[Westheim]

2048 FLCS

Starting one day after the CLCS, the Federal League also went out to try and crown a champion.

Qualifying from the eastern half of the country were the 94-68 Pittsburgh Miners, winning their division by three games. They led the league in stolen bases, and stolen bases only, but put together solid pitching and offense; they were fourth in runs scored and third in runs allowed in the Federal League, with a +87 run differential. While their rotation however was solid and second in ERA in the FL, the bullpen was more on the crumbly side, with an ERA over four. Their offense was led by Ed Soberanes (.337, 25 HR, 113 RBI), which was a problem, since Soberanes twisted an ankle on his morning run the day after the regular season ended, and would miss the entire playoffs. Without him, the team highs in offense were suddenly a .288 bat (Alex Vasquez), 15 homers, and 79 RBI (Giampaolo Petroni). Soberanes was joined on the DL by veteran Mario Briones. Their lineup leaned lefty, while their starters were all right-handers.

The Dallas Stars put 100 wins together, which turned out to be just enough to beat the 99-win Gold Sox to the FL West. They had the most prolific offense in the league, pumping out a staggering 895 runs this season, which also allowed them to survive casual pitching and a rotation ranked sixth by ERA, and a bullpen in the bottom three in the FL. They gave up the fifth-most runs overall, but still came out with a +178 run differential. They also were without three important players in SP Arthur Pickett, 1B Dario Martinez, and C Rafael Castaneda. That still left them with four .310+ hitters, including .369 monster Juan del Toro, who had 26 homers and 104 RBI, and Tylor Cecil looked like another Player of the Year award was coming for him, as he finished the year with a .310 average, 29 homers, and *149* RBI. That mark broke his own single-season league record set just the year before. Soft spots were hard to find in the lineup for sure.

This was the 13th playoff appearance for the Stars. They had won three championships, but none since 2006. The Miners were in the postseason for the 14th time, but had never won the crown. This was the third time the teams met in the FLCS after 2036 and the year before. The Miners had won the ’36 series, but the Stars had gone through in ’47, but had lost the World Series to the Raccoons.

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PIT @ DAL … 2-1 (10) … (Miners lead 1-0) … PIT Dan Meyer (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI; DAL Tylor Cecil 2-4, BB, HR, 2B, RBI; DAL Dave Hils 8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K;

PIT @ DAL … 4-8 … (series tied 1-1) … DAL Juan del Toro 2-4, 3B, RBI; DAL Mario Sedillo 3-4, 3B, 2B, 3 RBI; DAL Dan Rollin 2-4, HR, 3B, RBI;

DAL @ PIT … 1-5 … (Miners lead 2-1) … PIT Pat Stipp 2-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; PIT Jesus Sanchez 8.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 10 K, W (1-0);

DAL @ PIT … 4-8 … (Miners lead 3-1) … DAL Tylor Cecil 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; PIT Pat Stipp 2-5, 2 RBI;

The Miners score all their runs in a rather decisive fifth inning, erasing a 3-0 deficit and storming away for the victory.

DAL @ PIT … 3-1 … (Miners lead 3-2) … DAL Jamie King (PH) 1-1, HR, RBI;

PIT @ DAL … 0-12 … (series tied 3-3) … DAL Omar Gonzalez 3-5, 2B, RBI; DAL Govaart van Eijk 4-4, BB, 2B, RBI; DAL Juan del Toro 3-5, HR, 5 RBI; DAL Tylor Cecil 2-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; DAL Noe Candeloro 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, W (2-0);

PIT @ DAL … 1-8 … (Stars win 4-3) … DAL Orlando Leos 9.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (1-1);

Orlando Leos pitches a complete-game 6-hitter to complete a chokeout of the Miners in the last three games of the series, while the offense erupts for six runs in the sixth inning to decide the FLCS.

There will thus be a rematch of the previous year’s World Series between the Stars and Raccoons, who also faced another in 1983. The Stars won back then, but the Raccoons took the title last year.

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Only eight team in league history have won 110 games or more. Shockingly, only three of them actually won the championship, and just as many didn’t even win as much as the pennant:

1991 Capitals (113-49) – Champions – beat Pacifics, Raccoons
2001 Warriors (112-50) – Mouth full of Ashes – lost to Buffaloes (lost to Titans*)
2004 Titans (117-45) – Champions – beat Thunder, Wolves
2012 Thunder (110-52) – Pennant – beat Elks, lost to Pacifics
2014 Crusaders (112-50) – Champions – beat Bayhawks, Warriors
2045 Gold Sox (113-49) – Mouth full of Ashes – lost to Rebels (beat Raccoons)
2046 Gold Sox (110-52) – Pennant – beat Cyclones, lost to Raccoons
2048 Bayhawks (112-50) – Mouth full of Ashes – lost to Raccoons

* the (in)famous Vern Kinnear walkoff infield single in Game 7. Yellow #16 on a blue shirt, poked fist. Nightmares forever.