OOTP Blitz Solo: RTS meets Moneyball

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The Mad Scientist of St. Louis: Inside the Mind of Baseball's Most Daring Manager

By Wright Bernstein
Esquire

Wookie Rogers sits in his office at Sportsman's Park, feet propped on a desk that's seen three generations of Cardinal managers before him, and grins like a man who knows something you don't. He usually does.

"Everyone thought I was crazy," he says, remembering the conversation that changed the Cardinals' season. "Here's Urban Henry, future first-ballot Hall of Famer, 10 Cy Youngs, two MVPs, and I'm asking him to be my closer. Who does that?"

Wookie Rogers does that.

The 40-year-old Henry, St. Lucian accent thick with emotion, remembers the conversation differently: "Skip just walks in, puts a bottle of rum on my locker - good rum, the kind you can only get back home - and says 'Want to make history?' When Wookie asks like that, you listen."

History, indeed. Henry has transformed into the kind of closer that makes other managers weep, recording crucial saves throughout the Cardinals' march back to the World Series. But that's just one piece of Rogers' fascinating puzzle.

This is a man who turned Layton Willingham's homecoming into poetry, bringing back the veteran lefty who spent 11 years in Cardinal red before last year's Portland sojourn. Who orchestrated Spencer Van Doren's return via a circuitous route through Texas and Baltimore. Who built a bullpen full of converted starters because, as he puts it, "anyone can get three outs - I want guys who know how to get twenty-seven."

"The thing about Wookie," says bench coach Tommy Herzog (yes, that Herzog's great grandson), "is he sees baseball differently. While everyone else is playing chess, he's playing three-dimensional chess. In space. Probably upside down."

The stories are becoming legend. There's the time he called for a pitchout on a 3-0 count in the ninth inning of a one-run game because he "saw something in the third base coach's left ear." The runner was going. There's the famous "BBQ Summit" where he solved Mark Wleh's early-season struggles over eighteen hours of slow-smoking ribs. "Best manager I've ever had," says Wleh, "though my cholesterol hasn't been the same since."

But it's the Henry decision that defines Rogers' tenure. Moving a future Hall of Famer to the bullpen could have backfired spectacularly. Instead, it might bring St. Louis its first championship since 2011.

"People overthink baseball," Rogers says, pulling a weathered scorecard from his desk. It's from his minor league managing days, covered in a cryptic system of dots and dashes that look more like quantum physics than baseball. "The goal isn't to be the smartest person in the room. It's to put people in positions to be their best selves."

He pauses, that grin returning. "Though being the smartest person in the room doesn't hurt."

The Cardinals are four wins away from ending their 52-year championship drought. Their manager is either a genius or a madman. The line between the two, as Rogers would tell you, is probably just a matter of perspective.

And that bottle of rum that convinced Henry to become a closer? "Still haven't opened it," Henry says. "Wookie says we're saving it for something special."

One gets the feeling they won't have to wait much longer.

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History vs. Destiny: Breaking Down the 2063 Fall Classic

By Jeff Sullivan
FanGraphs

When the 2063 season began, nobody predicted a World Series matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Sacramento Solons. The Cardinals weren't even supposed to make it through the new Ladder playoff format. The Solons? They were expected to be good winning their 3rd straight AL West title, but they weren't on anyone's list to win the AL but they capitalized on the opportunities and leveraged their bye into a defeat of the Toronto Blue Jays in 6 games in the ALCS.

Yet here we are. Let's break down what promises to be a fascinating series.

How They Got Here
- Cardinals: Made history as first Ladder-era team to advance from wild card to World Series, going 11-4 through four rounds
- Solons: Won 99 games, dominated Blue Jays in ALCS behind MVP Zane Grifaldo

Offense

The Cardinals (.265/.338/.403, 2nd in NL hits) and Solons (.269/.348/.422, 3rd in AL runs) are more similar than they appear. Both teams rely on balanced attacks rather than pure power.

Key Matchups:
- Leuri Ramírez (.333/.397/.596, 8.2 WAR) vs Jorge Galo (.364/.454/.572, 8.3 WAR)
- Cardinals' MLB-best 196 SB vs Solons' strong catch-and-throw backstops
- Chandler Graeve (37 HR, 130 RBI) vs Cardinals' predominantly left-handed staff

Edge: Even

Starting Pitching

The contrast is stark:
- Cardinals: Led by Mark Wleh (20-10, 2.33 ERA, 10.2 WAR)
- Solons: Balanced rotation featuring Minoru Watamura (14-12, 3.71 ERA)

Edge: Cardinals

Bullpen

The series could hinge here:
- Cardinals: MLB-best 2.90 bullpen ERA, led by converted starter Henry
- Solons: Walt Cliff (2.57 ERA) and Nico Ayala (2.82 ERA) form lethal late-inning combo

Edge: Cardinals

Defense
- Cardinals: +34.7 WAR on defense, led by Alexis Walker in CF
- Solons: Middle of the pack defensively but excellent up the middle

Edge: Cardinals

Intangibles
- Cardinals seeking first title since 2011
- Solons looking for franchise's first championship
- No head-to-head meetings in 2063

The Call
Cardinals in 6. The combination of Wleh, that transformed bullpen, and Ramírez's scorching bat proves too much. St. Louis ends its 52-year drought and validates Rogers' unconventional moves.

One Strange Fact
These teams have never met in interleague play since Sacramento reclaimed the Solons name in 2061. First World Series matchup between teams with zero regular season meetings since the 2039 Fall Classic.

Numbers courtesy of FanGraphs. For more analysis, visit fangraphs.com

Hot vs. Hot: Breaking Down Cardinals-Solons By The Postseason Stats

By Jeff Sullivan
FanGraphs

The numbers that matter aren't from the regular season anymore. Let's dive into what these teams have actually done in October:

Playoff Heroes So Far

Cardinals:
- Alexis Walker: .389/.450/.537, 12 runs in 13 games
- Taner Peterson: 3-1, 1.10 ERA in 32.2 IP
- Urban Henry: Reinvented as closer with 1 save, 3.65 ERA in high-leverage spots

Solons:
- Zane Grifaldo: ALCS MVP hitting .593/.607/.926
- Chandler Graeve: .444/.522/.944, 7 RBI in 6 games
- Walt Cliff: 6 saves, 2.57 ERA as closer

Key Storylines

1. The Henry Experiment
Rogers' bold move to convert future Hall of Famer Urban Henry to closer has been a masterstroke. The 40-year-old has embraced the role, getting crucial outs in the Cardinals' march through the Ladder playoffs.

2. Peterson's Renaissance
While Wleh is still the ace, Peterson has been untouchable this postseason (1.10 ERA). His success gives Rogers flexibility with the rotation.

3. Grifaldo's Moment
After a solid regular season, the Solons' shortstop has gone supernova (.593 in ALCS). Can he stay hot against St. Louis's left-heavy staff?

Matchup to Watch
Cardinals' bullpen creativity vs Solons' late-inning approach. St. Louis has masterfully deployed former starters in relief roles while Sacramento relies on more traditional bullpen usage.

X-Factor
Leuri Ramírez (.292/.393/.458 this postseason) vs Jorge Galo (.273/.385/.364 in ALCS). Both left-handed hitters will face tough matchups throughout.

Prediction
Cardinals in 7. Henry gets the final out as St. Louis ends its 52-year drought in dramatic fashion.

Historical Note
First World Series featuring a team that came through the Ladder format. St. Louis had to win 11 games just to get here - they're 3 wins from completing the most improbable championship run in baseball history. It's their 2nd straight NL pennant (21 in franchise history) after going 50 years without a World Series appearance.

Sacramento won their 3rd AL pennant in franchise history, they joined MLB in 2040 and lost in Game 9 in the 2046 World Series to Milwaukee, in 2052 they were the Las Vegas A's and got swept by the Colorado Rockies. They've been back in Sacramento for a 2nd stint since 2060, after being here from 2040 until 2052 with stops throughout the Bay Area before their return.

All postseason statistics through League Championship Series


Hot vs. Hot: Breaking Down Cardinals-Solons By The Postseason Stats

The numbers that matter aren't from the regular season anymore. Let's dive into what these teams have actually done in October:

Playoff Heroes So Far

Cardinals:
- Alexis Walker: .389/.450/.537, 12 runs in 13 games
- Taner Peterson: 3-1, 1.10 ERA in 32.2 IP
- Urban Henry: Reinvented as closer with 1 save, 3.65 ERA in high-leverage spots

Solons:
- Zane Grifaldo: ALCS MVP hitting .593/.607/.926
- Chandler Graeve: .444/.522/.944, 7 RBI in 6 games
- Walt Cliff: 6 saves, 2.57 ERA as closer

Key Storylines

1. The Henry Experiment
Rogers' bold move to convert future Hall of Famer Urban Henry to closer has been a masterstroke. The 40-year-old has embraced the role, getting crucial outs in the Cardinals' march through the Ladder playoffs.

2. Peterson's Renaissance
While Wleh is still the ace, Peterson has been untouchable this postseason (1.10 ERA). His success gives Rogers flexibility with the rotation.

3. Grifaldo's Moment
After a solid regular season, the Solons' shortstop has gone supernova (.593 in ALCS). Can he stay hot against St. Louis's left-heavy staff?

Matchup to Watch
Cardinals' bullpen creativity vs Solons' late-inning approach. St. Louis has masterfully deployed former starters in relief roles while Sacramento relies on more traditional bullpen usage.

X-Factor
Leuri Ramírez (.292/.393/.458 this postseason) vs Jorge Galo (.273/.385/.364 in ALCS). Both left-handed hitters will face tough matchups throughout.

Prediction
Cardinals in 7. Henry gets the final out as St. Louis ends its 52-year drought in dramatic fashion.

Historical Note
First World Series featuring a team that came through the Ladder format. St. Louis had to win 11 games just to get here - they're 3 wins from completing the most improbable championship run in baseball history. It's their 2nd straight NL pennant (21 in franchise history) after going 50 years without a World Series appearance.

Sacramento won their 3rd AL pennant in franchise history, they joined MLB in 2040 and lost in Game 9 in the 2046 World Series to Milwaukee, in 2052 they were the Las Vegas A's and got swept by the Colorado Rockies. They've been back in Sacramento for a 2nd stint since 2060, after being here from 2040 until 2052 with stops throughout the Bay Area before their return.

All postseason statistics through League Championship Series

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The Unlikely Hero: Cordero's 12th-Inning Single, Henry's Gutsy Relief Push Cards Past Solons

By Jon Kepner
The Athletic

SACRAMENTO - The story of the 2063 St. Louis Cardinals has been about unconventional choices and unlikely heroes. Game 1 of the World Series gave us both.

José Cordero, who entered as a pinch-hitter in the 10th inning, delivered the game-winning single in the 12th. Urban Henry, the future Hall of Famer turned closer, worked four high-wire innings of relief. And the Cardinals grabbed a 2-1 victory over Sacramento in a thriller that stretched four hours and 31 minutes at Arco Park.

"Every night, someone different," said manager Wookie Rogers, whose decision to convert Henry to relief has defined this postseason run. "José's been waiting for his moment. Urban's been embracing new moments all October."

The teams traded early punches. Sacramento struck first when Chandler Graeve's double scored Jorge Galo in the opening frame. Leuri Ramírez answered with a solo shot off Hank Shim in the sixth, his second homer of the postseason.

Then came the chess match. Henry entered in the ninth and navigated through trouble in the 10th when Galo doubled but was stranded. The 40-year-old veteran threw a career-high 72 pitches across four innings, stranding five Solons baserunners.

"Skip asked how I felt after each inning," Henry said. "I kept telling him, 'Let me finish this.' When you've waited this long for a World Series moment, you don't want to let go."

The breakthrough finally came in the 12th. After Spencer Van Doren walked and Yun-Seong Jeon singled, Cordero – who spent most of the season in Triple-A – laced a single to right that brought Van Doren home.

Logan Cash, the third St. Louis pitcher, struck out two in a perfect 12th for his third save of the postseason.

Lost in the late drama was another stellar start from Mark Wleh: seven innings, five hits, one run. The Solons stranded 15 runners, going 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

"That's October baseball," said Solons manager Buddy McGrady. "Sometimes you have to tip your cap. But we'll be back tomorrow."

NOTES:
- Cardinals improve to 12-4 this postseason
- Henry's four innings were his longest career relief outing
- Ramírez had three of St. Louis's eight hits
- Teams combined to turn five double plays
- Game 2: Taner Peterson (3-1, 1.10 ERA) vs Minoru Watamura (0-0, 3.71)

From Arco Park in Sacramento

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Sacramento Strikes Back: Watamura Silences Cardinals as Series Shifts to St. Louis

SACRAMENTO - After 12 innings of nail-biting tension in Game 1, the Sacramento Solons decided Game 2 would follow a different script.

Minoru Watamura threw eight masterful shutout innings, Thalio Olivo launched a two-run homer, and the Solons evened the World Series with a commanding 5-0 victory over St. Louis at Arco Park on Friday night.

"That's the Minoru we've seen all year," said Solons manager Buck Martinez of his 35-year-old starter, who scattered four hits while striking out six. "He had everything working tonight - location, movement, changing speeds. Just a clinic."

Sacramento broke through in the fifth when Anakin Smith scored on a wild pitch from Cardinals starter Victor Santoyo. The real damage came an inning later when Roland Diaz singled and Olivo followed with a towering blast to left that made it 3-0.

"The pitch was up," said Santoyo, who allowed three runs in 5⅔ innings. "In this ballpark, against these hitters, you can't make that mistake."

The Solons added insurance in the seventh and eighth, taking advantage of some uncharacteristically shaky Cardinals defense. Zane Grifaldo's triple and Chandler Graeve's infield single pushed the lead to four, and Jaxon Walker's RBI single capped the scoring.

For St. Louis, it was a night of missed opportunities. They put runners in scoring position in the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings but couldn't break through against Watamura, who lowered his postseason ERA to 2.57.

"Some nights you just tip your cap," said Cardinals manager Wookie Rogers. "Watamura had everything working. We'll regroup and be ready for Game 3."

The series now shifts to St. Louis for three games, with Mark Wleh set to face Gavin Vasquez in Sunday's pivotal Game 3.

From Arco Park in Sacramento

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The Persistence of Memory: An October Night at Sportsman's Park

By Roger Angell
The New Yorker

There is something almost painterly about baseball in mid-October, when the lights catch the last wisps of evening settling over an infield, and 33,576 souls collectively hold their breath between pitches. On Sunday night at Sportsman's Park, as a crisp 50-degree breeze rustled through the left-field flags, the St. Louis Cardinals and Sacramento Solons collaborated on what might be called a miniature - a 2-1 game that felt both urgent and unhurried, like a conversation between old friends who know time is short.

Taner Peterson, the Cardinals' 38-year-old left-hander, worked with the precision of a watchmaker: six innings, five hits, six strikeouts. His only mistake - a fastball that Chandler Graeve deposited into the right-field seats in the second inning - seemed less an error than a tribute to the essential fallibility of all human endeavor.

The Cardinals, those eternal October protagonists, answered immediately and then decisively. A sequence in the third inning involving Spencer Van Doren's run-scoring groundout had all the dramatic economy of a haiku - runner on third, less than two outs, contact play executed with the kind of precision that would have made Branch Rickey smile from whatever celestial bleacher seat he now occupies.

In the dugout, Cardinals manager Wookie Rogers maintained the stoic demeanor of a man who has seen too many October nights to be rattled by their whispers. His bullpen machinations - Bevin Gordon for the seventh, the converted starter Urban Henry for the final six outs - had the elegant inevitability of a well-structured sonnet.

The Solons, those transplanted wanderers who have finally found their home in California's capital, threatened occasionally but never quite solved the riddle of St. Louis's left-handed craftsmen. Even Zane Grifaldo's double in the third inning felt more like punctuation than proclamation.

In the end, it was Henry, the 40-year-old St. Lucian whose reinvention as a closer has been one of this postseason's most compelling narratives, who brought the evening to its logical conclusion. His two innings were a master class in the art of preservation - of both a one-run lead and the delicate tissue of history that connects every World Series game to all the ones that came before.

The Cardinals now lead this best-of-nine series two games to one, but that feels almost incidental to what we witnessed: a baseball game that managed to be both completely of its moment and somehow timeless, played in a park named for the sporting goods company that once equipped generations of Missouri youngsters with their first gloves.

Some nights, baseball remembers what it's supposed to be. This was one of those nights.

Roger Angell has been writing about baseball for The New Yorker since 1962.

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Willingham's Complete Game, Nine-Run Fifth Have Cardinals Eyeing First Championship Since 2011
By Rick Hummel
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The fifth inning began innocently enough Monday night at Sportsman's Park. It ended with the Cardinals halfway to ending their 52-year championship drought.
Powered by a nine-run explosion in the fifth and Layton Willingham's masterful complete game, St. Louis demolished Sacramento 11-1 to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-nine World Series.

"Sometimes baseball just snowballs," said manager Wookie Rogers of the decisive fifth inning. "Once we got rolling, you could feel the energy in this ballpark. These fans have waited 52 years. They deserve nights like this."

The frame started with Sacramento leading 1-0 on Alejandro Palomo's solo homer. Then the floodgates opened. Alexis Walker's three-run blast off Jim Frahm gave St. Louis the lead. Before Sacramento could catch its breath, Yun-Seong Jeon launched a three-run shot of his own against Dilan Schupp. When the dust settled, the Cardinals had sent 12 men to the plate and scored nine times.
But the story was Willingham, whose return to St. Louis at the deadline has proven prophetic. The 35-year-old lefty, who spent his first 11 seasons in Cardinal red, scattered three hits while striking out 11 in a 142-pitch gem.

"This place is special," said Willingham, sweat still dripping from his cap. "To be back here, in October, with a chance to be part of something historic... you couldn't write it better."
The series shifts back to Sacramento Wednesday, with the Cardinals needing two wins in the next five games to secure their 12th championship. For a franchise that's waited more than five decades, the finish line is finally in sight.

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SACRAMENTO 5, ST. LOUIS 4: Series Lead Cut to 3-2 as World Series Heads Back West
By Bob Nightengale
USA TODAY
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Solons aren't ready for their story to end just yet.
Withstanding a dramatic ninth-inning rally that included Jon Gallegos' pinch-hit two-run homer, the Solons held on for a 5-4 victory Wednesday night at Sportsman's Park, sending this best-of-nine World Series back to California with St. Louis leading 3-2.

"We needed every one of those early runs," said Solons manager Buddy McGrady, whose team jumped out to a 5-2 lead after two innings. "Against that lineup, no lead feels safe."
Minoru Watamura worked seven masterful innings, Chandler Graeve drove in two runs, and Nico Ayala survived a white-knuckle ninth for his first save of the series.

The Solons ambushed Cardinals starter Victor Santoyo early, scoring twice in the first on singles by Graeve and Thalio Olivo. They added three more in the second, highlighted by another Graeve RBI hit and aggressive baserunning that had the Cardinals' defense on its heels.

St. Louis struck back in the second when Pinwheel Brown and Pepper Reid strung together hits to plate two runs, but Watamura locked in after that, retiring 12 of the next 13 batters he faced.
"Give Minoru credit," said Cardinals manager Wookie Rogers. "We had chances early but he made pitches when he had to."

The real drama came in the ninth. After Yun-Seong Jeon doubled, Gallegos crushed a pinch-hit homer to make it 5-4. Alexis Walker followed with a double to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but Ayala got Archer Fernández and Leuri Ramírez to preserve the win.

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ST. LOUIS 3, SACRAMENTO 1: Cards Can End 52-Year Drought Saturday
By Bob Nightengale IV
USA TODAY

SACRAMENTO — Mark Wleh stood in the visiting clubhouse at Arco Park, a towel draped over his shoulder, and allowed himself the smallest of smiles.
"One more," he said quietly. "Just one more."

The Cardinals are indeed one win away from ending baseball's longest active championship drought, defeating Sacramento 3-1 Thursday night behind Wleh's masterful seven innings to take a 4-2 lead in the best-of-nine World Series.
Irv Daniels, whose turnaround has mirrored the Cardinals' October surge, delivered the decisive blow with a two-run single in the third. The second baseman finished 3-for-3 with three RBI.

"Sometimes you just know it's your night," said Cardinals manager Wookie Rogers. "Mark had that look in his eyes from the first pitch."
Wleh scattered six hits while striking out nine, the only blemish a sixth-inning RBI single by Chandler Graeve. Urban Henry, the 40-year-old converted starter turned playoff closer, worked two perfect innings for his third save of the series.
"Their guy was dealing," said Solons manager Buddy McGrady. "We had our chances early but Wleh kept making pitch after pitch."
Leuri Ramírez collected three hits including two doubles for St. Louis, which can clinch its first title since 2011 Saturday night at Sportsman's Park.
GAME AT A GLANCE

Turning point: Daniels' third-inning single broke it open
Key stat: Cardinals pitchers have held Sacramento to three runs in last two games
Web gem: Pinwheel Brown's throw nails Anakin Smith trying for third in fourth inning

UP NEXT
Game 7 Saturday at St. Louis, 8:05 p.m. ET: Gavin Vasquez (0-2, 1.71) vs. Taner Peterson (4-1, 1.16)

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The Night The Clock Struck Now: St. Louis Ends Half-Century Drought With Classic Cardinal Baseball

By Dan O'Neill
St. Louis Globe-Democrat

The ghosts started stirring around 10:42 PM Central Time.

Bob Gibson. Lou Brock. Stan Musial. They'd been waiting 52 years for this moment, watching as generation after generation of Cardinal teams got close but couldn't quite get there. Tonight, finally, they could rest. Tonight belonged to Urban Henry, World Series MVP. To Archer Fernández, whose first-inning homer set the tone. To Wookie Rogers, the manager who rebuilt an entire pitching philosophy around the radical idea that sometimes your best starter belongs in the bullpen.

"When you play for championships," Henry said afterward, champagne dripping from his St. Lucian accent, "you have to play better than the team in the other dugout."

Simple as that. Except nothing about this was simple.

The Cardinals didn't just win their 12th World Series title Saturday night at Sportsman's Park. They exorcised demons. They rewrote narratives. They proved that sometimes the biggest payroll in baseball is worth every penny if you spend it right.

The final score – Cardinals 4, Sacramento 1 – feels almost pedestrian. The journey to get there was anything but.

Start with Henry, the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer with 10 Cy Youngs and 14 All-Star appearances who agreed to become a closer because, in his words, "Skip asked me to help." All he did was throw two perfect innings to close out a championship, his 99-mph fastball still humming through the October chill.

Or Pinwheel Brown, who stole two bases in the eighth inning like he was Lou Brock reincarnated, manufacturing the insurance run that let 33,742 fans finally exhale. This is what Cardinals baseball looks like when it's played right – pressure on the bases, airtight defense, and pitching that makes you wonder if Gibson is still lurking in the shadows.

"We played better than the other team," Rogers said afterward, grinning like a man who knew this was coming all along. Maybe he did.

After all, it was Rogers who assembled this bullpen of converted starters – Luke Legler (3.2 solid innings), Virgill Haraldsson (the win), and Henry (the save). It was Rogers who kept running Yun-Seong Jeon out there behind the plate even when the offense wasn't there, trusting the defense would be worth it.

But mostly, it was Rogers who understood that ending a 52-year drought requires more than talent. It requires belief. His Cardinals didn't just believe – they knew.

They knew when they survived the Wild Card game against Chicago. They knew when they dispatched Washington in the Division Series. They knew when they outlasted Cincinnati in an epic NLCS. And they definitely knew when Fernández's first-inning homer disappeared into the right field seats, the kind of moment that makes you wonder if someone upstairs was finally tired of waiting.

"This city deserves this," said Leuri Ramírez, two hits on the night keeping the offense moving. "These fans deserve this."

They got it. Oh, did they get it.

When Henry struck out George Navarro to end it, Sportsman's Park erupted in a way that probably registered on seismographs. Fifty-two years of waiting collapsed into a single moment of pure joy. Players dogpiled. Fans hugged strangers. Somewhere, you have to believe, Stan the Man smiled.

The parade route is already being planned. The champagne hasn't stopped flowing. And in living rooms across St. Louis, grandparents are telling grandchildren about 2011, about Gibson in '64, about all the moments that led to this one.

But this moment? This belongs to Henry, to Rogers, to a team that decided 52 years was long enough.

The clock struck midnight on the drought. The ghosts can rest easy now. The Cardinals are champions again.

And somewhere, in a quiet corner of the clubhouse, a future Hall of Famer from St. Lucia held the World Series MVP trophy and smiled. "Now," Urban Henry said, "my career is complete."

So is St. Louis.

Dan O'Neill has covered St. Louis sports for four decades. He can be reached at doneill@globe-democrat.com or found wherever Cardinal fans are celebrating tonight.

GAME 7 - 2063 WORLD SERIES
SACRAMENTO SOLONS AT ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
GAME ID: 15596 - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20TH , 2063 - GAME LOG
     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E
Sacramento Solons   0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  7  0
St. Louis Cardinals 1  0  0  1  0  0  1  1  X  4  13 0

SACRAMENTO BATTING LINESCORE
Player          AB  R  H  RBI  BB  K  LOB  AVG   HR  RBI
K. Machado RF   4   0  2  0    0   1  0    .156  0   1
Z. Grifaldo SS  3   0  0  0    0   1  3    .426  2   4
   b-R. Diaz PH 0   0  0  0    1   0  0    .333  0   1
   c-J. Walker SS 0 0  0  0    0   0  0    .333  0   2
J. Galo LF      4   0  0  0    0   1  3    .186  0   3
C. Graeve DH    4   0  2  0    0   0  0    .409  3   14
B. Stevenson 3B 4   0  1  0    0   2  3    .178  0   2
T. Olivo 2B     4   0  0  0    0   1  2    .158  2   5
A. Smith C      4   0  1  0    0   1  1    .174  0   1
A. Palomo 1B    2   1  1  1    0   0  0    .135  2   3
   a-G. Navarro PH, 1B 2 0  0  0  0  0  1   .100  0   0
T. Kobayashi CF 2   0  0  0    1   1  0    .250  0   3
Totals          33  1  7  1    2   8  13

a - G. Navarro pinch hit for A. Palomo in the 7th
b - R. Diaz pinch hit for Z. Grifaldo in the 8th
c - J. Walker substituted for R. Diaz in the 8th

BATTING
Home Runs: A. Palomo (2, 3rd Inning off L. Legler, 0 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: K. Machado 2, C. Graeve 2, B. Stevenson, A. Smith, A. Palomo 4
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: J. Galo, B. Stevenson
GIDP: G. Navarro
Team LOB: 7

FIELDING
Double Plays: 1 (Palomo)
OF assists: 1 (Kobayashi (Gallegos at 2nd base))

ST. LOUIS BATTING LINESCORE
Player           AB  R  H  RBI  BB  K  LOB  AVG   HR  RBI
A. Walker CF     5   0  1  1    0   1  6    .346  1   6
A. Fernández 1B  3   1  2  1    1   1  0    .225  1   8
L. Ramírez LF    4   1  2  0    0   0  2    .312  2   11
I. Daniels 2B    3   0  1  0    0   0  2    .271  2   11
   a-J. Gallegos PH, 2B 1 0  1  0  0  0  0    .500  1   2
S. Van Doren DH  3   0  1  1    1   1  2    .183  1   8
Y. Jeon C        4   1  2  0    0   1  1    .353  3   11
S. Cook SS       3   0  1  0    1   0  0    .264  1   8
P. Brown RF      4   1  2  0    0   1  5    .258  0   7
P. Reid 3B       2   0  0  1    1   1  5    .246  0   5
Totals           32  4  13 4    4   6  23

a - J. Gallegos pinch hit for I. Daniels in the 7th

BATTING
Doubles: L. Ramírez (4, 1st Inning off G. Vasquez, 0 on, 1 out), S. Cook (4, 4th Inning off G. Vasquez, 1 on, 0 outs)
Home Runs: A. Fernández (1, 1st Inning off G. Vasquez, 0 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: A. Walker, A. Fernández 5, L. Ramírez 3, I. Daniels, J. Gallegos, S. Van Doren, Y. Jeon 2, S. Cook 2, P. Brown 2
2-out RBI: A. Walker, S. Van Doren
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: A. Walker 3, S. Van Doren
Sac Fly: P. Reid
Team LOB: 9

BASERUNNING
SB: P. Brown 2 (8)
CS: A. Walker (7), I. Daniels (3)

FIELDING
Double Plays: 1 (Daniels-Cook-Fernández)

SACRAMENTO PITCHING LINESCORE
Player               IP  H  R  ER  BB  K  HR  PI  ERA
G. Vasquez L (2-2)   5.1 8  2  2   4   4  1   114

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Baseball Finally Has Its Vezina Trophy. Here's Why That Matters.
By Sarah Chen
The Ringer | Oct. 21, 2063

For decades, baseball's most cerebral position has lacked proper recognition. Until now.

The inaugural Deacon White Award winners were announced yesterday, with Montez Bullock of the Red Sox and Smokey Gonzales of the Mets taking home the hardware, and it feels like baseball has finally figured out how to celebrate what makes catching special. Not just special in the "wow, what a great athlete" sense—we have plenty of awards for that—but special in the "this person is basically an on-field pitching coach who also has to block 100-mph sliders in the dirt" sense.

Let's start with the obvious: This award was long overdue. While the Barry Bonds Award (formerly Silver Slugger) celebrates offensive excellence and the Gold Glove supposedly honors defense (when it's not just going to whoever hit .300), catchers have never had an award that truly captures the complexity of their role. The Deacon White Award changes that, emphasizing the aspects of catching that fans rarely see but managers obsess over.

Take Bullock, for example. The Red Sox backstop doesn't put up the gaudy offensive numbers that typically grab headlines—he slashed a modest .261/.332/.432 this season. But his 8.5 framing runs and 36.4% caught stealing rate tell a different story. In an era where advanced metrics have quantified the previously unquantifiable, Bullock's excellence behind the plate saved more runs than most cleanup hitters drove in.

"The position has evolved so much," says former MVP and current MLB Network analyst Marcus Chen. "We're finally measuring things we used to just feel. Framing, game-calling, staff management—these are huge parts of winning baseball that historically got overlooked because they weren't easily quantifiable."

The National League winner, Smokey Gonzales, represents perhaps an even purer example of what the award celebrates. His batting line (.211/.304/.293) wouldn't get him noticed at a high school showcase. But his league-leading 16.3 framing runs and stellar 3.97 CERA (Catcher's ERA) made him the cornerstone of the Mets' dominant pitching staff, which projects to lead the NL East in 2064.

"It's like hockey's Vezina Trophy," explains Mets pitching coach Devon Williams. "Nobody expects goalies to score goals. We evaluate them on how well they prevent them. Catchers should be viewed similarly—their primary job is run prevention and staff management. Everything else is gravy."

The award's criteria reflect this philosophy:

- 40% game management (CERA, framing, staff handling)
- 30% run prevention (caught stealing, deterrence, passed ball prevention)
- 15% field generalship (range, efficiency, positioning)
- 15% overall impact and durability

Notice what's missing? Offense. Completely absent from the primary criteria. This isn't an oversight—it's the point.

"For years, we've had this cognitive dissonance in baseball," says sabermetrician Dr. Julia Patel. "We know catching is perhaps the most defensively and strategically demanding position, yet we kept evaluating catchers primarily on their offensive output. The Deacon White Award finally aligns recognition with reality."

The timing feels particularly appropriate. In an era where automated strike zones have been widely discussed (though not yet implemented), the art of catching has paradoxically become more sophisticated. Modern metrics have revealed just how much value an elite defensive catcher can provide, even if they hit like, well, a typical catcher.

Both Bullock and Gonzales embody this new archetype. Their contributions won't show up in fantasy baseball stats, but they're the kind of players that analytics departments dream about and pitching coaches fight to keep. For the Red Sox, Bullock's game-calling has been crucial to their projected 86-win season in 2064, while Gonzales has been the quiet force behind the Mets' emergence as division favorites.

The award's namesake would likely approve. Deacon White, baseball's first great defensive catcher who revolutionized the position in the bare-handed era, understood that catching was about more than just stopping the ball. It was about game management, strategy, and the subtle arts that turn good pitchers into great ones.

As baseball continues to evolve, the Deacon White Award stands as recognition that some of the game's most valuable players are the ones whose contributions often go unnoticed by casual fans. It's an acknowledgment that excellence behind the plate involves much more than what shows up in the box score.

And for Bullock and Gonzales, it's validation that in baseball, like in life, some of the most important work happens behind the scenes.

Next week: Are the Yankees actually going to play a series at Lord's Cricket Ground? A deep dive into baseball's first touring franchise.

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Arrows Point East: Six Years of Big League Baseball Ends in the Hoosier State
By Dakota Reynolds
Indianapolis News-Reporter | October 23, 2063

The last baseball has been thrown at Victory Field, and this time, there's no next season to look forward to. At least not one with Indianapolis across the chest of the home team.

The Indianapolis Arrows, after six tumultuous years of major league baseball marked by financial struggles and a microscopic $34.5 million payroll (second-lowest in MLB), are heading east to New Jersey, where they'll reclaim the New York Knights' legacy, a club that only existed for 4 years but won the World Series in 2043 in the National League.

The move marks the end of a brief but complicated relationship between Indianapolis and Major League Baseball—a story that began with promise but ends with familiar questions about what might have been.

"You can't help but feel like we're leaving something unfinished here," says Theron Simmons, the team's longest-tenured player and unofficial ambassador to the community. "I've been here since 2059, seen the highs and lows. The fans, despite everything, they made this place home. That's what hurts the most—leaving them behind."

The numbers tell a stark story. From an opening day crowd of 47,212 in 2058 that had civic leaders dreaming big, attendance steadily declined to this year's average of 25,088—though stadium workers whisper the real numbers were far lower.

"Some nights it felt like we were playing in front of friends and family," Simmons admits, glancing around the emptying clubhouse. "But the ones who showed up? They cared. They really cared."

Local restaurateur Hawk Blackburn, whose "Arrow's Rest" sports bar became a pregame institution, points to deeper issues: "We were always the bargain basement team. When your payroll is lower than some team's injured list, that sends a message to the fans."

There is, however, a silver lining for baseball-starved Hoosiers. The Yankees' revolutionary touring schedule for 2064 includes stops in Indianapolis, meaning major league baseball will return, albeit wearing different pinstripes.

"It'll be fun to see them," Simmons reflects, packing up his locker for the final time, "but nothing like seeing a team that's your own. Still, at least they're gonna visit. That's something, right?"

"The Yankees coming through is like getting to see Bruce Springsteen on tour," says longtime usher Beatrice "Grandma B" Washington, who hasn't missed a home game in six years. "Sure, it's exciting, but it's not the same as having your local band playing every night."

The Arrows' journey to Indianapolis was itself a study in baseball's modern nomadic nature. Born as Mexico City's entry in the upstart Federal League, the franchise spent one season as the Vancouver Mounties before landing in Indianapolis—a city that just four years earlier had hosted the Cleveland Guardians during their flood-induced exile of 2054.

"That Cleveland season actually hurt us in the long run," admits former Chamber of Commerce president River Mackenzie. "It created this illusion that we could support major league baseball without the necessary corporate infrastructure or committed local ownership. We saw the crowds for those games against the Yankees and Red Sox and thought that would be our normal. It wasn't."

The Arrows' peak came in 2060, when a surprising 78-84 season and an exciting core of young players briefly captured the city's imagination. But as those players were traded away or left via free agency—a constant reality for a team with a bottom-feeding payroll—the writing appeared on the wall.

"The hardest part was watching other teams come in here and take over our ballpark," says Destiny "Diamond" Rodriguez, who ran the popular "Arrow Head" fan club. "When we played the Cardinals or Cubs, it felt like a road game. That's when you knew we were in trouble."

As crews began dismantling the "Home of the Arrows" sign late Thursday night, a small group of fans gathered outside Victory Field, spontaneously breaking into a final rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Among them was Simmons, who'd slipped out of the clubhouse one last time to join the impromptu farewell.

"This city deserved better," he said quietly, watching the letters come down. "Maybe the Yankees stopping by next year will help heal some wounds. But Indianapolis deserved its own team—one that was actually trying to win."

The Arrows' final ledger in Indianapolis: 973 wins, 1,271 losses, zero playoff appearances, and countless questions about what might have been had things gone differently in the Hoosier State. Next spring, they'll be someone else's team, playing in someone else's city, wearing someone else's history on their sleeves. And Indianapolis will join the growing list of cities that can say they once had major league baseball—even if it was never really theirs to keep.

"At least we got to be part of The Show," Simmons reflected, signing one last autograph for a young fan outside Victory Field. "Even if it was just for a little while."

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YOUR Third New York Baseball Team Is Here Whether You Like It Or Not
By Lon Walters
Newark Evening News | October 23, 2063

So you're getting a baseball team, New Jersey. Not just any baseball team—the Indianapolis Arrows, who were previously the Vancouver Mounties for like eight minutes, who were previously some Federal League team in Mexico City that probably played in a converted parking lot. But wait! They're actually becoming the New York Knights, who used to be a thing here before becoming the Miami Marlins (again), after their weird-as-**** four-year New York stint where they SOMEHOW WON A GODDAMN WORLD SERIES while playing in what was essentially a converted Amazon warehouse.

Welcome to modern baseball, where franchise histories are more tangled than your grandmother's yarn collection.

BUT GUESS WHAT? Nobody gives a **** about any of that because NEW JERSEY IS GETTING REAL LIVE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL at the newly christened ShopRite Stadium (Jesus Christ), and people here are legitimately LOSING THEIR MINDS about it.

"Are you kidding me? The Knights coming back? That's like finding out your high school crush who got super hot after graduation is moving back to town," says Tony DiNardo, 47, who has already purchased season tickets despite not knowing a single player on the roster. "I don't care if they've been bouncing around like a ping pong ball. They're ours now."

But can the New York metro area support three teams? According to Dr. Rachel Suarez, head of sports economics at Columbia Business School, that's the wrong question entirely.

"Being the third team in New York is worth $50-75 million more annually than being the only team in most other markets," she explains, probably while looking at spreadsheets I wouldn't understand. "The death of baseball's antitrust exemption basically turned MLB into a game of musical chairs where New York has three chairs and everyone else is fighting over the leftovers."

Speaking of leftovers, let's talk about that $34.5 million payroll the team is carrying over from Indianapolis. THIRTY-FOUR POINT FIVE MILLION. There are individual Yankees making almost that much to sit on the injured list and post about crypto. Will new ownership open the checkbook now that they've got that sweet, sweet NYC market money?

"We're exploring all options to field a competitive team," says new Knights CEO Bradford Winston III, which is exactly what every rich asshole says right before they don't spend any money.

But here's the weird part: nobody seems to care! The pre-sale for season tickets is already through the roof, and the team store had to stop taking orders for custom jerseys because they ran out of the letter 'K'.

"Look, we've been watching the Jets and Giants play in Jersey forever while pretending they're from New York," says longtime Newark resident Maria Vasquez. "At least this team is actually claiming us."

And what about those Yankees and Mets fans? Are they worried about losing market share to *checks notes* a team that lost 82 games in INDIANAPOLIS last year?

"The Yankees going on tour probably will weirdly help us, but no, I doubt you'll see much fan changing save for the Jersey folks who hopefully get invested in their new team," says local sports radio host Darius "The Fury" Thompson. "Though honestly, the Knights could probably fill half their stadium with just people who hate both the Yankees and Mets."

Let's be real: This whole thing is absolutely insane. We're taking a failed experiment from Indianapolis, slapping a recycled name on it, and dropping it into the most crowded sports market in America. The roster currently has a payroll lower than what it costs to rent a one-bedroom in Manhattan. The stadium is named after a supermarket chain that your dad swears has "the good cold cuts."

And yet...

There's something kind of beautiful about the pure chaos of it all. Baseball's post-antitrust world is a lawless frontier where teams bounce around like superballs in a dryer, the Yankees are basically becoming the Harlem Globetrotters, and somehow, SOMEHOW, Newark is getting major league baseball back.

Will it work? Who knows! But the last time the Knights had a brief, bizarre stint in the New York area, they won a World Series that historians still can't explain. In 2063's completely unhinged version of baseball, that almost makes perfect sense.

Besides, the ShopRite Club Level better have one hell of a deli counter.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article claimed the Knights' previous stint in New York lasted three years. It was four years. This reporter regrets not being able to forget those four years entirely.

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FINAL DAY DRAMA: History Awaits in Toronto as Wild Card Race Goes Down to Wire
By Howard Jensen
Chicago Herald Baseball | September 16, 2064

As the sun sets on the 2064 regular season, baseball saves its most compelling drama for last. Tonight's Toronto-Nashville showdown at Rogers Centre will determine the final AL wild card spot, while the Albuquerque Coyotes stand on the precipice of their first playoff berth in franchise history.

PLAYOFF PUZZLE
The Coyotes (89-72) need just one win to clinch their first postseason appearance in their five-year existence. Even with a loss, they're guaranteed at least a tie for a wild card spot, as tonight's Toronto-Nashville winner can only reach 89 wins. For a franchise that started from scratch in 2060, it's a remarkable achievement.

"Five years ago, we were picking jerseys and office furniture," says Coyotes GM Sarah Martinez. "Now we're one win away from playing October baseball."

RENAISSANCE SEASONS
This year has been defined by dramatic turnarounds. The Philadelphia Phillies, after consecutive 100-loss seasons and back-to-back #1 draft picks, have shocked baseball by claiming their first NL East crown since 2048. The Miami Marlins, thirty years removed from their last World Series and three decades since their last division title in South Florida, have rejuvenated baseball in Miami with a 91-win campaign.

The Vancouver Angels, relocated from Orange County, captured their first division title in their new home, while looking for their first championship since 2044.

CENTRAL DOMINANCE
The Chicago Cubs (95-66) emerged atop baseball's deepest division, claiming their first Central crown since 2060 but still seeking their first World Series title since their historic 2016 victory. They'll face stiff competition from the Reds, making their remarkable 10th straight postseason appearance and hunting for their first title since 2059, and the defending champion Cardinals, who maintained excellence despite a quiet offseason.

In the American League, Cleveland secured back-to-back Central titles, continuing their dynasty that saw three World Series victories (2050, 2052, 2055) during their remarkable 2049-58 playoff run.

MVP RACE
Detroit's 21-year-old phenom Gabriel Vitoria (.387/.451/.650) and Boston's slugging sensation Kris Tavarez (.399/.485/.712) have staged one of the most compelling MVP races in recent memory. Vitoria's 9.9 WAR edges Tavarez's 8.5, but Tavarez's 39 homers and 144 RBIs might sway voters.

CY YOUNG BATTLE
Boston's Kaiji Konno (2.67 ERA, 9.7 WAR) and St. Louis veteran Urban Henry (3.01 ERA, 9.6 WAR) lead a packed field that includes Cincinnati's Alexander Nolan (3.00 ERA, 8.7 WAR).

ROOKIE WATCH
Washington's Roberto Bessi (.361/.461/.562) leads a stellar rookie class, while Salt Lake's 19-year-old pitching prodigy Amadei Ramírez (3.10 ERA, 5.9 WAR) has exceeded all expectations.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
AL Division Winners: Texas (99-62), Cleveland (90-71), Miami (91-70)
NL Division Winners: Chicago (95-66), Philadelphia (92-69), Vancouver (84-77)

Wild Card Race:
- Portland, Cincinnati, St Louis & Washington secured
- Albuquerque controls destiny (+1)
- Toronto/Nashville winner claims final AL spot

The Rangers, making their 6th postseason appearance in 8 years, enter October as favorites, while Washington looks to bring the capital its first World Series appearance since their 2028 triumph over Houston.

But first, all eyes turn to Toronto tonight, where baseball's regular season will end with either historic heartbreak or jubilation. For Nashville, Toronto, and Albuquerque, a season's worth of work comes down to nine innings of baseball.

As Coyotes manager Diego Ramirez put it: "Five years of building, 161 games of grinding, and it all comes down to this. That's baseball at its finest."

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2064 was run entirely with the AI, I didn't make any changes to any of the clubs this year and removed my human managers.

Toronto Blue Jays Claim Final AL Wild Card Spot in Thrilling Finish

TORONTO (Toronto Sun) — In a dramatic Game 162, the Toronto Blue Jays seized the final AL Wild Card spot with a nail-biting 7-6 victory over the Nashville White Sox at Skydome. The win ensures the Blue Jays' place in the 2064 playoffs, capping off a season full of ups and downs.

Toronto took an early lead with two runs in the first inning, but Nashville responded with a five-run third inning, seemingly seizing control of the game. The Blue Jays, however, refused to go quietly, inching back with runs in the sixth and eighth innings.

The ninth inning proved to be the decisive moment. Down by one run, Toronto's Shawn Devaney led off with a crucial single, followed by a double from Tetsuya Yamagata that tied the game. With the crowd on their feet, Brett Brown stepped up with an RBI single, giving the Blue Jays a walk-off win and sending the fans into a frenzy.

Shawn Devaney was the standout performer, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored. His steady presence at the plate kept the Blue Jays' hopes alive. Starting pitcher Santiago Herrera battled through eight innings, allowing five runs on nine hits, but it was reliever Rick Randle who earned the win, despite allowing a run in the ninth.


Albuquerque Coyotes Clinch First Playoff Berth with Victory Over Portland Stags

PORTLAND (AP) — In a historic moment for the Albuquerque Coyotes, the team secured its first-ever playoff berth with a thrilling 5-2 victory over the Portland Stags in the final game of the regular season. The win catapulted the Coyotes to the AL Wild Card spot as the 5th seed, marking a significant milestone in their five-year franchise history.

The Coyotes started strong with two runs in the first inning, courtesy of a solo home run by Ruben Monroe and an RBI single by Justin Zavala. Despite a quick response from the Stags, who tied the game with a two-run homer by Connor Hooper in the second inning, Albuquerque's pitching held firm.

Che Mohammad delivered a stellar performance on the mound, pitching eight innings and allowing only two runs on eight hits while striking out seven. His efforts earned him the win and Player of the Game honors. Bernardo Guzman closed the game with a perfect ninth inning to secure his 41st save of the season.

Albuquerque broke the tie in the eighth inning with a clutch two-out double by Matthew Zavala, driving in two runs. Monroe capped the scoring with a triple in the ninth, scoring on an error by Portland's shortstop.

For the Stags, Elias Briones pitched valiantly but ultimately took the loss, surrendering three runs (two earned) over 7.2 innings. Portland's defense faltered with three errors, contributing to their defeat

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2064 PLAYOFFS

Albuquerque Coyotes Prepare for Showdown with Portland Stags

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Fresh off their dominating 16-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card game, the Albuquerque Coyotes are set to face the Portland Stags in another one-game, winner-take-all Wild Card showdown. The winner of this high-stakes match will advance to the AL Elimination Series against the Cleveland Guardians.

Albuquerque's emphatic win over Toronto showcased their offensive firepower, with Jaime Ormsby leading the charge. Ormsby went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Justin Zavala and Jared Bédard each contributed two home runs to the Coyotes' cause. Starting pitcher Marty Spencer delivered a complete game, striking out six and allowing three runs over nine innings.

Now, the Coyotes turn their attention to the Portland Stags, who will be looking to avenge their regular-season finale loss to Albuquerque. The Stags boast a formidable lineup and a strong pitching staff, setting the stage for an intense battle.

St. Louis Cardinals Win NL Wild Card Game, Set for Showdown with Cincinnati Reds

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The defending World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, took another step towards repeating their title with a 5-3 victory over the Washington Senators in the NL Wild Card game. The win propels the Cardinals to an all-NL Central showdown against the Cincinnati Reds in a one-game wild card tilt, with the winner advancing to the NL Elimination Series against the Vancouver Angels.

St. Louis showed their resilience and clutch performance in a tightly contested game. Center fielder Alexis Walker led the charge, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and three RBIs. His offensive contributions were crucial in securing the win for the Cardinals.

Washington started strong, scoring two runs in the first inning with a home run by José Viramontes. However, the Cardinals quickly responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first, courtesy of Walker's two-run homer. The Senators added another run in the fourth inning, but St. Louis' pitching staff held firm, allowing no further runs.

The Cardinals took the lead in the sixth inning with a double by Walker and added insurance runs in the seventh with a two-run home run by Brad Bridge. Layton Willingham earned the win, pitching seven solid innings with five strikeouts, while Wei-Yin Yuan secured the save with two innings of scoreless relief.

The Cardinals now set their sights on the Cincinnati Reds for an all-NL Central clash, with the winner advancing to face the Vancouver Angels in the NL Elimination Series.

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AL WILD CARD GAME 2

ALBUQUERQUE COYOTES AT PORTLAND STAGS
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH , 2064
 			 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  R  H  E
Albuquerque Coyotes  	 1  0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  3  7  0
Portland Stags           0  0  2  0  1  0  1  0  X  4  11 0


ALBUQUERQUE BATTING LINESCORE
Player               AB  R  H  RBI  BB  K  LOB  AVG   HR  RBI
R. Monroe 3B         4   0  0  0    0   1  1    .333  1   3
S. Ansong SS         5   1  2  2    0   0  2    .300  1   3
J. Hahn RF           3   0  2  0    1   0  0    .667  0   0
J. Bédard LF         2   1  1  1    1   0  1    .667  2   2
   a-V. Ceban PH     1   0  0  0    0   1  1    .000  0   0
   c-B. Abernathy 1B 0   0  0  0    0   0  0    .000  0   0
J. Zavala DH         4   0  1  0    0   1  4    .333  2   5
M. Zavala 1B         2   0  0  0    1   0  1    .429  0   1
   b-T. Jones PH, LF 1   0  0  0    0   0  1    .000  0   0
A. Fierro C          4   0  0  0    0   4  2    .125  0   1
J. Ormsby 2B         4   0  0  0    0   0  1    .444  1   2
E. Ferguson CF       3   1  1  0    1   1  0    .375  0   1
Totals               33  3  7  3    4   8  14

a - V. Ceban pinch hit for J. Bédard in the 8th
b - T. Jones pinch hit for M. Zavala in the 8th
c - B. Abernathy substituted for V. Ceban in the 8th

BATTING
Doubles: J. Hahn (1, 8th Inning off N. White, 0 on, 0 outs)
Home Runs: S. Ansong (1, 1st Inning off S. Wallace, 0 on, 1 out) , J. Bédard (2, 4th Inning off S. Wallace, 0 on, 1 out)
Total Bases: S. Ansong 5 , J. Hahn 3 , J. Bédard 4 , J. Zavala , E. Ferguson
2-out RBI: S. Ansong
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: S. Ansong , J. Zavala , T. Jones
GIDP: J. Bédard
Hit by Pitch: R. Monroe
Team LOB: 8

BASERUNNING
SB: E. Ferguson (1)

FIELDING
Double Plays: 1 (Ormsby-Ansong-Zavala)

PORTLAND BATTING LINESCORE
Player               AB  R  H  RBI  BB  K  LOB  AVG   HR  RBI
P. LaBay DH          4   0  1  0    0   0  3    .250  0   0
N. Pasa SS           4   1  1  0    0   0  1    .250  0   0
M. Santana 1B        4   2  3  3    0   0  0    .750  2   3
M. McCoy 3B          4   1  1  1    0   1  2    .250  1   1
M. Johnson 2B        3   0  2  0    1   1  2    .667  0   0
C. Hooper LF         3   0  1  0    0   1  3    .333  0   0
O. Ramírez C         4   0  1  0    0   1  1    .250  0   0
B. Aaron CF          4   0  1  0    0   2  3    .250  0   0
P. Correa RF         3   0  0  0    0   2  3    .000  0   0
Totals               33  4  11 4    1   8  18

BATTING
Doubles: M. Santana (1, 1st Inning off M. Moreno, 1 on, 1 out) , B. Aaron (1, 4th Inning off M. Moreno, 0 on, 1 out)
Home Runs: M. Santana 2 (2, 3rd Inning off M. Moreno, 1 on, 0 outs; 7th Inning off M. Moreno, 0 on, 2 outs) , M. McCoy (1, 5th Inning off M. Moreno, 0 on, 2 outs)
Total Bases: P. LaBay , N. Pasa , M. Santana 10 , M. McCoy 4 , M. Johnson 2 , C. Hooper , O. Ramírez , B. Aaron 2
2-out RBI: M. Santana , M. McCoy
Runners left in scoring position, 2 outs: P. LaBay 2 , M. Johnson , B. Aaron
GIDP: C. Hooper
Sac Bunt: C. Hooper
Team LOB: 7

FIELDING
Double Plays: 1 (Pasa-Johnson-Santana)

ALBUQUERQUE PITCHING LINESCORE
Player          IP   H   R   ER  BB  K  HR  PI  ERA   
M. Moreno L (0-1) 6.2  10  4   4   1   6  3   101 5.40   
N. Hanna         1.1  1   0   0   0   2  0   19  0.00   

PITCHING
Game Score: M. Moreno 43
Batters Faced: M. Moreno 30, N. Hanna 5
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: M. Moreno 8-5, N. Hanna 1-1
Pitches - Strikes: M. Moreno 101-73, N. Hanna 19-15
Balk: M. Moreno

PORTLAND PITCHING LINESCORE
Player          IP   H   R   ER  BB  K  HR  PI  ERA   
S. Wallace W (1-0) 7.0  6   3   3   3   6  2   108 3.86   
N. White SV (1) 2.0  1   0   0   1   2  0   37  0.00   

PITCHING
Game Score: S. Wallace 56
Batters Faced: S. Wallace 29, N. White 9
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Wallace 6-8, N. White 2-2
Pitches - Strikes: S. Wallace 108-60, N. White 37-20
Hit Batsmen: N. White

NL WILD CARD GAME 2
Cardinals Advance to NL Elimination Series with 6-2 Wild Card Victory

CINCINNATI (AP) — The defending champion St. Louis Cardinals held off the surging Cincinnati Reds on Sunday night, earning a 6-2 victory in the National League Wild Card Game at Crosley Field to advance to the NL Elimination Series.

Powered by a dominant performance from designated hitter Archer Fernández, who went 3-for-3 with a home run and a walk, the Cardinals broke open a tight game late, scoring three insurance runs in the eighth inning. Fernández’s solo homer in the sixth off Reds starter Alex Nolan gave St. Louis momentum in a contest defined by pitching duels and timely hitting.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” Fernández said. “This team has been through so much, and we’re not ready to let go of this dream just yet.”

Cardinals starter Luke Legler silenced the Reds’ bats for much of the night, tossing seven innings of two-run ball while scattering six hits and striking out six. He received ample support from his defense, which turned two key double plays to keep Cincinnati at bay. Reliever Wei Yuan retired all six batters he faced in the final two innings to seal the win.

St. Louis broke through in the fourth inning with back-to-back doubles from Noel Hudon and Spencer Van Doren to take a 2-0 lead. While Cincinnati clawed back with a two-run sixth, thanks to RBIs from Art Vazquez and Daxton Anderson, the Cardinals’ bullpen shut the door from there.

Nolan, who shouldered the loss for the Reds, allowed six runs on 11 hits over 7 1/3 innings. Despite his struggles, Cincinnati’s defense contributed two double plays to limit further damage.

The Reds, making their 10th consecutive postseason appearance, saw their season come to a disappointing end as the Cardinals capitalized on every opportunity.

“We gave it everything we had,” Reds skipper Travis Kendrick said. “This group has been special for a long time, and I’m proud of the fight they showed tonight.”

With the win, the Cardinals will now face the Vancouver Angels in a best-of-three NL Elimination Series. Game 1 is set for Tuesday, as St. Louis looks to continue its title defense against a formidable Vancouver squad.

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AL ELIMINATION SERIES
Game 1: Portland 14, Cleveland 4
Game 2: Cleveland 6, Portland 2
Game 3: Cleveland 5, Portland 4 (CLE wins series 2-1)

NL ELIMINATION SERIES
Game 1: St. Louis 7, Vancouver 5 (14 innings)
Game 2: St. Louis 4, Vancouver 2 (STL wins series 2-0)

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Cardinals Survive Wei-Min Yuan Experience, Force Game 5 Despite Universe's Best Attempts To Screw Them
By Ray Patel | 10:45 PM ET

Sometimes baseball gives you poetry. Sometimes it gives you Wei-Min Yuan trying his absolute hardest to set $500 million worth of St. Louis dreams on fire.

The Cardinals forced a Game 5 in their NLDS showdown with Philadelphia, beating the Phillies 9-5 in a game that felt like watching someone try to defuse a bomb while wearing oven mitts. After Urban Henry (who's apparently made of whatever they used to build the original iPhone) left with an injury in the second inning, Yuan entered and immediately decided to make things interesting by turning a comfortable lead into baseball's version of a trust fall exercise.

The good news: Henry's injury is apparently minor (just two days of rest needed), which is the baseball equivalent of your car making a horrible noise but then the mechanic says it's just a loose cup holder. The bad news: Yuan's 6.48 ERA this postseason suggests he might be trying to speedrun his way into Cardinals infamy.

But hey, the offense showed up! Archer Fernández (3-for-3, 4 RBI) continued his one-man crusade against Philadelphia pitching, while Alexis Walker added his second homer of the series. The Cardinals basically decided that if Yuan was going to make things interesting, they might as well score enough runs to make it not matter.

Special shoutout to Dominic Morin, who came in and struck out five over 3.1 innings of relief, basically telling Yuan "this is how you're supposed to do it" without actually saying it. The kind of performance that makes you wonder if the Cardinals should just pretend all their relievers are closers and work backwards.

Tomorrow's Game 5 will determine who gets to face the Cubs in the NLCS, in what could either be an classic NL Central showdown or another chance for Philadelphia's rebuild to prove that tanking works (their consecutive #1 picks send their regards). The Cardinals will presumably have their entire bullpen available, though fans might want to invest in blood pressure medication if Yuan starts warming up.

At least Cardinals manager Wookie Rogers has a sense of humor about it all. When asked about Yuan's performance, he just smiled and said "We won." Which is manager-speak for "I need a drink."

The decisive Game 5 starts at 7:05 PM ET tomorrow. The Cardinals are hoping Henry's quick recovery is a good omen. The Phillies are probably hoping Yuan gets another chance. Baseball is weird like that.

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Cardinals-Cubs NLCS Set After St. Louis Survives Phillies: The Ultimate October Rivalry Begins
By Howard Jensen
The Athletic | October 2, 2064

In the end, it came down to Layton Willingham, eight gutsy innings and a whole lot of Cardinal Devil Magic™.

The defending champion Cardinals punched their ticket to a fourth straight NLCS Thursday night, outlasting Philadelphia 4-3 in a nail-biter that sets up baseball's dream scenario: Cardinals vs. Cubs, with a pennant on the line and history hanging in the balance.

"You couldn't write it better," Cardinals manager Wookie Rogers said, still dripping from the customary champagne shower. "Us and the Cubs, October baseball, everything on the line. This is what you live for."

Willingham, who's becoming this generation's Bob Gibson in October, scattered 10 hits over eight innings while surrendering just three runs. It wasn't pretty—Philadelphia threatened in seemingly every inning—but it was effective. The type of performance that defines Cardinals playoff baseball.

"Sometimes you just have to be a little bit better than good enough," Willingham said, ice pack already wrapped around his shoulder. "Tonight was about surviving and advancing. That's October baseball."

The victory sets up what might be the most anticipated NLCS in recent memory. The Cubs, seeking their first World Series appearance since their drought-breaking 2016 title, against the defending champion Cardinals, who ended their own 48-year championship drought last season.

"You've got two teams that know exactly what that weight feels like," Rogers noted. "We carried it for 48 years. They're still carrying it from '16. Something's got to give."

The Cardinals' path here wasn't easy. After taking Game 1 against Philadelphia, they dropped two straight, including a heart-wrenching 10-inning loss in Game 3. But as they've done so often, they responded, with their offense exploding for nine runs in Game 4 before Willingham slammed the door in Game 5.

Spencer Van Doren, who took home series MVP honors with a .444 batting average, put it simply: "We don't know how to quit. It's not in our DNA."

Now comes the real test. The 95-win Cubs have been waiting, rested and ready. The Cardinals have been here before—four straight NLCS appearances prove that—but this one feels different. This is Cubs-Cardinals in October, with everything at stake.

"Look, we know what this means," Rogers said, pausing to consider his words carefully. "It's not just another series. It's Cubs-Cardinals. It's history. It's everything this rivalry has been building toward for a century."

For the Cubs, it's a chance to end a 48-year championship drought that, while not as long as their infamous 108-year wait, has become increasingly painful. For the Cardinals, it's an opportunity to prove last year wasn't a fluke while potentially denying their archrivals the same joy they experienced in 2063.

"These teams, these cities, they've been waiting for this moment," Van Doren said. "Cubs-Cardinals for the pennant? That's baseball heaven right there."

The NLCS begins Saturday in Chicago. Willingham will likely take the ball in Game 3, but for now, the Cardinals will savor this victory and prepare for what promises to be an epic showdown with their oldest rivals.

As one Cardinals veteran put it, watching the celebrations wind down in the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park: "The Phillies series was great, but Cubs-Cardinals in October? That's what legends are made of."

Baseball's oldest rivalry is about to write its newest chapter. The only question is: will it be Cubbie blue or Cardinal red holding the pen when it's over?

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Cardinals Draw First Blood: St. Louis Stuns Cubs with Back-to-Back Masterpieces at Wrigley
By Danny Rosenthal
The Athletic | October 5, 2064

The Cardinals didn't just take two games at Wrigley Field. They made a statement.

Behind Urban Henry's gutsy Game 1 performance and Mark Wleh's complete game shutout in Game 2, St. Louis methodically dismantled Chicago's dreams of early NLCS momentum, winning 6-4 and 8-0 to silence the Friendly Confines and take absolute command of this series.

The only dark cloud in an otherwise perfect weekend for St. Louis: shortstop Billy Bridge suffered what appeared to be a significant arm injury in Game 2 while making a throw. But even that couldn't dampen the Cardinals' swagger as they head home with a 2-0 series lead.

"You come to Wrigley hoping for a split," Cardinals manager Wookie Rogers said. "To take both games? That's beyond our wildest expectations. But this team... this team just has that something special."

Henry set the tone in Game 1, scattering 10 hits over eight innings while working out of several jams. The 41-year-old veteran threw an astounding 153 pitches, the kind of old-school performance that defined Cardinals' October baseball for generations.

"Sometimes you just have to empty the tank," Henry said afterward. "It's October. There's no tomorrow in October."

Wleh followed that up with an even more dominant showing in Game 2, spinning a seven-hit shutout that felt like a direct challenge to Cubs' mythology. On a night when the wind was howling out to center at 11 mph, Wleh kept everything on the ground, recording 13 groundball outs.

Spencer Van Doren, continuing his torrid postseason, went 4-for-8 across both games with a home run and triple, pushing his playoff batting average to an otherworldly .444. Noel Hudon added five hits and four RBIs in the two games, as the Cardinals' offense systematically dismantled Chicago's vaunted pitching staff.

"They're just better than us right now," Cubs manager Diego Ramirez admitted after Game 2. "But we've got three games at home if we need them. This series is far from over."

The Bridge injury looms large over the Cardinals' celebration. The shortstop hurt himself making a routine throw in the fourth inning of Game 2, immediately grabbing his arm in pain. Pepper Reid, his replacement, walked twice and scored two runs, but Bridge's potential absence could reshape the series.

"We'll know more tomorrow," Rogers said about Bridge. "But this team has faced adversity all year. Next man up, that's always been our philosophy."

The series shifts to Busch Stadium for Game 3 on Tuesday. The Cubs, trying to end their 48-year World Series drought, now face the daunting task of winning at least two games in St. Louis to bring the series back to Wrigley.

For the Cardinals, who ended their own lengthy championship drought last year, these two games felt like a continuation of that magic. Even with Bridge's injury, they head home knowing they're just two wins away from a return trip to the World Series.

"Last year taught us something important," Van Doren reflected after Game 2. "You don't get many chances to make history. When you do, you better grab them with both hands."

The Cubs have been here before—they overcame a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 World Series. But against this Cardinals team, playing with this kind of confidence? They might need more than just belief to turn this series around.

As one Cardinal put it, watching the Cubs' faithful file out of Wrigley after Game 2: "Maybe some curses are meant to last a little longer."