[Westheim]

2054 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland Raccoons (94-68) vs. Atlanta Knights (96-66)

The Raccoons had smothered the Knights in Atlanta, 18-2 runs for two wins, but Raffy had been sketchy at best for the entire half-season after his return from the DL, and Brobeck was very much a mixed bag in the fourth game. Baker was not a real alternative. The Knights could still pour out more starters with better ERA’s than any Coon bar He Shui…

Game 3 – Rafael de la Cruz (5-5, 3.98 ERA) vs. Jeremy Baker (16-5, 2.86 ERA)

Jeremy Baker got Game 3, which put us up against their only lefty starter (we had no such thing at all this year – in fact, the Raccoons hadn’t had a game started by a southpaw all season). Baker had faced the Raccoons in three starts this regular season, going 2-1 with the two wins seeing him allow no runs whatsoever. Overall his ERA was a miniscule 0.90 – but we killed Hils, we could probably also kill him. Raffy had missed the Knights in the sole series played after his return in late June.

Nick Valdes did not come to visit, afraid that I would pester him for more dosh for next year in person.

The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by … Cristiano? Why is Gustaf, oily and shirtless, down there and hurling a baseball to Chris Gowin…!?

Just one subtle change to the lineup to get an extra right-handed bat in.

ATL: 3B Gaxiola – C Almaguer – SS W. Acosta – 1B J. Rogers – LF Kirkwood – RF Wada – CF B. Allen – 2B Visser – P J. Baker
POR: 1B Crum – SS Lavorano – LF Brassfield – C Gowin – RF Puckeridge – 3B Venegas – CF de Lemos – 2B Knight – P de la Cruz

Baker gave himself the lead with a 2-out infield single when Kirkwood and Visser were on the corners in the second inning against Raffy, who wasn’t convincing with his pitching, and then also not with his defense, failing to make a proper throw in time to beat the opposite pitcher. Kirkwood scored, before Robby Gaxiola grounded out.

Raffy was no joy to watch. He was all over the place, counts ran long, and although the Knights had “only” four base runners in the first three innings, it took him 61 pitches to make it even that far. On top of everything else, he also bunted into a force out at second base that erased Matt Knight to begin the bottom 3rd. He struck out five in as many innings, but gave up another run in the fifth inning after Preston Visser doubled, Gaxiola walked in a full count, and Pedro Almaguer hit a sac fly to Pucks in right. He somehow made it through six innings with just two runs given up, then was hit for to begin the bottom half of the sixth against Baker, who was cruising on a 3-hitter, untouchable for the Raccoons as ever. Lonzo hit a 2-out single in the inning, but was left on base by Brassfield.

Bak’s scoreless seventh was followed by a leadoff single for Chris Gowin, who was forced out by Pucks, and then another single off Venegas’ bat. The tying runs were on base, and somehow Dave de Lemos got a single through the middle and into center on a 3-1 pitch. Pucks went for home – and was thrown out by Brent Allen. Shucks. The remaining runners reached scoring position, and the Knights reached their pen, bringing on Joe Byrd, a right-hander, while the Raccoons answered with Ed Crispin hitting for Knight – Cox had already been used to hit for Raffy. Crispin singled through the right side, Venegas came in to score, de Lemos came behind him - and was thrown out by Jushiro Wada to end the inning.

(dead stare)

Brett Lillis, Leonardo Ramos, and Kevin Hitchcock exchanged scoreless innings from there, and the Raccoons arrived in the bottom 9th against David Hardaway with their 3-4-5 batters coming up. Brassfield grounded out on the first pitch. Gowin flew out to Dylan Wright in right. Pucks popped out foul.

Knights 2, Raccoons 1 – Raccoons lead series 2-1

Crispin (PH) 1-1, RBI;

Dismal.

Game 4 – Kyle Brobeck (8-5, 3.59 ERA, 1 SV) vs. Matt Weber (13-8, 3.16 ERA)

Worst starter coming up for them – now it gets easy, boys! Why did I have the feeling that they had expended all their runs in Atlanta?

Weber had made two starts against the Coons, both no-decisions, but hadn’t logged an out in the sixth inning either time for a 2.79 ERA. Brobeck had only faced the Knights in relief, once, pitching two scoreless innings.

The Coons took the hint and returned to the Game 1/2 lineup. We also sent home Gustaf and discarded all the baseballs he had smeared his greasy paws all over and maybe Brobeck would have any sort of grip unlike Raffy the day before. The ceremonial first pitch was in turn thrown out by Mark Roberts (HOF), who won 209 games in general, and a triple crown and two rings with the Raccoons in the 20s in particular, and then won another two rings with the Warriors in 2033-34. We would have loved to save him up for the World Series, but so far neither of these two prior teams of his was very close to winning the pennant.

ATL: 3B Gaxiola – C Almaguer – SS W. Acosta – 1B J. Rogers – LF Kirkwood – RF Wada – CF B. Allen – 2B Visser – P Weber
POR: 1B Crum – SS Lavorano – LF Brassfield – C Gowin – CF Puckeridge – 3B Venegas – RF Cox – 2B Knight – P Brobeck

The weather was iffy, but there were no rain-shortened games in the postseason, only further inconveniences. Also iffy: Brobeck’s grip on an Almaguer grounder in the first inning, which slipped away for an error. Acosta singled, but Rogers found another double play to hit into. By the second inning, we had a drizzle, and by the third inning, we had rain, which intensified to a 77-minute rain delay in the bottom 3rd.

When play resumed, Brobeck hit a 1-out single off Weber, but was forced out by Crum’s grounder. Two gone, Lonzo hit a ball into the gap that might have been a double, but since Jushiro Wada slipped and fell as he picked up the ball just shy of the warning track, the Raccoons hustled on for an RBI triple and a 1-0 lead. Brassfield singled home Lonzo, 2-0, and the Knights yanked Weber for Amari Walker. The left-hander allowed a single to Gowin, but Pucks grounded out.

And Brobeck? He had thrown 35 pitches before the rain delay, 10 more than Weber before the latter had imploded in the bottom of the third inning. Brobeck was sent back out for the fourth after claiming to still have it, but gave up a walk to Acosta, a hard drive that Cox shagged on the run, and while he got through the fourth inning, we were not inclined to have him continue any further. Phil Baker was already warming up in the pen while the fourth inning was in progress. Brobeck still batted for himself in the bottom 4th, but flew out to center to strand Venegas on third base after a single and stolen base. Preston Visser singled off Baker in the fifth inning, but was then doubled up on a hard bunt by Amari Walker to end the inning.

Portland went up 3-0 in the bottom 5th against Walker, who gave up a wallbanger triple to Ken Crum to begin the frame, and then a sac fly to Lonzo. Almaguer answered with a 400-footer in the top 6th, but hit it to the 418’ part of the ballpark AND Pucks tracked it down thanks to sufficient hangtime, as Baker completed a second scoreless inning, and also his last one. His spot came up with three on and one out in the bottom 6th after Pucks and Venegas hit singles and Knight reached on a Gaxiola error. Tyler Philipps pinch-hit, making his first appearance of the series, and shot a hard grounder at Gaxiola that would easily be enough for two – but the only two that appeared in the box score was a second consecutive error for Gaxiola, who kicked the ball into foul ground, and all paws were safe, 4-0…! Slightly discombobulated, Amari Walker threw a wild pitch – ka-ching, a run – before walking Crum anyway, then was yanked for righty Jeff Frank. Lonzo lined an RBI single, but Brassfield struck out against him. Gowin hit a roller to third base, and this time Gaxiola made a good pick, but a terrible throw to first base, the ball skipped by Rogers, and this one counted for two bases and as many runs…! At this point, even the home fans felt a bit sorry for Gaxiola. Pucks singled home two more, the last runs in a 7-run inning, six of them unearned, and all on Gaxiola.

The Coons were now hellbent on finishing the game with Walters and Alfaro, which meant that even a 10-0 lead was not as big as it seemed. Walters had a scoreless seventh, and the Coons took Pucks and Lonzo off the field (Crum had already been replaced at first base by Philipps) at the conclusion of seven innings. Alfaro would pitch two scoreless to finish the game, the third utter demolishment of the Knights in the series.

Raccoons 10, Knights 0 – Raccoons lead series 3-1

Lavorano 2-5, 3B, 3 RBI; Brassfield 2-5, RBI; Puckeridge 2-3, BB, 2 RBI; Crispin 1-1; Brobeck 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K and 1-2; Baker 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (1-0); Alfaro 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K;

While Robby Gaxiola was on suicide watch that night, I lay away in bed and figured out precisely that the Raccoons could now still lose the series in seven games, while still outscoring the Knights by 22 runs in total.

Game 5 – He Shui (18-8, 2.48 ERA) vs. Esteban Duran (11-11, 3.11 ERA)

Back to the matchup from Game 1 then as the Raccoons hoped to finish out the series in Portland. The lineup (scoring 7.25 runs per game) remained the same, while the first pitch was thrown out in tandem by Bob Larker III and Ælle Ædwards, co-moderators of the popular variety show “Dance, Pranks, Happy Birthdays” on Channel 95.

Who is inviting these people, Maud…??? – What do you mean ‘Have you never seen “Dance, Pranks, Happy Birthdays”??’?? – I didn’t know that show existed until ten seconds ago!!

ATL: 3B Gaxiola – C Almaguer – SS W. Acosta – 1B J. Rogers – LF Kirkwood – RF Wada – CF B. Allen – 2B Visser – P E. Duran
POR: 1B Crum – SS Lavorano – LF Brassfield – C Gowin – CF Puckeridge – 3B Venegas – RF Cox – 2B Knight – P Shui

0-13 in the series with three errors, the Knight stuck with Gaxiola, which was not the sort of loyalty any of the ******* on my team could expect from me (looks at a 1-11 Coxie). He promptly opened Game 5 with a single to center, and just as promptly was doubled up by Almaguer. Shui went on to strike out five straight between the second and third innings, and while Duran was not quite as flashy, the Coons still didn’t amount to any amount of offense early on. Besides the Gaxiola single, there were just two hits for Portland the first time through either lineup, and nobody ever reached third base.

…until Gowin and Pucks hit back-to-back 1-out singles in the fourth inning, that is. They set up camp on the corners with Venegas batting, and while Venegas’ fly to center was caught by Allen and none too deep, Gowin still went for home plate and narrowly scored the game’s first run when Allen’s throw was slightly off-line. Pucks was then caught stealing to end the inning. Kirkwood reached base in the fifth on a Venegas error, but was left stranded, and Shui had seven strikeouts against one hit through five. Knight hit a 1-out single in the bottom 5th and was stranded just the same as Preston Visser was with a leadoff single in the sixth – in the latter inning, Venegas made a nifty bare-pawed play on Almaguer’s 2-out roller to third base.

And then it all went very wrong, very fast. Acosta opened the seventh with a single, and Jay Rogers and Chris Kirkwood within three pitches crashed back-to-back homers to give the Knights a 3-1 lead. Shui finished the inning, piling up nine strikeouts in total, but was now liable to accompany the team back to Atlanta wearing the dunce cap. Joe Byrd retired the 5-6-7 batters in order in the home seventh, and Sencion struck out two in the top 8th while keeping the Knights within reach. He was batted for after Knight reached on a Kirkwood error in the bottom 8th. When the Knights sent Amari Walker to pitch, the Raccoons answered with Dave de Lemos as pinch-hitter, but he punched a grounder into a double play. Crum hit an infield single. The Knights grabbed Leonardo Ramos with two outs, but he drilled Lonzo with his first pitch. Brassfield grounded out to strand the runners…

…at which point there was confirmation that, yes, Kevin Daley was still alive, he just hadn’t been seen in over a week. He gave up two singles and only escaped the top 9th without allowing a run when Dylan Wright pulled a de Lemos with a pinch-hit double play grounder to kill the effort, but the Raccoons still trailed by a pair against Hardaway in the bottom 9th. He walked Gowin, who was forced out at second base on Pucks’ grounder to Acosta. Crispin batted for Venegas and whiffed, and Cox flew out to center.

Knights 3, Raccoons 1 – Raccoons lead series 3-2

Crum 2-4; Venegas 1-2, 2B, RBI; Shui 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, L (1-1);

Boys, we need to have a talk about run distribution…