The Baseball Life of Tom Haley (OOTP11)

[Big Six]

Baseball News, October 1, 2023

Padres clinch NL West

The San Diego Padres finished second in 2022, and began this season with a determination to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. They might finish the season with a worse record than they did last year, but the Padres realized their primary goal last night when they clinched the NL West Division championship...

One key component of the Padres' playoff push didn't sign with the club until spring training was well underway. Pitcher Ty Williams joined the club on March 15, and by the time the Padres broke camp, Williams was their #1 starter.

Williams pitched fairly well during the first half of the season, but kicked it up a notch after the All-Star break. Since mid-July, Ty has gone 8-4, and has knocked half a run off his ERA.

Although Williams throws a knuckleball and throws it well, he's careful to point out that he has other weapons in his arsenal. "My fastball isn't what you would call 'major league average,' but it's a legit pitch," he explains. "If a major league hitter knows it's coming, he'll hit it into next month. But if he guesses knuckleball and gets the fastball, he might not catch up to it." Williams' fastball might touch 83 MPH on a good day.

Williams also throws two varieties of knuckleball. "I have what I call my puff ball, which is the slow knuckler that Tim Wakefield threw. I also have a hard knuckler that's more like the knuckle curve Mike Mussina had."...

[Big Six]

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 8, 2023

They're in!
Braves win; Pirates and Astros lose; Braves clinch wild card

It wasn't easy, but it sure was exciting.

The Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates don't know which of them will represent the National League Central division as its champion once the Division Series begins. A playoff game on October 10 will decide that fact. They both know, however, that the loser of that game will watch the playoffs on television. The Atlanta Braves determined that by defeating the Washington Senators yesterday afternoon, 6-5 in 10 innings. With their win, and losses by the Astros and Pirates, the Braves clinched the NL wild card with a 91-71 record. The other two clubs stand at 90-72...

The Braves tied the score in the top of the ninth against Nats closer Kao-tsu Niu. Jose L. Garcia led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a perfect sacrifice bunt by leadoff man Joe Hooper.

With Blake Farley at the plate, Niu unfurled a wild pitch, and Garcia scampered to third. Farley then drew a base on balls, as Niu seemed to visibly lose his composure.

Jason Heyward fell behind 0-2, but Niu then missed the strike zone with four straight pitches, and Heyward's walk filled the bases. Still, the Nationals stuck with their closer, who has saved 309 games in his career. Niu wouldn't save this one, as he walked Emilio Castro, forcing in the tying run.

To his credit, Niu retired the next two hitters and brought the inning to a close, but the damage was done.

The Braves replaced Denny Patterson with their own closer, Tom Haley, to begin the bottom of the ninth. Ron Blake greeted him with a single, and stole second as Haley struck out Freddy Perez.

With the winning run now in scoring position, Haley bore down and struck out Justin Anderson on three pitches. "I swear I didn't see two of them," Anderson said. "He's the toughest pitcher I've ever faced."

Haley then got Thad Robinson on a ground ball to second, and the game went to extra innings.

Inexplicably, Niu returned to the mound to start the tenth inning. Working carefully, he left a fastball in the middle of the plate, and Bernardo Perez lined it into the gap in left center for a double.

The next man up, John Lang, hammered a drive to deep center that looked for a moment like it might leave the yard. It stayed in play, however, and Pablo Mercado tracked it down and caught it. Perez tagged and moved to third.

That brought Garcia back to the plate. "I was surprised to see Niu still in there," Garcia admitted after the game. "He made two great pitches to me and got me in an 0-2 hole. Then I got my bat on his third pitch."

Garcia hit it sharply between short and third, and Perez scored.

The Nationals finally removed Niu from the game. A proud man, Niu was visibly shaken by the experience, but he held his head high. To their credit, the Nationals' fans refused to boo him.

Nesling sent Haley back out to pitch the tenth inning. "It's a save situation at that point," he explained. "Tom felt good. No manager on earth is going to pull Tom Haley in a situation like that if Tom is ready to go."

Two ground outs and a strikeout later, the Braves were on the field celebrating their return to the postseason...

[Big Six]

From: Megan Haley (megan.haley@jetmail.ca)
To: The Haley Family (fivehaleys@jetmail.ca); Tom Haley (thaley120791@jetmail.ca); Trish Haley (haleyp@lovett.edu); Kate Haley (kate.haley@jetmail.ca)

October 10, 2023


Hi, everybody!!

Guess what happened last night?

Ty proposed to me!!

I said yes.

We're talking about getting married next November. He was very sweet and romantic. Mom, Kate, and Trish, I'll tell you more of the "down on one knee" kind of details later. I'll spare Dad and Tom.

I will say one thing that I think you'll especially appreciate, Tom. Ty said that he's known he wanted to marry me for over a year now, but he was afraid to ask me because he worried that he hadn't established himself in a career. Moving from team to team every year gave him the feeling that he was hanging on by his fingernails. He's had such a terrific season that he's much more confident that he's really and truly a major league pitcher now.

Like I said, I'll be in touch. Right now, I'm kinda busy with the playoffs.

Love,
Megan

[Big Six]

The Astros won the playoff against the Pirates and advanced to the Division Series, where they faced the Braves. Since two division rivals can't meet in the Division Series, the Padres were stuck with the powerful Marlins.

On October 12, the NLDS opened with games in Atlanta and Florida. The Astros beat the Braves and Ezra Wells, 5-2, with Matt Sulentic driving in all five Astros runs. However, Ty's Padres won a wild slugfest, 13-9.

The next night, the Braves bounced back behind a great game from their ace righthander, Brian Nolan, and evened the series with an 8-2 win.

The Padres sent Ty Williams to the mound for Game Two, and his teammates staked him to a 7-0 lead after five innings. Canadian slugger LF John Darby, who won the NL batting title with a .350 mark and posted a .916 OPS, led the way with a homer and four RBI. The Marlins came back with five runs in the sixth and seventh, and Ty came out of the game, but the bullpen held on to preserve the first postseason win of Ty's career. Their 7-5 victory left the Padres within one game of victory.

The series moved to Houston and San Diego for Game Three. The Marlins bounced back, winning 7-2, while the Astros delighted their home fans by beating the Braves 6-2 and forcing the Braves' backs against the wall.

The next night, however, the Braves battered Houston pitchers for 16 hits and eight runs, while Ezra Wells pitched 8-plus strong innings in a 10-3 victory. Tom Haley saw his first action of the Series, and as closers often are when they're not facing save situations, Tom wasn't as sharp as usual. He worked 2/3 of an inning, allowing two hits and the Padres' third run.

Meanwhile, the Padres sent Xavier Robles out to face the Marlins. Robles, who won 14 games during the regular season, was locked in, and the Padres got homers from two fearsome sluggers: RF Archie Faulkner, who went deep 45 times to lead the NL, and 1B Jorge Rodriguez, who bashed 38. The 5-3 victory put the Padres into the NLCS for the first time since 1998.

The Braves and Astros returned to a sold-out Turner Field for the game that would decide whom the Padres would face. The Braves wasted no time, striking for five runs in the first and five more in the second. Brian Nolan cruised to a 13-4 victory; young Braves infielders Marcus Reid and Jose L. Garcia drove in five runs between them.

Now, Tom Haley's Braves and Ty Williams' Padres will square off with a National League pennant at stake...

[muted79]

Tom vs Ty this should be interesting Great to see Ty sorting out his life both on and off the field.

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by muted79

Tom vs Ty this should be interesting Great to see Ty sorting out his life both on and off the field.

I think this could be a lot of fun, too.

In both the Pat O'Farrell and Tom Haley stories, I've let what happens in OOTP determine the directions the plot might lead. For example, if Pat O'Farrell had been a busher, I would never have allowed him to have as much influence in the baseball world as I did.

In this case, Ty's career took a real turn for the better in 2023. If he'd struggled, I wouldn't have had him ask Megan Haley to marry him.

Thanks, as always, for your comment.

[Big Six]

San Diego Union-Tribune, October 21, 2023

Wells' 1-hitter gives Braves 1-0 NLDS lead
Williams pitches well in defeat

The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres turned the clock back to the dead ball era last night, as they met in Game One of the NLDS.

Atlanta's Ezra Wells spun a one-hit shutout that would have done Walter Johnson proud, while San Diego's Ty Williams allowed only two runs and five hits in a performance that Three Finger Brown would have approved.

Both pitchers worked complete games. Wells completed his masterpiece with 98 pitches, 66 of them strikes; Williams, 114 and 73. Both pitchers walked only one batter. Wells struck out four, Williams seven. Wells' curve and changeup drove Padres hitters crazy all night long, while Williams' assortment of knuckleballs seemed to dance at his command.

And, just as it often was in the early 1900s, speed was the key to what offense the Braves could muster against Williams.

The Braves scored in the first inning when Joe Hooper led off the game with a single. Knuckleballers like Williams often have trouble controlling the running game, and Hooper, the best base thief in the game, quickly stole second off Williams and catcher Robert Clay.

Blake Farley's ground out moved Hooper to third, and when Jason Heyward flied out to deep right field, Hooper tagged and scored easily.

Hooper led off the Braves' sixth and hit a shot to the base of the wall in center. He possibly could have run all the way around for an inside-the-park home run, but instead stopped at third with an easy standup triple. Farley drilled a single to right and Hooper jogged home with the Braves' second, and final, run.

The only Padre to record a base hit was Jorge Rodriguez, who singled in the first inning...

[Fircoal]

Wow, this has been a great read. I can't wait to see what happens next. x3 It makes me want to do something like this meself. I hope Tom gets his WS ring this year. It'd be a good year to do it. x3 I also wonder what Tom's career stats are...

[malia_king]

Really enjoying reading this to...

[Big Six]

I meant to post this before Game One of the Braves-Padres series, but I forgot...and Game One was such a good game that I didn't think about it until just now.

Here's the cast of characters for the 2023 NLCS. First, the Atlanta Braves:

PLAYERS                 AB    AVG  HR RBI  SB
C   Emilio Castro       446  .318  20  81   1
1B  Myron Webster       573  .241  18  88   9
2B  Doug Tars           474  .217  30  89   6
3B  Angel Vazquez       404  .245  11  63   8
SS  Jose L. Garcia      174  .270   4  29   4
OF  Jason Heyward       500  .294  23  99   6
OF  Blake Farley        365  .301   3  38   3
OF  Joe Hooper          545  .308  12  54  55
DH  John Lang           337  .264   7  49   0

OF  Phil O'Toole        272  .254   8  37   2
IF  Marcus Reid         213  .197  10  37   3
C   Edward Shaw         205  .224   4  22   2
IF  Dani Rivera         201  .219   2  22   1


PITCHERS                W-L    ERA   SV
SP  Brian Nolan         12-9   3.68   0
SP  Tomas Tavira        13-11  4.00   0
SP  Arodys Vizcaino     12-6   4.02   0
SP  Ezra Wells          9-7    4.45   0
SP  Kris Medlen         5-3    4.32   0
SP  Dennis Thompson     4-6    5.01   0
SP  Tony Moore          5-5    5.46   0

RP  Kyle Morris         4-6    3.09   1
RP  Dennis Patterson    14-5   2.02   4
RP  Alessio Cirilli     3-1    4.44   4
RP  Tom Haley           5-3    1.26  34
RP  Arthur Cumberbat    1-2    5.90   1

I've listed the player with the most defensive innings at each position as the starter. The Braves have been giving Marcus Reid a lot of playing time at 3B lately.

Vizcaino appears to be the odd man out as the Bravos cut their rotation down to three guys for the playoffs.

Patterson has been incredible in the #1 setup role, with Morris supplanting Cirilli as the Braves' other go-to reliever.

And now, the Padres:

PLAYERS                 AB    AVG  HR RBI  SB
C   Charles McGuire     293  .239   5  33   0
1B  Jorge Rodriguez     561  .307  38 118   1
2B  Vincente Cordido    473  .275   1  52   8
3B  Archie Faulkner     619  .289  45 125  21
SS  Jiovanni Mier       478  .224   8  52   4
OF  John Darby          597  .350  23  98  30
OF  John Nelson         578  .292   3  45  50
OF  Walt Jones          552  .257   9  64  32
DH  Brett Lawrie        492  .252  18  94   1

IF  Dave Billings       248  .258   5  27  16
C   Robert Clay         213  .274   8  29   1
IF  Matt Dominguez      151  .238   4  27   0


PITCHERS                W-L    ERA   SV
SP  Ty Williams         19-11  3.97   0
SP  Xavier Robles       14-14  3.51   0
SP  Clayton Kershaw     6-8    4.70   0
SP  Alejandro Barraza   3-10   6.75   0
SP  Trevor Cahill       8-7    3.83   0
SP  Matthew Hobgood     8-3    3.05   0
S/R Toshikasu Masura    6-5    5.71   2

RP  Phil Simmons        4-3    2.54   1
RP  Ah-cy Hua           3-2    4.73   0
RP  Jetsuna Kouno       0-0    2.49   1
RP  Terence Wilson      5-7    1.82  36
RP  Raul Marrero        4-3    3.26   1
RP  Jeff Bond           2-0    2.06   0

As you can see, the Padres' everyday lineup is more stable than the Braves'. Clay, whom the Padres picked up at the deadline, is now the #1 catcher, and Billings plays short fairly often. J-Rod, Faulkner, and Darby are three of the most productive hitters in baseball.

Hobgood, who missed a lot of the year due to injury, joins Ty and Robles in the Padres' playoff rotation.



At first glance, I thought the Padres were the better team, and as I looked more closely at the statistics, it turned out I was right.

San Diego finished #2 in the NL in runs scored (838) and #4 in runs allowed (705). That run differential ought to produce a 94-68 record.

The Braves ended up #5 in runs scored (831) and #6 in runs allowed (743). That should be good for an 89-73 mark.

The Braves beat their projection by two games, while the Padres were EIGHT games worse than theirs!

The Padres' manager is Manny Acta, who has been employed somewhere since this story began in 2010. He's posted an 1126-1142 (.496) record over that span.

Bill Nesling became the Atlanta skipper in 2019. Since then, he's gone 454-356 (.560).

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Fircoal

Wow, this has been a great read. I can't wait to see what happens next. x3 It makes me want to do something like this meself. I hope Tom gets his WS ring this year. It'd be a good year to do it. x3 I also wonder what Tom's career stats are...

Here are Tom's career major league stats, including the just-completed 2023 season:

YEAR  TEAM    W  L  SV   ERA   G  GS    IP   H  ER  HR  BB   SO  WHIP
2014  ATL     0  2   0  0.77  13   0  11.2  14   1   1   5   19  1.63
2015  ATL     9  3   1  3.72  92   0  84.2  64  35   5  25  103  1.05
2016  ATL     9  7  32  3.68  86   0  95.1  88  39  10  31  104  1.25
2017  ATL     4  3  45  1.79  73   0  80.2  65  16   1  13   93  0.97
2018  ATL     3  4  38  1.76  69   0  71.2  66  14   8  12   89  1.09
2019  ATL    10  4  38  2.10  65   0  68.2  48  16   4  19   74  0.98
2020  ATL     1  4  49  2.71  64   0  63.0  53  19   5  18   69  1.13
2021  ATL     6  3  31  2.31  57   0  62.1  62  16   3  15   71  1.24
2022  ATL     4  4  47  4.10  70   0  68.0  64  31  10  16   70  1.18
2023  ATL     5  3  34  1.26  59   0  64.1  50   9   4  16   80  1.03
10 yrs.      51 37 315  2.63 648   0 670.1 574 196  51 170  772  1.11

Tom has been a National League All-Star for seven consecutive seasons, 2017-2023.

When Tom retires, I'll post a full career statistical summary, with lots of additional information (VORP, ERA+, blown saves, etc.).

Thanks for your comment, Fircoal. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, and if you start your own dynasty, too, best of luck. Most of all, have fun with it.

[Big Six]

Neither Tom Haley nor Ty Williams appeared in Games Two or Three of the NLDS, so I'll step out of character and report on them fairly quickly.

In Game Two, the Padres routed ATL starter Tomas Tavira, pounding him for six runs in the first three innings, and cruised to a 9-3 victory that tied the NLCS at one game apiece.

The crucial blow was a grand slam by Padres DH Brett Lawrie in the third inning. Five Padres had two hits in the game.

San Diego's Xavier Robles pitched a terrific game, allowing only one run in eight innings, while walking one batter and striking out 11.

Edward Shaw belted a pinch home run for the Braves, and 3B Marcus Reid connected for his third homer of the postseason.

The series moved to Atlanta for Game Three. Both offenses enjoyed big days, as six home runs flew out of Turner Field in a 9-6 Braves win.

C Emilio Castro went deep twice for the Braves, and drove in six runs. 1B Jorge Rodriguez homered twice for the Padres.

Brian Nolan was the winning pitcher, while Matthew Hobgood took the loss for the Padres.

[Big Six]

Baseball News Network National Broadcast
National League Championship Series, Game Four
San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves

October 24, 2023


Scene One

Matt Wagoner (play-by-play announcer): Atlanta's Turner Field is sold out on a crisp October night. This large, noisy crowd is here to watch their Braves take on the San Diego Padres in Game Four of the NLCS.

Joe Mauer (color commentator): The last two games featured a lot of offense, but I think we might see something different tonight. Both teams are going with the pitchers who started Game One: Ezra Wells of the Braves and Ty Williams of the Padres. They treated us to a great pitchers' duel last time out, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's what we get this evening...



Scene Two

Matt: We go to the top of the bottom of the eighth inning and, Pardner, you were right. We're still looking at rows of zeroes on the scoreboard, as Ezra Wells and Ty Williams have pitched tremendous games tonight.

Joe: You got that right, Matt. Neither team advanced a baserunner to second until the sixth inning, and we didn't see a team put two men on base until the Padres did it in the last half-inning...

Matt: Williams looks in and delivers the 1-0 pitch to [Jason] Heyward. Knuckler, hit sharply right at Mier at shortstop. Over to first, and that retires the side. No runs, no hits, no errors, nobody left for the Braves.

Joe: Matt, there are actually quite a few fans applauding Ty Williams as he walks off the mound. He broke in with the Braves, and it looks like his former hometown fans appreciate what he's done tonight.

Matt: He's an easy guy to root for...one of the nicer guys in the game right now.

Joe: Ty's thrown 114 pitches; 69 strikes. I have a feeling the Padres will turn the game over to their bullpen here. Williams has certainly done all they can ask of him...


Scene Three

(The first bars of "Rock You Like a Hurricane" explode from the Turner Field sound system.)

Matt: As we go to extra innings, the Braves are bringing in their bullpen ace, Tom Haley. Listen to that crowd!

Joe: I faced Haley in the All-Star Game, and I can tell you...there's nobody in baseball with a fastball like his. Tom is 31 years old now, but he still brings it as hard as he ever did...



Scene Four

Matt: Carlos Rodriguez has a very short lead at first. One out here in the bottom of the eleventh. One of the most dangerous hitters in baseball at the plate, Jorge Rodriguez.

Rodriguez cuts at Haley's first pitch and hits it just past Lang at first and into right field! Heyward charges it...Carlos is on his way to third! Here's the throw..not in time! Jorge Rodriguez moves to second on the throw, and the Padres have the go-ahead run on third with one out!

Joe: Let's see if Haley can work his way out of this jam...

Matt: The Braves are taking no chances here. They're going to take the bat out of Archie Faulkner's hands.

Joe: I don't like the intentional walk, but I think it's the right move here. All the Padres need is a long fly ball, and with Faulkner's power and the wind blowing out to left, he's very likely to deliver it...

Matt: The crowd is on its feet as Haley looks in to Castro for the sign. Here's the 2-2 pitch to Clay...He struck him out! A vicious high fastball that Clay coudn't get around on, and Clay goes down swinging.

Joe: That is a HUGE out for the Braves. Haley made a GREAT pitch there...

Matt: Bases loaded, two out, bottom of the eleventh. Haley delivers...[Brett] Lawrie hits a grounder to short. Garcia up...over to Lang...and the Braves are out of the inning.

Joe: Listen to the ovation for Tom Haley. He won't get a save here, but he sure saved the Braves' chances to win the game. He's tipping his hat to the crowd as he walks off the field...


The Padres finally scored two runs off the Braves' Denny Patterson in the top of the 15th inning; the Braves failed to score in their half, and the Padres evened the NLCS at two games each.

Ty's line: 8 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned, 3 BB, 6 K.
Ezra Wells' line: 9 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned, 4 BB, 8 K.
Tom's line: 2 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned, 1 BB (intentional) 3 K.

[Big Six]

To: The O'Farrells (jpandcyndiofarrell@zipmail.com)
From: Trish Haley (haleyp@lovett.edu)

October 25, 2023

Hi Mom & Dad,

I know you're stuck at that party and can't watch the game, unless Dad found a way to sneak off and get highlights or something. So I'll update you in case you can check your email.

The Braves went to the 9th ahead 5-1, and Patterson came in to pitch. Not a save situation, after all. It quickly became one, however, because Brett Lawrie and Giovanni Mier both singled.

In came Tom. Gus Dennis flied out deep to left center...had me worried for a second, but it held up and Hooper ran it down. Brendan Dotson struck out swinging on a changeup. Top of the order, John Darby up. Darby flied out to shallow right. Game over! Braves win 5-1, Tom gets the save.

ONE MORE TO GO!! Back to San Diego, so I'll take another personal day. I'm really glad my principal is a baseball fan.

Love,
Trish

[Big Six]

October 27, 2023

None of our main characters appeared in Game Six, so here it is, in brief.

The Padres faced elimination as they returned home for Game Six. Jorge Rodriguez homered off Braves' starter Tomas Tavira in the bottom of the first inning, and the Padres scored four runs in the third on a two-run triple by Archie Faulkner and a two-run jack by Robert Clay. The Padres also scored a single run in the eighth.

That was more than enough scoring for the home team, as Xavier Robles allowed only one run over eight innings. The Braves threatened in the ninth, scoring twice and loading the bases with two outs. However, the Padres have a star closer of their own, a man on whom they can rely in situations like these.

Terence Wilson entered the game and retired Emilio Castro on a fly ball to preserve the Padres' 6-3 victory.

So, it's on to Game Seven. Ezra Wells vs. Ty Williams at PETCO Park, with the National League pennant on the line.

[Fircoal]

Wow, this is quite the series. x3

[muted79]

great stuff as usual, on to game 7!

[TheKenoshaKid]

I don't know if you mentioned this already, but if you did then I must have missed it...

What's the all-time career save leaderboard look like at this point? Has anybody gotten close to Hoffman and Rivera?

Tom's only what, 30? 31? If he keeps going like this, he could have a legitimate shot at the all-time record, right?

[Tyke]

Terrific series - and great reporting, Big Six!

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Fircoal

Wow, this is quite the series. x3

I couldn't agree more. It would be a memorable one even if Tom and Ty hadn't been involved. Because they are, it's especially fun.

I think we were due for an exciting postseaon run here. Tom's Braves make the playoffs regularly, but they usually lose quickly and in relatively boing fashion. Not so this year.