[Izz]

Wow! What a way to finish PT1.0 for the Healy Hoggs!

We limped into the postseason, winning our division 84-78 to make the Perfect League playoffs for only the 5th time. We'd made it the last two seasons with significantly better records (111-51 & 94-68 respectively) only to lose in the Division Series both years.

It looked like that was going to happen again for this final season, as we fell behind the Manchester Devils 0-2. Then, somehow, we won both games at home, the second via a walkoff Ron Santo 3-run dinger in the bottom of the 13th. Back in Manchester's house for Game 5 we took the lead in the 7th and added some insurance in the 9th to win 5-2 and take the series.

Next up were 3-time champs the Santa Monica Beachgoers, who'd been at Perfect Level since 2030 and were making their 37th trip to the postseason. They beat us 11-2 in Game 1. We came back to win the next 3. But they wouldn't give up so easily, taking Game 5 and 6 to force a decider. A brawl in the 3rd inning sparked by our Cleon Jones and their Warren Spahn showed just how much winning meant to both teams. But it would be our day, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez (a lefty-hitting specialist), Yogi Berra, and Bobby Murcer (who replaced Jones after his ejection) all going deep in a 7-3 win.

The Hoggs were off to the World Series for the first time. On the other side of the card were the Blake Street Bombers, also yet to win a Perfect League series after 13 previous postseason visits. They resembled the Hoggs in many ways - inaugural 2019 teams, stuck for quite some time in that 'too good for diamond but not good enough for Perfect' purgatory. They'd been up at Perfect Level uninterrupted since 2056, while the Hoggs had been up without relegation since 2063.

Whoever won this series would be first-time Perfect Champs at the last opportunity. The Bombers were clearly the better team, finishing the regular season 100-62 (the exact same record they'd posted each of the last 2 seasons). They'd scored the second-most runs in their conference while conceding the third-least. By comparison, the Hoggs had only scored the 7th-most runs on their side of the league, while conceding the 7th-most.

And sure enough, the Bombers demonstrated their superiority early, easing to victory in both games of their opening home set. But we had fight about us, as demonstrated by our path to the series. We won Game 3 7-6 via a walk-off sac-fly in the bottom of the 9th. Another brawl marked this game, their Todd Helton taking offense to our Cy Young beaning him and charging the mound. Our Spahn threw a complete game in Game 4, allowing just 1 run, while we scored 5 to tie the series back up. Game 5 was tight. We managed 14 hits and 2 walks but squandered scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity. Still, we did enough to hold on, winning 3-2.

Suddenly the Hoggs were 1 game away from a first-ever Perfect Series victory. We took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th of Game 6. We seemed to be cruising and in control. In the 4th we pulled off a TRIPLE PLAY, Todd Helton lining out to right with 2 on, both runners taking off and unable to return to base in time. 9-6-3 triple play yo! But then we got the jitters. With 2 outs in the 8th, Ron Santo fluffed a routine play to first, firing the ball into the stands. That woke up the Bombers' offense and they went on to pile on 5 runs, going on to win 5-3.

Momentum had swung, right? It certainly seemed that way when the Bombers put runners on the corners in the bottom of the 1st of the decider. But the Hoggs held them off, and got on the board in the 2nd, Santo atoning for his game-changing Game 6 error with an RBI-triple. The game stayed tight, our Cy Young duking it out with their John Smoltz. We got to Smoltz again in the 5th, scoring 2 to take a 3-0 lead. Cy Young kept rocking, and came out to pitch in the bottom of the 7th after our Aparicio walked, stole 2nd and scored off a Lefty O'Doul single in the top of the inning. Once again, the Bombers put runners on the corners but once again Young held firm, though he looked a bit worried when Phil Rizzuto hit a booming fly to center. Garry Maddox tracked it back to the wall and took the catch and the inning was over. Young completed the 8th on just 9 pitches, and having thrown only 101 pitches for the game, came out for the 9th.

Larry Walker ground out 4-3. Helton hit a soft fly to right for the second out. Jacoby Ellsbury singled. All eyes turned to the dugout. Nobody moved. Young would stay on the mound for at least one more hitter. With the count 1-2, Darren Daulton fouled off a few, trying desperately to stay alive. It was a high heater which got him. Swing and miss and Cy Young had thrown a complete game shutout to win Game 7 and give the Hoggs their first ever Perfect League World Series victory.

What a way to finish!