[Bub13]

Our opponent for the league championship series is Toronto. The Blue Jays won the East with a 98-64 record, finishing 15 games ahead of the Marlins. They scored 828 runs and gave up 673. (For comparison, our numbers were 847 and 668.) We split six games during the regular season. The Jays had the second best offense overall in the AL, behind us. Likewise, their overall pitching stats put them just behind us. They did lead the league in home runs with 253. They're led by 1B (and 2035 AL MVP) Preston Sorensen, who had another good year (.281/.393/.544, 36 HR, 6.1 WAR), and two-time MVP C Devlin Ransberger, who played just 91 games. Three starters topped .300 -- including former Islander Tony Castro who hit .340 -- and four topped 25 HR. On the mound, they're led by 2035 Cy Young winner Dave Henderson, who had a better statistical year this year, leading the league in ERA (2.81) and WAR (7.3). Tyson Murphy (17-6, 3.58 ERA, 210 K) will be their Game 1 starter.

In the NL, Pittsburgh (97-65) takes on Richmond (94-68). My money's on Pittsburgh, although my heart is still with Richmond.

League Series, Game One: 10/20/2036, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu.
Unsteady start for Clark, giving up three hits, a walk and a run in the first. Chris Wiggins starts our inning with a lead-off home run, right after his series ending walk-off dinger against the Twins. A triple, two singles, and a three-run homer (Austin Collins) later, and we're up 5-1. We add another in the third, then give up a solo shot to Franklin Espinal in the fourth, and another run in the eighth. But that's all, giving us the win 6-3. A 91-minute rain delay in the fifth chases Clark; Bobby Little goes three strong innings to get the win. Hawaii 6, Toronto 3. Hawaii leads series 1-0.

NL Game One -- Pittsburgh pounds Richmond 8-1. Twelve hits, three home runs.

League Series, Game Two: 10/21/2036, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu.
Steve Brock on the mound for us, Curtis Thames (6-9, 4.50) for the Jays. Toronto gets on the board right away, with two singles and a run in the first. We put two on in the bottom of the inning, but can't score. In the second, we load the bases with two outs, but again can't score. Two innings later the Jays widen their lead with a single, a HPB, and a three-run homer: 4-0 Jays, and the game is effectively over. We mount a brief rally in the seventh, with a couple of hits but only one run. McArthur adds a solo shot in the eighth, but we get no closer. Toronto 4, Hawaii 2. Series tied 1-1.

NL Game Two -- Pittsburgh raises the level of pounding in a 10-0 win. Ian Davidson throws a two-hitter.

League Series, Game Three: 10/23/2036, Rogers Centre, Toronto.
Pitching is just killing us. There: I didn't bury the lede. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, we give up five runs on five hits, including a three-run shot. We get two back in the fifth, then tie it up with a five-hit sixth, including a two-run homer from Jim Mullen. Sadly, Bobby Little gives up a solo shot to Donnie Reisert in the sixth, and that's all she wrote. We did put two on the ninth, but couldn't get anyone past second. We're down 2-1, and facing two more games in Toronto. Toronto 8, Hawaii 7. Toronto leads 2-1.

NL Game Three -- Tighter game, but again it's the Pirates winning, 4-1. One game from a sweep.

League Series, Game Four: 10/24/2036, Rogers Centre, Toronto.
Ken Clark goes on short rest, because everyone else blows. Desperation? Maybe. Anyway...Josh Drayton hits a solo homer in the third, giving us a lead for once. Danny Rivera ties it with his own solo blast in the fourth. In the sixth, our big guy shows up in the clutch: Dunklee works a full count with a gaggle of foul balls, then puts one into the cheap seats in left field, bringing home Ryan Hebert. That's it for the scoring, as we get a strong pitching performance from three guys and tie the series. Clark goes five innings, giving up just the solo home run. Castillo and Yates bring it home, yielding only three walks over the last four innings. Hawaii 3, Toronto 1. Series tied 2-2.

NL Game Four -- Two runs in the top of the ninth, and it's a sweep for Pittsburgh, 5-4. Third World Series trip in four years.

League Series, Game Five: 10/25/2036, Rogers Centre, Toronto.
The rotating starter-of-the-moment for today's game is Rich Rivera. Well, that was a mistake. Preston Sorensen hits a three-run shot in the third, and a two-run blast in the fourth, and we're down 6-0. In the sixth, we manage five consecutive hits and get four runs out of it, but can't get any closer. One game away now, in a bad way. Toronto 7, Hawaii 4. Toronto leads 3-2.

League Series, Game Six: 10/25/2036, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu.
Steve Brock gets the call to keep our season alive. For once, we hold a team scoreless in the first. But...not in the second. Back-to-back solo dingers by Dan Munoz and Danny Rivera put us in a 2-0 hole, and Brock is pulled with an injury. Partida comes in for us, and keeps things nailed down until the fifth when he gives up three hits and two more runs. Down 4-0 now, feeling desperate. Bottom of the eighth, and Mullen scores from second on Hebert's single, then Drayton hits a two-run bullet to bring us to one back, 4-3. Dunklee walks, Hodge singles, and McArthur takes one in the ribs, loading the bases with two outs. Up strolls Austin Collins, owner of a 37-game hitting streak during the season...and a .077 post-season batting average. His at bat goes thus: strike, strike, ball, foul, foul, ball, foul...strike out looking. Oh man. Really. You can't even swing the bat. Sigh. We go meekly in the ninth, and the season is over. Toronto 4, Hawaii 3. Toronto wins series 4-2.

......

For me, the World Series is just an afterthought. Toronto vs. Pittsburgh, a rematch of last year's final. This was indeed a Fall Classic, going seven games. The home team won the first six games, but the visitor's got the ultimate prize when the Pirates scored six in the ninth to salt away a blowout game seven, winning 11-1 to nail down their seventh World Series title in history, and their second in four seasons. Congrats, Pittsburgh! Thank you for beating those damn Jays.

Next up: Wake and Season Recap