Los Angeles Leopards (SVMLB)

[pauwoo]

San Diego Skipjacks (68-91, .428, 6th NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (88-71, .553, 2nd NL West)
Let’s be honest… we’re ready to move on from the regular season, to ride off into the playoff sunset and find out what destiny has in store for us. We are also well aware that, should we sweep these guys, and should Austin be swept in Las Vegas, we could force a game to determine the winner of our division, and by extension the owner of home field advantage against one of the two lowest Wildcard seeds in the Second Series. So, we’ll hope to bring our 9-6 H2H record against these yokels so far in 2022 to bear as we look for the sweep. Of course, should Austin win one of their next few games, we’re benching everyone…

160 of 162: Carlito Cisneros (5-7, 4.40) @ Ram Chen (2-10, 3.53)
Win, 9-6. In what ended up being an offensive slobber knocker, we’d bury the Skipjacks beneath two, 2-run DING DONGS (Oh Hong (#39) and BJ Cristoforo (#1) stand up) and a run-scoring triple courtesy of Ethan Mullens. Chen, in what has been a theme this season, wouldn’t last long enough to get the decision but the pen was good for it with Dani Thorpe, Ramiro Marte and Mr. Don Haag closing the show for us here to secure the first of what could be three very important victories. Save #48 for Haag, steal #38 for Otto, and a team first, SAC FLY for Simon Paulino.

Elsewhere: Las Vegas did their part for us, besting the Grackles 5-4 at home, walking Austin off in extras on a Jason Bland solo TANK.

Note: it’s so difficult not to quick sim the Austin result so I can set my lineups accordingly.

161 of 162: Nash Law (0-0, 0.00) @ Jan Hernandez (7-7, 4.19)
Win, 1-0 (12). Austin did their part once again, dropping their 4th in a row and 2nd in Las Vegas by a score of 5-1, and we followed them up by winning our tilt against San Diego by the thinnest margin possible as Ethan Mullens walked the Skipjacks off with an anticlimactic SAC FLY during the bottom of the 12th. Great effort from Jan here… 6.2 innings of work, a mere 2 hits allowed, and 7 K’s for our starter with Ramiro Marte allowing the only other hit while Don Haag kept the Skipjacks hitless for 3 innings and T-Rex closed the show with an 8 pitch top of the 12th.

162 of 162: Lucas Torres (11-10, 2.62) @ Stephen Estevez (13-6, 3.28)
Win, 1-0. We’d mange to get this one done inside 9-innings, and in our alternate Sunday kits, off an 8th inning SAC FLY courtesy of Lee Rolon… Lucas Torres was torrid from the start, tossing 7-innings of filthiness for San Diego before Brady Mackay came on in relief to ruin things for him. Estevez was equally dominant, though he’d only make it through 5.2-innings before Duarte was called on to spell him, pitching the 6th, 7th, and 8th, with Mr. Haag, that purveyor of nasty spinning stuff, securing his 49th save of the year on 13 total pitches… after giving us 3-innings of work last night, no less. And, as luck would have it, Austin did their part too… losing their 5th in a row and getting swept in Las Vegas with that broom casting them aside on a 2-run, walk off TANK courtesy of the Outlaws’ Elmar Pirov.

It seems that we’ll have two tie breaker games, both in our division, as we’ll face off against Austin in Los Angeles with the Division crown on the line and the Las Vegas Outlaws, still playing for their life, will head south to Mexico City for a tilt to decide the final wildcard entrant of the National League… pretty cool, you ask me – no sure I’ve seen this wacky a scenario in OOTP before.

Record: 91-71, .561, t-1st NL West
Up Next: We’ve an opportunity to win our division for the 7th season in a row against the Austin Grackles.

[pauwoo]

Austin Grackles (91-71, .561, t-1st NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (91-71, .561, t-1st NL West)
Somehow, despite the BNN’s prediction of a 107-win season, we find ourselves here – looking into a mirror, asking the man staring back at us why the sun comes up, and pondering if the stars are just pinholes in the curtain of night before assuring him that, while there can be only one, it is us whose championship destiny will be fulfilled once the dust has settled on the 2081 campaign. That a regular season spent on this winding, uneven, and rocky path be worth it in the end… that we’ll find a way to best Austin in this one game tiebreaker to claim a throne we’ve grown to think of as ours, before running roughshod over all comers in the playoff on our way to back-to-back World Series titles. To do that will require that we beat a team previously thought to be playing above their station, performing at a clip their talent would not be able to support over the long haul. And, while Austin, with gall and mettle, have proved that they do indeed belong, with us, at or near the top of the pops in the NL West, this game will settle the only question that remains unanswered from the regular season – who’s the best club in the NL West…

Should we lose, we’ll find ourselves on the road in Philadelphia to kick off the Second Series against the biggest bully on the NL Block… that's not ideal.

163 of 162: Joe Matthiessen (12-12, 3.79) @ Nacho Valadez (9-5, 3.64)
Loss, 2-3. Our path to the World Series was made that much rougher by Austin’s Nehemiah Jenkins whose 1-for-3 day at the plate, including a well-hit 3-run TANK, led the high-powered Grackles offense to what must’ve been a satisfying win, usurping our position as NL West Division Champion for the 1st time in 7 years… made all the more special by the fact that they did it in our house, celebrated their improbable division championship in front of our fans, and on our infield. We’ll head into the playoffs on a loss, with a flight to Philadelphia booked, and do our level best to crib at least one win off the Founders in front of the most raucous, reviled, and repugnant fanbase in all of professional sports before returning to Los Angeles for games 3 through 5. That our path to the promised land looks much rougher than it did this morning is of no consequence here… at the end of this thing, with the dust settled and the last man standing fully in view, I expect that Otto and Ethan, Oh Hong and Haag, Estevez and Chance will come into focus, all smiles and high fives and tears of joy.

Elsewhere: Mexico City blanked the Las Vegas Outlaws, 3-0, securing their first playoff bid since 2077.

And, becasue I forgot to add this at the end of the last post - RF Jonah Dove, of the Salt Lake Alpines, who finished dead last in the AL West at 63-99 this year, blasted his 400th career HR into the cheap seats at Smith’s Park in Salt Lake City… the milestone came during a losing effort as his Alpines closed out their 2081 campaign on a 5-7 loss against the Seattle Metros.

Record: 91-72, .558, 2nd NL West
Up Next: Playoffs, baby!

[pauwoo]

In the National League, the Circle Series will see the Phoenix Coyotes face off against the visiting Mexico City Jaguars for the right to meet the Austin Grackles in the best of 7 Second Series, while, over in the American League, the Portland Pioneers, home of all-time favorite Michael Brisk, travel to Charlotte to square up against the Imperials bent on taking the two of three required for a ticket to Vancouver, British Columbia where the AL West winning Mounties await… Both series would go the distance with Mexico City besting the Phoenix Coyotes 2 games to 1, winning the final two contests by a margin of 6 runs in aggregate while the Portland Pioneers reached deep into their bag of trick to come out victorious over the Imperials, in North Carolina, winning the clinching contest by a score of 7-4.

Mexico City advances to challenge Austin while the Pioneers make it a Cascadia match-up, travelling to Vancouver for a date against the Mounties… this also means that we will get things underway as well, heading to the City of Brotherly Love for some good ol’ fashioned Allegheny hospitality.

Up Next: The Second Series…

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (91-72, .558, 2nd NL West) @ Philadelphia Founders (97-65, .599, 1st NL East)
The 2080 season should have belonged to the Philadelphia Founders… finishing 108-54, with the NL’s best offense by a pretty wide margin. Well, if we didn’t exist that is – our now legendary club ran roughshod over all comers, dropping a total of 3 games in the playoffs, and winning the National League Championship over Philadelphia, 4 games to 2. This season, things have taken on a different look – we’re the clear underdog, an under performing club that never got it all going simultaneously during the regular-season. Philadelphia, by contrast, and while not as good as last years version, are the new Best Team in Baseball™, finishing with the best record in the Majors while leading most of the statistical categories we track. They have 2x Boyce Rigg recipient, Palmer Parker back healthy, the games best offensive Catcher in Rex Engelstad managing the staff, and the left-handed, offensive/defensive dynamo Sage Reid manning centerfield. The pitching, while not otherworldly, can toss it around a little bit with 30-year-old Linden Brittingham serving as their Ace backed up by tip-top hurlers Wilson Pena and Quirk Benoit in the rotation. Our work, as ever, will be cut out for us here… the crowd will be bearing down on us, loud, boisterous, and foul-mouthed, and our opponent will no doubt meet us chest-to-chest, nose-to-nose the entire way. Strap in folks… should be a barn burner.

1 of 7: Stephen Estevez (0-0, 0.00) @ Linden Brittingham (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 0-10. At what point does complete annihilation, abject failure, and its accompanying misery, go from being just embarrassing to a fate you simply resign yourself to? Is it after you find your self in a 0-5 hole before the start of the 3rd frame? Is it when you realize that you haven’t secured even a single hit during the top of the 5th, down 8 to nothing already? Or, in our case, was it when we woke up this morning to a legion of Philadelphia fans parked outside our hotel with lots of mean things to say about our mothers? I’m sure of the answer… I know that whatever that answer may be, it doesn’t matter when your Ace, in this case Mr. Estevez, gives up 5 runs on three TANKS and secures just 5 outs before being airlifted off the mound in the first game of the series. Palmer Parker finished 2-for-3 with a 3-run double, Sage Reid hit a solo shot in the very first inning, and their starter, Brittingham, allowed just 3 total hits in 7 innings of work. For our part, we could only muster 5-hits as a club, Otto fanned three times, and the heart of our order went 2-for-15 overall.

Elsewhere: Austin walked Mexico City off during the bottom of the 13th when CF Anthony Jamison took JR Orten yard at Dell Diamond to kick their 7-game series off with a satisfying game one win.

2 of 7: Nacho Valadez (0-0, 0.00) @ Wilson Pena (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 2-3. Less embarrassing, sure, though no less dire as we now find ourselves in the precarious position of being down 0-2 against the biggest bully on the block and staring down the barrel of a gun that requires us to take at least two of the next three in our house if we’re to survive this stick-up. Ethan’s run-scoring single during the top of the 2nd would get us on the board early, but we’d only be able to replicate his effort once with our much-vaunted bullpen coming undone during the 5th as Dontrell allowed two and Jan Hernandez allowed the game-winner on a Jeremy Glickstein solo-shot. Nacho gave us a fine 4-inning effort, allowing just two hits while fanning 5 before two consecutive walks led to his exit, opening the door just enough that Philadelphia, in all their cheesesteak fueled girth, could find a way to squeeze through and secure another victory.

Elsewhere: Austin, like Philly, found a way to take both games at home, defeating the Mexico City Jaguars by a score of 6-3, walking them off in the bottom of the 9th this time on a Nehemiah Jenkins 3-run MOONSHOT. Vancouver started their series with a taut, tight ballgame against the Portland Pioneers, winning by the thinnest margin possible, 1-0. And, lastly, the Detroit Motors, widely considered the 2nd-best team in the playoffs behind Philly, stumbled off the line, dropping game one against the visiting Dallas Chaparrals by a score of 10-6.

Playoff Record: 0-2
Up Next: A day off to travel back to L.A., get ourselves sorted, and engage in some positive self-talk into our bathroom mirrors before getting back after it in front of the hometown faithful against Palmer Parker and his merry men…

[pauwoo]

Before we get going, I should mention that Detroit managed to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and earn a hard-fought victory over the Dallas Chaparrals, 3-2, on a 10th inning walk off double while Vancouver made it two in a row over Portland, winning the second game by a wider, 3-run margin during their 8-5 victory in British Columbia…

Philadelphia Founders (2-0, 1.00) @ Los Angeles Leopards (0-2, .000)
Back in Tinseltown, enjoying the comforts of our own homes for the next three games, as we attempt to get this thing back on the rails in Los Angeles. Look, Philadelphia, for all intents and purposes, rode us hard and put us away wet in Pennsylvania, pushing us around like some playground bully with a marked size and strength advantage… and, though we tried with all our might, we were unable to flag a recess monitor down while in Philadelphia, leaving that godforsaken city in an 0-2 hole, battered, bruised, and, really, just a shell of our former selves. Our goal here, obviously, will be to get back on the good foot, start throwing some elbows of our own, and, with any luck, take command of this series over the next 3 games… if we can’t do that, it’s off with our heads I’m afraid as all our hard work gets flushed down the drain, clogging our proverbial toilet, and leaving a harrowing mess for our guys to clean up during the offseason.

3 of 7: Quirk Benoit (0-0, 0.00) @ Ram Chen (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 6-8. Down 3-6, and coming up to the plate after the stretch, Walt Tignor would bring us within one on a 2-run single and Kyle Weaver would bring him around on a run-scoring double only a few AB’s later to knot this one up at 6 each. Unfortunately, Philadelphia would dig deep and charge a couple of bad ones to Haag’s account, saddling him with the loss here as he came undone during the top of the 9th, allowing two hits, a walk, and two runners to score on a Rex Englestad single that would, ultimately, spell our doom. And, with that, we find ourselves on the precipice, standing on the edge of the abyss, staring into its void, and looking for any available salvation within its darkness. Oh Hong led the offense, coming alive in this one with a 3-run double, Otto scored, as did Ethan, and the defense fielded two double plays… but, the story here was our bullpen coming undone once again, capped off by our legendary closer adding nothing of note to his already sturdy list of accomplishments. Bummer biscuits, man. For real.

Elsewhere: Mexico City, unlike us, was able to secure a win in their home park, cutting Austin’s lead in half in their Second Series matchup by a score of 11-4 in Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu.

4 of 7: Hudson Dorsch (0-0, 0.00) @ Stephen Estevez (0-1, 27.00)
Win, 8-1. In staving off elimination, at home, we’d finally get a win befitting the once and future Kings of Los Angeles as Mullens led the way for our squad with a 3-for-5 day that included a solo homer, 2 RBI, and 2 runs with Koloski’s 2 RBI backing his Ethan’s play and Oh Hong, Bell, and D-Rod each contributing a run batted in to the cause. 2 TANKS (Ethan and Oh Hong), a double (Hutch), a swiped bag (Super Ethan Mullens), and a much better, 4.2-inning, 3-hit, 1 earned day from Estevez would round things out nicely for us as we now resign ourselves to the work of completely the nearly impossible task of a reverse sweep to earn our ticket back to the NLCS.

Elsewhere: Dallas managed to take a 2-1 series lead over the provisional AL favorite Detroit Motors, winning at home by a score of 12-3… Portland gave their hometown faithful something to cheer about during a 2-1 win over the Mounties, ensuring that, at the very least, they will not be swept out of their Second Series against Vancouver… And, Mexico City, that land of milk, mezcal, and honey, knotted their series against the Grackles up at two games each, dispatching Austin in game 4 by a score of 11-3.

5 of 7: Linden Brittingham (1-0, 0.00) @ Nacho Valadez (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 5-0. Not only did we continue to pull ourselves out of the snow sand we’ve fallen into but we managed to do it in spectacular fashion, completing a 5-pitcher, no hitter in the process… Nacho gave us 4.1 innings of 8 K, hitless burn before consecutive walks led to his exit, with Marte, Major Hansen, Rad Taylor, and Don Haag following suit closing this one our from the 5th forward on 43 total pitches. Kyle Weaver was the hero offensively, finishing 2-for-3 with 3 RBI and a run, Chance Bell brought one around on a double, and each of our first 5 batters scored a run for the home team in this one, spreading the love around and giving the hometown faithful plenty to feel good about.

Elsewhere: Mexico City, after dropping the 1st two games of their series against Austin, swept the set in their home park, walking the Grackles off on a Cleveland Hunter TANK during the bottom of the 10th to take a 3-2 series lead back to Texas… Portland tied their series against Vancouver up at 2 each after a dominant 6-1 win in PDX… and Dallas, that other Texas club, took a commanding, 3 games to 1 lead over the odds on AL Favorite Detroit Motors winning a close one at home by a score of 2-1.

Record: 2-3, .400
Up Next: We’ll head back to Philadelphia on a mission to do the unthinkable… to win the Second Series by reverse sweep, on the road, in the most hostile of hostile environments the National League has to offer.

[pauwoo]

Some results… this is a results-based business after all. Dallas, after winning the first two in their park so convincingly, stumbled in game 5, losing by a score of 3-2 in extras as a Tony Voorhis hit, 11th inning homerun would go unanswered during the bottom of that frame… they’ll head back to Detroit with a game in hand. Meanwhile, despite Portland’s furious 8th & 9th inning rally attempts, the Vancouver Mounties would position themselves for the series victory at home, bringing a 3-2 series lead back to British Columbia after besting the Pioneers by a score of 8-4 in game five of their series.

Los Angeles Leopards (2-3, .400) @ Philadelphia Founders (3-2, .600)
I like Philadelphia… its people, its food, the history… but, and I say this with the utmost respect, I can’t think of anywhere I’d like to be less than the City of Brotherly Love representing a visiting baseball club with death on the line. However, that’s the position we find ourselves in and, as such, we’ll do our level best to make history here… completing a reverse sweep on the road, in Philly, without being murdered on our way out of town. It’s a tall, bunyan-esque order, to be sure, but… if any club is good for it, I’d put my money, or at least some of it, on these Leopards.

6 of 7: Stephen Estevez (0-1, 8.53) @ Wilson Pena (0-0, 5.45)
Win, 4-2. Holy moly, rock n’ rolly, guacamole… those sun-kissed boys from the Golden State have sauntered into Philadelphia, chesty and cocksure, and, after putting 3 bad ones on the board courtesy of an Otto Isaac DING DONG during the top of the 7th, now find themselves in a position to win this series, and with it the right to play in their 4th consecutive NLCS. Otto was the show – finishing 1-for-5 with that one being the eventual game winner, OH HONG brought in our only other run on a SAC FLY, Leonardo would get the win in relief, his first of the playoffs, and Don Haag, after a 12-pitch hold from Rad Taylor, would secure his first save of the postseason. If we win this next one, it’ll be pandemonium.

Elsewhere: Mexico City, in something of a low-key surprise, dispatched the Austin Grackles, in Texas, by a score of 3 to 1, winning their series 4-2 and moving on to an improbable NLCS berth.

7 of 7: Ram Chen (0-0, 2.45) @ Quirk Benoit (0-0, 7.11)
Win, 4-0. We’ve done it… the impossible, improbable, and downright unthinkable… a reverse sweep, by shutout, on the road in hell on earth for an opposing team, Philadelphia, as the magic of this, at times disappointing yet always interesting, season continues, carrying us into the NLCS against a foe we know all to well. Otto Isaac hit a 2-run blast during the top of the 8th to give us more than enough cushion, driving our total up to 4 runs on the day, while Ram Chen came correct with a solid 4.1-innings of 4-hit, nothing earned work with Hernandez, Hansen, T-Rex and Haag closing the show in the image and the style that we’re used to. After finishing the regular season 3-6 against Philadelphia, to best them by winning 4-straight spread across our two parks is nothing short of unbelievable. We’ll now head into a series against Mexico City, who’ve mostly played us even (we own a 10-8 advantage in the regular season, but who’s counting), and attempt to keep this train rolling… a rollicking, steam-powered locomotive on its way to the Santa Cruz boardwalk, a 19th-century behemoth with suspect brakes and an engineer with a habit of not watching for clear tracks. I seriously can’t believe that we won… it’s craziness. I almost feel bad for Palmer and the boys…

Elsewhere: The resilient and determined Motors of Detroit forced a game 7 against Dallas at home, besting the Chaparrals by a score of 8-2 to force the decisive contest… and, Vancouver brushed the Portland Pioneers aside by a score of 9-3, taking their series 4-2 and setting up one half of the ALCS…

Record: 4-3, .571
Up Next: The Mexico City Jaguars will join us in Los Angeles for the first two games of the NLCS.

[ayaghmour2]

What a comeback! Should build up a ton of momentum the rest of the way

[pauwoo]

Originally Posted by ayaghmour2

What a comeback! Should build up a ton of momentum the rest of the way

I sure hope so!

[pauwoo]

Our final league championship contender has been identified with the upstart Dallas Chaparrals sending another top seed home, beating Detroit 4-2 in the deciding game of their series to set up a date against Vancouver for the right to represent the AL in the World Series on the line.

Mexico City Jaguars (6-3, 2-3 Away) @ Los Angeles Leopards (4-3, 2-1 Home)
Heading into this season, if you told me we’d be in the NLCS again, I’d think to myself, ‘of course we will’, if you also told me that our opponent would be the Mexico City Jaguars, I’d laugh at you, probably point, and definitely shoot anyone within earshot of that declaration a knowing, is-this-guy-crazy-or-what, look before explaining all the reasons that wouldn’t happen to you in excruciating detail. They’re not even supposed to be here – a middling club whose tip-top offense has somehow won the day for them so far in 2081 despite their club boasting a pitching staff ranked dead last in runs against, starters ERA, bullpen ERA, and FIP. The theory, or at least the one I subscribe to, is that, in playing at altitude at home, the Jags have benefitted greatly from witchcraft physics, the mezcal fueled performances of their less-than-professional opponents, and an immunity to whatever it is in their water that gives outsiders the runs. These guys are a mystery, man. I have no idea how they got here, and, with all due respect to JJ Barbari, Ryder Nieman, and Tyler Hill, I have my doubts about their offenses ability to lay it down something fierce if half their games weren’t played at 7,349’ in Mexico City. My expectation is that we win this, handedly, and march into the World Series a relaxed and confident club bent on completing one of the hardest tasks in professional sports – a championship repeat.

1 of 7: Owen Sum (1-0, 1.08) @ Nacho Valadez (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 2-4. Perhaps still hungover after celebrating our improbable reverse sweep against the Philadelphia Founders, or maybe because we’re a woefully inconsistent club with offensive challenges, we’d find ourselves on the wrong side of the box score in this one, dropping game one at home as Tyler Hill’s 2-run TANK off Nacho Valadez would both chase him out of the game and give the Jags more than enough cushion to get it done in this one. An 0-for-4 day from Otto, errors for Mullens and Paulino, and 4-earned charged to Nacho’s account, the first runs he’s allowed during these playoffs, would be our undoing here… the boys will do their level best to brush this one off before getting back after it tomorrow.

2 of 7: Ben McGillicuddy (0-0, 2.45) @ Stephen Estevez (0-1, 6.30)
Loss, 1-2. Gulp. We’re in a bad way, in an 0-2 hole after dropping two games at home before boarding a plane bound for Mexico City where we’ll contest the next three… Estevez was straight – 5-innings of work, 4 hits, 1 run allowed, a solo shot courtesy of Payton Gardner (he finished the season with 11 dingers… ugh), and 5 K’s for our ace, but, once again, Don Haag would be unable to close the door enough to get it to latch as he gave up the game-winning solo TANK to Wil Lewandowski during the top of the 9th to take his 2nd L in the post season. For our part, we were handled by our leagues lowest rated staff, fanned 7 times, held to 6 total hits, and made to strand 5 runners by a defense that may be the most lightly regarded of any playoff club in recent memory.

Elsewhere: Vancouver opened their series against Dallas up with a 6-5 win, walking the Chaparrals off in the bottom of the 14th to get this one added to the permanent record, and they’d win the next one too, albeit within 9 frames and by a wider margin, besting the upstart Texas-based ballclub by a score of 3-1 to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

Record: 4-5, 2-2 Away
Up Next: We’ll make the trek to Mexico City where we hope to settle in as if in our own bed to crib at least two off the Jags over these next 3 games.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (4-5, 2-2 Away) @ Mexico City Jaguars (8-3, 4-0 Home)
Playing in Mexico City, where, during these playoffs, the Jaguars have been unbeatable, is far from ideal… sure, it stands to reason that the altitude may awaken our bats, that we may suddenly start hitting again, that the offense will begin showing real verve, and get back on track before its too late. Of course, anecdotally and otherwise, I’ve not had that experience with my club in Mexico City – at least not that I can recall. We need to win here, clearly… it’s important for the club, our fans, and, let’s face, baseball itself that one of its most popular clubs, in one of its most populace cities, shows out for the mothership to help ensure that all of our owners can fill the community coffers once the dust has settled on this season. So, it’s all win one for the Gipper, up the town, and do our part for the sport – we don’t need a reverse sweep, yet, so our focus is to get two of three, get this thing back to L.A., and line up a kill shot in front of the hometown faithful.

3 of 7: Ram Chen (0-0, 1.12) @ Randy Keramidas (1-0, 2.30)
Win, 7-3. We’re not out of the woods yet, but, thanks to Carson Hutchinson’s 2-for-4 day and 2-run TANK, we’re a lot closer than we were upon arrival… A 2-run, two-bagger from OH HONG, an RBI each for Otto and Chance, 2 double plays, 2 outfield assists (Otto getting Nieman at home and Ethan snagging Aaron Lane at 3rd, Ichiro style), and a good enough day from the staff with only Ram (1 earned) and Dontrell (2 earned) letting anything come back around for the home team would make this a positive result for the La La’s. One more of these and we’re good, two more… we’re GREAT.

4 of 7: Stephen Estevez (0-1, 4.80) @ Doug Ehrenreich (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 8-2. We’d break off a 5-run top of the 9th with a 2-run double from Chance followed by consecutive RBIs from the next three batters – Weaver, D-Rod, and Hutchinson – extending what had been a tentative, 1-run margin, to an insurmountable 6-run cushion. Ethan finished 2-for-5 with a 2-run DING DONG, Walt Tignor hit a triple in his only at bat, OH HONG went 2-for-4 and scored, we got a SAC BUNT from Paulino, a SAC FLY from Kyle Weaver, swiped bags from Otto and Ethan, and a winning performance, his first of the playoffs, from Estevez, who went 5.1-innings, allowing two hits, a run, and a walk while fanning 6.

Elsewhere: Dallas managed to get some sweet, sweet get back against Vancouver at home, dispatching the mighty Mounties by a score of 4-2 in front of their hometown crowd in Texas. Ex-Leopard, Merl Crawford, gave the Chaparrals 6.2 innings of filthiness, allowing only 3 hits and 1 earned while fanning 4… he’d not get the win, however, as Donovan Turnbull, who also used to work here, blew it by giving up the tying run during the top of the 7th.

5 of 7: Nacho Valadez (0-1, 2.92) @ Owen Sum (2-0, 1.29)
Loss, 4-6. The Jaguars would put a bad one on us on our way out the door, scoring a run during the bottom of the 7th that put them ahead for good followed by another during the very next frame to give themselves a bit of insurance. Catcher, Gary Alvardo, hit the game-winner, sending those in attendance into a tizzy, Tyler Hill contributed a run-scoring triple and a solo homer, and Payton Gardner blasted a 2-run TANK off Nacho that would spell our doom. 3 earned for Nacho who still has yet to earn a decision in the playoffs, 2 more for Rad, who takes the loss in this one, and another for Jan Hernandez would round out our pitching performances while our offense, in scoring 4 total runs, just didn’t have enough in the kitty to cover the cost of a win.

Elsewhere: Dallas knotted up their series against Vancouver, winning game 4 by a score of 7-2 despite an early, top of the 1st homer for PEPPER GRANT for the Mounties… he did his level best to lead the way, but his teammates just couldn’t be bothered to get in line behind him.

Record: 6-6, 2-3 Home
Up Next: We’ll head back to Los Angeles needing two more wins to keep our caviar dreams alive.

[pauwoo]

Elsewhere: Dallas & Vancouver stayed busy during our travel day, contesting the 3rd of three in Dallas before returning to Vancouver in a couple days’ time… and, in what has become a pattern, Dallas won at home again, this time by a score of 1-0, to take a 3-2 lead over the favorite in a series where the home team has won each of the contests played so far.

Mexico City Jaguars (9-5, 4-3 Away) @ Los Angeles Leopards (6-6, 2-3 Home)
Let’s be honest… there is no home field advantage in Baseball… too many variables to control, too much nuance to parse out. At this point in the series, down 3 games to our 2, there isn’t much left to say – we know what needs to be done, have an idea of how we can do it, and now just have to go out and execute up to our capabilities. Given our topsy turvy season, I’d be lying if I said I expected us to even make it this far – I didn’t. But we’re here, with a division rival standing between us and the promised land and I’ll be doggoned if these scrubs representing Mexico City are going to keep us from our destiny.

6 of 7: Ben McGillicuddy (0-0, 1.59) @ Stephen Estevez (1-1, 3.54)
Win, 3-2. We’d survive a 2-for-4, 2-run homer day from Payton Gardner and a 6-inning, 9-hit, 4 K from McGillicuddy to secure a critical game 6 win, knotting this series up on the back of Ethan Mullens’ run-scoring double during the bottom of the 5th and Don Haag’s economical, 2-inning, 13-pitch save to close this one out. Estevez fanned 6 in 4-innings of work, allowing just two runners to plate during his time on the bump, OH HONG droving in his 8th run of the post season, and Chance Bell recorded an OF assist, gunning down Payton Gardner at 2nd to all but kill Mexico City’s ill-fated, late rally attempt. It’s all knotted up at three games each, folks! This is what we play for (or at least that’s what I keep telling myself – truth is, I’m a shivering mess).

7 of 7: Randy Keramidas (0-0, 1.98) @ Ram Chen (0-0, 1.65)
Win, 3-1. With the game knotted up through the stretch and both pitchers still dealing, we’d finally break through on a 2-run DING DONG from BJ Cristoforo, who only played in 43 games with the big club this season, off Mexico City’s CL Jaden Davis to put us ahead for good as we find a way, for the second series in a row, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. There’s not much to parse out here – Otto swiped a bag and scored, we got a critical SAC FLY from Paulino that brought in our first run during the bottom of the 4th, we secured 2 double plays, saw our 5th outfield assist of the series – this one a Mullens strike to home plate from right field that struck former Leopard, Tyler Hill, down at the plate. And just like that, we’ve got our ticket to the dance in hand and are scanning the scene for a candidate to join us in a little do-si-do.

Elsewhere: Vancouver managed to get the W in a must-win game 6, defeating the upstart Chaparrals by a score of 8-4 to force a Game 7. Pepper, in his advanced age and with his infinite wisdom, took home Man of the Match honors after going 2-for-3 with a GRAND SLAM to lead the charge for the merciless Mounties. And, because why wait… Game 7, with Merl Crawford taking the hill for Dallas while Big Burt McElheny did the same for Vancouver, was a real slobber knocker that would feature a homer for each club, 10 total runs scored, 3 double plays for the winning team, and an outfield assist on par with some of our own that we featured in that series against the Jaguars, with those hard-hearted Mounties from British Columbia breaking hearts all over the Lonestar State tonight, besting the Chaps by a score of 6-4… they’ll meet us in the World Series, will likely be installed as the favorite, and, given that Pepper features for them at 3rd, will, no doubt, cause some mixed emotions in our normally indifferent fanbase.

Record: 8-6, World Series bound, and down…
Up Next: We’ll head to British Columbia to kick of the 2081 World Series with immortality on the line.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (8-6, 4-3 Away) @ Vancouver Mounties (8-5, 7-0 Home)
Going off of record alone, Vancouver was the 2nd best team in the American League… open that conversation up to the most respected members of the BNN punditry and they’d tell you that the Mounties take a back seat to no club in the AL and, during the regular season at least, may have operated only a tick or two slower than the pace being set by Philadelphia during the regular season. They’re led by their staff, ranked 1st in the American League, and home to, perhaps, the best bullpen in all of baseball… the rotation boasts names like Adam Gunter (18-4, 2.57, likely Pacheco candidate) and Big Burt McElheny (13-2, 2.88) and the defense lined up behind them, 3rd in efficiency, 4th in ZR, is as skilled as they come. The offense, while pedestrian by comparison, is nothing to scoff at either – SS Basil Sanchez sent 36 balls over the fence, LF Baron Henry hit .286 with 28 dingers of his own, and Pepper Grant, listed here as much for his defense and leadership as anything else, keeps things focused, yet light, in the clubhouse. Look, whoever you end up facing off against in the World Series is as good as it gets – no doubt – but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that we would have much rather it been Dallas representing to the American League…. Vancouver is fierce, as deadly as it gets, a sturdy club led by sturdy lumberjack types who have little time for shenanigans and are looking to saddle up and get to work.

1 of 7: Nacho Valadez (0-1, 4.02) @ Frank Kouyate (0-1, 33.75)
Loss, 2-3. Vancouver got after it early, scoring all three of their runs during the bottom of the 2nd with the first couple coming around on a RF Leandro Corona double and the 3rd on a PEPPER SAC FLY – team first, that guy… always – while their often-celebrated bullpen shut us down after a rally attempt during the top of the 7th that saw us get to within one. Nacho had each of the Mounties’ runs charged to his account during a wild, 4-walk outing, Chance Bell got caught stealing to kill our rally attempt in the top of the 7th, and we’d strike out a total of 13 times as a club in this one unable to get our footing in the box against Vancouver’s staff. Listen, this was a hard-fought game that could have gone either way – we didn’t get a good result, but I liked what I saw…

2 of 7: Stephen Estevez (1-1, 3.70) @ Adam Gunter (1-1, 0.91)
Loss, 3-4 (10). Walked off, ingloriously, on a Johnny Batton run-scoring single that fit Mr. Don Haag for his 3rd loss of the postseason… so much for being the best closer in the game, eh? Estevez gave a good account of himself, 5-innings pitched, 2 earned runs, and 5 K’s for our Ace, OH HONG hit a 2-run JACK off of Gunter, but we left a total of 15 baserunners stranded despite Vancouver’s three errors, including an uncharacteristic fielding flub for fan favorite PEPPER GRANT. Another SAC FLY for him though – the man always finds a way to contribute – to go along with Johnny Batton’s 3 riblets. We drew 9 walks in this one – feels like a record – and fanned 17 times as a club with Paulino and Rolon coming within a single K of earning a Golden Sombrero.

Record: Who cares… we’re down 0-2 to Vancouver in the WORLD SERIES.

[pauwoo]

Vancouver Mounties (10-5, 1-5 Away) @ Los Angeles Leopards (8-8, 4-3 Home)
Our hope, our only salvation really, is that Vancouver’s inability to win ballgames on the road during the postseason continues in our house so we can get this thing out of the ditch, back on the road, and, hopefully, headed in the right direction… Skipper Michael Scott, in what may be his most unorthodox move in a career filled with them has elected to install Ram Chen as the Game 3 starter – he’s been solid in these playoffs, but, I don’t know man… I don’t feel good about it.

3 of 7: Burt McElheny (2-0, 2.78) @ Ram Chen (0-0, 1.88)
Loss, 2-6. PEPPER GRANT will have his revenge on Los Angeles. Your boy, my boy, everybody’s boy, Pepper Grant put this one well out of reach with a 2-run GOPHER that just managed to make it over the fence during the top of the 8th, running Vancouver’s margin up to 3 runs at the time which was, as you can undoubtedly see by the final tally, more than enough. The Mounties abused our staff in this one – 5 doubles, a triple, Pepper’s homer… and 9 men left stranded. Big Burt McElheny pitched well enough – 6-innings, 3 hits, 2 earned, 5 K’s – before handing things off to the pen who toyed with us like a barn cat toys with a field mouse. Listen, we’re cooked – you know, I know it, everybody knows it… there will be no reverse sweep, that can’t happen twice in one playoff, no sudden reversal of fortune. We’re done, cooked, laid out, buffet style, on a table in front of our opponent… a feast fit for a king.

Pepper’s line… 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, and a run – good enough for the #2 Performance of the Day behind the one & only Big Burt McElheny. I absolutely LOVE seeing Pepper contributing to a likely World Series winning club. I don’t like that it’s coming against my squad – but, as a save-long favorite of mine, it couldn’t be happening to a nicer guy.

4 of 7: Ty Peterson (1-0, 1.72) @ Stephen Estevez (1-1, 3.68)
Win, 2-0. If Pride (In the Name of Love) by the awful, overrated, and intolerable U2 had been about Baseball, I’d have approved our sound guys request to play it over the PA – I have a no U2 policy, of course, but this would have been a scenario that called for a rare exception to said rule had Bono only had our game in mind when he put pen to paper, or quill to parchment, or whatever that precious little Irish poet does when he writes hits that generate the type of capital I could only dream of… here, Estevez showed out, giving us 7.2 innings of no-hit work that include TWELVE K’s, Oh Hong got us all the offense we’d need with a 2-run DING DONG off Bruce Bouknight during the bottom of the 8th, and Don Haag danced with the devil by the pale moon light and lived to tell the tale, recording his 4th save of the post season on 13 total pitches. Listen, I’m not getting my hopes up, I know what this was – our guys gutting one out, following Estevez’s lead, and securing a W out of pride, if nothing else… and, sure, they’ll get in front of the microphone to tell the BNN pundits that we’re taking it one game at a time, focusing only on what is in front of us – but we know, WE KNOW, it’s getting close to the end y’all, and we got vacation reservations to make…

5 of 7: Frank Kouyate (1-1, 8.22) @ Nacho Valadez (0-2, 4.50)
Win, 6-3. And, just like that we’re back on that grind, playing with real verve, and making a go of it… Hong did the dirt – 2-for-4 with a double, a TANK, 2 RBI, and 2 runs – Kyle Weaver hit a bases-clearing double to run his post season RBI total up to 9, Nacho gave an okay account of himself, allowing just two runners to plate over 4.1 innings of work, and Don Haag, slinging mud from the bump, entered his 5th save of the post season, second of the World Series, into the permanent record as we head north once again, and attempt to crib two more off Vancouver in their house. Do we dare to dream? Are we cleared for liftoff, destined to complete our second reverse sweep of these playoffs? I’m not trying to get ahead of myself, and I don’t want this newfound bluster to color what comes out of my mouth… but, yes. Yes, we are.

Record, schmecord… we’re down a game with two left to play, on the road, against a club who, at 9-0 at home, have yet to drop a game in Canada.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (10-9, 4-5 Away) @ Vancouver Mounties (11-7, 9-0 Home)
Back in Vancouver steeling myself up with a jog over the Lions Gate Bridge for what will either be a harrowing and grisly experience in the Great Northwest or the scene of our greatest accomplishment. To get to where we want to be, we’ll need to do the impossible. Unbeaten at home so far this postseason, the Mounties are dispelling the myth that there is no such thing as home field advantage in baseball… 9-0 at home with a +23 RDiff, it’s safe to say that this club and their fans make it difficult on opposing clubs. I think we have the wherewithal to do it, to get it done, to shock British Columbians everywhere… but, that remains to be seen. For now, I’ll enjoy my jog, join the rest of the team here shortly at the park, and look on as the boys put it all on the line in pursuit of immortality.

6 of 7: Stephen Estevez (1-1, 2.92) @ Adam Gunter (1-1, 0.77)
Loss, 1-2. If you take a jog over the Lions Gate Bridge, you’ll have a moment when you reach its peak where you’ll look to your left, then right, to take in the view… you’re on top of the world, above it all… what happens next is either a small-scale panic attack or your ultimate demise. Chest tightens, field of vision narrows, and you do your very best to not pass out as you begin your descent down the other side. With the game knotted up at 1 each, Baron Henry at the plate, our own Major Hansen on the bump, I felt that same feeling, the panic rising like a lump in the back of my throat, the lightheadedness, and, instead of white knuckling my way down the other side I lost consciousness as Henry’s SOLO TANK left the yard… I’m in and out from there - one moment the world is black, the next I see the Mounties players, in a circle, arms around each other’s shoulders, swaying back and forth… jumping up and down. A perfect 10-0 at home during the 2081 postseason and now World Series Champions… fair play to them.

And with that, we close the book on the 2081 campaign… a topsy turvy, up and down season for your La La’s where we both underperformed and reached heights well above our station. That we put ourselves in a position to repeat is something to be celebrated… many have tried, most have failed. We won’t celebrate it, of course, because that’s not what you do, there’s no points for second place and all that… so, instead, like always, we’ll take a short breather and get back after it. Retool, say our goodbyes to some players, bring in some new blood, and, with any luck, fashion this thing back into a winner.

[pauwoo]

Offseason Awards

• Demetri Rodriguez (1x) and Ethan Mullens (2x) each took home Gold Gloves at their respective positions… former Leopards, Tyler Hill (1x), received the honor for his work with Mexico City this season, C Dom Cooke (4x) and 1B Satoru Ono (3x) also banked the achievement.
• CL Don Haag the 2081 first Kingston Cashmore award… this is his 8th time earning the trophy.
• Oh Hong took home his 1st career Silver Slugger award and was our only player on the list as Otto Isaac was blocked in his bid to make it 5 in a row by Austin’s NKOTB, CF Anthony Jamison.
• Skipper Travis Carlisle, of the Austin Grackles, took home Manager of the Year award after breaking our stranglehold on the division championship this season. I’ve been told that our Skipper, Michael Scott, was not pleased.
• Adam Gunter, of the Vancouver Mounties, took home the Victor Pacheco award in the American League… this marks his 3rd season in a row taking home the honor. SP Lucas Torres, of the San Diego Skipjacks, won it in our league… it’s the 1st for the 24yo, Blue Mountain State alum.
• LF Harlem Peterson, over the much more deserving Anthony Jamison, took home the NL’s Boyce Rigg award… he hit .326/.368/.602 with 43 TANKS and 111 RBI… it’s his first career Boyce. Good for him, he did Phoenix proud… Otto finished 6th in voting, Oh Hong finished 9th, Ethan Mullens 11th. Detroit’s 1B Paulo Legna took the Boyce home in the American League for the 1st time in his 7-year career.

Summary of Offseason Roster Moves:

• An inter-division trade… yuck. We flipped SP Jan Hernandez (30yo, 61/61) to San Diego along with minor leaguer SP Ethan Aniag (22yo, 20/54) for SP Larimel Alvarez (27yo, 64/64) and MiLB SP Ryan McGuire (21yo, 34/48)
• Sent SP Dontrell McNeil (31yo, 51/51) and MiLB SP Tiki Castillo (24yo, 30/49) to Philadelphia with SP Orlando Arce (25yo, 52/59) and C Julian Nagy (27yo, 43/43) coming our way in return.
• Worked with Miami on a trade that brought 2B Dan Blasko (26yo, 47/48) and RP William Tajima (24yo, 49/55) to Los Angeles for 2B Simon Paulino (26yo, 42/42) and RP Hank Wilson (26yo, 50/53)
• We extended 1B Oh Hong (29yo, 70/70) for a year at a $21.2mm price tag
• Closed a deal with Portland that brought LF Hernando Benavidez (27yo, 59/59) and MiLB SP Axel Bates (20yo, 20/44) to Los Angeles, giving up MiLB SP Waldo Long (24yo, 37/61) in return.
• Traded LF Kyle Weaver (30yo, 42/42), to Montreal, getting LF Lucas Reese (28yo, 44/44) in return… more pop, even less fielding!
• Traded SP Ram Chen (25yo, 58/69) to Buffalo for SP Marco Ortega (27yo, 54/58) and CF Benny Link (29yo, 39/39)
• Signed 3B Demetri Rodriguez (28yo, 64/64) to a 3yr, $$25.2mm extension
• Signed LF Chance Bell (30yo, 56/56) to a 2yr, $33mm extension
• Signed SS Carson Hutchinson (28yo, 54/54) to a 3yr, $18.2mm extension
• Signed SP Nacho Valadez (34yo, 60/60) to a 3yr, $44mm extension we have a team option in year 3). A dumb move that divided the fanbase… what can I say? I like the stock.

Free Agency:
Departures:

• Stephen Estevez (31yo, 78/78) denied our $15mm qualifying offer and became a free agent instead… he signed a 3yr, $93.6mm contract with Charlotte… we’ll get a supplemental 1st rounder out of it…
• RP Paul Williams (32yo, 57/57) signed a 1yr, $2.9mm deal with the Boston Shamrocks
• RP Masaya Nakagawa (33yo, 52/52) signed a 1yr, $3.2mm contract in Dallas

Summary of Notable FA Signings:

• SP Burt McElheny (35yo, 64/64) signed a 2yr, $43.8mm contract with the New York Sluggers
• SP Cathal Magill (31yo, 67/67) signed a 3yr, $54.6mm contract with the Miami Herons
• SP Tommy Mathieu (35yo, 66/66) signed a 2yr, $45.6mm deal with the New York Sluggers
• SS Hamza McDonnell (31, 66/66) signed a 3yr, $70.8mm deal with Boston
• 2B Jaden Utley (37yo, 70/70) signed a 1yr, $15.6mm contract with Salt Lake City
• 1B Tom Franzone (31yo, 80/80) signed a 3yr, $67mm contract with Pittsburgh
• RP Donovan Turnbull (28yo, 53/54) signed a 1yr, $4mm contract with Montreal
• SS Nehemiah Jenkins (37yo, 55/55) signed a 2yr, $31.1mm deal with Seattle
• 2B Heathcote Kinton (31yo, 80/80) signed a 3yr, $97.5mm deal with Austin
• SP Merl Crawford (32yo, 59/59) signed a 3yr, $61.2mm contract with Brooklyn
• SP Ferdinand Loving (37yo, 54/54) signed a 1yr, $1.2mm contract with Brooklyn
• SP Al Bundy (31yo, 50/50) signed a 1yr, $6.7mm deal to play in New York City
• 3B Germaine Sturdivant (34yo, 57/57) signed a 2yr, $9mm contract with Vancouver
• 2B Randall Berger (37yo, 58/58) signed a 2yr, $41.2mm deal with Miami
• 1B Jeremy Glickstein (34yo, 57/57) signed a 2yr, $22.4mm contract with Salt Lake
• SP Cole Guzman (33yo, 62/62) signed a 1yr, $11.7mm deal to play in Vancouver
• SP Josh Allen (34yo, 61/61) signed a 2yr, $35.6mm deal with Portland
• SP Norm Rodriquez (37yo, 60/60) signed a 1yr, 10mm deal with Toronto
• RF Jonah Dove (39yo, 59/59) signed a 1yr, 18.2mm contract with Brooklyn
• SP Michael Brisk (34yo, 60/60) signed a 2yr, $30.4mm contract with Buffalo
• 2B Mike Duncan (31yo, 68/68) signed a 2yr, $42.2mm deal with Portland
• RP Dylan Miotke (32yo, 64/64) signed a 2yr, $17.2mm deal with San Diego
• LF Lynden Urmanski (28yo, 56/56) signed a 2yr, $19mm deal with Pittsburgh

Some Changes to the Save:

• I’ve updated the schedule – we’ll now play more divisional games and have less 4-game series.
• The playoff format has been updated to increase the barrier to postseason entry… basically, only the division winners will get a ticket to the dance and there will now be a 7-game LCS in each league followed by the 7-game World Series. I made this change because I think that last year’s finish to the regular season would have been a lot more fun, stressful, and meaningful had making the playoffs been on the line.

So… we remade the staff (it’s not necessarily better), strengthened the outfield defense (Otto will DH this year… yikes), and should hit better than we did in ’81. Will we live up to the BNN predictions? Dunno, not sure… I feel good about this club, and I think we can win the whole thing for the 2nd time in 3 years.

Here’s a look at our lineup & rotation… and the preseason predictions…

[pauwoo]

Before we’d get our season started, there was a nearly full slate of games played on April 2nd – Opening Day for the Majors – that featured Leopard defector, SP Stephen Estevez, starting things off on the good foot with Charlotte, twirling a 6.1-inning, 3-hit, masterpiece as his new club defeated the Detroit Motors by a score of 4-0. 2081 NL Pacheco winner, SP Lucas Torres, came correct as well – he’d put together a 7.1-inning, 6-hit, 1-run performance, leading his Skipjacks to a 2-1 win over the Austin Grackles.

Mexico City Jaguars (0-0, .000, t-1st NL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (0-0, .000, t-1st NL West)
We’ll kick off the 2082 campaign against the Mexico City Jaguars, who we last saw in the 2081 NLCS, a matchup combination that can never happen again given our new playoff format, where we bested their club 4 games to 3. They acquired 1B Austin Rollins via trade during the offseason, shoring up their lineup a bit, but didn’t make the type of splash that would make anyone take them seriously as a contender… they’ll likely post a winning record, finishing at 3rd or 4th in the NL West by my estimation. Their problem will continue to be pitching – they made some deals that should have a positive impact on the bullpen, just nothing substantial enough to make anyone stand up and take notice.

1 of 162: Owen Sum (0-0, 0.00) @ Nacho Valadez (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 5-0. Nacho allowed just 2 hits over 4.1-innings of work before leaving with an undisclosed injury during the 5th, handing it off to RP Ramiro Marte who earned the win after holding the Jaguars hitless the rest of the way. 2-run dinger for Otto, a dinger for his partner in crime, OH HONG, two, two-baggers for the squad, and a run-scoring walk for Hutchinson would round things out for us offensively as we get this season off to a good start in front of the hometown faithful.

2 of 162: Ben McGillicuddy (0-0, 0.00) @ Larimel Alvarez (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 3-1. Ethan drew a run-scoring walk during the bottom of the 4th, providing all the cushion we’d need as Larimel, in his Los Angeles debut, went 7 strong, allowing just 3 hits and a run while fanning 6. A double for Benevidez, triple for Oh Hong, and RBI’s for D-Rod and Blasko represented the rest of the offense while Don Haag recorded his first save of the season on 11 total pitches during the top of the 9th.


Elsewhere: LF Jericho Miguez, a 22-year-old former San Francisco Don currently plying his trade with the Pittsburgh Pipers, went 2-for-2 with a 3-run homer and 5 total RBI in his Major League debut as his squad easily dispatched the Brooklyn Citizens by a score of 13-1 to improve to 3-0, completing a road sweep to start their 2082 campaign. DH Tom Franzone, who recently put pen to paper on a 3-year deal to stay in Allegheny County, contributed a 3-run blast of his own, his first dinger of the year, as the Pipers outscored Brooklyn 31-2 over these first three games of the year.

3 of 162: Max Harrington (0-0, 0.00) @ Marco Ortega (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 6-0. We’d hold Mexico City scoreless for the second time in three tries as Marco Ortega gave us 7-innings of work, allowing 7 total hits while fanning 6. Benavidez and Chance Bell each drove in two runs, we hit four doubles as a club, fielded two double plays, and basically dismantled Mexico City’s Max Harrington who could only muster 3.1 innings of work after having 5 bad ones charged to his account through the first 4 frames of the contest. Kicking off the 2082 season with a sweep! You love to see it.

Ok, cool… after finishing the 2081 campaign on such a sour note, the boys have come out throwing elbows to kick off ’82. Our +13 RDiff, while fierce, is still only good enough for 5th best in the league with Philly (+20), Charlotte (+22), Pittsburgh (+24), and Dallas (+25) all outpacing us in that department so far. We’re one of 5 undefeated teams remaining… Charlotte, Buffalo, and San Diego each sit at 4-0 while Dallas and ourselves currently boast a 3-0 record. Some things I noticed… Former Leopards Pepper Grant, Arnold Webster, and Zippo Hollins are all still free agents. I get Zippo, he's still an elite defender but his 30 contact isn’t even good enough for the Bush League, but Pepper and Arnold still have something snappy. I want to offer them MiLB contracts to keep them busy, but, instead, I let this thing play out to see what OOTP has in mind as we creep ever closer to the end of their stories.

Record: 3-0, 1.00, 2nd NL West
Up Next: We’ll travel to Austin for our first road series of the season.

[pauwoo]

Los Angeles Leopards (3-0, 1.00, 2nd NL West) @ Austin Grackles (0-4, .000, 6th NL West)
That the Grackles dropped 4 games on the road to start the season is something of a surprise… that they did it to the lowly San Diego Skipjacks is downright laughable. And, while I’m not really one to find enjoyment in the misery of others, I feel like Austin, who broke our stranglehold on the NL West division by a single game last season, deserves it. They deserve this misery. They’ve earned it on the back of their undeserved good fortune, backing into a division title based, almost exclusively, on luck. Even still, this is a good & dangerous team, a likely 90+ game winner that added all-world talent, Heathcote Kinton, to the fold via free agency, with a gifted, power-heavy offense that will, undoubtedly, give opposing staffs fits… especially in their house. The pitching is suspect… SP Joe Matthiessen (73/80) is obviously a stud, but things take a turn from there and start looking real bleak, real quick. To come out of these next three with a couple more wins in hand, we’ll need to outpace their offense, attack their staff, especially their bullpen, and steer clear of the local nightlife long enough to take care of business.

4 of 162: Dani Thorpe (0-0, 0.00) @ Al Bundy (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 6-1. We’re on that good stuff, living the high life… meanwhile, last year’s foil, the Austin Grackles are stuck in a tailspin so severe that their 2082 campaign may crash and burn before they’ve even made it up to cruising altitude. We’d spread the love around a bit offensively with 5 batsmen contributing to the final tally led by C Lee Rolon’s 2-run double and Ethan’s two steals. Look, a 6-1 victory is dominate… here, upon closer inspection, this could have been much, much worse for the Grackles. They took the loss here, and that is likely bad enough, but we both know that, regardless of the final score, this was a shellacking.

Injury Update… we finally got word on Nacho. High ankle sprain, back in a couple of weeks. 22-year-old Starter, Ryan McGuire (45/59) will get some burn on the big club in his absence.

5 of 162: Rad Taylor (0-0, 0.00) @ Marcos Villalobos (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 5-7. With the game knotted up at 5 run apiece heading into the 9th, and with us unable to do anything about that during the top of that frame, Austin’s Ronaldo Guzman finally gave the Austin faithful something to cheer about, hitting a 2-run, walk-off homer off Orlando Arce to end their 5-game skid. Rad got beat up, lasting just 3.2 innings before being lifted with 5 runs charged to his account, Hutchinson committed his 1st fielding flub of the year at SS, and we suffered the indignity of losing a game where we put three balls over the outfield fence.


Elsewhere: Jonah Dove, at the ripe old age of 39 (I honestly figured he’d retire during the offseason), is proving that age is just a number… the 2072 Boyce Rigg award winner finished 3-for-5 with a homer and 4 total RBI as his Brooklyn Citizens earned some small measure of revenge against Montreal, winning this one by a score of 7-6 after being shut out by the Alouettes, 0-3, just one day earlier.

6 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (1-0, 1.29) @ Joe Matthiessen (0-0, 1.23)
Loss, 1-3. Matthiessen held us scoreless over 6.2-innings of work while Larimel had two runs charged to his account over his 4.2 innings on the bump… our lone run came on a late, top of the 8th, run-scoring double courtesy of Dan Blasko, but it was too little, too late as we’d lose our second in a row on the road, dropping this set 1 game to 2 against a team, in Austin, that is quickly supplanting Phoenix as the most reviled of our division rivals. Even Heathcote, currently hitting .154, managed to get on base for Austin… though he’d erase that a couple of pitches later on an ill-advised steal attempt.

So… we go from sweeping Mexico City at home to dropping a set against Austin in Texas – is normal, nothing to see here. Elsewhere… Austin Rollins, a Mexico City Jaguar now, hit his 400th career homerun. The achievement came during a 7-6 win over the Las Vegas Outlaws in Mexico. Of note as well, I suppose – we have no unbeaten teams remaining, though Former Leopard, current Imperial, Stephen Estevez has improved to 2-0 on this young season with a tip top 0.73 ERA and 491 ERA+ so far. Good on him, I always liked that guy… we just weren’t about to pay him $32mm dollars per when we already have two players earning over $40mm (Otto & Ethan).

Record: 4-2, .667, 3rd NL West
Up Next: We’ll get a day off to make our way back to Los Angeles before welcoming the Philadelphia Founders to town for a 3-game set over the weekend.

[pauwoo]

Philadelphia Founders (3-3, .500, 3rd NL East) @ Los Angeles Leopards (4-2, .667, 3rd NL West)
Widely considered the provisional favorite to win the NL East, with Pittsburgh and Montreal not too far behind, the Philadelphia Founders have stumbled off the line to a ho-hum, 3-3 start. Given their +17 RDiff, I expect their lot in life to improve soon – let’s just hope that improvement doesn’t come at our expense. Their offense is already humming – ranked 2nd in RS, OBP, and OPS, and 3rd in AVG & HRs – and the pitching hasn’t been too bad either… new edition Dontrell McNeil hasn’t fully settled in - 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA after just one start - but the rest of the staff is in fine form and look to be more than capable of giving us fits should we not bring some focus to the table over these next three games. We’ll kick things off against their #2, SP Bob Dauncey (58/72), a native of the Welsh village/community/electoral ward, Pyle, and lifelong Tondu Robins AFC supporter, as he looks to build on his legend back home by sticking it to the MLB’s most glamourous club…

7 of 162: Bob Dauncey (1-0, 1.80) @ Marco Ortega (1-0, 0.00)
Win, 4-3. We’d use our 3-run bottom of the 7th as a flotation device, keeping our heads above water despite Philadelphia’s top of the 9th rally attempt. Ethan Mullens’ 2-run TANK during the 8th frame put us up 2 runs at the time, chasing Dauncey’s replacement, RP Buddy Pardo, out of the game on a loss, after Wales’ favorite son acquitted himself nicely in this one, giving us the business over 5.1 hard-scrabble innings of work. Ortega’s ERA jumps to 0.67 after allowing his first run in two starts, Orlando Arce picks up his first win in relief, and Don Haag was at it again with save #2 – a shaky, yet effective, effort where he gave up a solo homer before closing it out on 17 total pitches.

Elsewhere: Zippo Hollins was picked up by Denver… he went 1-for-4 with them in his debut during a 6-1 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 1B Arnold Webster was picked up by Toronto, he’s toiling in AAA with the Windsor Whistlers currently, just waiting for an opportunity to show everyone he’s still got it with the big club. 3B Pepper Grant, however, is still chilling at home, unwanted, with nary a suiter looking for a 2082 dalliance with the 6x Gold Glover and 4x World Series Champion. What gives?

8 of 162: Wilson Pena (0-1, 4.15) @ Dani Thorpe (0-0, 2.25)
Win, 7-4. We’d hang 3 runs around Pena’s neck and chase him out of this one after the 5th frame before putting four more on his replacement to put this one way out of reach during the bottom of the 7th. Oh Hong went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI, doubles for Ethan and Blasko, and a 2-run blast courtesy of Mr. Isaac would round out the offense while our staff stayed busy as we trotted no less than 6 hurlers out to the mound before entering this result into the permanent record. Dani managed just three innings, I guess he’s the new Ram Chen, Marte backed him up with three more, and Don Haag retired the side on 8 total pitched to record his 3rd save of the season.

9 of 162: Dontrell McNeil (0-1, 7.71) @ Rad Taylor (0-0, 12.27)
Win, 4-3 (10). Otto Isaac, Los Angeles Legend and all-around decent guy, put an end to this one during the bottom of the 10th, smashing a dramatic, walk-off, solo homerun to send the Leopards faithful off on a high note. LF Aaron Sammon, an offseason purchase from the Bush League’s Frankfort Sultans, knotted things up during the bottom of the 8th with an equally dramatic, 3-run dinger in a PH appearance that brought our boys back from the brink of death. Dontrell put in 5-innings of work, allowing just three hits and nothing earned in his return to Los Angeles while our own Rad Taylor went just as long, though was much less effective, allowing Philly to secure 7 hits and 3 runs on his watch. Haag get credited with the win, his 1st of the season, after securing the last 2 outs during the top of the 9th and 3 more during the top of the 10th.


Elsewhere: J.J. Barbari had a heck of a day at the plate for the Jaguars, stringing together all four legs of the cycle as Mexico City beat the Brooklyn Citizens, 11-3. Barbari drilled 4 hits in 5 at-bats, collecting 3 runs batted in and scoring 2 runs to capture the win for Mexico City. J.J. Barbari doubled in the 1st, singled in the 2nd, tripled in the 4th, and hit a two-run home run off Kikuzo Ueno in the 8th. That’ll do it… a nice career achievement for the 27-year-old second baseman.

After dropping 2 of 3 to Austin, in Austin, we managed to return home and earn a sweep over the equally formidable Philadelphia Founders… a nice bounce back for the boys and a phenomenal 7-2 start to the season so far. No complaints from me… yet. San Diego remained hot and are now 8-2 on the year, leading the NL West, after sweeping the Miami Herons in South Beach, while Charlotte and Buffalo continue to make mincemeat of their opponents, both sitting 9-1 on the year with that 1 being an opening day loss. Don’t look now, but… 22-year-old 3B Austin Velasquez, of the Seattle Metros, has opened the 2082 campaign on a tear – the young man has already trucked 6 homers, leading the majors in that category so far. He hit 19 homers last season and is well on his way towards eclipsing that total prior to the All-Star break.

Peep the Power Rankings…
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Buffalo Nickels (173.0, o)
2) Charlotte Imperials (173.0, o)
3) San Diego Skipjacks (153.0, o)
4) Los Angeles Leopards (148.0, +)
5) Phoenix Coyotes (132.0, +)
6) Pittsburgh Pipers (129.0, ++)
7) New Orleans Gators (113.0, ++)
8) Toronto Maple Leafs (113.0, -)
9) Salt Lake Alpines (111.0, -)
10) Mexico City Jaguars (103.0, ++)

Dallas 11th, Detroit 14th, Philadelphia 17th, Seattle 21st, Las Vegas 23rd, and Austin is DEAD LAST.

Record: 7-2, .777, 2nd NL West
Up Next: We’ll welcome the middling, 5-5, New York Sluggers to town for a 3-game set.

[pauwoo]

New York Sluggers (5-5, .500, 4th AL East) @ Los Angeles Leopards (7-2, .777, 2nd NL West)
SP Tommy Mathieu and SP Big Burt McElheny make up one of the better 1-2 punches in the American League. That the rotation suffers a steep drop-off from there is the problem… well, that and their non-descript, power-barren offense that they couple with one of the most ho-hum defensive units in recent memory. Prevailing wisdom has New York finishing at or near the bottom of the AL East, way out of the cake, and angling for a top 5 pick in 2083. Hopefully, they’ll play that role over these next three games expertly while we continue to practice our lines at the top of the call sheet – easier said than done with the top of their rotation due up.

10 of 162: Tommy Mathieu (0-0, 1.64) @ Larimel Alvarez (1-1, 2.31)
Win, 7-6. Down 6-2 heading into the stretch, the boys would dig deep in this one, clawing their way back on a run-scoring single from OH HONG and a 2-run double from Otto to bring us within one. Then, after Hernando Benavidez brought Lee Rolon around on a single during the bottom of the 9th to knot this one up, none other than OH HONG would win it, driving Hernando home and walking off the Sluggers despite their surprisingly sturdy challenge in this first game of three. 4 wins in a row now…

11 of 162: Burt McElheny (0-1, 2.13) @ Marco Ortega (1-0, 0.67)
Win, 1-0. We’d run our consecutive win total up to five, winning this tilt by the skin of our teeth despite being outhit by the Sluggers, 11-5. Our lone run came on an early, bottom of the 1st solo homer courtesy of Otto Isaac, his 7th longball so far this year, Ortega was credited with his 2nd win as a Leopard – 5.1 IP, 9 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, and 5 K’s – reducing his ERA to 0.48 as a result, and Don Haag was at it again with his 4th save of the year, requiring 20 pitches to get it done against the “never say die” New York Sluggers.

12 of 162: Lloyd Duong (0-0, 1.29) @ Dani Thorpe (0-0, 1.29)
Win, 5-2. A solo homerun courtesy of Ethan Mullens during the bottom of the 8th added some extra oomph to what would be both a sweep and our 6th victory in a row, bringing us to 10-2 on the year. Chance finished 1-for-3 with an RBI, Otto drove two in, Hernando scored twice, and Don Haag was at it once more with his 5th save of the season. OH HONG went 3-for-4 as well… can’t forget about him.

An early look at the batting register…


Record: 10-2, .833, 1st NL West
Up Next: A day off before travelling to San Diego for a 3-game set against the upstart Skipjacks over the weekend.

[pauwoo]

Note: Nacho’s back… we’re bringing him right back into the fold, no need for a rehab stint. Ryan McGuire heads back to Compton having had the benefit of hobnobbing with some bonified major leaguers even if he didn’t see any action with the big club.

Los Angeles Leopards (10-2, .833, 1st NL West) @ San Diego Skipjacks (9-4, .692, 2nd NL West)
The Skipjacks have jumped off the line like a man on a mission, hell bent on earning some early respect… the bullpen is dealing, ranked 4th for ERA, the defense stout, ranked 4th in efficiency, and their offense, led by Jalen Payton (.327/.435/.404), has done enough to keep their club in the plus column for RDiff so far. It is, of course, early yet and no one, save their staunchest supporters, expect them to so much as sniff this rarefied air for much longer, but this could be a precursor of better things to come as the San Diego Skipjacks are starting to take on the look of a club with a long term plan, no longer content to whilst away their time at the bottom of the barrel with the rest of the National League riff raff. Here they’ll attempt to dodge the blades of our buzzsaw and continue to give their hometown fans a preview of a future so bright that only a pair of well-constructed, American classic Blublocker’s will suffice should they want to take in the view.

13 of 162: Nacho Valadez (0-0, 0.00) @ Calvin Fox (2-0, 0.00)
Win, 9-0. We’d make it 7-straight wins and flip San Diego’s RDiff (now sitting at -1) on its head in one fell swoop with Ethan leading the way offensively, posting a 2-for-5 day in the box with 4 RBI and a run of his own (on a 2-run TANK in the 4th). Chance Bell finished 4-for-5 with an RBI, he’s now hitting .459, Hernando went 3-for-3 with 3 runs, and OH HONG hit a SAC FLY to bring in a run despite finishing 0-for-4 on the day. Great start for Nacho here too – 5 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, nothing earned, and 5 K’s – with Sherwin Kane and Ramiro Marte contributing to the team shutout the rest of the way.

14 of 162: Larimel Alvarez (1-1, 3.78) @ Lucas Torres (1-1, 3.26)
Win, 3-2. Julian Nagy, in a late PH appearance, hit the go-ahead, run-scoring double during the top of the 9th, and Don Haag secured the last two outs of the game on a double play ball to secure his 6th save while ushering in our 8th straight victory. We’re now one win away from that ever-ellusive, trifecta of terrificness (not a word but maybe should be) – three straight sweeps. That’s a lot of broom-work, if you know what I mean.


Elsewhere: The Outlaws’ Aitor Cubas, 3x MVP, 6x Silver Slugger, put on a show for Las Vegas in Austin, leading his club to a satisfying, 10-6 win, over the Grackles with a fantastic 3-for-4 day at the plate, including a 2-run dinger and 3 runs scored. With the win, Las Vegas improved to 5-10 while Austin falls to that same mark… they’re both languishing in the rear with the gear so far in 2082, much to the chagrin of the BNN Punditry who had both clubs pegged as playoff contenders. Also, don’t look now, but the Mexico City Jaguars are coming in hot, currently riding a 7-game winning streak to move into second on the NL West table with a .714 winning percentage and a 9-1 record over their last ten.

15 of 162: Rad Taylor (0-0, 8.00) @ Jan Hernandez (0-1, 9.75)
Win, 6-3. We may never lose again… 9-straight for the yellow tops now. Rad went 6.1, allowing 3 runs on 6 total hits while fanning 5, Ethan and Otto put balls out with Otto’s being a 2-run blast, SAC BUNT from OH HONG, an expertly executed double play to kill a late, bottom of the 7th rally attempt, and save #7 for Don Haag would round things out for us nicely here as our club continues to run roughshod over our ramshackle competition. Listen, it’s early to put these kinds of expectations on a club… but, it’s title or bust for us this year, fam. If we can’t get it done with this crew, I’ll likely have my bags packed for me.

Current Weekly PR…
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Los Angeles Leopards (173.0, ++)
2) Charlotte Imperials (168.5, o)
3) Buffalo Nickels (138.0, -)
4) Mexico City Jaguars (125.0, ++)
5) Pittsburgh Pipers (124.8, +)
6) Detroit Motors (108.2, ++)
7) Montreal Alouettes (104.2, ++)
8) Phoenix Coyotes (102.2, --)
9) Salt Lake Alpines (100.2, o)
10) San Diego Skipjacks (95.2, --)

Denver at 13th, Vancouver 15th, Philly 16th, Austin 17th, Vegas 21st.

Record: 13-2, .866, 1st NL West
Up Next: Another day off because why not and we deserve it… then it’s three at home against the Las Vegas Outlaws, kicking off a 9-game homestand.