[Elendil]

2007 Divisional Races

When rosters expanded on August 1, the Glacier Pilots, whom some had already taken to calling the "Evil Empire," held a 1.5-game lead on the Mat-Su Miners for the top spot in the Seward Division, while the Denali Division was less close, with Sitka surprising everyone in the lead at 43-28, followed by Juneau at 38-31 and North Pole at 38-32. The Goldpanners, supposedly the Goliath of the Denali, sat at a disappointing 33-36.

Anchorage still held a game and a half lead over Mat-Su on August 9, when a key series between the two teams began at Mulcahy Field. The Miners took the first game decisively, 9-2, but were shut out in the 2nd game by Gary Tufts, who would go on to win Pitcher of the Year. Mat-Su took the rubber match, 6-2, scoring 5 on the Pilots' bullpen, to bring themselves within half a game. Mat-Su finally pulled even on August 14, took the lead the next day, and hung on for the final twelve days of the season to win the Seward Division. In the Denali Division, Sitka encountered no real trouble, but Juneau made it look close by the end.

Alaska Championship Series Preview

Given the unbalanced schedule, no one knew for sure who was the underdog. Sitka had the best record in the league, but it was hardly imposing (55-41, .573). The Miners stood at 54-42 (.563). (Incidentally, the worst team in the league was the vastly disappointing Anchorage Bucs, 41-55, who had had to deal with injuries.) In Pythagorean record, Sitka also had a narrow advantage (54-42 vs. 52-44).

Sitka was primarily an offensive team, but this was perhaps skewed somewhat by the smaller ballparks of the Denali Division. On the other hand, Mat-Su and Sitka had virtually the same team OPS (.740 vs. .739), but Sitka outscored Mat-Su 506-468, so better baserunning and managing were perhaps responsible for Sitka's offensive output.

Pitching-wise, the teams were evenly matched (3.76 team ERA for Mat-Su, 3.88 for Sitka). Sitka pitchers kept the ball down, allowing few homers, getting more double plays, and benefitting from solid infield defense (team BABIP .285, compared to league average .288). Mat-Su pitchers had better control and got more strikeouts. Mat-Su did have a fielding advantage, making only 100 errors compared to Sitka's 121. Overall, though, the teams did not look too far apart in any category, and most pundits predicted a 7-game series; perhaps Sitka's home field advantage would be the deciding factor.

Although it was a minus for the league that no Anchorage-area or Fairbanks-area team had made it to the playoffs, the parity in the league had kept attendance figures up into August. With cooler weather around the corner, the championship series came just in time, and the extra home games would be a big bonus for the two teams playing. League officials eagerly awaited the final season financials; it would be a very close thing, whether the league as a whole had made or lost money.