[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
8 November 2032
NUMBER EIGHT! Oakland triumphs in World Series after late drama in 7-game classic
By Rhi Dickulus, crazy results correspondent

"Well, smack me with a feather and call me Shirley!", exclaimed Oakland GM Paulie Beane to open his post-game press conference. "I don't quite believe it. This is like 2015 all over again. We found it sticky going in the regular season, somehow managed to claw our way into the playoffs, and then have delivered the goods when it matters most. In many ways", he droned on, expansively, "this is the sweetest win, because we haven't done it behind a devastating rotation as in previous wins. This time it's our batters who have led us to glory."

Yes, Beane's A's outfit are world champions for the eighth, yes eighth, time under his leadership. The series against Washington had fans glued to their screens. They really ought not sit so close to the television when they've got Loctite on their hands, but there you go. After each grabbing two comfortable wins from the first four games, Lucio Vargas was on the mound for the Nationals in game 5 against his former team-mate Brad Dundee. And Vargas did his thing, outpitching his old buddy as Washington won 5-2, to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

But this Oakland team have dug themselves out of deeper hole in this postseason and weren't going to be phased by that. In game six, first baseman Luis Trujillo continued his scintillating postseason with a 2-run homer in the top of the 1st, but the Nationals struck back against starter Karl Dickson. It was 4-4 after the 5th inning, and stayed that way entering the 9th. Potentially one hit away from defeat, the A's held their nerve, and catcher Miguel Rojas, another having a fabulous postseason at the plate, hit a solo homer in the top of the 9th to win it.

So, yet again, Oakland were heading to a deciding game in a playoff series. They took charge of the decider immediately. Trujillo hit a 3-run bomb in the 3rd to push the A's out to an early 5-0 lead. They added 2 more runs in the top of the 4th, and the World Series looked secure. But then Mother Nature decided to shake things up a little bit. Down came the rain, and the players were off the field for well over an hour. Perhaps inevitably, the interruption favoured Washington, allowing the, to regroup and halting the A's momentum. The Nats hit back, literally, and cut the deficit to 7-3 after the 5th. Oakland's excellent bullpen halted the charge, however, and when the A's scored a further run in the top of the 9th to make it 8-3, that looked like being a totally unnecessary insurance run. Wrong. Just 1 out from victory in the bottom of the 9th, reliever Nathan Boyd was popped for a 3-run home run. 8-6. 39,000 glum Nationals fans suddenly got interested in the game again. A's field manager Phil D'Manager turned to closer Jose Duran. But Duran gave up another run, 8-7. The noise in the crowd was deafening. Washington had the tying run on second, the winning run at the plate, and batting legend Roberto Martinez on deck. It was now or never for Duran. It was now. He induced a groundout, and Oakland had finally won.

After the game, a satisfied Beane thanked Uncle Tom Cobbley and all at the club for their contribution to Oakland's latest World Series win. The postseason performances of Trujillo (.364 AVG, 8 HR, 22 RBI) and Rojas (.414 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI) were particularly noteworthy. They will probably get one of Beane's famous $50 book token bonuses for their efforts.

So where exactly does Beane go from here? He's got nothing left to prove. He's won by being the best team. He's won by being lucky. He's won with great pitching, and he's won with great batting. Well, I guess we'll see. For now at least, he says he's going into the offseason to get ready for 2033.

Farewell, folks, that's another season in the books.