[Jiggy]

The Temptations sang that when you’re on the top, there’s no place you can really go but down, down, down.

The Chicago Kingpins entered the last sim day of the week with a 32-16 record, clinging to what was then the best record in the Professional Baseball Experience Minor Leagues (MiLPBE). Both the Kansas City Hepcats and the defending champion State College Swift Steeds sat just one game behind at the time.

Heading into the MiLPBE All-Star Break, however, Chicago is going down, down, down. The Kingpins have dropped nine of their last 10 games to close out the first half of the season, falling three full games behind State College in the East Division, who now shares the best record in the league along with the West’s Kansas City Hepcats.

The Swift Steeds have particularly surged, riding an 3-4 record over their last 17 games to take control of the East Division, while the Hepcats now sit a comfortable 10 games ahead in the West Division.


Despite the dramatic stumble, in the bigger picture the Kingpins have had more than a solid first half. Chicago is 11 games above .500 and maintains the third best record in the MiLPBE.

First baseman Luigi Lanikai’s bat is a big reason why the Kingpins have – at least up until the last 10 games – been so consistent and successful. Luigi Lanikai has emerged as a legitimate triple crown threat. He leads Chicago home runs and RBIs and ranks second in batting average (.326), just four points behind teammate Santiago Benito (.330). With 47 RBIs in the first half, Lanikai is tied for the most in the minor leagues. His 12 home runs is just two fewer than league leader Brandbil Ostman of the Louisville Lemurs. He also ranks fifth with a .518 slugging percentage.



“It’s definitely a lot of fun having a positive impact for the team,” said Professional Baseball Experience (PBE) user Icebear, to whom the player Lanikai belongs.

Lanikai hit .274 with 22 home runs and 78 RBIs during a strong 2054 campaign, and Icebear sees room for continued improvement from his slugger. Having the benefit of starting the 2055 season with better statistics, he set some lofty goals for Lanikai in 2055.

“I wanted to be top of the leaderboard for home runs coming into this season and also set a goal for making the All-Star Game,” Icebear said. “We are still a little off but seem to be on the right track for this year.”

Lanikai’s offensive numbers wow, often distracting from the contribution he adds defensively at first base. He ranks first in the MiLPBE among all positions with a 9.39 range rating and his 3.1 zone rating is the best of all first basemen. He’s notched a 1.031 defensive efficiency score, behind only Steve Squirtle of the Anchorage Wheelers who leads with a 1.056 score. Lanikai is now a two-way simulation sports star – he also competes in the ISFL, a football simulation league – and Icebear has built him in the making of a true athlete.

The goals aren’t all personal, however. Like many of his locker room mates, Icebear recognizes that several of the core players from Chicago’s runner-up squad last season are back and wants to get the Kingpins back to the World Series.

“The championship loss last season was tough,” Icebear said. “So this season, anything short of a championship will feel like a letdown. First [goal is] to secure the top spot [in the postseason] and the bye. Then revenge for a championship!”

To accomplish those goals, Chicago will have to rebound in the second half to overcome a familiar antagonist. It was the Swift Steeds that bested the Kingpins in five games during last season’s World Series. It is the Swift Steeds that have now overtaken the Kingpins in the divisional race.

There remains a full half of baseball to play, and it remains to be seen which team will be left "Standing on the Top." To get back to that place, the Kingpins will have to reverse their recent misfortunes, and in erasing what has become a three-game deficient, like the Temptations sang, they can't be too proud to beg.

Series recaps:

5/17 – Chicago Kingpins 3 – State College Swift Steeds 7
5/18 – Chicago Kingpins 3 – State College Swift Steeds 4
5/19 – Chicago Kingpins 8 – State College Swift Steeds 1

Lothbrok staggered a bit out of the gate in Chicago’s game one loss, allowing two runs in the first inning and ultimately six earned runs through just 3.1 innings pitched before being lifted. State College rookie Yoshi Yoshironi and right fielder Maple Dogwood each were 3-for-4, and starter Stun Gun scattered nine hits over six complete innings, giving up just three runs to the Kingpins. Game two held scoreless through five innings before State College broke the stalemate with two runs in the sixth. Chicago scored with three runs in the top of the eighth, seizing the lead but only momentarily. The Swift Steeds answered with two runs in the bottom of the eighth off the bat of Yoshironi. State College reliever Willow Baxter closed the door with a scoreless ninth inning. Chicago avoided the sweep with an 8-1 win in game three. Shaffer shined over five innings of work, striking out three without giving up a walk and only allowing four Swift Steeds hits. He was boosted by plenty of run support from the Kingpins lineup, with Franzonello launching two home runs and Kove going 4-for-5.

5/21 – Brew City Bears 0 – Chicago Kingpins 0
5/22 – Brew City Bears 6 – Chicago Kingpins 8
5/23 – Brew City Bears 2 – Chicago Kingpins 2

All facets were clicking for Chicago in a 13-0 game-one win against Brew City. Six Kingpins hitters posted multi-hit games with Jakob and Benito leading the charge, each with four hits. Fasttrack, Jakob, Brown, and Copeland Jr. all homered while starter Daly and relievers Goatbisky and Bottom combined to blank the Bears. Copeland Jr. added three more hits in game two. Chicago jumped out to a 7-1 lead through the first four innings. Brew City fought back with two runs in the fifth and three more in the eighth, but Girlboss and Yosh combined for a scoreless ninth to shut the comeback attempt down. Mydog allowed just two runs on four hits through five innings in the game three win, with Goatbisky picking up a four-inning save and securing the Kingpins sweep. Copeland Jr. stayed hot with yet another multi-hit game.

5/25 – Chicago Kingpins 7 – Louisville Lemurs 3
5/26 – Chicago Kingpins 8 – Louisville Lemurs 9
5/27 – Chicago Kingpins 6 – Louisville Lemurs 5

A three-run fifth inning home run off the bat of Franzonello tucked game one safely away for Chicago, providing enough cushion for the club to lift Shaffer after 5.1 innings of three-hit baseball. Lanikai belted two home runs and went 4-for-5 in a losing effort in game two. The Kingpins led by a run heading into the bottom of the eighth before Lemurs first baseman Hot Dog hit a two-out, two-run single off Girlboss that proved decisive. Chicago rebounded to win game three and the series on the bat of Jakob, whose fifth-inning grand slam led to a six-run inning – just enough offensive production for the Kingpins to cling to the win. The Lemurs crept to within one with a run in the eighth and ninth inning and had the tying run at second base with one out, but could not push it across against Girlboss, who earned the save.

5/29 – Amarillo Armadillos 0 – Chicago Kingpins 7
5/30 – Amarillo Armadillos 3 – Chicago Kingpins 5
5/31 – Amarillo Armadillos 4 – Chicago Kingpins 5

Pitching dominance carried game one, as Mydog did not allow a hit through 5.1 innings before being lifted for relief. Kove was 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Fasttrack homered in the fifth inning and Brittles added three RBIs on a two-hit performance. Fasttrack and Brittles kept things going, each posting another multi-hit game in game two. Amarillo scored three unearned runs in the third inning after an error by second baseman Kove, but Chicago quickly answered with three of its own in the bottom half of the inning before adding two more in the eighth to take charge. Girlboss picked up the win, shutting out the Armadillos over the final 1.1 innings. Game three was a back-and-forth affair, with Chicago netting two runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at four runs apiece, setting the stage for rookie center fielder Bartholomew Brown to walk off Amarillo with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, earning the Kingpins the series sweep.

6/2 – Chicago Kingpins 5 – California Firehawks 2
6/3 – Chicago Kingpins 5 – California Firehawks 1
6/4 – Chicago Kingpins 8 – California Firehawks 2

Pitching carried the California road trip, as Chicago pitching allowed just 1.67 runs per game en route to sweeping the Firehawks, the Kingpins’ second consecutive series sweep. Lothbrok allowed just 2 earned runs on five hits through 4.1 innings in game one, with Goatbisky and McMorris Jr. shutting California out from the fifth inning on. Not to be outdone, Mydog followed by allowing just one earned run on four hits through 4.1 innings in game two before being relieved by Bauer Bottom who threw the final 4.2 innings without allowing a hit and striking out five Firehawks batters. Shaffer tossed 4.2 innings of three-hit baseball, allowing just 2 earned runs in the game three win, which McMorris Jr. and Kronii shutting out California on just one hit the rest of the way. The win was Chicago’s seventh straight.

6/6 – Florida Flamingos 8 – Chicago Kingpins 4 (11 innings)
6/7 – Florida Flamingos 4 – Chicago Kingpins 2
6/8 – Florida Flamingos 3 – Chicago Kingpins 7

Game one witnessed Chicago doomed by an offensive onslaught in extra innings. Three walks and three hits led to four Florida runs in the top of the 11th, and Flamingos reliever Shaningo Flaps retired the bottom of the Kingpins lineup in order in the bottom half to complete the win. Franzonello and Lanikai had multi-hit games and Daly limited Florida to three runs through 5.1 innings pitched. The Kingpins scored two runs in each of the first two innings of game two, but could not break through against Flamingos pitching thereafter. Florida plated four runs in the fifth inning to capture the lead and win. Chicago rookie Otijomyzarc Kove notched three hits on the day and Brittles added a home run to the losing cause. The Kingpins got off the schneid in game three. Jim Copeland Jr. doubled and tripled and Lanikai added three hits and two RBIs. Goatbisky picked up his fifth win of the season throwing four innings in relief and giving up just one earned run.

6/9 – Chicago Kingpins 9 – Kansas City Hepcats 5
6/11 – Chicago Kingpins 3 – Kansas City Hepcats 8
6/12 – Chicago Kingpins 2 – Kansas City Hepcats 1

The Kingpins scored early and often to take game one on the road against the Hepcats. Fastrack was 3-for-5 with an RBI triple in the first. Lanikai added three hits while catcher Santiago Benito and Franzonello each homered in the effort. Rookie Casey Shaffer threw five complete innings giving up three runs en route to his third win of the season. Chicago kept the offensive momentum going early in game two, jumping out to a 3-0, but could not hold on. The Kingpins yielded eight unanswered runs from the fifth inning on to take the loss. Only three of the runs were earned, as a pair of errors from Kingpins shortstop Fasttrack proved costly, opening the door to a five-run seventh inning for the Hepcats that was the difference. Jakob, Kove, and Brown each had multi-hit games, but could not match the offensive output of Kansas City second baseman Loren Jackson (3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored) and center fielder Tony Gunk Jr. (2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs). Chicago’s Lothbrok got the better of the Kansas City staff in a game three pitching duel, shutting the Hepcats out over 6.2 innings and allowing just four hits. Al Dugger picked up the save after allowing just one run over the final 2.1 innings. Four Hepcats pitchers combined to allow just to Kingpins runs, but thanks to the Lothbrok’s and Dugger’s effort, that output was just enough to take the series against the West Division leaders. Tony Franzonello went 3-for-5 with a first inning home run.

6/13 – Puerto Rico Ranas 7 – Chicago Kingpins 9
6/14 – Puerto Rico Ranas 6 – Chicago Kingpins 5 (10 innings)
6/16 – Puerto Rico Ranas 2 – Chicago Kingpins 4

Lanikai was a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBIs in game one. Fastrack homered and drove in five runs, while Jakob added two hits, and RBI, and scored three times. The Kingpins fought back from a 4-0 deficit, thanks in large part to a three-hit day from Brittles, to send game two into extra innings. Chicago stopper Girlboss could not shut the Ranas out in the top of the 10th inning, giving up a solo home run to Bailey Jones, who led off the inning, which proved to be the deciding run despite Girlboss retiring the following three hitters. Daly was dominant in game three to seal the series, throwing seven complete innings and allowing just one earned run on four hits and one walk. Lanikai homered and drove in three Kingpin runs.

6/17 – Chicago Kingpins 2 – Anchorage Wheelers 7
6/18 – Chicago Kingpins 3 – Anchorage Wheelers 13
6/19 – Chicago Kingpins 1 – Anchorage Wheelers 7

Chicago was offensively stifled and could not avoid devastatingly big innings on the road against Anchorage, suffering its first series sweep of the season. The Kingpins scored first in the top of the first inning in game one, but the Wheelers immediately answered with six runs in the bottom of the frame, chasing Chicago starter Ragnar Lothbrok and siezing a lead from which they would not look back. Anchorage third baseman Winston Harrison led the charge with a bases-clearing, three-RBI double in that deciding first inning, and starter Bill Webb kept the Kingpins bats in check through the sixth inning to pick up the win. Despite 11 hits in game two, the Kingpins managed to plate just three runs, a total woefully insufficient to overcome a 10-run, fourth-inning onslaught by the Wheelers. Anchorage first baseman Montgomery Burns was a 4-for-5 on the day with a home run and five RBIs and Suhayb Hussein added a home run and five RBIs of his own. Wheelers rookie Shohei Ohtani picked up the win after allowing just one run through five innings pitched. In game three, it was Anchorage’s Michael McGuffey who held serve and limited Chicago to just one run, throwing six complete innings and scattering seven hits.

6/21 – State College Swift Steeds 4 – Chicago Kingpins 18
6/22 – State College Swift Steeds 4 – Chicago Kingpins 3
6/23 – State College Swift Steeds 7 – Chicago Kingpins 4

Chicago seemed to right the ship in a big way in its first of three against State College, plating 18 runs to rout the defending champions. It was a hit parade, as every batter in the Kingpins lineup had multiple hits. Brittles knocked in six runs while Lanikai knocked in four. Meanwhile, Daly continued to roll, earning his fifth win of the season with a five-inning, two run outing. A costly two-out, third-inning error gave the Swift Steeds a 4-2 lead in game two. Chicago got one run back in the seventh but could not find that fourth run necessary to tie things up in the final two frames. The Swift Steeds struck early in game three, plating three runs in the first inning, a run in the second, and three more in fifth. The game-three win pulled State College even with Chicago in the MiLPBE East Division standings.

6/24 – Chicago Kingpins 3 – Brew City Bears 5
6/26 – Chicago Kingpins 1 – Brew City Bears 2
6/27 – Chicago Kingpins 7 – Brew City Bears 8 (10 innings)

The Kingpins suffered their second sweep of the season on the road in Brew City. Chicago struggled offensively in the first two games. Meanwhile, Dwagin Em-inem was 3-for-4 with a home run and 2 singles for the Bears. Brew City pitcher Lots-o’-Henieken Bear Version 2.0 got the better of Daly in a pitchers’ duel in game two. Game three was a slugfest in extra innings. Chicago took what appeared to be a commanding lead, plating three runs in the top of the 10th led by a two-run home run from Franzonllo. But the Bears jumped all over reliever Yosh, going single, single, walk to load the bases with no outs before punching four runs home to walk off the Kingpins and complete the sweep.

6/29 – Louisville Lemurs 3 – Chicago Kingpins 2

Chicago dropped the first of what will be a three-game series against Louisville, which will resume after the PBE all-star break. Louisville jumped out to a lead with a run in the fourth and Tony Yeboah smacked a 2-run home run in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to three. The Kingpins scored twice in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out, two-RBI single from Brown, but couldn’t scrape together that one more run needed to tie things up.