowed down their opposing lineups. In the top of the sixth, Kelly led off with a single and stole second. (Connie Mack's inability to throw out the speedy Blue Legs baserunners has been a recurring theme throughout the series so far.) Kelly scored on a single by Jimmy Collins to give the Legs a two-run cushion.

The visitors threatened again in the top of the eighth. They lifted Galvin for pinch hitter extraordinaire Frank Chance, but failed to score. With their starter out of the game, the Legs turned to closer Vic Willis to give them a two-inning save. He retired the Resolutes in order in the eighth and, despite Fred Clarke's triple making things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, the Legs held on for a 3-1 victory to tie the series at one game apiece. Next up, we travel to the Blue Legs' home for Games 3 and 4.

Season 6 Championship, Game 1

Playoff baseball is back! The top-seeded Resolutes are in the Creighton Cup Series for the first time in their brief history, while the Blue Legs are in the Series for the second year in a row -- but they haven't won a championship since way back in Season 1. 

Game 1 got underway with home-team ace John Clarkson against the Legs' leadoff man, Billy Hamilton. Hamilton managed to work a walk, then promptly stole second. Two batters later, Big Dan Brouthers brought him home with a booming triple. The Legs extended that lead in the second when Hamilton's double scored Hughie Jennings and Harry Wright to make it 3-0 in favor of the visitors. 

Old Hoss Radbourn, meanwhile, cruised through the first three innings. He ran into trouble in the fourth, when third baseman John McGraw tripled with one out. Connie Mack doubled him home to give the Resolutes their first-ever postseason run. Monte Ward singled to put runners at the corners, bringing Clarkson himself to the plate. The game's best-hitting pitcher crushed one deep to the outfield, but had to settle for a sacrifice fly. Pete Hill then grounded out, so after four innings the Blue Legs were ahead by a slim 3-2 margin.

Not for long. In the bottom of the fifth, Orator Jim O'Rourke -- playing first base for the injured Jake Beckley -- led off with a double. Elmer Flick popped out, bringing up Fred Clarke, the Resolutes' most prolific slugger. Clarke belted Radbourn's pitch into the right-field seats, turning a one-run deficit into a one-run lead. It was the first playoff home run for the Resolutes, and it came from the very same man who hit the team's first regular-season homer way back on Opening Day of Season 5. 

Both pitchers buckled down in the late innings and traded zeroes until we reached the top of the ninth, with the Resolutes clinging to a one-run lead. Jennings and Wright went down quickly, bringing up the pitcher's spot. With two outs and no one on base, the Legs turned to pinch hitter Frank Chance. Clarkson, meanwhile, needed just one out to secure a complete-game victory. Chance smashed Clarkson's offering into the right-field corner, legging out a triple to silence the home team's fans. Now the tying run was ninety feet away and Hamilton dug in with the game on his bat. He smoked an opposite-field line drive to left, where Fred Clarke -- he of the earlier home run heroics -- had the opportunity to make a highlight-reel catch to end the game. 

It all came down to a single d20. I made the roll, Clarke made the grab, and Game 1 ended with a 4-3 victory for the Resolutes. Game 2, featuring Christy Mathewson against Pud Galvin, is on tap.

Season 6 Creighton Cup Preview

A Creighton Cup Series without the Haymakers? Here we are in Season 6, and for the first time ever, the league's most storied franchise will not be competing for the title. Instead, we have the first-place Resolutes and the second-place Blue Legs vying for the championship. It's been a fun and interesting season, and I fully expect a great series ahead! Let's see how the teams match up.

Offense

• Blue Legs: This deep, balanced lineup scored at a league-high rate of 4.29 runs per game. Slugging first baseman Dan Brouthers had a great (but injury-marred) season and could be a difference-maker in this series. He's flanked in the batting order by fellow stars Nap Lajoie and King Kelly. 
• Resolutes: At 3.21 runs per game, the Resolutes not only had the worst offense in the league this year, it was among the lowest scoring rates in league history. On a not-unrelated note, the Resolutes hit a league-low four home runs as a team; Brouthers alone had three for the Legs. Fred Clarke is the most likely Resolute to put up big offensive numbers, but I'm also keeping an eye on super-sub Jim O'Rourke, who's been swinging a hot bat this year in limited playing time.
• Advantage: Blue Legs

Defense

• Blue Legs: The Legs have never been known as a great defensive team, but somehow they managed to rank as the second-best on defense after the sure-handed Canaries. Hughie Jennings ranked as the league's top defensive shortstop this season, and catcher King Kelly turned in an uncharacteristically strong performance. 
• Resolutes: Technically, the Resolutes were right behind the Blue Legs as the third-best defensive team, but the gap between the two was significant. Their problems were entirely in the infield, as their three everyday outfielders (Pete Hill, Fred Clarke, and Elmer Flick) all played flawlessly.
• Advantage: Blue Legs

Pitching

• Blue Legs: The team allowed 3.88 runs per game, which is a so-so mark for this league. It would have been a lot worse without Old Hoss Radbourn, who went 7-2 with a league-best 2.42 ERA. Radbourn is a true ace, and he's backed up by a solid #2 in Pud Galvin, himself a former Playoff MVP winner. 
• Resolutes: The 3.08 runs per game that the Resolutes allowed this year is the second-best full-season total in league history. Credit goes to starters John Clarkson and Christy Mathewson, who are both adept at flummoxing opposing batters with the sharp movement on their pitches. Sophomore reliever Clark Griffith and veteran closer Joe McGinnity round out a top-notch staff.
• Advantage: Resolutes

Prediction

Although the Resolutes will be without injured first baseman Jake Beckley for the first game, the Legs will miss out on the offensive and defensive contributions of captain and star second baseman Nap Lajoie. Lajoie's absence in Game 1 will hurt the Legs, but I still consider them heavy favorites in this series. They may have finished in second place, but they had the league's best run differential (+10) and their actual winning percentage (.542) was right in line with their expected winning percentage (.551) based on runs scored and allowed. The Resolutes, on the other hand, sported an eye-catching .625 actual winning percentage, but the expected was only .520. That's more than a hundred points lower! The data suggests that the first-place Resolutes were extremely lucky during the regular season. Maybe their luck will hold, but in this best-of-five series, my money is on the Blue Legs to win, three games to one.

D&D Is for Nerds

So, if you eat NERDS candy, you can upload your proof-of-purchase to their website to get free NERDS-themed D&D adventures. No, gentle reader, this is not a bizarre dream you're having -- it's very, very real. You can check it out here. I don't think I've seen a box of NERDS candy in the past several decades, but I do wonder if the adventures are as gloriously goofy as the Wendy's D&D module from a while back...

But speaking of D&D and candy, this NERDS thing brought back vivid memories of going to KB Toys as a kid -- either at our local Arnot Mall or that legendary hub of commerce, MARKETPLACE MALL in Rochester -- and finding boxes of official D&D candy with actual stat blocks printed on the back. Really, was there a better time to be a D&D-loving kid than the 1980s?!

A New King Is Crowned

The Canaries visited the Haymakers tonight in the final game of the regular season. When Ed Delahanty, the Birds' left fielder, stepped to the plate against Cy Young with one out and nobody on in the top of the first, I had little inkling that history was about to be made. Delahanty promptly crushed Young's offering into the left-fielder bleachers for his league-leading fourth homer of the season. That blast was also the twelfth home run of his career, surpassing teammate George Davis's eleven career homers. The crown has passed from Mike "King" Kelly to Davis to Delahanty, and I wonder how long Delahanty will hold it before the next guy -- Cap Anson? -- takes it.

Defense Matters

I'm cruising toward the end of Season 6 of my nineteenth-century Strat-O-Matic baseball league, and the playoff picture is starting to shape up. The second-year Resolutes have clinched a spot in the Creighton Cup series, and most likely will finish in first place. The Blue Legs and Haymakers are vying for the second spot in the Series, with the Legs maintaining a 1.5-game edge entering tonight's tilt against the cellar-dwelling Canaries. Needing every win to hold the Haymakers at bay, the Legs had a 4-0 advantage entering the eighth. Leading off for the Canaries was infielder George Wright, who hit a sharp liner into right. I made the die roll for Sam Crawford and he couldn't come up with the catch. Wright ended up on second, and a few batters later the Canaries had stormed back to tie the game.  

The Blue Legs were falling apart, but before any further damage occurred, I realized I had made a mistake. The Legs' right fielder isn't Crawford, but Wee Willie Keeler. Crawford is their center fielder. Keeler's defensive rating is higher than Crawford's, and the same d20 roll that resulted in Crawford's error would be a catch for Keeler. There's a big difference between having the bases empty with one out and having a man on second with no outs, so I felt the fairest thing to do would be to rewind the clock, so to speak, to the point where that liner was scorching toward right field. This time, Keeler made the catch easily and the Canaries failed to score. They went down in order in the ninth, as well, giving Legs starter Old Hoss Radbourn a complete-game shutout. One catch certainly made the difference in that game!

Hammer Time!

I'm enjoying some time off and the opportunity to delve further into Blackstone Fortress with the boys. We're working our way through the ancient, labyrinthine space station in the hope of uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Vault. Tonight we squared off against a Chaos Space Marines captain called Obsidius Mallex, our chief rival in the quest for the Vault. 

Here's the moment we lured Mallex away from his flunkies and into a trap-filled choke point, blasted him to smithereens, and claimed his precious Thunder Hammer!

Below is a better view of the current party. I haven't had the time to paint the villains, but I did paint the heroes we're using. Sadly, my best paint job of the lof them was the flamer-wielding adept who wasn't part of this particular mission. 

I estimate we're about halfway through the game. Loving every minute of it!