DELMARVA Baseball League - WBC Tourney (2039)

[illeracula]

The DBL-WBC Championship Preview
These two teams match up really well as proven by the history they have had over this years and the 2037 tourney. Team USA - DelMarVa will be the home team today going up against Team USA - New England the wild card winner.

Both teams will have their aces on the hill with Scott Vanciny going for New England. Vanciny went 7-shutout innings in his start this against DelMarVa striking out 11, allowing 4 hits an walking 5. He alos started against Team USA - East but left hurt after 15 pitches.

For DelMarVa we will be throwing Gabino Miller for the 2nd time. He took the ND during a 5-4 win over Team USA - New England during the round-robin, and he won against Team USA - East. Overall he has thrown 15.2 innings, allowing 11 hits and 0 runs, while walking 3 and striking out 14.

Both pitchers come in fully rested.

Players to watch for Team USA - New England:
Max Wallstreet: .333-3-7
Marvin Garrett: .250-3-11
Howard Gray: .286-1-6

Players to watch for Team USA - DelMarVa:
Bob Mortin: .381-0-6
Mikel Wallstreet: .333-3-10
Matt Fontenot: .314-1-4

Despite tweaking his back last game Garry Curran is back and ready to go. DelMarVa will be going with the same line-up the did during the semi-finals:
LF Gary Curran (S)
CF Mookie Wallstreet (L)
RF Mikel Wallstreet
C Elwood Krause
1B Jimmy Moore (L)
3B Matt Fontenot
DH Ira Kelly (wasn't supposed to start, but he is)
2B Melvin Butler
SS Bob Morton

It is time to play ball!

[illeracula]

Championship Game Recap
The game started off exactly how you don't want it to if you are the manager of the pitching team... Lead-off man for Team USA - New England got the game going when Gabino Miller hit him with an inside fastball on the 1-2 count. He quickly stole second. Howard Gray grounded out to second, moving Shelton to third. And #3 hitter Marvin Garret singled to left, plating the first runner of the game. After a fly out Manuel Vazquez and John Minor picked up back-to-back singles and just like that Team USA - New England had the early 2-0 lead.

In the fourth John Minor doubled to start the inning, and would quickly score 2-batters later and a Dave McGinnity single. After 4-innings the game was 3-0 Team USA - New England.

The bad news for Team USA - DelMarVa was the New England starter Scott Vanciny was on his A game. Setting down the first 12-hitters he faced without a problem.

Things would change in the 5th for Team USA - DelMarVa with back-to-back singles by Elwood Krause and Jimmy Moore would start the inning off. After a flyout to left by Matt Fontenot plated Krause, Ira Kelly singled up the middle moving more to second... Scott Vanciny winced in pain after Kelly's single and would be removed... But Jorge Valverde shut the door and Team USA - DelMarVa would trail 3-1 after 5.

Team USA - DelMarVa would threaten in the 6th when Mookie Wallstreet doubled to start the inning. His brother Mikel was hit-by-the-pitch and we had runners on 1st and 2nd... Elwood Krause: K, Jimmy Moore: K, Matt Fontenot: 6-3... inning over, now I regret not bunting.

IN the 8th Team USA - DelMarVa would chip away some more. A walk to Gary Curran started the inning. 2-batters later, Curran would score on a double by Mikel Wallstreet. Krause and Moore would be set-down, after 8: Team USA - New England 3, Team USA - DelMarVa 2

Matt Fontenot started the 9th with a double for Team USA - DelMarVa. Pinch-hitter Chance Capers would roll-over an easy grounder to first, moving the tying run to 3rd... Melvin Butler strikes out for out #2. Bob Mortin who has been red-hot all tourney lines one to left-center, but it would tracked down by the left-fielder and Team USA - New England walks away with the trophy and Back-to-Back titles!!!

Team USA - New England:
Scott Vanciny: 4.1 IP, 3 H, R, 4 K
Jorge Valverde (2-0): 2.2 IP, H, R, 3 BB, 2 K
Robert Galloway (SV 4): 1.2 IP, 2 K, K
Manuel Vazquez: 3-4
Dave McGinnity: 1-1, RBI (left hurt)
John Minor: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
H: 8, LOB: 6

Team USA - DelMarVa:
Gabino Miller (1-1): 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, BB, 3 K
Joey Wood: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 6 K
Mikel Wallstreet: 1-4, 2B, RBI
Matt Fontenot: 1-3, 2B, RBI
Elwood Krause: 1-4, R
H: 6, LOB: 7

Not how I had hoped it would go down, but I do have to give it up for Team USA - New England, what a come back from them After losing their first 2-games of the tourney they went on to win 7 of the next 8 and taking home their second title... Joey Wood was scheduled to start, but I went with my gut and gave the ball to a well-rested Miller. After playing this game I am not sure I made the right choice. This game will haunt me as I think about what I should have done. I am bummed we couldn't win this game, but it will hopefully give us some more fuel to bring in 2041.

[illeracula]

Team USA - New England 2039 Championship Round Champions:
Team USA - New England will avoid the wrath of manager Ken Mitchell and they have a championship trophy to boot.

Team USA - New England defeated Team USA - DelMarVa today by the final score of 3-2 in the championship game of the 2039 World Baseball Classic, sending overjoyed players and fans streaming onto the field.

"I tried to make sure all the guys knew I would be furious if we screwed this up," Mitchell joked after the game. "I guess that was enough motivation for them."

[illeracula]

2039 DBL WBC All-Tournament Team/Leaders

All Tournement Team
C - Pung-Cho Kang (Team Asia): ..548-3-5, 6 R, 3 2B (.348/.518/.870), 270 OPS+
1B - Fred Harmon (Team USA - East): .311-2-5, 2 R (.311/.399/.595), 163 OPS+
2B - Dennis Gomez (Team Cuba/Russia): .298-2-8, 9 R, 4 2B (.469/.564/.781), 269 OPS+
3B - Jesus Vazquez (Team Cuba/Russia): .344-1-6, 4 2B (.344/.432/.563), 174 OPS+
SS - Jim Shelton (Team USA - New England): ..281-0-1, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 SB (.281/.410/.375), 126 OPS+
OF - Mikel Wallstreet (Team USA - DelMarVa): .333-3-11, 6 R, 2 2B (.333/.419/.639), 192 OPS+
OF - Felipe Quintanta (Team Dominican Republic): ..400-1-3, 7 R, 2B, 3B (.400/.438/1.200), 340 OPS+
OF - Gary Curran (Team USA - DelMarVa): ..289-1-4, 13 R, 3 2B (.289/.372/.447), 129 OPS+

SP - Hugh Duncan (Team USA - New England): 3 GS, 1-0 2.38, 22.2 IP, 16 H, 28 K, 0.88 WHIP
SP - Jose Hernandez (Team USA - New England): 2 G, 2-0 0.75, 12.0 IP, 7 H, 14 K, 0.75 WHIP
MR - Tom Watson (Team USA - DelMarVa): 2 G, 1-0 2.19, 12.1, 10 H, 9 K, 0.89 WHIP
MR - Gonzalo Bustamante (Team South America): 4 G, 0-1 1.35, 3 SV, 6.2 IP, 3 H, 9 K, 1.05 WHIP
CL - Yasunobu Ito (Team Asia): 4 G, 0-0 0.00, 3 SV, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 K, 0.80 WHIP
CL - Robert Galloway (Team USA - New England): 6 G, 4 S, 4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP, 6 H, 5 K, 1.20 WHIP

Tournament Leaders:
AVG: Dennis Gomez (Team Cuba/Russia): .469
H: Dennis Gomez (Team Cuba/Russia): 15
HR: Lorenzo Liriano (Team Cuba/Russia): 5
RBI: Marvin Garret (Team USA - New England): 12
R: Gary Curran (Team USA - DelMarVa): 13
SB: Salvador Espinoza (Team South America) / Jim Shelton (Team USA - New England): 5
XBH: Mookie Wallstreet (Team USA - DelMarVa): 9
TB: Dennis Gomez (Team Cuba/Russia) / Lorenzo Liriano (Team Cuba/Russia): 25

ERA: Ramon Sanchez (Team Central America): 0.00 (7.1 IP / 4 others with 0.00)
W: Jose Hernandez (Team USA - New England) / Alvin Richardson (Team USA - DelMarVa) / Jorge Valverde (Team USA - New England): 2
SV: Robert Galloway (Team USA - New England): 4
IP: Hugh Duncan (Team USA - New England): 22.2
Ks: Hugh Duncan (Team USA - New England): 28
K/BB: Ernie Kennedy (Team USA - DelMarVa): 10.00

Tournament MVP: Dennis Gomez (Team Cuba/Russia): .469-2-8 (.469/.564/.781), 9 R, 4 2B, 1 SB, 1.1 WAR

[illeracula]

The 2039 tournament has come to an end and I have to say this one was as much fun as the first one. It will be hard to wait two more DBL season to play the third one, but that is the plan. Uniforms and logos are created and ready to go.

Team USA - New England has now won two seasons in a row, and their win this year might have been a bigger surprise than their win over Team Puerto Rico in 2037. Despite the repeat winner this years tourney saw a lot of new surprises. Team Asia and Team South America going undefeated in the round-robin, last years only undefeated team (Team Dominican Republic) not making it out of the first round.

Anything is possible in these short tourney's and I don't expect much to change in 2041 during the next running. However players will be retiring and players will be coming up so things might look a lot different in 2 years. I know I am excited to see what happens.

I am debating if I should change round 2 in 2041, but I have time to decided. Maybe make it longer where 8 teams make it instead of 5. I don't know, but to get more teams in and possible a different winner it might be fun.

I do know in 2041 I will once again be at the helm of Team USA - DelMarVa, and we will be out for victory, we were close this year and know we know what it is like and when we come back we will be ready!

That is all from here. Thanks for following.

[STLRS95]

Just catching up on these. Great job as always.

[illeracula]

Originally Posted by STLRS95

Just catching up on these. Great job as always.

Thanks for reading and glad you enjoy.