Saturday, September 1, 2074
3 RED-HOT AND ROWDY RACES IN THE IPA
The Islandian Pro Alliance baseball season has flown by... September is already upon us... we are down to the final month of the regular season... three races, the Tycobbian South, Ruthlandian North and Ruthlandian East are nowhere near being decided... 9 teams are still alive and breathing in the pennant chases... one race, the Tycobbian West was decided two months ago at midseason... the 4 remaining divisions are just about decided... it would take a lot for the division leaders not to make the playoffs this year... still it has been known to happen when a September leader falters and blows a fairly safe lead.
First, let take a look at the tightest race in the IPA, the Tycobbian South Division... heading into the September stretch drive, Summerland (77-52) is being pressured by 3 other teams... Southport (75-53) is just a game and a half out of first place and Turon (74-54) and San Alejo (74-54) are lurking very close, just 2 and a half games back of the Sunsets... all 3 contenders are playing their best ball of the season... Summerland has its hands full with the Sun Sox, Typhoons and Montaneros... Turon is the preseason favorite and is also the defending division champion... at a glance the Typhoons look like the winner with their solid bats, solid pitching and pretty fair home-run power... Summerland was only 15-13 in August, Southport was an impressive 18-9, Turon was a torrid 20-8 and San Alejo was almost as good at 19-9... the Sunsets last won the TU South in '63, the Monties in '67 and the Sun Sox in '69... the Typhoons are trying to win their 5th straight division crown.
The Valmara Vipers (72-56) have won the Ruthlandian North the last 4 seasons and they were also picked to win it again this year in the preseason poll... their biggest rival was forecast to be the Taranto Tars (71-57)... and that is exactly how it has played out so far... long-struggling Kilkenny (70-58) has been a pleasant surprise this season... the Cats are just 2 games behind... Taranto is playing the best right now... the Tars went a strong 18-9 last month, Valmara was 15-13, but Kilkenny faltered with an 11-16 mark... the poor Cats have only appeared in the postseason playoffs one time in the club's history... that was 34 years ago in 2042... the Vipers lead all IPA teams with 30 playoffs appearances... the Tars have been to the postseason 9 times... the last time was in 2069... it will come down to Valmara and Taranto... give the Vipers a tenuous edge.
There is still a big battle going on in the Ruthlandian East... last year's champ Eastshore (79-49) is tied with the preseason favorite Wynnamac ((79-49)... the Cotton Kings sizzled with a 19-8 mark in August... the Macs were a solid 16-12... Eastshore possesses stronger pitching... Wynnamac has the hitters... the Cotton Kings have more power at the plate... it a dead heat... a tough call... take Eastshore in a photo finish... good pitching usually prevails... the Cotton Kings took the division title last year... the Sundowners were in the playoffs in 2072.
There's a decent race in the Ruthlandian West with the Stoner Silver Sox (76-51) maintaining a 5 and a half-game edge on the runner-up Fort Benton Defenders (71-57)... heading into the final turn of the season, the September stretch run, the Silver Sox are struggling... Stoner was only 13-14 last month, while the Defenders splurged with a marvelous 19-8 record... the Silver Sox have the best staff, but Fort Benton can put runs on the scoreboard... despite the poor August, Stoner should win it with its better pitching... the Silver Sox have gone to the postseason only 4 times... the last time was recent, in 2072... the Defenders have only made the playoffs on 2 occasions... 2057 was the most recent season.
The Crystal Lake Skippers (78-49) have a solid 7 and a half-game bulge in the Ruthlandian South over the Valka Blackhawks (71-57), who have won the division the previous 2 years and were the Pro Cup runner-up last year... neither club is doing well in recent months... the Skippers went 12-15 in August, while the Blackhawks only managed 13-14... Crystal Lake should be able to stave off Valka with better bats and better piching... this will be the first time in 15 seasons the Skippers might just make the playoffs... overall in the team's history Crystal Lake has participated 12 times in the postseason.
Taking a peek at the Tycobbian Union... there is some marvelous news... maybe... Chicopee (82-46) is 8 and a half games in front in the Tycobbian West race... if they can hold on, this will be the first time in 29 years the Braves have won the pennant... only last year's champion Kenwood (74-55) stands between Chicopee and the postseason playoffs... strong pitching should get the Braves though September and into the IPA playoffs... last month Chicopee chalked up a great 21-6 mark, while Kenwood put up a very good month, too... the Wildcats posted a solid 17-11 record.
The Oxford Red Caps (88-40) have stormed to the best record in the IPA this season, beating everything in sight in the Tycobbian North... last year's division winner White River (69-59) is pale in the distance, 19 games off the pace... this will be the first time since 2068 that the Red Caps have won the TU North flag... the Hartsdale Hellcats were the critic's choice to win the pennant this year... Oxford was a semi-surprise... the Red Caps were ranked 5th in the preseason poll... Oxford has a potent lineup that can hit for average, score runs with so-so HR power and 3 capable starters and a strong bullpen... there is no way they will blow this title... easy for me to say... yep, easy for me to say.
At the beginning of the 2074 season the baseball experts predicted a 2-team race in the Tycobbia East between favored Tuckanarra (79-49) and second place South Fork (72-56) and they were right on the money... the Tucks have a 7-game margin going into September over the defending IPA Pro Cup champion Stallions... it's not likely to change a whole lot in the final month of the season... the Tiger Cats played very well last month with a 17-11 record, while South Fork was almost as good at 16-11... Tuckanarra last appeared in the IPA playoffs in 2071... the Tucks are solid on the hill, but are a rock-solid bunch of hitters, too... top to bottom in the batting order is a pretty good batsman... the Tiger Cats should be able to hold off the Stallions.
2074 Ruthlandian Union Standings and Statistics
2074 Tycobbian Union Standings and Statistics
