SBDL Season XV
News
JOE OC wins first SBDL title!
Finals Game 7 goes into annals of SBDL history as a tight 12-inning classic - almost something from a storybook. Splittorff and Gibson locked in a pitchers' duel last night, allowing just one run apiece, both men wanting to be the hero. But it was the "Say Hey Kid" who ended the suspenseful final chapter with a climactic walk-off home run.
The bullpens each allowed a run in the ninth; first the Cremes coming within three outs of walking into the sunset as champs. Then the Ghosts clawed back to tie in the bottom half of the 9th.
But it was Willie Mays who wrote the historical climax with a bomb to open the bottom of the 12th, giving the Ghosts their first SBDL championship.
"I was waiting on a breaking ball," said Mays after the game. "That late in a game, that late in the series, I figured there was no chance they were
gonna try to throw heat."
"It was a thrill. Unfortunately for us," said Cremes' starter Splittorff, "we came up short in the end. I think we all did everything we could. We left
everything on the field in this series."
The game had it all. The hero: Mays. The goat: Christenson. The suspense: 12 innings. The plot twist: Cremes short lead in the 9th inning.
The strange: both Cremes' runs were unearned due to Gus Triandos passed balls.
And for one team, a happy ending.
Congratulations to both finalists: JOEOC and Bunze0. What a great series and season.
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I was afraid I had jinxed the series with my post on Friday, butno! We DO have a wonderful finals happening.
In Game 3, after the Ghosts jumped on Paul Splittorff for 3 in the top of the 1st inning, the Cremes came right back with 5 in the bottom half, knocking Bob Gibson out before the inning was over. The Cremes never again trailed in the game, but it took a Frank Robinson dinger and Dick Radatz singling and then scoring on an Elston Howard single in the bottom of the 8th to break a 9-9 tie for the win.
In Game 4, the Ghosts again jumped out to a 3-0 lead, thanks to a Dave Kingman two-run homer, in the top of the 1st. But this time it held up as John Clarkson allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings and Rollie Fingers pitched a perfect ninth for the save in the 6-3 Ghosts win to tie the series at 2.
In Game 5, the Ghosts, for the third game in a row, cranked out three runs in the top of the 1st inning. This time a Willie Mays three-run bomb was the start of an offensive outburst. Mays drove in 5 runs, Juan Gonzalez knocked in 4, and Ken Boyer drove in 3 to support Jake Weimer in a 12-5 rout and take a 3-2 series lead. And the Ghosts go back home for Game 6.
However, Game 6 was not a series-clinching homecoming for JoeOC. The hot offense cooled as Cremes' Joaquin Andujar allowed just 1 run over 6 strong to lead Bunze0's crew to a 6-2 win. Felipe Alou and Elston Howard homered for the Cremes.
So, tonight, we have Game 7 at Wrigley '57.
The Cremes and the Ghosts.
Bunze0 and JoeOC.
It's a rematch of Game 3, where Paul Splittorff and Bob Gibson were hit hard and early; where the teams combined for 20 runs and 28 hits; where the game was tied after 7 1/2 innings.
Tonight is Game 7, where anything can happen, where a first-time SBDL champ WILL be crowned.
previous post
Oooooo. Looks like we may have ourselves a heck of a finals series to watch this weekend.
The Cremes take one at the Ghosts, but Cy Young winner Bob Feller comes right back and owns game 2 to even the series.
Now it's a Best of 5...
Exciting!!!
previous post
So the SBDL Season XV playoffs have begun in some kind of Ghostbusters fashion.
The Ghosts trounced the Furball 20-4 in their first two games behind the pitching of 23-game winners Bob Gibson and Bob Feller, which sets the stage for the Ghosts to finish off the series on the road. It will be the Ghosts' 3rd 20-game winner Jake Weimer against 15-game winner Billy O'Dell for the Furball.
In the other series, the gooey Cremes, behind a pair of Honus Wagner dingers and Bill Dinneen's pitching, destroyed the Viermeisters 12-3 in game 1 and then Wayne Granger, after already allowing 3 runs in the top of the 9th, struck out Phil Rizzuto with Johnny Mize 90 feet from tying the game to give the Cremes an 8-7 win in game 2. Ed Reulbach, who won 24
games in the regular season will try to extend the series against the Cremes' 16-game winner Joaquin Andujar.
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Will we have our fifth different champ in the past five seasons?
13Baseballs cruised to the Central division title at 86-76, was one of four teams to win 50 games at home, and will by vying for his second league championship in his 3rd postseason visit. 13Baseballs is the only one of this season’s playoff squads who has won a ring in the previous four seasons.
JOEOC’s Ghosts finished the season with a sweep to end with a league-high 97 wins, the West division title, and three 20-game winners. This is Joe’s 7th playoff appearance, but he’s still looking for that elusive first trip to the finals.
In the East, the dogfight for the division title came to the final series. Palanion locked up the #2 draft position while knocking defending champ tomwistar from the playoffs, taking the final series 2-1. In the meantime, bunze0 took two of three from Honeyman to claim the East division title with 89 wins. Bunze0 is looking for his first championship in this his 5th playoff berth.
Munich_Man, led by 24-game winner Ed Reulbach, took the Wild Card with a strong 92 wins. The all-time SBDL champ (4 rings) reaches his record-tying (tomwistar) 8th SBDL postseason. His last ring came in Season 9.
The champs, btw, since season 10: 13Baseballs (11), ggnringo (12), modmark (13), tomwistar (14).
So, who will win SBDL Season XV?
Records and Awards
There were four 20-game winners, three of which came from the Tinley Prairie Ghosts (wtg, JOEOC)! Among the four, we had our first 24-game winner since season 10, Ed Reulbach of the Viermeisters. Three pitchers hurled 300 strikeouts (two make the record book). Bob Feller won his first Cy Young award with 23 wins and 309 strikeouts, while helping lead the Ghosts to a league-best 97 wins.
The improved pitching in the league made for less offense as well. Still, while there were no new offensive records, Babe Ruth still managed to chart for SLG and OPS en route to his 4th straight SBDL MVP award (6th overall).
Barry Larkin (tomwistar) and Kevin Appier (Honeyman) are the Rookies of the Year.
AB – 727, Lindstrom, Freddie (season 15, 13Baseballs) 3rd place (tie)
Runs – 175, Mantle, Mickey (season 15, TimOrz) 5th place
SLG - .805, Ruth, Babe (season 15, bunze0) 3rd place
OPS – 1,286, Ruth, Babe (season 15, bunze0) 3rd place
Wins – 24, Reulbach, Ed (season 15, Munich_Man) 3rd place (tie)
Losses – 23, Rommel, Eddie (season 15, dacelo) ties record
Walks – 173, Sadecki, Ray (season 15, Honeyman) NEW record
Strikeouts – 320, Koufax, Sandy (season 15, ggnringo) 4th place
Strikeouts – 309, Feller, Bob (season 15, JOEOC) 5th place (tie)
News
Awards page updated for season 14: Babe Ruth wins third consecutive MVP (1st player to do so); Dick Radatz is first pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young awards.
Player Pool is up to date.
Playoff history is up to date.
Excel spreadsheet of SBDL stats through 14 seasons is up to date.
Record book is up to date through season 14, with new categories (Hits/9IP, HRs/9IP)!!! Check out the nice, quiet season RP Bob Humphreys had in the middle of this offensive craze!
News
Also updated is the Excel chart of records and ballparks.
Munich_Man and tomwistar are the winningest owners (wins AND win pct.) in SBDL history with 1,118 and 1,116 career wins respectively.
Bunze0 and Palanion are the only others with 1,000 career SBDL wins. However, TimOrz needs 51 wins in season 15 to become the 5th with 1,000 career SBDL wins.
JoeOC has the third best win pct. Palanion has the worst; that's what I get for loading this league with great players!
Thanks!
Retirement
The follwing teams are retiring from the SBDL Player Pool before Season XV:
1. Chicago Cubs - deadball
2. St. Louis Browns - pre-war
3. New York Yankees - pre-war
The new teams being added to the Player Pool for Season XV are:
1. St. Louis - exp
2. Kansas City - exp
3. New York Mets - exp
SBDL Season XV preseason and retirement info: CLICK HERE!
