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Holy hell, no runs in the entire series has got to be the biggest choke in league history by a mile!
Getting a shut out in baseball is no easy task, so to shut out a team for an entire series is insane, congrats to the Stars for growing into that extra one in their logo I guess lol
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RoughRiders9 wrote:
Well that was just pathetic. I can't imagine how the fans of the Shockers are feeling. I bet after the 4th inning of the third game they just turned off the games and started their offseason early.Â
Yeah, whatever the atmosphere was like in San Juan (and the rest of the country, nobody but Shinosaka is happy the Stars keep winning) it was not pretty. The offense just could not drive in runs to save their lives. The Shockers hit 17 over the course of the series but just couldn't get one to the plate.
Section30 wrote:
Holy hell, no runs in the entire series has got to be the biggest choke in league history by a mile!
Getting a shut out in baseball is no easy task, so to shut out a team for an entire series is insane, congrats to the Stars for growing into that extra one in their logo I guess lol
It is certainly up there, although the Stars were generally considered the favorites. I'm actually shocked at how ineffective San Juan was this series, it's not like they had a terrible offense in the regular season.
Shinosaka didn't just shut out the Shockers, but they actually had a no-hitter in the playoffs (game 2), which I believe is the first-ever no-hitter in RICS history. The Stars pitcher, Franklin Chavez, set the RICS record with 16 strikeouts in that game. It wasn't just a no-hitter, actually he pitched a perfect game in the championship series. No walks, no hits, only one player that reached base on an error. Utter dominance by the Stars.
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Other than that I would have brought up the no-hitter in you series write up, (wouldn't have know it was a no-hitter if you hadn't just brought it up in a reply and those are pretty rare and interesting, especially in a championship series) good job! Â
Definitely a dominate series for the Stars for sure, allowing ZERO runs in an entire, that's definitely unheard of and an indication of how good this team consistently is! They definitely remind me of the 1950s New York Yankees when they won 5 straight World Series' and some of those weren't really close at all! Â
Looking forward to next year!
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Stickman wrote:
Other than that I would have brought up the no-hitter in you series write up, (wouldn't have know it was a no-hitter if you hadn't just brought it up in a reply and those are pretty rare and interesting, especially in a championship series) good job! Â
Definitely a dominate series for the Stars for sure, allowing ZERO runs in an entire, that's definitely unheard of and an indication of how good this team consistently is! They definitely remind me of the 1950s New York Yankees when they won 5 straight World Series' and some of those weren't really close at all! Â
Looking forward to next year!
What's funny is I didn't even notice it was a perfect game until I went back and looked at it again. I should probably take some closer looks at the stats, haha.Â
But yeah, the Stars are good. They've been killing it lately, pretty much everyone is hoping they get taken down a notch soon.
Anyway, here's the 1969 offseason!
Identity Changes:
The Kings, celebrating 10 years in San Moriuchi, made some adjustments to their jerseys.
Responding to fan demand, the Kings added ruby red to their jerseys, now featuring a double trim with yellow and red. They also changed their away pants to be plain white, without pinstripes. The application of their logo on black has also changed, now being outlined in ruby red.
Player Retirements:
Plenty of popular players hung it up this offseason, here's the rundown:
Aorin fan favorite Shinsuke Maeda has called it a career at age 37, playing 9 years in the majors. He was signed by the Senators before a midseason trade sent him to the Carp, where he played well and contributed to Aorin's good teams in the early '60s.
The Kings suffered several blows this offseason: 3B Michiyoshi Suzuki retired after 12 years, RF Koju Takeda hung up his cleats after 16 years (since the team was in Yosemite) and finally, national superstar Shinsaku Sonoda called it quits. Named Pitcher of the Year 4 times, Sonoda was essential in getting San Moriuchi to the RICS twice.
In Shinkyo, Senators legend Bryan Lengen retired. He won MVP from 1957-61, but injuries slowed him down and he couldn't keep up anymore. He holds the RIBF single-season record for batting average, hitting .398 in 1961. Alex Jauregui also retired, as did Shogo Tanouye.
4-time champion Edgar Martinez retired as well, playing 7 seasons with the Stars. He was key in the Stars' four championships, and replacing him will be no easy task.
Finally, another Carp legend retired. Takeshi Kawamoto, who last played for the Emeralds, hung it up after 16 years. He was another key component in the early '60s Aorin teams, but unfortunately they finished just short.Â
Trades:
It was a busy trade market, and here's the rundown:
Aorin shipped Doug Raab and Joe Rolf to Shinosaka in exchange for prospects Elijah Kelly and Roberto Perez. They made a couple other trades with the Tigers and Stars, moving prospects around the farm system in hopes of getting to the promised land.
Several teams made minor-league trades, including Hokkyo, Toramoto, and the Senators. Nothing major this offseason, just small moves made to improve teams.
Other News:
Good news! The Aorin Carp will remain in the islands for the foreseeable future. After owner Junichi Maeda officially requested an upgrade from the tiny Aorin Municipal Ballpark two seasons, league, team, and government officials worked tirelessly to secure the long-term home of the Carp. In the middle of the '69 season, a group from Shinsakai, led by Ryuji Shimizu of BB Communications, nearly bought the team with a deal to move them, but it was stopped at the last minute by Commissioner Aoyama, who didn't want to lose the Aorin market.
In related news, the RIBF faced legal troubles in the offseason, as Shimizu, who has been looking to get a team to his hometown of Shinsakai-shi for a few years, launched a legal challenge into the RIBF's antitrust exemption. Aoyama has stubbornly resisted expansion since the '59 class, citing a need for stability and the current lack of parity. However, when government officials, who still have a hand in the league, asked Aoyama to back down and expand the league, he relented and ensured that the Federation was the only league able to operate professionally.Â
Aoyama announced that beginning in 1971, four new teams would join the RIBF! Two will go into each league, which will subdivide into two divisions of four, with a brand-new expanded playoff system. The division winners will face each other in a best-of-7 series, with the winners of that series playing in the RICS. Obviously, Shinsakai-shi will receive a team, headed by Shimizu, but the other three cities remain a mystery. Aoyama stated that the team's brands will be revealed in the 1971 offseason, before they begin play.
NEXT: 1969 Season
Last edited by QCS (8/23/2020 3:25 pm)
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Here's the 1969 season and draft!
Draft:
1 - HOK - RP Toshihiko Kondo
2 - QNS - SP Michael Underwood
3 - AOR - SP Tatsukichi Ono
4 - TOR - SP Jim Felix
5 - VER - CF Zach Neubauer
6 - SKR - SP Aaron Gibson
7 - YOS - SP James Bryner
8 - TOR - SP Morimichi Kimura
9 - JOE - SP John McDonough
10 - SKS - SP Souma Okamoto
11 - SM - SP Takehito Terada
12 - SJ - CF John Ragans
13 - SNO - SS Steve McCulley
14 - HOK - CF Robert Martin
34 - JOE - SP Toshiyasu Matsumoto
Season:
Let's get it out of the way: the Stars won the SBL again. This is the fourth year in a row, yada yada, the team was 2 wins away from tying the all-time wins record, etc, etc. This year they didn't just win, they dominated, crushing every other team on their way to victory. The Senators, who had a great year, were 9 games behind the Stars, while every other SBL team was at least 30 games behind Shinosaka. Hokkyo had a good year, tying their franchise record and finishing 4th in the league, finally starting to see some moderate success 10 years after their founding. The Carp and Tigers had years to forget, stuck in the basement.
In the RBL it was much more balanced, with the Kings grabbing the pennant after a few years removed from it. Behind them was Vertlac, finishing in 2nd for the first time since 1955, the first year of the RIBF. After them were Queenston and Yosemite, who both had good seasons. Yosemite didn't contend like they did last year, but they still were much better than years previous. It seems as though the draft has really payed off for both teams, finally showing some improvement. Behind them were the Robins and the Shockers, only a year after getting swept in the RICS. San Juan, who had been "cursed" since the removal of white text on their road jerseys, finally called it time to change back.Â
So it'll be San Moriuchi against Shinosaka, a repeat of the 1963 RICS. The Stars won that series and are searching for their seventh championship, while the Kings are still looking for their first. On paper, there's no reason Shinosaka should lose, but San Moriuchi is a scrappy bunch and the Stars are on a bit of a slide, giving fans hope that the Shinosaka machine can be stopped.
NEXT: 1969 RICSÂ
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Yep, the Stars are definitely the Yankees of this universe. And that's totally okay for now! People may hate them winning all the time, but sometimes, you need a big, bad villain team that always wins. I do find that these fictional sports leagues often lack that element in their stories, (due to simulation processes of course and there's nothing wrong with that either) so it's been really fun watching this run. If the Kings do win it all against the Stars, it'll be that much more impressive and memorable, like the Giants beating the undefeated Patriots or Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson. If the Stars win it here, it's just another trophy to what could be the greatest dynasty in RIBF, (and maybe even AHS) history! Looking forward to this one!
Last edited by Stickman (8/25/2020 7:07 pm)
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Stickman wrote:
Yep, the Stars are definitely the Yankees of this universe. And that's totally okay for now! People may hate them winning all the time, but sometimes, you need a big, bad villain team that always wins. I do find that these fictional sports leagues often lack that element in their stories, (due to simulation processes of course and there's nothing wrong with that either) so it's been really fun watching this run. If the Kings do win it all against the Stars, it'll be that much more impressive and memorable, like the Giants beating the undefeated Patriots or Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson. If the Stars win it here, it's just another trophy to what could be the greatest dynasty in RIBF, (and maybe even AHS) history! Looking forward to this one!
They certainly are. As an O's fan, the Yankees bring me nothing but pain and suffering, but they certainly help bring in the views. It's fun to hate on the big bad and celebrate when they lose, but it can be a bit frustrating as a content creator to see the same team over and over. When the playoffs are expanded in '71 this might be remedied a bit, four more teams adds a ton of variance. I wouldn't go so far as to call them the greatest dynasty in AHS yet, the Redbacks of Dashball are probably who I'd give that title to, though if the Stars keep it up then they'll certainly be in contention.
Anyway, here's the 1969 RICS!
Game 1 -Â SNO 7, SM 6Â - Shinosaka was ahead most of the game, but San Moriuchi tied it up in the 8th. Heading into the 9th with the scored tied at 6-6, the Stars were able to drive one in and survive a scare from the Kings. The game was much closer than anyone expected, however. SNO 1-0
Game 2 -Â SM 2, SNO 1Â - Just like the last game, it was tight in Shinosaka on a beautiful day for baseball. This game, however, was a defensive struggle and headed into extra innings. Everyone thought we'd see a repeat of game 1 where the Stars clutched it out, but the Kings put one extra on and didn't look back as they stole a game in Shinosaka. TIE 1-1
Game 3 -Â SM 7, SNO 5Â - As the series headed to San Moriuchi, suddenly it was looking very possible for the Kings to win the series. Shinosaka wouldn't be denied early on, taking a 3-0 lead before the Kings chipped away at it slowly. In the bottom of the 8th, leading 5-4, the Stars gave up 3 runs for San Moriuchi to take the lead and the game. SM 2-1
Game 4 -Â SM 3, SNO 2Â - With all eyes on the RICS, the Kings looked to take a commanding 3-1 series lead and have a chance to close it out at home. It was another grueling game, going to extra innings before something magical happened: Kings catcher Morihiko Takahashi, spending his first year in the majors, launched a shot out into centerfield. The crowd was silent as it flew further and further before finally landing just in the stands over CF Luis Rodriguez's glove, sending the crowd into a frenzy and giving the Kings the game. SM 3-1
Game 5 -Â SM 5, SNO 4Â - With the city still reeling from the previous night's game, the Kings still had to close out the series. The Stars put up a good fight, but San Moriuchi was just too much for them. Fending off a comeback in the 7th, the Kings held on and won their first-ever RICS, defeating the mighty Stars to do it. SM 4-1
The Stars have been defeated! San Moriuchi was on a mission this series, and they proved it. This, as they say, is why you play the games. The Kings offense and defense was on fire, and the pitching knew just when they could relax a little. RF Mikio Fujimoto was named MVP, having an excellent series batting-wise. Of course, fan favorite Morihiko Takahashi had basically earned himself the right to a free drink anywhere in town, but Fujimoto's games were better overall. Kings owner Bernard Bertram, the original owner of the franchise since they were based in Yosemite, stated "I've got something special planned for us for next season. It's the fans that have made this all possible!"Â
YOUR 1969 RICS CHAMPIONS ARE: SAN MORIUCHI KINGS!
NEXT: 1970 Offseason + Identity Tweaks
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Way to go Kings
Hopefully the T-Birds can build off this season and become a contender down the line
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Finally! The Stars go down!Â
Glad to see the T-birds improving. Wonder when you're planning on expanding the playoffs. Might give some more teams for an upset opportunity.Â
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Look at my Kings bringing it home!