Most fantasy baseball leagues pick 10 statistics to total the player's actual performance over a season. The team with the best statistical performance over the season wins. Most leagues use a rank-based system (usually called a "rotisserie" or "roto" system). Our league had 14 teams, since the Crackerjacks had the highest batting average, they were awarded 14 points. The last day of the season the Crackerjacks had a 123-121 point lead.
When I set my lineup on the last day, I didn't even look at the hitting stats. Assuming my pitchers didn't blow my ERA up, the Everson Vandals could gain a point by getting a couple of steals, but, finally, there was pretty much no way any other points were going to be lost or gained. With just one day's worth of games to go (and many normal starters sitting on the bench to let the kids play the last day), all the other statistical rankings were going to stay the same, or so it seemed.
Batting average was somewhat close, my team had a .291 batting average, the Intrepids .290. A point in batting average is a lot to gain in a single game at the end of the season, even player on player. My team had almost 7000 at bats (12 times more than any player). Besides, I had Matt Holliday, Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez, and Miguel Cabrera - that's four .330+ hitters. How high is .330? Albert Pujols ranks 31st ALL TIME with a career batting average of .331.
Ramirez and Cabrera sat and the rest of the Crackerjacks 4 for 28, while the Intrepids went 11 for 28.
The Intrepids finished
2002 H/6891 AB= .29137
The Crackerjacks finished
2023 H/6944 AB= .29133
The Intrepids passed the Crackerjacks BY FOUR HUNDRED THOUSANDTH OF A POINT IN BATTING AVERAGE!!!!! (.00004)
The Vandals tied El Guapo at 126 steals, gaining a point.
The Crackerjacks lost one point in ERA despite not allowing a run when El Guapo posted this pitching line:
21.2 Innings Pitched, 9 Hits Allowed, 5 walks, 20 K, 3 Earned Runs, 1.246 ERA, 1 Win, 0.646 WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched)
Just to add to the irony, Felix Hernandez, who I traded for the Ben "can't pitch this month" Sheets, nearly pitched a shutout (8.2 IP, 1 ER).
Add it all up and the Vandals now lead the Crackerjacks 121.5-121.
I sent out a premature "Congratulations" email to the Vandals owner and the league. It didn't occur to me until the evening of the next day THAT IT WASN'T OVER!
The Padres had tied the Rockies and they were playing a 163 regular season game! This was only the 7th such game in MLB history. Holliday is a Rockie, an MVP candidate, and a Crackerjack. Pitching for the Padres was Jake Peavy, a Vandal. So it was his best pitcher against my best hitter. And that Red Moon the night the Red Sox won their 86 championship was just a coincidence too. :-)
The Intrepids did not have a Rockie, so it was all up to Holliday. If Holliday goes 2 for 5 (while watching the game I miscalculated (or misexcelled) and thought he only needed to go 1 for 3, but it works out about the same anyway.
Holliday got a hit in his first at bat. I was now in first place! Maybe they would take him out. :-) If he gets another hit I will win! Holliday also ensured he would win the batting title (you know in, er, real baseball), he was up by more than a point.
In his second at bat the game was close and there were two runners on, and he was overanxious. Peavy had him 0-2 quickly, and even the best hitters are under the Mendoza line in that situation. I think he struck out.
I think he struck out again in his third at bat. I dropped down to second. Peavy was pitching poorly (except to Holliday), so Holliday would get another at bat. If he goes 2 for 4, I win, if he goes 1 for 4, I lose. Holliday grounded out, but San Diego tied the game and it goes to extra innings!
If Holliday gets another hit in hit fifth at bat, I win. He didn't I lost - but then the cool thing happened. Holliday came up in the 13th inning, with his team down 8-6 and drives in a run and scores the go ahead run!
But this post is about fantasy baseball. With Holliday finishing 2 for 6, the final batting average standings had the Intrepids ahead:
Intrepids 0.29137
Crackerjacks 0.2913669
Crackerjacks 0.2913669
That's 3 MILLIONTHS of a point separating the winner from the best loser. One hit or one at bat in nearly 7000 over the course of 6 months.
No worries though - I can live at least half of what the Bhagavad Gita says - don't be attached to the fruits of your actions. I'm sure if I won, I'd be jumping up and down with "Yes! Yes!" (OK, maybe not that excited). But I'm not bummed in the least about losing, it was great to be in such a race for 6 months, best I've ever heard of.
And if you wonder where "rotisserie" baseball comes from, it's named after the now defunct New York restaurant "La Rôtisserie Française" where the game was created by Dan Okrent and his friends.
