United Leagues of Braeland - Page 38

DreamTeams · 04-18-2022, 11:43 AM

The season is shaping up nicely with all of those all-stars on the roster. Welcome to Pulberry, Mr. Bandong. Go trolleys!

reds1 · 04-20-2022, 09:27 AM

March 1, 1956 - Snapshot

Here is a snapshot of the Leagues, with a few February highlights that will be featured in the End of the Regular Season league reports:

• Which pitcher came within one out of throwing a perfect game?

• Who became the 15th player in ULB history to hit 3 home runs in a game?

• February was a month for both hot and cold streaks. On the hot side of things, the Embro Suns won ten straight games (in a 15-2 stretch that started in late January). And the Queensland Eagles helped their playoff chances with both a 6-game and an 8-game winning streak during a 17-2 run that also started in the last days of January. On the flip side, the Cambria Cannons finished the month of January with a 7-game winning streak. But as soon as the calendar turned to February, they went 12 straight games without a victory. That has knocked them out of the wild card spot, at least for time being.

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reds1 · 06-29-2022, 08:16 PM

March 26, 1956

Eastern League: Athletics, Barons to Battle for Pennant

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Offense: .255/.329/.370 (3rd/5th/7th)
Pitching: 3.45/3.49/3.31 (1st/1st/3rd)
Defense: .735 (1st)

The Wellington Athletics were trailing the Stratford Barons by a game at the start of March but caught the Barons one week later and never looked back. By March 19th, they had secured a playoff spot but had to wait until the second last day of the regular season to lock up first place, thanks to a 2-5 finish. The Athletics may have won 90 games this year (the most since 1939-40 when they won 93 games) but they don’t have the look of a juggernaut to me. But the same could be said about their opponents for the Eastern League Pennant, the Barons.

Heading into the playoffs, the Athletics’ lineup is anchored by four key players:

• 28-year old LF Matthew Floyd (.318/.436/.543, 21 HR, 89 RBI, 90 BB, 16 SB, 6.6 WAR)
• 30-year old RF Jim Mars (.317/.380/.462, 12 HR, 86 RBI, 58 BB, 4 SB, 4.8 WAR)
• 28-year old 1B Wayne Emmert (.280/.377/.422, 9 HR, 51 RBI, 82 BB, 3.0 WAR)
• 23-year old CF Greg Yates (.279/.356/.455, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 46 BB, 2.9 WAR)

Floyd is one of the top players in the ULB and Jim Mars enjoyed perhaps his best season in four years. Meanwhile, Yates continued to improve in his third season in the majors. But after them there is a drop off. This lineup is going to have to fire on all cylinders with Floyd and Mars leading the way if they want to get past the defending United Cup champions.

For the Pennant Series, manager Wildemar Aquino announced the following four-man rotation:

• 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell (13-11, 3.46 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 112 ERA+)
• 32-year old RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin (18-5, 2.78 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 138 ERA+)
• 24-year old RHP Mike Murray (6-5, 3.49 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 111 ERA+)
• 31-year old RHP Troy Conlin (13-10, 3.82 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 101 ERA+)

Murray (54/61) is an ace in the making but the sophomore is injury prone and has yet to complete a full season. On the other hand, Sin (55/55) had perhaps the most pleasantly surprising season in the United Leagues and should earn a few votes for the EL Satchel Paige Award this year. His career line is 68-78, 1 SV, 4.63 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 4.44 FIP, 88 ERA+. He was claimed on waivers from the Brunswick Legends back in December 1953. And while the middle relief was nothing special, their stopper, 33-year old RHP Finley Capstick (8-6, 28 SV, 1.81 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 214 ERA+) was sensational, tying the all-time record for saves in a season.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

4th overall – IF/OF Jorge López (20/60). The Aruban-born López struggled in his first season in Double-A, batting .176/.221/.278, 4HR, 17 RBI, 8 BB, -1.3 WAR in 77 starts and 227 AB.

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Offense: .251/.338/.391 (5th/1st/4th)
Pitching: 3.67/3.71/3.52 (3rd/3rd/5th)
Defense: .712 (4th)

The Stratford Barons were bitten hard by injuries in the second half of the season, and it showed down the stretch. Thus, the Barons enter the playoffs at a distinct disadvantage. They are still a capable team with the best run differential in the East (+97), but they are limping at the worst possible time.

On offense, the Barons did themselves a huge favor by acquiring 30-year old CF Alfonso León (.277/.355/.461, 24 HR, 64 RBI, 64 BB, 10 SB, 5.6 WAR) from the Downie Chiefs in late January. León is one of the top-rated players in the United Leagues (10th overall) and represents Stratford’s most dangerous offensive weapon heading into the playoffs. He is joined by four other stalwarts:

• 27-year old 2B Matthew Channing (.286/.338/.461, 18 HR, 86 RBI, 42 BB, 11 SB, 4.8 WAR)
• 28-year old RF Andy Faulkner (.263/.395/.429, 19 HR, 72 RBI, 108 BB, 3.6 WAR)
• 36-year old C Aaron Skidmore (.258/.420/.444, 16 HR, 51 RBI, 90 BB, 4.4 WAR)
• 26-year old 1B Sherwin Carasig (.301/.371/.457, 15 HR, 79 RBI, 58 BB, 14 SB, 3.7 WAR)

Apart from Carasig, who missed most of last season with a litany of injuries, the others all endured down years compared to previous. And the loss of 24-year old SS Callum Spalton (.281/.309/.384, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 10 BB, 5 SB, 1.4 WAR), last season’s United Cup MVP, only puts more pressure on the offense to step up in the playoffs.

Manager Xavier Ahernfeld announced the following four-man rotation for the Pennant Series:

• 29-year old RHP Magtanggol Jaojoco (15-15, 3.69 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 106 ERA+)
• 27-year old LHP Robin Wadsworth (20-9, 1.96 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 199 ERA+)
• 28-year old RHP Ted Smith (16-9, 3.60 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 109 ERA+)
• 29-year old RHP Bill Wolf (14-12, 4.18 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 93 ERA+)

Noteworthy:

February 10 – The Barons made quick work of the Balmoral Giants, sweeping a three-game series where the Giants could only muster a single run (in game 2). In the opening game, LHP Robin Wadsworth shut down Balmoral on 2 hits, leading Stratford to a 5-0 victory. Wadsworth went 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 98 PI (GS: 84).

First Round Draft Pick Update:

16th overall – IF Manalageena Ulani (20/40). Ulani barely got his feet wet, with just 7 game appearances and 10 at-bats (.000/.000/.0.00, 0 H, 6 SO, -0.3 WAR) in Double-A.

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Offense: .263/.337/.411 (1st/2nd/1st)
Pitching: 3.90/3.78/4.36 (4th/4th/8th)
Defense: .708 (5th)

The Queensland Eagles endured a bumpy second half of the season that ultimately cost them a chance at making their first trip to the playoffs in 9 seasons. After putting up the best record in the United Leagues in February (Downie was second, going 17-8) and getting to within one game of the Barons for the wildcard, the Eagles crashed in March and were eliminated with 6 games left in the season.

For the first time in years, the offense could be said to have been the strength of the team. In fact, Queensland has more quality pieces than it can handle and to me, has not handled those pieces as well as it could. Case in point is 26-yer old IF Apia Yarrah (.311/.372/.485, 12 HR, 56 RBI, 28 BB, 11 SB, 2.3 WAR – 65/65), who deserves to start at shortstop over 23-year old IF Noel Eissens (.221/.253/.290, 8-2B, 33 RBI, 12 BB, 2 SB, -0.0 WAR – 44/59). Eissens may be stronger defensively, but Yarrah is clearly the better offensive player. Also on the roster is last season’s 3rd overall pick, 23-year old 2B Dennis Purcell (.262/.371/.381, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 27 BB, 1.2 WAR – 45/70). He is projected to become another impact player and will need to find a regular spot in the lineup as early as next season.

Their contributions will certainly help Queensland’s two best players, 30-year old RF Rod Dennis (.343/.415/.596, 33 HR, 100 RBI, 69 BB, 6.1 WAR) and 27-year old C Robbie Leivers (.271/.356/.461, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 60 BB, 4.9 WAR). While Dennis won the Eastern League Batting Title, Leivers emerged as one of the best catchers in the United Leagues this past season.

For several seasons now, Queensland’s pitching staff was one of the best. This year though it was dragged down by a weak back half of the rotation and a dreadful bullpen. 30-year old RHP Logan Belsey (21-6, 2.63 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 147 ERA+) and 28-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait (21-5, 2.42 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 160 ERA+) remain the best 1-2 punch in the United Leagues and perhaps in ULB history. They were joined this year by 23-year old RHP Wayne O’Reilly (12-12, 3.59 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 108 ERA+). The Eagles need to shore up their bullpen and start their best players regularly if they want to end their playoff drought. It would be a shame to waste the talents of the two best starters in the game today.

Player of the Week Award:

February 27 – LF Rod Dennis (.565, 13 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 5 R)

Noteworthy:

February 11 – Lead-off hitter, 27-year old CF John Oldknow (.250/.321/.395, 11 HR, 52 RBI, 48 BB, 10 SB, 1.4 WAR) led the way in Queensland’s 10-6 win over the visiting Fort Richmond Generals, collecting 5 hits in 6 at-bats. Oldknow singled in the 1st, hit an RBI double in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, flied out in the 5th, hit a two-run single in the 7th and singled in the 8th. In all, he collected 3 RBI. 26-year old 3B Apia Yarrah enjoyed a big game, hitting two home runs, a 3-run shot in the 2nd and 2-run home run in the 8th.

February 15 –C Robbie Leivers became just the 15th player in United Leagues’ history to hit 3 home runs in a single game. He did it in the Eagles’ 9-1 win over the visiting Hespeler Stars. Leivers started off with a bang, hitting a GRAND SLAM home run off LHP Amoka Kalea in the 1st inning, a solo shot in the 5th also against Kalea, then another solo home run in the 7th off RHP Kai Torr. In all, Leivers went 4 for 5 with 4 R, 6 RBI and a double to go along with his 3 dingers.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

8th overall – OF Nobuyori Sugahara (20/40). The Japanese-native saw limited action in Double-A, batting .168/.234/.286, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 13 BB, 11 SB, -1.8 WAR in 73 starts, 220 AB.

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Offense: .262/.334/.404 (2nd/3rd/2nd)
Pitching: 4.09/4.42/3.24 (6th/8th/2nd)
Defense: .701 (8th)

The Embro Suns showed flashes of being a playoff-caliber team but were unable to maintain any consistency throughout the season. The Suns were ultimately done in by a brutal 8-18 stretch in November and although they turned things around, such as going 15-2 (including a 10-game winning streak) in late January and the first half of February, it was not enough to get them back into serious playoff contention. As a result, they struggled to stay just above .500 and were eliminated from contention on March 19. Pitching, particularly an unsettled rotation, was the main culprit.

As a result, the Suns wasted brilliant performances by 27-year old 3B Moromao Nakagawa (.331/.413/.592, 36 HR, 123 RBI, 81 BB, 4 SB, 8.3 WAR) and 26-year old SS Kieron Bradridge (.301/.343/.476, 23 HR, 115 RBI, 40 BB, 5.7 WAR). Nakagawa was last season’s EL Babe Ruth Award winner and is currently rated No. 2 overall among all position players. But they weren’t alone. Solid years from 26-year old LF Jesús Abreu (.266/.387/.415, 15 HR, 64 RBI, 98 BB, 12 SB, 3.9 WAR) and 27-year old C Gareth Mawle (.309/.361/.449, 9 HR, 61 RBI, 37 BB, 3.2 WAR) helped make the Suns’ offense one of the best in the East this season.

The rotation was erratic and largely ineffectual, with 28-year old RHP Bradley Strawson (14-9, 3.96 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 99 ERA+) and 25-year old RHP Bob Nord (14-11, 4.54 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 86 ERA+) representing the best of a weak lot. Embro does not have a strong farm system (9th overall) at the moment, but they do have 22-year old RHP Jun Kichida (45/52), a 2nd-round pick from this season’s draft in Triple-A. Kichida held his own in Triple-A in 7 starts (2-1, 4.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP), but the Suns will either need more promising arms or a bounce-back season next year if they hope to make a return to the playoffs.

Player of the Week Award:

February 6 – SS Kieron Bradridge (.476, 10 H, 2 HR, 10 RBI)
March 19 – 3B Moromao Nakagawa (.364, 8 H, 3 HR, 11 RBI)

Noteworthy:

March 24 – The Suns managed to split their 4-game series against the Cobourg Redlegs, winning the final two games of the season. Game 1 saw a brilliant performance by RHP Bradley Strawson, who blanked the hometown team 4-0 on 2 hits. Embro got all the offense they needed in the top of the 1st inning when 30-year old 2B Robert Jameson (.277/.347/.372, 6 HR, 73 RBI, 59 BB, 8 SB, 2.7 WAR) and 28-year old 1B Napana Mamo (.267/.338/.425, 13 HR, 64 RBI, 56 BB, 6 SB, 2.7 WAR) led off with back-to-back doubles. Strawson’s final line score was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 119 PI (GS: 89).

First Round Draft Pick Update:

12th overall – 2B James Reed (20/53). Reed got into just 35 games and 10 starts, batting .186/.222/.372, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, -0.3 WAR in Double-A.

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Offense: .248/.333/.380 (7th/4th/6th)
Pitching: 3.97/4.16/3.16 (5th/5th/1st)
Defense: .713 (3rd)

The Brunswick Legends performed much better in the second half of the season, going 40-32, but it wasn’t enough pull them out of the second division, never mind ending their playoff drought that now extends for 9 straight seasons.

On both offense and in the pitching department, Brunswick is a middle of the road team in the East and that was certainly reflected in the standings. But the Legends have several position players currently in their prime that could benefit from a stouter pitching core. 27-year old C Robert Kersey (.308/.408/.557, 28 HR, 103 RBI, 75 BB, 6.6 WAR) is the unquestioned offensive leader on the team and one of the best players in the ULB (7th overall). But he has been joined by 25-year old RF Jay Mitchell (.282/.381/.500, 22 HR, 89 RBI, 77 BB, 4.3 WAR), who enjoyed a break-out season in his third year and picked up his first all-star selection. 29-year old lead-off hitter LF Carl Patton (.278/.380/.396, 10 HR, 47 RBI, 92 BB, 10 SB, 4.7 WAR) saw his offense dip a little from last season, but he remains an elite defender and baserunner. Meanwhile, 26-year old rookie CF Joshua Witherden (.214/.315/.387, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 57 BB, 7 SB, 1.4 WAR), a third-round pick from 1952, showed impressive flashes of power at times. But outside of 27-year old 1B Francis Joicey (.255/.352/.459, 20 HR, 54 RBI, 60 BB, 2.5 WAR), the rest of the lineup was decidedly underwhelming.

Although ostensibly Brunswick’s No. 2 pitcher, 28-year old RHP Mhelter Pilapil (16-12, 3.40 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 116 ERA+) has emerged in recent seasons as the Legends’ top workhorse and earned his first all-star selection last year. Supporting Pilapil right now are 39-year old RHP Pi-ao Quian (14-14, 3.71 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 106 ERA+) and 24-year old RHP Dave Ball (10-12, 3.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 107 ERA+). Both have been respectable hurlers, but there is steep drop-off after them.

Player of the Week Awards:

February 13 – C Robert Kersey (.526, 10 H, 4 HR, 13 RBI)
March 12 – 1B Francis Joicey (.529, 9 H, 4 HR, 10 RBI)

First Round Draft Pick Update:

9th overall – 3B Al Annear (20/49). The Australian infielder got 66 starts and 188 AB in Double-A and displayed some power, going .207/.250/.473, 15 HR, 32 RBI, 10 BB, -0.2 WAR.

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Offense: .255/.325/.402 (4th/7th/3rd)
Pitching: 4.31/4.41/4.05 (8th/7th/6th)
Defense: .707 (6th)

The Braeland City Monarchs faded down the stretch and were eliminated with two weeks left in the season. Like the Legends, the Monarchs have a respectable offense that is being undermined by a poor pitching staff. But unlike Brunswick, Braeland City has several promising arms that are inching closer to the majors that could bring the franchise back to relevance in the ensuing seasons. If the talent all pans out, Braeland City could become a force to be reckoned with in the East soon.

The offense remains the team strength, but for how much longer is starting to become a concern. 30-year old 2B Patrick Lidgate (.276/.383/.503, 23 HR, 73 RBI, 83 BB, 6.9 WAR) remains one of the ULB’s top players (4th overall) but he’s not getting any younger. Neither is 32-year old 1B Dean Witherden (.302/.384/.499, 27 HR, 82 RBI, 72 BB, 4.6 WAR), but he did enjoy a nice bounce-back season. In fact, it was perhaps the best of his 10-year career. 25-year old RF Aidan Trembath (.301/.357/.485, 25 HR, 99 RBI, 52 BB, 4.3 WAR) enjoyed another fine year hitting after Lidgate in the lineup; however, 26-year old CF Hayden Goodale (.257/.341/.482, 26 HR, 86 RBI, 60 BB, 3.1 WAR) struggled this season, especially on defense, after leading the ULB in home runs (36) last year. But the Monarchs promoted 20-year old CF Bernard Burkitt (.169/.195/.246, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, -0.6 WAR – 35/57), their 5th overall pick from 1953-54 to the major league roster this season. Although he only saw limited action this year (43 G, 118 AB), the 20th overall rated prospect has a chance to provide a further boost to the roster or at least provide some much-needed depth.

The pitching is the real concern, with both the rotation and bullpen struggling this season. Only 29-year old RHP Danilo Narvaez (13-5, 2.42 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 164 ERA+) stood out this season and picked up his first All-Star selection for his efforts. But help appears to be on the way. On the major league roster right now is 22-year old LHP Johnny Hunter (39/61) who was promoted in March and appeared in 5 games. The former 8th overall pick from 1952-53 is a future starter and rated 7th overall among all prospects. Joining him is 22-year old RHP reliever Jonathan Brookins (1-1, 1 SV, 2.36 ERA, 1.26 WHIP – 50/59), who was acquired from the Downie Chiefs back in January. But the Monarchs also have 20-year old LHP Charlie Honeysett (31/48, 2nd-round pick in 1953-54), 23-year old RHP Clive Clarke (42/56, 2nd-round pick in 1954-55) and 22-year old RHP Bailey Organ (29/48, 2nd-round pick in 1955-56) developing in Triple-A as starters. If they were all to reach their potential shortly, then something big could be brewing in the Capital City very soon.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

11th overall – IN/OF Andrew MacDerment (34/48). MacDerment was impressive in his first minor league season, hitting .290/.381/.510, 16 HR, 35 RBI, 32 BB, 19 SB, 3.0 WAR in 79 starts and 300 AB. His Double-A team, the Kingsville Royals, are set to face the Elgin Angels for the Heritage Leagues championship (Governors Cup).

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Offense: .224/.299/.364 (8th/8th/8th)
Pitching: 3.57/3.60/3.48 (2nd/2nd/4th)
Defense: .731 (2nd)

The Downie Chiefs made it clear that they were entering rebuilding mode this season when they traded away their 2-time Babe Ruth Award winner and 9-time All-Star, Alfonso León to the Stratford Barons just before the trade deadline. But instead of continuing to tear down, they kept their other 9-time All-Star, 30-year old 2B Dominic Dudding (.287/.333/.470, 23 HR, 80 RBI, 39 BB, 4.4 WAR) on the roster. Furthermore, what they received in return from all their trading has proven to be underwhelming, to say the least. The Chiefs do have young talent on the roster, but it has been underperforming and doubts remain as to whether it will turn Downie’s fortunes around.

The glaring weakness of the team has been on offense, outside of Dudding. 24-year old CF Ben Darvell (.202/.340/.303, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 49 BB, 9 SB, 0.9 WAR – 51/60), 24-year old C Dave Murray (.250/.322/.446, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 19 BB, 1.7 WAR – 47/49) and 23-year old SS Jake Dean (.218/.254/.325, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 9 BB, -0.1 WAR – 44/47) represent the new young talent on the squad, but they haven’t shown anything as yet that they are ready for a full-time gig in the majors, let alone replace the likes of León. Perhaps next season will give us a better idea of what they are capable of. The Chiefs really need them to develop as their farm system is rather thin otherwise (15th overall).

On the positive side, the pitching was a pleasant surprise with 33-year old RHP Kelii Pelanekelina (13-11, 3.22 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 119 ERA+) enjoying his best season in three years and 24-year old RHP Stefan Rankin (11-15, 3.77 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 102 ERA+) taking over the No. 1 spot in the rotation. And 28-year old RHP Eddie Stannard (6-3, 2.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 171 ERA+) acquitted himself quite well in the No. 4 spot despite having low stamina for a starter (35). But further pitching help is on the way. Downie has 24-year old LHP José Hernández (2-0, 1 SV, 2.78 ERA, 1.48 WHIP – 43/53) and 25-year old LHP Quin Merrifield (12-10, 10 SV, 4.61 ERA, 1.54 WHIP – 44/49) currently in the bullpen that are both future starters. Finally, it appears the Chiefs have their stopper of the future in 22-year old RHP Frank Greggs (10-2, 10 SV, 2.89 ERA, 1.35 WHIP – 61/71). Greggs was one the players that came over from the Stratford Barons in the Alfonso León deal.

Player of the Week Awards:

February 20 – 3B Freddie Ogburn (.529, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
March 5 – 2B Dominic Dudding (.417, 0 HR, 2 RBI)

Noteworthy:

February 6 – In the 19 seasons of the United Leagues, there have been 11 no-hitters pitched but no perfect games. That drought nearly came to an end on a hot, sunny day in Downie between two desultory clubs. 32-year old LHP Hank Bennett (10-14, 3.63 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 106 ERA+), a 9-year veteran from Amherst, New Hampshire, was dialed in against the Wolseley Unions, keeping their hapless batters off the bases and scoreboard for 8-plus innings. In the top of the 9th, Bennett struck out both 2B Kane Viccars and RF Joey South before facing IF Kaituoe Mowan, who was pinch hitting for RHP Jeremy Albury. On the first pitch Bennett got a called strike, but on the next offering Mowan connected for a clean single into shallow leftfield to end the perfect game bid. Ultimately, Bennett settled for a 1-hitter when he induced a fielder’s choice from the next batter, CF Josh Eggert to end the game, leading the Chiefs to a 1-0 victory. The only run in the game came in the bottom of the 3rd when Bennett led off with a walk and reached 3B on a subsequent single and double play. Dominic Dudding then singled home Bennett. Bennett’s final line was 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 96 PI (GS: 90).

March 20 – The Braeland City Monarchs may have won the 3-game series, but Game 2 was all Downie as RHP Kelii Pelanekelina shut out the visitors 5-0 on 2 hits. Braeland City could only muster singles off the 13-year veteran. Pelanekelina went 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 98 PI (GS: 89).

First Round Draft Pick Update:

6th overall –OF Gary Scofield (20/46). The 19th rated prospect got off to an inauspicious start in Double-A, hitting .167/.220/.337, 10 HR, 32 RBI, 15 BB, --1.5 WAR in 79 starts and 264 PA.

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Offense: .249/.328/.388 (6th/6th/5th)
Pitching: 4.21/4.24/4.13 (7th/6th/7th)
Defense: .706 (6th)

The Cobourg Redlegs continued to regress for the third straight season, after they won 100 games and their first Pennant in 1952-53. But perhaps they are near to finally turning the corner. For one thing, the mood in the clubhouse is good despite finishing in last place. After years of feuding and being devoid of leaders, the Redlegs have an abundance of leadership. They also have no less than six young prospects on the major league roster that could help them rebound in the standings in the seasons to come.

The offense is still led by 29-year old CF Raymond Williams (.301/.402/.547, 29 HR, 88 RBI, 86 BB, 14 SB, 7.3 WAR), the No. 3-rated position player in the United Leagues. He is joined by his long-time teammate, 34-year old 3B Alexander Tolmie (.307/.400/.487, 19 HR, 100 RBI, 75 BB, 4.8 WAR). On the other hand, 30-year old 1B Harry Doxey (.307/.363/.439, 13 HR, 69 RBI, 42 BB, 2.1 WAR) regressed offensively for the second straight season. The former Ball Hawk Award-winner also struggled defensively this year.

But Cobourg has three rookies looking to establish themselves and help the club:

• 23-year old IF/OF Luigi Purss (.227/.303/.342, 8 HR, 50 RBI, 50 BB, 0.0 WAR – 48/53)
• 23-year old IF Harold Prudom (.185/.237/.353, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 10 BB, -0.1 WAR – 46/52)
• 25-year old LF Harrison Covey (.254/.355/.396, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 80 BB, 5 SB, 2.9 WAR – 52/52)

Covey enjoyed the most success, winning three Rookie of the Month honours. If they can continue to develop, along with former 6th overall pick from 1949-50, 24-year old SS Douglas Jones (.228/.321/.408, 19 HR, 47 RBI, 56 BB, 3 SB, 3.6 WAR), then the Redlegs may be back in business on offense in the near future.

The pitching was lackluster as well, but that may be in part because the team brought in three rookie starters into the pitching staff.

27-year old LHP Bill Budd (13-11, 3.07 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 128 ERA+) remains one of the top-rated pitchers in the ULB (8th overall). But long-time stalwart, 28-year old RHP Fergus Hirst (2-4, 4.10ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 96 ERA+) has missed over eight months over the past two seasons due to injuries. The Redlegs must be concerned over whether he can stay healthy for any length of time now. But like the offense, Cobourg has three rookies looking to establish themselves in the rotation:

• 22-year old RHP Albert Johnson (5-13, 5.22 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 75 ERA+ - 45/58)
• 21-year old LHP Lachlan Lloyd (4-6, 1 SV, 3.67 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 107 ERA+ - 46/57)
• 23-year old RHP Maurice Foley (3-6, 4.65 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 85 ERA+ - 49/60)

Johnson is a former 9th overall pick from 1954-55, while Foley was acquired from the Queensland Eagles in a late January trade. Again, if these young players can develop their potential, something special could be brewing in Cobourg. But that’s a big if.

Noteworthy:

March 10 – The Redlegs lost a tough one, falling to the visiting Queensland Eagles, 9-7 in 12 innings. But the 20,738 fans in attendance did have something to cheer about when 3B Alexander Tolmie became the 14th player in ULB history to notch 2000 hits. He did it in his first at-bat, lining a single into leftfield against his former teammate, RHP Marcus Turvill. Tolmie went 1 for 2 with 2 BB before coming out of the game in the 8th for a pinch hitter.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

5th overall – 1B Vic Weld (20/46). The Hespeler native did not see much action but showed some promise when he did. In 16 starts and 57 AB, Weld hit .263/.300/.404, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, -0.2 WAR.

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Bottom Of The Sixth · 06-29-2022, 08:29 PM

As always, great stuff reds1!

Thank You!

reds1 · 07-01-2022, 05:47 PM

March 26, 1956

Western League: Battle of the West is Set Between Trolleys, Tigers

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Offense: .273/.348/.434 (1st/1st/1st)
Pitching: 3.41/3.45/3.26 (1st/1st/3rd)
Defense: .720 (2nd)

The Pulberry Trolleys locked up first place with seven games left in the season, thanks to an incredibly strong March – a stretch that included an 8-game winning streak and a 16-3 stretch over the final 19 games. Pulberry finishes with a 94-60 record, their best win total in their 19-year history. Its their second straight 90+ win season and marks their 3rd straight first place finish. Now they are out to try and capture their first Pennant.

Manager Ryo Ichikawa has set his 4-man rotation for the Pennant Series:

• 20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (13-11, 2.95ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 130 ERA+)
• 28-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (16-11, 3.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 99 ERA+)
• 35-year old RHP Robin Medellin (20-9, 3.28 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 117 ERA+)
• 29-year old RHP Harley Rodman (8-6, 3.67 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 105 ERA+)

Taylor Folkard, who struggled at times this season, got hot in February, and finished the last two months of the season with a 7-2, 3.12 ERA, 1.05 WHIP record. A strong performance from the rotation in the Pennant Series may be crucial as the bullpen appears to be Pulberry’s biggest vulnerability. That being said, 26-year old sophomore LHP Dermott Rathbone (17-8, 3.00 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 128 ERA+) was terrific this year. But 25-year old RHP Eddie Roach (3-5, 4 SV, 2.89 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 133 ERA+) and 31-year old stopper RHP Bonie Bandong (7-6, 22 SV, 3.40 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 116 ERA+) were consistent this season as well.

The Trolleys lineup was arguably the most potent in the United Leagues this season. In fact, Pulberry led the United Leagues with best run differential with 154. No other team broke 100. Batters 1 through 6 were terrific. The lineup was anchored once again by the top player in the ULB, 27-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.334/.434/.628, 40 HR, 113 RBI, 88 BB, 9 SB, 9.1 WAR). Not only did Thirkettle win the Western League Batting Title, but he became just the third position player to earn a Triple Crown and the first since Carlton Hawking achieved it back in 1951-52.

Pulberry greatly benefited as well from a couple of break-out seasons from 25-year old C Paul England (.317/.402/.523, 24 HR, 94 RBI, 66 BB, 6.8 WAR) and 30-year old 1B Gerard Koerner (.330/.391/.500, 22 HR, 83 RBI, 57 BB, 5.8 WAR). Both finished the season rated No. 2 overall at their respective positions.

They were supported by 29-year old lead-off hitter 3B/SS Francis Jones (.304/.376/.496, 16 HR, 60 RBI, 48 BB, 8 SB, 4.3 WAR), 29-year old CF Cooper Tyson (.307/.392/.477, 16 HR, 76 RBI, 69 BB, 10 SB, 6.6 WAR) and 24-year old rookie SS Sean Abercrombie (.253/.333/.436, 19 HR, 71 RBI, 56 BB, 7 SB, 2.6 WAR), who batted from the 7th spot. Abercrombie had an uneven year overall but looks to be Pulberry’s shortstop of the future.

Player of the Week Awards:

February 6 – LF Aidan Thirkettle (.619, 13 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI)
February 13 – 1B Gerard Koerner (.393, 11 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI)
March 5 – C Paul England (.600, 9 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R)

Noteworthy:

February 15 – The Trolleys swept a 3-game set in Cobourg, capping it off with a convincing 6-0 win in the final game between the two clubs this season. RHP Taylor Folkard led the way, limiting the Redlegs to just one hit. Folkard’s final line was 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 113 PI (GS: 88). Pulberry’s offense was led by 29-year old back-up 2B Wade Billyard (.269/.314/.386, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 10 BB, 0.6 WAR), who hit a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning. SS Sean Abercrombie contributed a 3-run double as well.

March 3 – Pulberry split their two games against the hometown Generals to open the month of March. In the first game, they trounced Fort Richmond 9-4, thanks to the hot bat of C Paul England who went 5 for 5 on the day. England singled in the 2nd, hit a 2-run double in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, singled in the 7th and lastly, hit a 3-run homer in the 9th. In all, he collected 2 R and 5 RBI.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

15th overall – 3B Callum Gunton (35/44). Though his play was limited, Gunton enjoyed a very fine season in his first year in the minors. Getting 74 at-bats, he hit .311/.381/.568, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 8 BB, 0.9 WAR and was solid at the hot corner (.978 PCT, 2.45 RNG, 1.1 ZR, 1.088 EFF).

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Offense: .269/.342/.401 (3rd/3rd/3rd)
Pitching: 4.00/3.94/4.31 (4th/3rd/8th)
Defense: .710 (4th)

The Sherburn Tigers turned it on in February and March, going 30-16 in that stretch to overtake the Cambria Cannons for second place and never relinquished it. With two games left in the season, they nailed down the wild card and their first playoff berth in 10 years. During that 10-year stretch, they never escaped the second division and finished in last place four times. All those resulting high draft picks appeared to have paid off as the Tigers have assembled an exciting young core, especially on offense. But the Tigers are still a work in progress and will need to solidify their pitching staff if they want to sustain their newfound success.

As to their pitching, manager Jamie Blair confirmed the following 4-man rotation for the Western League Pennant Series:

• 26-year old LHP Brendan Wombwell (19-11, 3.85 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 103 ERA+)
• 22-year old LHP Kozue Saito (9-11, 4.34 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 91 ERA+)
• 32-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (18-5, 2.49 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 159 ERA+)
• 29-year old RHP Ben Buschlen (14-6, 3.35 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 118 ERA+)

There is no question that Sherburn is in good hands with starters Wombell, Chapa and Buschlen. But there are serious question marks after them in the rotation as well as in the bullpen. 23-year old LHP Javier Mesa (0-1, 9.72 ERA, 2.88 WHIP, 41 ERA+ - 44/62) was called up in January and has seen very limited playing time. He is considered a borderline starter for now but the second rounder from this season shows promise (No. 29th-rated prospect overall).

The bullpen was the worst in the West, with only 35-year old stopper RHP Chris Herrera (14-5, 18 SV, 3.61 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 110 ERA+) being the sole reliable fixture.

The offense is nowhere near as impressive as the Trolleys but there are signs that this could become an impressive core in its own right for years to come. 25-year old LF Ross Shewman (.286/.396/.530, 26 HR, 110 RBI, 92 BB, 7.0 WAR) emerged in his first full major league season as a solid regular and was Sherburn’s best player. The Calgary-native is currently rated No. 9 overall. He was ably supported by 26-year old 3B Adrian Flynn (.312/.376/.486, 16 HR, 90 RBI, 53 BB, 4.5 WAR) and two defensive stalwarts: 26-year old SS Dwayne Vick (.320/.361/.423, 3 HR, 59 RBI, 36 BB, 5.8 WAR) and lead-off hitter, 26-year old RF Albert Sulley (.287/.391/.395, 7 HR, 72 RBI, 97 BB, 17 SB, 5.9 WAR). Last year’s 1st overall pick, 24-year old Leon Albrecht (.234/.349/.375, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 49 BB, 5 SB, 2.0 WAR – 61/80) appears poised to take over centerfield at some point, but he has been hampered by injuries. He was out of action for nearly 9 weeks in the second half of the season. But there are some growing pains, particularly at the catcher position, as Sherburn has decided to start 24-year old rookie Robert Carr (.298/.386/.532, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 6 BB, 0.4 WAR – 43/47) over 33-year old C Christopher Dainty (.237/.344/.388, 9 HR, 56 RBI, 60 BB, 2.2 WAR – 54/54).

Player of the Week Award:

February 20 – 3B Adrian Flynn (.526, 10 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI)
March 19 – RF Albert Sulley (.481, 13 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI)

Noteworthy:

March 16 – The Tigers took 3 of 4 games against Kingston at home, outscoring the Pelicans 28-16 over the 4 matchups. In the 3rd game, Sherburn handily defeated the visitors 13-6 on 19 hits. RF Albert Sulley netted 5 of them, going 5 for 6 on the afternoon. Sulley began the onslaught with a 2-run home off Les Hildred (0-2, 6.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP) in the 1st inning, then followed up with 3 singles and an RBI double in the 6th before flying out in the 8th. In all, Sulley collected 2 R and 3 RBI.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

7th overall – OF Carlos Cuevas (27/56). The Puerto Rican-native showed impressive stuff in Double-A, especially at the plate. In 315 AB, he hit .267/.339/.546, 24 HR, 51 RBI, 30 BB, 7 SB, 2.0 WAR. He was promoted to Triple-A at the end of the season.

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Offense: .270/.347/.422 (2nd/2nd/2nd)
Pitching: 4.07/4.35/3.23 (6th/7th/2nd)
Defense: .694 (8th)

At the end of January, the defending Western League champions appeared poised to make a challenge for top spot in the West, thanks to a 7-game winning streak to end the month. That put them just 2-1/2 games back of the Pulberry Trolleys. Then the wheels fell off. As soon as the calendar turned over to February, the Cambria Cannons endured a 12-game losing streak, knocking them out of a playoff spot. They never recovered. Despite scoring 777 runs, the second-most in the United Leagues (Embro led with 780), they were done in by poor pitching and defense. They gave up 735 runs, the third worst in the ULB.

The offense is as good as it gets in the United Leagues, with 24-year old LF Calvin Hanbridge (.295/.417/.465, 17 HR, 60 RBI, 115 BB, 8 SB, 5.9 WAR) leading off and the following four forming the heart of the lineup:

• 36-year old SS César Ruíz (.319/.409/.563, 28 HR, 88 RBI, 62 BB, 4.9 WAR)
• 29-year old 1B Carlos Corea (.318/.367/.543, 26 HR, 101 RBI, 34 BB, 4.6 WAR)
• 26-year old CF Sam Tite (.273/.394/.541, 25 HR, 70 RBI, 75 BB, 4.6 WAR)
• 31-year old 3B Luis Torres (.301/.358/.475, 22 HR, 96 RBI, 49 BB, 3.4 WAR)

Now if they could make 24-year old Doug Martin (.285/.361/.433, 5 HR, 49 RBI, 48 BB, 7 SB, 2.4 WAR) their regular second baseman over 26-year old Quincy Blencowe (.293/.339/.389, 2 HR, 35 RBI, 23 BB, 1.2 WAR), who is fine in a utility role, they would be even better offensively.

The pitching is currently at the core of Cambria’s problems, particularly the starting rotation. Although the bullpen was rated No. 2 in the West this season based on ERA, the entire staff has a patchwork feel to it. This was exacerbated by the loss of key pitchers such as 27-year old RHP Ray Lambright (9-6, 4.02 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 96 ERA+) and 23-year old LHP Sebastian Cromwell (2-1, 1 SV, 5.40 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 72 EA+) to season ending injuries. In the end, 37-year old journeyman LHP Aidan Fothergill (10-8, 3.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 117 ERA+) proved to be Cambria’s best starter this season, particularly in the second half, going 8-6, 2.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP from December to March.

Noteworthy:

March 12 – In the first game of a 3-game series in Hespeler, the Cannons spotted the Stars a 4-0 lead before their bats awoke in the top of the 5th inning and cruised to a 10-5 win. 1B Carlos Corea was outstanding, going 5 for 5. All his hits were singles and he collected 1 R and 2 RBI. CF Sam Tite blasted a 3-run home run in the 7th to tie the game up at 5-apiece before the Cannons scored 5 more runs in the final 2 innings for the victory.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

14th overall – OF Kuauli Walenekino (31/49). The Fijian-native was outstanding in his first season in Double-A, hitting .259/.315/.489, 16 HR, 45 RBI, 21 BB, 1.9 WAR in 270 AB and stealing an impressive 31 bases while being caught 9 times.

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Offense: .245/.316/.372 (8th/7th/6th)
Pitching: 3.90/4.01/3.58 (3rd/5th/5th)
Defense: .733 (1st)

The Balmoral Giants’ streak of above .500 finishes ended at two this season as an injury to their star player and a lack of offensive depth did them in. The team is at a crossroads in my view as they don’t seem to have the depth of talent on both sides of the ball to develop into a contender. When they signed LF Ángel Costa (.312/.392/.598, 22 HR, 55 RBI, 41 BB, 4.1 WAR) as a 32-year rookie three seasons ago, it should have served as a signal to accelerate their rebuild to take advantage of their star player. Alas, they have largely failed to do so and now it may be too late. The two-time all-star missed the final two months of the season with a fractured ankle and at 35-years of age, may be on the decline.

On the plus side, a couple of players enjoyed fine seasons. 27-year old 1B Erik Perry (.304/.346/.4355, 9 HR, 77 RBI, 38 BB, 8 SB, 4.2 WAR) proved that last season (4.0 WAR) was not a fluke. But 26-year old sophomore SS Hayden Gunton (.284/.362/.386, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 69 BB, 6.2 WAR) was outstanding as well. The former 6th overall pick from 1952-53 is now rated as the 5th best shortstop in the United Leagues and should be a lock for his first Ball Hawk Award (.981 PCT, 4.87 RNG, +21.0 ZR, 1.091 EFF). The rest of the lineup was a disappointment, exposing the Giants’ lack of depth and dearth of talent in the farm system.

The pitching staff was much more consistent than the offense, but it too does not have a lot of depth. Balmoral did well in acquiring 30-year old RHP Wayne Nesling (12-9, 2.94 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 134 ERA+) who has become the ace of the rotation. 31-year old RHP Quintiliano Galeo (12-14, 3.63 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 107 ERA+) had his ups and downs throughout the season but was a dependable starter overall for the second straight year. The Giants also benefited from the trade that brought in 29-year old RHP Harry Dinsmore (7-12, 3.51 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 111 ERA+). Despite poor run support, Dinsmore enjoyed his best season by far in his 8-year career. But after them, it’s a rather non-descript bunch. Balmoral does have 24-year old RHP Kai Dean (5-7, 3 SV, 4.45 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 88 ERA+ - 43/56) in the bullpen. He should be ready to make the transition to the rotation next season.

Noteworthy:

March 11 – After dropping the first game, the Giants took the next three in Wolseley against the Unions. RHP Harry Dinsmore capped off the series on Sunday afternoon by pitching a 2-hitter and blanking the Unions 3-0. Both Wolseley hits were singles. Dinsmore’s final line was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 108 PI (GS: 84).

First Round Draft Pick Update:

13th overall – 2B Maurice Gayford (22/50). Gayford’s first year was a bit of a struggle, going .145/.179/.275, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 9 BB, 7 SB, -1.9 WAR in 207 AB.

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Offense: .255/.326/.380 (4th/5th/4th)
Pitching: 4.18/4.18/4.17 (7th/6th/6th)
Defense: .700 (5th)

After getting 3 games above .500 and to within 3 games of the wildcard by January 23, the Hespeler Stars began to fade soon thereafter, then completely crashed in the final month. They finish below .500 for the 17th time in their 19-year history and in the second division for the 13th straight season. All-in-all, not a lot of positives to gleam from their season or their current minor league depth (5th overall). They have some young talent, but it has yet to produce. And with their best player aged north of 30, they may have squandered their best opportunity at getting good and making some noise.

SS Zhao-hui Qian (.309/.369/.429, 9 HR, 63 RBI, 52 BB, 4.9 WAR) enjoyed another fine all-around season, although it was a step below previous efforts. At age 32, you have to wonder if his best years are now behind him. On the other hand, 1B John McMurray (.308/.367/.491, 22 HR, 91 RBI, 47 BB, 6 SB, 4.5 WAR) finally enjoyed a break-out season after 6-years in the majors. The 28-year old Wellington-native was one of the top first basemen in the United Leagues this season (3rd overall).

23-year old sophomore 3B Clive Yarwood (.283/.369/.460, 16 HR, 58 RBI, 46 BB, 3.3 WAR) and 28-year old RF John Anthony (.266/.358/.485, 25 HR, 78 RBI, 71 BB, 6 SB, 2.7 WAR) rounded out the heart of the Stars’ lineup, although Anthony was brutal in the field (.973 PCT, 2.62 RNG, -14.1 ZR, .925 EFF). But the lineup is populated with a number of young players still finding their footing, such as 23-year old C Aidan Bennie (.237/.295/.369, 6 HR, 33 RBI, 23 BB, 0.9 WAR – 50/69).

The pitching staff was a rather lackluster group, with 28-year old ace RHP Battista Carotta (17-13, 3.37 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 118 ERA+) being the only standout all season. But the Stars do have a couple of future starters who got some playing time pitching out of the bullpen this season: 21-year old rookie RHP Zachariah Horton (7-7, 4.04 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 98 ERA+ - 53/59) and 24-year old rookie RHP Pedro Peña (1-1, 3.99 ERA, 1.36 WHIP – 50/59).

Noteworthy:

February 24 – The visiting Cambria Cannons won a hotly contested game against the Stars, pulling out a 5-4 victory in 11 innings. Things boiled over in the bottom of the 7th when a bench-clearing brawl broke out. RF John Anthony led off the bottom half with a solo home run, to get the Stars to within one. One out later, 24-year old IF/OF Eddie Reed (.312/.402/.542, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 14 BB, 1.3 WAR) tied things up with a solo shot of his own. Next up was 31-year old 2B Vic Lewis (.238/.306/.361, 13 HR, 57 RBI, 38 BB, 5 SB, 1.0 WAR), who previously slammed a 2-out, 2-run home run of his own back in the 5th inning to knot things up at 2-apiece. But Cambria’s 30-year old RHP Masami Fujihara was in no mood to give him a chance to hit another long bomb – his first offering plunked Lewis, prompting the batter to charge the mound and clear the benches. After the dust settled, the Commissioner’s office handed down a 4-game suspension to Lewis and a 6-game suspension to Fujihara.

March 8 – The Stars opened a 4-game series against the Kingston Pelicans in impressive fashion, blanking them 1-0 on just 2 hits in Game 1. Taking game honours was 26-year old rookie RHP Curt McKnight (5-4, 4.17 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 95 ERA+) who went the distance for his fifth win of the season. His final line was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 119 PI (GS: 86). The only run of the game came in the top of the 1st inning, when RF John Anthony doubled home 32-year old SS Zhou-hui Qian (.306/.364/.433, 10 HR, 63 RBI, 50 BB, 4.9 WAR).

March 23 – The Stars went into Pulberry and dropped 3 of 4 to the playoff-bound Trolleys in the final series of the regular season. The lone win came in Game 2 and was the highlight for Hespeler as 15-year veteran, 36-year old LHP Patrick Denman (12-16, 4.86 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 82 ERA+) won his 200th career game, the 8th player in United Leagues’ history to reach the milestone. The Trolleys did not make it easy, as Denman, who also holds the record for most victories in a single season (27 in 1945-46), was holding Pulberry scoreless until they erupted for 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th to tie things up. But his teammates scored 3 times in the top of the 8th and held on for 7-5 win. Denman’s pitching line on the day was 9.0 IP, 13 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 129 PI (GS: 40).

First Round Draft Pick Update:

3rd overall – IF/OF Alistair Benney (20/37). The 19-year old Bennie saw very little action in his first season in the minors. But he showed promise, hitting .286/.310/.429, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB in 28 at-bats while playing mostly leftfield.

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Offense: .254/.327/.377 (5th/4th/5th)
Pitching: 4.32/4.83/3.12 (8th/8th/1st)
Defense: .699 (6th)

The Kingston Pelicans improved by 6 games over last season and escaped the basement, but they still have a way to go in returning to relevance. It’s been 9 seasons since their glory years when went to the playoffs for 10 straight years and won 3 United Cups. What should help them is the fact that they have the second-deepest farm system in the United Leagues and should add to that this off-season. The offense is in better shape than the pitching, with some young prospects already reaching the majors this season.

29-year old C Carlos Camasura (.293/.424/.376, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 107 BB, 5.1 WAR) remains Kingston’s best player and is rated 4th overall among catchers in the ULB. He bounced back nicely after an injury-plagued season last year. Also enjoying a nice bounce-back was 27-year old SS Charlie Cockin (.276/.343/.380, 10 HR, 58 RBI, 50 BB, 3.6 WAR). 31-year old RF Mo Spencely (.295/.351/.503, 24 HR, 81 RBI, 52 BB, 10 SB, 3.2 WAR) was Kingston’s top offensive player, but he was a nightmare on the field (.969 PCT, 2.37 RNG, -13.3 ZR, .951 EFF).

The Pelicans brought up a few young prospects to the major league roster this season, among them 22-year old IF/OF Denzel Daintry (46/54) and 24-year old 3B Andy Wearne (45/60). It remains to be seen what impact they will make in the seasons to come.

The pitching remains largely a patchwork job, with 32-year old RHP Kaula Mafileo (12-8, 16 SV, 2.75 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 143 ERA+) moving back and forth between the rotation and stopper position once again. He is considered a starter albeit with poor stamina (30).
31-year old RHP Kieran Bunce (12-14, 3.59 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 110 ERA+) remains the Pelicans’ top starter but struggled in the second half of the season (4-7, 4.65 ERA, 1.42 WHIP). 26-year old RHP Lester Beddeos (7-6, 11 SV, 2.84 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 139 ERA+) was a reliable arm out of the bullpen and serves as the team’s stopper whenever Mafileo is moved to the rotation.

Player of the Week Award:

March 12 – C Carlos Camasura (.435, 10 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI)

First Round Draft Pick Update:

1st overall – OF Dan Hesketh (53/71). Kingston’s top prospect was just outstanding, hitting .320/.428/.742, 15 HR, 27 RBI, 20 BB, 20 SB, 2.9 WAR in 128 AB in Double-A. He was then promoted to Triple-A (.375/.483/.667, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 10 BB, 2 SB, 0.6 WAR in 48 AB) for 13 games before he severely injured his elbow in early February, requiring ligament reconstruction surgery and shutting down his season.

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Offense: .245/.315/.347 (7th/8th/8th)
Pitching: 3.85/3.92/3.51 (2nd/2nd/4th)
Defense: .716 (3rd)

The Fort Richmond Generals continued their backward slide this season, ending with their first losing record in 9 seasons and their worst campaign since 1943-44 when they lost 98 games. The reason is simple – the Generals are practically devoid of any offense. They scored the second-fewest runs in the United Leagues this past year (594) and had the worst run differential (-100), despite having a respectable pitching core. Rookie GM Timothy Slater has his work cut for him, especially since this season’s draft selections are all shaping up to be busts.

There is not a lot to write home about regarding this underwhelming lineup. All players regressed compared to last season, where they didn’t exactly set the world on fire either. 24-year old C Scott Sheelah (.266/.374/.410, 12 HR, 62 RBI, 83 BB, 3.9 WAR) was the team’s best overall position player and 28-year old LF Greg Cusack (.268/.327/.369, 10 HR, 48 RBI, 49 BB, 12 SB, 2.9 WAR) was consistent all season long, but he too regressed for the second straight year.

Overall, the pitching staff performed admirably. However, on closer look it seems the sum was greater than the parts (if that makes sense). The rotation was largely carried by 33-year old RHP Nicky Sherlock (8-9, 2.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 134 ERA+) and 30-year old RHP Kazunori Fujimoto (10-14, 3.76 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 102 ERA+) until Sherlock was lost for the second half of the season in mid-January with shoulder inflammation. That forced Fort Richmond to rely on unheralded rookies such as 26-year old RHP Damon Pinney (9-14, 3.84 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 100 ERA+).

The bullpen was up and down as well with 6-time all-star stopper, 32-year old RHP José Rodríguez (9-6, 8 SV, 3.77 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 102 ERA+) having a disappointing year, especially compared to his previous three. On the other hand, the Generals do have 23-year old LHP John Witheycombe (6-0, 1 SV, 2.29 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 167 ERA+), a 2nd-round pick from 1951-52, in the bullpen. He is capable of being used in high-leverage late-inning spots.

First Round Draft Pick Update:

10th overall – C Shane Acton (20/39). The 18-year old got very little playing time. In just 9 games and 16 AB, he went .188/.188/.250, 1-2B, 8 K.

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Offense: .249/.325/.362 (6th/6th/7th)
Pitching: 4.02/3.97/4.17 (5th/4th/7th)
Defense: .695 (7th)

The Wolseley Unions may have won two more games than last season, but that did not prevent them from finishing in the bottom of the Western League standings. In fact, they finished with the worst record in the entire ULB and will pick first overall at next season’s amateur draft for the first time in their 19-year history. Like the Generals, the Unions’ pitching staff performed respectively but was done in by an anemic offense. The chance at selecting high in the draft over the next few years should help a club that finished in first place in the West for 4 straight seasons and won 3 United Cups to crawl back to relevance. Their farm system is in dire need of restocking after years of neglect.

1B Carlos Ortíz (.268/.329/.453, 24 HR, 88 RBI, 57 BB, 3.0 WAR) was Wolseley’s top all-around player this season and at just 26-years old, the 3-time all-star should remain so for awhile yet. 34-year old LF Carlton Hawking (.269/.400/.389, 12 HR, 61 RBI, 89 BB, 0.2 WAR) remains a capable offensive player, but injuries are starting to catch up with him and his defense, while never great, was downright atrocious (.992 PCT, 2.40 RNG, -23.1 ZR, .897 EFF). Also, while he is rated as Wolseley’s best position player, 34-year old SS George Kimpton (.290/.370/.476, 12 HR, 36 RBI, 35 BB, 2.1 WAR) endured a down year, just like the rest of the lineup.

The rotation, particularly the starting three, were the most consistent group on the Unions’ roster this season. 30-year old RHP Roberto Garza (12-10, 3.33 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 119 ERA+) enjoyed a nice bounce-back year (94 ERA+ in 1954-55) and remains the ace on this staff. He was joined by 29-year old RHP Joseph Sellwood (7-17, 3.57 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 111 ERA+) and 36-year old RHP Aaron Saunderson (13-12, 3.56 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 111 ERA+) who quite often did not get the run support they deserved.

Finally, 20-year old RHP Theo Morse (3-4, 1 SV, 3.26 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 121 ERA+ - 42/64), a 2nd-round pick from 1953-54, was promoted to the major league roster in January and finished the season pitching out the No. 5 spot. With great stuff (60/70) and command (60/65) along with an impressive sinker (55/65) and slider (65/65), scouts feel the Pulberry-native will one day develop into a No. 1 starter.

Player of the Week Awards:

February 27 – 2B Kaituoe Mowan (.545, 12 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI)

First Round Draft Pick Update:

2nd overall – IF/OF Jonathan Higgins (39/66). The Milwaukee-native and 2nd-overall rated prospect earned a promotion to Triple-A towards the end of the season. In 272 AB in Double-A, he hit .239/.279/.529, 23 HR, 47 RBI, 13 BB, 15 SB, 1.6 WAR. After his promotion, he went .258/.329/.455, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SB, 0.1 WAR in 66 AB.

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reds1 · 07-01-2022, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bottom Of The Sixth

As always, great stuff reds1!

Thank You!

Thanks, Chad!

It's been a rough last few months, but we'll see how things go from here.

DreamTeams · 07-02-2022, 11:49 PM

Here we go!

Go Trolleys!

reds1 · 07-08-2022, 08:41 PM

The defending United Cup Champions square off against a team that went from worst to first in the span of a year in this season’s Eastern League Pennant Series. The Stratford Barons return to the playoffs for the fourth straight season. But this time as the wild card. They are seeking their third consecutive Eastern League Pennant and their second consecutive United Cup. All told, they have won five Pennants and three United Cups. The Wellington Athletics, meanwhile, return to the playoffs after a four-year absence. The Athletics finished at the bottom of the Eastern League standings last season when they finished with a record of 70-84. They improved by 20 games this year and became the first team in United Leagues’ history to go from last to first in a year. They have won two Pennants overall but are still searching for their first United Cup championship.

Both teams enter the playoffs missing a key player. Wellington’s best player, 28-year old LF Matthew Floyd (.318/.436/.543, 21 HR, 89 RBI, 90 BB, 16 SB, 6.6 WAR) has been hampered by a bruised thigh since March 20 and was diagnosed as day-to-day for 1-2 weeks. However, the Athletics are hopeful he can return to the starting lineup at full-strength at some point in the Pennant Series. Until then, 30-year old IF/OF Keon-chae Cho (.306/.391/.530, 9 HR, 26 RBI, 19 BB, 1.1 WAR) will start in his place.

The Barons will be without their starting shortstop, 24-year old Callum Spalton (.281/.309/.384, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 10 BB, 5 SB, 1.4 WAR). Spalton blew out his knee in late December and was lost for the rest of the season. Taking his place at the top of the order was 28-year old Alan Tennant (.186/.317/.288, 7 HR, 38 RBI, 55 BB, 5 SB, 1.1 WAR). Tenant is an outstanding defensive infielder (4 Ball Hawk Awards), but the Barons will surely miss Spalton’s bat in the playoffs. In addition to being a spectacular defensive shortstop himself, Spalton won the United Cup MVP Award last year (.346/.404/.500, 152 wRC+ in 13 playoff games).

62-year old Xavier Ahernfeld just completed his sixth season as a field manager, all with the Barons. After a 7th place finish in 1951-52, he has led Stratford to the playoffs the past four seasons, winning it all last year. Meanwhile, Wellington’s manager, Wildemar Aquino, has had a much more varied career. After serving as Cobourg’s hitting coach for 12 years, the Hespeler-native tried his hand as manager for the first time with the Pulberry Trolleys in 1949-50. That experiment lasted just one season, as the Trolleys finished in last place with a 54-100 record. But after taking a year off, he returned as Queensland’s bench coach for three seasons before being hired by the Athletics last year just 29 games into the season. That team finished in last place, something that has happened 10 times in Aquino’s 18-year career. But this season, it all came together and the 62-year old will get his first taste of the playoffs after 2,743 games.

Although Wellington won the regular season matchup, these two clubs finished just one game apart at the top of the standings. What’s more, Stratford comes into the playoffs as a remarkably balanced club despite the injuries while Wellington struggled to produce runs. But if the Athletics can step it up at the plate, this Series should be an exciting one.

Finally – the playoffs are here! Play ball!

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Game 1 – March 27

The playoffs return to Santop Stadium for the first time in four years. It’s clear, it’s hot and the ballpark is packed for a beautiful afternoon of baseball.

28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell makes his third career playoff start, after going 0-2, 4.86 ERA four years ago. He is looking for some redemption and the Athletics are giving him every chance. Stratford counters with 29-year old RHP Magtanggol Jaojoco (3-3, 2 SV, 3.05 ERA in 16 playoff games), who is no stranger to the playing under the pressure. The two-time Satchel Paige Award winner will make his 8th career playoff start.

Bottom of the 3rd:
The game turns out to be a low-scoring affair with a couple of close calls. The closest came in the bottom of the 3rd. After striking out both Vance Fendley and Vinnie Snell, Jaojoco watches as Vaiga Bultarro connects on a 3-1 pitch, lining a double into deep left field. Wayne Emmert follows with a fly ball that falls safely into shallow centerfield. Bultarro races around third to try and score, but Alfonso León cuts him down at home plate to end the threat.
Stratford 0 – Wellington 0

Top of the 4th:
Wellington breaks through one inning later. Jim Mars leads off with a single while Greg Yates follows with a four-pitch walk. Declan Bugbie then hits into a fielder’s choice at 2B, advancing Mars to 3B, while Keon-chae Cho strikes out swinging. But Yorikane Takeuchi singles off the first pitch into shallow leftfield. Mars comes home for the game’s only run.

In the top of the 9th, Vinnie Snell finishes the job he started, striking out Aaron Skidmore and inducing back-to-back fly outs from both Rhys Fell and Alfonso León. In a battle of pitchers, Snell prevails for his first career playoff victory and gives the Athletics a 1-0 lead in the Series.
FINAL: Stratford 0 – Wellington 1

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Game 2 – March 28

The Barons lost a tough one in Game 1 and now look to their No. 1 pitcher to help them try and even things up. 27-year old LHP Robin Wadsworth (3-3, 1 SV, 4.50 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) takes the hill in the playoffs for the 5th time in his career. Looking to extend their lead, the Athletics tap their No. 2 man, 32-year old RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin. This will be the first playoff appearance for Sin in his 8-year career. The conditions are soggy as it rained all morning and the skies continue to threaten. But the game starts as scheduled.

Top of the 1st:
Sin gets a rough welcome to start the game, as the Barons load the bases with nobody out. Alan Tennant leads off with a walk after fouling off 4 pitches. Roberto Ríos then singles while Matthew Channing follows with a 4-pitch walk. After fouling off 5 pitches, Aaron Skidmore hits into a 3-6 fielders’ choice. Tennant comes home on the play to open the scoring while Ríos advances to 3B.
Andy Faulkner crushes the very next pitch to deep centerfield, but Greg Yates tracks it down. Ríos tags up and beats out the throw for the second run.
Stratford 2 – Wellington 0

Top of the 3rd:
Alan Tennant leads off with a walk once again. With one out, Sin throws a wild pitch allowing Tennant to reach 2B. On the 9th pitch of his at-bat, Matthew Channing scorches one into deep centerfield that gets behind Greg Yates. Channing pulls up into 3B for a triple, scoring Tennant.
On a full count, Aaron Skidmore grounds out to SS Vance Fendley as Channing comes home on the play to extend the Barons’ lead.
Stratford 4 – Wellington 0

Bottom of the 5th:
Wellington finally gets something going when Keon-chae Cho and Yorikane Takeuchi lead off with back-to-back walks. After Vance Fendley hits into a 3-6 fielders’ choice allowing Cho to take 3B, Sin helps his own cause when he connects on a 2-0 pitch for a single into shallow left-centerfield. Cho scores while the speedy Fendley races around 2B and beats out the throw to 3B from CF Alfonso León.
Vaiga Bultarro then skies one out to the warning track in leftfield. Fendley tags up and scores easily as LF Roberto Ríos doesn’t attempt the throw.
Stratford 4 – Wellington 2

Bottom of the 7th:
Yorikane Takeuchi lines a single into leftfield to lead off. With one out, PH Brayden Docking hits a sharp liner into centerfield. Takeuchi rounds 2B, then guns it for 3B, successfully beating out the throw from CF Alfonso León. Vaiga Bultarro promptly follows with a single into leftfield, scoring Takeuchi.
Stratford 4 – Wellington 3

Bottom of the 8th:
Greg Yates lines a double into right-centerfield to lead off. With two out, Yorikane Takeuchi hits a screamer just to the right of 2B. Matthew Channing snares it but his throw to 1B is not in time as Yates takes 3B on the play, putting runners on the corners. Two pitches later, Vance Fendley ties the game up when he doubles into left centerfield, scoring Yates. That ends Robin Wadsworth’s afternoon.
Neither team can score in the 9th, thus sending the game into extras.
Stratford 4 – Wellington 4

Bottom of the 10th:
RHP Glen Limon enters in the 10th with the game still tied. But Keon-chae Cho leads off with a first-pitch single into shallow leftfield. After Yorikane Takeuchi grounds out to 2B Matthew Channing allowing Cho to move up to 2B, Vance Fendley scratches out an infield single to put runners on the corners. Limon then hits Jordan Backhouse on the very next pitch, loading the bases. With two out, Bart Warwick battles Limon for 8 pitches before drawing a full count walk forcing in Fendley for the winning run.
Wellington battles back in the mist to take a 2-games-to-none lead as the Series now shifts to Stratford.
Final: Stratford 4 – Wellington 5

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Game 3 – March 30

The Series moves to Bosworth Field in Stratford for at least the next two games. The Barons are looking to change their fortunes and take advantage of the home crowd. No rain in the forecast today – the skies are clear and it’s a scorcher on the eastern plains.

Wellington goes with their ace, 24-year old sophomore RHP Mike Murray, who is making his post-season debut. In turn, 28-year old RHP Ted Smith (2-1, 3.33 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) is prevailed upon by Stratford to try and get them into the win column. This will be his 8th career playoff start.

Bottom of the 3rd:
Stratford breaks through in the bottom of the 3rd. After two quick outs, Murray gives up back-to-back walks to Matthew Channing and Aaron Skidmore. Andy Faulkner then launches a 100-mph pitch 396 ft. into the rightfield bleachers for a 3-run home run, the first long bomb of the series.
Wellington 0 – Stratford 3

Top of the 5th:
But Wellington responds in a big way. Yorikane Takeuchi slaps a slow roller out to SS Alan Tennant and reaches 1B safely as Tennant doesn’t risk the throw. With one out, Mike Murray lays down a sac bunt, moving Takeuchi to 2B. Vaiga Bultarro then doubles down the rightfield line, scoring Takeuchi.
Smith then surrenders back-to-back walks to Wayne Emmert and Jim Mars, loading the bases. Greg Yates then drives the next pitch into leftfield. Bultarro scores easily. Emmert races around 3B and heads for home, beating out the throw from LF Roberto Ríos, tying up the game. Declan Bugbie then cranks out a first-pitch single into shallow left centerfield. Mars turns the corner at third and beats out LF Roberto Ríos throw home as well.
Keon-chae Cho then singles past a diving 2B Matthew Channing. Yates reaches 3B and heads for home. RF Andy Faulkner throws home but Yates slides under the tag as Wellington takes a 2-run lead.
Wellington 5 – Stratford 3

Bottom of the 6th:
Stratford gets to within run when Alfonso León walks with one out, then steals 2B two pitches later. Sherwin Carasig then singles into left centerfield, putting runners on the corners. With two out, Murray throws a wild pitch during PH Ronald Hollinshed’s at-bat. León comes into score on the play.
Wellington 5 – Stratford 4

Bottom of the 7th:
The Barons tie things up when Roberto Ríos leads off with a walk, moves over to 2B on an Alan Tennant sac bunt, then reaches 3B as Matthew Channing grounds out to 2B Vaiga Bultarro. Aaron Skidmore launches one to leftfield, but Keon-chae Cho bobbles the ball and drops it. The error allows Ríos to score.
After 9 innings the score remains tied, sending the game into extras for the second straight game.
Wellington 5 – Stratford 5

Bottom of the 11th:
RHP Zachary Collingham takes over from RHP Finley Capstick to start the bottom half of the 11th. But PH Jason Sakurai leads off with a single then advances to 2B when Alan Tennant walks on a full count with one out. Mathew Channing then launches a 2-0 pitch into centerfield. Sakurai rounds 3B and chugs for home. Greg Yates whips the ball towards home, but Sakurai slides in safely for the winning run. The Barons get back into the Series with a much-needed win.
FINAL: Wellington 5 – Stratford 6

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Game 4 – March 31

Optimism returns to Stratford as the Barons got into the win column the day before. The fans look for more as another sunny, hot afternoon prevails.

Wellington’s No. 4 starter, RHP Troy Conlin, takes the hill for Game 4 and makes his first playoff appearance. Stratford sends their No. 2 starter, 29-year old RHP Bill Wolf (5-4, 5.02 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) to the mound. Wolf makes his 8th career playoff start. Although he was credited with 2 wins in last year’s playoffs, he struggled, going 20.65 ERA 2.82 WHIP in just 5.2 innings of work. Thus, he is looking to redeem himself.

Bottom of the 1st:
Roberto Ríos leads off with a walk but then is cut down at 2B by C Declan Bugbie one pitch later when attempting to steal. Alan Tennant then doubles down the leftfield line all the way to wall. Matthew Channing slaps one out to 2B Vaiga Bultarro but Bultarro can’t get a handle on it, allowing Channing to reach safely and Tennant to reach 3B. Aaron Skidmore fouls off 4 straight pitches before launching a deep fly ball to centerfield. Tennant scores easily on the play.
Wellington 0 – Stratford 1

Top of the 2nd:
Keon-chae Cho walks with one out. Yorikane Takeuchi and Vance Fendley then crank out back-to-back doubles, scoring two runs. Conlin then smacks a first-pitch single into left-centerfield. Fendley tears around 3B and beats out the throw home from CF Alfonso León, adding to the Athletics’ lead.
Wellington 3 – Stratford 1

Bottom of the 2nd:
Stratford takes the lead right back. Walter Beauvais lines a single into rightfield with one out. Bill Wolf lays down a bunt, but C Declan Bugbie’s throw to 1B is off target, putting runners on the corners. After Roberto Ríos walks on 4-straight pitches to load the bases, Alan Tennant bounces one out to the left side. 2B Vaiga Bultarro tries to snare it but can’t get the handle, committing the second of his three errors on the afternoon. Tennant reaches safely as Beauvais scores.
Matthew Channing the singles into leftfield on the next pitch. Wolf scores easily. Ríos rounds third and scores, beating out the throw from LF Keon-chae Cho.
Wellington 3 – Stratford 4

Bottom of the 7th:
RHP Zachary Collingham starts the 7th in relief of Troy Conlin, but Matthew Channing greets him with a lead-off double. After reaching 3B on an Andy Faulkner ground out to 3B Yorikane Takeuchi, Alfonso León lines a double into left centerfield, scoring Channing.
Wellington 3 – Stratford 5

Top of the 8th:
After getting two quick outs, Bill Wolf gives up a walk to PH Noel Johnston. Vaiga Bultarro then crushes a double into deep centerfield. Johnston rounds 3B and scores without a throw.
Wellington 4 – Stratford 5

Bottom of the 8th:
RHP Finley Capstick takes over from Zachary Collingham but Roberto Ríos triples into the leftfield corner with one out. Alan Tennant then singles into left centerfield, scoring Ríos.
Four pitches later, Tennant steals second without a throw. Matthew Channing then hits a long single into centerfield, putting runners on the corners. Next up is Aaron Skidmore, who sends a towering fly ball out to centerfield. Tennant tags up and beats out the throw home from CF Greg Yates.

In the bottom of the 9th, Bill Wolf gets the Athletics to go down in order, as Jim Mars flies out to CF Alfonso León, Greg Yates grounds out to 1B Sherwin Carasig and Declan Bugbie flies out to LF Roberto Ríos. Stratford makes it a brand-new Series as they tie things up at 2-apiece.
FINAL: Wellington 4 – Stratford 7

reds1 · 07-09-2022, 01:14 AM

Game 5 – April 1

The Barons have new life as they have come back to tie up the Series with one more home game in their pocket. The weather has turned however, as rain threatens the proceedings. Things have eased off just enough though for the game to start as scheduled.

RHP Vinnie Snell (1-0, 0.00 ERA) pitched the shut-out in Game 1 and looks to continue that dominance to help his club get back on track. But RHP Magtanggol Jaojoco (0-3, 1.12 ERA) was effective as well and looks for some run support this time around. The Athletics received some good news this morning when it was announced that 5-time all-star LF Matthew Floyd (80/80) was back in the lineup in his regular No. 3 spot.

Bottom of the 5th:
Snell gives up just one hit (a single) through the first four innings but experiences control issues in the 5th. Walter Beauvais lines a double into left centerfield with one out. With two out, Roberto Ríos takes a walk. Then Snell throws two wild pitches during Alan Tennant’s at-bat. The second wild pitch allows Beauvais to come home for the game’s first run. Tennant eventually walks, putting runners on the corners.
Matthew Channing then slices a single into rightfield on the next pitch, scoring Ríos.
Wellington 0 – Stratford 2

Top of the 6th:
But Wellington replies right back. Greg Yates doubles into deep centerfield before Jim Mars singles past 2B putting runners on the corners with one out. With two out, Yorikane Takeuchi then lines Jaojoco’s first offering into centerfield. That scores Yates as Mars takes 3B without a throw.
Vance Fendley fouls off 4 pitches before smacking a single into leftfield. Mars comes home to tie up the game.
Wellington 2 – Stratford 2

Bottom of the 8th:
Stratford retakes the lead when Alfonso León leads off with a walk off RHP Zachary Collingham. After León advances to 2B on a Sherwin Carasig sac bunt, PH Ronald Hollinshed pounds a single into right centerfield with two out. León races around 3B and beats out RF Jim Mars’ throw home.
Wellington 2 – Stratford 3

Top of the 9th:
RHP Bill Lafontaine comes on in relief of Jaojoco and promptly gives up an infield hit to Vance Fendley. After Fendley advances to 2B on a PH Doug Bowman sac bunt, Vaiga Bultarro lines a single past a diving 2B Matthew Channing. Fendley turns the corner at 3B and beats out the throw from CF Alfonso León to tie the game up once again.

Reliever LHP Jeff Routh gets the Barons to go down in order in the bottom of the 9th, sending the game into extras for the third time in the Series.
Wellington 3 – Stratford 3

Bottom of the 10th:
Jeff Routh takes the mound again in the 10th. But he gives up a lead-off single to PH Jeff Houston and a double to Alfonso León. With one out, Vincent Colón battles Routh to a full count, fouling off three pitches. Finally, Colón shoots a liner past 2B Vaiga Bultarro into shallow rightfield, scoring Houston for the walk-off win. The Barons win three straight at home to take the series lead.
FINAL: Wellington 3 – Stratford 4

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Game 6 – April 3

The Pennant Series returns to Santop Stadium in Wellington with the momentum completely shifted to Stratford. The Athletics are hoping that home field advantage prevails for them once again. It’s a hot, sunny afternoon for baseball.

The pitchers of Game 2 square off again. Neither got a decision the first time out. RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin (0-0, 6.0 IP, 6.00 ERA) takes the hill for Wellington, while LHP Robin Wadsworth (0-0, 7.2 IP, 3.52 ERA) starts for the Barons.

Top of the 1st:
Stratford gets on the board early. Alan Tennant hits a sharp liner to the left side with one out, but SS Vance Fendley’s throw to 1B sails wide, allowing Tennant to take 2B. Matthew Channing then launches one out to deep centerfield that hits the top of the wall for a double. Tennant rounds 3B and scores without a throw.
Stratford 1 – Wellington 0

Bottom of the 3rd:
Jim Mars leads off with a battle against LHP Wadsworth, fouling off 4 pitches before lining a double into leftfield. Mars comes home to tie up the game on back-to-back ground outs from Matthew Floyd and Greg Yates.
Stratford 1 – Wellington 1

Top of the 4th:
Hyun-kyoo Sin strikes out Walter Beauvais to end the inning but winces in pain coming off the mound, favoring his abdomen. It’s later confirmed that he is done for the day as RHP Gavin Duckering starts the Top of the 5th for Wellington.
Stratford 1 – Wellington 1

Bottom of the 5th:
Jordan Backhouse who entered the inning on a double switch, leads off with a single that sneaks its way into shallow centerfield. With one out, Jim Mars hits a hard grounder into rightfield, putting runners on the corners. Matthew Floyd slaps one out towards a diving 2B Matthew Channing. Channing stops it but his throw to SS Alan Tennant is off target, and it bounces into shallow leftfield. Backhouse scores on the error.
Stratford 1 – Wellington 2

Bottom of the 7th:
Jordan Backhouse again leads off with a single into left centerfield. However, LHP Wadsworth grabs his wrist in pain as the trainer comes out to look at him. Wadsworth also comes out of the game and is relieved by RHP Bill Lafontaine.
On the first pitch from Lafontaine, Vaiga Bultarro lays down a bunt and beats out the throw from C Aaron Skidmore, as Backhouse takes 2B. After Jim Mars pops out, Matthew Floyd smacks a single into centerfield. Backhouse turns at 3B and beats out CF Alfonso León’s throw home.
Greg Yates then slaps one out through the left-side gap to load the bases. On the next pitch, Declan Bugbie sends a screamer down the rightfield line. Bultarro scores easily. Floyd races around 3B and slides in safely, beating out RF Andy Faulkner’s throw home.
Stratford 1 – Wellington 5

Top of the 8th:
New pitcher LHP Jeff Routh starts the inning striking out Matthew Channing, then gives up a 4-pitch walk to Aaron Skidmore. With two out, Alfonso León doubles down the leftfield line as Skidmore moves up to 3B. On the next pitch, Sherwin Carasig slices a single through the hole into leftfield, scoring Skidmore. León is hot his heels however and beats out the throw from LF Matthew Floyd for the second run. That ends Routh’s day as RHP Finley Capstick takes over.
But PH Rhys Fell singles into deep left field putting runners on the corners. PH Ronald Hollinshed taps one back up the middle. Capstick dives for it but his off-balanced throw to 1B sails wide, scoring Carasig and getting the Barons back to within one.

In the top of the 9th, Capstick gets the Barons to go down in order. Alan Tennant grounds out to SS Jordan Backhouse while Matthew Channing shoots one out to the corner in deep rightfield, but RF Jim Mars tracks it down. Finally, Aaron Skidmore grounds out to 1B Wayne Emmert. The Athletics hang on to even the Series up at three and set the stage for a winner-take-all Game 7.
FINAL: Stratford 4 – Wellington 5

RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin suffered a mild abdominal strain. It is not serious however (Day-to-day, 2 days).

LHP Robin Wadsworth injured his wrist, but outside of some soreness, he too, is not expected miss any time (Day-to-day, 3 days).

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Game 7 – April 4

The Athletics and Barons have battled back and forth all series long and now its all come down to a deciding Game 7 to determine who will take the Pennant and represent the East in the United Cup. So far, the home team has won every game. Today, the final showdown takes place at Santop Stadium in Wellington located along the south-eastern shores of Pearl Sound. The weather could not be more ideal for this winner-take-all matchup.

The Game 3 starters square off once again. RHP Mike Murray (0-0, 4.50 ERA, 8.0 IP) gets the start for Wellington while Stratford counters with RHP Ted Smith (0-0, 7.50 ERA, 6.0 IP).

Top of the 1st:
The Barons get to Murray early and often. With one out, Alan Tennant takes a walk. Matthew Channing then lines a shot out to left center over the head of CF Matthew Floyd and all the way to the wall for a double as Tennant takes 3B. During Aaron Skidmore’s at-bat, Murray throws a wild pitch. Tennant scores and Channing moves up to 3B as a result. Skidmore then walks putting runners on the corners.
Andy Faulkner then lines one to left center as CF Greg Yates gets under it. Channing tags up at 3B and scores without a throw.
Up next is Alfonso León, who slices one out to rightfield. It drops in front of RF Jim Mars for a base hit as Skidmore moves all the up to 3B. During Sherwin Carasig’s at-bat, León breaks for 2B and beats out C Declan Bugbie’s high throw. Carasig then drives one into left center for a base hit. Skidmore scores easily. León tears around 3B and slides home safely, beating out the throw from LF Matthew Floyd. That ends Mike Murray’s outing after just two outs. RHP Finley Capstick comes on in relief.
Stratford 4 – Wellington 0

Bottom of the 2nd:
But Wellington strikes back. With one out, Jim Mars knuckles one over the infield into short left center for a single. As Mars breaks for 2B, Declan Bugbie raps one through the hole into rightfield, putting runners on the corners. Yorikane Takeuchi then crushes one to right center. RF Andy Faulkner scrambles to track it down as it careens off the wall. Both Mars and Bugbie score as Takeuchi slides into 3B safely for a triple.
Stratford 4 – Wellington 2

Top of the 5th:
With RHP Gavin Duckering taking over from Finley Capstick to start the inning, Roberto Ríos draws a walk with one out. As Ríos breaks for 2B, Alan Tennant hits a hard grounder into right centerfield. Ríos pulls up into 3B on the play. Matthew Channing then rips one down the line into leftfield for a single. Ríos scores easily on the play.
Stratford 5 – Wellington 2

Bottom of the 5th:
Ted Smith surrenders a walk to Matthew Floyd with one out. Greg Yates follows and launches one into right centerfield. RF Andy Faulkner reaches up and snags it at the wall with no room to spare. Floyd tags up and slides into 2B easily. Jim Mars then sends a hard grounder toward 2B and into rightfield. As Mars holds up at 1B, Floyd tears around 3B and slides in safely under the tag.
Stratford 5 – Wellington 3

Bottom of the 6th:
Yorikane Takeuchi leads off and crushes one out towards the alley in deep rightfield. CF Alfonso León reaches for it, but it gets past his glove, bouncing all the way to the wall. Takeuchi motors past 2B and slides in safely into 3B for his second triple of the game. Vance Fendley then lines one into rightfield for a base hit. Takeuchi comes home to close the gap for Wellington.
Stratford 5 – Wellington 4

Bottom of the 7th:
After taking over from Ted Smith with two out in the bottom of the 6th, RHP Glen Limon walks Jim Mars with one out in the 7th. Declan Bigbie follows and cracks one out into rightfield for a base hit. Mars sails past 2B and takes 3B unchallenged. Yorikane Takeuchi then airs one out to deep right centerfield. RF Andy Faulkner tracks it down but misplays it and it goes over his head. Both Mars and Bugbie score as Takeuchi takes 3B, beating out the throw from 1B Sherwin Carasig.
Vance Fendley lofts one out to centerfield as CF Alfonso León chases it down. Takeuchi tags up and scores, giving the Athletics a 2-run lead.
Stratford 5 – Wellington 7

Bottom of the 8th:
With two out, Matthew Floyd puts a charge into an 0-1 offering from Glen Limon, sending it out to right centerfield. RF Andy Faulkner races back for it but it sails 417 ft. in the stands for Wellington’s first home run of the playoffs.

In the top of the 9th, RHP Vinnie Snell, who took over in the 7th, gives up a lead-off walk to Alfonso León. But after Sherwin Carasig flies out to Greg Yates in centerfield, Snell strikes out both PH Don North and PH Ronald Hollinshed to end the game and close out the Series. The Athletics come from behind and prevail over the defending United Cup Champions to win their third Eastern League Pennant!
FINAL: Stratford 5 – Wellington 8

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reds1 · 07-14-2022, 12:55 AM

The Pulberry Trolleys and Sherburn Tigers meet in the playoffs for the first time with both clubs still seeking their first Pennant. That means that the drought is going to end for one of these clubs this year. The Trolleys finished in top spot for the third straight season but have seen their quest for a United Cup berth upended by the wild card team the previous two years. The Tigers meanwhile return to the playoffs after a 10-year absence. Sherburn finished in last place 4 times during that stretch and never escaped the second division until this year. Their previous two playoff appearances have been as the wild card as well, falling to the Kingston Pelicans both times.

The two teams enter the playoffs at nearly full strength. The only injury to speak of is to Sherburn’s 24-year old IF/OF utility player Leon Albrecht (.234/.349/.375, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 49 BB, 5 SB, 2.0 WAR), who suffered a bruised bone in his knee in a game against the Fort Richmond Generals back on March 14 and will not be available for the post-season.

Both clubs are managed by former players who once played for their respective team. 42-year old Jaimie Blair spent nearly all of his 12-year career toiling in the minors as an outfielder. He was called up by the Tigers in 1939 and got one major league at-bat – a strikeout. After that, he returned to the minors for good and retired 10 years later. In 1953, he was hired by the Tigers to be their manager and the club has improved each season thus far under his guidance, culminating with the club’s first winning season and playoff appearance since 1945-46.

Meanwhile, 50-year old Ryo Ichikawa signed with the Pulberry Trolleys out of Japan back in January 1937 as a third baseman. Never a full-time player, Ichikawa made 222 at-bats over three seasons with the major league club, batting .224/.326/.271 before retiring in 1941. Three years later he was hired by the Embro Suns as their field manager and met with instant success as he led the Suns to the wild card in his first two seasons. Five years later, in 1950-51, he guided Embro back to the playoffs as the wild card team and this time won the Eastern League Pennant and came to within one victory of a United Cup Championship. Following that season, he was lured away by the Trolleys and after two 3rd place finishes, he has led Pulberry to top spot in the West over the past three seasons. Now all that remains for last year’s Western League Manager of the Year is to get over the hump and another chance at the United Cup.

The Trolleys and Tigers were the two hottest teams in the United Leagues over the last two weeks of the regular season. In fact, in the second half of the season, Sherburn led all clubs with 47 victories while Pulberry was right behind them with 45. Although the Trolleys won the season series, the Tigers outscored them 67-63 over the course of those 15 games. Thus, this should be a whale of a series. It’s time to play ball!

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Game 1 – March 27

Trolleys Stadium hosts Game 1 of the Pennant Series for the third straight year. It’s hot on the West Coast with clear skies and a very light breeze.

A pair of southpaws face each other to start the Series. They are their respective team’s aces, and both will be making their playoff debuts. Pulberry has handed the ball to 20-year rookie LHP Bart Ohara, while the Tigers go with their 4-year veteran, 26-year old LHP Brendan Wombwell.

Bottom of the 4th:
Wombwell is perfect until Francis Jones launches one into the gap in right center to lead off. RF Adrian Sulley races back for it but its out of his reach and the ball hits the wall on a hop. Jones jets past 2B and beats out the relay for a triple. Gerard Koerner holds up for ball four putting runners on the corners. Aidan Thirkettle then grounds one out to the right side as 2B Bernard Kerkin takes it on the hop and feeds it to second. Koerner slides in hard preventing the double play as Jones comes home to score.
Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 1

Bottom of the 7th:
Aidan Thirkettle leads off by sending a rocket into centerfield for a single. Paul England then chops one out weakly to the right side. Wombwell tracks it down, but England beats out the throw for an infield hit as Thirkettle takes second. Cooper Tyson battles Wombwell for nine pitches then smashes one out to rightfield. RF Albert Sulley goes back but its over the wall landing 356 ft. from home plate for a 3-run homer.
Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 4

Top of the 8th:
The Tigers finally get something going in the 8th. Dwayne Vick sends a lazy fly ball down the leftfield line that falls in for a base hit. With one out, Connor Wadsworth hits one past the pitcher. SS Sean Abercrombie dives for it but can’t dig it out of his glove and doesn’t risk the throw. Vick moves up to second on the infield single. PH Quincy Woolescroft follows and hits one hard out toward 2B. Paul Heisler gets in front of it but muffs it, allowing Woolescroft to reach 1B safely and load the bases with nobody out. Bernard Kerkin hits a liner out to toward left. LF Aidan Thirkettle angles under it then backpedals to make the catch. Vick tags up and beats out the throw for the Tigers’ first run.

In the top of the 9th, Ohara gets the heart of the Tigers lineup to go down in order, inducing a first-pitch 4-3 ground out from Adrian Flynn, a strikeout from Ross Shewman and a 4-3 ground out from Marcus Timberlake to end the game. The Trolleys take Game 1 with an impressive pitching performance from Ohara.
FINAL: Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 4

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Game 2 – March 28

Pulberry got the Series off on the right foot with a solid win in Game 1 and look to keep the momentum going this afternoon at Trolleys Stadium. 28-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (2-0, 3.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) takes the mound for Pulberry. This will be Folkard’s 4th career playoff start. For Sherburn, the Tigers look to 20-year old sophomore LHP Kozue Saito from Queensland to try and even up the Series. This game marks Saito’s first playoff appearance.

Bottom of the 1st:
The Trolleys waste no time getting to Saito. Francis Jones leads off and draws a walk. Gerard Koerner then grounds one out toward the left side hole. 3B Adrian Flynn scoops it up and throws to second for the fielder’s choice, but Jones slides in hard and upends 2B Bernard Kerkin to squash the double play. Ellis Dibble then crushes one to deep right center that caroms off the wall. CF Ross Shewman attempts to track it down as Koerner races all the way from first to open the scoring. Shewman rifles it to 3B but Dibble slides in safely for an RBI triple.
During Aidan Thirkettle’s subsequent at-bat, C Robert Carr mishandles Saito’s pitch and loses track of the ball. Dibble breaks for home and beats out the tag for Pulberry’s second run.
Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 2

Top of the 2nd:
Marcus Timberlake hits one off the end of the barrel out toward short right center and it falls in for a base hit. As Timberlake breaks for second, Dwayne Vick hits one back up the middle for a single. Timberlake moves up to 3B on the play. Robert Carr battles Folkard to a full count before singling one out to short centerfield. Timberlake comes home to score. Vick hustles to 2B before gunning it for third. But CF Cooper Tyson retrieves the ball and nails a sliding Vick at 3B with a remarkable throw.
Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 2

Top of the 3rd:
Bernard Kerkin hammers one out to leftfield to lead things off. LF Aidan Thirkettle races back for it but he watches helplessly as it sails 410 ft. over the wall for a game-tying solo home run.
Sherburn 2 - Pulberry 2

Top of the 8th:
RHP Bonie Bandong enters the game to start the 8th. On his first pitch, PH Quincy Woolescroft smashes one down the line to deep rightfield. RF Ellis Dibble races after it but it lands 364 ft. into the stands for a solo home run, giving the Tigers the lead.
Sherburn 3 - Pulberry 2

Bottom of the 8th:
Gerard Koerner smacks a line drive down the leftfield line that just stays fair. LF Connor Wadsworth chases after it as Koerner pulls up into second for a lead off double. That ends Saito’s afternoon as RHP Cris Herrera comes on in relief on a double switch. But Ellis Dibble jumps all over Herrera’s first pitch, belting one out to left center. CF Ross Shewman reaches for it but can’t get to it in time. Dibble tears around second as Shewman finally tracks it down and whips a long throw to 3B. Dibble slides in headfirst for his second triple of the game as Koerner crosses the plate to tie things up.
Aidan Thirkettle then walks putting runners on the corners. Paul England grounds out to SS Dwayne Vick for the inning’s first out as Thirkettle takes second. As the infield moves in during PH Marcus Peyto’s at-bat, Herrera throws a wild pitch. That scores Dibble while Thirkettle moves up to third.
Peyto then slices one into short left center for a base hit. Thirkettle scores easily, increasing the Trolleys’ lead to two.
Sherburn 3 - Pulberry 5

Top of the 9th:
Bonie Bandong looks to close things out in the 9th. But Noah Teale leads off with a 4-pitch walk, while PH Connor Young connects and lines one over the head of 1B Gerard Koerner for a base hit, moving Teale to second. Albert Sulley lays down a bunt that goes back to the pitcher. Bandong fields it quickly and throws Sulley out at first, as the runners advance. Adrian Flynn then skies one out to deep right centerfield. RF Ellis Dibble calls off defensive replacement CF Wade Billyard and hauls it in. Teale tags up and scores without a throw, getting the Tigers to within one.
But on a 2-2 pitch, Bandong gets Ross Shewman to lift a high fly ball out to right centerfield. This time Wade Billyard gets under it and snags it to close out the game. Pulberry hangs on to take a 2-games-to-none lead as the Series shifts to Sherburn for Game 3.
FINAL: Sherburn 4 - Pulberry 5

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Game 3 – March 30

The playoffs return to The Paramount in Sherburn for the first time in 10 years. The weather is hot, and the park is packed as the fans hope their team’s fortunes will heat up as well.

The one player remaining on the roster that was part of Sherburn’s last playoff appearance takes the hill: 32-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (0-2, 4.80 ERA, 1.80 WHIP). Chapa was 22-years old in just his third season for the Tigers at the time. The two-time Satchel Paige Award winner is looking for better results in his third career playoff start. Facing him will be the West’s only 20-game winner this season: 34-year old RHP Robin Medellin (2-2, 4.64 ERA, 1.36 WHIP). Medellin will make his 7th career playoff start and third for Pulberry.

Bottom of the 4th:
The anticipate pitcher’s duel comes as advertised, as Chapa and Medellin frustrate the batters. The only blemish came in the bottom of the 4th. Albert Sulley leads off and walks on four pitches, then steals second unchallenged as C Paul England drops the ball one pitch later. Adrian Flynn then lines one into left center, putting runners on the corners. Ross Shewman then lifts one out to deep centerfield. CF Cooper Tyson gets under it, but Sulley tags up and scores without a throw.

In the top of the 9th, the Trolleys try to get to Chapa. Aidan Thirkettle leads off and strikes out swinging. But Cooper Tyson battles Chapa to a full count before sending a shot past a diving 2B Bernard Kerkin in leftfield for a base hit. During Paul England’s subsequent at-bat, Chapa throws a wild pitch, allowing Tyson to take second. England then hits a slow roller to the left side. 3B Adrian Flynn pounces on it but it fumbles out of his glove, allowing England to reach safely and Tyson to take third. Ellis Dibble attempts to bunt, but instead pops out to a diving Adrian Flynn. Makani Kahale then launches one out to deep centerfield. CF Ross Shewman is there to haul it in and end the threat. Sherburn escapes with a badly needed win.
FINAL: Pulberry 0 – Sherburn 1

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Game 4 – March 31

Sherburn got a tremendous pitching effort from their ace RHP Jesús Chapa in Game 3 and look for that trend to continue with their No. 2 starter, 29-year old RHP Ben Buschlen. This will be the two-time all-star’s first playoff appearance. Pulberry goes with their No. 4 starter, 28-year old RHP Harley Rodman (0-2, 9.58 ERA, 2.13 WHIP). Rodman has not enjoyed a lot of success in the playoffs over the past two seasons. He is looking to change that at The Paramount where a hot afternoon greets the fans and players.

Top of the 1st:
The Trolleys strike early. Francis Jones leads off by hitting a liner out to centerfield for a base hit. Gerard Koerner bounces one out toward the left side hole. 3B Adrian Flynn snags it and whips it to 2B Bernard Kerkin for the first out. But Jones takes him out with an uncompromising slide to break up the double play.
Aidan Thirkettle then works the count full before walking. Cooper Tyson follows sending a hard shot out to shallow centerfield to load the bases. Paul England then golfs one out to leftfield for a base hit. Koerner scores easily on the play. Thirkettle rounds third and slides in hard beating out the throw from LF Connor Wadsworth for the second run.
Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 0

Bottom of the 3rd:
Connor Wadsworth hits a liner to left center to lead off. LF Aidan Thirkettle hurries over but can’t get to it in time as it falls in for a single. During Ben Buschlen’s at-bat, Rodman is called for a balk, sending Wadsworth over to second. Buschlen then lays a bunt down in front of the plate. C Paul England throws him out at first as Wadsworth takes third. After getting the next two batters out Rodman uncorks a wild pitch that rolls to the backstop. Wadsworth comes home on the play.
Albert Sulley then booms one out to right center. CF Cooper Tyson tries to track it down and leaps at the wall but comes up short, as Sulley sends it 371 ft. into the stands for game-tying solo home run.
Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 2

Top of the 6th:
Paul England walks with one out. Ellis Dibble then sends a chopper out towards third. 3B Adrian Flynn fields it on the hop and throws out Dibble at first as England takes second. Sean Abercrombie comes up and battles Buschlen to a full count before crushing one out to right center. RF Albert Sulley chases after it but it hits the wall on a hop. England comes in to score as Abercrombie pulls up into second with a stand-up double.
Pulberry 3 – Sherburn 2

Bottom of the 8th:
Rodman gets two quick outs. But Dwayne Vick, who is not known for his power, sends a rocket out towards the gap in deep left center. CF Cooper Tyson races back and leaps at the wall but it sails 401 ft. into the stands for a game-tying solo home run.

Both teams go down in order in the 9th, sending the game into extras.
Pulberry 3 – Sherburn 3

Top of the 10th:
Cris Herrera gives up a lead off walk to Aidan Thirkettle. With one out, Paul England pounds one back up the middle into centerfield. CF Ross Shewman gets to it, but Thirkettle rounds second and digs for third. Thirkettle slides in hard under the tag putting runners on the corners. Ellis Dibble works the count full before checking his swing and loading the bases. Sean Abercrombie then slices one down the line to short right. RF Albert Sulley hesitates but then comes sprinting in to track it down. Thirkettle and England score easily. Dibble rounds third and breaks for home. C Robert Carr makes a diving tag, but Dibble beats it out as Abercrombie comes through with a 3-run double.

LHP Dermott Rathbone strikes out PH Quim Cypriano to start the bottom of the 10th. Dwayne Vick then sends one sailing out towards 2B. Makani Kahale gets under it and snags it. Lastly, Robert Carr taps one back to the mound. Rathbone pounces on it and whips it to 1B Gerard Koerner for the final out. Pulberry pulls out a win in extras to take a stranglehold on the Series.
FINAL: Pulberry 6 – Sherburn 3

reds1 · 07-14-2022, 07:32 AM

Game 5 – April 1

With the Tigers backed into a corner, Sherburn looks to stay alive with the home fans cheering them on. It’s sunny and hot at The Paramount.

The game features the same pitching matchup as in Game 1. LHP Brendan Wombwell (0-1, 5.14 ERA, 7.0 IP) looks to revenge his loss in the first matchup for Sherburn, while Pulberry responds with LHP Bart Ohara (1-0, 0.00 ERA 9.0 IP), who was sensational in his playoff debut.

Top of the 1st:
Pulberry gets on the board first on a controversial play. After two quick outs, Wombwell gives up a first-pitch single to Ellis Dibble, who lines one into right centerfield. With Dibble breaking for second on a full count, Aidan Thirkettle slices one to short leftfield. Dibble moves up to third on the play as it falls in for a base hit. During Paul England’s subsequent at-bat, the umpire signals a balk on Wombwell, scoring Dibble.
Pulberry 1 – Sherburn 0

Bottom of 1st:
After failing to bunt, Bernard Kerkin works a full count on Ohara. Kerkin then drives one hard down the line in right. RF Ellis Dibble sticks out his glove for it but it’s out of his reach. Kerkin hits the jets at second and slides into 3B safely for a lead off triple. Albert Sulley then hits a sharp line drive into right for a base hit, scoring Kerkin.
Pulberry 1 – Sherburn 1

Top of the 2nd:
Cooper Tyson leads off and puts a charge into Wombwell’s first offering, lofting it into deep centerfield. CF Ross Shewman reaches up but its over his head as the ball hits the wall on a hop. Cooper pulls up into second for a double. Sean Abercrombie then hits out to second and is thrown out by 2B Bernard Kerkin as Cooper takes third. Paul Heisler then hits a slow roller out toward second. Kerkin throws out Heisler at 1B as Tyson comes home.
Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 1

Bottom of the 2nd:
With one out, Robert Carr bounces a 2-1 pitch out towards short. SS Sean Abercrombie gets in front of it but whiffs attempting to pick it up and kicks it away. Carr reaches safely on the error. Connor Wadsworth then lines a base hit into rightfield, moving Carr up to second. With two out, Bernard Kerkin crushes one out to deep centerfield. CF Cooper Tyson gives chase but it’s over his head and it caroms off the wall for a stand-up double. Carr comes in to score to tie up the game as Wadsworth takes third.
Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 2

Bottom of the 5th:
Marcus Timerberlake leads off with a walk. Dwayne Vick then bloops one into centerfield in front of a charging Cooper Tyson for a base hit, moving Timberlake up to second. Robert Carr slaps one out to the right side. 2B Paul Heisler handles the short hop, but it pops out of his glove. Carr reaches on an error for the second time in the game, loading the bases. Connor Wadsworth hits a slow chopper past the pitcher. 2B Paul Heisler fields it and whips it home. C Paul England tags out Timberlake as he tries to slide in safely but is unable to complete the double play as Wadsworth beats out the throw at first.
But Brendan Wombwell helps his cause when he sends one soaring out to centerfield. Cooper Tyson gets under it and whips it back in, but Vick tags up and easily beats out the throw as the Tigers take the lead.
Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 3

Top of the 8th:
Francis Jones leads off with a free pass. With one out, Ellis Dibble slams a hard shot toward short center for a base hit as Jones takes second. With two out, Paul England hits a hot grounder that glances off the glove of SS Dwayne Vick and into centerfield for a base hit. Jones hustles around 3B and scores as Dibble beats out the throw to third.
Pulberry 3 – Sherburn 3

Bottom of the 9th:
RHP Bonie Bandong comes in to start the 9th, but PH Quincy Woolescroft crushes one to deep centerfield. CF Bryan Goetz races for it but it’s out of his reach as the ball skips to wall. Woolescroft tears around second and slides hard into 3B, beating out the late throw for a lead off triple. PH Conor Young battles Bandong for 10 pitches before finally drawing a walk. On the next pitch, PH Noah Teale hits one sharply to center as it falls in for a base hit. Woolescroft comes home with the game-winning run as Sherburn keeps its playoff hopes alive.
FINAL: Pulberry 3 – Sherburn 4

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Game 6 – April 3

The Tigers played tough against the Trolleys in Game 5 and were rewarded with a walk-off win. Now the Series returns to Pulberry where the Trolleys hope to regain the momentum and get that elusive 4th win to capture the Series.

The starting pitchers of Game 2 face each other once again: LHP Kozue Saito (0-0, 3.86 ERA, 7.0 IP) takes the hill for Sherburn while Pulberry taps RHP Taylor Folkard (0-0, 2.70 ERA, 6.2 IP). Neither got the decision in Game 2 where Pulberry hung on to win.

Top of the 4th:
The Tigers open the scoring when Ross Shewman cracks one down the line toward short right that’s just out of the reach of 1B Gerard Koerner. Shewman pulls up into second for a lead off double. Markus Timberlake then lines a shot out toward short leftfield for a base hit, moving Shewman to third. Dwayne Vick taps one out in front of home plate. C Paul England gets to it but bobbles the ball, allowing Vick to reach safely as Shewman scores on the error.
Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 0

Bottom of the 5th:
Sean Abercrombie crushes one to rightfield with one out. RF Albert Sulley races back and stretches for it but can’t get to it as the ball skips to the wall. Abercrombie tears around second and is given the windmill at 3B. Sulley fires it back towards home but it’s not in time. Abercrombie slides in safely for an inside the park home run.
Two batters later, Kozue Saito gives up a single to Francis Jones, then winces in pain. The trainer comes running in to check on him and takes him out of the game. RHP Cris Herrera takes over and despite walking Gerard Koerner to load the bases, gets PH Gustavo Hernández to fly out to CF Ross Shewman to end the inning.
Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 1

Bottom of the 6th:
Cris Herrera gives up back-to-back walks to Paul England and Cooper Tyson to start the inning. With two outs Paul Heisler comes through, sending a harder grounder past the pitcher and up the middle into centerfield. England hits 3B then charges for home. CF Ross Shewman scoops it up and whips it back to the infield. But England slides in headfirst and beats out the tag to give the Trolleys the lead.
Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 2

Bottom of the 8th:
Paul England belts one into the leftfield corner for a lead-off double. Cooper Tyson follows and shoots one down the leftfield line as well. England trots across home plate adding to the Trolley’s lead as Tyson slides in safely for a two-base hit.

In the top of the 9th, LHP Dermott Rathbone looks to seal the win. But Connor Wadsworth lines one into leftfield for a lead off single. Three pitches later, Rathbone throws a wild pitch allowing Wadsworth to reach second. But PH Christopher Dainty hits a soft pop fly out to CF Cooper Tyson in short center for the first out. Bernard Kerkin then battles Rathbone to a full count but strikes out swinging. Finally, Albert Sulley lofts a 1-0 pitch out to rightfield. Ellis Dibble ranges over and snags it for the final out. The Pulberry Trolleys finally prevail to win their first Western League Pennant!
FINAL: Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 3

LHP Kozue Saito is diagnosed with an oblique strain and will be unable to pitch for a week.

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DreamTeams · 07-16-2022, 12:23 PM

Way to go Trolleys! All of the hitters came up big, and the pitchers held their own. Now let's see if they can get it done in the big dance.

reds1 · 07-26-2022, 12:35 AM

For the first time in eight years, two teams still searching for their first United Cup will meet in the finals. Back in 1947-48, it was the Braeland City Monarchs and Fort Richmond Generals, with the Generals prevailing in five games. This year, it’s the Wellington Athletics and Pulberry Trolleys. This is the third time the Athletics have reached the United Cup finals, having won the Eastern League Pennant twice before – in 1937-38 when they fell to the Kingston Pelicans in the ULB’s inaugural season and then 14 years later in 1951-52 when they were denied by the Wolseley Unions. As for the Pulberry Trolleys, this marks their first appearance in the United Cup finals. They have finished in top spot in the West over the past three seasons but finally broke through this year to win their first Pennant. This is also the first time in four years where two first-place teams will face each other in the finals.

Both teams report no lingering injuries to their respective playoff rosters and enter the United Cup at full strength.

In addition to the clubs as a whole, both managers are seeking their first United Cup championship. For 62-year old Wildemar Aquino (210-223, .484), this season marks the first playoff appearance of his 18-year career. However, this was just his third season as a manager, with the rest spent as either a hitting or bench coach.

50-year old Ryo Ichikawa (1001-851, .540) just completed his 12th season as a big-league manager. He has led his teams to the playoffs 6 times, winning a Pennant both with the Embro Suns and now the Trolleys. But the United Cup still eludes him.

During the regular season, Pulberry outplayed Wellington, winning 5 of 6 contests and outscoring them 27-17. But as we know, history is all in the past when it comes to the playoffs. With the top two teams meeting for the United Cup and both hungry for their first championship, this should be a dandy. Play ball!

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Game 1 – April 6

Trolleys Stadium takes center stage for Game 1 of the Untied Cup. The ballpark is packed and millions of Braelanders are either watching the game on their new-fangled tellies or more likely listening in on their radios at work. It’s hot and no rain is in the forecast to spoil the proceedings.

Wellington’s No. 4 starter, RHP Troy Conlin (0-1, 6.0 IP, 1.50 ERA), is tasked with starting game 1. His previous playoff experience was game 4 of the Eastern League Pennant Series, a 7-4 loss where he gave up only 1 earned run but was victimized by three errors committed by his infielders. Pulberry responds with their young ace, 20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (1-0, 15.0 IP, 0.60 ERA), who will be making his third playoff start. He won game 1 of the Western League Pennant Series in his first playoff appearance.

Bottom of the 6th:
Through the first 5-1/2 innings, both Ohara and Conlin kept the game scoreless, giving up one single and 4 walks each over that stretch. But it all came crashing down in the bottom of the 6th for Conlin.
Leading off, Gerard Koerner rips the first pitch past the pitcher. 2B Vaiga Bultarro lunges for it but it slips out his glove for a base hit. Aidan Thirkettle then walks on four pitches. Cooper Tyson bangs one through the hole into leftfield, loading the bases. Paul England then draws a full-count walk, forcing in Koerner for the game’s first run.
Ellis Dibble draws a full count as well, forcing in Thirkettle.
Sean Abercrombie gets hit with a 2-2 pitch, bringing home Tyson with the bases still loaded and nobody out.
Paul Heisler then walks on a low and outside pitch to score England.
Bart Ohara sends a hard shot past second base and into rightfield for a base hit. Dibble scores Pulberry’s 5th run. At this point, Wellington’s manager Aquino has seen enough and brings in RHP Zachary Collingham to relieve Conlin. But the hits keep coming.
Francis Jones rips one out to the right side past first base for a base hit, scoring Abercrombie.
Gerard Koerner, who led off the inning, bangs one out toward short rightfield for another base hit. Heisler scores on the play. Ohara rounds third and heads for home, but RF Jim Mars whips it back to C Declan Bugbie in time to tag out Ohara for the first out.
After Aidan Thirkettle strikes out, Cooper Tyson draws a walk to reload the bases. Paul England then sends a sharp line drive into shallow center. Jones scores on the play. Koerner rounds third and beats out the throw from CF Greg Yates with a hard slide as England moves up to second.
Finally, Ellis Dibble grounds out to 2B Vaiga Bultarro to end the inning.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 9

Bottom of the 7th:
Sean Abercrombie knuckles one over the infield out toward short centerfield for a lead-off base hit. With one out, Bart Ohara bunts one back to the pitcher as Abercrombie advances to second on the sacrifice. Francis Jones then pounds a hard ground ball past the pitcher into centerfield for a base hit. Abercrombie motors past third and slides in safely at home.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 10

Bottom of the 8th:
Collingham gets two quick outs before Ellis Dibble lines one into opposite rightfield. Jim Mars races over to get under it but it pops out of his glove. Dibble takes second on the error. Sean Abercrombie then smashes a missile down the line into deep rightfield. Mars chases after it as it bangs around in the corner. Dibble scores as Abercrombie slides into second, beating out the throw from Mars.
Paul Heisler pounces on a 3-1 pitch, hitting it back up the middle for a base hit. Abercrombie takes third then sprints for home. C Declan Bugbie attempts the tag but Abercrombie slides under it safely.

In the bottom of the 9th, Vaiga Bultarro leads off with a vicious grounder. But SS Sean Abercrombie corrals it and throws him out. Jim Mars then strikes out swinging on a 1-2 pitch. Finally, Matthew Floyd flares one out to opposite leftfield. Aidan Thirkettle moves in and gloves it for the final out. Pulberry completely destroys the Athletics to take game 1 as Bart Ohara throws a one-hitter.
FINAL: Wellington 0 - Pulberry 12

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Game 2 – April 7

Pulberry made perhaps the most dramatic statement to open a United Cup series in ULB history and look to keep the momentum going. All Wellington can do is to try to shake it off and start fresh. They will try and do that with their ace, 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell (1-0, 15.1 IP, 1.17 ERA), getting the start. The Trolleys respond with their No. 3 man, 34-year old RHP Robin Medellin (0-1, 8.0 IP, 1.12 ERA), who gave up the only run in a 1-0 loss to the Sherburn Tigers in Game 3 of the WL Pennant Series. The weather is a carbon copy of the day before and thus will not be a factor.

Bottom of the 1st:
The Trolleys waste no time getting on the board. Francis Jones checks his swing for a lead-off walk. With one out, Aidan Thirkettle crushes one toward the gap in deep left center. LF Matthew Floyd chases after it but it’s beyond his reach and falls in for extra bases. Jones comes in to score. Thirkettle chugs for third as Floyd throws it in but it’s not in time as Thirkettle slides in safely for a triple.
Cooper Tyson rips a grounder toward shortstop. Vance Fendley plays it on the short hop and hurries his throw to 1B to throw him out, but Thirkettle comes home to score Pulberry’s second run.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 2

Bottom of the 2nd:
Ellis Dibble leads off by shooting a grounder into the hole just wide of 1B. Wayne Emmert reaches to pick it up but mishandles it as Dibble reaches safely on the error. Sean Abercrombie then smashes one down the line into rightfield with Jim Mars in hot pursuit. As it bangs around in the corner, Dibble reaches third as Abercrombie pulls up into second. Paul Heisler then pulls a grounder toward leftfield, finding the crease. Heisler holds up at 1B, but Dibble comes into score. Abercrombie hustles around third and heads for home. Mars throws it back in, but Abercrombie launches himself and slides in under the tag.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 4

Bottom of the 3rd:
With one out, Cooper Tyson crushes a 1-1 offering to rightfield. Jim Mars races back to the wall but it’s over his head, landing 411 ft. into the bleachers for a solo jack.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 5

Top of the 9th:
Wayne Emmert lines one to the right side, but 2B Paul Heisler reaches out and gloves it for the first out. Matthew Floyd then ends Wellington’s 17-inning scoring drought when he gets all of Medellin’s 1-1 offering for a massive solo home run that lands 442 ft. into the centerfield stands. Floyd and Medellin exchange words as he rounds the bases, as the pitcher felt that Floyd spent too much time admiring his shot.
After the barking from both dugouts subsides, Greg Yates sends a hopper to the left side. SS Sean Abercrombie scoops it up and throws him out for out No. 2. Jim Mars then belts a high fly ball out to rightfield. Ellis Dibble moves under it and brings it down for the final out. The Trolleys take game 2 with another all-around dominant performance.
FINAL: Wellington 1 - Pulberry 5

RHP Vinnie Snell injured his wrist in the 7th inning and was forced to leave the game. However, it was later diagnosed as simply some soreness and should not be serious (Day to day, 3 days).

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Game 3 – April 9

The United Cup moves to Santop Stadium in Wellington with the Athletics desperately trying to figure out how to solve the Trolleys and get back into the Series. The weather has cooled off a bit but otherwise it’s ideal for championship baseball.

Both teams go with their No. 2 starters. Pulberry pegs 28-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (1-0, 14.1 IP, 1.88 ERA) to start, after he pitched effectively to seal Pulberry’s first Western League Pennant 5 days ago. Wellington looks to 24-year old RHP Mike Murray (0-0, 8.2 IP, 8.31 ERA) who pitched only 0.2 innings before being pulled in Game 7 of the EL Pennant Series.

Top of the 1st:
Mike Murray starts the game by loading the bases. Francis Jones leads off with a full-count walk. Gerard Koerner then rips a liner to short center for a base hit as Jones takes second. Aidan Thirkettle follows and walks on 4-straight pitches.
Cooper Tyson then walks on a full count, forcing in Jones for the game’s first run.
Paul England skies one to deep center. Greg Yates hauls it in for the first out. Koerner tags up at third and slides in safely at home.
Pulberry 2 - Wellington 0

Bottom of the 2nd:
With one out, C Declan Bugbie strikes out on a called third strike. Bugbie takes exception to the call and immediately gets into it with the umpire. Before manager Wildemar Aquino can run in and pull him away, Bugbie is ejected. C Doug Bowman takes his place in the lineup for the remainder of the game.
Pulberry 2 - Wellington 0

Top of the 3rd:
Murray gives up back-to-back walks to Gerard Koerner and Aidan Thirkettle to lead off the inning. During Cooper Tyson’s subsequent at-bat, Murray throws a wild pitch, allowing the base runners to advance as the booing from the fans grow louder.
Tyson then lofts one to deep center. As Greg Yates hauls it in, Koerner tags up and beats out the throw to the plate.
Pulberry 3 - Wellington 0

Bottom of the 5th:
With one out, Yorikane Takeuchi smacks one toward the gap in deep left center. LF Aidan Thirkettle races back for it but it caroms off the wall. Takeuchi motors around second and slides in headfirst at third safely, beating out Thirkettle’s throw. Vance Fendley then sends a hard grounder past the pitcher and up the middle. SS Sean Abercrombie snags it and whips it to first for the out as Takeuchi comes home to get the Athletics on the board.
Pulberry 3 - Wellington 1

Bottom of the 6th:
Vaiga Bultarro lines Folkard’s first offering out toward shallow center for a lead off base hit. Two pitches later, Bultarro beats out C Paul England’s throw to steal second. Wayne Emmert then drives one into deep center. Cooper Tyson races back for it but can’t reach it as it bounces off the wall. Bultarro scores as Emmert slides in safely for a double.
Matthew Floyd then battles Folkard to a full count before drawing a walk.
With one out, Jim Mars sends a hard shot out toward short. SS Sean Abercrombie dives and knocks it down and flips it sideways to 2B Paul Heisler. But it ricochets off Heisler’s glove, loading the bases.
Doug Bowman hits a slow dribbler back up the middle. Folkard nabs it and fires it home for the force out. C Paul England throws it to first, but Bowman reaches safely to avoid the double play.
Yorikane Takeuchi hits a grounder straight up the middle that sneaks its way into centerfield. Floyd scores. Mars tears around third and slides into home safely, beating out the throw from CF Cooper Tyson as the Athletics take the lead for the first time in the series.
Pulberry 3 - Wellington 4

Bottom of the 7th:
Mike Murray leads off and sends a liner into shallow leftfield for a base hit. With two out and facing Matthew Floyd, Taylor Folkard pitches one low and away and it sails past C Paul England as a wild pitch. Murray then moves up the second. Floyd is then intentionally walked. But two pitches later, Folkard throws another wild pitch allowing the baserunners to advance. Greg Yates then flares one into leftfield that falls in front of Aidan Thirkettle. Murray crosses the plate. Floyd sails past third and heads for home. C Paul England spins around to try and make the tag, but it’s not in time as Wellington goes up by three.
Pulberry 3 - Wellington 6

Top of the 8th:
Mike Murray gets two quick outs before surrendering a double to Paul England. Murray grabs his arm immediately after the pitch. After the trainer examines him, he is removed from the game. RHP Finley Capstick comes on in relief and gets Ellis Dibble to strike out swinging to end the inning.

In the top of the 9th, Capstick strikes out Sean Abercrombie then induces back-to-back fly outs from PH Gustavo Hernández and PH Ángelo Ríos to end the game. The Athletics come from behind to get a much-needed win.
FINAL: Pulberry 3 - Wellington 6

RHP Mike Murray was diagnosed with muscle fatigue (dead arm) and is doubtful for the rest of the Series (1 week).

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Game 4 – April 10

The Athletics broke through with their first win of the series and look to keep the hometown advantage working in their favour. The day is mild and gameday conditions are perfect.

Pulberry gives the starting duties this afternoon to their No. 4 starter, 29-year old RHP Harley Rodman (0-0, 7.2 IP, 3.52 ERA). Rodman last pitched in game 4 of the WL Pennant Series and got a no decision in a 6-3 Pulberry win that went 10 innings. Wellington tasks their No. 2 starter, 32-year old RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin (0-0, 10.0 IP, 3.60 ERA). Sin pitched 4 solid innings in game 6 of the EL Pennant Series before injuring himself. But the injury was not serious and he is ready to go.

Top of the 1st:
Sin gets roughed up right off the hop. Francis Jones leads off with a full-count walk. With one out, Aidan Thirkettle crushes one to right center. RF Jim Mars goes back and tries to time his jump, but it caroms off the top of the wall. Thirkettle tears around second and slides headfirst into third ahead of the throw as Jones scores.
Cooper Tyson belts one high into the air toward rightfield. Mars pulls it in. Thirkettle tags up and scores without a throw.
Paul England pounds the very next pitch through the hole into rightfield for a base hit. Ellis Dibble then smokes one to deep right center. CF Greg Yates tries to track it down but it’s over his head and skips to the wall. Dibble rounds second and slides safely into third as England scores.
Sean Abercrombie hits a weak grounder toward the hot corner. Yorikane Takeuchi charges for it and scoops it up but doesn’t risk the throw as Dibble scores.
Paul Heisler then pounds ones down the line into rightfield. Mars gives chase but can’t get to it as it bounces into the corner. Abercrombie hustles to third then breaks for home. 1B Wayne Emmert cuts off the throw to home and fires it to third. But Heisler slides in safely where it is officially scored as an RBI double.
Pulberry 5 – Wellington 0

Top of the 2nd:
Francis Jones takes a pitch low and away for ball four to lead off. That ends Sin’s afternoon as LHP Jeff Routh comes on in relief.
Geralrd Koerner slaps one out to the right side. 1B Wayne Emmert fires it to second to cut down Jones but Koerner beats out the return throw to first to avoid the double play. Aidan Thirkettle hits s a roller between third and shortstop. SS Vance Fendley gloves it and throws out Koerner at second but 2B Vaiga Bultarro gets upended with a hard slide from Koerner. During Cooper Tyson’s subsequent at-bat, Thirkettle gets a great jump to steal second. Tyson then crushes one down the line into rightfield. Jim Mars races over to try and track it down but it bangs off the wall. Tyson hesitates at second then turns on the jets before sliding in hard to beat out the relay throw for a triple as Thirkettle scores on the play.
Pulberry 6 – Wellington 0

Bottom of the 4th:
Rodman’s pitch is too far inside, hitting lead-off hitter Jim Mars. Declan Bugbie hits a hard grounder back up the middle into centerfield. Mars tears around second and hustles over to third to put runners on the corners. Yorikane Takeuchi skies one out toward center. Cooper Tyson hustles to it and makes a nice running grab. Mars tags up as Tyson throws home. Mars slides in hard but is called out on a very close play. Bugbie takes second on the play. But Vance Fendley hammers one out to right. Bugbie takes third then sprints for home. C Paul England tries to apply the tag but Bugbie scores on the RBI single.
Pulberry 6 – Wellington 1

Bottom of the 5th:
With one out, Wayne Emmert punches one through the first base side into rightfield for a base hit. Two pitches later, Emmert breaks for second. C Paul England rifles it to second but his throw sails wide into the outfield. Emmert takes third on the error.
Matthew Floyd then hits one out to left centerfield. Cooper Tyson pulls it down and throws home, but Emmert slides in safely to score.
Pulberry 6 – Wellington 2

Bottom of the 6th:
Declan Bugbie lines one down the line into short leftfield. Aidan Thirkettle pursues it as it rolls around in foul territory. Thirkettle throws to second, but Bugbie slides in safely with a one-out double. With two-out, Vance Fendley flares a 2-0 pitch out toward short left center for a base hit. Bugbie takes third then breaks for home. C Paul England gets the throw from Thirkettle and spins to try and apply the tag, but Bugbie is ruled safe for the Athletics’ third run.
Pulberry 6 – Wellington 3

Bottom of the 7th:
LHP Dermott Rathbone comes on in relief of Rodman. But Wayne Emmert lashes Rathbone’s first offering into rightfield for a 1-out base hit. Mathew Floyd walks on 5 pitches, moving Emmert up to second. Greg Yates then lines the first pitch into short left-center. SS Francis Jones leaps but it finds the outfield for a base hit. Emmert tears around third and heads for home. CF Cooper Tyson sends a long throw to the plate, but Emmert slides in headfirst safely.
Tyson immediately reacts in pain after the throw and is removed from the game after the trainer examines his left shoulder. Bryan Goetz takes his place in the outfield.

In the bottom of the 9th, Matthew Floyd flares one out to short leftfield. Aidan Thirkettle charges at full speed but it falls in for a lead off base hit. But both PH Brayden Docking and Jack Jefferson strike out swinging. Lastly, Declan Bugbie lofts one down the leftfield line. Aidan Thirkettle charges and making a sensational diving catch to end the game. Pulberry hangs on to take a commanding 3 games to 1 lead in the series.
FINAL: Pulberry 6 – Wellington 4

CF Cooper Tyson was later diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis and is gone for the rest of the Series (6 weeks).

reds1 · 07-26-2022, 08:18 AM

Game 5 – April 11

It’s do-or-die time for the Athletics as they face elimination. Over the first four games of the Series, they have been outscored by the Trolleys 26-11. Still, they have one more game at home with a packed house looking to cheer them on. It’s warm with nary a cloud in the sky.

20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (2-0, 24.0 IP, 0.38 ERA), who has pitched brilliantly thus far in the playoffs, looks to wrap things up for Pulberry. On the other hand, Wellington has put the weight of the world upon the shoulders of 31-year old RHP Troy Conlin (0-2, 11.0 IP, 6.55 ERA). Conlin gave up 7 runs over 5 innings of work in Pulberry’s 12-0 win in Game 1.

Top of the 6th:
The game remains scoreless until the 6th. Bart Ohara drives one toward right centerfield. RF Jim Mars can’t get to it in time as it falls in for a 1-out base hit. With 2 out, Gerard Koerner jumps on a 0-2 pitch, launching it into short centerfield. Greg Yates races in but cannot make the catch. Ohara wheels around second and heads for third. Yates whips it to 3B, but Ohara slides in safely. Like Pulberry’s CF Cooper Tyson the day before, Yates reacts in pain after the throw and is forced to leave the game. Jack Jefferson comes in to replace him.
Aidan Thirkettle then drives a 2-2 pitch to centerfield. Jefferson can only it play it on the hop as Ohara crosses the plate.
Pulberry 1 – Wellington 0

Bottom of the 8th:
PH Doug Bowman walks on 5 pitches with one out. Matthew Floyd bashes one to short rightfield for a base hit. Bowman moves up to second, then is replaced by PR Jordan Backhouse. Jack Jefferson then drives one down the line into deep leftfield. Thirkettle sprints after it but it sails over his head and rolls into the corner. Backhouse tears around third and easily crosses the plate. Floyd hustles into third then breaks for home. Floyd scores without a throw as Wellington takes the lead.

In the top of the 9th, PH Gustavo Hernández leads off with a full count walk. That ends Conlin’s afternoon as RHP Finley Capstick comes on in relief.
Aidan Thirkettle grounds out to SS Vance Fendley as Hernández takes second. Paul England then flares one out to RF Harvey Thornber for the second out. Hernández tags up and slides safely into third. But Ellis Dibble lifts one out to centerfield right where Jack Jefferson is standing. Jefferson hauls it in for the final out. Wellington hangs on to keep the Series alive and send it back to Pulberry for Game 6.
FINAL: Pulberry 1 – Wellington 2

CF Greg Yates suffered some back stiffness, but it is not considered too serious (Day to day, 5 days).

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Game 6 – April 13

The Series returns to Trolleys Stadium with Pulberry looking for one more victory and Wellington looking to tie things up. Neither team will get much relief from the elements today: the temperature has shot way up with no clouds in sight.

34-year old RHP Robin Medellin (1-1, 17.0 IP, 1.06 ERA) is tasked with getting the Trolleys over the hump while Wellington’s ace, 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell (2-1, 22.0 IP, 2.16 ERA), looks to keep the Trolley’s bats quiet as Troy Conlin did in Game 5.

Bottom of the 5th:
Pulberry gets something going when Paul Heisler lines one into left center. LF Matthew Floyd cuts it off to hold Heisler to a single. Robin Medellin squares up and bunts the ball back to the pitcher. Vinnie Snell fields it but his throw is low and in the dirt as 1B Wayne Emmert is unable to play it on the hop. Medellin takes second while Heisler moves up to third on the error. Jacob Sverdloff then walks on 4 pitches to load the bases.
After Gerard Koerner pops out to 3B Yorikane Takeuchi, Snell loses Aidan Thirkettle and walks him, forcing in a run.
Paul England then battles Snell to a full count before taking a pitch high and away to force in Pulberry’s second run.
On the next pitch, Ellis Dibble drives one to right center. CF Jack Jefferson hustles over to make a nice sliding catch. But Sverdloff tags up and scores without a throw.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 3

Top of the 6th:
Jim Mars sends a hard shot straight up the middle that sneaks its way into centerfield for a 1-out base hit. Declan Bugbie then lines the next pitch out to right center. RF Ellis Dibble hurries back and lunges but can’t reach it as the ball drops in and rolls to the wall. Mars hustles over to 3B as Bugbie pulls up into second.
Jack Jefferson lines a grounder through the hole into leftfield. Mars comes home for Wellington’s first run on the base hit.
Wellington 1 - Pulberry 3

Top of the 9th:
Yorikane Takeuchi belts the first pitch down the line toward left. Aidan Thirkettle tracks it down in the corner but can only throw it back to the cut-off man as Takeuchi reaches second with a lead-off double. PH Brayden Docking also belts the first pitch he sees towards the bag at third. But it eludes 3B Francis Jones and rolls all the way to the wall. Takeuchie scores easily as Docking wheels into second.
Doug Bowman then sends a hard shot toward second base. Paul Heisler gets in front of it and throws out Bowman as Docking takes third.
But the struggling Vaiga Bultarro booms one into deep centerfield. Jacob Sverdloff races back but he can’t quite reach it as it bounces off the wall. Docking races home to tie up the game as Baltarro motors into second.
LHP Dermott Rathbone then comes on in relief as Robin Medellin’s day is done.
One pitch later, Baltarro breaks for third. C Paul England whips a rocket and nails him for the second out.
Wayne Emmert then laces one into rightfield for a base hit, but Matthew Floyd strikes out swinging to end the rally.
Wellington 3 - Pulberry 3

Bottom of the 9th:
RHP Finley Capstick takes over and gives up a lead off base hit to Jacob Sverdloff. But PH Gustavo Herndández strikes out swinging and Aidan Thirkettle hits a high fly ball to deep centerfield that Jack Jefferson tracks down for the second out. During Paul England’s subsequent at-bat, Sverdloff takes off for second and is thrown out by C Declan Bugbie to end the inning, sending the game into extras.
Wellington 3 - Pulberry 3

Top of the 10th:
PH Keon-Chae Cho skies the first pitch out toward the gap in deep left center. CF Jacob Sverdloff reaches for it but misses as it bounces off the wall. Cho rounds first and slides in safely at second for a lead-off double. Declan Bugbie drills one out to the very same neighborhood two pitches later. Sverdloff lunges but can’t quite get to it. Cho comes home as the ball rolls to the base of the wall. Bugbie beats out the throw to second for a go-ahead RBI double.

In the bottom of the 10th, Paul England and Ellis Dibble lead off with back-to-back singles off Finley Capstick.
But a Francis Jones’ liner to left is caught by a diving Matthew Floyd for the first out. Sean Abercrombie then raps one out to the right side. 2B Vaiga Bultarro scoops it up and feeds it to SS Yorikane Takeuchi covering second, who in turns rifles it to 1B Wayne Emmert for the twin killing. Wellington wins a thriller to tie up the Series and force a deciding Game 7.
FINAL: Wellington 4 - Pulberry 3

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Game 7 – April 14

For the 7th time in United Leagues’ history, the United Cup has come down to a winner-take-all game 7. The Wellington Athletics, badly outmatched in the early going, have crawled their way back to tie the Series. Now it all comes down this: Game 7 about to be played at a packed Trolleys Stadium with the country at a practical standstill, as the eyes and ears of the nation hang on to every word of the radio broadcast or flickering image of a black-and-white television. Weather will not spoil the proceedings. It’s once again sunny and hot along the south-east coast.

28-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (1-1, 21.0 IP, 3.00 ERA) is given the assignment of his life – starting a Game 7. He is looking to redeem himself after a so-so start in Game 3. But Wellington is forced to go with their No. 5 starter, 31-year old RHP Zak Annett (9-13, 4.16 ERA, 1.30 WHIP), as Mike Murray is still nursing strained muscles in his throwing arm. This will be the 10-year veteran’s first playoff start after pitching in relief for just 0.1 innings back in Game 2. No pressure.

Bottom of the 2nd:
Annett walks Sean Abercrombie with one out. With two out, Paul Heisler hits a sharp grounder back up the middle. 2B Vaiga Bultarro lunges for it but can’t get a grip on it and doesn’t risk the throw. Abercrombie moves up to second on the infield hit. Taylor Folkard then hits a hard grounder past 1B and into rightfield. Abercrombie hustles into third then breaks for home. RF Jim Mars throws it in but Abercrombie slides in safely for the game’s first run.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 1

Bottom of the 3rd:
Aidan Thirkettle leads off and taps one out to the right side. Annett dives for it and makes a quick throw to first. But Emmert can’t reach it as it sails high over his head. Thirkettle takes second on the error. With one out, Ellis Dibble punches a 2-2 pitch through the left side hole past a diving SS Vance Fendley. Dibble rounds the bag but reverses course and returns to first. Thirkettle reaches third and dashes for home. LF Matthew Floyd fires it back in but it’s wide of the mark and C Decaln Bugbie has to chase it down. Thirkettle scores as Dibble moves up to second on the second error of the inning.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 2

Bottom of the 4th:
Paul Heisler drives one into right center. CF Jack Jefferson races back for it but it eludes him and caroms off the wall. Heisler tears around first and slides in safely for a lead-off double. With the corners drawn in, Taylor Folkard lays down a bunt to the left side of the mound. Annett gets it off fast to throw Folkard out at first as Heisler takes third. After Francis Jones walks on a full count, Gerard Koerner hits a sharp grounder out to SS Vance Fendley. Fendley flips it to 2B Vaiga Bultarro for one, but Jones breaks up the double play attempt with a hard slide as Heisler scores.
That ends Zak Annett’s afternoon as LHP Jeff Routh comes on in relief to get Wellington out of the jam.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 3

Bottom of the 7th:
Gerard Koerner belts one to left center. CF Jack Jefferson goes back but it’s over his head and bounces off the wall. Jefferson retrieves it and whips it to third as Koerner bears down on the base. Koerner slides in safely for a one-out triple.
Aidan Thirkettle battles back from a 0-2 count to make it full. Thirkettle then crushes Routh’s changeup and sends it out toward rightfield. Jim Mars runs back to the wall, but it sails 410 ft. into the boisterous crowds for a 2-run home run.
Paul England immediately follows and jumps on a 2-2 slider, sending it soaring down the leftfield line. Matthew Floyd races back but it lands just fair 364 ft. into the delirious stands for a solo home run.
Wellington 0 - Pulberry 6

Top of the 8th:
Wellington finally gets something going, thanks to some Trolleys’ miscues.
Doug Bowman grounds one past a diving SS Sean Abercrombie for a lead-off single. Vaiga Bultarro hits a tapper back to the mound. Folkard fields it but it pops out of his glove. Bultarro reaches safely as Bowman takes second on the error.
Wayne Emmert hits a vicious grounder down to first. Gerard Koerner corrals it and fires it to second for the first out. Abercrombie sends it back to first, but Emmert beats out the throw as Bowman takes third. Folkard then walks Matthew Floyd to load the bases.
Jim Mars battles Folkard to a full count before sending a bouncer toward second. Paul Heisler makes the grab but can’t find the handle. Bowman comes home on the second error of the inning as Emmert advances to third with the bases still loaded.
PH Brayden Docking then sends a rocket down the line toward short right for a base hit. Emmert scores easily on the play. Floyd is not far behind him, as he races around third and heads for home. RF Ellis Dibble fires it home, but Floyd slides in safely for Wellington’s third run. That ends Folkard’s day as LHP Dermott Rathbone comes on in relief.
Although Rathbone surrenders a single to Jack Jefferson to reload the bases, he strikes out both Yorikane Takeuchi and Vance Fendley to end the rally.
Wellington 3 - Pulberry 6

Bottom of the 8th:
RHP Finley Capstick takes over from Jeff Routh in the 8th.
First up is PH Gustavo Hernández who lines a 1-2 pitch out toward shallow right center for a base hit. On the very next pitch, Hernández takes off for second. C Doug Bowman fires it to second but the throw is off course and it sails into the outfield as Hernández moves up to third. Paul Heisler then drives one to deep right center. CF Jack Jefferson races over and makes a nice leaping catch. But Hernández tags up and scores unchallenged.

Dermott Rathbone takes the hill in the top of the 9th needing just three more outs.
Doug Bowman hits a 3-1 grounder out toward second and is thrown out by Paul Heisler. Vaiga Bultarro spanks a sharp grounder to the left side. 3B Makani Kahale scoops it up and fires it to 1B Gerard Koerner for the second out.
But Rathbone’s 1-2 pitch to Wayne Emmert is too far inside and he is awarded first base. Next up is Matthew Floyd. Floyd battles Rathbone to a 2-2 count, fouling off two consecutive pitches, but he strikes out swinging on the next pitch, ending the game, the Series and the season. The Pulberry Trolleys prevail in seven to win their first United Cup!
FINAL: Wellington 3 - Pulberry 7

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reds1 · 07-27-2022, 10:55 AM

DreamTeams · 07-28-2022, 10:52 PM

FINALLY!

It's the Trolleys year.

reds1 · 08-12-2022, 01:37 PM

reds1 · 10-10-2022, 02:52 AM

Babe Ruth Award

Embro Suns’ 27-year old 3B Moromao Nakagawa (.331/.413/.592, 30-2B, 36 HR, 123 RBI, 81 BB, 4 SB, 168 OPS+, 8.3 WAR) successfully defended his standing as the Eastern League’s top offensive player, winning the Babe Ruth Award for the second consecutive season. Nakagawa and Raymond Williams finished 1-2 for the second straight year as well, but this time Nakagawa swept all first-place votes. Rod Dennis received votes for the first time since the 1952-53 season, but his 123 votes this year was his best showing by far.

Nakagawa led the Eastern League in HR (36), RBI (123), WAR (8.3), Hits (185), Runs (110), TB (331), EBH (70), ISO (.261) and WPA (8.66). He finished second in another 5 categories and in the Top 5 in 4 others. As an aside, he led the entire United Leagues in 3 categories (highlighted in bold).

Next in order of vote getting:

2nd: Cobourg’s 30-year old CF Raymond Williams (.301/.402/.547, 28-2B, 29 HR, 88 RBI, 86 BB, 14 SB, 152 OPS+, 7.3 WAR)
3rd: Queensland’s 30-year old LF Rod Dennis (.343/.415/.596, 29-2B, 33 HR, 100 RBI, 69 BB, 173 OPS+, 6.1 WAR)

Williams finished second in 3 categories and in the Top 5 in 11 others.

Dennis led the circuit in AVG (.343), SLG (.596), OPS (1.011), OPS+ (173), wOBA (.442) and RC/27 outs (9.77). He finished second in 6 further categories and in the Top 5 in 3 others.

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Satchel Paige Award

Queensland Eagles’ RHP Logan Belsey and RHP Stiofan Micklethwait have each received votes for the top pitcher in the East for the past five and four seasons respectively, with Belsey winning the honor in 1952-53 and 1954-55. But this season, 27-year old LHP Robin Wadsworth (20-9, 1.96 ERA, 257.0 IP, 1.10 WHIP, .232 BABIP, 199 ERA+, 6.2 WAR) came out just ahead of Belsey in his second season of receiving votes.

Wadsworth led the East in ERA (1.96), SHO (6), ERA+ (199), rWAR (10.6) and QS (28). He finished second in 1 other category and in the Top 5 in a further 15. He led the entire United Leagues in 4 categories (highlighted in bold).

Following him were:

2nd: 30-year old RHP Logan Belsey (21-6, 2.63 ERA, 267.1 IP, 1.19 WHIP, .282 BABIP, 147 ERA+, 8.8 WAR).
3rd: 28-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait (21-5, 2.42 ERA, 267.2 IP, 1.03 WHIP, .230 BABIP, 160 ERA+, 7.8 WAR)

Belsey led the Eastern League (and the entire ULB for that matter) in W (21 – tied), WAR (8.8), K (219), K/BB (2.7) and FIP (2.55). He finished second in 4 other categories and in the Top 5 in 6 others.

Micklethwait led in W (21 - tied), WHIP (1.03), WIN% (.808), Opp OBP (.265) and Opp OPS (.561). He finished second in 11 other categories and in the Top 5 in 4 others.

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Rookie of the Year Award

Cobourg acquired the 25-year old LF Harrison Covey (.254/.355/.396, 13-2B, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 80 BB, 5 SB, 101 OPS+, 2.9 WAR) from the Balmoral Giants last June and Covey rewarded the Redlegs with a Rookie of the Year performance. The former 2nd-round pick from 1951-52 is a defensive marvel that is projected to be a solid regular with hard contact and above-average power.

A pair of Legends followed him in the voting:

2nd: Brunswick’s 24-year old IF/OF Edliberto Mandac (.305/.351/.452, 24-2B, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 26 BB, 7 SB, 113 OPS+, 1.5 WAR)
3rd: Brunswick’s 26-year old LHP Joshua Witherden (.214/.315/.387, 13-2B, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 57 BB, 7 SB, 87 OPS+, 1.4 WAR)

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Babe Ruth Award

Another dominant performance by Pulberry’s 26-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.334/.434/.628, 27-2B, 40 HR, 113 RBI, 88 BB, 9 SB, 188 OPS+, 9.1 WAR) earned him his third consecutive Babe Ruth Award. He is third position player to win three Babe Ruth Awards in his career and the second to win it three years in a row, following Kingston Pelican’s catcher, Danny Trowbridge. It was also the first time he earned all first-place votes and was joined by four of his teammates in collecting votes.

Thirkettle led the League in a whopping 15 categories. They are: AVG (.334), HR (40), RBI (113), OBP (.434), SLG (.625), OPS (1.062), WAR (9.1), Runs (116), TB (331), EBH (71), ISO (.294), OPS+ (188), WPA (6.48), wOBA (.461) and RC/27 Outs (10.6). He finished second in 1 other category (caught stealing) and in the Top 5 in 1 other (hits). He led the entire United Leagues in 10 categories (highlighted in bold).

This year’s runners-up were:

2nd: Sherburn’s 28-year old LF Ross Shewman (.286/.396/.530, 22-2B, 26 HR, 110 RBI, 92 BB, 1 SB, 145 OPS+, 7.0 WAR)
3rd: Pulberry's 25-year old C Paul England (.317/.402/.523, 22-2B, 24 HR, 94 RBI, 66 BB, 152 OPS+, 6.8 WAR)

Shewman finished second in 2 categories and in the Top 5 in 10 others.

England finished in the Top 5 in 7 categories.

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Satchel Paige Award

32-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (18-5, 2.49 ERA, 278.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, .282 BABIP, 159 ERA+, 7.8 WAR) wins his third Satchel Paige Award and first since the 1947-48 season, an 8-year gap. That breaks the previous record of 7 years, originally set by Anastasio Rodríguez with the Brunswick Legends. The 12-year veteran and 7-time all-star, who failed to earn any votes last season, enjoyed one of his very best campaigns and could be primed for more. He has an ‘iron man’ constitution and has been one of the steadiest, most consistent pitchers in the United Leagues. He has been with the Tigers since they drafted him 4th overall back in 1942-43.

Chapa led the West in ERA (2.49), WAR (7.8), IP (278.2), ERA+ (159), rWAR (9.1), WIN% (.783) and QS (30). He finished in the Top 5 in 2 other pitching categories. He led the entire United Leagues in 2 categories (highlighted in bold).

Finishing behind Chapa in voting this year were:

2nd: Pulberry’s 20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (13-11, 2.95 ERA, 247.0 IP, 1.22 WHIP, .268 BABIP, 130 ERA+, 7.4 WAR)
3rd: Hespeler’s 28-year old RHP Battista Carotta (17-13, 3.37 ERA, 275.1 IP, 1.30 WHIP, .270 BABIP, 118 ERA+, 6.3 WAR)

Ohara finished first in FIP (2.70) and Opp SLG (.315). He finished second in 3 other categories and in the Top 5 in a further 8.

Carotta finished first in CG (20) and SHO (5). He finished second in another 2 categories and in the Top 5 in 7 others.

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Rookie of the Year Award

For the first time in United Leagues history, a tie for a major player award occurred – and they are teammates on a championship squad to boot. Although the news article announced 24-year old SS Sean Abercrombie (.253/.333/.436, 17-2B, 19 HR, 71 RBI, 56 BB, 7 SB, 110 OPS+, 2.6 WAR) as the winner, it does acknowledge that he finished in a dead heat with 20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (13-11, 2.95 ERA, 247.0 IP, 1.22 WHIP, .268 BABIP, 130 ERA+, 7.4 WAR). On the other hand, the award winners listed under the History tab names Ohara as this season’s Rookie of the Year. But both received a Rookie of the Year icon on their respective player’s page thus confirming the tie. Both were well deserving, and each contributed to their team’s success this past season.

Finishing behind the Pulberry duo were:

3rd: Wolseley’s 26-year old C Mike Hutchison (.265/.346/.375, 21-2B, 6 HR, 58 RBI, 52 BB, 93 OPS+, 2.4 WAR)
4th: Sherburn’s 24-year old CF Leon Albrecht (.234/.349/.375, 10-2B, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 49 BB, 5 SB, 93 OPS+, 2.0 WAR)

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Manager of the Year Award

Although his club came up short in the United Cup finals, the ULB took note of the fine job 62-year old Wildemar Aquino (210-223, .485) did in guiding the Wellington Athletics back to the playoffs for the first time in 4 years. The Athletics improved by 20 wins over last season to go from last to first place and a berth into the United Cup finals. Although an 18-year veteran, this was just his third as a manager and his first winning season.

On the other hand, 50-year old Ryo Ichikawa (1001-851, .540) has been a manager throughout his 12-year career and has enjoyed tremendous success. As manger of the Embro Suns for 7 seasons, he led them to three Pennants and one United Cup appearance. When he joined the Pulberry Trolleys in 1951-52, he took over a squad that had lost a combined 191 games over the previous two seasons. But they immediately began to win under his guidance, culminating with three consecutive first-place finishes and finally, a Western League Pennant and United Cup championship this past season. He wins the Manager of the Year Award for the second straight season.

Previous Winners:

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New Records Set

Several pitching records were set this season:

• Queensland’s 30-year old RHP Marcus Turvill set a new mark for home runs allowed with 53. That surpasses Reece Abberley’s previous mark of 43 set in 1940-41.
• Queensland’s RHP Logan Belsey broke his own 1950-51 record of 203 strikeouts with 219 this past season.
• 30-year old LHP Larry Kovnats of the Braeland City Monarchs set a new mark of 205 walks allowed, surpassing Kent Dundon’s old mark of 198 set in 1950-51.
• Braeland City’s RHP Danilo Narvaez set a new mark of 6.16 HA/9 IP. The previous record was 6.41, set in 1952-53 by Bill Budd.
• LHP Larry Kovnats also set a new record of 7.66 K/9 IP, surpassing his own mark of 7.37 from last season.
• Finally, RHP Danilo Narvaez broke Bill Blair’s 1952-53 record of .1974 Opp AVG, with a new mark of .1890.

DreamTeams · 10-12-2022, 01:59 AM

Nice hardware, the boys picked up this season. Icing on the cake. Once again, what a fabulous year for the Trolleys.

reds1 · 10-22-2022, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamTeams

Nice hardware, the boys picked up this season. Icing on the cake. Once again, what a fabulous year for the Trolleys.

The Trolleys are shaping up to be scary good à la the Pelicans and Unions previously. It will be interesting to see if they can become a dynasty as well.

04-18-2022, 11:43 AM	#741
DreamTeams Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 2,522	The season is shaping up nicely with all of those all-stars on the roster. Welcome to Pulberry, Mr. Bandong. Go trolleys! __________________

04-20-2022, 09:27 AM	#742
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	March 1, 1956 - Snapshot Here is a snapshot of the Leagues, with a few February highlights that will be featured in the End of the Regular Season league reports: • Which pitcher came within one out of throwing a perfect game? • Who became the 15th player in ULB history to hit 3 home runs in a game? • February was a month for both hot and cold streaks. On the hot side of things, the Embro Suns won ten straight games (in a 15-2 stretch that started in late January). And the Queensland Eagles helped their playoff chances with both a 6-game and an 8-game winning streak during a 17-2 run that also started in the last days of January. On the flip side, the Cambria Cannons finished the month of January with a 7-game winning streak. But as soon as the calendar turned to February, they went 12 straight games without a victory. That has knocked them out of the wild card spot, at least for time being. ----------- ----------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland

06-29-2022, 08:16 PM	#743
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	March 26, 1956 Eastern League: Athletics, Barons to Battle for Pennant -------- Offense: .255/.329/.370 (3rd/5th/7th) Pitching: 3.45/3.49/3.31 (1st/1st/3rd) Defense: .735 (1st) The Wellington Athletics were trailing the Stratford Barons by a game at the start of March but caught the Barons one week later and never looked back. By March 19th, they had secured a playoff spot but had to wait until the second last day of the regular season to lock up first place, thanks to a 2-5 finish. The Athletics may have won 90 games this year (the most since 1939-40 when they won 93 games) but they don’t have the look of a juggernaut to me. But the same could be said about their opponents for the Eastern League Pennant, the Barons. Heading into the playoffs, the Athletics’ lineup is anchored by four key players: • 28-year old LF Matthew Floyd (.318/.436/.543, 21 HR, 89 RBI, 90 BB, 16 SB, 6.6 WAR) • 30-year old RF Jim Mars (.317/.380/.462, 12 HR, 86 RBI, 58 BB, 4 SB, 4.8 WAR) • 28-year old 1B Wayne Emmert (.280/.377/.422, 9 HR, 51 RBI, 82 BB, 3.0 WAR) • 23-year old CF Greg Yates (.279/.356/.455, 15 HR, 62 RBI, 46 BB, 2.9 WAR) Floyd is one of the top players in the ULB and Jim Mars enjoyed perhaps his best season in four years. Meanwhile, Yates continued to improve in his third season in the majors. But after them there is a drop off. This lineup is going to have to fire on all cylinders with Floyd and Mars leading the way if they want to get past the defending United Cup champions. For the Pennant Series, manager Wildemar Aquino announced the following four-man rotation: • 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell (13-11, 3.46 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 112 ERA+) • 32-year old RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin (18-5, 2.78 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 138 ERA+) • 24-year old RHP Mike Murray (6-5, 3.49 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 111 ERA+) • 31-year old RHP Troy Conlin (13-10, 3.82 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 101 ERA+) Murray (54/61) is an ace in the making but the sophomore is injury prone and has yet to complete a full season. On the other hand, Sin (55/55) had perhaps the most pleasantly surprising season in the United Leagues and should earn a few votes for the EL Satchel Paige Award this year. His career line is 68-78, 1 SV, 4.63 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 4.44 FIP, 88 ERA+. He was claimed on waivers from the Brunswick Legends back in December 1953. And while the middle relief was nothing special, their stopper, 33-year old RHP Finley Capstick (8-6, 28 SV, 1.81 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 214 ERA+) was sensational, tying the all-time record for saves in a season. First Round Draft Pick Update: 4th overall – IF/OF Jorge López (20/60). The Aruban-born López struggled in his first season in Double-A, batting .176/.221/.278, 4HR, 17 RBI, 8 BB, -1.3 WAR in 77 starts and 227 AB. -------- Offense: .251/.338/.391 (5th/1st/4th) Pitching: 3.67/3.71/3.52 (3rd/3rd/5th) Defense: .712 (4th) The Stratford Barons were bitten hard by injuries in the second half of the season, and it showed down the stretch. Thus, the Barons enter the playoffs at a distinct disadvantage. They are still a capable team with the best run differential in the East (+97), but they are limping at the worst possible time. On offense, the Barons did themselves a huge favor by acquiring 30-year old CF Alfonso León (.277/.355/.461, 24 HR, 64 RBI, 64 BB, 10 SB, 5.6 WAR) from the Downie Chiefs in late January. León is one of the top-rated players in the United Leagues (10th overall) and represents Stratford’s most dangerous offensive weapon heading into the playoffs. He is joined by four other stalwarts: • 27-year old 2B Matthew Channing (.286/.338/.461, 18 HR, 86 RBI, 42 BB, 11 SB, 4.8 WAR) • 28-year old RF Andy Faulkner (.263/.395/.429, 19 HR, 72 RBI, 108 BB, 3.6 WAR) • 36-year old C Aaron Skidmore (.258/.420/.444, 16 HR, 51 RBI, 90 BB, 4.4 WAR) • 26-year old 1B Sherwin Carasig (.301/.371/.457, 15 HR, 79 RBI, 58 BB, 14 SB, 3.7 WAR) Apart from Carasig, who missed most of last season with a litany of injuries, the others all endured down years compared to previous. And the loss of 24-year old SS Callum Spalton (.281/.309/.384, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 10 BB, 5 SB, 1.4 WAR), last season’s United Cup MVP, only puts more pressure on the offense to step up in the playoffs. Manager Xavier Ahernfeld announced the following four-man rotation for the Pennant Series: • 29-year old RHP Magtanggol Jaojoco (15-15, 3.69 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 106 ERA+) • 27-year old LHP Robin Wadsworth (20-9, 1.96 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 199 ERA+) • 28-year old RHP Ted Smith (16-9, 3.60 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 109 ERA+) • 29-year old RHP Bill Wolf (14-12, 4.18 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 93 ERA+) Noteworthy: February 10 – The Barons made quick work of the Balmoral Giants, sweeping a three-game series where the Giants could only muster a single run (in game 2). In the opening game, LHP Robin Wadsworth shut down Balmoral on 2 hits, leading Stratford to a 5-0 victory. Wadsworth went 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 98 PI (GS: 84). First Round Draft Pick Update: 16th overall – IF Manalageena Ulani (20/40). Ulani barely got his feet wet, with just 7 game appearances and 10 at-bats (.000/.000/.0.00, 0 H, 6 SO, -0.3 WAR) in Double-A. -------- Offense: .263/.337/.411 (1st/2nd/1st) Pitching: 3.90/3.78/4.36 (4th/4th/8th) Defense: .708 (5th) The Queensland Eagles endured a bumpy second half of the season that ultimately cost them a chance at making their first trip to the playoffs in 9 seasons. After putting up the best record in the United Leagues in February (Downie was second, going 17-8) and getting to within one game of the Barons for the wildcard, the Eagles crashed in March and were eliminated with 6 games left in the season. For the first time in years, the offense could be said to have been the strength of the team. In fact, Queensland has more quality pieces than it can handle and to me, has not handled those pieces as well as it could. Case in point is 26-yer old IF Apia Yarrah (.311/.372/.485, 12 HR, 56 RBI, 28 BB, 11 SB, 2.3 WAR – 65/65), who deserves to start at shortstop over 23-year old IF Noel Eissens (.221/.253/.290, 8-2B, 33 RBI, 12 BB, 2 SB, -0.0 WAR – 44/59). Eissens may be stronger defensively, but Yarrah is clearly the better offensive player. Also on the roster is last season’s 3rd overall pick, 23-year old 2B Dennis Purcell (.262/.371/.381, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 27 BB, 1.2 WAR – 45/70). He is projected to become another impact player and will need to find a regular spot in the lineup as early as next season. Their contributions will certainly help Queensland’s two best players, 30-year old RF Rod Dennis (.343/.415/.596, 33 HR, 100 RBI, 69 BB, 6.1 WAR) and 27-year old C Robbie Leivers (.271/.356/.461, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 60 BB, 4.9 WAR). While Dennis won the Eastern League Batting Title, Leivers emerged as one of the best catchers in the United Leagues this past season. For several seasons now, Queensland’s pitching staff was one of the best. This year though it was dragged down by a weak back half of the rotation and a dreadful bullpen. 30-year old RHP Logan Belsey (21-6, 2.63 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 147 ERA+) and 28-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait (21-5, 2.42 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 160 ERA+) remain the best 1-2 punch in the United Leagues and perhaps in ULB history. They were joined this year by 23-year old RHP Wayne O’Reilly (12-12, 3.59 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 108 ERA+). The Eagles need to shore up their bullpen and start their best players regularly if they want to end their playoff drought. It would be a shame to waste the talents of the two best starters in the game today. Player of the Week Award: February 27 – LF Rod Dennis (.565, 13 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 5 R) Noteworthy: February 11 – Lead-off hitter, 27-year old CF John Oldknow (.250/.321/.395, 11 HR, 52 RBI, 48 BB, 10 SB, 1.4 WAR) led the way in Queensland’s 10-6 win over the visiting Fort Richmond Generals, collecting 5 hits in 6 at-bats. Oldknow singled in the 1st, hit an RBI double in the 2nd, singled in the 4th, flied out in the 5th, hit a two-run single in the 7th and singled in the 8th. In all, he collected 3 RBI. 26-year old 3B Apia Yarrah enjoyed a big game, hitting two home runs, a 3-run shot in the 2nd and 2-run home run in the 8th. February 15 –C Robbie Leivers became just the 15th player in United Leagues’ history to hit 3 home runs in a single game. He did it in the Eagles’ 9-1 win over the visiting Hespeler Stars. Leivers started off with a bang, hitting a GRAND SLAM home run off LHP Amoka Kalea in the 1st inning, a solo shot in the 5th also against Kalea, then another solo home run in the 7th off RHP Kai Torr. In all, Leivers went 4 for 5 with 4 R, 6 RBI and a double to go along with his 3 dingers. First Round Draft Pick Update: 8th overall – OF Nobuyori Sugahara (20/40). The Japanese-native saw limited action in Double-A, batting .168/.234/.286, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 13 BB, 11 SB, -1.8 WAR in 73 starts, 220 AB. -------- Offense: .262/.334/.404 (2nd/3rd/2nd) Pitching: 4.09/4.42/3.24 (6th/8th/2nd) Defense: .701 (8th) The Embro Suns showed flashes of being a playoff-caliber team but were unable to maintain any consistency throughout the season. The Suns were ultimately done in by a brutal 8-18 stretch in November and although they turned things around, such as going 15-2 (including a 10-game winning streak) in late January and the first half of February, it was not enough to get them back into serious playoff contention. As a result, they struggled to stay just above .500 and were eliminated from contention on March 19. Pitching, particularly an unsettled rotation, was the main culprit. As a result, the Suns wasted brilliant performances by 27-year old 3B Moromao Nakagawa (.331/.413/.592, 36 HR, 123 RBI, 81 BB, 4 SB, 8.3 WAR) and 26-year old SS Kieron Bradridge (.301/.343/.476, 23 HR, 115 RBI, 40 BB, 5.7 WAR). Nakagawa was last season’s EL Babe Ruth Award winner and is currently rated No. 2 overall among all position players. But they weren’t alone. Solid years from 26-year old LF Jesús Abreu (.266/.387/.415, 15 HR, 64 RBI, 98 BB, 12 SB, 3.9 WAR) and 27-year old C Gareth Mawle (.309/.361/.449, 9 HR, 61 RBI, 37 BB, 3.2 WAR) helped make the Suns’ offense one of the best in the East this season. The rotation was erratic and largely ineffectual, with 28-year old RHP Bradley Strawson (14-9, 3.96 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 99 ERA+) and 25-year old RHP Bob Nord (14-11, 4.54 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 86 ERA+) representing the best of a weak lot. Embro does not have a strong farm system (9th overall) at the moment, but they do have 22-year old RHP Jun Kichida (45/52), a 2nd-round pick from this season’s draft in Triple-A. Kichida held his own in Triple-A in 7 starts (2-1, 4.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP), but the Suns will either need more promising arms or a bounce-back season next year if they hope to make a return to the playoffs. Player of the Week Award: February 6 – SS Kieron Bradridge (.476, 10 H, 2 HR, 10 RBI) March 19 – 3B Moromao Nakagawa (.364, 8 H, 3 HR, 11 RBI) Noteworthy: March 24 – The Suns managed to split their 4-game series against the Cobourg Redlegs, winning the final two games of the season. Game 1 saw a brilliant performance by RHP Bradley Strawson, who blanked the hometown team 4-0 on 2 hits. Embro got all the offense they needed in the top of the 1st inning when 30-year old 2B Robert Jameson (.277/.347/.372, 6 HR, 73 RBI, 59 BB, 8 SB, 2.7 WAR) and 28-year old 1B Napana Mamo (.267/.338/.425, 13 HR, 64 RBI, 56 BB, 6 SB, 2.7 WAR) led off with back-to-back doubles. Strawson’s final line score was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 119 PI (GS: 89). First Round Draft Pick Update: 12th overall – 2B James Reed (20/53). Reed got into just 35 games and 10 starts, batting .186/.222/.372, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, -0.3 WAR in Double-A. -------- Offense: .248/.333/.380 (7th/4th/6th) Pitching: 3.97/4.16/3.16 (5th/5th/1st) Defense: .713 (3rd) The Brunswick Legends performed much better in the second half of the season, going 40-32, but it wasn’t enough pull them out of the second division, never mind ending their playoff drought that now extends for 9 straight seasons. On both offense and in the pitching department, Brunswick is a middle of the road team in the East and that was certainly reflected in the standings. But the Legends have several position players currently in their prime that could benefit from a stouter pitching core. 27-year old C Robert Kersey (.308/.408/.557, 28 HR, 103 RBI, 75 BB, 6.6 WAR) is the unquestioned offensive leader on the team and one of the best players in the ULB (7th overall). But he has been joined by 25-year old RF Jay Mitchell (.282/.381/.500, 22 HR, 89 RBI, 77 BB, 4.3 WAR), who enjoyed a break-out season in his third year and picked up his first all-star selection. 29-year old lead-off hitter LF Carl Patton (.278/.380/.396, 10 HR, 47 RBI, 92 BB, 10 SB, 4.7 WAR) saw his offense dip a little from last season, but he remains an elite defender and baserunner. Meanwhile, 26-year old rookie CF Joshua Witherden (.214/.315/.387, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 57 BB, 7 SB, 1.4 WAR), a third-round pick from 1952, showed impressive flashes of power at times. But outside of 27-year old 1B Francis Joicey (.255/.352/.459, 20 HR, 54 RBI, 60 BB, 2.5 WAR), the rest of the lineup was decidedly underwhelming. Although ostensibly Brunswick’s No. 2 pitcher, 28-year old RHP Mhelter Pilapil (16-12, 3.40 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 116 ERA+) has emerged in recent seasons as the Legends’ top workhorse and earned his first all-star selection last year. Supporting Pilapil right now are 39-year old RHP Pi-ao Quian (14-14, 3.71 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 106 ERA+) and 24-year old RHP Dave Ball (10-12, 3.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 107 ERA+). Both have been respectable hurlers, but there is steep drop-off after them. Player of the Week Awards: February 13 – C Robert Kersey (.526, 10 H, 4 HR, 13 RBI) March 12 – 1B Francis Joicey (.529, 9 H, 4 HR, 10 RBI) First Round Draft Pick Update: 9th overall – 3B Al Annear (20/49). The Australian infielder got 66 starts and 188 AB in Double-A and displayed some power, going .207/.250/.473, 15 HR, 32 RBI, 10 BB, -0.2 WAR. -------- Offense: .255/.325/.402 (4th/7th/3rd) Pitching: 4.31/4.41/4.05 (8th/7th/6th) Defense: .707 (6th) The Braeland City Monarchs faded down the stretch and were eliminated with two weeks left in the season. Like the Legends, the Monarchs have a respectable offense that is being undermined by a poor pitching staff. But unlike Brunswick, Braeland City has several promising arms that are inching closer to the majors that could bring the franchise back to relevance in the ensuing seasons. If the talent all pans out, Braeland City could become a force to be reckoned with in the East soon. The offense remains the team strength, but for how much longer is starting to become a concern. 30-year old 2B Patrick Lidgate (.276/.383/.503, 23 HR, 73 RBI, 83 BB, 6.9 WAR) remains one of the ULB’s top players (4th overall) but he’s not getting any younger. Neither is 32-year old 1B Dean Witherden (.302/.384/.499, 27 HR, 82 RBI, 72 BB, 4.6 WAR), but he did enjoy a nice bounce-back season. In fact, it was perhaps the best of his 10-year career. 25-year old RF Aidan Trembath (.301/.357/.485, 25 HR, 99 RBI, 52 BB, 4.3 WAR) enjoyed another fine year hitting after Lidgate in the lineup; however, 26-year old CF Hayden Goodale (.257/.341/.482, 26 HR, 86 RBI, 60 BB, 3.1 WAR) struggled this season, especially on defense, after leading the ULB in home runs (36) last year. But the Monarchs promoted 20-year old CF Bernard Burkitt (.169/.195/.246, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, -0.6 WAR – 35/57), their 5th overall pick from 1953-54 to the major league roster this season. Although he only saw limited action this year (43 G, 118 AB), the 20th overall rated prospect has a chance to provide a further boost to the roster or at least provide some much-needed depth. The pitching is the real concern, with both the rotation and bullpen struggling this season. Only 29-year old RHP Danilo Narvaez (13-5, 2.42 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 164 ERA+) stood out this season and picked up his first All-Star selection for his efforts. But help appears to be on the way. On the major league roster right now is 22-year old LHP Johnny Hunter (39/61) who was promoted in March and appeared in 5 games. The former 8th overall pick from 1952-53 is a future starter and rated 7th overall among all prospects. Joining him is 22-year old RHP reliever Jonathan Brookins (1-1, 1 SV, 2.36 ERA, 1.26 WHIP – 50/59), who was acquired from the Downie Chiefs back in January. But the Monarchs also have 20-year old LHP Charlie Honeysett (31/48, 2nd-round pick in 1953-54), 23-year old RHP Clive Clarke (42/56, 2nd-round pick in 1954-55) and 22-year old RHP Bailey Organ (29/48, 2nd-round pick in 1955-56) developing in Triple-A as starters. If they were all to reach their potential shortly, then something big could be brewing in the Capital City very soon. First Round Draft Pick Update: 11th overall – IN/OF Andrew MacDerment (34/48). MacDerment was impressive in his first minor league season, hitting .290/.381/.510, 16 HR, 35 RBI, 32 BB, 19 SB, 3.0 WAR in 79 starts and 300 AB. His Double-A team, the Kingsville Royals, are set to face the Elgin Angels for the Heritage Leagues championship (Governors Cup). -------- Offense: .224/.299/.364 (8th/8th/8th) Pitching: 3.57/3.60/3.48 (2nd/2nd/4th) Defense: .731 (2nd) The Downie Chiefs made it clear that they were entering rebuilding mode this season when they traded away their 2-time Babe Ruth Award winner and 9-time All-Star, Alfonso León to the Stratford Barons just before the trade deadline. But instead of continuing to tear down, they kept their other 9-time All-Star, 30-year old 2B Dominic Dudding (.287/.333/.470, 23 HR, 80 RBI, 39 BB, 4.4 WAR) on the roster. Furthermore, what they received in return from all their trading has proven to be underwhelming, to say the least. The Chiefs do have young talent on the roster, but it has been underperforming and doubts remain as to whether it will turn Downie’s fortunes around. The glaring weakness of the team has been on offense, outside of Dudding. 24-year old CF Ben Darvell (.202/.340/.303, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 49 BB, 9 SB, 0.9 WAR – 51/60), 24-year old C Dave Murray (.250/.322/.446, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 19 BB, 1.7 WAR – 47/49) and 23-year old SS Jake Dean (.218/.254/.325, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 9 BB, -0.1 WAR – 44/47) represent the new young talent on the squad, but they haven’t shown anything as yet that they are ready for a full-time gig in the majors, let alone replace the likes of León. Perhaps next season will give us a better idea of what they are capable of. The Chiefs really need them to develop as their farm system is rather thin otherwise (15th overall). On the positive side, the pitching was a pleasant surprise with 33-year old RHP Kelii Pelanekelina (13-11, 3.22 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 119 ERA+) enjoying his best season in three years and 24-year old RHP Stefan Rankin (11-15, 3.77 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 102 ERA+) taking over the No. 1 spot in the rotation. And 28-year old RHP Eddie Stannard (6-3, 2.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 171 ERA+) acquitted himself quite well in the No. 4 spot despite having low stamina for a starter (35). But further pitching help is on the way. Downie has 24-year old LHP José Hernández (2-0, 1 SV, 2.78 ERA, 1.48 WHIP – 43/53) and 25-year old LHP Quin Merrifield (12-10, 10 SV, 4.61 ERA, 1.54 WHIP – 44/49) currently in the bullpen that are both future starters. Finally, it appears the Chiefs have their stopper of the future in 22-year old RHP Frank Greggs (10-2, 10 SV, 2.89 ERA, 1.35 WHIP – 61/71). Greggs was one the players that came over from the Stratford Barons in the Alfonso León deal. Player of the Week Awards: February 20 – 3B Freddie Ogburn (.529, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI) March 5 – 2B Dominic Dudding (.417, 0 HR, 2 RBI) Noteworthy: February 6 – In the 19 seasons of the United Leagues, there have been 11 no-hitters pitched but no perfect games. That drought nearly came to an end on a hot, sunny day in Downie between two desultory clubs. 32-year old LHP Hank Bennett (10-14, 3.63 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 106 ERA+), a 9-year veteran from Amherst, New Hampshire, was dialed in against the Wolseley Unions, keeping their hapless batters off the bases and scoreboard for 8-plus innings. In the top of the 9th, Bennett struck out both 2B Kane Viccars and RF Joey South before facing IF Kaituoe Mowan, who was pinch hitting for RHP Jeremy Albury. On the first pitch Bennett got a called strike, but on the next offering Mowan connected for a clean single into shallow leftfield to end the perfect game bid. Ultimately, Bennett settled for a 1-hitter when he induced a fielder’s choice from the next batter, CF Josh Eggert to end the game, leading the Chiefs to a 1-0 victory. The only run in the game came in the bottom of the 3rd when Bennett led off with a walk and reached 3B on a subsequent single and double play. Dominic Dudding then singled home Bennett. Bennett’s final line was 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 96 PI (GS: 90). March 20 – The Braeland City Monarchs may have won the 3-game series, but Game 2 was all Downie as RHP Kelii Pelanekelina shut out the visitors 5-0 on 2 hits. Braeland City could only muster singles off the 13-year veteran. Pelanekelina went 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 98 PI (GS: 89). First Round Draft Pick Update: 6th overall –OF Gary Scofield (20/46). The 19th rated prospect got off to an inauspicious start in Double-A, hitting .167/.220/.337, 10 HR, 32 RBI, 15 BB, --1.5 WAR in 79 starts and 264 PA. -------- Offense: .249/.328/.388 (6th/6th/5th) Pitching: 4.21/4.24/4.13 (7th/6th/7th) Defense: .706 (6th) The Cobourg Redlegs continued to regress for the third straight season, after they won 100 games and their first Pennant in 1952-53. But perhaps they are near to finally turning the corner. For one thing, the mood in the clubhouse is good despite finishing in last place. After years of feuding and being devoid of leaders, the Redlegs have an abundance of leadership. They also have no less than six young prospects on the major league roster that could help them rebound in the standings in the seasons to come. The offense is still led by 29-year old CF Raymond Williams (.301/.402/.547, 29 HR, 88 RBI, 86 BB, 14 SB, 7.3 WAR), the No. 3-rated position player in the United Leagues. He is joined by his long-time teammate, 34-year old 3B Alexander Tolmie (.307/.400/.487, 19 HR, 100 RBI, 75 BB, 4.8 WAR). On the other hand, 30-year old 1B Harry Doxey (.307/.363/.439, 13 HR, 69 RBI, 42 BB, 2.1 WAR) regressed offensively for the second straight season. The former Ball Hawk Award-winner also struggled defensively this year. But Cobourg has three rookies looking to establish themselves and help the club: • 23-year old IF/OF Luigi Purss (.227/.303/.342, 8 HR, 50 RBI, 50 BB, 0.0 WAR – 48/53) • 23-year old IF Harold Prudom (.185/.237/.353, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 10 BB, -0.1 WAR – 46/52) • 25-year old LF Harrison Covey (.254/.355/.396, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 80 BB, 5 SB, 2.9 WAR – 52/52) Covey enjoyed the most success, winning three Rookie of the Month honours. If they can continue to develop, along with former 6th overall pick from 1949-50, 24-year old SS Douglas Jones (.228/.321/.408, 19 HR, 47 RBI, 56 BB, 3 SB, 3.6 WAR), then the Redlegs may be back in business on offense in the near future. The pitching was lackluster as well, but that may be in part because the team brought in three rookie starters into the pitching staff. 27-year old LHP Bill Budd (13-11, 3.07 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 128 ERA+) remains one of the top-rated pitchers in the ULB (8th overall). But long-time stalwart, 28-year old RHP Fergus Hirst (2-4, 4.10ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 96 ERA+) has missed over eight months over the past two seasons due to injuries. The Redlegs must be concerned over whether he can stay healthy for any length of time now. But like the offense, Cobourg has three rookies looking to establish themselves in the rotation: • 22-year old RHP Albert Johnson (5-13, 5.22 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 75 ERA+ - 45/58) • 21-year old LHP Lachlan Lloyd (4-6, 1 SV, 3.67 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 107 ERA+ - 46/57) • 23-year old RHP Maurice Foley (3-6, 4.65 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 85 ERA+ - 49/60) Johnson is a former 9th overall pick from 1954-55, while Foley was acquired from the Queensland Eagles in a late January trade. Again, if these young players can develop their potential, something special could be brewing in Cobourg. But that’s a big if. Noteworthy: March 10 – The Redlegs lost a tough one, falling to the visiting Queensland Eagles, 9-7 in 12 innings. But the 20,738 fans in attendance did have something to cheer about when 3B Alexander Tolmie became the 14th player in ULB history to notch 2000 hits. He did it in his first at-bat, lining a single into leftfield against his former teammate, RHP Marcus Turvill. Tolmie went 1 for 2 with 2 BB before coming out of the game in the 8th for a pinch hitter. First Round Draft Pick Update: 5th overall – 1B Vic Weld (20/46). The Hespeler native did not see much action but showed some promise when he did. In 16 starts and 57 AB, Weld hit .263/.300/.404, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, -0.2 WAR. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 06-29-2022 at 11:04 PM. Reason: grammar

07-01-2022, 05:47 PM	#745
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	March 26, 1956 Western League: Battle of the West is Set Between Trolleys, Tigers -------- Offense: .273/.348/.434 (1st/1st/1st) Pitching: 3.41/3.45/3.26 (1st/1st/3rd) Defense: .720 (2nd) The Pulberry Trolleys locked up first place with seven games left in the season, thanks to an incredibly strong March – a stretch that included an 8-game winning streak and a 16-3 stretch over the final 19 games. Pulberry finishes with a 94-60 record, their best win total in their 19-year history. Its their second straight 90+ win season and marks their 3rd straight first place finish. Now they are out to try and capture their first Pennant. Manager Ryo Ichikawa has set his 4-man rotation for the Pennant Series: • 20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (13-11, 2.95ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 130 ERA+) • 28-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (16-11, 3.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 99 ERA+) • 35-year old RHP Robin Medellin (20-9, 3.28 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 117 ERA+) • 29-year old RHP Harley Rodman (8-6, 3.67 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 105 ERA+) Taylor Folkard, who struggled at times this season, got hot in February, and finished the last two months of the season with a 7-2, 3.12 ERA, 1.05 WHIP record. A strong performance from the rotation in the Pennant Series may be crucial as the bullpen appears to be Pulberry’s biggest vulnerability. That being said, 26-year old sophomore LHP Dermott Rathbone (17-8, 3.00 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 128 ERA+) was terrific this year. But 25-year old RHP Eddie Roach (3-5, 4 SV, 2.89 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 133 ERA+) and 31-year old stopper RHP Bonie Bandong (7-6, 22 SV, 3.40 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 116 ERA+) were consistent this season as well. The Trolleys lineup was arguably the most potent in the United Leagues this season. In fact, Pulberry led the United Leagues with best run differential with 154. No other team broke 100. Batters 1 through 6 were terrific. The lineup was anchored once again by the top player in the ULB, 27-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.334/.434/.628, 40 HR, 113 RBI, 88 BB, 9 SB, 9.1 WAR). Not only did Thirkettle win the Western League Batting Title, but he became just the third position player to earn a Triple Crown and the first since Carlton Hawking achieved it back in 1951-52. Pulberry greatly benefited as well from a couple of break-out seasons from 25-year old C Paul England (.317/.402/.523, 24 HR, 94 RBI, 66 BB, 6.8 WAR) and 30-year old 1B Gerard Koerner (.330/.391/.500, 22 HR, 83 RBI, 57 BB, 5.8 WAR). Both finished the season rated No. 2 overall at their respective positions. They were supported by 29-year old lead-off hitter 3B/SS Francis Jones (.304/.376/.496, 16 HR, 60 RBI, 48 BB, 8 SB, 4.3 WAR), 29-year old CF Cooper Tyson (.307/.392/.477, 16 HR, 76 RBI, 69 BB, 10 SB, 6.6 WAR) and 24-year old rookie SS Sean Abercrombie (.253/.333/.436, 19 HR, 71 RBI, 56 BB, 7 SB, 2.6 WAR), who batted from the 7th spot. Abercrombie had an uneven year overall but looks to be Pulberry’s shortstop of the future. Player of the Week Awards: February 6 – LF Aidan Thirkettle (.619, 13 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI) February 13 – 1B Gerard Koerner (.393, 11 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI) March 5 – C Paul England (.600, 9 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R) Noteworthy: February 15 – The Trolleys swept a 3-game set in Cobourg, capping it off with a convincing 6-0 win in the final game between the two clubs this season. RHP Taylor Folkard led the way, limiting the Redlegs to just one hit. Folkard’s final line was 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 113 PI (GS: 88). Pulberry’s offense was led by 29-year old back-up 2B Wade Billyard (.269/.314/.386, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 10 BB, 0.6 WAR), who hit a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning. SS Sean Abercrombie contributed a 3-run double as well. March 3 – Pulberry split their two games against the hometown Generals to open the month of March. In the first game, they trounced Fort Richmond 9-4, thanks to the hot bat of C Paul England who went 5 for 5 on the day. England singled in the 2nd, hit a 2-run double in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, singled in the 7th and lastly, hit a 3-run homer in the 9th. In all, he collected 2 R and 5 RBI. First Round Draft Pick Update: 15th overall – 3B Callum Gunton (35/44). Though his play was limited, Gunton enjoyed a very fine season in his first year in the minors. Getting 74 at-bats, he hit .311/.381/.568, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 8 BB, 0.9 WAR and was solid at the hot corner (.978 PCT, 2.45 RNG, 1.1 ZR, 1.088 EFF). -------- Offense: .269/.342/.401 (3rd/3rd/3rd) Pitching: 4.00/3.94/4.31 (4th/3rd/8th) Defense: .710 (4th) The Sherburn Tigers turned it on in February and March, going 30-16 in that stretch to overtake the Cambria Cannons for second place and never relinquished it. With two games left in the season, they nailed down the wild card and their first playoff berth in 10 years. During that 10-year stretch, they never escaped the second division and finished in last place four times. All those resulting high draft picks appeared to have paid off as the Tigers have assembled an exciting young core, especially on offense. But the Tigers are still a work in progress and will need to solidify their pitching staff if they want to sustain their newfound success. As to their pitching, manager Jamie Blair confirmed the following 4-man rotation for the Western League Pennant Series: • 26-year old LHP Brendan Wombwell (19-11, 3.85 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 103 ERA+) • 22-year old LHP Kozue Saito (9-11, 4.34 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 91 ERA+) • 32-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (18-5, 2.49 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 159 ERA+) • 29-year old RHP Ben Buschlen (14-6, 3.35 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 118 ERA+) There is no question that Sherburn is in good hands with starters Wombell, Chapa and Buschlen. But there are serious question marks after them in the rotation as well as in the bullpen. 23-year old LHP Javier Mesa (0-1, 9.72 ERA, 2.88 WHIP, 41 ERA+ - 44/62) was called up in January and has seen very limited playing time. He is considered a borderline starter for now but the second rounder from this season shows promise (No. 29th-rated prospect overall). The bullpen was the worst in the West, with only 35-year old stopper RHP Chris Herrera (14-5, 18 SV, 3.61 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 110 ERA+) being the sole reliable fixture. The offense is nowhere near as impressive as the Trolleys but there are signs that this could become an impressive core in its own right for years to come. 25-year old LF Ross Shewman (.286/.396/.530, 26 HR, 110 RBI, 92 BB, 7.0 WAR) emerged in his first full major league season as a solid regular and was Sherburn’s best player. The Calgary-native is currently rated No. 9 overall. He was ably supported by 26-year old 3B Adrian Flynn (.312/.376/.486, 16 HR, 90 RBI, 53 BB, 4.5 WAR) and two defensive stalwarts: 26-year old SS Dwayne Vick (.320/.361/.423, 3 HR, 59 RBI, 36 BB, 5.8 WAR) and lead-off hitter, 26-year old RF Albert Sulley (.287/.391/.395, 7 HR, 72 RBI, 97 BB, 17 SB, 5.9 WAR). Last year’s 1st overall pick, 24-year old Leon Albrecht (.234/.349/.375, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 49 BB, 5 SB, 2.0 WAR – 61/80) appears poised to take over centerfield at some point, but he has been hampered by injuries. He was out of action for nearly 9 weeks in the second half of the season. But there are some growing pains, particularly at the catcher position, as Sherburn has decided to start 24-year old rookie Robert Carr (.298/.386/.532, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 6 BB, 0.4 WAR – 43/47) over 33-year old C Christopher Dainty (.237/.344/.388, 9 HR, 56 RBI, 60 BB, 2.2 WAR – 54/54). Player of the Week Award: February 20 – 3B Adrian Flynn (.526, 10 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI) March 19 – RF Albert Sulley (.481, 13 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI) Noteworthy: March 16 – The Tigers took 3 of 4 games against Kingston at home, outscoring the Pelicans 28-16 over the 4 matchups. In the 3rd game, Sherburn handily defeated the visitors 13-6 on 19 hits. RF Albert Sulley netted 5 of them, going 5 for 6 on the afternoon. Sulley began the onslaught with a 2-run home off Les Hildred (0-2, 6.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP) in the 1st inning, then followed up with 3 singles and an RBI double in the 6th before flying out in the 8th. In all, Sulley collected 2 R and 3 RBI. First Round Draft Pick Update: 7th overall – OF Carlos Cuevas (27/56). The Puerto Rican-native showed impressive stuff in Double-A, especially at the plate. In 315 AB, he hit .267/.339/.546, 24 HR, 51 RBI, 30 BB, 7 SB, 2.0 WAR. He was promoted to Triple-A at the end of the season. -------- Offense: .270/.347/.422 (2nd/2nd/2nd) Pitching: 4.07/4.35/3.23 (6th/7th/2nd) Defense: .694 (8th) At the end of January, the defending Western League champions appeared poised to make a challenge for top spot in the West, thanks to a 7-game winning streak to end the month. That put them just 2-1/2 games back of the Pulberry Trolleys. Then the wheels fell off. As soon as the calendar turned over to February, the Cambria Cannons endured a 12-game losing streak, knocking them out of a playoff spot. They never recovered. Despite scoring 777 runs, the second-most in the United Leagues (Embro led with 780), they were done in by poor pitching and defense. They gave up 735 runs, the third worst in the ULB. The offense is as good as it gets in the United Leagues, with 24-year old LF Calvin Hanbridge (.295/.417/.465, 17 HR, 60 RBI, 115 BB, 8 SB, 5.9 WAR) leading off and the following four forming the heart of the lineup: • 36-year old SS César Ruíz (.319/.409/.563, 28 HR, 88 RBI, 62 BB, 4.9 WAR) • 29-year old 1B Carlos Corea (.318/.367/.543, 26 HR, 101 RBI, 34 BB, 4.6 WAR) • 26-year old CF Sam Tite (.273/.394/.541, 25 HR, 70 RBI, 75 BB, 4.6 WAR) • 31-year old 3B Luis Torres (.301/.358/.475, 22 HR, 96 RBI, 49 BB, 3.4 WAR) Now if they could make 24-year old Doug Martin (.285/.361/.433, 5 HR, 49 RBI, 48 BB, 7 SB, 2.4 WAR) their regular second baseman over 26-year old Quincy Blencowe (.293/.339/.389, 2 HR, 35 RBI, 23 BB, 1.2 WAR), who is fine in a utility role, they would be even better offensively. The pitching is currently at the core of Cambria’s problems, particularly the starting rotation. Although the bullpen was rated No. 2 in the West this season based on ERA, the entire staff has a patchwork feel to it. This was exacerbated by the loss of key pitchers such as 27-year old RHP Ray Lambright (9-6, 4.02 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 96 ERA+) and 23-year old LHP Sebastian Cromwell (2-1, 1 SV, 5.40 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 72 EA+) to season ending injuries. In the end, 37-year old journeyman LHP Aidan Fothergill (10-8, 3.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 117 ERA+) proved to be Cambria’s best starter this season, particularly in the second half, going 8-6, 2.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP from December to March. Noteworthy: March 12 – In the first game of a 3-game series in Hespeler, the Cannons spotted the Stars a 4-0 lead before their bats awoke in the top of the 5th inning and cruised to a 10-5 win. 1B Carlos Corea was outstanding, going 5 for 5. All his hits were singles and he collected 1 R and 2 RBI. CF Sam Tite blasted a 3-run home run in the 7th to tie the game up at 5-apiece before the Cannons scored 5 more runs in the final 2 innings for the victory. First Round Draft Pick Update: 14th overall – OF Kuauli Walenekino (31/49). The Fijian-native was outstanding in his first season in Double-A, hitting .259/.315/.489, 16 HR, 45 RBI, 21 BB, 1.9 WAR in 270 AB and stealing an impressive 31 bases while being caught 9 times. -------- Offense: .245/.316/.372 (8th/7th/6th) Pitching: 3.90/4.01/3.58 (3rd/5th/5th) Defense: .733 (1st) The Balmoral Giants’ streak of above .500 finishes ended at two this season as an injury to their star player and a lack of offensive depth did them in. The team is at a crossroads in my view as they don’t seem to have the depth of talent on both sides of the ball to develop into a contender. When they signed LF Ángel Costa (.312/.392/.598, 22 HR, 55 RBI, 41 BB, 4.1 WAR) as a 32-year rookie three seasons ago, it should have served as a signal to accelerate their rebuild to take advantage of their star player. Alas, they have largely failed to do so and now it may be too late. The two-time all-star missed the final two months of the season with a fractured ankle and at 35-years of age, may be on the decline. On the plus side, a couple of players enjoyed fine seasons. 27-year old 1B Erik Perry (.304/.346/.4355, 9 HR, 77 RBI, 38 BB, 8 SB, 4.2 WAR) proved that last season (4.0 WAR) was not a fluke. But 26-year old sophomore SS Hayden Gunton (.284/.362/.386, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 69 BB, 6.2 WAR) was outstanding as well. The former 6th overall pick from 1952-53 is now rated as the 5th best shortstop in the United Leagues and should be a lock for his first Ball Hawk Award (.981 PCT, 4.87 RNG, +21.0 ZR, 1.091 EFF). The rest of the lineup was a disappointment, exposing the Giants’ lack of depth and dearth of talent in the farm system. The pitching staff was much more consistent than the offense, but it too does not have a lot of depth. Balmoral did well in acquiring 30-year old RHP Wayne Nesling (12-9, 2.94 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 134 ERA+) who has become the ace of the rotation. 31-year old RHP Quintiliano Galeo (12-14, 3.63 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 107 ERA+) had his ups and downs throughout the season but was a dependable starter overall for the second straight year. The Giants also benefited from the trade that brought in 29-year old RHP Harry Dinsmore (7-12, 3.51 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 111 ERA+). Despite poor run support, Dinsmore enjoyed his best season by far in his 8-year career. But after them, it’s a rather non-descript bunch. Balmoral does have 24-year old RHP Kai Dean (5-7, 3 SV, 4.45 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 88 ERA+ - 43/56) in the bullpen. He should be ready to make the transition to the rotation next season. Noteworthy: March 11 – After dropping the first game, the Giants took the next three in Wolseley against the Unions. RHP Harry Dinsmore capped off the series on Sunday afternoon by pitching a 2-hitter and blanking the Unions 3-0. Both Wolseley hits were singles. Dinsmore’s final line was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 108 PI (GS: 84). First Round Draft Pick Update: 13th overall – 2B Maurice Gayford (22/50). Gayford’s first year was a bit of a struggle, going .145/.179/.275, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 9 BB, 7 SB, -1.9 WAR in 207 AB. -------- Offense: .255/.326/.380 (4th/5th/4th) Pitching: 4.18/4.18/4.17 (7th/6th/6th) Defense: .700 (5th) After getting 3 games above .500 and to within 3 games of the wildcard by January 23, the Hespeler Stars began to fade soon thereafter, then completely crashed in the final month. They finish below .500 for the 17th time in their 19-year history and in the second division for the 13th straight season. All-in-all, not a lot of positives to gleam from their season or their current minor league depth (5th overall). They have some young talent, but it has yet to produce. And with their best player aged north of 30, they may have squandered their best opportunity at getting good and making some noise. SS Zhao-hui Qian (.309/.369/.429, 9 HR, 63 RBI, 52 BB, 4.9 WAR) enjoyed another fine all-around season, although it was a step below previous efforts. At age 32, you have to wonder if his best years are now behind him. On the other hand, 1B John McMurray (.308/.367/.491, 22 HR, 91 RBI, 47 BB, 6 SB, 4.5 WAR) finally enjoyed a break-out season after 6-years in the majors. The 28-year old Wellington-native was one of the top first basemen in the United Leagues this season (3rd overall). 23-year old sophomore 3B Clive Yarwood (.283/.369/.460, 16 HR, 58 RBI, 46 BB, 3.3 WAR) and 28-year old RF John Anthony (.266/.358/.485, 25 HR, 78 RBI, 71 BB, 6 SB, 2.7 WAR) rounded out the heart of the Stars’ lineup, although Anthony was brutal in the field (.973 PCT, 2.62 RNG, -14.1 ZR, .925 EFF). But the lineup is populated with a number of young players still finding their footing, such as 23-year old C Aidan Bennie (.237/.295/.369, 6 HR, 33 RBI, 23 BB, 0.9 WAR – 50/69). The pitching staff was a rather lackluster group, with 28-year old ace RHP Battista Carotta (17-13, 3.37 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 118 ERA+) being the only standout all season. But the Stars do have a couple of future starters who got some playing time pitching out of the bullpen this season: 21-year old rookie RHP Zachariah Horton (7-7, 4.04 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 98 ERA+ - 53/59) and 24-year old rookie RHP Pedro Peña (1-1, 3.99 ERA, 1.36 WHIP – 50/59). Noteworthy: February 24 – The visiting Cambria Cannons won a hotly contested game against the Stars, pulling out a 5-4 victory in 11 innings. Things boiled over in the bottom of the 7th when a bench-clearing brawl broke out. RF John Anthony led off the bottom half with a solo home run, to get the Stars to within one. One out later, 24-year old IF/OF Eddie Reed (.312/.402/.542, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 14 BB, 1.3 WAR) tied things up with a solo shot of his own. Next up was 31-year old 2B Vic Lewis (.238/.306/.361, 13 HR, 57 RBI, 38 BB, 5 SB, 1.0 WAR), who previously slammed a 2-out, 2-run home run of his own back in the 5th inning to knot things up at 2-apiece. But Cambria’s 30-year old RHP Masami Fujihara was in no mood to give him a chance to hit another long bomb – his first offering plunked Lewis, prompting the batter to charge the mound and clear the benches. After the dust settled, the Commissioner’s office handed down a 4-game suspension to Lewis and a 6-game suspension to Fujihara. March 8 – The Stars opened a 4-game series against the Kingston Pelicans in impressive fashion, blanking them 1-0 on just 2 hits in Game 1. Taking game honours was 26-year old rookie RHP Curt McKnight (5-4, 4.17 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 95 ERA+) who went the distance for his fifth win of the season. His final line was 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 119 PI (GS: 86). The only run of the game came in the top of the 1st inning, when RF John Anthony doubled home 32-year old SS Zhou-hui Qian (.306/.364/.433, 10 HR, 63 RBI, 50 BB, 4.9 WAR). March 23 – The Stars went into Pulberry and dropped 3 of 4 to the playoff-bound Trolleys in the final series of the regular season. The lone win came in Game 2 and was the highlight for Hespeler as 15-year veteran, 36-year old LHP Patrick Denman (12-16, 4.86 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 82 ERA+) won his 200th career game, the 8th player in United Leagues’ history to reach the milestone. The Trolleys did not make it easy, as Denman, who also holds the record for most victories in a single season (27 in 1945-46), was holding Pulberry scoreless until they erupted for 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th to tie things up. But his teammates scored 3 times in the top of the 8th and held on for 7-5 win. Denman’s pitching line on the day was 9.0 IP, 13 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 129 PI (GS: 40). First Round Draft Pick Update: 3rd overall – IF/OF Alistair Benney (20/37). The 19-year old Bennie saw very little action in his first season in the minors. But he showed promise, hitting .286/.310/.429, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB in 28 at-bats while playing mostly leftfield. -------- Offense: .254/.327/.377 (5th/4th/5th) Pitching: 4.32/4.83/3.12 (8th/8th/1st) Defense: .699 (6th) The Kingston Pelicans improved by 6 games over last season and escaped the basement, but they still have a way to go in returning to relevance. It’s been 9 seasons since their glory years when went to the playoffs for 10 straight years and won 3 United Cups. What should help them is the fact that they have the second-deepest farm system in the United Leagues and should add to that this off-season. The offense is in better shape than the pitching, with some young prospects already reaching the majors this season. 29-year old C Carlos Camasura (.293/.424/.376, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 107 BB, 5.1 WAR) remains Kingston’s best player and is rated 4th overall among catchers in the ULB. He bounced back nicely after an injury-plagued season last year. Also enjoying a nice bounce-back was 27-year old SS Charlie Cockin (.276/.343/.380, 10 HR, 58 RBI, 50 BB, 3.6 WAR). 31-year old RF Mo Spencely (.295/.351/.503, 24 HR, 81 RBI, 52 BB, 10 SB, 3.2 WAR) was Kingston’s top offensive player, but he was a nightmare on the field (.969 PCT, 2.37 RNG, -13.3 ZR, .951 EFF). The Pelicans brought up a few young prospects to the major league roster this season, among them 22-year old IF/OF Denzel Daintry (46/54) and 24-year old 3B Andy Wearne (45/60). It remains to be seen what impact they will make in the seasons to come. The pitching remains largely a patchwork job, with 32-year old RHP Kaula Mafileo (12-8, 16 SV, 2.75 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 143 ERA+) moving back and forth between the rotation and stopper position once again. He is considered a starter albeit with poor stamina (30). 31-year old RHP Kieran Bunce (12-14, 3.59 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 110 ERA+) remains the Pelicans’ top starter but struggled in the second half of the season (4-7, 4.65 ERA, 1.42 WHIP). 26-year old RHP Lester Beddeos (7-6, 11 SV, 2.84 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 139 ERA+) was a reliable arm out of the bullpen and serves as the team’s stopper whenever Mafileo is moved to the rotation. Player of the Week Award: March 12 – C Carlos Camasura (.435, 10 H, 1 HR, 4 RBI) First Round Draft Pick Update: 1st overall – OF Dan Hesketh (53/71). Kingston’s top prospect was just outstanding, hitting .320/.428/.742, 15 HR, 27 RBI, 20 BB, 20 SB, 2.9 WAR in 128 AB in Double-A. He was then promoted to Triple-A (.375/.483/.667, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 10 BB, 2 SB, 0.6 WAR in 48 AB) for 13 games before he severely injured his elbow in early February, requiring ligament reconstruction surgery and shutting down his season. -------- Offense: .245/.315/.347 (7th/8th/8th) Pitching: 3.85/3.92/3.51 (2nd/2nd/4th) Defense: .716 (3rd) The Fort Richmond Generals continued their backward slide this season, ending with their first losing record in 9 seasons and their worst campaign since 1943-44 when they lost 98 games. The reason is simple – the Generals are practically devoid of any offense. They scored the second-fewest runs in the United Leagues this past year (594) and had the worst run differential (-100), despite having a respectable pitching core. Rookie GM Timothy Slater has his work cut for him, especially since this season’s draft selections are all shaping up to be busts. There is not a lot to write home about regarding this underwhelming lineup. All players regressed compared to last season, where they didn’t exactly set the world on fire either. 24-year old C Scott Sheelah (.266/.374/.410, 12 HR, 62 RBI, 83 BB, 3.9 WAR) was the team’s best overall position player and 28-year old LF Greg Cusack (.268/.327/.369, 10 HR, 48 RBI, 49 BB, 12 SB, 2.9 WAR) was consistent all season long, but he too regressed for the second straight year. Overall, the pitching staff performed admirably. However, on closer look it seems the sum was greater than the parts (if that makes sense). The rotation was largely carried by 33-year old RHP Nicky Sherlock (8-9, 2.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 134 ERA+) and 30-year old RHP Kazunori Fujimoto (10-14, 3.76 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 102 ERA+) until Sherlock was lost for the second half of the season in mid-January with shoulder inflammation. That forced Fort Richmond to rely on unheralded rookies such as 26-year old RHP Damon Pinney (9-14, 3.84 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 100 ERA+). The bullpen was up and down as well with 6-time all-star stopper, 32-year old RHP José Rodríguez (9-6, 8 SV, 3.77 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 102 ERA+) having a disappointing year, especially compared to his previous three. On the other hand, the Generals do have 23-year old LHP John Witheycombe (6-0, 1 SV, 2.29 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 167 ERA+), a 2nd-round pick from 1951-52, in the bullpen. He is capable of being used in high-leverage late-inning spots. First Round Draft Pick Update: 10th overall – C Shane Acton (20/39). The 18-year old got very little playing time. In just 9 games and 16 AB, he went .188/.188/.250, 1-2B, 8 K. -------- Offense: .249/.325/.362 (6th/6th/7th) Pitching: 4.02/3.97/4.17 (5th/4th/7th) Defense: .695 (7th) The Wolseley Unions may have won two more games than last season, but that did not prevent them from finishing in the bottom of the Western League standings. In fact, they finished with the worst record in the entire ULB and will pick first overall at next season’s amateur draft for the first time in their 19-year history. Like the Generals, the Unions’ pitching staff performed respectively but was done in by an anemic offense. The chance at selecting high in the draft over the next few years should help a club that finished in first place in the West for 4 straight seasons and won 3 United Cups to crawl back to relevance. Their farm system is in dire need of restocking after years of neglect. 1B Carlos Ortíz (.268/.329/.453, 24 HR, 88 RBI, 57 BB, 3.0 WAR) was Wolseley’s top all-around player this season and at just 26-years old, the 3-time all-star should remain so for awhile yet. 34-year old LF Carlton Hawking (.269/.400/.389, 12 HR, 61 RBI, 89 BB, 0.2 WAR) remains a capable offensive player, but injuries are starting to catch up with him and his defense, while never great, was downright atrocious (.992 PCT, 2.40 RNG, -23.1 ZR, .897 EFF). Also, while he is rated as Wolseley’s best position player, 34-year old SS George Kimpton (.290/.370/.476, 12 HR, 36 RBI, 35 BB, 2.1 WAR) endured a down year, just like the rest of the lineup. The rotation, particularly the starting three, were the most consistent group on the Unions’ roster this season. 30-year old RHP Roberto Garza (12-10, 3.33 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 119 ERA+) enjoyed a nice bounce-back year (94 ERA+ in 1954-55) and remains the ace on this staff. He was joined by 29-year old RHP Joseph Sellwood (7-17, 3.57 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 111 ERA+) and 36-year old RHP Aaron Saunderson (13-12, 3.56 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 111 ERA+) who quite often did not get the run support they deserved. Finally, 20-year old RHP Theo Morse (3-4, 1 SV, 3.26 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 121 ERA+ - 42/64), a 2nd-round pick from 1953-54, was promoted to the major league roster in January and finished the season pitching out the No. 5 spot. With great stuff (60/70) and command (60/65) along with an impressive sinker (55/65) and slider (65/65), scouts feel the Pulberry-native will one day develop into a No. 1 starter. Player of the Week Awards: February 27 – 2B Kaituoe Mowan (.545, 12 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI) First Round Draft Pick Update: 2nd overall – IF/OF Jonathan Higgins (39/66). The Milwaukee-native and 2nd-overall rated prospect earned a promotion to Triple-A towards the end of the season. In 272 AB in Double-A, he hit .239/.279/.529, 23 HR, 47 RBI, 13 BB, 15 SB, 1.6 WAR. After his promotion, he went .258/.329/.455, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SB, 0.1 WAR in 66 AB. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-03-2022 at 12:25 AM.

07-02-2022, 11:49 PM	#747
DreamTeams Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 2,522	Here we go! Go Trolleys! __________________

06-29-2022, 08:29 PM	#744
Bottom Of The Sixth All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of Lincoln Posts: 1,254	As always, great stuff reds1! Thank You!

07-08-2022, 08:41 PM	#748
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	The defending United Cup Champions square off against a team that went from worst to first in the span of a year in this season’s Eastern League Pennant Series. The Stratford Barons return to the playoffs for the fourth straight season. But this time as the wild card. They are seeking their third consecutive Eastern League Pennant and their second consecutive United Cup. All told, they have won five Pennants and three United Cups. The Wellington Athletics, meanwhile, return to the playoffs after a four-year absence. The Athletics finished at the bottom of the Eastern League standings last season when they finished with a record of 70-84. They improved by 20 games this year and became the first team in United Leagues’ history to go from last to first in a year. They have won two Pennants overall but are still searching for their first United Cup championship. Both teams enter the playoffs missing a key player. Wellington’s best player, 28-year old LF Matthew Floyd (.318/.436/.543, 21 HR, 89 RBI, 90 BB, 16 SB, 6.6 WAR) has been hampered by a bruised thigh since March 20 and was diagnosed as day-to-day for 1-2 weeks. However, the Athletics are hopeful he can return to the starting lineup at full-strength at some point in the Pennant Series. Until then, 30-year old IF/OF Keon-chae Cho (.306/.391/.530, 9 HR, 26 RBI, 19 BB, 1.1 WAR) will start in his place. The Barons will be without their starting shortstop, 24-year old Callum Spalton (.281/.309/.384, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 10 BB, 5 SB, 1.4 WAR). Spalton blew out his knee in late December and was lost for the rest of the season. Taking his place at the top of the order was 28-year old Alan Tennant (.186/.317/.288, 7 HR, 38 RBI, 55 BB, 5 SB, 1.1 WAR). Tenant is an outstanding defensive infielder (4 Ball Hawk Awards), but the Barons will surely miss Spalton’s bat in the playoffs. In addition to being a spectacular defensive shortstop himself, Spalton won the United Cup MVP Award last year (.346/.404/.500, 152 wRC+ in 13 playoff games). 62-year old Xavier Ahernfeld just completed his sixth season as a field manager, all with the Barons. After a 7th place finish in 1951-52, he has led Stratford to the playoffs the past four seasons, winning it all last year. Meanwhile, Wellington’s manager, Wildemar Aquino, has had a much more varied career. After serving as Cobourg’s hitting coach for 12 years, the Hespeler-native tried his hand as manager for the first time with the Pulberry Trolleys in 1949-50. That experiment lasted just one season, as the Trolleys finished in last place with a 54-100 record. But after taking a year off, he returned as Queensland’s bench coach for three seasons before being hired by the Athletics last year just 29 games into the season. That team finished in last place, something that has happened 10 times in Aquino’s 18-year career. But this season, it all came together and the 62-year old will get his first taste of the playoffs after 2,743 games. Although Wellington won the regular season matchup, these two clubs finished just one game apart at the top of the standings. What’s more, Stratford comes into the playoffs as a remarkably balanced club despite the injuries while Wellington struggled to produce runs. But if the Athletics can step it up at the plate, this Series should be an exciting one. Finally – the playoffs are here! Play ball! -------- Game 1 – March 27 The playoffs return to Santop Stadium for the first time in four years. It’s clear, it’s hot and the ballpark is packed for a beautiful afternoon of baseball. 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell makes his third career playoff start, after going 0-2, 4.86 ERA four years ago. He is looking for some redemption and the Athletics are giving him every chance. Stratford counters with 29-year old RHP Magtanggol Jaojoco (3-3, 2 SV, 3.05 ERA in 16 playoff games), who is no stranger to the playing under the pressure. The two-time Satchel Paige Award winner will make his 8th career playoff start. Bottom of the 3rd: The game turns out to be a low-scoring affair with a couple of close calls. The closest came in the bottom of the 3rd. After striking out both Vance Fendley and Vinnie Snell, Jaojoco watches as Vaiga Bultarro connects on a 3-1 pitch, lining a double into deep left field. Wayne Emmert follows with a fly ball that falls safely into shallow centerfield. Bultarro races around third to try and score, but Alfonso León cuts him down at home plate to end the threat. Stratford 0 – Wellington 0 Top of the 4th: Wellington breaks through one inning later. Jim Mars leads off with a single while Greg Yates follows with a four-pitch walk. Declan Bugbie then hits into a fielder’s choice at 2B, advancing Mars to 3B, while Keon-chae Cho strikes out swinging. But Yorikane Takeuchi singles off the first pitch into shallow leftfield. Mars comes home for the game’s only run. In the top of the 9th, Vinnie Snell finishes the job he started, striking out Aaron Skidmore and inducing back-to-back fly outs from both Rhys Fell and Alfonso León. In a battle of pitchers, Snell prevails for his first career playoff victory and gives the Athletics a 1-0 lead in the Series. FINAL: Stratford 0 – Wellington 1 -------- Game 2 – March 28 The Barons lost a tough one in Game 1 and now look to their No. 1 pitcher to help them try and even things up. 27-year old LHP Robin Wadsworth (3-3, 1 SV, 4.50 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) takes the hill in the playoffs for the 5th time in his career. Looking to extend their lead, the Athletics tap their No. 2 man, 32-year old RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin. This will be the first playoff appearance for Sin in his 8-year career. The conditions are soggy as it rained all morning and the skies continue to threaten. But the game starts as scheduled. Top of the 1st: Sin gets a rough welcome to start the game, as the Barons load the bases with nobody out. Alan Tennant leads off with a walk after fouling off 4 pitches. Roberto Ríos then singles while Matthew Channing follows with a 4-pitch walk. After fouling off 5 pitches, Aaron Skidmore hits into a 3-6 fielders’ choice. Tennant comes home on the play to open the scoring while Ríos advances to 3B. Andy Faulkner crushes the very next pitch to deep centerfield, but Greg Yates tracks it down. Ríos tags up and beats out the throw for the second run. Stratford 2 – Wellington 0 Top of the 3rd: Alan Tennant leads off with a walk once again. With one out, Sin throws a wild pitch allowing Tennant to reach 2B. On the 9th pitch of his at-bat, Matthew Channing scorches one into deep centerfield that gets behind Greg Yates. Channing pulls up into 3B for a triple, scoring Tennant. On a full count, Aaron Skidmore grounds out to SS Vance Fendley as Channing comes home on the play to extend the Barons’ lead. Stratford 4 – Wellington 0 Bottom of the 5th: Wellington finally gets something going when Keon-chae Cho and Yorikane Takeuchi lead off with back-to-back walks. After Vance Fendley hits into a 3-6 fielders’ choice allowing Cho to take 3B, Sin helps his own cause when he connects on a 2-0 pitch for a single into shallow left-centerfield. Cho scores while the speedy Fendley races around 2B and beats out the throw to 3B from CF Alfonso León. Vaiga Bultarro then skies one out to the warning track in leftfield. Fendley tags up and scores easily as LF Roberto Ríos doesn’t attempt the throw. Stratford 4 – Wellington 2 Bottom of the 7th: Yorikane Takeuchi lines a single into leftfield to lead off. With one out, PH Brayden Docking hits a sharp liner into centerfield. Takeuchi rounds 2B, then guns it for 3B, successfully beating out the throw from CF Alfonso León. Vaiga Bultarro promptly follows with a single into leftfield, scoring Takeuchi. Stratford 4 – Wellington 3 Bottom of the 8th: Greg Yates lines a double into right-centerfield to lead off. With two out, Yorikane Takeuchi hits a screamer just to the right of 2B. Matthew Channing snares it but his throw to 1B is not in time as Yates takes 3B on the play, putting runners on the corners. Two pitches later, Vance Fendley ties the game up when he doubles into left centerfield, scoring Yates. That ends Robin Wadsworth’s afternoon. Neither team can score in the 9th, thus sending the game into extras. Stratford 4 – Wellington 4 Bottom of the 10th: RHP Glen Limon enters in the 10th with the game still tied. But Keon-chae Cho leads off with a first-pitch single into shallow leftfield. After Yorikane Takeuchi grounds out to 2B Matthew Channing allowing Cho to move up to 2B, Vance Fendley scratches out an infield single to put runners on the corners. Limon then hits Jordan Backhouse on the very next pitch, loading the bases. With two out, Bart Warwick battles Limon for 8 pitches before drawing a full count walk forcing in Fendley for the winning run. Wellington battles back in the mist to take a 2-games-to-none lead as the Series now shifts to Stratford. Final: Stratford 4 – Wellington 5 -------- Game 3 – March 30 The Series moves to Bosworth Field in Stratford for at least the next two games. The Barons are looking to change their fortunes and take advantage of the home crowd. No rain in the forecast today – the skies are clear and it’s a scorcher on the eastern plains. Wellington goes with their ace, 24-year old sophomore RHP Mike Murray, who is making his post-season debut. In turn, 28-year old RHP Ted Smith (2-1, 3.33 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) is prevailed upon by Stratford to try and get them into the win column. This will be his 8th career playoff start. Bottom of the 3rd: Stratford breaks through in the bottom of the 3rd. After two quick outs, Murray gives up back-to-back walks to Matthew Channing and Aaron Skidmore. Andy Faulkner then launches a 100-mph pitch 396 ft. into the rightfield bleachers for a 3-run home run, the first long bomb of the series. Wellington 0 – Stratford 3 Top of the 5th: But Wellington responds in a big way. Yorikane Takeuchi slaps a slow roller out to SS Alan Tennant and reaches 1B safely as Tennant doesn’t risk the throw. With one out, Mike Murray lays down a sac bunt, moving Takeuchi to 2B. Vaiga Bultarro then doubles down the rightfield line, scoring Takeuchi. Smith then surrenders back-to-back walks to Wayne Emmert and Jim Mars, loading the bases. Greg Yates then drives the next pitch into leftfield. Bultarro scores easily. Emmert races around 3B and heads for home, beating out the throw from LF Roberto Ríos, tying up the game. Declan Bugbie then cranks out a first-pitch single into shallow left centerfield. Mars turns the corner at third and beats out LF Roberto Ríos throw home as well. Keon-chae Cho then singles past a diving 2B Matthew Channing. Yates reaches 3B and heads for home. RF Andy Faulkner throws home but Yates slides under the tag as Wellington takes a 2-run lead. Wellington 5 – Stratford 3 Bottom of the 6th: Stratford gets to within run when Alfonso León walks with one out, then steals 2B two pitches later. Sherwin Carasig then singles into left centerfield, putting runners on the corners. With two out, Murray throws a wild pitch during PH Ronald Hollinshed’s at-bat. León comes into score on the play. Wellington 5 – Stratford 4 Bottom of the 7th: The Barons tie things up when Roberto Ríos leads off with a walk, moves over to 2B on an Alan Tennant sac bunt, then reaches 3B as Matthew Channing grounds out to 2B Vaiga Bultarro. Aaron Skidmore launches one to leftfield, but Keon-chae Cho bobbles the ball and drops it. The error allows Ríos to score. After 9 innings the score remains tied, sending the game into extras for the second straight game. Wellington 5 – Stratford 5 Bottom of the 11th: RHP Zachary Collingham takes over from RHP Finley Capstick to start the bottom half of the 11th. But PH Jason Sakurai leads off with a single then advances to 2B when Alan Tennant walks on a full count with one out. Mathew Channing then launches a 2-0 pitch into centerfield. Sakurai rounds 3B and chugs for home. Greg Yates whips the ball towards home, but Sakurai slides in safely for the winning run. The Barons get back into the Series with a much-needed win. FINAL: Wellington 5 – Stratford 6 -------- Game 4 – March 31 Optimism returns to Stratford as the Barons got into the win column the day before. The fans look for more as another sunny, hot afternoon prevails. Wellington’s No. 4 starter, RHP Troy Conlin, takes the hill for Game 4 and makes his first playoff appearance. Stratford sends their No. 2 starter, 29-year old RHP Bill Wolf (5-4, 5.02 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) to the mound. Wolf makes his 8th career playoff start. Although he was credited with 2 wins in last year’s playoffs, he struggled, going 20.65 ERA 2.82 WHIP in just 5.2 innings of work. Thus, he is looking to redeem himself. Bottom of the 1st: Roberto Ríos leads off with a walk but then is cut down at 2B by C Declan Bugbie one pitch later when attempting to steal. Alan Tennant then doubles down the leftfield line all the way to wall. Matthew Channing slaps one out to 2B Vaiga Bultarro but Bultarro can’t get a handle on it, allowing Channing to reach safely and Tennant to reach 3B. Aaron Skidmore fouls off 4 straight pitches before launching a deep fly ball to centerfield. Tennant scores easily on the play. Wellington 0 – Stratford 1 Top of the 2nd: Keon-chae Cho walks with one out. Yorikane Takeuchi and Vance Fendley then crank out back-to-back doubles, scoring two runs. Conlin then smacks a first-pitch single into left-centerfield. Fendley tears around 3B and beats out the throw home from CF Alfonso León, adding to the Athletics’ lead. Wellington 3 – Stratford 1 Bottom of the 2nd: Stratford takes the lead right back. Walter Beauvais lines a single into rightfield with one out. Bill Wolf lays down a bunt, but C Declan Bugbie’s throw to 1B is off target, putting runners on the corners. After Roberto Ríos walks on 4-straight pitches to load the bases, Alan Tennant bounces one out to the left side. 2B Vaiga Bultarro tries to snare it but can’t get the handle, committing the second of his three errors on the afternoon. Tennant reaches safely as Beauvais scores. Matthew Channing the singles into leftfield on the next pitch. Wolf scores easily. Ríos rounds third and scores, beating out the throw from LF Keon-chae Cho. Wellington 3 – Stratford 4 Bottom of the 7th: RHP Zachary Collingham starts the 7th in relief of Troy Conlin, but Matthew Channing greets him with a lead-off double. After reaching 3B on an Andy Faulkner ground out to 3B Yorikane Takeuchi, Alfonso León lines a double into left centerfield, scoring Channing. Wellington 3 – Stratford 5 Top of the 8th: After getting two quick outs, Bill Wolf gives up a walk to PH Noel Johnston. Vaiga Bultarro then crushes a double into deep centerfield. Johnston rounds 3B and scores without a throw. Wellington 4 – Stratford 5 Bottom of the 8th: RHP Finley Capstick takes over from Zachary Collingham but Roberto Ríos triples into the leftfield corner with one out. Alan Tennant then singles into left centerfield, scoring Ríos. Four pitches later, Tennant steals second without a throw. Matthew Channing then hits a long single into centerfield, putting runners on the corners. Next up is Aaron Skidmore, who sends a towering fly ball out to centerfield. Tennant tags up and beats out the throw home from CF Greg Yates. In the bottom of the 9th, Bill Wolf gets the Athletics to go down in order, as Jim Mars flies out to CF Alfonso León, Greg Yates grounds out to 1B Sherwin Carasig and Declan Bugbie flies out to LF Roberto Ríos. Stratford makes it a brand-new Series as they tie things up at 2-apiece. FINAL: Wellington 4 – Stratford 7 __________________ United Leagues of Braeland

07-09-2022, 01:14 AM	#749
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	Game 5 – April 1 The Barons have new life as they have come back to tie up the Series with one more home game in their pocket. The weather has turned however, as rain threatens the proceedings. Things have eased off just enough though for the game to start as scheduled. RHP Vinnie Snell (1-0, 0.00 ERA) pitched the shut-out in Game 1 and looks to continue that dominance to help his club get back on track. But RHP Magtanggol Jaojoco (0-3, 1.12 ERA) was effective as well and looks for some run support this time around. The Athletics received some good news this morning when it was announced that 5-time all-star LF Matthew Floyd (80/80) was back in the lineup in his regular No. 3 spot. Bottom of the 5th: Snell gives up just one hit (a single) through the first four innings but experiences control issues in the 5th. Walter Beauvais lines a double into left centerfield with one out. With two out, Roberto Ríos takes a walk. Then Snell throws two wild pitches during Alan Tennant’s at-bat. The second wild pitch allows Beauvais to come home for the game’s first run. Tennant eventually walks, putting runners on the corners. Matthew Channing then slices a single into rightfield on the next pitch, scoring Ríos. Wellington 0 – Stratford 2 Top of the 6th: But Wellington replies right back. Greg Yates doubles into deep centerfield before Jim Mars singles past 2B putting runners on the corners with one out. With two out, Yorikane Takeuchi then lines Jaojoco’s first offering into centerfield. That scores Yates as Mars takes 3B without a throw. Vance Fendley fouls off 4 pitches before smacking a single into leftfield. Mars comes home to tie up the game. Wellington 2 – Stratford 2 Bottom of the 8th: Stratford retakes the lead when Alfonso León leads off with a walk off RHP Zachary Collingham. After León advances to 2B on a Sherwin Carasig sac bunt, PH Ronald Hollinshed pounds a single into right centerfield with two out. León races around 3B and beats out RF Jim Mars’ throw home. Wellington 2 – Stratford 3 Top of the 9th: RHP Bill Lafontaine comes on in relief of Jaojoco and promptly gives up an infield hit to Vance Fendley. After Fendley advances to 2B on a PH Doug Bowman sac bunt, Vaiga Bultarro lines a single past a diving 2B Matthew Channing. Fendley turns the corner at 3B and beats out the throw from CF Alfonso León to tie the game up once again. Reliever LHP Jeff Routh gets the Barons to go down in order in the bottom of the 9th, sending the game into extras for the third time in the Series. Wellington 3 – Stratford 3 Bottom of the 10th: Jeff Routh takes the mound again in the 10th. But he gives up a lead-off single to PH Jeff Houston and a double to Alfonso León. With one out, Vincent Colón battles Routh to a full count, fouling off three pitches. Finally, Colón shoots a liner past 2B Vaiga Bultarro into shallow rightfield, scoring Houston for the walk-off win. The Barons win three straight at home to take the series lead. FINAL: Wellington 3 – Stratford 4 -------- Game 6 – April 3 The Pennant Series returns to Santop Stadium in Wellington with the momentum completely shifted to Stratford. The Athletics are hoping that home field advantage prevails for them once again. It’s a hot, sunny afternoon for baseball. The pitchers of Game 2 square off again. Neither got a decision the first time out. RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin (0-0, 6.0 IP, 6.00 ERA) takes the hill for Wellington, while LHP Robin Wadsworth (0-0, 7.2 IP, 3.52 ERA) starts for the Barons. Top of the 1st: Stratford gets on the board early. Alan Tennant hits a sharp liner to the left side with one out, but SS Vance Fendley’s throw to 1B sails wide, allowing Tennant to take 2B. Matthew Channing then launches one out to deep centerfield that hits the top of the wall for a double. Tennant rounds 3B and scores without a throw. Stratford 1 – Wellington 0 Bottom of the 3rd: Jim Mars leads off with a battle against LHP Wadsworth, fouling off 4 pitches before lining a double into leftfield. Mars comes home to tie up the game on back-to-back ground outs from Matthew Floyd and Greg Yates. Stratford 1 – Wellington 1 Top of the 4th: Hyun-kyoo Sin strikes out Walter Beauvais to end the inning but winces in pain coming off the mound, favoring his abdomen. It’s later confirmed that he is done for the day as RHP Gavin Duckering starts the Top of the 5th for Wellington. Stratford 1 – Wellington 1 Bottom of the 5th: Jordan Backhouse who entered the inning on a double switch, leads off with a single that sneaks its way into shallow centerfield. With one out, Jim Mars hits a hard grounder into rightfield, putting runners on the corners. Matthew Floyd slaps one out towards a diving 2B Matthew Channing. Channing stops it but his throw to SS Alan Tennant is off target, and it bounces into shallow leftfield. Backhouse scores on the error. Stratford 1 – Wellington 2 Bottom of the 7th: Jordan Backhouse again leads off with a single into left centerfield. However, LHP Wadsworth grabs his wrist in pain as the trainer comes out to look at him. Wadsworth also comes out of the game and is relieved by RHP Bill Lafontaine. On the first pitch from Lafontaine, Vaiga Bultarro lays down a bunt and beats out the throw from C Aaron Skidmore, as Backhouse takes 2B. After Jim Mars pops out, Matthew Floyd smacks a single into centerfield. Backhouse turns at 3B and beats out CF Alfonso León’s throw home. Greg Yates then slaps one out through the left-side gap to load the bases. On the next pitch, Declan Bugbie sends a screamer down the rightfield line. Bultarro scores easily. Floyd races around 3B and slides in safely, beating out RF Andy Faulkner’s throw home. Stratford 1 – Wellington 5 Top of the 8th: New pitcher LHP Jeff Routh starts the inning striking out Matthew Channing, then gives up a 4-pitch walk to Aaron Skidmore. With two out, Alfonso León doubles down the leftfield line as Skidmore moves up to 3B. On the next pitch, Sherwin Carasig slices a single through the hole into leftfield, scoring Skidmore. León is hot his heels however and beats out the throw from LF Matthew Floyd for the second run. That ends Routh’s day as RHP Finley Capstick takes over. But PH Rhys Fell singles into deep left field putting runners on the corners. PH Ronald Hollinshed taps one back up the middle. Capstick dives for it but his off-balanced throw to 1B sails wide, scoring Carasig and getting the Barons back to within one. In the top of the 9th, Capstick gets the Barons to go down in order. Alan Tennant grounds out to SS Jordan Backhouse while Matthew Channing shoots one out to the corner in deep rightfield, but RF Jim Mars tracks it down. Finally, Aaron Skidmore grounds out to 1B Wayne Emmert. The Athletics hang on to even the Series up at three and set the stage for a winner-take-all Game 7. FINAL: Stratford 4 – Wellington 5 RHP Hyun-kyoo Sin suffered a mild abdominal strain. It is not serious however (Day-to-day, 2 days). LHP Robin Wadsworth injured his wrist, but outside of some soreness, he too, is not expected miss any time (Day-to-day, 3 days). -------- Game 7 – April 4 The Athletics and Barons have battled back and forth all series long and now its all come down to a deciding Game 7 to determine who will take the Pennant and represent the East in the United Cup. So far, the home team has won every game. Today, the final showdown takes place at Santop Stadium in Wellington located along the south-eastern shores of Pearl Sound. The weather could not be more ideal for this winner-take-all matchup. The Game 3 starters square off once again. RHP Mike Murray (0-0, 4.50 ERA, 8.0 IP) gets the start for Wellington while Stratford counters with RHP Ted Smith (0-0, 7.50 ERA, 6.0 IP). Top of the 1st: The Barons get to Murray early and often. With one out, Alan Tennant takes a walk. Matthew Channing then lines a shot out to left center over the head of CF Matthew Floyd and all the way to the wall for a double as Tennant takes 3B. During Aaron Skidmore’s at-bat, Murray throws a wild pitch. Tennant scores and Channing moves up to 3B as a result. Skidmore then walks putting runners on the corners. Andy Faulkner then lines one to left center as CF Greg Yates gets under it. Channing tags up at 3B and scores without a throw. Up next is Alfonso León, who slices one out to rightfield. It drops in front of RF Jim Mars for a base hit as Skidmore moves all the up to 3B. During Sherwin Carasig’s at-bat, León breaks for 2B and beats out C Declan Bugbie’s high throw. Carasig then drives one into left center for a base hit. Skidmore scores easily. León tears around 3B and slides home safely, beating out the throw from LF Matthew Floyd. That ends Mike Murray’s outing after just two outs. RHP Finley Capstick comes on in relief. Stratford 4 – Wellington 0 Bottom of the 2nd: But Wellington strikes back. With one out, Jim Mars knuckles one over the infield into short left center for a single. As Mars breaks for 2B, Declan Bugbie raps one through the hole into rightfield, putting runners on the corners. Yorikane Takeuchi then crushes one to right center. RF Andy Faulkner scrambles to track it down as it careens off the wall. Both Mars and Bugbie score as Takeuchi slides into 3B safely for a triple. Stratford 4 – Wellington 2 Top of the 5th: With RHP Gavin Duckering taking over from Finley Capstick to start the inning, Roberto Ríos draws a walk with one out. As Ríos breaks for 2B, Alan Tennant hits a hard grounder into right centerfield. Ríos pulls up into 3B on the play. Matthew Channing then rips one down the line into leftfield for a single. Ríos scores easily on the play. Stratford 5 – Wellington 2 Bottom of the 5th: Ted Smith surrenders a walk to Matthew Floyd with one out. Greg Yates follows and launches one into right centerfield. RF Andy Faulkner reaches up and snags it at the wall with no room to spare. Floyd tags up and slides into 2B easily. Jim Mars then sends a hard grounder toward 2B and into rightfield. As Mars holds up at 1B, Floyd tears around 3B and slides in safely under the tag. Stratford 5 – Wellington 3 Bottom of the 6th: Yorikane Takeuchi leads off and crushes one out towards the alley in deep rightfield. CF Alfonso León reaches for it, but it gets past his glove, bouncing all the way to the wall. Takeuchi motors past 2B and slides in safely into 3B for his second triple of the game. Vance Fendley then lines one into rightfield for a base hit. Takeuchi comes home to close the gap for Wellington. Stratford 5 – Wellington 4 Bottom of the 7th: After taking over from Ted Smith with two out in the bottom of the 6th, RHP Glen Limon walks Jim Mars with one out in the 7th. Declan Bigbie follows and cracks one out into rightfield for a base hit. Mars sails past 2B and takes 3B unchallenged. Yorikane Takeuchi then airs one out to deep right centerfield. RF Andy Faulkner tracks it down but misplays it and it goes over his head. Both Mars and Bugbie score as Takeuchi takes 3B, beating out the throw from 1B Sherwin Carasig. Vance Fendley lofts one out to centerfield as CF Alfonso León chases it down. Takeuchi tags up and scores, giving the Athletics a 2-run lead. Stratford 5 – Wellington 7 Bottom of the 8th: With two out, Matthew Floyd puts a charge into an 0-1 offering from Glen Limon, sending it out to right centerfield. RF Andy Faulkner races back for it but it sails 417 ft. in the stands for Wellington’s first home run of the playoffs. In the top of the 9th, RHP Vinnie Snell, who took over in the 7th, gives up a lead-off walk to Alfonso León. But after Sherwin Carasig flies out to Greg Yates in centerfield, Snell strikes out both PH Don North and PH Ronald Hollinshed to end the game and close out the Series. The Athletics come from behind and prevail over the defending United Cup Champions to win their third Eastern League Pennant! FINAL: Stratford 5 – Wellington 8 -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-09-2022 at 01:25 AM.

07-14-2022, 12:55 AM	#750
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	The Pulberry Trolleys and Sherburn Tigers meet in the playoffs for the first time with both clubs still seeking their first Pennant. That means that the drought is going to end for one of these clubs this year. The Trolleys finished in top spot for the third straight season but have seen their quest for a United Cup berth upended by the wild card team the previous two years. The Tigers meanwhile return to the playoffs after a 10-year absence. Sherburn finished in last place 4 times during that stretch and never escaped the second division until this year. Their previous two playoff appearances have been as the wild card as well, falling to the Kingston Pelicans both times. The two teams enter the playoffs at nearly full strength. The only injury to speak of is to Sherburn’s 24-year old IF/OF utility player Leon Albrecht (.234/.349/.375, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 49 BB, 5 SB, 2.0 WAR), who suffered a bruised bone in his knee in a game against the Fort Richmond Generals back on March 14 and will not be available for the post-season. Both clubs are managed by former players who once played for their respective team. 42-year old Jaimie Blair spent nearly all of his 12-year career toiling in the minors as an outfielder. He was called up by the Tigers in 1939 and got one major league at-bat – a strikeout. After that, he returned to the minors for good and retired 10 years later. In 1953, he was hired by the Tigers to be their manager and the club has improved each season thus far under his guidance, culminating with the club’s first winning season and playoff appearance since 1945-46. Meanwhile, 50-year old Ryo Ichikawa signed with the Pulberry Trolleys out of Japan back in January 1937 as a third baseman. Never a full-time player, Ichikawa made 222 at-bats over three seasons with the major league club, batting .224/.326/.271 before retiring in 1941. Three years later he was hired by the Embro Suns as their field manager and met with instant success as he led the Suns to the wild card in his first two seasons. Five years later, in 1950-51, he guided Embro back to the playoffs as the wild card team and this time won the Eastern League Pennant and came to within one victory of a United Cup Championship. Following that season, he was lured away by the Trolleys and after two 3rd place finishes, he has led Pulberry to top spot in the West over the past three seasons. Now all that remains for last year’s Western League Manager of the Year is to get over the hump and another chance at the United Cup. The Trolleys and Tigers were the two hottest teams in the United Leagues over the last two weeks of the regular season. In fact, in the second half of the season, Sherburn led all clubs with 47 victories while Pulberry was right behind them with 45. Although the Trolleys won the season series, the Tigers outscored them 67-63 over the course of those 15 games. Thus, this should be a whale of a series. It’s time to play ball! -------- Game 1 – March 27 Trolleys Stadium hosts Game 1 of the Pennant Series for the third straight year. It’s hot on the West Coast with clear skies and a very light breeze. A pair of southpaws face each other to start the Series. They are their respective team’s aces, and both will be making their playoff debuts. Pulberry has handed the ball to 20-year rookie LHP Bart Ohara, while the Tigers go with their 4-year veteran, 26-year old LHP Brendan Wombwell. Bottom of the 4th: Wombwell is perfect until Francis Jones launches one into the gap in right center to lead off. RF Adrian Sulley races back for it but its out of his reach and the ball hits the wall on a hop. Jones jets past 2B and beats out the relay for a triple. Gerard Koerner holds up for ball four putting runners on the corners. Aidan Thirkettle then grounds one out to the right side as 2B Bernard Kerkin takes it on the hop and feeds it to second. Koerner slides in hard preventing the double play as Jones comes home to score. Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 1 Bottom of the 7th: Aidan Thirkettle leads off by sending a rocket into centerfield for a single. Paul England then chops one out weakly to the right side. Wombwell tracks it down, but England beats out the throw for an infield hit as Thirkettle takes second. Cooper Tyson battles Wombwell for nine pitches then smashes one out to rightfield. RF Albert Sulley goes back but its over the wall landing 356 ft. from home plate for a 3-run homer. Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 4 Top of the 8th: The Tigers finally get something going in the 8th. Dwayne Vick sends a lazy fly ball down the leftfield line that falls in for a base hit. With one out, Connor Wadsworth hits one past the pitcher. SS Sean Abercrombie dives for it but can’t dig it out of his glove and doesn’t risk the throw. Vick moves up to second on the infield single. PH Quincy Woolescroft follows and hits one hard out toward 2B. Paul Heisler gets in front of it but muffs it, allowing Woolescroft to reach 1B safely and load the bases with nobody out. Bernard Kerkin hits a liner out to toward left. LF Aidan Thirkettle angles under it then backpedals to make the catch. Vick tags up and beats out the throw for the Tigers’ first run. In the top of the 9th, Ohara gets the heart of the Tigers lineup to go down in order, inducing a first-pitch 4-3 ground out from Adrian Flynn, a strikeout from Ross Shewman and a 4-3 ground out from Marcus Timberlake to end the game. The Trolleys take Game 1 with an impressive pitching performance from Ohara. FINAL: Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 4 -------- Game 2 – March 28 Pulberry got the Series off on the right foot with a solid win in Game 1 and look to keep the momentum going this afternoon at Trolleys Stadium. 28-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (2-0, 3.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) takes the mound for Pulberry. This will be Folkard’s 4th career playoff start. For Sherburn, the Tigers look to 20-year old sophomore LHP Kozue Saito from Queensland to try and even up the Series. This game marks Saito’s first playoff appearance. Bottom of the 1st: The Trolleys waste no time getting to Saito. Francis Jones leads off and draws a walk. Gerard Koerner then grounds one out toward the left side hole. 3B Adrian Flynn scoops it up and throws to second for the fielder’s choice, but Jones slides in hard and upends 2B Bernard Kerkin to squash the double play. Ellis Dibble then crushes one to deep right center that caroms off the wall. CF Ross Shewman attempts to track it down as Koerner races all the way from first to open the scoring. Shewman rifles it to 3B but Dibble slides in safely for an RBI triple. During Aidan Thirkettle’s subsequent at-bat, C Robert Carr mishandles Saito’s pitch and loses track of the ball. Dibble breaks for home and beats out the tag for Pulberry’s second run. Sherburn 0 - Pulberry 2 Top of the 2nd: Marcus Timberlake hits one off the end of the barrel out toward short right center and it falls in for a base hit. As Timberlake breaks for second, Dwayne Vick hits one back up the middle for a single. Timberlake moves up to 3B on the play. Robert Carr battles Folkard to a full count before singling one out to short centerfield. Timberlake comes home to score. Vick hustles to 2B before gunning it for third. But CF Cooper Tyson retrieves the ball and nails a sliding Vick at 3B with a remarkable throw. Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 2 Top of the 3rd: Bernard Kerkin hammers one out to leftfield to lead things off. LF Aidan Thirkettle races back for it but he watches helplessly as it sails 410 ft. over the wall for a game-tying solo home run. Sherburn 2 - Pulberry 2 Top of the 8th: RHP Bonie Bandong enters the game to start the 8th. On his first pitch, PH Quincy Woolescroft smashes one down the line to deep rightfield. RF Ellis Dibble races after it but it lands 364 ft. into the stands for a solo home run, giving the Tigers the lead. Sherburn 3 - Pulberry 2 Bottom of the 8th: Gerard Koerner smacks a line drive down the leftfield line that just stays fair. LF Connor Wadsworth chases after it as Koerner pulls up into second for a lead off double. That ends Saito’s afternoon as RHP Cris Herrera comes on in relief on a double switch. But Ellis Dibble jumps all over Herrera’s first pitch, belting one out to left center. CF Ross Shewman reaches for it but can’t get to it in time. Dibble tears around second as Shewman finally tracks it down and whips a long throw to 3B. Dibble slides in headfirst for his second triple of the game as Koerner crosses the plate to tie things up. Aidan Thirkettle then walks putting runners on the corners. Paul England grounds out to SS Dwayne Vick for the inning’s first out as Thirkettle takes second. As the infield moves in during PH Marcus Peyto’s at-bat, Herrera throws a wild pitch. That scores Dibble while Thirkettle moves up to third. Peyto then slices one into short left center for a base hit. Thirkettle scores easily, increasing the Trolleys’ lead to two. Sherburn 3 - Pulberry 5 Top of the 9th: Bonie Bandong looks to close things out in the 9th. But Noah Teale leads off with a 4-pitch walk, while PH Connor Young connects and lines one over the head of 1B Gerard Koerner for a base hit, moving Teale to second. Albert Sulley lays down a bunt that goes back to the pitcher. Bandong fields it quickly and throws Sulley out at first, as the runners advance. Adrian Flynn then skies one out to deep right centerfield. RF Ellis Dibble calls off defensive replacement CF Wade Billyard and hauls it in. Teale tags up and scores without a throw, getting the Tigers to within one. But on a 2-2 pitch, Bandong gets Ross Shewman to lift a high fly ball out to right centerfield. This time Wade Billyard gets under it and snags it to close out the game. Pulberry hangs on to take a 2-games-to-none lead as the Series shifts to Sherburn for Game 3. FINAL: Sherburn 4 - Pulberry 5 -------- Game 3 – March 30 The playoffs return to The Paramount in Sherburn for the first time in 10 years. The weather is hot, and the park is packed as the fans hope their team’s fortunes will heat up as well. The one player remaining on the roster that was part of Sherburn’s last playoff appearance takes the hill: 32-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (0-2, 4.80 ERA, 1.80 WHIP). Chapa was 22-years old in just his third season for the Tigers at the time. The two-time Satchel Paige Award winner is looking for better results in his third career playoff start. Facing him will be the West’s only 20-game winner this season: 34-year old RHP Robin Medellin (2-2, 4.64 ERA, 1.36 WHIP). Medellin will make his 7th career playoff start and third for Pulberry. Bottom of the 4th: The anticipate pitcher’s duel comes as advertised, as Chapa and Medellin frustrate the batters. The only blemish came in the bottom of the 4th. Albert Sulley leads off and walks on four pitches, then steals second unchallenged as C Paul England drops the ball one pitch later. Adrian Flynn then lines one into left center, putting runners on the corners. Ross Shewman then lifts one out to deep centerfield. CF Cooper Tyson gets under it, but Sulley tags up and scores without a throw. In the top of the 9th, the Trolleys try to get to Chapa. Aidan Thirkettle leads off and strikes out swinging. But Cooper Tyson battles Chapa to a full count before sending a shot past a diving 2B Bernard Kerkin in leftfield for a base hit. During Paul England’s subsequent at-bat, Chapa throws a wild pitch, allowing Tyson to take second. England then hits a slow roller to the left side. 3B Adrian Flynn pounces on it but it fumbles out of his glove, allowing England to reach safely and Tyson to take third. Ellis Dibble attempts to bunt, but instead pops out to a diving Adrian Flynn. Makani Kahale then launches one out to deep centerfield. CF Ross Shewman is there to haul it in and end the threat. Sherburn escapes with a badly needed win. FINAL: Pulberry 0 – Sherburn 1 -------- Game 4 – March 31 Sherburn got a tremendous pitching effort from their ace RHP Jesús Chapa in Game 3 and look for that trend to continue with their No. 2 starter, 29-year old RHP Ben Buschlen. This will be the two-time all-star’s first playoff appearance. Pulberry goes with their No. 4 starter, 28-year old RHP Harley Rodman (0-2, 9.58 ERA, 2.13 WHIP). Rodman has not enjoyed a lot of success in the playoffs over the past two seasons. He is looking to change that at The Paramount where a hot afternoon greets the fans and players. Top of the 1st: The Trolleys strike early. Francis Jones leads off by hitting a liner out to centerfield for a base hit. Gerard Koerner bounces one out toward the left side hole. 3B Adrian Flynn snags it and whips it to 2B Bernard Kerkin for the first out. But Jones takes him out with an uncompromising slide to break up the double play. Aidan Thirkettle then works the count full before walking. Cooper Tyson follows sending a hard shot out to shallow centerfield to load the bases. Paul England then golfs one out to leftfield for a base hit. Koerner scores easily on the play. Thirkettle rounds third and slides in hard beating out the throw from LF Connor Wadsworth for the second run. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 0 Bottom of the 3rd: Connor Wadsworth hits a liner to left center to lead off. LF Aidan Thirkettle hurries over but can’t get to it in time as it falls in for a single. During Ben Buschlen’s at-bat, Rodman is called for a balk, sending Wadsworth over to second. Buschlen then lays a bunt down in front of the plate. C Paul England throws him out at first as Wadsworth takes third. After getting the next two batters out Rodman uncorks a wild pitch that rolls to the backstop. Wadsworth comes home on the play. Albert Sulley then booms one out to right center. CF Cooper Tyson tries to track it down and leaps at the wall but comes up short, as Sulley sends it 371 ft. into the stands for game-tying solo home run. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 2 Top of the 6th: Paul England walks with one out. Ellis Dibble then sends a chopper out towards third. 3B Adrian Flynn fields it on the hop and throws out Dibble at first as England takes second. Sean Abercrombie comes up and battles Buschlen to a full count before crushing one out to right center. RF Albert Sulley chases after it but it hits the wall on a hop. England comes in to score as Abercrombie pulls up into second with a stand-up double. Pulberry 3 – Sherburn 2 Bottom of the 8th: Rodman gets two quick outs. But Dwayne Vick, who is not known for his power, sends a rocket out towards the gap in deep left center. CF Cooper Tyson races back and leaps at the wall but it sails 401 ft. into the stands for a game-tying solo home run. Both teams go down in order in the 9th, sending the game into extras. Pulberry 3 – Sherburn 3 Top of the 10th: Cris Herrera gives up a lead off walk to Aidan Thirkettle. With one out, Paul England pounds one back up the middle into centerfield. CF Ross Shewman gets to it, but Thirkettle rounds second and digs for third. Thirkettle slides in hard under the tag putting runners on the corners. Ellis Dibble works the count full before checking his swing and loading the bases. Sean Abercrombie then slices one down the line to short right. RF Albert Sulley hesitates but then comes sprinting in to track it down. Thirkettle and England score easily. Dibble rounds third and breaks for home. C Robert Carr makes a diving tag, but Dibble beats it out as Abercrombie comes through with a 3-run double. LHP Dermott Rathbone strikes out PH Quim Cypriano to start the bottom of the 10th. Dwayne Vick then sends one sailing out towards 2B. Makani Kahale gets under it and snags it. Lastly, Robert Carr taps one back to the mound. Rathbone pounces on it and whips it to 1B Gerard Koerner for the final out. Pulberry pulls out a win in extras to take a stranglehold on the Series. FINAL: Pulberry 6 – Sherburn 3 __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-17-2022 at 01:31 AM.

07-14-2022, 07:32 AM	#751
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	Game 5 – April 1 With the Tigers backed into a corner, Sherburn looks to stay alive with the home fans cheering them on. It’s sunny and hot at The Paramount. The game features the same pitching matchup as in Game 1. LHP Brendan Wombwell (0-1, 5.14 ERA, 7.0 IP) looks to revenge his loss in the first matchup for Sherburn, while Pulberry responds with LHP Bart Ohara (1-0, 0.00 ERA 9.0 IP), who was sensational in his playoff debut. Top of the 1st: Pulberry gets on the board first on a controversial play. After two quick outs, Wombwell gives up a first-pitch single to Ellis Dibble, who lines one into right centerfield. With Dibble breaking for second on a full count, Aidan Thirkettle slices one to short leftfield. Dibble moves up to third on the play as it falls in for a base hit. During Paul England’s subsequent at-bat, the umpire signals a balk on Wombwell, scoring Dibble. Pulberry 1 – Sherburn 0 Bottom of 1st: After failing to bunt, Bernard Kerkin works a full count on Ohara. Kerkin then drives one hard down the line in right. RF Ellis Dibble sticks out his glove for it but it’s out of his reach. Kerkin hits the jets at second and slides into 3B safely for a lead off triple. Albert Sulley then hits a sharp line drive into right for a base hit, scoring Kerkin. Pulberry 1 – Sherburn 1 Top of the 2nd: Cooper Tyson leads off and puts a charge into Wombwell’s first offering, lofting it into deep centerfield. CF Ross Shewman reaches up but its over his head as the ball hits the wall on a hop. Cooper pulls up into second for a double. Sean Abercrombie then hits out to second and is thrown out by 2B Bernard Kerkin as Cooper takes third. Paul Heisler then hits a slow roller out toward second. Kerkin throws out Heisler at 1B as Tyson comes home. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 1 Bottom of the 2nd: With one out, Robert Carr bounces a 2-1 pitch out towards short. SS Sean Abercrombie gets in front of it but whiffs attempting to pick it up and kicks it away. Carr reaches safely on the error. Connor Wadsworth then lines a base hit into rightfield, moving Carr up to second. With two out, Bernard Kerkin crushes one out to deep centerfield. CF Cooper Tyson gives chase but it’s over his head and it caroms off the wall for a stand-up double. Carr comes in to score to tie up the game as Wadsworth takes third. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 2 Bottom of the 5th: Marcus Timerberlake leads off with a walk. Dwayne Vick then bloops one into centerfield in front of a charging Cooper Tyson for a base hit, moving Timberlake up to second. Robert Carr slaps one out to the right side. 2B Paul Heisler handles the short hop, but it pops out of his glove. Carr reaches on an error for the second time in the game, loading the bases. Connor Wadsworth hits a slow chopper past the pitcher. 2B Paul Heisler fields it and whips it home. C Paul England tags out Timberlake as he tries to slide in safely but is unable to complete the double play as Wadsworth beats out the throw at first. But Brendan Wombwell helps his cause when he sends one soaring out to centerfield. Cooper Tyson gets under it and whips it back in, but Vick tags up and easily beats out the throw as the Tigers take the lead. Pulberry 2 – Sherburn 3 Top of the 8th: Francis Jones leads off with a free pass. With one out, Ellis Dibble slams a hard shot toward short center for a base hit as Jones takes second. With two out, Paul England hits a hot grounder that glances off the glove of SS Dwayne Vick and into centerfield for a base hit. Jones hustles around 3B and scores as Dibble beats out the throw to third. Pulberry 3 – Sherburn 3 Bottom of the 9th: RHP Bonie Bandong comes in to start the 9th, but PH Quincy Woolescroft crushes one to deep centerfield. CF Bryan Goetz races for it but it’s out of his reach as the ball skips to wall. Woolescroft tears around second and slides hard into 3B, beating out the late throw for a lead off triple. PH Conor Young battles Bandong for 10 pitches before finally drawing a walk. On the next pitch, PH Noah Teale hits one sharply to center as it falls in for a base hit. Woolescroft comes home with the game-winning run as Sherburn keeps its playoff hopes alive. FINAL: Pulberry 3 – Sherburn 4 -------- Game 6 – April 3 The Tigers played tough against the Trolleys in Game 5 and were rewarded with a walk-off win. Now the Series returns to Pulberry where the Trolleys hope to regain the momentum and get that elusive 4th win to capture the Series. The starting pitchers of Game 2 face each other once again: LHP Kozue Saito (0-0, 3.86 ERA, 7.0 IP) takes the hill for Sherburn while Pulberry taps RHP Taylor Folkard (0-0, 2.70 ERA, 6.2 IP). Neither got the decision in Game 2 where Pulberry hung on to win. Top of the 4th: The Tigers open the scoring when Ross Shewman cracks one down the line toward short right that’s just out of the reach of 1B Gerard Koerner. Shewman pulls up into second for a lead off double. Markus Timberlake then lines a shot out toward short leftfield for a base hit, moving Shewman to third. Dwayne Vick taps one out in front of home plate. C Paul England gets to it but bobbles the ball, allowing Vick to reach safely as Shewman scores on the error. Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 0 Bottom of the 5th: Sean Abercrombie crushes one to rightfield with one out. RF Albert Sulley races back and stretches for it but can’t get to it as the ball skips to the wall. Abercrombie tears around second and is given the windmill at 3B. Sulley fires it back towards home but it’s not in time. Abercrombie slides in safely for an inside the park home run. Two batters later, Kozue Saito gives up a single to Francis Jones, then winces in pain. The trainer comes running in to check on him and takes him out of the game. RHP Cris Herrera takes over and despite walking Gerard Koerner to load the bases, gets PH Gustavo Hernández to fly out to CF Ross Shewman to end the inning. Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 1 Bottom of the 6th: Cris Herrera gives up back-to-back walks to Paul England and Cooper Tyson to start the inning. With two outs Paul Heisler comes through, sending a harder grounder past the pitcher and up the middle into centerfield. England hits 3B then charges for home. CF Ross Shewman scoops it up and whips it back to the infield. But England slides in headfirst and beats out the tag to give the Trolleys the lead. Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 2 Bottom of the 8th: Paul England belts one into the leftfield corner for a lead-off double. Cooper Tyson follows and shoots one down the leftfield line as well. England trots across home plate adding to the Trolley’s lead as Tyson slides in safely for a two-base hit. In the top of the 9th, LHP Dermott Rathbone looks to seal the win. But Connor Wadsworth lines one into leftfield for a lead off single. Three pitches later, Rathbone throws a wild pitch allowing Wadsworth to reach second. But PH Christopher Dainty hits a soft pop fly out to CF Cooper Tyson in short center for the first out. Bernard Kerkin then battles Rathbone to a full count but strikes out swinging. Finally, Albert Sulley lofts a 1-0 pitch out to rightfield. Ellis Dibble ranges over and snags it for the final out. The Pulberry Trolleys finally prevail to win their first Western League Pennant! FINAL: Sherburn 1 - Pulberry 3 LHP Kozue Saito is diagnosed with an oblique strain and will be unable to pitch for a week. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland

07-16-2022, 12:23 PM	#752
DreamTeams Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 2,522	Way to go Trolleys! All of the hitters came up big, and the pitchers held their own. Now let's see if they can get it done in the big dance. __________________

07-26-2022, 08:18 AM	#754
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	Game 5 – April 11 It’s do-or-die time for the Athletics as they face elimination. Over the first four games of the Series, they have been outscored by the Trolleys 26-11. Still, they have one more game at home with a packed house looking to cheer them on. It’s warm with nary a cloud in the sky. 20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (2-0, 24.0 IP, 0.38 ERA), who has pitched brilliantly thus far in the playoffs, looks to wrap things up for Pulberry. On the other hand, Wellington has put the weight of the world upon the shoulders of 31-year old RHP Troy Conlin (0-2, 11.0 IP, 6.55 ERA). Conlin gave up 7 runs over 5 innings of work in Pulberry’s 12-0 win in Game 1. Top of the 6th: The game remains scoreless until the 6th. Bart Ohara drives one toward right centerfield. RF Jim Mars can’t get to it in time as it falls in for a 1-out base hit. With 2 out, Gerard Koerner jumps on a 0-2 pitch, launching it into short centerfield. Greg Yates races in but cannot make the catch. Ohara wheels around second and heads for third. Yates whips it to 3B, but Ohara slides in safely. Like Pulberry’s CF Cooper Tyson the day before, Yates reacts in pain after the throw and is forced to leave the game. Jack Jefferson comes in to replace him. Aidan Thirkettle then drives a 2-2 pitch to centerfield. Jefferson can only it play it on the hop as Ohara crosses the plate. Pulberry 1 – Wellington 0 Bottom of the 8th: PH Doug Bowman walks on 5 pitches with one out. Matthew Floyd bashes one to short rightfield for a base hit. Bowman moves up to second, then is replaced by PR Jordan Backhouse. Jack Jefferson then drives one down the line into deep leftfield. Thirkettle sprints after it but it sails over his head and rolls into the corner. Backhouse tears around third and easily crosses the plate. Floyd hustles into third then breaks for home. Floyd scores without a throw as Wellington takes the lead. In the top of the 9th, PH Gustavo Hernández leads off with a full count walk. That ends Conlin’s afternoon as RHP Finley Capstick comes on in relief. Aidan Thirkettle grounds out to SS Vance Fendley as Hernández takes second. Paul England then flares one out to RF Harvey Thornber for the second out. Hernández tags up and slides safely into third. But Ellis Dibble lifts one out to centerfield right where Jack Jefferson is standing. Jefferson hauls it in for the final out. Wellington hangs on to keep the Series alive and send it back to Pulberry for Game 6. FINAL: Pulberry 1 – Wellington 2 CF Greg Yates suffered some back stiffness, but it is not considered too serious (Day to day, 5 days). -------- Game 6 – April 13 The Series returns to Trolleys Stadium with Pulberry looking for one more victory and Wellington looking to tie things up. Neither team will get much relief from the elements today: the temperature has shot way up with no clouds in sight. 34-year old RHP Robin Medellin (1-1, 17.0 IP, 1.06 ERA) is tasked with getting the Trolleys over the hump while Wellington’s ace, 28-year old RHP Vinnie Snell (2-1, 22.0 IP, 2.16 ERA), looks to keep the Trolley’s bats quiet as Troy Conlin did in Game 5. Bottom of the 5th: Pulberry gets something going when Paul Heisler lines one into left center. LF Matthew Floyd cuts it off to hold Heisler to a single. Robin Medellin squares up and bunts the ball back to the pitcher. Vinnie Snell fields it but his throw is low and in the dirt as 1B Wayne Emmert is unable to play it on the hop. Medellin takes second while Heisler moves up to third on the error. Jacob Sverdloff then walks on 4 pitches to load the bases. After Gerard Koerner pops out to 3B Yorikane Takeuchi, Snell loses Aidan Thirkettle and walks him, forcing in a run. Paul England then battles Snell to a full count before taking a pitch high and away to force in Pulberry’s second run. On the next pitch, Ellis Dibble drives one to right center. CF Jack Jefferson hustles over to make a nice sliding catch. But Sverdloff tags up and scores without a throw. Wellington 0 - Pulberry 3 Top of the 6th: Jim Mars sends a hard shot straight up the middle that sneaks its way into centerfield for a 1-out base hit. Declan Bugbie then lines the next pitch out to right center. RF Ellis Dibble hurries back and lunges but can’t reach it as the ball drops in and rolls to the wall. Mars hustles over to 3B as Bugbie pulls up into second. Jack Jefferson lines a grounder through the hole into leftfield. Mars comes home for Wellington’s first run on the base hit. Wellington 1 - Pulberry 3 Top of the 9th: Yorikane Takeuchi belts the first pitch down the line toward left. Aidan Thirkettle tracks it down in the corner but can only throw it back to the cut-off man as Takeuchi reaches second with a lead-off double. PH Brayden Docking also belts the first pitch he sees towards the bag at third. But it eludes 3B Francis Jones and rolls all the way to the wall. Takeuchie scores easily as Docking wheels into second. Doug Bowman then sends a hard shot toward second base. Paul Heisler gets in front of it and throws out Bowman as Docking takes third. But the struggling Vaiga Bultarro booms one into deep centerfield. Jacob Sverdloff races back but he can’t quite reach it as it bounces off the wall. Docking races home to tie up the game as Baltarro motors into second. LHP Dermott Rathbone then comes on in relief as Robin Medellin’s day is done. One pitch later, Baltarro breaks for third. C Paul England whips a rocket and nails him for the second out. Wayne Emmert then laces one into rightfield for a base hit, but Matthew Floyd strikes out swinging to end the rally. Wellington 3 - Pulberry 3 Bottom of the 9th: RHP Finley Capstick takes over and gives up a lead off base hit to Jacob Sverdloff. But PH Gustavo Herndández strikes out swinging and Aidan Thirkettle hits a high fly ball to deep centerfield that Jack Jefferson tracks down for the second out. During Paul England’s subsequent at-bat, Sverdloff takes off for second and is thrown out by C Declan Bugbie to end the inning, sending the game into extras. Wellington 3 - Pulberry 3 Top of the 10th: PH Keon-Chae Cho skies the first pitch out toward the gap in deep left center. CF Jacob Sverdloff reaches for it but misses as it bounces off the wall. Cho rounds first and slides in safely at second for a lead-off double. Declan Bugbie drills one out to the very same neighborhood two pitches later. Sverdloff lunges but can’t quite get to it. Cho comes home as the ball rolls to the base of the wall. Bugbie beats out the throw to second for a go-ahead RBI double. In the bottom of the 10th, Paul England and Ellis Dibble lead off with back-to-back singles off Finley Capstick. But a Francis Jones’ liner to left is caught by a diving Matthew Floyd for the first out. Sean Abercrombie then raps one out to the right side. 2B Vaiga Bultarro scoops it up and feeds it to SS Yorikane Takeuchi covering second, who in turns rifles it to 1B Wayne Emmert for the twin killing. Wellington wins a thriller to tie up the Series and force a deciding Game 7. FINAL: Wellington 4 - Pulberry 3 -------- Game 7 – April 14 For the 7th time in United Leagues’ history, the United Cup has come down to a winner-take-all game 7. The Wellington Athletics, badly outmatched in the early going, have crawled their way back to tie the Series. Now it all comes down this: Game 7 about to be played at a packed Trolleys Stadium with the country at a practical standstill, as the eyes and ears of the nation hang on to every word of the radio broadcast or flickering image of a black-and-white television. Weather will not spoil the proceedings. It’s once again sunny and hot along the south-east coast. 28-year old RHP Taylor Folkard (1-1, 21.0 IP, 3.00 ERA) is given the assignment of his life – starting a Game 7. He is looking to redeem himself after a so-so start in Game 3. But Wellington is forced to go with their No. 5 starter, 31-year old RHP Zak Annett (9-13, 4.16 ERA, 1.30 WHIP), as Mike Murray is still nursing strained muscles in his throwing arm. This will be the 10-year veteran’s first playoff start after pitching in relief for just 0.1 innings back in Game 2. No pressure. Bottom of the 2nd: Annett walks Sean Abercrombie with one out. With two out, Paul Heisler hits a sharp grounder back up the middle. 2B Vaiga Bultarro lunges for it but can’t get a grip on it and doesn’t risk the throw. Abercrombie moves up to second on the infield hit. Taylor Folkard then hits a hard grounder past 1B and into rightfield. Abercrombie hustles into third then breaks for home. RF Jim Mars throws it in but Abercrombie slides in safely for the game’s first run. Wellington 0 - Pulberry 1 Bottom of the 3rd: Aidan Thirkettle leads off and taps one out to the right side. Annett dives for it and makes a quick throw to first. But Emmert can’t reach it as it sails high over his head. Thirkettle takes second on the error. With one out, Ellis Dibble punches a 2-2 pitch through the left side hole past a diving SS Vance Fendley. Dibble rounds the bag but reverses course and returns to first. Thirkettle reaches third and dashes for home. LF Matthew Floyd fires it back in but it’s wide of the mark and C Decaln Bugbie has to chase it down. Thirkettle scores as Dibble moves up to second on the second error of the inning. Wellington 0 - Pulberry 2 Bottom of the 4th: Paul Heisler drives one into right center. CF Jack Jefferson races back for it but it eludes him and caroms off the wall. Heisler tears around first and slides in safely for a lead-off double. With the corners drawn in, Taylor Folkard lays down a bunt to the left side of the mound. Annett gets it off fast to throw Folkard out at first as Heisler takes third. After Francis Jones walks on a full count, Gerard Koerner hits a sharp grounder out to SS Vance Fendley. Fendley flips it to 2B Vaiga Bultarro for one, but Jones breaks up the double play attempt with a hard slide as Heisler scores. That ends Zak Annett’s afternoon as LHP Jeff Routh comes on in relief to get Wellington out of the jam. Wellington 0 - Pulberry 3 Bottom of the 7th: Gerard Koerner belts one to left center. CF Jack Jefferson goes back but it’s over his head and bounces off the wall. Jefferson retrieves it and whips it to third as Koerner bears down on the base. Koerner slides in safely for a one-out triple. Aidan Thirkettle battles back from a 0-2 count to make it full. Thirkettle then crushes Routh’s changeup and sends it out toward rightfield. Jim Mars runs back to the wall, but it sails 410 ft. into the boisterous crowds for a 2-run home run. Paul England immediately follows and jumps on a 2-2 slider, sending it soaring down the leftfield line. Matthew Floyd races back but it lands just fair 364 ft. into the delirious stands for a solo home run. Wellington 0 - Pulberry 6 Top of the 8th: Wellington finally gets something going, thanks to some Trolleys’ miscues. Doug Bowman grounds one past a diving SS Sean Abercrombie for a lead-off single. Vaiga Bultarro hits a tapper back to the mound. Folkard fields it but it pops out of his glove. Bultarro reaches safely as Bowman takes second on the error. Wayne Emmert hits a vicious grounder down to first. Gerard Koerner corrals it and fires it to second for the first out. Abercrombie sends it back to first, but Emmert beats out the throw as Bowman takes third. Folkard then walks Matthew Floyd to load the bases. Jim Mars battles Folkard to a full count before sending a bouncer toward second. Paul Heisler makes the grab but can’t find the handle. Bowman comes home on the second error of the inning as Emmert advances to third with the bases still loaded. PH Brayden Docking then sends a rocket down the line toward short right for a base hit. Emmert scores easily on the play. Floyd is not far behind him, as he races around third and heads for home. RF Ellis Dibble fires it home, but Floyd slides in safely for Wellington’s third run. That ends Folkard’s day as LHP Dermott Rathbone comes on in relief. Although Rathbone surrenders a single to Jack Jefferson to reload the bases, he strikes out both Yorikane Takeuchi and Vance Fendley to end the rally. Wellington 3 - Pulberry 6 Bottom of the 8th: RHP Finley Capstick takes over from Jeff Routh in the 8th. First up is PH Gustavo Hernández who lines a 1-2 pitch out toward shallow right center for a base hit. On the very next pitch, Hernández takes off for second. C Doug Bowman fires it to second but the throw is off course and it sails into the outfield as Hernández moves up to third. Paul Heisler then drives one to deep right center. CF Jack Jefferson races over and makes a nice leaping catch. But Hernández tags up and scores unchallenged. Dermott Rathbone takes the hill in the top of the 9th needing just three more outs. Doug Bowman hits a 3-1 grounder out toward second and is thrown out by Paul Heisler. Vaiga Bultarro spanks a sharp grounder to the left side. 3B Makani Kahale scoops it up and fires it to 1B Gerard Koerner for the second out. But Rathbone’s 1-2 pitch to Wayne Emmert is too far inside and he is awarded first base. Next up is Matthew Floyd. Floyd battles Rathbone to a 2-2 count, fouling off two consecutive pitches, but he strikes out swinging on the next pitch, ending the game, the Series and the season. The Pulberry Trolleys prevail in seven to win their first United Cup! FINAL: Wellington 3 - Pulberry 7 -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland

07-27-2022, 10:55 AM	#755
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	__________________ United Leagues of Braeland

07-28-2022, 10:52 PM	#756
DreamTeams Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 2,522	FINALLY! It's the Trolleys year. __________________

08-12-2022, 01:37 PM	#757
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	__________________ United Leagues of Braeland

10-10-2022, 02:52 AM	#758
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	Babe Ruth Award Embro Suns’ 27-year old 3B Moromao Nakagawa (.331/.413/.592, 30-2B, 36 HR, 123 RBI, 81 BB, 4 SB, 168 OPS+, 8.3 WAR) successfully defended his standing as the Eastern League’s top offensive player, winning the Babe Ruth Award for the second consecutive season. Nakagawa and Raymond Williams finished 1-2 for the second straight year as well, but this time Nakagawa swept all first-place votes. Rod Dennis received votes for the first time since the 1952-53 season, but his 123 votes this year was his best showing by far. Nakagawa led the Eastern League in HR (36), RBI (123), WAR (8.3), Hits (185), Runs (110), TB (331), EBH (70), ISO (.261) and WPA (8.66). He finished second in another 5 categories and in the Top 5 in 4 others. As an aside, he led the entire United Leagues in 3 categories (highlighted in bold). Next in order of vote getting: 2nd: Cobourg’s 30-year old CF Raymond Williams (.301/.402/.547, 28-2B, 29 HR, 88 RBI, 86 BB, 14 SB, 152 OPS+, 7.3 WAR) 3rd: Queensland’s 30-year old LF Rod Dennis (.343/.415/.596, 29-2B, 33 HR, 100 RBI, 69 BB, 173 OPS+, 6.1 WAR) Williams finished second in 3 categories and in the Top 5 in 11 others. Dennis led the circuit in AVG (.343), SLG (.596), OPS (1.011), OPS+ (173), wOBA (.442) and RC/27 outs (9.77). He finished second in 6 further categories and in the Top 5 in 3 others. Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Satchel Paige Award Queensland Eagles’ RHP Logan Belsey and RHP Stiofan Micklethwait have each received votes for the top pitcher in the East for the past five and four seasons respectively, with Belsey winning the honor in 1952-53 and 1954-55. But this season, 27-year old LHP Robin Wadsworth (20-9, 1.96 ERA, 257.0 IP, 1.10 WHIP, .232 BABIP, 199 ERA+, 6.2 WAR) came out just ahead of Belsey in his second season of receiving votes. Wadsworth led the East in ERA (1.96), SHO (6), ERA+ (199), rWAR (10.6) and QS (28). He finished second in 1 other category and in the Top 5 in a further 15. He led the entire United Leagues in 4 categories (highlighted in bold). Following him were: 2nd: 30-year old RHP Logan Belsey (21-6, 2.63 ERA, 267.1 IP, 1.19 WHIP, .282 BABIP, 147 ERA+, 8.8 WAR). 3rd: 28-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait (21-5, 2.42 ERA, 267.2 IP, 1.03 WHIP, .230 BABIP, 160 ERA+, 7.8 WAR) Belsey led the Eastern League (and the entire ULB for that matter) in W (21 – tied), WAR (8.8), K (219), K/BB (2.7) and FIP (2.55). He finished second in 4 other categories and in the Top 5 in 6 others. Micklethwait led in W (21 - tied), WHIP (1.03), WIN% (.808), Opp OBP (.265) and Opp OPS (.561). He finished second in 11 other categories and in the Top 5 in 4 others. Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Rookie of the Year Award Cobourg acquired the 25-year old LF Harrison Covey (.254/.355/.396, 13-2B, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 80 BB, 5 SB, 101 OPS+, 2.9 WAR) from the Balmoral Giants last June and Covey rewarded the Redlegs with a Rookie of the Year performance. The former 2nd-round pick from 1951-52 is a defensive marvel that is projected to be a solid regular with hard contact and above-average power. A pair of Legends followed him in the voting: 2nd: Brunswick’s 24-year old IF/OF Edliberto Mandac (.305/.351/.452, 24-2B, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 26 BB, 7 SB, 113 OPS+, 1.5 WAR) 3rd: Brunswick’s 26-year old LHP Joshua Witherden (.214/.315/.387, 13-2B, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 57 BB, 7 SB, 87 OPS+, 1.4 WAR) Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Babe Ruth Award Another dominant performance by Pulberry’s 26-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.334/.434/.628, 27-2B, 40 HR, 113 RBI, 88 BB, 9 SB, 188 OPS+, 9.1 WAR) earned him his third consecutive Babe Ruth Award. He is third position player to win three Babe Ruth Awards in his career and the second to win it three years in a row, following Kingston Pelican’s catcher, Danny Trowbridge. It was also the first time he earned all first-place votes and was joined by four of his teammates in collecting votes. Thirkettle led the League in a whopping 15 categories. They are: AVG (.334), HR (40), RBI (113), OBP (.434), SLG (.625), OPS (1.062), WAR (9.1), Runs (116), TB (331), EBH (71), ISO (.294), OPS+ (188), WPA (6.48), wOBA (.461) and RC/27 Outs (10.6). He finished second in 1 other category (caught stealing) and in the Top 5 in 1 other (hits). He led the entire United Leagues in 10 categories (highlighted in bold). This year’s runners-up were: 2nd: Sherburn’s 28-year old LF Ross Shewman (.286/.396/.530, 22-2B, 26 HR, 110 RBI, 92 BB, 1 SB, 145 OPS+, 7.0 WAR) 3rd: Pulberry's 25-year old C Paul England (.317/.402/.523, 22-2B, 24 HR, 94 RBI, 66 BB, 152 OPS+, 6.8 WAR) Shewman finished second in 2 categories and in the Top 5 in 10 others. England finished in the Top 5 in 7 categories. Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Satchel Paige Award 32-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (18-5, 2.49 ERA, 278.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, .282 BABIP, 159 ERA+, 7.8 WAR) wins his third Satchel Paige Award and first since the 1947-48 season, an 8-year gap. That breaks the previous record of 7 years, originally set by Anastasio Rodríguez with the Brunswick Legends. The 12-year veteran and 7-time all-star, who failed to earn any votes last season, enjoyed one of his very best campaigns and could be primed for more. He has an ‘iron man’ constitution and has been one of the steadiest, most consistent pitchers in the United Leagues. He has been with the Tigers since they drafted him 4th overall back in 1942-43. Chapa led the West in ERA (2.49), WAR (7.8), IP (278.2), ERA+ (159), rWAR (9.1), WIN% (.783) and QS (30). He finished in the Top 5 in 2 other pitching categories. He led the entire United Leagues in 2 categories (highlighted in bold). Finishing behind Chapa in voting this year were: 2nd: Pulberry’s 20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (13-11, 2.95 ERA, 247.0 IP, 1.22 WHIP, .268 BABIP, 130 ERA+, 7.4 WAR) 3rd: Hespeler’s 28-year old RHP Battista Carotta (17-13, 3.37 ERA, 275.1 IP, 1.30 WHIP, .270 BABIP, 118 ERA+, 6.3 WAR) Ohara finished first in FIP (2.70) and Opp SLG (.315). He finished second in 3 other categories and in the Top 5 in a further 8. Carotta finished first in CG (20) and SHO (5). He finished second in another 2 categories and in the Top 5 in 7 others. Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Rookie of the Year Award For the first time in United Leagues history, a tie for a major player award occurred – and they are teammates on a championship squad to boot. Although the news article announced 24-year old SS Sean Abercrombie (.253/.333/.436, 17-2B, 19 HR, 71 RBI, 56 BB, 7 SB, 110 OPS+, 2.6 WAR) as the winner, it does acknowledge that he finished in a dead heat with 20-year old LHP Bart Ohara (13-11, 2.95 ERA, 247.0 IP, 1.22 WHIP, .268 BABIP, 130 ERA+, 7.4 WAR). On the other hand, the award winners listed under the History tab names Ohara as this season’s Rookie of the Year. But both received a Rookie of the Year icon on their respective player’s page thus confirming the tie. Both were well deserving, and each contributed to their team’s success this past season. Finishing behind the Pulberry duo were: 3rd: Wolseley’s 26-year old C Mike Hutchison (.265/.346/.375, 21-2B, 6 HR, 58 RBI, 52 BB, 93 OPS+, 2.4 WAR) 4th: Sherburn’s 24-year old CF Leon Albrecht (.234/.349/.375, 10-2B, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 49 BB, 5 SB, 93 OPS+, 2.0 WAR) Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Manager of the Year Award Although his club came up short in the United Cup finals, the ULB took note of the fine job 62-year old Wildemar Aquino (210-223, .485) did in guiding the Wellington Athletics back to the playoffs for the first time in 4 years. The Athletics improved by 20 wins over last season to go from last to first place and a berth into the United Cup finals. Although an 18-year veteran, this was just his third as a manager and his first winning season. On the other hand, 50-year old Ryo Ichikawa (1001-851, .540) has been a manager throughout his 12-year career and has enjoyed tremendous success. As manger of the Embro Suns for 7 seasons, he led them to three Pennants and one United Cup appearance. When he joined the Pulberry Trolleys in 1951-52, he took over a squad that had lost a combined 191 games over the previous two seasons. But they immediately began to win under his guidance, culminating with three consecutive first-place finishes and finally, a Western League Pennant and United Cup championship this past season. He wins the Manager of the Year Award for the second straight season. Previous Winners: -------- New Records Set Several pitching records were set this season: • Queensland’s 30-year old RHP Marcus Turvill set a new mark for home runs allowed with 53. That surpasses Reece Abberley’s previous mark of 43 set in 1940-41. • Queensland’s RHP Logan Belsey broke his own 1950-51 record of 203 strikeouts with 219 this past season. • 30-year old LHP Larry Kovnats of the Braeland City Monarchs set a new mark of 205 walks allowed, surpassing Kent Dundon’s old mark of 198 set in 1950-51. • Braeland City’s RHP Danilo Narvaez set a new mark of 6.16 HA/9 IP. The previous record was 6.41, set in 1952-53 by Bill Budd. • LHP Larry Kovnats also set a new record of 7.66 K/9 IP, surpassing his own mark of 7.37 from last season. • Finally, RHP Danilo Narvaez broke Bill Blair’s 1952-53 record of .1974 Opp AVG, with a new mark of .1890. __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 10-12-2022 at 10:14 PM.

10-12-2022, 01:59 AM	#759
DreamTeams Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 2,522	Nice hardware, the boys picked up this season. Icing on the cake. Once again, what a fabulous year for the Trolleys. __________________