[Westheim]

Going into the final week of the season, it was already clear that Tetsu Osanai, despite a for his track record poor season, would win the RBI title in the CL with 111 so far. The two players that just led him when they got injured about a month ago, Ira Houston and Will Jackson, still ranked in the top 3 with 93 and 91, respectively. Mark Dawson and David Vinson were t-2nd in homers, but seven behind Jackson. Grant West was 2nd in saves, two behind Jim Durden. It would take stellar play by the Coons to get him back to Durden.

Raccoons (81-74) vs. Crusaders (63-92)

This was a four-game set and hopefully not another display of incompetence like against the Loggers.

Jason Turner’s scheduled second-to-last start of the season ended quickly. The Crusaders put five runs on him in the first inning, getting their first four men on base, including two leadoff walks. Geng as Turner’s replacement was not much more effective and the Crusaders made it 7-1 through three innings. The Raccoons’ offense didn’t really factor into the game. Burnett and Martinez were also tagged for runs while trying to cover the innings with as few pitchers as possible. The Crusaders’ 16-game loser Gary Nixon held the Raccoons to four hits through eight innings, and they had five hits in total. 9-1 Crusaders. Dawson 2-4;

What did I tell these guys about decency that made them so terrible? Okay, boys, from now on, be ***holes.

Steven Berry started game 2. Although he tried, he couldn’t match Jason Turner’s game 1 first-inning output, and the Crusaders only took a 2-0 lead. While the Raccoons tied the game 3-3 in the second, Berry was abysmally bad, spending his whole outing behind in the count. The high K output that had held him in games early in the season and had sparkled last year, it was nowhere to be seen. Neil Reece had a big game, getting in a run in the 3-run second, and then hit a 2-out, 3-run triple in the third that gave the Coons a 6-3 lead. In that situation, Berry’s big AB came in the fourth. Two down, two in scoring position, Douglas Donaldson faced him in the batter’s box. He lined into left, both runs scored, and while the inning ended with the Coons leading 6-5 because of Reece making a good catch in center on a huge fly ball by Mauro Fernandez, it was clear that Berry had completely lost it. Berry went six without further incidents, but five runs in four innings spoke a clear language. O-Mo made it 7-5 with a solo shot in the fifth, and in the seventh Osanai hit a homer, and O’Morrissey was on first base with Reece coming up. He flew into the gap in left center, and Dwight Reynolds and Raúl Castillo took time to get to the ball. Reece blew through second base and into third and – SAFE!! No Raccoon had ever hit two triples in a game before! Bottom 8th. Gonzalez and Dawson both led off with pinch-hit singles, before Donaldson made errors on consecutive plays. One run scored, bases loaded, nobody out. Osanai nudged a pitch right in front of home plate and the Crusaders forced Dawson at home. Vinson then drew a bases-loaded walk, 11-5. O-Mo flew out to right, bringing up Reece with the bags still full. Could he deliver another one? He could! GRAAAAAAND SLAAAAMMM!!! Youngster Neil Reece couldn’t stop grinning on his way around the bases and the park was rocking madly. Even those Crusaders that weren’t stunned clapped applause. 15-5 Raccoons, as they actually had only 13 hits. Dawson (PH) 1-1; Osanai 2-5, HR, RBI; O’Morrissey 3-4, BB, HR, RBI; Reece 4-5, HR, 2 3B, 2B, 9 RBI; Gonzalez (PH) 1-1; Cordero 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K;

Neil Reece actually missed the cycle by the SINGLE, which in itself was an achievement, but he also set two Raccoons records in the game: he was the first Furball to hit two triples in a game, and his nine rund batted in not only added over 50% to his output this season, but also set a new Raccoons record. He broke a record shared by Mark Dawson (1988) and Daniel Hall (1984). The former’s outing back in the day had been dubbed the Daniel Hall Game. If anything, this was the Neil Reece Game. The nine RBI’s fell one short of the ABL record, held by Tom McDonald while with the Knights.

Could we please carry over some euphoria into game 3 and 4? And the Indians series?

Game 3 was Kisho Saito’s last chance to avoid a losing record and jump to 11-11. Hall and Higgins had a day off. Neither had been more hot than room temperature recently. Johnston played right, which kept Reece in the lineup. Saito improved on his predecessors by pitching a scoreless first inning, yay! Ultimately, two things prevented Saito getting to .500 for the season. The Raccoons didn’t score early, and a mild storm rolled through in the third inning and ended Saito’s day with 2.2 innings pitched. It wasn’t until the fifth that the Raccoons mounted offense, started with a Reece single. When Reece stole second, catcher Ruben Melendez threw past second base and Reece went to third. Matt Duncan scored him with an RBI double, his first RBI as a Coon. The Raccoons ended up scoring six runs in the inning, capped by a 2-out, 3-run home run by Tetsu Osanai. Bottom 6th: Reece again led off with a single. Arnold doubled and Duncan walked. Bases loaded, nobody out, they added only two runs this time, though. Daniel Hall with a pinch-hit RBI groundout and then on a balk. They added more offense, Reece driving in a run in the seventh, and Matt Duncan hitting his first Brownshirt dinger in the eighth. It was another blowout in the end, 12-1, with Dennis Fried blowing the shutout in the eighth. Salazar 2-5, 2 RBI; Johnston 2-4, BB; Reece 3-5, 2B, RBI; Duncan 2-3, HR, 2B, RBI; O’Morrissey 1-1, 2B; Saito 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K; Lagarde 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, W (4-2);

2-out base hits by Reece and O’Morrissey gave Scott Wade an early 2-0 lead in the final game of the series. Glenn Johnston contracted some sort of back injury while legging out an infield single in the bottom 2nd and had to leave the game early, Arnold replaced him. The game remained relatively close after the score went to 3-1 in the top 3rd, as Wade and Raimundo Beato dueled effectively. Bottom 7th: Arnold led off with a double, and Hall and Osanai drew walks. Nobody out. Vinson singled up the middle, 4-1, before Reece actually had a bat AB and struck out. A wild pitch scored a run, and while O’Morrissey was retired on a stellar play by SS Lorenzo Gomez, Osanai scored on the groundout. 6-1 for Wade, who still maintained a reasonable pitch count. Was a complete game in reach? No. He loaded the bags including two full-count walks in the eighth and was removed. Matthews walked in two runs. Could setup guy. Really. Cordero got out of the inning. Well, at the very bottom of things, this gave Grant West a save opportunity, and he converted. 6-3 Raccoons. Salazar 4-5; Johnston 1-1, BB; Reece 2-4, RBI; O’Morrissey 2-4, 2 RBI; Wade 7.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, W (14-10);

With this, we tied the Indians for second place.

Raccoons (84-75) vs. Indians (84-75)

Basically meaningless, we still got something to play for. We would do so without Glenn Johnston, whose back was acting out badly now, and while he could pinch hit here or there, there was no reason to torture him.

“Mauler” Correa made his final start. Maybe as a Coon, maybe of his career, but at least and definitely for this season. Violante made a start behind the plate with Vinson needing a day off and Smith having cooled off badly recently. Violante was the game-tying run in the bottom 3rd after hitting a leadoff double. Correa had fallen 1-0 behind in the second but now the game started anew, 1-1, although that state didn’t hold long. Correa was tagged for three runs in the fourth, including a David Harris home run. Correa’s day (career?) ended with a leadoff homer by Forest Hartley in the fifth. Ken Burnett came in, and although the three runs he gave up in the inning were all unearned, he also filed for release with his outing. The Raccoons’ offense had been left in the clubhouse. Through seven innings, they managed two hits off Robert Vazquez, until ironically it was Violante again doing damage with a home run in the bottom 8th, his first career home run. Violante here, Violante there, the Coons were violently defeated. 8-2 Indians. Violante 2-3, HR, 2B, RBI; Fried 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K;

So much for something to play for.

Antonio Lopez started game 2. He was the Coon with the most wins this season, 15 already, although only seven had actually come with Portland. Kazuyuki Ando for the Indians struck out the first four Raccoons that dared face him in the game, before David Vinson hit a double to end such nonsense. Vinson didn’t scored, then had two blackouts in the top 4th for a passed ball and then a throwing error that helped the Indians turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Bottom 5th: Daniel Hall managed one final productive AB for a soaring-high-falling-low season, a 2-out RBI single to tie the game. There were still two men on for Osanai, who shot Ando’s pitch into the parking lot behind right center, 5-2 Raccoons. Lopez walked two in the top 7th and was yanked. Lagarde got out with a double play ball. Cordero and West had quick innings to end the game. 5-2 Raccoons, and we will have a 1-game brawl for second place. Salazar 2-3, RBI; Osanai 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Duncan 2-3, 2B; Lopez 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, W (16-12);

Besides the teams being tied for second place after 161 games, their closers are also tied for the ABL lead in saves, as Jim Durden and Grant West both have 44. In the Federal League SAL Andres Ramirez and WAS Domingo Rivera also have 44.

Jason Turner for the win? His last start had been a nightmare. One of the sort from which you can’t wake up. The Indians sent call-up Larry Davis (1-0, 1.62 ERA). While Daniel Hall narrowly missed a home run in the first, and was retired instead, Osanai hit a 2-out RBI double in the first inning that got Turner 1-0 ahead. In the third, the Raccoons loaded the bags with no outs for Osanai. A grounder to left AND IT GOT THROUGH!! Two runs scored, and Vinson and Arnold hit doubles, chasing Davis with the score 6-0. Turner took 101 pitches through six innings, but held the Indians shut out so far, setting a high note to his season. The Indians got a run off Burnett (but who didn’t?), but a save chance for West did not materialize anymore. Maybe if Berry pitched the ninth? No, he sat the Indians down in order. The Raccoons won 7-1, and took second place. Salazar 2-5; Osanai 4-5, 2B, 3 RBI; Vinson 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Dawson 2-4; O’Morrissey (PH) 1-1; Turner 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, W (6-4);

In other news

September 24 – Finally an achievement where the Thunder are not on the receiving end: 23-year old OF Alejandro Olvera (.226, 3 HR, 36 RBI) lands six hits in a 9-8 win over the Falcons. Admittedly, the game goes 18 innings and Olvera gets enough chances, but he still becomes the first player this year, the first Thunder, and 21st player overall to hit safely six times in a game. The Falcons are on the wrong side of the achievement for the fourth time (Riley Simon, 1978; Francisco Lopez, 1981; Daniel Hall, 1989) and have never had a player land six hits in a game. Two Falcons, Jeffrey Booker and Tom Stephens, have five hits in the game. No player has ever hit safely seven times in a game, no matter how long.
September 24 – The Capitals have an off day and enjoy the Rebels-Blue Sox game. The Blue Sox lose 6-2, which clinches the division for the Capitals, who will make their first ever postseason appearance. The Capitals were the last FL team to never play October baseball. Three teams remain in the Continental League: the Loggers, the Titans, and the Aces. The Blue Sox are denied winning the division five years in a row.
September 26 – OCT 2B Dave Browne (.290, 12 HR, 71 RBI) goes down to a strained rib cage muscle and will be out for the rest of the season.
September 26 – The Condors lose 3-2 in San Francisco, but Mike “Legs” Dye blows the Knights 2-1 lead over Las Vegas in the ninth, and the Aces win 4-2. The Condors clinch the CL South, setting the playoff field. It will be their fourth playoff appearance.
September 29 – MIL Rafael Garcia (7-11, 3.77 ERA) 3-hits the Canadiens in a 10-0 blowout.

Complaints and stuff

Second place in the division, which I see as damage control. The goal before the season was markedly different.

There will be quite a few decisions that have to be made regarding contract extensions.