StatesLeague.com
The 1st SLCBA regular came to a close last night and after 100 games with 2-days/sim (we started in May), fans and owners are eager for the playoffs.
Before the official playoffs begin, there will be to sudden-death playoff games to determine 2 divisional winners.
In the SL East Western Division, the Iowa Farmers lose 6 of their last 7 games to allow the Indiana Steelers to tie them for the division lead. Iowa and Indiana will face off tonight to determine the Western Division Champion. Indiana leads the season series with Iowa, 10-2, and will send Victor Cook (3-5, 3.95) to the mound, despite his having only 4 starts this season. Iowa is scheduled to counter with Bryan Miller (8-8, 2.41) who has faced Indiana twice in his last 6 starts, pitching 9 1/3 shutout innings without a decision in a 1-0 win in July, and then a week ago, getting the loss despite only allowing 2 earned runs in 7 innings.
Kansas will travel to Texas in the league's other sudden-death playoff game, to crown a Plains Division champion. Kansas held the top spot since May 12 and just recently fell back as Texas moved into 1st place. Kansas was able to create the playoff as they won their last game of the season against Texas, who had taken the first 2 of a final 3 game series with Kansas. Kansas will send Luis Cordova (10-11, 3.69) to the mound to try and give the Raiders the edge in the teams' season series (6-6). Cordova led the league in complete games with 13 and will go the distance whether he's giving up 6 runs or pitching a shutout. Texas counters with Kevin Desautels (9-9, 3.36), who was hammered in his last regular season start against Oklahoma, giving up 8 runs in 2 1/3 innings.
Those teams enjoying a few days of rest before the playoffs include the Atlantic Division Champions, Maine Loggers who were tied for the 2nd best record in the league (61-39) and held onto the SL East playoff home-field advantage when Joe Stone (9-9, 3.45) pitched a 2-hit shutout over the Pennsylvania Quakers on the next to the last day of the season.
From the Southern Division, the Georgia Rebels battled the Florida Heat for most of the year, before pulling away in July on the arm of probable Cy Young winner, Felix Mejia (17-3, 1.85). Florida ends up with the consolation prize, the SL East wildcard slot, as they take 2 of 3 games from Georgia to end the season.
From the SL West's Mountain Division, Wyoming, the league's best team this year with a 63-37 record, will be home throughout the playoffs, and their division rival, the Colorado Rockies, with 61 wins on the year coming away with the West's wildcard spot.
The California Suns hold off a determined Arizona Scorpion team to win the Pacific Division, despite being 4 games under .500. Do not count the Suns out however, as they hold a 6-2 season record against Wyoming, and are 5-3 against Texas. Against Kansas and Colorado, on the other hand, they are a combined 2-14.
Indiana, Florida, Kansas, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, and California are all droid run teams, so if anyone would like to run these teams through the playoffs, please contact me.
StatesLeague.com