2030 St. Louis River Walkers -- This could be the last time

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NLCS: St. Louis wins 3-1.
St. Louis' Jordan Groshans and Jared Thomas hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the second inning -- two of five long homers hit by the River Walkers -- and it went on to wrap up trip to the World Series with an 8-4 win over Twin Cities at Metropolitan Stadium (1977).
St. Louis won the best-of-five series 3-1.
The two second-inning homers came off Snow Cats starting pitcher Keith Brennan.
Robbie Mackie got Twin Cities on the board in the bottom of the fourth, drawing a lead-off walk from Walkers rookie starter Lenyn Crisp and scoring on a Drew Bowser double.
By the time the Cats scored again, they were down 7-1.
Jose Segura and Groshans both hit two-run homers off reliever Keegan Jensen in the sixth to make it 6-1.
Pinch-hitter Alek Rodriguez reached on a error by Bowser at shortstop inn in the seventh and scored on a Jose Ramirez double off reliever Nicio Rodriguez.
Twin Cities did try to make it interesting.
Will Banfield hit a two-run homer off Travis Krogman to make it 7-3.
Mackie doubled off Jose Alvarado in the eighth, and scored on a Bowser single.
It was 7-4.
Ramirez got that run back with a homer off Jesse Gaither in the ninth.
Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa, who got the final two outs of the eighth, worked a scoreless ninth to seal the win, and earn his first win of the 2030 postseason.
Crisp pitched 4.2 innings, allowing the one run on three hits. He struck out eight and walked three.
Yeison Santos finished the fifth and worked a scoreless sixth.
Santos (1-0) would earn the win.

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MBL: NLCS statistics

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ALCS Game 5 -- Cleveland holds on for win, advances to World Series

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MBL: American League Championship Series statistics

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Notes: Cleveland swept a four-game series between the teams on July 4-7 = 2-0, 2-1, 6-3 (12) and 3-2 -- at Busch Stadium (1997) in St. Louis.
This will be Cleveland first trip to the World Series.
This is St. Louis fifth trip to the World Series since 2018.
The River Walkers won the World Series in 2018 and 2025.
St. Louis lost in 2026 and 2028.

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MBL World Series preview: St. Louis lineups and regular-season statistics

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MBL World Series preview: Cleveland Juke Box Heroes regular-season statistics

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Jared Thomas led off the top of the ninth inning with a tie-breaking home run off Cleveland relief pitcher Juan Munoz, and St. Louis held on for a 4-3 win at Cleveland Stadium (1980).
Thomas' fourth homer of the postseason came on a 1-2 pitch. It traveled 438 feet over the fence in center field.
The River Walkers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, only to have the Juke Box Heroes rally to tie it.
Jose Ramirez led off the game with a single off Cleveland starter Luis Vasquez, and later scored on a Jose Segura two-out single.
Jordan Groshans drew a walk, and Steve Rossi scored both runners with a double.
The Heroes finally got on the board against Walkers starter Kaneo Kawamoto in the bottom of the sixth.
Tyler McKenzie, who went 4 for 4, led off with a double, and moved to third when the next hitter, Mac Horvath, singled.
A walk to Tanner Kohlhepp loaded the bases.
Joe Silverstein scored McKenzie with a single.
Horvath scored when Will Holland hit into a double play.
Cleveland tied it in the seventh with Kawamoto still on the mound to open the inning.
Judson Fabian led off with a single, which saw him reach second when left fielder Jose Ramirez misplayed the ball.
Travis Krogman replaced Kawamoto and was greeted by Fernando Jimenez, who hit a fly ball which moved Fabian to third.
McKenzie connected with his second double of the game, scoring Jimenez.
But Krogman was able to stand him there and keep the game tied.
Kawamoto worked six innings, allowing the three runs on three hits. He struck out seven and walked three.
Krogman pitched the one inning.
Cory Tiller worked a perfect eighth.
Ernesto Barbosa gave up a one-out single to Robert Perez in the ninth, but was still able to come out with his second save of the postseason.

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Jose Ramirez hit a three-run home run to highlight a four-run top of the ninth inning, as St. Louis rallied from what was a 4-0 deficit to defeat Cleveland 7-4 in Game 2 of the World Series at Cleveland Stadium (1980).
Ramirez homered twice in the win, which put the River Walkers up 2-0 in the series.
The Juke Box Heroes grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, when former Walker Tanner Kohlhepp hit a solo homer off St. Louis startger Izzy San Juan.
Cleveland extended that advantage to 4-0 an inning later.
Tyler McKenzie did the bulk of the damage with a three-run, two-out double off San Juan.
But the Walkers fought their way back into it.
Jared Thomas hit his sixth homer of the postseason in the top of the fourth off Heroes starter Matt Frisbee, to make it 4-2.
Ramirez launched his first homer with two outs in the fifth.
Frisbee again was the victim.
The Walkers went to work against Cleveland closer Adam Wanger, also another former St. Louis prospect, with one out in the ninth as Jean Carmona reached with a single.
That was the first of three straight singles -=- pinch-hitter Rick Scott also collected one, as did Thairo Estrada, which scored Carmona to tie it.
Ronny Carvajal replaced Wegner, who had also pitched the eighth inning, and he got behind Ramirez 3-1 and that helped lead to his 431 foot blast over the fence in right.
San Juan overcame his rough start to go 5.1 innings, he allowed the four runs on fived hits.
Cory Tiller finished the sixth inning.
Travis Krogman pitched both the seventh and eighth innings, allowing just one base runner.
Ernesto Barbosa struck out the side in the ninth for his third save of the postseason.

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Tyler McKenzie drew a walk to lead off the top of the 10th inning and scored on a Joe Silverstein sacrifice fly, as Cleveland downed St. Louis 4-3 at Busch Stadium (1997).
The victory drew the Juke Box Heroes to within 2-1 in the best-of-7 series.
It was Zack Evers who walked McKenzie to open the 10th.
Mac Horvath followed with a single, chasing McKenzie to third.
Silverstein then drove the first pitch he saw deep enough to center field to score McKenzie.
The big hit of the game, however, came in the top of the ninth when Will Holland hit a one-out homer off River Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa to tie it at 3.
It was Holland's second homer of the game.
His first came in the fourth off St. Louis starter Zack Hunsicker, tying the game at 2-2.
A Thairo Estrada homer in the bottom of the fifth off Cleveland starter Adonis Medina put the Walkers back in front.
Medina, who spent four successful seasons in St. Louis, allowed three runs on six hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
Five relievers -- Yuki Matsui (1.0 IP), Bob Granillo (0.2), Ronny Carvajal (1.1), Juan Munoz (1.2) and Gunnar Hoglund (0.1) -- combined to finish the game.
Munoz (1-1) earned his first win of the postseason, while Hoglund notched his first save.

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Cleveland jumped on St. Louis rookie starting pitcher Lenyn Crisp for three runs in the top of the first inning, and the Juke Box Heroes rode that to a 4-2 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
The Cleveland win evened the series at 2-2.
The Heroes wasted no time setting things in motion against Crisp.
Tyler McKenzie led off the game with a single, and Mac Horvath duplicated it with another single.
After a fly out, Tony Jackson put Cleveland in front for good with a 425-foot- homer on a 1-0 pitch.
The River Walkers got on the board bottom of the second.
Brian Mundell led off with a double off Heroes starter Mason Montgomery.
He scored on a two-out single from Thairo Estrada.
St. Louis pulled to within 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
Jordan Groshans with a lead-off homer off reliever Bob Granillo.
Cleveland got that run back in the top of the eighth, Mac Horvath hitting a lead-off homer off Travis Krogman.
Montgomery (2-0) pitched five innings, allowing one run on four hits.
Yuki Matsui followed with a scoreless sixth.
Granillo (0.2 IP) and Ronny Cravajal (0.1) combined to pitch the seventh.
Closer Adam Wenger pitched two innings, didn't allow a base runner and now his two saves in this postseason.

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Luis Vasquez pitched six shutout innings, and a pair of Cleveland relievers followed suit as the Juke Box Heroes downed St. Louis 5-0 in Game 5 of the World Series at Busch Stadium (1997).
The win gave Cleveland a sweep of the three games in St. Louis. The visiting team has won all five games of a series, the Heroes lead 3-2.
Vasquez scatted four hits over his six innings. He struck out two and walked one.
Gunnar Hoglund worked a pair of scoreless innings.
The ninth belonged to Freddy Tarnok, who set the River Walkers down in order.
Cleveland would get the only run it would eventually need in the top of the first off St. Louis starter Kaneo Kawamoto.
Tyler McKenzie led off the game with a single, and moved to third when Mac Horvath also singled.
Tanner Kohlhepp scored McKenzie with a ground out.
It stayed 1-0 until the seventh, when Will Holland belted a two-run homer off Kawamoto.
The game's final runs also came via the long ball, Adrian Hernandez and pinch-hitter Fernando Jimenez both taking rookie reliever Ron Peterson deep in the top of the ninth.

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Izzy San Juan limited Cleveland to one run over seven innings, and St. Louis jumped out front with a three-run top of the second inning before holding on to win Game 6 of the World Series 4-3 at Cleveland Stadium (1980).
Steve Rossi ignited that big second for the River Walkers with a one-out double off Juke Box Heroes starting pitcher Matt Frisbee.
A walk to Rick Scott followed before Jean Carmona flew out for the second out.
But as often happens, a misplay in the field led to some bad things for the team playing defense.
San Juan reached when Cleveland second baseman Will Holland booted a ground ball, allowing Rossi to score.
The red-hot Jose Ramirez followed with the second triple of the inning, and St. Louis led 3-0.
Cleveland got the one board in the bottom of the second when Robert Perez singled with one out and scored on an Adrian Hernandez double.
A Jordan Groshans solo homer off Ronny Carvajal in the top of the eighth, put the St. Louis lead back at three.
They would need that extra run.
Cory Tiller relieved San Juan to start the eighth and gave up three singles, Mac Horvath with the third to drive in Tony Jackson.
Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa's postseason struggles continued in the ninth.
He allowed a one-out single to Perez, then unleashed a wild pitch to move him up a base.
Hernandez scored Perez with his second double of the game.
But Barbosa settled down and got Tony Jackson to ground out and Logan Davidson to hit a fly ball to the warning track in right to end it.
Barbosa now has four postseason saves.
San Juan (1-0) allowed the one run on four hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked none.

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One bad pitch, one bad decision.
It can be the difference between being a champion and not.
St. Louis River Walkers starting pitcher Zack Hunsinger had cruised through the first six innings.
He had allowed just three hits and thrown only 58 pitches to help his team lead 1-0 in Game 7 of the 2030 World Series against the Cleveland Juke Box Heroes at Cleveland Stadium (1980).
So when he allowed a lead-off double to Mac Horvath in the bottom of the seventh, manager Mike Renkes stuck with him.
After all, switch-hitting catcher Tony Jackson was hitting just .182 in the series and dangerous right-handed hitter Joe Silverstein was on deck.
Jackson drove Hunsicker's 1-0 pitch 423 feet over the fence in right center.
And neither team would score again.
The Walkers got the game's only other run in the top of the fourth on a solo homer from Jared Thomas off Heroes starting pitcher Adonis Medina.
Medina would pitch 4.2 innings, allowing the one run on four hits. He struck out seven and walked one.
Gunnar Hoagland finished the fifth and worked a silent sixth.
Bob Granillo pitched around a hit in the seventh.
Granillo (1-1) earned the win.
Cleveland closer Adam Wenger handled the final two innings.
He set the side down in order in the eighth.
In the ninth, Thomas singled with one out, but Wenger struck out Rick Scott and Jean Carmona to end it.
Medina and Wenger are both for River Walkers.
Medina was part of their starting rotation when St. Louis last won the title in 2025.
He had a career record of 41-28 in four seasons with the Walkers, before departing as a high-priced free agent after the 2028 season.
A still-young Wenger only made 11 appearances with St. Louis, all in the 2025 season, before being traded to Cleveland in the off-season.
The championship is Cleveland's first, and was their first postseason appearance.
St. Louis has reached the World Series five times, and have now lost three of them.

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MLB World Series: Final statistics

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Player of the Year: Jose Ramirez -- Acquired in the offseason from Rockford to be a middle-of-the-order bat, Ramirez struggled up until the All-Star break. But the decision to move him to the lead-off spot over the last 72 games paid off in a huge way. The 27-year-old increased his batting average from .211 to .262 during that span while hitting 30 homers and driving in 55 runs. For the season, Ramirez hit .262 with 46 homers and 95 RBIs and got on base at a .374 clip.
Starting Pitcher of the Year: Izzy San Juan -- Signed as a free agent from Des Moines in the offseason, San Juan went 17-4 in 32 starts posting a 2.95 ERA. In a career-high 213.2 innings, he struck out 151 and posted a 1.09. His stepping up was really important due to the subpar season of ace Angel Tiburcio, which ended in mid-August because of injury.
Relief Pitcher of the Year: -- Ernesto Barbosa -- The 28-year-old continues to rank among the best closers in the game. The right-hander pitched in a career-high 58 games during which he went 6-0 with 32 saves. He posted 0.78 ERA while striking out 100 batters in 63.2 innings. His WHIP was a career-low 0.68.

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Walkers news: Postseason statistics

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Walkers news: End of season messages from the owner

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Two of the most decorated players in the 13-year history of the St. Louis River Walkers -- outfielder Andrew Benintendi and relief pitcher Jake Brentz -- announced their retirements in a joint press conference at Busch Stadium (1997).
Benintendi, 36, had been with the Walkers since the team's inception in 2018 and for many of those years had ranked among the best players in the Midwest Baseball League.
Primarily a left-fielder, Benintendi owned a career-batting average of .290 with 292 home runs and 1,026 RBIs.
His best season came in 2019 when he earned National League Most Valuable Player honors during a campaign where he batted .340 with 41 homers and 123 RBIs.
In all, he was part of four World Series teams, two of which 2018 and 2025 which won championships, made six All-Star teams, four Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves and was World Series MVP in 2018.
Benintendi had a hard time getting on the field in 2030, and struggled when he did batting just .222 with two RBIs.
The Walkers released Benintendi on June 3, but no team opted to pick him up.
* Brentz came to the River Walkers in 2023 after four seasons in Fort Wayne.
He served as the team's primary closer in 2027 and 2028, during which he put up a combined 55 saves.
The 36-year-old went 41-30 with 120 saves and a 2.02 ERA in his eight seasons in St. Louis.
He was a three-time relief pitcher of the year, a five-time All-Star, a member of St. Louis 2025 championship team and the closer for the team's of 2027 and 2028 which won the National League.
For the past two seasons, Brentz has served as set-up man for current St. Louis closer Ernesto Barbosa.
He was having a good 2030 season -- going 4-3 with seven saves and a 1.91 ERA in five games -- until suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament on Sept. 17.
Brentz never pitched again, and opted to retire after the season.

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MBL news: Oct. 27 -- Gold Glove winners announced; Carmona wins NL shortstop honor