Tuesday, October 1, 2069
7 IPA PENNANT RACES DECIDED IN LAST DAYS
The 2069 Islandian Pro Alliance saved the best for the last this season... all the division crowns were undecided going into the final week of the season... and seven of them went into the home stretch very much in doubt... Rolling Hills was the only pennant winner that settled things early... and the Racers only cinched the Tycobbian West a week before the season ended... all the others were determined in the last few days ... two divisions, the Ruthlandian East and the Ruthlandian West, were decided in sudden-death playoff games.
There was a lot of joy and jubilation around the IPA, but there was also a lot of pain and disappointment, too... only 8 of the teams ended the season on a high note - the ones that won the pennant and secured a spot in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs.
The victors were the Taranto Tars, Claxton Diamonds, Marston Nine and Sligo Rovers in the Ruthlandian Union... over in the Tycobbian Union the division champions were the Blue Lake Blue Caps, Southport Sun Sox, South Fork Stallions and the Rolling Hills Racers.
This was an especially great season for the Blue Lake Blue Caps, who copped the Tycobbian North Division and finally made the Pro Cup playoffs for the first time in 40 years... the Blue Caps were not expected to be a contender this year... they were picked sixth in the preseason poll.
Ruthlandian Union Season Roundup and Review
TARS TURN IT ON LATE AND TAKE RU NORTH
Taranto (87-67) was rated only the fourth best-team in the Ruthlandian North at the beginning of the season... the Tars turn it on the final two months of the year (35-16) and captured the division crown, beating out the LaGrange Gators by 3 games... Taranto was a blistering 19-6 in September... this will be their first postseason appearance since 2056... Taranto has won one Pro Cup, but that was years ago in 2015... the Tars have been a second-rate team for the last decade... good pitching, solid defense and home-run power were the keys to their success this year... this is the 9th time Taranto has made the IPA playoffs.
Runner-up LaGrange (86-68) played well, going 33-19 in August and September... they were 15-12 the final month, but that just wasn't good enough to top Taranto... third place Far Mountain (85-69) topped the RU North most of the season... they had a 7-game lead heading into August, but the Redhawks fell to 26-27 the rest of the way and wound up 4 games off the pace... the Valmara Vipers (82-72) ran a fairly good race and came in fourth in the standings, 7 games behind.
CLAXTON WINS 7TH STRAIGHT RU SOUTH DIVISION FLAG
The Claxton Diamonds (90-64) won the Ruthlandian South for the 7th straight season, but they really had to sweat this one out... the Valka Blackhawks (89-65) pestered them the whole year and almost won it... the Blackhawks were slated to come in fourth in the preseason poll... Claxton's standout pitching won it for them again... this will be the Diamonds' 21st postseason appearance... they won their only Pro Cup trophy in 2064, upsetting mighty Rolling Hills... Claxton always does well in the playoffs... they have made the RU Finals the last three years, but lost each time.
The Belair Beach Sunbirds (82-72) ran a good first half, along with Grand City (74-80)... the Sunbirds wound up in the third spot, 7 games out... 22-30 in July and August killed their season.
MARSTON WINS AGAIN IN RU EAST... TOPS MACS IN SUDDEN DEATH... 3RD TITLE IN 4 YEARS
The Marston Nine (88-67) were rated the best team in the Ruthlandian East in the preseason poll and they won it the hard way - in a sudden-death playoff game with Wynnamac (87-68)... they beat the Macs 6-4 to win the division flag... this is the 3rd time in 4 seasons the Nine have won the RU South... in the past, it's been the offense that prevailed, but this year they had solid pitching... Marston struggled down the stretch with a 12-14 September record... the Sundowners went 16-10 and caught them, only to lose in the playoff game... the Eastshore Cotton Kings (83-71) did well this year, winding up just 4 and a half-game back in the race... the Cotton Kings were in first place in June, but could not maintain it... this will be Marston's 11th playoff appearance... the Nine has never won a Pro Cup.
ROVERS STAVE OFF 6 CHALLENGERS IN HOT-AND-HEAVY RU WEST... STOP ROOSTERS IN SINGLE-GAME PLAYOFF
The Sligo Rovers (82-73) have been one of the top dogs in the Ruthlandian West for two decades... 6 pennants, 10 second-place finishes and one 3rd place in the last 17 seasons... the Rovers always do it with a fine pitching staff and very little hitting... they really were tested this season in the closely-bunched RU West... it was a 7-team dogfight the entire season that finally ended with Sligo and Middlefield (81-74) tied for the top spot... the Rovers got strong pitching in the sudden-death playoff game and posted a 5-2 victory over the Roosters... this will be Sligo's 15th playoff appearance... the Rovers will be hunting for Pro Cup trophy number two... they won it in 2021.
Middlefield used home runs and solid pitching to finish in second place... 9-18 in June cost them the pennant... Sligo consistently played near .500 ball the entire 6 months of the season.
The reigning Pro Cup champion Forest City (79-75) tried hard to repeat, but came up short in the torrid RU West race by just 2 and one-half games... the Firebirds still had the fine pitching, but they were missing the good offense that enabled them to defeat powerful Rolling Hills in last year's Pro Cup Series.
Just to show you how hotly-contested the Ruthlandian West was this season... in September with the pennant on the line, Sligo went 14-11, Middlefield 14-12 and Forest City 14-11... they were the prime contenders... fourth place Fort Benton (77-77) was 12-13, ending up 4 and a half-game back... fifth place Rocky Rapids (76-78) was only 11-15 and lost out by 5 and a half games... and Volusia (75-79) wound up sixth and trailed by 6 and a one-half games... the Vigilantes flopped miserably in September with the pennant in the balance... they dipped to 8-17 for the month.
