#Ootp baseball infield error series

Right after the break Don Drysdale wrecked his elbow and would miss the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile the Dodgers were rebounding from their lackluster ’68 season and were leading the NL at the break – but 5 other teams were within 4.5 games. Despite a 5-8 record, his 2.17 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 5.2 WAR was good enough for a spot on the All-Star team. But he bounced back with a complete game shutout of Cincinnati to go into the All-Star break. He missed two starts with inflammation and struggled once he came back, uncharacteristically dropping 5 straight decisions, including 2 in which he gave up 5 earned runs. He would improve his record to 4-3 before arm troubles would once again strike. He settled down after that, giving up 7 hits over the final 8 frames for a complete game, but the damage was done and the Dodgers lost 3-2.Ī no-decision and a tough luck 1-0 loss dropped him to 0-2 before Koufax really caught his groove, throwing 23 straight scoreless innings. Whether rust or nerves got the best of him, he gave up 3 hits, a walk, and 3 runs in the opening frame. His first start on Opening Day was against the Phillies. Koufax was ready to take his rightful place as the ace of the staff at the beginning of the ’68 season. But it was their hitting instead of Koufax’s absence that was the major reason, as the Dodgers hit a collective NL worst. Without Koufax, the ’67 Dodgers slipped back as their offense struggled, finishing the season 82-80, 17 games back of the Cardinals.

#Ootp baseball infield error series

Having undergone the surgery immediately after the ’66 World Series meant Koufax would likely be ready to play again by the beginning of the ’68 season. In this world, Koufax became the pioneer for the ligament replacement surgery. We always find it interesting to play out these “what if” scenarios that abound in baseball, so naturally we wanted to see what might have happened if Sandy Koufax had been able to extend his career.Īs always, we used OOTP16, starting a historical league on January 1, 1967. Jobe was already 41 by the time Koufax retired) the surgery would likely have been named after Koufax instead. Frank Jobe once said that Koufax had basically the same injury as Tommy John, and that if he had developed the pioneering surgery ten years earlier (Dr. Koufax retired shortly after the 1966 World Series at the age of 30.ĭr. He pitched the entire ’65 and ’66 seasons in extreme pain but still dominated, pitching over 320 innings in both seasons going a combined 53-17 with 699 strikeouts – and winning the Cy Young both years. The reason for his enshrinement at such a young age was due to his early retirement due to an arthritic condition in his elbow. (When I simulate the game, it only took 3 tries before I got a win) It just seems impossible, as if the outcome is predestined, for the game to generate the same outcome through that many iterations.Sandy Koufax was one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of baseball, and at the age of 36 was the youngest to ever be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Even with the difference in talent between the teams I find it hard to believe the A's couldn't 'luck' into a few wins out of thirty matches. I've played through 30 iterations so far, and while I'm not seeing any specific oddity within the games, I am alarmed that the Dodgers won every iteration. To test this theory, I decided to play (same starting line-up, not simulated, entirely cpu controlled) the same game (A's vs Dodgers) repeatedly to see if any trends stand out.

For example, I've lost a game after having an 8-run lead and two outs in the 9th, when 14 consecutive batters reached base without a hit. Too many untimely errors, walks, wild pitches, etc. I love the sports sim genre and I like this game overall, but I couldn't help but feel that something is always off with the plays that happen in-game.