Continental Baseball Federation OOTP 22 8-tier promotion/relegation sim: 1950-onward

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The Second League Conference Championships saw a Baltimore sweep over Grand Rapids and a 4-1 Portland win against Austin. The Beavers would take the 2L final in five games with catcher Ross James earning series MVP, going 9-18 with four RBI and a homer.

The Third League Conference finals were both decided in five with Colorado Springs topping San Juan and Windsor walloping Staten Island. The 3L Final went all seven with the Wolverines winning the first two at home, followed by two wins for the Stags. Windsor took game five, but CS took game six. In Game seven tied 5-5 after eight, the Stags scored four in the top of the ninth, ultimately winning 9-7.

Both Fourth League Conference finals went seven. Peoria won game seven over Stamford with only one hit allowed in a 4-1 game seven win. In the WSC, St. Petersburg took the first three games, but Boise rallied with wins in games 4-6. The Pilots survived to win game seven 5-3 in Idaho. The League Championship went to the Phantoms in six.

The Fifth League Conference finals had Irvine top Amarillo in six and Gary over Yonkers in six. The 5L final went to the Inferno in five, capping off the season for the team with the most wins of any in the CBF in 1950, (130-43 counting the playoffs).

The home team won all seven in the Sixth League EMC championship with Paterson winning game seven 3-2 over Rochester with a walk-off solo home run by Cale Fain. Tacoma beat Plano in five on the other side. The 6L final also went seven with Paterson taking game seven 7-0 over Tacoma.

The Seventh League had Ponce outlast Santa Maria 4-3 with the home team winning all seven games, while Rapid City bested Kingston in six. The Piranhas bested the Rapids in six for the overall title.

The Eighth League had Santa Fe sweep Hickory and Kitchener over Eau Claire in five in the semis. The Killer Whales swept the Sundevils in the 8L final.

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Three of the four Wild Card Round series in the CBF First League were sweeps with the home team winning. In the West-South Conference, San Francisco downed Dallas 6-3 and 11-5. Miami ended Phoenix’s hot-streak with 5-4 and 6-3 wins. In the first game, the Makos shortstop Samuel Meadows had a two RBI single to walk it off.

In the East-Midwest Conference, despite the weaker overall record, the strong-at-home Minneapolis Millers ousted Brooklyn with 4-3 and 8-2 wins. The other series saw St. Louis give Toronto a scare by taking game one in an upset 6-2. The Blue Jays bounced back in game two 7-4 and then routed the Cardinals 13-0, meaning the second place team beat the third place team in all four series.



The second round in the EMC saw Midwestern division champ Chicago sweep Toronto 3-0. The Cubs won 5-2, 4-3, and 8-5. It seemed Philadelphia was going to cruise on the other side, taking game one over Minneapolis 5-4 and game two 3-1. The Millers bounced back 5-3 in game three and won a 2-1 pitcher’s duel game four. In game five, Minneapolis scored four runs in the top of the first. However, the Phillies got five in the fourth and three in the fifth, ultimately prevailing with a 9-7 win.

While the division champs won both series in the EMC; the wild cards each came up victorious in the WSC. San Francisco went south of the border and struck immediately with a 7-0 win at Mexico City, getting 10 strikeouts over 7.1 shutout innings from Baltemar Muniz. Los Diablos battled back to take game two 6-4, but the Seals offense powered them to an 11-5 game three win and a 10-3 win in game four to advance. Second baseman Jake Harper for the series was 8-17 with two homers and four RBI.

The biggest stunner was Miami upsetting Hollywood, as the Stars finished with the First League’s best record at 113-49 and were the overall favorites. With 1099 runs scored, the boasted the offense in baseball and were tied with the Makos for second in the conference with 724 runs allowed. It was Miami’s offense that set the initial tone, whacking 20 hits in a 16-7 game one win. Eight innings of shutout pitching from Jamie Esguerra gave Hollywood a 4-0 game two win to even it up.

In game three, the Makos rocked Pitcher of the Year candidate Glenn Baker, scoring nine runs in the first inning en route to a 12-3 win. But Hollywood took game four 4-2 to force the decisive game five in Los Angeles. The Stars were up 7-3 after the sixth inning, but a four-run seventh tied it up with solo runs in the eighth and ninth giving Miami the series and a 9-7 win. In game five, left fielder K.J. Larsen hit two home runs and had five RBI. For the series, Larsen had five dingers, 10 runs scored, and 10 RBI.

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The Makos carried the momentum into the Conference Championship against San Francisco, which started in Miami, where the Makos were an impressive 58-23 on the year. They took game one 5-4 on a 92 degree mid-October day, then won in 10 innings 10-9 in game two. The Seals scored five in the top of the ninth to force extras, but DH Wolfgang Pressley had the walkoff RBI single for the Makos.

The series went west and the Seals took game three 5-2, getting the go-ahead two run homer in the eighth inning from Nick Wang. San Francisco went up 7-0 after seven in game four, giving them cushion to hold off a rally for a 7-5 win to even the series. In game five, Muniz allowed two runs over seven innings and Perry Samuelson got the save, stranding runners on first and second in the ninth for a 4-2 win.

The Seals had the 3-2 series lead, but would still need to win a game in Miami to advance to the 1950 World Series. San Fran would do just that in game six, getting a quality start from Alrigo Hernandez in a 6-4 victory. Right fielder Connor Timmons had two doubles and two RBI in the win, earning series MVP with eight RBI and a .458 average.




The first two games of the EMC championship were in Philadelphia and went to the Phillies. In game one, the Cubs lost ace pitcher Said Mohamed Mohamed six pitches in to injury, giving them the stage for a five-run third inning and a 6-2 win overall. Despite getting outhit 13-9 in game two, five Chicago errors helped the Phillies pull off a 9-7 win.

Game three shifted to Wrigley Field, where the Cubs won 9-8 in walkoff fashion. Third baseman Luis Mata sent a changeup over the left field wall for a three-run homer to win it. But Philadelphia went up 3-1 in the series with an unlikely hero in a 5-0 shutout win. 35-year old pitcher Ronald Gilsenan would toss a four-hit shutout, despite only signing with the Phillies in late August after a mediocre stint with Minneapolis. Despite only 3.1 regular season innings in relief, his surprising shutout was a series changer.

The Cubs did take game five in Chicago 4-2 to stay alive, but Philadelphia took game six 15-9 to punch their ticket to the World Series against San Francisco. Right fielder Matt Villaneuva was the series MVP, hitting a grand slam in game six and four homers overall for the series with 11 RBI and seven runs.



The 1950 World Series was the first one under the Continental Baseball Federation banner after the concept dwindled after the Black Sox scandal. And the first CBF World Series would be an all-time classic, drawing huge ratings on TV and greatly growing baseball’s popularity…

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Game one of the Fall Classic took place on Wednesday, October 25, 1950 in Philadelphia. Through seven innings, San Francisco’s Baltemar Muniz and Philly’s Jared Musgrave had pitched roughly evening with the game locked up at 4-4. But in the top of the eighth against relief, the Seals got four hits and three runs, started by an Oliver Suarez solo home run. Suarez had three hits and three RBI on the day as San Fran took game one on the road, 7-5.



Game two saw the Seals score seven runs in the top of the seventh inning, giving them an advantage they’d never surrender. It was 9-6 after the fifth inning, and from there three SF relievers pitched four innings of one-hit shutout ball en route to a 14-6 win. This gave San Francisco a 2-0 series lead with the series shifting to California.



Game three in San Francisco was an inning away from giving the Seals a 3-0 series lead as SF led 5-2 after eight. Philadelphia would explode in the top of the ninth with five hits, three walks, and one hit batsmen leading to eight runs scored. The Phillies would win 10-5, making it three straight road winners to open the 1950 World Series.



Game four was a pitching duel between SF’s Baltemar Muniz and Philadelphia’s Jared Hargrave. In the bottom of the third, top base stealer Hudson Baker got a two-out single for the Seals. He stole second, then Rovaldis Garcia brought him home on a RBI single. That would be the only run of the game, as Hargrave got credited the L on a five-hit complete game. Muniz pitched eight shutout innings with Marco Santos getting the save in the ninth in a 1-0 win, putting San Francisco up 3-1 in the series.



The Seals had a 5-4 lead in game five after five innings. In the top of the sixth, Phillies DH David Elson smacked a three-run home run, the turning point in a 9-7 Philadelphia win. San Francisco would take a 3-2 series lead as the World Series shifted back east to Pennsylvania.



Game six was another pitching duel, this time with Phillies ace Vitalis Mintah versus SF’s Alrigo Hernandez. In the third, back-to-back hit batsmen and a single loaded the bases for Philadelphia. The Seals got a flyout and strike out, but a four-pitch walk to Armando Rivera brought in a run. This would be the only run in a 1-0 Phillies victory. Mintah allowed 11 hits and two walks, but scattered them with eight strikeouts for a complete game shutout, forcing a decisive game seven.

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Game seven of the 1950 World Series came on a clear 60 degree day in Philadelphia on Thursday, November 2. In a rematch of game one and four, it was Hargrave against Muniz in the mound matchup. San Francisco took the lead in the top of the third inning as Hudson Baker singled home Dan Jolly. In the fourth, Connor Timmons led off with a solo home run for a 2-0 Seals lead. This stayed the score until the seventh.

In the eighth, Leandro Rubio earned a leadoff walk for the Phillies and would be brought in on a Jimmy Harris RBI single. This ended Muniz’s game with a line of 7.2 innings, five hits, one earned run, three walks, and three strikeouts. Marco Santos got the final out in the eighth for a 2-1 score entering the ninth.

Hargrave pitched a one-two-three top of the ninth for Philly. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Matt Villanueva crushed a line drive to right and got the perfect bounce. Despite his slow speed, Villanueva turned this into an inside the park home run, tying the game at 2-2 and ultimately forcing extras. Hargrave threw a scoreless top of the 10^th, giving him a final line of 10 innings pitched, four hits, two earned runs, no walks, and one strikeout with only 98 pitches thrown.

Leandro Rubio battled back from down 0-2 to draw a lead-off walk in the top of the 10^th against Santos. Ryder Alston followed that with a first pitch single, moving Rubio to within 90 feet of a championship. After a strikeout for out #1, Jimmy Harris came to the plate and lifted the ball out to right. Timmons made the catch for out #2, but it was deep enough for Rubio to tag up and make it home. The sacrifice fly ended game seven, a 3-2 win in 10 innings for Philadelphia in the first CBF World Series.






Final postseason bracket of the First League.

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First League financials from the 1950 season



Promotion/relegation from the 1950 season

First League
PROMOTED TO: Baltimore Orioles, Grand Rapids Ravens, Austin Anacondas, Portland Beavers
RELEGATED FROM: Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Tsunami, Los Angeles Angels

Second League
PROMOTED TO: Staten Island Squids, Windsor Wolverines, San Juan Jaguars, Colorado Springs Stags
RELEGATED FROM: Hartford Herons, Madison Snakes, Oklahoma City Osprey, Las Vegas Gamblers

Third League
PROMOTED TO: Stamford Swarm, Peoria Phantoms, St. Petersburg Pilots, Boise Brown Bears
RELEGATED FROM: Norfolk Tides, Lincoln Lightning, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Fresno Grizzlies

Fourth League
PROMOTED TO: Yonkers Yellow Jackets, Gary Guardians, Amarillo Amigos, Irvine Inferno
RELEGATED FROM: Halifax Huskies, Springfield Silver Hawks, Winston-Salem Dash, Reno Red Wolves

Fifth League
PROMOTED TO: Paterson Penguins, Rochester Raccoons, Plano Porkers, Tacoma Trappers
RELEGATED FROM: Arlington Torpedoes, Kalamazoo Growlers, Gainesville Gray Sox, Saskatoon Sting

Sixth League
PROMOTED TO: Kingston Canucks, Rapid City Rapids, Ponce Piranhas, Santa Maria Sharks
RELEGATED FROM: Wilkes-Barre Blackhawks, Youngstown Terriers, Durham Bulls, Modesto Nuts

Seventh League
PROMOTED TO: Kitchener Killer Whales, Eau Claire Cavaliers, Hickory Crawdads, Santa Sundevils
RELEGATED FROM: Reading Red Falcons, Sudbury Sheep, Montgomery Biscuits, Ogden Outlaws


Award winners in the First League

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The richest free agent contract of the 1950 offseason went to first baseman Jared Diehl, who played with the Los Angeles Angels in 1950 and opted out due to their relegation. He signed the first contract worth more than one million dollars over the length, joining Cleveland on an eight-year, $1,228,000 deal. The Spiders were big spenders, also giving the biggest pitching contract of the cycle to C.J. White, another Angels opt out. The 25-year old lefty starting pitcher signed four years, $347,000.

While Diehl’s deal is the biggest total contract, outfielder Liam Young became the richest single-season earner. The 31-year older left Pittsburgh and signed with the New York Giants for four years and $656k total, set for $164,000 in 1951 alone.

Many of the top ranked free agents ended up getting their best deals with teams outside of the First League and signed accordingly.

Below is the list of top free agents and where they ended up.



HITTERS
1B Jared Diehl – Cleveland 8/$1.2m
3B Logan Purdy – Unsigned entering season (recovering from Achilles tear)
3B B.J. Frederick – Pittsburgh (2L) 7/$448k
LF Diego Garza – Guadalajara (3L) 3/$262k
LF Bill Miller – Colorado Springs (2L) 4/$306k
SS Hokuto Miyazaki – Henderson (4L) 8/$328k
3B Derrick Williams – Minneapolis 4/$393k
CF Liam Young – NY Giants 4/$656k
LF Jacome Acosta – Worcester (3L) 4/$126k
1B Justin Aranda – Norfolk (4L) 4/91k
LF Reggie Bettencourt – NY Mets (2L) 4/$255k
3B Blake Canady – Phoenix 7/$497k
SS Eugene Chantha – LA Angels (2L) 4/$224k

PITCHERS
CL Franklin Arellano- NY Giants 2/$104k
CL Joe McKenna – NY Giants 3/$150k
SP Billy Schwartz – Portland 5/$720k
SP Eugene Thomas – Sacramento (3L) 5/$219k
SP Dewey Anderson – Worcester (3L) 5/$184k
SP Rich Brewer – Tucson (3L) 7/$373k
RP Nomar Falcon – New Haven (4L) 6/$177k
SP Galeno Gonzalez – Scranton (5L) 7/$214k
SP Mark Haskins – Santo Domingo (2L) 6/$517k
CL Bryson Hufnagle – NY Giants 2/$80k
RP Jesse Porter – Colorado Springs 3/$118k
CL David Sturm – Colorado Springs 3/79k
CL Jeremiah Sweitzer – Miami 3/$58k


Entering 1951, here are the top rated players in the First League

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One month into the 1951 season in the First League and the top record is split between two Eastern Division squads. The New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers both are 22-7 with both having closed the month with an 8-2 run. Defending World Series champ Philadelphia is 18-10 in third with the New York Giants and recently promoted Baltimore both above .500. Despite being a wild card last season, Toronto (10-21) has the last place spot in the East so far, although with plenty of season left to climb out of that spot.

The top spot in the Midwestern Division entering May went to Grand Rapids, making their First League debut with a 19-11 record. Big free agency spender Cleveland (18-12) and Minneapolis (17-12) are next with a group clustered around .500; including defending division champion Chicago (14-16). Kansas City, who narrowly avoided relegation last year, holds the worst 1L record early on at 8-21.

The West-South Conference is seeing success from the newest members. Recently promoted Austin holds the best record in the conference at 20-10, a half game ahead of defending conference finalist Miami (19-10) in the South. Defending division champ Mexico City is third, albeit at .500, while the bottom teams are a convoluted mess thus far.

So far four teams stand out in the Western Division with defending conference champ San Francisco first at 19-10. One back is a so-far much improved Vancouver (8th last year) and 1.5 back are Phoenix and the 1950 Second League champ Portland. Hollywood, the best record last year in the 1L, sits sixth at 14-17. Seattle (9-20) is last thus far with Denver one game away.




In the Second League, three of the four teams promoted from the Third League last year are division leaders entering May. Staten Island, Windsor, and San Juan each hold narrow leads in their new league while 3L champ Colorado Springs is right in the mix in a very competitive Western Division. The teams demoted from the First League to the Second have had mixed results. Pittsburgh is near the top in their division, Milwaukee and Tampa are around.500, while the Los Angeles Angels are last in their division.



After going 74-88 last year in the Third League but avoiding relegation, Tucson has roared to a 25-4 start for the best 3L record. Salt Lake (21-8) and the promoted Boise (22-9) are in the mix while demoted Las Vegas continues their comical ineptitude at 2-28. The also demoted Madison and Oklahoma City are in last place in their new divisions while Hartford is in eighth. Worcester, Lexington, and Arlington are the other division leaders with a number of squads still right in the mix early.



The trend of demoted teams being at the bottom of their new league also holds true in the Fourth League with newcomers Norfolk, Greensboro, Lincoln, and Fresno each carrying over their last place ways. None of the promoted teams are in first, but are each above .500 and in the hunt early. Leading divisions are Green Bay (second last year), Hamilton (fifth), Augusta (sixth) and Bakersfield (third). All but Augusta were at least near the 90 win mark last year, while the Greenjackets are looking impressive after a 73-89 1950 campaign.



The best record in the Fifth League entering May is the Springfield Showboats at 22-7, not to be confused with the Springfield Storm or the Springfield Silver Hawks also in 5L now. No wonder the Simpsons chose that name. For the record, the Showboats are the Illinois version, with the Silver Hawks in Missouri and Storm in Massachusetts. The other three division leaders; Poughkeepsie, Riverside, and Jackson, all were around the .500 range last season but leading initially in 1951.



The Sixth League bucks the trend a bit regarding the recently promoted still doing great and the recently demoted continuing to stink. While newcomer Santa Maria is near the top of the West, Ponce, Kingston, and Rapid City are each already a week's worth of games below .500. Meanwhile, the dropped Kalamazoo and Arlington squads are near the top of their new divisions. Manchester, Warren, Salem, and Greenville lead early on.



Meanwhile, over in the Seventh League and the Eighth League.





In the college ranks, San Jose State sits atop the Associated Press Top 25 poll entering May, followed by Creighton, Miami (FL), Tennessee, and Valparaiso.