Thursday, October 10, 2069
IPA TITLE ROUNDS BEGIN THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON... RACERS HOST SUN SOX IN TU FINALS... DIAMONDS WELCOME ROVERS IN RU FINALS
Three days off and then back to the IPA playoff wars... postseason round two begins this Sunday afternoon... it will be top-ranked Rolling Hills hosting second-ranked Southport in the Tycobbian Union Title Series and third-rated Claxton welcoming eighth pick Sligo in the Ruthlandian Union Title Series... these two series will set the stage for the IPA Pro Cup Series... the two winners of these best-of-seven series will meet for the prestigious Pro Cup Trophy, presented annually to the best professional baseball team in the Islands.
Pro Cup favorite Rolling Hills has won 6 Pro Cups in its history... Southport has captured it 4 times... and Claxton and Sligo have each won the revered honor one time... the Racers were victorious in 2029, 2031, 2048, 2060, 2062 and 2067... the Sun Sox won it in 2044, 2047, 2065 and 2066... while the Diamonds reigned supreme in 2064 and the Rovers were IPA champions in 2021.
Rolling Hills and Southport have tangled four times in the last eight seasons in the TU Finals... the Racers won in '68 and '62, the Sun Sox triumphed in '65 and '66... Claxton has reached this far three times since '64... they lost to Pro Cup titlist Forest City last season in the RU Finals and to Colfax in '65... in '64 the Diamonds won the Pro Cup, defeating Rolling Hills... Sligo's last appearance in the RU Finals was in '66 when they lost to Valmara.
Most of the baseball pundits are trending toward Rolling Hills, followed closely by Southport and Claxton... this year's Pro Cup winner will most likely come from those three clubs... Sligo is the outlier and given little chance to be the overall IPA champion in 2069.
2069 Islandian Pro Alliance League Championship Series Outlook
The Rolling Hills Racers are a formidable ballclub... most of the baseball soothsayers are favoring them this year... their high-octane attack gives them an advantage over the other three clubs... but the Racers can be beaten by teams with good pitching and a good offense... Southport certainly fits that scenario... the Racers have also been known to succumb to team with just good pitching... they lost in the Pro Cup Finals last year to the weak-hitting Forest City Firebirds... the Sun Sox have strong pitching and they can score runs, too... they also play better defense... the Pro Cup champion this year will probably come from the Tycobbian Union... flip a coin to pick the Tycobbian champion... both the Racers and the Sun Sox are evenly matched... Southport has a history of giving Rolling Hills trouble in the postseason... however, the Racers' mound corps may be better this year than in the past... give the series to Rolling Hills in 7 games.
Neither Ruthlandian Union teams are highly regarded, especially the Sligo Rovers... they only won 82 games this season... they had the easiest task in the first round, the seventh-ranked Marston Nine... Sligo whipped them four games to two... but the Rovers just don't have the offense to handle the Claxton Diamonds... Claxton is a tough customer and should take the series in 6 games... strong pitching coupled with a solid attack should send the Diamonds to the Pro Cup Finals... Claxton took care of a good Taranto team in round one, taking four of the five games... the Tars were rated the fourth-best club in the IPA playoffs... look for the Diamonds to do well in the Pro Cup Series, too... they can hold their own with Rolling Hills and Southport.
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Sligo Home Page
