It was another successful regular season for Waffletown as they posted their best record yet in three seasons, finshing at 109-53. Unfortunately, that record was only good enough for 2nd place in their division
as Nowhere claimed the division crown with 118 wins. (three seasons, win totals of 103, 96, and 109... and only 1 division crown to show for it. Tough crowd.)
On the mound, Cy Young was virtually untouchable this season, posting an impressive 26-3 record, with a 1.69 ERA and 239 strikeouts (and would claim the award for most pitching wins and best ERA). Not to be outdone by his teammate, Don Sutton posted a solid 22-4 record of his own, with a 2.60 ERA and 246 strikeouts.
The team overall had a solid offensive year (as usual, expected with the ramped up offensive park ratings of The Spile), ranking 1st in runs scored, batting average, and OPS; and 2nd ranked in on base percentage, batting WAR, wOBA , and base running.
The part of the team stats that still impresses me is the fact the pitching/defensive ratings didn't suffer due to the park dimensions. The Syrups ranked 1st in starters ERA, pitching WAR, and zone rating; 2nd ranked in runs against, bullpen ERA, FIP, and defensive efficiency; and 3rd ranked in strikeouts and errors.
Waffletown will host Port Ruppert in the wild card match. While the Syrups took the season series 5 games to 1, the regular season means nothing in the playoffs (and the pessimist in me expects nothing less than a spectacular flameout to cap off the year
)