Wednesday, October 18, 2073
PRO CUP SERIES -- WINNER TAKES ALL -- THE IPA PRO CUP TROPHY
The baseball journey for the South Fork Stallions and the Valka Blackhawks will soon come to an end... it's just over the horizon... one will succeed... and one will almost succeed, yet come in second... this spiritual journey is in quest of the Holy Grail of Islandia -- the sacred Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Trophy -- it only comes around once a year and the Islands are enthralled, enthused and elated by it... South Fork has won the prize twice, 2025 and 2042... Valka has never won the Pro Cup... never even came close... the Stallions have made the postseason 10 times and the Blackhawks on 7 occasions... this will be the 73rd edition of the Pro Cup Series... the Tycobbian Union leads the Ruthlandian Union 40 to 32 in the annual clashes.
Only the best of the best make it here... the IPA Pro Cup Series begins this Friday afternoon in South Fork at Jock Ewing Stadium... the Stallions (97-57) will welcome the Blackhawks (95-59) for the first two encounters... games three and four (if needed) will be at Cybertel Park in Valka... should it be necessary, game five will be played in South Fork.
South Fork is the pick of the Pro Cup pundits... the biggest thing going for the Stallions is the fact that they beat last year's Pro Cup winner in round one, the Turon Typhoons, 3 games to 2... and won the TU crown by taking this year's Pro Cup favorite, the White River Rascals, 3 games to 1... South Fork also has the best starters and hits with more power... neither team has a dominant starter or reliever... Mark Meisner (16-9/3.31 ERA) is 37, in his 17th season and nearing retirement, but he has has a rebirth this year in the postseason (3-1/0.79 ERA)... he is the only ace on either team... South Fork's other starters are a slight notch above Valka's... the bullpens are pretty much even... long reliever Ramsey Crowe (12-11/4.70 ERA/10 saves/27 G) and closer Slinger Sowers (9-6/3.62 ERA/9 saves/53 games) have done the job well in the playoffs for the Stallions... if #2 starter Billy Lake (12-11/3.46 ERA) and #3 starter Skippy Simmons (10-4/2.20 ERA) can win a game between them, maybe the great Meisner has 2 more wins in him.
Valka must have something going for them, too... the Blackhawks whipped two solid teams 3 out of 4 games, topping Eastshore in round one and Valmara in the RU Title Series... how far Valka goes depends on its starters... none of them can match South Fork... 8-year veteran Bud Selvy (16-7/3.45 ERA) beat Valmara twice in the playoffs... Selvy needs help from the other two starters, Johnny Bakoyannis (11-11/4.86 ERA) and the little-used Kris Sheehan (5-0/3.18 ERA)... Boyd Spenser (6-7/3.56 ERA/7 saves/38 games) has been the only effective reliever in the postseason... Dorsey Burnette (14-2/2.47 ERA/11 saves/73 games) has to do the job, too... what a series it would have been if the Blackhawks had injured starters Priit Laur and Carlos Santa Ana?... they will also be without left fielder Olev Kotli (148 G/.301 BA/19 HR/83 RBI/111 R/41 SB), a solid hitter and defender... they lost Santa Ana (3-2/2.17 ERA) in late May... Laur (13-9/3.39 ERA) was lost in the first round... he beat Eastshore 7-2, but hurt his knee in the game... reliever Charley Clutterbuck was also injured in the Valmara series... Kotli played the first 5 games of the playoffs and hit .308 with 6 RBIs... he tore a ligament in his thumb... despite the critical losses, Valka must still be doing something right... they beat two good teams to reach the Pro Cup Series.
Valka can put runs on the scoreboard... they batted .303 in 8 games with 48 runs and 7 homers... but the Blackhawks did not face pitching like South Fork did... Turon and White River are two of the best mound corps in the IPA... the Stallions hit only .236 with 5 roundtrippers and 36 runs... however, their pitchers compiled a fine 2.83 ERA... Valka posted a 4.22 ERA and permitted only 3 home runs... Eastshore and Valmara have good hitting teams that score a lot of runs.
If Meisner and company can keep the Blackhawk bats down, they should win in 5 games... whichever team gets best pitching will win the 2073 Pro Cup.
