Sabathia, Braun Lead Brew Crew to Playoffs in '08 APBA Replay

Courtesy of BaseballBacks/Creative Commons

C.C. Sabathia closed out the season in style -- with 34 shutout innings and a no-hitter in leading the Brewers to their first playoffs in 26 years in my APBA Baseball game replay of Milwaukee's 2008 season.

As in real life, Sabathia -- acquired in a mid-season trade with the Indians -- proved a game-changer. In his 17 starts for my Brewers, Sabathia tossed 13 complete games, 6 shutouts and a no-hitter versus the Reds on Sept. 20 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

C.C.'s no-no was one of many highlights in a replay that saw my Brewers match their real-life record of 90-72, good for second place in the NL Central behind the Cubs. While Sabathia (12-4, 1.81 ERA) was teaming up with Ben Sheets (16-11, 2.49 ERA) on the mound, Ryan Braun anchored the offense with 40 home runs, while scoring 104 runs and driving in 113. Meanwhile, Prince Fielder kicked in 32 homers to go along with 97 RBI.

Although I've been playing APBA some four decades since first rolling the dice for "The Kid" Robin Yount and "Hammerin'" Hank Aaron, this was my first full-season replay. I picked the '08 squad in part because I couldn't bear to lose close to 100 games as so many of Milwaukee's teams have done over the years.

I'll admit plenty of anxiety throughout the season, however, as I wondered if I could manage the Crew to the playoffs or suffer the same fate as Ned Yost, who was booted in favor of Dale Sveum with but a dozen games to go.

What frustrated me game after game was the Brewers' persistent lack of offense! This for a team that batted .253 and scored 750 runs and smacked 198 home runs. In my replay, the Brewers hit a paltry .226 while scoring 50 fewer runs. My Brewers hit 196 homers, while upping their doubles from 324 to 351. Nevertheless, their slugging and on-base percentages also dipped (.431 vs. .412 and .325 vs. .300).

Countering the drop in offense, apparently, was a spike in quality pitching! The replay Crew shaved three-quarters of a run off the team ERA -- from 3.85 to 3.15, which easily would have led the league in pitching!

Honestly, I'm stumped by the stats!

Seeing this slump in hitting from nearly the get-go, I had my doubts whether the Brewers could muster enough runs to match their real-life win total. But the ridiculously good pitching persisted, culminating in Sabathia's end-of-the-season invincibility.

In the end, I was amazed how close most of the other team stats matched reality.

And with some exceptions, individuals weren't too far off either. Sabathia, for instance, was 12-4 compared to 11-2. Sheets went 16-11 vs. 13-9.

Braun's .267/40/113 matched up with .285/37/106 while Fielder went .246/32/97 vs. .276/34/102. J.J. Hardy went .263/28/88  against .283/24/74.

When it came to hitting, my biggest disappointment was Corey Hart, who went .268/20/91 for real. In the replay he slumped miserably to .217/15/74. Meanwhile, one of my faves, centerfielder Mike Cameron was an uncanny .236/24/74, compared to reality's .243/25/70.

What did I learn about the way I manage over the course of this season?

Mainly that I prefer starting pitching, and that I way over-use the hit-and-run and except for pitchers, I almost never use the sacrifice bunt.

My rotation amassed 46 complete games -- 29 by Sheets and Sabathia. The real Brewers had 12 ... total! This probably accounted for the lack of replay saves, 31 vs. 45.

In real life, the Brewers had fewer than one stolen base per game, 108. I piled up 158, including 37 apiece for Cameron and Hart and 36 for my main leadoff hitter, Rickie Weeks. That was only about double their actual totals: Cameron 17, Hart 23, and Weeks 19. D'oh!

In the end, this replay was more an experiment than anything. Based on all the other replays I've read about over the years in the APBA Journal/APBA Blog and elsewhere, I figured the Brewers would end up pretty close to their actual record. But I had to prove it to myself.

Also just as in real life, it was alternately exhilarating when the Brewers won and funk-inducing when they lost, especially what seemed like an inordinate number of walk-off wins by the likes of the Reds, Cards and Astros -- damn you, Joey Votto!

Some highlights:

Sept. 28: Brewers win their last game of the season, a 3-0 shutout by Sabathia for win number 12. They finish the replay with a 90-72 record -- identical to real life.

Sept. 27: Braun hits a pair of home runs in a 7-1 win over the Cubs.

Sept. 25: The Brewers lose 3-2 to the lowly Pirates in 11 innings. The loss drops the Brewers' record to 7-8 record against the Bucs for the year, a far cry from the 14-1 record they posted against Pittsburgh in real life.

Sept. 21: The Brewers score 5 runs in the 9th inning, including a 3-run home run by Mike Cameron to defeat the Reds 13-8.

Sept. 20: Sabathia throws a no-hitter to beat the Reds 3-0. Fielder and Hardy hit home runs to provide the offense.

Sept. 11: Jamie Moyer of the Phillies throws a no-hitter in defeating the Brewers 4-0.

Sept. 2-3: Mets errors lead to back-to-back walk-off wins for the Brewers.

Aug. 15-17: The Brewers sweep Los Angeles in a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Aug. 6: Joey Votto hits a two-out, grand slam in the bottom of the 9th to rally the Reds to a 7-4 win.

July 28: The Brewers defeat the Cubs 5-4 in 18 innings on back-to-back doubles by Hardy and Braun.

July 18-20: The visiting Brewers sweep the Giants in three games at AT&T Park.

July 15: Ben Sheets and Ryan Braun start for the NL All-Stars at Yankee Stadium. The AL wins 12-4 behind MVP Manny Ramirez, who goes 2-for-3 with 5 RBI on a double and a triple.

July 13: In one of his rare bad outings, Sabathia loses 11-5 to the Reds at Miller Park, dropping the Brewers to 51-44 at the All-Star Break.

June 25: Braun smacks a 10th-inning home run to beat the Braves 5-4.

June 7-8: On consecutive nights Corey Hart hits two-run home runs in the final inning to rally the team to wins over the Rockies in Denver.

June 6: Brad Haupe jacks at two-out grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to drop the Brewers 6-2.

May 30: Russell Branyan hits a pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the 10th to beat the Astros 7-6.

May 27: Mike Cameron hits a pair of home runs to lead the Crew to a 4-1 win over the Braves.

May 25: The Nationals pound the Brewers 15-3, smacking 19 hits.

May 12: The Brewers win 1-0, scoring the winning run on a walk-off hit by Gabe Kapler, subbing for Braun.

May 11: The first six batters for the visiting Cardinals reach base and score on the way to a 12-5 win.

April 25: The Brewers hit five home runs, including two by Braun, to defeat the Marlins 15-2.

April 24: Prince Fielder smacks at walk-off three-run home run to rally the Brewers to a 4-3 win over the Phillies.

April 20: The Brewers fall four games under .500 to 7-11 after a 1-0 shutout by Aaron Harang of the Reds.

March 30: Ben Sheets begins the season the same way he ends it, with a win over the Cubs, this one a 4-2 victory on opening day at Wrigley Field.

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Note: This replay took me about a year to complete. I took a break after about 30 games, right about the time Ryan Braun was suspended for the rest of last season. When I finally got over it, the pace of play heated up the closer I got to the end ... 

'08 Brewers Limp into All-Star Break; Sabathia to the Rescue

The Brewers made it to the All-Star game with a winning record, barely. The Brew Crew went 2-6 in their final week leading up to the break, compiling a 51-44 record in my replay of the 2008 season.

C.C. Sabathia couldn't arrive soon enough in a pre-break trade with the Indians that bolstered a starting pitching rotation that managed to hold opponents at bay while the offense struggled to pile up hits and runs.

Ben Sheets
Photo courtesy of UCinternational

Besides the hitting of Ryan Braun, the pitching of Ben Sheets helped carry the Brewers to their winning first half. Sheets compiled a 10-5 record, worthy of starting this year's All-Star classic at Yankee Stadium (just as he did in real-life!). With a 2.70 ERA, Sheets tallied 123 strikeouts in 146 innings. He had 10 complete games and a pair of shutouts.

Other Brewers starters and their win totals include Dave Bush (7-5), Manny Parra (6-9) and Jeff Suppan (5-7). Seth McClung contributed 5 wins in splitting time between starting and relief. Salomon Torres had 15 saves to lead the bullpen.

Sabathia's debut was nothing less than spectacular as he shut out the Rockies on 2 hits, while the offense welcomed him to Milwaukee by scoring 12 runs, including a three-run homer by Prince Fielder and three hits by catcher Jason Kendall, who drove in 5 runs.

In all the Brewers pitching staff compiled a respectable 3.47 ERA through 95 games.

Braun also earned his starting spot on the All-Star roster, smacking 23 home runs and driving in 70 runs. He scored a team-high 56 runs while batting .270 (slugging .556).

He was aided by J.J. Hardy, who batted .273 along with scoring 46 and driving in 45 runs. He hit 14 homers and a team-high 29 doubles.

Although slumping with only 13 home runs and a .222 batting average, Fielder also managed to knock in 45 runs. Like his teammates, all-star Corey Hart compiled a sub-par .218 batting average, though he has 43 RBI, 28 doubles and 21 stolen bases. Mike Cameron led the team with 23 stolen bases.

To this point in the replay, the Brewers have a sorry .226 team batting average, about 30 points below real-life. Pondering this, I wondered if I was just an unlucky dice roller. One remedy was to take a closer look at the actual box scores for their opponents, making sure not to overuse grade A and B relief pitchers. (In the replay, I'm using actual starting lineups for their opponents, and the Brewers' actual starting pitching rotation.)

Overall, however, the Brewers are within one win of their actual record (52-43), and sitting in second place behind the Cubs. The Crew's offense has been a nice mix of power and speed, with 109 home runs and 88 stolen bases. (For complete current stats, click here.)

AL Wins All-Star Game, 12-4

Manny Ramirez drove in 5 runs with a double and triple to lead the American League all-stars to a 12-4 win at Yankee Stadium.

He began the night with a two-run double to give the AL a first-inning 2-1 lead. On his way to earning the game's MVP award, Ramirez broke the game open in the fifth with a bases-loaded triple off Brandon Webb, who took the loss for the National League after surrendering 6 runs in one inning of work.

The American League also got a trio of two-run homers by Milton Bradley, Grady Sizemore and Jason Varitek. Joe Saunders was credited with the win. He pitched two innings, allowing one hit and notching two strikeouts.

Hanley Ramirez got the NL off to a good start with a lead-off home run, but that was about all that went right for the visitors, who only managed 7 hits and struck out 10 times.

Ben Sheets started for the NL, going 2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits. Ryan Braun started in left field, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Corey Hart, who earned a roster spot in real-life, went 0-for-2, with a pair of pop-outs.

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APBA helps relive baseball memories

I'll never forget where I was on night of June 19, 1974 or the afternoon of Aug. 15, 2012. Although separated by nearly four decades and some 2,000 miles, both times I was sitting in the stands of a baseball stadium watching history happen.

One of the joys of playing the APBA baseball game is "reliving" games we may have watched on TV, heard on the radio, or attended in person.

I've been fortunate to attend a pair of no-hitters in my baseball life, the most recent being the perfect game tossed last year by Felix Hernandez versus the Tampa Bay Rays at Safeco Field in Seattle.

While I was thrilled to see King Felix win 1-0, I have to admit I wasn't as impressed nearly 40 years earlier when I saw my first no-hitter at old County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wis. Steve Busby of the Kansas City Royals pitched a 2-0 gem against my beloved Milwaukee Brewers that Wednesday night back in 1974.

The Brewers, led back in those days by Don Money, George Scott and a young shortstop named Robin Yount, were still struggling to notch their first winning season. I was 11, and excited to be attending one of my first major league baseball games.

After the game, I remember saying to my dad something like, "What a boring game," disappointed that my favorite players Bobby Coluccio, Money and Yount had let me down.

"What do you mean?" my dad responded. "You just saw baseball history!"

Not too long ago I hauled out the 1974 APBA set and "replayed" Busby's no-hitter in my living room in Philomath, Ore. This time, instead of the Kansas City hurler notching his ninth win of the year, the right team triumphed, the Brewers finishing off the Royals 8-2.

Clyde "Fireball" Wright got the win for the home team, with some relief help from Eduardo Rodriquez and Tom "Murph the Surf" Murphy. Ironically, every batter other than Yount, the future hall-of-famer, tallied at least a run or an RBI.

Just as in real life, the Royals scored a pair of runs, getting eight hits instead of seven. Lead-off man Freddie Patek tallied a pair of hits, including a second-inning double to drive in the first run of the game.

Recalling this string of talented Royals squads before they finally won their first World Series in 1985, it still amazes me that hall-of-famer George Brett could possibly have been penciled into the lineup batting eighth between right-fielder Al Cowens and catch Fran Healy! (Brett went 1-for-4 with a single in the replay.)

Of course, Felix's 1-0 win over the Rays a year ago was anything but boring! It was just a fluke that my wife Diane and I even attended the game, having helped move our daughter to Seattle that week for her year-long job with City Year/AmeriCorps.

We were on our way home that Wednesday and the Mariners had scheduled a day game. And Felix was pitching! How could we resist a chance to sit in the King's Court down the left field line, wave our K-cards and chant "K-K-K-K!" every time a Rays batter got two strikes on him.

We could care less about the notorious Seattle rush-hour traffic that afternoon after King Felix struck out Sean Rodriguez, displayed his famous "Felixing" pose and tried to avoid the dogpile of joyful Mariners that converged near the pitching mound. We were so excited to witness history this time that we couldn't wait to hear the Mariners radio station rebroadcast the historic game during our drive back home to Oregon.

The Rays managed a few more hits -- four -- in my replay but only a single run, a solo homer by right-fielder Matt Joyce. The Mariners, my second-favorite team after the Brewers, won 4-1. Third-baseman Kyle Seager went 2-for-4, including a solo home run in the second inning. Second-baseman Dustin Ackley, still batting leadoff back then, scored a run, drove in another and walked to lead off the game.

Felix was his usual amazing self, striking out 13 batters in all, and six of the first seven Rays he faced!

Also as in real life, this game was unusual when playing the 2012 Mariners in APBA. They actually scored more than one run! While the pitching staff is decent, including two A's coming out of the bullpen, this team simply can't hit or score runs. Although they tallied 4 runs in this replay, they did it on only 6 hits and were aided by three Rays errors.

Even so, I might be tempted to replay the perfecto by King Felix again sometime soon ...

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