Tag Archives: table gaming

Tim Kurkjian Among ‘Hal Richman Strat-O-Matic Hall of Fame’ Inductees on SOM Opening Day, Feb. 21

A time-honored tradition for thousands of fans throughout the years, Strat-O-Matic Opening Day is set for Friday, February 21, at company Headquarters in Glen Head, N.Y. There, Strat-O-Matic’s greatest enthusiasts line up along Railroad Avenue in the Long Island hamlet to be among the first to get their hands on new 2025 baseball games as well as the debut of numerous product offerings from the market leader in sports simulations.

For the third straight year, Opening Day will also serve as Induction Friday, with four new members joining the ranks of the “Hal Richman Strat-O-Matic Hall of Fame.” This year, legendary baseball media member and longtime SOM player Tim Kurkjian, Lamanna Baseball Bulletin creator John Lamanna, “Original Strat-O-Matic Ambassador” Tom Swank and longtime SOM game tester Ken Wenger will be honored on the 21st with enshrinement.

Kurkjian, who began playing Strat-O-Matic at age 13, also introduced the game to his son Jeff. Together they share baseball stories on their popular podcast “Is This A Great Game, or What?,” on which they also discuss a customized Strat-O-Matic simulation every week during the season.

In 2024, fans from as far away as Las Vegas began lining up as early as 2 a.m., braving less than temperate conditions to pick up their orders as well as gain the honor of meeting the Strat-O-Matic founder and creator, Hal Richman, who enjoys hearing fans talk about the decades of enjoyment that the game has brought them.

This year, fans who preordered will be able to go home with their purchases, including the new 2024 baseball season cards, “Diamond Gems” series featuring 16 great teams from the 2000-2009 decade, the full super-advanced 1970 baseball season, and the “True Blue Strat” designed t-shirt. Windows products including the 2025 game, numerous Negro League seasons, Cuban All-Time Stars teams and updated Hall of Fame roster will be released on Feb. 24.

Los Angeles Edges New York In Seven In Strat-O-Matic Simulation

Tommy Edman had a series-best .435 average, hit two home runs and drove in six runs, Teoscar Hernandez plated seven and Mookie Betts had 10 hits as Los Angeles topped New York, four games to three, as Strat-O-Matic (@strat-o-matic), the market leader in sports simulation games, simulated the championship series which begins tonight.

In the decisive Game Seven, Hernandez’s single plated Betts with the go-ahead run that gave L.A. a 2-1 edge. The hosts would add another in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run by Will Smith, and on a bullpen day, Blake Treinen pitched two perfect innings, fanning four, as the last of eight Los Angeles pitchers in the game, for his third save of the series.

Los Angeles rallied from a 3-1 series deficit, getting five-inning starts from Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Games Five and Six to send it to the winner-take-all contest in L.A. 

Betts hit .370 in the seven games with a home run and seven RBI. In the battle between probable league MVPs, New York’s Aaron Judge (.346, two home runs, three RBI) and Shohei Ohtani (.231, two HR, six RBI) were fairly even, while Giancarlo Stanton had three home runs and drove in six in the series.

Game 1

New York……. 1 0 1  0 0 1  0 0 0  –  3  6  4

Los Angeles…. 0 0 1  0 2 0  1 0    –  4  7  0

WP: Vesia; LP: Hill; SV: Treinen

HR: Soto, Stanton

Game 2

New York……. 0 3 2  1 4 1  0 0 2  – 13 15  0

Los Angeles…. 0 0 2  0 2 0  0 0 0  –  4  8  0

WP: Leiter; LP: Yamamoto

HR: Wells, Chisholm, Volpe, Rizzo, T. Hernandez

Game 3

Los Angeles…. 1 2 0  0 0 0  1 0 0  –  4  7  0

New York……. 1 0 0  0 0 3  0 0 1  –  5  8  0

WP: Weaver; LP: Kopech

HR: Edman, Judge

Game 4

Los Angeles…. 0 0 0  0 0 0  1 0 0  –  1  4  2

New York……. 2 0 0  0 0 0  4 1    –  7  7  0

WP: Gil; LP: Brasier

HR: T. Hernandez, Soto

Game 5

Los Angeles…. 0 0 2  0 3 0  0 0 0  –  5  8  0

New York……. 0 0 0  1 0 0  1 0 2  –  4  5  1

WP: Flaherty; LP: Cole; SV: Treinen

HR: Ohtani 2, Wells 2, Stanton

Game 6

New York……. 0 1 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  –  1  8  0

Los Angeles…. 3 1 0  0 0 1  0 2    –  7 11  0

WP: Yamamoto; LP: Rodon

HR: Stanton, Betts, Edman

Game 7

New York……. 1 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  –  1  2  0

Los Angeles…. 1 0 1  0 0 1  0 0    –  3  7  0

WP: Banda; LP: Schmidt; SV: Treinen

HR: Judge, Smith

This Year’s White Sox Fall to ‘62 Mets In Strat-O-Matic ‘Worst Team Ever’ Simulation

A current 21-game losing streak has put this year’s Chicago White Sox (27-88, .235 winning percentage through Monday) on a pace for an even poorer record than the famed 1962 New York Mets, who at 40-120 (.250) are acknowledged by many as the worst team in modern Major League Baseball history. So how would the 2024 ChiSox fare against Marvelous Marv Throneberry, Felix Mantilla and the rest of Casey Stengel’s expansion Amazins?

Strat-O-Matic (@strat-o-matic), the market leader in sports simulation games, decided to put that to the test today, simulating a seven-game series between the two lowly squads. And the battle came down to Game 7, where Jay Hook pitched a complete game and Sammy Taylor hit a grand slam in the fourth inning for a 7-5 Mets win.

The 2024 White Sox, further depleted by trade deadline deals that sent away Michael Kopech, Tommy Pham, Eloy Jimenez, Tanner Banks and Paul DeJong, all starters or key “contributors,” are on a pace to finish 38-124 based on their record to date. But Strat-O-Matic also decided to simulate the rest of this season with their current roster, and has the final record tabbed at 41-121.

In the ‘62 Mets series simulation, Chicago pitching, which has recorded an A.L.-worst 4.88 ERA, allowing the most walks (451), second most home runs (147) and fourth most hits (977) in actual MLB play to date, permitted 60 runs in the seven games for a 7.28 ERA that included 13 home runs and 41 walks. The ChiSox’s top hitter against New York was Luis Robert Jr., who hit .448 with two home runs and four RBI. Andrew Benintendi checked in at .316 with a home run and six RBI in the series.

Chicago won the first two games of the series and led, three games to two, but lost, 18-3 and 7-5 in the last two contests in New York.

Game 1

Chicago……. 2 0 1  1 2 0  0 0 0  1 –  7 14  2

New York…… 0 1 0  4 0 0  0 1 0  0 –  6  9  1

WP: Ellard; LP: Daviault; SV: Kuhl

HR: Robert Jr., Vaughn, Thomas

Game 2

Chicago……. 0 0 2  0 0 1  0 5 0  –  8 11  1

New York…… 0 1 3  0 0 0  0 2 0  –  6  8  0

WP: Anderson; LP: Jackson; SV: Kuhl

HR: Vargas, Mantilla, Thomas 2, Hickman

Game 3

New York…… 0 0 1  0 0 0  0 4 0  1 –  6 11  2

Chicago……. 0 0 0  0 1 2  0 2 0  0 –  5  8  0

WP: Mackenzie; LP: Brebbia

HR: Fletcher

Game 4

New York…… 1 0 0  0 3 1  2 0 0  –  7  9  3

Chicago……. 0 0 0  0 0 1  0 0 2  –  3  7  2

WP: Miller; LP: Martin

HR: Mantilla

Game 5

New York…… 0 7 0  0 0 0  1 0 2  – 10 12  0

Chicago……. 2 0 0  6 0 0  3 4    – 15 14  2

WP: Shuster; LP: Mackenzie

HR: Hodges, Robert Jr., Sosa

Game 6

Chicago……. 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 3  –  3  7  0

New York…… 0 0 6  1 0 1  010    – 18 17  2

WP: Jackson; LP: Flexen

HR: Vaughn, Mantilla 2, Thomas 2, Throneberry

Game 7

Chicago……. 3 0 0  1 0 1  0 0 0  –  5  7  1

New York…… 0 1 1  4 0 0  1 0    –  7  8  2

WP: Hook; LP: Cannon

HR: Benintendi, Lee, Taylor

Strat-O-Matic Clubs Mark One Year With Huge Player Interest, Growth

Last summer, Strat-O-Matic (@strat-o-matic), the market leader in sports simulation games, announced Strat-O-Matic Clubs, its first ever unified national club program. Players from across the U.S. got on board, with groups quickly forming.

A year later, more than 20 Strat-O-Matic Clubs, including the charter Clubs in Connecticut, New Jersey, Detroit, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Long Island (N.Y) are thriving, with hundreds of participants across all the Clubs. And more than 50 are developing, with fans inquiring about beginning their own in new locations daily.

“When we launched the Clubs program, we were confident that Strat-O-Matic players were looking for like-minded fans who enjoy getting together to enjoy their favorite game,” said Adam Richman, CEO, Strat-O-Matic Media. “We have been overwhelmed with the tremendous feedback, with many referencing the social nature of the Clubs, how they have met new players and how their groups continue to expand, with some participating in multiple Clubs every month.”

Fans interested in leading or joining a Strat-O-Matic Club are encouraged to email [email protected], and check out details of current clubs and locations at https://www.strat-o-matic.com/strat-clubs. Club members receive discounts on game sets and other SOM merchandise, a personalized game card, exclusive Zoom with a Strat-O-Matic personality and other perks.

In addition to the Connecticut, Central New Jersey and Long Island locations, some of the most popular and active Strat-O-Matic Clubs are running in Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, North New Jersey, North Kentucky, Georgia and California. Interest has been shown in more than 30 other states.