[pauwoo]

Austin Grackles (91-71, .561, t-1st NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (91-71, .561, t-1st NL West)
Somehow, despite the BNN’s prediction of a 107-win season, we find ourselves here – looking into a mirror, asking the man staring back at us why the sun comes up, and pondering if the stars are just pinholes in the curtain of night before assuring him that, while there can be only one, it is us whose championship destiny will be fulfilled once the dust has settled on the 2081 campaign. That a regular season spent on this winding, uneven, and rocky path be worth it in the end… that we’ll find a way to best Austin in this one game tiebreaker to claim a throne we’ve grown to think of as ours, before running roughshod over all comers in the playoff on our way to back-to-back World Series titles. To do that will require that we beat a team previously thought to be playing above their station, performing at a clip their talent would not be able to support over the long haul. And, while Austin, with gall and mettle, have proved that they do indeed belong, with us, at or near the top of the pops in the NL West, this game will settle the only question that remains unanswered from the regular season – who’s the best club in the NL West…

Should we lose, we’ll find ourselves on the road in Philadelphia to kick off the Second Series against the biggest bully on the NL Block… that's not ideal.

163 of 162: Joe Matthiessen (12-12, 3.79) @ Nacho Valadez (9-5, 3.64)
Loss, 2-3. Our path to the World Series was made that much rougher by Austin’s Nehemiah Jenkins whose 1-for-3 day at the plate, including a well-hit 3-run TANK, led the high-powered Grackles offense to what must’ve been a satisfying win, usurping our position as NL West Division Champion for the 1st time in 7 years… made all the more special by the fact that they did it in our house, celebrated their improbable division championship in front of our fans, and on our infield. We’ll head into the playoffs on a loss, with a flight to Philadelphia booked, and do our level best to crib at least one win off the Founders in front of the most raucous, reviled, and repugnant fanbase in all of professional sports before returning to Los Angeles for games 3 through 5. That our path to the promised land looks much rougher than it did this morning is of no consequence here… at the end of this thing, with the dust settled and the last man standing fully in view, I expect that Otto and Ethan, Oh Hong and Haag, Estevez and Chance will come into focus, all smiles and high fives and tears of joy.

Elsewhere: Mexico City blanked the Las Vegas Outlaws, 3-0, securing their first playoff bid since 2077.

And, becasue I forgot to add this at the end of the last post - RF Jonah Dove, of the Salt Lake Alpines, who finished dead last in the AL West at 63-99 this year, blasted his 400th career HR into the cheap seats at Smith’s Park in Salt Lake City… the milestone came during a losing effort as his Alpines closed out their 2081 campaign on a 5-7 loss against the Seattle Metros.

Record: 91-72, .558, 2nd NL West
Up Next: Playoffs, baby!