Iron League 203 Playoffs

Tazilon · 04-21-2019, 10:01 AM

Good luck to everyone in the Iron League 203 playoffs!

If I survive the second round against either the Boulder Ballers or Colorado Peaches, I'm really not looking forward to playing the El Monte Lions again. My Mesquite Bullriders are better on paper, but the Lions have somehow kicked our butts in the regular season.

See ya at the diamond!

Tazilon · 04-21-2019, 02:10 PM

And thus we meet:

The Mesquite Bullriders (129-33), ranked #1 in the league take on the El Monte Lions (118-44), ranked #2 for the best of 7 Sub-league Series.

On the mound, El Monte is led by Mark Gubzica, sporting a 20-5 record and 2.38 ERA. The staff boosts the 2nd best lineup of starters in the league and the best corps of relievers.

On offense, slugger David Dahl leads the Lions with a .307 AVG, 46 HRs, and 153 RBIs. Behind him, only Buster Posey, a superb defensive catcher, is batting less than .260 (.244). Offensively, the Lions rank #2 in every category except Stolen Bases (14th).

The Mesquite Bullriders dominated almost every team in the league this year.

They rank #1 in all major offensive stats. Sliding Bill Hamilton is the soul of their offense, batting lead off and pilfering 113 bases. 6 of their starters had 20 or more home runs. The team wins by committee; many starters can slug it or run it.

The pitching staff lead the league in starter's ERA and strikeouts and was 2nd to El Monte in bullpen ERA. 4 of their 5 starters won 20 or more games, with Noah Syndegaard (22-7) winning the league ERA title.

But while the Bullriders dominated the league this year, they did not dominate the Lions. Mesquite was only 2-5 against El Monte, and the last time they met, the Lions swept the series.

This series could well be the championship series for the league as these two teams were clearly the top two contenders all year long.

Tazilon · 04-21-2019, 05:32 PM

After dropping the season matchups 2-5, the Mesquite Bullriders exerted their offensive and defensive prowess in the playoffs, besting the El Monte Lions 4-1 to advance to the Iron League 203 Championship round. They will face the New York Bulldozers for the title.

Game 1 (9-3 Mesquite): A critical second inning, 2 out throwing error by the Lions shortstop, Al Simmons, allowed the Bullriders to score 3 subsequent runs before El Monte could secure the third out.

The Lions got 2 runs back in the top of third on a home run by J Bradley Jr but the Bullriders responded with 2 solo shots in the bottom of the 3rd and the Lions never seriously threatened again.

Game 2 (1-0 El Monte): Game was a classic pitcher's duel with Ismael Valdez besting Jacob DeGrom 1-0. The lone run came in the top of the 4th when David Dahl, coming into the playoffs with the league Home Run crown, teed up DeGrom for a solo shot. The Bullriders could never get their prolific offense in sync and ended up stranding 13 baserunners with no one able to cross the plate.

Game 3 (8-1 Bullriders): Mesquite got their offense back in gear early on, scoring 2 runs in the top of the first and never looked back. In the 6th, they hit 3 separate home runs to add on 6 more runs and seal the win. Max Scherzer scattered 6 hits over the first 8.1 innings to pick up the win.

Game 4 (4-0 Bullrider): Noah Syndergaard did what he does so often, shut down the opposing team, giving up just 2 hits in 8 innings while whiffing 8 batters along the way.

Game 5 (12-3 Bullriders): The top of the 4th was all the Bullriders needed as Mesquite followed up with 3 additional runs after Manny Machado cleared the bases with a 3 run blast to start the scoring. Mesquite batted around while posting 6 runs in an inning for the second time this series. The Bullriders added 3 more runs each in the 5th and 7th innings, more than offsetting the 3 solo runs El Monte got as they futilely tried to climb back into the ball game.

Asked after the game why Mesquite didn't seem to be running as much as normal, manager Tazilon responded, "When we met in the regular season, we ran ourselves out of several games. The Lions have a couple of pitchers who hold runners really well and Posey has a decent arm behind the plate, so we decided we would not be quite as aggressive trying to get steals and let our bats do most of the work for us. It worked out pretty good! I'ld like to congratulate killaB33 on putting together a great team this season and wish him the best of luck as the Lions advance up the PT ladder."

Mesquites opponent in the finals will be the New York Bulldozers.

Tazilon · 04-21-2019, 06:16 PM

It's going to be Mesquite versus New York for the Iron League 203 title. Bullriders, meet Bulldozers, and may the best bull win.

On paper, this appears to be a mismatch. New York finished the season at 84-78 and entered the playoffs as the Division winner with the weakest record. They barely edged out ktwiz Manruwiz by 2 games for the division title. Stat-wise, they are middle of the pack in most categories. Offensively, they are led by power hitting right fielder Randal Grichuk (.237, 35 HR, 100 RBIs) and their pitching staff is led by Dave Stewart (17-8, 3.71 ERA).

But, so far, they have cast aside the naysayers and have stormed through the playoffs with a 3-0 series sweep of the Fredericton Keys and then an almost as easy 4-1 series win over the Central Mass Smash to advance to the title series.

In the opposing dugout, the Mesquite Bullriders dominated regular season play, finishing a stellar 129-33 while pulling away to a 52 game cushion over their closest division rivals. Mesquite's offense is started off with Sliding Billy Hamilton's base running prowess, but the Bullriders have 6 players with more than 20 home runs and 4 players with more than 100 RBIs. Their pitching staff is just as formidable, with 4 of their 5 starters posting 20 wins or more. Their weak point, if you can call it that, is Defensive efficiency, where they only rank 4th in the league.

Tazilon · 04-21-2019, 06:25 PM

As Iron League 203 has witnessed all too often this season, the Mesquite Bullriders are a hungry bunch of players. While their pitching staff excels at shutting down opposing teams, their bats never seem to take an inning off.

Jacob deGrom posted a strong outing, scattering 5 hits over 8 innings and fanning 10 while yielding just 1 run to the Bulldozers. At the same time, Mesquite got home runs from Jackie Robinson and Ken Griffey Jr to lead the team to a relatively easy 8-1 win.

Robinson has been super hot in the playoffs, being named MVP for the sub-league championship series and going .433 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs overall so far in this post season.

mcdog512 · 04-21-2019, 06:37 PM

Always good to be in the title chase!

Tazilon · 04-21-2019, 06:45 PM

It was souvenir day at Rodeo Grounds Ballpark in Mesquite. Unfortunately for the New York Bulldozers, with winds blowing out to left at 11 knots, it was the Bullrider batters handing out the souvenirs to the fans in the bleachers in the form of 5 home runs for the home team.

New York struck first. In the top of the 3rd, Garret Hampson got a single and proceeded to steal second. Ron Hunt followed up Hampson's steal with a single, scoring Hampson.

Mesquite retaliated immediately in the bottom of the 3rd, with Sliding Billy Hamilton smacking a solo home run then Mike Trout hitting a 2 run shot later in the inning.

Before the game was over, Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Carpenter and Jackie Robinson added home runs of their own.

On the mound, Max Scherzer settled in after the 3rd, finishing with a 6 hit effort in 7 innings for his 3rd win of the playoffs.

Asked after the game if the series was essentially over, Bullrider manager Tazilon laughed and replied, "Oh, hell no! The 'Dozers waltzed through their side of the bracket so I doubt they will roll over and play dead. We certainly can't expect them to. There is a lot more baseball to play before we get to see how the dust will settle."

Tazilon · 04-21-2019, 07:53 PM

After displaying their power strokes in Game 2, the Bullriders switched gears offensively in game 3, relying mostly on singles and speedy base running to hand the New York Bulldozers a 9-2 loss.

On the mound, Noah Syndergaard gave up 2 runs off 5 hits for his third win this post season.

Down 0-3 in the championship series, New York has their backs against the wall. Mesquite has not lost 4 games in a row all season long.

Tazilon · 04-21-2019, 08:49 PM

Justin Verlander shut out the New York Bulldozers while getting solo homers from Francisco Lindor, Ted Simmons, and Mike Trout for a 3-0 win that swept the series and handed the Iron League 203 Championship to the Mesquite Bullriders.

Mike Trout was named the series MVP (6-15 .400, 2HRs, and 5 RBIs).

GM Tazilon took a sip of champagne, grinning broadly as he addressed the press, "This has been a fantastic year for the Bullriders. We made some personnel moves along the way and, luckily for us, they all worked out. I've been on some good teams in the past, but WOW! - this team takes the cake! Great players all focused on playing for the good of the team; it's been a joy to watch. By the way, congrats to El Monte's David Dahl for being named the NC's overall MVP - you deserve the honor."

04-21-2019, 05:32 PM	#3
Tazilon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 116	Bullriders Win! After dropping the season matchups 2-5, the Mesquite Bullriders exerted their offensive and defensive prowess in the playoffs, besting the El Monte Lions 4-1 to advance to the Iron League 203 Championship round. They will face the New York Bulldozers for the title. Game 1 (9-3 Mesquite): A critical second inning, 2 out throwing error by the Lions shortstop, Al Simmons, allowed the Bullriders to score 3 subsequent runs before El Monte could secure the third out. The Lions got 2 runs back in the top of third on a home run by J Bradley Jr but the Bullriders responded with 2 solo shots in the bottom of the 3rd and the Lions never seriously threatened again. Game 2 (1-0 El Monte): Game was a classic pitcher's duel with Ismael Valdez besting Jacob DeGrom 1-0. The lone run came in the top of the 4th when David Dahl, coming into the playoffs with the league Home Run crown, teed up DeGrom for a solo shot. The Bullriders could never get their prolific offense in sync and ended up stranding 13 baserunners with no one able to cross the plate. Game 3 (8-1 Bullriders): Mesquite got their offense back in gear early on, scoring 2 runs in the top of the first and never looked back. In the 6th, they hit 3 separate home runs to add on 6 more runs and seal the win. Max Scherzer scattered 6 hits over the first 8.1 innings to pick up the win. Game 4 (4-0 Bullrider): Noah Syndergaard did what he does so often, shut down the opposing team, giving up just 2 hits in 8 innings while whiffing 8 batters along the way. Game 5 (12-3 Bullriders): The top of the 4th was all the Bullriders needed as Mesquite followed up with 3 additional runs after Manny Machado cleared the bases with a 3 run blast to start the scoring. Mesquite batted around while posting 6 runs in an inning for the second time this series. The Bullriders added 3 more runs each in the 5th and 7th innings, more than offsetting the 3 solo runs El Monte got as they futilely tried to climb back into the ball game. Asked after the game why Mesquite didn't seem to be running as much as normal, manager Tazilon responded, "When we met in the regular season, we ran ourselves out of several games. The Lions have a couple of pitchers who hold runners really well and Posey has a decent arm behind the plate, so we decided we would not be quite as aggressive trying to get steals and let our bats do most of the work for us. It worked out pretty good! I'ld like to congratulate killaB33 on putting together a great team this season and wish him the best of luck as the Lions advance up the PT ladder." Mesquites opponent in the finals will be the New York Bulldozers. Last edited by Tazilon; 04-21-2019 at 05:36 PM.

04-21-2019, 06:16 PM	#4
Tazilon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 116	Riders vs Dozers - This Title Series Shapes Up to be a Bunch of Bull! It's going to be Mesquite versus New York for the Iron League 203 title. Bullriders, meet Bulldozers, and may the best bull win. On paper, this appears to be a mismatch. New York finished the season at 84-78 and entered the playoffs as the Division winner with the weakest record. They barely edged out ktwiz Manruwiz by 2 games for the division title. Stat-wise, they are middle of the pack in most categories. Offensively, they are led by power hitting right fielder Randal Grichuk (.237, 35 HR, 100 RBIs) and their pitching staff is led by Dave Stewart (17-8, 3.71 ERA). But, so far, they have cast aside the naysayers and have stormed through the playoffs with a 3-0 series sweep of the Fredericton Keys and then an almost as easy 4-1 series win over the Central Mass Smash to advance to the title series. In the opposing dugout, the Mesquite Bullriders dominated regular season play, finishing a stellar 129-33 while pulling away to a 52 game cushion over their closest division rivals. Mesquite's offense is started off with Sliding Billy Hamilton's base running prowess, but the Bullriders have 6 players with more than 20 home runs and 4 players with more than 100 RBIs. Their pitching staff is just as formidable, with 4 of their 5 starters posting 20 wins or more. Their weak point, if you can call it that, is Defensive efficiency, where they only rank 4th in the league. Last edited by Tazilon; 04-21-2019 at 06:17 PM.

04-21-2019, 06:25 PM	#5
Tazilon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 116	Game 1, League Championship (8-1 Bullrdiers) As Iron League 203 has witnessed all too often this season, the Mesquite Bullriders are a hungry bunch of players. While their pitching staff excels at shutting down opposing teams, their bats never seem to take an inning off. Jacob deGrom posted a strong outing, scattering 5 hits over 8 innings and fanning 10 while yielding just 1 run to the Bulldozers. At the same time, Mesquite got home runs from Jackie Robinson and Ken Griffey Jr to lead the team to a relatively easy 8-1 win. Robinson has been super hot in the playoffs, being named MVP for the sub-league championship series and going .433 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs overall so far in this post season.

04-21-2019, 06:45 PM	#7
Tazilon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 116	Game 2 League Championship (7-1 Mesquite Bullriders) It was souvenir day at Rodeo Grounds Ballpark in Mesquite. Unfortunately for the New York Bulldozers, with winds blowing out to left at 11 knots, it was the Bullrider batters handing out the souvenirs to the fans in the bleachers in the form of 5 home runs for the home team. New York struck first. In the top of the 3rd, Garret Hampson got a single and proceeded to steal second. Ron Hunt followed up Hampson's steal with a single, scoring Hampson. Mesquite retaliated immediately in the bottom of the 3rd, with Sliding Billy Hamilton smacking a solo home run then Mike Trout hitting a 2 run shot later in the inning. Before the game was over, Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Carpenter and Jackie Robinson added home runs of their own. On the mound, Max Scherzer settled in after the 3rd, finishing with a 6 hit effort in 7 innings for his 3rd win of the playoffs. Asked after the game if the series was essentially over, Bullrider manager Tazilon laughed and replied, "Oh, hell no! The 'Dozers waltzed through their side of the bracket so I doubt they will roll over and play dead. We certainly can't expect them to. There is a lot more baseball to play before we get to see how the dust will settle." Last edited by Tazilon; 04-21-2019 at 07:13 PM.

04-21-2019, 07:53 PM	#8
Tazilon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 116	Game 3 League Championship (9-2 Mesquite Bullriders) After displaying their power strokes in Game 2, the Bullriders switched gears offensively in game 3, relying mostly on singles and speedy base running to hand the New York Bulldozers a 9-2 loss. On the mound, Noah Syndergaard gave up 2 runs off 5 hits for his third win this post season. Down 0-3 in the championship series, New York has their backs against the wall. Mesquite has not lost 4 games in a row all season long.

04-21-2019, 10:01 AM	#1
Tazilon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 116	Iron League 203 Playoffs Good luck to everyone in the Iron League 203 playoffs! If I survive the second round against either the Boulder Ballers or Colorado Peaches, I'm really not looking forward to playing the El Monte Lions again. My Mesquite Bullriders are better on paper, but the Lions have somehow kicked our butts in the regular season. See ya at the diamond!

04-21-2019, 02:10 PM	#2
Tazilon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 116	It's On! And thus we meet: The Mesquite Bullriders (129-33), ranked #1 in the league take on the El Monte Lions (118-44), ranked #2 for the best of 7 Sub-league Series. On the mound, El Monte is led by Mark Gubzica, sporting a 20-5 record and 2.38 ERA. The staff boosts the 2nd best lineup of starters in the league and the best corps of relievers. On offense, slugger David Dahl leads the Lions with a .307 AVG, 46 HRs, and 153 RBIs. Behind him, only Buster Posey, a superb defensive catcher, is batting less than .260 (.244). Offensively, the Lions rank #2 in every category except Stolen Bases (14th). The Mesquite Bullriders dominated almost every team in the league this year. They rank #1 in all major offensive stats. Sliding Bill Hamilton is the soul of their offense, batting lead off and pilfering 113 bases. 6 of their starters had 20 or more home runs. The team wins by committee; many starters can slug it or run it. The pitching staff lead the league in starter's ERA and strikeouts and was 2nd to El Monte in bullpen ERA. 4 of their 5 starters won 20 or more games, with Noah Syndegaard (22-7) winning the league ERA title. But while the Bullriders dominated the league this year, they did not dominate the Lions. Mesquite was only 2-5 against El Monte, and the last time they met, the Lions swept the series. This series could well be the championship series for the league as these two teams were clearly the top two contenders all year long.

04-21-2019, 06:37 PM	#6
mcdog512 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935 – October 2, 2020 Posts: 2,339	Always good to be in the title chase!

04-21-2019, 08:49 PM	#9
Tazilon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 116	Game 4 League Championship (3-0 Mesquite Bullriders) Justin Verlander shut out the New York Bulldozers while getting solo homers from Francisco Lindor, Ted Simmons, and Mike Trout for a 3-0 win that swept the series and handed the Iron League 203 Championship to the Mesquite Bullriders. Mike Trout was named the series MVP (6-15 .400, 2HRs, and 5 RBIs). GM Tazilon took a sip of champagne, grinning broadly as he addressed the press, "This has been a fantastic year for the Bullriders. We made some personnel moves along the way and, luckily for us, they all worked out. I've been on some good teams in the past, but WOW! - this team takes the cake! Great players all focused on playing for the good of the team; it's been a joy to watch. By the way, congrats to El Monte's David Dahl for being named the NC's overall MVP - you deserve the honor."