2048 WORLD SERIES
Portland Raccoons (93-69) @ Dallas Stars (100-62)
The Stars had come from 3-1 down in the FLCS to beat the Miners, and now probably had their pants full fearing that fate was reversing itself. Also, the pitching matchup for the do-or-die game had been even enough that I didn’t have to gnaw my claws off hours before the game. Baker had been the one that had been flatout routed, but Baker was far away in the bullpen, where he hopefully would not do any damage beyond what we had already incurred.
Game 7 – Victor Merino (15-9, 3.60 ERA) vs. Noe Candeloro (7-3, 4.09 ERA)
The Raccoons stuck to their Game 6 lineup; as far as relievers were concerned, everybody was principally available, even those with bum shoulders like Nelson Moreno. (pats Moreno on the shoulder; Moreno winces)
POR: SS Adame – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 2B Waters – RF Preble – LF Watt – 1B Toohey – C R. Gonzalez – P Merino
DAL: LF O. Gonzalez – 2B Sedillo – CF del Toro – RF Cecil – SS Villacorta – 3B Haney – 1B van Eijk – C Rollin – P Candeloro
Adame opened with an infield single, but was forced out when Herrera hit a comebacker and the Coons never got that runner off first base in the opening inning. That wasn’t half what went wrong in the first inning, though, with Merino offering up a leadoff walk, then threw away Sedillo’s grounder for an error. Del Toro raked a 2-run double, Cecil singled him home, and only when Villacorta found Adame with a grounder did the Coons start to get outs. By then, they were 3-0 down.
The tying run was at the plate though by the third inning. Merino opened with a single in a desperate effort to make himself useful, and Adame reached on an error. Nobody out for Herrera, who hit into a 5-4-3 double play, and Maldo would ground out to Sedillo, who drew a 1-out walk in the bottom 3rd, but was caught stealing.
The Raccoons offense continued to be annoying. Watt and Toohey reached base with two outs in the fourth, but Gonzalez flew out to, well, Gonzalez, ending the inning. Merino in turn was yanked after a pair of 1-out singles by Haney and van Eijk in the bottom 4th. Hitchcock got the ball, walked Dan Rollin in a full count, then faced the pitcher with three on and one out. Candeloro won the championship with a 2-run double to center. Sedillo drove in two more with two outs, and it was 7-0.
It was over.
Although there was probably still a LOB record for Game 7’s that needed to be broken and the Raccoons totally went for that. Herrera and Maldo hit singles with two outs in the fifth, but Waters grounded out. The Raccoons didn’t reach in the sixth or in the seventh, while Joy-shan Kuo was dismembered for four hits and three runs in just ten pitches in the bottom 7th.
Candeloro was in the dugout, grinning, by the top 8th, in which Alejandro Villanueva allowed a leadoff single against Herrera, then a pair of walks drawn by Maldo and Waters. Oh good, three on and nobody out, just to **** with me. Preble hit into another double play, as if I needed one more. Herrera scored on the play, while Matt Watt singled home Maldo, as if it still mattered. Toohey ended the inning with a groundout.
The ninth began with the Coons down by eight, facing Adam Middleton. Pat Gurney drew a leadoff walk in place of Gonzalez, but Baskins and Adame made outs. Herrera hit a 2-out RBI single to shorten the gap all the way to seven. Maldo found Mark Haney with a grounder, Mark Haney found Govaart van Eijk with a throw, and the season ended right then and there.
Stars 10, Raccoons 3 – (Stars win series 4-3)
Herrera 3-5, RBI; Baker 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K;
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2048 WORLD CHAMPIONS
Dallas Stars
(4th title)