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2043/2044 Season - February
2043/2044 Season - February
Notable Performances
5 Feb: Jacob Blanksby belted 5-5 for the Aces as they downed the Bandits 7-1. His hits included 2 doubles and a HR.
8 Feb: The Prospects were on a roll, winning their 10th straight.
13 Feb: Hobart’s win streak ended at 13.
16 Feb: Edward Delaney won game #20 for the season. He’d now won his last 9 decisions, to be 20-4 for the year.
21 Feb: The Fury charged to their 10th win in a row. They were still 3 games back in the NZ, the Metros having won their last 5.
25 Feb: The Fury lost, breaking a 12-game win streak.
27 Feb: It was Auckland’s turn to win 10 straight. They would lose the next night.
27 Feb: Ronald DeJong won his 20th game of the season for the Metros.
Notable Injuries
14 Feb: Alan Delaney (.317/.357/.430, 4HR) was likely to miss the rest of the season with a knee sprain.
15 Feb: The Fury, now 4 games back in the NZ, would be without Angelo Brewster (.255/.335/.391, 7HR) for 3 weeks while he dealt with a sprained knee.
16 Feb: Alec Brajak (.304/.359/.503, 19HR) made his 3rd trip to the DL for the season. This time he’d miss 3 weeks due to a strained groin.
28 Feb: Cavalry 2B Vinnie Widdison (.306/.345/.514, 26HR) could book himself an early holiday. He was out the rest of the season with a torn meniscus.
29 Feb: Richard Lewis (.324/.417/.449, 6HR) might not be a huge fan of leap years from now on. He strained his oblique today and would miss 3 weeks of March.
Month Awards
Rookie of the Month: 25 y/o Metros RF Rhett Kelly. A late signing by the Metros to cover a lack of depth in their outfield, Kelly had come up through the Blue Sox organization before becoming eligible for minor league free agency. In February he went .352/.407/.435, 38-108, with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1HR, 10BB and 10SB.
Hurler of the Month: Luke Bodkin picked this one up. He was 4-0 from 5 starts in February, with an ERA of 2.04, an FIP of 3.62, and a WHIP of 1.02. He struck out 37 in 35.1 IP. For the season he had an 18-4 record, led the league in ERA (2.45), WHIP (0.98), Ks (195), and K/BB (4.88).
Slugger of the Month: Pi-ao Ming had a strong month, going .390/.440/.773, 41-105, with 6 doubles, 10HR, and 10BB. For the year he was .338/.382/.589, with 28HR. He’d shot into the league-lead for slugging, isolated power (.251), and batter’s WAR (7.6).
Other Notes
Southwest Division: The Prospects (19-8) continued on their merry way, leading the Venom (17-10) by 14 games.
Northeast Division: The Crocs (16-11) and Blue Sox (15-12) jousted throughout the month, Cairns regaining the division lead thanks to an 8-game win streak to end the month.
NZ Division: The Metros (19-8) extended their lead over the Fury (17-10) by 2 games.
Wildcard: This was Wellington’s to lose, though they would still have their eye on the division prize. They were 12 games ahead of the Blue Sox and 13 ahead of the Venom.
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Aces’ slugger Jake Mekville (.257/.326/.473, 32HR) had taken the lead in the HR race, leading by 2 at the end of February.
Ramiro Madrigal (.239/.390/.401, 15HR) had smashed through the 100-walk barrier, finishing the month on 117. He had 3 more walks than hits in 2043.
Magali Alcova (.258/.328/.383, 9HR) had 38 stolen bases to lead the league.
With Delaney and DeJong already at 20 wins, there was a chance an unprecedented 4 pitchers would record 20 wins in 2043. Auckland’s Cain Blenkhorn (18-7, 3.50 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.22 WHIP) and Luke Bodkin were also on the cusp.
Auckland’s Mauro Contreras had jumped into the saves lead with 42.
Standings, Mar 1
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