Braves Stay in Milwaukee, Athletics Move to Atlanta (revised)

I discovered that I made a mistake about the Seattle Pilots. My time as corrected:

1965
Milwaukee auto salesman Bud Selig purchases the Braves from William Bartholomay who had considered moving the team to Atlanta. Selig is the savior of baseball in Milwaukee.

1967
AL owners give Charles Finley permission to move the Athletics from Kansas to Atlanta to start the 1968 season.

1969
Major League Baseball begins the season with two divisions for each league. The teams listed by division are as follows:
NL East: St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Montreal Expos
NL West: San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals
AL East: New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Atlanta Athletics
AL West: Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Wolves

The Twins become the first team to clinch a division title on the second week of September. They finish 20 games ahead of the Angels. However, they lose the ALCS to the Orioles. But the Mets end the 1969 season with their first World Series championship.

1970
After a disappointing fifth place finish, Braves owner Bud Selig hires Dave Bristol as the club’s new manager.

1971
The Orioles defeat the Athletics in a one-game playoff to clinch the AL East. The Anaheim (formerly California) Angels clinch their first playoff appearance in a weak AL West. The Orioles will sweep the Angels to win the AL Pennant but lose to the Pirates in the World Series.

At the winter meetings, the owners vote against the sale of the Washington Senators and its move to Arlington, Texas. With its owner deep in debt, the remaining owners take over the team as trustees until a new owner can be found.

1972
The Atlanta A’s defeat the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS and the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. Light hitting catcher Gene Tenace hits 4 home runs in the World Series and is named MVP.

In a swap of second basemen, the Baltimore Orioles trade Davey Johnson to the Atlanta A’s for Mike Andrews.

1973
Davey Johnson hits a career high 42 homers to lead the American League but his teammate Reggie Jackson wins the MVP award. The Athletics win the ALCS over the Detroit Tigers and its second straight World Series title.

The Washington Senators are sold to oilman Marvin Davis who moves the club to Denver and renames them the Colorado Bears. The Chicago White Sox move to the AL East.

The Chicago Cubs trade Ferguson Jenkins to the Bears for Bill Madlock.

1974
Bud Selig turns down a trade for Mets pitcher Buzz Capra. Instead, the Braves trade Earl Williams to Philadelphia for second baseman Don Money. In a trade with San Francisco, the Braves get pitcher Mike Caldwell for Darrell Chaney.

In a sellout crowd in Milwaukee, Hank Aaron surpasses Babe Ruth as the all-time home run leader. The unlucky pitcher is Al Downing of the Dodgers.

Buzz Capra ends up being the ace of the Mets pitching staff with a 17-6 record and the lowest earned run average in baseball.

Led by Hank Aaron, Darrell Evans, Ralph Garr, Dusty Baker, rookie shortstop Robin Yount, and a pitching staff led by Carl Morton, Mike Caldwell and Cy Young Award winner Phil Niekro, the Braves win the NL East over the Cincinnati Reds.

Ferguson Jenkins 24-12 record leads the Bears to its first postseason appearance. He and his teammate, AL MVP Jeff Burroughs lead Colorado to the AL West division after two straight years as a last place team in Washington, DC.

In the playoffs, it takes four games for the Milwaukee Braves to win the NL Pennant and appear in its first World Series in 15 years. The Atlanta Athletics are in the World Series for the third consecutive year after defeating the Bears in the ALCS.

It will be Atlanta vs. Milwaukee in the World Series.

The Braves win the World Series in 6 games. Darrell Evans 3 home runs in the Series earn him MVP honors.

Though he has not been as stingy as he might have been someplace like Oakland, Finley is aggravating both players and fans with his stinginess. He announces that despite Hunter’s great performances, he is still reluctant to pay an insurance annuity that is required in his contract. He also fires manager Dick Williams for failing to repeat as World Champions and releases Davey Johnson after he failed to replicate his 1973 career season in 1974.

Ted Turner offers to not only pay the annuity, but to buy the Athletics from Finley. He doesn’t want to see another big sell-off, though he wonders if he can pay all the big contracts that might be coming up eventually. On November 19, after quite a bit of public pressure - and some additional payments by some minority owners, Finley agrees to sell the Atlanta Athletics to Ted Turner.

After the Thanksgiving weekend, Catfish Hunter signs a contract extension with the Athletics. He will play there till he retires in 1980.

The Athletics hire Alvin Dark as the team’s new manager.

The Kansas City Royals trade backup outfielder Hal McRae to the Yankees for pitcher Larry Gura. McRae will develop into the top DH in the American League while Gura emergences as the ace of the Royals pitching staff.

1975
In September, the Athletics pull ahead of the Red Sox to stay in a great pennant race. Boston promises they’ll be back, though.

On the last day of the regular season, Catfish Hunter wins his 30th game against 5 losses in a playoff tune-up. He is the last 30-game winner in the major leagues to date, winning his 2nd Cy Young Award. He tosses the first 5 innings, and 3 other pitchers nail down the win.

In Milwaukee, Hank Aaron singles in his last at bat after announcing his retirement. Aaron hit only 16 homers this season and the Braves finished 15 games behind Cincinnati. He finishes his career with 747 home runs. With that total, however, he will still get rich once the Boeing 747 comes out, doing a series of popular ads for United Airlines.

The Cincinnati Reds, getting back for their 1972 loss, win game 7 of the World Series in Atlanta 4-3. They will win the World Series the next year, too, the first team to repeat as world champions since the 1961-62 Yankees.

1976
Turner is able to keep Hunter and Vida Blue, feeling that pitching was the most important part of baseball. However, Rollie Fingers, Bert Campaneris and Joe Rudi prefer playing on the west coast and Reggie Jackson signs with the Yankees. Sal Bando signs with the Milwaukee Braves where he will finish his career. His Athletics will go from 3rd and 88 wins to 4th and 75 wins, but 20 games behind the 3rd place New York Yankees.

1977
Two new expansion teams debut in the American League: the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.

The Kansas City Royals win their first division title in the NL West by 5 games over the Dodgers. However with playoff experience from the previous year, the Phillies win their first NL Pennant since 1950.

Boston wins the division with a 98-64 record, one game ahead of Baltimore, withstanding what they term a “furious assault” the last few weeks by the Orioles, who are becoming known for their late season runs.

The Atlanta Athletics will bounce back to win 85 games in 1978, but wind up in 5th place, with the Yankees having signed Goose Gossage and a couple other free agents and won 102 games. The Yankees will win the World Series over the Dodgers.

In Game 4 of the American League playoffs, homers by Jeff Burroughs and Mike Hargrove and 12 strikeouts by Ferguson Jenkins give the Bears a 9-3 victory over Boston. The Bears will make their first trip to the World Series.

Mike Schmidt homers off Doyle Alexander in the 11th inning to win 7-6 in game 6 of the World Series to knot the Series at 3.

In game 7 of the 1977 World Series, Steve Carlton, 1-1 so far in the Series, out duels Ferguson Jenkins, the Game 3 winner, 4-3 to give the Phillies the Series win. “We finally make the Series,” laments Bears manager Billy Hunter, “and what happens? We run into a team that’s built like it’s supposed to play in our park.” We split in Philadelphia, whereas we usually have a great home field advantage here.

1978
After lackluster seasons in 1976 and 1977, the Milwaukee Braves hire George Bamberger as their new manager. In his first season as manager, the Braves finish the regular season at 92-70 and win their first division title in 4 years. Mike Caldwell’s 23 wins earn him the Cy Young Award while Paul Molitor is voted the National League Rookie of the Year. Bamberger is voted National League Manager of the Year.

The Atlanta Athletics select Bob Horner with its first pick of the 1978 amateur draft. Without playing a day in the minor leagues, Horner makes his major league debut on June 16 and hits a home run off Randy Jones of the Padres. His 25 home runs earn AL Rookie of the Year honors.

Colorado wins the America League West by 1 game over the Angels and 2 games over the surprising San Diego Padres. They will lose to the Yankees in the ALCS though. The Yankees will go on to win the World Series.

1979
The Montreal Expos are in a pennant race for the first time in its 10 year history but fade down the stretch as the Pirates pull it out and go on to win the World Series.

After several years in Anaheim, Nolan Ryan signs a 10 year contract with the Houston Astros.

Up next: The 1980's
 
The 1980's

1980
The Oakland Wolves hire Billy Martin to manage the ball club. The Wolves go from the worst record in baseball in 1979 to its first division title. But, their overworked pitching staff (and lack of a bullpen) is no match for the Yankees bats as they are swept in the American League playoffs. They promise to be back next year though.

George Brett finishes the year with a .365 average (Cecil Cooper of the Milwaukee Braves hit .359), good enough to win his first batting title. The Phillies will defeat the Royals in the National League playoffs however. Also, Mike Schmidt beats out Brett for the National League MVP award.

With the DH rule used for the first time in a World Series, Hal McRae takes advantage with key hits in games 4 and 5 to lead the Yankees to its second World championship in 3 years. At least the Phils have their 1977 World Series title to cherish.

1981
In mid-June, Billy Martin has his Oakland Wolves, with Mike Norris, Rick Langford, Matt Keough and Steve McCatty starting and completing lots of games, in first place as the strike begins. The Wolves will win the first half of the year, and the Mariners the 2nd half. Tony Armas will finish in the league lead with 26 home runs for Oakland. After stealing 100 bases in 1980, Rickey Henderson wins the American League MVP award.

The Cincinnati Reds clinch the National League West after winning both halves. While the Reds get the week off, the Montreal Expos defeat the Phillies in the divisional playoffs to win the National League East.

While the Yankees won over the Red Sox in game 4 for the AL East title, the Wolves beat the Mariners in 3 straight.

The Yankees strike first in the American League Championship Series with a 4-0, 3-hit shutout win by Ron Guidry over Rick Langford.

In Game 2, Mike Norris manages to salvage a split with a 5-3 win over Tommy John.

In Game 3, Steve McCatty and Matt Keough each run into problems in Yankee Stadium, but Martin leaves Keough in for 4 innings anyway, and the Wolves hang on at the end to win 12-8. “I couldn’t help it, I just don’t trust my bullpen,” Martin explains.

In Game 4, Dave Winfield’s 2 homers give the Yankees an 8-4 win and a trip to the World Series. “I’m glad we didn’t have to face Norris in a game 5,” Gossage says after the game. “He was really lights out that first game.”

The National League Championship Series is dominated by the pitchers and goes to game 5. Warren Cromartie’s home run in the top of the 9th inning off Tom Seaver wins the game and the Expos win the pennant.

After the Yankees win the first two games in the Bronx, a World Series game is played for the first time in history on foreign soil. In Montreal, home runs by Gary Carter and Andre Dawson provide all the run support Charlie Lea needs as the Expos win 5-1. The Expos win the next 2 games and return to Yankee Stadium with a chance to win its first World Series title (in Game 5, Tim Raines had two stolen bases with Dave Righetti on the mound; they will both win the Rookie of the Year award in their respective leagues).

In Game 6, Carter hits 2 home runs in front of a stunned Yankee Stadium crowd as the Expos win it by a 9-2 score.

After the Mets fire Joe Torre, he returns to the city where he began his major league career to manage the Milwaukee Braves for the 1982 season. He replaces George Bamberger who is hired by the Mets as its manager. The Mets will continue their losing ways but Torre will lead the Braves to the NL East division title.

1982
On the last day of the season, home runs by Gorman Thomas, Ben Oglivie and NL MVP Robin Yount lead the Milwaukee Braves to victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and the division title. The Braves win the National League pennant in 4 games against the Royals.

Rickey Henderson breaks Lou Brock’s single season stolen base record with 130 steals. Unfortunately, injuries to its starting pitching rotation knock the Wolves out of the pennant race.

Despite Hal McRae’s 134 runs batted in, a single season record for a DH, the Yankees finish in third. In the American League Championship Series, Jim Palmer pitches a 3 hitter against the Angels to earn a trip to the World Series.

Key hits by Paul Molitor in Games 2, 5 and 6 (6 hits in Game 2) lead the Braves to their first World Series Championship since 1974. With 14 hits in 25 at bats in the Series (.560 batting average), Molitor is the World Series MVP.

Don Baylor signs a new contract with the Anaheim Angels.

1983
Despite Cecil Cooper’s NL leading 125 RBI, the Braves fail to repeat as World Champions. He wins the MVP award though.

The AL East becomes the most competitive division as the Yankees, White Sox, Orioles, Athletics, Red Sox and the surprising Blue Jays. On the last day of the season, Rookie of the Year Ron Kittle’s home run off Tippy Martinez give the White Sox a divisional title and first post season appearance in 11 years.

The Detroit Tigers win the AL West and make their first postseason appearance since the 1968 World Series. But the Sox have the superior pitching and advance to the World Series against Philadelphia.

After exchanging wins in the first four games, Lamarr Hoyt and Richard Dotson shut down the Phillies bats and the White Sox win the World Series for the first time since 1917. Carlton Fisk is named World Series MVP.

The Mets leave Tom Seaver unprotected and he is claimed in a free agent compensation draft by the San Diego Padres.

1984
The Cleveland Indians trade Rick Sutcliffe to the Cubs. His 16-1 record in Chicago leads the Cubs to the postseason. The cross town White Sox fell out of the pennant race in early August.

In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, Sutcliffe pitches a shutout and even hits a home run against the Royals. He also wins Game 4 to send the Cubs to the World Series.

The Tigers jump to a 35-5 start and win the AL West by 12 games over San Diego. Tony Gwynn of the Padres wins his first batting title. With two straight division titles, the Tigers have the playoff experience to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the World Series, Sutcliffe is invincible. He wins 3 times as the Cubs win the championship in 6 games, and their first since 1908. He is named World Series MVP. A couple of weeks later, he wins the National League Cy Young Award.

1985
On August 4, Rod Carew collects his 3,000th career hit against the San Diego Padres. But the pitcher giving up the hit gets the last laugh. Tom Seaver wins his 300th victory of his career.

After battling down the wire, the Blue Jays edge the Yankees to win their second straight division title. With post season experience, the Blue Jays win the American League Pennant over the Angels in 5 games.

The St. Louis Cardinals win the NL East and return to the postseason after a 17 year absence. Jack Clark’s home run off Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer in Game 4 gives the Cards the pennant.

Vince Coleman is the hero of the World Series with a record 7 stolen bases, including 4 in Game 6. The Cardinals win their first World Championship in 18 years. Coleman is Series MVP and National League Rookie of the Year.

1986
One pitch away from elimination, Dave Henderson of the Boston Red Sox hits a home run in the top of the ninth inning off Anaheim reliever Donnie Moore. But in the bottom of the inning, DH Don Baylor sends Bob Stanley’s pitch over the left field wall. The Angels win Game 5 and are the American League champs.

However, the Mets are too much for the Angels. In Game 6, Len Dykstra hits a three run homer off Mike Witt in Shea Stadium. The Mets win it 8-3 and are World Series Champions for the first time since 1969.

1987
Mark McGwire of the Oakland Wolves ends the regular season with his 49th home run. The rookie first baseman will win the American League Rookie of the Year award. The runner-up, Detroit catcher Matt Nokes, hits a grand slam in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series as the Tigers defeat the Blue Jays 9-5 and win their third pennant of this decade.

After winning the NL West by a game, the Milwaukee Braves win the pennant over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The third time proves to be the charm as the Tigers win their first World Series title in 19 years. In his last game as a Tiger, Kirk Gibson has 4 hits. He will sign in the off season with the Dodgers.

1989
Last year, the Orioles and Athletics battled for last place in the AL East. This year, the Orioles were in contention until the last week of the season and finished 2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the bats of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco lead the Wolves to a sweep for the AL Pennant.

In the National League West, the Kansas City Royals defeat the San Francisco Giants in a one game playoff to win the division. But the Cubs, led by Ryne Sandberg and Greg Maddux, win the pennant in 6 games.

In Game 1, Dave Stewart throws a four hit shutout at Wrigley Field in Chicago as the Wolves win the opening game, the first win in a World Series (they were swept last year by the Dodgers). The news is overshadowed by an earthquake in San Francisco.

Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti announces that a percentage of proceeds from ticket sales in the World Series would go towards disaster relief in San Francisco.

In Game 2, Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston makes a diving catch to rob a line drive from the bat of Carney Lansford to stop a rally. Later in the game, Dunston hits a ground rule double to drive in the winning run as the Cubs win 5-3 and tie the series at one.

That is as close as the Cubs will get. The hitting of Canseco and McGwire with the relief pitching of Dennis Eckersley shut down the Cubs. In Game 5, Eckersley strikes out Jody Davis as the Wolves win their first World Series championship. The Cubs at least have their 1984 World Series Championship to cherish.
 
F^#*King Awesome. With the exception of 85' (Love my Royals) this TL kicks ass.

Question, maybe I just don't understand the money side of the game but if Catfish Hunter resigns then doesn't that keep free agency from the majors for at least a few years. Maybe long enough to Keep Reggie Jackson out of pinstripes and really make history interesting?

Also I hate to toot my own horn but if your interested in Sports AH, I have some articles on my website and two more in the works.
 
The 1990's: Winds of Change

1990
Chicago White Sox pitcher Bobby Thigpen sets a major league record with his 57th save, still a single season record. The White Sox win their first division title in 7 years. Unfortunately, the Cubs collapse in mid-season and finish tied for fourth.

The Wolves win their division by 20 games over the Colorado Bears. They sweep the White Sox to make their third consecutive trip to the World Series.

In the end, the Cincinnati Reds win their first World Series championship in 14 years.

Nolan Ryan re-signs with the Astros as he wishes to end his career in his home state of Texas.

1991
After spending the last few years in the American League East’s basement, the Atlanta Athletics finish with a 95-67 record and their first division title in 16 years. The Minnesota Twins also go from last to first. The AL Championship Series goes to 7 games. In the bottom of 11th inning, Twins outfielder Dan Gladden hits a single with the bases loaded to send the Twins to the World Series for the first time since 1965.

Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla combine for 6 home runs in the National League Championship Series as the Pirates sweep the Dodgers and return to the World Series for the first time in 12 years.

Outside of Jack Morris, the Twins lack the pitching depth of the Pirates. Bonds’ hitting earns him World Series MVP honors (he will also win the NL Most Valuable Player award).

With a championship and a profitable ball club, the Pirates convince Bobby Bonilla to stay in Pittsburgh. He signs a 5 year, $20 million contract.

1992
Seeing their club is in desperate need to get out of the "cookie cutter" that is Three Rivers Stadium, to draw more fans and have greater revenue - just like the Orioles have done with Camden Yards - Pittsburgh decides to float a stadium proposal before voters in November.

In San Francisco, word leaks out that Bob Lurie is probably going to sell the Giants to Tampa businessmen. As one Chronicle beat writer notes, "Barry Bonds might have come here, but now that's out the window. And he might be able to be persuaded to stay in Pittsburgh; his dad and godfather have taught him to hate the Dodgers, and they stink anyway, the Angels have a full outfield and are in another league, and the Mariners and Padres and Wolves are too poor to spend tons of money on him.”

The Pirates repeat as division champions and face the Milwaukee Braves in the NLCS.

The Athletics repeat as AL East champs after a close race with the Blue Jays. The Wolves win the AL West.

Bobby Bonilla’s 3 home runs in 5 games earn him NLCS MVP honors and the Pirates another trip to the World Series. For the Milwaukee Braves and its veteran-heavy lineup, they will be on the decline for the next decade.

In his first season with the Athletics, Greg Maddux is a 20 game winner. He pitches a pair of shutouts against the Wolves. He is named the ALCS MVP and Atlanta is in the World Series for the first time in 17 years.

The World Series goes all the way to 7 games. The Pirates are an out away from repeating as World Series Champions. With Dave Justice and Sid Bream of the A’s on base, Pirates reliever Stan Belinda throws a curve ball to DH Francisco Cabrera. He hits a seeing-eye bouncer over short to left field that scores Justice and ties the game. Barry Bonds throws the ball to home plate but a slow footed Sid Bream beats the tag and scores the winning run. The Athletics are the World Champions.

In the post game interview, Cabrera goes out of his way to tell Pittsburgh fans, "Don't blame Stan Belinda. He's one of the guys who got the team here. He didn't choke. He got beat by a good hitter on a good pitch. I'm also a catcher, I know when a pitcher blows it and when he gets beat."

With Cabrera’s remarks, Pittsburgh fans seem to be forgiving of Belinda for giving up the World Series-losing hit. On Election Day in November, voters approve the funding for a new stadium in Pittsburgh.

With the passage of the new stadium, the Pirates GM proudly proclaims, "We almost lost Bonilla, we would have lost Smiley, and we can now be sure of keeping one of our two free gents." Doug Drabek seems sure to want to go back to his home state of Texas, but the Giants are threatening to move to Tampa, and the Bucs play on that ambivalence to keep Barry Bonds from considering San Francisco, where his dad started and where Willie Mays starred. "You can own this town, Barry, if you stay," he is told.

On December 8, Barry Bonds signs with Pittsburgh, with a provision that "the new PNC Park must be tailored to Barry's specifications." The Pirates sign him to a three-year deal, but must trade away a few others. "We're betting the franchise on Barry," the GM says.

Peter McGowan announces that instead of buying the Giants from Bob Lurie, he will purchase a part of the Oakland Wolves; with an eye toward possibly moving them to a new ballpark between the Bay Area cities should he become majority owner, which he will in a few years.

In the Winter Meetings, National League owners authorized the move of the Giants to Tampa. This requires the Giants to switch divisions. The St. Louis Cardinals move to the West and look forward to a rivalry with the Milwaukee Braves.

1993
As the Pirates hover around .500 in mid July, despite another possible MVP season from Barry Bonds, it is announced that the new park in Pittsburgh will be called New Forbes Field and be ready for the 1996 season; mid-1995 if they're really lucky. Clemente Porch in right will be a favorite target of Bonds, as it will have an overhang like Tiger Stadium. Left Field will be a wider expanse to allow Bonds to roam more, and the fences can be moved in once Bonds gets older and unable to move around as much. Other amenities will include a fabulous view of the Pittsburgh skyline and seating for 45,000, expandable to 55,000 if they chose to add on later. The park will be renamed PNC Park once corporate sponsorship names begin to be in vogue.

NOK Sports' design is given a hearty endorsement by Bonds. "This is my dream park," he says, noting how they've designed the park with his hitting in mind. Indeed, it's rumored that Bonds consistently sent news clippings and copies of his hitting charts from when he was a rookie to HOK in an attempt to improve the chances. The stories are probably partly true, like numerous other legends of the surly, sometimes quite vain, yet incredibly talented Bonds.

The Tampa Giants are eliminated from the pennant race in mid-September. Despite some very good years from pitchers Bill Swift and John Burkett, they lacked a big name to go along with slugger Matt Williams, though Mark Carreon had the best year of his career at .305 with 26 home runs. They wish they'd stayed in San Francisco and had a chance at Barry Bonds, but, "The way Philadelphia ran the 2nd half of the year, I don't know if we could have caught them, anyway." Bonds will win the MVP, while the St. Louis Cardinals will lose in the NLCS to the Phillies.

On September 22, Nolan Ryan tears a ligament in his arm while pitching against the Dodgers. It is the last game of his career.

The Pirates are eliminated from the pennant race; they finish 79-83, after trading away veteran Andy Van Slyke and a few others to the Giants. They get some good young prospects, however. Bonds will win the MVP, while the St. Louis Cardinals will lose in the NLCS to the Phillies.

In Atlanta, the Athletics have a major league best record of 106-56 (they traded Sid Bream to Oakland for Rickey Henderson at the trading deadline). In Denver, Juan Gonzalez hits his 54th home run as the Bears defeat the Tigers and win their first division title in 16 years. Although Mile High Stadium is murder on pitchers, the more experienced Athletics return to the World Series to defend their championship.

With the Athletics leading the Series 2-1, they trail the Phillies 14-9 in Game 4. Henderson leads a rally in the eighth inning with a double and a steal of third base. Ron Gant and Dave Justice hit back-to-back home runs. Atlanta scores 3 more runs to take a 15-14. The A’s hold on by that same score.

The Phillies win Game 5 to stay alive. The Series returns to Atlanta and the A’s trail 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With runners on first and third, Mitch Williams throws a fastball to rookie Chipper Jones that he hits all the way to the left field stands. The A’s have won back-to-back World Series and are dubbed “America’s Team.” For Jones, this is the beginning of a successful career in Atlanta.

In November, the Giants send Dave Martinez and a couple others to the Bears conditioned upon Jose Canseco passing a physical. Canseco will be healthy enough to play all of 1994 until the strike, but his fielding will leave quite a bit to be desired, though he will not have a ball bounce off his head for a home run like in 1993. He is placed in left field since his arm was hurt in 1993.

Preferring to play on the West coast, Rickey Henderson signs a one-year contract with the Oakland Wolves for his third stint with the club.

1994
New division setups are announced for 1994, with the same balanced schedule - the lack of an unbalanced schedule makes it a lot less complicated to shift teams. The divisions are:

AL East: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, New York Yankees, Toronto
AL Central: Cleveland, Chicago White Sox, Detroit, Minnesota
AL West: Anaheim, Oakland, San Diego, Seattle, Colorado
NL East: New York Mets, Montreal, Philadelphia, Tampa, Pittsburgh
NL Central: Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City
NL West: Houston, Los Angeles, Arizona Diamondbacks*, San Francisco Miners*

*First year expansion team

The baseball strike begins on August 12. Tony Gwynn was able to hit .404, becoming the first man to hit .400 since Ted Williams. This is something which at least has baseball fans excited - if there is a next season. There will be, but the off season won't be a happy one for 2 cities. One is Montreal, where the Expos looked ready to win by about 25 games over very weak competition in the Phillies, Pirates, and Mets. The other is Pittsburgh, where Barry Bonds, despite being walked a lot being the only good hitter on that club, had 37 home runs and had at least a shot at Roger Maris' record. Tampa also is frustrated, but Canseco had a good year for the Giants and Matt Williams a great year. They expect to be able to contend in '95, and possibly win the pennant. Boy, will they be disappointed.

The San Francisco Miners sign Rickey Henderson for the 1995 season.

1995
The strike officially ends in March but the season will have to start 2 weeks later resulting in a 144 game schedule for each team. After finishing last year with the American League’s best record, the Yankees 79-65 record is only good enough for third place as the Red Sox make the wild card. They will play the 100 win Cleveland Indians. The Atlanta Athletics take on the Seattle Mariners, who came from ten games behind the Angels at the beginning of September to win its first division title. Randy Johnson gets the Mariners only win of the division playoffs. The Indians sweep the Red Sox.

In the National League, the Pirates are the only team with a winning record in the East division at 73-71. Bonds’ 44 home runs helped Pittsburgh. But the Dodgers’ pitching is better as the Pirates are sent home for the winter.

The San Francisco Miners made the postseason in only its second year of existence; they finish one game behind Los Angeles and one game ahead of the Astros. Career seasons from Andres Galarraga, Larry Walker, Dante Bichette and Ellis Burks helped the Miners in its playoff push. But the more experienced Cincinnati Reds eliminate San Francisco to face the Dodgers.

In the American League Championship Series, the Indians defeat the A’s in 6 games. There will be no third straight championship for Atlanta. Mike Piazza is the only big bat for the Dodgers as they succumb to Cincinnati’s pitching and the bats of Kevin Mitchell and Barry Larkin.

In Game 7, Carlos Baerga’s 2 home runs give the Indians the win and the World Series Championship. Reds owner Marge Schott decided earlier this year not to renew manager Davey Johnson’s contract. He signs with the Orioles to manage in 1996.

1996
At the trading deadline of July 29, the Expos finally pull the trigger on a trade, acquiring starting pitcher Mark Gardner, some bullpen help, and Mark Carreon from the Tampa Giants for Cliff Floyd, starting pitchers Kirk Reuter and Jose Paniagua, and a couple other minor leaguers. The Giants are abysmal, and will finish the season at 61-101, the 2nd time ever the storied club lost 100 games in a year. Canseco is unhappy and wants out now, too.

The Expos win the AL East with a 9-6 win over the Pirates on the final day of the season, after losing 3 of 4 in Pittsburgh earlier and splitting a pair in Montreal. Pittsburgh clinches the wild card. It is seen as a great season for both clubs, and marks a revitalization of baseball in both cities. However, for the Expos it won't last.

After having beaten the wild card Cardinals in 4, and being up 2-0 and 3-1 in games to the Dodgers, the Expos complete a huge collapse, losing the last 3 games 33-1 and in Game 7 10-0, as the Dodgers win the pennant. The Expos' fans have hope, still, but after the problems with not even having an English language radio contract, after some other difficulties keeping players, and especially the fact the Pirates will win the next year, Montreal's franchise is seen to be in trouble.

On the last day of the season, Tony Gwynn’s base hit off Colorado reliever Tom Henke gives the Padres the win and most importantly, their first division title and post season appearance in its 27 year history. However, they lose the divisional playoffs in 4 games to the wild card Yankees.

In the AL Championship Series, the Athletics win their first two games at Yankee Stadium. In Game 1, 19 year old rookie Andruw Jones homers in his first two at bats. In Atlanta, Jim Leyritz, Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter lead the Yankees to victory in the next 3 games. In Game 6, Cecil Fielder’s home run off Tom Glavine puts the Yankees ahead to stay and they win their first pennant in 15 years.

The Yankees and Dodgers meet for the first time since the 1978 World Series. Surprisingly, the Dodgers bats run out of gas against the Yankees dominant pitching. Jimmy Key wins twice and the Yankees win in 5 games. Key is the World Series MVP.

With Jeff Fassero, Mel Rojas, and Moises Alou filing for free agency, Expos fans are grieved that the club can re-sign none of them, and doesn't even seem to have an interest in it. It's a reminder of 1994 all over again, and while a pennant this year might have helped cushion that blow, now things are not much better than they were at the end of that season.

1997
Ken Griffey’s MVP season in which he hit 56 home runs and Randy Johnson’s 20-4 record lead the Mariners to its second division title in 3 years. But they lose in 4 games to the wild card Orioles. The Athletics sweep the Indians to set up the AL Championship series with Baltimore.

Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones demolish Orioles pitching as the Athletics return to the World Series after a three year absence. Tired of owner Peter Angelos’ constant meddling, Orioles manager Davey Johnson resigns.

The Pittsburgh Pirates clinch the NL East in the final week by beating the 2nd place Mets. Barry Bonds hits his 40th of what will be 44 home runs, after 47 the previous year. He also hits .312 for the 2nd straight year, although with the Arizona Diamondbacks playing the Milwaukee Braves (NL Central division title with 81-80 record), the 89-win Pirates have drawn the Dodgers again. Bonds will finish 2nd in the MVP voting to Larry Walker, who had an incredible year. Some in Pittsburgh - and Bonds himself - claim he was robbed of a record 5th MVP.

While it takes 5 games for the Pirates to advance to the NLCS, Arizona easily sweeps the Braves.

The Pirates survive 2 wins by Livan Hernandez and win 3-1 here in Game 7 in Pittsburgh to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1979. The "Miracle Bucs" are hardly that, as they kept their best players, Neagle and Bonds, and used a slew of others and a super bullpen to come close in '96 and win 90 games here. However, the key is that the Diamondbacks, who traded most of their minor leaguers away to get Wilson Alvarez and Alex Fernandez, mortgaged their future, and will be selling off their club after this season. The Bucs, on the other hand, have a new ball park and are almost as popular as the Steelers.

In Game 1 of the World Series, Denny Neagle shuts out the A’s 1-0 on 4 hits - Greg Maddux gave up 7 - in what is called a "sensational pitchers' duel like back in the '60s."

The Braves even the World Series with a 9-1 win in Game 2.

John Smoltz limits the Pirates to 6 hits in a 9-2 Game 3 win. Jim Leyland, who chose not to leave the club because of the attempts to bring a winner to Pittsburgh, decides to go with Neagle, who finished 20-9 on the year, on 3 days' rest versus the A’s 4th starter. "We don't have anything to lose."

In Game 4, Neagle pitches a masterpiece, as the Pirates out duel the Braves 3-1. When asked who would pitch Game 5, Leyland said, "You name him he's pitching. If we could sign Koufax we'd do it."

In Game 5, the Pirates touch Maddux for 3 runs early in the 1st inning, including a 2-run home run by Bonds, only his 2nd hit of the series. The Pirates use nearly all their bullpen, but end up 5-3 winners over the A’s.

The Athletics win 6-3 to knot the Series at 3. They name Kevin Millwood as the starter for Game 7 against Denny Neagle. The decision not to start Neagle in game 6 is one of a few curious ones on both sides in the Series, but Game 7 will wipe away all those concerns.

In Game 7, Kevin Milwood pitches masterfully until Barry Bonds homers to lead off the 7th. One batter later, Milwood is removed, and with a runner on first, Mark Wohlers gives up a double to Jason Kendall, with the Bucs' runner being thrown out at the plate. Wohlers was brought in early because of his earlier struggles. A Kenny Lofton bunt is thwarted by a great play by Kevin Young, who had a career year, and he throws the runner out at third; he had to hold up to ensure it wasn't caught. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Bonds gets a single and steals second. After an intentional walk, the next batter singles, but Jeff Blauser makes a great relay throw to nab Bonds at the plate. This put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 out, though, and Turner Ward beats out a chopper to 2nd as a pinch-hitter to tie the score before the next man makes an out. On to the 10th, Mark Smith doubles with one out, and is replaced by a pinch-runner. Tony Womack is walked unintentionally by Smoltz, and the runners try a double steal. Keith Lockhart throws out the trail runner, stunning the Pirates, who expected him to gun for the pinch-runner going to third. The next batter lines to Blauser, who makes a highlight reel play to end the inning. However, the A’s can't score in the 11th, and with 2 outs, Jose Guillen hits a home run over the left field wall to give the Pirates a 3-2 win. Barry Bonds finally has his World Series ring.

1998
One of the highlights of this season is the race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to break Roger Maris single season record of 61 home runs. McGwire accomplishes the feat first when he hits his 62nd home run. Sosa finishes the year with 66 home runs for the division champion Cubs and completing their turnaround from last year’s last place finish.

Last year, the Yankees won 96 but did not make the postseason. This year, they run away with the division en route to a 114-48 record. The A’s managed to win 106 and clinch the wild card.

Expecting to play the Yankees in the ALCS, the Athletics are swept by the San Diego Padres.

The Indians manage only one win against the Yankees in the divisional series. The Yankees go on to defeat the Padres in 5 games.

The Pirates finish the year at 85-77 but it is good enough to make the wild card and will face the Astros. The first place Mets play the Cubs.

The mid season acquisition of Mike Piazza from the Dodgers pays dividends for the Mets; he hits 3 home runs in 4 games and the Mets advance to the NLCS. Houston’s deeper lineup is no match for Pittsburgh as the Pirates are swept in 3 games.

In Game 1 of the NLCS, Al Leiter wins the 2-1 pitching duel against Randy Johnson in the Astrodome. Jeff Bagwell’s 2 home runs in the second game tie up the series. The Mets will win the next three games at Shea Stadium to win the NL Pennant.

In the first subway World Series since 1958, the Yankees defeat the Mets in 5 games.

1999
Wishing to play near his off-season home in Arizona, Randy Johnson signs a 5 year deal with the Diamondbacks. All the Diamondbacks do is win 100 in the regular season, and lose to the Mets in 4 games in the divisional playoffs.

The Yankees repeat as World Series champions in their rematch with the Mets.

Looking for pitching help, the Mets sign Cy Young Award winner Mike Hampton for the 2000 season.

After a frustrating season and a shocking 75-87 finish, Jim Leyland calls it quits. The Pirates act quickly: they call free agent Moises Alou and Expos manager Felipe Alou, who is stuck in contract negotiations with the Expos, into their office on the same day. The plan works, and both join the Pirates.

At 34, Barry Bonds decides to sign yet another contract with the Pirates. However, he his only 27 home runs and batted .262 in limited time because of injuries. He seems to be on the downside of his career.
 
Good job remembering the Messrsmith (sp?) case, which established free agency, was considered by the players' union before the Hunter incident happened - they were just looking for someone to be willing to play a year without signing a contract. (Because that was to challenge the reserve clause. The Hunter case was actually breach of contract - Finley's not paying the extra money allowed him to get out of it. it didn't really have the same issue connected with it.)

Only one mistake I caught - you had Oakland and the Yankees splitting the first 2 games in the 1981 ALCS, then oakland holding on to win game 3 and the Yankees win game 4. So, you need the Yankees to win one of those 2 if you don't want them having to play a game 5.

BTW, does Bonds stay away from steroids here? i hope so - as was said, he can own Pittsburgh. Although, you had the Pirates win in '91 so he didn't "finally get his ring" in '97. And, it was '56, not '58, for the last subway Series, but otherwise great and very plausible the way all the trades and thigns go.
 
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The 2000s: Baseball enters the new millenium

2000
The Tampa Giants - after years of .500 or slightly higher baseball, and several disappointing near misses for the wild card, finally reached the wild card game this year from the NL East, but Jose Canseco is on his last legs for the 89-73 club, and Dusty Baker ran out of magic in the playoffs, as here the Giants lose their 3rd straight to the Cardinals, who advance to the NLCS (where they will lose to the Mets, who win the pennant after their 3rd straight division title.) Baker bemoans the inability of his club to sign top flight free gents, and the fact they do so poorly at the box office.

The Yankees lose their last 8 games of the season and fail to make the playoffs.

The Mariners sweep the Chicago White Sox and win the pennant over a very tired Athletics pitching staff (they defeated the Wolves in 5 games).

The third time is the charm for the Mets as they sweep the Mariners for their first World Series title since 1986. Mike Piazza hits 4 home runs as he finally has his World Series ring.

2001
The Oakland Wolves finish the regular season at 102-60. But they must settle for the wild card because the Seattle Mariners won 116 to set a major league record for a 162 game schedule. After both teams win their divisional playoffs, they face off for the American League Pennant, which the Mariners win in 5 games and make their first trip to the World Series.

The Tampa Giants, meanwhile, finished 5 games behind the division champion Phillies. The Giants' 81-81 record looked worse because of the standings, and so they are one of the teams rumored to be contracted or moving. However, the Expos are also rumored because they couldn't pull off the pennant in 1996 and still haven't recovered from their horrible 1997. Tampa, meanwhile, just has a park in a very bad location.

Arizona is lucky to have the two best pitchers in the game: Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. The Diamondbacks win the National League Pennant in 6 games over the Astros.

However, Arizona’s luck runs out when Ichiro Suzuki drives in the game winning run in Game 6 of the World Series. The Seattle Mariners are the best team in baseball and World Series Champions.

2002
Moises Alou crashes into the centerfield fence at Wrigley at full speed, shattering his left arm and left leg. Felipe Alou is horribly shaken, and temporarily cedes his managing duties to hitting coach Lloyd McClendon. McClendon promptly names Van Slyke as the new hitting coach. The team is emotionally drained, and proceeds to lose 12 of its next 14 and tumble out of first place.

With the Pirates' Denny Neagle 11-4 for them, they still need a good centerfielder, with Bonds on his last legs. On July 13, they trade for CF Mark Kotsay and starting pitcher Brett Tomko of the Padres. The trade will allow them to win a weak division by 3 games over the Expos, who despite contending are having major problems, because they can't get a new ballpark now, unlike PNC Park, as it's been renamed. They fear losing Vladimir Guerrero, while at least the Pirates are able to sign moderately priced free agents like the Indians do, even if they can't get a Guerrero.

On August 1, the Pirates announce that Moises Alou will not be returning for the rest of the season, but his health is improving in leaps and bounds, and so is the Pirates' morale. With Van Slyke's tutelage, the Pirates go on a slap-hitting rampage, setting the NL record for most singles in one month. Barry Bonds renews his longtime feud with Andy "The Great White Hope" Van Slyke, though, by making a scene out of training with his own hitting coach. Barry Bonds has his best month in years, with 40 RBI.

The Anaheim Angels finish the year with a franchise best 99-63 record. Although the club finished 4 games behind the Wolves, it is not enough to make the wild card. The Yankees also won 103 to the Athletics 101.

On October 7, Denny Neagle beats Kevin Millwood 3-2 with help from several relievers. The biggest blow for the Diamondbacks, though, was the horrible performance of Jason Schmidt in game 3 versus Arizona’s 3rd starter, as the Bucs win 11-8. "If Schmidt pitches better, and the Bucs don't have a big lead, we can win that series," manager Bob Brenly laments.

Brett Tomko is able to nail down game 1 for the Pirates in the NLCS as the Bucs win 7-3 in St. Louis. Bonds doubles and drives in 2 in 4 times up. The Cardinals even the series with a 6-2 win behind Woody Williams. After the clubs split 2, Matt Morris wins a crucial game 5 at Pittsburgh, 3-2. It is Bonds' final game at home, as it turns out, and he homers once. It's only a solo shot, though, but he has performed decently in the LCS, at least, against a vastly superior team.

The Cardinals win game 6 back home in St. Louis 4-2 over Denny Neagle and the Pirates to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1985. They will lose to the Yankees in the Series.

On October 30, Felipe Alou retires to a cushy post as a color announcer for ESPN. Moises Alou citing "a need to conquer my fears", signs with the Cubs.

In November, A group of Florida businessmen who sought to buy the Expos and move them to Tampa finds lukewarm support among baseball owners, who now own the Expos as a unit but who would like to see them move to Washington. The Giants are also rumored to be moving back to the Western time zone, which would be very welcome "so we can end this nutty alignment we've got," as Bud Selig puts it.

Barry Bonds, after a .270 average and 16 home runs in yet another injury-plagued season, undergoes a knee surgery; he will have one on his other knees a few weeks later.

At the Winter Meetings, the owner of the Giants announces that the team is moving to Miami.

2003
With fans expecting Bonds to make it back as good as new, Barry Bonds stuns fans and media by announcing his retirement on March 18. "I'm just tired, tired of the injuries, tired of being hounded everywhere I go with questions about my health. In a place like Pittsburgh, you just have no privacy," he says, not even thinking of how bad it would be in New York. "I'm a west coast man, and I'm going back there to stay." He doesn't thank the fans, despite their putting up a statue of him next to that of Clemente in front of what is now PNC Park. He doesn't thank the media, nor does he seem to appreciate anything anyone did for him; an attitude which would doom a run for mayor some suspected would happen. However, he walks away from the game with a .297 average and 539 home runs, 2 figures helped by the hitters' park he was in the last 7 years of his career. "he'd be close to Aaron if he played in that thing his whole career," one writer notes, though he would be unlikely to have had anything like 20 extra home runs a year. Instead, he is simply hailed as one of the best players of his era, though he complains that nobody calls him "the best."

The Cubs win their first postseason series since 1989 with a win in Game 4 of the divisional playoffs versus the Miners. Meanwhile, the Florida Giants defeat the wild card Astros in their Game 4.

On October 12, Kerry Wood beats Josh Beckett 5-1 in Game 5 of the NLCS in Chicago. Because the Giants had the most wins, they had home field advantage, and therefore only 3 games were played in Chicago. A fan named Steve Bartman was working this night, or he would have gone to the game. He plans to attend a game in Miami, though.

Two days later, Cub fan Steve Bartman interfered with Moises Alou going for a foul ball with the Cubs up 3-0 in game 6, and 6 outs from their first World Series since 1945. The batter got a hit instead of fouling out. Then the Giants scored 2 runs. However, the next batter hit what probably would have been a triple, with men on first and second, except Bartman, thinking the ball was foul, reaches over to get it, and falls onto the field. Alou trips over him, the umpire calls interference, and rules it a mere double for the Braves, sending the runner on first back to third. Instead of the lead, the Giants are now tied with the Cubs, and momentum is lost. The next batter pops out, and Alou's hit in the top of the 10th gives the Cubs a 4-3 lead. They get 3 straight outs in the bottom of the 10th, and win the pennant.

On October 25, Kerry Wood shuts out the Yankees 2-0 to win his 2nd game of the World Series - taking the Series MVP award - and giving the Cubs their first Series win since 1908. Steve Bartman is teased by friends about how he spelled disaster and triumph for the Cubs' pennant hopes, but he spent his money on air fare to see them win the pennant in Atlanta, so he can't afford to buy seats for games 3-5 in Chicago, 2 of which were won by the Cubs.

2004
The Expos move to Washington on December 20 to become the Nationals.

2005
With no inclusion in the BALCO steroids scandal, Bonds is called to testify before Congress. He admits he was tempted by steroids a few times, but, "They just weren't accessible as easily where I was. I had everyone in Pittsburgh loving me after we won the Series, so I knew I didn't need them," he said, seeming to take it for granted. "I know there were problems out on the west coast, and New York, but thankfully, I never got involved in that. Bonds, with numerous 30-30 seasons, a very good World Series in '97, and well over 500 home runs, will be selected to the Hall nearly unanimously in 2008.

After finishing in last place in 2 of the last 3 years, the Mets under their new manager Willie Randolph clinch the wild card with an 83-79 record. After losing in 4 games to the Cardinals, Randolph promises the Mets will be back next year. The Cardinals sweep the Phillies to win the National League pennant but will lose in 6 games to the White Sox.

2006
After sweeping the Cardinals in the divisional playoffs, the Mets win Game 6 of the NLCS over the Dodgers. David Wright’s 3 home runs make him the MVP of the Series.

In front of a sellout crowd in Shea Stadium, Wright, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado hit home runs against the Tigers in Game 5 to win their third World Championship and first in 20 years.

2007
After spending the last two seasons in pinstripes, Randy Johnson returns home to Phoenix to re-sign with the Diamondbacks. Although he will be limited to ten starts this year, Arizona wins the divisional title. The San Francisco Miners win 15 of their last 16 games to finish a game behind Arizona and win the wild card.

After sweeping the Phillies and Diamondbacks, the Miners are swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. After going 86 years without a championship, the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and 2007.

Two years after winning the World Series, the White Sox finish in last place and fire their manager Ozzie Guillen.
 
2000Two days later, Cub fan Steve Bartman interfered with Moises Alou going for a foul ball with the Cubs up 3-0 in game 6, and 6 outs from their first World Series since 1945.

In your timeline, you had them winning the 1984 World Series and losing the 1989 World Series to Oakland.

In the World Series, Sutcliffe is invincible. He wins 3 times as the Cubs win the championship in 6 games, and their first since 1908. He is named World Series MVP. A couple of weeks later, he wins the National League Cy Young Award.

That is as close as the Cubs will get. The hitting of Canseco and McGwire with the relief pitching of Dennis Eckersley shut down the Cubs. In Game 5, Eckersley strikes out Jody Davis as the Wolves win their first World Series championship. The Cubs at least have their 1984 World Series Championship to cherish.
 
Seattle

This is a really good timeline, but, instead of the Oakland Wolves, I would still have the Pilots as a 69 expansion team, but, since they had problems at the time with getting a stadium, and since Buffalo had a real good presentation for expansion but was still passed over by Montreal, and they had money set aside for a domed stadium at the time, the Pilots move there in 1970. The new domed stadium in Buffalo will be built downtown to house the Bills and Bisons, and will be part of a convention complex that will include a convention center, restaurants, and hotels. It will be named the Ralph Wilson Dome(because he was the one who made this possible with bringing the Bills to Buffalo), and it will open in 1974.


Here is how MLB would then look in 70:
NL East: Buffalo Bisons, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Montreal Expos
NL West: San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals
AL East: New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Atlanta Athletics
AL West: Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals

I would put the Bisons in the NL East(where they can become rivals with Montreal and Pittsburgh), and right an original wrong by putting the Reds in the NL East and the Cards and Cubs in the NL West. Then, I would move the Royals to the AL West.
 
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