Heartland Baseball League: 1983 Highlights

[HerbD]

The Heartland Baseball League is a fictional, 12 team, stats only, online league that started in 1983 following five seasons of simmed history.

[HerbD]

May 19, 1983
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Hitstreak History





"It had to end sometime!" That's all Duluth Danger veteran Edward Aycock could muster when asked about his Heartland Baseball League record 28 game hit streak that came to an abrupt end tonight thanks mostly to Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Ken Jones. "I haven't faced Jonesy much before today, I'll get him next time." The 34 year old Aycock unseated former Rochester 1B Arthur Wells who hit in 27 consecutive games just last season. During the streak Aycock hit .397(50-126) raising his batting average from .250 on April 13th to .359 on May 18th. He also scored 18 runs while knocking in 15 with 15 extra base hits while drawing just five bases on balls. Aycock had multiple hits in half the streak's games including one five hit, one four hit, three three hit, and nine two hit games. The Danger won 15 of the 28 games and sat in third place in the North League when the streak ended.

Aycocks streak started on April 13 during a 5-1 victory at South Bend in which he was held hitless by the Silver Sox pitchers until he slapped a single off reliever Kelly Boyd in the bottom of the ninth. Fast forward to May 19 at Cedar Rapids where Jones easily handled Aycock for his first three plate appearances with two swinging strikeouts and a weak groundout to second base. Rebels releiver Arthur Anderson would induce a high pop up to second to end the game and the HBL's longest hitting streak.

[HerbD]

June 5, 1983
Canton, Ohio

The Perfect Kernel



It's a funny game baseball. On May 21 Canton's Grant Hunt couldn't get out of the second inning against the sub .500 Poplar Bluff Predators. Taking the mound for the first time since that horrible outing Hunt pitched the first perfect game in the five plus year history of the HBL. "I didn't think I had my best stuff coming out of the pen to start the game," said the 31 year old veteran after the game. "I figured I'd just throw it up there and see if they hit it to our guys."

And that's exactly what the Rochester Reapers did. In AB after AB they went up hacking and slapping and finding nothing but leather in the process. Hunt finished the game on an amazing 80 pitches where just 25 were called balls. There were never really any close plays or highlight reel catches. The only real doubt was in the minds of the capacity crowd at Nationwide Stadium was whether Hunt would have enough gas to finish the game.

The Reapers pushed Hunt to a three ball count just twice during the entire game. They only pushed him to two ball counts on five other occasions. He threw a total of four balls in three different innings and threw a total of six pitches, all strikes, in a very quick third.

A two run explosion for the Kernels in the bottom of the fourth highlighted by a two out RBI double by Bobby Young was all Hunt need to secure the victory.

Entering the game Hunt boasted a 2-3 record, a 4.53 ERA, and a knack for hitting the showers early as he had not pitched past the 5 1/3 inning mark in any game since his first two starts of the season back in early April. Lost in all of this is the fact that Hunt was facing a two-time HBL Pitcher of the Year winner in Ryan Schneider.

When asked what moment in the game he'll remember most Hunt said, "After my warmup pitches in the before the ninth inning I was looking around the stadium and Colin Reese made eye contact with me. I was hoping he was gonna say something inspirational then he yells out 'DON'T SCREW THIS UP!!"

"This is right up there with the two HBL Championships...something I'll alway remember," Hunt added. And maybe more importantly something he will always be remembered for.

BOX / LOG

[HerbD]

August 3, 1983
Oshkosh, WI

1983 HBL All-Star game: Hogan's a Hero



The HBL South once again proved its dominance over the North with an impressive 8-0 win making it five consecutive victories since the North won the first HBL All-Star game in 1979.

The South held a 1-0 lead heading into the top of the sixth when they blew the game wide open with four runs. Dayton's Jose Woods tripled home teammate Jason Hogan to push the score to 2-0. Two batters later Oscar Scott of Springfield drew a bases loaded walk to make it 3-0. Canton's Elton Caldwell would follow with a two run single to stretch the lead to 5-0.

The South would continue the fireworks in the top of the seventh with back to back homers from Hogan and Woods off of Bay City reliever Bryan Williams. Hogan would finish the scoring in the top of the ninth with a line drive homer off the left field foul pole off of Oshkosh's Jasper Saunders.

Evansville's Jose Garcia earned the win for the South while Bakhtiyar Davis of Duluth was the hard luck loser.

Caldwell would finish with three hits and two RBI but it was Hogan that was named the game's MVP for his two homers.

BOX / LOG

[HerbD]

August 16
South Bend, IN

Stealing the Show



They came to see a highly touted rookie. Alfred Warren had dominated in high school just a couple of hours north east of South Bend and he dominated in college just a couple of hours north west of South Bend. This was his third time this season pitching in Ni-Source Stadium and he had put on a pretty good show the first two outings leading the Duluth Danger to victories in each. He had his ups and downs this rookie season but he had matured and the fans were looking for a show from the number two overall pick.

South Bend had a rookie of its own to trot out to the mound that night and everyone forgot to tell Kelly Boyd that this was suppose to be Warren's night. Boyd had started the season in the Silver Sox bullpen and had pitched well enough to earn a spot in the starting rotation beginning May 1. He struggled a bit allowing 153 hits and 66 earned runs in his first 125 innings as an HBL starter but on this night it all came together long enough for him to steal the show.

Looking back the most important hitter Boyd had faced in the game would be Bob Draper in the first inning. "This guy comes in hitting .207 and had drawn just 10 walks all season and I walk him on five pitches," Boyd would detail in the post game presser. "I knew the scouting report and I was picking at the corners instead of going after him." Two pitches later Draper was standing at third with one out and two stolen bases under his belt. Boyd would get out of the inning but Draper would be the last Danger player to get on base the rest on the night.

Warren did his part to make the game exciting with the two newcomers taking a scoreless game into the bottom of the seventh inning. In the bottom of that inning pinch hitter Jong-Ju Kim would follow a two out Enrique Ortiz single with a 2-2 laser that cleared the left field wall and gave Boyd all the run support he would need.

With two runs on his side Boyd would need just 21 pitches to dispatch the Danger in the eighth and ninth innings giving him just the fourth no hitter in HBL history. After throwing out Danny Koch on a weak ground ball back to the mound to end the game the rookie was mobbed by his teammates as the nearly 12,000 fans stood with applause in appreciation. They had gotten their show afterall.

BOX / LOG

[HerbD]

September 11, 1983
Canton, OH

1983 HBL Championship Series Set



Postseason jitters should not be a problem tomorrow as the Oshkosh Outlaws and Canton Kernels face off in the 1983 Championship Series here in Canton, Ohio. The Outlaws are making their fourth championship series appearance in the HBL's six year history having taken home the hardware in 1979 and 1981. The only time they made the postseason and didn't win it all was 1980 when this same Canton team won took the series in a seven game battle. Incidentally that was the only time to date that a South team has won the HBL title. These two organizations are responsible for seven of the league's 12 playoff spots over its first six seasons of existance.

In the North Oshkosh ran away with the league finishing with a North record 92 victories and an even more impressive 17 game gap between them and second place Bay City. Canton took a full three weeks longer to clinch but managed to hold off a strong Dayton squad to take the South by eight games.

On paper this series would seem to be the Outlaws' hitters against the Kernels' pitchers. Led by triple crown threat Rob Clemons, Oshkosh led the HBL with 205 homers and averaged 5.4 runs per game. Clemons was by no means a one man show as the Outlaws boasted no fewer than seven players with at least 15 homers and 47 RBI on the season.

For Canton it is all about the starting pitching. Zane Carver and Will Callahan combined to go 37-13 for the Kernels while fourth starter Grant Hunt won eight games and pitched the HBL's first ever perfect game during the regular season.

[HerbD]

Rob Turner(ROC)

BA: .375 old record .361
OB%: .497 old record .467
CS: 40 old record 33

Turner had a great year demolishing the old batting average and OB% marks while playing for the Reapers. He bested the old batting average mark by 14 points and destroyed the OB% mark by a whopping 30 points. On a down note he was caught stealing a league record 40 times.




Rob Clemons(OSH)

OPS: 1.076 old record 1.060

The leader of the North champions slugged 67 extra base hits and drew 99 walks to help push his OBS to a league record total including a North best 35 homers.



Ken Mills(SPR)

Hits: 200 old record 192

Mills slapped 150 singles on his way to the first 200 hit season in the history of the HBL.



Joe Jackson(SB)

Steals: 97 old record 81

Perhaps the most exciting player in the HBL, Jackson attempted 123 steals in 141 games making good on an HBL record 97 of them beating the old single season record by 16.



Nick Hamm(CAN)

BB: 119 old record 103

Before 1983 only one player in HBL history had broken the 100 bases on balls mark. In 1983 alone there were four led by Hamm's 119.



Zane Carver(CAN)

ERA: 2.26 old record 2.58
WHIP: 0.92 old record 1.01

Carver once again proved he was the best pitcher in the league by winning 20 games for the second consecutive season. He beat the old era record by .37 while besting the WHIP record by .09.

[DreamTeams]

Nice set-up, HerbD. This will be fun to follow. Love your creative presentation.

[HerbD]

Game 1


The Outlaws came out swinging against Will Callahan as three of the first four batters hit singles resulting in an RBI for Allen Beck that gave Oshkosh a 1-0 lead before the Kernels ever stepped into the batters box. When they did it was Ed Valentine that dominated allowing six hits and a walk but no runs in a complete game effort. Callahan would give up a seventh inning sac fly to Manny Cedeno to end the scoring but his team couldn't score against the surprising Valentine.

POG: Ed Valentine(Win, 9 IP, 6 HA, 0 RA, 1 BB, 3 K)
Oshkosh leads series 1-0


Game 2


Oshkosh left Canton with a commanding 2-0 thanks to more great pitching, this time from 39 year old veteran Michael Bryant. Bryant allowed just two runs, one earned in 5 1/3 innings before leaving the game with a sore hamstring in the sixth. Rob Clemons blasted a 433 foot homer with LF Christian King on base to give the Outlaws a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Canton would tie the game on a Rich Silver RBI single in the bottom of the inning and the game would remain locked at two until the top of the ninth. Clemons would put the Outlaws ahead again with a 2-out, bases loaded single that scored Anibal Cortes. Jasper Saunders would need just nine pitches to retire the Kernels in the ninth to preserve the victory.

POG: Rob Clemons(2-4, RS, 3 RBI, HR, BB)
Oshkosh leads series 2-0

Game 3


Canton starter Grant Hunt and Oshkosh starter John Hensen would battle for six innings allowing just one run between them before the bullpens took over. Hensen allowed an Albert Lineberry double to turn into a run scoring single by Elton Caldwell in the top of the fourth. That would be enough for the Kernels as Hunt and three relievers combined for the shutout. Canton would add another run in the top of the eighth as Colin Reese greeted Joe Baldwin to the game with a towering homer to right on Baldwin's first pitch.

POG: Grant Hunt(WIN, 6 IP, 3 HA, 0 RA, 1 BB, 1K)
Oshkosh leads series 2-1

Game 4


Nick Hamm would put Canton up 1-0 with an RBI double in the top of the first but the Outlaws would respond with 11 consecutive runs to route the Kernels in game 4 of the HBL Championship Series. Oshkosh would back up another strong outing from starter Ed Valentine with 12 hits and 11 runs in the series first laugher. Valentine would work seven innings giving up just the one first inning run. He would allow just two base runners after the first picking up his second win of the series. David Kelley would blow the game wide open with a three run homer off of Canton starter Will Callahan in the bottom of the fourth. Callahan would leave after that inning but the Outlaws would abuse the Kernels' bullpen for six more runs.

POG: Ed Valentine(WIN, 7 IP, 3 HA, 1 RA, 1 BB, 3 K)
Oshkosh leads series 3-1

Game 5


The Kernel's hopes of sending the HBL Championship Series back to Canton took a huge hit when All-World pitcher Zane Carver gave up five runs in the first two innings putting them in a 5-2 early hole.

Micheal Bryant was cruising with the three run lead when everything fell apart with one out in the eighth. Four hits and two Oshkosh errors allowed the Kernels to score three runs and tie the game giving Canton new hope heading into the bottom of the inning. On the second pitch of the bottom of the eighth Canton reliever Pat Orr gave up a 1 out double to the Outlaws' Wes Marsh. Marsh would steal third and score on an Allen Beck single to put Oshkosh back on top 6-5.

With one out in the top of the ninth Canton catcher Roy Piper singled putting the tying run on first. With no other catcher available the Kernels were forced to leave the slow footed Piper in the game. Oshkosh closer Jasper Saunders would enter the game and strike out Alfonso Vargas on three pitches. Elton Cantwell would put up more of a fight and line a two out double that would have scored anyone on the team except for Piper who was forced to stop at third. Saunders would get Rich Silver to ground out weakly to second on the next pitch ending the game and the series.

POG: David Kelly(3-3, 2 RBI, BB)
Oshkosh wins series 4-1

[HerbD]

September 20, 1983
Oshkosh, WI

Most Valuable Valentine



The streets of Oshkosh were filled today as the fans lined four deep to get a look at yet another HBL Championship trophy, the team's third in the league's six year history. Several of the team's players have been lucky enough to experience multiple championships but it was Ed Valentine's first and he was center stage as team President and GM Dan Stamey awarded him the HBL Championship MVP Award. The 29 year old Valentine was out of work during spring training of 1982 when the Outlaws came calling with a veteran minimum contract. Valentine headed south and had negotiated a one year extension before the 1982 season had even started. On June 20th the team rewarded his hard work with a three year extension could earn him as much as $625 K if all of his options are picked up.

If his work in the HBL Championship Series is any idication of what is to come then I'm sure he will pocket that money. Valentine waited until the brightest of lights were on him to pitch his first career shutout against a pitcher, Will Callahan of Canton, that has 30 more career victories and a lot more hoopla. He followed up that game one gem with a one run performance in game four that put the title aspirations back on track.

For the Series he pitched 16 innings over two starts allowing just nine hits and one run for a 0.56 ERA. He also notched six strikeouts to go with his one complete game, shutout. Congratulations to Ed Valentine!!

[HerbD]

Jasper Saunders was on the mound for the final out of the HBL Championship Series. A far cry from the team's 1981 championship run where he was forced to watch the final two months and the playoffs with a torn flexor tendon. "Most experts didn't think I would ever pitch again, especially after the setback in January of 1982," replied the 33 year old veteran when asked what was going through his head while rehabbing the injury. "but I knew I would pitch again. Here, another team, little league! I knew I would pitch again somewhere."

Saunders proved himself right ina big way being named the HBL North Closer of the Year today. The Indianapolis native saved a career high 32 games in 38 chances helping the Outlaws win the title. He squashed all doubts about the status of the elbow by finishing a career high 52 games but did pitch only 59 innings. "I feel good...I know there are concerns about the elbow but all I can do is pitch to prove its good," added Suanders. When asked if he thought the injury had kept the Outlaws from offering him an extension the free agent to be replied, "It has to be the reason. Look at the numbers...Foster and I had very similar numbers but he got the contract."

Saunders gave up just 17 earned runs in his 59 innings but eight of those came during a four appearance span in the middle of July in which he accumulated three blown saves and four losses. If you take away those four outings his ERA would be 1.52. He recovered from that midseason slide and let the Outlaws to the HBL title.




Jack Foster's first season as Canton's closer played out perfectly, well, almost perfectly. The only glaring exception being the HBL Championship loss to Oshkosh. "It was a fun season," said the 29 year old. "The only thing that makes it better is winning it all." Foster allowed just one baserunner and no runs in his two HBL Championship appearances and saved the lone Canton win in the series.

On the year Foster saved 23 of 37 opportunities and settled down after a rough May in which he gave up half his runs(8/16) for the year. One unnamed expert thinks it will be difficult for him to keep the closer job in Canton, "He wasn't even the best reliever on his team and he gave up more walks(42) than hits(40) on the year. That's a lot of extra pitches and a lot more rolaids for the manager."

Just two weeks after the series Canton rewarded Foster with a new three year contract that will pay him $345 k total. "It's nice to know where you'll play for the next three seasons and hopefully I finish my career here in a Kernels uniform," stated a blushing Foster when asked about the contract.

I guess being the closer for the best pitching staff in the HBL has its rewards!!

[HerbD]

1983 HBL Rookies of the Year


9-7, 3.76 ERA, 160.1 IP, 158 HA, 94K, 1.23 WHIP, 3 CG, 1 SHO

It's tough to break into the HBL. With only 12 teams the roster spots are hard to come by especially for just drafted rookies who have a limited amount of time to prove themselves between the December draft and opening day. Although he was drafted third in last year's ammy draft Evansville's SP Aaron Kline was considered the second best pitcher on his college team. Not even invited to spring training the Twisters felt pressure to rush Kline to the bigs after he was named the fourth best prospect in the HBL on opening day.

He spent the first month in Double A before skipping Triple A and heading to the big club. He was immediately inserted into the Twisters' bullpen where he thrived posting a 2.70 ERA in four appearances. He was then sent to the rotation where he would not miss a start for the rest of the season. He hit a bit of a wall in July when he gave up 28 of his 67 earned runs and posted a 5.68 ERA. Take out July and his big league ERA would be 3.03 which would have been good enough for third in the South League. Although he struggled a bit against Dayton, Kline was at his best in his three starts verses the South's best. He was 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA when pitching against the Canton Kernels including a three hit shutout on August 12 while facing the great Zane Carver. "That was the best moment of my life," said Kline at the awards ceremony. "At least up until I won this award."



142 G, .311/.371/.438, 46 XBH, 25 SB, 61 RS, 47 RBI, 46 BB

Duluth 3B Preston Richards had quite a different journey than that of Aaron Kline. Drafted with the 10th pick in the 1979 draft out of high school by Canton, Richards was traded three different times before settling into the Danger organization and finally making it to the big leagues for 25 games at the end of the 1982 season.

Richards won the thirdbase job in spring training where he hit .367. The hot streak continued into the season where he won three consecutive North Rookie of the Month Awards for his play in April, May, and June. Richards continued see the ball well the second half of the season with his lack of league wide recognition during that span most likely due to the Danger free falling from four games under .500 on July 1 to 26 games under at the end of the season. "On June first we were just three games out of first place and we thought we had a shot," Richards said in a recent interview. "By July we were double digits out and we just couldn't win a game. The team just fell apart."

The biggest knock on the 23 year old is his glove at third base. He committed 23 errors in the big leagues after showing some decent range in the minors. "It's something I know I need to work on," he said when accepting his award. "The ball just gets on you so much faster in the bigs than it did in the minors."

[HerbD]

1983 HBL Hitters of the Year


.354/.457/.619, 31 DB, 35 HR, 88 RBI, 103 RS, 99 BB, 322 TB

"I'm an Outlaw for life!!" That's what Oshkosh firstbaseman Rob Clemons had to say as he accepted his award for HBL North Hitter of the Year today. "We have a contract in place that will keep me in Oshkosh for what I hope is the rest of my career." Coming off one of the best hitting seasons in the short history of the HBL Clemons could have demanded more than the $2.34 million over six years that he got from the Outlaws had he entered free agency but that was never the plan. "Where else would I go?" he asked when asked if he's thought of leaving. "We've won three HBL titles and four North Championships here so you tell me where I should be that's better than Oshkosh."

The humble Clemons has a lot to do with the Outlaw's success, especially in 1983 where the team won 92 games and took the North title by a whopping 17 games over second place Bay City. The slugger finished the season in the top six in the North in 12 major batting statistics including an HBL record 1.076 OPS and an 1983 best .619 slugging. He posted a career best .354 batting average, good for third in league history but 20 points behind Rochester's Pat Turner who hit an astounding .374 while finishing second in the Hitter of the Year voting.

Clemons also led the North in homers with 35 while scoring 103 runs and driving in 88. He was the North Player of the Week four times and the North Player of the Month in April and August. He hit .389 in the Outlaws five game Championship Series win over Canton and for good measure he added a 22 game hit streak into the mix. For teh five time HBL All-Star this is his second Hitter of the Year award(1981).


.305/.394/.520, 32 DB, 24 HR, 107 RBI, 105 RS, 76 BB, 271 TB, 22 SB

"This is a big surprise to me," a visably shaken Jason Hogan mumbled while accepting his award for HBL South Hitter of the Year today. "I really thought I was the third best hitter on our team this season so winning this award is a genuine surprise." Dayton's 34 year old firstbaseman finished in the top six in the South in 12 different statistical categories but led the league in only one with 107 RBI.

For the third consecutive season Hogan has more stolen bases than he has strikeouts(22/20). The South Player of the Month for April also was named the HBL All-Star game MVP in his fourth trip to the game. "Jason does whatever the team ask him to do to help us win," said Dayton teammate Ray Gray who finished second in the award voting. "He's the most important guy on our team cause he does a little bit of everything."

[HerbD]

1983 HBL Pitchers of the Year


14-10, 3.01 ERA, 263.1 IP, 236 HA, 88 ER, 13 HRA, 54 BB, 183 K, 1.10 WHIP

SP Ryan Schneider of Rochester is no stranger to the awards circuit having won his third Pitcher of the Year award in the Heartland Baseball League's six year history. 1983 marks his second consecutive time winning the award for the Reapers who only won 73 games this season. The three-time HBL All-Star led the North with 263.1 IP and 1.10 WHiP while allowing just 13 homers all season. His fourteen wins ranked fourth in the North while his 3.01 ERA and 183 strikeouts were second most in the league. He was the North Pitcher of the Month for May when he was 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 51.1 IP.

Schneider didn't get much support from his Reapers' teammates who scored two runs or less in five of his 10 losses including being shutout three times. "A lot of times this season the offense just wasn't there," said the 30 year old veteran. "You can't control that, you just go out and pitch."


20-7, 2.26 ERA, 236.2 IP, 187 HA, 58 ER, 14 HRA, 30 BB, 193 K, 0.92 WHIP

For the second consecutive season Canton star Zane Carver finished on top of the South in two of three triple crown categories while finishing second in the third. He dominated during both seasons and walked away with the South Pitcher of the Year Award both times. This year he led the South with 20 wins and an HBL record 2.26 ERA while finishing two strikouts behind Dayton's Logan Leeson. He also set a new HBL record for WHiP at 0.92 thanks to allowing just 33 bases on balls and 187 hits.

"The light just came on when I got to Canton," said a beaming Carver while accepting his award. "I had a pretty good season in 1979 then struggled for the next three seasons before coming here and learning how to pitch rather than just throw."

When asked about losing the HBL Championship Series two years in a row he replied, "Obviously it's tough to accept. All the awards are nice but in the end it's the Championship that everyone wants...I'm no different in that respect."