McInnis said:

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Drunken Overseas Bettor said:

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McInnis said:

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Drunken Overseas Bettor said:

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McInnis said:

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Drunken Overseas Bettor said:

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'79 was was the first year the Angels made the playoffs after 19 years of sucking, so that was probably the real tipping point in the MVP race. '79 ...

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There were four expansion teams in the early 60s. Baseball was rough on expansion teams then. There was no free agency then so teams couldn't buy a roster like they can now. So they struggled. It took Houston and New York 8 years before breaking .500 for the first time, and Washington (now Texas) 9 years. But improbably the Angels did it in their second year finishing in 3rd place with a record of 86-76.

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I think I posted earlier this year about how the Mets have never reached .500 as a franchise because of how bad they were from 62-68. It's also ironic that the year that the Angels finally made the playoffs was the year that Nolan was a free agent. He walked to the Astros and was then on the Astros' first-ever playoff team the next year (80). That has probably happened again, but was I'm sure a rarity back in that era.

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And Nolan was on the Met's first playoff team as well.

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Wow that is nuts and he was on that Ranger team that .... oh, nevermind.

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You went there! Had the same thought, but thought better of it.

Edited to be fair. If Nolan had pitched just three more years he would have been part of the first playoff team of all four expansion franchises of the early 60s.

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