"What if" Time Machine 2

[majesty95]

Ok boys. The Time Machine is back in action!

Once again the Time Machine has brought 24 of the best non-playoff teams from the post-war era together for one incredible battle of skill, stamina, perseverance and drive. The TM has also brought 2 historically great players from each of these 24 franchises with it as well. The amount of talent in this league is obnoxious!

This round of the "What if" Time Machine will take place in 1982, three years after the previous iteration. Trades, financials, coaches, scouting and player development are once again off. Let's get this puppy up and running and see how takes this season's title!

League Setup for Round 2:



"What if" Time Machine - Round 1

[majesty95]

Opening Day

Season 2 of the "What if" Time Machine is getting ready to blast off and what a season it looks to be. The first day of the season features some amazing pitching matchups with Luis Tiant taking on Roger Clemens at the Rogers Center, Dwight Gooden battling Pedro Martinez and Nationals Park and Fernando Mania invading Chase Field to square off with the Big Unit.

Get your popcorn ready because this one's gonna be epic!

Opening Day Matchups

[majesty95]

Opening Day

The first day of the season was quite a notable one as there were several notable performances. Two games ended in extra innings (one going 19 innings) and three games featured come-from-behind wins. All-in-all it was a great start to the new season.

Cardinals at Marlins

This first ot the overtime games came in Miami as the 79 Cardinals battled the 04 Marlins for 19 hard fought innings. The Cardinals, down two going into the 9th, tied the game with two outs in the final frame on a two-run single from Jerry Mumphrey. The two teams then played scoreless ball for the next seven innings before a 2-run homer by Ted Simmons would break the tie in the top of the 17th. Not to be out done, Mike Lowell would provide a two-run shot of his own in the bottom half of the inning to keep the Marlins in the game and send it to the 18th.

Jerry Mumphrey would come through again for the Cardinals with two outs in the top of the inning. After a leadoff single from Ken Reitz and a sacrifice bunt from Darold Knowles, Mumphrey would come up with two outs. Mumphrey laced the first pitch he saw to right to give the Cardinals a 5-4 lead.

After an Alex Gonzalez strikeout, Juan Encarnacion would single to left center to get the Marlins started in the bottom half of the inning. A failed bunt attempt by Tommy Phelps would bring Juan Pierre to the plate with two outs and a runner on first. Pierre would hit a weak grounder to first and beat Keith Hernandez to the bag to extend the inning. Encarnacion would head for third during the foot race to first and beat Hernandez's throw to put runners at the corners for Luis Castillo. Castillo hit a 1-0 pitch down the line past past a diving Ken Reitz. Encarnacion would score easily to tie the game once again. A Jeff Conine slow roller to Hernandez would send the game to the 19th.

Hernandez led off the 19th with a walk on a 3-2 pitch and would be followed by Ted Simmons who also worked the count full. After two foul balls, Simmons laced a single past a diving Mike Phillips at short and into left-center. Hernandez would move to third on the play and the Cardinals had runners at the corners and nobody out. Mike Phillips drilled the first pitch he saw into the ground and into right field plating Hernandez. George Hendrick would follow and provide the inning's first out on a sacrifice fly to right center scoring Simmons and giving the Cardinals a 7-5 lead.

The score would remain the same heading to the bottom of the inning as the Cardinals were set to face the Marlins' 4-6 hitters. Dan O'Brien got two quick outs before giving up back-to-back singles to Hee-Seop Choi and Alex Gonzalez. Encarnacion would come up with a chance to tie it but a bounced an 0-2 pitch to Hernandez at first to end one of the best Opening Day games of all-time.

Minnesota at Chicago

The Twins scored five runs in the 7th inning on a double, four singles and an error to take a 6-3 lead. The White Sox would add a run in the bottom of the inning off of Walter Johnson on a walk, stolen base, throwing error and ground out to pull within two. Neither team could mount an attack in the 8th and the Twins erased a one out single by Rod Carew in the top of the ninth on a double play by Rich Rollins.

The Twins brought in closer Bill Dailey to work the bottom half of the 9th and he promptly gave up a lead off triple to Frank Thomas. Dan Pasqua would single home the Big Hurt a few pitches later before being erased on a fielder's choice by Daryl Boston. Ron Kittle and Robin Ventura would each single and the bases were loaded with one out. Ozzie Guillen got first crack at clearing bases but wound up grounding to second where Rod Carew threw out Boston at home. With the bags still juiced, Chicago's Eddie Collins would smack a ground ball past Carew into right field scoring Kittle and Ventura and wrest an Opening Day win from the legendary Walter Johnson.

Los Angeles at Arizona

The Dodgers got a five-run rally in the fourth inning and added a run in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead. However, the Diamondbacks would fight back in the 5th and 6th innings with five runs of their own to tie the game. The bullpens locked down the opposing hitters for the next two innings sending the game to the ninth tied at six.

The Dodgers would get one-out singled from Steve Sax and Steve Garvey in the top of the inning before David Hernandez would retire Pedro Guerrero and Dusty Baker on strikes. The Diamondbacks went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth and 10th as did the Dodger in the frame in between.

The 11th saw the Dodgers get a two-out single from Steve Sax but he quickly erased himself trying to steal second. Cody Ransom led off the bottom half of the inning with a double off of the Dodgers' Tom Niedenfuer. Will Nieves grounded out after an eight pitch at bat moving Ransom to third. Paul Goldschmidt was intentionally walked to set up the double play but those plans were altered when Justin Upton singled to left to secure the win.

Performances of the Day



American League Scores



National League Scores

on

Day 2

The second day of the season has a lot to live up to to try and match the drama for Opening Day. However, there are several intriguing matchups that could provide equally compelling storylines as the season moves to Day 2. In Baltimore, the 54 Yankees will send Whitey Ford to the hill against future Yankee star Mike Mussina. In Texas, former Ranger great Nolan Ryan squares off against current Rangers' ace Yu Darvish. But the most anticipated matchup comes in St. Petersburg as 1986 Roger Clemens will duel with 2012 Cy Young award winner David Price.

Probable Starters

[Mike45]

Cubbies in first place...call a work stoppage and end the season now!

[baseballonly]

Let's go Angels!

[MrWideFrame]

Great start!

[majesty95]

Wednesday, April 7

The bar was set incredibly high with an incredible Opening Day of play. Unfortunately, Day 2 failed to deliver the drama that was so compelling on Day 1.

The second day of the season produced no extra inning affairs and couldn't even muster one late-inning, come from behind win. All was not lost, however.

Pittsburgh at Chicago

Sammy Sosa delivered two bombs for the Cubs en route to a 10-4 shellacking of the Pirates. Sosa now has three home runs in the first two games of the season and speculation has already started as to whether he's using a corked bat and/or is on the juice. Ernie Banks, whom almost nobody would associate with cheating, was almost equally as impressive going 4-for-5 and hitting his 2nd home run of the season. Kerry Wood struck out nine in seven innings to pick up the win.

Los Angeles at Texas

What was billed as one of the great matchups of the season and a showdown between two Texas legends was somewhat of a disappointment. The Rangers jumped out quick on local hero Nolan Ryan with two runs in the third. They added one in the fourth and another in the 6th before chasing Ryan from the game with a 4-1 lead. Darvish would prove to be the superior hurler on this day as he held the Angels to just six hits in 8 innings while striking out a season-high 12.

Boston at Tampa Bay

The Red Sox exploded for seven runs and seven hits, including a two-run homer from Butch Hobson, in the 3rd inning chasing David Price from the game after recording just eight outs. Tampa Bay would rally back with five runs of their own over the next four innings but it wasn't enough as Boston held on for the win. Clemens ended the game with a pitching line of 8-7-5-5-4-7 while Price posted a dismal 2.2-9-7-7-0-0.

Top Performances



American League Scores


National League Scores


Current Standings

[baseballonly]

We aren't going to go day-by-day the whole season, right?
Also, can get someone to create a banner for whoever wins?

[majesty95]

Originally Posted by baseballonly

We aren't going to go day-by-day the whole season, right?
Also, can get someone to create a banner for whoever wins?

That would be cool. I'm not a graphics wiz but if someone is that would be awesome!

And no, lol, its not going day-by-day. I just wanted to give you guys some pop to start the season. I'm not sure I'm going back to the two weeks per day format of round one as that seemed to get stale for everyone not contending. However, I do want to keep it moving at a reasonable rate.

[baseballonly]

Originally Posted by majesty95

That would be cool. I'm not a graphics wiz but if someone is that would be awesome!

And no, lol, its not going day-by-day. I just wanted to give you guys some pop to start the season. I'm not sure I'm going back to the two weeks per day format of round one as that seemed to get stale for everyone not contending. However, I do want to keep it moving at a reasonable rate.

Okay good, I got worried. I could try to make something but it most likely won't be good.

[majesty95]

Originally Posted by baseballonly

Okay good, I got worried. I could try to make something but it most likely won't be good.

Practice makes perfect!

[Mike45]

Originally Posted by majesty95

Pittsburgh at Chicago

Sammy Sosa delivered two bombs for the Cubs en route to a 10-4 shellacking of the Pirates. Sosa now has three home runs in the first two games of the season and speculation has already started as to whether he's using a corked bat and/or is on the juice. .

Damn straight he is...we encourage that in the what if world without suspensions and injuries and trades. Triple digits or bust Sammy!

[baseballonly]

I tried, won't be offended if you don't use it.

[majesty95]

Saturday, April 10

Opening Week is drawing to a close and some interesting trends are developing. Here is a recap of the past three days of action:

April 7

Astros blast off against Juan Marichal in Houston battering the righty for nine hits and seven runs in 2.33 innings. Houston goes on to beat the Giants 7-3.

The Left Arm of God was no match for the mighty...Ian Kennedy, as the Arizona youngster scattered three hits over 8 innings in a 5-1 D-backs win.

Warren Spahn spins a three-hit shutout, walking one and striking out six, as the Braves beat the Reds 3-0

James Shields bests Dennis Eckersey with a three-hitter in a 5-1 Rays win over the Red Sox.

Eight guys drive in at least 2 runs and nine had at least two hits as the Yankees and Orioles combined for 34 hits in a 13-12 Baltimore win. Interestingly, the Yankees out hit the Orioles 20-14.

April 8

The all-time legends aren't faring so well early in the season as Luis Tiant, Chuck Finley and Noodles Hahn fell to Alex Cobb, Matt Garza and Lew Burdette, respectively. The leaderboards are peppered with names like Tom Bruno, James Shields and Derek Holland at this point in the season as much as they are names like Nolan Ryan, Warren Spahn and Walter Johnson.

April 9

Kevin Tapani and Ron Darling battle for 6.5 shutout innings before the bullpens come and ruin the day. The Mets score one in the 8th and one in the 9th to edge the Cubs 2-1.

Mark Trumbo homers twice and Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton each hit their second dingers of the seasons as the Angels paste the White Sox for 18 hits and 13 runs in a 13-6 win.

Pitching was not the flavor of the day as 14 teams collected at least 10 hits which included four games where both teams had at least 10 hits.

Today's Games

The first Saturday of the season is a good one for baseball fans as there are numerous fantasy matchups on the slate. In Cleveland, Jim Palmer will take on Luis Tiant while Cincinnati will host a matchup between Fernando Valenzuela and Tom Seaver. Both games are at 7:05 EST so the folks in Ohio will certainly have their hands full trying to keep up with these two all-star affairs.

The midwest gets another impact matchup as Dwight Gooden and the Mets square off against Greg Maddux and the Cubs.

Two of the best tilts of the night, however, come in Washington and Detroit, respectively. The Nationals will send the diminutive but dominant Pedro Martinez to the hill against one of the most intimidating pitchers of all-time, Bob Gibson. Meanwhile, Hal Newhouser gets a chance to put his Tigers over .500 against the The Big Train, Walter Johnson.

Saturday's Matchups

American League


National League


Current Standings

[majesty95]

Originally Posted by baseballonly

I tried, won't be offended if you don't use it.

That's awesome! Congrats again Hrycaj on an impressive Round 1 performance!

[ghostrobot]

Just finished up reading the first "What If" thread. I guess there's no such universe exists where the 93 Giants finish on top...

Really looking forward to following the second installment and hoping I can catch the team selection phase of round 3!

[majesty95]

Originally Posted by ghostrobot

Just finished up reading the first "What If" thread. I guess there's no such universe exists where the 93 Giants finish on top...

Really looking forward to following the second installment and hoping I can catch the team selection phase of round 3!

Welcome! Grab a beer and enjoy your stay

[MrWideFrame]

Jeremy Hellickson vs. Roger Clemens is a hilarious matchup.

Pleasantly surprised to see both my team at 3-1 right now.

[majesty95]

Monday, April 19

Daily recaps from the past nine days:

April 10

A day full of legendary pitching matchups provided some interesting games.

Luis Tiant allowed just two hits over eight innings to lead the Indians over Jim Plamer and the Orioles 3-0.

Bob Gibson, meanwhile, displayed his dominance to Pedro Martinez and the Nationals holding Washington to four hits and striking out eight in eight innings as the Cardinals won 5-1.

Walter Johnson, however, got shelled (six runs in 5.33 innings) by a powerful Detroit lineup and lost to Hal Newhouser and the Tigers 10-2.

Neither Tom Seaver nor Fernando Valenzuela lived up to the hype either as Seaver gave up eight runs (six earned) and Valenzuela surrendered four runs in a 10-4 Dodgers win over the Reds.

Gaylord Perry allowed just two hits and one walk in eight innings and Lindy McDaniel picked up the save as the Giants squeaked by the Braves 1-0.

The game of the day, though, was the Mets vs. the Cubs. The Mets got three runs in the first five innings against Greg Madduz and Dwight Gooden allowed just one run in eight innings to take a 3-1 lead to the ninth. Unfortunately, the bullpen quickly failed Doc as Jesse Orosco served up two unearned runs in the ninth and Joe Sambito gave up two more in the 14th (after the Mets had taken a one-run lead) and the Mets fell to the Cubs 5-4.

While the focus was on the pitching matchups one hitter staked his claim to performance of the day. Bill Skowron hit a three-run homer in the 5th and then belted a grand slam in the 7th as the Yankees pounded the hated Red Sox 10-4. Skowron finished with seven RBI on the day.

April 11

Melido Perez spread two hits over 7.33 innings walking three and striking out four to lead the White Sox over Nolan Ryan and the Angels 4-0.

Danny Haren overcame five walks and allowed just one run in seven innings to outpace Yu Darvish and the Rangers 3-1.

Carl Pavano and Armando Benitez combined on an eight-hitter and shut out John Smiley and the Pirates 7-0.

The Yankees followed up a 10-4 pounding of the Red Sox the night before with a 22 hit beating of Roger Clemens and Co. winning 21-1. Bill Skowron, who had two homers and seven RBI the previous game, adds two solo shots and eight Yankees tally multiple hits and multiple RBI in the blowout win.

April 12

The Tigers rallied from a 3-1 deficit and scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth to knock off the Blue Jays 6-3.

Rick Aguilera tossed seven shutout innings and Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco preserved the win out of the bullpen as the Mets topped Warren Spahn and the Braves 1-0.

The pitching matchup of the day saw Josh Beckett and the Marlins take on Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in LA. Beckett got touched up for eight hits and three runs in five innings while Koufax allowed just one run and five hits in eight innings to take the win 4-2.

April 13

Ed Lynch scatters six hitts in 8.33 shutout innings to outlast Lew Burdette and the Braves 2-0.

Eric King (8-3-1-0-6-1) outduels Alex Cobb (6.2-6-2-2-2-2) in St. Pete to give the Whte Sox a 2-1 win.

San Francisco punds out 22 hits and Willie Mays goes 3-for-6 with a home run and five RBI as the Giants win their fourth straight, 13-2.

April 14

Nick Tepesch throws 8.67 shutout innings to beat the Yankees 9-0. The young Rangers' starter is now 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 15.33 innings so far this season.

Gio Gonzalez spins a five hit shutout en route to a 4-0 Nats win over the Reds.

The Pirates trailed the Giants 6-3 heading to the bottom of the eighth but proceeded to score five runs off of five San Fran relievers in the inning to steal an 8-6 win.

April 15

Bob Gibson falls victim to a Garry Templeton error in the second allowing two runs and falls to Jerry Reuss and the Astros 2-1.

Greg Hibbard and Luis Tiant each go 7.33 innings allowing just one run but Art Houtteman gives up and RBI double to Frank Thomas in the 10th and the Indians fell to the White Sox 2-1.

Jim Palmer threw 10 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits, but gets a no decision as the A's tag Grant Jackson for a run in the 12th to win 2-1 over the Orioles.

Randy Johnson pitches eight shutout innings just edging out Dwight Gooden and his one run on six hits in eight innings as the Diamondbacks beat the Mets 1-0.

Geovany Soto hit a grand slam and drove in five runs on three hits while Rafael Palmeiro went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs, three walks and four RBI in the Rangers' 14-9 win over the Red Sox. Jim Rice hit two homers and drove in five in the loss.

April 16

John Smoltz gave up just one run on four hits in eight innings while Kerry Woods allowed one run on eight hits in 6.67 innings. However, the Cubs got to Red Murff for a run in the 10th inning to get the win over the Braves 2-1. The win was the Cubs' fifth in a row.

Nolan Ryan gave up just two hits and one run, walking five and striking out 10 to outpace David Price (7.33-10-2-1-3-6) in the Angels 2-1 win over the Rays.

Al Rosen hit his league leading 5th home run of the season and picked up three hits to lead the Indians to an 8-5 win over the White Sox.

April 17

Gorman Thomas went 5-for-6 and the teams combined for 31 hits as the Tigers edged out the Yankees 10-8.

Stephen Strasburg scattered four hits and two walks giving up just one run in eight innings to lead the Nationals over Sandy Koufax and the Doders 5-1. Strasburg improved to 3-0 with an 0.82 ERA on the season.

Carl Hubbell also improved to 3-0 (1.88) on the season by holding the Marlins to six hits and two runs over eight innings in the Giants 4-2 win.

Dennis Eckersley gets touched up for four runs (two earned) and eight hits by the surging Rangers (8-4) to drop to 0-3 on the season. Derek Holland picks up his second win by throwing 7.67 shutout innings.

April 18

Ed Lynch gave up just three hits and no runs while Joe Saunders gave up one run on two hits as the Rays fell to the Mets 1-0 at Shea Stadium.

The Giants' Juan Marichal spread just four hits over 8.67 innings, striking out seven, to outlast Dontrelle Willis (6.2-8-1-1-2-4) and the Marlins 1-0.

Burt Hooten held the Nationals to just one run on seven hits over seven innings. The lead was preserved in the 8th and Los Angeles went into the bottom of the ninth leading 5-1. Terry Forster and Steve Howe combined, though, to give up four hits and five runs in the inning and the Nats pulled out a 6-5 victory over the Dodgers.

Current Standings

[majesty95]

I was just looking at these and thought they were funny and should share.

Batting Projections



Pitching Projections