2026 River Walkers: Ready to defend what we've earned

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NLCS Game 2 -- at Busch Stadium (1997)
St. Louis 4, Madison 3, 12 innings, (Series tied 1-1).
Andrew Benintendi led off the bottom of the 12th inning with a double and later scored on a wild pitch as St. Louis evened the National League Championship Series with a 4-3 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
Benintendi, who had hit a solo homer in the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2, opened the 12th with a double off Muskies reliever Mauricio Cabrera.
Danny Munos replaced Cabrera and was greeted by a single from Fernando Tatis Jr., which put runners at the corners.
A walked to Jared Thomas then loaded the bases.
Munos threw strikes on his first two pitches to the next batter, Larry Ernesto, but his third pitch got away from catcher M.J. Melendez allowing Benintendi to score.
A pair of runs in the top of the fourth staked Madison to a 2-0 lead.
The Muskies opened with three straight singles off River Walkers starter Adonis Medina, the third, from Francisco Lindor, scored Nick Senzel.
Nomar Mazara tallied the second run when he scored on a Aramis Ademan ground out.
The Walkers got on the board in the bottom of the fourth against Madison starter Dylan Cease.
Benintendi scored this run as well after drawing a lead-off walk.
He moved to second when Fernando Tatis Jr. single.
And a wild pitch placed Benintendi at third.
Larry Ernesto's sacrifice fly made it 2-1.
St. Louis seized the lead in the sixth.
Benintendi led off the inning with a 365-foot shot over the right-field wall off reliever Justin O'Rourke.
Tatis Jr. followed with a double and would score on a two-out single from pinch-hitter Clay Owens.
But the Walkers failed to win it in regulation, as Josh Smith tied it when he opened the eighth with a homer off reliever Nick Lodolo.
St. Louis starter Adonis Medina allowed two runs on four hits over the opening six innings.
Lodolo took the game into the ninth, allowing the one run on Smith's homer.
Jake Brentz (1.2 IP) and Williams Jerez (1.1) combined on the 10th and 11th innings.
Closer Edwin Diaz set the Muskies down in order in the top of the 12th, setting himself up for the win.

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Darren Miller hit a grand slam to highlight a four-run bottom of the fifth inning to help power Detroit to a 6-2 win over Toledo in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Tiger Stadium (1980).
The victory put the Wheelmen up 2-1 in the best-of-5 series.

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NLCS Game 3 -- at Comiskey Park (1969), Madison
Madison 6, St. Louis 0
Madison broke open a scoreless contest with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and Nick Lewis and a pair of relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Muskies downed St. Louis 6-0 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Comiskey Park (1969).
With the victory, Madison took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 series.
Scoreless into the bottom of the sixth, the Muskies two best hitters combined to put their team out front.
Nomar Mazara opened the inning with a single off St. Louis starting pitcher Steven Brault.
Kevin Maitan then smashed the first pitch he saw 373 feet over the wall in left field.
Brault retired the next batter, Francisco Lindor, but allowed a double to Aramis Ademan before he exited.
Angel Tiburcio took over and did strike out Joe Gray Jr. for the second out.
An intentional walk to M.J. Melendez followed to bring Lewis to the plate.
But Tiburcio melted down throwing a pair of wild pitches to score the inning's third run.
Lewis then drove in the fourth with a single to left.
Madison added two insurance runs in the ninth.
Ademan proved the first with a solo homer off Edwin Diaz.
M.J. Melendez scored the second after taking an intentional walk from Diaz.
John Curtiss took over and issued another walk, this one unintentional, to pinch-hitter Cole Brannen.
Taylor Trammell then scored Melendez with a single.
Lewis (1-0) allowed three hits and no runs in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked none.
Ethan Hankins worked a scoreless eighth inning.
Andrew Ryan followed suit in the ninth.

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Toledo scored five runs over the first three innings to build a 5-0 lead and went on to defeat Detroit 10-3 at Tiger Stadium (1990) to even the American League Championship Series at 2-2.
The fifth and deciding game will be played in Toledo on Oct. 13.

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NLCS Game 4 -- at Comskey Park (1969), Madison
St. Louis 4, Madison 3, (Series tied 2-2)
Rhys Hoskins snapped a 2-2 tie when he led hit a solo homer with one out in the top of the seventh inning to help lift St. Louis to a 4-3 win over Madison at Comiskey Park (1969).
The victory allowed St. Louis to force a Game to the National League Championship Series, which will be played in St. Louis.
The River Walkers twice jumped out to leads only to see the Muskies quickly rally to tie.
Andrew Benintendi had an RBI double in the first inning and Fernando Tatis drove in one with a single as the Walkers went up 2-0 against Madison starting pitcher Juan Jose Teixeira.
The Muskies answered right back with two in the bottom half against Walkers starter Jimmy Lambert.
Kevin Maitan plated the first run with a single. Taylor Trammell opened a big day for him with an RBI double.
Larry Ernesto doubled with one out off Teixeira in the fourth and scored on a two-out double from Lambert, as the Walkers went up 3-2.
Madison evened it in the bottom of the sixth when Trammelll greeted new reliever Nick Lodolo with a solo homer.
In the seventh, Mauicio Cabrera took the mound for Madison.
He struck out Carlos Vidal to open the inning.
But he saw a 1-1 pitch to Hoskins get smacked 345 feet over the wall in left as St. Louis went ahead for good.
Lambert worked 4.1 opening innings for St. Louis allowing two runs on five hits.
Williams Jerez finished the fifith inning.
Lodolo (1-0), despite allowing the homer to Trammell, came out of it with the win after working the sixth inning and recording the first two outs of the seventh.
Jake Brentz finished the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth.
Edwin Diaz hit Jordan Myrow to open the bottom of the ninth, but retired the next three for his first save of the postseason.

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Damon Casetta-Stubbs pitched seven shutout innings and the bullpen did the rest as Detroit claimed the American League Championship Series with a 2-0 win over Toledo in Game 5 at Braves Field (1946) in Toledo.
Casetta-Stubbs, who also was the winning pitcher in Game 2, allowed just two hits over his seven innings. He struck out four and walked one.
John Goulet started the eighth for the Wheelmen, and walked the only batter he faced.
Kerry Maple also walked a batter in the eighth, but the Mud Hens failed to get a run home.
Luca Dalatri sent Toledo down in order in the ninth to seal the series.
The Wheelmen wasted no time taking the lead, as Jordan Prediz led off the game with a home run off Mud Hens starter Tomoyuki Sugano.
Detroit's second run was scored by Aaron Judge in the seventh.
Wheelmen shortstop Shinya Mori was named MVP after batting .524 in the series with a homer, three runs scored and four RBIs.

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MBL news: American League Championship Series statistics

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NLCS Game 5 -- at Busch Stadium (1997), St. Louis
St. Louis 4, Madison 1, (River Walkers win series 3-2)
Vidal Brujan put St. Louis in front with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning and starting pitcher Alex Faedo and the bullpen limited Madison to a single run as the River Walkers advanced to the World Series with a 4-1 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win means the Walkers will be able to defend their 2025 World Series title against Detroit. The Wheelmen, who defeated Toledo in five games in the ALCS, were World Series champs in 2024.
A solo homer from Nomar Mazara in the top of the first allowed Madison to grab an early lead off St. Louis ace Alex Faedo.
But that advantage disappeared in the bottom of the third when Vidal Brujan hit a two-run shot off Muskies starter Brian Rose.
Larry Ernesto, who had been hit by a pitch to open the inning, also scored on the homer.
Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled off Rose in the fourth and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.
Faedo worked through five innings, but had to depart following a 61-minute rain delay after the end of the fifth inning.
In his five innings, Faedo (1-0) allowed just the one run on two hits. He struck out eight and walked just one.
A homer from Larry Ernesto leading off the bottom of the the seventh off Justin O'Rourke made it 4-0.
Five relievers -- Williams Jerez (0.1 IP), John Curtiss (0.2), Ricky Cisneros (1.0), Angel Tiburcio (1.0) and Jake Brentz (1.0) -- combined to finish the game for St. Louis.
Tatis Jr. was named the NLCS MVP after batting .522 with one RBI.

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MBL news: National League Championship Series statistics

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MBL news: World Series preview -- Detroit Wheelmen (90-72) vs. St. Louis River Walkers (92-70)
Regular-season series: No games

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MBL news: 2026 World Series - Detroit Wheelmen lineup and statistics

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MBL news: 2026 World Series -- St. Louis River Walkers lineups and statistics

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World Series Game 1 -- at Busch Stadium (1997)
St. Louis 5, Detroit 0, (River Walkers lead 1-0)
Adonis Medina tossed a four-hit shutout and St. Louis struck early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning as it downed Detroit 5-0 in Game 1 of the 2026 World Series at Busch Stadium (1997).
Medina, who pitched for Detroit from 2019-2024, before being acquired by the River Walkers in a trade, scattered three singles and a double while striking out six and walking two.
St. Louis got the only runs it would need in the bottom of the first inning.
Vidal Brujan led off with a single off Wheelmen starting pitcher Hunter Greene.
Brujan advanced to second when Carlos Vidal beat out what was supposed to be a sacrifice bunt to put two runners aboard.
Andrew Benintendi then chased them both home with a double.
All three of the Walkers other runs came in the fifth.
Medina led off the inning with a double, and was joined on the basepaths by Brujan who Greene walked.
Rhys Hoskins scored Medina with a double.
Benintendi picked up his third RBI of the game with a single.
A balk from Hunter Cope scored Hoskins with the game's final run.

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World Series Game 2 -- at Busch Stadium (1997), St. Louis
St. Louis 5, Detroit 4, 14 innings, (River Walkers lead 2-0)
Been playing OOTP for probably a decade and never had a game end like this.
Detroit reliever Carson Fulmer was called for a balk with one out in the bottom of the 14th inning, which allowed Larry Ernesto to score and give St. Louis a 6-5 win in Game 2 of the World Series at Busch Stadium (1997).
The victory puts the River Walkers up 2-0 in the Series, with the next three games scheduled for Tiger Stadium (1980) in Detoit.
Ernesto had drawn a walk from Edward Cabrera to open the bottom of the 14th.
He was replaced by Fulmer, who was greeted by a single from JT Schwatz which put runners at first and second.
VIdal Brujan got down a bunt down, moving them both up a base.
Fulmer didn't even get to throw his first pitch to Carlos VIdal, being called for a balk which scored Ernesto.
Earlier, Vidal was part of another big at-bat hitting a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Kerry Maple to tie the game at 5-5.
At one point, Detroit led 5-1.
Darren Miller hit a solo homer off St. Louis starter Steven Brault in the first, part of a two-run inning.
Miller hit another homer, this one a two-run shot also off Brault in the sixth, to make it 5-1.
St. Louis sliced that margin by a run in the eighth, when Rhys Hoskins doubled and scored on a Fernando Tatis Jr. single.
Brault was the first of seven pitchers used by the Walkers.
He handled the first five innings, allowing all five runs on 10 hits.
The bullpen, however, worked nine scoreless innings.
Luis Palomo handled the first two.
He was followed by John Curtiss (1.2 IP), Angel Tiburcio (0.1), Jake Brentz (1.2), Edwin Diaz (1.2) and Nick Lodolo (1.2).
Lodolo (2-0) came out of the game with his second win of the postseason.

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World Series Game 3 -- at Tiger Stadium (1980), Detroit
Detroit 8, St. Louis 6, (River Walkers lead 2-1).
Detroit pounded St. Louis ace Alex Faedo for seven runs over the first two innings to pave the way for an 8-6 win in Game 3 of the World Series at Tiger Stadium (1980).
A two-run homer from Rhys Hoskins in the top of the first off Wheelmen starting pitcher Damon Casetta-Stubbs actually staked the River Walkers to a 2-0 lead.
By the top of the second, Detroit led 5-2.
Most of it happened with two outs.
Cade Doughty tied it with a two-run double.
Aaron Judge followed with a two-run homer.
St. Louis cut it to 5-3 in the top of the second, Carlos Vidal with an RBI single off Casetta-Stubbs.
But by the time the bottom of the second was done, Faedo was done.
The first three batters all had hits --single from William Contreras and Jordan Prendiz and an RBI double by Brian Mundell -- to send Faedo to the shower.
Steele Walker then made it 7-3 with a sacrifice fly off Luis Palomo.
St. Louis would chip way enough to make it interesting.
Down 8-4 going into the top of the ninth, it pulled within 8-6 after an Andrew Benintnedi ground out drove in Vidal Brujan with two outs.
But with runners at second and third,. Steven Gonsalves struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. to end it.
Casetta-Stubbs worked four innings, allowing three runs on four hits.

Six relievers combined to finish the game -- Omar Enriquez (1.1 IP), Hunter Cope (1.2), John Goulet (1.1), Nick Spear (0.0), Kerry Maple (0.0) and Gonsalves (0.2) -- with Enriquez (1-0) earning the win and Gonsavles his first save of the postseason.

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World Series Game 4 -- at Tiger Stadium (1980), Detroit
Detroit 5, St. Louis 2, (Series even 2-2)
Tied 1-1, Detroit scored three times in the bottom of the fourth inning to send the Wheelmen to a 5-2 win over St. Louis at Tiger Stadium (1980) and even the World Series at 2-2 .
Rhys Hoskins had a run-scoring triple off Detroit starter Luca Dalatinri in the first inning to put the River Walkers up 1-0.
Shinya Mori drove in a run with a double in the second off St. Louis starter Jimmy Lambert in the third to even the score.
The Wheelmen took the lead for good when they scored three times in the fourth.
Aaron Judge led off the inning with a single, and moved to second when Lambert uncorked a wild pitch.
A William Contreras single put runners at the corners.
Jordan Prendiz put Detroit up 2-1 with a sacrifice fly.
A single by Brian Mudell then put runners at the corners, and ended Lambert's outing.
Ricky Cisneres, a lefty brought in to face left-handed hitter Steele Walker, didn't do his job as Walker tripled to score two and make it 4-1.
An Andrew Benintendi solo homer off reliever Omar Enriquez in the sixth made it 4-2.
But the Walkers would not score again.
Dalatari (1-0) handled the first five innings, allowing one run on three hits.
Enriquez pitched the sixth inning.
Four relievers -- Nick Spear (0.2 IP), Kerry Maple (0.1), John Goulet (1.2) and Steve Gonsalves (0.1) -- combined to close out the win which evened the series.

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World Series Game 5 -- at Tiger Stadium (1980), Detroit
Game 5 -- Detroit 4, St. Louis 1
Detroit hit home runs in three straight innings off St. Louis starter Adonis Medina -- the second through the fourth -- to power its way to a 4-1 win at Tiger Stadium (1980) and a 3-2 lead in the World Series.
All five games have been won by the home team, as the Series heads back to the home of the River Walkers for Game 6 and a possible Game 7.
It was a two-run homer from Aaron Judge in the second inning which put the Wheelmen on top 2-0.
After Brian Mundell led off the third with a homer it was 3-0.
Cade Doughty also open an inning, the fourth, with a long ball to make it 4-0.
The River Walkers got their only run in the fifth, Hunter Greene hit VIdal Brujan with a pitch and he scored on a Rhys Hoskins with a single.
But there was nothing after that, as the Wheelmen will head back to St. Louis needing to just one win game to win their second World Series title in three years.

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The Detroit Wheelmen have announced that shortstop Shinya Mori will miss six weeks, meaning the final two games of the World Series, after suffering an elbow injury in Game 5 against the St. Louis River Walkers at Tiger Stadium (1980).
Mori left the game after being involved in a collision at second base.
During the postseason, Mori was batting .488 with one homer and five RBIs.
For the 2026 season, he batted .260 with 30 homers and 93 RBIs.

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World Series Game 6 -- at Busch Stadium (1997), St. Louis
Detroit 3, St. Louis 1 (Wheelmen win series 4-2)
Detroit got a strong outing from starting pitcher Aaron Nola and snapped a 1-1 tie with a run in the top of the sixth inning as the Wheelmen downed St. Louis 3-1 to win the World Series in six games at Busch Stadium (1997).
It was the fourth straight win for Detroit, which dropped the first two games in St. Louis before winning three straight at home.
In those games, the Wheelmen outscored the River Walkers 20-10. St. Louis was limited to a single run in each of the last two games.
World Series Most Valuable Player Darren Miller opened the scoring when he led off the top of the second inning with a home run off Walkers starting pitcher Steven Brault.
The River Walkers would tie it in the bottom of the fifth, pinch-hitter Clay Owens with a sacrifice fly off Nola to score Jared Thomas who had singled.
Owens pinch-hit also forced Brault from the game, something Detroit may have taken advantage of in the sixth.
CJ Abrams greeted reliever Williams Jerez with a single, and he scored on a one-out double from Brian Mundell off John Curtiss.
The Wheelmen added an insurance run in the seventh when William Contreras doubled off Angel Tiburcio with one out and scored on Steele Walker's two-out single off Jake Brentz.
St. Louis left two base runners aboard in the sixth inning against Nola.
But the River Walkers would not put another batter on until there were two outs in the ninth, Fernando Tatis Jr. reaching on a two-out error by Miller at third.
But Kerry Maple got Jean Carmona to fly out to right to end it and clinch Detroit's second championship in three seasons.
The MVP, Miller batted .26 with three homers and four RBIs in the series.
Nola, pitching against his former team, was stellar going 1-0 in two starts with an 1.64 ERA over 11 innings.

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MBL news: 2026 World Series statistics