World Baseball League: Following the Sheffield Mountain Hares

[dinosauryoshi]

Sheffield Mountain Hares - July 2062 Report

July record: 11-14
Start of month: 51-31
End of month: 62-45
Division position: 3rd in EAA Europe, 2½ games behind Minsk
Wildcard position: 4th
July runs scored/allowed: 117-122

Monthly Summary

After going 18-10 in May and 19-7 in June, Sheffield finally found a patch of road covered in banana skins.

The Mountain Hares went 11-14 in July, slipping from a share of the European lead to third place. They remain firmly in the postseason places at 62-45, but the month interrupted the momentum that had carried them through early summer.

Sheffield opened 3-3 against London and Istanbul before being swept by both Paris and Kabul. That six-game losing streak was the month’s central wound: the Hares scored only 15 runs, lost several winnable games late and briefly looked like a wardrobe being pushed down a staircase.

The response prevented the month becoming genuinely damaging. Sheffield swept Lisbon, recovered from losing the first two games in Berlin, split four with Shanghai and took two of three in Stockholm. They went 8-5 after the losing streak and finished July with an extraordinary 11-6 victory in 12 innings.

Eskinder Ali remained outstanding on both sides of the ball, while Rob Graham supplied much of the month’s power and Juan Gonzalez was excellent in the rotation. The supporting cast was less consistent. Sheffield hit well enough in bursts, but the pitching beyond Ali and Gonzalez became increasingly uncertain.

The season-to-date picture remains encouraging. Sheffield’s 62-45 record exactly matches their Pythagorean mark, while the starters’ 3.70 ERA ranks seventh in the EAA. The bullpen remains the soft underbelly at 4.59, 42nd, rather like installing a fine front door and leaving the kitchen window open.

Monthly Awards

Offensive Player of the Month: Eskinder Ali

July: .321/.459/.603, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 18 R, 16 BB and 1.3 WAR.

Ali continued to combine power with remarkable patience. He reached base in almost 46 per cent of his plate appearances and finished with 13 extra-base hits.

Through July, the Central African two-way star is batting .348/.481/.667 with 21 home runs, 72 RBI and 5.8 batting WAR. The broader Sheffield attack occasionally mislaid its keys during July. Ali continued walking through walls.

Pitcher of the Month: Eskinder Ali

July: 1-0, 1.72 ERA, 31.1 IP, 24 H, 2 BB, 34 K, 0.83 WHIP and 1.4 WAR.

Ali issued only two walks across five starts, producing a remarkable 17.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His best performance came against Lisbon, when he threw eight scoreless innings and also went 3-for-3 with Sheffield’s first run in a 2-0 victory.

He ends July at 9-1 with a 1.95 ERA over 106 innings. There is being the best player on the team, and then there is apparently attempting to become two of them.

Other Standouts

Rob Graham hit .269/.379/.564 with 6 home runs, 18 RBI and 1.3 WAR. His power carried several of Sheffield’s louder victories.

Adam Koehler batted .270/.333/.378 with 10 RBI and led the club with 1.7 WAR. His strong season-long work behind the plate remains an important part of his value.

Zitomir Klech hit .289/.325/.382, stole four bases without being caught and accumulated 1.2 WAR.

Juan Gonzalez went 4-1 with a 1.33 ERA over 27 innings. He was not overpowering, but repeatedly gave Sheffield exactly what the month required: a calm adult in the room.

Nsen Ngunda hit only .232, but his four home runs and 18 RBI included several important late-month contributions.

Strugglers

Ismael Guillen endured a miserable July, batting .167/.205/.214. Sean Pappas managed a .227 average without an extra-base hit, while Espen Aas hit five home runs but finished at .240/.293/.507 with -0.5 WAR.

The greater concern was pitching depth. Cesar Chavez posted a 9.60 ERA, Teja Saumya finished at 10.24, and Quang-Thieu Phang recorded a 7.71 ERA. When the rotation moved beyond Ali and Gonzalez, July occasionally became a small uncontrolled bonfire.

Game of the Month

30 July – Sheffield 11, Stockholm 6 (12 innings)

Sheffield trailed 3-0, fought back to level, exchanged runs with Stockholm in the 11th and then scored six times in the 12th.

Ali broke the tie with an RBI single before Graham added a two-run double. Koehler then removed any remaining subtlety by launching a three-run homer. He finished 2-for-6 with four RBI and two runs.

The victory secured the series and provided the perfect finish to an awkward month: difficult, unnecessarily prolonged and ultimately very loud.

July Scores

at London Gentlemen – Series tied 1-1

1 July: Sheffield 6-7 London
2 July: Sheffield 3-2 London

Sheffield overturned a 2-0 deficit with three runs in the eighth of the finale. Ali drove in two before Marcus Eykelbosch supplied the decisive double.

at Istanbul Spice – Series tied 2-2

3 July: Sheffield 6-7 Istanbul
4 July: Sheffield 4-6 Istanbul
5 July: Sheffield 7-4 Istanbul
6 July: Sheffield 6-3 Istanbul

The Hares surrendered late leads in the opening two games before recovering. A two-run Morales homer and a bases-clearing Tolochko double powered the first victory, while Guillen’s two doubles helped secure the split.

vs Paris Black Cats – Paris won series 3-0

7 July: Sheffield 1-10 Paris
8 July: Sheffield 1-4 Paris
9 July: Sheffield 4-9 Paris

Paris arrived with a losing record and swept the Hares by a combined 23-6. Duong Kim hit three home runs in the opener, and Sheffield never found a convincing response.

at Kabul Caracals – Kabul won series 3-0

14 July: Sheffield 1-2 Kabul
15 July: Sheffield 3-5 Kabul
16 July: Sheffield 5-8 Kabul

Ali threw 6.2 scoreless innings in the opener, only for Kabul to score twice in the eighth. Sheffield also led late in Game 2 and held an early 5-3 advantage in the finale. Kabul took all three, completing Sheffield’s six-game slide.

vs Lisbon Caravels – Sheffield won series 3-0

17 July: Sheffield 5-4 Lisbon
18 July: Sheffield 7-6 Lisbon
19 July: Sheffield 2-0 Lisbon

Sheffield responded immediately. Gonzalez worked seven strong innings in the opener, Dukuzumuremyi’s bases-clearing double overturned a 5-4 deficit in Game 2, and Ali completed the sweep with eight scoreless innings.

at Berlin Bears – Berlin won series 2-1

21 July: Sheffield 2-4 Berlin
22 July: Sheffield 3-5 Berlin
23 July: Sheffield 8-2 Berlin

Graham’s two-run homer broke open the finale before Sheffield added four more in the ninth. Ngunda went 3-for-5 with a homer, double and two RBI as the Hares avoided the sweep.

vs Shanghai Peaches – Series tied 2-2

24 July: Sheffield 6-15 Shanghai
25 July: Sheffield 3-4 Shanghai (10 innings)
26 July: Sheffield 9-3 Shanghai
27 July: Sheffield 1-0 Shanghai (10 innings)

After two poor defeats, Ngunda drove in four runs during the 9-3 recovery. The series then finished with ten scoreless innings from Shanghai and nine from Sheffield before Justin Hogan delivered the walk-off single.

at Stockholm Orcas – Sheffield won series 2-1

28 July: Sheffield 11-3 Stockholm
29 July: Sheffield 2-3 Stockholm
30 July: Sheffield 11-6 Stockholm (12 innings)

Sheffield scored six times in the ninth of the opener and six in the 12th of the finale. The middle game was a tight defeat, but taking the series from a direct European rival was an important finish.

All-Star Recognition

Eskinder Ali represented Sheffield in the 2062 All-Star Game, earning the starting assignment in left field for the EAA in its narrow 4-3 defeat.

Ali went 0-for-3, but the appearance itself deserves considerably more attention than the box score. With 80 clubs on the EAA side of the WBL supplying potential selections, simply reaching the roster is a significant achievement. Being chosen to start identifies Ali as one of the conference’s elite players.

For Sheffield’s two-way star, it was richly deserved recognition of an exceptional first half.

Defence and Other Notes

The fielding report is season-to-date rather than July-only. Sheffield’s .704 defensive efficiency ranks 11th in the EAA, while their +27.5 Zone Rating ranks eighth.

Klech leads the way at shortstop with +8.2 ZR, while Graham has +3.5 at second base. Koehler owns a .993 fielding percentage and +2.4 ZR behind the plate, with a 25.8 per cent caught-stealing rate.

Ali has contributed +3.2 ZR in left, Morales +2.2 in right, and Ngunda +2.2 in centre. Centre-field performances from Kardal Nabih and Nevan Fitzgerald have been less convincing.

Injuries also continued to disturb the pitching staff. Terry Spooner and Abel Harvey were both hurt on July 7, while Harvey appeared repeatedly in later game notes with further problems.

Season Position

Sheffield end July third in Europe at 62-45, 2½ games behind Minsk and two games behind Warsaw. Thessaloniki are two games behind the Hares, with Stockholm another half-game back.

That makes the situation less comfortable than it was in June, but Sheffield still occupy the fourth EAA wildcard position. They are only half a game behind Nairobi and have a half-game advantage over Luanda.

Europe remains fiercely compressed. Sheffield are close enough to challenge for the division and close enough to tumble into the wildcard crowd if August goes poorly. July did not remove them from the race; it merely made the race start breathing down their neck.

Across the League

New Jersey lead the WBL with 73 wins, while Yangon are 71-34 and Las Vegas 70-36. Casablanca, Kabul, Córdoba and Guatemala City also retain their division leads, while defending champions Singapore sit well back in West & South-East Asia at 57-48-1.

The first-time playoff watch remains lively. Casablanca lead Africa at 68-39, while Sheffield currently hold an EAA wildcard place. San Pedro Sula are firmly involved in the TAO race at 62-46. Khartoum, Stockholm and Managua also remain credible candidates to reach the postseason for the first time, although all three presently sit outside the qualifying positions.

Final Thoughts

July was Sheffield’s first losing month of consequence, but it did not undo the work of May and June. The Hares remain 17 games above .500, exactly level with their expected record and inside the postseason field.

Ali continues to produce a season bordering on the absurd, Graham rediscovered his power and Gonzalez strengthened the rotation. The concern is everything behind them: inconsistent depth, an unreliable bullpen and too many games in which the opposition found a trapdoor beneath Sheffield’s pitching.

The response to the six-game losing streak mattered. Sheffield won eight of their final 13, swept Lisbon and finished by taking a dramatic series in Stockholm.

[dinosauryoshi]

Sheffield Mountain Hares - August 2062 Report

August record: 14-14
Start of month: 62-45
End of month: 76-59
Division position: 3rd in EAA Europe, 6½ games behind Minsk
Wildcard position: 7th, two games outside the final place
August runs scored/allowed: 144-118

Monthly Summary

August was a month of spectacular extremes and remarkably little overall movement. Sheffield went exactly **14-14**, slipping from 2½ to 6½ games behind the European lead while remaining firmly involved in the wildcard race.

The Hares swept Moscow, took three of four in Chongqing and swept St Petersburg. They were also swept by Madrid and Athens before dropping series to Quito and Budapest. Form moved around like a shopping trolley with one wheel determined to visit the hedge.

The +26 run differential was encouraging but misleadingly emphatic. Sheffield’s three biggest wins-18-0 over Moscow, 16-7 at Chongqing and 14-10 in Budapest - produced a combined margin of +31. Across the other 25 games, they were outscored by five. The Hares went only 4-6 in one-run games and 1-2 in extras, which explains how a productive month finished perfectly level.

The season-long foundation remains sound. Sheffield’s starters own a 3.81 ERA, seventh in the EAA, while the defence ranks seventh in both efficiency and Zone Rating. The bullpen improved to a 4.42 ERA but remains less dependable, occasionally appearing with all the reassuring calm of a ferret carrying a box of matches.

Monthly Awards

Offensive Player of the Month: Eskinder Ali

August: .300/.372/.614, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 15 R and a 161 wRC+.

Ali missed part of the month as he was injured while pitching against Quito, yet still led Sheffield in August RBI and produced the month’s defining performance. He ended August batting .338/.461/.656 for the season with 26 home runs, 93 RBI and 6.5 batting WAR.

Pitcher of the Month: John Barton

August: 2-1, 1 save, 2.70 ERA, 20 IP, 14 H and 18 K.

Barton provided valuable length from the bullpen and held opponents to a .194 average. Given the changing rotation and several injury interruptions, his ability to absorb meaningful innings was particularly useful.

Other Standouts

Zitomir Klech hit .304/.345/.430 with 2 homers, 11 RBI and 4 steals. His 2.0 August WAR was heavily supported by outstanding shortstop defence; his year-to-date Zone Rating now stands at +13.8.

Ismael Guillen hit .296/.356/.463 with 2 homers and 11 RBI, while Sean Pappas produced a useful .295/.375/.462 line with 4 home runs.

Justin Hogan was Mayfly Baseball made flesh: only seven August hits, but six of them were home runs. He slugged .676 and drove in 12 despite batting .189.

On the mound, Cesar Chavez posted a 2.53 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 10.2 innings, while Chang-wei Thian recorded four saves with a 1.76 ERA. Vinny Soto supplied 35 innings across six starts and finished the month with a 3.60 ERA.

Strugglers

Rob Graham endured a difficult month at .184/.276/.264, without a home run. Jesus Morales hit .189/.308/.300, although nine stolen bases and excellent right-field defence preserved some value.

Tullu Dukuzumuremyi batted .207/.281/.287, while Espen Aas hit .211. Aas still launched five homers and drove in 14, but his overall month finished at -1.0 WAR.

The rotation also frayed in places. Juan Gonzalez went 1-4 with a 5.46 ERA despite finishing strongly, while Emmanuele Marletti and Zoubeir Nuru both posted ERAs above five.

Game of the Month

5 August: Sheffield 18, Moscow 0

This was less a baseball game than a controlled demolition.

Ali went 4-for-4 with two home runs, two doubles, four runs and ten RBI, setting a Sheffield regular-season record for RBI in a game. His fourth-inning grand slam made it 17-0.

Ali, Pappas and Morales each tied the club record by scoring four times. It was Sheffield’s largest win of August and the loudest individual performance of the season.

Hares Player of the Game: Eskinder Ali – 4-for-4, 2 HR, 2 2B, 10 RBI, 4 R

August Scores

vs Thessaloniki Tower Knights – Thessaloniki won series 2-1

1 August: Sheffield 7-5 Thessaloniki
2 August: Sheffield 4-5 Thessaloniki, 10 innings
3 August: Sheffield 2-3 Thessaloniki

Morales homered and Sheffield scored six times in the fourth to win the opener. Ngunda drove in three during the extra-inning defeat, before another one-run loss gave Thessaloniki the series.

vs Moscow Blizzard – Sheffield won series 3-0

4 August: Sheffield 3-2 Moscow
5 August: Sheffield 18-0 Moscow
6 August: Sheffield 4-3 Moscow

Ali pitched Sheffield past Moscow in the opener, then produced his record ten-RBI performance. Dukuzumuremyi completed the sweep with a ninth-inning walk-off double.

at Chongqing Hotpots – Sheffield won series 3-1

7 August: Chongqing 5-3 Sheffield
8 August: Sheffield 4-2 Chongqing
9 August: Sheffield 5-3 Chongqing
10 August: Sheffield 16-7 Chongqing

Koehler’s two-run ninth-inning homer decided Game 2, while Worsfold supplied a key two-run shot the following day. Hogan then hit three home runs, scored four times and drove in eight during the finale.

at Madrid Mallards – Madrid won series 3-0

11 August: Madrid 7-4 Sheffield
12 August: Madrid 3-0 Sheffield
13 August: Madrid 10-7 Sheffield

Sheffield scored first in all three games but could not make any lead stick. The Hares managed only two hits in the shutout and then surrendered three eighth-inning runs in the finale.

vs St Petersburg Pelicans – Sheffield won series 3-0

14 August: Sheffield 4-1 St Petersburg
15 August: Sheffield 4-3 St Petersburg, 10 innings
16 August: Sheffield 7-3 St Petersburg

Koehler hit two homers in the opener, Worsfold delivered the walk-off single in Game 2, and Ali went 4-for-4 with a homer in the finale. It was Sheffield’s most complete series of the month.

at Athens Philosophers – Athens won series 3-0

18 August: Athens 8-0 Sheffield
19 August: Athens 7-6 Sheffield
20 August: Athens 2-1 Sheffield

Sheffield followed its sweep of St Petersburg by being swept themselves. The middle game was particularly painful: four ninth-inning runs drew the Hares level before Athens immediately walked it off.

vs Quito Cinchonas – Quito won series 2-1

22 August: Sheffield 6-5 Quito
23 August: Sheffield 2-4 Quito
24 August: Sheffield 3-5 Quito

Ngunda’s ninth-inning single completed a three-run comeback in the opener. The series also brought injuries to Ali while pitching and Graham after being hit by a pitch.

at Budapest Red Squirrels – Budapest won series 2-1

25 August: Budapest 3-2 Sheffield
26 August: Sheffield 14-10 Budapest
27 August: Budapest 3-2 Sheffield

Both defeats came by one run, including a ninth-inning walk-off homer in the opener. Between them, Marcus Eykelbosch went 6-for-6 with three doubles and five RBI, tying the EAA regular-season record for hits in a game.

at Kyiv Terrapins – Sheffield won series 2-1

28 August: Sheffield 8-3 Kyiv
29 August: Sheffield 4-0 Kyiv
30 August: Kyiv 6-4 Sheffield, 12 innings

Gonzalez struck out eight without a walk in the opener, before Soto threw eight scoreless innings of three-hit ball. Ali then allowed one hit over 5.2 innings in the finale, but Kyiv eventually won with a two-run homer in the 12th.

Defence and Other Notes

The fielding figures are year-to-date, but remain one of Sheffield’s clearest strengths. Klech leads the way with +13.8 ZR at shortstop, with Morales at +5.4 in right, Guillen at +3.6 at second, and Ali and Ngunda both at +3.3 in the outfield. Koehler has also contributed +2.4 ZR behind the plate with a .994 fielding percentage.

Injuries interrupted several players during August. Quang-Thieu Phang, Koehler, Ngunda, Ali and Graham all left games hurt. None should be treated as a confirmed long-term absence from the box scores alone, but the interruptions did not help an already changeable month.

Season Position

Sheffield end August 76-59, third in Europe and 6½ games behind Minsk. Warsaw are one game off the lead, while Bucharest and Stockholm remain close behind the Hares.

The division title has become a difficult chase, but automatic qualification through second place remains possible. Sheffield are five games behind Warsaw with 27 games remaining.

The wildcard race is even tighter. The Hares sit seventh, but only two games behind Singapore, who currently occupy the fourth and final place. Hong Kong, Chongqing and Khartoum are packed into the same narrow corridor.

Across the League

The major races remain lively. Houston have overtaken New Jersey in North America-East, Las Vegas lead the West, while Panama City have edged ahead in a Central America division where five clubs remain within 1½ games. Casablanca lead Africa, Dubai hold a narrow advantage over Yangon and Pyongyang are six games clear in Central & East Asia.

Several clubs are chasing their first playoff appearance. Casablanca are in the strongest position at 86-49, while San Pedro Sula sit only half a game from their division lead and currently share the TAO wildcard line. Sheffield, Chongqing and Khartoum remain within two games of the EAA cutoff, with Stockholm four back. One good September could remove several names from the league’s list of permanent October spectators.

Franchise Record Watch

Given we only have one month of the regular season left, it's worth taking a look at which franchise records are under threat – or have already been beaten.

Ali’s season is already historic. His 6.5 batting WAR has broken Abdul-Karim bin Jameel’s previous Sheffield record of 6.0, with another month still to play.

He is also on course to challenge all four single-season rate records. Ali currently stands at .338/.461/.656 with a 1.117 OPS, ahead of the existing marks for average (.308), OBP (.410), slugging (.617) and OPS (.996). He still needs 75 plate appearances to reach the 502 required to qualify, making health and playing time the main obstacles.

His 93 RBI have already matched his previous career high and place him joint-fifth in club history. Thirteen more would move him clear into second, although Willie Perez’s record of 128 probably remains safe. Ali is also within reach of the doubles record – 30 against Farid bin Abdul’s 40 – and needs three more times being hit by a pitch to pass Sergio Rutz’s mark of 13, a slightly less glamorous record...

The pitching records are almost as interesting. Ali’s 4.2 pitching WAR is only 0.7 behind Alois Herzog’s Sheffield record, while his 5.2 rWAR is 0.6 short of Herzog’s corresponding mark. His 2.40 ERA and 1.11 WHIP would both be franchise records, but he needs another 34.2 innings to qualify, which may be a larger challenge than maintaining the numbers.

Elsewhere, Sean Hane’s 13 wins leave him two short of Elias Moreno’s single-season record of 15. Jesus Morales has 31 stolen bases, needing six to tie Minyar Kinjeketile’s record and seven to break it. Having stolen nine during August, that one is very much alive.

Two game records were also rewritten during August: Ali established a new Sheffield mark with ten RBI against Moscow, while Marcus Eykelbosch’s six-hit game in Budapest tied the EAA regular-season record.

Final Thoughts

August was neither collapse nor charge. Sheffield maintained a winning position, outscored opponents comfortably and continued to receive elite production from Ali, but close defeats and two disastrous road sweeps cost them ground.

The Hares’ 79-56 Pythagorean record is three games better than reality, suggesting the quality remains stronger than the standings show. The starters and defence are playoff calibre; the bullpen, inconsistent supporting bats and one-run results remain the exposed wiring.

September begins with Sheffield in a genuine postseason race. After years without an appearance, the first trip to October remains within reach.

[dinosauryoshi]

Sheffield Mountain Hares - September 2062 Report

September record: 16-10
October record: 1-0
Start of September: 76-59
Final record: 93-69
Division position: 3rd in EAA Europe, 6 games behind Minsk
Wildcard position: 2nd - qualified for the postseason
September runs scored/allowed: 123/117
September and October runs scored/allowed: 129/121

Monthly Summary

History, at last.

For the first time in franchise history, the Sheffield Mountain Hares are going to the playoffs!

Seven seasons have passed without a postseason appearance. There have been promising stretches, painful collapses and respectable records that still left Sheffield outside. In their eighth season, the wait is finally over.

The Hares finished 93-69, placed third in the formidable EAA Europe division and secured the second EAA wildcard. Whatever happens against Osaka, this is already the most successful season in Mountain Hares history.

After going 11-14 in July and 14-14 in August, Sheffield rediscovered their momentum at precisely the right time. They went 16-10 in September, then beat Vienna on 1 October to complete a four-game winning streak and a 17-10 closing stretch.

It was not entirely comfortable. Sheffield outscored opponents by only six runs in September and went an excellent 7-2 in one-run games.

Sweeps of division champions Minsk, postseason contenders Arizona and finally Vienna powered the playoff push. There were still reminders of the team’s weaknesses: San Salvador scored 21 runs across the final two games of their series, Rome won two of three at Kingfisher Park and last-placed Zurich inflicted consecutive late defeats.

Nevertheless, Sheffield recovered to win their final four games and reach 93 victories. After seven years of watching October baseball from home, the Mountain Hares are finally part of it. Celebrations spread throughout Sheffield after their final win in a 3-0 sweep of the Whistlers at home. Ali was the name in most of the songs - having had a season that will likely never be forgotten, dragging his Hares to the playoff seemingly by sheer force of will.

Monthly Awards

Offensive Player of the Month: Eskinder Ali

September: .311/.426/.533, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 23 R, 17 BB and 0.9 WAR.

Ali remained at the centre of Sheffield’s offence, reaching base at a .426 clip and scoring 23 times. His biggest batting performance came against London, when he hit two home runs and drove in four.

He was also excellent on the mound: 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 22 strikeouts across 27.2 innings. His combined September contribution was worth 1.9 WAR.

Pitcher of the Month: Emmanuele Marletti

September: 4-1, 2.35 ERA, 38.1 IP, 24 H, 12 BB, 23 K, 0.94 WHIP and 0.8 WAR.

Marletti entered the rotation during the second half and finished the season as one of Sheffield’s most dependable starters. Opponents hit only .182 against him in September.

His finest outing came at Minsk, where he allowed four hits across 7.2 scoreless innings. He also held Warsaw scoreless for 5.2 innings and Arizona to one run on two hits in 6.1.

Other Standouts

- Espen Aas: .308/.372/.615, 7 HR and 16 RBI. He led Sheffield in September home runs and delivered the bases-clearing double that completed the comeback at Minsk.

- Tullu Dukuzumuremyi: .310/.378/.451, 8 doubles, a team-leading 17 RBI and 0.8 WAR.

- Nsen Ngunda: .300/.372/.400, 15 runs, 11 RBI, 5 stolen bases and 1.0 WAR, alongside strong centre-field defence.

- Marcus Eykelbosch: .457/.487/.686 with 10 RBI in 35 at-bats.

- Ismael Guillen: .320/.370/.480 and 0.6 WAR in 25 at-bats.

- Drew Worsfold: .348/.375/.609 with four stolen bases in seven games.

- Juan Gonzalez: 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 32.1 innings.

- Rey Ochoa: 1-0 with one save, a 1.04 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in eight appearances.

Those Who Struggled

The bottom of the order offered little offence. Jesus Morales hit .218/.306/.236, Hwi-seong Lee managed .222/.263/.222 and Yakov Tolochko finished at .182/.240/.227.

Zitomir Klech hit only .186/.256/.200 with 25 strikeouts in 70 at-bats, although his exceptional defence still helped him accumulate 1.6 WAR during the month.

The greater concern was the bullpen, as always! Sarsour Burhan recorded seven saves but went 1-2 with a 6.97 ERA. Nick Roper posted a 7.88 ERA, Chang-wei Thian 9.72 and Sean Hane 9.49 after leaving the rotation.

Vinny Soto also struggled despite winning twice, recording a 5.76 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in five starts.

Series-by-Series Results

Warsaw Kings at Sheffield - Warsaw won series 2-1

September 1: Warsaw 6, Sheffield 5 (76-60)
September 2: Sheffield 1, Warsaw 0 (77-60)
September 3: Warsaw 8, Sheffield 4 (77-61)

Sheffield lost the opener despite 15 hits after conceding five runs in the eighth. Marletti responded with 5.2 scoreless innings in a 1-0 win, but another six-run inning gave Warsaw the series.

Sheffield at San Salvador Volcanoes - San Salvador won series 2-1

September 4: Sheffield 5, San Salvador 2 (78-61)
September 5: San Salvador 7, Sheffield 4 (78-62)
September 6: San Salvador 14, Sheffield 3 (78-63)

Aas homered and drove in three as Ali contributed three hits and earned the pitching victory in the opener. The series then deteriorated rapidly, culminating in San Salvador collecting 22 hits in the finale.

Sheffield at Minsk Bison - Sheffield won series 3-0

September 8: Sheffield 3, Minsk 1 (79-63)
September 9: Sheffield 5, Minsk 3 (80-63)
September 10: Sheffield 4, Minsk 3 (81-63)

Sheffield swept the eventual 99-win European champions at Minsk Grounds. Marletti delivered 7.2 scoreless innings, Eykelbosch went 4-for-5 with a homer, and Aas completed a four-run ninth-inning comeback in the finale with a bases-clearing double.

London Gentlemen at Sheffield - Sheffield won series 2-1

September 11: Sheffield 12, London 4 (82-63)
September 12: London 4, Sheffield 2 (82-64)
September 13: Sheffield 9, London 4 (83-64)

Power decided the series. Aas homered twice in the opener before London levelled the series, then Ali hit two home runs and drove in four as Sheffield comfortably won the finale.

Sheffield at Bucharest Sounds - Sheffield won series 2-1

September 15: Sheffield 7, Bucharest 3 (84-64)
September 16: Sheffield 2, Bucharest 1 (85-64)
September 17: Bucharest 6, Sheffield 0 (85-65)

Aas’s three-run homer supported seven strong innings from Gonzalez in the opener. Ali allowed one unearned run across 7.1 innings in game two before Chapa broke the tie with a homer, although Bucharest avoided the sweep with a shutout.

Arizona Wrens at Sheffield - Sheffield won series 3-0

September 19: Sheffield 3, Arizona 1 (86-65)
September 20: Sheffield 5, Arizona 2 (87-65)
September 21: Sheffield 7, Arizona 6 (88-65)

Marletti, John Barton and Gonzalez provided three excellent starts as Sheffield swept a postseason contender. Dukuzumuremyi overturned the middle game with a two-run double, while Graham’s three-run homer decided an error-filled finale.

Rome Legion at Sheffield - Rome won series 2-1

September 22: Rome 11, Sheffield 7 in 10 innings (88-66)
September 23: Sheffield 3, Rome 2 in 10 innings (89-66)
September 24: Rome 6, Sheffield 3 (89-67)

Rome scored five times in the tenth to spoil Ngunda’s four-hit opener. Tolochko’s walk-off sacrifice fly gave Sheffield their own extra-inning win the following day, but the Legion controlled the finale.

Zurich Chocolatiers at Sheffield - Zurich won series 2-1

September 26: Zurich 10, Sheffield 9 in 10 innings (89-68)
September 27: Zurich 5, Sheffield 3 (89-69)
September 28: Sheffield 4, Zurich 3 (90-69)

Last-placed Zurich threatened to derail Sheffield’s playoff push, winning twice after late rallies. Dan Jula prevented a sweep with a walk-off home run, beginning the Hares’ season-ending winning streak.

Vienna Whistlers at Sheffield - Sheffield won series 3-0

September 29: Sheffield 9, Vienna 2 (91-69)
September 30: Sheffield 4, Vienna 3 (92-69)
October 1: Sheffield 6, Vienna 4 (93-69)

Sheffield scored all nine runs in the third inning of the opener before edging the next two games. Chapa reached base four times in the finale and Graham’s two-run double broke a 3-3 tie, completing the sweep and sending Sheffield into their first postseason at 93-69.

Game of the Month

September 10 - Sheffield 4, Minsk 3

Sheffield entered the ninth inning trailing 3-0 and facing the prospect of merely taking two of three from the European leaders.

Instead, Ngunda drove home the first run before Aas cleared the bases with a double, suddenly turning a three-run deficit into a 4-3 lead. Brandeis Hintz received the win after three hitless relief innings.

The comeback completed an improbable sweep at Minsk Grounds and proved that the Mountain Hares could compete with Europe’s best.

Defence

Defence remained one of Sheffield’s greatest strengths. The Hares finished fifth in the EAA with a .706 defensive efficiency and eighth with a +41.0 zone rating.

Klech was the standout, finishing with a remarkable +15.1 zone rating at shortstop. Other notable totals included Ngunda at +5.8 in centre field, Morales +5.4 in right, Graham +4.2 at second, Guillen +3.5 at second, Dukuzumuremyi +3.5 at third, Ali +3.2 in left and Eykelbosch +3.0 at first.

Morales committed no errors across 1,031.2 innings in right field. The main defensive weaknesses were Kardal Nabih at -5.7 and Nevan Fitzgerald at -3.6 in centre.

Other Notes

Burhan was injured during the opening game at Minsk but returned later in the month. Zoubeir Nuru was hurt against Zurich on 26 September, while Ali was injured pitching on the 28th but returned to the batting lineup the following day.

Sheffield finished exactly level with their 93-69 Pythagorean record, going 49-32 at Kingfisher Park and 44-37 away.

The rotation ranked seventh in the EAA with a 3.86 ERA, but the bullpen was only 38th at 4.43. Overall, Sheffield ranked 20th in team ERA at 4.11 and allowed 698 runs, helped considerably by good control and excellent defence.

The offence finished at .264/.341/.419 with 824 runs. That ranked 18th in the EAA, while the team’s .759 OPS placed 29th.

Europe and the Postseason

Final leading positions in EAA Europe:

1. Minsk Bison: 99-63
2. Warsaw Kings: 95-67
3. Sheffield Mountain Hares: 93-69
4. Bucharest Sounds: 87-74
5. Stockholm Orcas: 85-77
6. Thessaloniki Tower Knights: 84-78
7. London Gentlemen: 83-79

Minsk secured the European title and a first-round bye. Warsaw qualified as division runner-up, while Sheffield took the second wildcard.

The Mountain Hares will face the Osaka Blossoms in a best-of-five wildcard series. Osaka finished 99-62-1 and lost the Central & East Asia title to Pyongyang by half a game. The winner will advance to face the Yangon Peacocks.

EAA first-round byes:

- Casablanca Corsairs
- Minsk Bison
- Yangon Peacocks
- Pyongyang Grasshoppers

EAA wildcard-round matchups:

- Nairobi Lilacs vs Warsaw Kings
- Luanda Red Caps vs Dubai Dunes
- Sheffield Mountain Hares vs Osaka Blossoms
- Karachi Seafarers vs Kinshasa Leopards

Across the League

Houston and Las Vegas shared the WBL’s best record with 107 victories. Yangon led the EAA with 102 wins, while Casablanca won 103.

Four of the eight division champions claimed the first divisional title in franchise history.

TAO division winners:

- South America: Caracas Macaws, 101-61
- Central America & Oceania: Panama City Poets, 95-67
- North America - West: Las Vegas Jacks, 107-54-1
- North America - East: Houston Apollos, 107-54

Caracas and Houston both broke through for the first time. The Apollos, established in 2052, did so with 107 victories and a share of the league’s best record, while Caracas ended a 22-season wait by winning South America.

Panama City took their second title, following their 2059 success. Las Vegas ended a 20-season drought, having last won their division in 2041.

TAO wildcard-round matchups:

- New Orleans Jazz vs Guatemala City Ocelots
- Los Angeles Stars vs Salt Lake City Skiers
- Miami Swordfish vs Córdoba Silversmiths
- Asunción Pampas Foxes vs New Jersey Jellyfish

EAA division winners:

- Europe: Minsk Bison, 99-63
- Africa: Casablanca Corsairs, 103-59
- West & South-East Asia: Yangon Peacocks, 102-60
- Central & East Asia: Pyongyang Grasshoppers, 100-62

Minsk and Casablanca joined Caracas and Houston as first-time division champions. Sheffield at least demonstrated their credentials by sweeping the new European champions in September.

Casablanca secured the first crown in franchise history, including their earlier years as the Gray Wolves. Yangon earned their third title and first since 2049, while Pyongyang claimed their fifth and first since 2056.

The most significant first among the wildcard qualifiers belongs to Sheffield. After missing out in each of their first seven seasons, the Mountain Hares are finally entering the postseason.

Franchise Record Watch

Eskinder Ali completed one of the most remarkable seasons in Sheffield history.

Batting: .333/.456/.629, 30 HR, 106 RBI, 108 R, 88 BB, 20 SB and 7.5 WAR.

Pitching: 13-1, 2.44 ERA, 155 IP, 134 H, 38 BB, 133 K, 1.11 WHIP and 5.2 WAR.

That is a - frankly ridiculous - combined 12.7 WAR.

Ali established seven new Sheffield single-season records:

- Batting average: .333 - passing Willie Perez’s .308 in 2058.
- On-base percentage: .456 - passing Abdul-Karim bin Jameel’s .410 in 2057.
- Slugging percentage: .629 - passing Perez’s .617 in 2058.
- OPS: 1.084 - Sheffield’s first 1.000 OPS season, overtaking Perez’s .996.
- Runs scored: 108 - passing Perez’s 106.
- Batting WAR: 7.5 - passing bin Jameel’s 6.0.
- Pitching WAR: 5.2 - passing Alois Herzog’s 4.9.

Ali also produced a franchise-record 6.1 pitching rWAR, ahead of Herzog’s 5.8 in 2058.

His season moved him to the top of Sheffield’s qualified career leaderboards:

- Career batting average: .308 - previously Kolya Saetgaliev at .286.
- Career OBP: .420 - previously Romain Martin at .381.
- Career slugging: .578 - previously Sergio Rutz at .498.
- Career OPS: .998 - previously Rutz at .852.

Ali’s 19.3 career batting WAR also moved him narrowly ahead of Adam Koehler’s 19.1.

Not everything was a record: Ali finished second in team history with 106 RBI and 88 walks, third with 276 total bases, sixth with 30 home runs and seventh with 36 doubles.

Even considered separately, Ali produced the greatest batting season and the greatest pitching season by WAR in Mountain Hares history. Doing both simultaneously makes his 2062 campaign something completely unforgettable.

Final Thoughts

Sheffield’s monthly progression tells the story of an uneven but ultimately historic season:

March: 1-0
April: 13-14
May: 18-10
June: 19-7
July: 11-14
August: 14-14
September: 16-10
October: 1-0

The Hares surged through May and June, lost momentum during July and August, then recovered when the playoff race became urgent.

The rotation and defence are good enough to trouble strong opponents, Ali has produced a season unlike anything previously seen in Sheffield and the lineup contains enough depth to win in several ways. The bullpen remains the obvious source of anxiety, while drawing a 99-win Osaka side is not much of a reward for finishing with 93 victories.

Still, sweeps of Minsk and Arizona showed what Sheffield can do against postseason opposition.

Seven seasons of waiting are over. For the first time in franchise history, the Sheffield Mountain Hares are going to the playoffs.