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Westheim · 12-15-2025, 02:10 PM

2069 ABL PLAYOFFS

With just four teams left standing in the ABL, the 108-54 Cyclones entered the postseason with the best record in baseball, a 19-game margin in their own division, and a credible claim towards defending their 2068 title. Cincy outscored the opposition quite easily in the Federal League, putting down 827 runs with their mostly left-handed lineup, while allowing the fifth-fewest for a +188 run differential. They had not shown any major weaknesses as a team, and their rotation, led by Jose Aguilar (21-4, 1.93 ERA), had even ended up with the second-best ERA. Jorge Arviso (.268, 24 HR, 80 RBI) and Mel Avila (.309, 23 HR, 118 RBI) did most of the damage on the offensive side, but support was everywhere, from outfielder Fernando Cruz (.293, 14 HR, 69 RBI) to rookie first baseman Matt Peterson (.365, 8 HR, 42 RBI), who played in 61 games. However, last season’s ROTY Anthony Schneider had torn up his shoulder in May and was still on the mend, and the team would also be without regular Daniel Richardson and reliever John Steele for the postseason.

On the other side were the 95-67 Warriors, who had won their FL West by 12 games. While hitting home runs was not their strong suit, and they ended up eighth in the power department in the FL, they otherwise ranked fourth or better in every other major stat, from runs scored (fourth), runs allowed (third), and with second-place finishes for defensive rating and bullpen ERA. They brought two starters with sub-3 ERA’s to the postseason, Harry Poteat (19-8, 2.73 ERA) and Alex Diez (10-2, 2.24 ERA), but also had lost Luis Olvera to injury and had to sub in swingman Ed Caulk (3-2, 2.90 ERA) to make the numbers add up. Closer Cody Kleidon (9-7, 2.49 ERA, 40 SV) was beyond doubt, though. For offnse, the limited power was concentrated in the bats of Adam Campbell (.275, 13 HR, 69 RBI), Jordan Lopez (.299, 18 HR, 84 RBI), and Jerry Morejon (.281, 15 HR, 64 RBI), but most other regulars were hitting around .300 to provide some on-base fodder and keep the threat up. Nobody drove in more runs than Lopez, though. They had no shortage of left-handed pitchers to counter the Cyclones’ lineup with, as they had no fewer than six southpaws on the playoff roster, including Caulk.

In the CL North, the 99-63 Indians eventually won the division quite comfortably by seven games, even though they had been the last team to clinch their postseason spot. They ranked third in runs scored and fifth in runs allowed, and had led the CL in stolen bases and starters’ ERA, with a rotation led by ace Mike DeWitt (17-6, 2.81 ERA) and three right-handers with mid-3 ERA’s behind him. The bullpen and defense had however given them trouble all year long, and both stats actually saw them in the bottom three in their league, which was not a good sign at all. On offense, they brought a chunky middle of the order with Alex Gomez (.262, 30 HR, 105 RBI), Matt Rogers (.297, 29 HR, 92 RBI), Matt Martin (.272, 12 HR, 75 RBI), and Tony Torres (.260, 18 HR, 75 RBI) – although Torres was bothered by a sore wrist as the playoffs began – combined with speed devils at the top of the order. The bottom two spots were weak, though. Overall, the lineup was balanced for handedness.

The bottom seed in the playoffs, the 91-71 Thunder, had distanced a blob of five teams that were only three games apart by 15 whole wins, and had scored the second-most runs and allowed the sixth-most runs in the CL this year. They had an all right-handed rotation, but were missing ace Danny Baca and had to make do with makeshift replacement Chris Monahan and three guys with 4-ish ERA’s. The pen was much more sturdy, but that wasn’t a lot of comfort. More injuries had decimated their outfield, with regulars Danny Perez and Johnny Parker out for the season. What was left was a good 1-2 punch with Jose Palominos (.294, 24 HR, 70 RBI) and Ian Stone (.263, 21 HR, 76 RBI) behind .330 batters Carlos Gutierrez and Jon Reyes, age 21, although neither of them had accumulated enough PA to qualify for the batting title. Nobody else left standing had hit more than the ten homers of Brian Robinson (.279, 10 HR, 87 RBI). They had a balanced lineup together with a couple of switch-hitters (Gutierrez, Coby Thore), but all their starters were right-handed.

+++

The Indians replacing the Titans aside, this was the identical playoff field to last year, when the Cyclones had dispatched the Warriors in seven games … and then the Titans in four.

These playoffs saw both the constant presence of the Thunder, who made their 30th appearance (six more than any other team), and the Indians, who were third from the bottom with just their eighth October ticket. The Warriors (18th) and Cyclones (17th) were in between.

The Thunder also had the most titles among this group with four, ahead of the Warriors and Cyclones (three each), and Indians (two).

For past encounters, the Cyclones and Warriors had met in the FLCS three times before, in 1999, 2013, and last year of course. The Warriors won the first encounter, and the Cyclones the other two, but only last year’s Cyclones then won the World Series.

In the CLCS, three of the Indians’ previous seven playoff appearances had pitted them against the Thunder, in 1980, 1981, and 2062. The Thunder won the first meeting, but the Indians won the last two, and ended up winning the World Series both times.

The 2062 title had of course been the Indians’ most recent one. The Cyclones had last won the championship last year, and the Thunder the year before. The Warriors were the longest-ago winner among the crowd, having to reach back to 2034.

Past World Series meetings of the four teams involved were limited to the first two times the Thunder won the World Series in 1994 and 2000, both times beating the Warriors. Neither the Indians nor the Cyclones had faced one of the two teams on the other side of the thin black line in the standings before in the World Series.

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2069 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Warriors @ Cyclones … 4-3 … (Warriors lead 1-0) … SFW Jamie Clark 2-3, 2 BB, HR, 2 RBI; CIN Matt Little 2-4, HR, RBI;

The Warriors win the first game, but suffer a crushing blow with an elbow injury to Jordan Lopez, who will miss at least the rest of the FLCS, but probably the rest of the playoffs.

Warriors @ Cyclones … 4-10 … (series tied 1-1) … SFW Adam Campbell 2-5, 3 RBI; SFW Jamie Clark 2-3, 2 BB; SFW Tony Griffin 3-5; SFW Jon Barrientos 3-4; CIN Matt Murray 3-5, HR, 3B, 2B, 4 RBI; CIN Adam Seybert 1-1, 3B, RBI; CIN Aaron Hutnick 2-2, RBI;
Thunder @ Indians … 7-2 … (Thunder lead 1-0) … OCT Brian Johnston 3-5, 2B; OCT Alfredo Picun 8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, W (1-0) and 3-4, 3 RBI;

Casualties mount in the FLCS with a thigh injury to Seybert on his RBI triple, but at least the Cyclones can even the series at one.

Thunder @ Indians … 2-4 … (series tied 1-1) … OCT Carlos Gutierrez 2-4, 2 2B; IND Malcolm Spicer 3-4, RBI; IND Tony Torres 2-4, 2 RBI;

Cyclones @ Warriors … 7-4 (11) … (Cyclones lead 2-1) … CIN Miguel Medina (PH) 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI; CIN Melvin Avila 2-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI; SFW Andy Yocum 2-5, 3B, RBI; SFW Jimmy Madden 2-5, HR, RBI;

Cyclones @ Warriors … 1-5 … (series tied 2-2) … SFW Jimmy Madden 1-3, HR, 3 RBI; SFW Harry Poteat 8.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (2-0);
Indians @ Thunder … 5-4 (11) … (Indians lead 2-1) … IND Matt Martin 3-5, 2B, RBI; OCT Bryan Johnston 3-6, 2B, RBI;

Cyclones @ Warriors … 8-2 … (Cyclones lead 3-2) … CIN Fernando Cruz 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI; CIN Jose Aguilar 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, W (1-1);
Indians @ Thunder … 4-2 … (Indians lead 3-1) … IND Jose Hilario 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI; IND Fernando Valadez 2-3, BB, RBI; OCT Martin Bohannon 2-4, 2 2B, RBI;

Indians @ Thunder … 5-9 (11) … (Indians lead 3-2) … IND Matt Rogers 3-4, BB, 2B, RBI; IND Scott Masterson 1-3, 2 BB, HR, 2 RBI; OCT Jon Reyes 3-6, HR, 5 RBI; OCT Jose Palominos 3-3, RBI; OCT Steve Preston (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI;

While backup catcher Steve Preston (.500, 0 HR, 1 RBI) keeps the Thunder alive with a 2-out RBI double in the bottom of the tenth, it’s the 21-year-old Jon Reyes (.261, 1 HR, 6 RBI), who sends the series back to Oklahoma City with his 11th-inning walkoff grand slam that makes him an instant hero for the fanbase. Reyes hit just three homers in the regular season.

The Indians meanwhile were in tears over the loss of Matt Rogers (.300, 0 HR, 1 RBI), who sprained his ankle running the bases and was out of the picture for the rest of the playoffs.

Warriors @ Cyclones … 0-7 … (Cyclones win 4-2) … CIN Alejandro Guerrero 3-5, RBI; CIN Fernando Cruz 2-3, 2 BB; CIN Matt Murray 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; CIN Shoma Nakayama 9.0 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K, W (1-0);

A complete-game shutout by Shoma Nakayama (15-10, 4.37 ERA in the regular season) and a whirring Cyclones offense eliminates the Warriors in the FLCS for the second straight year.

Thunder @ Indians … 1-13 … (Indians win 4-2) … OCT Bryan Johnston 3-4; IND Jose Hilario 3-4, RBI; IND Matt Martin 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI; IND Tony Torres 3-5, HR, RBI;

The Indians slap the Thunder for nine runs in just four innings to end any discussion the Thunder were still wanting to have.

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2069 WORLD SERIES

The two teams with the most wins in their divisions had made it to the playoffs, although neither arrived their completely unscuffed. But while the Cyclones were only worrying about the immediate availability of reliever Dennis Marck, who had a tender forearm, and otherwise had all their precious tools still in play, the Indians – who had not been worrying about any injuries into the postseason – had lost one of their two most prolific sluggers in the CLCS and had to make the rest of the way without Matt Rogers and his 29 homers. Wil Mejia (.271, 4 HR, 23 RBI) did not immediately make for a great replacement at first base.

Both teams sent a lineup that was balanced to somewhat left-leaning against a team with limited left-handed pitching options. The Indians had two southpaw relievers besides ace Mike DeWitt; the Cyclones had their own ace Aguilar and just one lefty reliever.

The series did pit the FL’s best offense against one of the CL’s worst defenses, which should be an advantage to the Cyclones.

+++

IND @ CIN … 6-3 … (Indians lead 1-0) … IND Matt Martin 3-5; IND Wil Mejia 3-4; IND Scott Masterson 3-4, 3B, 4 RBI; IND Justin Esch 8.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (1-0); CIN Alejandro Guerrero 2-5, 2 RBI;

Neither team that won Game 1 in the LCS phase made the World Series. The Indians are undeterred and barge ahead.

IND @ CIN … 6-1 … (Indians lead 2-0) … IND Tony Torres 2-4, HR, RBI; IND Wil Mejia 2-3, 2B, RBI; IND Mike DeWitt 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (1-1) and 1-4; CIN Fernando Cruz 3-4, HR, RBI;

CIN @ IND … 4-8 … (Indians lead 3-0) … CIN Matt Peterson 3-4, HR, RBI; IND Fernando Valadez 2-4, HR, 3 RBI;

Indy takes a commanding 7-1 lead against Shoma Nakayama (1-1, 3.18 ERA) by the fifth inning and then manages the rest of the game from there for four matchballs.

CIN @ IND … 3-1 … (Indians lead 3-1) … CIN Alejandro Guerrero 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; CIN Luis Briseno 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (1-1); IND Alex Gomez 2-3, BB, RBI;

Neither team gets more than six hits in tight game, and the Cyclones have Jose Aguilar on deck for Game 5.

CIN @ IND … 11-4 … (Indians lead 3-2) … CIN Matt Little 4-6; CIN Melvin Avila 3-5, BB, HR, 3B, 3 RBI; CIN Matt Peterson 3-4, BB, 3 RBI; CIN Matt Murray 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; IND Wil Mejia 3-4;

The Cyclones break out huge and send the series back to Cincinnati, scoring five runs almost immediately against 24-year-old Justin Esch (1-1, 5.17 ERA), who is later found out to having torn his rotator cuff and will miss the entire 2070 season. Aguilar (2-2, 3.38 ERA) goes seven steady innings in his fourth and final playoff start.

IND @ CIN … 2-4 … (series tied 3-3) … IND Malcolm Spicer 3-5; IND Scott Masterson 2-4, 2 RBI; CIN Melvin Avila 2-3, BB, 3B;

The Indians are fully going off the rails with a loss behind Mike DeWitt (1-2, 3.60 ERA) in Game 6.

IND @ CIN … 2-4 … (Cyclones win 4-3) … IND Jose Hilario 2-4, RBI; CIN A.J. Taylor 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI;

The bottle job is completed, as the Indians score two runs against reliever Ben Dickson (0-0, 4.91 ERA) when Shoma Nakayama (1-1, 2.84 ERA) leaves after two innings with a blister, but they can’t make it hold up. The Cyclones score one run in the fifth, and then three runs in the sixth inning around A.J. Taylor’s triple. The 24-year-old drives in the tying and go-ahead runs, then scores on a sac fly by Matt Murray. The Game 7 win goes to MR Dennis Marck (3-0, 2.45 ERA), with shutdown services provided by Roberto Navarro and Marc Timmons (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV).

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2069 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
Cincinnati Cyclones
(4th title)

12-15-2025, 02:10 PM	#4836
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,921	2069 ABL PLAYOFFS With just four teams left standing in the ABL, the 108-54 Cyclones entered the postseason with the best record in baseball, a 19-game margin in their own division, and a credible claim towards defending their 2068 title. Cincy outscored the opposition quite easily in the Federal League, putting down 827 runs with their mostly left-handed lineup, while allowing the fifth-fewest for a +188 run differential. They had not shown any major weaknesses as a team, and their rotation, led by Jose Aguilar (21-4, 1.93 ERA), had even ended up with the second-best ERA. Jorge Arviso (.268, 24 HR, 80 RBI) and Mel Avila (.309, 23 HR, 118 RBI) did most of the damage on the offensive side, but support was everywhere, from outfielder Fernando Cruz (.293, 14 HR, 69 RBI) to rookie first baseman Matt Peterson (.365, 8 HR, 42 RBI), who played in 61 games. However, last season’s ROTY Anthony Schneider had torn up his shoulder in May and was still on the mend, and the team would also be without regular Daniel Richardson and reliever John Steele for the postseason. On the other side were the 95-67 Warriors, who had won their FL West by 12 games. While hitting home runs was not their strong suit, and they ended up eighth in the power department in the FL, they otherwise ranked fourth or better in every other major stat, from runs scored (fourth), runs allowed (third), and with second-place finishes for defensive rating and bullpen ERA. They brought two starters with sub-3 ERA’s to the postseason, Harry Poteat (19-8, 2.73 ERA) and Alex Diez (10-2, 2.24 ERA), but also had lost Luis Olvera to injury and had to sub in swingman Ed Caulk (3-2, 2.90 ERA) to make the numbers add up. Closer Cody Kleidon (9-7, 2.49 ERA, 40 SV) was beyond doubt, though. For offnse, the limited power was concentrated in the bats of Adam Campbell (.275, 13 HR, 69 RBI), Jordan Lopez (.299, 18 HR, 84 RBI), and Jerry Morejon (.281, 15 HR, 64 RBI), but most other regulars were hitting around .300 to provide some on-base fodder and keep the threat up. Nobody drove in more runs than Lopez, though. They had no shortage of left-handed pitchers to counter the Cyclones’ lineup with, as they had no fewer than six southpaws on the playoff roster, including Caulk. In the CL North, the 99-63 Indians eventually won the division quite comfortably by seven games, even though they had been the last team to clinch their postseason spot. They ranked third in runs scored and fifth in runs allowed, and had led the CL in stolen bases and starters’ ERA, with a rotation led by ace Mike DeWitt (17-6, 2.81 ERA) and three right-handers with mid-3 ERA’s behind him. The bullpen and defense had however given them trouble all year long, and both stats actually saw them in the bottom three in their league, which was not a good sign at all. On offense, they brought a chunky middle of the order with Alex Gomez (.262, 30 HR, 105 RBI), Matt Rogers (.297, 29 HR, 92 RBI), Matt Martin (.272, 12 HR, 75 RBI), and Tony Torres (.260, 18 HR, 75 RBI) – although Torres was bothered by a sore wrist as the playoffs began – combined with speed devils at the top of the order. The bottom two spots were weak, though. Overall, the lineup was balanced for handedness. The bottom seed in the playoffs, the 91-71 Thunder, had distanced a blob of five teams that were only three games apart by 15 whole wins, and had scored the second-most runs and allowed the sixth-most runs in the CL this year. They had an all right-handed rotation, but were missing ace Danny Baca and had to make do with makeshift replacement Chris Monahan and three guys with 4-ish ERA’s. The pen was much more sturdy, but that wasn’t a lot of comfort. More injuries had decimated their outfield, with regulars Danny Perez and Johnny Parker out for the season. What was left was a good 1-2 punch with Jose Palominos (.294, 24 HR, 70 RBI) and Ian Stone (.263, 21 HR, 76 RBI) behind .330 batters Carlos Gutierrez and Jon Reyes, age 21, although neither of them had accumulated enough PA to qualify for the batting title. Nobody else left standing had hit more than the ten homers of Brian Robinson (.279, 10 HR, 87 RBI). They had a balanced lineup together with a couple of switch-hitters (Gutierrez, Coby Thore), but all their starters were right-handed. +++ The Indians replacing the Titans aside, this was the identical playoff field to last year, when the Cyclones had dispatched the Warriors in seven games … and then the Titans in four. These playoffs saw both the constant presence of the Thunder, who made their 30th appearance (six more than any other team), and the Indians, who were third from the bottom with just their eighth October ticket. The Warriors (18th) and Cyclones (17th) were in between. The Thunder also had the most titles among this group with four, ahead of the Warriors and Cyclones (three each), and Indians (two). For past encounters, the Cyclones and Warriors had met in the FLCS three times before, in 1999, 2013, and last year of course. The Warriors won the first encounter, and the Cyclones the other two, but only last year’s Cyclones then won the World Series. In the CLCS, three of the Indians’ previous seven playoff appearances had pitted them against the Thunder, in 1980, 1981, and 2062. The Thunder won the first meeting, but the Indians won the last two, and ended up winning the World Series both times. The 2062 title had of course been the Indians’ most recent one. The Cyclones had last won the championship last year, and the Thunder the year before. The Warriors were the longest-ago winner among the crowd, having to reach back to 2034. Past World Series meetings of the four teams involved were limited to the first two times the Thunder won the World Series in 1994 and 2000, both times beating the Warriors. Neither the Indians nor the Cyclones had faced one of the two teams on the other side of the thin black line in the standings before in the World Series. +++ 2069 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Warriors @ Cyclones … 4-3 … (Warriors lead 1-0) … SFW Jamie Clark 2-3, 2 BB, HR, 2 RBI; CIN Matt Little 2-4, HR, RBI; The Warriors win the first game, but suffer a crushing blow with an elbow injury to Jordan Lopez, who will miss at least the rest of the FLCS, but probably the rest of the playoffs. Warriors @ Cyclones … 4-10 … (series tied 1-1) … SFW Adam Campbell 2-5, 3 RBI; SFW Jamie Clark 2-3, 2 BB; SFW Tony Griffin 3-5; SFW Jon Barrientos 3-4; CIN Matt Murray 3-5, HR, 3B, 2B, 4 RBI; CIN Adam Seybert 1-1, 3B, RBI; CIN Aaron Hutnick 2-2, RBI; Thunder @ Indians … 7-2 … (Thunder lead 1-0) … OCT Brian Johnston 3-5, 2B; OCT Alfredo Picun 8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, W (1-0) and 3-4, 3 RBI; Casualties mount in the FLCS with a thigh injury to Seybert on his RBI triple, but at least the Cyclones can even the series at one. Thunder @ Indians … 2-4 … (series tied 1-1) … OCT Carlos Gutierrez 2-4, 2 2B; IND Malcolm Spicer 3-4, RBI; IND Tony Torres 2-4, 2 RBI; Cyclones @ Warriors … 7-4 (11) … (Cyclones lead 2-1) … CIN Miguel Medina (PH) 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI; CIN Melvin Avila 2-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI; SFW Andy Yocum 2-5, 3B, RBI; SFW Jimmy Madden 2-5, HR, RBI; Cyclones @ Warriors … 1-5 … (series tied 2-2) … SFW Jimmy Madden 1-3, HR, 3 RBI; SFW Harry Poteat 8.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (2-0); Indians @ Thunder … 5-4 (11) … (Indians lead 2-1) … IND Matt Martin 3-5, 2B, RBI; OCT Bryan Johnston 3-6, 2B, RBI; Cyclones @ Warriors … 8-2 … (Cyclones lead 3-2) … CIN Fernando Cruz 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI; CIN Jose Aguilar 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, W (1-1); Indians @ Thunder … 4-2 … (Indians lead 3-1) … IND Jose Hilario 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI; IND Fernando Valadez 2-3, BB, RBI; OCT Martin Bohannon 2-4, 2 2B, RBI; Indians @ Thunder … 5-9 (11) … (Indians lead 3-2) … IND Matt Rogers 3-4, BB, 2B, RBI; IND Scott Masterson 1-3, 2 BB, HR, 2 RBI; OCT Jon Reyes 3-6, HR, 5 RBI; OCT Jose Palominos 3-3, RBI; OCT Steve Preston (PH) 1-1, 2B, RBI; While backup catcher Steve Preston (.500, 0 HR, 1 RBI) keeps the Thunder alive with a 2-out RBI double in the bottom of the tenth, it’s the 21-year-old Jon Reyes (.261, 1 HR, 6 RBI), who sends the series back to Oklahoma City with his 11th-inning walkoff grand slam that makes him an instant hero for the fanbase. Reyes hit just three homers in the regular season. The Indians meanwhile were in tears over the loss of Matt Rogers (.300, 0 HR, 1 RBI), who sprained his ankle running the bases and was out of the picture for the rest of the playoffs. Warriors @ Cyclones … 0-7 … (Cyclones win 4-2) … CIN Alejandro Guerrero 3-5, RBI; CIN Fernando Cruz 2-3, 2 BB; CIN Matt Murray 2-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI; CIN Shoma Nakayama 9.0 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K, W (1-0); A complete-game shutout by Shoma Nakayama (15-10, 4.37 ERA in the regular season) and a whirring Cyclones offense eliminates the Warriors in the FLCS for the second straight year. Thunder @ Indians … 1-13 … (Indians win 4-2) … OCT Bryan Johnston 3-4; IND Jose Hilario 3-4, RBI; IND Matt Martin 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI; IND Tony Torres 3-5, HR, RBI; The Indians slap the Thunder for nine runs in just four innings to end any discussion the Thunder were still wanting to have. +++ 2069 WORLD SERIES The two teams with the most wins in their divisions had made it to the playoffs, although neither arrived their completely unscuffed. But while the Cyclones were only worrying about the immediate availability of reliever Dennis Marck, who had a tender forearm, and otherwise had all their precious tools still in play, the Indians – who had not been worrying about any injuries into the postseason – had lost one of their two most prolific sluggers in the CLCS and had to make the rest of the way without Matt Rogers and his 29 homers. Wil Mejia (.271, 4 HR, 23 RBI) did not immediately make for a great replacement at first base. Both teams sent a lineup that was balanced to somewhat left-leaning against a team with limited left-handed pitching options. The Indians had two southpaw relievers besides ace Mike DeWitt; the Cyclones had their own ace Aguilar and just one lefty reliever. The series did pit the FL’s best offense against one of the CL’s worst defenses, which should be an advantage to the Cyclones. +++ IND @ CIN … 6-3 … (Indians lead 1-0) … IND Matt Martin 3-5; IND Wil Mejia 3-4; IND Scott Masterson 3-4, 3B, 4 RBI; IND Justin Esch 8.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (1-0); CIN Alejandro Guerrero 2-5, 2 RBI; Neither team that won Game 1 in the LCS phase made the World Series. The Indians are undeterred and barge ahead. IND @ CIN … 6-1 … (Indians lead 2-0) … IND Tony Torres 2-4, HR, RBI; IND Wil Mejia 2-3, 2B, RBI; IND Mike DeWitt 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (1-1) and 1-4; CIN Fernando Cruz 3-4, HR, RBI; CIN @ IND … 4-8 … (Indians lead 3-0) … CIN Matt Peterson 3-4, HR, RBI; IND Fernando Valadez 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Indy takes a commanding 7-1 lead against Shoma Nakayama (1-1, 3.18 ERA) by the fifth inning and then manages the rest of the game from there for four matchballs. CIN @ IND … 3-1 … (Indians lead 3-1) … CIN Alejandro Guerrero 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; CIN Luis Briseno 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (1-1); IND Alex Gomez 2-3, BB, RBI; Neither team gets more than six hits in tight game, and the Cyclones have Jose Aguilar on deck for Game 5. CIN @ IND … 11-4 … (Indians lead 3-2) … CIN Matt Little 4-6; CIN Melvin Avila 3-5, BB, HR, 3B, 3 RBI; CIN Matt Peterson 3-4, BB, 3 RBI; CIN Matt Murray 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; IND Wil Mejia 3-4; The Cyclones break out huge and send the series back to Cincinnati, scoring five runs almost immediately against 24-year-old Justin Esch (1-1, 5.17 ERA), who is later found out to having torn his rotator cuff and will miss the entire 2070 season. Aguilar (2-2, 3.38 ERA) goes seven steady innings in his fourth and final playoff start. IND @ CIN … 2-4 … (series tied 3-3) … IND Malcolm Spicer 3-5; IND Scott Masterson 2-4, 2 RBI; CIN Melvin Avila 2-3, BB, 3B; The Indians are fully going off the rails with a loss behind Mike DeWitt (1-2, 3.60 ERA) in Game 6. IND @ CIN … 2-4 … (Cyclones win 4-3) … IND Jose Hilario 2-4, RBI; CIN A.J. Taylor 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI; The bottle job is completed, as the Indians score two runs against reliever Ben Dickson (0-0, 4.91 ERA) when Shoma Nakayama (1-1, 2.84 ERA) leaves after two innings with a blister, but they can’t make it hold up. The Cyclones score one run in the fifth, and then three runs in the sixth inning around A.J. Taylor’s triple. The 24-year-old drives in the tying and go-ahead runs, then scores on a sac fly by Matt Murray. The Game 7 win goes to MR Dennis Marck (3-0, 2.45 ERA), with shutdown services provided by Roberto Navarro and Marc Timmons (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV). +++ 2069 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS Cincinnati Cyclones (4th title) Attached Images __________________ Portland Raccoons, 94 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.