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Westheim · 03-27-2024, 04:22 AM

2059 ABL PLAYOFFS

The playoff field was set in the ABL once more, and only four teams now still entertained the thought of winning the championship. Three of those teams would soon have their aspirations rendered mere illusions, and only one would host the trophy.

The 94-68 Crusaders had run away with the CL North in the first half, but had played more or less .500 ball since the All Star Game and weren’t exactly hot. They had won the division on the strength of pitching, tying for the fewest runs conceded in the Continental League with the Titans, but they had come out only tied for fifth in runs scored, which still made for a +109 run differential. Their offense revolved around OBP and keeping the line moving rather than power or speed, categories in both of which they ranked in the bottom third of the league. The rotation was sturdy, though, with Ben Seiter (18-8, 3.24 ERA) and Joel Luera (11-7, 2.53 ERA) leading a quartet of strong right-handers. In the lineup, Omar Sanchez (.328, 1 HR, 58 RBI) would create tumult on the bases while Sean Zeiher (.271, 18 HR, 104 RBI) led the team in homers and RBI. The lineup was well balanced, but they had only one left-hander in the bullpen in Medardo Regueir (4-4, 3.64 ERA, 3 SV), setting up for CL saves champ Zachariah Alldred (9-8, 3.22 ERA, 43 SV).

The Thunder took a tie-breaker against the Knights to make it into the playoffs with an unconvincing 85-78 record in a thoroughly mediocre CL South. They had finished fourth in runs scored and seventh in runs allowed for a mere +9 run differential. Their offensive makeup was pretty much the same as the Crusaders’; high OBP and batting average, and mediocre in home runs and stolen bases. They would however show up with a bullpen in disarray, the third-worst defense in the league, and probably without SP Jorge Quinones, creating a hole in the rotation for the fourth starter spot. Even then, Alfredo Llamas (15-7, 3.16 ERA) and Aaron Harris (13-9, 3.37 ERA) didn’t look quite as impressive, and then Harris had been suspended for fighting in the tie-breaker game and was not available until Game 7. Offensively, 36-year-old Ed Soberanes (.296, 13 HR, 75 RBI) led the team in home runs and RBI, and was second only to Omar Lira (.313, 6 HR, 75 RBI) for batting average. The lineup was mostly left-handed, and the rotation figured to be exclusively right-handed.

In the FLCS the Buffaloes had run away with the FL East, which they won by 13 games and two weeks to spare. They had ended up tops in the Federal League in both runs scored and runs allowed, and with a +162 run differential. The team had the highest OBP in the league at .360, and the middle of the lineup was fearsome: Alex de los Santos (.278, 26 HR, 104 RBI), Zach Suggs (.278, 24 HR, 100 RBI), and Dan Martin (.300, 23 HR, 101 RBI) were not going to take any prisoners. Ben Karst (14-7, 2.42 ERA) had been second in the league in ERA, and southpaw Pablo Lara (18-8, 3.27 ERA) led the team in wins. There was hardly a game that CL Bill Hernandez (10-6, 1.47 ERA, 38 SV) couldn’t save, but behind him chaos reigned. No fewer than four relievers were injured and on the DL, and middle relief was going to be a complete and utter mess; the Buffaloes absolutely required their starters to go long in the games.

Completing the field after winning the FL West by four games over the Pacifics were the 91-71 Warriors, who came out third in runs scored and second in runs allowed in the Federal League, with a +124 run differential. They didn’t have any injuries, and entered with the second-best rotation, led undoubtedly by triple crown winner Ricardo Montoya (18-3, 2.34 ERA). Despite no injuries, their bullpen was naturally average though, with the third-worst bullpen ERA in the Federal League. On offense they didn’t make the top four in the league in any particular category. The middle of the lineup with Miguel Medina (.280, 19 HR, 86 RBI), John Kaniewski (.305, 24 HR, 109 RBI), Josh Bursley (.282, 11 HR, 76 RBI), and Steve Dilly (.239, 15 HR, 79 RBI) was dense, but they had trouble filling a couple of spots at the bottom of the lineup.

+++

In terms of playoff appearances, the Thunder made October baseball for the 22nd time, closing up to the record holders from Portland, the Raccoons, with 23 appearances. The Crusaders were in their 16th playoff campaign, the Warriors checked in for the 15th time, and the Buffaloes had their 13th appearance.

By championships, the Crusaders were tied for second with the Raccoons and eight titles, trailing the Titans (10). The Warriors and Thunder each had three titles to show for, while the Buffaloes were one of only two teams (Miners) without a championship. The most recent championship for the Crusaders had come in 2056, while the Thunder had won in 2053. The Warriors went back to their back-to-back titles from 2033-34.

The Crusaders and Thunder faced each other for the fourth time in the CLCS. New York had won the pairing twice in their most dominant period in 2011 and 2013, while the Thunder had knocked them out on their way to the title in 2053.

The Buffaloes and Warriors had met in the FLCS twice, in 2001 and 2029, and both times the Buffaloes had prevailed, only to then lose in the World Series.

For previous World Series matches between the four playoff teams, history started all the way back in 1978 with the Warriors beating the Crusaders. In fact, in all four cases here, the FL pennant was won by the Warriors: the Thunder beat the Warriors in both 1994 and 2000, so two thirds of their rings had come against that team; and the Warriors were beaten yet again in 2014, then by the Crusaders for the middle championship of New York’s second three-peat of the period.

+++

2059 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

SFW @ TOP … 2-5 … (Buffaloes lead 1-0) … SFW John Kaniewski 3-3, BB; SFW Josh Bursley 2-4, 2 RBI; TOP Matt McLaren 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI;

SFW @ TOP … 2-5 (10) … (Buffaloes lead 2-0) … TOP Alex de los Santos 1-2, BB, 3B, 2 RBI; TOP Dave Blackshire 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; TOP Bill Hernandez 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (1-0);
OCT @ NYC … 6-7 (11) … (Crusaders lead 1-0) … OCT Omar Lira 2-5, BB, HR, RBI; OCT Pedro Almaguer 3-4; NYC Tony Rodriquez 3-6; NYC Omar Sanchez 5-6, RBI; NYC Nick Fowler 2-5, 2 RBI;

For the month’s first big headline, reserve infielder Dave Blackshire, who spent half the season in AAA, whacks a 3-run walkoff home run to sweep the first segment of the FLCS in Topeka. Blackshire went .218 with 3 homers in 76 games with the Buffos in the regular season.

In New York, the Crusaders scatter 16 hits against the Thunder, but with just three doubles included fail to topple the Thunder in due time. In the end the Thunder beat themselves with a wild pitch by Ryan Hogues (0-1, 27.00 ERA) allowing Tony Rodriquez to score the winning run in the 11th inning.

OCT @ NYC … 6-5 … (series tied 1-1) … OCT Felix Martinez (PH) 1-1, HR, 2 RBI; NYC Tony Rodriquez 2-3, 2 BB; NYC Omar Sanchez 3-5, 2 2B; NYC Sean Zeiher 2-4, HR, 3B, 4 RBI;

CL saves champ Zachariah Alldred (0-1, 10.13 ERA) can’t nail this one down, giving up a game-tying home run to Felix Martinez and then two more hits that allow the Thunder to flip the game around with a 3-run ninth inning.

TOP @ SFW … 1-5 … (Buffaloes lead 2-1) … SFW Miguel Medina 3-4; SFW Steve Dilly 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; SFW Phil Nelson 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K, W (1-0);

TOP @ SFW … 2-3 … (series tied 2-2) … SFW Miguel Medina 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI; SFW John Kaniewski 3-4, 3B, 2B;
NYC @ OCT … 14-4 … (Crusaders lead 2-1) … NYC Tommy Branch 2-5, BB; NYC Tony Rodriquez 3-4, 2 BB, RBI; NYC Sean Zeiher 2-4, 2 BB, 3B, 3 RBI; NYC Mark Seeley 3-6, HR, 3B, RBI; NYC Justin Reese (PH) 1-1, 2 RBI; NYC Nick Fowler (PH) 1-1, 2 RBI; OCT Felix Martinez (PH) 1-1, HR, 3 RBI;

Maybe Felix Martinez (3-for-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI) should be in the starting lineup.

TOP @ SFW … 2-6 … (Warriors lead 3-2) … SFW Mike DeFusco 3-5, RBI; SFW Miguel Medina 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI;
NYC @ OCT … 4-0 … (Crusaders lead 3-1) … NYC Ben Seiter 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, W (1-0);

Offense is scarce overall in Game 4 in Oklahoma City, and the Crusaders lump all their runs together in an eighth inning that feeds mostly off Sean Zeiher (.278, 1 HR, 11 RBI) hitting a bases-clearing double. Felix Martinez doesn’t even get to pick up a bat.

NYC @ OCT … 5-1 (10) … (Crusaders win 4-1) … NYC Victor Velez 2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI; OCT Omar Lira 3-4; NYC Zachariah Alldred 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, W (1-1);

Victor Velez, who made just 46 appearances in the regular season and spent most of the year in AAA Lexington, hits a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning off Jerry Washington (0-1, 7.71 ERA, 1 SV), then adds a 3-run home run, also with two outs, in the tenth off the same 21-year-old right-hander to punch the Crusaders’ ticket to the World Series.

SFW @ TOP … 7-8 (10) … (series tied 3-3) … SFW John Kaniewski 3-5, HR, RBI; TOP Matt McLaren 3-6, HR, RBI; TOP Dan Martin 2-5, BB, RBI; TOP David Worthington 2-4, RBI; TOP Rafael Guzman (PH) 1-1, HR, RBI;

The Buffos have to scramble for a run each in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth innings to erase an early deficit and have to tie the game in both the eighth and ninth innings before finally walking off to force a Game 7. Dan Martin (.240, 1 HR, 3 RBI) ends the game with a walkoff single, plating Alex de los Santos (.227, 0 HR, 3 RBI) and his leadoff double.

SFW @ TOP … 2-3 … (Buffaloes win 4-3) … SFW Miguel Medina 2-4, 2B, RBI; TOP Alex de los Santos 2-2, 2 BB; TOP Dan Martin 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; TOP Pablo Lara 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (2-1) and 1-3;

For the second day in a row, Dan Martin drives in the winning run, this time with a home run all the way early in the third inning. No runs are scored after that anymore as the pitching staffs grind the opposing lineups to dust.

+++

2059 WORLD SERIES

And then there were two, as the Buffaloes squeezed past the Warriors into the World Series to face the Crusaders. Home field advantage was with the Buffos, and they needed every bit of it after an FLCS in which the home team won every game.

The Buffaloes were still without half their bullpen, but at least they hadn’t packed any more injuries on top and they seemed to be reasonably clutch at this point. Their lineup was mostly right-handed, though, except for the left-handed McLaren and the switch-hitting Martin who were batting .321 with a homer, and .276 with two homers, respectively, in the FLCS.

The Crusaders lost switch-hitting first baseman Raul Sevilla to injury in the CLCS and would have to do with Mark Seeley in the World Series. The rookie had batted .113 with 1 HR* and 5 RBI in the regular season, but had jumped allll the way up to .211 with 1 HR, 3 RBI in the CLCS after replacing the fallen Sevilla. The Crusaders lineup thus had four left-handed batters against the Buffaloes’ three right-handed and one left-handed (Lara) starters, and Lara would not make an appearance until the series went to New York after toughing it out on short rest in Game 7.

Advantage New York?

+++

NYC @ TOP … 2-3 … (Buffaloes lead 1-0) … TOP Matt McLaren 2-3, BB, RBI;

NYC @ TOP … 1-4 … (Buffaloes lead 2-0) … NYC Mark Seeley 2-4; TOP Matt McLaren 2-4, HR, RBI; TOP Alex de los Santos 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; TOP Austin Wilcox 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, W (1-1);

TOP @ NYC … 11-4 … (Buffaloes lead 3-0) … TOP Jose Ambriz 2-4, BB, 2 RBI; TOP Alex de los Santos 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; TOP Zach Suggs 3-4, BB; TOP Dan Martin 2-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; TOP Dave Blackshire 2-4, BB, 2B, RBI; NYC Omar Sanchez 3-4; NYC Mark Seeley 2-4, BB, 2 2B, RBI; NYC Roger Zucal 2-2, 2 BB;

The game goes back and forth for the first six innings with the Crusaders holding a narrow 4-3 lead before having the score flipped on them in the seventh inning with two runs, and then explode in a 6-run, 3-homer eighth inning that gives the Buffos all the matchballs in the world to win their first championship!

TOP @ NYC … 5-6 … (Buffaloes lead 3-1) … TOP Alex de los Santos 2-4, BB, RBI; TOP Zach Suggs 2-3, 2 BB, RBI; NYC Sean Zeiher 3-4, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBI; NYC Victor Velez 2-4, 2 2B, RBI;

The Buffaloes get to within two outs of hoisting the trophy before Bill Hernandez (1-1, 4.91 ERA, 4 SV) gives up a game-tying home run to Sean Zeiher (.306, 3 HR, 16 RBI) in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Seidman then walks and is doubled home by Velez (.200, 2 HR, 5 RBI) for a walkoff, season-saving win for New York.

TOP @ NYC … 2-9 … (Buffaloes lead 3-2) … TOP Alex de los Santos 2-3, BB, HR, RBI; NYC Omar Sanchez 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; NYC Seisaku Taki 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (1-0);

The Crusaders forcefully send the series back to Topeka with a 7-run sixth inning, although nobody stands out in the team effort. The runs scored and runs batted in are both distributed between seven different players.

NYC @ TOP … 9-1 … (series tied 3-3) … NYC Tony Rodriquez 2-4, 2 BB, 2 RBI; NYC Omar Sanchez 3-6, 2 RBI; NYC Sean Zeiher 3-4, BB, 3 RBI; NYC Mike Seidman 3-6, 2B, 2 RBI; NYC Joel Luera 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (1-1);

Pablo Lara (2-2, 4.99 ERA) has his skull caved in for eight runs in 2.2 innings and the Buffos amount to all of two base hits in a wholesale deletion in Game 6.

The all-deciding Game 7 will be a Battle of the Bens: Seiter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) against Karst (1-1, 4.30 ERA).

NYC @ TOP … 1-6 … (Buffaloes win 4-3) … TOP Zach Suggs 1-3, BB, 2 RBI; TOP Ben Karst 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, W (2-1);

An error by Mark Seeley (.267, 1 HR, 5 RBI) and two walks load the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first inning, and Ben Seiter (1-2, 4.25 ERA) doesn’t recover from there, allowing a 2-run double to ex-Crusader Zach Suggs (.216, 2 HR, 6 RBI), conceding another run on an error of his own, and a fourth run on David Worthington’s double play grounder. The Buffos, up 4-0, engage the autopilot at cruising altitude with Karst (2-1, 3.34 ERA) lining up zeroes before running out of steam in the seventh inning. The Crusaders only make up one run against Ralph Needham in the eighth inning before being forced to concede.

The two lasting images of the night are the Buffaloes going absolutely bonkers in their celebration, and that of rookie Mark Seeley, who draws a leadoff walk from Bill Hernandez (1-1, 4.32 ERA, 4 SV) in the ninth inning, sobbing unconsolably as he walks off the field after Eiji Kinoshiita’s grounder to short forces him out at second base to end the game and the entire 2059 season.

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2059 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
Topeka Buffaloes
(1st title)

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*Chance Fox, obviously…

03-27-2024, 04:22 AM	#4406
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,813	2059 ABL PLAYOFFS The playoff field was set in the ABL once more, and only four teams now still entertained the thought of winning the championship. Three of those teams would soon have their aspirations rendered mere illusions, and only one would host the trophy. The 94-68 Crusaders had run away with the CL North in the first half, but had played more or less .500 ball since the All Star Game and weren’t exactly hot. They had won the division on the strength of pitching, tying for the fewest runs conceded in the Continental League with the Titans, but they had come out only tied for fifth in runs scored, which still made for a +109 run differential. Their offense revolved around OBP and keeping the line moving rather than power or speed, categories in both of which they ranked in the bottom third of the league. The rotation was sturdy, though, with Ben Seiter (18-8, 3.24 ERA) and Joel Luera (11-7, 2.53 ERA) leading a quartet of strong right-handers. In the lineup, Omar Sanchez (.328, 1 HR, 58 RBI) would create tumult on the bases while Sean Zeiher (.271, 18 HR, 104 RBI) led the team in homers and RBI. The lineup was well balanced, but they had only one left-hander in the bullpen in Medardo Regueir (4-4, 3.64 ERA, 3 SV), setting up for CL saves champ Zachariah Alldred (9-8, 3.22 ERA, 43 SV). The Thunder took a tie-breaker against the Knights to make it into the playoffs with an unconvincing 85-78 record in a thoroughly mediocre CL South. They had finished fourth in runs scored and seventh in runs allowed for a mere +9 run differential. Their offensive makeup was pretty much the same as the Crusaders’; high OBP and batting average, and mediocre in home runs and stolen bases. They would however show up with a bullpen in disarray, the third-worst defense in the league, and probably without SP Jorge Quinones, creating a hole in the rotation for the fourth starter spot. Even then, Alfredo Llamas (15-7, 3.16 ERA) and Aaron Harris (13-9, 3.37 ERA) didn’t look quite as impressive, and then Harris had been suspended for fighting in the tie-breaker game and was not available until Game 7. Offensively, 36-year-old Ed Soberanes (.296, 13 HR, 75 RBI) led the team in home runs and RBI, and was second only to Omar Lira (.313, 6 HR, 75 RBI) for batting average. The lineup was mostly left-handed, and the rotation figured to be exclusively right-handed. In the FLCS the Buffaloes had run away with the FL East, which they won by 13 games and two weeks to spare. They had ended up tops in the Federal League in both runs scored and runs allowed, and with a +162 run differential. The team had the highest OBP in the league at .360, and the middle of the lineup was fearsome: Alex de los Santos (.278, 26 HR, 104 RBI), Zach Suggs (.278, 24 HR, 100 RBI), and Dan Martin (.300, 23 HR, 101 RBI) were not going to take any prisoners. Ben Karst (14-7, 2.42 ERA) had been second in the league in ERA, and southpaw Pablo Lara (18-8, 3.27 ERA) led the team in wins. There was hardly a game that CL Bill Hernandez (10-6, 1.47 ERA, 38 SV) couldn’t save, but behind him chaos reigned. No fewer than four relievers were injured and on the DL, and middle relief was going to be a complete and utter mess; the Buffaloes absolutely required their starters to go long in the games. Completing the field after winning the FL West by four games over the Pacifics were the 91-71 Warriors, who came out third in runs scored and second in runs allowed in the Federal League, with a +124 run differential. They didn’t have any injuries, and entered with the second-best rotation, led undoubtedly by triple crown winner Ricardo Montoya (18-3, 2.34 ERA). Despite no injuries, their bullpen was naturally average though, with the third-worst bullpen ERA in the Federal League. On offense they didn’t make the top four in the league in any particular category. The middle of the lineup with Miguel Medina (.280, 19 HR, 86 RBI), John Kaniewski (.305, 24 HR, 109 RBI), Josh Bursley (.282, 11 HR, 76 RBI), and Steve Dilly (.239, 15 HR, 79 RBI) was dense, but they had trouble filling a couple of spots at the bottom of the lineup. +++ In terms of playoff appearances, the Thunder made October baseball for the 22nd time, closing up to the record holders from Portland, the Raccoons, with 23 appearances. The Crusaders were in their 16th playoff campaign, the Warriors checked in for the 15th time, and the Buffaloes had their 13th appearance. By championships, the Crusaders were tied for second with the Raccoons and eight titles, trailing the Titans (10). The Warriors and Thunder each had three titles to show for, while the Buffaloes were one of only two teams (Miners) without a championship. The most recent championship for the Crusaders had come in 2056, while the Thunder had won in 2053. The Warriors went back to their back-to-back titles from 2033-34. The Crusaders and Thunder faced each other for the fourth time in the CLCS. New York had won the pairing twice in their most dominant period in 2011 and 2013, while the Thunder had knocked them out on their way to the title in 2053. The Buffaloes and Warriors had met in the FLCS twice, in 2001 and 2029, and both times the Buffaloes had prevailed, only to then lose in the World Series. For previous World Series matches between the four playoff teams, history started all the way back in 1978 with the Warriors beating the Crusaders. In fact, in all four cases here, the FL pennant was won by the Warriors: the Thunder beat the Warriors in both 1994 and 2000, so two thirds of their rings had come against that team; and the Warriors were beaten yet again in 2014, then by the Crusaders for the middle championship of New York’s second three-peat of the period. +++ 2059 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SFW @ TOP … 2-5 … (Buffaloes lead 1-0) … SFW John Kaniewski 3-3, BB; SFW Josh Bursley 2-4, 2 RBI; TOP Matt McLaren 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; SFW @ TOP … 2-5 (10) … (Buffaloes lead 2-0) … TOP Alex de los Santos 1-2, BB, 3B, 2 RBI; TOP Dave Blackshire 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; TOP Bill Hernandez 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (1-0); OCT @ NYC … 6-7 (11) … (Crusaders lead 1-0) … OCT Omar Lira 2-5, BB, HR, RBI; OCT Pedro Almaguer 3-4; NYC Tony Rodriquez 3-6; NYC Omar Sanchez 5-6, RBI; NYC Nick Fowler 2-5, 2 RBI; For the month’s first big headline, reserve infielder Dave Blackshire, who spent half the season in AAA, whacks a 3-run walkoff home run to sweep the first segment of the FLCS in Topeka. Blackshire went .218 with 3 homers in 76 games with the Buffos in the regular season. In New York, the Crusaders scatter 16 hits against the Thunder, but with just three doubles included fail to topple the Thunder in due time. In the end the Thunder beat themselves with a wild pitch by Ryan Hogues (0-1, 27.00 ERA) allowing Tony Rodriquez to score the winning run in the 11th inning. OCT @ NYC … 6-5 … (series tied 1-1) … OCT Felix Martinez (PH) 1-1, HR, 2 RBI; NYC Tony Rodriquez 2-3, 2 BB; NYC Omar Sanchez 3-5, 2 2B; NYC Sean Zeiher 2-4, HR, 3B, 4 RBI; CL saves champ Zachariah Alldred (0-1, 10.13 ERA) can’t nail this one down, giving up a game-tying home run to Felix Martinez and then two more hits that allow the Thunder to flip the game around with a 3-run ninth inning. TOP @ SFW … 1-5 … (Buffaloes lead 2-1) … SFW Miguel Medina 3-4; SFW Steve Dilly 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; SFW Phil Nelson 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K, W (1-0); TOP @ SFW … 2-3 … (series tied 2-2) … SFW Miguel Medina 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI; SFW John Kaniewski 3-4, 3B, 2B; NYC @ OCT … 14-4 … (Crusaders lead 2-1) … NYC Tommy Branch 2-5, BB; NYC Tony Rodriquez 3-4, 2 BB, RBI; NYC Sean Zeiher 2-4, 2 BB, 3B, 3 RBI; NYC Mark Seeley 3-6, HR, 3B, RBI; NYC Justin Reese (PH) 1-1, 2 RBI; NYC Nick Fowler (PH) 1-1, 2 RBI; OCT Felix Martinez (PH) 1-1, HR, 3 RBI; Maybe Felix Martinez (3-for-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI) should be in the starting lineup. TOP @ SFW … 2-6 … (Warriors lead 3-2) … SFW Mike DeFusco 3-5, RBI; SFW Miguel Medina 3-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; NYC @ OCT … 4-0 … (Crusaders lead 3-1) … NYC Ben Seiter 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, W (1-0); Offense is scarce overall in Game 4 in Oklahoma City, and the Crusaders lump all their runs together in an eighth inning that feeds mostly off Sean Zeiher (.278, 1 HR, 11 RBI) hitting a bases-clearing double. Felix Martinez doesn’t even get to pick up a bat. NYC @ OCT … 5-1 (10) … (Crusaders win 4-1) … NYC Victor Velez 2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI; OCT Omar Lira 3-4; NYC Zachariah Alldred 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, W (1-1); Victor Velez, who made just 46 appearances in the regular season and spent most of the year in AAA Lexington, hits a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning off Jerry Washington (0-1, 7.71 ERA, 1 SV), then adds a 3-run home run, also with two outs, in the tenth off the same 21-year-old right-hander to punch the Crusaders’ ticket to the World Series. SFW @ TOP … 7-8 (10) … (series tied 3-3) … SFW John Kaniewski 3-5, HR, RBI; TOP Matt McLaren 3-6, HR, RBI; TOP Dan Martin 2-5, BB, RBI; TOP David Worthington 2-4, RBI; TOP Rafael Guzman (PH) 1-1, HR, RBI; The Buffos have to scramble for a run each in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth innings to erase an early deficit and have to tie the game in both the eighth and ninth innings before finally walking off to force a Game 7. Dan Martin (.240, 1 HR, 3 RBI) ends the game with a walkoff single, plating Alex de los Santos (.227, 0 HR, 3 RBI) and his leadoff double. SFW @ TOP … 2-3 … (Buffaloes win 4-3) … SFW Miguel Medina 2-4, 2B, RBI; TOP Alex de los Santos 2-2, 2 BB; TOP Dan Martin 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; TOP Pablo Lara 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (2-1) and 1-3; For the second day in a row, Dan Martin drives in the winning run, this time with a home run all the way early in the third inning. No runs are scored after that anymore as the pitching staffs grind the opposing lineups to dust. +++ 2059 WORLD SERIES And then there were two, as the Buffaloes squeezed past the Warriors into the World Series to face the Crusaders. Home field advantage was with the Buffos, and they needed every bit of it after an FLCS in which the home team won every game. The Buffaloes were still without half their bullpen, but at least they hadn’t packed any more injuries on top and they seemed to be reasonably clutch at this point. Their lineup was mostly right-handed, though, except for the left-handed McLaren and the switch-hitting Martin who were batting .321 with a homer, and .276 with two homers, respectively, in the FLCS. The Crusaders lost switch-hitting first baseman Raul Sevilla to injury in the CLCS and would have to do with Mark Seeley in the World Series. The rookie had batted .113 with 1 HR* and 5 RBI in the regular season, but had jumped allll the way up to .211 with 1 HR, 3 RBI in the CLCS after replacing the fallen Sevilla. The Crusaders lineup thus had four left-handed batters against the Buffaloes’ three right-handed and one left-handed (Lara) starters, and Lara would not make an appearance until the series went to New York after toughing it out on short rest in Game 7. Advantage New York? +++ NYC @ TOP … 2-3 … (Buffaloes lead 1-0) … TOP Matt McLaren 2-3, BB, RBI; NYC @ TOP … 1-4 … (Buffaloes lead 2-0) … NYC Mark Seeley 2-4; TOP Matt McLaren 2-4, HR, RBI; TOP Alex de los Santos 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; TOP Austin Wilcox 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, W (1-1); TOP @ NYC … 11-4 … (Buffaloes lead 3-0) … TOP Jose Ambriz 2-4, BB, 2 RBI; TOP Alex de los Santos 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; TOP Zach Suggs 3-4, BB; TOP Dan Martin 2-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; TOP Dave Blackshire 2-4, BB, 2B, RBI; NYC Omar Sanchez 3-4; NYC Mark Seeley 2-4, BB, 2 2B, RBI; NYC Roger Zucal 2-2, 2 BB; The game goes back and forth for the first six innings with the Crusaders holding a narrow 4-3 lead before having the score flipped on them in the seventh inning with two runs, and then explode in a 6-run, 3-homer eighth inning that gives the Buffos all the matchballs in the world to win their first championship! TOP @ NYC … 5-6 … (Buffaloes lead 3-1) … TOP Alex de los Santos 2-4, BB, RBI; TOP Zach Suggs 2-3, 2 BB, RBI; NYC Sean Zeiher 3-4, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBI; NYC Victor Velez 2-4, 2 2B, RBI; The Buffaloes get to within two outs of hoisting the trophy before Bill Hernandez (1-1, 4.91 ERA, 4 SV) gives up a game-tying home run to Sean Zeiher (.306, 3 HR, 16 RBI) in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Seidman then walks and is doubled home by Velez (.200, 2 HR, 5 RBI) for a walkoff, season-saving win for New York. TOP @ NYC … 2-9 … (Buffaloes lead 3-2) … TOP Alex de los Santos 2-3, BB, HR, RBI; NYC Omar Sanchez 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; NYC Seisaku Taki 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (1-0); The Crusaders forcefully send the series back to Topeka with a 7-run sixth inning, although nobody stands out in the team effort. The runs scored and runs batted in are both distributed between seven different players. NYC @ TOP … 9-1 … (series tied 3-3) … NYC Tony Rodriquez 2-4, 2 BB, 2 RBI; NYC Omar Sanchez 3-6, 2 RBI; NYC Sean Zeiher 3-4, BB, 3 RBI; NYC Mike Seidman 3-6, 2B, 2 RBI; NYC Joel Luera 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (1-1); Pablo Lara (2-2, 4.99 ERA) has his skull caved in for eight runs in 2.2 innings and the Buffos amount to all of two base hits in a wholesale deletion in Game 6. The all-deciding Game 7 will be a Battle of the Bens: Seiter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) against Karst (1-1, 4.30 ERA). NYC @ TOP … 1-6 … (Buffaloes win 4-3) … TOP Zach Suggs 1-3, BB, 2 RBI; TOP Ben Karst 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, W (2-1); An error by Mark Seeley (.267, 1 HR, 5 RBI) and two walks load the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first inning, and Ben Seiter (1-2, 4.25 ERA) doesn’t recover from there, allowing a 2-run double to ex-Crusader Zach Suggs (.216, 2 HR, 6 RBI), conceding another run on an error of his own, and a fourth run on David Worthington’s double play grounder. The Buffos, up 4-0, engage the autopilot at cruising altitude with Karst (2-1, 3.34 ERA) lining up zeroes before running out of steam in the seventh inning. The Crusaders only make up one run against Ralph Needham in the eighth inning before being forced to concede. The two lasting images of the night are the Buffaloes going absolutely bonkers in their celebration, and that of rookie Mark Seeley, who draws a leadoff walk from Bill Hernandez (1-1, 4.32 ERA, 4 SV) in the ninth inning, sobbing unconsolably as he walks off the field after Eiji Kinoshiita’s grounder to short forces him out at second base to end the game and the entire 2059 season. +++ 2059 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS Topeka Buffaloes (1st title) . . . Chance Fox, obviously… Attached Images __________________ Portland Raccoons, 92 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.