Tag: stadiums and ballparks

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 139-141: A Wholly Unexpected Sweep

Do you believe in miracles? This Jack Bauer Squared team that seemingly had no business being in a division race enters the final 24 games of the 24×24 season just a game out of first place. But with 6 games on the road against the NL’s top two teams, would we just tumble back out of it?

Of course we started off against our nemesis, La Marr Hoyt, the not-so-worthy 1983 Cy Young winner I jokingly disparaged during the draft and then noted he’d probably beat me every time I faced him. First two times out, he did. Here in the heat of the pennant race came No. 3.

Pick your cliche. Third time’s a charm? Sure, why not? 

Kal Daniels opened the game against Hitmen 24×24  with a leadoff homer, his 17th, and Garry Maddox added a 2-run shot to back 7 scoreless innings from Bert Blyleven. That would be the Blyleven I drafted because I didn’t want to get stuck with Hoyt! 

For what it’s worth, Blyleven is 16-11, 4.74, and Hoyt is 16-13, 4.25. Joke is definitely on me, but at least we finally beat him. The 4-0 win kept us a game back and moved us one step closer to .500.

Game 139

Side note: Maddox has hit 6 homers for me, matching his real-life total, though his average of .271 is quite off his real .330 in 1976. I drafted him largely for his glove, however, his famously extraordinary range in center field for the Phillies matching his impossibly huge hair. I grew to admire his graceful loping through the outfield when his Phils met my Dodgers in the 1977 and 1978 playoffs.

The great quote about Maddox is still one of my baseball favorites: “Two-third of the Earth is covered by water, and the rest by Garry Maddox.” Yup, the man tracked down everything out there, it seemed. 

So far for me he has notched 19 “plus” defensive plays, which is definitely worthy though it ranks only 5th in the league among center fielders. And his 10 errors match the most of any CF, while his range factor ranks just 13th. … But I digress. The man could play mean defense, and I’m sticking to it regardless.

In the second game at Oakland Coliseum, Mike Cuellar gave up a run on two hits in the 2nd inning, and then he didn’t allow anything the rest of the way. Definitely the time to pitch like an ace, Mike!

Bobby Murcer swatted his 23rd homer, and Gene Tenace hit his 18th, and Cuellar went the distance in a 3-1 win. I’ve ripped Cuellar’s inconsistency, but I can’t complain about this outing in the least.

With a loss by Steroids Make You Fast, suddenly this JBS squad is back in a first-place tie. 

Game 140

In the series finale, no one scored until the 4th inning, but then the bats got going. Tenace hit his 19th and 20th homers as we built an 8-3 lead. Rod Beck came on in the 7th and gave up a pair of two-run homers to put Hitmen squarely into it again, however.

It stayed 8-7 into the 9th, and Bob Woodward came on in pursuit of his 33rd save and promptly put two runners on. But he retired the final three hitters in a row to close out a rare one-run win for us and a very surprising three-game sweep of one of the league’s top teams.

Game 141

The wholly unexpected sweep put us at 70-71, still tied for first, so close to .500 and yet with another daunting series ahead of us and no time to enjoy it. We need to keep it up against Piazza Blues next as we hit the home stretch of the season.

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 136-138: Fighting for First

Dear Reader, I failed you in maintaining a real-time running story of this sim season and fell a bit behind. The present drama, however, argues for catching up when I can and keeping you informed to what is unfolding down the stretch. So the posts might not fit chronologically, but I’ll get it all here eventually.

So, with the miracle of getting into a first-place tie duly noted, we have to be realistic about where this Jack Bauer Squared team stands now. We have a 9-game road trip that includes the league’s two best teams coming up, and a slip back is certainly to be expected soon. 

That puts a premium on winning against anyone else as the season starts to run out of games. This home series against Royal Gamers definitely fit into that category. 

Teddy Higuera was up to the task in the opener, extending a run of strong starts with 1 run allowed in 7 innings. Higuera improved to 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA across his past 10 starts.

Bobby Murcer tied the game in the 2nd inning with his 21st homer, and then he drove in the go-ahead run on a 6th-inning single. That proved enough for a 2-1 victory and keeping pace atop the division. That made us 15-21 in 1-run games now, which still isn’t good but it’s closer to even anyway.

Game 136

The second game was the opposite of the opener, a true slugfest. The Mr. Hyde version of Mike Cuellar showed up for this one, as he allowed 8 runs in 5.1 innings. 

There is just no pattern to Cuellar’s runs totals recently. Working backwards, here are the runs he’s allowed: 8, 1, 5, 0, 7, 5, 0, 0, 3, 7, 2, 6. Sometimes he’s really good, sometimes really bad, and rarely in the middle.

Nonetheless, JBS rallied from a 9-4 deficit to tie it in the 7th, keyed by a 3-run double from Garry Maddox. Royal Gamers jumped ahead in the top of the 10th with 3 runs, and we threatened in the bottom of the inning before stranding two runners and losing, 12-10.

Game 137

That dropped us a game behind Steroids Make You Fast heading into the series finale. The Gamers jumped out to a 6-2 early lead, however, and we couldn’t put a good rally together until the 9th. 

Down 3, we loaded the bases with one out. But we failed to score and dropped the finale 7-4 and remained one game back in the division and just one game ahead of third place. We may be only 67-71, but if you get into the playoffs anything can happen.

Game 138

The toughest remaining piece of schedule looms now, a series at Hitmen 24×24 (85-53) followed by one at Piazza Blues (84-54), the two other division leaders in the NL. We have gone 4-5 against Hitmen thus far, and we need to get a win or two to keep from slipping.

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 91-93: A Little Bit Better

At 38-52 through our first 90 games, Jack Bauer Squared isn’t looking like much of a contender at this point. We had a little run to get close to a wild card at 34-39, but then we dropped 13 out of 17. 

But the best medicine for teams in the league has been playing Todd Helton???, so at least a series at home against the league’s other big disappointment was an opportunity. Not that we took full advantage, alas.

We opened the series at Olympic Stadium with … a one-run loss, of course. It was another close game throughout that we just couldn’t pull off, a 5-4 defeat. Burt Hooton dropped to 4-11 despite a decent 4.14 ERA.

Game 91

In the second game, Mike Cuellar had one of his rare good starts with 6 innings of one-run ball as we put up a 3-1 win. Bob Woodward earned his 18th save without a blemish and kept his ERA at 0.00. The deeper it gets in the season like that, the more you wonder if he can do it all year!

Game 92

The rubber game was again close and low-scoring. Bert Blyleven kept us in it with 2 runs in 6.2 innings, Carlos Delgado hit his 15th homer, and Woodward earned his 19th save in a 3-2 win.

Game 93

Yes, a one-run victory! And a series victory! This is what we’re reduced to at this point, improving to 4-8 in the second half.

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 85-90: Interleague Struggles

Jack Bauer Squared took a 5-game losing streak into a set of three interleague series, our only look of the season against three more AL teams.

We opened with Scarlett Saguaro, who came into Olympic Stadium with a bang. They roughed up Bert Blyleven for 8 early runs, and Fernando Valenzuela threw 7 scoreless innings en route to a 10-1 victory.

Game 85

That took us on our lone trip to Milwaukee County Stadium, where our Teddy Higuera pitched like he used to when that was his home field for the Brewers. Higuera allowed two hits in 7 scoreless innings, and we ended the six-game losing streak with a 5-0 win.

Game 86

I’ve mentioned there is no momentum in sim baseball, so of course we couldn’t parlay the win into anything more. Did you have “1-run loss” on your bingo card? You’d be winning a lot this season if you did.

We traveled to Yankee Stadium to meet Gooden’s Marauders for the first time. The Marauders scored 3 in the 6th to take a 5-4 lead and shut us down the rest of the way to finish like that.

Game 87

Back home, we opened a 3-1 lead in an attempt to right the ship. Alas, the Marauders tagged Mike Cuellar for 2 in the 6th to tie it, then got to the bullpen in the next two innings and won 5-3.

Game 88

That made it a 1-6 start to the second half and a 3-13 stretch we’re mired in. We headed to Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium looking for any positive signs.

Instead Baltimore Bile jumped all over Bert Blyleven for four homers, two of them 3-run shots by Willie Stargell, and 9 runs in the first 4 innings. The 9-4 loss added another to that recent ledger of struggles.

Game 89

Game 90 was another chance for Higuera to shine. He threw 8 innings and allowed just 1 run, while Rafael Ramirez homered and tripled in an 8-1 win. 

Game 90

That wrapped up our interleague struggles, as the final 72 will all be in our league. We went 9-15 against the AL teams, so I don’t think we’ll be too sad to be done with them. 

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 82-84: Bad Start to Second Half

After finishing the first half with a disappointing 2-7 stretch and dropping 7 games out of 1st place, Jack Bauer Squared opened the second half needing some good news. We didn’t get it.

In fact, things got so discouraging this blog lost momentum for a couple weeks. But let’s catch up on what we missed now.

Tigers of the Ontario Peninsula came out swinging at Tiger Stadium and took a 7-0 lead after 4 innings and cruised to a 7-3 win. A couple late homers by Kal Daniels and Rafael Ramirez were all we could muster.

Game 82

The second game looked a lot like the first one, as we fell behind 5-0 in the second inning. We made a game of it when Gene Tenace hit a 3-run homer in the 6th to close the gap, but we wound up with another one-run loss, 5-4.

Game 83

The series finale was back and forth early, but Tigers took over with runs in five straight innings and cruised to a 12-5 victory and a sweep.

Game 84

Next up: three more interleague series.

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 79-81: First Half Concludes

We moved on to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, a homer haven, for the final series of the first half.

The first inning started us off well as we parlayed a single and three walks into a 3-0 lead. Piazza Blues rallied to tie it, however, and through 8 it was still 3-3.

Bill Freehan put us ahead with a pinch-hit double, and another pinch hitter, Butch Davis, singled him in for a 5-3 margin. Bob Woodward nailed down the win with a perfect 9th for his 17th save.

Game 79

Fulton County lived up to its reputation in the next game, as the hosts hit four homers against Mike Cuellar and another against Rod Beck. All were solo shots, however, and Jack Bauer Squared was able to tie it in the 9th inning with a two-run rally.

Alas, the hosts didn’t need a homer or even a hit to create a walkoff rally. They combined two walks and a sacrifice fly to win it 6-5.

Game 80

That set up the rubber game of the series and a chance to end the first half on a positive note. It didn’t happen. Piazza Blues chased Bert Blyleven in the 6th after scoring 7 runs and hitting three homers. We were never in it and lost 7-2.

Game 81

So the first half ends with a 36-45 record, now 7 games out of first place and in third in the division. We are “only” 5 games behind the wild card leaders, but it’s a pack we’ll have to move through first. There are two teams tied 41-40, two more 40-41, another 39-42, then us and one other team at 36-45. 

The second half will begin with our third straight road series, at Tigers of the Ontario Peninsula at, of course, Detroit’s old Tiger Stadium.

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 76-78: Tough Start to Trip

Jack Bauer Squared headed on as tough a road trip as we could imagine to end the first half, playing the two best teams in our National League back to back. First up was a visit to the Oakland Coliseum to face Hitmen 24×24. 

The first game was tight and low-scoring, as Mike Cuellar and Dennis Eckersley dueled to a 1-1 tie that went into extra innings. Unfortunately another error by Bobby Bonilla (his 16th) helped the hosts score in the 11th and win 2-1 and extend our losing streak to four.

Game 76

The second game was a case of karma coming back to bite me, as I had made light mockery of the opposing pitcher, La Marr Hoyt, during the draft. So of course he held us hitless through 5 innings as Hitmen took a 7-0 lead. 

We picked up a few late runs to make it a little close but lost 7-3, our fifth straight setback. To say the least, not the direction we wanted to be heading.

Game 77

We needed one win just to avoid a second straight sweep now. In the 6th inning, we racked up four runs on five hits to take a lead, but Hitmen closed the gap. In the top of the 8th, however, we picked up another four, including a three-run homer from Ryne Sandberg.

Sandberg has been light on first-half highlights, and this was just his 4th homer. But we’ll take the 9-4 victory and the end of the five-game slide for now. 

Game 78

Another tough series awaits, alas. Just trying to hang in these races.

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 70-72: Hot Hitters Help Out

I’ve fallen a couple of series behind on my recaps due to a busy week. In our first series, against Tulo? More Like Too High, we needed a good showing to keep pushing for the division lead and a wild card spot.

We didn’t start off well, though. For just the second time all season, Jack Bauer Squared was shut out. It didn’t help that Burt Hooton got shelled for 8 runs, but even if he’d only allowed 1 we still were coming out on the wrong end. An 8-0 loss means not much went well.

Game 70

The second game of the series didn’t look promising either as we fell behind 4-1 early. The offense came alive, as both Kal Daniels and Carlos Delgado had three-hit games including homers as we charged back to win 8-4.

Game 71

That set up a rubber game for two teams fighting for respectability. Once again we trailed and came back. Daniels and Delgado had three hits apiece again as we rallied for 2 in the 8th to win a rare one-run game, 3-2. Bert Blyleven pitched well, allowing 2 runs in 7 innings, but he was gone before the rally and didn’t earn the victory.

Game 72

That earned us a series victory, and we need as many of those as we can get. We’re now 34-38 and inching toward .500 still. Our six-game homestand at Olympic Stadium continues next with Royal Gamers coming to town. 

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 65-66: Joining the Wild Card Race

The first game of the series with Throw the Spitball, Gaylord had a few highlights … for them. For Jack Bauer Squared, it was a forgettable 9-1 loss featuring poor starting pitching, relief pitching and hitting. 

Game 65

We fell behind 5-1 early in the second game back in Olympic Stadium, but we chipped away with two in the 6th and then exploded for six runs in the 7th. Six consecutive hits produced the rally, and it left enough cushion for some shaky relief so we emerged with a 9-7 win and a split.

Game 66

That was enough to make a small move in the division race, though, as the teams above and behind us got swept. So after 66 games, we sit 31-35, 5 games out of first place and 2 ahead of third place.

There are four teams ahead of us in the wild card race, all bunched at 32-34 or 33-33. We are definitely in the race now though, as we head to Shea Stadium for a three-game series against Block Chain.

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Baseball Jack Bauer Squared Sim Baseball

Games 62-64: Alone in Second Place

Coming into this series with $24 and Some Change, Jack Bauer Squared had a chance to move into 2nd place in the National League West with a sweep. A tall order, sure, but we’ve started seeing results more in line with expectations. Sights are set on getting to .500 and contending for the playoffs.

The opener featured perhaps our best pitching performance of the season, as Burt Hooton allowed a single hit over 8 innings. The sixth-inning triple by Pete Rose (he did get a lot of hits, after all) broke up the no-hitter. Carlos Delgado hit his 10th homer and drove in three runs in a 4-1 victory.

Game 62

As in our previous post where we looked at the start breakdowns of two other members of the rotation, let’s look at how Hooton has fared. His record of 4-6 belies how effective he’s been, posting a 3.42 ERA in 15 starts.

  • 0 runs: 1 time
  • 1 run: 6 times
  • 2 runs: 2 times
  • 3 runs: 1 time
  • 4 runs: 2 times
  • 5 runs: 1 time
  • 6 runs: 0 times
  • 7 runs: 1 time
  • 8 runs: 1 time

What jumps out is giving up 1 run or fewer in almost half his starts, and he’s keeping us in nearly every game he pitches. Coupled with Bert Blyleven in what is supposed to be the back half of the rotation, these two have been closer to our aces.

Nothing is truly contagious in a sim, but we’ll take any explanation for a good start by Mike Cuellar. Buoyed by a grand slam in the 1st inning by Garry Maddox and a two-run shot by Gene Tenace, Cuellar allowed just 1 run on 2 hits in 7 innings. 

That’s only the second time Cuellar gave up 1 run or fewer, so we can only hope it’s the start of a trend. Maddox finished with 5 RBI, and we sailed to a 7-1 victory. That puts us in a tie for 2nd place with $24, so this final game of the series will put someone there by themselves.

Game 63

Despite falling behind 2-0 in the 1st inning, JBS battled back to score in each of the first four innings. Kal Daniels and Tenace homered to back Blyleven, who gave up 3 runs in 7 innings.

Bob Woodward came on to pitch the 9th and recorded his 15th save in 15 tries and kept his ERA at 0.00. It’s unusual to see a pitcher not give up a run this deep into the season, even if he has only pitched 14 ⅓ innings. (Psst, forum jinx, you didn’t hear me say that.)

Game 64

The three-game sweep did indeed put us alone in second place at 30-34, 6 games out of 1st but only 3 behind the current wild-card leader. Each league’s three division winners make the playoffs, plus the second-place team with the best record as the wild card. Since no one else is running away with this, we’re right in the thick of it now.

It’s also worth noting that our expected winning percentage continues to climb and is now at .520, and only the three division leaders are that high. That means we “should” be 33-31, which is exactly the record of the wild-card leader. We can easily point at a 7-12 record in one-run games and 1-5 in extra innings as the culprits. Those may even out yet.

Next up is a single quick interleague series against Throw the Spitball, Gaylord, starting off with our one visit to Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field to kick it off. Let’s keep it going, lads!