As mentioned in the League Discussion thread on Random Thoughts from the season, the 2059 Portland Lumberjacks have pulled off something that hasn't been done in 30 years. And you could make an argument that it also has never been done in the modern era (1995-present)
The 2058 Portland Lumberjacks finished their season with a 63-99 overall record. That was bad enough to finish dead last (8th) in the Frick League Pacific a season ago. This year's version, thanks to some rookie additions to the roster and some free agent moves that paid off immensely, completed a huge turnaround that saw the team win 104 games. That 41 win turnaround brought the team out of the cellar of the division to the top of the Pacific. This "worst to first" transformation hadn't been done since 2029 when the Tucson Cactus (formerly and again the Long Beach Surfers) went from worst to first in their division.
But there again lies the difference. When Tucson did it in 2029, there were only 4 teams in their division. So their climb to the top of the ladder meant only hurdling 3 teams ahead of them. In fact, two other organizations completed a similar feat just a season prior.
The league has shifted and changed several times throughout the decades of the modern era. Division sizes have changed, sometimes as small as 4 team divisions to the now current 8 team division format. What Portland has done this season, going from 8th to 1st in one season, had never been accomplished in this era. That's 64 seasons worth of modern era BBA baseball. A team had never gone from 8th one year to the top of the division. The closest was the 2052-2053 Omaha Cyclones that completed a remarkable 7th to 1st transformation, but they were a few games ahead of last place in 2052.
"I think it took an insane mix of good timing, good fortune, and some luck" commented assistant general manager Sandy Mounds of this year's feat. "We had 3 rookies ready to make impactful debuts this season in Gaajlimitz, Patachli, and Erasmo Gonzalez. We acquired some huge free agents in McNeill, Marroquin, Wullenweber, and Dares. If any one of those guys declines to sign with us this is a different season. And in the case of Dares you get the luck of a career year turned in. Then you have two rule 5 pick-ups that gave us performances that no one expected them to make. One of which is getting consideration for the Gillstrom Award in Bill Beals. And then you have Frank Wilson. I mean, who'd have thought that?"
So yeah, it took some crazy events to pull off what Portland did this season. It's a feat that hadn't happened and who knows if it will ever happen again. Granted now comes the greatest challenge for this team.... Can it win a post-season series and repeat next season as division champs?
"Let's just enjoy this ride for now" laughed Mounds.
(redundant content but since I clicked every team's history to research this info I felt it deserved 2 points and not just a League Chatter post)