I hope you enjoyed following along with the initial season, aka "Season 0" for the 30 for 30 simulation. Thanks to Savard, we've got an additional 100 years of simulations that were completed. Now, there has been some computer-related mishaps that are delaying 44 years of playoff sims, but all the play-ins were done by hand so those playoffs are ready to go once the computer was fixed.
So the simulations 1-50 were done without saving and pulling the individual player stats, so they went faster but unfortunately we don't have the stats to share. However, we still have a lot of results and will be sharing those here, along with the results of the playoffs that were completed! Enjoy!
As manager of the Brewers, you know I had to rep my first round pick for this league, Prince Fielder
We'll start by going through the seasons that have been simulated to completion from years 1-50, announcing the various WS champions. Then we'll take a look at the overall division title/playoff berth numbers for all the teams in the first 50 years. There's still twenty (20) of the years 1-50 left to simulate to conclusion, so if your squad didn't win one of the 30 World Series titles shown here, they've still got 20 more seasons to claim a league W or pennant before the first half century is up!
YEAR FOUR
Once again, the AL West is snagging wild card spots, with the Mariners making another playoffs in the WC spot after making a run to the ALCS in Year 0 from the wild card position, but now they're facing the Potts brothers' Texas Rangers - formerly a last place squad with over 90 losses. Big flip! Houston wins the division after tying Oakland in year 0... and Houston winning the AL West is something we're all going to have to get very, very used to seeing in the coming seasons. Cleveland snags another AL Central crown, while the AL East power flips from Boston to Tampa, although both are 3 seeds.
In the National League, Miami falls from grace to a 101 loss squad while the Expos climb from the gutter to a MLB-best 95 win season and a division crown (Philly snags another wild card). Meanwhile, the Cardinals unseat Milwaukee for the Central crown while the Dodgers edge out a scrappy Padres team in the West. This was a more even simulation record-wise, with only five teams passing the 90-win threshold.
PENNANTS:
American League -- Tampa Bay Rays
National League -- Milwaukee Brewers
The Rays make it another year, another 3-seed AL East team running through their side while Milwaukee avenges their NLDS loss as a 100+ win team by winning its first ever NL Pennant. Which franchise will claim its first ever World Series title? While there's little suspense here, it's the best pitching team in the league:
YEAR FOUR CHAMPION: TAMPA BAY RAYS
One of the cooler looking cards I've ever made for one of the best closers in the 30 for 30 league, period!
YEAR FIVE
A new AL East champion arises -- the Toronto Blue Jays! The Rays still snag the wild card, but Cleveland was supplemented in the Central by the White Sox. Meanwhile, the Angels FINALLY find themselves in the playoffs after blowing it in the final 1/5th of the Year 0 season... but the Astros take the West again en route to an AL-best 98 wins.
Meanwhile, the Brewers are back to their 100+ win ways, this time with 102 wins. The Cubs take a wild card spot with 98 wins (put the Cubs and Angels in the "unfortunate division" category), which is still behind the 99 win Dodgers. In the East -- arguably the toughest division in baseball, albeit facing a major downturn this season -- the Marlins take their second division title with a paltry 84 wins. However, with that rotation, no one wants to face them in the playoffs! So let's see who's taking the pennants:
PENNANTS
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
The two #1 seeded teams take the pennants for an epic faceoff... these are the two squads that arguably benefited from the "no duplicate players allowed" rule since they've done a stellar job of having extremely talented players that haven't gone to other franchises. Milwaukee has the starting pitching edge with three Tier 1 starters, but Houston's lineup is about as good as it gets: something's gotta give between these old NL Central rivals!
YEAR FIVE CHAMPIONS: Milwaukee Brewers
Not to pat myself on the back, but this title feels amazing after losing immediately in the playoffs in Season 0 despite a 106 win regular season! I'm celebrating just like Yelich on this one!!!
YEAR NINE:
Skipping ahead to season nine, we see yet another new champion in the East - at last, the vaunted Yankees are at the top of the standings! The White Sox continued to win in the Central, this time with the best record in the AL. Meanwhile, the Astros continue their winning ways by snagging the 2 seed, while the A's return to the postseason.
The Phillies win the NL East, while the Cardinals cycle up to the top of the NL Central and my Brewers fall to a wild card spot. Season 0 pennant winning Arizona snags another NL West title, but the Dodgers edge out the upstart Padres and Reds for the final wild card slot! But in the end, the pennants go to a couple of familiar faces...
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
Another match up between these titans, although this time Milwaukee had to come out of the Wild Card to win their third-straight pennant. Another spoiler alert -- these two are going to become one of the MAJOR rivalries of the 30 for 30 league. But for their second World Series battle, Milwaukee once again is coming out on top!
YEAR NINE CHAMPIONS: Milwaukee Brewers
With their quasi "back-to-back" titles, Milwaukee becomes the first team with multiple World Series titles!
YEAR TEN:
Milwaukee was almost just as powerful, accumulating 103 wins for their third 100+ win season already! The Cardinals take another wild card while the Phillies cross 90 wins for back-to-back division titles. The Dodgers/DBacks continue trading division crowns in a tightly contested race this time. But going into the playoffs, the question has to be "can anyone stop another Brewers/Astros World Series"?
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Los Angeles Dodgers
So the Brewers fall to the Dodgers, but Houston makes its third "straight" World Series appearance... can they finally get over the hump? The answer is YES, taking out the very balanced and consisted Dodgers squad to win Houston's first World Series in the 30 for 30 sim!
YEAR TEN CHAMPION: HOUSTON ASTROS
One of the most expensive hitters in the league for good reason, Bagwell has been the centerpiece for this epic lineup...
and now, the Astros are champions!
YEAR TWELVE:
Once again, the Red Sox are on top of the East and there's two wild card teams coming out of the AL West while the Astros cruise to a 100+ win season. The Central was the tightest race, with Detroit finally emerging as the division champ!
On the other side, we've got another Phillies division crown, facing down two absolute monsters in the 106 win Brewers and 101 win Dodgers. The Cubs and Expos sneak into the playoffs at 84 wins, although this is a super "balanced" year with only five teams crossing the 90 win threshold... just happens that three of them won over 100 games! Will two of these titans square off in the World Series, or do one of the other squads have something up their sleeves?
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
For the third time in four World Series, we've got Houston vs. Milwaukee, this time facing off as the #1 seeds on either side. Milwaukee has had Houston's number, but the rivalry is about to take a turn...
YEAR TWELVE CHAMPION: HOUSTON ASTROS
The Astros rode their elite bullpen to another title -- fitting after taking Wagner and Lidge in Rounds 1 and 2 of the draft,
although it was this beast that really cleaned the Brewers' clocks!
Looks like another typical playoff spread in the AL -- Red Sox, White Sox and (of course) Astros, with the Angels and Mariners arising from the formidable AL West to snag Wild Card spots. Honestly, the most notable parts of this season were the Rays losing over 90 games and the Orioles finishing above .500. The AL definitely looks like a play toy for the mighty Astros, who are seeking their fifth straight pennant.
On the NL side, we see Atlanta rise up to take the NL East crown away from Philly, who will still make it as a wild card. The Brewers win over 100 games again and take the Central, with the Cardinals edging out the Cubs and (shockingly) the Giants for the wild card... although the Expos were closest, finishing a mere 1 game out of the playoffs. Arizona had a rare off year, losing nearly 90 games. Can the Brewers force another matchup in the World Series with Houston?
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Philadelphia Phillies
Not this year Milwaukee, but the Astros roll to yet another pennant victory... this time, they've got first time Pennant winner Philadelphia to contend with, led by a fantastic rotation and tight player pool that lets them keep a pair of 10 pt hitters from ever playing. Definitely a good roster that was bound to win it all eventually... but will it be this season?
YEAR FOURTEEN CHAMPION: HOUSTON ASTROS
Using one of the ace closers the Astros sniped from Philly early in the draft (along with Lidge),
the bullpen was too much for the Phillies to overcome this year!
YEAR SIXTEEN
Now THIS is more like it -- Kansas City and Texas in the playoffs with teams tightly packed right around 90 wins. Every division had a gap of 4 games or less, making this one of the more entertaining seasons for division and playoff races! Plus, who doesn't enjoy seeing the Yankees lose 92 games?
The NL had some fun too - the best record belongs to Philadelphia with 94 wins, with Milwaukee as the only other team to win over 90 games. The Reds finished second in the NL Central! And the Marlins return to the postseason, along with the DBacks going from 90+ losses to reclaiming the NL West crown. I really wish we got to see the Mets win the NL East though, but they were unfortunately 2 games back from the playoff-frequenting Dodgers.
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
Despite the fun new appearances and even records, we're "treated" to another rendition of Astros-Brewers in season 16. However, if there's a team that can finally snap the Astros World Series run, it's got to be the squad that spanked them in their first two World Series meetings....
YEAR SIXTEEN CHAMPION: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
And my beloved Brew Crew take home their third World Series trophy so far, knocking off their biggest 30 for 30 rival in another World Series classic.e
And for those keeping track at home, yes... the Brewers and Astros have accumulated six of the eight World Series played out so far in the simulation.
Can you tell I like the old-school Brewers logo and the yellow background?
Anyway, the Brewers offense was jumpstarted by this savvy, Hall of Fame leadoff man
Anyway, the Brewers offense was jumpstarted by this savvy, Hall of Fame leadoff man
Year Seventeen:
Two AL Central wild cards this year, a first! Cleveland returns to the postseason, as does Detroit, but the White Sox maintain the division crown. Meanwhile, Houston wins another AL West and takes another #1 seed, but they'll have to overcome the only other team to win a World Series on the post outside of the HOU/MIL power duo, the Rays.
Meanwhile, the NL has a pair of 100 win teams -- the frequently winning Brewers and the loaded Expos, who've got Pedro, Larry Walker and Vlad "makes me glad" Guerrero leading the way. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have another amazing season (97 wins!) where they're stuck taking on another super strong team in the wild card game.
American League: Tampa Bay Rays
National League: Montreal Expos
At long last, the monotony of the Brewers-Astros rivalry is broken up! The Rays are going for their second title, while the Expos are making their first World Series appearance. Considering the "Rays to Montreal/Rays splitting time in Montreal" reports that have come out in the last year or so, this is a very fun/heated World Series matchup too! Plus, this is a matchup of two of the best rotations in the league, which should make for some elite pitching battles!
YEAR SEVENTEEN CHAMPION: MONTREAL EXPOS
The Expos take their first championship behind their ace, Cy Young Pedro Martinez
Year Eighteen
Well, well, well, the Toronto Blue Jays are back in the playoffs after an 86 win season! That's one of the few unusual things happening in the majors in season 18, as the division winners feel status quo, particularly with Houston in the AL #1 seed position after the regular season. In a rarity, no TB in the postseason thanks to the Angels and BJs, with the Mariners also finishing 2 gb for the final wild card slot.
On the other side, mostly business as usual with #1 seed Brewers, Expos winning the East, and a Dodgers division title/wild card DBacks result... but at long last, we've got the showdown bot creator Matt Gula's team (the Mets!) playing some postseason baseball!! Can the Mets make a run through the playoffs to their first pennant win?
American League: Boston Red Sox
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
My Brew Crew face off against WDR's team/year 0 champions, the Boston Red Sox. This is the matchup i hoped would happen in Year 0, particularly since Savard himself is a Boston fan! But I had to wait until "Year 18" for this legendary battle against one of my favorite Showdown GMs/managers in Win Dance Repeat... could his Red Sox go 2/2 in World Series berths?
YEAR EIGHTEEN CHAMPION: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Thanks to some pinch-hitting magic against his old AL East rivals, Yount was a sparkplug for the Brewers, helping the Crew collect a fourth World Series title
Year Nineteen:
Finally, the Astros fail to win the division! That's right, just like Year 0, the Oakland A's are on top of baseball's toughest division... but Houston still won 90 games and will host the Yankees in the wild card game. We haven't seen much of the Bronx Bombers, and they're jonesing for some playoff ball! To do so, they'll have to overcome arch-rival Boston, fresh off another World Series appearance and looking to finish the job this year. The final AL squad is Cleveland, back on top of the Central after narrowly edging the Tigers (1 gb) and Royals (3 gb).
In the NL, Atlanta fought its way to another NL East crown with only 86 wins while the rest of the playoff field is the typical Brewers/Cardinals and Dodgers/DBacks combo. Maybe this will be the year the Dodgers or Cardinals finally win their first pennant!
American League: Oakland A's
National League: Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona vs Oakland -- it's a west coast World Series! The DBacks are back in the World Series for the first time since Year 0, looking to finish the job. Meanwhile, this is the A's first appearance, coming on the heels of their only division title since Year 0. Fan favorite Mark McGwire definitely has America on Oakland's side, but is that enough to overcome the pitching duo of Randy and Curt?
YEAR NINETEEN CHAMPION: OAKLAND ATHLETICS
The undisputed MVP of Year 0, now Big Mac is a champion!!
Oakland becomes the sixth team to win a title while the DBacks are 0-2 in the World Series
Tampa Bay reasserts itself in the AL East, taking the division by a slim five game margin over rivals Boston and New York. Detroit wins the AL Central by only one game over Cleveland, who sneaks into the wild card spot... technically the White Sox finished third, the GB and reorganizing may not have been done the best here ;) Regardless, we see pre-Year 0 title favorite Detroit win the division and punch another ticket to the postseason. I'm hoping we hear from Detroit and Texas, another team that's made a few wild cards but no real dent (0 division titles)... of course, a lot of that has to do with Houston, who's got 103 more wins and looking to get back to its seemingly rightful place as AL Champions again.
On the NL side, you know the Brewers are battling hard for a Houston rematch, but even at 100 wins, they'll be hosting the wild card game instead because St. Louis reeled off an impressive 103 victories! Milwaukee will host Philly, who lost the division to the Expos on the last week of the season when the two teams went head to head, finishing a mere 2 games back. The defending pennant winners claimed another NL West and believe THIS is the year Arizona claims a championship.
American League: Detroit Tigers
National League: Philadelphia Phillies
Finally, Detroit breaks through to the World Series after such a disappointing showing in Year 0. This is the team managed by beloved blog favorite Jeff, frequent host of the youtube podcast "Bourbon over Baseball", and it's about damn time his team won for him! However, he'll have to get past Philadelphia, who already beat Tier 1 Corbin Burnes and the 100 win Brewers in Milwaukee, then took out 103-win STL before stopping the Arizona DBacks from taking back-to-back pennants. Drafted by Bosh on the discord, perhaps the most meticulously researched and well-strategized squad, the Phillies are every bit the Tigers' equal.... this is a matchup we've all been waiting to witness!
YEAR TWENTY CHAMPION: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
With a celebration foretold by Zack Wheeler's card, Philly becomes the seventh franchise to win a title!
Year Twenty-One:
Tampa Bay edges out Boston in a HOTLY contested AL East while Cleveland ends up winning the AL Central by 9 games after some hot competition early from Detroit. The best teams are, unsurprisingly, all out west though... but surprisingly, those best teams are the Angels and Mariners! LAA and SEA are the only two AL teams with 90 wins or more this year, but the perennially pesky Houston Astros make yet another playoff appearance, as 88 wins gets Houston into the final playoff slot.
In the NL, the Brewers reclaim the 1 seed with 101 win season while St. Louis dips back to 86 wins, which is still good enough for a wild card. LAD dethrones the DBacks out west to take that division title, and they'll matchup once more with the Phillies in the first round. I'm going to get to frequent playoff matchups later, when all the years are simulated, but Dodgers vs Phillies and Dodgers vs Expos are some of the most subtle playoff rivalries that definitely formed in this league -- they play A LOT! Speaking of the Expos, they're in the wild card after the Phillies flipped the script in the last series this year, taking the NL East... but we know how that went for the wild card team last year!
American League: Tampa Bay Rays
National League: Los Angeles Dodgers
This seemed like the perfect chance for Seattle or the Angels to break through, or even Cleveland to finally win a pennant with its dominant pitching, but we'll see the Rays make another World Series appearance behind its unbelievable bullpen! They'll be squaring off against the Dodgers, who finally run the NL gauntlet and earn a pennant victory... can they take a world series to boot? Time for a 2020 World Series rematch!
YEAR TWENTY-ONE CHAMPION: TAMPA BAY RAYS
Another Tier 0 reliever for the Rays, McGee emphasizes how unbelievably deep this bullpen is (and how successful that's helped TB to be in this sim). Friend of the blog Japes collects another World Series crown for his Rays!
Year Twenty-Two:
Detroit is taking the 1 seed in the AL this year, with 96 victories... the shocking twist is that the AL Central is taking the other two wild cards too, as the 88 win Royals will host the 87 win White Sox. WDR's wife drafted the Royals, who actually have a decent share of division titles in years that haven't been simmed yet, while blog friend Kevin's White Sox have (seemingly) won the majority of AL Central titles without much playoff success to show for it. However, all these teams are going to have to go through AL titans Houston and Boston if an AL Central team will win its first World Series.
On the other side, Montreal is back in the NL East champion slot, sweeping the Phillies to end the season to clear the playoff path for Atlanta and Milwaukee! That's right, the vaunted Brewers are sneaking into the final wild card spot where they'll play their city's old franchise in Atlanta... the winner will get to travel to Montreal, where Pedro is firing on all cylinders! Meanwhile, Arizona took care of business out west, flip-flopping again with the Dodgers. Definitely a disappointment so far for SD, SD and Colorado fans.
American League: Chicago White Sox
National League: Montreal Expos
Whew, from 87 wins to pennant-winning, the White Sox went on a magical run through the AL this season! Now the Big Hurt is looking to justify his enormous points salary alongside ace Chris Sale by taking out Canada's NL squad! However, the Expos really want to join the rarified air of franchises with multiple titles, working on chasing down Milwaukee (4) and Houston (3) for the top spot in championships!
YEAR TWENTY-TWO CHAMPION: MONTREAL EXPOS
The "other Martinez" dominated this World Series, going 2-0 in his starts
as the Expos took out the White Sox to win their second championship!
Year Twenty-Three:
Another season, another Houston title in the AL West. The Mariners make another wild card, edging out the White Sox, Rangers and Red Sox by 2 games or less for the final playoff spot. Hosting Seattle will be the 86 win Yankees, still looking for that elusive first pennant. Detroit takes another AL Central title while the Rays continue their hot streak in the East.
Out in the NL, truly rarified air this season -- no Brewers in the playoffs! That's right, a guaranteed season of no Astros-Brewers... instead, the Cubs claim the NL Central crown and the #1 seed in the playoffs, with the Dodgers and Expos once again facing off in the NLDS. Arizona and St. Louis -- the battle of my old college friends Mikey and Kyle -- square off in the wild card, four of the five teams searching for their first title!
American League: Detroit Tigers
National League: Los Angeles Dodgers
Something's gotta give -- the Tigers and Dodgers return for their second bite at the World Series apple, and one of them is going to win a first crown!
YEAR TWENTY-THREE CHAMPION: DETROIT TIGERS
Detroit rode its first two picks - Tier 1 aces Verlander and Scherzer -- past the Dodgers in six games.
This was the kind of Detroit team the majority of managers expected when they received the most World Series winner
votes prior to the Year 0 season!
In many ways, this is a very typical season -- Boston, Chicago and Houston winning their divisions in the AL while Milwaukee gets the NL 1 seed with 100+ wins as the Dodgers and Expos prepare to square up in the NLDS, with the Cardinals slotted to go in the wild card game... but there's some fun exceptions! The final NL Wild Card spot was tightly battled until the end between the Giants and Padres, with San Fran barely edging their NL West rival and Atlanta in the last week of the season. The Reds finished third in the NL Central. And on the AL side, we've got two wild card teams from the Central, including the Royals!
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
Of course, as soon as I say this has the underpinnings of a unique season, we're "treated" to another Brewers-Astros matchup. This will be the fifth World Series matchup between these two teams, with Milwaukee entering this fray at 3-1.
4-1, advantage Brewers
Year Twenty-Six:
Coming off their World Series defeat, the Astros came roaring out of the gate and ended up cruising to the #1 seed in the AL with 103 wins. No other AL team even got to 90 wins, but the A's and Tigers both got to 89. The only tight race was out east, where Boston and Tampa battled into the last week of the year, those folks from Fenway edging out the blokes from the Bay by two games.
The NL had an extremely tight race in the East and West (Brewers ran away with the Central... again). Of note, St. Louis finished with only 78 wins, a cause for celebration to a Cardinals hater like myself! MEanwhile, the top four teams in the NL West finished with only four games of separation... but that was all the DBacks needed to edge out the Padres, Dodgers and Giants. Out east, there were only three games between the Expos and third place Phillies... but the Phillies won more games than any NL West team and comfortably took the second wild card. They'll travel to Atlanta for the wild card game, winner getting first crack at the Brewers while Expos v DBacks is set to go! So who's going to the World Series?
National League: Montreal Expos
In a rematch from year 17, we're getting Expos v Rays. We know the storylines from the "move from TB" storyline, but now there's some imaginary Blake Snell and David Price claiming the Rays lefties can dominate Soto and Walker this time around that's making headlines and ramping up the competition!!
YEAR TWENTY-SIX CHAMPION: MONTREAL EXPOS
The World Series MVP, don't mess with Larry Walker when a title is on the line!!!
...unless it's real life, he never won a World Series after all
Year Twenty-Seven:
The AL East was an incredibly entertaining race in Year Twenty-Seven, with the Rays and Red Sox going into the final day tied for not only the AL East crown, but the #1 seed. Boston ended up coming away with the 97th win, but the Rays will host the Angels in the wild card. Houston won another ho-hum division championship, but the Royals winning the AL Central (with only 83 wins) felt HUGE in Kansas City.
Meanwhile, we have to talk about it -- the Brewers won 116 games. The second-best NL record was the Cardinals at 88-74, and they finished 28 games back in the NL Central (and will host the wild card). They'll be going against the Padres, who lost the NL West in the last week of the season but are excited to have a shot, while the DBacks are division champs again. In the NL East, the Phillies have reclaiming their spot at the top over the Expos by two games.
In the postseason, the Cardinals immediately crushed Milwaukee's dreams -- continuing the Year 0 trend of Milwaukee's most dominant squads dropping out in the NLDS to a wild card. The Cardinals crushed them by a combined score of 24-6 in a 3-1 series victory. The 16-1 win in game 2 was especially demoralizing. With that, Kyle's Cardinals faced off once more against Mikey's DBacks in the NLCS.. where Arizona promptly swept them. On the other side, the Royals made a surprising run to the ALCS that unfortunately ended thanks to the even-more surprising surge by the LA Angels.
American League: Los Angeles Angels
National League: Arizona Diamondbacks
The Angels win their first pennant, breaking through from the Wild Card game to beat the 96 win Rays and 97 win Red Sox en route to the World Series. The DBacks are in yet another World Series, but they still haven't won one yet.... will this be the time? In fact, it will be a clean sweep for Arizona en route to their first championship.
YEAR 27 CHAMP: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Behind their ace, the DBacks swept their way to a title. Randy set the tone in game 1, going 8 IP and striking out 13 hitters in a shut out win!
Year Twenty-Nine:
In the NL, Montreal barely squeaked by the Phillies to take another division title, and Philly will find itself facing St. Louis in the wild card round. The Brewers are the #1 seed with only 93 wins, as the NL only had two teams over 90 wins. Definitely a lot of compact teams this year. The races for the postseason were all decided in the last weekend, with the DBacks missing the division title by one game and the wild card by two games after losing 3 of 4 to the Giants to finish the season.
American League: Los Angeles Angels
National League: St. Louis Cardinals
The Angels are in back-to-back World Series despite not winning the division in either Year 27 or Year 29. But they'll be squaring off against first time NL Pennant winning St. Louis, my least favorite franchise. Can Kyle's team finally overcome the hurdle of being perpetually in second place in the NL Central and take home the glory? Or is it FINALLY Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani's turn to hoist the World Series trophy?
YEAR 29 CHAMPION: LOS ANGELES ANGELS
The Angels' first title has to be credited, in part, to their insane infield defense, led by this man right here.
Year Thirty-One
Tampa Bay and the White Sox, yadada... it's all about the West this year! Once again, the #1 seed is coming from the AL West and so are the two wild cards... but this time, the #1 seed is first-time in a fully simulated division champ Seattle! We finally get to see the Mariners head into the postseason locked in and ready to go as the 1 seed... although they're going to have to face the vaunted Astros or the back-to-back pennant winning Angels in round 1.
On the other side, it's the typical spread -- Milwaukee is the 1 seed with 100+ wins while the Expos and Dodgers square off in the NLDS. Cardinals and Phillies are wild card teams. Predictable participants, but at least the matchups are always epic!
American League: Seattle Mariners
National Leauge: St. Louis Cardinals
Now THIS is the greatest World Series in the 30 for 30 simulation. Seattle took game one at home, 4-0. St. Louis evened the series with a 7-2 game two victory. In game three, Seattle poured it on in STL for a 6-3 win. St. Louis tied it again with a dramatic 3-2 win in game four. For the last game in St. Louis, the Mariners blanked the Cardinals 3-0, sending the series back home up 3 games to 2.
But in Game 6, the Cardinals struck early and often en route to a 6-0 beatdown, setting up a game 7. On the mound Adam Wainwright and Jamie Moyer. These two engaged in an epic pitcher's dual -- 8 IP with only 6 H, 0 BB for Moyer, 9 IP with a mere 2 H and 1 BB for Waino. Edwin Diaz shut down the ninth inning for the Mariners against the heart of the order. It was 0-0 after nine innings, a complete pitcher's dual! In the top of the 11th, the order came around and with 1 outs, Jeff Nelson faced the Cardinals' superstar and franchise legend Albert Pujols... who promptly belted a ball 479 feet to straight away center. Griffey could only watch it sail over the fence to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the 11th inning. Closer Pat Neshek then had to take on the top of the Mariners lineup, and Ichiro immediately singled to start the inning. But with Yadi behind the plate, no steal was attempted and Neshek settled in and took out A-Rod, Edgar Martinez and Griffey in quick succession to end the game and seal St. Louis' first 30 for 30 title!!
Going to be hard to top this World Series match-up... Albert left his heart in Seattle to claim that title!
Year Thirty-Three
Looks like nature is healing, as Houston reclaims the AL West division crown. No worries though, the Angels and Mariners are still in the postseason to gun for continued glory. Tampa Bay and Detroit finished with the best records, respectively, in the AL though, as they clinched another division to add to their total.
Out in the NL, it's another Montreal 95-win team that will be the 2 seed because Milwaukee came roaring back after seeing another NL Central team win a World Series, tabulating 107 wins in year 33. The Cardinals weren't going to be left out though, as they'll face the Cubs in the Wild Card game. Out West, it was a rough year for most teams, with an 84-win DBacks squad comfortably winning the division.
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
Almost feels like nature is healing, doesn't it? After quite an absence, it's time for ROUND SIX of this World Series rivalry.
Another monster year, another non-title for the Brewers as the Astros win their fourth WS title!
The rivalry is much more even now, 4-2.
Also, Bourn is one of my favorite value picks in the league - so much speed and defense for the Astros!
Year Thirty-Four
Another year of Tampa Bay and Houston divisional supremacy, although the Angels paced with the Astros pretty well until the homecoming stretch, ending up in the wild card game against Detroit. AL teams really circled around .500 which led to a cool (albeit underwhelming) chase for the second wild card.
Meanwhile, the surprising Atlanta squad that won the NL East also finds itself in the #1 seed! It was a tightly bunched season, with NINE NL teams finishing at .500 or better... or in other words, four squads finishing within five games of the last wild card spot! I was really hoping for another San Diego playoff appearance, but they were sadly two games back when all was said and done.
American League: Cleveland Guardians
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
Just like that, we've got another new World Series participant!! It was only a matter of time before Cleveland arrived in the World Series - also, this was the expected matchup after the regular season in Year 0, as both Cleveland and Milwaukee were the 1 seeds that season! I like what Cleveland's manager did in constructing his team (minus drafting team-controlled Corey Kluber in Round 3 ;)) by snagging an elite rotation with a lineup centered around star hitters Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome. Definitely going to be a worthy adversary for the three Tier 1 starters in Milwaukee!
YEAR 34 CHAMPIONS: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
And just like that, Francisco Lindor is celebrating the city of Cleveland's first 30 for 30 title!!!
I know a lot of the players on discord will be thrilled with this team bringing home a championship to the Showdown capital, Cleveland OH.
Year Thirty-Five:
The division winners really came out firing in the AL -- the closest margin was 7 games, and the Rays still won 96 games! Houston takes the 1 seed again with another 100 win season, while the Rangers make a wild card appearance with 90 wins. Boston will be traveling to Texas for the wild card game, while the Detroit Tigers are looking to make another playoff run after cruising to a 15 game lead in the AL Central en route to a 95-67 season that results in the 3 seed. Should be a great playoffs!
Out in the NL, it's another year of Brewers and Dodgers taking the 1 and 2 seed... but the Marlins are back in the three seed! They barely outlasted their division rivals in the final week of the season, edging out Montreal by one game, Philly by 3 games and the Mets by 4 games. Definitely one of the wildest, closest division races we've seen! Montreal will get a crack at the Cardinals in the wild card, but I think we're all rooting for the Marlins to make a deeper run than in Year 0 and give us another breakthrough pennant winner!
American League: Tampa Bay Rays
National League: St. Louis Cardinals
So it wasn't the Brewers, but an NL Central team is in the World Series for the fifth straight season... and this time, Kyle's offensive-minded squad is taking on the Rays. It is hilarious comparing the bullpens of these teams, as the Rays are absolutely loaded while the Cardinals punted every reliever after the top 3. So far, they've made a lot of playoffs but only have one title to show for it... but maybe the absolutely bananas lineup can bash its way to a second title against the frequently winning Rays!
YEAR 35 CHAMPION: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Say what you want about St. Louis, but Scott Rolen's 2004 card has to be one of my all-time favs.
An absolute unit that does it all... and he's not even in their three most expensive hitters!
Boston blew the doors off the AL East, but what's remarkable is Riley's Orioles finishing in second place! Their outfield defense really seemed to burn them in this simulation, so it's nice to see a rare year where they pass the .500 mark! Boston is the only team over 90 wins in the AL this season, giving them the one seed over the White Sox (88) and Astros (87). This was a prime chance to unseat the Astros and keep them out of the playoffs... but instead, they're back and their competition includes three AL Central teams. You know that Houston has its eyes on another title with that competition.
On the other side, the Cubs unseated the Brewers atop the NL Central, but Milwaukee still snuck into the playoffs. They'll square off with Philly again in the wild card round... at this point, basically any matchup between a combination of Philadelphia-Montreal-Milwaukee-St. Louis-Arizona-Los Angeles Dodgers is an undoubted rivalry game. Atlanta breaks the mold of that "supreme six" again, taking another #1 seed with 95 games. Can the two teams that originated in Boston meet in the world series like their seeds suggest?
American League: Boston Red Sox
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
Well, they were a wild card team and yet.... here they are again! Milwaukee wins another pennant, and their reward is a matchup with Year 0 champ Boston. I hate to tell Cubs fans this... so close your ears Miles (Cubs manager), but this was a cursed playoffs for y'all. YES, we almost got the Cubs-Red Sox World Series that tv executives have been dreaming of for years.... how close did we get? How about a 3-0 series lead by the Cubbies in the NLCS??? However, it all fell apart for the Cubs, with a 9-0 game 4 win by Milwaukee... and then Tom Gordon blowing the save in the bottom of the ninth in game 5, giving up two runs to blow the 3-1 lead after Arrieta went 8 innings and gave up only 1... they'd lose the game in a walkoff single by Yelich in the 10th. Jeffress blew it again in the 8th in Game 6, a 2-2 tie suddenly evaporated and giving Milwaukee a 3-2 win.... and then Milwaukee destroyed them in Game 7, 9-1. There'd been rumors that Jeremy Jeffress just hated being on the Cubs rather than Brewers in the draft, but that was ridiculous.
Whew... so anyway, now we've got a much less fun matchup in the world series, with the somehow evil empire Brewers surviving a 3-0 deficit like they're the quirky underdogs. Can the Red Sox avenge their cursed brethren???
YEAR 37 CHAMPIONS: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Lol nope.
Here's Hoffman, my personal favorite snipe in the 30 for 30 draft (Sorry San Diego)
Year Thirty-Nine:
Well, well, well, turns out Boston did not take that World Series loss kindly, storming to 100 wins and another AL East crown + 1 seed in the AL. They've got to get past Detroit and Houston as the other division winners, with the Angels and Rays battling in the Wild Card.
Montreal is back in the 1 seed on the other side, winning 99 games. Atlanta continues its surge in the '30s, winning 93 games and finding itself back in the playoffs. Milwaukee is a wild card again, but now St. Louis is back on top of the division. The Cubs, undoubtedly feeling deflated, fall to 86 wins. Arizona takes the NL West again.
American League: Boston Red Sox
National League: St. Louis Cardinals
Here comes a rematch of the 2013 World Series, with the two teams combining for 198 wins this season! The key will definitely be whether Boston can force St. Louis to use its putrid bullpen... meanwhile, Boston can safely lean on its controversial first rounder, Koji Uehara in dire situations!
YEAR 39 CHAMPION: BOSTON RED SOX
WDR really believed in this guy, and it's paid off for the tune of a third World Series title!
Year Forty:
Every single playoff team won at least 90 games, which feels significant. Wild, but Milwaukee is the worst division winner... less wild is that Houston won the most games. We're back to a NL playoff bracket completely made of teams from the "supreme six" while the Yankees pop into the playoff picture for the first time in a while. Honestly feels super wide open and like the best teams are represented - should be an awesome playoffs!!
American League: Tampa Bay Rays
National League: Philadelphia Phillies
We've got a rematch of the 2008 World Series, with Bosh's meticulously crafted Phillies taking on Japes' Rays... a team that Bosh contributed to when Japes couldn't draft! Will Bosh win his second title in Philly or be stopped by a team that he helped create???
YEAR FORTY CHAMPION: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Gotta give some love here to another one of my favorite snipes -- Bryce Harper being taken away from the Expos, just like Philly did before the 2019 season. Philly's lineup is stacked, as Harper isn't a top 3 hitter for them.
Year Forty-Two:
The American League was not overly exciting in the regular season. Each division was decided by 9 games, and the winners are teams we are used to -- Tampa Bay, Detroit and Houston. Cleveland and LAA slide into the wild card slots, both by comfortable margins. Fun note though -- the Blue Jays took second in the AL East this season! It's been a while, despite them winning two division titles early on.
Out in the NL, we've got "supreme six" teams from the NL East and Central... but oh boy, that is what I am talking about in the NL West!!! The Padres win the NL West with 90 games, their first division title that we've seen in completed playoffs (full disclosure, they're in a lot of postseasons that haven't been simmed yet, so don't give up hope!). But the big surprise has to be the Rockies -- this is DEFINITELY their only playoff berth so far, sliding into a wild card matchup against the mighty Brewers as an 86 win team. See, the Rockies have a 70 pt, Control 0 on at 18 starter in the fifth rotation slot. He typically goes like 1-31, which really harms the team's shot at making the playoffs. It'll be interesting to see if the Rockies can make a splash now that the rotations are 4-man and their offense (easily the most expensive in baseball) gets to cut loose!
American League: Cleveland Guardians
National League: Colorado Rockies
That's right, Bob -- your Rockies won the pennant!!! Considering the handicap that Wright is, this is a MASSIVE accomplishment. They took out my Brewers 7-3 in the wild card game, then knocked off the 1 seeded Cardinals in five games, winning the decisive game 5 3-0. In the NLCS, they faced off against division foe San Diego in my favorite NLCS team matchup so far. However, it was shortlived, as in true 2007 fashion, the Rockies swept them.
So now, they turn their sights on another Wild Card 2 that went on an underdog run through the AL, Cleveland... and the Guardians have their sights on a second title!
Well, we're onto another epic World Series matchup like Year 31. Cleveland jumped all over Colorado in game one with a 10-0 win. They continued piling on in game two, winning 4-0. The Rockies bats came alive in Coors though, taking game three by a 7-2 score. Game four was a feisty one, a back-and-forth affair dominated by offense early, with Cleveland putting up 7 runs in the first four innings and then holding on for dear life, eventually leaving with a 3-1 series lead on the strength of a 7-6 win. Back against the wall, Colorado took game five 7-4, sending the series back to the Capital of Showdown on the verge of a Cleveland title... but NOT SO FAST MY FRIENDS, Colorado came out swinging in game six and prevailed by a 4-2 score.
So Game 7, matchup of Kyle Freeland and Charles Nagy - a classic dual of aces ;)
Cleveland poured it on early, racing to a 5-1 lead heading into the 8th inning. However, that's where things got shaky for Nagy, who gave up a solo shot to Eric Young Sr and then a two-run blast to Ellis Burks, suddenly cutting the score to 5-4! However, they turned the ball over to Andrew Miller in the ninth and he went 1-2-3 with 3 K to shut the door and save another World Series championship for Cleveland!
YEAR 42 CHAMPION: CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Cleveland's success has been similarly tempered by their fifth starter -- also a Control 0.
He's a tier better than Colorado's but still... wild these teams faced off!
Year Forty-Four:
Ok, this has to be another favorite for me! First of all, I love seeing Toronto in the wild card game! They haven't broken through in these first 30 years, but I like the team that Chris put together -- big shout out to him by the way, since this was his first Showdown experience and he went toe-to-toe with some of the most experienced players in one of the more ambitious/technical leagues ever in such a way that he got legit votes for best draft. Big kudos to Chris, and I hope to see Toronto make a run... which should be easier since the Astros not only missed the playoffs, but somehow finished under .500! This is a huge opportunity for the rest of the division, which the Angels and Mariners used to make another postseason, with LAA taking the #1 seed in the AL.
On the other side, Milwaukee passed the 100 win threshold again (but for the first time in a while) to take the 1 seed. My good friend, card creating partner and major blog contributor Matt's Giants will be in the playoffs here too, winning 86 games in the NL West. They'll take on Kyle's Cardinals in the wild card... with my Brewers waiting for the winner! We've got mainstay LAD taking on Atlanta on the other side, a squad that's definitely been making moves! More "fun" twists this saeson -- Arizona in last place with 94 losses somehow. This is why we did 101 simulations: needed to get the full picture of how these teams did, because imagine if a team clearly as successful as the DBacks in this sim only got this kind of season to look at? Just nuts!
American League: Los Angeles Angels
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
Wow, another season where the two #1 seeds actually get to matchup! However, it was clear that the Angels were the better squad in a 4-2 series win, giving them another championship and keeping the Brewers from claiming another title.
YEAR 44 CHAMPION: LOS ANGELES ANGELS
This version of Troy Glaus shows how much they nerfed him in the 01 set... we deserve OB 10, +4 Glaus!
Year Forty-Five:
This one hurt. The two teams in the AL East that I am MOST invested in seeing get bites at the playoff apple both finished ONE GAME from a division title!!! The Rays, who've already got multiple World Series, edged out Baltimore and Toronto in HEARTBREAKING fashion to steal another division crown and the three side while these two frequent bottom feeders have to miss the playoffs again. Going to be a long offseason for them both. Meanwhile, Chicago squeaked by the Guardians in the AL Central by only two games ... while the Mariners won the West by 1 game over Texas and 2 games over the Astros, our two wild card teams. That's right, 86 win Seattle is the #1 seed somehow. This is the tightest bunching of teams (and frankly how I thought the W-L records would be bunched the vast majority of seasons, because coming in, it looked like everyone was VERY evenly matched)!
On the NL side, we did see Milwaukee run away with the Central again, winning 97 games, while the Cardinals claimed a wild card berth. Arizona beat out the Dodgers at the tail end of the year again, winning the division by one game, while Montreal edged out Philly by 2 games to take the East. Another season of all "supreme six" squads in the NL.
American League: Houston Astros
National League: Arizona Diamondbacks
Wow, Houston crawled from the bottom of the wild card to another World Series berth -- this team cannot be counted out. Meanwhile, Arizona overcame its division foe for a SECOND time this year in the NLCS, punching its ticket back to the promised land after its 94 loss season in year 44. Which of these teams is adding another World Series title to the trophy case?
YEAR 45 CHAMPION: HOUSTON ASTROS
The recipe for success? Have a ton of controlled, guaranteed talent and then draft awesome pitching
This may qualify as a dynasty
Year Forty-Six:
Well, there was no doubt about Tampa winning the AL East this season, as they paced the division with 94 wins. They'll be the 2 seeds to the defending champs down in Houston, who reeled off 97 wins while the division rival Mariners (92) and Rangers (85) snag the wild card spots. The Tigers take the 3 seed with only 85 wins, but they are always dangerous!
Out in the NL, it's back-to-back years of the Expos knocking off the Phillies by two games. St. Louis and Chicago had the second and third best records in the NL... and are in the wild card again because Milwaukee accumulated 106 victories. The Dodgers are also going to square off with the Expos AGAIN in the NLDS, renewing their 2 vs 3 rivalry once more.
American League: Detroit Tigers
National League: Los Angeles Dodgers
YEAR 46 CHAMPION: DETROIT TIGERS
Give it up for Jeff -- our favorite podcast host and discord mod -- because he's the owner of a multi-champion squad now, with his other Tier 1 ace being featured here! Sure, this feels like a '06 Cardinals title, but as they say in St. Louis: flags fly forever!
Year Forty-Seven:
This is the last non-stats season to have been simulated (years 1-50 are non-stats kept), but it sure features a lot of "favorites" making it back to the postseason. We've got the Rays and Red Sox coming out of the AL East after an epic division race resulting in a 1-game victory for TB. Detroit, the defending champs, get a shot to defend their crown against the dynastic Astros in the first round after Houston narrowly outlasted the Angels in the West. Hard to think of a more fitting playoff field than five of the seven AL teams that have won World Series titles in the prior 30 playoff simulations.
On the NL side, we've got another playoffs made up entirely of "supreme six" squads: Philly and Montreal in the East (also ending in an epic 1-game margin), Milwaukee taking the 1 seed and a 4-game division win over the Cardinals, who make yet another wild card appearance, and the DBacks winning the NL West. Arizona will be back in their dangerous 3 seed slot, looking to make another run against Philly in Round 1 just like Year 0!
In the playoffs, St. Louis took out Montreal 4-3, putting up 9 hits and earning 3 walks off Pedro. On the other side, the Angels outlasted the Red Sox 2-1 in 10 innings thanks to a burst of offense by the bottom of their order, including a game-winning RBI by 9-hitter David Fletcher.
The Angels kept it rolling in the ALDS, taking out the Rays in four games by a 13-5 margin. However, Milwaukee stopped the Cardinals' dreams in a TIGHT four game series, with 3/4 of the games decided by one run and game 3 ending in a 6-4 Brewers' win. The Phillies took out the DBacks in a dramatic five-game series, but in the end, ace Zack Wheeler pitched 8 innings of scoreless baseball as Philadelphia advanced at home in a 3-0 win. Rounding out the divisional series, Houston kept rolling and forced an AL West showdown by beating Detroit in four, including a resounding 14-2 victory in game four.
The ALCS was all Angels early, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind 6-1, 5-2 and 5-2 victories... but then came the Astros, winning two in LA to send the series back to Houston... where the Angels promptly squashed dreams of another title by three-run HR by Troy Glaus in the seventh inning to give LAA the lead for good in a 6-5 win! Meanwhile, in the NLCS, the Brewers lost game 1 and then turned up the pitching, holding Philly to one run combined in games two, three and four... then they dominated game five 9-5 to send themselves to yet another World Series.
American League: Los Angeles Angels
National League: Milwaukee Brewers
We've got a rematch of Year 44 and the Brewers are thirsty for revenge! Milwaukee's pitching was as cold as a nice cool shandy, holding the Angels to 8 runs over five games. The bullpen was truly unflappable, as Milwaukee won each of their four games by two runs or less... a very Milwaukee series win, and they clearly have the most World Series titles so far!
YEAR 47 CHAMPION: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Dynasty? DYNASTY
So like I said, we've had "only" thirty-one playoffs simulated of the Years 0-50, which means there's still 20 seasons left for Savard to simulate from these non-stat seasons. We've also got Years 51-100 coming, where Savard pulled yearly statistics like he did for Year 0. Twenty-six of those fifty years were able to be fully simulated, and those results will be coming next.
Hopefully Savard's computer will be able to run again before too long to fill in the 20 years from the "non-stat" era and the 24 years from the stat era, allowing for the FULL summary of all the simulations and team performances! But as it stands right now, let's check out how many playoff appearances and division titles at from Years 0 through 50, with the results from the 31 playoffs that have been simmed worked in too:
**Teams that made a game 163, whether for division title or play-in for wild card, were given credit for a playoff appearance
(1) Milwaukee, Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers demonstrate the key to the draft was controllable star talent that could be penned in for the late rounds, allowing their owners to draft key role players and bullpen pieces away from the competition.
(2) Starting pitching is the most dominate force in the simulation. Ten teams won multiple World Series in the first 31 simulations, and the common thread was awesome starting pitching, particularly for Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, Montreal, Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland.
(3) The National League, as I kept saying, did truly have a "supreme six" in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Montreal, Philadelphia, Arizona and Los Angeles. Those six teams combined to win 137 of a possible 153 division titles (89% of division titles) along with 30 of the 31 pennants. The lone team from outside the "supreme six" to make a World Series from the NL? Those pesky Rockies, who did it as an 86 win wild card!
(4) By comparison, the American League felt much more wide open because it felt like nine teams always had a shot at their division... But upon a quick glance, it was clear that the AL's best six teams are Houston, Tampa Bay, Boston, Detroit, Cleveland and Los Angeles. Those six teams combined to win 120 out of 153 possible division titles (78%), and those same six teams still took home 28 pennants. In the end, it's a more top heavy league than I anticipated!
(5) Only two teams failed to make the playoffs, period, and they both play in the NL Central. Because of the Brewers and Cardinals success in the postseason (9/31 World Series and 16/31 NL Pennants), I'm saying their failures are more due to the elite teams in their division rather than the Brewers, Cardinals and Cubs having inflated W-L records against bad teams.
(6) Montreal is 3-0 in World Series, making them the only squad with three World Series appearances that remains unbeaten. If it expands to generally making multiple World Series, Cleveland joins at 2-0. Oakland is the only team to make only one World Series and emerge 1-0.
(7) The NL West is really struggling. The Dodgers and DBacks are a combined 1-7 in World Series, and the division is 1-8. The other three teams have made a total of 11 playoff appearances in the first 51 years. Even the NL Central, with two teams with ZERO playoff appearances, got 15 appearances from their #3 team (Cubs). One World Series title is also the lowest for any division: (1) NL Central 9; (2) AL West 8; (3) NL East 5; (T4) AL Central 4; (T4) AL East 4; (6) NL West 1.
(8) I love the rivalries that have formed... here's my favorite repetitive matchups in the playoffs:
- Brewers vs. Astros
- Dodgers vs. Expos
- Phillies vs. DBacks
- Rays vs. Tigers
- Cardinals vs. DBacks
(9) Twelve franchises currents have championships. Some teams, especially the Yankees, have their best seasons waiting to have their playoffs simulated. So one of the fun things to me is projecting who will be the next team to win a championship (and figuring out how many teams will end up with titles). Here's the top ten teams I think are next in line for a first championship:
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Chicago White Sox
- Atlanta Braves
- Texas Rangers
- Seattle Mariners
- Chicago Cubs
- New York Yankees
- Miami Marlins
- San Diego Padres
- Baltimore Orioles
Ok, that was A LOT of information -- if you're still here, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Keep your eye out for more posts in the coming weeks, I love summarizing these seasons.
Please let me know your thoughts on the simulation, the results, predictions for upcoming playoffs, overrated/underrated teams, etc. etc., I love the feedback.
Enjoy seeing one of my favorite players, who's trying to help the Royals break through in the AL!
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