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PocketsAintFull · 02-26-2020, 11:17 AM

15:13, Puebla, 1st May 2020

Here I sit in Puebla, the site of last night's 'Featured Game of the Month' (more later), and it occurs to me just what a momentous month of baseball we've seen go by, the first in NABA's history. 24 cities across the continent of North America have hosted games for hundred of thousands of fans, new stars are already rising, and tempestuous rivalries have started their (hopefully) long stories. A recap seems in order...

The Story So Far

The first pitch thrown in NABA came from the hand of Salt Lake City Surge starter Adrian Pentz, but it was the second game of Opening Day from Mexico City that brought the first run, delivered by, of all things, a balk; CF Tom Favreau of the Las Vegas Rock Cats crossed the plate, and may well find himself the subject of a trivia question in the distant future.

Week one of the season brought more than just baseball & balks, as No.1 Draft Pick Travis Deemer (SP, Monterrey) found himself out of the opening season no sooner than he'd started it - a Torn UCL put him on the shelf for 11 months. The first 3 homer game of the year (with 6 RBIs, no less) came early into the second week of action, with CF Rafael Garcia (San Antonio) showing off for his home fans in a blowout against Portland.

Vancouver started their season full of hopes, part of a Canadian Division that stretches from coast-to-coast and puts them, slightly oddly, in the Atlantic Conference of the league. The Seadogs certainly could not find their sea legs (no groaning please) to start the season though, and entered play on April 11th with the unenviable record of 0-10, still looking for their first ever NABA victory. If the fans had to wait a little (?!?) too long to celebrate a first win, their April 11th victory on the road in Calgary certainly went some way to make up for earlier disappointments - SP Jordan Flores threw the first Complete Game in league history, and a shutout no less, giving up just 4 hits and 1 walk on the way to a 3-0 success. Trouble has unfortunately not stopped there for Vancouver, as they finished April with a 7-21 mark, but as far as iconic franchise moments go, Flores delivered something that will stand the test of time.

As we entered the later half of the month, patterns began to emerge, much as baseball fans have come to expect as the games start to go by. Tijuana had a rollercoaster month; they started a positive 7-4, then went on a 10 game loser, before recovering to finish the month at 13-15. Over in Juarez, 1B Alberto Hernandez ended play on the 27th of April with a .500 OBP through 24 games, and became the subject of quite some excitement to see if he could finish out the month that way; he would fall just short, at .496. The first big contract renewal of NABA's history made some waves in the final days of the month, as SP Julio Diaz (Jacksonville) signed a $73.8m/7 year deal. While his talent as a 28 year old leftie is not in too much doubt, he'll be hoping to improve his form from a 5.04 ERA over 6 starts through April.

Our Players of the Month? With the bat, I'll pick LF Mario Morin from San Antonio. The experienced switch hitter put up a .344/.456/.828 slash, with 11 HR and 30 RBI - quite the standard to set! For pitchers, few impressed as much as SP Fernando Arias of Edmonton - though he somehow missed out on the league's official awards, his 0.56 ERA over 6 starts and 32 IP deserves praise.

Finally, before we round up yesteday's 'Feature Game of the Month', two notes from the Minor Leagues of NABA - SP Steve Higgins of Tallahassee threw a No-Hitter against Syracuse, with 8 K's and no walks, while RF Jason Shelter (San Luis Potosi) swung his bat for the Cycle on the road in Chihuahua.

Feature Game of the Month

Mexico City Coyotes (14-13) @ Puebla Alleycats (16-11), April 30th

29,132 baseball fans came along to the first meeting between these two Mexican Division rivals in the cool, air-conditioned Alleycats Ballpark. The starting pitcher contest put two players with excellent early-season records on the mound - Bobby Garcia (6 GS, 27.1 IP, 1.65 ERA) for Mexico City, and Dave Alcantara (6 GS, 26.2 IP, 3.25 ERA) for Puebla.

The first run came in the bottom of the 1st, with Puebla's third baseman Travis Mounce singling to the outfield to bring home 2B Ben Brant from second. Dave Alcantara threw down a 1-2-3 inning to hold the lead, before Puebla catcher David Barrera started his stellar game with a modest walk in the bottom of the 2nd.

The Coyotes opened their scoring account in the top of the 3rd through an unlikely source; SP Bobby Garcia was allowed to walk on base by Alcantara, and a couple of hits later found himself crossing home plate on right fielder Roberto Gonzales' infield single. The score stayed tied through to the bottom of the 4th, where the Alleycats opened things up; doubles from David Barrera and centre fielder Brian Malone brought in runs, while Ben Brant got his second hit of the game to bring in a third. Puebla led 4-1 by the end of the 4th.

Both starting pitchers would stay in the game until the bottom of the 6th, when Mexico City's Bobby Garcia (5.0 IP, 10 H, 4 ER) gave way to LHP Victor Salgado from the bullpen in a double switch. Dave Alcantara (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER) left in the top of the 7th with Puebla still holding a 3 run lead. The Alleycats added a fifth run in the bottom of the 7th, with David Barrera picking up a second RBI. Puebla's LHP Logan Lee provided a half-inning of magic in the 8th, by striking out the side, before his batters added one more with a Brian Malone home run to take the score to 6-1. With little drama in the 9th, Puebla took their 17th win of the season, while Mexico City dropped to .500.

Final Score - Mexico City Coyotes 1, Puebla Alleycats 6
Player of the Game - David Barrera (C, Puebla), 3/3, 2 RBI, 1 BB

NABA Division Leaders for April

USA West (PC) - San Antonio Sultans, 19-9
Mexican (PC)- Monterrey Alligators, 18-10
USA East (AC)- New Orleans Lakers/Jacksonville Blue Knights, 17-11
Canadian (AC) - Winnipeg Unicorns, 16-12

02-26-2020, 11:17 AM	#2
PocketsAintFull All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 1,917	April Delivers for NABA 15:13, Puebla, 1st May 2020 Here I sit in Puebla, the site of last night's 'Featured Game of the Month' (more later), and it occurs to me just what a momentous month of baseball we've seen go by, the first in NABA's history. 24 cities across the continent of North America have hosted games for hundred of thousands of fans, new stars are already rising, and tempestuous rivalries have started their (hopefully) long stories. A recap seems in order... The Story So Far The first pitch thrown in NABA came from the hand of Salt Lake City Surge starter Adrian Pentz, but it was the second game of Opening Day from Mexico City that brought the first run, delivered by, of all things, a balk; CF Tom Favreau of the Las Vegas Rock Cats crossed the plate, and may well find himself the subject of a trivia question in the distant future. Week one of the season brought more than just baseball & balks, as No.1 Draft Pick Travis Deemer (SP, Monterrey) found himself out of the opening season no sooner than he'd started it - a Torn UCL put him on the shelf for 11 months. The first 3 homer game of the year (with 6 RBIs, no less) came early into the second week of action, with CF Rafael Garcia (San Antonio) showing off for his home fans in a blowout against Portland. Vancouver started their season full of hopes, part of a Canadian Division that stretches from coast-to-coast and puts them, slightly oddly, in the Atlantic Conference of the league. The Seadogs certainly could not find their sea legs (no groaning please) to start the season though, and entered play on April 11th with the unenviable record of 0-10, still looking for their first ever NABA victory. If the fans had to wait a little (?!?) too long to celebrate a first win, their April 11th victory on the road in Calgary certainly went some way to make up for earlier disappointments - SP Jordan Flores threw the first Complete Game in league history, and a shutout no less, giving up just 4 hits and 1 walk on the way to a 3-0 success. Trouble has unfortunately not stopped there for Vancouver, as they finished April with a 7-21 mark, but as far as iconic franchise moments go, Flores delivered something that will stand the test of time. As we entered the later half of the month, patterns began to emerge, much as baseball fans have come to expect as the games start to go by. Tijuana had a rollercoaster month; they started a positive 7-4, then went on a 10 game loser, before recovering to finish the month at 13-15. Over in Juarez, 1B Alberto Hernandez ended play on the 27th of April with a .500 OBP through 24 games, and became the subject of quite some excitement to see if he could finish out the month that way; he would fall just short, at .496. The first big contract renewal of NABA's history made some waves in the final days of the month, as SP Julio Diaz (Jacksonville) signed a $73.8m/7 year deal. While his talent as a 28 year old leftie is not in too much doubt, he'll be hoping to improve his form from a 5.04 ERA over 6 starts through April. Our Players of the Month? With the bat, I'll pick LF Mario Morin from San Antonio. The experienced switch hitter put up a .344/.456/.828 slash, with 11 HR and 30 RBI - quite the standard to set! For pitchers, few impressed as much as SP Fernando Arias of Edmonton - though he somehow missed out on the league's official awards, his 0.56 ERA over 6 starts and 32 IP deserves praise. Finally, before we round up yesteday's 'Feature Game of the Month', two notes from the Minor Leagues of NABA - SP Steve Higgins of Tallahassee threw a No-Hitter against Syracuse, with 8 K's and no walks, while RF Jason Shelter (San Luis Potosi) swung his bat for the Cycle on the road in Chihuahua. Feature Game of the Month Mexico City Coyotes (14-13) @ Puebla Alleycats (16-11), April 30th 29,132 baseball fans came along to the first meeting between these two Mexican Division rivals in the cool, air-conditioned Alleycats Ballpark. The starting pitcher contest put two players with excellent early-season records on the mound - Bobby Garcia (6 GS, 27.1 IP, 1.65 ERA) for Mexico City, and Dave Alcantara (6 GS, 26.2 IP, 3.25 ERA) for Puebla. The first run came in the bottom of the 1st, with Puebla's third baseman Travis Mounce singling to the outfield to bring home 2B Ben Brant from second. Dave Alcantara threw down a 1-2-3 inning to hold the lead, before Puebla catcher David Barrera started his stellar game with a modest walk in the bottom of the 2nd. The Coyotes opened their scoring account in the top of the 3rd through an unlikely source; SP Bobby Garcia was allowed to walk on base by Alcantara, and a couple of hits later found himself crossing home plate on right fielder Roberto Gonzales' infield single. The score stayed tied through to the bottom of the 4th, where the Alleycats opened things up; doubles from David Barrera and centre fielder Brian Malone brought in runs, while Ben Brant got his second hit of the game to bring in a third. Puebla led 4-1 by the end of the 4th. Both starting pitchers would stay in the game until the bottom of the 6th, when Mexico City's Bobby Garcia (5.0 IP, 10 H, 4 ER) gave way to LHP Victor Salgado from the bullpen in a double switch. Dave Alcantara (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER) left in the top of the 7th with Puebla still holding a 3 run lead. The Alleycats added a fifth run in the bottom of the 7th, with David Barrera picking up a second RBI. Puebla's LHP Logan Lee provided a half-inning of magic in the 8th, by striking out the side, before his batters added one more with a Brian Malone home run to take the score to 6-1. With little drama in the 9th, Puebla took their 17th win of the season, while Mexico City dropped to .500. Final Score - Mexico City Coyotes 1, Puebla Alleycats 6 Player of the Game - David Barrera (C, Puebla), 3/3, 2 RBI, 1 BB NABA Division Leaders for April USA West (PC) - San Antonio Sultans, 19-9 Mexican (PC)- Monterrey Alligators, 18-10 USA East (AC)- New Orleans Lakers/Jacksonville Blue Knights, 17-11 Canadian (AC) - Winnipeg Unicorns, 16-12 __________________ ---------------- Bob Uecker, RIP Last edited by PocketsAintFull; 02-26-2020 at 11:23 AM.