Any Given Saturday

[NYY #23]

Durham Eagles (18-9) @ Virginia Beach Colonials (19-7)



Alberto Rodriguez connected on a two run homer for the Eagles in the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie and give Durham the 2-0 lead. With Sergio Ruiz cruising on the mound it looked promising for the Eagles, until the bottom of the sixth.

Pedro Duenas singled home the first run of the game for the Colonials in the sixth, with Ron MacKnight tieing the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, and David Fleming giving the Colonials the lead for good with a double.

Virginia Beach would get an insurance run in the eighth, but wouldn't need it. Victor Casanes picked up the win with 8 innings. Casanes allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and struck out 8. The Colonials will face off next week against the Hartford Gold.

Springfield Stars (15-11) @ Pittsburgh Rebels (22-4)



The Central League Championship would feature two of the best pitchers in the league. Fernando Garza (12-9, 2.99) would be taking the mound for the Stars, with Bobby Robertson (21-3, 1.70) on the mound for the Rebels. At 26 years old Robertson has dominated the league the past three years, going 44-7 with a 2.03 ERA during that time.

He's anxious to get an opportunity to pitch in the National League, and was dominant tonight for 7 2/3 innings allowing just 1 run on 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 8. Armando Merizlde was 3-4 for the night for the Rebels with 4 RBI, and a double short of the cycle. Joe Mack and Troy Thompson added three hits.

The Rebels will now get the opportunity to travel to Detroit where they'll take on the Wolves.

-------------------

I really don't know what to expect in next week's playoffs. Really the goal is to make sure that the National League is the top level league and filled with the top teams. I don't want teams automatically promoted or relegated, but the teams in the lower division to have to earn their way into the league. Things are somewhat stacked in the NL's favor. They'll host all of the games, and I'm anxious to see how it all turns out.

[NYY #23]

Pittsburgh Rebels
22-4 (Central League)
Runs - 131 (1st)
Runs Allowed - 49 (1st)
Defense Eff - .708 (1st)
Starter - Bobby Robertson: 21-3, 1.70, 169 IP, 219 K
Top Hitter - Dave Lavoie: .410, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 13 R

Detroit Wolves
9-17 (National League)
Runs - 98 (8th)
Runs Allowed - 157 (12th)
Defense Eff - .655 (11th)
Starter - Esteban Rodriguez: 6-12, 4.82, 153 IP, 78 K
Top Hitter - Simen Monstad: .306, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 12 R

It's hard to compare apples and apples with different levels of competition, but on paper the Rebels look like the clear winner. Pittsburgh has the ace in Bobby Robertson, although he doesn't have the stamina you'd like to see. He reminds me of a better version of Bob Miller of the Atlantics.



The Rebels jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Joe Mack scored on a double play. Pittsburgh would add a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth, but for 6 1/3 innings Robertson dominated. 0 runs on 5 hits with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk. He left the game with a 3-0, and though the Wolves did score two runs off reliever Leland Lawrence the Rebels were victorious.

With the win the National League Central will welcome back the Pittsburgh Rebels, and say goodbye to the Wolves, who are out after three disappointing seasons where they went 21-57. The Rebels were 27-51 during their first stint in the National League. We'll get a chance to see if the Rebels dominance of the Central League was due to weaker competition, or the emergence of Bobby Robertson.

[dynaboyj]

I love promotion/relegation formats, and I like the way you have it where the winning team from the lower division has to play the losing team from the higher division. It'll be cool to see how the debuting teams fare in the top league.

[NYY #23]

Virginia Beach Colonials
19-7 (Central League)
Runs - 104 (8th)
Runs Allowed - 57 (1st)
Defense Eff - .710 (1st)
Starter - Victor Casanes: 15-5, 2.12, 190.2 IP, 128 K
Top Hitter - David Fleming: .296, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 16 R

Hartford Gold
6-20 (National League)
Runs - 67 (12th)
Runs Allowed - 122 (9th)
Defense Eff - .659 (10th)
Starter - Roman Phillips: 3-20, 4.46, 203.2 IP, 102 K
Top Hitter - Jaime Hernandez: .344, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 8 R



Nerves may have gotten the better of Victor Casanes in the first inning of the biggest game of his life after allowing a triple and single before recording an out to put the Colonials in an early hole, but he settled down quickly and allowed just 2 hits and a walk the rest of the game while striking out 9 batters.

The Colonials batters bailed him out in the second with singles by John Favela and Aaron Frank to start the inning, followed by Frank stealing second base and Bruce Walton singling them both home to give the Colonials a 2-1 lead.

That would be all the runs they would need, and all they would get outside of an insurance run in the fourth as the Colonials defeated Hartford 3-1.

The Colonials will now be joining the NL East in 1876 where they'll try and avoid last place or face another must win game.

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by dynaboyj

I love promotion/relegation formats, and I like the way you have it where the winning team from the lower division has to play the losing team from the higher division. It'll be cool to see how the debuting teams fare in the top league.

Thanks. Hopefully that will add a fun dynamic, and give the opportunity for the lower team to move up, but still give the top team a fighting chance. This year I truly believe the better team won, but I think we'll see years where no teams are relegated.

I'm really anxious to see how Virginia Beach and Pittsburgh do as well. I think they've got a pretty good shot at sticking around, but I'm not positive. I'm anxious to find out though.

[NYY #23]

Pitcher of the Year



For the second straight year Bob Miller of the Atlantics captured the Pitcher of the Year Award. This year Miller was 17-3 with a 2.51 ERA with 139 strikeouts in 168 2/3 innings. Coming in second was Ernie Cunningham of the Terriers, with Henry Elder of the Trolleys coming in third.

Bob Miller, Atlantics - 17-3, 2.51 ERA, 168.2 IP, 139 K, 4.9 WAR
Ernie Cunningham, Terriers - 15-6, 2.89 ERA 218 IP, 139 K, 5.5 WAR
Henry Elder, Trolleys - 14-11, 2.36 ERA, 217.2 IP, 142 K, 6.3 WAR

Batter of the Year



The Atlantics dominance continues in the end of year awards with Shane McClure winning the Batter of the Year Award. It was the second straight year a member of the Atlantics won the Batter of the Year, and McClure's first award, and first time appearing in the top three. The 26 year old hit .429 this season with 5 home runs, 30 RBI, and 13 runs scored. Teammate Dallas Echevarria finished third in the voting, with Alex Bass of the Silver Moons finishing second for the second straight year after winning the award in 1873.

Shane McClure, Atlantics - .429, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 13 R, 1.9 WAR
Alex Bass, Silver Moons - .427, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 22 R, 1.8 WAR
Dallas Echevarria, Atlantics - .345, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 21 R, 1.5 WAR

Rookie of the Year



Henry Elder of the Trolleys won the Rookie of the Year award this year after going 14-11 with a 2.36 ERA in 217 2/3 innings. Elder struck out 142 batters while walking just 57.

[NYY #23]

I don't usually look at the season previews, but did this year and thought some of the results seemed pretty interesting. According the preseason predictions the Detroit Wolves are predicted to win the Central League, and get an opportunity to return to the National League right away. The results are quite different in the Eastern League, with the Hartford Gold predicted to finish dead last with the Buffalo Blizzards and Richmond Generals battling it out for a chance to jump to the National League.

In the National League the Atlantics and Virginia Beach Colonials are predicted to finish in a tie for first in the East, while the Lakers are predicted to edge out the Terriers. The Rebels are predicted to finish in the middle of the pack with a 11-15 record. The two teams predicted to finish last are the Boston Trolleys (10-16) and Milwaukee Bisons (8-18). We'll have to see how those predictions play out.

----

While the Colonials are the new kid on the block in the National League they certainly have been busy this offseason. Their first order of business was acquiring 30 year old centerfielder Gavin Fuller from the Atlantics.



Fuller started in the National League as a 24 year old and is a .292 career hitter. He's hit 23 home runs, driven in 83 runs and scored 120 runs. Last year Fuller swiped 11 bases. In the deal the Colonials also added 19 year old right fielder Bennett Froehlich, 20 year old shortstop William Baker.



The Atlantics acquired 29 year old Jesus Caraballo, who pitched the past three seasons in relief for the Colonials. He's been good with a 0.84 ERA, but pitched in just 10 2/3 innings. The Atlantics have indicated that they plan to use Caraballo as their new starter, displacing the pitcher who won the last two Outstanding Pitcher Awards, Bob Miller. It seems like a high price to pay for a position that they didn't need. We'll see how it works out for Brooklyn though.

The Colonials also added 22 year old catcher Dave Burt from the Lakers in exchange for 28 year old John Favela. I like both deals from the Colonials perspective, and it looks like they came to the National League to compete.

The Cincinnati Tigers went outside the league to acquire 30 year old starting pitcher Walt Pennington from the San Francisco Union. Last year Pennington was 10-10 with a 2.93 ERA. The Tigers also shipped off 31 year old LF Andrew Floyd to the Baltimore Silver Moons in exchange for a pair of relief pitchers Last year Floyd hit .360 with 10 RBI and 10 runs scored.

[NYY #23]

After April I'm beginning to doubt what I said in the season preview. The Colonials certainly look overmatched in the National League. Victor Casanes is just 1-4 with a 3.96 ERA, and the Colonials only win was against Baltimore. Unfortunately for Casanes the Colonials offense and defense just don't cut it.



I questioned the wisdom of the Atlantics adding Jesus Caraballo, but he's started off his National League career with a 3-1 record and 0.29 ERA. He's struck out 26 batters in 30 innings, and has the Atlantics back in first place. It was a little bit surprising, but Caraballo didn't win the Pitcher of the Month.



That honor went to Ken Kaufman of the Lakers who was 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA this month. Kaufman struck out 42 batters in 38 1/3 innings. He also has the Lakers in first place. At this point I think Kaufman is the best pitcher in the National League, but it's hard not to give the award to Caraballo in April.



Troy Thompson of the Rebels won the Batter of the Month after hitting .579 with 5 RBI and 3 runs scored.

[NYY #23]

Jesus Caraballo of the Atlantics continues to dominate after going 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA in 28.2 innings in May while striking out 24 batters. His performance was enough to win the Pitcher of the Month, and has the Atlantics out front in the NL East with a 8-1 record.

The NL East features three teams currently tied for last - the Senators, Silver Moons, and Senators. Baltimore was expected to finish towards the bottom of the division with Fernando Morales their starter (3-5, 5.29 ERA). They do have the third ranked offense in the National League though, but it may not be enough to overcome bad pitching and defense.

The Senators have fallen fast, and 36 year old Brad Frost is struggling with a 3-6 record and 5.01 ERA. It appears that the days of Frost carrying the team may be coming to an end.

The Colonials are the new kids on the block, and looked better in May going 2-2. The two games they lost were both against tough opponent and by one run as they fell to Brooklyn 2-1, and Philadelphia 10-9. Victor Casanes (3-5, 2.90) will need some better run support if they are going to complete.



Winston Neal of the Bisons was named Batter of the Month after hitting .563 with 1 home run, 5 RBI, and 6 runs scored. The Bisons and tied with the Tigers and just one game ahead of the Blues. 42 year old Clarence Lechner is 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA this year, but the Bisons need to find a long term replacement.

The Blues turned to former starter David Twilley as their starting pitcher this year, and so far he's just 2-5 with a 4.75 ERA this year with the Blues in last place. The Blues are going to need to get their offense going if they are going to stay out of last place. Their batting average has fallen from .295 last year to .262 this season.

[NYY #23]

Flashback to Opening Day with the Patriots in town to take on the Atlantics. The game was tied at 1 heading in to the top of the sixth and the Atlantics committed two costly errors, one by Shane McClure, and the other by Tom Stevens. That allowed the Patriots to pull ahead 2-1, and Sean Dempsey of the Patriots shut down the Atlantics the rest of the game to beat the defending champions as the Atlantics started the season 0-1.

Back to present day and the Atlantics haven't lost since, winning 12 straight games. They finished off another perfect month beating the Trolleys, Lakers, Bisons, and Rebels. They've opened up a four game lead over the second place Patriots and have the best offense, pitching, and defense in baseball. I didn't like their acquisition of Jesus Caraballo, but he's 10-1 with a 1.24 ERA in his first season as a starter. The defending Pitcher of the Year, Bob Miller, hasn't even thrown a pitch this season. Things are going well in Brooklyn.



Sean Dempsey of the Patriots won the Pitcher of the Month Award after going 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA. Dempsey struck out 28 batters in 34 1/3 innings for the second place Patriots, who would be tied for the lead in the Central Division.



Roberto Dezesus of the Colonials hit .533 with a home run, 10 RBI, and 6 runs scored to win the Batter of the Month. The Colonials finished June with a 4-0 record, and have moved up to third place in the East.

Just three years ago the Senators were playing in the Turner Cup and last year the Senators finished in second place with a 17-9 record. This year the Senators are in last place, two games behind Baltimore and Boston. If they don't turn things around they'll be forced to play against the Eastern League champ to remain in the National League at the end of the year. 36 year old Brad Frost is really struggling this year, going 4-9 with a 5.01 ERA. He's definitely worse than last year, but with a FIP of 3.84 ERA he may not be as bad as he appears.

After dropping five straight games the Cincinnati Tigers are now sitting in last place in the NL Central. One of the main culprits, the Tigers are 1-8 on the year against right handed pitchers. 8 of their 9 regulars are hitting below .200 against righties this year. That could be a bad sign for the Tigers, as just two of the five teams in their division have a lefty starter, Ernie Cunningham of the Terriers, and Clarence Lechner of the Bisons. They'll also finish up their schedule against two righties, and lefty Jesus Caraballo of the Atlantics.

[NYY #23]

Dallas Echevarria of the Alantics hit .500 for the month with a home run, 7 RBI, and 4 runs scored while winning the Batter of the Month Award. Echvarria helped the Atlantics go 4-1 for the month and extend their lead in the NL East to 4 games over the Patriots, the only team to beat the Atlantics this year, and with their 5-4 win in July they've now done it twice.



Pitcher of the Month was awarded to Ken Kaufman of the Lakers who was 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA. Kaufman stuck out 38 batters in 40 innings pitched, and the Lakers maintain a one game lead in the NL Central.

While the St Louis Terriers are currently in second place they received some bad news when they found out that starting pitcher Ernie Cunningham will miss the rest of the year. The Terriers will turn to former starter Ralph Murphy, who has started out 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA in four starts, with the Terriers winning all four of his starts. Murphy is a step down from Cunningham at this point in his career, but knows how to pitch with a 46-22 career record and 3.57 career ERA.

Life in the National League has had its ups and downs for the Pittsburgh Rebels. The Rebels dropped three straight games to end the month, but with a three game lead over the Tigers it looks like their stay in the National League will be longer than a single year.

With a 10-8 record the Colonials also appear likely to remain in the National League for at least another year. After going 0-5 in July the Silver Moons are now tied with the Senators for last place in the NL East.

With a 13-5 record in the Eastern League the Providence Whalers are the front runners to gain an opportunity to join the National League. In the Central League the Detroit Wolves currently have the best record at 14-4.

[NYY #23]

The Atlantics already hold the record for most wins in a season with 21, which they set in 1874, but with a 20-2 record and four games remaining they have an excellent chance to break that record. It's not a big surprise that the Atlantics had the Pitcher of the Month either. Jesus Caraballo went 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA this month to win the award, and actually raised his season ERA to 1.57 to go along with his 16-1 record.

Caraballo was a reliever before coming over to the Atlantics, and maybe teammate Gheorghe Stefanescu could have similar success as a starting pitcher. Stefanescu has been pitching in relief for the Atlantics and is 4-0 with 6 saves this season for the Atlantics with a 0.27 ERA in 33.2 innings. He's used to that role for the Atlantics though, with a 15-5 career record and 24 saves in 5 seasons with the Atlantics. He's got a 1.94 ERA in 200 innings, spread over 74 games. Pitching is definitely a luxury for the Atlantics, with Caraballo, Bob Miller, and Stefanescu all capable of starting.

Perhaps the only team in the league that could match their pitching depth is the Virginia Beach Colonials. 26 year old starter Victor Casanes is 15-5 with a 2.12 ERA this year and rated as the top pitcher in the league. 30 year old Bo Brown was rated the 7th best starting pitcher, one slot above Bob Miller, and 25 year old Craig Davis is rated 11th best. The two teams combined have half of the top 12 ranked starting pitchers in the National League.

Baltimore would love to get their hands on any one of those pitchers with Franklin Morales struggling with a 7-14 record and 5.62 ERA as the Silver Moons are tied for last place in the NL East.



Baltimore may be reluctant to make a trade though after John West won the Batter of the Month for the Senators. West hit .385 with 3 home runs, 5 RBI, and 5 runs scored in his first full month after being traded from Baltimore. He was hitting just .176 at the time of the trade, but has raised his average to .284 for the season. Baltimore received 33 year old pitcher Kyle King in the deal. They are going for quantity over quality though with 18 pitchers on their reserve roster. Only one looks to have potential to be a starter in the National League, 19 year old Roger Hollis who is still quite a ways away from being ready.

After winning their first two games of the month the Lakers fell to the Tigers (5-4) and Bisons (4-2) and are unable to separate themselves from the Terriers.

[NYY #23]

The Atlantics clinched the NL East with a 1-0 win over Baltimore. Fernando Morales pitched well for the second straight game and held the high powered Brooklyn offense to just 1 run on 4 hits, but it was Jesus Caraballo who picked up his 17th win of the year after shutting down the Silver Moons.

The Senators fell 8-3 to the Trolleys to remain in a last place tie. Brad Frost picked up the loss for the Senators and is now 7-16.

It took 12 innings but the Lakers outlasted the Blues 5-4 in 12 innings to open up a two game lead in the NL Central with the Terriers falling 4-2 to the Tigers. Howard Harrison drove in the winning run for the Lakers in the 12th.

[NYY #23]

Someone must have explained to Franklin Morales that he'll need to pitch another game if Baltimore doesn't stay out of the NL East cellar. Morales has now given up just 10 hits and 2 runs in the past three games and 26 innings and Baltimore blew out the Patriots 13-1.

With the Senators falling 7-2 to the Atlantics they now trail Baltimore by 1 games. It was the Atlantics 7th straight win, and National League record 22nd win.

With a 3-2 win over the Terriers the Cleveland Lakers clinched the NL Central and now have a date with destiny in the Turner Cup against the Atlantics.

That leaves the only two races the race to avoid last place. With the Tigers winning their fourth straight game this week they now trail both the Blues and Bisons by one game. Cincinnati will close their season on the road against the Bisons and Lakers.

A quick check in the Eastern League has three teams with a 17-7 record - the Newark Trotters, Durham Eagles, and Providence Whalers. In the Central League the Detroit Wolves are 19-5 with the Springfield Stars leading the second division with a 15-9 record.

[NYY #23]

With their fifth straight win the Tigers pulled even with the Milwaukee Bisons. In the NL East the Senators are now tied with the Silver Moons. Looking at the final game for the four teams -

Cincinnati @ Cleveland
Milwaukee @ St Louis
Baltimore vs. Virginia Beach
Washington vs. Philadelphia

The Senators will be playing their final game without manager Roger Lackey, who was fired. Lackey was 105-75 during his managerial career with the Senators.

[NYY #23]

With the Tigers winning their sixth straight game this week with a 7-4 win over Cleveland the Tigers narrowly avoid last place with the Bisons losing to the Terriers. With a 10-16 record the Bisons will be in danger of being of being relegated from the National League.

With both Baltimore and Washington losing the two teams will face off one more time with the winner safe for at least another year, and the loser playing the Eastern League Champion.

A look at the remaining playoff schedule:

9/30:
Washington Senators (8-18) @ Baltimore Silver Moons (8-18)

Eastern League Championship:
Newark Trotters (19-7) @ Providence Whalers (19-7)

Central League Championship:
Springfield Stars (16-10) @ Detroit Wolves (20-6)

10/7:
Turner Cup:
Cleveland Lakers (17-9) @ Brooklyn Atlantics (23-3)

10/14:
Newark/Providence winner @ Washington/Baltimore loser
Springfield/Detroit Winner @ Milwaukee Bisons

[NYY #23]

Washington Senators (8-18) @ Baltimore Silver Moons (8-18)

It was a playoff atmosphere in Baltimore despite the fact that two 8-18 teams were playing. The announced attendance for the game set a National League record, even beating last year's Turner Cup.

On the mound for Washington was three time Pitcher of the Year Brad Frost, winner of the 1870, 1872, and 1873 award. This version of Brad Frost was a 37 year old who was 7-18 with a 4.73 ERA in 26 starts. There aren't very many pitching records that Frost doesn't hold in the National League, at both the season and career level.

27 year old Fernando Morales started for Baltimore, and doesn't have nearly the same pedigree as Frost. Morales won a career high 8 games this year to go along with 16 losses and a 4.95 ERA. That was an improvement over his first season as a starter where he went 4-14 with a 5.62 ERA.

All that mattered was today though, and after two scoreless innings Brad Frost singled to start a Senators' rally in the third. Frost and Javier Chacon would come home to score on a double by David Miller, and the Senators would go up 4-0 on a two run home run by Clark Wardrope.

Baltimore would scratch back though, first with a Manny Diaz sacrifice fly in the fourth, then with Orlando Fuentes doubling and scoring on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the sixth. In the seventh it was Silver Moons' star Alex Bass who delivered the big two run home run to tie the game.

The score would remain at 4 and the two teams would battle into the twelfth inning. With one out in the bottom of the twelfth Alex Bass would start the rally with a single, and come home to score the winning run after consecutive singles by Orlando Fuentes, Alfonso Renteria, and Andrew Floyd.

Reliever Stephen Haynes would get the win with 3 innings of 1 hit relief for Baltimore, while Martin Duncan would pick up the loss. The Silver Moons can go home for the offseason knowing they'll be returning to the National League in 1877, while the Senators will be forced to win again to return to the National League. They'll find out who they host later today.

[NYY #23]

Newark Trotters (19-7) @ Providence Whalers (19-7)

The Newark Trotters finished first in the Eastern Division 1 with a 19-7 record, behind the arm of Antonio Acosta, who finished with a 19-6 record and 3.10 ERA. The 33 year old had a career year this year after struggling last season with an 8-17 record and 4.05 ERA. Newark scored the fourth highest amount of runs in the league, but their batting average (.246) was tenth in the league, although their on-base percentage ranked fourth (.345).

The Providence Whalers edged out the Durham Eagles in the Eastern Division 2 with a 19-7 record. 31 year old Norberto Martinez was 15-6 with a 2.86 ERA this season, and the Whalers scored the second highest total of runs in the Eastern League. Leadoff hitter and centerfielder Mike Davis led the team with a .327 batting average.

Newark got on the board first in the second with singles by Jesus Sandoval, Thomas Price, Victor Rojas, and Eugene McDonald to give them a 3-0 lead. Eugene McDonald would hit a solo homer in the fourth, and drive in his third run on the game with a seventh inning double.

Antonio Acosta would pick up the complete game win allowing just 6 hits in the Trotters 7-2 win over the Whalers, and face off against Brad Frost and the Washington Senators in an attempt to gain entry into the National League.

[NYY #23]

Springfield Stars (16-10) @ Detroit Wolves (20-6)

The Springfield Stars entered the game as the underdog winning four games less than Detroit this season, including a 3-0 loss to the Wolves earlier this season. Their starting pitcher would be 34 year old veteran Fernando Garza, who went 15-5 with a 3.00 ERA this season. The Stars scored a total of 126 runs this year, third best in the Central League.

The Wolves won the Central League 1 Division after being relegated from the National League with a 20-6 record. 40 year old Mark Thomas came over in a trade from the Newark Trotters in the offseason and was 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA, spitting time with 27 year old Estaban Rodriguez who finished 8-0 with a 3.32 ERA. While the two pitchers split time Rodgriguez would be getting the start for the Wolves against the Stars. The Wolves had the second best offense in the Central League led by Simen Monstad (.343, 6 HR, 25).

With the Wolves leading 4-2 heading into the fourth the Stars offense came alive against Rodriguez, who they chased from the game in the fifth after taking a 5-4 lead. They added 2 runs in the sixth and seventh, and another in the eighth to take a 10-4 lead.

A ninth inning rally by the Wolves ended with the tieing run at the plate as the Stars held on for a 10-8 win. The Stars will face off next against the Milwaukee Bisons.

[NYY #23]

Cleveland Lakers (17-9) @ Brooklyn Atlantics (23-3)

The Brooklyn Atlantics entered today's game against the Lakers as the heavy favorites, but it was the Lakers that struck first when John Ball triples and scored on a single by Matt Bowling to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead.

Those two hits would be all Brooklyn starter Jesus Caraballo allowed all night, but unfortunately Mother Nature intervened in the fourth inning and after a 74 minute rain delay Caraballo would be done for the night. Gheorghe Stefanescu would take over for the Atlantics, who would allow 2 runs over the next 3 1/3 innings.

The start of the game was Lorenzo Cruz, who came on in relief of Ken Kaufman and pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings to get the win, and hold the powerful Atlantics offense to just two hits.

The Lakers would win their first Turner Cup during the cold and rainy October night.