COBRA: Consolidated Organisation of Baseball and Railways of Amelia: A History

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Maxwell was the biggest hitter out of the gate this season and he's gone and reignited that fire just when his team needed him the most to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Maxwell played 28 games and hit at least one extra base hit in 14 of them. Probably the most frustrating example for him came against the Crimson Forest Falcons when he hit two home runs for a 4 RBI haul but the Polar Bears still ended up on the wrong side on the scoreboard when the Falcons got 5 on the board in the 8th.

But Maxwell looks set to provide a deadly force of offense for the Polar Bears as we move towards the endgame this season.

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Full of talent, this was the month that Oudenkerk put it all together and it all came together perfectly at the end as he threw a no-hitter against the Spice District Roosters.

Unfortunately, this great pitching is flying under the radar a bit as he does it for a bottom-of-the-table side. His 6-1 record means that in every other game, the Unicorns have a record of 8-12. Oudenkerk signed a 5 year deal with the Unicorns over the winter so he'll be hoping that management can turn it around over the next four years.

The no-hitter is an obvious highlight but we'll also like to highlight his role in a 3-2 win against Northlands Polar Bears when Oudenkerk issued the K 16 times.

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August 4, 1921
The Dustland Sharks have been romping home this season so far but today, may finally face some adversity as MVP Catcher Kian Lehn is out for 5 weeks after an injury running the bases. It remains to be seen if Lehn can make it back for the playoffs.

Lehn is .333/.425/.528 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs for a 159 OPS+ this season. While he hasn't reached the heights of his 1920 campaign, he's still been the most effective hitter for the Sharks. The Sharks still boast of plenty of firepower though.

One example of that firepower is Kody Lyabah who smashed two home runs against the Polar Bears in the game that Lehn injured himself.

Including -- criticially -- a 2-run dinger in the top of the 11th to eventually win the game.



Also from the same day, Ducks LF J.R. Shouse became the second player to get the cycle. The final bit of the cycle came in the bottom of the 10th, Shouse lead off the inning and hit a double off the first pitch. A wild pitch would move him to third and then a nice sac fly out to Left Field from the Ducks Pitcher was enough to get home for the walk-off.

Both cycles to date have been achieved in extra innings.



Her'es the standings at the end of August 7. We now have the pennant chase screen too for some fun with probability. The experts are predicting that Spice District, Dustland, and Saffron are all sure things for playoff spots. Northlands, Sugar Factory, and Amelia City look set to compete for the final spot.

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August 10, 1921
The Dustland Sharks might be missing the hitting of Catcher Kian Lehn but they figured it out in the nick of the time against the Amelia City Metros. Down 5-0 in the bottom on the 9th, the Sharks started their onslaught.

Shark Catcher Evan Rasmussen started the inning striking out looking, but SS Stu Welch banged a groundball out to left field to get on base. Carl McNutt came in to pinch hit for the pitcher and drew a walk.

Then the critical moment as LF Christopher Larson came up and hit a groundball straight to the Shortstop, he should have been out at first but Metros 1B Christian Bakker dropped the ball. Bases were loaded. It should have been two outs with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Not great, but a heck a lot better than this.

2B Justin Seehusen had an almighty battle with the pitcher, fouling off three pitches before drawing a walk himself to drive in the first run. 3B Kody Lyabah -- one of the most feared home run hitters out there -- came up but struck out swinging. CF Sid van Kranenburg was next up, he watched the first two pitches get called for balls and then sent the next pitch into the stands for a grand slam. All of a sudden, it was tied up.

1B Nathan Crews was up next and quickly fell in the count 0-2, but he waited for his moment and got the pitch he wanted for the walk-off home run.



August 11, 1921
The game started with an almighty pitching duel between Unicorn Point's Tijs Oudenkerk and Salt Quarter's Shawn Marsh. Each only allowing one run in the first 9 innings. As the game went into extras, Oudenkerk and Marsh kept on going. Oudenkerek bowing out after 10, Marsh after 12.

Oudenkerek racked up an astonishing 20 K's in his 10 innings (17 in the first 9). A swing and a miss was a common sight in Unicorn Point that day.

After the starters hit the showers, the game kept going. It wasn't until the 16th that Salt Quarter finally broke through with a grand slam to 2B Andy Marsh. It was a satisfying moment for Marsh, who had struck out five times in that game.



August 16, 1921
The Dustland Sharks became the first team to mathematically book their place in the playoffs today, they lost to Unicorn Point but other results made their path clear. They haven't quite wrapped up the division title yet but with a 12 game lead and 18 games to go, it's not long before they do.

August 20, 1921
The Hadestown Broncos are the first team to be eliminated in 1921 aand they celebrated by thrashing the Port Magnolia Dolphins 12-4. Experts didn't rate their chances much at the start: 64-80 was the expectation and it looks like they'll do even worse than that.

They threw in the towel in July, by trading away their best pitcher for prospects. It's left their pitching stocks quite bare, the only pitcher left with an ERA+ over 100 is 35 year old Jackson Woods.

There were some bright moments though, 23 year old LF B.J. Gibson was probably their best player this season. He went .299/.352/.498 with a decent collection of doubles, triples, home runs, and steals plus some good defense at Left Field.

Their big signing over the winter, 31 year old SS Tristan Lyngstrad regressed from his 1920 numbers but managed to slightly beat the average. Only 6 years to go on that contract.

We'd at least hope to liven the mood by saying that Hadestown has some exciting prospects to look forward to but nope, they currently rank 10th out of 12 teams.

August 21, 1921
The mathematicians have been hard at work as they name both the Port Magnolia Dolphins and Unicorn Point Athletic Club as eliminated today.

The experts put 59-85 prediction down for the Dolphins and -- good news -- they'll might just beat it!

The lone bright spot came from their bullpen as Stopper Matt Leiker put up some great numbers that booked him a trip to the All-Star game. So far, he's gone 6-1 with 11 saves, 1.74 ERA, and 0.93 WHIP. He halved his walk rate from last season and has kept his excellent home run suppression alive. To think what would have been if Leiker wasn't there to close the games out.

For the hitters, they provided some great energy on the basepaths and defensively but they couldn't hit the ball. They ranked last in nearly every offensive category. Catcher Jaxen Crouch was their best hitter. He went .263/.360/.433 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs for a 121 OPS+. He's 27 and signed until 1924 so should be making a good contribution for the Dolphins for a while longer.

#8 prospect Alexios Ioannou could be making an appearance next season. The 19 year old CF projects to be a high contact hitter with good defense and blazing speed. He's been doing well in the minors. He was acquired from the Dustland Sharks in exchange for SS Stu Welch over the winter.

Unicorn Point Athletic Club are a definite disappointment this season. Experts put them at 70-74, a loss record they've already exceeded with weeks to go.

Pitcher Tijs Oudenkerk has been making more waves than usual though, with a no-hitter at the end of July and a 20 K game mere days ago. He's proven inconsistent but if he can harness his talent more effectively then he'll certainly be one of the top in baseball. Only 26, and signed until 1925. There's certainly a lot of hope there for more moments from him in the pink jersey.

But the real blame lies with the hitters of Unicorn Point. Only one starter got an OPS+ over 100. That was 26 year old LF Danny Walsh (signed until 1928). In fairness, 1B Nathan Crews also had a OPS+ over 100 but they traded him to Dustland for prospects.

Hopefully the future is bright for Unicorn Point, they had the #3 ranked minor league system in the league though most won't be ready for next season. Patience must be had Unicorn fans.

Here's where the standings sit at August 21.





The division races are a foregone conclusion so we throw our attention to the wildcard. This week has a three game series between the Sugar Factory Elephants and Amelia City Metros will be a critical one for both teams if they hope to catch Northlands and Saffron.

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August 25, 1921
The Spice District Roosters clinch their spot in the playoffs with a solid 5-1 win over the Dustland Sharks.

The chances of a playoff appearance from the from the Amelia City Metros has dimmed when they could only get one win out of their 3 game series against the Sugar Factory Elephants. They did make a courageous comeback to walk it off in the final game but giving one of their closest rivals for the wildcard spot those wins has seen their chances in the pennant race screen plummet to 0.4%.

Finally, behind two home runs from 1B Zeke Reynolds, the Saffron Turtles edged out the Whiskeytown Ducks 10-9 to mathematically eliminate the Ducks.

The Ducks, predicted to go 71-73 at the start of the season (an impossible mark for them now) will be disappointed with their season. Their pitching, despite the efforts of Logan Phillips (and his two pitcher of the month awards) was bottom-of-the-table stuff. It certainly didn't help that their #2 guy Dimitri Balanchin most a significant part of the season with a hamstring strain.

The hitting was better. Catcher Joel de Vries put up an excellent season with a .341/.446/.561 slash line to date and CF Thad Pardue continued his base stealing ways: 38 stolen bases and only caught once.

So what does the future hold for the Ducks? Pitching could get a whole lot worse with both Logan Phillips and Dimitri Balanchin off contract next season. They'll need to hit the free agency market hard or get some trades going as while they have one of the top minor league systems out there. Their top prospects are all hitters.

Most of their prospects won't see COBRA action next season but management is hopeful to bring up 3B Sean Bigham who should hit for a high average and has an excellent arm. Speedster 2B Wes Franz was also supposed to be in this year's squad but a broken kneecap after just one at-bat saw him sidelined.

If they can sort their pitching out then we could have an exciting Ducks team soon.

August 26, 1921
Up against the Northlands Polar Bears, the Crimson Forest Falcons got two runs on the board in the top of the first but that'll be the end of the good times that evening as the Polar Bears racked up an astonishing 19 runs.

Just to add extra insult to injury, the Falcons learnt that the loss had mathematically eliminated them from playoff contention.

After a terrible 1920, experts largely wrote them off for 1921 and predicted a 60-84 season and with 62 wins on the board and 9 games to go we can say that they've exceeded those expectations. They might have done even better too had they not lost their 3B and SS on the same day for the rest of the season back in June.

They got an excellent season out of CF Augie Hanson who went .260/.353/.435 with 23 doubles, 19 stolen bases, and 18 home runs. So close to a second straight 20/20 season but still 9 games to get the missing pieces.

Also worth noting is rookie LF Christian Tiggs -- the #1 draft pick in 1920 -- who transitioned to life in the bigs fairly quickly. His .246/.303/.420 slash line translates to a 94 OPS+ but he provided excellent value defensively and on the basepaths to be a good candidate for rookie of the year.

August 27, 1921
News today to surprise no one as both the Dustland Sharks and Spice District Roosters lock their places in as division winners.

The Roosters actually lose their game 1-0 on the back of a 1-hit complete game shutout from Whiskeytown's Logan Phillips but oh well.

Credit should also go to Rooster Pitcher Edward Engle, the winning run was the result of an error.



August 28, 1921
The Whiskeytown Ducks actually continue their winning ways against the Roosters with a 3 home run performance from RF Kirill Gabai driving in all 8 of Whiskeytown's runs in a 8-3 victory.



The Saffron Turtles too, have booked the first wildcard spot with a nice 5-1 victory over the Dustland Sharks.

August 31, 1921
The Polar Bears took a huge step forward towards the final wildcard spot with a 6-3 win over the Whiskeytown Ducks. The act eliminated the wildcard aspirations of two teams: The Amelia City Metropolitans and Salt Quarter Penguins.

This leaves the Sugar Factory Elephants as the only side in the race with the Polar Bears and they're a full 4 games behind with only 4 left to play. A recent three game losing streak has pretty much destroyed the hopes of the Elephants returning to the playoffs. We expect to call it for them any day now.

But, on the Metros and Penguins.

Predictions had the Metros had 72-72 and they were pretty much dead-on as they currently sit at 71-70. They took a big gamble near the trade deadline when they made a big play to get Broncos SP Dalton Deschenes to top their rotation. He did well, over 9 games he went 6-0 with a 2.76 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough but I can admire the respect they had for their fans to try to get a win now.

Deschenes will go on the free agency market. They will also lose their other gamble -- SP Fred Alltop -- to free agency.

2B Doug Dale missed a big chunk of 1920 to injury and his 1921 season was also vulnerable to injury. He played more games but niggling day to day injuries hampered his ability on the field as he contributed less WAR this season than last despite playing significantly more games.

Nevertheless he was still rated as the best hitter on the team.

One success story is rookie Stopper Carson Mixon who would alternate between his stopper role and being a starter. In the end, he finished with a 10-8 record with 18 saves and a 3.33 ERA. Still a bit to work on but the saves has him second in the league, behind only Sugar Factory's Max Collins' 19 saves.

The Salt Quarter Penguins were the big story of the winter when they completely shattered contract records to sign pitcher Jared Way. Way, certainly delivered on his contract as he put up near identical stats to his time in the Spice District with the main exception being his W-L record. The move from the District to the Quarter saw his exemplary 25-8 record go to 13-12. Many of his games fell into the hands of Stopper Tommy Taaij, who put up a terrible 7.53 ERA over his 47 games and 55.0 innings with 7 blown saves.

How Taaij keeps his role is beyond me. What on earth does he have on manager Sebastian Drewry?

The Penguin's other big signing of the winter was 1B Kyle Lownes who delivered with some strong hitting. Unfortunately, the rest of the hitting wasn't up to scratch.

Final news for the day, Rooster Pitcher Max Steel got just 6 strikeouts in the Roosters 4-1 win over the Elephants today -- literally his smallest total all season -- but it was just enough for him to hit the 400 mark for the second straight time.

Here's where the standings sit at the end of August. Just a handful of games to go now.

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Last month we featured Polar Bear 1B Richard Maxwell and now it's the turn of RF Jon Jackson as the explanation behind their playoff push. Jackson has simply put the best month in COBRA history (short as it is). His numbers are otherworldy -- his .954 slugging percentage would be a decent OPS for most hitters.

Jackson started the season off slow. Only 10 home runs by the end of May but he's up to 45 now and only three short of leader Sugar Factory 1B Vladik Zavalin. Jackson might not repeat his home run title this season but no one expected that he'd actually get this close.

Jackson has also put himself into a prime position for the MVP prize, he lost out last season by an incredibly narrow margin but his surge in numbers this month has done wonders for his numbers.



Dalton Deschenes has certainly relished his move from Hadestown to Amelia City to put up one of the best pitching months of his career. August included a 3-hit shutout against Unicorn Point and a hard fought 8.1 shutout innings of 2-hit ball against the Port Magnolia Dolphins.

Descehnes is a free agent after this season, so his time in a Amelia City uniform may be very fleeting unless they can put some serious dollar signs in front of him.



Last season's #1 draft pick is quickly establishing himself as a star-in-the-making over in the Forest. He's starting to get the ball where he wants it more nowadays as August marks a pretty significant increase in doubles.

Unfortunately the doubles weren't flowing in probably his best game of the month against the Northlands Polar Bears where he went 4-5 and was a double short of a cycle.

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September 2, 1921
With two games to go, the Northlands Polar Bears have clinched their spot as the final wildcard team. A slim 3-2 win over divisional rivals the Spice District Roosters confirms it.

This means we say goodbye to the Sugar Factory Elephants: the last team to be eliminated.

The Elephants will be the only team from the 1920 playoffs to not repeat their appearance. They came out of the gates with an impressive start. 20-11 at the end of April but a 11-17 month destroyed their momentum and they played like a .500 team for the rest of the season.

No team was better at scoring runs than the Elephants. Led by 1B Vladilk Zavalin who went .270/.359/.586 with 48 home runs and 131 RBIs and became the first player to hit the cycle.

Also providing solid support was 38 year old 3B Jaden Tenneh and his superlative ability to get on base with a slash line of .357/.456/.521 and lead-off man CF Sean Newton who went .307/.360/.416 with 18 doubles, 8 triples, 10 home runs, and 24 stolen bases for a well-rounded contribution.

The pitching was problematic though. Max Collins is probably due another reliever of the year award but there was little else from the Elephant staff.

So what lies ahead? The core of this team are all under contract for 1922 and two interesting prospects in 2B Asher Sunderland and SP Ezra Varalli should be able to offer significant contributions. We could just see a return to the playoffs from these guys.

September 3, 1921
The last day to sign draftees passed and here's the results from the first round. The record breaking bonus to Chase Lambert on draft day wasn't surpassed but some of the other high schoolers did get themselves bonuses greater than $10k.



September 4, 1921
And that's the regular season folks. Four teams remain.

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Experts took a look at the 1921 Saffron Turtles and decided this was a sub-.500 team and predicted a 68-76 record and 5th spot in the division. Instead, by the middle of May the Turtles had got themselves in 2nd and in prime wildcard position and never looked back.

This is predominantly a batting lineup of singles hitters, the Turtles ranked first in COBRA for batting average and on-base percentage but when it came to slugging they slip down to 4th. You can see that's evident when you look at how they rate when it comes to extra-base hits and home runs: 9th.

This certainly never hampered them on their way to the playoffs, nor did it hamper them when it came to extra-innings games (10-4 record) or one-run games (26-16). They always have a hit ready to go.

Similarly to the hitters, the pitchers shun the flashy. Collectively they came 3rd in ERA but 9th in strikeouts. This groundball heavy staff prefers the ground out and with solid defensive guys at 2B and SS that's an efficient reality for the Turtles.



The defending champions have every bit of intention of defending their title. Their batting lineup features a grand assortment of all-stars that led the league in home runs. Kind of the opposite of the Turtles.

Their pitching took a hit this season with the departure of Jared Way but Max Steel has put up another great season -- though not quite as good as his 1920 campaign.

One thing that will be worrying the Roosters is their form heading into the playoffs. They've gone 15-17 over August and September and are currently on a four game losing streak.

The bookmakers have made the Roosters strong favourites.

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Welcome to the playoffs Polar Bears! They are our only new entrants in the playoffs this season and it's going to be a great seeing the likes of Jon Jackson, Richard Maxwell and Elijah Shumate on the biggest stage.

Jackson and Maxwell have been a true force this season, together they account for 4 of the 5 batter of the month awards and have proven a destructive force when they're together on the lineup.

Then there's Elijah Shumate: an outstanding pitcher who has the misfortune to pitch in a hitter friendly park. Despite the burden of The Bear Pit, Shumate is top ten in pretty much every category.

One thing that the Polar Bears have to worry about is their bullpen. While their starters ranked 1st in ERA, the bullpen was dead last. If they can keep the ball within their starters plus Tony Coles (a starter during the season) then they should be alright.



The big news for Sharks fans is the return of Catcher and last season's MVP Kian Lehn. Lehn hasn't played any baseball since the start of August when he was injured running the bases against the Polar Bears. There was no time for rehab in the minors, Lehn is just going to have to throw himself back into it.

The Sharks have the best pitching staff in all of baseball. Everyone -- starters and bullpen alike -- have all put in a great season and are the main reason the Sharks went 90-54 this season. It is predominantly righties though, which poses a danger against Northlands RF Jon Jackson who has some pretty intense splits. To compound, Jaxon Darnall is pretty weak against left handed hitters.

The Sharks were also very aggressive at the trade deadline and traded away quite a few prospects to get their hands on 1B Nathan Crews and 3B Kody Lyabah to really shore up their batting lineup. They truly believe that this is their year. All or nothing.

Shockingly, the bookies have listed the Polar Bears as favourites. Believing that the red hot bat of Jon Jackson is going to feast on the Sharks.

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As an additional offering, your favourite bookie is also offering these odds for outright victory. They are very hot on the Polar Bears.

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Northlands Polar Bears @ Dustland Sharks (Game One)
It was a highly anticipated battle of the pitchers. Jaxon Darnall of the Dustland Sharks and Elijah Shumate of the Northlands Polar Bears. Two of the premier pitchers of the competition head to head.

The one time they've faced each other this season, Shumate got the win but the win came via a fielding error that eventually cost the Sharks 4 runs in the 8th, they were all classified as unearned and they were the only runs in the game.

It didn't start well for Shumate. LF Christopher Larson was quick with a single, and then 1B Nathan Crews was even quicker with another single that got Larson over to 3rd. Catcher Kian Lehn would ground into a double play but it allowed Larson to open the scoring for the Sharks.

It would get worse for Shumate, two successive fielding errors would get two runners on leaving 3B Kody Lybah and RF Johnny Ralph happy to drive them in. By the end of the 3rd, it was 4-0 to the Sharks and it would grow to 6-0 by the end of the 4th.

In other words, a complete disaster.

The Polar Bears would eventually get some runs on the board, but too little too late as the Sharks will win the opening game 6-3.

The feared Jon Jackson a non-factor going 0-4, Richard Maxwell contributed a sac fly but went 0-3 otherwise.



Saffron Turtles @ Spice District Roosters (Game One)
Max Steel was a unstoppable force in last season's playoffs but the Turtles were able to find a chink in the armour this time round.

But first, the Roosters jumped out to a tidy 4-0 lead to start the game off but the Turtles fought back, with two outs on the board in the top of the 5th, RF Bryson James got a single, LF Spike Evener got a double to drive in James, and then 1B Zeke Reynolds hit a home run to suddenly get the Turtles close.

The Turtles would tie the game in the top of the 6th. Pitcher Adam Brookshire driving in C Valentin Folgan with two outs on the board.

The Roosters regained control in the bottom of the 7th. A Curtis Ripley double and Odin Bendig single enough to get Ripley home.

As we went to the bottom of the 9th, Max Steel was starting to tire and he starts leaking hits when he gives up two runs and loads the bases then he is finally pulled. 147 pitches deep.

His replacement gets the last out with one pitch but as the game went to to the bottom of the 9th, the Roosters were down 6-5.

Reliever Red Williams was given the task of closing the game (normal Stopper Adam Scoles got used earlier for one out) and he put up pretty good numbers for the Turtles but this inning was not his finest moment.

He gives up a walk, then a single, then a hit by pitch, and then after a tense and long at-bat with Odin Bendig, another walk to drive in the tying run.

So no outs, and bases loaded. Red Williams then proceeds to give up the walk-off hit to 22 year old Jeff McGarry. The Roosters draw first blood.



Northlands Polar Bears @ Dustland Sharks (Game Two)
Game two descended into a pitcher's duel between Rory Miller from Northlands and Dustland's Wesley Stebbins. Neither would give up a run as Miller collected 12 K's and Stebbins 9.

The game would come down to the Stoppers. In the top of the 12th, Sharks pitcher Camden Combs had the ball. He had a successful 11th inning but it started to unravel in the 12th. Richard Maxwell grounded out, so far so good but then Jon Jackson drew a walk with four successive pitches no where near the zone. This was the first time that the assumed MVP would get on base in this series. Combs immediately gave up a single to Alex Barath and Jackson would get himself to third. This was only the second time that the Polar Bears had gotten a runner to scoring position in the entire game.

The very next pitch got even worse as Catcher Kian Lehn could get no where near it. By the time Lehn had control. Jackson had run home from third for a 1-0 lead. Oscar Newsome would then send a harmless fly ball out to Christopher Larson but a terrible throw would allow Barath to get home home from second. It was a comedy of errors from the Sharks that cost them the game.

The series was now tied as it moved to Northlands.



Saffron Turtles @ Spice District Roosters (Game Two)
On the other side of the bracket, Turtles-Roosters also went to extra innings. The Turtles were able to get plenty of hits going but not many runs while the Roosters were able to use their power to get runs on the board -- despite the scarcity of hits from their hitters.

By the end of 9 innings of baseball, they were tied up 3-all. The Turtles were able to load the bases in the top of the 10th but left them all stranded. Finally, in the top of the 11th, CF Jayden DeNiro sent a home run out to right field to break the deadlock. The Roosters were unable to respond when their turn to hit came up and the Turtles walked away the winners. Just like the Bears and Sharks we have a tied series.

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Dustland Sharks @ Northlands Polar Bears (Game Three)
As the series shifted into Northlands territory, the Polar Bears simply unleashed fire and fury onto the Sharks in game three.

Buoyed by a strong effort from Pitcher Jeremiah Hinton, the Polar Bear hitters finally got going. In the bottom of the 4th, RF Jon Jackson finally got his first hit in the series and it was a booming 463ft home run out to right field.

But the real damage had been done in the 3rd, Sharks pitcher Peyton Kramer gave up a series of singles and walks to give up three runs and when Catcher Kian Lehn lost control of a pitch, they gave up a fourth as icing on the cake to go down 5-0 in total.

Ultimately it was a 8-1 win to the Polar Bears as they took the advantage in the series.



Spice District Roosters @ Saffron Turtles (Game Three)
The defending champions are in trouble as they drop game three to the Turtles to go down 2-1 in the series. The Turtles get on board early thanks to a Valentin Folgan single driving in two and a solo home run from Jayden DeNIro getting them to a 3-0 lead by the end of the 2nd.

The Roosters will find hits hard to come by, they're able to grind a run out in the top of the 6th but they wouldn't even be able to get runners into scoring position after that.

The win came at a cost to the Turtles though, 1B Zeke Reynolds injured himself running the bases and will miss the rest of the series.



Dustland Sharks @ Northlands Polar Bears (Game Four)
We come back around to the Darnall/Shumate matchup and again, Darnall comes out on top.

The top of the 4th was the critical inning. Things were bad already when Shumate conceded a single to 1B Nathan Crews, and then hit C Kian Lehn with a pitch, but a fumble by 2B Alex Barath resulted in a bases loaded situation with no outs. 3B Kody Lyabah will strike out (he actually got a playoff record 5 strikeouts in this game), but a double from RF Johnny Ralph got the first two runners home. When 2B Pyotr Gippius struck out, the Polar Bears will intentionally walk SS Stu Welch to bring up Pitcher Jaxon Darnall. Darnall leaps on the first pitch he sees and it's just enough to drive in a couple more runners. The Sharks are now up 4-0. The fielding error early in the inning proving damaging.

The Polar Bears will strike back in the top of the 5th as Darnall gives his first hit. With bases loaded, a single by Catcher Maks Daryalov gets two runs home. The Bears will draw even closer in the bottom of the 6th with a solo home run from Jon Jackson but that'll be it. The Sharks will get two runs on in the 7th and ultimately take the game out 6-3 to force a game five.



Spice District Roosters @ Saffron Turtles (Game Four)
Max Steel was back to his best after a shaky game one but Saffron pitchers Adam Brookshire (unfortunately injured after the 3rd with a dead arm -- he won't be able to return to the playoffs) and Evan Naidenko did their best to keep up with Superman.

But it broke apart in the top of the 7th. With two outs on the board, the Roosters had runners on 1st and 2nd. CF Conor Meadows came up and he banged a groundball hard straight to SS Stu Welch. Welch just had to send it to 1B Oscar Stills for the force out and the end of the inning but it threw it just out of reach. Stills recovered fast, but not fast enough to prevent Meadows making it to base. Instead of the end of the inning, they had the bases loaded.

Something snapped in Naidenko after that as he sent ball after ball to the Rooster hitters. Two walks drove in two runs before eventually he was able to strike Max Steel out to finally end the inning.

The Turtles will get a run of their own in the bottom of the 7th but found themselves unable to get past Steel for the rest of the game. Final score, Spice District 2; Saffron 1.

Another Game Five forced.



Northlands Polar Bears @ Dustland Sharks (Game Five)
The decider was a grinder of a game as Rory Miller and Wesley Stebbins engaged in another pitching duel. The Polar Bears will get on board first in the top of the 3rd when after CF Gray Jenkins reached first thanks to a fielding error, he was driven in by a triple from RF Jon Jackson. The triple is a rare moment from Jackson as that's only the fifth he's hit in the last two seasons.

The Sharks will strike back in the bottom of the 6th. LF Christopher Larson gets up started with a infield hit. 1B Nathan Crews bunts him over to 2nd, and then Kian Lehn smacks the ball hard for a single out to right field to get Larson home. The Sharks will grab the lead the next inning when after a RF Johnny Ralph double, a SS Pyotr Gippius single gets him home for a 2-1 lead.

The lead is shortlived when Northlands 2B Alex Barath hits a double that gives RF Jon Jackson just enough time to get home from 1st. Only just narrowly beating the throw from the Left Fielder to tie the game up.

That's shortlived again, in the bottom of the 8th. LF Christopher Larson again gets the Shark response going with a line drive single and Kian Lehn gets him to third with a line drive single of his own. CF Sid van Kranenburg strikes out to bring up two outs and it comes down to Kody Lyabah to get the runner home. Lyabah has had a dreadful series so far. 1-19 but he delivers right now with a hard hit groundball.

As the game shifts to the 9th, the Polar Bears can't get anything going and there's no need for the bottom of the 9th. The Sharks will advance to the COBRA Cup.



Saffron Turtles @ Spice District Roosters (Game Five)
After a tense Game Five over in Dustland, the Game Five in Spice District is about the opposite as the Roosters make it rain home runs to blow the Turtles out 11-0. The Roosters will advance to their second straight COBRA Cup.

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There's a minor change to the Sharks from the version posted in the Sharks-Polar Bears series as SS Stu Welch is injured. Their response is to shift Pyotr Gippius from 2B to SS and slot Carl McNutt in at 2B. McNutt is a 2-time All-Star so makes for a useful backup.

So here we are. COBRA Cup II. The Spice District Roosters hope to defend their title against the Dustland Sharks. The Sharks boast of the best pitching in the league while the Roosters can boast of the best collection of power hitters one can assemble.

The Roosters have their own ace up their sleeve. Max Steel was an unanimous pitcher of the year last season. He never quite reached the heights of 1920 this season but having said that, he still led the leagues in strikeouts and WHIP and boasted of a rather frightening 26-8 record.

And of course Shark hitters are nothing to sneeze at. Catcher Kian Lehn was league MVP last season and -- like Steel -- never quite hit the heights of 1920 still put up useful numbers. CF Sid van Kranenburg will also be one to watch for. Just 24, van Kranenburg contributes excellently with the bat (141 OPS+ with 31 home runs), speed (18 stolen bases), and defense (+8.4 ZR the best for a CF)..

It should make for a compelling battle. The bookies certainly can't make their mind up -- barely giving the Roosters the edge in defending their title.

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Spice District Roosters @ Dustland Sharks

Pitching for Spice District: Max Steel
Pitching for Dustland: Jaxon Darnall

We were in for a great game one with two of the best pitchers of the game facing off against each other for the first time this season.

Steel is the first to break in the bottom of the second when CF Sid van Kranenburg hits a groundball out to left field for a single. He's immediately caught trying to steal second base in the next at-bat though and Steel dispatches the rest quickly.

It's the top of the fourth when Darnall gets his first player on base as RF Roman Karabanov hits the ball in almost the exact same spot as van Kranenburg. He doesn't try to steal second but is just forced to watch as LF Odin Bendig and 3B Gavin Utter record outs.

It's not until the bottom of the 7th that the Sharks get themselves a run. Sid van Kranenburg gets himself a walk -- but again -- tries to steal second and fails again. Never fear, 3B Kody Lyabah is there to smash a home run out to right field. That's the Sharks ahead, 1-0.

In the top of the 8th, Darnall gives up two runners for the first time that night as 2B Curtis Ripley and LF Odin Bendig both hit singles. 3B Gavin Utter grounds out for the 3rd out before the runners can do a thing.

Finally, we hit the top of the 9th. 1B Neil Spurrier pops out to Third Base. CF Johnny Pfeifer comes in to pinch hit for CF Conor Meadows and immediately hits a line drive straight to the Centre Fielder. They bring out another pinch hitter Fabian Zarafshan to hit for SS Dex Kruys. He watches the ball three times, a strike, a ball, and a strike. So with two outs on the board and two strikes to his name, Zarafshan takes the next one deep out to right field to tie the game up 1-1.

The game moves to the bottom of the 9th, the Sharks still have a chance to seal the deal but Max Steel pitches like a man possessed. C Kian Lehn sends a fly ball to left field, CF Sid van Kranenburg swings and misses, and 3B Kody Lyabah fouls the ball off four times before getting completely stumped by Steel's splitter. We're moving into extra innings.

Darnall is still going in the 10th, but it starts to unravel. 2B Liam Steigerwald draws a walk, and then a Darnall wild pitch gets him to second. RF Roman Karabanov draws a walk soon after. LF Odin Bendig hits a line drive out to Right Field but its easily covered though Steigerwald is able to scamper over to third. 3B Gavin Utter grabs the first hit of the inning with a line drive out to Right Field. Steigerwald scores and Karabanov gets to Second. 1B Neil Spurrier draws a walk to load the bases and that allows CF Johnny Pfeiffer to hit a sac fly out to Center Field to bring Karabanov home. The Roosters are up 3-1.

Steel is still going in the 10th too. Did they learn nothing watching Darnall? He dispatches RF Johnny Ralph in two pitches but two pitches after that he's given up a double and single to have runners in the corners. Spencer Quinn comes in to pinch hit for Darnall and hits a sac fly to get the runner on third home. Steel is pulled, and Edward Engle is left to get the final out.

LF Christoper Larson hits a single immediately and now the winning run is on base. 1B Nathan Crews is up next. He watches the first clip the corner for a strike, the next is clearly inside for a ball, he swings and misses for the next one and then Engle sends him a forkball, the ball hits the dirt as it nears the catcher. Crews swings but he's no where near it. Strike three. Roosters win.

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Spice District Roosters @ Dustland Sharks

Pitching for Spice District: David Powell
Pitching for Dustland: Peyton Kramer

Spice District Manager Kurt Newsom elected to switch around his pitching rotation for game two as he puts his #3 guy up against the #2 guy from Dustland. It's a move that looks like it'll pay off when Powell collects his first three outs over only four pitches. Strikeouts are for suckers.

The Sharks are the first to open the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd -- but it comes at a cost -- as CF Sid van Kranenburg injures himself making the run from 1st to 3rd. His pinch runner scores a couple of at-bats later but this is a huge blow for the Sharks.

The Roosters are able to tie it up in the top of the 4th when LF Odin Bendig draws a walk and comes home after a double from 3B Gavin Utter. The Sharks strike right back with a 2-run dinger from 2B Carl McNutt to get a 3-1 lead.

The top of the 7th doesn't start well for the Sharks when LF Odin Bendig reaches due to a fielding error from 3B Kody Lyabah. Spice District 3B Gavin Utter draws a walk and then a wild pitch gets Bendig and Utter to 2nd and 3rd. 1B Neil Spurrier will ground out but Bendig will get home to close the gap to one run. The Roosters, seeking their moment start to use their pinch hitters with success when Fabian Zarafshan hits a line drive to get Utter home and then C Dimitris Karvounidis hits a triple (his second ever) to get Zarafshan home. Suddenly the game has swung around and the Roosters hold the advantage. 4-3.

But the Sharks don't stay down long as 1B Nathan Crews smashes a 442ft 2-run dinger out to left field to reclaim the lead.

The Roosters didn't do much with the remaining two innings. An Odin Bendig walk and CF Jeff McGarry single the only remaining base runners: neither will get beyond first.

The series is now tied up as it shifts to Spice District for the next three games.

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Dustland Sharks @ Spice District Roosters

Pitching for Dustland: Wesley Stebbins
Pitching for Spice District: Doug Cafarelli

Dustland's 3B Kody Lyabah struggled a bit in the series against the Polar Bears: going 2-20 for a rather limp slash line of .100/.182/.100 but he's starting to heat up against the Spice District Roosters as he slams two of them into the crowds in game three.

He's not the only one joining in the fun as 1B Nathan Crews and RF Johnny Ralph also picked up dingers of their own. All in all, it was a 7-2 bloodbath to the Sharks as they took the advantage in the series.

Game Four will feature another Max Steel/Jaxon Darnall battle. The Roosters will need the best from their pitching talent if they hope to keep this series under control.

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Dustland Sharks @ Spice District Roosters

Pitching for Dustland: Jaxon Darnall
Pitching for Spice District: Max Steel

The Roosters responded to the thrashing that the Sharks dealt out in Game Three.

Max Steel showed up, issued the strikeouts and didn't allow the Sharks to string together enough to get enough people home. The only runs came from a CF Camden Jones home run and a C Kian Lehn double/wild pitch/GIDP sequence that got Lehn across the plate.

On The Spice District side of the ledger, the hitters sure showed up. 2B Curtis Ripley set the mood when he sent the second pitch he saw out of the park for a lead-off home run. The Sharks might bite back but the momentum shifted when SS Dex Kruys hit a 2-run dinger of his own to take the score out to 3-1. They'd pile on in the 6th and 8th for an ultimate scoreline of 8-2.

This series is tied folks. It's just turned into a best-of-three.

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Dustland Sharks @ Spice District Roosters

Pitching for Dustland: Peyton Kramer
Pitching for Spice District: David Powell

The Roosters started off with a bang. 2B Curtis Ripley with a lead-off double and then RF Roman Karabanov driving him home by sending the ball into the crowd. A series of singles in the bottom of the 3rd got another run home and it was a 3-0 lead.

Rooster Pitcher David Powell will crack in the top of the 6th though. He'd load the bases and then give up a walk to drive in the Shark's first run. More walks and more singles in the top of the 7th will then bring in the runs to tie it up at 3-all.

As the game shifted to the bottom of the 7th, pitcher Peyton Kramer got two outs quickly enough but then a horror sequence unfolded. 2B Curtis Ripley will hit a 2-run 450ft dinger out to to Center Field. Kramer would immediately then hit the next batter, and then had to watch in horror when LF Odin Bendig sent another 2-run 406ft dinger into the crowd, this time to left field. Just for the sake of variety.

After putting in the work to tie the game up, the Sharks were down 7-3 after a handful of pitches.

But it certainly wasn't plain sailing at that point for the Roosters. In the top of the 9th, relief pitcher Colton Larsen gave up four walks to start the inning. He'd get 3B Kody Lyabah to swing and miss -- just for the sake of variety -- but then get right back to walking Shark hitters another two times.

The Roosters led 7-6 -- the lead all but gone. One out on the board and bases loaded. They pulled Larsen and sent Sylas Lang out there to get the final two outs. He succeeded.

RF Johnny Ralph will watch the first one go by for a strike and then he'd swing and miss on the next two. SS Pyotr Gippius attacked Lang with the first pitch but the ball will dribble harmlessly back to Lang who sent to Third Base to finish the game off.

The Roosters win and take control of the series. They are one win away from defending their title.

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Spice District Roosters @ Dustland Sharks

Pitching for Spice District: Doug Cafarelli
Pitching for Dustland: Wesley Stebbins

The series shifted back to Dustland with the Sharks facing elimination.The Roosters came out hot but couldn't quite take full advantage. Over the 1st and 3rd they loaded the bases twice but only picked up one run in each. Still, they had a 2-0 lead.

Those missed chances became stark in the bottom of the 4th when the Sharks were able to get runners in the corners and then 3B Kody Lyabah smashed the ball for a 3-run dinger. The Roosters will get a solo home run of their own back to tie the game by the end of the 6th but the opportunities lost were telling.

The winning run for the Sharks will come in the bottom of the 7th. LF Christopher Larson got himself a cheeky double to get into scoring position. The Roosters would elect to intentionally walk 2B Carl McNutt to bring up RF Johnny Ralph who'd slot a single straight through 2nd and 1st base to give Larson a chance to get home from second. He makes it, by a whisker.

Spice District Pitcher Doug Cafarelli pitches his heart out but ultimately the game falls to the Dustland Sharks.

Onto Game Seven.

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Spice District Roosters @ Dustland Sharks

Pitching for Spice District: Max Steel
Pitching for Dustland: Jaxon Darnall

With the entire season on the line both Steel and Darnall bring everything they have.

Every trick. Every pitch. Every ounce of energy.

Every time a runner got into scoring position, they turned it up another gear. Ultimately, neither pitcher would concede a run.

Steel would give up a mere one hit, while striking out 15 over 8 innings. He did give up 6 walks and two wild pitches though. They were the cause of any pressure put on him.

Darnall would give up more hits, but control himself better. By the time they left, it was 0-all and the game would go into extras.

Both teams would get runners in scoring position in the 10th but fail. The Roosters again, in the top of the 11th get SS Dex Kruys to second base but two quick outs ensure he stays there.

David Powell, the pitcher from game five takes the mound for the Roosters for the bottom of the 11th. He got the first two outs he needed quickly but gave up a walk to pinch hitter Spencer Quinn. CF Camden Jones would get Quinn over to third and himself to second with a double. 1B Nathan Crews gets intentionally walked to load the bases and bring up backup Catcher Evan Rasmussen.

Powell hits him with a slider to start things off, it's way out of the zone but Rasmussen swings and gives it an almighty miss. Powell then sends a fastball -- a bit outside -- but Rasmussen makes contact, it dribbles over to SS Dex Kruys for an easy out. You can see Rasmussen raise his head in frustration as he starts to make a run towards first. Spencer Quinn makes the obligatory run home, knowing they'll have to go to the 12th.

But.

Kruys goes to pick up.

But he doesn't.

He misses the ball.

He takes him a couple of seconds to realise what's happened, he bends down to pick up the ball and send it first.

But it's too late.

Rasmussen is at first.

Quinn is at home.

THE DUSTLAND SHARKS HAVE WON THE COBRA CUP.

A critical error at the worst possible time by Great Glove winning Rooster Shortstop Dex Kruys has sealed the championship for the Dustland Sharks!