World Baseball League: Following the Sheffield Mountain Hares

[dinosauryoshi]

2059 playoffs begin - The playoff bracket, and a recap of how they work.

Before I lay out the bracket for each conference, a quick recap of how the playoffs work in the World Baseball League:

There are 24 teams in total in the playoffs, 12 from each conference.

The 8 divisional winners (4 in each conference) all get a well deserved bye for the wildcard round.

The wildcard round consists of the 8 second placed teams in each division (4 per conference) vs the remaining 8 teams with the highest amount of wins across any of their respective conference’s 4 divisions. So essentially, in each conference:

4 first placed teams - wildcard round bye
4 second placed teams
4 wildcard teams

Note that end of season ties are sorted via a tie-breaker game where needed to finalise these playoff positions.

The wildcard round is best of 5, every other round is best of 7.

With that out the way, here’s the bracket. Cross-reference it with the end-of season standings above if needed

WILDCARD ROUND

The Americas and Oceania (TAO)

Guatemala Ocelots v San Diego Stingrays (winner plays Ascuncion Pampas Foxes)

Boston Bluebirds v Santo Domingo Dolphins (winner plays New Orleans Jazz)

Havana Cafecitos v Medellin Woodpeckers (winner plays Honolulu Seahawks)

Managua Motmots v Memphis Steamers (winner plays Panama City Poets)

Europe Asia and Africa (EAA)

Vienna Whistlers v Kano Camels (winner plays Madrid Mallards)

London Gentlemen v St Petersburg Pelicans (winner plays Hiroshima Express)

Bucharest Sound v Seoul Crabs (winner plays Karachi Seafarers)

Phnom Penh Jackhammers v Manila Snakes (winner plays Kinshasa Leopards)

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Havana Cafecitos - some info before we follow their playoff run


Logo and concept by @20_range

History

This is the 5th time Havana have made the playoffs since their, and the league’s, inception in 2040. They previously made the playoffs in 2045, 2046, 2049 and 2051. They came 4th in the Central America & Oceania division this year, and so qualified for the playoffs in a wildcard spot. They have won their division an impressive 4 times, in each of the years they previously made the playoffs. They have never made the World Series.

2059 top performers

Position players



26 year old Nicaraguan first-baseman has been the team’s top performer this year in by far his best season since graduating as a prospect for the team in 2056. A contact specialist with a superb eye, he also hits for plenty of power, with 21 home runs this season.

33 year old Indonesian right fielder Aeary Kartini has been a hit at the club since arriving from the Kabul Caracals in 2058. Another batter with a superb eye, he’s also one of the division’s top defenders at right field. Unspectacular, but reliable. Which could be the Havana Cafecitos’ motto in 2059.

Peruvian Cather Roberto Dominguez is very much an offensive catcher - with below average skills behind the plate, but a good contact and power ability at it.

Russian Zlygarev has a superb eye and is a very solid defender at second base.

33 year old Indian Neelakatanchar is one of the division’s premier centre-fielders, with great speed and an elite arm, but he’s rather unreliable at the plate.

Pitching



Bolivian Winston Gonzales has had his best season from a WAR standpoint, with a very high 4.9. Having spent most of his career at the Hong Kong Kites, the 33 year old has impressed since coming to the Cafecitos in 2057. He has great stuff with plenty of movement and one of the league’s best fastball and curveball combos.

Bangladeshi Mohamedzai is coming off a career high 2.7 WAR last season, with another solid season. His pitches have good movement and he possesses 4 strong pitches, which he mixes up to confound batters. Another one who fits the reliable but unspectacular mould the team seems to be taking.

31 year old Moroccan Wayaasi Kadiri is the Cafecitos’ biggest bullpen weapon with a mean fastball and a couple of very good off-speed pitches in his cutter and splitter.

[dinosauryoshi]

Medellin Woodpeckers v Havana Cafecitos (Wildcard Round, October, 2059)


Both logos by @20_range

The Woodpeckers made the playoffs by virtue of their 2nd place finish in the South America Division, where they went 89-73, their highest finish on record. This is only their second playoff appearance, having made it in 2045.

Game 1

As the wildcard team, the Cafecitos are the underdog in the series but they took a commanding 1-0 series lead with a solid 3-0 win over the Woodpeckers on their home turf. Offredi was on fire, going 7.2 shutout innings and giving up only 4 hits. Indian Asvathama Neelakantachar led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and a walk, knocking an important triple in the 4th, an inning in which the Cafecitos took the important 3-0 lead.

Player of the game: Offredi

Game 2

The Cafecitos look poised to cause an upset after a 9-7 win in Medellin. Cuban star Jordan Navarro had a 3 hit game, going 3 for 4, scoring 2 and driving in 2. The Cafecitos were 6-2 up before the start of the 8th, when the Woodpeckers threatened a comeback as reliever Doug Craig crumbled and gave up 4 runs in 1.2 innings. Luckily the Cafecitos continued to produce on offence and held them off. Juan Hernandez and Roberto Dominguez got the Cafecitos’ first homers of the playoffs.

Player of the game: Jordan Navarro

Game 3

Havana completed an unlikely sweep to book their place in the final 16 to take on the Honolulu Seahawks, the North America (West) champions.

The Cafecitos win looked in doubt when the Woodpeckers took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but a 6 run 5th inning for Havana proved too much for the Woodpeckers to recover from. Aeary Kartini hit a 2-run homer, while English third-baseman Kale Byrne also knocked in 2 RBIs. Matt Perreault gave up only one earned run in a solid start.

[dinosauryoshi]

Playoff bracket after Wildcard Round (16th October, 2059)

The only wildcard teams to have made it through to the last 16 are the Havana Cafecitos, London Gentlemen and Phnomh Penh Jackhammers. This bracket has also reminded me that the European Division took up all 4 playoff spots for the EAA conference, which is the first time one division has taken all the spots.

The next round sees the introduction of all 8 division champions.

[dinosauryoshi]

Honolulu Seahawks v Havana Cafecitos (Second Round, October 2059)


HS logo by skynet, HC logo by @20_range

Games 1 to 3

This is the Seahawks’ fourth playoff appearance, all of which have come since 2052, after a rough first 12 years in the league. They qualified with a first-round bye due to their first place finish in the North America (West) Division, their second division title. They have never made the World Series.

Game 1

The Havana Cafecitos powered past the hometown Honolulu Seahawks, 7-6, in the opener of the Second Round in Honolulu. Havana shortstop Kale Byrne was 2 for 3 with a home run and was hit by a pitch, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once, to lead the charge.

Cafecitos ace Winston Gonzales had a first inning meltdown, giving up 5 runs in just 0.2 innings before being pulled. Fortunately for Havana, the 6 relievers they used to follow only gave up one more run between them.

Player of the game: Kale Byrne

Game 2

Honolulu starter Lesta Wakhoff, who has the surname of a slugger rather than a pitcher, perplexed the Cafecitos to help the Seahawks to a dominant 5-0 win in game 2. In his 88-pitch effort, Wakhoff allowed no runs on 1 hit over 7 innings. He walked 4 and struck out 4.

On the Havana side Offredi gave up 4 runs in 6 innings, but he can hardly be blamed when the offence failed to put up a single run.

Player of the game: Lesta Wakhoff

Game 3

As the series moved to Havana, things continued to move in the direction of the Seahawks. With right fielder Michael Young leading the charge, the Honolulu Seahawks won 5-3 to take a 2-1 series lead. Young was 3-4 with a home run and a double, while scoring 3.

Peruvian catcher Roberto Dminguez hit his third home run of the playoffs, a 2-run shot in the 5th to make it 3-3, but Havana were unable to complete the comeback.

Player of the game: Michael Young