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Westheim · 10-02-2023, 04:32 PM

2056 ABL PLAYOFFS

The sun was almost ready to settle on the ABL’s 80th season, but of course there was still the need to crown a champion. Four teams were left standing, trying to clinch the championship in a pair of best-of-seven series.

The Falcons – in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years – entered with the best record in the league at 104-58, having distanced the Knights by six games in the CL South. They had done so with the best pitching in the Continental League and the third-most runs scored, which added up to a +190 run differential. The team was only batting .253 as a whole, but they were drawing tons of walks and actually had the second-highest OBP at .349; mix in the #3 rotation, the best bullpen, and the third-highest rated defense, and you had yourself a contender – with a bit or two missing. 3B Bobby Anderson (.290, 15 HR, 72 RBI) had broken a rib during the final week of the season and would miss the playoffs. What was left was a fear-striking middle of the order with Danny Ceballos (.370, 10 HR, 75 RBI), Jason Schaack (.281, 23 HR, 125 RBI), and Luis Miranda (.252, 20 HR, 74 RBI), and a steady rotation and a bullpen with four sub-2 ERA relievers.

The 87-75 Crusaders had only punched their playoff ticket in extra innings on the final day of the season, but entered the knockouts with the highest batting average, second-most runs scored, and… well, they were only seventh in runs allowed in the CL, and had only a +88 run differential. The rotation was an asset with a 3.67 ERA, second-best in the league, but the bullpen was a never-ending horror story, the Crusaders having recycled closers several times during the year, and having posted a 4.58 bullpen ERA. So yeah, there were the CL stolen base champ Omar Sanchez (.325, 2 HR, 54 RBI), Zach Suggs (.314, 21 HR, 94 RBI), and Raul Sevilla (.274, 24 HR, 93 RBI), and Ben Seiter (17-7, 2.85 ERA) and Jose Ortega (15-7, 3.30 ERA) – but there was nothing you’d want as a sitter for your pet cactus in their relief corps at all.

In the Federal League, home field advantage for the FLCS went to the 90-72 Pacifics, who had won the division by two games over the Scorpions. There was a lot of average on that roster, which had shed some bit players during the last few weeks, but no key assets: fifth in runs scored, fourth in runs allowed, +52 run differential. Indifferent defense, mediocre in home runs and rotation, but they were second in stolen bases and bullpen ERA. Matt Diskin (.350, 4 HR, 16 RBI) had his usual high batting average, but had also missed 128 games with injury, but there were Aaron Kissler (.301, 18 HR, 69 RBI) and Jeremy Lindauer (.281, 11 HR, 67 RBI) to lend a hand. The best starter by ERA was Jim Reynolds (16-7, 3.15 ERA), along Ivan Torres (11-6, 3.31 ERA).

On the other side were the 89-73 Miners, also only winning the division on the final day of the season by beating the Rebels in a winner-take-all. They were the most productive offense in the league with 797 runs scored, but would rather not talk about their pitching much, which had given up the seventh-most runs and had left them with only a +90 run differential. They were constricting teams with a .363 OBP, which masked for them being near the bottom in home runs – although Eric Monaghan (.231, 20 HR, 92 RBI), Victor Corrales (.327, 19 HR, 125 RBI), and Alex Abecassis (.239, 16 HR, 76 RBI) had not exactly been shy with them – and stolen bases, and their rotation was a mess. Shoutout also to Josh Abercrombie (.348, 9 HR, 103 RBI), giving them three batters hitting .319 or better – although Alex Vasquez (.319, 4 HR, 53 RBI) would miss the FLCS with a broken finger and was highly questionable for the World Series, should the Miners partake. Pittsburgh didn’t have a starting pitcher with more than 100 innings pitched and an ERA under four, which would probably become a problem before long, with Josh Swindell (7-7, 3.70 ERA) and Jose Arias (12-6, 4.11 ERA) out for the year. The pen was better … but also not exactly great.

In the FLCS, both teams would rock up entirely right-handed rotations against a lineup with a left-handed middle of the order, which could get interesting. In the CLCS, the Crusaders had a more balanced lineup, but also an all-righty rotation, while the Falcons’ top of the order was very much left-handed batting.

In this playoff field, the Miners had the most playoff appearances, this being their 18th. The Pacifics were in the show for the 17th time, the Crusaders for the 13th time, and the Falcons for the 12th time. However, the Miners had never won a championship, and the Falcons only had one, while the Crusaders were third with seven titles and the Pacifics tied the Gold Sox for fourth with six titles.

The Crusaders and Falcons had previously met in the CLCS in 1978, 2007, and 2008 – always with the better end for New York. The last two instances resulted in championships for the Crusaders.

Miners and Pacifics had previously met in 1982, 2012, 2016, 2030, and 2031. Pittsburgh won the first encounter, and then never again. Three of the four Pacifics pennants also saw them go on to win the World Series.

Previous World Series meetings between participating teams included the Pacifics beating the Crusaders in 2011 as well as the Crusaders beating the Miners in 2015.

The Falcons were the odds-on favorites for their first title since 2005.

+++

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

NYC @ CHA … 3-14 … (Falcons lead 1-0) … NYC Jeff Buss 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI; CHA William Kulak 2-5, BB, 2B, 4 RBI; CHA Danny Ceballos 3-6, 2 RBI; CHA Jason Schaack 3-5, BB, 2 RBI; CHA Jayden Ward 3-5, 2B, RBI; CHA Rich Fish 3-4, BB, 2B, 3 RBI;

PIT @ LAP … 9-3 … (Miners lead 1-0) … PIT Victor Corrales 3-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI; PIT Trevor Niemiec (PH) 1-1, HR, 2 RBI;
NYC @ CHA … 8-0 … (series tied 1-1) … NYC Omar Sanchez 2-4, 2 BB, 2B, 3 RBI; NYC Jeff Buss 2-4, HR, RBI; NYC Kyle Turay 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, W (1-0) and 3-4, BB, 2 RBI;

Kyle Turay (1-0, 0.00 ERA) pitches a no-hitter!! The first-ever postseason no-hitter in the ABL comes in just 95 pitches and with just two walks offered to the Falcons, who never get into the game.

PIT @ LAP … 3-5 (11) … (series tied 1-1) … LAP Chris Maresh 1-2, HR, 2 RBI;

Maresh ties the series with his walkoff home run in the 11th inning after entering the game as defensive replacement for starting catcher Aaron Kissler before the Pacifics blow their lead in the eighth inning anyway.

CHA @ NYC … 3-8 … (Crusaders lead 2-1) … CHA Ian Woodrome 2-3, 2 BB; NYC Mike Seidman 3-4, HR, 2 RBI; NYC Jeff Standard 4-5, 2B, 3 RBI;

LAP @ PIT … 4-2 … (Pacifics lead 2-1) … LAP Jesse Sweeney 3-4, 3B, 2 RBI;
CHA @ NYC … 0-4 … (Crusaders lead 3-1) … NYC Omar Sanchez 3-4, RBI; NYC Ben Seiter 7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, W (1-1);

LAP @ PIT … 5-7 (12) … (series tied 2-2) … PIT Nick Thomason 3-6, 2B; PIT Andrew Russ 3-5, BB, 2B, RBI; PIT Alex Abecassis 2-5, BB, 2 HR, 2 RBI; PIT Chris Jimenez 2-5, BB, HR, 2 RBI;
CHA @ NYC … 0-1 … (Crusaders win 4-1) … NYC Omar Sanchez 1-3, RBI; NYC Kyle Turay 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, W (2-0)

The Pacifics take a commanding 5-0 lead by the top of the third inning, then go to sleep and let the Miners gradually whittle away the deficit until the teams are tied in the eighth. Chris Jimenez (.286, 1 HR, 2 RBI) evens the series with a walkoff home run of his own.

The Crusaders have only two hits, Sanchez’ and Mike Pfeifer’s leadoff double off Art Schaeffer (1-1, 2.12 ERA) that gives Sanchez something to drive home in the inning. The Falcons are suffocated after running up two touchdowns and bonus points in Game 1, scoring only a field goal after that.

LAP @ PIT … 2-3 … (Miners lead 3-2) … PIT Eric Monaghan 3-4, 2B, RBI; PIT Jeff Crowley 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (1-0);

PIT @ LAP … 5-2 … (Miners win 4-2) … LAP Jesus Espinoza 3-4; LAP Chris Rice 2-2, 2 BB, HR, 2B, RBI;

Seven different Miners have seven base hits, including two homers and two doubles, and bunch them up just enough to win the series in six games.

+++

2056 WORLD SERIES

The #3 and #4 seeds met in the World Series. The Crusaders’ elimination of the Falcons (odds-on favorites my ***) gave home field advantage to the Miners, who also managed to pry Alex Vasquez off the stretcher to bolster their lineup a bit. That still left them with a wonky rotation, and the Crusaders were on a 4-game winning streak, and that’s before we get into Kyle Turay throwing the first postseason no-hitter in league history. Neither team suffered additional injuries in their LCS.

The Crusaders looked like the stronger team here and might win in six games.

+++

NYC @ PIT … 3-0 … (Crusaders lead 1-0) … NYC Zach Suggs 2-4, HR, RBI; NYC Ben Seiter 8.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, W (2-1);

NYC @ PIT … 2-4 … (series tied 1-1) … NYC Chad Williams (PH) 1-1, HR, RBI; PIT Alex Abecassis 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI;

PIT @ NYC … 4-5 … (Crusaders lead 2-1) … NYC Raul Sevilla 3-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; NYC Mario Villa 2-3, BB, HR, RBI;

PIT @ NYC … 3-10 … (Crusaders lead 3-1) … NYC Mike Seidman 2-4, HR, 3 RBI;

Both teams put together 11 base hits in Game 4, but while the Miners hit nothing but singles, the Crusaders jack four homers and three doubles, and leave only four guys on base.

PIT @ NYC … 4-6 … (Crusaders win 4-1) … PIT Victor Corrales 2-4, BB, 2 RBI; NYC Mario Villa 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI;

Two walks, two singles, and two runs off left-hander Matt Stephens (0-2, 10.80 ERA) in the bottom of the eighth inning means the Miners extend their whiffing streak in the postseason to 0-for-18.

+++

2056 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
New York Crusaders
(8th title)

10-02-2023, 04:32 PM	#4288
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,818	2056 ABL PLAYOFFS The sun was almost ready to settle on the ABL’s 80th season, but of course there was still the need to crown a champion. Four teams were left standing, trying to clinch the championship in a pair of best-of-seven series. The Falcons – in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years – entered with the best record in the league at 104-58, having distanced the Knights by six games in the CL South. They had done so with the best pitching in the Continental League and the third-most runs scored, which added up to a +190 run differential. The team was only batting .253 as a whole, but they were drawing tons of walks and actually had the second-highest OBP at .349; mix in the #3 rotation, the best bullpen, and the third-highest rated defense, and you had yourself a contender – with a bit or two missing. 3B Bobby Anderson (.290, 15 HR, 72 RBI) had broken a rib during the final week of the season and would miss the playoffs. What was left was a fear-striking middle of the order with Danny Ceballos (.370, 10 HR, 75 RBI), Jason Schaack (.281, 23 HR, 125 RBI), and Luis Miranda (.252, 20 HR, 74 RBI), and a steady rotation and a bullpen with four sub-2 ERA relievers. The 87-75 Crusaders had only punched their playoff ticket in extra innings on the final day of the season, but entered the knockouts with the highest batting average, second-most runs scored, and… well, they were only seventh in runs allowed in the CL, and had only a +88 run differential. The rotation was an asset with a 3.67 ERA, second-best in the league, but the bullpen was a never-ending horror story, the Crusaders having recycled closers several times during the year, and having posted a 4.58 bullpen ERA. So yeah, there were the CL stolen base champ Omar Sanchez (.325, 2 HR, 54 RBI), Zach Suggs (.314, 21 HR, 94 RBI), and Raul Sevilla (.274, 24 HR, 93 RBI), and Ben Seiter (17-7, 2.85 ERA) and Jose Ortega (15-7, 3.30 ERA) – but there was nothing you’d want as a sitter for your pet cactus in their relief corps at all. In the Federal League, home field advantage for the FLCS went to the 90-72 Pacifics, who had won the division by two games over the Scorpions. There was a lot of average on that roster, which had shed some bit players during the last few weeks, but no key assets: fifth in runs scored, fourth in runs allowed, +52 run differential. Indifferent defense, mediocre in home runs and rotation, but they were second in stolen bases and bullpen ERA. Matt Diskin (.350, 4 HR, 16 RBI) had his usual high batting average, but had also missed 128 games with injury, but there were Aaron Kissler (.301, 18 HR, 69 RBI) and Jeremy Lindauer (.281, 11 HR, 67 RBI) to lend a hand. The best starter by ERA was Jim Reynolds (16-7, 3.15 ERA), along Ivan Torres (11-6, 3.31 ERA). On the other side were the 89-73 Miners, also only winning the division on the final day of the season by beating the Rebels in a winner-take-all. They were the most productive offense in the league with 797 runs scored, but would rather not talk about their pitching much, which had given up the seventh-most runs and had left them with only a +90 run differential. They were constricting teams with a .363 OBP, which masked for them being near the bottom in home runs – although Eric Monaghan (.231, 20 HR, 92 RBI), Victor Corrales (.327, 19 HR, 125 RBI), and Alex Abecassis (.239, 16 HR, 76 RBI) had not exactly been shy with them – and stolen bases, and their rotation was a mess. Shoutout also to Josh Abercrombie (.348, 9 HR, 103 RBI), giving them three batters hitting .319 or better – although Alex Vasquez (.319, 4 HR, 53 RBI) would miss the FLCS with a broken finger and was highly questionable for the World Series, should the Miners partake. Pittsburgh didn’t have a starting pitcher with more than 100 innings pitched and an ERA under four, which would probably become a problem before long, with Josh Swindell (7-7, 3.70 ERA) and Jose Arias (12-6, 4.11 ERA) out for the year. The pen was better … but also not exactly great. In the FLCS, both teams would rock up entirely right-handed rotations against a lineup with a left-handed middle of the order, which could get interesting. In the CLCS, the Crusaders had a more balanced lineup, but also an all-righty rotation, while the Falcons’ top of the order was very much left-handed batting. In this playoff field, the Miners had the most playoff appearances, this being their 18th. The Pacifics were in the show for the 17th time, the Crusaders for the 13th time, and the Falcons for the 12th time. However, the Miners had never won a championship, and the Falcons only had one, while the Crusaders were third with seven titles and the Pacifics tied the Gold Sox for fourth with six titles. The Crusaders and Falcons had previously met in the CLCS in 1978, 2007, and 2008 – always with the better end for New York. The last two instances resulted in championships for the Crusaders. Miners and Pacifics had previously met in 1982, 2012, 2016, 2030, and 2031. Pittsburgh won the first encounter, and then never again. Three of the four Pacifics pennants also saw them go on to win the World Series. Previous World Series meetings between participating teams included the Pacifics beating the Crusaders in 2011 as well as the Crusaders beating the Miners in 2015. The Falcons were the odds-on favorites for their first title since 2005. +++ LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES NYC @ CHA … 3-14 … (Falcons lead 1-0) … NYC Jeff Buss 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI; CHA William Kulak 2-5, BB, 2B, 4 RBI; CHA Danny Ceballos 3-6, 2 RBI; CHA Jason Schaack 3-5, BB, 2 RBI; CHA Jayden Ward 3-5, 2B, RBI; CHA Rich Fish 3-4, BB, 2B, 3 RBI; PIT @ LAP … 9-3 … (Miners lead 1-0) … PIT Victor Corrales 3-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI; PIT Trevor Niemiec (PH) 1-1, HR, 2 RBI; NYC @ CHA … 8-0 … (series tied 1-1) … NYC Omar Sanchez 2-4, 2 BB, 2B, 3 RBI; NYC Jeff Buss 2-4, HR, RBI; NYC Kyle Turay 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, W (1-0) and 3-4, BB, 2 RBI; Kyle Turay (1-0, 0.00 ERA) pitches a no-hitter!! The first-ever postseason no-hitter in the ABL comes in just 95 pitches and with just two walks offered to the Falcons, who never get into the game. PIT @ LAP … 3-5 (11) … (series tied 1-1) … LAP Chris Maresh 1-2, HR, 2 RBI; Maresh ties the series with his walkoff home run in the 11th inning after entering the game as defensive replacement for starting catcher Aaron Kissler before the Pacifics blow their lead in the eighth inning anyway. CHA @ NYC … 3-8 … (Crusaders lead 2-1) … CHA Ian Woodrome 2-3, 2 BB; NYC Mike Seidman 3-4, HR, 2 RBI; NYC Jeff Standard 4-5, 2B, 3 RBI; LAP @ PIT … 4-2 … (Pacifics lead 2-1) … LAP Jesse Sweeney 3-4, 3B, 2 RBI; CHA @ NYC … 0-4 … (Crusaders lead 3-1) … NYC Omar Sanchez 3-4, RBI; NYC Ben Seiter 7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, W (1-1); LAP @ PIT … 5-7 (12) … (series tied 2-2) … PIT Nick Thomason 3-6, 2B; PIT Andrew Russ 3-5, BB, 2B, RBI; PIT Alex Abecassis 2-5, BB, 2 HR, 2 RBI; PIT Chris Jimenez 2-5, BB, HR, 2 RBI; CHA @ NYC … 0-1 … (Crusaders win 4-1) … NYC Omar Sanchez 1-3, RBI; NYC Kyle Turay 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, W (2-0) The Pacifics take a commanding 5-0 lead by the top of the third inning, then go to sleep and let the Miners gradually whittle away the deficit until the teams are tied in the eighth. Chris Jimenez (.286, 1 HR, 2 RBI) evens the series with a walkoff home run of his own. The Crusaders have only two hits, Sanchez’ and Mike Pfeifer’s leadoff double off Art Schaeffer (1-1, 2.12 ERA) that gives Sanchez something to drive home in the inning. The Falcons are suffocated after running up two touchdowns and bonus points in Game 1, scoring only a field goal after that. LAP @ PIT … 2-3 … (Miners lead 3-2) … PIT Eric Monaghan 3-4, 2B, RBI; PIT Jeff Crowley 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (1-0); PIT @ LAP … 5-2 … (Miners win 4-2) … LAP Jesus Espinoza 3-4; LAP Chris Rice 2-2, 2 BB, HR, 2B, RBI; Seven different Miners have seven base hits, including two homers and two doubles, and bunch them up just enough to win the series in six games. +++ 2056 WORLD SERIES The #3 and #4 seeds met in the World Series. The Crusaders’ elimination of the Falcons (odds-on favorites my **) gave home field advantage to the Miners, who also managed to pry Alex Vasquez off the stretcher to bolster their lineup a bit. That still left them with a wonky rotation, and the Crusaders were on a 4-game winning streak, and that’s before we get into Kyle Turay throwing the first postseason no-hitter in league history. Neither team suffered additional injuries in their LCS. The Crusaders looked like the stronger team here and might win in six games. +++ NYC @ PIT … 3-0 … (Crusaders lead 1-0) … NYC Zach Suggs 2-4, HR, RBI; NYC Ben Seiter 8.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, W (2-1); NYC @ PIT … 2-4 … (series tied 1-1) … NYC Chad Williams (PH) 1-1, HR, RBI; PIT Alex Abecassis 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI; PIT @ NYC … 4-5 … (Crusaders lead 2-1) … NYC Raul Sevilla 3-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; NYC Mario Villa 2-3, BB, HR, RBI; PIT @ NYC … 3-10 … (Crusaders lead 3-1) … NYC Mike Seidman 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Both teams put together 11 base hits in Game 4, but while the Miners hit nothing but singles, the Crusaders jack four homers and three doubles, and leave only four guys on base. PIT @ NYC … 4-6 … (Crusaders win 4-1) … PIT Victor Corrales 2-4, BB, 2 RBI; NYC Mario Villa 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Two walks, two singles, and two runs off left-hander Matt Stephens (0-2, 10.80 ERA) in the bottom of the eighth inning means the Miners extend their whiffing streak in the postseason to 0-for-18. +++ 2056 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS New York Crusaders (8th title)* Attached Images __________________ Portland Raccoons, 92 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.