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Westheim · 11-03-2021, 04:36 PM

2045 WORLD SERIES
Portland Raccoons (95-67) vs. Richmond Rebels (98-64)

The mood wasn’t great.

The Raccoons had scored eight runs in Game 1 and had lost. They had sent Wheats into Game 2, and had lost. Given that Game 4 beckoned to be troublesome to begin with, given the punching bag status of Adam Capone, a loss in Game 3 would already be the end.

In fact, things were so dire, Nick Valdes cancelled his trip to Portland and retreated to his mountaintop hideout, not wanting to be seen with his losing team.

Game 3 – Sadaharu Okuda (11-11, 4.08 ERA) vs. Steve Miles (9-12, 3.81 ERA)

How to stop the doubles and homers flood? Okuda would have to find something. Pairing the groundballer with Gurney at the keystone was bold enough for a back-to-the-wall Game 3. Somehow we had to out-hit the Rebels, though.

Steve Miles had started the only game the Raccoons had won in the June meeting, but had left the game in the first inning with a tender shoulder. He had still been hung the 9-0 loss. We could use something like that again…

The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out Ebenezer Slouch, CEO of the Toxic Dumpling Company, an on-demand bakery that combined environmental cleanup with, well, baking dumplings. I am not sure of the connections here, but I would tend to blame Nick Valdes for this…

RIC: CF G. Cabrera – 2B Clevidence – LF P. Gonzalez – C K. Duncan – RF A. Marquez – 3B Frazier – SS Aguilera – 1B Guillory – P S. Miles
POR: LF Baskins – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – RF Fernandez – 1B Toohey – SS Waters – 2B Gurney – C Kilmer – P Okuda

Gonzalez raked an RBI double in the first inning, driving in the unavoidable Clevidence with an unearned run that was blamed on Maldonado, who had fumbled his grounder. Herrera doubled and Manny walked in the bottom 1st, but Toohey grounded out to Frazier to keep them stranded.

Bottom 2nd, Waters worked a leadoff walk and stole second base. Gurney then ticked a single to left, with Waters having to stop at third base. Runners on the corners for Kilmer, our catcher ran a full count before striking a ball at Clevidence for a hard lineout. Okuda came through for a sac fly at least, while Baskins hit a soft single with two outs. Herrera’s grounder to Guillory ended the inning with another pair left stranded.

After an uneventful third inning, and with Okuda dealing as well as ever (5 K in 4 IP), the Raccoons got Waters on base with another walk in the bottom 4th. And leave it to Pat Gurney – he tried to live up to the “more offensive solution moniker”, and solved the 1-1 tie with a homer to right, putting the Coons up 3-1.

Another pair was on base in the bottom 5th, Herrera reaching on an error and Maldonado legging out an infield single. Manny’s fly to Gil Cabrera was caught, but advanced Herrera to third base. Toohey also flew out to Cabrera, but got the runner home from third base at least, 4-1. Maldo was then caught stealing to conclude the fifth.

Then the Rebels returned to being annoying as ****. Clevidence, the miserable pest, hit a leadoff triple to left in the sixth before Okuda struck out Gonzalez and Duncan, determined to keep him pinned there at third base. The count to Alex Marquez with two outs ran full, Okuda threw a challenge – and Marquez hit the challenge all the way to ******* Idaho to narrow the score to 4-3. The meltdown didn’t stop there. Aguilera legged out an infield single to begin the top 7th, Guillory singled, and PH Lance Harrison walked. Okuda had loaded the bases with nobody out, was yanked, and the Raccoons saw the lead go bust on Victor Gutierrez’ pinch-hit sac fly off Nelson Moreno. Crucially, Clevidence popped out for the second out, after which Chuck Jones came on for Pablo Gonzalez, but now walked the left-hander, gave up a 2-run single to Duncan, and only then did Marquez ground out to second base.

The Coons didn’t reach in the seventh, but put the tying runs aboard in the eighth. Manny was nicked by Kurt Crater and Toohey drew a walk; two on with nobody out, and these runs HAD to score. Waters singled on the next pitch, loading the bases … with nobody out. Doom. New pitcher Juan Ramos conceded a run on Gurney’s groundout, then walked Kilmer. Al Martell batted for Bob Ibold, but popped out. Baskins grounded out to Clevidence. The runs did not score…

The Coons used Josh Rella to keep the Rebels only one run away in the ninth inning, which was one use for a closer if your team never held a meaningful lead. Then it was Beggs against the 2-3-4 in the bottom 9th. Herrera flew out to Paul Moore in right. Maldo flew out to Marquez in center. Manny hit a double to right-center to put the tying run into scoring position. Beggs went cautious on Toohey, who eventually walked, bringing up Matt Waters, who fell to 1-2, then looked at a slider that notched the corner.

Rebels 6, Raccoons 5 – Rebels lead series 3-0

Gurney 2-4, HR, 3 RBI;

With that, and Adam Capone pitching in Game 4, the series was as over as a series could be.

Game 4 – Adam Capone (4-4, 3.22 ERA) vs. Bill McDermott (7-5, 3.84 ERA)

McDermott was a rookie with little stamina and a mediocre pitching profile. Much the same could be said for Capone, who had been roughed up by the Thunder, and would need little encouragement to get roughed up once more.

The organist played a selection of the last tunes played on the Titanic before it went under in 1912 while the first pitch was thrown out by Carl Bean, a Raccoons veteran from the Decade of Darkness, who felt right at home with this playoff roster…

The Coons went with Carreno at second base again for the groundballing Capone. I went with Honeypaws in a firm clutch and a big box of tissues to brave out the inevitable elimination.

RIC: CF G. Cabrera – 2B Clevidence – LF P. Gonzalez – C K. Duncan – RF A. Marquez – 3B Frazier – SS Aguilera – 1B Guillory – P McDermott
POR: LF Baskins – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – RF Fernandez – 1B Toohey – SS Waters – 2B Carreno – C Kilmer – P Capone

Again, Richmond went up 1-0 in the first, singles being hit by Cabrera and Gonzalez. Kilmer’s throwing error when Cabrera swiped second base also helped a bit…

Capone lasted once through the lineup and left in a 4-0 hole in the second inning. After Duncan hit into a double play to end the top 1st, Marquez opened the top 2nd with a homer to right-center. Frazier walked, scored on an Aguilera triple, and while Landon Guillory struck out, McDermott hit an RBI single. That was it for Capone, the wimp. Sean Marucci took over in long relief again.

Marucci pitched three innings before putting Clevidence (double) and Duncan (nailed!) on the corners in the top of the fifth inning. Actually, backup catcher Kevin Morris would take over for Duncan, who could hardly walk after getting smacked in the foot. Zack Kelly took over for Marucci, gave up a sac fly to Marquez, and then got Frazier to pop out to end the inning. And no, the Raccoons had done absolutely nothing in the meantime. They were on one base hit, and they were down 5-0, and it was all entirely over.

Al Martell led off the bottom 6th pinch-hitting for Jon Craig, who had pitched an accident-free inning for a change, and tripled into the corner in rightfield. Baskins grounded out to score him, but that was hardly reason to celebrate, given that the team was still down by a slam and made no moves to load the bases instantly.

A walk drawn by Waters and a 2-out Carreno single were enough to chase McDermott in the bottom 7th at least. Lazaro Ochoa, who had given up three meaningless runs in Game 1, came on to see after Kilmer, who promptly grounded out to short. Bob Ibold answered in style, giving up a leadoff jack to Marquez in the eighth.

Bottom 8th, weak outs from Gurney and Baskins, then a Herrera single. Maldonado struck out – except that Morris was called out for catcher’s interference and Maldo was sent to first base. Manny walked, filling the bases for Bryce Toohey. Kurt Crater came on, but walked Toohey on straight balls to force home a run, and now Waters came up as the tying run again. He hit a 2-run single up the middle on the first pitch to keep the line moving, narrowing the score to 6-4. And then Carreno popped out…

Jones and Moreno kept the Rebs off the basepaths in the ninth inning, before Jesse Beggs dawned on the Coons in the bottom of the ninth. Jonathan Dustal, heretofore unused in the World Series, hit for Kilmer and was nicked, promoting Gurney, who had stayed at second base, to the plate as the tying run, but he struck out. Baskins popped out to short. Herrera had been THE big addition the previous winter, and now was the final out in the World Series, potentially. He grounded to short. Aguilera to Thomas Gould at first for the out – no! He dropped the ball! Error! The Raccoons brought Maldonado to the plate as the winning run, somehow! Maldo took a ball, then slapped a ball through between Clevidence and Gould for an RBI single, 6-5. Herrera, the tying run, held at second base. Manny Fernandez hit the 2-1 pitch up the middle then. Clevidence over, the short toss to Aguilera – and Maldonado was truly and indeed out.

Rebels 6, Raccoons 5 – Rebels win series 4-0

Waters 2-3, BB, 2 RBI; Martell (PH) 1-1, 3B;

(sits on Cristiano Carmona’s lap, incessantly crying onto his shoulder)

…

2045 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
Richmond Rebels
(3rd title)

11-03-2021, 04:36 PM	#3761
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,779	2045 WORLD SERIES Portland Raccoons (95-67) vs. Richmond Rebels (98-64) The mood wasn’t great. The Raccoons had scored eight runs in Game 1 and had lost. They had sent Wheats into Game 2, and had lost. Given that Game 4 beckoned to be troublesome to begin with, given the punching bag status of Adam Capone, a loss in Game 3 would already be the end. In fact, things were so dire, Nick Valdes cancelled his trip to Portland and retreated to his mountaintop hideout, not wanting to be seen with his losing team. Game 3 – Sadaharu Okuda (11-11, 4.08 ERA) vs. Steve Miles (9-12, 3.81 ERA) How to stop the doubles and homers flood? Okuda would have to find something. Pairing the groundballer with Gurney at the keystone was bold enough for a back-to-the-wall Game 3. Somehow we had to out-hit the Rebels, though. Steve Miles had started the only game the Raccoons had won in the June meeting, but had left the game in the first inning with a tender shoulder. He had still been hung the 9-0 loss. We could use something like that again… The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out Ebenezer Slouch, CEO of the Toxic Dumpling Company, an on-demand bakery that combined environmental cleanup with, well, baking dumplings. I am not sure of the connections here, but I would tend to blame Nick Valdes for this… RIC: CF G. Cabrera – 2B Clevidence – LF P. Gonzalez – C K. Duncan – RF A. Marquez – 3B Frazier – SS Aguilera – 1B Guillory – P S. Miles POR: LF Baskins – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – RF Fernandez – 1B Toohey – SS Waters – 2B Gurney – C Kilmer – P Okuda Gonzalez raked an RBI double in the first inning, driving in the unavoidable Clevidence with an unearned run that was blamed on Maldonado, who had fumbled his grounder. Herrera doubled and Manny walked in the bottom 1st, but Toohey grounded out to Frazier to keep them stranded. Bottom 2nd, Waters worked a leadoff walk and stole second base. Gurney then ticked a single to left, with Waters having to stop at third base. Runners on the corners for Kilmer, our catcher ran a full count before striking a ball at Clevidence for a hard lineout. Okuda came through for a sac fly at least, while Baskins hit a soft single with two outs. Herrera’s grounder to Guillory ended the inning with another pair left stranded. After an uneventful third inning, and with Okuda dealing as well as ever (5 K in 4 IP), the Raccoons got Waters on base with another walk in the bottom 4th. And leave it to Pat Gurney – he tried to live up to the “more offensive solution moniker”, and solved the 1-1 tie with a homer to right, putting the Coons up 3-1. Another pair was on base in the bottom 5th, Herrera reaching on an error and Maldonado legging out an infield single. Manny’s fly to Gil Cabrera was caught, but advanced Herrera to third base. Toohey also flew out to Cabrera, but got the runner home from third base at least, 4-1. Maldo was then caught stealing to conclude the fifth. Then the Rebels returned to being annoying as **. Clevidence, the miserable pest, hit a leadoff triple to left in the sixth before Okuda struck out Gonzalez and Duncan, determined to keep him pinned there at third base. The count to Alex Marquez with two outs ran full, Okuda threw a challenge – and Marquez hit the challenge all the way to *** Idaho to narrow the score to 4-3. The meltdown didn’t stop there. Aguilera legged out an infield single to begin the top 7th, Guillory singled, and PH Lance Harrison walked. Okuda had loaded the bases with nobody out, was yanked, and the Raccoons saw the lead go bust on Victor Gutierrez’ pinch-hit sac fly off Nelson Moreno. Crucially, Clevidence popped out for the second out, after which Chuck Jones came on for Pablo Gonzalez, but now walked the left-hander, gave up a 2-run single to Duncan, and only then did Marquez ground out to second base. The Coons didn’t reach in the seventh, but put the tying runs aboard in the eighth. Manny was nicked by Kurt Crater and Toohey drew a walk; two on with nobody out, and these runs HAD to score. Waters singled on the next pitch, loading the bases … with nobody out. Doom. New pitcher Juan Ramos conceded a run on Gurney’s groundout, then walked Kilmer. Al Martell batted for Bob Ibold, but popped out. Baskins grounded out to Clevidence. The runs did not score… The Coons used Josh Rella to keep the Rebels only one run away in the ninth inning, which was one use for a closer if your team never held a meaningful lead. Then it was Beggs against the 2-3-4 in the bottom 9th. Herrera flew out to Paul Moore in right. Maldo flew out to Marquez in center. Manny hit a double to right-center to put the tying run into scoring position. Beggs went cautious on Toohey, who eventually walked, bringing up Matt Waters, who fell to 1-2, then looked at a slider that notched the corner. Rebels 6, Raccoons 5 – Rebels lead series 3-0 Gurney 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; With that, and Adam Capone pitching in Game 4, the series was as over as a series could be. Game 4 – Adam Capone (4-4, 3.22 ERA) vs. Bill McDermott (7-5, 3.84 ERA)** McDermott was a rookie with little stamina and a mediocre pitching profile. Much the same could be said for Capone, who had been roughed up by the Thunder, and would need little encouragement to get roughed up once more. The organist played a selection of the last tunes played on the Titanic before it went under in 1912 while the first pitch was thrown out by Carl Bean, a Raccoons veteran from the Decade of Darkness, who felt right at home with this playoff roster… The Coons went with Carreno at second base again for the groundballing Capone. I went with Honeypaws in a firm clutch and a big box of tissues to brave out the inevitable elimination. RIC: CF G. Cabrera – 2B Clevidence – LF P. Gonzalez – C K. Duncan – RF A. Marquez – 3B Frazier – SS Aguilera – 1B Guillory – P McDermott POR: LF Baskins – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – RF Fernandez – 1B Toohey – SS Waters – 2B Carreno – C Kilmer – P Capone Again, Richmond went up 1-0 in the first, singles being hit by Cabrera and Gonzalez. Kilmer’s throwing error when Cabrera swiped second base also helped a bit… Capone lasted once through the lineup and left in a 4-0 hole in the second inning. After Duncan hit into a double play to end the top 1st, Marquez opened the top 2nd with a homer to right-center. Frazier walked, scored on an Aguilera triple, and while Landon Guillory struck out, McDermott hit an RBI single. That was it for Capone, the wimp. Sean Marucci took over in long relief again. Marucci pitched three innings before putting Clevidence (double) and Duncan (nailed!) on the corners in the top of the fifth inning. Actually, backup catcher Kevin Morris would take over for Duncan, who could hardly walk after getting smacked in the foot. Zack Kelly took over for Marucci, gave up a sac fly to Marquez, and then got Frazier to pop out to end the inning. And no, the Raccoons had done absolutely nothing in the meantime. They were on one base hit, and they were down 5-0, and it was all entirely over. Al Martell led off the bottom 6th pinch-hitting for Jon Craig, who had pitched an accident-free inning for a change, and tripled into the corner in rightfield. Baskins grounded out to score him, but that was hardly reason to celebrate, given that the team was still down by a slam and made no moves to load the bases instantly. A walk drawn by Waters and a 2-out Carreno single were enough to chase McDermott in the bottom 7th at least. Lazaro Ochoa, who had given up three meaningless runs in Game 1, came on to see after Kilmer, who promptly grounded out to short. Bob Ibold answered in style, giving up a leadoff jack to Marquez in the eighth. Bottom 8th, weak outs from Gurney and Baskins, then a Herrera single. Maldonado struck out – except that Morris was called out for catcher’s interference and Maldo was sent to first base. Manny walked, filling the bases for Bryce Toohey. Kurt Crater came on, but walked Toohey on straight balls to force home a run, and now Waters came up as the tying run again. He hit a 2-run single up the middle on the first pitch to keep the line moving, narrowing the score to 6-4. And then Carreno popped out… Jones and Moreno kept the Rebs off the basepaths in the ninth inning, before Jesse Beggs dawned on the Coons in the bottom of the ninth. Jonathan Dustal, heretofore unused in the World Series, hit for Kilmer and was nicked, promoting Gurney, who had stayed at second base, to the plate as the tying run, but he struck out. Baskins popped out to short. Herrera had been THE big addition the previous winter, and now was the final out in the World Series, potentially. He grounded to short. Aguilera to Thomas Gould at first for the out – no! He dropped the ball! Error! The Raccoons brought Maldonado to the plate as the winning run, somehow! Maldo took a ball, then slapped a ball through between Clevidence and Gould for an RBI single, 6-5. Herrera, the tying run, held at second base. Manny Fernandez hit the 2-1 pitch up the middle then. Clevidence over, the short toss to Aguilera – and Maldonado was truly and indeed out. Rebels 6, Raccoons 5 – Rebels win series 4-0 Waters 2-3, BB, 2 RBI; Martell (PH) 1-1, 3B; (sits on Cristiano Carmona’s lap, incessantly crying onto his shoulder) … 2045 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS Richmond Rebels (3rd title) Attached Images __________________ Portland Raccoons, 92 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here. Last edited by Westheim; 11-06-2021 at 04:54 AM.