2055 POSTSEASON REPORTS

SIMBL NEW FILE ERA CAREER POSTSEASON LEADERBOARDS
SIMBL NEW FILE ERA SNGLE-POSTSEASON LEADERBOARDS

RETURN TO GLORY:

SAN DIEGO WINS SIMBL-RECORD 12TH SIMBL CHAMPIONSHIP, FIRST IN 22 SEASONS, TAKE DOWN RIVAL CALGARY IN CLASSIC SEVEN-GAME SERIES, ARE 2055 SIMBL CHAMPIONS

San Diego's Pablo Olivarez (above) celebrates and taunts after he got back to the dugout after hitting the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning of Game Seven of the 2055 SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series against Calgary.  Olivarez's clutch home run was a championship winner and ended up being the difference in propelling the Warewolves to their SIMBL-record 12th SIMBL championship and first in 22 years.

San Diego's Pablo Olivarez (above right) pumps forearms after hitting a historic two-run 2055 SIMBL championship-winning home run in the top of the 10th inning in Game Seven to help the Warewolves to win the 2055 SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series in seven games over longtime rival Calgary giving San Diego their 12th SIMBL championship in the 51-season history of the league. Olivarez hit .410 with 6 HR 18 RBI with a 1.250 OPS in 21 games and 83 at bats in San Diego's wildcard 2055 championship postseason run.  The 31 year-old #6 overall pick of the 2046 SIMBL Draft was named the 2055 SLCS and 2055 SIMBL CS Most Valuable Player in both series.

San Diego teammates celebrate after winning the 2055 SIMBL championship in extra innings of Game Seven over Calgary.  The 'Wolves win their 12th SIMBL championship and their first since the 2033 season.  San Diego becomes the 9th wildcard and first in 13 years since the 2038 Toronto Rush to win the SIMBL championship.  The Warewolves end a three-series losing streak after advancing to the SIMBL CS and losing in 2037, 2038 and 2046.

2055 SIMBL CS:
SAN DIEGO 4 CALGARY 3

2055 SIMBL CS MVP:
San Diego CF Pablo Olivarez

2055 SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series:
Game One: San Diego 4 Calgary 2
Player Of The Game: San Diego SP Mark Sipp
Game Two: Calgary 4 San Diego 3
Player Of The Game: Calgary SP Jason Floyd
Game Three: San Diego 4 Calgary 2
Player Of The Game: Calgary SP Bill O'Toole
Game Four: Calgary 6 San Diego 1
Player Of The Game: San Diego SP Alan Walker
Game Five: Calgary 5 San Diego 2
Player Of The Game: Calgary SP Arturo Martinez
Game Six: San Diego San Diego 4 Calgary 2
Player Of The Game: San Diego SP Mark Bell
Game Seven: San Diego 7 Calgary 5 (10 Innings)
Player Of The Game: San Diego SP Duck Abbott

In a series between two of the SIMBL's traditional biggest rivals, the San Diego Warewoves of SIMBL charter GM and franchise founder Paul Ware and SIMBL charter GM and Calgary Clippers franchise founder Christian DeMarco, the 'Wolves ousted the 'Clips in classic style winning the 2055 SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship series in seven games on a two-run home run by SIMBL CS MVP Pablo Olivarez in the top of the 10th inning of Game Seven.

It's the SIMBL-record 12th SIMBL championship for the Warewolves and their first since the 2033 season ending a 22-season title drought.  San Diego denied Calgary of the their 8th SIMBL title, the second-most in the SIMBL's 51-season history, and the first for the Clippers in 12 seasons dating back to the 2043 season.  The Warewolves won their 12th title in 18 total trips to the SIMBL CS and end a three-SIMBL CS losing streak after being beat in the 2037 and 2038 SIMBL CS repeat series against Toronto and in the 2046 SIMBL CS to Montreal.  Calgary advanced to the 11th SIMBL CS in franchise history (7-4) and to their first since the 2043 season.

The two franchises had one of the most intense rivalries of the SIMBL's First File Era (2005-2018) between long-time friends Paul and Christian, who after 5 real-life years of friendship, years of phone calls and friendly trash-talking rivalry on and off the SIMBL forums, finally met in person in Washington D.C. in July, 2011 when both were in nation's capitol for work obligations.  Paul ran the first several years of SIMs for the SIMBL dating back to the SIMBL's first SIM on real-life date October 18, 2006, some 15 years ago, while Christian has been the league commissioner since the September 2, 2006 league founding date.

While both Calgary and San Diego were the SIMBL's initial two top powerhouses in each of their leagues, Calgary in the Union League and San Diego in the Syndicate League, Calgary only advanced to the SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series three times and didn't win their first and only SIMBL title in the SIMBL First File Era's 14-season history (2005-2018) until the final season of the file while San Diego won seven titles in nine SIMBL CS appearances in the SIMBL's first 14 seasons in the First File Era.  The SIMBL's all-time winning-est franchises in both file eras have now met up in the SIMBL CS four times now with San Diego winning in six games in 2014 and 2019, Calgary prevailing in 2018 in a classic seven-game series and in the recent fellow classic seven-game series at the end of this season which San Diego won in extra-innings in another seven-game series (2055).

While San Diego enjoyed massive First File Era success winning 7 SIMBL championships and advancing to the SIMBL CS nine times in the SIMBL's first 14 seasons, Calgary were the SIMBL's hard-luck perennial powerhouse that was repeatedly upset despite having the SIMBL's or Union League's best record in several seasons and only advancing to the SIMBL's title series in 2011, 2014 and winning their first title in 2018 in the SIMBL's 14th season.

The Warewolves and Clippers became the first teams to meet in the SIMBL CS in back-to-back seasons with Calgary avenging a six-game loss to San Diego in 2014 with a classic seven-game win in 2018 in the SIMBL First File Era's final season.  In a testament to both GMs savvy, the two met again in the SIMBL's first season of the current New File Era (2019-current) the next season after all GMs and teams were reset to equal and the league completed the 8-live round 2019 SIMBL New File Era Inaugural Draft.

The UL wildcard Clippers and SL wildcard Warewolves became only the third time in the SIMBL's 51-postseason history that the two wildcard teams met in the SIMBL CS and the first time since the 2031 season. San Diego became only the 9th wildcard team to win the SIMBL championship and the first since Toronto did so in 2038.  It ended a wildcard who advanced to the SIMBL CS losing the title series the past nine times that a wildcard advanced to the SIMBL's title series.  Calgary and San Diego became the 23rd and 24th wildcard teams (out of 102 total) to advance to the SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series.

San Diego star CF Pablo Olivarez, who is a 2055 SL MVP candidate after hitting .284 with a SL-leading 40 HR and SIMBL-leading 130 RBI in the 2055 regular season, was named the 2055 SIMBL CS Most Valuable Player by hitting .357 with 2 HR 6 RBI with a 1.066 OPS in seven games.  Olivarez's heroics were needed in a low-scoring series that featured the SIMBL's top-rated pitching rotations and bullpens which lived up to its billing.  In Game Seven, Olivarez's two-run home run off of Calgary's young star closer Manny Nunez in the of the top of the 10th inning added to SIMBL postseason history lore and proved to be the winning runs in a championship-winning 7-5 Game Seven win.  

San Diego's reigning 2054 SL Middle Reliever Of The Year and 12th overall pick in the 2044 SIMBL Draft Jeff Fischer proved heroic as well as Calgary's speedy Roberto Ortiz singled and stole second base in the bottom of the 9th inning with no outs and was the walk-off championship-winning run for the Clippers.  Fischer then proceeded to strike out the next three batters including future SIMBL Hall Of Famer Trevor Lane, All-Star SS Jake Stone and All-Star 1B Jo Jo Vera to stun the Clippers and give new life to the Warewolves who capitalized in the next inning on Pablo Olivarez's two-run homer off of Manny Nunez, the Clippers' 19 overall pick in the 2052 SIMBL Draft and one of the SIMBL's toughest closers this past season with a 92.3 SV%.

San Diego's bullpen came up huge again in the bottom of the 10th inning as two-time SL Fireman Of The Year and the #4 overall pick of the 2045 SIMBL Draft, Denny Lester, allowed the championship-winning run on base on a single to Bryan Donovan, then gave way to San Diego's 2042 #25 overall draft pick Doug Hale who struck out slugger Cliff Brooks before getting Lowell Benson to hit into a Game Seven, extra-inning and championship-winning double-play to end the Warewolves 22-season championship drought giving San Diego their SIMBL-record 12th SIMBL championship.

The loser in each contest, besides the classic extra-innings 7-5 San Diego win in Game Seven, were held to two or fewer runs with San Diego winning three of their four games with three identical 4-2 scores. Calgary outscored San Diego 25-24 or an average of 3.5 (Calgary) and 3.4 (San Diego).  The 'Wolves hit only .256 with a .698 OPS while the 'Clips hit only .247 with a .714 OPS in the full seven-game series.

Olivarez's 64 total bases in the 2055 postseason are a new SIMBL New File Era (2019-current) single postseason record.  Another SIMBL New File Era (2019-current) postseason record was set in the New File Era's 37-season history by Hawaii SP Lorenzo Flores who threw 16.0 innings allowing only 4 hits with 2 walks and 11 strikeouts in his two starts in the SL top-seeded Pineapples first round upset to divisional rival San Diego in the first round.  Flores's 0.38 WHIP, 2.25 H/9 IP, .080 opponents batting average, .115 opponents on base percentage, 0.80 opponents slugging percentage and .195 opponents OPS are all new SIMBL New File Era single postseason records.

After a week rest, the SIMBL now will vote on their needed 2055 season awards in the 2055 SIMBL GM Awards and will proceed with their 2056 off-season SIM schedule with the league doing it's needed conversion from OOTP 20 to OOTP 22 when the league reaches the 1/1/2056 off-season league date.

Congratulations to Paul on winning his 8th SIMBL championship as a SIMBL and the 'Wolves GM and his first in 36 seasons since his last in 2019 between a couple hiatuses he took needed because of time restraints. 

Congratulations to all SIMBL GMs on another fun, competitive and successful season whether winning or losing or on a playoff run or rebuilding.

The SIMBL's 52nd season of history will now begin with the 2056 arbitratons SIM which will be run on Tuesday night June 29, 2021 with export deadlines of 8:00 PM EDT.  All final contract extensions are due on Tuesday or that player will be lost to the upcoming 2056 free agency class.  As is tradition, the league will run SIMs every other night during the off-season up to 2056 Opening Day and the official 2056 off-season SIM schedule will be posted on top of the SIMBL Front Page during the off-season as SIMBL GMs do their happy hunting to add to or improve to their teams short and long-term.

2055 SIMBL CS GAME ONE:

SAN DIEGO 4 CALGARY 2
San Diego Leads Series 1-0
W: Mark Sipp (3-1 1.54 ERA) L: Arturo Martinez (1-2 2.54 ERA) SV: Denny Lester (4)
Home Runs: San Diego: Allen Walker (2) Calgary: Bryan Donovan (3)
Player Of The Game: San Diego SP Mark Sipp
8.0 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 7 K

Warewolves Top Clippers 4-2 to Begin SIMBL CS

The San Diego Warewolves powered past the hometown Calgary Clippers, 4-2, in the opener of the SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series at Victors Field today. San Diego starting pitcher Mark Sipp threw 8 innings of 5-hit ball, to lead the charge. The Warewolves now lead the series 1-0.

Sipp delivered a quality start for San Diego. The 5' 9" left-hander allowed 2 runs on 5 hits over 8 innings of work.

"When I'm in the lineup, I always feel like we're going to win the game," said Sipp.

The next game is scheduled for tomorrow at Victors Field. The scheduled starters for the game are Mark Bell for the San Diego Warewolves and Jason Floyd for the the Calgary Clippers.

2055 SIMBL CS GAME TWO:

CALGARY 4 SAN DIEGO 3
Series Tied 1-1
W: Jason Floyd (2-1 3.98 ERA) L: Mark Bell (2-1 2.73 ERA) H: Lewis Brown (2) SV: Manny Nunez (3)
Home Runs: Calgary: Cliff Brooks (4) Tony Farina (2)
Player Of The Game: Calgary SP Jason Floyd
7.0 IP 6 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 2 K

Clippers Clip Warewolves 4-3 in SIMBL CS Contest, Series Tied 1-1

Leave it to the veteran.

The Calgary Clippers got a great start from 36-year-old right-hander Jason Floyd, who earned player of the game honors today as Calgary won the contest 4-3 at Victors Field. Floyd threw 7 innings of 6-hit ball in the win, which knotted the best-of-7 series at 1-1.

Tony Farina swatted a 2-run home run for Calgary in the bottom of the second. The left fielder went 2 for 3 for the game, including 1 home run and 1 double. He scored 1 run and batted in 2.

"It was a good day but I'm not letting my guard down," Farina said. "I'll let my guard down as soon as someone puts a big, fat championship ring on my finger."

Game 3 is set to be played Thursday, October 28th, 2055 at Great American Ballpark. The scheduled starters for the game are Bill O'Toole for the Calgary Clippers and Alan Walker for the the San Diego Warewolves.

2055 SIMBL CS GAME THREE:

CALGARY 6 SAN DIEGO 1
Calgary Leads Series 2-1
W: Bill O'Toole (3-1 3.14 ERA) L: Duck Abbott (1-3 2.17 ERA)
Home Runs Calgary: Lowell Benson (3) San Diego: Pablo Olivarez (5)
Player Of The Game: Calgary SP Bill O'Toole
9.0 IP 6 H 1 R 1 ER 5 BB 6 K

O'Toole Handcuffs Warewolves, Clippers Seize 2-1 Advantage in SIMBL CS

When the stakes were high, Bill O'Toole raised his game to match.

The left-handed O'Toole turned in a stellar performance in Game 3 of the SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series today, pitching a 9-inning, complete-game shutout to lead the Calgary Clippers to victory. He allowed 6 hits and struck out 6. The win gave Calgary a 2-1 lead over the San Diego Warewolves in the best-of-7 series.

O'Toole pitched a complete game for Calgary. The 29-year-old left-hander was charged with 1 run on 6 hits. He struck out 6 during his 115-pitch performance.

"We'll savor this win," O'Toole told the Calgary Observer, "then get ready for the next game."

The next game is set to be played tomorrow. The scheduled starters for the game are Leroy Burbach for Calgary and Alan Walker for San Diego.

2055 SIMBL CS GAME FOUR:

SAN DIEGO 4 CALGARY 2
Series Tied 2-2
W: Alan Walker (2-1 4.20 ERA) L: Leroy Burbach (3-1 3.72 ERA) SV: Denny Lester (5)
Home Runs:  Calgary: Jake Stone (3) San Diego: J.J. Ivey (1) Shaun Barker (2)
Player Of The Game: San Diego SP Alan Walker
8.0 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 7 K

Raucous Great American Ballpark Crowd Propels Warewolves to 4-2 Victory; Series Tied at 2

Leave it to the veteran.

The San Diego Warewolves got a great start from 35-year-old left-hander Alan Walker, who earned player of the game honors today as San Diego won the contest 4-2 at Great American Ballpark. Walker threw 8 innings of 4-hit ball in the win, which knotted the best-of-7 series at 2-2.

Walker delivered a quality start for San Diego. The 6' 2" left-hander allowed 2 runs on 4 hits over 8 innings of work.

"If you pitch well, you give yourself some opportunities," said San Diego manager Paul Ware.

The next game is scheduled for tomorrow. Slated to start are Arturo Martinez for the Calgary Clippers and Mark Sipp for the the San Diego Warewolves.

2055 SIMBL CS GAME FIVE:

CALGARY 5 SAN DIEGO 2
Calgary Leads Series 3-2
W: Arturo Martinez (2-2 2.81 ERA) L: Mark Sipp (3-2 2.35 ERA) SV: Manny Nunez (4)
Home Runs: Calgary: Jo Jo Vera (1) Bryan Donovan (4)
Player Of The Game: Calgary SP Arturo Martinez
8.0 IP 9 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 5 K

Host Warewolves Drop Pivotal Game 5, Now Trail Series 3-2

Game 5 was big. So was Arturo Martinez.

The Calgary starter rose to the occasion at Great American Ballpark today, earning player of the game honors after leading the Clippers to a crucial 5-2 victory over the San Diego Warewolves. Martinez threw 8 innings allowing 2 runs as the Clippers won on the road to seize a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series.

It could have been a different outcome for Calgary, had it not been for Bryan Donovan, the 31-year old right fielder . Donovan contributed a 2-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to put Calgary up, 3-0.

"I just trusted my stuff," said Martinez.

Game 6 is set to be played Monday. Slated to start are Mark Bell for the San Diego Warewolves and Jason Floyd for the the Calgary Clippers.

2055 SIMBL CS GAME SIX:

SAN DIEGO 4 CALGARY 2
Series Tied 3-3
W: Mark Bell (3-1 2.68 ERA) L: Jason Floyd (2-2 4.10 ERA) SV: Denny Lester (6)
Home Runs: Calgary: Jo Jo Vera (2)
Player Of The Game: San Diego SP Mark Bell
7.1 IP 7 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 3 K

San Diego Win Evens Series at 3, Force Game 7

The San Diego Warewolves and the Calgary Clippers will take the SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series to a decisive 7th game. In a must-win situation today, the Warewolves beat the Clippers 4-2 at Victors Field to force the series into what will essentially be a one-game playoff. San Diego left-hander Mark Bell was named player of the game in the win after he threw 7 innings allowing 2 runs.

San Diego used the timely hitting of Pablo Olivarez to capture the win. The center fielder stroked a run-scoring double in the top of the fifth inning to put the Warewolves on top, 3-2. It was his only hit in 4 at-bats, but he made it count.

"We're one game closer to our goal," San Diego manager Paul Ware said later. "It isn't any more complicated than that."

The next game is scheduled for tomorrow at Victors Field. The scheduled starters for the game are Duck Abbott for the San Diego Warewolves and Bill O'Toole for the the Calgary Clippers.

2055 SIMBL CS GAME SEVEN:

SAN DIEGO 7 CALGARY 5 (PABLO OLIVAREZ 2- RUN HOME RUN OFF MANNY NUNEZ TOP OF 10TH INNING)
W: Denny Lester (2-1 0.50 ERA) L: Manny Nunez (1-1 4.00 ERA) BSV: Jeff Fischer (2) SV: Doug Hale (1)
Home Runs: San Diego: Pablo Olivarez (6) Calgary: Jo Jo Vera (3) Lowell Benson (4)
Player Of The Game: San Diego: San Diego SP Duck Abbott
7.0 IP 8 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 5 K

San Diego Beats Calgary in SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series, Are Crowned 2055 SIMBL Champions

The San Diego Warewolves were good enough to get past the Calgary Clippers at Victors Field today and secure the 5th championship in the SIMBL New File Era and win their SIMBL-record 12th SIMBL Championship and their first in 22 years since their last championship in 2033.

"When you wear Warewolves on your shirt, you're good at something," San Diego skipper Paul Ware told the press.

Warewolves center fielder Pablo Olivarez was named MVP of the series after he went .357 with 2 home runs and 6 runs batted in.

"It feels totally incredible," Olivarez said. "I could live to 1,000 years old and I'd remember this moment."

The new champions capped off a great season with a 7-5 victory over the Clippers to win the SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series 4-3.

2055 POSTSEASON REPORTS

2055 SIMBL POSTSEASON FIELD SET

The Road To The 2055 SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Has Arrived

2055 SIMBL LDS:
OREGON VS. CALGARY
NEW YORK VS. TEXAS
HAWAII VS. SAN DIEGO
ST. PETERSBURG VS. AC KANSAS CITY

POSTSEASON DROUGHTS ENDED THIS SEASON:

CURRENT POSTSEASON DROUGHTS:

WORST-TO-FIRST SEASONS IN SIMBL HISTORY

SIMBL CHAMPIONS THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE POSTSEASON THE NEXT SEASON TO DEFEND THEIR TITLE:

SIMBL CHAMPIONS AND THEIR RUNS HISTORY AFTER WINNING TITLE

DATA BELOW THROUGH 2055 SEASON:

13.7% SIMBL Champions That Repeated The Next Season: 7/51
23.5% SIMBL Champions That Made The SIMBL CS The Next Season: 12/51
41.1% SIMBL Champions That Advanced To The SIMBL LCS The Next Season: 21/51
74.5% SIMBL Champions That Made The Postseason The Next Season: 38/51

DIFFERENCES IN TEAM RECORD FROM LAST SEASON (2054-2055):

CHAMPIONSHIPS BY SIMBL FRANCHISES IN SIMBL & FRANCHISE HISTORY (2005-2054):
(Last Championship Season)

11 San Diego Warewolves (2033)
7 Calgary Clippers (2043)
3 New York Enforcers (2052)
3 River City Rascals (2051)
3 Las Vegas Hustlers (2031)
2 Sacramento Giants (2053)
2 St. Petersburg Admirals (2047)
2 Montreal Mavericks (2046)
2 Boston Patriots (2044)
2 Asheville Smokies (2040)
2 Toronto Rush (2038)
2 AC Kansas City (2022)
1 Chicago Hitmen (2054)
1 Indianapolis Rams (2048)
1 Ann Arbor Wolverines (2045)
1 Texas Roadrunners (2036)
1 Miami Sharks (2034)
1 Hawaii Pineapples (2029)
1 Cleveland Brownies (2026)
1 Bristol Owls (2017)
1 Oregon Pioneers (2011)

FRANCHISES TO NEVER HAVE WON A SIMBL CHAMPIONSHIP IN HISTORY OF THE SIMBL (2005-2055):

Bend Bandits
Knoxville Lumberkings
Rochester Roosters

FRANCHISES TO NEVER HAVE WON A SIMBL CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SIMBL NEW FILE ERA (2019-CURRENT):

Bend Bandits
Bristol Owls
Knoxville Lumberkings
Oregon Pioneers
Rochester Roosters

FRANCHISES TO NEVER HAVE ADVANCED TO SIMBL COVETED CUP CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (2005-2055):

Rochester Roosters

MOST FRUSTRATED POSTSEASON TEAMS IN SIMBL HISTORY (2005-2054):

Record In Postseason Of Championships In Total Postseason Appearances

Rochester Roosters 0-22
Knoxville Lumberkings 0-14
Bend Bandits 0-10

Hawaii Pineapples 1-9
Texas Roadrunners 1-12
Bristol Owls 1-14
Ann Arbor Wolverines 1-13
Miami Sharks 1-16
Oregon Pioneers 1-17
Indianapolis Rams 1-16
Chicago Hitmen 1-18
Cleveland Brownies 1-19

St. Petersburg Admirals 2-4
Toronto Rush 2-6
Asheville Smokies 2-10
Boston Patriots 2-11
AC Kansas City 2-13
Sacramento Giants 2-14
Montreal Mavericks 2-16

River City Rascals 3-11
Las Vegas Hustlers 3-14
New York Enforcers 3-14
Calgary Clippers 7-32
San Diego Warewolves 11-25

The 2055 SIMBL regular season has concluded and the SIMBL's 51st season of play was a weird one, maybe COVID-19 influenced, with 11 teams out of 24 posting winning records which is down from 13 last season.

Five out of the playoff teams from last season return to the postseason this season: Texas, Calgary, St. Petersburg, Hawaii and San Diego.  Three teams return to the postseason after brief playoff droughts after a league-record six teams did so last season: Oregon, New York and AC Kansas City.

Chicago became only the 13th defending champion in the SIMBL's 50-season history to not make the postseason the next season to defend their championship.  Only 13 (13.7%) times in league history has a champion not made the playoffs the next season.  It's also the second time in SIMBL history that the defending SIMBL champion didn't make the postseason in successive seasons.

Congratulations to longtime New York GM Chris Gattuso as his Enforcers (86-76) win the 2055 UL East title and return to the postseason for the first time since the 2053 season.  It's the 13th division title and 18th overall playoff berth in the franchise's 51-season history.

Congratulations to Oregon GM Jim Harasek's Pioneers (92-70) who end a two-season playoff drought and return to the SIMBL playoffs since the 2053 season.  It's the 10th divisional title and 19th overall postseason trip in the SIMBL charter franchise's 51-season history.

Congratulations to longtime Texas GM Robert Don as his Roadrunners (81-81) win their second consecutive UL Central title.  It's the 9th divisional title and 15th overall postseason berth in the SIMBL charter franchise's 51-season history.

Congratulations to longtime Calgary GM Christian DeMarco as his Clippers (91-71) had their four-season divisional title run halted by Oregon in the UL West but the Clippers make it to the postseason for the fifth consecutive season as the UL wildcard.  It's the 4th wildcard berth and 37th postseason trip in the SIMBL charter franchise's 51-season history.

Congratulations to longtime St. Petersburg GM Brandon Popper's Admirals (91-71) win their second consecutive SL East title and their 7th divisional title and 8th overall postseason berth in the franchise's 51-season history.

Congratulations to GM James Walker's AC Kansas City team (86-76) who rallied in the last two weeks of the season to win the SL Central for the third time in the past four seasons and end a one-season postseason drought.  It's the 10th divisional title and 16th overall postseason berth in the franchise's 51-season history.

Congratulations to longtime Hawaii GM Dave MacKenzie's Pineapples (103-59) win their second consecutive SL West title.  It's the 9th divisional title and 12th overall postseason trip in the franchise's 51-season history.

Congratulations to longtime San Diego GM Paul Ware's Warewolves (91-71) who clinch the SL wildcard berth for the second consecutive season.  The 11-time SIMBL champion Warewolves make the postseason for the sixth time in the past seven seasons and for the 8th time in the past 10 seasons.  It's the 3rd wildcard berth and 36th overall postseason berth in the SIMBL charter franchise's 51-season history.

#1 seeded Oregon faces #4 wildcard Calgary while #2 seeded New York squares off against #3 seeded Texas in the first round 2055 ULDS while #1 seeded Hawaii faces #4 seed San Diego and #2 seed St. Petersburg faces #3 seed AC Kansas City in the 2055 SLDS.

The 2055 SIMBL LDS Games 1-3 SIM will be held on Friday June 4, 2021 with export deadlines of 7:00 PM EDT.  A SIM will be run every night throughout the 2055 postseason until our new 2055 SIMBL champion is crowned.

With SIMBL defending champion Sacramento's decline this season only for the 13th time in SIMBL history will their not be a chance for a champion to repeat. Only 7 times in 51 seasons (13.7%) has a SIMBL champion repeated and defended their SIMBL championship:  San Diego (2006, 2007), Toronto (2038), Calgary (2042, 2043) and River City (2050, 2051) have defended their SIMBL championships and were repeat champions.

As the above and below statistics prove, the SIMBL is a very competitive league and it's extremely difficult to repeat as champions or even get to consecutive SIMBL Championship Series or League Championship Series for that matter.  Only 7 out of 51 (13.7%) of SIMBL champions have ever repeated and defended their championship while only 12 of 51 (23.5%) have been able to make it to consecutive SIMBL CS series to have the chance to defend their championships.  Even more, only 21 out of 51 SIMBL champions (41.1%) were able to make back to as far the LCS the season after their championship to have an attempt at defending their titles the following season.

San Diego (2005-2007), San Diego (2009-2010), Calgary (2018-2019), San Diego (2018-2019), Dallas (2021-2022), New York (2027-2028), Hawaii (2029-2030), Chicago (2034-2036), Toronto (2037-2038), San Diego (2037-2038), New York (2039-2040), Calgary (2041-2043) and River City (2049-2051) are the only teams to advance to consecutive SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series in the 50-postseason history of the league.

All but 12 SIMBL champions, or 74.5% of SIMBL champions (38 of 51), were able to make it to the postseason in an attempt to defend their titles the very next season and all but fell 7 short which is an obvious indication of the ever-competitiveness of one of the most competitive OOTP leagues online historically.

San Diego (2005-2007), Calgary (2041-2043) and River City (2049-2051) are the only 'three-peat' champions in SIMBL history while Toronto (2037-2038) is the only other team to win consecutive SIMBL championships.

Chicago is the only other team besides the 2005-2007 Warewolves , 2041-2043 Clippers and the 2049-2051 River City Rascals to advance to three consecutive SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series while the frustrated Hitmen winning three consecutive SL championships and advancing to three straight SIMBL CSS (2034-2036) and heartbreakingly lost all three to three different teams in three consecutive SIMBL Coveted Cup Championship Series in 2034, 2035 and 2036.

12 teams (50.0%) in the league had winning records this season while an impressive 13 teams (54.1%) posted .500 records or better.  With those statistics and the previously mentioned new SIMBL-record of six new teams making the postseason from the previous season and 16 teams having a record of .500 or better last season, the traditionally competitive SIMBL only seems to be at it's peak in competitiveness all after celebrating its 50th Anniversary season last season and being one of the grandfathers in online OOTP leagues now well into its 14th real-life year after being found on September 2, 2006.

Half of the league, 12/24 teams, (50.0%) improved from their record from last season (2053) while 12 teams did the opposite and declined in team wins from last season.

Longtime Sacramento GM Jason Gregory's Giants again made dubious SIMBL history by being the SIMBL's most improved team this season (+18) after they were the SIMBL's most declined team last season when they were a -36 difference (the second-worst fall from grace in one season in SIMBL history) from their 2053 season.  The Giants became the first team to decline the most in  the season after winning the SIMBL championship and now are the first team in SIMBL history to have gone from worst declined to most improved in one season.

Congratulations and good luck to all 8 postseason GMs and congratulations as usual to a great group of SIMBL GMs that make the motor of the league run on another fun, competitive and successful season in the SIMBL's historic 51st anniversary season of history.  It's hard to believe that the SIMBL recently passed its 14th real-life year anniversary on September 2nd, 2020 and that we have completed 51 seasons through hell or high water.

We will vote on the mandatory and needed 2055 SIMBL GM Awards shortly to be announced as well as the official 2055 SIMBL Draft order will be announced as well as the official 2055 off-season SIM schedule after the postseason concludes.

The 2056 SIMBL Draft order has been set with Asheville (#1), Rochester (#2), Bend (#3), River City (#4) and Montreal (#5) holding the top five picks. Miami (#6), Bristol (#7), Ann Arbor (#8), Sacramento (#9) and Cleveland (#10) round out the top ten in annual SIMBL Draft which will start upon 2056 Opening Day SIM 1.

With that, time is running out on extending any of your pending free agents (toggle headers). Please get your final contract extensions in as soon as possible via export or the player will be lost to the upcoming free agency class.

Good luck to all postseason GMs on their quest for the ever-elusive 2055 SIMBL Coveted Cup while those sitting on the sidelines during the postseason are already strategizing and planning for the 2056 off-season and beyond.

ADMIRALS' BENNIE SILVA BECOMES ONLY 8TH PITCHER IN SIMBL HISTORY WITH 18+ STRIKEOUTS IN A GAME IN 2055 SIM 23

St. Petersburg's reigning SL Hurler Of The Year Bennie Silva (above) joined SIMBL history in 2055 SIM 23 as he became only the 8th pitcher in the 51-season history of the SIMBL to strikeout 18 or more batters in a game.

By Lance Stanley
SIMBL Contributor

Thursday, September 9th, 2055

St. Petersburg Admirals: Bennie Silva strikes out 18 against the Bend Bandits.

St. Petersburg's reigning SL Hurler Of The Year Bennie Silva added himself to the updated list of most strikeouts in a game in SIMBL history in 2055 SIM 23.

The 29 year-old 5th overall pick struck out 18 Bend Bandit hitters in a inter-league game on September 9, 2055 for a critical win as longtime GM Brandon Popper's defending SL East champion Admirals hold a slim three-game lead over longime Knoxville GM Andy Hutchinson's upstart Lumberkings.

Silva became only the 8th pitcher in the SIMBL's long 51-season history to strikeout 18 or more batters.  San Diego's rampaging 2055 SL Hurler Of The Year favorite Mark Sipp also joined the club earlier this season.

Defending his 2054 SL Hurler Of The Year Award, Silva is currently 14-8 with a 3.39 ERA.  Silva posted a 23-8 2.62 ERA season last year when he led the SIMBL in wins, 329 strikeouts and a blistering 10.4 WAR.  Silva's 329 strikeouts last season tied Bend's Eddie Batista for the most strikeouts in a season in the SIMBL New File Era (2019-current). Silva's and Batista's 329 strikeout-seasons tie for 2nd-most in a season in SIMBL history behind only the SIMBL First File Era's (2005-2018) Deangelo Ceja who struck 344 batters in the 2013 season as his record has stood unthreatened for the past 39 seasons.

Silva became and currently still is only the 3rd player in SIMBL history, joining Pedro Cendejas Jr. in the 2040 SIMBL Draft and Bend ace Eddie Batista in the 2046 SIMBL Draft, to go from the draft directly to the SIMBL eluding draftee minor league time.  Silva still needed some grooming and Popper eventually sent him to the minors after which seemed to turn out to be a great move as Silva is currently the 4th-rated ace in the SIMBL.

Bend's four-time UL Hurler Of The Year Eddie Batisa holds the SIMBL New File Era (2019-current) record with 16 games with 15 or more strikeouts.  Retired longtime flamethrower Chris Morales formerly held the record with 15 games of 15+ strikeouts.  New York's one-time UL Hurler Of The Year and two-time UL Fireman Of The Year Ken Hunter is in third-place with 11 games of 15+ strikeouts.

Morales holds the all-time SIMBL career record with an unfathomable 4826 sitdowns.  Batista, at age 29 and in his 11th SIMBL season with the Bandits who selected him #1 overall in the 2046 SIMBL Draft, currently has 2800 career strikeouts and is the only active pitcher with a shot at Morales' head-scratching career record.

Morales, despite being the SIMBL's all-time strikeout king and holding one of the SIMBL's seemingly untouchable records, has failed to get a break by SIMBL GMs who have refused to vote him yet into the SIMBL Hall Of Fame since he retired after the 2051 season.

TOP STRIKEOUT GAMES IN SIMBL HISTORY (UPDATED 9/13/2055 SEASON):

20 Strikeout Games In SIMBL History: 1
19 Strikeout Games In SIMBL History 1
18 Strikeout Games In SIMBL History: 6
17 Strikeout Games In SIMBL History: 8
16 Strikeout Games In SIMBL History: 32

20 5/9/2054 Eddie Batista Bend
19 6/14/2054 Arturo Martinez Calgary
18 9/9/2055 Bennie Silva St. Peterburg
18 7/7/2055 Mark Sipp San Diego
18 7/28/2054 Eddie Batista Bend
18 4/18/2052 Eddie Batista Bend
18 5/20/2046 Chris Morales Oregon
18 5/5/2005 Thomas Leverett Pensacola

17 5/29/2055 Mark Cochran St. Petersburg
17 10/3/2054 Bill O'Toole Calgary
17 7/17/2052 Mark Sipp San Diego
17 5/2/2049 Eddie Batista Bend
17 9/18/2048 Ken Hunter New York
17 7/02/2045 Chris Morales Oregon
17 9/06/2026 Sean O'Neal Knoxville
17 9/15/2005 Thomas Leverett Pensacola

16 6/5/2055 George Martos Oregon
16 10/10/2054 Mark Sipp San Diego
16 9/21/2054 Keith Barton Indianapolis
16 7/3/2054 Eddie Batista Bend
16 6/13/2054 Ash Cervantes Ann Arbor
16 4/8/2054 Soren Webb Bend
16 6/13/2053 Keith Barton Indianapolis
16 10/5/2052 Ash Cervantes Ann Arbor
16 8/15/2052 Pedro Delgado Texas
16 6/29/2052 Eddie Batista Bend
16 5/15/2052 Eddie Batista Bend
16 4/18/2052 Ken Hunter New York
16 7/26/2050 Eddie Batista Bend
16 5/28/2050 Ken Hunter New York
16 7/20/2049 Eddie Batista Bend
16 5/29/2049 Chris Morales Sacramento
16 9/11/2048 Ken Hunter New York
16 7/31/2048 Eddie Batista Bend
16 7/30/2048 Marc Jackson Texas
16 6/20/2048 Eddie Batista Bend
16 6/16/2048 Marc Jackson Texas
16 9/21/2047 Pablo Mendez Sacramento
16 7/14/2045 Chris Morales Oregon
16 4/22/2037 Chris Morales Hawaii
16 9/26/2036 Ricardo Camacho Hawaii
16 6/25/2036 Mitch Evans Dallas
16 8/26/2035 Chris Morales Hawaii
16 8/10/2035 Chris Morales Hawaii
16 7/18/2035 Tom Crawford Bend
16 4/7/2016 Deangelo Ceja Asheville
16 8/28/2014 Deangelo Ceja Tacoma
16 8/5/2008 Walter Lopez Bend

LANCE'S LISTS: A LOOK AT THE BEST IN THE CLUTCH IN THE 2055 SEASON

Perennially rated in the SIMBL's Top 20 Players despite having the expected MVP breakout year, Sacramento's 37 year-old 10/8/9/9/9 elite rated Michael Price (above) has been one of the most clutch batters in the SIMBL in the 2055 season.  The former #9 overall pick by Seattle (now Ann Arbor) in the 2036 SIMBL Draft ranks in the top five this season in most of the clutch offensive statistics. With 31 games to go in the 2055 SIMBL season, the 7-time All-Star and four-time postseason series MVP is hitting .306 with 20 HR and 83 RBI.  Price's .389 batting average, 70 RBI and .667 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position all rank third in the entire SIMBL this season.

By Lance Stanley
SIMBL Contributor

Hi again youngsters.  Lance Stanley reporting on the SIMBL.

The 2055 season is winding down towards the league's 51st postseason shortly.

With that, let's take a quick "Lance's Lists" look at who has been the most productive this season with runners in scoring position and the best clutch relievers who shut down the opponent after entering the game with runners on base.

Batting Averages
With Runners In Scoring Position
As Of The 8/30/2055 League Date
Minimum Of 30 AB

.422 Kenny Austin Hawaii
.390 Deron Shoemaker Texas
.389 Michael Price Sacramento
.386 Bruno King Boston
.373 Nick Paterakis River City
.370 Pepe Gonzalez St. Petersburg
.368 Thomas Wade Oregon
.364 Jukebox Davis AC Kansas City
.359 Franklyn Borba Ann Arbor
.358 Mike Zavala Asheville

Run Batted In
With Runners In Scoring Position
As Of The 8/30/2055 League Date
Minimum Of 30 AB

71 Pablo Olivarez San Diego
70 Jorge Avila Oregon
70 Michael Price Sacramento
69 Jo Jo Vera Calgary
68 Peter Trevino Toronto
66 Franklyn Borba Ann Arbor
65 John Demko Knoxville
64 Bruno King Boston
64 Vaughn Lee Toronto
63 Manuel Perez Chicago
63 Allen Walker San Diego

Slugging Percentage
With Runners In Scoring Position
As Of The 8/30/2055 League Date
Minimum Of 30 AB

.697 Shane Adams New York
.677 Wesley Davis Ann Arbor
.667 Michael Price Sacramento
.661 Mike Zavala Asheville
.650 Juan Sandoval Chicago
.648 Manuel Ayala Ann Arbor
.630 Michael St. Louis Cleveland
.629 Vaughn Lee Toronto
.615 Franklyn Borba Ann Arbor
.615 Jake Stone Calgary
.609 Jukebox Davis AC Kansas City
.608 Christopher Nichols Toronto
.605 Buck Pratt Ann Arbor
.604 Gene Smith Oregon
.600 Cory Browning Boston

Inherited Runners Scored
With Runners In Scoring Position
As Of The 8/30/2055 League Date
(Minimum Of 10 Runners Inherited)

0.0% Kelly Franklin St. Petersburg (15)
6.3% Matt Palmer New York (16)
6.3% Albert Ellis Montreal (16)
6.7% James Tessier Hawaii (15)
6.7% Andres Soto Texas (15)
8.3% Steffano Rivera Cleveland (12)
8.3% Doug Hale San Diego (12)
9.1% Pedro Duran Hawaii (11)
10.0% Glenn Wilcox AC Kansas City (20)
10.0% Dorian Moore San Diego (10)
10.0% Maximo Bauer Bend (10)
11.8 Hugh Campbell Chicago (17)
13.3% Will Peterson Oregon (15)

SIMBL NO-HITTERS HISTORY

NEW YORK'S CARLOS DE LA CRUZ HURLS THIRD NO-HITTER OF 2055 SEASON

New York's Carlos De La Cruz (above) zones in during his 2055 SIM 19 no-hitter against UL East divisional foe Miami.  The 26 year-old hurled the third no-hitter of the 2055 season and the 92nd in SIMBL history and 68th in the 51-season history of the SIMBL New File Era (2019-current).  The #8 overall pick of the 2051 SIMBL Draft by the Enforcers is in his second SIMBL season and is in his first season as a full-time starting pitcher.

Carlos De La Cruz was untouchable today at The Hangar Grounds At North Shore, displaying a good fastball and wicked breaking balls in his 6-0 win against the Miami Sharks. The New York hurler did not allow a single hit, fanning 7 while walking 5.

"This is great," De La Cruz told reporters after the game. "Every pitcher wants a no-hitter. I just wanted the win, but the no-hitter is a little extra icing on the victory cake."

So far this season, De La Cruz has logged a 10-10 record with a 3.98 ERA. He has started 24 games, hurled 153.2 innings and registered 168 strikeouts and 67 walks.