Narrator’s note: ‘For nearly the first 40 years of the league full-game visual replays were scarce in the archives. Game logs, box scores and other stats are widely available, at least from 2023 on, as are opinion pieces, highlights packages, fragments of early analysis shows, and a great deal of information on the personal lives of prominent players, as they were definitely A-list celebrities in Post-War Australia. 2057, though, is the first year on record where full game replays of every postseason matchup can be found and viewed in their entirety. A quick glance at the next few years would appear to show this continuing to be true moving forward.
‘In fact, the general amount of available historical information has exploded. A quick perusal of the archives doesn’t show any particular reason for this, but it is this author’s hunch that the Australian Government relaxed its policies in a lot more areas than just space travel. Indeed, the total amount of data available in the archives, when sorted by year, shows a massive jump from 2056 to 2057 in all spheres, and continues to grow year-by-year until the 2080s.
‘Back to baseball. Previously, postseason game reports in this narrative were built from game logs, text-based aftermatch reviews and analysis, as well as whatever highlights were available. Because of this, the reports were always constructed after the result was known, which could only affect their presentation negatively for those reading along. Now, however, it is possible to watch a postseason game without knowing the result ahead of time. All of the 2057 postseason game reports have been written that way, and this will continue to be the playoff narrative style for the foreseeable future. For this Championship series, an attempt has been made to present as much of the action as possible, in case the archived visual records are someday deleted, corrupted, or written over. Whether the same level of detail is given in future Championship reviews remains to be seen, and whatever decision is made will be based, in part, on reader feedback.’
2057 Championship - Central Coast Thunder vs Christchurch Cowboys
Preview: A rematch of last year’s series, except this season the Cowboys had home-field advantage, and were definite favourites. This was the 3rd straight Championship round Central Coast had appeared in, losing to Canberra in 2055 and sweeping Christchurch in 2056 before now.
Manuel ‘The Phantom’ Salinas was, in his words, “Looking forward to giving those Cowboys another towelling.” He appeared to be especially relishing the chance of vanquishing Aguirre, who had been part of Canberra’s winning team in 2055, but hadn’t been in Christchurch colours last season. Salinas said, “Ismael’s fading and fast, while I feel like I’m just reaching my peak and right now I’m in the form of my life. He won’t fire any shots this series; our pitching will be just too good for his slowing hands. My prediction: another sweep. Maybe we’ll sweep Ismael all the way back to Santo Domingo.”
Obviously looking to add fuel to the feudal fire, later that afternoon reporters swamped Aguirre with questions about what Salinas had said, firing them one after the other before he had a chance to give any answers. Aguirre waited them out before replying, in his typical relaxed manner, “Everybody plays the game for different reasons. I play because I love it, win or lose. Sure, the losses don’t taste as nice, but it’s all a tapestry, and I’m happy to add whatever strands I can. I don’t know why Phantom plays. I’m sure he loves the game, but maybe he loves winning even more. Look, at the end of the series, whoever’s up on the winners’ podium will be the best team, and if he’s part of that team, I’ll be the first guy to shake his hand.”
It was possible Aguirre was a bit annoyed, though, because he ended the presser 2 questions later.
The Thunder weren’t an overwhelming offensive unit, their BA of .267 only 10th-best in the league. They had scored the 4th-most runs, though, with 844, and their 216HRs was 3rd-best. Defensively, they were excellent, their efficiency of .715 better than all-comers, and their starters’ ERA of 3.93 also number 1. They’d allowed the least hits (1358) of any staff, and walked the 3rd-least (474).
However, Christchurch had them covered. Their starters’ ERA of 4.00 was 2nd-best, and their relievers were only conceding 3.14 runs every 9 innings. They’d allowed the least runs (664), and the least HR (146), with their defensive efficiency of .707 2nd behind the Thunder. Offensively, they appeared completely superior, their BA of .281 2nd only to Melbourne. They’d scored the 2nd-most runs (890), hit the 2nd-most XBH (549), and just edged out Central Coast in the HR stakes, with 218. They did strike out a lot, though, their mark of 1155 worst in the league.
Central Coast were missing starter Ethan Humphries as well as their closer (Alwin de Lange) thanks to injury. Brock Lawless had been reactivated, though he probably wouldn’t be ready to pitch until the backend of the series. Christchurch were without everyday players Joshua Moore (SS), and Kelvin Pickhills (CF).
Verdict: While Central Coast certainly deserved the chance to defend their crown, Christchurch would eventually be too strong. Cowboys in 6.
Game 1
Matt Juhl (10-18, 4.34 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.23 WHIP), who’d had a pretty bad season, and been slapped around a bit against Sydney too, would take the mound for the Thunder, while Christchurch would send out Angelo Caffyn (12-13, 4.08 ERA, 5.01 FIP, 1.26 WHIP), who hadn’t pitched since the 23rd of March.
Christchurch got away with 2 errors in the 1st (a dropped foul ball and a wild snap from the catcher to first base), and opened the scoring in the 2nd, Hooks crossing home plate. 1-0 Cowboys. Aguirre doubled over the CF’s glove in the 3rd and slid safely home on a Hooks’ single into shallow left-centre. 2-0 Cowboys.
Caffyn was on song through 5, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 2 and getting a lot of weak contact. Carr hit a 2-out triple in the bottom of the 5th, Aguirre walked on 4 pitches, and Hooks doubled into the gap at left-centre. Carr scored but Aguirre pulled up at 3rd, perhaps not wanting to test his luck on the throw too often. Blake Rawnsley singled with a grounder up the middle and both Aguirre and Hooks scored. Zhuo popped out, but the 2-out rally had netted Christchurch 3 runs and put them 5-0 ahead.
Salinas singled to lead off the 6th but was gunned out attempting to steal, much to the delight of the home fans, who crowed until Salinas disappeared into the dugout. He was 1-2 so far, with a walk. Chavez led off the bottom of the 7th with a walk. Carr blooped a single to right and Chavez made 3rd without a throw. Juhl’s 1st pitch to Aguirre was a fastball low in the zone. Aguirre’s hands and wrists still looked pretty quick though as he crunched it deep, deep over left centre. It sailed into the stands, falling into a fan’s glove halfway up the lower tier. 3-run HR and those watching at home would’ve sworn they saw Aguirre give Salinas a look longer than a glance but shorter than a stare as he headed towards 2nd. That ended Juhl’s night. He’d thrown 6.0 innings, giving up 10 hits, 8 runs, and 4 walks, while only fanning 2. Rawnsley doubled an out later, and scored an out later off an Utting single. 9-0 Christchurch with only 2 innings to play.
Caffyn was still going strong, having only allowed 3 hits and 1 walk through the first 7, while striking out 5. He gave up a hit in the 7th, Jiang blasting a single to centre. Roneberg hit a perfect double play ball to Leo Jackson - called into the Cowboys’ squad to replace the out-of-form Vince Hudswell at 2B. Jackson picked it up, but couldn’t complete the transfer from glove to hand, the ball dropping in front of him. 2 runners on. Could Central Coast mount a comeback? Salinas flied out to centre, and Liao got called out on strikes, thanks to a 137 km/h cutter at his knees, thus ending the mini-threat.
Carr doubled off the wall with 2 outs in the 8th and Aguirre, oh-so-hot tonight, singled him home. Caffyn came out for the 9th, looking at the possibility of a shutout. He’d thrown only 99 pitches so far and still seemed to be picking his spots well. Auger slugged one deep to right, but Carr ranged back and made a comfortable catch. Then Foreman got a curveball that hung and he didn’t miss out, breaking Central Coast’s duck with a 432-foot blast over left-centre. Wigmore singled, but Budd’s grounder up the middle only found Utting, who stepped on 2nd for 1 and rifled the ball to 1st for the game-ending double play.
Final score: 10-1 Christchurch in a comprehensive opening display. Caffyn (9.0IP, 6H, 1ER, 1BB, 6K) stayed in after giving up the HR, saying afterwards that his performance was “very satisfying.” Aguirre was 3-4 with 3 runs and 4RBI, his hits including a double and HR. Carr, Hooks and Rawnsley also collected 3 hits, with at least 1 XBH each.
When asked in the lockers how he felt about the hammering his team had received, Salinas was defiant. “Hey, it’s just 1 game. Let’s see who’s on top at the end of the series.”
Game 2
Canadian southpaw Jim Wills (17-8, 3.79 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 1.30 WHIP) would take the hill for Christchurch, up against Arthur Hammer (12-5, 3.80 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 1.43 WHIP). Hammer threw 6 pitches: a good fastball, a decent curve, slider and knuckle curve, and an average-to-mediocre changeup and split fastball. He had a reputation as a guy who could throw and throw and throw. Legend had it at high school he threw 24 innings of a triple-header, starting 2, then coming in after 3 in the last game to finish it off.
Central Coast didn’t waste any time getting on the board in this one. Liao’s 1-out single was followed by a Wigmore jack over leftfield. Foreman followed with a double to deep right-centre but was left stranded on 3rd. 2-0 Central Coast. Salinas brought 2 more home in the 2nd with a single between 1st and 2nd. Liao singled and then Wigmore struck another pitch deep. Not quite HR deep, though, but it gave him a stand-up rbi-double. Foreman’s following ground ball was an out, but deep enough to score Liao and send Wills (1.2IP, 8H, 6ER, 0BB, 0K) to the showers. At the end of the inning it was 6-0 Central Coast in a near reversal of yesterday’s early innings.
An uncharacteristic Salinas error extended the bottom of the 2nd, with runners on 1st and 2nd, and next hitter Patrick Murphy’s soft grounder somehow went past Budd into RF, scoring Hooks and putting the Cowboys on the board. Leo Jackson cracked a double off the wall, scoring 2 more. 6-3 after 2.
Aguirre’s leadoff walk in the bottom of the 3rd was followed by a Hooks’ single to the edge of the infield behind 2B, shortstop side. An out later, Zhuo took a pitch to the body. Bases loaded, 1 out. Utting struck out, but Murphy didn’t miss out. First pitch, a fastball well up in the zone and the switch-hitter made great contact, pulling it into the RF bleachers for a Grand Slam. Suddenly Christchurch had the lead! Hammer (2.2IP, 5H, 7R, 4ER, 2BB, 5K) headed back up the tunnel too, not far behind his opposite number. 7-6 Christchurch after 3.
Central Coast loaded the bases with 2 out in the 5th but Willem Price struck Roneberg out with a vicious slider to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning Salinas made another error, this time throwing the ball way over Auger’s head and into the dugout. Utting slid into 2nd and gave Salinas a wink. Salinas opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it and took a little walk into RF. No damage was done to the scoreboard, but perhaps Salinas’ mouth was a bit too big for his glove. After 6 the score remained 7-6, both bullpens doing a fine job.
Rawnsley doubled down the 3B line with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th and scored off Zhuo’s follow-up single. Utting singled, and Murphy’s baggy sleeves got him a HBP. Bases loaded once more, 1 out. Jackson struck out swinging, the 160 km/h fastball too good for him. Chavez broke his bat and sent the ball trickling towards 2nd. Salinas swooped, twisted and got off a fine off-balance throw to 1B to retire Chavez and end the inning. Boos followed him to the dugout. 8-6 Christchurch after 7.
Christchurch again loaded the bases in the bottom of the 8th, this time with 2 out, but while Utting made good contact on a fastball he could only hit it as far as the warning track. Still 8-6 heading into the 9th.
Fingleson came to the mound, threw a few warmup pitches and then proceeded to blow on his hands for a good 2 minutes. Delaney struck out swinging, but Salinas walked on 4, bringing the tying run to the plate. Liao’s shallow single got Salinas to 3rd, and the tying run was now at 1st, with 1 out. Wigmore walked and the bases were drunk. Fingleson blew on his hands some more, then struck out Foreman on 4 pitches. Up came Auger but he quickly fell behind, then came up empty swinging at a splitter.
Final score 8-6 Christchurch and they headed to Central Coast with a 2-game buffer. Willem Price (4.1IP, 1H, 0ER, 2BB, 2K) was the star of their bullpen effort, steadying the ship for the harder-throwing relievers to punch their way to victory.
Game 3
For the first game of their home stanza, Central Coast would roll out Clint Aitcheson (23-6, 2.94 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 0.98 WHIP). Aitcheson’s WHIP of 0.977 was the best season mark since Rowan Kalman posted a 0.968 WHIP in 2040. Since then only 2 other starters had posted a season WHIP less than 1.000. Aitcheson would be up against 2057's 3rd-winningest pitcher, 35 y/o Cameron Worsfold (19-5, 3.76 ERA, 4.75 FIP, 1.25 WHIP), who was having a career year.
Salinas got plunked to begin the bottom of the 1st and stole 2nd on the very next pitch. Next, Rawnsley couldn’t handle a regulation grounder from Liao and Central Coast had runners on the corners with no outs. An out later Foreman hit a fastball just far enough over left. 3-run HR and the early advantage to the Thunder.
Hooks had to crane his neck in the 2nd too, the LF watching Vern Roneberg bash a 2-run HR to put Central Coast further ahead. 5-0 after 2. With Jackson and Chavez on base, Aguirre got Christchurch into the game in the 3rd, pulling a 160 km/h fastball into the LF stands. Later in the inning Rawnsley added a jack of his own, his solo shot sailing 403 feet over right-centre. 1-run ballgame.
Utting led off the top of the 4th with a double, and then Patrick Murphy drove one out of the park for the 2nd game running, and in doing so once again put Christchurch into the lead. Aitcheson, watching hands on hips, seemed unable to believe what was happening. Then he turned to see his skipper striding towards him and he knew his night was done. 3.0IP, 7H, 6ER, 1BB, 3K. There was a 27 km/h wind blowing in from right, but that didn’t seem to be knocking back any flyballs, Jackson greeting the new pitcher with a double over the CF’s head. 6-5 Christchurch after 4.
Christchurch extended their lead in the 5th. First, Foreman made a bad read on a flyball from Utting. It found grass, Utting got himself a single, and Hooks scored from 2nd. Next man up, Murphy, walked, loading the bases with 1 out. Jackson walked a run in on 4 pitches, leaving the bases loaded. Chavez struck out, froze up by a fastball over the heart of the plate, and then Roneberg made a great diving catch to rob Carr of a multi-rbi single. Meanwhile, Worsfold had found his rhythm, retiring the side in order in both the 4th and 5th. 8-5 Cowboys.
Rawnsley’s 2-out double in the 6th was followed by a Zhuo single up the middle, netting the Cowboys’ catcher his 4th RBI of the postseason. 4-run buffer. Central Coast got runners on the corners in the bottom of the inning, Wigmore beating out Carr’s throw to make his ground at 3rd, but they couldn’t capitalize, Arnott hitting into a 4-6-3 double play.
The lead was reduced to 2 in the 8th, Wigmore sending a line drive over the LF fence for a 2-run HR. 9-7 Christchurch heading into the 9th. Thunder closer Edward Hewat, who’d come out to keep his team close, left the field after the final out of the top of the inning clutching his arm. It was later revealed he had forearm tendinitis and wouldn’t be available for the rest of the series. Fingleson came to the mound for Christchurch, yet to allow a run this postseason in 3 appearances. Roneberg ground out 5-3. Salinas got punched out by a 158 km/h fastball, unable to get his bat moving. Liao hit a weak grounder up the middle and was an easy 6-3 out to end the game.
Final score: 9-7 Christchurch and they were 1 game away from a Championship win. Worsfold (7.0IP, 7H, 5R, 4ER, 0BB, 2K) recovered after his shaky start to earn the win. Fingleson recorded his 4th save of the postseason, from 4 opportunities.
Game 4
Their backs well and truly against the wall, Central Coast sent out Matt Juhl again, who said pre-match, “I’m feeling good. Last game was last game. I can’t do anything about what happened then. All I can do is go out today and throw my best to keep my lads in it.”
Christchurch sent out Wayne Lewis (13-6, 4.38 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 1.50 WHIP), who was yet to pitch this series. Lewis, a born and bred southlander, had come up through the Cowboys’ organization, drafted by them in 2043 out of high school. He’d played in first-grade from 2048-2054 before heading over to the BL for 2 seasons as Santiago's marquee player, during which 2 seasons he’d earned more than he had in all his time with Christchurch. However, citing homesickness, he re-signed with his beloved Cowboys for 2057 and 2058, and couldn’t believe what they were on the cusp of achieving. “Playing for a Championship with them?” he said. “A dream come true. The opportunity to start what might be the deciding game? To be honest, I’m so excited I’m wetting myself a little bit.”
It looked like Lewis was more nervous than excited in the bottom of the 1st. He walked Salinas on 5 pitches, drilled Liao, and walked Wigmore to load the bases with no-one out and no offensive effort expended. Foreman ground into a 5-4-3 double play, but Salinas crossed home plate, putting Central Coast 1-0 ahead. That was how the score stayed, Lewis looking rather relieved as he headed towards the dugout at the end of the inning. Jackson came up in the 2nd with runners on the corners and 2 out. He singled wide of 2nd, scoring Rawnsley. 1-1. Budd led off the bottom of the inning with a double to the leftfield corner, advanced to 3rd on Jiang’s deep fly-out, and scored thanks to Roneberg's single back up the middle. Delaney doubled to put both runners in scoring position and the top of the order back up. Salinas singled up the middle, scoring both. Lewis seemed to spend a lot of time drying his palms on his pants. He recovered to get the next 2 outs, but had still given up 3 in the frame. 4-1 Central Coast after 2.
Liao robbed Carr of a leadoff HR in the 3rd, his leap snaring the ball just before it went into the crowd. Rawnsley doubled Hooks home to inch Christchurch closer, the score 4-2 mid-inning. That was still the score after the 3rd had been completed. Top of the fourth, Salinas came up with a magic dive to gather in Utting’s groundball smash, but couldn’t get the throw to 1st in time to retire him. Utting then went to 2nd on a wild pitch, to 3rd on a ground-out, and safely home on a ground-ball to the SS. 4-3 Central Coast after 4.
A 2-out error by Utting in the 5th saw the bases loaded, but Christchurch escaped without damage. The score remained 4-3 through 7, both pitchers settling into their work. Juhl (7.0IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 6K) didn’t come out in the 8th, sitting tensely in the dugout watching proceedings. The Thunder used 3 pitchers in the inning, each doing their job, the scoreboard not changing. Lewis' (7.0IP, 7H, 4ER, 4BB, 2K) night was also done, his second half much better than his first half. Delaney singled with 2 outs in the bottom of the inning, then made 3rd on a bad throw from catcher Zhuo on his steal attempt. Salinas, who was yet to be retired, drew a walk, but Liao swung through a fastball for strike 3 to end the inning.
Domenic Purss came to the mound for the Thunder, hoping to close the game out. He struck out Murphy swinging at a 3-2 pitch outside the zone. Jackson drove one deep to RF but Liao judged it perfectly and gloved it for the 2nd out. Chavez popped out and Central Coast were still in the series!
Final score: 4-3 Thunder. Salinas was 2-2, with 1 run, 2RBI, and 3BB.
Game 5
Manuel Salinas remained bullish about Central Coast’s chances of going back-to-back. “Hell yes,” he said. “Put it in print now: Thunder come from 0-3 to win in 7!”
Arthur Hammer would start for Central, while Jim Wills would throw for Christchurch. Angelo Caffyn hadn’t thrown since Game 1, but only winked when asked why he wasn’t heading out to the mound. “We play as a unit,” he said when asked again, “and we look at the big picture. Skip’s been impressing that into us the whole season.”
Breaking the pattern of the series, neither team scored in the 1st or 2nd. Murphy walked to lead off the top of the 3rd and nobody called Jackson’s towering pop-up into RF. It found grass and he found himself standing at 2nd, looking slightly bemused. Murphy held up at 3rd, but scored off Chavez’s sac-fly to give Christchurch first blood. 1-0 Christchurch after 3. Liao pulled off an absolutely stunning runnning catch in the 4th, both feet off the ground when the ball thudded into glove, to rob Rawnsley off an XBH.
Carr got plunked in the 6th, followed by an Aguirre double down the 3B line, putting 2 runners in scoring position with only 1 out. Hooks cashed in, his deep double to left-centre scoring both. 3-0 Cowboys. Wigmore singled first up in the bottom of the inning, and Foreman’s grounder also eluded the infield. Wigmore slid in safely to 3rd and the Thunder had the tying run at the plate with nobody out. Auger singled to right, scoring Wigmore. Foreman beat out the throw to be safe at 3rd. Budd ground into a 6-4-3 double play, but Foreman scored to bring it back to a 1-run ballgame. 3-2 Christchurch.
Utting cracked one down the RF line to lead off the 7th and didn’t slow rounding 2nd. Liao’s throw, though, was too good and Utting was tagged out, though not particularly happy with the call. Replays vindicated the umpires, however, not that Utting felt any better after that. Delaney tied the game up in the bottom of the inning, his linedrive just high enough to go over Hooks’ glove and into the leftfield bleachers. Either rattled, tiring, or both, Wills walked the next 2 hitters before getting replaced. A ground-out saw both runners advance, but Foreman could only ground out to 3rd to end the threat. 3-3 after 7!
Carr led off the top of the 8th with a double into the alley between centre and right. Aguirre was intentionally walked and Hooks was called out on strikes. Rawnsley got hold of one, but only as far as Liao’s glove in RF, and Zhuo got befuddled by a knuckle curve, striking out to end the inning. Auger, first up in the bottom of the inning, walked and was bunted to 2nd by Budd. Jiang was intentionally walked to set up the double-play, but Roneberg’s liner dropped safely into RF. Auger scored the go-ahead run, sliding in under the throw, and both the other runners advanced an extra base. Delaney was walked on 4 pitches and Central Coast had the opportunity to put the game out of reach. Salinas flied out to left, but deep enough to score the runner at 3rd. Then, somewhat surprisingly, Central Coast went for a double-steal. And pulled it off. Liao wasn’t able to score anybody, though, getting put out 5-3.
5-3 was also the score heading into the top of the 9th. Warren Gray drew closing duties for Central Coast today. He walked Utting on 4 pitches. Murphy singled to left, but Jackson ground into a 6-4-3 double play. Chavez, hitless, got frozen up by a heater at the knees and Central Coast were fighting on.
Final score: 5-3 Thunder. Hammer (8.0IP, 6H, 3ER, 3BB, 6K) threw a smart game, while Wills (6.1IP, 7H, 3ER, 5K) probably shouldn’t have come out in the 7th, but still could’ve had the win next to his name.
Game 6
The series was now back in Christchurch, with Central Coast fighting tooth and nail, and perhaps with the momentum. They would send ace Aitcheson to the mound in the hopes of forcing a Game 7, while Christchurch would put Caffyn out, keeping Worsfold in reserve.
Good move or bad on Christchurch’s part? Only time would tell. Salinas singled off the 3rd pitch of the game and stole 2nd, beating a pitchout, 3 pitches later. Liao then singled and Salinas motored for home, diving in safely, pumping his fist as he jumped to his feet. Liao advanced to 2nd on the throw. Auger proceeded to single, moving Liao to 3rd, and Caffyn looked like a bad call. The gentle-throwing SP did strike out Foreman on 3 pitches to get 1 out, but then Zhuo couldn’t handle a pitch, chasing it to the backstop and allowing Liao to score. Wigmore singled Auger home and Christchurch were in all sorts of trouble early. Caffyn recovered to get the next 2 outs and end the inning, but a 3-0 lead after half an inning was nothing to be sneezed at.
Aitcheson proceeded to strike out leadoff hitter Chavez, freezing him up with a cutter, before getting Carr and Aguirre to send routine flyballs to the outfielders. Caffyn got through the top of the 2nd quickly, and Hooks led off the bottom of the inning with a double into the RF corner. Rawnsley’s ground-out advanced Hooks to 3rd and Zhuo blooped a single over the head of the SS to get Christchurch on the board. 3-1 Thunder after 2.
A Liao walk and Auger single saw runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs in the 3rd. An out later they pulled off a double-steal, Zhuo’s arm looking weaker than usual. Wigmore walked on 4 to load the bases, and Budd’s sac-fly scored Liao, who beat out the throw in a decision the Cowboys weren’t too happy about. Arnott singled up the middle. Auger held up at 3rd, but perhaps he should’ve gone, because Jiang got called out on strikes to end the threat and the inning. 4-1 Central Coast. Jackson and Carr singled in the bottom of the inning to bring Aguirre to the plate, 1 out on the board. Aguirre skimmed a 3-2 pitch over the head and glove of the 3B and into the leftfield corner for an rbi-double, and now the Cowboys had 2 runners in scoring position, the go-ahead run at the plate. Hooks drilled one to the alley in left. Foreman made good ground and extended his glove but the ball passed by just out of the reach. It bounced awkwardly and Foreman could only hit the cutoff man as Hooks headed into 3rd. 2-rbi triple and the game was all tied up. Aitcheson looked disgusted with himself, spending a good 30 seconds swearing into his glove. The game didn’t stay locked for long, though, Hooks scoring off Rawnsley’s sac-fly, and just like that Christchurch were in the lead. 5-4 Christchurch heading into the 4th.
Neither side had a baserunner through the 4th or 5th. Arnott singled in the 6th to break up the drought, and ended up on 3rd after a Jiang double. An out later Salinas tied the game up with a hot single to left, and stole 2nd on Zhuo to put 2 runners in scoring position with 2 out. Liao drove one to the base of the CF wall, ending up with a 2-RBI triple, and Central Coast regained the lead. Auger was intentionally walked and then Caffyn (5.2IP, 10H, 7ER, 4BB, 4K) was hoiked, replacement Hal Slater getting a ground out to end the inning. 7-5 Thunder after 5 and a half.
Hooks was having a whale of a game, the righthander drilling a 1-1 fastball down the RF line and into the bleachers for a solo HR. So far he’d hit a double, triple and HR, needing only a single to have a playoff cycle. That blast signaled the end of Aitcheson’s night (5.0IP, 7H, 6ER, 0BB, 4K), and reliever Teddy Wigley got the next 3 outs with no further damage. 7-6 Thunder. Chavez walked in the bottom of the 7th, but was gunned down hunting a steal. In the 8th, with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Utting hit a regulation ground ball directly to SS Jiang. He gloved it, then dropped it, and all 3 runners made base successfully. Could Christchurch capitalize? No, as it turned out, Murphy’s weak grounder well-played by Salinas for a 4-3 putout.
Central Coast were retired in order in the 9th. Jackson headed to the batter’s box in the bottom of the inning, Christchurch facing a Game 7 unless they could pull something off. Warren Gray came out for Central Coast and Jackson’s flare to right was gobbled up by Liao. Chavez struck out chasing a high fastball and Carr’s fly to deep centre was hunted down by Roneberg.
Final score: 7-6 Central Coast and Game 7 it was. Central Coast’s relievers got Aitcheson his 2nd win of the postseason, while Christchurch’s relievers gave their hitters a chance to win it.
Game 7
Sweaty palms all around, but probably more on Christchurch’s side than on Central Coast’s, seeing as the Cowboys had butchered a 3-0 lead.
Who would Central Coast send out for this all-or-nothing game? Brock Lawless (8-4, 3.50 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 1.15 WHIP), who hadn’t set foot on a mound since December. Worsfold would take the ball for Christchurch.
A 2-out Auger single was all Central Coast could muster in the 1st. Chavez walked to lead off the bottom of the inning, but Carr doubled up to send both hitters back to the dugout. 3 up, 3 down for the Thunder in the 2nd, all the contact so far on Worsfold weak. It could’ve been the same for Christchurch in the bottom of the inning, but a 2-out error by 3B Budd saw Zhuo safe on 1st. Utting doubled off the RF wall, but Zhuo pulled up at 3rd, the strong rebound giving him no chance to come home. Murphy grounded out 3-1 to end the threat. 0-0 after 2.
Hooks broke the deadlock in the 4th, leading off the inning with a 426 foot solo blast over right-centre. 1-0 Cowboys heading into the 5th. Hooks undid some of his good work in the bottom of the inning, though, failing to pick up a Budd single, allowing the runner to make it safely to 2nd. Arnott followed up with a hot shot down the 1B line for a single. Runners on the corners and nobody out. Arnott headed off for 2nd on the next pitch and Zhuo’s poor series behind the plate continued, his throw sailing into the outfield. Budd scored and Arnott wound up at 3rd. Worsfold was not a happy camper. Roneberg walked with 1 out, and Salinas then hustled to beat a double play to see Arnott score the go-ahead run. Liao’s single extended the inning, but Auger popped out to right to be the 3rd out. 2-1 Central Coast, both runs credited as earned.
With 1 out in the bottom of the 6th Aguirre made it a tie-game, bashing one into the RF stands. 2-2 after 6. Jiang singled to lead off the 7th and advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch. Roneberg struck out and Salinas was thrown out thanks to a nice play by Jackson at 2nd. That signalled the end of the night for Worsfold (6.2IP, 7H, 2ER, 2BB, 2K), who’d looked rattled with batters on base. Vanderven got the final out of the inning, leaving Jiang stranded at 3rd.
Heading into the bottom of the 9th the score was still 2-2. Lawless (8.0IP, 5H, 2ER, 1BB, 3K) didn’t come out to pitch, but had to be pleased with his first-up effort on return from injury. Duggan came to the mound and gave up a leadoff single to the hot Hooks. Rawnsley hit a sharp grounder up the middle but Salinas got across, stepped on the bag for one and fired to 1st for the double play, after which he bowed to the booing crowd. Zhuo bashed a line drive to the alley at left, but Foreman made a great running play to rob him of a hit and send the game into extra innings.
Whatever happened now would be a fitting finale for a super series.
Vanderven stayed on the mound and struck out Roneberg for the first out of the 10th. Salinas ground out to short, and Liao walked on 4 to bring up Auger, who could only hit a regulation grounder to 2B. Duggan hit leadoff man Utting to open affairs in the bottom of the inning, but then struck Murphy out on 3 pitches, the last 2 wicked sliders that froze him up. He then also struck Jackson out looking, this time with a fastball at the knees. Chavez drew a walk to bring Carr to the plate, Utting now in scoring position. Carr hit a soft one towards 1st and was a 3-1 out.
Into the 11th, Vanderven still on the mound. Foreman lashed a single to centre and Wigmore popped out. That finally brought to an end Vanderven’s admirable relief performance (3.2IP, 1H, 0ER, 1BB, 1K). Fingleson strode to the mound and got Budd to tap one back to him to start a 1-6-3 double play, thus ending the inning. Purss came out for Central Coast and looked a bit anxious when Aguirre lofted one deep to right. Foreman had room to make the play and Purss relaxed. Hooks struck out swinging and Rawnsley struck out frozen.
Arnott almost beat out the throw for a single to lead off the 12th but got put out 3-1. Jiang walked and Roneberg advanced him with a 4-3 ground out. Salinas nubbed one back to the mound and beat out Fingleson’s throw to put the go-ahead run at 3rd. Undeterred, Fingleson fooled Liao with a splitter to strike him out and keep the game locked up. Zhuo walked on 4 and Utting struck out chasing a fastball well outside. Murhpy flied out to left and Jackson ground out to 2nd.
Auger stepped up to lead off the 13th and yanked a 2-2 splitter into the RF stands to break the deadlock. Fingleson looked shattered but recovered to get Foreman out 4-3. Alastair Butcher came to relieve Fingleson and Wigmore slammed one over straightaway centre for a 448-foot HR. Suddenly Central Coast were 2 runs ahead, an incredible come from behind Championship victory within sight. Budd also hit one deep but Chavez had room to make the play for the 2nd out. Arnott flied out to left and Christchurch were up, in last chance saloon.
Chavez drew a 4-pitch walk. Carr popped out to 2nd. Aguirre hit a ground ball to 3rd and Budd whipped it to Salinas who fired it to 1st and that was the game and the series. Aguirre stood disconsolately at 1st for a good while, and Salinas, to his credit, didn’t rush over to rub it in, perhaps because he was mobbed by his teammates instead.
Final score: 4-2 Central Coast and they were the latest back-to-back Champions! Purss got the win, throwing 3 innings of scoreless relief. Fingleson got tagged with the loss.
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Hurler of the Series: In a series where the starters got mostly beat up and the best relievers were from the losing team, HotS went to Lawless for his stellar return from injury in the highest-pressure game imaginable.
Slugger of the Series: Patrick Wigmore (.321/.387/.679, 3HR). For the losers, Hooks (.419/.438/.774, 2HR) had an excellent series.
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The Washup: The next day media hunted out a tired Salinas, who admitted he hadn’t slept that night, to get answers to some questions. First, ‘Had he ever doubted his prediction they’d come back from 3-0 down?’
“Of course not,” Salinas scoffed. “We were clearly the better team across the park, regular season record or not. We were always going to run them down.”
Second, ‘Had Aguirre been the first opposition player to shake his hand?’
“Yes,” Salinas said, grudgingly, before adding, “but maybe that was because he was closest, being the losing out and all.”
Third, ‘What’s your beef with Aguirre, really? What’s he done to you personally?’
“To me, nothing. But let me tell you a few things. Firstly, there’s a lot of folks here on the Central Coast who aren’t too fond of Aguirre. Why? Because as soon as he could, he was gone, after a bigger payday. Right when the team looked like it was building for a good tilt at the Championship. This was the club that had nurtured him right through, built a team around him, and he just up and left as soon as he was eligible for free agency. Bit ungrateful, don’t you think? And not only did he leave, but he went to a bitter division rival, and immediately started winning Championships with them. Yeah, there’s a lot of fans in my neck of the woods who don’t like the big man all that much.
“And as for me. Well, I was at Canberra. Loved the club, was loyal to club. Stayed there 9 years and wanted to be there longer. But then Aguirre hit the market again and suddenly negotiations, which had been going on most of the season, just up and stopped. Next thing you know I was a free agent and Aguirre was a Cavalryman. And then they start winning Championships without me. So I find myself here in the Central Coast and maybe the universe is paying things back a bit, because now we’re back-to-back Champions and we’ve done it without Aguirre, and now against him. At long last the loyal fans here have something to crow about and hopefully that’ll continue for a few more seasons.
“Everybody says Aguirre’s a nice guy, one of the best, an all-round good fellah. Yeah, I don’t buy it. Nobody in this game is that nice. You can’t win if you’re that nice. I bet he’s got a secret puppy-kicking addiction or something.”
The rant made headlines all over the baseball world, with a fair few quick to respond that Salinas had conveniently forgotten that Central Coast had also won the Championship in 2052, against Aguirre, who was still playing for Brisbane at that time. When chased down for comment himself, Aguirre shrugged and said, “I hit my 26th, 27th, and 28th postseason home runs in this Championship series. I think I’ll focus on that and what I hope to achieve next season rather than on a war of words with someone who’s also got plenty to be happy about if he spends a couple minutes thinking about it.”
Salinas’ response to that? “That’s loser talk, right there.”