Gaceta de la LNP @lnpgaceta@allpro.social

We built a home run tracker and manually counted up every single dinger of the 1885 season, then sliced them up by month.

The effect is noticeable, especially considering the only days that saw north of 30 dingers happened after July 27th.

On July 27th, 1885, as the playoff picture solidified, the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña faced a shortage, of all things, of baseballs.

On an emergency basis, the Commissioner had several dozen crates of balls shipped from the States.

The results were, well, see for yourselves.

Given that, in the 1880s, “Rincón pitch” often meant a meatball over the plate, this is perhaps the most important aspect.

Víctor Zamora, the staff ace, and Ramón Moreno, the young gun, both had ERAs under 3.00—a thing no Rincón starter had ever managed—and both showed flashes of true brilliance, Zamora with two 12-K games, Moreno by getting close to three no-hitters on the year.

Israel Reyes, who once went 4-36, had what we think is the best bad year on the mound in all of Hostos.

The #IngenierosRIN began the 1885 season 2-0 against the #FundadoresAÑA .

They ended it by beating the #AtléticosSGR and #ArtesanosLPI to finish 47-79—the most games they’ve ever won in a season, and their second-best record by percentage.

TOMORROW:
We kick off the last month of the 1885 season.

It's Víctor Nieves' last season of baseball, and we'll send him off by covering the #IngenierosRIN's last two games, against the #PetaterosSAB and #AtléticosSGR —and, as is now official broadcast policy, @Louisa'll be joining us for both games!

first pitch 7:00 PM

https://www.twitch.tv/lnpgaceta

We've got every possible angle on the end of the 1885 season.

5/7:
It's the last two career games for Víctor "The Snowman" Nieves—the last of the original #IngenierosRIN —as Rincón closes another dismal season, looking at the torneo like an especially sad Dickensian orphan.

5/14, 5/21:
Only two teams with fandoms made it to September—the #MulosAGB and #JueyerosMAU —and we'll follow their progress until both are out, especially if they end up playing each other.

LATER TOMORROW:
And if one game of trash baseball isn't enough for you, how about you watch the #ChupacabrasCAN and #GuardacostasCAT (hi, @paolo) beat the tar out of each other's pitchers?

first pitch ~8:30 PM EDT

https://twitch.tv/lnpgaceta

TOMORROW:
A night for the true perverts among fans.

First, this has NEVER happened before—the #IngenierosRIN are somehow favored vs. the #AteniensesMAN , probably because the Ates are the only defense worse than La Máquina.

first pitch 7:00 PM EDT

https://www.twitch.tv/lnpgaceta

And he wrote upon it:

🎶 Reeeee-turn to sender! 🎶

Enrique Méndez (#MaratonistasCOA ), off of Oscar Vega (#LobosARE ), 383-foot solo shot into left field.

And sure, Méndez is probably going to lose this game—the Maras are down 6-2—but it sure isn't his fault!

And he wrote upon it:

🎶 Reeeee-turn to sender! 🎶

(credit to @Louisa)

We've seen other pitchers hit home runs, but we're pretty sure Carlos Muñoz (#MulosAGB ) is the first one in 1885 to do it with the bases loaded.

TOMORROW:
Game #1's going to be fun: The #JueyerosMAU and #PescadoresSAL lineups have exactly ONE underperforming bat between them.

Game #2 . . . well, let's just hope the #IngenierosRIN give the #LeonesPON a decent game.

Oh, and that second game? You @Louisa fans will want to stick around. Or show up then! I'm not your boss.

first pitch 7:00 PM

https://www.twitch.tv/lnpgaceta

FRIDAY:
With those lineups (ONE player under a 100 wRC+) the #PescadoresSAL and #JueyerosMAU are going to have a slugfest and a half.

Second: the #LeonesPON are less favored than we expected against the #IngenierosRIN

first pitch 7:00 PM

https://www.twitch.tv/lnpgaceta

Chicken Wolf about to drop the hottest album of 1885

What we've learned today is that not only does OOTP 21 ensure there's always a Juan Soto playing baseball, but judging by these portraits, it's the same Juan Soto.

(H/T to friend of the league Cam for letting us use the real Juan Soto's picture from his league.)

*fan of the #NavegadoresNAG

But let's show you our very favorite chart. The #CítricosLMA —one of the four or five teams to have never made the postseason—are currently nearly guaranteed to make it, thanks to the complete collapse of the #CafeterosMAR and #PatriotasLAR .

If you're a #NavegadoresNAG this year—and there's several reasons to be one—you really enjoyed April, when the #PicudosCEI , who've won the division every year since 1871, looked lost at the wheel.

Now, though? Now it's a dogfight and a half.

Another one of our favorite playoff odds charts:

Look, they almost kiss!

ALSO FRIDAY:
Remember when the #MulosAGB got embarrassed by the #GuardacostasCAT on air?

We do, and we've been waiting for them to have a chance at revenge.

That's this Friday, with both teams' aces on their respective mounds.

first pitch ~8:15 PM

https://www.twitch.tv/lnpgaceta

FRIDAY:
There's been a few bright spots, but in general, the #IngenierosRIN continue to stumble through 1885.

This weekend, they open with a rematch against Ángel de Haro of the #TortugasCUL—one of the most fun lineups in Hostos.

first pitch 7:00 PM

https://www.twitch.tv/lnpgaceta

June 22nd, 1885.

Now that the #TiburonesAGU and #CítricosLMA have officially put themselves in the positive run differential column, this is the first time in the 1885 season that all division leaders:

- have winning records;
- have scored more runs than they've allowed.