1997–98_Australian_Baseball_League_season
1997–98 Australian Baseball League season
Sports season
The 1997–98 Australian Baseball League season was the 9th season of the original Australian Baseball League, contested between eight teams representing state and regional capitals: Adelaide Giants, Brisbane Bandits, Gold Coast Cougars, Hunter Eagles, Melbourne Monarchs, Melbourne Reds, Perth Heat and Sydney Storm. The Melbourne Reds became the first three-time champions defeating the Gold Coast Cougars 2 games to 0 in the Championship series, in front of a small home crowd of 600 at the Melbourne Ballpark.
| 1997–98 Australian Baseball League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Australian Baseball League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | 31 October 1997 – 15 February 1998 (1997-10-31 – 1998-02-15) |
| Number of games | 211 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Brendan Kingman (Sydney Storm) |
| Finals Series | |
| Venue | Melbourne Ballpark |
| Champions | Melbourne Reds (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Gold Coast Cougars |
| Seasons | |
Each of the 8 teams from the previous season returned, however the Sydney Blues changed their name to the Sydney Storm after legal action taken by Cricket NSW during the offseason.
In the season opening press release, The league called for expressions of interest in a licence to reform the Canberra Bushrangers for the 1998–99 season, The Bushrangers previously folded at the end of the 1994–95 season.
Rosters
During the regular season each team made use of an active roster of 22–24 men, with a maximum of 4 import players.
Venues
Round 1: 31 October – 5 November 1997
| Perth Heat | 3 | d. | Adelaide Giants | 1 | (6-5, 6-3, 6-5, 2-8) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 2 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 1 | (7-1, 8-6, 13-14) |
| Melbourne Monarchs | 3 | d. | Melbourne Reds | 1 | (8-6, 10-6, 7-2, 2-8) |
| Sydney Storm | 2 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 0 | (11-10, 5-3) |
Round 2: 7–9 November 1997
| Perth Heat | 3 | d. | Sydney Storm | 1 | (3-5, 3-2, 10-3, 4-1) |
| Adelaide Giants | 3 | d. | Melbourne Monarchs | 1 | (1-3, 3-0, 9-4, 7-4) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 2 | d. | Melbourne Reds | 1 | (6-3, 6-10, 5-4, W/out) |
| Brisbane Bandits | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (6-4, 7-4, 4-3, 2-4) |
Round 3: 14–16 November 1997
| Perth Heat | 2 | dr. | Sydney Storm | 2 | (1-5, 5-9, 4-3, 11-7) |
| Melbourne Reds | 3 | d. | Gold Coast Cougars | 1 | (4-1, 6-2, 3-2, 1-2) |
| Adelaide Giants | 3 | d. | Melbourne Monarchs | 1 | (N/A, 7-2, N/A, N/A) |
| Brisbane Bandits | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (9-1, 13-11, 12-6, 9-10) |
Round 4: 21–23 November 1997
| Perth Heat | 2 | dr. | Melbourne Monarchs | 2 | (6-7, 6-1, 9-5, 0-2) |
| Melbourne Reds | 3 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 1 | (7-11, 20-7, 12-7, 12-9) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (10-5, 0-3, 8-4, 8-1) |
| Sydney Storm | 3 | d. | Adelaide Giants | 1 | (1-5, 3-2, 5-2, 6-3) |
Round 5: 28–30 November 1997
| Melbourne Reds | 4 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 0 | (12-8, 12-1, 11-7, 11-7) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (5-2, 0-6, 7-6, 15-3) |
| Sydney Storm | 2 | dr. | Adelaide Giants | 2 | (6-5, 1-4, 8-7, 2-6) |
Round 6: 5–7 December 1997
| Melbourne Reds | 4 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 0 | (2-1, 10-6, 7-6, 8-1) |
| Brisbane Bandits | 2 | d. | Gold Coast Cougars | 1 | (9-3, 14-9, 10-15) |
| Sydney Storm | 3 | d. | Melbourne Monarchs | 1 | (3-2, 6-5, 4-8, 18-5) |
| Adelaide Giants | 3 | d. | Perth Heat | 1 | (2-7, 7-1, 5-1, 6-3) |
All Star Games: 12–13 December 1997
| Date | 12-13 December 1997 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Carrara Oval |
| City | Gold Coast |
The All-Stars Weekend, was the first series of All-Star exhibition games held by the Australian Baseball League. The games were contested over two nights at Carrara Oval on the Gold Coast, The then home of the Gold Coast Cougars franchise.[1]
The games were played between the Australian All-Stars, USA All-Stars and the 1997 Japanese Industrial League Champions the Mitsubishi Juko Kobe. The Australian and USA All-Star teams were selected from players who were at the time playing in the Australian Baseball League.[1]
Game 1: Australian All-Stars vs Mitsubishi Juko Kobe
| Team | R |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Juko Kobe | ? |
| Australian All-Stars | ? |
Game 2: Australian All-Stars vs USA All-Stars
| Team | R |
|---|---|
| USA All-Stars | 15 |
| Australian All-Stars | 9 |
Round 7: 14–16 December 1997
| Sydney Storm | 2 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (8-5, 4-1, 4-6) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 1 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 0 | (N/A) |
| Sydney Storm | 2 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (N/A) |
Round 8: 19–21 December 1997
| Sydney Storm | 2 | dr. | Melbourne Monarchs | 2 | (5-3, 3-6, 0-1, 6-5) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 3 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 0 | (8-3, 9-8, 15-8) |
| Perth Heat | 2 | dr. | Adelaide Giants | 2 | (4-2, 4-0, 2-5, 2-6) |
| Melbourne Reds | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (4-5, 17-7, 8-7, 7-0) |
Round 9: 26–28 December 1997
| Perth Heat | 2 | dr. | Melbourne Reds | 2 | (13-6, 7-6, 2-3, 3-8) |
| Sydney Storm | 4 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 0 | (23-9, 3-2, 10-0, 10-7) |
| Melbourne Monarchs | 4 | d. | Gold Coast Cougars | 0 | (4-1, 4-1, 4-0, 6-0) |
| Adelaide Giants | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (12-4, 1-6, 6-2, 7-3) |
Round 10: 30 December 1997, 2–6 January 1998
| Brisbane Bandits | 2 | d. | Perth Heat | 1 | (11-1, 18-2, 2-15) |
| Sydney Storm | 2 | d. | Melbourne Reds | 1 | (4-1, 1-10, 8-4) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 3 | d. | Adelaide Giants | 0 | (8-6, 9-8, 10-9) |
| Melbourne Monarchs | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 0 | (8-3, 7-5, 3-2) |
| Sydney Storm | 1 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 0 | (17-14) |
Round 11: 9–11 January 1998
| Sydney Storm | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 0 | (10-3, 14-3, 10-3) |
| Melbourne Monarchs | 2 | d. | Melbourne Reds | 1 | (6-2, 3-7, 14-4) |
| Adelaide Giants | 2 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 1 | (4-2, 4-8, 8-6) |
| Perth Heat | 2 | d. | Gold Coast Cougars | 1 | (2-19, 8-7, 8-2) |
Round 12: 16–18 January 1998
| Melbourne Monarchs | 3 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 1 | (1-2, 4-3, 11-10, 12-11) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 4 | d. | Sydney Storm | 0 | (17-12, 7-2, 15-7, 10-8) |
| Melbourne Reds | 3 | d. | Adelaide Giants | 1 | (4-5, 10-6, 10-8, 11-10) |
| Perth Heat | 2 | dr. | Hunter Eagles | 2 | (0-8, 11-6, 6-8, 5-2) |
Round 13: 22–25 January 1998
| Brisbane Bandits | 2 | d. | Sydney Storm | 1 | (2-3, 6-1, 2-1) |
| Melbourne Monarchs | 2 | d. | Gold Coast Cougars | 1 | (10-9, 5-1, 3-4) |
| Adelaide Giants | 1 | dr. | Hunter Eagles | 1 | (9-1, 4-5, W/Out) |
| Perth Heat | 2 | d. | Melbourne Reds | 0 | (2-0, 9-6) |
Round 14: 26–29 January 1998
| Brisbane Bandits | 1 | dr. | Melbourne Monarchs | 1 | (N/A, 15-10) |
| Melbourne Reds | 2 | d. | Adelaide Giants | 1 | (N/A, 11-2, 5-6) |
| Perth Heat | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 0 | (15-5, 8-7, 17-6) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 2 | d. | Sydney Storm | 1 | (9-3, 8-5, 7-12) |
Round 15: 30 January – 3 February 1998
| Perth Heat | 2 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 1 | (0-12, 12-6, 5-1) |
| Gold Coast Cougars | 2 | d. | Adelaide Giants | 1 | (1-4, 9-6, 7-5) |
| Melbourne Monarchs | 3 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 0 | (9-0, 9-5, 7-6) |
| Sydney Storm | 2 | d. | Melbourne Reds | 1 | (14-11, 4-13, 10-9) |
Round 16: 6–8 February 1998
| Perth Heat | 2 | d. | Gold Coast Cougars | 1 | (6-2, 3-10, 7-4) |
| Adelaide Giants | 2 | d. | Brisbane Bandits | 1 | (13-12, 12-10, 8-9) |
| Melbourne Monarchs | 1 | dr. | Melbourne Reds | 1 | (5-4, 4-5, W/Out) |
| Sydney Storm | 1 | d. | Hunter Eagles | 0 | (11-5) |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | GB | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne Monarchs | 52 | 32 | 20 | .615 | — | Advance to Finals Series |
| 2 | Sydney Storm | 54 | 32 | 22 | .593 | 1 | |
| 3 | Melbourne Reds | 51 | 30 | 21 | .588 | 1.5 | |
| 4 | Gold Coast Cougars | 53 | 31 | 22 | .585 | 1.5 | |
| 5 | Perth Heat | 53 | 30 | 23 | .566 | 2.5 | |
| 6 | Adelaide Giants | 53 | 26 | 27 | .491 | 6.5 | |
| 7 | Brisbane Bandits | 53 | 20 | 33 | .377 | 12.5 | |
| 8 | Hunter Eagles | 53 | 10 | 43 | .189 | 22.5 |
Top 10 Stats
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Finals Series at Melbourne Ballpark
In previous years the post season was played as home and away best of 3 games, with the two winner of each series meeting for a best of 5 series{fact}, in 1997–98 this was changed to a round robin play-off format with each team playing 3 games, 1 against each of the other 3 qualified teams, with the two highest places teams playing off in the Championship Series.[1]
All games for the 9th ABL title were played at the Melbourne Ballpark from February, 10-12 with the best of three championship series 14–15 February.[1]
Finals Series
Game 1: 10 February 1998
Game 2: 10 February 1998
Game 3: 11 February 1998
Game 4: 11 February 1998
Game 5: 12 February 1998
Game 6: 12 February 1998
Postseason Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | RF | RA | RD | PCT | GB | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne Reds | 3 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 18 | +7 | .667 | — | Advance to Championship series |
| 2 | Gold Coast Cougars | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 13 | +3 | .667 | — | |
| 3 | Melbourne Monarchs | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 17 | +1 | .333 | 1 | |
| 4 | Sydney Storm | 3 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 27 | −11 | .333 | 1 |
Championship Series
Game 1: 14 February 1998
Game 2: 15 February 1998
| Award | Person | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Batting Champion | Brendan Kingman | Sydney Storm |
| Golden Glove | Glenn Williams | Sydney Storm |
| Manager of the Year | Tom Nieto | Melbourne Reds |
| Most Valuable Player | Brendan Kingman | Sydney Storm |
| Championship M.V.P. | Shane Hogan | Melbourne Reds |
| Rookie of the Year | Rodney Van Buizen | Hunter Eagles |
| Reliever of the Year | Gabe Molina | Perth Heat |
| Pitcher of the Year | Erick Nelson | Melbourne Monarchs |
| Umpire of the Year | Gerard Tancred | New South Wales |
| Position | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Catcher | Gary White | Sydney Storm |
| 1st Base | Ron Johnson | Gold Coast Cougars |
| 2nd Base | Adam Burton | Melbourne Reds |
| 3rd Base | Paul Gorman | Gold Coast Cougars |
| Short Stop | Ben Utting | Melbourne Reds |
| Out Field | Glen Barker | Brisbane Bandits |
| Out Field | Trent Durrington | Gold Coast Cougars |
| Out Field | Grant McDonald | Brisbane Bandits |
| Designated Hitter | Brendan Kingman | Sydney Storm |
| Starting Pitcher | Erick Nelson | Melbourne Monarchs |
| Relief Pitcher | Gabe Molina | Perth Heat |
| Manager | Tom Nieto | Melbourne Reds |
- "FAI Cup Pitches new finals format and all star competition as baseball bats up for the summer of 1997/1998". Press Release. Australian Baseball League. Archived from the original on 30 June 1998. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- Flintoff, Peter; Dunn, Adrian (August 1998). Flintoff & Dunn's Australian Baseball League Almanac 1998 Edition. Melbourne: Flintoff & Dunn.