St. Louis River Walkers 2021 season: On the rebound

[rink23]

MBL news: National League leaders on Oct. 1

[rink23]

Walkers news: Team reports for September

[rink23]

Player of the Month: Outfielder Andrew Benintendi: In 26 games, Benintendi batted .330 with six homers, 21 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He boasted an on-base percentage of .384 and a slugging percentage of .612.
Starting pitcher of the Month: Right-hander Aaron Nola: In five starts, Nola went 1-1 with a 3.16 ERA. He pitched a total of 31.1 innings, posting a WHIP of 1.02 and striking out 16 batters.
Relief pitcher of the Month: Right-hander Phil Maton: In 11 games, Maton went 1-1 with a 0.93 ERA. He worked a total of 9.2 innings during which he posted a WHIP of 0.62 and struck out 14.

[rink23]

Walkers news: Player Development Report for Oct. 1

[rink23]

Record: 83-77, 3rd, 6 GB Cedar Rapids
Michael Conforto and Carlos Asauje both hit two-run home runs in the second inning to help power St. Louis to a 7-4 win over Kansas City at Busch Stadium (1997).
There was no score when Conforto and Asauje both went deep off Pit Masters starting pitcher Dinelson Lamet in the second.
River Walkers starting pitcher Yu Darvish dinged Lamet for a two-run double in the fourth, making it 6-1.
Darvish pitched six innings allowing four runs on eight hits and earning his team-high 16th win of the season.
Bobby Poyner recorded all six of his outs via the strikeout while working the seventh and eighth.
Tommy Kahnle tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his 28th save.

[rink23]

Record: 84-77, 3rd, 6 GB Cedar Rapids
St. Louis left-hander Danny Duffy wrapped up the National League ERA title by going seven inning during which he allowed one run on three hits in a 4-1 win over Kansas City at Busch Stadium (1997).
By allowing just the one run, Duffy will end the season with an ERA of 2.86 to go with a 14-12 record. Madison's Stephen Gonsalves sits behind Duffy in the ERA race at 2.98 and will not pitch again in the regular season.
The 32-year-old Duffy is a free-agent at the end of the season and it is uncertain if the River Walkers can or will attempt to re-sign him.
Tied 1-1, St. Louis took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth.
Carlos Asauje led off with a single off the Pit Masters' Ryan Yarbough, who was making his first major league start.
A double from Rhys Hoskins scored Asauje and ended Yarbough's outing.
Michael Conforto's single off Diego Moreno later scored Hoskins.
In the seventh, Conforto hit a solo homer off Jerry Vasto making it 4-1.
Jerry Diekman and Reyes Moronta combined to pitch a silent eighth inning for the Walkers.
Tommy Kahnle did the same in the ninth for his 29th save.

[rink23]

A 6-5 victory over Akron clinched the Columbus Golden Bears their third consecutive American League East Division crown.
With the win, the Bears sit at 97-64, three games ahead of the Flying Feet with one game left.
Columbus, which owns the second-best record in the MBL behind Madison, will own home-field advantage in its best-of-five American League Championship Series against the Grand Rapids Traders.

[rink23]

Attachment 625679Record: 84-78, 3rd, 6 GB Cedar Rapids
With no playoffs in sight for either team, Game 162 is one play a little differently looking to get everyone some playing time and trying to avoid any injuries
Kansas City's Yasmani Grandal had a different idea smacking three home runs including a solo shot off Tony Gonsolin in the top of the 11th inning to help give the Pit Masters a 7-6 victory at Busch Stadium (1997).
The River Walkers used a different reliever to start each inning and had all of its starters but catcher Tucker Barnart and third baseman Nicky Delmonico out of the game by the top of the sixth.
They led 6-3 going into the ninth but could not hold the lead.
Out of left-handed relievers with a series of leftys scheduled to bat, Kansas City made hay.
But not before closer Tommy Kanhle once again helped give away another lead.

Pitching for the third straight game, he walked Brian Mundell and gave up a double to Eric Thames before heading to the shower for the final time in 2021.
Josh Staumont came on and hit Brett Phillips before walking Grandal with the bases loaded to make it 6-4.
Reyes Moronta, who right-handed hitters can't touch but he can get lefty hitters out, then walked right-handed hitter Allen Cordoba to make it 6-5.
A sacrifice fly from Mookie Betts tied it at 6.
Grandal's other homers were both solo shots. He took Bill Warson deep in the third inning and hit one off Jacob de Grom in the fifth).

[rink23]

MBL news: Final standing and American League leaders

[rink23]

MBL news: Final National League leaders

[rink23]

Walkers news: Final batting and pitching statistics, team rankings

[rink23]

MBL news: Championship Series pairings

[rink23]

Owner of the Midwest Baseball League top record in the regular season, the Madison Muskies displayed why in the opening round of the postseason with a three-game sweep of the National League championship series against Cedar Rapids.
Right fielder Nomar Mazara was named MVP after batting .308 with a homer, an RBI and four runs scored.
But the real MVP was probably the Madison pitching staff which limited Cedar Rapids to a single run in two of the games and allowed just six runs total.

[rink23]

Bryce Harper's RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted Columbus to a 3-2 win over Grand Rapids to a 3-2 victory in the American League championship Series.
With the win, the Golden Bears advance to the World Series where they will face the Madison Muskies.
Madison swept Cedar Rapids to win the National League title.
The series will be a rematch of the 2019 championship round, where Columbus downed the Muskies in five games.
Outfielder Juan Soto was named MVP of the ALCS, after batting .345 with two homers, seven RBIs and scored 10 runs in the five games.

[rink23]

The World Series will send the American League champion Columbus Golden Bears (98-64) against the National League champion Madison Muskies (105-57).
The teams owned the two best records in the league. They did not meet in interleague play.
The series is a rematch of 2019, when Columbus won in five games.

[rink23]

MBL news: World Series Game 1 -- Columbus 5, Madison 3

[rink23]

The St. Louis River Walkers have announced Houston Jimenez as their assistant general manager.
With his hiring, Chris Pittaro has been dismissed after three seasons.
The River Walkers have seen their record decline in each of the seasons, but the biggest reason is probably the poor performance of their minor-league system.

[rink23]

MBL news: World Series Game 2: Madison 5, Columbus 1

[rink23]

MBL news: World Series Game 3 -- Madison 6, Columbus 3

[rink23]

MBL news: World Series Game 4 -- Madison 8, Columbus 4