agnificent!

Season Two In Review

The Seattle bench explodes as Mike Shannon drives home the winning run in Game 4.

General Manager Brian Simpson led the Seattle Mariners to the league championship title in season two. The Mariners were defeated in the inaugural season by the St. Louis Cardinals in the LCS, but they were not to be denied against the Toronto Blue Jays in their second attempt at the league title. Simpson earned "executive of the year" honors as the league's most savvy general manager. Babe Ruth won the Chalmers award for his outstanding offensive season. Ruth set a league record for runs batted in with 113 while hitting .291, second best in the league. The Cy Young award was given to the Dodgers rookie ace Ed Summers. Summers was incredible in his first campaign, he was one of only two pitchers to total 20 wins, and fourth among starters with a 2.31 ERA.

The Toronto Blue Jays once again breezed by their competition in the East. Toronto finished with the best record in the league 92-62 for the second consecutive season. Duke Snider garnered a few Chalmers award votes with another strong individual effort. Snider hit .270 with 33 home runs and 106 RBI. The Jays topped the LBL in runs scored with 593, but they could only muster a team batting average of .228, 8th in the league. Starter Red Ames was a pleasant surprise for the pitching staff. Ames went 18-11 with a 2.84 ERA in 31 starts for Toronto. Rick Honeycutt and Clay Carroll further solidified their status as the best 1-2 relief punch in baseball, combined they tallied 8 wins, 31 saves, and 149 innings in 142 games.

The Detroit Tigers emerged from the Central division, capturing their second division title in as many seasons. The Tigers did it with power, topping the league with 164 home runs, 14 more than the second best power hitting Blue Jays. Mickey Mantle was the MVP runner-up, he jacked a league record 53 home runs, added 95 RBI, and hit a solid .270. Albert Belle was not far behind, "Joey" recorded a .263 batting average, 45 home runs, and 88 RBI. With Jose Canseco's 30 long balls, the Tiger outfield combined for 128 home runs and 258 runs batted in, impressive numbers indeed. However, the contribution of the pitching staff should not be overlooked. Bob Lemon, Urban Shocker, and Dennis Martinez all exceeded 240 IP, and Wilcy Moore saved 18 games while winning nine. Chad Ogea quietly put together a solid season with nine wins and a 2.99 ERA in 27 starts for Detroit.

Matt McCarthy's Boston Red Sox made an incredible run during the last 30 games of the season to clinch a wild card birth. The Red Sox benefited greatly with outstanding seasons from the ever-consistent outfielder Bing Miller and their lights-out reliever Eddie Watt. The acquisition of southpaw Don Gullett from Houston further strengthened their starting rotation, Gullett totaled 14 wins with a 2.51 ERA, best among starters. All-star Mike Garcia was the consummate workhorse, appearing in 64 games, 34 as a starter and 30 in relief. The aforementioned Miller led the LBL with a .291 average on offense, and newcomers Gil Hodges and Al Rosen both hit 20+ home runs and 70+ RBI.

Season Two Highlights ----

April 14th --- The Boston Red Sox set a league record by scoring 19 runs in nine innings against southpaw Vida Blue and the Chicago Cubs.

May 20th --- Not to be outdone, The Detroit Tigers eclipse the mark set by Boston, and score 20 runs in nine innings versus another southpaw, the Cardinal's Dutch Reuther.

May 26th --- Reggie Jackson gets his revenge hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth off his former Chicago Cubs teammate Early Wynn to clinch the win for St. Louis

May 27th --- Tigers ace Bob Lemon allows just one hit over 10 innings of work in a game against the Yankees.

June 5th --- Bob Welch just misses becoming the first pitcher to toss two no-hitters as he one-hits the St. Louis Cardinals. Welch's first and only no-hitter came in season one against the New York Yankees on April 27th.

June 10th --- Chicago's Early Wynn continues the trend of spectacular outings, as he pitches a no-hitter against John Blanchard and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

June 19th --- Former Dodger Roger Maris goes 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in his debut in a Yankee uniform.

June 23rd --- The Houston Astros shock the Toronto Blue Jays, beating the two-time Eastern division champions 10-1 in front a paltry Astrodome crowd of 25,000.

June 28th --- Bob Gibson allows just one hit to beat and gets a win over Catfish Hunter and the Houston Astros. Hunter allows just three hits but loses on an unearned run.

July 10th --- The Mets and Astros battle in a 28-inning game, both teams combine to use 24 pitchers in the seven hour battle.

July 20th --- Ray Washburn of the St. Louis Cardinals gets the first no-hitter in franchise history against the Houston Astros.

August 7th --- Steve Carlton continues the string of no-no's, as he holds the Detroit Tigers hitless over nine innings.

August 24th --- The Detroit Tigers embarrass the New York Mets in the most lopsided game in LBL history. The Tigers win 17-0 against a collection of New York bench players. Mantle hits three home runs, and Albert adds two of his own. Fred Merkle goes a perfect 5-for-5 in the effort as well.

August 30th --- Detroit slugger Mickey Mantle hits his 52nd home run, the long ball breaks the previous season high of 51 held by Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees. Mantle finishes the season with 53.