A brief history of the Australia-New Zealand Baseball League (AUNZBL, 2019-2119)

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Offseason

2058 Notes

While the majority verdict regarding the ABC’s play was “mediocre” there were a few outspoken critics who were of the opinion the 2058 incarnation of the AUNZBL wasn’t all that much better.

“At least,” said one well-known analyst, “we got to see a fair fight between bat and ball in the ABC, whereas the lowered mounds in the AUNZBL continue to make a mockery of the sport.”

The ABC’s BA was .252 and their ERA 3.66 in comparison to the AUNZBL’s BA of .271 and ERA of 4.64 (both highest ever marks).

Other critics pointed out that the AUNZBL’s excitement factor was way down on previous seasons, with only 2 AUNZBL batters hitting over 40HR in 2058, and no qualified pitchers with an FIP lower than 3.24, and only 2 with an ERA below 3.00. On top of that, no pitcher reached the 20-win mark.

“All in all,” read a popular sports data-feed, “while the AUNZBL may boast that it’s the premier competition on the planet, and offers the best sporting spectacle, in reality they’ve been reduced to following Ismael Aguirre and Angelo Spear around, hoping their hunt for milestones will fool the average fan into believing they are watching high performance art.”

Perhaps the average fan was fooled, for the crowds continued to flock to AUNZBL games throughout the season. Teams like Central Coast and Perth had stadiums filled to near capacity every home game, while even the Blue Sox, who ended up last in their division, regularly pulled bumper crowds. Not every team was quite as popular, but no ABC team could match that consistent level of attendance, not even 100-win Jakarta with their 60,000 seat stadium.

Even the critics had to admit that the postseason was full of quality, exciting baseball, with the Championship Series in particular having “more plot twists than a day-time soap,” according to the same sports-feed quoted earlier.

In terms of records set, this season’s Diggers walked 740 times, beating their 2053 record by 32. The Metros equaled their awful ERA record set last season of 5.63 runs per 9 innings played. They also allowed the most runs ever (976), 3 ahead of this year’s Venom, and set a single season walk record, the 767 free passes they allowed 56 more than last year’s Heat. Unsurprisingly, their BB/9 was also a season worst, at 4.7, as was their WHIP of 1.690.

ABC Wrap-up

The ABC teams fighting it out for the maiden Grand Final shield were the Alice Springs Opals, the Hobart Hammerheads, the Kalgoorlie Gold Rush, and the Jakarta Stars. Unlucky to miss out were Southern Division runners-up Melbourne Victory, whose 91-71 record was 3rd-best in the league.

Semi-finals between Alice Springs and Jakarta, and Kalgoorlie and Hobart, kicked off on March 29, the day Game 3 of the Division Finals took place in the AUNZBL. The ABC postseason would still finish before the AUNZBL playoffs thanks to the fact they had one less playoff round than their counterparts.

Hobart trounced Kalgoorlie 3-0 in one semifinal, and Jakarta eased past Alice Springs 3-1. The Grand Final was a closer affair, Jakarta leading 3-2 just as the AUNZBL Championship Series got underway. Hobart came back to win Game 6 and force a decider in Jakarta. The Stars’ fans were loving it, with nearly 60,000 packing out Jakarta Ballpark each home game of the series. Hobart locals were also paying attention, especially as their AUNZBL team was no longer in contention. Media coverage outside of those 2 centres was somewhat muted, the match reports on most sports sites not much more than a paragraph and a minute-long highlight reel.

Game 7 favoured Hobart in the early exchanges, the Hammerheads up 2-1 after 4, Jakarta’s only hit a HR. Jakarta had evened it up after 5 and grabbed the lead in the 7th when an errant throw to 3rd enabled an advancing runner to score. The crowd noise, according to Hobart player Bronson Tunnicliffe in an interview a few weeks later, “was so deafening as to be frightening. The wire fences erected to keep the crowd off the field gave the whole thing a gladiatorial feeling, with fireworks being set off in the stands, and fans continually drumming their seats and shaking the fences, so much so we thought they could come down at any time.”

When Gavin Howell made a fine running catch in the 8th the thunderous roar that echoed around the stadium lasted for 2 whole minutes and only stopped after Howell repeatedly gestured for silence and pointed back at the mound. And when Jakarta secured the final out, after a couple nervous moments during the inning, the fences did indeed come down, the crush of 59,000 fans wanting to celebrate on the field too much for mere knotted strings of metal to handle. Images of the moment quickly became iconic, and April 12th, 2059 soon became known across Southeast Asia as the day Indonesia beat Australia at baseball (no matter that only 3 of Jakarta’s playoff roster were Indonesian). Celebrations around the city lasted for over a week.

The ABC’s inaugural Golden Arm award went to Jakarta Stars veteran ace Rhys Susanti (18-7, 2.12 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.03 WHIP). The 42 y/o, who’d emigrated to Broome with his family not long after The War, was a 20-year veteran of the small independent league circuit, playing everywhere from the Northern Territories to Indonesia and as far away as Korea.

While he’d been scouted by AUNZBL teams several times during his career, he’d never been offered a contract, but held no grudges. “I’ve seen the world on a baseball budget and I can’t complain about that. I’m just happy to have had a chance to play for a big-league team, even if it wasn’t in the AUNZBL. And especially to have played for the first big-league Indonesian team, the country of my birth, is a real honour. And not only to play, but to win the ABC trophy and this award, is just huge. I’m getting old now, but I hope I have a couple more quality years left. I know I’ll definitely be turning out next year, but beyond that, well, we’ll see.”

Jakarta’s Gavin Howell (.279/.380/.576) accomplished in one year what it took AUNZBL hitters 20 years to reach: a 50HR season. He hit exactly that many, and also led the league in runs batted in (131) and runs scored (118). It was no surprise to anybody when he won the Golden Bat Award.

Hobart’s Satya Susanti (17-8, 2.94 ERA, 2.56 FIP, 1.13 WHIP) racked up 286 strikeouts, miles ahead of the rest of the league.

BL Wrap-up

Maracaibo defeated Santiago 3-0 in one semifinal pairing, while Managua did the same to Havana in the other. The Championship round was a bit closer, Maracaibo, the 2nd wildcard and thus lowest qualifier, eventually defeating Managua 4-2.

The BL’s rookie award went to 30 y/o Charles Holland (.307/.375/.514, 20HR) who had spent the last 2 seasons in Perth before heading offshore to play for Managua.

Jarra de Ano went to 32 y/o Guayaquil SP Bernie Phillips (14-6, 3.03 ERA, 2.63 FIP, 1.15 WHIP), who’d thrown for both the Esmeraldas and Santiago in 2058. Phillips was best remembered in the AUNZBL for throwing a no-hitter for Christchurch against Kununurra in the 2052 season.

Managua’s Jai Chesney (.338/.422/.575, 17HR) won Bateador de Ano.

League News

The following were among some of the retirees at season’s end:

45 y/o Future Hall-of-famer Ashley Snijders (.301/.400/.527, 602HR, 3186 hits) finally decided to call it quits. The old warhorse finished this season in AAA, but admitted that was “probably just as well.” The 3-time Slugger of the Year and 14-time All Star retired with only 1 regret: no big-league ring. He was also pleased to know that he finished his AUNZBL career higher on one leaderboard than old foe Mildren. His 564 doubles put him 3rd all-time, 9 higher than Mildren’s 4th-best effort.

36 y/o C Warren Danvers (.277/.365/.430, 106HR, 934 hits). Led the league in OBP in 2047. Often wound up as a back-up catcher even though he was good enough to play every day.

35 y/o C Carlo Gadsden (.286/.335/.466, 165HR, 1177 hits). Excellent while at Brisbane, with whom he won 1 Championship, between 2051-2054, but had trouble nailing down a starting spot in the other teams he graced. Won a Gold Glove in 2050 and always highly regarded as a defensive catcher.

38 y/o SP Blair Wurfel (133-88, 35 sv, 3.81 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 1471 Ks in 1994.2 IP). Won 3 Championships with the Cavalry before heading to the BL for a 1-season swansong. Made 4 All Star teams and was runner-up in the 2047 HotY standings.

40 y/o Matt Panther (.268/.387/.426, 296HR, 2473 hits). The Upper American import known just as much for his incredible tale of survival (though not so incredible if you spent any time in the Upper Americas) retired after an 18-year major-league career. He won 2 rings with the Metros and made 7 All Star teams, but it was unlikely he’d be remembered as being in the same class as the first baseman he played against.

12 May: The legal shenanigans between the AUNZBL, PU, and ABC had been variously delayed throughout the season, much to the loud and public protestations of the ABC and the silence of the AUNZBL and PU. The first court hearing, a closed room affair before the judge, was heard today. Most onlookers believed that nothing would ever reach open court, and that the AUNZBL and PU would relent their position sometime towards the end of the offseason.

Some experts in employment law, however, felt that the PU, at least, had a sound reason for advising its members not to seek employment with the ABC. They pointed out that AUNZBL salaries had only gradually reached the point they were now, and that the wages of players today were based on the financial security of the league and its member teams. Whereas the ABC was offering salaries commensurate with the AUNZBL but had no financial security or proven track record, and were not even in the position to accurately forecast income over the next 5 years. It would’ve been much more advisable, according to these experts, for the ABC to have followed a similar model to the AUNZBL - lower wages to begin with that increased over time based on the success of the league.

Proponents of the ABC argued that comparing the AUNZBL at inception to the ABC at inception was comparing apples to orangutans. The world the AUNZBL formed in was vastly different to the world 40 years on, and the wages paid to players back then were ‘top dollar’ in relation to the economic situation.

Most casual fans had no interest in pay squabbles, other than to worry if baseball would or would not be played next season.

19 May: Reports leaked out that the AUNZBL Commissioner had approved ‘cash injections’ for all AUNZBL teams. This was on top of the yearly prize money doled out for those who made the postseason. The ABC Commissioner was quick to decry this as “grandstanding and if not illegal, certainly unethical.”

The AUNZBL Commissioner responded with a derisive laugh, and said, “It’s in the best interests of the AUNZBL as a league for all of its teams to be financially competitive. Really, if we were to hoard any profits we are making off our great game, both at home and abroad, that would be unethical, wouldn’t you agree? Yes, we are in a position to ensure the financial stability of our member organizations. We have worked hard to be in such a position, and we will continue to work hard to remain in such a position.”

The move was, in the words of a respected business analyst, “A massive power-play, designed to demonstrate to all and sundry, and especially the players on the free agency market, that the AUNZBL has financial clout that its primary rival does not have. This in, turn, would remind the players that it’s in their best interests to seek contracts within the AUZNBL league, as these would likely be larger than anything they could get elsewhere, and payment would be guaranteed.”

28 Jul: Was the standoff over? The 3 parties in the lawsuit had been in and out of court, but nothing had been accomplished. The ABC was furious because only 2 free agents had signed with ABC teams, the remainder preferring to try their luck in the AUNZBL, some even willing to play in the minors. One pitcher had headed to the NABA. The ABC was certain the AUNZBL and PU were to blame for it all, though both continued to rubbish such claims.

Today, the AUNZBL and PU fronted a press conference, the PU boss stating that they would no longer actively advise players not to sign with the ABC. “We have been advised by ABC bosses that they will revise their salary offers to be commensurate with their financial position. If that promise is kept, we will no longer advise our players not to sign with an ABC-affiliated team, though we will still include a blurb on our site counseling players and agents to exercise care, as they should do in any contract negotiation. We wish the ABC all the best in its endeavours.”

The AUNZBL Commissioner was next up. “The ABC wishes to continue this legal action. There is no basis for it, as is being demonstrated by what has already transpired before the courts, and affirmed by the ABC’s own agreement to work with its owners to make sure the salaries they offer players can be paid. If the ABC does continue to pursue this matter, we will see it through, but one has to ask the question: is this legal wrangling really in the best interests of baseball?”

Many felt the Commissioner was being very disingenuous, but 4 days later the ABC officially dropped its case.

The timing, once again, appeared deliberate. Today was the first official day of the ABC preseason, leaving them not very much time to chase the free agents left on the market, but not with no time to do so.

Notable Club Happenings

All clubs agreed to expand the available seating in their stadiums to 60,000 before the 2059 season began. Some owners had novel ideas. The Thunder proposed tethered blimps from which spectators could watch the game from above while enjoying a fine dining experience. There was no indication how this would work in inclement weather with the stadium roof closed. The Blue Sox planned on tapping into the home viewer market, supplying a walled-off area on the LF foul-ball line for those who wished to enjoy the game from home via a simulife node. Included in the cost, a node user could control an avatar if they wished, in this case a child-sized robot, to navigate around for a better view or chat to other node users. They could even attempt to catch flyballs with their avatar.

Auckland: Perhaps some uniform and logo changes might spice up an Auckland side who hadn’t made the playoffs since 2047 and had spent most of the following seasons near the bottom of the NZ Division. Hopefully Auckland management would invest in some decent pitchers and defensive upgrades to complement the new look. The logo, home and away caps and home and away uniforms would all look radically different in 2059, with Metros’ brass also deciding to spread the logo across the entire front of the shirt, rather than on the top righthand side. The reason? To inspire fear in opposition hitters and pitchers. “Wherever they look,” 58 y/o 2nd-year GM Kent Swan crowed, “they’re gonna see the king of the jungle comin’ right at ‘em!”

Early indications were not too many players would be intimidated. When Canberra catcher Elijah Lutz was shown a picture of his opposite Yen-nien Liu wearing the new uniform he giggled and said, “Makes him look a bit chunky, don’t it?”



Brisbane: Brisbane also announced a logo update, stating that while the previous raccoon logo was “iconic” and “well-represented” them as a club, it was time to create a new look that would “inspire” them to “take a no-holds barred approach and climb back to the top of the baseball standings.” The logo, home and away caps, and home uniform would change (though the home uniform only slightly). The away uniform would remain the same for now.



Central Coast: In a move that surprised all and sundry, neither GM John Snow or skipper Hayden Stanley had their contracts renewed. Stanley couldn’t be reached for comment, apparently spending time with his family. Snow, who’d been GM of the Thunder for 5 years and assembled a team that’d competed in the Championship series for the last 4, shrugged and said, “I guess that’s baseball. Brock* said he couldn’t have been happier with the way I’d performed as GM but it was time to change things up. Not sure I agree but I’m not the boss man.” Before coming to the Thunder, Snow had been GM at the Blue Sox for 5 seasons, getting them to the playoffs twice. The 63 y/o 6’3” Upper American, who had a real military bearing about him, had got his start in the NABA as the head honcho of the Carmel Generals for 2 seasons.

*Brock Creswell, 43 y/o owner of the Thunder.

Christchurch: 2057 Skipper of the Year Lou Blenkhorn parted ways with the Cowboys, but not by his choice. He’d taken them to the Championship Series his first 2 years in charge, but missed the playoffs this season. He would be replaced by 55 y/o bench coach Marcus Kent, who made it as high as AAA as an infielder.

Melbourne: GM Jose Morales announced his retirement.

Notable Free Agent Signings/Player Contract Extensions

24 Apr: Perth and 23 y/o ace Barry Dean (27-22, 4.58 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.05 WHIP) agreed to terms on a 7-year contract extension. Dean, currently recuperating a partially torn labrum, said he “couldn’t be happier” to have his playing future sewn up, and “was doubly excited to be a part of Perth’s future.”

24 Apr: 21 y/o Stephane Lecomte (.274/.321/.346, 5HR, 169SB) had been playing the bigs since he was 18, and had logged exactly 3 years of service time. Cairns’ moved to buy out his remaining arbitration years with a 5-year deal.

24 Apr: 29 y/o Austin Ya (54-69, 4.04 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) would’ve been a free agent after next season, but no more. Whangarei finalized a 5-year contract extension with their 2053 #1 draft pick.

24 Apr: Cairns made sure to put a deal on the table in front of 24 y/o Ronald Aitken (.271/.380/.464, 45HR), who led the AUNZBL in doubles this season with 50. The 2057 RotY eagerly accepted the 6-year extension, telling reporters he “couldn’t believe” the Crocs valued him that hightly.

24 Apr: 24 y/o Axel Nankervis (.291/.336/.482, 64HR) had broken out in 2058, in his 4th year in the bigs but 1st year as an everyday player. Adelaide made sure he wouldn’t be making a break for any other team anytime soon, signing him to a 6-year extension.

24 Apr: Nankervis wasn’t the only young star Adelaide wanted to keep. 26 y/o Keiran Cooper (.305/.339/.442, 46HR) was consistently good when on the field and today signed a 3-year extension with his club.

24 Apr: The elation wasn’t over for Adelaide fans, though. 27 y/o Malcolm Pickhills (.237/.345/.420, 96HR), who finally looked like he was going to live up to potential, agreed to a 6-year extension. He would’ve been a free agent at the end of next season.

24 Apr: Central Coast locked up 29 y/o slugger John Foreman (.285/.346/.521, 206HR) for a further 3 years. He would’ve been free agency eligible after the 2059 season.

24 Apr: Hobart and 26 y/o Gu Luo (.268/.307/.435, 75HR) agreed to a 4-year extension.

24 Apr: Newcastle moved to buy out the remainder of 23 y/o Guillermo Julio’s (.318/.362/.431, 20HR) arbitration and then some, convincing him to sign a 7-year extension.

14 May: There was a glut of 1B on the market this season, thanks in part to a few players exercising player options in their contracts. Foremost among this was Ismael Aguirre, much to the dismay of Christchurch management.

This year’s top 5 free agents were:

35 y/o 1B Ismael Aguirre
28 y/o LF Cain Donaldson (played for the Port Moresby Kumuls in the ABC on a 1-year deal and elected to file for free agency, stating his intention to score an AUNZBL contract)
30 y/o 1B/3B Lance Fookes
35 y/o 1B Patrick Maggs
30 y/o RF Jason Hewitt (also from the ABC, having played with Hamilton in 2058 before filing for free agency in a bid to land an AUNZBL contract)

Some of the other free agents available this offseason, in no particular order:

29 y/o C Kade Wurfel (ABC - 2058 batting champion)
30 y/o SP Tristan Agar (ABC)
33 y/o 1B Ed Geoghegan
27 y/o C Yin-ti Zhuo
29 y/o 3B Rick Roughley
37 y/o C Jacob Blanksby
27 y/o 3B Yoshihito Morimoto
35 y/o 1B Marcos Lopez
32 y/o 1B Edwin Hayes
39 y/o C Zachary Woollett
32 y/o 1B Kane Pond
32 y/o 1B Joshua Angwin
28 y/o SP Marty Palmer
32 y/o SP Edwin Kerr
30 y/o CL Ryan Digby

This year’s free agent class looked very weak on pitching. The Cowboys were the biggest losers, with Aguirre, Zhuo and most of their decent pitchers heading out the door. At the other end of the scale, the Thunder only lost 0.6 WAR.

20 May: The first signing of the offseason was... not somebody most fans would have heard of. 31 y/o Addergoole Bintang (3-4, 39 sv, 2.65 ERA, 2.58 FIP, 1.04 WHIP) had been closer for the Canberra Capitals last season in the ABC. While the general opinion was that his numbers were inflated - or deflated depending on which ones you looked at - due to the general nature of the ABC’s gameplay, Whangarei were happy to take a punt and signed him on a 2-year deal. Bintang, born in Townsville to parents who’d illegally entered Australia from Indonesia during The War, had played all over the semi-pro Indonesian circuit prior to signing with Canberra.

23 May: 30 y/o Jason Hewitt (.263/.376/.480, 28HR) had hit the jackpot. Canberra signed him to a big money 4-year deal. Hewitt, who’d played with the Hamilton Hawks in the ABC last season, did a very poor job of keeping a poker face at the press conference. He mumbled some things about ‘doing his best for the team,’ and spent a lot of time posing in front of the Canberra logo, baseball bat in hand. Analysts were mixed about how he would do in the AUNZBL cauldron. Power hitter who’d strike out a lot, was the general consensus, but whether he’d be successful or not was anybody’s guess.



26 May: 33 y/o Edwin Kerr (133-118, 4.16 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) signed a modest 1-year contract with Canberra. The 2055 HotY had been poor the last few seasons, but how much of that was playing for an Adelaide team that gave defense nearly 0 value couldn’t be known. At any rate, Canberra thought they’d secured themselves a real bargain.

28 May: The desire to snatch up ABC ballers continued, with Sydney today jubilantly announcing they and 28 y/o Cain Donaldson (.284/.422/.384, 4HR) had agreed to terms on a 6-year deal. Donaldson had played for Port Moresby last season in the ABC, but before that the South Australian had plied his trade in the various semi-pro leagues around Australia and New Zealand. “I was a bush-leaguer,” he said proudly, “and now look where I am: about to play for the biggest baseball team in the best city in the world.” Most analysts agreed that Donaldson was good enough to be in the AUNZBL, and was a decent acquisition for Sydney, though they’d probably paid overs for him.



28 May: 28 y/o SP Blair Norris (66-59, 4.41 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) had spent his entire pro career thus far in the Kununurra organization. And it seems he wanted to stay a Pioneer, today signing off on a 5-year extension.

28 May: After 4 years trying his hand in the AUNZBL, 31 y/o Ovidio Arvelos (.258/.387/.362, 27HR) was heading back to the BL. He’d signed a 3-year deal with Havana.

30 May: 27 y/o Yin-ti Zhuo (.265/.406/.417, 62HR) signed on with Perth for 5 years. Early indications were he’d be their DH.

30 May: Whangarei took a punt on another ABC pitcher, but there was much more risk associated with this one. 30 y/o Tristan Agar (15-6, 2.43 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 0.98 WHIP) had starred for Alice Springs in the ABC, but had now signed on with Whangarei for 6 years on big money. He threw a cutter, slider, changeup and forkball, and longtime Sluggers’ GM Wesley Stephens said this signing “was a sure thing.” Agar had been plying his trade in Japan before hearing about the ABC and heading back to Australia to audition. “Playing in the AUNZBL has always been a dream,” he told reporters, “and I’m really excited to finally get a chance to show how good I am.” Agar would likely have had this chance much earlier if he hadn’t made some bad decisions in high school that saw him kicked off the baseball program and ultimately expelled. “That’s all a long time in the past now,” he assured everybody, “and now I just keep my head down and stay out of trouble.”

3 Jun: Central Coast announced that local favourite, 34 y/o Rory Budd (.272/.333/.405, 113HR), had agreed to a 2-year contract extension that would see him in Thunder colours until 2061.

4 Jun: 37 y/o Jacob Blanksby (.303/.397/.543, 473HR) signed a 2-year deal with Hobart, the 2nd year being a vesting option requiring 120 games played. Blanksby had 2 goals: help Hobart win the Championship, and get to 500 career homers.

5 Jun: Hobart might’ve lost Swerdlove (see Trades section below) but the fans were back rejoicing today upon receiving news that 35 y/o Ismael Aguirre (.321/.378/.576, 626HR) would be coming their way on a 2-year deal. While there were many factors that influenced Aguirre’s decision, he admitted the one that sealed the deal was yesterday’s news that Blanksby would be a Prospect. “Loved playing with him in Canberra and can’t wait to play with him again,” Aguirre said. The feeling was mutual, Blanksby saying, “Yeah, I might’ve got on the blower to him after I signed yesterday and told him to get his butt down here. Didn’t realize his agent was already in talks with the club, though.”



7 Jun: Perth had reportedly also been chasing Aguirre’s signature, but they had a handy backup plan in case of failure. 35 y/o Patrick Maggs (.305/.379/.527, 378HR) was the name of that plan, and today it was announced he’d signed for 2 years. The 2nd year was a vesting option, requiring 135 games. Surprisingly, Maggs had never yet hit more than 39HR in a season.



7 Jun: 33 y/o Ed Geoghegan (.284/.363/.487, 320HR) had been open regarding his disappointment Perth hadn’t “more vigorously” pursued a contract extension. He found a new home today, but one within the same division as his previous team. He’d signed a 2-year deal with Adelaide.

9 Jun: Hobart were spending money like they’d just been given a cash injection by the league’s governing body. Today they splashed out on a mostly unknown commodity, 28 y/o SP Marcello Thornton (14-7, 3.64 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.21 WHIP), signing him for 6 years. He’d played last season for Townsville in the ABC and most analysts felt he was a poor investment for an AUNZBL team.

10 Jun: 29 y/o Rick Roughley (.292/.344/.437, 97HR) finalized a 3-year deal with the Fury.

14 Jun: 35 y/o veteran IF Nigel Pinney (.255/.352/.403, 190HR) signed a 1-year contract with Hobart.

14 Jun: ‘Shark,’ grizzled though he might be, would get another go-around in the AUNZBL. 40 y/o Esteban Madrigal (.273/.347/.500, 269HR) would make it 11 years in the world’s premier baseball league, having signed a 1-year deal with the defending champion Heat.

17 Jun: Perth got in on the ABC-signing spree, convincing 33 y/o 3B Rex Kwan (.300/.387/.517, 32HR) to sign on the dotted line for 2 years. Kwan was a guy who “didn’t mind getting his uniform dirty,” and would “lead from the front in all aspects of his game,” according to Perth management, who felt he was like-for-like with Tommy Hillson, except a few years younger and better defensively. Kwan had played for Melbourne in last year’s ABC.

20 Jun: Hobart was just packed to the rafter with hitters. Today’s big spend was 30 y/o Lance Fookes (.292/.343/.513, 181HR), who’d committed to the club for 7 years. Fookes couldn’t wait to get out there and play for his new club, also saying he was “looking forward to the opportunity to play with Izzy and Jake again.” He’d been a March call-up rookie at the Bandits when Aguirre and Blanksby had been there and admitted he’d always thought “they were the coolest cucumbers in the salad.” Even with the money gifted to them by the AUNZBL, the Prospects were still looking at huge losses for the 2059 season, and if they didn’t win it all then heads at the top might very well roll.



24 Jun: Kununurra hailed the signing of 28 y/o SS Bert Allan (.269/.343/.495, 33HR) on a 7-year deal as a tremendous coup but most of their fans were not so sure. Allan had played for the Gold Coast Goannas last season and before that had been a staple in the semi-pro South Australian Baseball League.

5 Jul: The day after making 2 rotation-centric trades (see Notable Trades, below) the Cavalry revealed their ace for 2059: 28 y/o Marty Palmer (66-66, 4.59 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 1.44 WHIP). Palmer was better than his stats suggested, Canberra felt, and would helm their rotation well for the next 3 years.

9 Jul: Everybody was a bit surprised when Whangarei did not offer 27 y/o Yoshihito Morimoto arbitration and let him become a free agent. Whangarei’s loss was Melbourne’s gain, however, with the 2058 hits leader joining the club for 3 years. “Absolute value for money,” new GM Danny Stapleton said. “We’ve got ourselves a guy who can hit .320 while striking out less than 50 times in 700PA, and we got him for a song. He suits our club and he’s going to love here, I’m sure.”

11 Jul: Young Perth SP Alan Gallard (19-13, 4.24 ERA, 4.32 FIP, 1.53 WHIP) announced his immediate retirement from the game. He was going to fulfill a childhood dream and head for Mars to help open up a new colony on the red planet. Perth management were sad to see him go, saying they’d expected him to break out this season or next but that they couldn’t “deny him his dreams.” The mission was expected to take 5-7 years, though Gallard’s contractual obligations would be fulfilled after 4 years, and he wasn’t ruling out a return to baseball in the future. “Or, better yet,” he said with a huge grin, “setting up a competition on Mars. Wouldn’t that be something?”

24 Jul: 31 y/o LF journeyman Damian Krajancic (.259/.336/.425, 141HR) signed for 4 years with Canberra. This would be Krajancic’s 6th team in an 8-year career.

27 Jul: In 2054 Al Ayliffe (.266/.332/.438, 139HR) made history by hitting 3 Grand Slams in 1 postseason. Since then, the now 29 y/o had toiled away in a mediocre Newcastle team, doing good things in LF and being solid with bat in hand. He hadn’t rated too highly on many media radars during free agency season, but Wellington liked the look of him and today signed him to a 4-year deal.

28 Jul: Wellington added some veteran leadership to their squad today, signing 39 y/o C Zachary Woollett (.306/.379/.525, 430HR) to a 2-year deal. The indication was he’d be the backup catcher and be a generally good influence around the clubhouse. This would be Woollett’s second stint with Wellington, having played there from 2055-2056. He was realistic about his chances of playing everyday, admitting, “I’m not sure my knees can take another full season behind the plate, to be honest.”

12 Aug: 29 y/o C Kade Wurfel (.334/.388/.506, 17HR for Adelaide in the ABC) said he’d almost given up hope of finding a spot in the AUNZBL, such was the strength of the current catching stocks. Christchurch, though, said they’d had their eye on him since he’d filed as a free agent, but had almost given up hope of snaring him because they didn’t think they could afford him. A happy ending all around, then, with Wurfel signing a 6-year deal at a price the Cowboys could pay.

13 Aug: There had been speculation 35 y/o Marcos Lopez (.317/.366/.521, 331HR) might head across the border to the ABC, but that was quashed today when the Aces presented him as having signed a 2-year contract, the 2nd year kicking in if he had 550PA in 2059. Last season he hit .295, the first time he’d dropped below .300 since 2046, when he had a grand total of 11PA in a March call-up.

13 Aug: Edwin Hayes had almost been forgotten about, and the 32 y/o admitted he’d asked his agent to poke around the overseas market in case nothing turned up in the AUNZBL. His patience was rewarded though, with Central Coast offering him a 4-year deal. He took it, though he admitted that he had to take a significant pay-cut in doing so. “But,” he mused, “I really just want to play ball, and the opportunity to play for a Championship-calibre team like this is, well, I couldn’t pass that up!”

17 Aug: The first former AUNZBL-player to sign with an ABC team was 30 y/o RHP Todd Chadwick (23-11, 4 sv, 5.05 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 1.63 WHIP). A reliever throughout his career in the AUNZBL, the Hobart Hammerheads offered him a spot in their rotation. He’d signed a 1-year deal and said, “I’m quite excited to pitch from the higher mound, to be honest. See if it’s everything it’s cracked up to be.”

30 Aug: Where 32 y/o Kane Pond (.301/.350/.495, 178HR) would fit into Perth’s overfilled lineup was anybody’s guess, but he was just happy to have a team to play for in 2059. He’d signed a 1-year deal.

3 Sep: On the first morning of Spring Training, Perth management fronted to media to announce they’d signed another 1B. 35 y/o Joshua Angwin (.273/.320/.476, 239HR) was the man, and he’d agreed to a 2-year deal. What exactly Perth planned on doing with the plethora of first-basemen they’d signed they weren’t letting on.

23 Sep: Melbourne and 28 y/o LF Jayden Downes (.287/.311/.362, 14HR) agreed on a 3-year extension which would see the nimble CF an Ace until 2062.

30 Sep: On the eve of Opening Day, star relievers Rex Herbert and Ryan Digby had yet to sign anyplace. Thanks to their prolific signing, Perth gained the most WAR, up 18.3, though there had to be a question mark over whether Rex Kwan (7.5 WAR) would deliver the same value in this league. Canberra was next best, their astute signings netting them a gain of 14.1 WAR. Brisbane, in a rebuilding pattern, finished up with a loss of 7.5 WAR, the worst of any team.

Notable Trades

21 May: The fans in Hobarts were most upset. 31 y/o cult hero Brian Swerdlove (.241/.340/.365, 33HR), along with some cash, was heading to Melbourne in exchange for 25 y/o back-up catcher Ted Hodgson (.274/.316/.404, 4HR from 158PA).

5 Jun: Brisbane were so keen on 20 y/o LF prospect Nick Bond that they were willing to give Christchurch 27 y/o SP Bradley Boston (45-38, 4.03 ERA, 4.56 FIP, 1.33 WHIP) and a big wad of cash to get him. The funny thing? Brisbane was the team who initially drafted Bond in 2057. And this January they had ten traded him to Christchurch. The Cowboys were doubly happy because they desperately needed good starting pitching and Boston could well fit that bill.

4 Jul: Canberra were rebuilding their rotation from scratch, doing as they’d done last season, looking for low-cost options that would still provide a decent punch. To that end they made 2 trades today. The first was with Brisbane. 30 y/o Nicholas Ahernfeld (.271/.347/.445, 87HR) and a 20 y/o prospect headed north to the Bandits in exchange for 36 y/o SP Cameron Worsfold (129-136, 4.51 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 1.41 WHIP) and cash.

4 Jul: Their second trade was with Whangarei. The Sluggers were willing to part with 28 y/o pitcher Brendan Neill (28-30, 21 sv, 4.46 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 1.43 WHIP) in exchange for 27 y/o LF Byron Floyd (.240/.316/.424, 82HR) and a 20 y/o CF prospect.

18 Jul: Divison rivals Hobart and Sydney came to an agreement, Hobart sending 26 y/o 1B Nigel Anderton (.275/.343/.475, 65HR) and cash to Sydney. In return they got 27 y/o CF Lou Albury (.281/.331/.395, 25HR) and an outfield prospect.

23 Sep: Adelaide and Central Coast pulled the trigger on a Spring Training trade, Central Coast sending 27 y/o CF Rory Delaney (.261/.301/.389, 10HR) down the line to the Venom in return for 27 y/o SS Vincent Howell (.247/.324/.387, 32HR).

Notable Injuries

11 Sep: In a sad way, this injury might make it a bit easier for Perth to sort out their logjam of recently-signed hitters. Esteban Madrigal dived awkwardly into 2nd base and came up clutching his arm and biting back screams. Turned out he’d broken a bone in his elbow. Recovery time for the 40 y/o was estimated at 7-8 months. It was now highly likely that AUNZBL fans had seen the last of ‘Shark.’

21 Aug: Sean Carr could miss the first month of the season thanks to a fractured finger.

NABA Wrap-up

The Olympia Shockwave eased to a regular season victory in this year’s iteration of the NABA, winning by 7 1/2 games. The wildcard was much more closely fought, with Sioux City beating Canon City in a 1-game playoff to progress to the NABA Cup. After the Shockwave won the first game of the Cup 10-1, the outcome looked a foregone conclusion. But the Rampage came back to win Game 2, and then scored 2 runs in the 8th inning of Game 3 to secure a come from behind victory. It was the Sioux’s first Cup victory in their first appearance.

The winner of the NABA’s Rookie Award was 35 y/o Travis Cobb (.324/.396/.531, 14HR). Cobb had made a brief comeback to the AUNZBL last season, suiting up for Kununurra, after 6 years in the BL. He played a starring role in a Memphis team that finished 19 games out of the race.

Olympia’s Timothy Mossop (10-5, 1.83 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 1.07 WHIP) won the Yosemite Award. The 36 y/o was in his 2nd year in the NABA, having spent plenty of time in the AUNZBL minors, the BL, and the Perth bullpen before heading across to the Upper Americas.

With the introduction of the new offense awards, the NABA renamed the Yellowstone Award the Grand Canyon Award, Yellowstone now being the moniker of the gong given to the best offensive player in their position. The winner of this year’s Grand Canyon Award was 26 y/o Manuel Espinoza (.291/.354/.528, 16HR). He led the league in HR, doubles, and WAR. Espinoza had been drafted in the BL in 2051, granted minor league free agency there in 2053 and signed by Carmel in 2054. He spent 3 years in their reserves before getting a chance on the active roster and hadn’t looked back.

Other Notes

12 Jun: In an explosive interview recorded a week after Aguirre signed with the Prospects, Manuel Salinas told OotPB interviewer Ronald de Jong that Aguirre was a “mercenary,” who didn’t “give a damn” about any of the organizations he’d played for, and “would just as soon run his mother over” if it would get him a higher-paying contract. Salinas felt that the way Aguirre had acted towards Christchurch, opting out of the final year of his contract after they’d struggled in 2058 was “more than despicable, but downright disgusting.” Not only that, but Salinas went on to say, “Many of us from South America, we play hard over here and we send most of what we earn back home to support our families and our childhood communities. Y’know, do our bit to make the world we came from better, because lord knows that the things we take for granted over here are absolute luxuries in many of the places we grew up. Does Aguirre do anything like that? Does he give back to his roots? No, he doesn’t. Anything that’s outside of himself he doesn’t even think about, let alone care about.”

Of course, scandal-happy journos went rushing to Aguirre to get his take on matters. Usually unperturbed by criticism and personal attack, Aguirre responded with uncharacteristic frustration. “What’s he basing this on? Does he have access to my bank accounts? I absolutely look after my family back home. I’ve even brought my parents and grandparents over to live with me, but I still make sure my extended family and friends are taken care of. Not that the situation back home is anywhere near what Manuel says it is. If anything, the standard of living around most of South America now is almost comparable to here.”

Both players were likely exaggerating the conditions found in the Lower Americas. The reality was that the general economic conditions were better than almost everywhere else in the world, barring Australasia, but there were still large swathes of land where the population did without basic plumbing and the like - not so much a symptom of The War as indicative of the same local government corruption and mismanagement that had been an issue for 150 years. Many of the cities also had sprawling slums and high crime rates, but in terms of the post-War world, most of the Lower American countries were economic powerhouses.

Aguirre’s AUNZBL earnings to-date, not including endorsements, were rumoured to be around $250 million, while Salinas’ were purported to be in the region of $160 million.

[Izz]

2059 Preseason Predictions

Coastal: The experts had Perth winning the Coastal Division, but not by much, Cairns hard on their heels. Adelaide would be similar to last season while Darwin would hold up the bottom of the division.

East-West: Central Coast, and nobody else close. Newcastle were picked to finish at the bottom of the heap.

NZ: Despite losing Aguirre, Zhuo, their skipper and a chunk of their pitching staff, Christchurch were picked to bounce back and win a dogfight with Wellington in the NZ. Whangarei would again have their moments but ultimately be uncompetitive, while Auckland would lose over 100 games.

Southern: The most competitive division by far. Hobart, unsurprisingly, were picked to win it, with Melbourne 2nd and Sydney 3rd, both well over .500. Somewhat surprisingly, most thought the Cavalry would tank, despite what seemed to be a number of low-cost, good-value signings during the offseason.

Wildcard: Wellington and Melbourne, with Sydney and Cairns snapping at their heels.

Slugger of the Year: Brisbane’s Roger Moore would have a dominating year, though the Thunder duo of Auger and Foreman would also be strong, Foreman picked to break the 50HR barrier.

Hurler of the Year: The youngster who had Game 7 of the Championship Series unfairly thrust onto his shoulders wouldn’t be haunted by the outcome, according to the experts, but would be both motivated and trained by it. John Zglinicki was the favourite for HotY, with Wellington’s Cody Watts and Hobart’s Brock Lawless his primary challengers.

ABC: The same teams picked at the beginning of last season were the analyst picks again this season: Alice Springs, Sydney, Kalgoorlie, and Jakarta. Of those teams, all bar Sydney had met expectation in 2058. Nearly 43 y/o Rhys Susanti was favourite to win consecutive pitching awards, while Kalgoorlie’s Adare Subadio, an Indonesian slugger, was the top pick for the hitter’s award.

[Izz]

2059/2060 Season - October

Notable Performances

1 Oct: Opening Day and what a way to start the season! Richard Moore, touted as a SotY favourite in OotPB’s official preseason predictions, showed just why he was their pick, bashing 3HR to help Brisbane to a 7-5 victory over Christchurch. His 1st of the evening was a mammoth 452-foot fly over centre in the top of the 1st, scoring 2. He was at it again in the 3rd, this time with a solo shot over right. In the 7th he hit another 2-runner, again over right. And one could forgive him in the 9th as he stood and watched his fly to deep right-centre. It didn’t quite have the legs, getting caught at the warning track. 4 would have been nice, but 3 was quite all right!

1 Oct: Perth’s jam-packed offense got the season off on the right note with an 18-1 destruction of Kununurra. Joshua Angwin went 4-6 with a HR, double, 3 runs and 6RBI in the rout. Barry Dean threw a complete game, giving up just 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. Kununurra’s only run came in the 1st.

2 Oct: 1 down, 2 to go. Angelo Spear started off 2058 with the 198th win of his career, throwing 7 below-average innings (9H, 6ER, 1BB, 3K). Perth’s offense got him off the hook, however, as the Heat prevailed 7-6 over Kununura.

4 Oct: Jay Saunderson went 5-5, with 5RBI, in Canberra’s 13-0 routing of Central Coast.

4 Oct: Auckland got up to squeak past Hobart 9-8, Caspar Purcell putting together a 4-4 night. However, as was so often the case, Ismael Aguirre was the talk of the after-match pressers. His 5th-inning solo HR was his 1st of the year, and the 627th of his career. He was now just 3HR shy of being #1 all-time.

6 Oct: The season’s first PotW award went to Christchurch’s Joshua Moore. He hit .556/.579/1.056, with 3 doubles and 2HR amongst his 10 hits.

9 Oct: Hobart’s slow start to the season continued, today’s 6-2 loss to Cairns putting them at 3-6 overall. The bright spot was Aguirre’s solo HR in the 9th, only the Prospects’ 3rd hit of the game. 628 career HRs and Alastair Mildren, who was in attendance at this game, said he “would keep coming until Izzy broke that record.”

10 Oct: Whangarei were just plain awful to begin 2059, today losing their 10th straight, going down 6-0 to Brisbane. While their pitching wasn’t great, their offense was much worse, ranked dead last in the league in almost every category through the 1st 2 series of the season.

10 Oct: Hobart cracked the whip and gave the Venom a 10-4 hiding. They may have got motivation from Aguirre’s 1st inning 2-run HR. It was number 629 and he now had an equal share of the top spot on the leaderboard.

11 Oct: And there it was. The AUNZBL had a new career HR champion! Aguirre’s 2-run 1st-inning bomb was number 630, putting him alone atop that most coveted of all leaderboards. The shot also gave his side the early lead but they couldn’t hold on, going down 8-6 to Adelaide. No matter for Aguirre. There were fireworks and an after-game presentation helmed by Mildren, and an endless parade of journalists wanting interviews and pictures. In one interview, Aguirre said, “Y’know, I’m kinda glad this is all finally over. Chasing these records feels like it’s been on my mind for years, and now I’m just looking forward to going out there and bashing some cowhide for the fun of it again.”



12 Oct: The hapless Sluggers couldn’t buy a run - or a win - right now. Craig Fisher reduced them to just 4 hits and 3 walks to lead Brisbane to a 9-0 shutout victory. This was Whangarei’s 12th loss on the trot.

13 Oct: 24 y/o Croc Brent Dwyer snared PotW, hitting .393/.379/.929, 5 of his 11 hits of the HR variety.

13 Oct: Whangarei won one! They didn’t make it easy for themselves, blowing a 5 run lead against Brisbane across the last 2 innings before a Gareth Orpen 3-run HR walked them off in the 9th, the final score 11-8. Skipper Peter Massingham, not known for his emotion, nodded when asked after the game how the win felt. “Good,” he said, with no change in expression or pitch. “Better than the last 12 games, anyway.”

14 Oct: And today Whangarei lost again, in a 7-6 extra-innings heartbreaker to Brisbane. A bright spot in the loss was the performance of Peter Moy, who went 5-6 with a walk. Included amongst his hits were 2 doubles.

14 Oct: Slugger Edwin Hayes had a 2HR game against Melbourne. His 2nd HR was career dinger number 300. What made the occasion even sweeter was that it was the game-winner, a 2-run walk-off effort in the bottom of the 9th. “Wow,” Hayes said to the sideline reporter while his teammates celebrated in the background, “how about that?”

16 Oct: 35 y/o Rob Lane, who’d grown a moustache before this season to commemorate, in his words, “being one of the old fogies on the roster,” went 2-4 in Cairns’ 13-6 win over Sydney. His 2nd hit, an RBI-single in the 5th, was the 2000th hit of his career. Lane, who’d already spent a week on the DL this season, was known as a prodigious, yet fragile, talent. Teammate Gary Baker jokingly likened him to a “Ming vase,” but went on to say that Lane embodied the spirit of their ballclub and everybody just loved suiting up and playing next to him.

18 Oct: Ashley Collier led from the front for Brisbane as they disposed of Perth 7-3. He was 5-5, lifting his season BA from .148 to .281.

20 Oct: Lance Fookes won PotW. The Hobart acquisition was electric over the last 7 days, clubbing 6HR in a .391/.462/1.174 effort. He finished the week on a 4-game HR streak, including 2 dingers in yesterday’s 12-11 loss to Christchurch. He drove in 7 runners during the game, equaling Hobart’s regular season game record.

20 Oct: Home-run madness at Heat Ballpark. Perth shattered the Metros by the score of 17-4. 6 Heat players went the distance in the victory, while no Metros managed better than singles. 5 of the HR were 450 feet or better and while the wind was blowing out to centre, it was only a breeze. While 6HR in a game wasn’t especially unusual in this age of offense, Heat Ballpark was known as a pitcher’s park, with 24 percent less HR, on average, per season than the rest of the league’s parks (totals combined and divided by park, not compiled individually). Auckland skipper Alberto Castillo, known for his fiery press conferences, did his best to keep his cool after the game, but still suggested, less than half-jokingly, that all the Heat players should be drug-tested immediately. The total of HRs could’ve been even higher, with a couple of flies bouncing off the CF wall, which ran at a distance of between 438 and 446 feet from home-plate and was 9 feet high.

20 Oct: Lance Fookes was still in fence-clearing mode. He was responsible for both his side’s runs in their 8-2 loss to Sydney, his 2HR meaning he’d hit 7HR in his last 5 games and had a chance tomorrow to equal the all-time HR streak.

21 Oct: The miserable Sluggers succumbed 13-2 to Cairns. One of the chief architects of their demise was Dylan Glynn, who was 5-5, with 1 double, 3 runs, and 3RBI in a PotG performance.

21 Oct: Fookes went 2-4, but could only muster singles, his HR streak ending at 5. The Prospects lost 6-1 to Sydney to make matters worse.

21 Oct: Yesterday was a homerun derby, today Perth couldn’t get a hit if their life depended on it. Metros’ starter, 25 y/o Jeremy Hofmann, took a no-hitter into the 7th before Fei-hsien Chang doubled to break it up. That was the only hit the Heat could muster, Auckland going on to win 3-0. Hofmann threw 8 innings, conceding just that 1 hit and 4 walks. While very happy with the win, Castillo wondered aloud in the post-match presser if the Heat had purposely tanked after the drug accusations he’d made yesterday, so as “to appear less suspicious.”

23 Oct: Just 1 win away! Spear was sensational today in a low-scoring game to record win #199. He nearly had a shutout, but loaded the bases in the top of the 9th and allowed Auckland their 1st run off a sac-fly. Buffey replaced him and, although he gave up a single to the 1st hitter he faced, got the final out and secured the W for his teammate. 36 y/o Spear gave up 7 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4, on the way to the win and said after the game, “Just happy we held on, to be honest. I made it tough for Buff but he loves the pressure, or so he says.”

24 Oct: The 5-fors just kept on coming. Canberra’s Elijah Lutz paced his team to a 7-5 victory over the Metros with a 5-5 performance. He also scored twice and joked after the game, “Hey, anybody wants to do a drug test, here I am!”

27 Oct: Jorge Diaz went .467/.500/.800 over the last week. He hit 3HR. It was the 10th time he’d won PotW.

27 Oct: Ashley Okolita of the Aces’ (not Marty of the Sluggers) role this season in Melbourne’s pen was long relief and spot starting. He did better than chew up a few innings today, though, blanking Newcastle on the back of 5 hits and a walk, fanning 6. Melbourne eased to a 6-0 win. Was that outing good enough to earn Okolita a spot in the rotation? Skipper Ling-lai Tsao shrugged and said, “Maybe, maybe not.”

29 Oct: Would today be the day? No, it wouldn’t. Spear got routed for 8 hits in 4.0 innings, giving up all 5 runs in Perth’s 5-1 loss to Hobart.

Notable Injuries

1 Oct: Darwin ace Zachariah Pond didn’t even record an out this season before heading off injured. He had biceps tendinitis, and would be gone about a month.

8 Oct: Christchurch SP Jose Ramos (1-0, 2.70 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.35 WHIP) would miss up to 3 months of the season with ulnar nerve irritation.

9 Oct: Adelaide’s new CF, Rory Delaney (.188/.316/.250, 0HR), was looking at 6-7 weeks on the DL with a strained MCL.

11 Oct: Newcastle’s Mitchell Cox (.280/.419/.320, 0HR) had a sprained ankle which would take 6-7 weeks to heal.

13 Oct: Bad news for the Aces, with closer Craig Lewis gone for the season. He needed surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow.

13 Oct: Ed Geoghegan (.392/.400/.608, 2HR) had started off hot for his new team, but he and Adelaide would have to hope 6 weeks on the DL with a fractured thumb wouldn’t cool him off too much.

15 Oct: The Diggers would have to do without Alan Sneddon (.297/.490/.351, 0HR) for the next 5 weeks, as he had a strained groin muscle.

17 Oct: Carlos Aguilar (.391/.440/.638, 4HR) had been phenomenal to start the season. He led the league in WAR (1.4) and hits (27), tearing up the basepaths along with the rest of his Heat teammates. Now, though, he’d strained a hamstring and faced 4-5 weeks on the sidelines, admitting it “was never easy” watching on but unable to play.

26 Oct: Whangarei’s Peter Moy (.368/.427/.528, 2HR) was a great player... when he got on the field. He’d played all of 21 games last season thanks to injury and now looked set to miss at least 5 weeks of this season because of a torn quad.

Notable Trades/Signings

2 Oct: 43 y/o Young-tae Lee (.281/.392/.437, 330HR) signed a minor-league deal with the Bandits. He was realistic about his chances of playing in the bigs again. “Probably not high,” he said, “but you never know. Baseball’s a funny ole game.” Last season Lee suited up for the Esmeraldas in the BL, where he hit .249/.413/.354, with 6HR, leading the league in walks, garnering 95 from 451 plate appearances. Lee remained the only player to win 10 Championships, as well as being the only player to win Championships with 5 different teams.

3 Oct: 35 y/o Rex Herbert (56-58, 368 sv, 3.12 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 1.27 WHIP) had made plenty of headlines during the latter part of the offseason regarding which team he might play for in 2059. When the season started and he hadn’t signed, speculation turned to which overseas league he’d head to. Turned out he was staying put in Australia, today signing a 2-year deal with the Cowboys. He needed 32 more saves to reach 400 and was confident he’d get a chance to do so, even though Arthur Fingleson was ahead of him at closer at the moment.

3 Oct: 30 y/o Ryan Digby (21-34, 159 sv, 3.11 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.14 WHIP) signed with the Blue Sox for the 2059 season. He was immediately slotted into their closer role.

10 Oct: 27 y/o Vincent Howell (.154/.267/.231, 0HR) upped sticks and headed from Adelaide to Central Coast in an offseason trade. Today, the Thunder announced he’d agreed to a 4-year extension. While he hadn’t started off the season in great form, new Thunder GM Balamitra Mukundan obviously liked the cut of his jib. Mukundan, of Indian descent, had never worked in the AUNZBL or any of its sponsored leagues before this season. He’d been a part-time GM in one of Indonesia’s bigger semi-pro leagues, running an upholstery business as well, when Thunder owner Brock Cresswell called him up. “Surprised?” said Mukundan. “You could say that. But he’s got confidence in me, and I’ve got confidence in me too, so the fans can expect this team to continue winning.”

18 Oct: The Fury and 32 y/o SP Randy Smith (1-0, 2.18 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 0.68 WHIP) agreed to a 3-year extension. For his career, Smith was 56-63, with a 4.69 FIP, but while he’d never performed up to expectations, Fury management liked what he brought to the club.

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: 29 y/o Bert Allan’s signing had met with a mixed reception amongst Kununurra fans. He had a whale of a first month, though, to win the season’s first RotM and endear himself to the local faithful. Allan was .309/.345/.700 through October, his 34-110 including 13 doubles and 10HR. He also scored 19 runs and drove in 18 runners. Heading into November he led the league in SLG, wOBA (.433), ISO (.391), and extra-base hits (23) and was 2nd on the WAR ladder, with a 1.7 mark.

Hurler of the Month: Barry Dean returned from his 2058 postseason injury with no ill effects, accumulating a 5-0 record in October. His ERA was 3.00, his FIP 2.61, and his WHIP 1.09. He threw 45 innings in 6 starts, fanning 41. Included were 2 complete games, in 1 of which he conceded 11 hits but only 3ER. He led the league in FIP and WAR (1.8), as well as being tied for most wins.

Slugger of the Month: Richard Moore might’ve lost the HR lead by the end of the month, but there was no denying the Bandits’ 1B for this award. He hit .325/.397/.649, 37-114, with 4 doubles and 11HR. He scored 21 runs, drew 11 walks, and drove in a whopping 32 runners. Moore topped all qualified hitters in OPS and RBI.

Media Watch

Ismael Aguirre: While Aguirre had overtaken nearly all the players he could hope to overtake (he was still 107RBI shy of Mildren on the career RBI leaderboard, as well as being 7th on the singles list, and around 21WAR short of Brock Wakely’s career mark of 113.70), and was perhaps justified in his desire to just play baseball for the fun of it again without the media charting his every move, that was not how it was working out. While the attention was certainly less, now everybody wanted to see just how much he would accomplish with the remainder of his career, and how far ahead of everybody else he would be when he retired.

In October, after that initial flurry of 4HR to get him to top spot, he went through a rough patch, his BA slipping as low as .241 on the 20th. It was trending upwards by the end of the month, though, his stat-line .301/.341/.520 heading into November. He hit safely 37 times, with 10 doubles, 1 triple, and 5HR. His 5th homer didn’t come until the 31st of the month, a 20-day drought. He finished October 49 hits ahead of Mildren, and 2HR clear. His 632 doubles were 32 more than anybody else had ever hit.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: The entire division started out hot, though a couple teams were dipping back towards .500 at month end. Adelaide had rocketed out to a 3-game lead over Cairns, with Darwin and Perth a further game back.

East-West Division: Brisbane were the early surprise package, tied at the top with the predictably excellent Thunder.

NZ Division: Wellington already had themselves a strong grip on this division, with the next best record Auckland’s 12-17. Whangarei recovered slightly from their horror start, but it remained a long way back for them.

Southern Division: Sydney shot out early, while Hobart sputtered. By the end of the month, though, just 1 game separated them, with Melbourne and Canberra below .500.

Wildcard: Too early to pay attention to.

#

Cain Donaldson (.365/.479/.504, 2HR) was the other ABC import surprising all and sundry. While he’d had decent wraps upon moving over, nobody quite expected this kind of production. He led the league in OBP, runs (28), SB (20), BB (23), was tied for the lead in triples (4), and topped all comers in WAR (1.9). Could he keep this frenetic pace (he was on track to steal 112 bases), or would he fade? Fading was the obvious answer, but the fans were hoping it wouldn't be by too much.

Kununurra weren’t winning many, but Allan and Rowan Kimpton (.336/.363/.664, 12HR) were doing their best to keep them competitive. Kimpton had cracked the most HRs, and rounded the most bases (79). Probably one of the reasons the Pioneers were losing so much had to do with their defensive lineup. They had no specialist 2B on their active roster, and were playing a defensively-poor 1B in that vital channel.

Stephane Lecomte’s (.344/.370/.466, 2HR) 45 hits was 1 better than Melbourne’s bargain buy Yoshihito Morimoto (.355/.396/.444, 0HR).

Unheralded Darwin SP Marcello Nolan (4-0, 1.45 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.03 WHIP) led all qualified pitchers in ERA.

Randy Smith (2-1, 3.62 ERA, 4.97 FIP, 0.80 WHIP) led the league in WHIP, H/9 (6.03), and OAVG (.185). Teammate and 2058 HotY Clint Kline (4-2, 4.54 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 1.12 WHIP) had the best BB/9 (0.76) and K/BB (11.00) marks.

Greg Ahern (4-0, 4.02 ERA, 5.41 FIP, 1.19 WHIP) and Dean were tied for the league lead in strikeouts, both with 41. Ahern’s K/9 rate of 9.15 was currently best amongst qualified pitchers. Ahern currently had a 12-game win streak going together with an 18-start undefeated streak. One more undefeated start and he would be tied for 5th all-time.

Adelaide’s Bailey Naylor recorded 9 saves to lead the league. Worringly, he also already had 3 losses and an ERA of 6.14.

ABC Wrap-up

Gold Coast held a 4-game advantage in the Northern, Sydney a 2-game break in the Southern, while 3 teams - Broome, Kalgoorlie, Perth - were tied with a 13-16 record in the Western. Hamilton led the Overseas Division, last year’s champions, Jakarta, 6 games back with an 11-18 start to the season.

Dunedin’s Rowan Reardon (.398/.475/.718, 9HR) won Batter of the Month, while Sydney SP Bernie Massingham (5-0, 1.04 ERA, 2.42 FIP, 0.78 WHIP) took home Pitcher of the Month.

Sydney 1B Bob Crawford (.376/.409/.504, 2HR) was 2nd in the batting race and the dictionary definition of journeyman. 33 y/o Crawford wasn’t a typical power-heavy 1B, which might’ve been why he struggled to carve out a career in the AUNZBL, appearing across 3 seasons (2051-2053) with Perth after spending 5 years in the minors. After a couple more years in AAA he headed across to the NABA, there for 3 seasons. He tried to make a comeback to the AUNZBL in 2058, signing for Central Coast, but was once again stuck at AAA. He headed back across to the NABA on a short-term contract, playing 6 games for Jamestown before the season ended, and then signed with the Highlife on a minor-league deal on Opening Day. Across all the teams he’d played on, the consensus was the same: he was a guy committed to being the best he could, and committed to helping those around him be the best they could. How did he feel about the ABC? "I feel like I've finally found my home," he said, "and I hope I can play out the rest of my career here."

AUNZBL Standings, Nov 1

[Izz]

2059/2060 Season - November

Notable Performances

1 Nov: Was all not well in Thunder-land? On the 28th of October Manuel Salinas was sneakily optioned to AAA, the first time he’d played there without it being a rehab assignment since he’d made the bigs in 2044. He hadn’t been hitting terribly, his stat-line across 18 games .310/.402/.366, but down he went with nary a word to the media. It didn’t take long for it to leak out, of course, but when journos went a-searching for the outspoken star at his new home ballpark he was uncharacteristically quiet. “Just working on my stroke,” he mumbled before heading from the batting cages to the deep outfield where he couldn’t be followed.

1st-year Thunder skipper Reginald Reddick wasn’t talking either, returning a sturdy “no comment” each time the question was rephrased. Everybody else on team and management also had their lips firmly sealed. It was known from Reddick’s time as a minor-league manager that he liked ‘hitters, not walkers,’ so perhaps it was Salinas’ customary patience combined with his lack of extra-base pop and his slowly declining defensive skills that had seen him fall out of favour with his skipper. However, the more popular theory was that Salinas and Reddick had got themselves in a verbal stoush or two somewhere along the line, with both men unlikely to back down from a fight.

Salinas would be a free agent at the end of this season, but surely he couldn’t stay in AAA the rest of the campaign. Even at 35 y/o and injury-prone, Salinas was still better than any other 2B on the Thunder roster.

3 Nov: Stephane Lecomte was a fan favourite in Cairns. The 21 y/o did everything baseball with enthusiasm, right down to the flourish with which he signed autographs. Already a Gold Glove SS and a menace on the basepaths, Lecomte showed last season that he could hit, and was further demonstrating that this season. He won PotW with a .419/.438/.645 effort, and stole 4 bases as well. This was his 2nd PotW award.

3 Nov: Blair Norris bulldozed the Roos, restricting them to a mere 5 hits while ringing up 9 strikeouts. Kununurra bustled to a 6-0 win.

4 Nov: Cody Watts led the Fury to a 6-0 whitewash of Adelaide, blanking the offense-heavy Venom on the back of 5 hits. He struck out 9 for the 5th shutout of his career.

4 Nov: Christchurch thumped Perth 8-0, handing Spear his 4th loss of the season and leaving him stranded on 199 career wins. On the Cowboys’ side of the ledger Bradley Boston was sublime, keeping Perth to 3 hits and 1 walk, fanning 4.

4 Nov: In the same game, Jean-Louis Villard, who’d signed a minor-league deal with the Cowboys during the offseason, went 5-5 with 3 runs and 2 ribbies.

9 Nov: Villard was on a roll, today hitting in his 20th straight game, going 1-3 in Christchurch’s 4-2 win over Canberra. This was the 2nd time Villard had put together a 20-game hit streak at major-league level.

10 Nov: Marcos Lopez snared PotW with a .481/.548/.926 performance. He was 13-27, with 3 doubles and 3HR.

12 Nov: Villard’s hit streak came to an end at 21 games. Christchurch’s 7-game win streak also ended, Darwin upsetting them 10-4.

13 Nov: Jack Binns tied the Cavalry in knots, allowing only 6 hits and 1 walk to help Sydney cruise to a 6-0 shutout win. Binns also struck out 6. This was the 3rd 6-0 shutout of the month.

14 Nov: 37 y/o Hao Li had left the AUNZBL for the BL after the 2056 season. He won their Rookie Award in 2057, topping allcomers in BA (.348), and hits (154). He led the league in hits again in 2058 (145), putting together another fine season. But he wanted one last go at the AUNZBL, so wrangled an invite to Spring Training with the Pioneers. It went very well and on the 14th of September he signed a 2-year deal. Today he repaid some of that investment with a 5-6 performance in Kununurra’s 16-3 thrashing of the hapless Metros. He drove in 3 and scored 3, one of 6 in the lineup to record multi-hit games.

15 Nov: 35 y/o Gareth Orpen joined the 300HR club today, playing a leading role in Whangarei’s 10-4 victory over Canberra. Homerun 299 came in the 5th, the solo effort the 1st of 3 runs in the inning. Number 300 was a 2-run affair in the 8th and the last runs of the game. He stood and watched it go, then gave himself a little tap on the chest before heading towards 1st to count off the bases. “Y’know,” he said after the game, “I didn’t know whether I’d last in this league long enough to get to 300. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I had at least that many in me but this is a tough league and I’m amazed I’ve lasted nearly 13 years in it.”

15 Nov: Angelo Spear left the game after 6 with the Heat up 2-1, having just allowed 2 hits (1 a solo HR in the 1st) and 2 walks while striking out 6. They held the lead until the 8th when a run of poor relief pitching from 4 of the 5 pitchers used saw Adelaide score the equalizer, off a hit batter. In the dugout Spear bowed his head, the pitching coach quick to pat him on the back. Number 200 was proving very elusive. Adelaide would go onto win 3-2, walking off via a single in the bottom of the 9th.

17 Nov: Rob Lane took out PotW thanks to hitting .519/.519/.667. Only 2 of his 14 hits were of the extra-base variety (1 double, 1HR).

20 Nov: Spear had the mound for today’s game against Canberra. Jordan Pugsley and Rex Kwan back-to-back solo HRs in the bottom of the 1st got the Heat off to a great start, another run in the frame added for good measure. Spear hadn’t brought his best stuff though, Canberra getting on the board in the 3rd and equalizing in the 4th, a mammoth 460-foot leadoff HR from Jason Hewitt sure to be demoralizing. Spear battled on, but gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the 6th, Hewitt going deep for the 2nd time. Spear gave up 2 more hits, but no further runs, to battle through the inning, and the OotPB TV commentators were all of the same opinion: he was done for the night.

Tommy Hillson, getting a rare start, reached on an error by the 2B in the bottom of the inning. An out later Patrick Maggs unleashed on a Javier Flores curve, sending it into the bleachers over right for a 2-run HR, giving Perth the lead back. Spear was indeed done for the night, but as the pitcher on record after 6 he would snare the win if Perth held on. Damian Krajancic made it to 3rd in the top of the 9th but that was where he stayed and Perth won 5-4. Spear was an emotional figure in the dugout, eventually coming out to acknowledge the continued cheers of the 40,000 strong crowd.

He stayed on the field once all the other players had filtered off, preferring to conduct interviews there rather than in the claustrophobia of the press room. “Some wins you earn, some you don’t,” he said candidly, “and while tonight was probably one I didn’t, I think I’ve won more than I’ve been given over my career, and I’ve certainly lost a few I should’ve won. I’m in privileged company, getting to 200 wins, and I certainly know how difficult it is to get there. I guess the next goal is 208, but after the emotional rollercoaster this has been I just think I’ll focus on one game at a time.

“To be honest, I think this is a bit of a monkey off the whole pitching staff’s back, and I’m really glad they can get back to focusing purely on getting their job done when they come in after me. I’ve certainly tried my best not to get on them the last few weeks, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t given a couple of them a glare or too on occasion.”

Perth, wallowing in last place in the Coastal, weren’t down there because of the focus being on Spear, according to skipper Chapman. “Of course not,” he said. “Look, we’re 6 games below where we’re expected to be, given our runs scored and conceded, and who can really say why that is? The bounce of the ball does that sometimes. But to attribute blame to Angelo’s achievement would be not only nonsensical, but extremely disrespectful, in my opinion. We’re confident we can turn things around and be competitive at the pointy end of the season, and I know Angelo will be a pivotal part of our rotation, as he was last year.”



20 Nov: Whangarei were no longer the worst team in baseball. In fact, they were currently only the 3rd worst (tied). Newcastle were now the team propping up the gutter. They had just lost their 10th in a row, putting them at 15-33 for the season. It was Auckland (with the 2nd-worst record) who administered that 10th loss, winning by the score of 4-1. So far this month Newcastle had won 3 and lost 16. They would get back on the win-wagon the following night, disposing of the Metros 9-2.

24 Nov: Caspar Purcell had a whale of a week, hitting .455/.538/.773, with 2HR, to win PotW.

25 Nov: Teddy Wigley kept Auckland to zero, allowing them just 5 hits and 1 walk, while fanning 5, to guide Brisbane to a big 12-0 win.

25 Nov: Cody Watts had been hurling well all month but today he outdid himself against Hobart. He was perfect through 3 before hitting a batter to begin the 4th. That no-no was carried into the 7th, Blanksby breaking it up with a 2-out single. Watts hit another batter in the 8th but that was it. A 1-hitter! Wellington cruised to a 6-0 win, Watts striking out 8 and throwing a mammoth 131 pitches.

25 Nov: It wasn’t a 1-hitter or even a shutout, but Angelo Spear looked like a man released against Darwin. He went 8 innings, allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk for 1 unearned run and 7 strikeouts. Perth won 3-1 and Spear now had 201 career wins.

29 Nov: Cairns went gangbusters on Brisbane, thrashing them 21-2, all their runs scored in the 1st 4 innings. While 8 of the 9 starting position players recorded multi-hit games, it was Gary Baker who led the way with a 5-6 effort. All of his hits were singles. He scored 2 runs and brought home 2 runners.

Notable Injuries

2 Nov: The Heat were battling a rash of injuries, with fill-in OF Glen Blake (.333/.387/.789, 7HR), who’d shown a remarkable homerun stroke - 7 of his 19 hits roundtrippers, and another 5 doubles - the latest to head to the DL. He’d be there at least 6 weeks with an oblique strain.

7 Nov: On the 4th, Aguirre (.289/.338/.504, 5HR) hit a triple, his 2nd of the season. However, on sliding into 3rd under the tag an errant boot came down on his hand. He went off immediately for scans, with medical staff especially concerned as it was the same hand he’d fractured last season. Today the results were in: another fracture which would again take around 6 weeks to heal.

10 Nov: Marty Okolita (1-5, 6.75 ERA, 4.75 FIP, 1.55 WHIP) had been having an unhappy season to date in a perpetually struggling Sluggers outfit. Well, he wouldn’t have to endure any more pain on the field this year, at least, with news today that he needed to undergo surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow. How that would affect his power pitching remained to be seen.

11 Nov: Clint Aitcheson (1-1. 5.05 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) would be out for at least a month with a sore shoulder.

13 Nov: Kununurra were mourning the loss of Blake Caffyn (.343/.385/.482, 3HR) to a strained ACL. He’d likely be out 6 weeks. At the time of his injury Caffyn had 2.2 WAR, good enough for 2nd-best in the AUNZBL.

29 Nov: Sean Carr (.319/.373/.516, 4HR from 102PA) was headed to the DL again. This time it was a torn thumb ligament and the recovery time would be 6 weeks.

Notable Trades/Signings

5 Nov: Perth tried to sneak Kane Pond (.304/.304/.565, 1HR from 24PA) through waivers as he had no option years left. No dice. Melbourne swooped in and claimed him, immediately putting him in the lineup. Brian Swerdlove (.278/.352/.381, 3HR) headed down to AAA.

7 Nov: In a move not entirely welcomed by the fans, Hobart today traded 2059 SS Super Slugger Gu Luo (.282/.340/.412, 4HR), 26 y/o, to the Bandits, receiving veteran SP Jeremy Challinor (2-2, 4.50 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.44 WHIP), the 20 y/o LF Nick Bond whom Brisbane were so anxious to get back during the offseason, and cash in return.

7 Nov: Christchurch and Kununurra engaged in some trade action today, the Cowboys sending 26 y/o Rhett Meehan (1-4, 3.21 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 1.36 WHIP) across to the Pioneers in return for 28 y/o C Jose Ojeda (.260/.298/.442, 6HR).

15 Nov: Darwin fans were furious. The Diggers sent 27 y/o Arturo Medina (.258/.350/.529, 12HR), the power guy in their otherwise impotent lineup, to Perth. In return they’d receive 27 y/o four-A outfielder Robin Seyler and 20 y/o Okitsugu Matsunaga, this year’s #31 prospect according to OotPB. He still needed a season or 2 but promised to be a power guy with decent defense.

17 Nov: Hobart made their 2nd questionable trade of the month, sending 25 y/o Vic Collins (.304/.354/.503, 6HR), the 1st overall pick of 2055, to Christchurch. In return, they got 33 y/o Joshua Moore (.304/.337/.494, 5HR), a 20 y/o pitching prospect and a suitcase full of cash.

29 Nov: Auckland and fiery skipper Alberto Castillo parted ways today. Yesterday the Metros lost their 7th in a row, their record of 18-37 now the worst in the majors. To say the split was acrimonious would be an understatement. Castillo took his rage out on the clubhouse, doing “tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage,” according to owner Michael Faumina, who also said, "We had to cut ties now while there's still something left in the season to salvage." There was no word on who Castillo’s replacement would be, only that it wouldn’t be bench coach Antonio Altagracia.

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: Cain Donaldson. All the way Cain Donaldson. This ABC import was playing with a frenetic passion that couldn’t be rivalled. Interviewed by a fair few sports outlets over the course of the month, Donaldson’s catchphrase was, “I’m making up for lost time.” And boy was he! His November numbers were actually down on those of October, but a stat-line of .357/.447/.527 was still good in anybody’s book. He was 40-112, scoring 23 runs and hitting 8 doubles, 4 triples, and 1HR. He had 9RBI and 19 walks, and ‘only’ stole 12 bases. Donaldson led the league in triples (8), runs (51), stolen bases (32), and WAR (3.5). His season BA of .362 was only 1 point shy of the league leader, and his OBP of .463 also saw him 2nd in that category.

Hurler of the Month: In 2055 RHP Caspar Fletcher lost 20 games pitching for the Metros, after which he hightailed it off to the BL. 3 seasons, a BL Championship and 2 BL All Star selections later, and he was ready for another tilt at the planet’s premier baseball competition. His October was poor, his record 1-2 with a 7.06 ERA. His November was much better. He went 4-0 from 5 starts, his ERA 1.60, his FIP 3.06, and his WHIP 1.04. He threw 33.2 innings, striking out 26, and giving up no dingers.

Slugger of the Month: 28 y/o Fernando Contreras was a product of the NABA. Drafted by Jamestown in 2049 in the 4th round, he had to wait until an end of season call-up in 2052 before he made his debut. Another 4 years in the reserve system awaited, but in 2056 he became Jamestown’s everyday catcher. At the end of the 2057 season he was granted free agency and 8 days later headed to the AUNZBL, signing a minor-league contract with Adelaide. He started in their AA-affiliate but only played 24 games with them before getting called up to the bigs. In January of the 2057 season Adelaide traded him to Wellington, where he’d played ever since. Contreras had good power and a great eye, but his long swing meant he usually hit it hard or missed. Last season he struck out 187 times, to lead the league. This season he was sharing time with veteran superstar Zachary Woollett, but perhaps the extra rest was a benefit. He started 20 games in November, putting up a stat-line of .375/.511/.750, 27-72, with 21 runs, 3 doubles, 8HR, 16RBI, and 18BB, to win SotM. For the season Contreras (.331/.470/.585, 10HR) led the league in OBP, OPS, and wOBA (.446).

Media Watch

Jacob Blanksby: With Aguirre out injured, the media’s attention turned to another Hobart player, the redoubtable Jacob Blanksby. Blanskby was the best catcher the AUNZBL had yet produced, and at 38 y/o was still providing plenty of punch. Known as a player who wouldn’t hesitate to speak his mind, and usually very articulately, Blanksby was quite open about the pay cut he’d taken to play this season and hopefully next. While he didn’t give exact numbers - legally he wasn’t allowed to - he did tell media on more than one occasion that last year he earned about 14-15 million dollars more than he’d bring home this season, but he didn’t care because he figured he had another tilt at a ring and he wanted 500 career homers. Beginning November he needed 23. At the end he needed 15, his 8HR a hefty part of his 32 hits for the month.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: The unlikely Venom (17-11) continued to surprise, the Crocs (16-12) keeping pace well but falling a further game behind. Darwin (11-17) and Perth (10-18) both slid below .500.

East-West Division: The equally surprising Bandits (17-11) held sway atop the East-West, Kununurra (17-11) shadowing them 4 games back. Central Coast (12-16) hit a bump, ending the month below .500 and 5 games off the pace. Many in the media and fanbase were convinced the new skipper was having a detrimental effect on the clubhouse.

NZ Division: Wellington (17-11) had a game shaved off their lead by a tenacious Cowboys’ outfit (20-8).

Southern Division: Sydney (16-12) extended their safety net to 2 games, Melbourne (18-10) now the primary challengers. Hobart (12-16) fell to 5 games back.

Wildcard: Cairns and Melbourne had 2-game leads over Christchurch, with Hobart and Kununurra a further game back.

#

Yoshihito Morimoto (.362/.398/.433, 0HR) was loving the hitter-friendly Aces’ Ballpark, leading the league in BA and hits (87).

Bert Allan (.304/.364/.650, 17HR) started the month off slow but finished it strongly. He topped the AUNZBL in SLG, doubles (23), ISO (.346), XBH (40), and total bases (139).

Tom Doig (.214/.304/.524, 19HR) was getting out a lot, but 19 of 44 hits being HR was a pretty decent ratio. He led the league by 2.

Ronald Aitken (.299/.423/.486, 9HR) was a humble guy. The 2057 RotY had developed into a really well-rounded ballplayer but he did absolutely nothing outside of playing well to draw attention to himself. Currently he led the league in walks with 45.

Umashankar Meenakshi (9-3, 4.11 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) seemed an unlikely guy to see at the top of the wins leaderboard but there he was. Meenakshi’s pitching appeared average all over, but maybe there was something the eye couldn’t pick up about it. Or perhaps he was getting good run support from the stacked Adelaide offense. Whatever the case he, along with Byron Moore (9-1, 2.79 ERA, 4.81 FIP, 1.18 WHIP), shared the top spot for wins heading into December.

Barry Dean (8-2, 3.13 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 1.23 WHIP) led the league in FIP and WAR (2.6).

2-shutout pitcher Cody Watts (5-4, 3.70 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 0.93 WHIP) beat out Li Loetzsch (6-4, 2.20 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 0.93 WHIP) by a few decimal places for best WHIP. Loetzsch led the league in ERA.

Greg Ahern (7-1, 3.84 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 1.03 WHIP) led all qualified pitchers in strikeouts (84), and K/9 (8.72).

Bailey Naylor continued to have the most saves in the league, his 18 one ahead of Wellington's Roderick Beresford.

ABC Wrap-up

Brisbane leapfrogged the Gold Coast to hold a 1-game advantage in the Northern. Sydney had extended their lead to 6 games in the Southern, though Canberra’s and Hobart’s record were equal 2nd-best in the league. Perth had broken free of the crush in the Western, up by 4 games, while Hamilton continued to lead the Overseas, up by 3, Jakarta still languishing in last.

Rowan Reardon (.365/.455/.690, 19HR) continued to dominate the hitting leaderboards, while teammate Hal Slater (5-3, 1.50 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 1.00 WHIP) - who’d turned out for Christchurch in the AUNZBL last season - led the league in ERA, with a miserly mark of 1.50.

AUNZBL Standings, Dec 1

[Izz]

2059/2060 Season - December

2059 #1 Draft Pick

Brisbane went with 23 y/o SS Domenic Cook who projected to be major-league ready by next season. He slotted into short-A for now, with scouting reports describing him as someone who’d hit for decent average with plus-plus power and a great eye. The only downside seemed to be a tendency to let his tongue wag, with him already on record twice during this college season as thinking his coaches “weren’t up to it,” and that a campus datastream that ran an unflattering report on him was “full of jealous nobodies looking for attention.”

A quick look at how the previous 4 #1 draft picks were doing:

2058, Callum McCabe: Played rookie ball last season, hitting .254/.300/.315, with 2HR. Elevated to short-A this year, and named the #4 overall prospect in the league to begin the season. Still had a lot of development to go before he’d be seen in the bigs, but at only 19 y/o Adelaide were willing to bide their time.

2057, Miguel Ibanez: Started off the season on the Venom major-league roster, hitting .267/.340/.489, with 3HR, from 51PA. However, he soon found himself back in AAA, where he was currently hitting .169/.275/.339, with 6HR. The 24 y/o still had a ways to go to reach his power ceiling, but increasingly looked like he’d be a .220-.230 BA guy.

2056, Andre Wiltshire: The kid was going to be a superstar, Auckland coaching staff gushed. Last season he hit .280/.331/.364, with 5HR, from 347PA, and while he hadn’t started out this year so well (.224/.278/.296, 1HR) his swing just kept looking better and better.

2055, Vic Collins: Traded in November to Christchurch, Collins was struggling to settle into his new home after starting off the season strong for Hobart. Overall, he was hitting .278/.320/.435, with 6HR, which was probably what you could expect from him going forward, according to the stats-heads.

Notable Performances

1 Dec: 2-time Gold Glover Dylan Glynn won his 1st PotW with a .516/.545/1.000 performance. His 16 hits included 3 doubles, 3 triples (that’s not a typo), and 2HR. For the season Glynn was tied for the lead in RBI, with 49 so far.

1 Dec: Carl Rowlands showed Cairns who was boss, shutting them out on the back of 4 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. His Bandits romped to a 12-0 win.

4 Dec: Umashankar Meenakshi continued his fine season, recording win number 10 in emphatic fashion. He gave up a double to begin the game, and a single in the 3rd, but those were the only hits he would allow, Darwin’s lineup looking suitably frustrated at the end of the game. He also gave up a walk, while striking out 7, as Adelaide slithered their way to a 7-0 victory. Darwin had now lost 7 in a row.

5 Dec: Brock Lawless cleaned up Brisbane, conceding only 5 hits and 1 walk to see Hobart to a 4-0 victory. Lawless struck out 8 in this, his first ever professional shutout.

8 Dec: Beau Snell hit .542/.593/.667 over the last 7 days to win PotW, with 1HR his only extra-base hit.

11 Dec: For the 3rd start in a row Spear gave up 10 hits. The last 2 games had been no decisions, but this game was a win, Perth subduing Wellington 9-3, all 3 of those runs coming while Spear was on the mound. Career win #202 for Spear, putting him 2nd-equal all-time with Allan Spear. But while Allan Spear finished up 202-183, Angelo was sitting at 202-145.

12 Dec: Cairns were surging ahead, today winning their 10th straight and pulling level with Adelaide at the top of the Coastal. Hobart were the victims, getting set upon 11-4. Rob Lane slugged 2HRs, while Lance Ralston picked up his 8th win of the season.

13 Dec: Damian Krajancic went 5-6 to help Canberra overcome Kununurra in an orgy of offense, the final score 17-14.

15 Dec: Jason Hewitt was the forgotten man among the former ABC hitters in the league this season. He put together a fine week this week, however, winning the 7-day award with a stat-line of .444/.500/1.000. Included among his 12 hits were 5HR.

15 Dec: Cairns’ streak came to an end after 12 games, Christchurch doing the damage 11-5.

15 Dec: In 2056, SP Angelo Farriss went 5-21 for Auckland, losing his last 17 decisions on the trot. Unsurprisingly, he scuttled off to the BL, turning out for Havana in 2057-2058. Like November HotM Caspar Fletcher, Farriss felt he still had some unfinished business in the AUNZBL. Canberra also thought he still had plenty of offer, throwing him a 3-year deal (3rd year a vesting option requiring 180 IP), which he snaffled.

However, unlike Fletcher, Farriss’s return wasn’t going so great. At the end of November he was 0-6, including a 2/3 of an inning effort that netted him a -1 game score. The Cavalry relegated him to the bullpen at the beginning of December, with the idea he might become their closer. Today, in his 4th appearance out of the pen, he entered the game in the top of the 9th, Canberra up 6-5 over Wellington. He left 2 outs later, Wellington up 7-6. Loss number 7 for the year, and his 24th consecutive lost decision.

Had their ever been a longer losing streak in the history of the league? The statisticians pored over the history books and came back with: uncertain, as the records of the earlier years of the league were incomplete. That uncertainty was surely no consolation to Farriss, though.

17 Dec: Another of the teams wallowing in the mire this season were the Diggers. Today they lost 2-1 to Kununurra in heartbreaking fashion, the Pioneers scoring 2 unearned runs in the top of the 9th to steal victory. The loss marked 10 straight for Darwin, leaving them at 27-46 for the season. Darwin would prevail over the Pionners the following night to end the skid, winning 3-2 via a walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th.

20 Dec: Brett Dunne started off the season in the Bandits’ bullpen. He was elevated to closer by mid-October, and ended the month with a 2-0, 6 save record. At that point, it was decided he should move into the rotation, which he did with aplomb, winning PotG awards his 1st 4 starts and taking his record to 5-0. He hadn’t won a game in 4 starts since then, but today got back on the winner’s wagon with a 6-hit, 1-walk, 3-strikeout shutout of Perth. The Bandits won 8-0 and stopped the Heat’s winning run at 6.

22 Dec: Gordon Appleby put a rocket up a few pitchers in the last week, hitting .435/.480/1.000 in 6 games. His 10 hits included a double and 4HR.

22 Dec: Barry Dean was all sizzle-pistol today, giving up 4 hits and 5 walks, but no runs, to help Perth to a 5-0 victory over Brisbane. Dean had walked 16 hitters in his last 4 starts, compared to the 21 free passes he'd conceded in his first 12 starts of the season.

25 Dec: Whangarei and Cairns dueled across 16 innings in a 5-hour epic. Down 2-1 heading into the top of the 9th, Whangarei leveled the scores thanks to a Terence Joe double followed by a Peter Moy triple. The score remained 2-2 until the 16th, when a 2-out Danny Chatfield double scored 2 runners for the Sluggers. Would that be enough? No, as it turned out. The Crocs’ offense woke up in the bottom of the inning, Lane and Glynn singles putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Marshall Hooks popped out, but in-form Appleby doubled into the alley in right-centre, scoring both runners. After a wild pitch put Appleby on 3rd, Seb Blackley was walked to open up the double-play. But Lecomte wasn’t about to hit any groundballs. His fly into space in left-centre scored the winning run and was recorded as a double thanks to the AUNZBL rule of determining the value of walk-off hits based on their statistical probabilities.



27 Dec: 39 y/o Zachary Woollett cut an exhausted yet ecstatic figure after Wellington’s 8-6 defeat of Melbourne. Woollett only went 1-5 in the win but that hit, a 5th-inning single, marked the 2500th hit of his nearly 19-year career. “Just excited,” he said after having completed a victory lap around the stadium post-game - no matter that it was an away game. “Just really happy to have made it. I feel like my career is complete now.” Woollett, hitting .306 lifetime with 436 homeruns, was the 2nd catcher to reach 2500 hits and was exactly 100 hits behind Blanksby. While Woollett had achieved a whole lot thus far, one thing still eluded him: a Championship ring.

29 Dec: Alan Willey celebrated his maiden All Star selection with a PotW Award. The Auckland OF hit .448/.484/.897, 13-29, with 4HR, to win it.

30 Dec: Angelo Farriss found himself back in the rotation again. On the 25th he threw 5 okay innings against the Bandits and left with the lead. Unfortunately his bullpen blew it and Farriss couldn’t break the streak. Today against Auckland he also threw 5 innings. They weren’t so good, though, the Metros’ offense busting him up for 6 earned runs off 8 hits and 2 walks. Auckland would go on to win 12-4, Farriss copping the loss, to extend his unwanted streak to 25 games.

31 Dec: John Zglinicki dominated Wellington, allowing the Fury only 4 hits while walking none. He also struck out 10, the first time he’d recorded that many punch-outs in the majors. More importantly, he didn’t let any runners cross the plate, seeing the Thunder to a 9-0 victory.

Notable Injuries

9 Dec: Caspar Fletcher’s (5-3, 3.74 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 1.23 WHIP) return to the AUZNBL was over, at least for the next 11 months. He had a ruptured UCL. This was the 1st major injury of his career, and Fletcher admitted he was a “little bit scared” thinking of the rehab needed to get back pitching again.

11 Dec: The bad news kept coming for Christchurch. Now Bradley Boston (5-6, 2.76 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 1.07 WHIP) was gone for the season with a partially torn UCL. He would hopefully be recovered by the beginning of next season.

14 Dec: Guillermo Julio (.317/.365/.450, 5HR, 21SB) wouldn’t be appearing in the All Star Game this year. He’d sprained his ankle sliding into 3rd to complete a triple in yesterday’s game and would need to rest at least 6 weeks before it was right to play.

15 Dec: Hobart trade acquisition Joshua Moore (.298/.345/.471, 7HR) wouldn’t be back until mid-February thanks to a hamstring strain.

18 Dec: Gary Young’s (.322/.395/.604, 15HR from 228PA) teammates had taken to calling him ‘Glass,’ as it seemed like almost any knock could break him. Today he was diagnosed with elbow tendinitis, and would miss 6 weeks as a result.

25 Dec: Melbourne would have to do without Li Loetzsch (7-5, 2.54 ERA, 3.78 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) until mid-March. He’d been diagnosed with shoulder inflammation and recovery was a tricky road. “The doc tells me,” Loetzsch said, “that I need to be extra careful. The shoulder might start feeling fine in a couple weeks, and I’ll have the temptation to maybe start using it a bit, getting a few sneaky pitches over the plate in my backyard, or whatever. But just because the shoulder feels okay doesn’t mean it is, and I could easily make it worse than before. It’s a good excuse to get the missus to do the dishes for the next wee while, anyway.” Questions then moved to why Loetzsch didn’t have a dishwasher or other automatic dish-cleaning service in his house. At the time of his injury, Loetzsch was league-leader in ERA among qualified pitchers.

Notable Trades/Signings

2 Dec: Christchurch added some power to their lineup, swapping 29 y/o LF Patrick Murphy (.219/.281/.411, 7HR) and a catching prospect for 31 y/o 1B Zachary Pengilly (.295/.327/.526, 15HR) from the woeful Metros.

2 Dec: A few hours after the aforementioned trade was announced Auckland hired former major-leaguer Vic Baxter as their new manager, giving him a 5-year deal. Baxter had played from 2027-2034 in the majors, turning out for Adelaide, Wellington and Newcastle. He’d been in the managerial game since 2049, skippering Sioux City in the NABA for a season, before moving to Guayaquil for another season. For the last 10 years he’d been guiding Olympia about, taking them to a NABA Cup win in 2057 and a runners-up berth in 2059. He was “more than excited” to get his chance to manage a team in the AUNZBL, and while he openly admitted Auckland would be a “challenge” it was something he felt he was “built for.” What did he think of the earlier trade? “No comment,” he said. “But I’m sure Kent* and I will discuss all future trades in some depth.”

*Kent Swan, Metros’ GM

4 Dec: 29 y/o Eddie Rayner (5-3, 4.02 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 1.35 WHIP) finalized a 6-year extension with the Pioneers. Rayner, who hadn’t looked the same since Canberra traded him away, said he was “stoked to stay playing for these guys.” Fans were mixed on the signing, one talkback caller saying, “Yeah, he’s good, but is he that good?”

14 Dec: Cairns and Brisbane completed a trade today, both sides hoping it would strengthen their roster as they jockeyed for postseason positions. Brisbane sent 28 y/o Marshall Hooks (.246/.297/.406, 5HR) north to the Crocs along with an excellent 1B prospect. In return they received Cairns’ backup catcher, 26 y/o Russell Smith (.289/.321/.539, 5HR from 81PA). Smith would move straight into the starting catcher role, unlucky Juliano Rum (.309/.348/.601, 12HR from 204PA) finding himself relegated to backup duties once again.

14 Dec: Auckland were of the opinion 23 y/o 1B Rich ‘Domino’ Downes was a guy you could build a franchise around and they figured he’d be major-league ready sooner rather than later. Kununurra didn’t have quite the same opinion, and were willing to trade him to Auckland in return for 29 y/o OF Ivan Chatfield (.261/.304/.387, 4HR).

16 Dec: 37 y/o Hao Li (.342/.395/.463, 4HR from 210PA) was off to Sydney, the Pioneers having traded him for 26 y/o fringe-baller Barry Budd (.239/.263/.326, 1HR from 96PA). Li was phlegmatic about the trade. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “This is just the way it is, and the way it will continue to be until the sport’s governing body introduces a provision for players over a certain threshold of service time to veto trades.” Then he grinned. “Not that I’m especially unhappy. Sydney looks pretty likely to play in the postseason and every ball player wants to go to that dance!”

30 Dec: Adelaide sent 27 y/o backup IF Phillip MacKay (.295/.321/.439, 3HR from 140PA) and a 24 y/o A-baller to Darwin in exchange for 33 y/o SP Marcello Nolan (5-8, 4.15 ERA, 5.25 FIP, 1.36 WHIP). Whether Nolan, a groundball pitcher, would be the best fit for a team with an inconsistent IF defense remained to be seen.

2059 All Stars

Australian All Stars

The Australian All Star selectors stated in the weeks preceding the announcement of their squad that the focus when picking this season’s position players would be “whether they would be the best fit for a winning team.” When asked for clarification they added, “So not just the best sluggers. Guys who know how to work the count and get on-base, too. We’re also giving serious consideration to defensive nous. Basically, we’re looking for well-rounded ballplayers.” Did that mean there’d be some surprise selections, and omissions, in this year’s squad?

SP Lance Ralston - CAI - (9-3, 3.67 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 1.44 WHIP)
SP Greg Ahern - ADE - (11-2, 3.39 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1.00 WHIP)
SP Eddie Rayner - KUN - (5-4, 4.66 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.42 WHIP)
SP Jack Binns - SYD - (6-4, 3.93 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 1.33 WHIP)
SP Blair Norris - KUN - (7-2, 2.70 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.23 WHIP)
SP Brock Lawless - HOB - (8-4, 3.12 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.08 WHIP)
SP Baden Henderson - NEW - (5-6, 3.18 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 1.20 WHIP)
RP Wes Blenkhorn - SYD - (3-4, 2 sv, 3.16 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.27 WHIP)
RP Zong-yuan Liang - ADE - (2-1, 1 sv, 2.48 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 1.03 WHIP)
CL Aaron Fingleson - CHR - (3-1, 20 sv, 1.04 ERA, 2.66 FIP, 1.13 WHIP)
CL Isaac Canavan - HOB - (4-2, 16 sv, 1.67 ERA, 1.39 FIP, 0.87 WHIP)
CL Ryan Digby - WEL - (3-3, 18 sv, 3.83 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 1.48 WHIP)
C Gary Baker - CAI - (.305/.346/.523, 18HR)
C Patrick Wigmore - CEN - (.251/.388/.431, 11HR)
1B Justin Auger - CEN - (.307/.405/.547, 17HR)
1B Luigi Dempster - WEL - (.276/.339/.533, 21HR)
1B Ronald Aitken - CAI - (.280/.399/.492, 16HR)
2B Dylan Glynn - CAI - (.302/.352/.435, 3HR)
3B Terence Joe - WHA - (.317/.357/.428, 4HR)
3B Matthew Utting - CHR - (.261/.345/.446, 13HR)
SS Bert Allan - KUN - (.273/.346/.571, 20HR)
SS Nathaniel Bowden - SYD - (.299/.345/.490, 11HR)
LF Cain Donaldson - SYD - (.327/.435/.451, 3HR, 44SB)
LF Terence Guyatt - MEL - (.288/.365/.514, 17HR)
CF Martin Boston - CAN - (.318/.354/.401, 1HR)
CF Alan Willey - AUC - (.310/.370/.458, 11HR)
RF Brent Dwyer - CAI - (.290/.364/.534, 18HR)
RF Jason Hewitt - CAN - (.287/.394/.541, 20HR)

Were there many surprises in the Australian All Stars? There was no Tom Doig (20HR), Zachary Pengilly (20HR) and, most notably, John Foreman (.312/.369/.525, 17HR). And perhaps Wigmore’s inclusion over Norm Donaldson (.286/.373/.500, 12HR) raised a few eyebrows, particularly down in South Australia, but the selected players all had good cases to be included.

NZ & Overseas All Stars

The NZ & Overseas All Stars selectors made no public comment leading up the revealing of their team. One thing was fairly certain, though: there would be no Ismael Aguirre for the 2nd year running as he didn’t meet the minimum playing time threshold.

SP Barry Dean - PER - (11-2, 2.79 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 1.21 WHIP)
SP Umashankar Meenakshi - ADE - (11-5, 3.57 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 1.26 WHIP)
SP Bruno Budd - DAR - (5-9, 4.46 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.45 WHIP)
SP Willie Russell - NEW - (6-5, 3.58 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.38 WHIP)
SP Damian Flemming - CAI - (6-2, 3.63 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.34 WHIP)
SP Edwin Kerr - CAN - (4-5, 3.97 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 1.25 WHIP)
SP Angelo Spear - PER - (5-6, 4.02 ERA, 4.32 FIP, 1.36 WHIP)
RP Phillip Hammond - CEN - (5-0, 1.46 ERA, 2.96 FIP, 0.78 WHIP)
RP Rex Herbert - CHR - (1-2, 1 sv, 2.32 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 1.58 WHIP)
RP Baskoro Subagja - WHA - (0-2, 2.64 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 1.24 WHIP)
CL Rupert Mansfield - WHA - (2-3, 18 sv, 2.65 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.44 WHIP)
CL Sterling Boston - CAI - (2-2, 18 sv, 4.76 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 0.99 WHIP)
C Fernando Contreras - WEL - (.292/.423/.505, 12HR)
C Vern Bull - MEL - (.286/.381/.538, 19HR)
C Elijah Lutz - CAN - (.287/.337/.547, 20HR)
1B Richard Moore - BRI - (.332/.443/.582, 17HR)
1B Rowan Kimpton - KUN - (.340/.378/.557, 19HR)
1B Marcos Lopez - MEL - (.334/.378/.557, 19HR)
1B Jorge Diaz - CAN - (.299/.354/.521, 19HR)
2B Beau Snell - MEL - (.357/.416/.444, 2HR)
2B Gu Luo - BRI - (.296/.332/.465, 13HR)
3B Yoshihito Morimoto - MEL - (.330/.361/.389, 0HR, 25SB)
3B Lance Fookes - HOB - (.258/.318/.468, 17HR)
SS Carlos Aguilar - PER - (.286/.353/.433, 6HR)
SS Stephane Lecomte - CAI - (.282/.320/.388, 3HR, 27SB)
LF Jean-Louis Villard - CHR - (.263/.355/.396, 7HR)
CF Rob Lane - CAI - (.319/.383/.477, 8HR)
RF Manuel Alou - NEW - (.275/.387/.487, 17HR)

While the casual baseball fan might’ve been shocked to see only 3 outfielders on the NZ & Overseas All Star roster, those in the know weren’t surprised in the least. Outfield talent was already a weak spot for the NZ & Overseas All Stars, and injuries had decimated what little stock there was. On the other hand, they had no issue with catchers and first-basemen, with several players unlucky to miss out.

Month Awards



Rookie and Slugger of the Month: 31 y/o Jason Hewitt was the latest of the ABC imports to grab headlines, doing so in a big way in December. He destroyed AUNZBL pitching to the tune of a .366/.459/.839 stat-line, his 34-93 including 5 doubles and 13HR. He scored an astonishing 28 times, and drew 17 walks. So good was his performance that the award-givers decided to give him both the Rookie and Slugger gongs in December. The only blemish for Hewitt was that while he’d get to suit up for the All Star Game he wouldn’t be able to take part, as he was currently sidelined with a sore back. For the season Hewitt was hitting .289/.397/.557, and was tied for the league lead in homeruns, with 22.

Hurler of the Month: To contribute further to the slightly unusual nature of the December Awards, this month’s HotM was Crocs’ closer Sterling Boston. In 12 relief appearances he put together a 3-0 record, with 6 saves. His ERA was 1.29, his FIP 1.87, and his WHIP 0.71. He fanned 20 in 14 innings, and said he was “floored” to be receiving the award.

Rival closer Roderick Beresford, from the Fury and tied for the league lead in saves, was straightforwardly skeptical. “If it goes to a closer this month,” he said, “shouldn’t it have gone to Jarrod Culaham? He didn’t concede a single earned run and saved 9 out of 9 chances. Or what about Aaron Fingleson, who went 1-0 with 8 saves? Or Isaac Canavan who was 2-0, with 6 saves, no earned runs allowed and an FIP of 0.25?” While the argument Beresford provided was compelling, he came across as having sour grapes, especially as he’d also missed out on All Star selection, while Boston had made the cut.

Media Watch

Jacob Blanksby: Blanskby wasn’t all that fun to follow around in December. He hit .256/.343/.349 for the month, only 2 of his 22 hits HR. That put him on 487 career HRs, 13 short of 500.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Cairns (22-7) were nothing short of fantastic in December, surging past the Venom (16-13), who weren’t terrible themselves, to lead by 4 games heading into the back half of the season. Perth (17-12) had a good month, but still found themselves 2 games below .500 and 12 off the pace.

East-west Division: Brisbane (12-17) stumbled, Kununurra (14-15) now only 2 games back. The Thunder (14-15) continued to look out of sorts, the rumours of clubhouse tension gaining more and more traction.

NZ Division: Wellington (17-12) put a further game between themselves and Christchurch (16-13).

Southern Division: Sydney (16-13) opened up a 4-game lead over their rivals. Melbourne (14-15) sat in 2nd place, with Hobart (16-13) a further game back.

Wildcard: Adelaide had a 7-game buffer, with Christchurch and Melbourne jostling for the 2nd slot. Hobart was 1 game outside the running, with Kununurra a further 2 games back and Central Coast and Perth within striking distance.

#

Luigi Dempster (.278/.338/.531, 22HR) was tied with Hewitt for the HR lead.

Cain Donaldson (.330/.436/.456, 3HR) finally had an average month. Even so, he still led the league in triples (10), runs (65), and stolen bases (44).

Bert Allan (.273/.347/.568, 21HR) topped the league in doubles (28), ISO (.295), XBH (51), and WAR (3.8).

Beau Snell (.356/.410/.447, 3HR) comfortably led the league in BA, while teammate Yoshihito Morimoto (.326/.358/.385, 0HR) had the most hits, with 121.

Richard Moore (.327/.440/.566, 17HR) continued his excellent season, at the top of the OBP, OPS, and wOBA (.430) categories. He was the only qualified hitter with an OPS above 1.000.

On the surface Eddie Rayner (5-5, 4.84 ERA, 3.03 FIP, 1.42 WHIP) was having a difficult season. The reality was, though, that he wasn’t getting the defensive support his pitching deserved. He led the league in FIP, HR/9 (0.33), and WAR (3.6).

Greg Ahern (11-2, 3.39 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 1.00 WHIP), on the other hand, was getting backed up by his defense. ‘Buzzard’ had the best WHIP, H/9 (7.01), strikeouts (119) and K/9 (8.78) of all qualified pitchers.

Beresford and Adelaide’s Bailey Naylor both had 25 saves to their name.

ABC Wrap-up

Brisbane and Gold Coast remained 1-game apart in the Northern, while Sydney pushed their lead out to 10 games in the Southern, which was the only division to have 3 teams playing above .500. The lead had changed hands again in the Western, Broome now leading by 2 games, with Kalgoorlie and Perth trailing in their wake. Dunedin went 20-6 in December to charge past a faltering Hamilton and finish the month 6 games in the clear.

Kalgoorlie catcher Wesley Auger (.260/.326/.484, 17HR) hit .353, with 8HR, in the month to win Batter of the Month, while 24 y/o Alec Sharp (8-3, 3.91 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) took out the pitching award with a 6-0 month. Sharp had been in the Blue Sox system from 2053-2058 before being granted free agency and heading to the ABC where he was quickly becoming a star.

Hobart’s Satya Susanti (9-4, 2.55 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 1.02 WHIP) was once again way out in front on the strikeout charts, having notched up 153 so far, 30 more than anybody else. He was fanning them at a rate of 11.48 per 9 innings, easily a league-best. He also headed up the FIP and WAR (4.7) boards.

AUNZBL Standings, Jan 1

[Izz]

2059/2060 Season - January

Notable Performances

1 Jan: The Australian All Star selectors’ strategy worked, with their team triumphing 5-1 in a contest that remained tight until the 8th inning.

3 Jan: Sydney and Adelaide fought tenaciously for 11 innings before Dean Brewster’s single scored the winning run to see the Blue Sox walk off 6-5 winners. That wasn’t Brewster’s only hit of the night, though. The 3-time All Star equaled the AUZNBL game record (regular and extra-innings) of 6 hits. He did so from 6 at-bats, and while every hit was a single and he only scored once, skipper Joe Lane said Brewster’s focus at the plate lifted his teammates and was a big reason they were able to tie the game in the 8th, equalize after Adelaide went ahead in the 10th and win it in the end.

5 Jan: Angelo Spear went the whole game, restricting Hobart to 1 run on the back of 5 hits, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. The Heat offense stepped up to give their veteran ace a 9-1 victory. It was only Spear’s 6th win of the season but, more importantly, it was the 203rd win of his career. He now had 2nd all-time on the wins board to himself, and needed just 4 more to tie Phil McLaren at the top. Amazingly, McLaren had never registered a 20-win season, his best effort being 18-8 when he won HotY in 2028.

7 Jan: The streak was over. Angelo Farriss threw the 6th and 7th innings of an eventual 7-5 Cavalry triumph over Hobart. Canberra scored 4 in the 7th to take the lead and give Farriss the win. Farriss, who’d delivered some snarling soundbites earlier in the season when approached about the losing streak didn’t want to talk to media after the game, restricting his comments to, “All good things must come to an end for you guys, I guess,” when brushing past the sideline reporter.

12 Jan: Edwin Hayes had some pop in his game this week, going .400/.483/1.040, with 5 of his 10 hits bleacher balls. Central Coast looked to have settled whatever differences they might’ve had with each other and/or their manager, with an 8-2 record so far in the month. That saw them out ahead in the East-West, Kununurra 1 game back and Brisbane freefalling to 4 games behind and 4 games below .500.

12 Jan: Carlos Aguilar had been battling a few niggling injuries over the last couple weeks, but they weren’t enough to put a dent in his hitting stride. Today he made it a 20-game hit streak, going 2-4 in Perth’s 4-2 defeat of Sydney. Not only that, but Aguilar had also doubled in 5 consecutive games.

15 Jan: Cain Donaldson had come roaring back after his average December. In the Blue Sox’s 9-6 win over Canberra, he swiped base number 50 for the season. That result already put him at 22nd overall on the single season record ladder but he was firmly focused on the current record of 67... and then some. “80,” he said was the goal. “That’s a nice round number.”

15 Jan: Perth prevailed over Whangarei 4-2. Spear threw 8 innings in the victory, conceding 8 hits and 1 walk for 1 unearned run. Career win 204!

16 Jan: Malcolm Pickhills went deep for the 5th game running in Adelaide’s 7-4 loss to Newcastle.

17 Jan: Could Pickhills equal the AUNZBL record and go deep 6 games in a row? He could not. He did triple in the 8th however, but there was never any thought of that fly clearing the fence. To sweeten the miss, Pickhills’ triple was part of a 2-run frame which saw Adelaide reclaim the lead and go on to beat the Roos 5-4.

18 Jan: Perth might’ve got beat up 8-2 by the Sluggers at Heat Ballpark, but Aguilar was still entitled to a smile post-game. His 9th-inning single meant he’d hit in 25 consecutive games. The ride would come to an end the following night.

18 Jan: Craig Fisher put together his 2nd shutout of the season, keeping Wellington scoreless while only allowing 6 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 5 as Brisbane won 4-0.

19 Jan: Bailey Kinnear wasn’t especially well known outside of Brisbane. The 2058 All Star did his thing and did it well, but didn’t court all that much attention. He was a bit better known after today’s announcement that he’d won PotW, however. He did so on the back of a .520/.600/.960 effort, his 13-25 including 1 triple and 3HR.

19 Jan: As Aguilar’s streak ended another continued. The indomitable Cain Donaldson was 1-4 in Sydney’s 4-3 loss to Darwin, giving him a 20-game hit streak.

21 Jan: Donaldson was stopped at 21 games but at least Sydney held on to win, defeating Darwin 3-2.

21 Jan: Luigi Dempster equaled the AUNZBL game record of 9RBI with a sensational 3-5 performance in Wellington’s 10-2 victory over Auckland. 2 of his hits were HR, and his 8th-inning effort was a Grand Slam. He would crack 2HRs in the following night’s victory, too, driving in 7 more runners.

25 Jan: Bailey Kinnear continued hogging the headlines with a 5-5 performance in Brisbane’s 6-3 defeat of Adelaide.

26 Jan: To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Luigi Dempster took home PotW. He hit .419/.455/1.065, with 2 doubles and 6HR among 13 hits. He also drove in 20 runners, 2 more than he had in the entire month of November.

28 Jan: “Triumphant!” That’s how Patrick Maggs described his mood after slugging his 400th career HR in Perth’s 5-4 win over Darwin. The 35 y/o had never hit more than 39HR in a full season, and never less than 22, registered in his rookie year. “I made it,” he said, “and that’s what matters.” He was the 13th player to reach that coveted milestone, and was 4th on the active leaderboard.

29 Jan: It seems Spear’s recent wins were coming when he threw 8 or more innings. He went the whole game today in Perth’s 5-1 win over Darwin to move him 1 win closer to top spot. A free agent at season’s end, Spear admitted he was “eager to get to 208” before the end of this campaign.

30 Jan: Darwin just kept digging a deeper hole for themselves in 2059. Perth eased past them 8-5 to mark 10 straight defeats.

Notable Injuries

6 Jan: Darwin workhorse Bruno Budd (6-9, 3.97 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.39 WHIP) was gone for the season with a torn triceps.

6 Jan: Melbourne’s Jayden Downes (.313/.338/.368, 1HR) would miss the next month or so with a sprained thumb.

13 Jan: That hand! While not exactly the same injury, Aguirre (.303/.364/.482, 6HR) today fractured a finger sliding into base. He’d be out a further 5-6 weeks, and admitted to journalists that worry about how the hand had healed from its previous injuries had been affecting his power swing to this point. “Yeah,” he said, “it seems to twinge sometimes. Maybe it’s in my head, but it’s probably fair to say I’ve been a bit ginger. Now, with this, it might be time to book in some sessions with the team shrink.”

17 Jan: 26 y/o Isaac Canavan (4-2, 21 sv, 1.66 ERA, 1.59 FIP, 0.82 WHIP) was establishing himself as one of the best closers going around. Sadly, he was today diagnosed with a partially torn UCL after coming off injured on the 13th. He’d need Tommy John surgery and 8-9 months rest and rehab. Whether he’d be the same when he returned next season was anybody’s guess.

17 Jan: Richard Moore (.312/.427/.532, 18HR) wasn’t planning on watching much baseball while he recovered from a fractured foot. “Probably not, to be honest,” he told journos when the question was raised. “I get a bit angsty if I’m forced to watch but can’t play.” He was expected to be sidelined around 3 weeks.

18 Jan: A resurgent Canberra would have to do without catcher Elijah Lutz (.280/.332/.543, 24HR) for the next 6 weeks while he recovered from a hamstring strain.

21 Jan: Wellington would need to find a replacement in their rotation for Byron Moore (11-5, 3.22 ERA, 4.98 FIP, 1.23 WHIP) for the next month as he had an oblique strain.

Notable Trades/Signings

2 Jan: Adelaide made another move to strengthen their rotation, acquiring 25 y/o SP Teddy Wigley (5-5, 4.26 ERA, 4.74 FIP, 1.54 WHIP) from Brisbane. They also got some cash out of the deal, but had to give up their #1 draft pick of 2056, 21 y/o 1B Bob Lindner, who’d been moving between single-A and double-A this season. Lindner projected to be a decent all-round hitter thanks to a good eye and solid power.

16 Jan: 30 y/o Vern Bull’s (.289/.397/.544, 23HR) obscurity-to-stardom story had been told plenty of times over. Today he could add another chapter, having signed a 7-year extension with the Aces. 1st-year Melbourne GM Danny Stapleton was enthusiastic about the agreement: “We’d like him to be a 1-club player, and I’ve no doubt he’ll be remembered not only as one of our greats, but also one of the game’s greats.”

22 Jan: 34 y/o Clint Aitcheson (3-6, 5.69 ERA, 4.63 FIP, 1.37 WHIP) couldn’t believe it. While he admitted his season so far “hadn’t been great,” he didn’t think his form warranted Central Coast shifting him on, and he especially didn’t like heading from a contender to a straggler. The Thunder had traded him to Perth, along with cash, for 26 y/o Dermott Alcock, who’d spent the season up and down between AAA and the majors, and a 19 y/o pitching prospect. Perth were 14 games behind in the Coastal and 5 games back in the wildcard, while Central Coast were 2 games up in the East-West. Aitcheson would be a free agent at the end of the season, and he was already certain of one thing: “I’m definitely not signing with Central Coast again!”

26 Jan: Canberra fancied themselves a chance at a postseason berth. To get there, they figured they needed a deeper rotation. To that end, they wrangled a trade with Newcastle for 34 y/o RHP Dan Pankhurst (6-10, 4.52 ERA, 4.62 FIP, 1.49 WHIP), and a big wad of cash. To get him they had to give up promising 25 y/o 1B Angus Wheeler (.302/.356/.481, 17HR).

30 Jan: The Cavalry added more starch to their starters today, acquiring 33 y/o Xuan-ling Wong (1-3, 4.84 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.37 WHIP) from Melbourne in return for 29 y/o RF Marco Bamber (.250/.273/.365, 2HR from 99PA) and a 22 y/o OF prospect. Wong’s stats didn’t look the best, but he’d only just finished a run of 18 undefeated starts, many of those no-decisions likely down to his inability to retain petrol in the tank for the later innings. Most thought Melbourne’s agreement to the proposal an odd move, especially considering that they were locked in a 3-way division battle with the Blue Sox (1-game ahead of them) and Canberra (2 games behind them).

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: There was no stopping Jason Hewitt. Fresh of his double award win in December, he once again snared RotM, his efforts in January amounting to a staggering .395/.465/.651 stat-line, his 34-86 including 10 doubles and 4HR. He also scored 19 runs, brought home 25 runners, and earned 11 free passes. For the season Hewitt was hitting .314/.413/.579, atop the league in OPS and wOBA (.424).

Right now, RotY seemed a three-way race between Hewitt, Cain Donaldson, and Bert Allan.

During the month, Hewitt mused to an OotPB TV interviewer about the transition from the ABC to AUNZBL. “Y’know,” he said, “a lot of you media blokes said we’d struggle to adapt, that the AUNZBL was just too big a step up from the ABC.” He then paused to give an expansive shrug. “But look at how well Cain, Bert and I are doing. And Kade*, too, doesn’t look out of place over here either. Even ole Air** is coping all right with the lowered mounds. For a long time it’s been said that all the local talent is tied up in the AUNZBL systems already, that the only place to look for players is overseas. Perhaps that’s not true after all, though I’ll tell you what, I heard it enough times while I was on the semi-pro circuit that I believed it and figured I wasn’t good enough for a shot.”

*Kade Wurfel, catcher for Christchurch
**Tristan Agar, SP for Whangarei, who was 12-6 for the season

Hurler of the Month: Ted Heathcote chewed through opposition lineups in January like they were honey-coated weetbix. He went 4-0 from 6 starts, with a 1.60 ERA, 3.43 FIP, and 0.99 WHIP. In 39.1 IP he fanned 32. It was his first HotM Award since 2052, when he also took out HotY.

Slugger of the Month: Malcolm Pickhills unleashed during the month, hitting .317/.403/.856, 16 of his 33-104 going the distance. He also hit 6 doubles and 1 triple, scored 23 runs, collected 32 ribbies, and walked 12 times.

Media Watch

Jacob Blanksby: Blanksby was very boring to keep tabs on in January. The aging superstar didn’t hit a single HR during the month, his 26-95 including just 6 doubles.

Last Year’s Top Players Watch

2058’s Top Rookies

2058 Rookie of the Year, Tadakuni Sasaki: Sasaki was projecting to have a pretty similar season to last year. So far he was hitting .305/.373/.485, 103-338, with 52 runs, 25 doubles, 3 triples, 10HR, 43RBI, and 38BB from 384PA.

Manny Chavez: Chavez had been pushed out of the everyday role by Rowan Kimpton but was making decent use of limited playing time. .301/.372/.393, 72-239, 30 runs, 10 doubles, 4HR, 29RBI, 25BB, 270PA.

Nathaniel Bowden: Selected to his 1st All Star Game this season, Bowden was on track to more than double his WAR output of 2058. .299/.341/.501, 132-479, 58 runs, 28 doubles, 2 triples, 19HR, 80RBI, 24BB, 10SB, 479PA.

2058’s Top Pitchers

2058 Brodie Backhouse winner, Caspar Buffey: Buffey’s velocity had noticeably dropped during the season, as well as the overall ‘hardness/strength’ of his pitches. He was still doing an adequate job, and behind an inconsistent offense and mediocre defense it was difficult to quantify how much his mechanical issues were affecting him. 4-6, 24 sv, 3.61 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.72 WHIP, 46 K from 52.1 IP.

2058 Hurler of the Year, Clint Kline: 14-5 from 24 starts, 3.73 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.11 WHIP, 128 K from 152.0 IP. While advanced metrics said Kline was only pitching averagely, he was still getting the job done and already had as many wins as he’d managed all of last season. His K/BB ratio of 5.12 was best among qualified pitchers.

Barry Dean: Perth had themselves an absolute superstar in the making, if he could stay injury free, that was. 16-3 from 23 starts, 2.65 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 150 punch-outs from 166.2 IP. Dean led the league in ERA and wins, was 2nd in FIP, WAR (4.8), and strikeouts, 6th in WHIP (1.18), and tied for the most innings pitched (166.2).

Brock Lawless: Lawless just got it done, no amount of media accolades seeming to go to his head. 10-7 from 24 starts, 3.94 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 1.25 WHIP, 113 strikeouts from 150.2 IP.

2058’s Top Hitters

2058 Slugger of the Year, Calvin Hodnett: With Patrick Maggs and Quentin Welch performing well below expectations, a lot rested on Hodnett, who typically hit at 2 in the Perth lineup. .305/.395/.583, 92-302, 55 runs, 19 doubles, 1 triple, 21HR, 54RBI, 38BB, 10SB (without having been caught once), 351PA. He’d missed 5 weeks through various injuries.

Malcolm Pickhills: Not quite at the heights of last season, but if he had another month like January he’d quickly be back there. .257/.347/.522, 107-416, 69 runs, 21 doubles, 4 triples, 27HR, 78RBI, 54BB, 478PA, +12.9 ZR at 3B.

Vern Bull: Melbourne loved Vern Bull and he was doing his best to repay that love, anchoring the lineup with aplomb. .298/.407/.564, 110-369, 71 runs, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 28HR, 72RBI, 69BB, 2SB, 445PA. Bull’s 5.0 WAR topped the league.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Cairns (15-13) extended their lead over Adelaide (10-18) to 7 games, while Perth (18-10) started putting together some wins to pull to within 9 games of the division leaders.

East-West Division: Central Coast (18-10) rose from 3rd to 1st, Brisbane (12-16) and Kununurra (14-14) jostling it out in 2nd place, 3 games in arrears.

NZ Division: Wellington (14-14) maintained their 6-game distance from Christchurch (14-14).

Southern Division: This division was getting tight! Sydney (14-14) were only par in January, allowing Melbourne (16-12) to within 2 games of them. Just 1 game further back sat a resurgent Canberra outfit (21-7), while Hobart (12-16) had a bad month, but weren’t out of contention at 7 games behind.

Wildcard: Adelaide and Melbourne both had the same record and both had their hands on one wildcard slot. Canberra lurked just 1 game behind, Christchurch and Perth 2, and Brisbane, Hobart, and Kununurra 5. Killer February promised to be an exciting month.

#

Injury-prone Sluggers’ RF Peter Moy (.358/.404/.572, 10HR) now had enough at-bats to qualify for the BA board and was currently sitting well clear of Martin Boston (.335/.369/.414, 2HR).

Yoshihito Morimoto (.333/.365/.384, 0HR) had 164 hits, 8 more than Boston in 2nd.

Bert Allan (.276/.353/.543, 23HR) led the league in doubles, ISO (.267), and XBH (64). Teammate Rowan Kimpton (.328/.360/.590, 28HR), who one prominent commentator remarked was “a curious player to watch, with a strikezone from ankle to shoulder and a swing that looked as balletic as a rugby league prop crashing into the defensive line,” led the league in slugging, and was in the peloton of players tied for 2nd in the HR race.

Luigi Dempster (.273/.329/.514, 29HR) had the HR lead by 1.

John Foreman (.303/.365/.531, 28HR) had broken the 100-rbi barrier, with 101. The next closest players both had 88.

Cain Donaldson (.328/.429/.469, 8HR) only stole 9 bases (from 15 attempts) in the month, but still had a healthy lead over any other players, with 53 successful steals. He also topped all-comers in OBP, triples (11), and runs (89).

Eddie Rayner (9-5, 4.46 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) was the only qualified pitcher with an FIP of less than 3.00. His 5.0 WAR was also a league-best.

Bailey Naylor was 2 saves clear of all the other closers, with 30. He also had 9 losses.

Greg Ahern (13-3, 3.13 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.05 WHIP) had 156 strikeouts at a rate of 8.42 per 9 innings, both league leaders.

Damian Flemming (10-2, 3.09 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.20 WHIP) was proving the hardest starting pitcher to hit, opponents only managing .212 against him for a rate of 6.92 hits per 9 innings. Teammate Lance Ralston (11-6, 3.88 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 1.45 WHIP) was only giving up 0.38 homeruns every 9 innings.

Angelo Spear (8-7, 3.80 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 1.27 WHIP) was proving wilier than ever. His BB/9 rate of 1.21 was best in the league.

ABC Wrap-up

The Gold Goast Goannas had snatched a 1/2 game lead over Brisbane in the Northern, the Broncos having had a game called off due to rain. Sydney had romped to a 15-game advantage in the Southern, while Broome were now 4 up over Kalgoorlie and Perth in the Western. Dunedin saw their lead cut nearly in half, to 3 1/2, with Jakarta and Port Moresby surging, while Hamilton continued to fold, 9 1/2 games back and 7 below .500.

Rowan Reardon (.316/.403/.624, 35HR) continued to live up to his nickname of ‘Beast,’ out in front in the HR race by 8. Satya Susanti had crashed through the 200 strikeout barrier already, finishing the month with 204 at a rate of 11.15 per 9 innings.

AUNZBL Standings, Feb 1

[Izz]

2059/2060 Season - February

Notable Performances

2 Feb: Blake Rawnsley’s week ended on both a good and bad note. He won PotW for a .545/.583/1.227 effort, his 12-22 including 3 doubles and 4HR. The bad is covered below, in the Notable Injuries section.

2 Feb: Yong-jun Chu went 3-4 in Auckland’s 11-inning 9-8 win over Adelaide. His triple to lead off the 9th started the game-tying rally. It was also his 2000th career hit. Chu, 34 y/o, had won the batting title in 2056, his first year with the Metros.

2 Feb: Cairns rocked to an 18-1 win over Brisbane. Amongst the partying Crocs was Stephane Lecomte. Not only did he go 4-6, with 4 runs scored, but he also stole 4 bases, equaling the AUNZBL game record.

4 Feb: The Diggers led Canberra 7-0 heading into the 8th inning, the end of their 14-game losing streak all but assured. Then a combination of poor fielding and bad pitching allowed the Cavalry to score 4, cutting the lead to 3. A Robin Seyler solo dinger in the bottom of the inning extended the advantage by 1. Surely that should be enough, shouldn’t it? Martin Boson led off the 9th with a single, and Damian Krajancic followed up with another. Pitching change but Jorge Diaz was unfazed. He launched one over LF and into the stands for a 3-run HR. 1-run ballgame and still 3 outs left! Rhett Thurley knuckled down and struck out Jason Hewitt swinging with a diving cutter. Jay Saunderson drove one deep to right, but only as far as the RF’s glove. Blair Toohey hit a regulation grounder to short and was easily thrown out at 1st. 8-7 win, and despite the stumbles the losing streak was over!

9 Feb: Zachary Pengilly finished the week tied for 1st in the HR race with 32 jacks. He hit .464/.500/1.036 over the last 7 days, with 5HRs amongst his 13 hits, to win PotW.

10 Feb: Tyler Pratly had that rarest of hits today: a walk-off Grand Slam! The Kununurra catcher cracked the 1st pitch of his at-bat in the bottom of the 9th down the leftfield line and into the seats, giving the Pioneers a 6-4 victory over Perth. This was the first slammer of Pratly’s pro career. “What an awesome feeling,” he said. “I gotta say, I feel sorry for Caspar*, but if I could do that all over again I would, probably endlessly.”

Caspar Buffey, Heat closer



12 Feb: Wally Moylan put together the 3rd shutout of his big-league career, keeping Adelaide scoreless to help Cairns cruise to a 6-0 win. Moylan gave up just 5 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 4.

14 Feb: Another complete game, another win. Spear restricted Wellington to 6 hits and 1 walk, for 2 earned runs and 5 strikeouts. Perth eased to a 9-2 victory, and Spear now had 206 career wins.

14 Feb: Central Coast and Darwin went at it hammer and tongs all game, with the Thunder eventually eking out a 9-8 victory. For Darwin, backup IF Phillip MacKay had a 5-5 night, including a double.

16 Feb: Gu Luo put up excellent numbers for Brisbane over the past week to win the weekly award. He hit .577/.621/1.077 with 4HR.

17 Feb: Kununurra might’ve beat Canberra 8-6, but today was still great for Cavalry hustler Martin Boston. Boston collected 5 hits for the 4th time in his major league career, going 5-5 with 1 double and 2RBI. What really made the night though was his single in the bottom of the 9th: that gave the 30 y/o his 2000th career hit! “I didn’t even realize,” Boston said. “I mean, I knew I was close, but getting 5 hits is a thrill all on its own and I hadn’t even considered 2000. That being said, it’s all a bit hollow seeing as we didn’t win the game. Maybe it’ll feel better tomorrow.” Hitting .339 on the season to-date, Boston was 2nd on the BA board, and 2nd on the hits board with 183.

17 Feb: Darwin fans had very little to cheer about this season. They got up 6-3 over Central Coast today to record win 43 of their campaign. 35 y/o Rhett Thurley threw the 9th to record the easy save, his 18th of the season, and 300th of his career. He was tied for 10th on the all-time saves board and was 3rd amongst active closers.

23 Feb: Gary Baker punished AUNZBL pitchers over the last week, hitting .550/.609/.850 in the 5 games he appeared in and winning PotW.

25 Feb: Rafael Hurlson hurled a pearler for Adelaide against Central Coast, guiding the Venom to a 9-0 win. He gave up just 2 hits and 2 walks, and while he only struck out 2, skipper Luis Gonzalez said that wasn’t an issue. “He got lots of weak contact and had them swinging early in the count at pitches that weren’t quite where they thought they were. It was a very well-executed and deliberate performance from Rafael.”

25 Feb: A sterling 7-inning performance for 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 earned run from Spear saw Perth to an 8-1 win over Brisbane. 36 y/o Spear was now officially tied with Phil McLaren as the winningest pitcher in AUNZBL history. McLaren finished up 207-161. Spear was 207-150.

29 Feb: Bruno Kesterton gave ailing Darwin fans something to cheer about, shutting Newcastle out to help his team to a 6-0 win. Kesterton allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks and, amazingly, did not strike out a single batter. “Yeah,” he said afterwards, “that was a bit weird, eh? You’d usually expect at least 1 guy to whiff in 9 innings. Maybe it’s a leap year thing.”

Notable Injuries

2 Feb: PotW Blake Rawnsley (.275/.339/.491, 17HR) was diagnosed with a sprained knee. 6-7 weeks on the DL beckoned.

7 Feb: Blue Sox slugger Nigel Anderton (.262/.340/.459, 20HR) could miss the rest of the regular season with a hamstring strain, though he hoped to be back in action before the playoffs.

10 Feb: Calvin Hodnett (.310/.393/.574, 21HR) might also not make it back this regular season. He was suffering from recurring back spasms and was headed for his 3rd stint on the DL. Perth would miss his services as they attempted to make a late charge through congested waters in the hope of securing a wildcard berth.

19 Feb: 6 games back in the wildcard and behind 5 other jostling teams, an uneven Hobart appeared to be well out of the postseason race. Their faint hopes took a further blow today, with Connor Chapman (7-11, 5.03 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.47 WHIP) set for a lengthy date with the DL. He had a torn rotator cuff, which some observers said was ‘unsurprising, given that he’d appeared to be overthrowing most of the season.’

24 Feb: Wellington would have to do without lineup lynchpin Fernando Contreras (.259/.390/.478, 21HR) for the rest of the regular season and possibly the 1st round of the playoffs, should they make it (they were currently a 91.7% chance). He had a strained hammy.

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: Cain Donaldson’s output might’ve slowed down a bit in February, but he was still deemed the best rookie in the league for the month. He hit .328/.386/.422, 38-116, with 18 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 1HR, 14RBI, 11 walks, and 3SB. Notably, his 3 stolen bases came from 11 attempts, which meant breaking the season record was slipping further out of reach. Donaldson admitted towards the end of the month, “Seems like pitchers and catchers have got me figured right now.”

For the season he was hitting .328/.421/.459, with 9HR. He led the league in triples (14), runs (107), and stolen bases (56).

Hurler of the Month: 28 y/o Kununurra closer Jarrod Culaham was more than doing his part in keeping the Pioneers competitive in 2059. He came to the mound 12 times in February, 5 times with his team needing him to hold the fort so they could rally in the bottom of the 9th. All 5 of those times he did his job, and did so just as well when defending a lead. He put up a W-L of 5-0 for the month, with 7 saves. His ERA was 2.25, his FIP 2.05, and his WHIP 1.42. He struck out 11 in 12.0 IP. The 2056 All Star had 35 saves for the season, 2nd in the league.

Slugger of the Month: Gu Luo had recovered from his early-November trade from Hobart to Brisbane, having assumed the cleanup role for the Bandits and doing a fine job at it. So fine, in fact, that he won SotM with a .368/.412/.698 stat-line. His 39-106 featured 5 doubles and 10HR. He scored 19 times and brought home 31 runners. For the season Luo had 107 ribbies, 2nd overall.

Media Watch

Jacob Blanksby: Blanksby edged closer to 500HR, hitting 2 in February. He now needed 11 more but it was unlikely he’d get there this season.

Other Notes

12 Feb: Conjecture regarding the court actions of the ABC, AUNZBL and PU refused to die down, so the magistrate’s office took the unusual step of unsealing and releasing all filed documentation.

The primary bone of contention among media legal eagles had been why the ABC were apparently forced to lower the pay-rates of its attached corporations when it was the entity taking the AUNZBL and PU to court.

It didn’t take long for the answer to become apparent. The PU, with the AUNZBL along for the ride, had countersued the ABC, citing financial irregularities in the publicly submitted accounts of some of its teams. To cut a long and boring - to this narrator, at least - legal battle short, after several countersuits were lodged, and with it becoming more and more apparent that the Player’s Union would come out on top, the ABC proposed an out-of-court agreement which the PU submitted to the judge to present as a public settlement.

The AUNZBL were silent partners for the majority of the stoush, though it appeared they had funded at least some of the PU’s legal costs.

The ABC weren’t happy with the decision by the magistrate’s office to make the dispute details public but despite a lot of barking didn’t proceed any further.

#

Coastal Division: Cairns (18-9) maintained their 7-game lead over Adelaide (18-9). Perth (14-13) weren’t able to keep up the punishing pace, but still had a shot at the wildcard.

East-West Division: Central Coast (15-12) had a fight on their hands heading into March, Kununurra (17-10) pulling to within 1 game. Brisbane (12-15) were quickly falling out of contention.

NZ Division: Despite an under-par month, the NZ was still Wellington’s (13-14) to lose, with Christchurch (11-16) finally faltering under the weight of having 2 of their top 3 starters out for the season.

Southern Division: Sydney (16-11) did what they had to do to stay at the top, but couldn’t extend their lead, with Canberra (17-10) riding hard into the home stretch. Meanwhile, Melbourne (10-17) fans were calling for the head of 1st-year GM Danny Stapleton, blaming his decision to trade Xuan-ling Wong to division rivals Canberra as the reason for the Aces’ slide. Hobart (12-15), meanwhile, continued their failure to live up to expectations.

Wildcard: Thanks to the awful performance of a couple teams, the race for the wildcard was a lot more congested than it often was. Adelaide had a 4-game buffer, Canberra a 2-game edge. Kununurra and Perth were both 4 games back, hoping to pounce in March, while Melbourne was 6 games behind and Christchurch 7.

#

Luigi Dempster (.275/.334/.531, 38HR) finished the month on a 3-game HR streak. 3 was also the number of HRs he led the league by.

Peter Moy (.344/.392/.549, 15HR) continued to lead the league in BA. Yoshihito Morimoto (.338/.366/.392, 0HR) had an OPS+ and wRC+ of exactly 100. His athleticism at 3B helped him to a WAR of 4.4, and was one of the reasons the fans enjoyed watching him play. The primary reason, though, was that he put bat on ball and into play. He was 2nd in BA, but atop the hits board, his 207 hits 13 clear of the field.

Richard Moore (.321/.433/.545, 22HR) had the league’s best OBP, OPS, and wOBA (.421) among qualified hitters.

Jason Hewitt (.294/.393/.559, 33HR) had the best slugging percentage and the best ISO (.264), while Vern Bull (.287/.401/.539, 32HR) topped the hitters in WAR, with 5.7.

John Foreman (.310/.374/.544, 35HR) led allcomers in RBI, with 118.

Bert Allan (.272/.344/.518, 25HR) had only hit 4HR across January and February. He’d hit 18 doubles, though, leading the league in that category, with 46. His 75 XBH was also a league-best.

Manuel Alou (.270/.396/.508, 35HR) wasn’t hitting above .300, like he was usually inclined to do, but he was drawing more walks than anybody else. He had 103 and was the only hitter with more than 100.

Barry Dean (19-4, 2.65 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 1.17 WHIP) spent a week on the DL in February but that did nothing to cool the Heat ace down. He led the league in wins, ERA, FIP, and WAR (5.8).

Greg Ahern (16-3, 3.34 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.12 WHIP), 2nd in wins, had 194 strikeouts at a K/9 rate of 8.64, both league-bests. He had also thrown the most, getting through 202 innings of work.

John Zglinicki (12-10, 4.45 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1.09 WHIP) was going to be Central Coast’s big gun in years to come. Right now, he led all qualified pitchers in WHIP.

Bailey Naylor had 38 saves to go with 4 wins and 10 losses. The first number put him atop the saves board.

ABC Wrap-up

Gold Coast and Brisbane finished the month locked up atop the Northern, both teams only playing .500 ball. Sydney were still well in command in the Southern, though their lead had been cut from 15 games to 9. The topsy-turvy nature of the Western continued, Kalgoorlie having regained ascendancy... by half a game. Dunedin regathered themselves in the Overseas Division, their lead back out to 6 heading into the final stretch.

Rowan Reardon (.322/.410/.648) won Batter of the Month for the 2nd time in the season and for good reason. He’d already hit 45HR, and if he kept up at this rate he’d easily break the record set in 2058 by Gavin Howell.

27 y/o Gold Coast Goanna Sebastian Horton (.350/.409/.623, 31HR) had already matched his 2058 season WAR total of 8.0. He was under contract for at least 2 more seasons, and wasn’t about to answer a journalist who asked if getting an AUNZBL contract was a future goal. “Bit of a disrespectful question, don’t you think?” he said, staring the journo down. After a very uncomfortable pause he continued, “And if you have any other questions that aren’t about the here and now and my team’s fight for a pennant, then you need to get right on walking.”

38 y/o Sydney closer Puntadewa Sukarno had recorded 45 saves already, even though his arm was falling off, his fastball having dropped from the high-150s to the mid-140s and his curveball noticeably straighter.

Standings, Mar 1

[Izz]

2059/2060 Season - March

Notable Performances

1 Mar: Luigi Dempster was awarded PotW for his efforts in the final stanza of Killer February. He hit .433/.452/1.033, his 13-30 including 3 doubles and 5 homeruns.

1 Mar: Manuel Salinas was one of Central Coast’s March call-ups and was immediately promoted back to the primary lineup. No explanation was given for his nearly season-long stint in AAA, and he continued to keep his mouth sewn shut. He celebrated his return in good style though, going 3-4 in the Thunder’s 7-6 win over Kununurra, his night including a triple, 2 runs and 2 stolen bases.

1 Mar: The AUNZBL had a new king of the wins hill! Perth prevailed over Auckland 6-3, Spear throwing 6 innings for 7 singles, 1 walk, 1 earned run and 6 strikeouts. He came off having thrown 111 pitches and retired to the dugout, his throwing arm wrapped in heated towels, the hand on his other arm almost constantly covering his mouth. The top of the 9th provided a bit of a scare, Auckland rallying to score 2 but Caspar Buffey came to the mound and got the final out to ensure Spear’s feat.

The typically stoic Spear showed rare emotion when speaking to the sideline reporter after completing his victory lap of Heat Stadium. Tears in his eyes, he said, “I’ve been fighting on and fighting on, trying to keep this old body going. My pitches are looking pretty pedestrian these days, they’re not dancing quite like they used to, but if you’ve got willpower you can keep going, and I’m just beyond the moon to have reached this hallowed ground.

“I figured I had to do it this season, because who knows if a team will want me next year, and maybe I’ll need a zimmer frame to get to the mound anyway. It’s been a bit surreal, this whole year, really, because 200 wins is like a fairytale in this competition and 208 was just wildest dreams stuff. But I guess I’m in fairytale land for real right now.” He finished up by surprising the sideline reporter with a hug before wandering towards the tunnel to the changing rooms, the Heat fans all chanting his name.

For the season Spear was 11-10, with a 3.94 ERA, 4.49 FIP, and 1.27 WHIP. He’d struck out 97 hitters in 191.2 innings, and while he’d never been a power pitcher, his reliance on pitch placement and poor contact had been increasingly more evident over the last couple seasons.

Phil McLaren had held top spot since 2036, and later in the presser Spear recalled watching ‘Vacuum’ pitch when he’d been a wide-eyed preteen. Sadly, McLaren had passed away 2 years ago from cancer, so wasn’t on hand to congratulate the new top gun, but his son, Elias, told journalists his father had always enjoyed watching Spear pitch and would “surely be happy to shuffle over slightly on the mantle to accommodate the new guy.”



4 Mar: Barry Dean got through all 9 innings of Perth’s 8-4 defeat of Cairns. While he wouldn’t have been pleased to give up 3HR, he would’ve been quite chuffed to have recorded win number 20 for the season. The Heat were keeping things interesting in the wildcard as the closest chasing team, 4 games behind Canberra, who currently held the 2nd slot.

4 Mar: Donaldson started off the month with a hiss and a roar in the stolen base department. He’d stolen 4 in his last 3 games, the 1 he swiped today in Sydney’s 7-5 triumph over Christchurch his 60th of the season.

7 Mar: Rodney Bashford propelled Newcastle to a 10-0 thrashing of Central Coast. The sometime starter gave up just 4 hits and 2 walks, fanning 8 for his 2nd career shutout.

7 Mar: Perth came from behind against Hobart, running away with the game thanks to a 7-run 7th. Spear was still the pitcher on record even though he didn’t come out for the 8th, and happily accepted career win 209.

8 Mar: Angus Wheeler had struggled since being traded from Canberra to Newcastle, but hit a rich vein of form over the past week to win PotW. His stat-line read .462/.481/.962, with doubles and 3HR scattered amongst 12 hits.

8 Mar: 30 y/o Cowboys Jason Russell, who over 6 major-league seasons had managed to rack up only 1 year and 34 days of service time, had a game to remember, going 5-5 in Christchurch’s 5-0 pasting of Whangarei. His hits included a HR.

8 Mar: Byron Moore put together a sterling performance, keeping the Pioneers to naught in a 5-hit, 0-walk, 4-strikeout shutout. Wellington didn’t even have to get furious to win 4-0. This was the 4th shutout of 30 y/o Moore’s career. All his shutouts had been recorded in the last 3 seasons.

8 Mar: Ismael Aguirre looked to be getting his stroke back. While his 3-5 outing in Hobart’s 7-5 defeat of the Heat only included 1HR - a mammoth 455-foot effort in the top of the 4th - his other 2 hits were doubles, and both careened off the centrefield wall, no mean feat at Heat Stadium.

8 Mar: John Foreman became the 1st hitter to the 40HR mark in 2059, doing so with a 9th-inning Grand Slam in Central Coast’s 10-1 routing of the Roos. The slammer was the 7th of Foreman’s career, and his 3rd versus Newcastle.

9 Mar: 32 y/o Caspar Buffey picked up his 34th save of the year, and the 300th of his career, holding off Hobart to see Perth to a 10-7 victory. With 10 losses to his name this season, and a 1.70 WHIP, it was hard to see the Heat persevering with Buffey in the closer role next year.

9 Mar: Cairns scored 3 in the top of the 10th to secure a hard-fought 5-2 victory over Canberra. The win was their 93rd of the season, 8 ahead of next-best Sydney, and secured them a postseason berth, even if they lost all their remaining games. 35 y/o Lance Ralston, who missed last year’s postseason thanks to injury, was desperate to stay fit to feature this year. Never one to talk himself down, Ralston was pretty direct about how he thought his presence could affect the playoffs this season. “If I’m fit, we win, simple as that,” he said. “If I’m not, it’ll be a tougher ask.” Ralston was 16-1 in his playoff career, his only loss coming in 2053, where he went 2-1 with a 1.01 ERA. 2053 was also the last time he’d played postseason ball.

9 Mar: Central Coast and Newcastle kept things entertaining until the final out, the Thunder winning it 13-9 in the end (9 of the game’s 22 runs scored across the last 2 innings). Amongst the carnage Foreman went 3-4, and slugged his 41st HR of the year.

10 Mar: March was often a month of outrageous game scores and personal achievements as teams looked to rest some of their everyday players while blooding new talent. Hayden Okolita cashed in on some defensive uncertainty today, going 5-5, with 2 doubles, in the Cavalry’s 12-5 shellacking of Cairns.

10 Mar: Okolita’s feat was somewhat overshadowed by what veteran Marcos Lopez accomplished, however, the Aces DH cracking 6 singles from 6 at-bats in a 13-8 win over Brisbane. While Lopez was the 2nd player to get 6 hits in a game this season, he did so without going to extra-innings.

10 Mar: Elsewhere, a low-scoring contest between Hobart and Perth was won 2-1 by the Heat, who scored their only runs via a 2-run Joshua Angwin HR in the bottom of the 1st. The winning pitcher was Barry Dean, who hurled 8 innings of 4-hit ball, surrendering just that 1 run while striking out 10. He now had 21 wins for the season. He also led the league in ERA (2.65), and was 2nd in strikeouts (190), 15 behind Greg Ahern.

11 Mar: Darwin got beat 4-0 by Cairns today, marking their 100th loss of the season. This was the first time in their 12-year history that Darwin had lost 100 games in a season. They’d come close in their maiden campaign, losing 99. They needed to win 3 of their last 11 games to avoid going down in history as 1 of the 3 worst teams to complete a season in the AUNZBL.

12 Mar: The Heat were now just 2 games back in the wildcard race, today securing their 4th win on the trot. 9 runs scored across the 3rd-5th innings meant the result was never in doubt, the Cowboys succumbing 9-2. Spear got through 7.2 innings of work for his 13th win of the season and 210th of his career.

13 Mar: Greg Ahern brought up win 17 for the season in style, shutting the Fury out with a 3-hit, 0-walk performance. ‘Buzzard’ struck out 7 and Adelaide won 2-0. Ahern seemed to have turned a corner this season in terms of seeing the game rather than just the hitter in front of him. Pitching coach Jeremy Lowe who, surprisingly for someone in his role, had carved out a 10-year big-league career as a SS, said, “Greg’s a great pitcher. He just had to discover that winning battles for his team is far more satisfying in the long run that winning personal battles within a game.” Ahern still did his signature strikeout dance, and even with his more controlled pitching was on track to challenge his personal best season strikeout record of 225.

13 Mar: Cain Donaldson played a starring role in Sydney’s 5-3 win over Whangarei. He went 3-4, hitting his 10th HR of the season in the 7th, a 3-run blast that gave the Blue Sox the lead and eventual winning score. He also drove a runner home in the 3rd, his deep fly over the head of the CF good for a triple. That was triple number 16 for the season. He needed 1 more to equal Christos Hutchinson’s 2047 season record of 17.

14 Mar: Foreman remained the only hitter with 40+ HR. His 2-run shot in the 6th proved the difference in Central Coast’s 3-1 victory over Brisbane. It was also his 42nd for the season.

15 Mar: Joshua Angwin punished AUZNBL pitchers on his way to winning PotW. He hit .571/.636/.821, racking up 16 hits from 28 at-bats.

15 Mar: The Crocs might’ve been the first team to ensure themselves a postseason berth, but Wellington were the first team to secure a division title in 2059. They wrapped up the NZ today even though they lost 6-2 to Newcastle, thanks to closest rivals Christchurch also losing, Canberra squeezing past them 4-3.

16 Mar: Cairns won the Coastal Division with a 6-3 victory over Melbourne. They’d last topped their division in 2044.

16 Mar: Adelaide handed Whangarei a 9-3 thumping, thus securing the first wildcard slot. The Venom hadn’t been to the postseason since 2054. This would be only their 3rd appearance in the last 10 years.

16 Mar: Whangarei was finishing the season in the same manner in which they started it: poorly. The loss to Adelaide was their 10th defeat on the trot.

16 Mar: Sydney beat up Perth 11-5. While the score sounded lopsided, it was an astonishing 8-run top of the 9th, with 11 hitters coming to the plate, that gave them the lead and subsequently, the victory. The Blue Sox had won their last 6 and while they were yet to wrap up their division, today’s victory ensured they’d play postseason ball, no matter what transpired for the rest of the season. In other news, this loss pushed Perth to 4 games back in the race for the remaining wildcard. With only 6 games left in the regular season, their chances were beginning to look remote.

16 Mar: Foreman cracked HR #43 in Central Coast’s 4-2 loss to Auckland.

16 Mar: Luigi Dempster’s 9th-inning solo HR gave Wellington some insurance in their eventual 2-0 win over Sydney. The blow was also his 40th of the season.

17 Mar: Spear was doing his best to keep his team in it, his 7 innings of 1-run ball vital in Perth’s 8-1 victory over Sydney. He now had 211 career wins.

17 Mar: Central Coast prevailed over Auckland 7-5 to wrap up the East-West Division.

17 Mar: Taki Muto ended Kununurra’s faint playoff hopes, keeping them scoreless on the back of 5 hits, 1 walk and 10 strikeouts. His Bandits strolled to a 4-0 victory.

17 Mar: 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th put Newcastle in front and they held on to defeat Wellington 8-7. Guillermo Julio drove in the go-ahead run, part of a 5-5 night which included a triple. Only 24 y/o, this was Julio’s 3rd 5-hit game in the majors, to go with 3 in the minors.

18 Mar: John Zglinicki gave Auckland nothing, inflicting their 100th loss of the season via a 4-hit, 1-walk shutout. The young gun struck out 7 and induced 14 groundball outs. Central Coast won 7-0.

18 Mar: Clint Aitcheson put up a strong performance for Perth, getting through 8 innings of work while allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks for no runs. The Heat went on to win 2-0. The win was only the 8th of Aitcheson’s season but it was also the 191st of his career. The 34 y/o jokingly said to Spear as he walked past while Aitcheson was being interviewed in the changing sheds, “Look out Anga, I’m coming for you!”

19 Mar: Only 2 teams were yet to officially know if they’d be playing postseason ball or not in 2059. Perth needed a miracle, 4 games back in the wildcard behind Canberra, who only needed 1 win in their series against Sydney to qualify. Perth still held onto a sliver of hope, though, their final series being against Whangarei, who’d now lost 12 straight. The series between Canberra and Sydney would decide the winner of the Southern Division, too. The Blue Sox currently held a 2-game lead.

20 Mar: A frenetic 4-run 8th inning enabled Whangarei to come from behind and beat Perth 7-5, ending their skid at 12 games. They also ended Perth’s postseason hopes as Canberra had earlier outclassed Sydney 4-1 to secure the final postseason berth and draw them within 1 game of the division lead.

21 Mar: 2 runs in the 7th pushed Sydney into the lead and they held on, defeating the Cavalry 3-2. A win tomorrow and the division title would be theirs!

21 Mar: Barry Dean gave it his all in his last start of the season, throwing all 9 innings in Perth’s 10-1 thrashing of the Sluggers. He allowed 3 hits, gave up 2 walks and struck out 7 for his 22nd win of the year. The 7 strikeouts saw him become only the 2nd pitcher this season to break the 200K barrier.

22 Mar: The season’s last PotW went to Perth’s Fei-hsien Chang, who'd pounded out a .417/.440/.958 stat-line over the last 7 days. His 10-24 included 1 double and 4HRs. He also drove in 11 runners, more than he had in the entire months of November, December, and February.

22 Mar: The winner of the Southern Division was not decided today. Canberra held off a late fightback by the Blue Sox to win 10-7. If Sydney won tomorrow the division was theirs. If Canberra won, we’d be headed to a 1-game playoff which might also decide who got the second 1st-round bye.

22 Mar: Newcastle turned on some offence to outpunch Adelaide 14-7. Alou contributed 3 of those runs via a solo HR in the 2nd and a 2-run blast in the 3rd. That latter HR propelled him to 40 for the season.

22 Mar: Also reaching 40HR was Kununurra’s Rowan Kimpton in the Pioneer’s tense 10-9 victory over the Metros. Kimpton had hit 3HR in his last 2 games to reach the 40HR mark. Unlike the rest of the 40HR club, who all had between 680 and 700 plate appearances for the season, Kimpton only had 501 so far.

22 Mar: Cairns squeezed past Central Coast 5-4 to make it 100 wins for the season, the first time they’d reached that mark. In fact, this season was only the 3rd time in their 24-year history they’d passed the 90-win mark, and the first time since 2045.

23 Mar: “We were clutch today,” Cain Donaldson exclaimed immediately following Sydney’s 3-1 defeat of Canberra, which won his team the Southern Division title for 2059. Donaldson was 2-4 in the win, propelling him to a season BA of .333, enough for the batting crown. Donaldson continued, "Now to take that into the playoffs!"

23 Mar: Central Coast lost their final regular season fixture 8-3 to Cairns. Foreman slugged his 44th HR of the year in the process, leaving him well atop the HR standings.

23 Mar: Adelaide walloped Newcastle 7-1 to finish the regular season with 93 wins. That was the same mark as Sydney, but because of their superior runs scored they’d get the first round bye. This marked the first time since the revised playoff system was introduced that a wildcard team had received a bye.

23 Mar: With all the controversy currently surrounding him (see Media Watch section, below), many wondered if Angelo Spear would come out to pitch in what was a dead rubber. He did, though, and threw with more anger than anybody could recall seeing in a long time. In 7 innings he allowed 5 hits and 1 walk for 2 earned runs. He also fanned 10 hitters, the first time he’d done so since the 2054 season. Perth went on to beat Whangarei 6-2 to give Spear win 212 for his career.

He didn’t hide from the media after the game either. At the presser he said, “I really don’t understand what’s happening. Why would anybody make accusations like that? It doesn’t make any sense. What do I, or any of the other players named, have to gain from this type of cheating? And don’t say financial. I’ve earned more than I’d ever need in my time playing, from club contracts and endorsement deals, and I know I’ve earned every cent by playing hard and fair and most definitely within the rules. A few days ago I said I was sickened and appalled. I still am. And more and more confused, too. It’s probably all just a publicity grab, but what does that say about the so-called journalists wanting that publicity? That they’re willing to destroy the careers of others to get their 10 minutes in the sun? Doesn’t that then make their actions just as bad as what they’re accusing us of?”

Notable Injuries

4 Mar: Tom Doig (.229/.298/.480, 34HR) would miss the rest of the regular season and at least the first round of the playoffs with a sprained knee. An anonymous teammate said, “It’s amazing Tom plays as much ball as he does every year. The guy’s just a walking injury. He’ll sneeze and put his back out, he’ll pick up a glass of water and sprain a finger.”

5 Mar: The Thunder were dealt another blow today, with Damon Liao (.252/.318/.367, 9HR) out for the rest of the season, regular and post, with a sprained wrist. Liao hadn’t quite looked the same since an elbow injury suffered during the 2058 season.

11 Mar: Adelaide would have to do without midseason acquisition Teddy Wigley (9-9, 4.73 ERA, 4.72 FIP, 1.56 WHIP) for the rest of the regular season and the postseason were they to make it (their magic number was currently 8, their chances 99.6%). Wigley had partially torn his labrum.

13 Mar: Barring a miracle or three, Christchurch were out of the playoff hunt. That didn’t make it any easier for Kelvin Pickhills (.273/.342/.451, 15HR), though, the OF done for the season thanks to a separated shoulder. “Just wish I could be out there with the boys,” he said. “We’ve still got a chance and we’ve got to keep fighting.”

15 Mar: 21 y/o Prospect John Dalton (.230/.332/.455, 20HR), who’d won Slugger of the Year in short-A in 2058, and then made an unlikely jump to the bigs this season, could book an early holiday. He had a fractured thumb, which he joked would probably stop him from hitchhiking across Southeast Asia during the offseason.

15 Mar: Cairns would be sweating on the fitness of Rob Lane (.296/.355/.489, 21HR), hoping his sprained thumb would be recovered in time for the first round of the playoffs.

16 Mar: Rory Delaney (.298/.328/.417, 6HR from 265PA) was set for another stint on the DL. He’d torn his thumb ligament and would probably miss Adelaide’s entire postseason as a result.

17 Mar: Central Coast’s Vincent Howell (.272/.326/.411, 9HR) wouldn’t be much help for the Thunder in the playoffs (they were a 100% chance to make it, even though their magic number was still 2). Howell was the latest player to be sidelined with a thumb injury. His was a sprain, with an estimated recovery time of 3 weeks.

17 Mar: His team hadn’t been in it for a long time, but Alan Willey (.315/.369/.464, 16HR) was reportedly still upset to not be able to finish it. The OF had suffered a bad concussion.

20 Mar: The Central Coast lost another player with the postseason looming. Rory Budd (.265/.311/.387, 8HR), who one Thunder staffer said ‘always left everything out on the paddock, always gave 300%,’ had a sprained ankle that would see him in a moonboot for the pointy end of the season.

Media Watch

19 Mar: Investigative journalists Arlene Pinkington and James Huff released an explosive book with the direct, yet unimaginative title, Baseball and Betting - Corruption in the World’s Biggest Sport.

As the title suggested, the subject matter initially focused on betting within baseball circles. Not match-fixing, but the far harder to determine spot-fixing, which the foreword said was “a type of betting built for the intricacies and statistical focus of baseball.” The foreword went on to say that “spot-fixing had been a blight on cricket tournaments pre-War, and didn’t take long to infect baseball post-War.”

According to Pinkington and Huff, spot-fixing was well and truly entrenched in all levels of baseball and had been almost since organized leagues had formed post-War. They maintained it affected the AUNZBL, though not as much as it had 20 years ago, and was a “most definite” plague in the BL and NABA.

They then diverged to their core revelation: their research had driven them to the opinion that the government’s investment in baseball teams had been under the guise of combating corruption within the sport. They released communications - they wouldn’t divulge how they were obtained - from the mid-2040s between the AUNZBL Commissioner’s Office and law enforcement asking for an investigation into what were felt to be suspicious activities in some recent games. Later communications revealed a specific branch of law enforcement, the Australian Sports Investigative Service, was formed to look into the allegations and remained active to this day.

While there was no government or law enforcement department on record with that name, Pinkington and Huff released names of people they said were staff, including the current ASIS director. He was indeed a government employee but according to the government’s official staff list was with the Intersolar Security team, and currently posted to the Moon.

Pinkington and Huff went on to conclude that the perceived partnership between the AUNZBL and the Australian Government was anything but, and was instead a bitter war waged behind closed doors, with the military in particular sensing an opportunity to gain a foothold in a very lucrative industry, one which could help them cover the increasing expenses of the Australian Space Navy and various overseas deployments.

What of the player corruption? Did that just fall by the wayside, a casualty of war? According to Pinkington and Huff, it mostly did, though thanks to the offshore leagues in the Americas being far easier for illegal betting syndicates to operate around, it was not quite the problem it had been in the AUNZBL.

They weren’t done with their spicy revelations - the absence of verifiable sources was troubling, though not necessarily a deal breaker - next proceeding to name various players they were sure had been involved in spot-fixing.

The list was long, and included not only names, but dates and games where the offending was alleged to have occurred, as well as specific details - “strikeout in the 5th,” as an example.

Links were provided to several grainy videos - that in itself had to be deliberate, as recording technology was both cheap and crystal-clear, even back then - of supposed interviews with bookies and other underworld figures, where they boasted of making 6-figure sums off seemingly “random” walks and strikeouts and wild pitches and fielding errors.

Some of the more well-known players alleged to have engaged in spot-fixing were:

Hall-of-Famer Ashley Snijders
Hall-of-Famer Rex Rees
Hall-of-Famer Richard Lewis
Zachariah Hutchinson
Lindsay Colson
Gavin Liddell
Manuel Salinas
Angelo Spear
Fu Lao
Ted Murray
Rupert Thurley
Rhett Thurley
Rowan Belgrove
Ronald DeJong
Nelson Saggers
Adrian McHugh

20 Mar: The reaction of the players named was immediate and passionate. Angelo Spear stated he was “sickened and appalled” anybody could conclude he had tried to negatively influence baseball matches during his career. Ashley Snijders said the allegations were “absolute garbage,” and that he was already planning legal action. Manuel Salinas told journalists he’d “never heard anything so stupid in all his life,” while Rex Rees, through his lawyer, made the declaration that he was taking the first steps for “group legal action, which will undoubtedly be followed by reparations for those players, current and former, affected by these slanderous and baseless accusations.”

21 Mar: The ABC ran an ultrashort ad full of smiling ballplayers and a voiceover that said, “Do you want to watch baseball you know is as pure and unadulterated as Himalayan snow? Tune into the ABC now.” The ad was withdrawn half a day later. It was later revealed the AUNZBL had threatened legal action.

22 Mar: The AUNZBL Commissioner fronted media to discuss the firestorms ignited by Baseball and Betting.

Nobody in the gathered throng expected the first thing the Commissioner said to be: “So, that book everybody’s talking about? Well, parts of it are true.”

‘Which parts?’ came the cry from the audience.

“The book’s primary topic is all about betting within baseball. While I’ll discuss that in more detail later, it is true that betting on baseball, and especially spot-fixing, has always been a threat. Whether it’s quite the threat the authors of the book say it to be, that’s another story.

“But before we go there, let’s talk about the other elephant in the room. That government elephant. Yes, it’s true we asked for an investigation into what we felt were suspicious activities in a number of games in the mid-2040s. It’s true that law enforcement did investigate. To my knowledge, it’s not true that a department with the acronym ASIS was formed with the expressed purpose of investigating corruption within baseball and the more sinister purpose of attempting to infiltrate the AUNZBL. Yes, it’s true that there was a bit of a ‘closed-door war’ between us and the Australian government of the time in regards to team ownership. I don’t think it reached the levels the book insinuates, but perhaps it did in the minds of some. To be honest, I think those issues have been pretty well-documented in the past, haven’t they?

“The claim was made in the book that corruption in baseball is generally ignored, put in the ‘too-hard basket’ as it were. That is categorically untrue. We have a robust system in place for both the reporting and investigating of potential suspicious activities on the field. In fact, because of this system we, along with national law enforcement, have been able to disrupt and destroy several illegal betting syndicates, and most of the ringleaders are still serving time.

“We take spot-fixing and corruption within baseball very seriously, and we devote many resources towards making sure it doesn’t gain a foothold in our great game. There are two primary reasons we don’t wage this battle publicly. One, we don’t want to give unnecessary airtime to criminal scum. Two, there are often extenuating circumstances involved and it is typically not in the best interests of our players and their families to draw them into public legal battles.”

An unidentifiable voice from the centre of the room yelled, “How many players over the course of the AUNZBL have been guilty of spot-fixing, and are any still playing?”

The Commissioner replied, “Very few have been guilty, actually. One of the reasons for this is that our players are all well-paid. Even the fringe guys are making more than enough to live on comfortably. In fact, the issue of spot-fixing is far more prevalent in the semi-pro leagues, particularly those throughout Southeast Asia. Those leagues are much harder to police, and their players and their players’ families are often battling to survive on what is paid to them, thus making it far more lucrative a market, if I can use that term without being too callous. Of course, some of our minor league players are on near to minimum wage, but our minor leagues don’t have quite the interest in them that the overseas semi-pros have, purely because we also have a major league operating here. Our minor leagues also don't have the same types of unsavoury characters hanging about them that the overseas semi-pros do, for a variety of reasons, one of the foremost being financial.

“On to the final big point the book raised: the names of players they believe to have been involved in either betting on baseball, or influencing the outcomes of the bets of others. Perhaps the authors felt that including a few big names would generate interest in their book, and they were indeed right. However, I wonder if they thought through the repercussions of doing so. The men named are, like all major-league ballplayers, proud of their accomplishments and of having played the game they love on the biggest stages.

Think about this: would you take kindly to being slandered and having your life’s achievements thrown into doubt? Surely not. To the authors of this very limited expose: it might be better to offer public apologies now to all the players you’ve falsely accused and hope they’ll let the matter rest.”

The Commissioner did take some questions, but only a few and it quickly became apparent the questions and answers had been rehearsed beforehand.

23 Mar: No apology was forthcoming from either Pinkington or Huff, who released a joint statement declaring they “would not be intimidated into silence. If our claims regarding government interference in the league are accurate, then it stands to reason our claims regarding spot-fixing are also accurate. Therefore, the question has to be asked: What does the AUNZBL Commissioner have to gain from denying them?”

The AUNZBL declined to comment on the statement, saying only, “We’ve said everything we needed to; there is no need to give this matter any more airtime.”

As soon as the postseason ended, the great majority of players named in the book launched joint legal action against both authors and their publishing house.

#

Jacob Blanksby: Blanksby (.257/.348/.436, 21HR) cracked 5HR in March to see him to 494HR for his career. With the vesting option in his contract kicking in, ensuring he’d be in the AUNZBL next season, Blanksby was hoping he’d still have some speed and power in his arms to get those final 6HR.

Ismael Aguirre: While injuries ensured Aguirre (.319/.385/.516, 11HR) didn’t get followed around quite as much by media during the season, come season’s end and everybody wanted to know where he was sitting in the record books. His career BA of .3212 placed him 5th all-time, while his OBP of .3783 gave him a share of 24th. His SLG of .5740 saw him 1st overall, while his career OPS of .9523 was good enough for 2nd. He had 3341 hits at the end of this season, his lead over Mildren in 2nd now more than 100, and his 637 HR put him 8 ahead. He also was the overall leader in total bases (5971) by over 250, and was the only player to have hit 650+ doubles, his total at season’s end 651, 51 ahead of 2nd-place Kelvin Ackland. His 1777 runs saw him only 24 behind 1st-place Brock Wakely, while his 1915RBI put him 80 shy of overall leader Mildren. Both of those marks were likely to be overhauled next season. He had 2019 career singles, having surpassed both Mildren and Snijders during the season. That left him 4th overall, 183 short of Gavin Liddell’s mark of 2202. And finally, his 94.32 WAR put him 3rd all-time, still nearly 20 WAR short of Wakely (113.70).

Other Notes

“Just give him all the awards now!” one enthused commentator exclaimed. He was referring to rookie sensation Cain Donaldson (.333/.421/.461, 10HR) who demonstrated the AUNZBL was certainly no impossible leap up from the ABC. He finished the season leading the league in BA, triples (16), runs (122), and stolen bases (63). He was a well-rounded hitter, too, drawing 98 walks. His WAR of 6.0 was 2nd among hitters.

However, he wasn’t completely satisfied with his debut season. “Bit gutted about the stolen bases, actually,” he said. “Don’t know what happened the last couple months, but either I got real slow or everybody knew when I was going to run.” He became only the 6th player to steal 60 or more bases in a season, and only Carlos Aguilar and Alan Sneddon had stolen more in a campaign (67).

John Foreman (.304/.368/.553, 44HR) topped the league in HR and RBI. His 142 ribbies pushed him into 10th on the all-time season ladder.

The other players who reached 40HR were:

Manuel Alou (.268/.391/.506, 40HR)
Luigi Dempster (.272/.327/.515, 40HR)
Rowan Kimpton (.324/.357/.607, 40HR)

Kimpton picked up the necessary at-bats in the final game of the season to qualify for all the leaderboards and in so doing topped the league in SLG and ISO (.284).

Teammate Bert Allan (.271/.340/.509, 27HR) led all hitters in doubles (52), and extra-base hits (83).

Yoshihito Morimoto (.332/.359/.391, 0HR) led the league in hits for the 2nd year in a row, this year reaching base safely via a batted ball 234 times.

The other players to reach 200+ hits were:

Martin Boston (.331/.368/.416, 3HR, 220 hits)
Marcos Lopez (.328/.373/.540, 36HR, 216 hits) - Lopez also led the league in total bases, with 356
Cain Donaldson (213 hits)
Stephane Lecomte (.298/.340/.386, 5HR, 208 hits)

Ronald Aitken (.295/.407/.515, 30HR) led the league in walks, with 116. He was also the only player to achieve the runs-walks double-double, scoring 105 runs.

Richard Moore (.324/.436/.548, 25HR) finished atop the OBP, OPS, and wOBA (.421) boards.

Vern Bull (.287/.407/.531, 35HR) had the best WAR for the 2nd season running, with a mark of 6.7.

Despite his team missing out on the postseason and the opportunity to defend their 2058 crown, Barry Dean (22-4, 2.63 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 1.13 WHIP) was the early favourite for HotY. He topped the league in wins and ERA, was just a couple decimal places behind Eddie Rayner in WAR (6.4), was 2nd in FIP and strikeouts (204), and 3rd in innings pitched (229.1).

As well as heading the WAR stakes, Rayner (12-10, 4.61 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) also led all qualified pitchers in FIP.

Damian Flemming (15-2, 2.95 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 1.23 WHIP) finished the season on an 18-game undefeated streak. He also topped the league in H/9 (7.21), HR/9 (0.39), and OAVG (.218).

John Zglinicki (14-11, 4.22 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.10 WHIP) had the best WHIP of all starters, and threw the most innings (234.1).

Greg Ahern (18-5, 3.70 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.14 WHIP) was tied for 2nd in wins. He also punched out the most hitters (222) at the best rate per 9 innings (8.64).

Adelaide closer Bailey Naylor saved the most games of any pitcher, with 42. With a 6-10 win-loss record, however, a lot of Adelaide fans were wondering if he’d crumble under postseason pressure.

ABC Wrap-up

The ABC was still to play its final 3-game series of the regular season when the AUNZBL regular season wrapped up, and only one division was decided. That was the Southern, with Sydney set to make their first postseason appearance.

In the Northern the Goannas held a 1-game lead over the Broncos, while Broome similarly was just 1 game clear of Kalgoorlie in the Western. The Jakarta Stars were stampeding home, having also reduced the deficit in the Overseas Division to 1 game, Dunedin holding on for dear life.

Standings, EORS

[Izz]

2059 Division Finals

Game 1 - Wellington Fury vs Canberra Cavalry

Jorge Diaz smoked a 2-run shot into the LF bleachers to give the scorers something to do in the bottom of the 1st. Matsusuke Morita, a catcher who’d been used around the IF during the season and was today playing 2B, launched one in the right-centre seats in the 2nd to make it a 1-run game.

Both pitchers settled into decent rhythms thereafter, trading strikeouts through 5. Gold Glove catcher Elijah Lutz fired a strike to 1st in the 6th to see Arthur Fingleson too far off the bag and tagged out. Wellington slugged 3 deep flyballs in the top of the 7th, but the Cavalry outfielders ranged nicely to haul them all in. Wellington SS Trent Buggins pulled in a pair of terrific catches in the 6th and 7th to rob Canberra of base hits and the score remained 2-1 heading into the 8th.

Wellington got runners on 1st and 2nd in the 8th with no-one out, but a botched bunt and a double play saw them head meekly back out into the field. Cavalry closer Brendan Neill headed to the mound in the 9th. Neill had 26 saves on the season, to go with 7 wins and 11 losses, and no Canberra fan was relaxed in their seat, especially with the meat of the Fury lineup due. Fingleson walked. In a surprising move Fernando Contreras came on to pinch-hit for 40HR 1B Luigi Dempster. Contreras also walked, the go-ahead run now at 1st. Lachlan Limeburner stuck out. Morita flied out softly to right and Vern Grinter was struck out watching a sinker. Game over! Final score: 2-1 Canberra. Edwin Kerr (7.0IP, 7H, 1ER, 0BB, 6K) was the winning pitcher, while Clint Kline (7.0IP, 5H, 2ER, 0BB, 6K) was the unlucky loser.

Game 1 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

Injuries forced the Central Coast to make some interesting selections on their Division Finals roster, with lack of 40-man options reducing them to zero bench bats. Interestingly, no place was found for Manuel Salinas.

A 2-run Sean Carr blast got the scoring started in the bottom of the 1st, and the Blue Sox really threatened to bust on in the 2nd, loading the bases with 1 out. They managed to score 2, but a strong throw from Foreman in RF saw Donaldson tagged out at the plate to end the threat and the inning. 2 more were added in the 3rd, Sydney well in control.

Donaldson showed great athleticism and awareness in the 4th to execute a 7-4 double-play, the commentators gushing over his ‘baseball smarts.’ He followed that up by making a superb leaping catch near the wall to end the inning. An error in the bottom of the inning gave Sydney an extra life and they didn’t waste it, Mitch Donahue’s follow-up single scoring 2 more.

Auger got Central Coast on the board with a leadoff solo HR in the 6th, and they scored another in the inning to nibble a fraction off Sydney’s lead. The Blue Sox got 1 run back in the bottom of the inning but the Thunder responded with 2 more in the 7th after loading the bases with 1 away. It became a 4-run game in the 8th but that was as close as it got. Final score: 9-5 Sydney. Raymond Eykelbosch (7.0IP, 11H, 4ER, 2BB, 4K) scattered a few hits (and threw 3 wild pitches) but got the win, while Ted Heathcote (3.0IP, 6H, 6ER, 3BB, 2K) had an awful night. Sean Carr went 3-4, with 2 runs and 3RBI.

Game 2 - Wellington Fury vs Canberra Cavalry

Canberra quickly loaded the bases in the bottom of the 1st and got themselves a roll on, scoring 3. With 2 of their slowest runners aboard in the 3rd, Wellington somehow pulled off a successful double-steal, Canberra catcher Elijah Lutz furious with himself for a lollipop of a throw. The profit for Wellington was only 1 run, which was nullified in the bottom of the inning and then some, Canberra adding 3 in the frame.

Not a team to drop their heads, Wellington scored 3 of their own in the 4th without an out being recorded (2 via a Fingleson HR) to make the score 6-4 in Canberra’s favour. The score stayed that way until the 7th when, with 2 outs, Luigi Dempster launched one way over CF and into the Canberra bullpen. The homer was worth 3 runs and Wellington suddenly had the lead.

It was still a 1-run ballgame heading into the bottom of the 9th, and Roderick Beresford came to the hill. He’d been moved into the rotation in January but was now back at closer for at least this leg of the postseason. Jason Hewitt belted a leadoff double off the RF wall. Diaz ground out to the SS. Lutz’s weak fly found space near the LF line and Hewitt turned on the afterburners, diving home under the tag to tie the game up. The next 2 hitters were easily disposed of but this thing was headed to extra-time.

Neither side gave an inch until the bottom of the 12th, when a bad throw on Hayden Okolita’s steal attempt saw him wind up at 3rd with only 1 out. Rick Muirhead was walked to open up the double-play, though that in turn brought the dangerous Boston to the plate. Canberra surprised with a squeeze play, but reliever Alec Albury was up for the challenge, throwing home in time to see Okolita tagged out. The inning was soon over, Canberra unable to engineer a win.

Wellington made no mistakes in the 13th, Vern Grinter singling to lead off the inning and scoring an out later off Trent Buggins’ deep double. That was all they could muster. Would it be enough? Albury remained on the mound, and walked Diaz to begin proceedings in the bottom of the inning. Lutz ground out to 1st, Diaz advancing into scoring position. Toohey struck out. Jay Saunderson hit the 1st pitch of his at-bat up the middle and beyond the clutches of the SS. Diaz hustled home and we were all tied up again. A diving catch by Krajancic in the 14th showcased the attitude of both teams. Krajancic followed up with his 1st hit of the series in the bottom of the inning but was forced out at 2nd soon after.

Grinter led off the 15th with a double over the head of the RF. Morita walked. Buggins laid down a bunt and should’ve been thrown out at 1st but the throw was wide. Grinter charged home and Wellington were once again in front. Contreras was intentionally walked and the bases were loaded with nobody out. Could Wellington put themselves far enough in front to secure the win? Limeburner struck out to be 0-7. Dempster flied out to right and Morita came home, Hewitt’s throw sailing well wide of the mark. Bryan Dethridge hit one well to left-centre but was caught out to end the inning.

Diaz led off the bottom of the 15th with a single to right. Lutz ground out to 2nd but Diaz advanced into scoring position. Toohey ground out to 3rd and Diaz advanced another base. Saunderson went down swinging on a cutter and Wellington had won an epic by the score of 10-8.

Neither starter went deep, Cody Watts (3.0IP, 7H, 6ER, 3BB, 2K) looking well off his game while Xuan-ling Wong (4.1IP, 5H, 4ER, 2BB, 6K) threw 85 pitches in his short stint.

Game 2 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

Ethan Humphries hadn’t pitched since stretching his elbow ligament at the pointy end of last postseason but Central Coast were desperate and rushed him back in to start today after their medical team declared him fighting fit. Could he inspire his teammates?

Humphries looked understandably rusty through the first 2 innings but Sydney couldn’t fully capitalize, only scoring once. Central Coast’s formidable middle loaded the bases in the 4th with no outs. Edwin Hayes drew a free pass to walk in the tying run. Dermott Alcock singled home the go-ahead run and another run was scored while a double-play was being executed. 3-1 Central Coast.

Sydney tied the game up in the bottom of the 5th and were probably denied the go-ahead run by a ripper of a catch from 3B Yi-da Jiang. 3 consecutive singles to begin the 6th saw Central Coast regain the advantage and ended Ryan Douglass’s night (5.0IP, 9H, 6ER, 1BB, 1K). Things didn’t get better for the Blue Sox, every Thunder ground-ball somehow finding space. 4 runs were scored in the frame, Central Coast now up 7-3.

The Blue Sox gave themselves a great chance to get back into the contest in the bottom of the 7th, juicing the bases with only 1 out. Nigel Anderton’s single to right scored 1, but once again Foreman’s arm proved too strong, the 2nd runner attempting to come home tagged out. 1 more run was scored to make it a 2-run game with 2 innings to play. An error by 3B Hao Li with 2 outs in the 8th allowed Central Coast an insurance run. Domenic Purss came out to close it in the bottom of the 9th and immediately surrendered a leadoff HR to Carr. That was all Sydney could offer, however, a 1-4-3 double play ending the game. Final score: 8-6 Central Coast. Humphries (6.0IP, 7H, 3ER, 1BB, 2K) looked decent after a long layoff, while Patrick Wigmore went 4-5.

Game 3 - Wellington Fury vs Canberra Cavalry

Limeburner’s 1-out double drove in the opening run in the bottom of the 1st for the Fury, and a Dempster walk threatened to put the cat amongst the pigeons early but Canberra pulled a 6-4-3 double-play to get out of the inning with only minimal damage. Lutz tied the game back up in the 2nd with a 428 foot drive over centrefield, but Wellington quickly had another chance to run riot in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with 2 outs to play with. Trent Buggins hit a grounder up the middle and hot-tailed it up the 1B line to beat out the double-play throw. A run scored and Wellington were back ahead.

Once again, the lead didn’t last long, Diaz atoning for an earlier error with a 2-out, RBI-double. Limeburner went better than his 1st-inning double next time up when he, leading off the bottom of the 3rd, jacked one over left-centre and into the bleachers. An excellent running catch by Cavalry LF Krajancic 2 outs later ended the inning with runners stranded at 2nd and 3rd.

Both starting pitchers got better as the game wore on, the scoring drying up until the 6th when Canberra levelled the scores through a single, double and sac-fly. Wellington’s offense also woke back up in the bottom of the inning, aggressive baserunning resulting in another go-ahead run, followed by a 2-run Buggins’ HR over right. Marty Palmer’s night (5.2IP, 8H, 6R, 5ER, 3BB, 4K) was done and Wellington had some breathing room.

Diaz led off the 8th with his 2nd double of the night. Lut’z follow-up single brought the tying run to the plate. Toohey singled Diaz home and the go-ahead run was now at the plate. Saunderson bunted both runners ahead, but Hayden Okolita went down swinging and Rick Muirhead ground out to 1st to leave the runners stranded. Wellington restored the 3-run advantage in the bottom of the inning without recording an out and Beresford made easy work of the Cavalry in the 9th to assure Wellington of victory. Final score: 7-4 Fury. Byron Moore (7.0IP, 8H, 3ER, 3BB, 2K) left with the lead and got the win, while Buggins turned two U6-3 double-plays.

Game 3 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

Sydney couldn’t manage a hit through the first 3, while Central Coast got themselves a hit and a walk in the 2nd but couldn’t do anything with them. Sydney hit two 2-out singles in the 4th, putting runners on the corners. Nathaniel Bowden then ripped a liner into the RF corner, sliding in safely at 3rd. A 2-run triple to open the account. Sydney weren’t done yet, though, Donahue singling up the middle to score Bowden and give the Blue Sox a 3-run lead.

Central Coast were fouling off a lot of pitches and all 3 outs in the bottom of the inning were well-hit flyballs but outs were outs and after 5 they still hadn’t troubled the scorers. Auger doubled with 2 outs in the 6th but was left stranded. Wigmore led off the 7th with a double to deep centre and got Central Coast on the board an out later, scoring off Dermott Alcock’s double into the LF alley. Tom Doig subbed into the game 2 hitters later and drove Alcock home with a single up the middle. 3-2 ballgame heading into the business innings.

A 2-out rally in the top of the 8th saw Sydney extend the lead back to 3, though it could’ve been more if Doig hadn’t taken a great leaping catch near the wall to end the inning. A dodgy call by the 1B ump in the top of the 9th saw Hao Li credited with an infield single, and runners at the corners with just 1 out. Donaldson’s chopper to 2nd was shallow enough to avoid the double-play and score the runner at 3rd, extending Sydney’s lead to 4.

Ryan Digby came out in the bottom of the inning for his first action of the postseason and immediately surrendered a single through the hole between 3rd and short to Alcock. That was all Central Coast could muster however, the game ending with a 4-6-3 double-play. Final score: 6-2 Sydney. Jack Binns (6.1IP, 5H, 2ER, 1BB, 2K) was the winning pitcher, while Zglinicki (7.2IP, 6H, 4ER, 1BB, 8K) looked good apart from the 4th and beginning of the 8th. Bowden went 2-4 and drove in 4, for Sydney.

Game 4 - Wellington Fury vs Canberra Cavalry

Roughley led off the bottom of the 1st with a double and scored the game’s opening run a batter later thanks to Woollett’s single down the 3B line. Canberra nearly replicated Wellington’s play in the top of the 2nd, Toohey leading off with a double, but pulling up at 3rd on Saunderson’s single past 3B. An out later a wild pitch enabled Toohey to touch home-plate unchallenged and level the scores.

Nice defence took away any scoring chances over the next couple innings before Al Ayliffe, in his first game back from injury, pounded a 2-2 fastball over the fence at right-centre to make it 2-1 Wellington. An out later and a run of single, walk, single saw the bases jammed, a run scoring off a deep sac-fly to centre. Wellington committed their 2nd error of the game in the 5th and were made to pay as, with 2 outs, Krajancic doubled into the RF corner to score the runner and make it a 1-run game.

Kline (5.1IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 5K) left after having thrown 88 pitches, while Kerr (5.0IP, 5H, 3ER, 3BB, 4K) didn’t come out at all in the 6th. For a moment Diaz thought he’d levelled it up in the 8th but his line-drive only made it as far as the warning track. Lutz singled to extend the inning, and then Dethridge undid his good work an out earlier, Toohey’s deep fly deflecting off his glove. Toohey wound up at 2nd but Lutz wisely held up at 3rd, Dethridge’s recovering throw a bullet that would’ve had him dead to rights if he’d gone for home. Sadly for the Cavalry Saunderson, 2-3 to this point, struck out and the threat was over.

Beresford marched out in the 9th, his task to ensure a series win for Wellington. Okolita cracked a 3-2 pitch deep into the LF alley to begin the inning, coasting into 2nd. Muirhead nubbed one, and was nabbed at 1st thanks to a great throw by Woollett and superb extension by Contreras, who’d pinch-hit last inning and found himself at 1B, where he’d played all of 10 innings previously this season, and 14 in his career. Meanwhile, Okolita scurried to 3rd, ready to charge home on any decent fly.

Turns out a fly wasn’t needed. Canberra put on the squeeze, and even though Boston’s bunt travelled down the 3B line, it was placed well enough for Okolita to dive home under the tag. Tie-game, go-ahead run at 1st. Krajancic struck out as did Hewitt. Bottom of the inning, and Wellington couldn’t get any further than 1st. Into extra innings!

No runs in the top of the 10th. Limeburner singled to lead off the bottom of the inning, and went from 1st to 3rd on Contreras’ follow-up single. Winning run at 3rd with no outs. Ayliffe hit one firmly down the 3B line and despite a desperate dive by Muirhead it found its way into the outfield. Walk-off, series-winning single! Final score: 4-3 Wellington and their season had some life left yet. Roughley (.444/.450/.556, 0HR) won series MVP, while Beresford blew the save but got the win.

Game 4 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

On the morning of Game 4, Sydney announced that 36 y/o Trent Allan (.287/.381/.441, 208HR career, .263/.381/.400, 9HR in 2059) had signed a 2-year extension. Allan had made his debut in 2045 and played his entire big-league career with the Blue Sox, having been an integral part of their Championship-winning 2046 team.

Central Coast opened proceedings in the bottom of the 3rd, Wigmore singling home Jiang. A 3-6-3 double-play cut that rally short and that was all the scoring until the bottom of the 5th when Alcock’s 437-foot line-drive to centre just had enough legs to clear the fence and make the score 2-0. Qiao also hit a deep fly to centre but it didn’t leave the yard, falling in near the wall to give him a double. He scored thanks to a throwing error by pitcher Eykelbosch. 2 outs later Auger’s single brought home another run, and then 44HR guy Foreman launched one into the leftfield stands to make it 6-0. But wait, the Thunder weren’t done yet! Doig added insult to injury, his blast heading in the same direction as Foreman’s but much further. Onto the stadium roof, in fact. Finally, after allowing another single, Eykelbosch (4.2IP, 8H, 7R, 3ER, 2BB, 3K) was sent to the showers, with no-one to blame for his performance but himself.

The Thunder offense continued to fire, as they added another in the 6th. In the 7th, Doig slugged his 2nd HR of the night, this one not quite as long but still worth a free trip around the bases.

Hoping to at least get some ink in the scoring column, Sydney filled up the bases with no outs in the top of the 9th. Bowden lined a hard single to right, scoring 1. An out later Ryan Wie singled to left, 2 runners coming home. That was the extent of their late rally, the final score 9-3 Central Coast in a rout to force Game 5. Heathcote (6.1IP, 5H, 0ER, 0BB, 3K) had a much better outing than in Game 1, while the Thunder defense turned 3 double-plays at crucial times.

Game 5 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

Could Central Coast ride last game’s momentum, or would Sydney be too good at home?

A pair of errors in the top of the 1st saw Guerin reach 3rd with only 1 away, but Douglass kept his cool and recorded the next 2 outs. He gave both his catcher and his 1B a glare as he headed for the dugout mid-inning. That was the best scoring option until the bottom of the 3rd, when Donaldson drew a 1-out walk and snuck under the tag to steal 2nd. He came home off Brewster’s sharp single to left. 1-0 Sydney.

Trent Allan made a nice running catch in left in the 4th but immediately fell to the ground in pain. He was taken out of the game, with no word from the team doctors forthcoming. Bowden led off the bottom of the inning with a pop-fly double into leftfield and advanced to 3rd on a ground-out. Wie’s single to short-centre brought him home and doubled Sydney’s score.

Douglass was near unhittable through 5, conceding just the 1 hit to go with the 1st-inning runner who reached via error. Central Coast committed 2 errors of their own in the bottom of the 5th, allowing the first 2 hitters on the inning aboard. An out later Anderton singled 1 of those runners home to give Sydney some more insurance.

In the 8th, still on the mound, Douglass found himself in trouble. Alcock led off the inning with a bunt-single, and Qiao followed up with a bounder up the middle. Jiang hit one to 3rd but hustled to avoid the double-play. Runners at the corners, 1 out, tying run at the plate. Guerin hit a fly to deep centre but Donaldson tracked it nicely to take the catch. He had no chance to get the runner tagging up at 3rd, so wisely held onto the ball. Douglass (7.2IP, 4H, 1ER, 0BB, 6K) headed to the showers and his replacement wrapped up the final out of the inning.

With the meat of Central Coast’s lineup due in the 9th, Digby came to the mound, the near 59000 fans in attendance all on their feet in nervous anticipation. Auger led off with a single. Foreman popped out to 3rd. Doig swung through a fastball that would’ve nicked the edge of the strikezone anyway. 2 away. Edwin Hayes got frozen up by a fastball in nearly the same spot, and that was all she wrote for Central Coast in 2059. Final score: 3-1 Sydney. Humphries (6.0IP, 8H, 3R, 2ER, 1BB, 1K) took the series-defining loss. Sean Carr (.421/.500/.737, 2HR) was named series MVP despite going hitless the last 2 games.

[Izz]

2059 Preliminary Finals

Game 1 - Wellington Fury vs Cairns Crocs

Lance Ralston looked rusty early, but got out of the 1st by starting a 1-6-3 double-play. Stephane Lecomte, who’d put up a +26.0 ZR during the season at SS, might’ve betrayed some nerves in the top of the 2nd, botching a routine pickup to allow the leadoff runner aboard. Fingleson singled up the middle to give the Fury 2 runners. Ralston yelled into his glove and proceeded to fan Christos Spargo on 3 pitches. He then walked Roughley to load the bases. Grinter’s soft grounder towards 3rd was shallow enough for there to be no chance at the plate or at a double-play, giving Wellington a 1-0 lead.

Cairns responded by walking and singling to begin the bottom of the inning. Both runners advanced on a ground-out and Gordon Appleby drove 1 in on a 6-3, tying the game back up.

The Fury went back ahead in the 3rd, Fingleson’s 2-out single scoring a runner from 2nd. They had the chance to extend their lead in the 5th, the 1st 2 hitters barrelling singles. Appearing frustrated, Ralston walked Dempster, though almost hit him, the 1B showing real flexibility to bend his 6'5" frame out of the way. Bases loaded, nobody out. Ayliffe hit a grounder to the SS, who fired home to get the lead runner. Catcher Gary Baker then sent a strike to 1st in time to tag out Ayliffe in a call that could’ve gone either way. 6-2-3 double-play. The inning wasn’t done yet, though. Ralston walked Fingleson. Spargo hustled a single wide of 3B and 2 runners scored. Roughley doubled off the wall at right-centre, scoring another. Grinter punched a single to left and 2 more crossed home-plate. Ralston (4.2IP, 10H, 7R, 6ER, 4BB, 3K) was yanked but didn’t want to come from the mound, futilely arguing his point for a good 2 minutes.

Lecomte battled his way to a walk to lead off the bottom of the 6th. Next pitch he stole 2nd, and the one after that 3rd. He then raced home off Baker’s 6-3 ground-out. Ronald Aitken and Brent Dwyer then hit back-to-back doubles to see Cairns creep closer. An out later Dylan Glynn singled up the middle, scoring Dwyer to make it a 3-run game.

Marshall Hooks doubled into the RF corner to begin the bottom of the 7th and scored 2 outs later thanks to a Baker single. Aitken extended the inning with a single to shallow centre, Baker advancing to 3rd. Pinch-hitter Marty Lowe hit a soft single to centre and Baker scored. Suddenly it was a 1-run game.

It was still a 1-run game heading into the bottom of the 9th. Beresford trotted out, massaging his throwing hand vigorously before settling down on the mound. Jai Rowe struck out swinging. Lecomte ground-out 4-3. Baker got drilled by a slider that got away.

And then Ronald Aitken delivered. He’d fallen behind 0-2. The 0-2 pitch was a fastball well located down in the zone, and clocked at 164 km/h. But Aitken had fast hands and as soon as he made contact everybody on the field and almost everybody in the stadium knew it was gone. It flew high and handsome over rightfield, over the fence, over the lower deck, over the upper deck, over the stadium roof and into the carpark. 2-run walk-off HR! Victory stolen from the jaws of defeat and similar clichés! Final score: 8-7 Cairns. Ralston managed to keep his postseason record at 16-1, while Watts (6.2IP, 6H, 6ER, 3BB, 3K) probably shouldn’t have come out for the 7th. Aitken was 3-5, that monster HR accompanied by a double and 2 runs.

Game 1 - Adelaide Venom vs Sydney Blue Sox

Perhaps in a response to the outrage caused in some quarters by the Venom getting the first-round bye despite being a wild card and also having the same record as a division winner - in this case their opponents, the Blue Sox - the Commissioner gave Sydney home advantage for this series. While Adelaide skipper Luis Gonazalez admitted he “wasn’t particularly impressed” with the decision, he attempted to shrug it off, saying, “Home, away, we play well anywhere. At any rate, I’m picking we won’t need a Game 5 to win this series anyway.”

Adelaide showed no signs of rust, starting fast and hard. Tomas Zartuche reached on an infield single, and then Keiran Cooper clocked the first pitch he saw into the RF bleachers. 2 outs later Ed Geoghegan singled to right to extend the inning, and then Norm Donaldson jumped on a waist-high cut fastball and sent it rocketing into the upper left-centre tier. 4-0 Venom after half an inning, Binns shaking his head in disgust after the final out was made.

The only Sydney hitter who was able to make decent contact on Greg Ahern through 4 was Dean Brewster, who singled twice. Binns had settled down, fanning 6 in 5 innings while allowing no further runs. Keith D’antonio got Sydney on the board in the bottom of the 5th with a solo jack over RF. Geoghegan responded in kind to lead off the 6th, his long drive just high enough to evade the leaping CF’s glove and land behind the fence. That blow ended Binns’ night (5.0IP, 7H, 5ER, 1BB, 6K), the starter either hot or cold without much in between.

His replacement didn’t start too well, giving up a single to Donaldson followed by a triple to William Fenton. Fenton came home later in the inning off a sac-fly and Adelaide finished the inning cruising at 7-1.

A sensational sprawling catch by RF Cooper with 2 outs in the bottom of the inning saved 2 runs and kept Sydney firmly in the rearview mirror. Geoghegan doubled another runner home in the 7th to further extend Adelaide’s lead. Ahern (6.0IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 4K) had a good outing, one commentator noting that he “seemed to be pitching within himself.” Another excellent catch, this time by Venom CF Rory Delaney, who slammed into the wall but still held onto the ball, ended the bottom of the 7th and again saved 2 runs.

Adelaide didn’t let their foot off the throat in the 8th, aggressive baserunning helping them extend their lead by another run. Geoghegan continued his hot night in the 9th, mashing a fastball over the right-centre fence for a 2-run homer. Compounding Sydney’s woes, a 2-out error allowed another run to score. They offered no resistance in the bottom of the inning, Adelaide running out 12-1 winners in a completely lopsided display. Geoghegan went 4-4, with 3 runs, 4 batted in, a double and 2 roundtrippers. Malcolm Pickhills went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts, but managed to draw a walk in his last at-bat.

Game 2 - Wellington Fury vs Cairns Crocs

Damian Flemming was in fine mettle, striking out 7 across the first 3 innings, the only hit allowed a 2-out double in the 3rd. Dwyer walked to begin the bottom of the 4th and got to 2nd safely on the following hitters ground-out to 1B. Glynn’s hard shot was cut off just before the outfield grass by SS Harrison Naylor but he had no play at either 1st or 3rd. Appleby made great contact on a belt-high slider, sending it over the CF’s head for a 2-run double.

The lead didn’t stay in Cairns’ possession for long, however. Ayliffe led off the 5th with a single. Bryan Dethridge then clocked his 1-0 over right-centre and into the stands to tie things back up. In the bottom of the inning, Dwyer’s 1-out single to shallow centre enabled Lecomte to scamper home from the 3rd. Moore then plunked Lane, the 2nd batter he’d struck in the inning, prompting a jog out to the field by the Crocs’ skipper and a casual conversation with the homeplate ump. The bases were now loaded but Glynn struck out and Appleby’s deep fly was easily tracked down by the CF. 3-2 Cairns.

Flemming struck out his 10th in the 6th inning, his victim scowling on his way back to the dugout. He had a right to as well, replays showing the pitch was well outside the strike zone. Flemming (6.0IP, 4H, 2ER, 0BB, 11K) headed to the showers upon completion of the inning. Moore stayed in for the Fury, going 1-2-3 through ‘em in the 7th.

2 errors by the usually sound Appleby in the 8th helped Wellington load the bases with only 1 out. Southpaw reliever Hal Massingham was called into action to face the lefthanded Contreras and struck him out looking. Appleby got a chance at redemption next hitter, and this time his throw was on the mark to notch up the final out of the inning and get his team out of a jam. Sterling Boston trotted out in the 9th with a save opportunity, having pitched the 9th yesterday to be gifted the win. Dempster got blown away. Ayliffe walked on 4 pitches. Tying run at 1B. Dethridge made poor contact back towards Boston, who hurled it to 2B to begin a 1-4-3 double-play. Final score: 3-2 Cairns and they were 1 win away from the Championship Series. Moore (7.0IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 4K) gave it his best but took the loss, both teams only able to manage 5 hits.

Game 2 - Adelaide Venom vs Sydney Blue Sox

Trent Allan had an oblique strain and wouldn’t be back this postseason.

A 30 km/h wind was blowing out to centrefield. Adelaide’s power hitters were spotted on camera doing a lot of laughing and joking pre-match; the pitchers from both teams were rather more pensive. It was Sydney who threatened first, loading the bases in the bottom of the 1st with 1 out. Nick Waterson then threw one too far inside to Bowden, hitting him on the forearm and allowing the opening run to score. Donahue’s bouncing groundball found space between 1st and 2nd and headed into rightfield, scoring 2. Anderton dived home safely but hurt himself in the process and left the game. After 1, Sydney had the early momentum, leading 3-0.

Last season’s batting champ, Axel Nankervis, singled to open the 3rd inning and hustled to 3B on a hit-and-run single from Delaney. Zartuche nubbed one back towards the mound and showcased his impressive speed in beating out the throw. Bases juiced, nobody out. Cooper ground into a 3-6-3 double-play but Adelaide’s first run of the night scored too. Gary Young singled wide of a lunging Li at 3B, scoring another to make it a 1-run game.

Bowden clubbed the 1st HR of the night in the bottom of the inning, the wind carrying his fly over centre into the crowd. Donahue also slugged one to centre and it too just kept on going, landing halfway up the first tier. Back-to-back jacks!

Pickhills broke up his run of 6 straight strikeouts with a 2-out single in the 6th but could get no further than 2B. Eykelbosch (6.0IP, 7H, 2ER, 0BB, 6K) was subbed after 6 and Robert Bywaters immediately hit William Fenton to begin the 7th, his gesture to his catcher indicating he was struggling to compensate for the wind. An out later Delaney was part of another successful hit-and-run play, and Zartuche profited, his slap single up the middle scoring Fenton. With 1 out left in the inning, Young tied the game up with a 2-RBI double into RF, and then Pickhills put the Venom ahead with his double, a drive off the LF wall.

Waterson (6.0IP, 4H, 5ER, 3BB, 2K) was also replaced, the burly right-hander suddenly looking at a postseason W. He didn’t entertain the thought for long, however, Cain Donaldson crushing a 162 km/h up-in-the-zone fastball into the leftfield bleachers to lead off the bottom of the 7th. Li led off the bottom of the 9th with a double down the 1B line and advanced to 3rd on the next hitter’s groundball out to 1st. Cain Donaldson was walked to set up the double-play but Brewster’s grounder up the middle was too firmly struck to hunt down. Walk-off single! Final score: 7-6 Sydney to even the series up.

Game 3 - Wellington Fury vs Cairns Crocs

Dempster woke the scorers up in the 2nd with a monster blast over CF and into the bleachers. An out later Dethridge repeated the dose, pulling an inside fastball to homerun land. 2-0 Wellington after 2 as they fought to keep their season alive.

Lecomte showcased both his game smarts and his speed in the 4th, tagging up at 1st and making 2nd without a throw on Baker’s deep flyout to centre. Aitken also flied out to a similar area of the ground and Lecomte barely broke out of a jog in getting to 3B. The situational awareness paid off as Dwyer doubled into LF and Lecomte touched down on homeplate safely to get Cairns into the game.

Both pitchers duelled through 6, Wally Moylan mixing up his 5-pitch arsenal to good effect, Kline making good use of his splitter as an out pitch. Top of the 7th, Dwyer walked and Lane singled to put the go-ahead run at 1st with nobody retired. The rally wasn’t to be, however, Glynn flying out to right and Appleby grounding into a 3-6-3 double-play. Wellington had a chance to extend their lead in the bottom of the inning, getting runners at 1st and 2nd with only 1 out, but 2 regulation ground-ball outs extinguished any chance at a rally.

Kline (7.0IP, 6H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K) had a good night and retired to the dugout to watch proceedings, both legs bobbing in time. An out into the 8th, Hooks made awful contact, the ball spinning to a halt a few feet in front of him, but he launched into top gear almost immediately and beat out the throw for an infield single. The hustle was all for naught however, Wellington turning their 4th double-play of the game to remove him from base.

The Fury sent Beresford to the mound in the 9th to protect their 1-run lead. Despite his patchy postseason thus far he didn’t seem too anxious, grinning when he passed the 2B and saying (according to the lip-reading experts in the commentary booth), “No pressure, right?”

Baker walked. Aitken struck out on 3. Dwyer singled between 1B and 2B, and Beresford’s expression had soured somewhat. Lane doubled into LF past a diving Dempster at 1B. Baker scored. The game was tied, the go-ahead run at 3B and 2 outs left in the inning. Beresford, who hadn’t blown a single save during the regular season, had now blown 2 in this series, and 4 across the playoffs to date. Glynn’s deep fly-out to centre was more than good enough to score Dwyer and move Lane to 3rd. 3-2 Cairns. Appleby flied out to end the inning and a dejected Wellington fielding group headed to the dugout, preparing to face Boston.

Dethridge tapped one along the 3B line. Baker got out of his crouch quickly and fired to 1st in time for the out. Fingleson’s line-drive found the RF grass for a single. Spargo hit one firmly up the middle. There was no chance for the double-play but Spargo was easily thrown out at 1B. Roughley went down 6-3 and Cairns had stolen another game off the Fury. Final score: 3-2 Crocs, and they were headed to the big one! Moylan (7.0IP, 6H, 2ER, 3BB, 4K) kept his side close enough to make a late strike. Brent Dwyer (.500/.636/.750, 0HR) won the series’ MVP. All 3 games were decided by 1 run.

Game 3 - Adelaide Venom vs Sydney Blue Sox

Nigel Anderton had a bruised thumb, which would only hamper his performance for another day or so.

Another 30 km/h wind was blowing today, also out to centre, the only difference with Game 2 being that this was being played in Adelaide.

Bottom of the 1st and Zartuche singled, followed by a Cooper double ripped into the RF corner. Runners at 2B and 3B, no outs. Douglass adjusted his cap, knuckled down and got the next 3 outs, 2 of them punch-outs. Umashankar Meenakshi gave up a leadoff double to Carr in the 2nd, before walking Wie and plunking Bowden to load the bases. Li’s grounder went hard down the 3B line. Pickhills stepped on 3rd for the out and decided to go to 1st to attempt the double-play as Carr had got a great jump towards home. The throw was late and Li was aboard safely. Sydney couldn’t milk any more runs out of the inning, though, their lead 1-0.

Adelaide again found themselves with runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs in the bottom of the inning, Donaldson singling and Fenton doubling past 1B. This time they got some reward, Nankervis singling Donaldson home and Delaney hustling to beat out a double-play throw and see Fenton safely home. 2-1 Adelaide after 2.

Cooper led off the 3rd with a double and trotted to 3B on a wild pitch to Young. Young hit the next pitch firmly up the middle and Cooper scored. 2 outs later and Young crossed home-plate off a Fenton single. Adelaide weren’t done yet. Nankervis walked and Delaney’s stern single to centre scored 2 (Geoghegan, who’d walked earlier in the inning and Fenton). That marked the end for Douglass (2.2IP, 9H, 6ER, 2BB, 3K) who didn’t offer any protests when his skipper came out. 6-1 Adelaide after 3.

Bowden led off the 4th with a double and advanced to 3rd on a fly-out. Alan Dulihanty singled him home to reduce the deficit to 4. With 2 outs, Dulihanty attempted to go from 2nd to home on Anderton’s single but was tagged out.

The scoring dried up until the bottom of the 6th when Cooper pulled one down the RF line. Would it stay fair? Yes it did, curling around the foul pole for a solo HR. The shot seemed to unsettle Xavier Morrall, who walked the next 2 and then served up a fastball on a plate for Geoghegan, who didn’t miss. The wind carried the ball a few feet further but this one was always clearing the fence. 3-run HR and it would take something special for Sydney to make this competitive.

There was to be no comeback, Adelaide cruising to a 10-2 win. Meenakshi (7.0IP, 9H, 2ER, 3BB, 2K) continued to do what he’d done all season: look decidedly pedestrian but get it done. 5 of Adelaide’s lineup got 2 or more hits.

Game 4 - Adelaide Venom vs Sydney Blue Sox

Venom Ballpark was packed to the rafters, the fans already in high voice before the first pitch was thrown. ‘Buzzard’ Ahern took the mound and did his first dance of the night to celebrate striking out Carr to end the 1st. Donahue cooled the mood of the Adelaide fans somewhat in the 2nd, cracking a 2-out solo HR over left to open the scoring. Ahern got everybody hollering again pretty quickly however, striking out the next hitter, Wie, and giving his parade around the mound some extra vim.

The fans had even more to cheer about in the bottom of the inning. Pickhills led off with a single, and an out later Norm Donaldson drove the 9th pitch of his at-bat, a high cut fastball, into the LF stands to boost the Venom into the lead. The Sydney LF tracked it all the way to the wall but the breeze carried it that extra few feet into the safety of the crowd. Then Fenton pulled a curveball up in the zone into the RF bleachers for back-to-back dingers.

Silence descended once more in the 3rd. Dulihanty walked, Cain Donaldson singled, and an out later Carr deposited a changeup over the RF fence to give Sydney back the lead. One commentator joked, “This crowd’s going to collectively hyperventilate if things keep seesawing like this.”

Sydney increased their lead in the 4th, Li doubling Wie home and then scoring off Dulihanty’s single. ‘Buzzard’ (3.2IP, 5H, 6ER, 2BB, 6K) was shepherded off the mound, and would admit after the game that “the occasion got to” him.

Norm Donaldson made good use of the wind once more in the bottom of the 4th, hitting his 2nd HR of the night, this one a solo effort. The HR-fest continued in the 5th, this time Gary Young belting a solo shot over left to bring Adelaide back within 1 and ending Binns’ night (4.2IP, 7H, 5ER, 0BB, 3K). Dulihanty slugged the 7th HR of the evening in the 6th, his 2-run shot giving Sydney some breathing room. Carr made an excellent catch at the wall in the 7th, robbing Pickhills of a HR and 3 game-tying ribbies.

Heading into the bottom of the 9th, Sydney’s advantage was still 3. Digby came to the mound to face the bottom of Adelaide’s lineup. Nankervis struck out looking. Delaney flied out to right. Zartuche went down 5-3. Final score: 8-5 Sydney to force a Game 5!

Game 5 - Adelaide Venom vs Sydney Blue Sox

Back in Sydney, with both starters (Waterson, Eykelbosch) raring to go and well-rested thanks to the extra day afforded for travel. Sydney were 53.9% favourites before the first pitch was thrown but were playing down their chances. Bowden, back at SS after some less-than-successful stints in CF, said, “Their whole lineup is dangerous, from 1 through 9, so we’ve got to be switched on all game.” On Toby Norris, playing his first game of the postseason, Bowden said, “His job is to seal up his area of outfield and he’ll do just fine. If he gets on-base that’s a nice bonus. He’ll play left and Cain will move to centre.”

Zartuche led the game off with a soft single over the head of the 1B but could get no further than 2B. Norm Donaldson led off the 2nd with a single and advanced a base thanks to a wild pitch. Bowden walked and Donaldson headed to 3rd off Nankervis’s ground out. But Eykelbosch got himself out of trouble, starting a 1-6-3 double-play to put paid to the threat.

Toby Norris worked a walk his first time up, leading off the bottom of the 3rd, and the camera caught Bowden yelling encouragement from the dugout. The deadlock hadn’t been broken after 4, both pitchers humming along and well supported by their fielders.

Nankervis doubled with 1 out in the 5th and made 3rd on Delaney’s ground out. Not that the extra base was needed. Zartuche’s fly found grass in the rightfield alley and Nankervis trotted home unopposed. Zartuche wasn’t content with a double, though, and dived in safely at 3B. He was left stranded there, Adelaide up 1-0 halfway through the inning. Young singled to begin the 6th and Pickhills fought his way to a 9-pitch walk. Geoghegan’s single wide of 1B scored Young and saw Pickhills dive in safe at 3B. An out later Fenton doubled into right, scoring Pickhills. Nankervis was walked to set up the double-play and the bases were juiced, Eykelbosch wiping buckets of sweat off his brow. Delaney hit a fly deep to centre but was easily caught. Geoghegan tagged up and came home. Zartuche singled home another and Adelaide were well in command, their lead now 5.

Waterson cruised through 6, conceding just 1 hit and 2 walks. He didn’t go quite so well in the 7th. Carr singled with 1 out and then Anderton absolutely crushed an 0-2 splitter, sending it 455 feet over left-centre to make it a 3-run game. Waterson frowned and rubbed his pitching hand in the dirt of the mound. He got through the rest of the inning without damage and surprised the commentators by coming out again in the 8th. Leadoff man Norris drew his 2nd walk of the night and Waterson was done (7.0IP, 4H, 2ER, 3BB, 4K).

Despite getting runners on the corners in the 9th Adelaide were unable to extend their lead and Bailey Naylor came out, hoping today would go better than his last visit to the mound, back in Game 2, where he picked up the loss. He fell behind 3-0 to Carr, who then swung at the next pitch to softly ground-out to 2nd. Anderton singled up the middle and Bowden belted a 1-0 curve down the RF line and into the bleachers. 1-run game. Donahue went down 6-3, and so did Wie. Adelaide were 5-4 winners, and off to the Championship to face their division cousins, Cairns!

Geoghegan (.400/.478/.900, 3HR) won series MVP, while Pickhills struck out 14 times in 24 plate appearances.

[Izz]

2059 Championship - Adelaide Venom vs Cairns Crocs

Preview: Division rivals Cairns and Adelaide facing off. Cairns, who’d won 101 games during the regular season, were making only their 5th postseason appearance since they’d joined the league in 2036, and had a golden opportunity to claim their first ever Championship. Adelaide, on the other hand, had 4 Championships to their name, but had last won it all in 2041, and had appeared in just 6 postseasons since then, the last before this season in 2054.

In terms of basic stats, these were the best 2 teams in the league. Cairns had scored 914 runs, 1st overall, and conceded just 714, 3rd overall. Adelaide had scored 831 times, 3rd-best, and allowed in only 709, 2nd-best.

A closer look showed Cairns had the definite edge, even without taking into account their superior wins total. They’d led all-comers in SLG (.459), OPS (.808), and extra-base hits (569), while stealing more than every other team bar one (124), and striking out 4th-least (951). On the pitching side they’d allowed the 2nd-least hits (1393), and conceded the least longballs (150). Their defensive efficiency of .698 was 3rd overall.

Adelaide were only without starter Teddy Wigley, but had two 18-game winners in Ahern and Meenakshi. Cairns were without veteran starter Gavin Harris, but a 3-man rotation of Ralston, Flemming and Wally Moylan didn’t look too shabby.

Both teams were light on postseason experience. For the Venom, Ed Geoghegan was fresh off Championship victory, having been a vital cog of Perth’s drive last season, while Rory Delaney had been a part of Central Coast’s winning team in 2057. Lance Ralston was, of course, an experienced finals campaigner, having won 3 straight Championships with the Bandits earlier in his career. Gordon Appleby was also part of 2 of those postseason squads.

Verdict: The majority feeling was Cairns would be the 2nd consecutive team to notch up a maiden Championship win, and would do so comfortably, running out winners in 5 games.

Game 1

Everybody was excited about this matchup: Greg Ahern (18-5, 3.70 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.14 WHIP) and Lance Ralston (16-9, 3.85 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.38 WHIP). Ahern had struck out the most hitters during the season, but had also given up the most homers, all while throwing the 2nd-most innings. Ralston didn’t lead the league in any categories but was up near the top in plenty. Both pitchers would be looking to make a statement after poor previous outings.

Cairns’ skipper Carlos Sosa may have taken notice of the fan uproar during the Preliminary Finals at Jai Rowe playing 2B. Rowe was a 1B through and through, and while he was better there than most, and even made some decent plays at 2B during the previous series, it was obvious he was out of his depth. Rob Lane, who’d switched from DH to LF to accommodate Dylan Glynn moving back to his preferred position at 2B, gave something of an explanation to press: “Skip put me at DH because I’m an old man who’s been battling through a few niggles and he figured that was the best way to keep his top offensive lineup together. But I’ve had a couple days off and I’m feeling fresh, and really, this is the Championship and we need to play our best defence to win it, especially with the likes of ‘The Missing Piece’* and ‘Meltdown’** getting a lot of groundballs.”

*Ralston
**Flemming

Lecomte led off the bottom of the 1st with a single between 1B and 2B and stole 2nd the very next pitch. Baker’s fly dropped into no-man’s land in leftfield. Lecomte scooted for home while Baker thought double. Fenton’s throw came in and Baker was tagged out. Still, the run had scored, giving Cairns the early advantage. Aitken singled up the middle, Ahern not offering too many threats early. Dwyer then ground into a 3-6-3 double-play to give Ahern a breather.

Both pitchers got into their work after that, each having struck out 3 after 3. Ralston gave up a pair of 1-out walks in the 4th, the hitters fighting hard to earn their free pass. Rob Lane, who’d won the LF Gold Glove all the way back in 2049, showed he still had some range, making a fine running catch to rob Nankervis of extra-bases and ribbies. Donaldson followed up with a sharp single into the hole at short. Young scored and the game was all tied up.

In the bottom of the inning the Crocs got a 2-out rally going. Dwyer singled, Lane walked, and Glynn's single brought the go-ahead run home. Fenton got himself a leadoff double in the 5th and advanced to 3B on Delaney’s nub-out. Zartuche then drove one opposite field down the RF line. It shot into the corner, Delaney scored with a casual tap of home-plate and Zartuche dove in safely at 3B with his 2nd triple of the postseason. Ralston induced 2 ground-balls to get out of the inning but the game was all locked up again. Nankervis hit a 1-out double in the 6th and Donaldson was walked to setup the double-play. Geoghegan’s soft fly found CF grass and Nankervis didn’t slow coming around 3B, diving home safely to put Adelaide ahead. Ralston struck out the next 2 to end the inning. 3-2 Adelaide.

Ralston (6.0IP, 6H, 3ER, 4BB, 6K) didn’t come out in the 7th, and while he’d been better today than last time up, it was safe to say he was still well below his best.

Ahern threw 7, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks for 2 earned runs. He struck out 5, his usual punch-out celebrations muted. The 3 relievers used in the 8th got the job done, retiring Cairns in order. Adelaide couldn’t extend their lead in the 9th, and it was up to Naylor to ensure the win. He fanned Baker with a massive breaking ball. Aitken went chasing a low fastball to be another strikeout victim. Dwyer hit a firm drive into the teeth of the wind blowing in from left. The ball dropped just in front of the fence and he slid safely into 2nd. Lane hit his 1-2 pitch over the head of the 3B for a game-tying single. Naylor stood, hands on hips, unable to believe it. Lane then stole 2nd on a curveball and Naylor said some choice words into his glove. He recovered to strike Glynn out with another monster curve and we were headed to extra innings.

Adelaide surrendered 1-2-3 in the top of the 10th, as did Cairns in the bottom of the set. Defensive 2B sub John Roberts led off the 11th with a single up the middle. Donaldson bunted him into scoring position, and he advanced to 3B on the following ground-out. Fenton nubbed 1 in front of the plate. Roberts hared home but Baker ignored him, focusing on the play at 1B. His throw was accurate, but late. Infield go-ahead single. Delaney followed with another infield hit and Zartuche’s firm single into CF loaded the bases. Cooper singled to right and another runner came home. Young ground out and Adelaide went into the bottom of the inning with a 2-run advantage.

Were there more twists in this one? Lecomte singled up the middle. Baker got a 1-0 fastball he could pull. And pull he did, driving it 370 feet over left field and into the seats. Tie-game once again! Aiken walked. Dwyer tapped one towards 2nd. Roberts showed good awareness but his throw was late. Infield single and the winning run now in scoring position. Lane’s groundball to 1B was the 1st out of the inning but both existing runners advanced a base. Glynn was walked. The bases were now loaded but the double-play was an option, and Appleby was only hitting .067 so far this postseason. Appleby’s fly-out to left was too shallow for Aitken to attempt coming home. Bryadon Ziersch ground-out 5-3 and the game remained locked up.

Adelaide couldn’t get anything going in the top of the 12th. Baker drew a 2-out walk in the bottom of the inning but that was as far as he got.

Nothing doing top of the 13th. Bottom of the inning, Dwyer ripped one to deep left, but it was playable and he was the 1st out of the inning. Lane followed with a single to centre. Glynn managed to slap one past 3B, and the winning run was once again in scoring position. Appleby singled to left and it looked for a moment like Lane would head home but he applied the brakes and settled in at 3B. A tired Robinson Saldana’s 1st pitch to Ziersch was supposed to be inside at the knees. Instead it was way outside and high and past the catcher. Lane trotted home and the game was over. Walk-off wild pitch! Final score: 6-5 Cairns, who came from behind twice to eventually win. Dwyer was best of all the hitters, going 3-5.



Game 2

Umashankar Meenakshi (18-8, 3.79 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.34 WHIP), the 24 y/o, 6’6” southpaw whose biggest asset was apparently an ability to infuriate hitters by looking mediocre but still stopping them from scoring, would go up against Damian Flemming (15-2, 2.95 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 1.23 WHIP), who was having the best season of his 9-year major-league career.

Glynn made an uncharacteristic error at 2B in the top of the 1st, allowing leadoff hitter Zartuche aboard. Cooper singled up the middle and Young went down swinging. Pickhills hit a firm groundball that passed just on the 2B side of the infield. Zartuche raced home, too fast for CF Hooks to think about making a play. Opening blow, Adelaide. Geoghegan ground into a U4-3 double-play and the inning was over. Flemming gave Glynn a comradely pat on the back as they headed to the dugout.

Glynn partially atoned for his error in the bottom of the inning, hitting a 1-out single. He then swiped 2nd, only the 7th runner to do that safely against Meenakshi this season. Aitken walked and Rowe ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Fenton doubled off the RF wall in the 2nd and scored off Nankervis’s single. Delaney then launched one over the head of the CF. It rolled to the wall and he rolled into 3B with an RBI-triple. Zartche flied out to right. Delaney tagged up and headed for home. The throw was on target... but late. 4-0 Adelaide.

Baker led off the bottom of the inning with a single. Dwyer ground out to 1B but was unhappy with the call, remonstrating with the umpire before his 1B coach pulled him away. Lane singled past 1B and Baker came home from 2nd, Lane advancing to 2B on the throw to the plate. An out later Hooks singled Lane home and it was a 2-run game. The 3rd and 4th passed without the scorers getting involved. Adelaide drew consecutive 1-out walks in the 5th, and both runners went ahead a base an out later thanks to a wild pitch. The pitching coach came out and gave Flemming some encouragement and he recovered to induce a groundball from Geoghegan. Glynn swooped in and unloaded to 1B just in time - bang, bang! - and the threat was neutralized.

Hooks made it a 1-run game in the bottom of the inning, his shot down the LF line with just enough legs to clear the fence.

The 6th passed in 1-2-3 fashion, Flemming (6.0IP, 5H, 4R, 3ER, 3BB, 3K) putting his legs up for the 7th. Delaney fought with the reliever to earn a leadoff walk. Zartuche hit a sharp line-drive up the middle and Glynn reminded everybody why he was a two-time Gold Glover with a stunning diving catch to get the first out. Cooper drilled one up the middle but too straight for Glynn to catch. Single, runners on 1B and 2B. The rally was cut short, however, Young grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. Cairns also got runners on 1st and 2nd in the bottom of the inning but were likewise unable to capitalize.

Meenakshi came out for the 8th, but his manager probably regretted the move as Glynn made sure his error was completely forgotten with a longball to the same area of the park as Hooks had delivered to. All tied up!

Fenton led off the top of the 9th with a single and then Nankervis laid into a slider over the middle of the plate, sending it into the silent crowd behind the left-centre fence. 2-run jack and a 2-run lead. The next 3 hitters were retired but Cairns had a tall order on their hands to steal a victory 2 nights in a row.

Though, with Naylor coming out to close up shop they may have had some confidence. Dwyer ground out to 1B. Lane leaned into a fastball and took his base, rubbing at his arm. Appleby struck out, fanning on pitches all well outside. Hooks also struck out and the series was level. Final score: 6-4 Venom. Meenakshi (8.0IP, 8H, 4ER, 1BB, 5K) ended up with the win and Naylor looked relieved after the final out not to have blown another one.



Game 3

Wally Moylan (12-13, 4.34 ERA, 4.48 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) had 5 pitches, but only used 4 regularly, his changeup being plain awful. None of his pitches were especially amazing out of the hand, but he used his 6’8” frame to good effect. Last season, pitching for Kununurra, he had lost a league-leading 17 games. This season, after having signed a cheap 1-year deal with Cairns, he was pitching in the Championship Series.

He would be up against Nick Waterson (10-15, 4.78 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 1.56 WHIP), who was also having a dream season, having returned to the AUNZBL this year after 3 years in the BL.

The sky was clear, the wind was blowing out to left, and the fans interviewed before the game were all hoping to see, and perhaps catch, a few bleacher bombs.

Leadoff hitter Lecomte got a 1-0 fastball up in the zone leading off the top of the 1st and drilled it to centre for a single but an out later went down in a twin 4-6-3 killing. Dwyer led off the 2nd with a double to left and Lane followed up with a walk. Glynn lined out back to the pitcher. Appleby struck out. Hooks hit a duck snort single into right, and Dwyer hared home to open the scoring. Rowe singled wide of 2nd and Lane scored. Hooks headed for 3rd but was tagged out. He came up clutching at his shoulder and had to leave the game. Shoulder tendinitis was the call from the medics and Hooks would be out for the rest of the series.

Lecomte picked up his 2nd hit of the night leading off the 3rd but was caught stealing the very next pitch. Nankervis recorded Adelaide’s 1st hit of the night in the bottom of the inning, leading off with a double past 3B. He advanced to 3rd thanks to a deep flyout to right, then sprinted home off a 4-3 ground out. 2-1 after 3.

Waterson needed just 3 pitches to get through the top of the 4th. Appleby had been having a poor postseason so far, but made up for it in the 6th with a deep 2-out double to left-centre that scored 2 runners, giving Cairns some insurance. He was then thrown out at home attempting to score off Brayden Ziersch’s single past 1B. Cooper doubled with 2 out in the bottom of the inning but was left stranded.

Waterson (6.0IP, 9H, 4ER, 3BB, 2K) remained in the dugout for the 7th, his outing somewhat ruined by the Crocs’ 2-out rally the previous inning.

Donaldson got the home fans cheering in the bottom of the 7th, his long solo HR over CF eking the Venom to within 2 of their opponents. Cairns put runners at 1B and 2B without giving up an out in the 8th and then Lane smoked one to CF. Delaney tracked back and back and leaped at the wall... but came up short. 3-run HR for the self-proclaimed ‘Old Man of Cairns!’

With 2 outs in the bottom of the inning, Young drove a run home to cut the deficit to 4. Pickhills then made it real close, cracking his 1-2 pitch over the LF wall for a 3-run homerun. The Crocs got runners to 2B and 3B with 1 out in the top of the 9th but couldn’t give themselves any insurance.

Boston got Donaldson to fly out to centre for the 1st out of the bottom of the 9th. Fenton singled into the hole at short. Nankervis bounced 1 to 2B Glynn, who fired to SS Lecomte for the force-out. Lecomte in turn sent the ball whizzing to 1B to complete the match-winning double-play. Final score: 7-6 Cairns. Moylan (7.2IP, 4H, 4ER, 2BB, 4K) got the win and Boston picked up his 3rd save of the postseason. The Crocs put up 15 hits and 2 walks in comparison to Adelaide’s 7 hits and 3 walks.



Game 4

Adelaide started Ahern on 3 days’ rest, while Cairns elected to give Ralston an extra day off, instead sending Caspar Green (16-9, 4.64 ERA, 4.62 FIP, 1.39 WHIP) to the mound. Green had not pitched since the 18th of March, but said, “I’m ready to take this opportunity with both hands - even though I’m only pitching with one.” Green threw a near 160 km/h fastball, along with a sinker, change, split-fingered fastball and forkball. Prior to this season he’d been in the Perth pen, getting the occasional spot start.

Lecomte once again led off the game with a single but was quickly doubled up 6-4-3 styles. Zartuche started the bottom of the inning off with a single as well but could get no further than 2B.

Ahern was subdued on the mound early, barely crowing after striking out Lane to start the 2nd. He surrendered a single to Glynn, who crossed home-plate an out later thanks to Appleby’s triple into the LF corner. Rowe’s single scored Appleby and Cairns finished the inning up 2-0, Ahern already having thrown 43 pitches and given up 5 hits and 2 walks. Donaldson opened the bottom of the 2nd with a stand-up double to deep centre and Fenton followed with a 4-pitch walk. Nankervis ground into a 6-4-3 double-play. Donaldson, however, advanced to 3rd, and made it home after Delaney nubbed one near the plate and beat out Baker’s throw to 1B. 2-1 and the Adelaide crowd began making some noise.

Aitken got called out on strikes in the 3rd on what was clearly a ball and for a moment it looked like he might argue with the umpire, but the mild-mannered first-baseman thought better of it and headed to the dugout, face raised to the sky. The OotPB TV commentary team were quick to point out that Aitken hadn’t always had such self-control, getting suspended twice in the minors in 2056 for brawling. Ahern went on to fan 3 of the 4 batters he faced that inning.

For a few moments in the bottom of the 4th, fans thought Geoghegan had levelled it up, his booming drive down the RF line nearly staying fair. It didn’t however, and 4 pitches later he would become Green’s first strikeout victim. Baker had no such issues in the 5th, his 1-out drive over left leaving the yard and putting Cairns a notch further ahead on the scoreboard. Ahern’s night was over after 5 (7H, 3ER, 1BB, 7K) and Green (5.2IP, 4H, 1ER, 3BB, 2K) left in the 6th after giving up a single to Geoghegan.

Rowe opened the 7th with his 2nd single of the night and Lecomte followed up with a line drive that evaded the CF and made it all the way to the wall. He slid in safely to 3rd with an RBI-triple. Robinson Saldana rallied to get the next 3 outs and leave Lecomte stranded. Zartuche singled to begin the bottom of the 8th and advanced to 2B after the ball handcuffed CF Dwyer. An out later Young latched onto a fat fastball and sent it 417 feet over left-centre for a 2-run bomb. Adelaide were back to within 1.

Boston trotted out in the bottom of the 9th, hoping to throw his 8th inning of the postseason. He was 1-1 so far, with 3 saves. Donaldson ground out to 3B. Fenton popped one way up into left near the foul line. Nobody could quite get there in time and he flashed a wink to his dugout, safe at 1B. Nankervis went around on a 2-2 slider that nicked the zone anyway to be the second out. Last-chance saloon and Wendell Eykelbosch, 0-3 so far as a PH this playoff campaign, marched to the plate. He swung through a belt-high slider to end the game. Final score: 4-3 Cairns and the Crocs were 1 win away from a maiden title. Lecomte went 3-5 with a double and a triple.



Game 5

With their Championship aspirations on the line, Adelaide elected not to send 18-game winner Meenakshi to the mound, instead turning to Rafael Hurlson (10-13, 5.49 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 1.64 WHIP) who’d been acquired midseason from Whangarei. After blowing a lead in Game 2 of the Preliminary Finals, Hurlson had been excellent out of the bullpen, throwing 5.1 innings across 3 games while allowing no hits or walks and striking out 5. “It doesn’t get much bigger than this,” Hurlson acknowledged before the game, “but I’m up for it and I’m sure the team around me will be too.”

Hurlson would take on a fully-rested Ralston, who admitted he’d been “below par” so far during the playoffs, but “could feel today was going to be a really special day.”

Things didn’t start so well for Ralston, however. Zartuche singled to begin the bottom of the 1st and Cooper drove one just over the head and glove of the 2B for another single immediately thereafter. Zartuche rounded 2nd and didn’t slow, diving in unopposed at 3B. Ralston’s very next pitch plunked Young on the thigh. He grimaced and trotted to 1B, Ralston’s apology somewhat half-hearted. Pickhills hit a slow roller past the pitcher. Glynn made a tough play throwing to 1B for the out, but Zartuche crossed home-plate and Adelaide were up 1-0. Another ground-out scored Cooper and then Donaldson’s chopper found a gap between 1st and 2nd to score Young. Geoghegan and Fenton both singled and once again the bases were loaded, albeit this time with 2 outs. Delaney cracked a single to right. 2 runners scored and Adelaide had batted around in the 1st inning. Zartuche ground out and Ralston let out a howl of relief that a ground ball had finally found a fielder. 5-zip Adelaide after 1.

Young doubled with 1 out in the 2nd, and scored an out later thanks to an error by Cairns’ 1B Aitken. Fenton pulled off a spectacular diving catch to end the top of the 3rd, Hurlson cruising, having only allowed 1 baserunner thus far.

Fenton followed up his catch with a 1-out double in the bottom of the 3rd, and scored 2 batters later thanks to a throwing error by Baker on a steal attempt. Ralston was pacing the mound like a caged lion. He struck Zartuche out on 8 pitches and then was led from the mound, once more none-to-happy to be going. He’d thrown 2.2 innings for 9 hits, 7 runs - 5 of which were earned - no walks and 2 strikeouts.

Cairns got on the board in the 4th thanks to a leadoff homer from Baker, who somehow pulled a shin-high fastball into the leftfield stands. A Cooper 2-bagger scored 2 in the 5th, putting Adelaide 8 runs in front.

It got a lot closer in the 7th, Cairns rallying with 2 outs against a tiring Hurlson. Appleby drove Glynn home with a double, Rowe singled, and Lecomte doubled both of them home. Baker then spanked his 1-0 pitch over left and over the fence for his 2nd four-bagger of the night, this one a 2-run effort. That spelled the end of Hurlson’s night (6.2IP, 9H, 6ER, 0BB, 5K) and brought the Crocs to within 3.

Young gave the Venom some insurance in the bottom of the 8th, his bases-empty drive over left-centre landing in the upper tier.

Adelaide didn’t send Naylor out for the 9th, Cortez Mariano staying on the mound. Ziersch ground out to 2nd. Appleby got called out on strikes, frozen by a fastball over the heart of the plate. Rowe waved at a fastball outside the zone and this one was over and out! Final score: 10-6 Adelaide, the home fans finally having something to cheer about. Mariano was credited with a save for having come in with the difference only 3 runs in the 7th and staying in until the end of the game.



Game 6

The Venom had snagged a lifeline with their decisive Game 5 victory. Could they carry the momentum back to Cairns? Meenakshi would joust with Flemming. A strong wind was blowing in from centre, both pitchers looking forward to the edge it should give them.

The first proper scoring opportunity of the game came in the 3rd, after Zartuche drew a leadoff walk and stole 2nd. Cooper drove a single up the middle and Zartuche showed off his fleet footedness, racing from 2B to home without a throw. The lead didn’t stay with Adelaide long, though, Appleby ripping the 1st pitch of the bottom of the inning into the LF bleachers to tie it up.

Dwyer opened the bottom of the 4th with a single. Baker followed up with a double to left and Cairns found themselves with runners on 2B and 3B and nobody out. Lane’s ground-out to 2nd was shallow enough to score Dwyer and advance Baker to 3B. Appleby then singled to left, scoring Baker to put Cairns 2 runs ahead. Zartuche’s single in the 5th was followed by a Cooper single to right, Zartuche zipping all the way to 3B. Young drilled one deep to left, but Lane took a great leaping catch at the wall to steal a HR. Zartuche tagged up at 3B, the score now 3-2.

A 2-out Rowe RBI-double in the bottom of the 5th pushed Cairns back to 2 in front. Donaldson led off the 6th with a double and an out later Nankervis got to touch ‘em all, his 2-run drive over left with just enough legs to leave the yard and tie the game up. A great catch by Dwyer robbed Adelaide of another HR, but the runner at 3B came home, putting the Venom in the lead for the 1st time in the match.

Zartuche singled home Nankervis in the 8th to give the Venom some insurance, and 2 was still the margin come the bottom of the 9th. Naylor mounted the hill, ready for action. Appleby drove one low towards RF only to see Young pluck it out of the air for the first out. Wayne Roneberg struck out looking and Lecomte flied out to centre. Final score: 6-4 Venom, and Game 7 beckoned!

Flemming (5.0IP, 7H, 3ER, 2BB, 4K) didn’t have a long night, Cairns’ management probably ruing the decision to take him off after he gave up a leadoff double in the 6th. Meenakshi (8.0IP, 10H, 4ER, 3BB, 1K) did what Meenakshi did, and came away with his 2nd win of the series and 3rd of the postseason.



Game 7

Cairns skipper Carlos Sosa, who’d played the first 3 and a half seasons of his big league career in Adelaide, admitted that the Venom had all the momentum going into this winner-took-all matchup, but denied that his team were down on confidence. “That’s baseball,” he said. “Momentum shifts can last 2 games and they can end in half an inning. We’ll give it our best shot we’ll see you all on the winner’s podium.”

Ahern (1-2 this postseason) would take on Moylan (1-0 from 2 playoff starts). When asked about his nerves, Moylan smiled weakly and said, “Yeah, I might’ve made a couple trips to the dunny already. And I’ll probably make a couple more before the first pitch.”

Zartuche led off the top of the 1st with a double past 1B and hustled to 3B on Cooper’s ground-out. Young popped out and Moylan had a chance to get out of the inning after Pickhills tapped one back towards the mound. He was down the hill like lightning but couldn’t pick the ball up cleanly. Pickhills made 1st and Zartuche scooted across homeplate to open the scoring.

Adelaide loaded the bases in the 2nd with an out up their sleeve, and Cooper’s single to centre scored 2. Young then doubled in the alley in left, scoring 2 more. 5-0 Adelaide and the Cairns’ fans were barely making more than a whisper.

Lane gave them something to cheer about in the bottom of the inning, launching a solo HR over right-centre. Glynn and Ziersch then singled and Cairns had a real chance to bite into the deficit. But they couldn’t convert and finished the inning 4 runs in the hole. Moylan went 1-2-3 through them in the 3rd and marched off the mound with his head held a little higher.

The score stayed the same until the 5th when, with 2 outs, Geoghegan ended Moylan’s night (4.2IP, 7H, 6R, 5ER, 0BB, 1K) with a 400-foot solo dinger. Fenton singled in the 6th, stole 2nd on a strikeout and scored off Delaney’s single. An out later and Adelaide had juiced the bases. Pickhills showed remarkable restraint to walk in a run before Geoghegan ground out. 8-1 Adelaide and a few fans were forlornly heading for the exits.

Ahern threw 6 for 8 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and 1 earned run. Wayne Roneberg singled to lead off the bottom of the 7th. Lecomte also singled and an out later Aitken latched onto a 158 km/h fastball and sent it into the bleachers. 3-run shot and there might be hope for the Crocs yet! Dwyer showed good pace to beat out the throw for an infield single. Lane and Glynn both flied out to left and the inning was over. 4-run game.

First up in the bottom of the 8th, Ziersch drew a walk. Appleby flied out to the warning track. Roneberg laid off plenty of sinkers to draw a 6-pitch walk. Lecomte worked the count to 3-1 and then tamely flied out to centre. Baker singled and the bases were loaded. Aitken chased a low fastball to strike out and the opportunity was gone.

Nankervis singled home 2 with 2 out in the top of the 9th, Adelaide now surely out of striking distance. Bottom of the inning, Dwyer struck out swinging. Lane popped out to the SS. 1 out left, the Venom players and staff in the dugout spilling out over the railings. Glynn extended the inning with a double into the LF corner and Ziersch fought his way to an 8-pitch walk. Appleby teased one up the 3B line but Pickhills was onto it in a flash, throwing him out at 1st. Championship win Adelaide!!, having overcome a 3-1 deficit. Final score: 10-4, in a game where the Crocs got more hits but Adelaide made the most of their opportunities.



Slugger of the Series: William Fenton (.385/.484/.500, 0HR).

Hurler of the Series: There was no clearcut winner for this. Meenakshi, who threw 8 innings in each of his 2 starts, winning both, took the gong, but no pitcher was lights out during the series.

2059 Championship-winning Adelaide Venom

[Izz]

2059 Season Leaderboards

Once again, there was no clear-cut front-runner for SotY. Richard Moore, John Foreman, Vern Bull? Perhaps even Cain Donaldson if the judges really wanted to get funky?

On the other hand, surely Barry Dean would win HotY by a country mile.

[Izz]

2059 Awards

Gold Gloves

Pitcher: Wally Moylan (Cairns Crocs)
Catcher: Kade Wurfel (Christchurch Cowboys)
First Baseman: Luigi Dempster (Wellington Fury)
Second Baseman: Dylan Glynn (Cairns Crocs)
Third Baseman: Matthew Utting (Christchurch Cowboys)
Shortstop: Stephane Lecomte (Cairns Crocs)
Left Fielder: Christos Spargo (Wellington Fury)
Centre Fielder: Elijah Gray (Kununurra Pioneers)
Right Fielder: Ignacio Maldonado (Hobart Prospects)

Brodie Backhouse Award

Aaron Fingleson was all set to file for free agency, and the closer nicknamed ‘Fumble’ wouldn’t have done his contract chances any harm with his 2059 season, which culminated in him winning the Brodie Backhouse Award. Fingleson went 6-2, with 31 saves, as Christchurch’s closer, his ERA 2.24, his FIP 3.58, and his WHIP 1.10. He struck out 77 in 68.1 innings, and recorded an ERA+ of 202, a WAR of 0.9, and an FIP- of 81.



Despite starting 14 games, Roderick Beresford (9-10, 27 sv, 3.33 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 1.15 WHIP) came 2nd, while 24 y/o Melbourne rookie Dan Holz (14-6, 1 sv, from 58 games, 11 starts, 3.68 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.34 WHIP) came 3rd.

Super Slugger Awards

C: Vern Bull - MEL - .287/.407/.531, 35HR, 6.7 WAR, 145 OPS+, 143 wRC+

1B: Ronald Aitken - CAI - .295/.407/.515, 30HR, 5.0 WAR, 141 OPS+, 138 wRC+

2B: Axel Nankervis - ADE - .312/.352/.519, 29HR, 2.9 WAR, 126 OPS+, 125 wRC+

3B: Malcolm Pickhills - ADE - .254/.342/.497, 36HR, 5.6 WAR, 118 OPS+, 116 wRC+

SS: Gary Young - ADE - .314/.382/.611, 31HR, 4.9 WAR, 156 OPS+, 158 wRC+

LF: Norman Ladds - HOB - .222/.346/.434, 30HR, 10SB, 2.0 WAR, 104 OPS+, 110 wRC+

CF: Cain Donaldson - SYD - .333/.421/.461, 10HR, 63SB, 6.0 WAR, 133 OPS+, 139 wRC+

RF: John Foreman - CEN - .304/.368/.553, 44HR, 3.1 WAR, 139 OPS+, 144 wRC+

DH: Marcos Lopez - MEL - .328/.373/.540, 36HR, 4.1 WAR, 137 OPS+, 138 wRC+

Rookie of the Year

Who would it be now? Who would it be now? The majority money was on Cain Donaldson, but the selection panel decided to throw a curveball, naming 31 y/o Cavalryman Jason Hewitt as the winner. Hewitt certainly wasn’t undeserving of the crown, hitting .290/.387/.564, his 158-544 including 32 doubles and 39HR. His WAR was 5.3, his OPS+ 147, and wRC+ 150.



29 y/o Cain Donaldson (.333/.421/.461, 10HR, 6.0 WAR, 133 OPS+, 139 wRC+) came second, doing his best to hide his disappointment, and Bert Allan (.271/.340/.509, 27HR, 5.7 WAR, 120 OPS+, 120 wRC+) finished off a trifecta of former ABC players.

Skipper of the Year

Adelaide’s Luis Gonzalez took home Skipper of the Year, managing Adelaide to a Championship victory in only his 2nd year in charge. Gonzalez’s acceptance speech was so standard as to be immediately forgotten.



Hurler of the Year

There were no surprises here. Barry Dean, only 24 y/o, and last year’s HotY runner-up, won at a canter. At 6’2” and 85kg Dean wasn’t a monster on the mound, but he threw his cutter, curve and changeup with precision, movement and what commentators liked to call “heaviness.” For 2059 he went 22-4, with a 2.63 ERA, 3.31 FIP, and a 1.13 WHIP. He struck out 204 in 229.1 innings pitched, his WAR 6.4, his ERA+ 172, and his FIP- 74. It was surprising to think that Dean had only 3 years of major-league service time. Such were the wraps that Perth had on him that they’d jumped him straight into their rotation in 2057 rather than test him out in the bullpen first. They currently had him under contract until the 2065 season, a move GM Jordan Hurlson said had been “a no-brainer.”



Damian Flemming (15-2, 2.95 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 1.23 WHIP, 5.1 WAR, 153 ERA+, 74 FIP-) came a deserved 2nd, while Lance Ralston’s (16-9, 3.85 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.38 WHIP, 5.7 WAR, 117 ERA+, 73 FIP-) 3rd place gave both runners-up spots to Cairns. This was the 4th time Ralson had finished in the top 3 for this award. He’d never won, and each of his 4 podium finishes were in 3rd place.

Slugger of the Year

Those curveballs weren't done coming yet!

Nobody, not even the winner, quite expected this one. In some ways it felt a political choice, perhaps even a backhand slap from a selection committee who had no affiliation with the Commissioner’s office and might’ve wanted to make a statement about local talent outside of the AUNZBL, or even a comment on how the league and the PU had handled their legal issues with their rival. However, in other ways he’d had a great season, even if he didn’t feature as the leader in any significant categories, and so the win couldn't be ignored based on poor performance.

Who was the kerfuffle about? Rookie of the Year Jason Hewitt, who also took out the coveted Slugger of the Year crown. Hewitt hadn’t won the RF Super Slugger Award but that was obviously not an issue. The 31 y/o was demonstrably shocked to receive the award, but quickly recovered to give his 2nd speech of the night, and this one certainly felt unscripted.

“This, well, I don’t quite know how else to put it,” Hewitt said, “but I guess this feels a bit like redemption. I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve been told, directly or indirectly, that I’d never be good enough to cut it in the biggest league of them all. I’ve seen scouts sitting in the stands when I’ve been playing in tiny stadiums where the outfield is more dirt than grass and there’s maybe 50 people in the crowd and it’s a good bet they’re all related to the players, and it was always a similar story: ‘plays hard but not quite what we’re looking for.’

“And I guess I got used to the idea that I’d never be quite what anybody was looking for. But I loved baseball and I wasn’t about to quit that, so I did the circuit, played in almost every bush league in Australia, slept rough a lot because I could never really count on a timely pay-cheque, but man I don’t regret a second of it. Then I heard about the ABC and thought, ok, let’s give this a shot, I’m not getting any younger and they’ve got to get their players from somewhere. I tried out for the Highlife because wouldn’t it be a blast to play for the city I was born in? No dice. But that was okay, because my skin’s pretty thick by now.

“I must’ve tried out for half the teams in the league before Hamilton said to me, ‘You know what, here’s a 1-year deal.’ And I took it before they could think twice, let me tell you, and tried not to stare at the part of the contract where it told me how much they were willing to pay me. Then as the season goes on there’s guys in the media and even some scouts who’re saying I should give the AUNZBL a shot next year. And man, I looked them up and down and thought, surely they’re messing with me. If I was good enough to play there they would’ve found me already. But y’know what, I call my mum and she tells me, ‘Go for it. You’ll regret it if you don’t.’ And I’m thinking, I’ll probably regret it if I do. But free agency comes around and Hamilton’s been wanting to extend and a few other ABC teams are knocking and they’re already offering more money than I’ve ever seen in my life, but I’ve got an agent now, can you believe it, and he says, ‘There’s some AUNZBL teams interested, so let’s just see what happens, shall we?’

“And I suppose I don’t need to tell you the rest, except it was one hell of a buzz to pull on a Cavalry jersey for the first time, and it’s still a buzz now. And throughout the season I’m watching guys I played with in the ABC who’ve scored big like me and they’re carving up and I’m just feeling warm and fuzzy inside. We’re those guys who, for whatever reason, were always on the outside looking in, and now we’re inside and doing okay, more than okay, if I can be honest, and I hope this just opens the door to all those other guys who’ve been like me and figured they’ll never quite have what it takes. But maybe they will, and maybe now they’ll get a chance to show what they can do.”

At that point, Hewitt paused for a few seconds, perhaps because he was out of breath. And the crowd, as one, stood and applauded. Hewitt was the first person to win both Rookie of the Year and Slugger of the Year since the league’s inaugural season, when Stewart Warwick scooped both. Many stats-heads were of the opinion that Warwick's achievement didn't account for too much, as it was the first year of the league, which in turn made Hewitt's achievement all the more remarkable.



The runners-up were barely noticed. John Foreman came 2nd, and Vern Bull 3rd, the 2nd straight year Bull had featured on the podium.

[Izz]

2059 Career Leaderboards

Jacob Blanksby moved into the top 10 all-time hitters, pushing Rex Rees into 11th.

Would 36 y/o Angelo Spear get a new gig for 2060? The 36 y/o all-time wins leader, honoured for his achievement at the Australasian Baseball Awards Dinner and likely to soon be a free agent again, said he felt "capable of a couple more go-arounds."

34 y/o Clint Aitcheson, who'd also probably be heading to market, was just 9 wins shy of the magic 2-double-zero, but his lackluster 2059 (8-10, 5.37 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 1.36 WHIP) had to have prospective courters worried that he was on the decline.

[Izz]

Offseason

2059 Notes

League BA dropped 1 point, to .270, while ERA fell to 4.52, its lowest mark since 2056.

The Melbourne Aces only struck out 740 times during the 2059 season, a new record. The previous best were the 2049 Sluggers, who got rung up only 765 times. The Metros surpassed their worst ever pitching season, putting up an ERA of 5.76. The previous 2 worst marks were also held by the Metros, their 2058 and 2057 teams not much better than this year’s iteration. They also allowed 983 runs, another new record.

ABC Wrap-up

The Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Goanna’s finished the season locked up atop the Northern Division, as did the Dunedin Outlaws and Jakarta Stars in the Overseas Division, forcing two 1-game playoffs to determine half of the postseason participants. The Gold Coast easily accounted for Brisbane in the first playoff, downing them 8-2.

The other game was a much tighter affair. A 1-out double by Dunedin in the top of the 1st was the closest either team came to scoring until the Outlaws bunted a runner into scoring position in the 5th. They got a runner as far as 3rd in the 6th but left him stranded. Meanwhile, Jakarta wasn’t creating any scoring opportunities, no baserunner touching 2nd safely through the first 8 innings. The Outlaws again got a runner to 3rd in the top of the 8th but couldn’t bring him home. They would rue all those missed opportunities as, in the bottom of the 9th, Jakarta cleanup hitter Rodney Ellison deposited an up-in-the-zone fastball 409 feet over left-centre and over the fence for a walk-off HR!

The result meant Jakarta took on Broome in one semi-final series, and the Goannas duked it out with Sydney in the other. Jakarta overcame Broome 3-1 in their matchup, giving themselves the opportunity to defend their crown. The other semi-final took 5 games, Sydney doing the business in the decider with a decisive 4-0 victory.

Jakarta and Sydney traded the 1st 2 games of the Grand Final Series, before Jakarta came from behind to win Game 3. That seemed to break the back of the Highlife and they surrendered the next 2 games without much resistance. Jakarta were back-to-back ABC Champions! Indonesia partied for a week.

33 y/o journeyman Bob Crawford (.330/.366/.447, 12HR) took home the Golden Rookie Award.

Grizzled 35 y/o Darren Fenton (18-7, 2.12 ERA, 2.43 FIP, 0.96 WHIP) of the Kumuls took home the Golden Arm Award.

There was no contest as to the Golden Bat Winner. Gold Coast’s Sebastian Horton (.338/.399/.607, 38HR) had a 9.1 WAR season, 2.2 WAR higher than any other hitter. He also led the league in BA and RBI.

BL Wrap-up

Both Semifinals went the distance, Belo Horizonte triumphing 3-2 over Managua in one series, while Maracaibo beat Asuncion 3-2 in the other, thus giving the Magnates a chance to go back-to-back.

Maracaibo were no chance in the Championship Series, however, Belo Horizonte sweeping them to win their 2nd title, having last won in 2047. Dermott Downes put an exclamation mark on the victory, throwing a 3-hit, 2-walk shutout to win Game 4. He struck out 9, including the last batter of the game. The 2048 AUNZBL Hurler of the Year had been pretty poor during the regular season, notching up a 2-7 record and spending 6 starts in the minors.

27 y/o Roberto Martinez (.280/.365/.423, 9HR), traded just a few days before the Awards Ceremony by Lima to Managua, won the BL Rookie Award.

Clint Snell (14-4, 3.12 ERA, 3.34 FIP, 1.21 WHIP), returning to the BL after a 2-season stint back in the AUNZBL, won Jarra de Ano.

Stefan Lock (.291/.394/.592, 35HR) scooped Bateador de Ano for the 2nd time. Coincidentally, he also equaled the BL HR record he’d set last time he won the award, in 2057. Lock was off contract heading into the offseason, with some BL-watchers suggesting he might head back for a final dig at the AUNZBL. Lock was 34 y/o.

League News

2-time Slugger of the Year, and 2042 Rookie of the Year, Quentin Stennings, retired. After 4 seasons in the BL the 40 y/o signed a minor-league contract with Cairns in November, spending the entire season bar 1 plate appearance as 1B coach of the Crocs’ short-A affiliate. His 1PA was a loaded-bases walk. Stennings had peaked early and declined quickly, his best season coming as a 27 y/o when he hit a league-high .355, with 53 doubles, on his way to his 2nd SotY. He was good without being great for the next 3 seasons before, in the terms on one analyst, “he got useless fast.” Having last played in the AUNZBL in 2053 Stennings would immediately be eligible for HoF consideration. While his career stat-line was .295/.354/.488, and he had 287HR to go with his 1904 hits, 3 major awards and 4 All-Star selections, he was considered an outside chance at best.

The Baseball and Betting Saga

1 Jun: As promised, Rex Rees, together with the majority of other players accused of spot-fixing in Baseball and Betting, launched legal action against Arlene Pinkington, James Huff, and their publishing company, suing for an undisclosed amount. Rees’ lawyer fronted media and said, “Rex Rees and the other players involved in this class-action lawsuit aren’t worried so much about the monetary aspect of this suit, though they will all be entitled to every cent they win. Rather, they are concerned with repairing any damage caused by the baseless accusations and slander perpetrated by Ms. Pinkington and Mr. Huff. In simple terms, they want the record set straight, and this is the best way to do so.”

Rees would represent the group, which included several current players - Manuel Salinas, Angelo Spear and Rhetty Thurley the most recognizable. Rees briefly faced the media scrum, saying, “The actions of Pinkington and Huff are incomprehensible. Every player involved in this lawsuit feels the same way. Many have said they’ve suffered sleepless nights just wondering why someone would say the things they’ve said.”

2 Jun: Pinkington and Huff were quick to respond, but did so via datafeed rather than live media conference. “We will not back down or be silenced,” they said, “and we know the truth will come out.”

Fan opinion was divided as to whether the allegations were true. Current polling showed 60% of participants thought the allegations were false, 35% thought they were true, and 5% were undecided.

10 Jun: In a hysterical live datafeed Huff announced that Pinkington had disappeared. “She’s been abducted,” he kept repeating, unable to sit still in front of the camera. He then panned around her apartment, where the contents of drawers were scattered on the ground, sofa cushions sliced open and stuffing spilling every which way, and several pictures smashed on the floor. Federal police immediately sprung into action.

11 Jun: The AUNZBL offered a brisk, 'We have absolutely nothing to do with this and why would we?' type response to the Pinkington disappearance. The lawyers for the Rees’ class-action lawsuit issued a similar statement, but much more delicately worded.

12 Jun: There had been no activity on any of Pinkington’s bank accounts, leading police to suspect foul play.

15 Jun: After following up on an alert from Customs and trawling through hours of security footage, federal police called a press conference where they announced that Arlene Pinkington was alive and well, but had left the country on the 9th of June using a passport issued in the name of one of her previous marriage licenses. Traveling as Arlene Brole, Pinkington had left on an aircraft headed for Japan, but police doubted that was her final destination. They stressed that it appeared she was in good health and travelling alone. She had bought the ticket with cash. Investigations into all the other people on the flight, both passengers and airline personnel, yielded no direct or indirect links to Pinkington. The majority of those people had been accounted for, either within Japan on holiday or business, or, for the flight crew, either in Australia or somewhere else along the airline’s route.

16 Jun: A confused Huff sent out a delayed datafeed from a secret location. He said he was “unsure” why Pinkington had fled the country, and that she “hadn’t been in contact” with him since.” Still, “judging by the state of her apartment, she had good reason” to flee. Because of that Huff had also gone into semi-hiding, but he vowed he would fight on and appear at all his court dates.

21 Jun: After reviewing all possible security footage from Pinkington’s apartment complex and neighbouring shops and public transport stations, police were of the opinion that Pinkington had acted alone in leaving the country. They were also of the opinion that she had ransacked her apartment herself as there was no evidence of intruders and no evidence of any sort of footage tampering - physical, electronic, digital. The conspiracy theorists went into overdrive, the focus shifting from the AUNZBL to the government wanting to neutralize her due to another project she was working on.

22 Jun: Huff sent out another datafeed. While he stopped short of saying he didn’t believe the police, he did imply that their story wasn’t entirely accurate. He also said he was “worried” by the fact some key pieces of evidence that “formed the backbone” of their research had gone missing, both physically and virtually.

Fan opinion as to the veracity of Pinkington and Huff’s claims hadn’t changed all that much. Now 64% of respondents felt the allegations were false, 28% thought they were true, and 8% were unsure.

25 Jun: Police experts released their findings as to the missing evidence. While they couldn’t account for any of the physical evidence, they could determine that the virtual copies had been deleted by someone using one of Pinkington’s net IDs.

There were copies already in circulation, most notably of the interviews with the bookies and underworld figures supposedly involved in spot-fixing, but these had been stripped of any identifying information - timesets, GPS data, etc - before being uploaded for public consumption, as was the custom amongst the publishing houses.

However, based on what analysis they could do, the conclusion reached by the experts was that the authenticity of Huff & Pinkington's videos was “questionable at best.” Frame-by-frame analysis of at least one of the videos appeared to show stage props commonly found in any virtual reality lab or visual recording studio. But while the circumstantial evidence seemed to point to the videos being faked, it was “impossible to say so with 100%, or even 90%, certainty,” according to the lead forensic scientist.

28 Jun: In a surprising turn of events, Huff admitted via datafeed that some of the interviews were “recreations” rather than covertly recorded. He insisted the actual recordings were, or at least had been, in existence, but that most of them were only audio rather than audiovisual. This was because the “security software” used at the places the interviews were captured was too advanced to sneak those types of devices in, but also “so advanced as to allow for obsolete forms of recording technology to be used.”

3 Jul: Pinkington was alive and well! She sent a brief datafeed to announce the fact, and while she wouldn’t reveal where she was, techsters around Australia quickly deciphered that she was on the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean. Apart from her message of good health, Pinkington cryptically said “all would shortly be revealed” as to why she fled Australia, but that “Australasians can be sure this is a very big deal, and will change our understanding of the world.”

5 Jul: Full of surprises, Huff suddenly began to distance himself from Pinkington. “I haven’t had any contact with her since she left,” he said from an undisclosed location in Western Australia, “and whatever project she was working on she was either working on alone or with someone else. We collaborated on Betting on Baseball, but nothing else. While I understand her need to remove herself from the country if she feels her life is in danger, it does make my continued legal battle more difficult to manage and that combined with the disappearance of key pieces of testimony as used in the book places me on somewhat shaky ground, even though I stand by the assertion that our findings are 100% accurate.”

Was Huff implying that he now thought Pinkington had erased the data herself? Or was he just connecting the dots to paint a picture of his situation, and possibly gain some courtroom sympathy? He wouldn’t elaborate, but word began to filter out of Pinkington and Huff's publisher that it was Pinkington who had done the bulk of the undercover work, while Huff’s primary roles were research (book and net) and writing.

12 Jul: Over a week had passed after Pinkington’s message from Europe. She had not surfaced again and public interest began to wane. The court case was taking place behind closed doors, no reporters allowed, and things other than baseball were hogging the headlines. A fourth lunar colony was about to open - colonists apply now! - and some surprising breakthroughs in the field of physics, primarily in regards to harnessing or creating gravity, were opening up all kinds of possibilities, both in earth and space.

21 Sep: James Huff took the podium at a press conference and read from a statement. His tone was dull and the speech wordy, but the essence was that he “unreservedly apologized” for bringing the game of baseball and some of its players into disrepute through false allegations and fabricated evidence.

It became clear a day or two later when Huff filed for bankruptcy that he had lacked the means to continue the legal battle, and would have been unable to afford the reparations demanded in the likely case that he lost due to the factors he’d already addressed in his 5 Jul datafeed.

The AUNZBL and the lawyers for the Rees’ class-action suit trumpeted the result as “a win for baseball and a reminder that attempting to discredit the sport for personal gain would always fail.” Many in the legal profession weren’t quite so effusive. One well-known judge asked, “Is it really a win when one party is financially pressured into an outcome?”

Huff disappeared from the public eye, for a while, at least.

Notable Club Happenings

Darwin: Maybe 63 y/o Dylan Bruce saw the writing on the wall, or maybe he just wanted to do as his press release said: “Spend more time traveling and relaxing.” The man who’d skippered the Diggers since their arrival in the AUNZBL hung up his cap after 12 years on the job. He’d led Darwin to a 989-955 record, not bad considering they were an expansion team. He’d leaned on the dugout railings during the postseason in 7 campaigns, and while he’d never won a Championship, or even Skipper of the Year, he could be proud of the fact Darwin boasted 7 Division Titles in their trophy cabinet. Mike Bolitho, who’d been bench coach in Darwin since 2051, wouldn’t get a chance to manage. His contract was not renewed.

Kununurra: General Manager Rick Bolitho quietly retired, as seemed to be the norm for the guys in the top office.

Melbourne: 1st-year GM Danny Stapleton kept his job, much to the frustration of the fan base, and told reporters he “was looking forward to a robust review process to determine where we went wrong this season and how we can improve going forward.”

Newcastle: Perhaps GM Mitchell Franks was acting to preserve his own job, but he didn’t even wait until the offseason had officially started to give manager Paul Kesterton his marching orders, firing him during the Preliminary Finals. 61 y/o Kesterton had an unenviable record as a manager, and talk out of the Roos’ clubhouse during the season had been that he and Franks were often at loggerheads even if neither party ever argued in public. BC Rodney Quine was hopeful he’d have a good chance to make his case for a promotion but that was not to be. As soon as the postseason ended Quine was sent on his way too, but told reporters he’d “seen this coming after Paul had been gone a few days.” Franks somehow stayed on as GM, and appointed 46 y/o Zhang-sung Sun to the manager’s chair. A relative unknown, Sun had spent the last 2 seasons overseeing the Orbost Seagulls in the ABC single-A league, and before that had spent time as skipper of several clubs in the Indonesion semi-pros. He was known as a disciplinarian who would brook no arguments.

Whangarei: There had been high hopes when Wesley Stephens had been appointed to the GM role in Whangarei in 2051. The former minor league relief pitcher had built teams in Auckland and Sydney that had won rings and generally been competitive. His first year at the helm of the Sluggers and the fans were ecstatic, the team putting up a 94-68 record to win the division. But that was their high point, the team not finishing with a winning record in the 8 years since. Stephens’ contract was up for renewal at the end of this season, but owner Jenny Diprose indicated during the last month of the season that they would be heading in a different direction for 2060. Skipper Peter Massingham, who’d been at the club the same amount of time that Stephens had been, somehow earned a reprieve and would at least start next season as Whangarei skipper. Bench coach Liam Cleaver was moved on, as were the hitting coach and the team trainer.

Notable Free Agent Signings/Player Contract Extensions

23 Apr: Melbourne felt that 24 y/o Karl Blackwell (14-9, 3 sv, 4.07 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.55 WHIP) had a great future, today buying out the rest of his arbitration years with a 6-year deal. The young southpaw threw a fastball, curve, slider and changeup, had good movement on his pitches and generally picked and hit his spots well.

23 Apr: 28 y/o Matthew Utting (.274/.350/.462, 90HR) seemed like a big-league veteran, but actually only had just over 4 years’ service time to his name. Today the Cowboys announced he’d signed a 5-year contract extension.

23 Apr: According to internal sources, the Blue Sox had “got themselves a steal” after signing 27 y/o Nigel Anderton (.272/.342/.471, 85HR) to a 5-year extension.

23 Apr: Central Coast were prepared to “throw the book” at 24 y/o SP John Zglinicki (29-18, 4.04 ERA, 4.25 FIP, 1.11 WHIP), locking him up with a 6-year extension.

23 Apr: 26 y/o Calvin Hodnett (.278/.353/.493, 111HR) would qualify for free agency, injury notwithstanding, at the end of the 2060 season. But Heat fans were pleased to find out he wasn’t going anywhere just yet. The extremely popular slugger had just put pen to paper on a 6-year extension.

23 Apr: Perth moved to buy out the arbitration years of another local favourite, 23 y/o Tadakuni Sasaki (.305/.369/.493, 27HR), the two parties agreeing to terms on a 5-year contract.

23 Apr: 28 y/o Fernando Contreras (.241/.364/.467, 68HR) had well and truly made the transition from NABA player to AUNZBL player. He today agreed to a 5-year contract extension with the Fury, gushing about how much he loved ‘Windy Wellington.’

24 Apr: Adelaide and 24 y/o Umashankar Meenakshi (27-10, 3.74 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.34 WHIP) crossed their I’s and dotted their T’s on a 5-year extension which would buy out Meenakshi’s arbitration years.

24 Apr: 28 y/o CF Alan Willey (.295/.350/.428, 67HR) was willing to stay put with the struggling Metros a while longer. He’d signed a 4-year extension. Willey was still recovering from a bad concussion, which gave the late-night baseball guys an easy joke for the next few days.

13 May: The busiest day of the year for baseball journalists, even though nearly every player who hadn’t extended with their current team and was going to file for free agency was already known. Still, it gave the analysts an opportunity to joust and rumour-monger and otherwise enjoy themselves immensely.

This year’s top 5 free agents, according to OotPB TV, were:

27 y/o 1B Jorge Diaz
35 y/o SP Lance Ralston
29 y/o 2B Beau Snell
34 y/o SP Clint Aitcheson
28 y/o SP Greg Ahern

Some of the other free agents included:

36 y/o SP Angelo Spear
35 y/o RF Sean Carr
29 y/o SP Clint Kline
29 y/o C Norm Donaldson
32 y/o SP Cody Watts
32 y/o SP Ted Heathcote
34 y/o SP Baden Henderson
30 y/o RF Caspar Purcell
32 y/o SP Li Loetzsch
31 y/o CL Ryan Digby
35 y/o 2B Manuel Salinas
35 y/o CL Rhett Thurley
27 y/o 2B Dean Brewster
30 y/o CL Aaron Fingleson
31 y/o SP Adam Ward (ABC)
33 y/o SP Edwin Kerr
36 y/o CL Rex Herbert
27 y/o SS Jay Saunderson

Canberra were the biggest WAR losers, shedding 13.3, closely followed by Cairns, who lost 12.6, Adelaide (-11.2), and Perth (-10.7). Brisbane actually gained WAR (+2.0).

This year boasted a strong pitching class, so the relatively few hitters could expect their agents to negotiate them some big deals.

19 May: The first free agent signing of the offseason was... 27 y/o SP Claudio Banda (25-32, 4.81 ERA, 5.10 FIP, 1.47 WHIP). Melbourne had signed him to a “very affordable” 2-year deal. GM Danny Stapleton felt Banda was “criminally undervalued,” but how he would go in a hitter’s park remained to be seen, particularly given his 3rd pitch, a change-up complementing a good fastball and curve, was poor.

19 May: Christchurch extended 27 y/o CF Kelvin Pickhills (.262/.324/.411, 64HR) for 3 more years.

21 May: Sydney trumpeted the signing of Cody Watts (86-74, 3.78 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.24 WHIP) for 2 years. Watts was a native Sydney-sider and said he was “ecstatic at the chance of pitching for his hometown team.”

21 May: Norm Donaldson (.282/.367/.465, 123HR) filed for free agency but the truth was, he told journos today, that he “didn’t want to play anywhere else but Adelaide.” He’d just put pen to paper on a 7-year deal with the Venom and hoped to stay with them for the duration. Why had he filed for free agency? “Well, I had to, didn’t I?” Donaldson responded. “We were still negotiating terms and if I didn’t file I wouldn’t be eligible to play next season.”

22 May: As if they didn’t already have enough power in their lineup, the Venom announced the signing of superstar Jorge Diaz (.320/.374/.567, 278HR) on a 4-year deal. Did Diaz think the Venom could defend their title? “You bet!” was the rapid response.



22 May: Ryan ‘Rip’ Digby (28-45, 193 sv, 3.34 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.25 WHIP) was 5’10” and once stated he’d love to “break the sound barrier” with his fastball. His nickname arrived when he was in the minors and ripped his pants 2 days in a row while pitching. The charismatic Digby, who was apparently fluent in ancient Greek, had signed for 2 seasons with Sydney. Like Watts, he had also previously played for the Fury and was a Sydney native.

22 May: Cairns extended another 5’10’ pocket rocket, 28 y/o CL Sterling Boston (25-33, 158 sv, 4.01 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) for 3 years, the 3rd year being a player option.

22 May: There had been talk that 34 y/o Stefan Lock (.277/.365/.546, 154HR in 5 BL seasons) might be heading back to Australia for another shot at the majors. Those rumours were quickly put to bed, however, the 2-time BL Bateador de Ano signing a 2-year deal with Maracaibo. “I like it here,” he said to an Australian reporter on assignment, “and as long as they'll pay me to see the continent, I think I'll stick around.” This would be Lock’s 3rd BL team and Magnates fans were jubilant he was heading their way.

24 May: Christchurch took a punt on 36 y/o former ABCer Keiran Southey (.300/.380/.453, 26HR), giving him a 2-year deal, the 2nd year being a vesting option requiring 135 games played. Southey, who still owned LF despite his age, was a “natural leader,” according to those who’d played with him on the Gold Coast. One former teammate quipped, “He needs a shopping trolley to carry around his cajones. Or, in other words, he’ll put his body on the line every day for you, whether you deserve it or not.”

25 May: 2058 HotY Clint Kline (62-48, 3.75 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.12 WHIP) was off to the tropics. He’d signed a 7-year deal with Cairns, the last season being a team option.

27 May: 11-time All Star Rex Herbert (58-61, 370 sv, 3.01 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 1.27 WHIP) had made noises towards the end of the season that he might head over to the Lower Americas to play out his twilight years. That was not to be, at least not yet. Herbert would grace the AUNZBL for at least 2 more seasons, having agreed to a 2-year contract with Wellington. The Fury would be the 6th team Herbert would pitch for in the majors.

27 May: 32 y/o Brian Swerdlove (.244/.341/.366, 36HR) landed on his feet after not being offered arbitration by Melbourne. The champion Venom saw a place for him on their roster, though he’d be backing up Diaz and might spend plenty of 2060 as he had in 2059, in AAA.

27 May: Melbourne wanted Caspar Purcell (.273/.362/.451, 151HR) real bad. To get him they offered a 7-year contract, the last season being a vesting option based on PA. How did Purcell react? “Grabbed it with both hands, mate,” he said. “Yeah, it’s great to have my playing future sorted out.”

28 May: Rhett Thurley (68-60, 309 sv, 3.09 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 1.18 WHIP) was headed to the Venom on a 3-year agreement. He was keen to be their “go-to guy” in the pen and said his arm “felt as good as it did when I was 25.”

28 May: Wellington had lost a few players to free agency but their goal, according to 3rd-year GM Travis Aitcheson, was to “upgrade everywhere.” Their first significant splash in the offseason was signing Beau Snell (.324/.376/.419, 44HR) to a 6-year deal.



29 May: Sean Carr (.323/.384/.484, 242HR) would call Darwin home for the next 2 seasons. His first comment about his new city? “They’ve got a good party scene, so that’s all good.”

29 May: He was once again ‘The Missing Piece,’ this time according to Wellington executives. Lance Ralston (175-130, 3.56 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.28 WHIP) hadn’t quite got Cairns a trophy, faltering badly last postseason, but he’d done a lot to get them a shot, and he was confident Wellington would be more than just a competitive force, even though their rotation would look very different in 2060. “We’ll go all the way,” he said, “and we’ll make it look easy!” He’d be wearing a Fury uniform for the next 2 seasons.



29 May: Sydney re-signed Dean Brewster (.309/.387/.391, 16HR) to a 3-year deal.

30 May: 34 y/o Gordon Appleby (.265/.318/.452, 226HR), who’d never quite lived up to the hype of being #1 overall draft pick but had managed to carve out a respectable career regardless, signed with the Blue Sox for 2 years, the 2nd being a team option.

31 May: 41 y/o Esteban Madrigal (.275/.348/.501, 273HR) had sadly missed the entire 2059 season due to injury. Today he faded out of the AUNZBL with nary a whisper, signing a 1-year deal with Maracaibo. ‘Shark’ still had some pop and was looking forward to playing with the BL’s top slugger in Stefan Lock.

1 Jun: Newcastle and Li Loetzsch (67-68, 4.03 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 1.23 WHIP) agreed to a 4-year deal. Every scout who ever saw the 5’11”, 81kg Loetzsch always got excited, and reports over the years almost always included the phrase “the real deal.” However, Loetzsch had never quite lived up to his billing. Perhaps moving away from the hitter-friendly confines of Melbourne’s home ground might help, though his inability to regularly throw more than 6 effective innings would likely continue to hamper him.

3 Jun: Adelaide needed to shore up their rotation after the loss of Ahern. To that end, they signed veteran Baden Henderson (132-128, 4.26 ERA, 4.25 FIP, 1.36 WHIP) to a 2-year deal, the 2nd year being a team option. Like a fine wine, 34 y/o Henderson seemed to be improving with age, his last 2 seasons his best in terms of actual pitching, if not necessarily in W-L.

3 Jun: Since being traded to Auckland in 2057, 30 y/o Adrian Stuart (.292/.328/.393, 44HR) had dropped out of the media spotlight. He was still performing well, but being on a perpetual loser did have its drawbacks. Newcastle were eager to announce his signing, however, netting him on a cheap 3-year deal. Whether he could displace Guillermo Julio or Manuel Alou for one of the corner outfield spots remained to be seen.

6 Jun: 28 y/o Angelo Sartika (.237/.367/.365, 16HR) had played the last 2 seasons in the ABC for Sydney and hadn’t been particularly impressive, either at the plate or in the field. Still, Newcastle figured him as an option to be their long-term SS, and today announced he’d agreed to a 7-year contract.

9 Jun: Adelaide signed another veteran SP, Edwin Kerr (146-125, 4.12 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 1.25 WHIP) joining the team on a 2-year deal. It was a return home of sorts for Kerr, who’d worn an Adelaide uniform from 2054 when he won HotY to 2058 before going to free agency and signing a 1-year deal with Canberra.

11 Jun: 38 y/o Jayden Pye (.260/.349/.449, 292HR) had cobbled together a big-league career that spanned 14 years so far and would continue at least another year. He’d signed a 1-year deal with Melbourne. The Aces would be the 11th different club Pye had played for in the AUNZBL. For all his traipsing about, Pye was yet to be part of a Championship-winning team and had only appeared in 3 postseasons.

12 Jun: 31 y/o C Patrick Wigmore (.254/.385/.438, 141HR) was extremely popular in the Central Coast and according to GM Balamitra Mukundan was “representative of everything” the Central Coast wanted to stand for. He’d continue to be an ambassador for the Thunder for a while yet, today inking his name to a 5-year extension.

12 Jun: The Blue Sox fronted media at an 11 a.m. presser to announce a major signing. That signing was Greg Ahern (78-72, 4.48 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 1.35 WHIP). Coming off a career-best season and looking like he’d finally turned the corner in regards to seeing an entire game rather than just the hitter in front of him, Ahern had agreed to a 6-year deal, the final year being a player option.



15 Jun: Ted Heathcote (116-76, 3.81 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.19 WHIP) would also be a Blue Sock in 2060. He’d signed a 2-year deal with the club.

19 Jun: It wasn’t often a nearly 37 y/o starting pitcher got themselves a 3-year contract with no vesting option or team buyout clauses. But that’s exactly what Angelo Spear (212-150, 3.91 ERA, 3.95 FIP, 1.22 WHIP) negotiated with Melbourne. What did he think about playing in a park as hitter-friendly as Aces Ballpark? “The key,” he said, “is hitting my spots. If I do that I’ll have more good days than bad.” In terms of contract value, he admitted the next 3 years wouldn’t match his biggest paydays, but Melbourne had been “really very generous.”

21 Jun: AUNZBL fans might have the chance to see a bona-fide knuckleball pitcher starting games in 2060. 36 y/o Dan Eveson (17-13, 3.25 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.27 WHIP) had played the last 2 seasons for Port Moresby in the ABC. Prior to signing with the Kumuls, Eveson had featured in a semi-pro league in New South Wales, supporting himself as a high school teacher. Now Adelaide had signed him, but it was more likely he’d start in the high minors than on the big league roster. Whatever the case, Eveson was just “grateful to have the opportunity to continue playing baseball fulltime.”

24 Jun: Sydney snaffled up Jay Saunderson (.277/.325/.433, 76HR) on a 3-year deal.

26 Jun: Melbourne were working hard to put together a competitive rotation for 2060. Today, they unveiled Clint Aitcheson (191-116, 3.87 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.20 WHIP) as the next piece of that puzzle. He’d signed a 2-year contract and joked his primary reason for going with the Aces was to be “on the same team as Angelo when I overtake him as the winningest pitcher ever.” Some Melbourne fans and a few prominent analysts weren’t so sure Aitcheson was the right move for the club. Over the last season the velocity on his fastball had dropped around 6 km/h and his cut fastball, slider and changeup also didn’t have the same menace or mirage about them.



27 Jun: 2059 Brodie Backhouse winner Aaron Fingleson (38-32, 96 sv, 3.30 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.24 WHIP) found himself a home with the defending champs. But Adelaide weren’t promising him the closing role, saying he’d have to duke it out during ST with Rhett Thurley and Bailey Naylor.

30 Jun: Perhaps because of his outspoken attitude and the perceived falling-out he’d had with his skipper during the season, some within the media began to postulate that perhaps the spot-fixing allegations swirling around Manuel Salinas (.312/.413/.382, 34HR) were in fact true. The relative lack of interest in him during free agency didn’t help quell the rumours any, either. Today he signed with Darwin on a modest 1-year deal and took the presser as an opportunity to unload on all his critics. “All you media guys who’ve been saying ‘maybe Manuel has been cheating,’ here’s what I have to say back to you: you make me sick, you disgust me, if any of you were man enough to say that to my face I’d knock your teeth out. Maybe I’m an easy target because I give my actual opinion when asked questions, not the vanilla responses most other ballplayers give, but if you’re going to go after me, you’ve got to go after all the other players mentioned. But you know the allegations are rubbish so you just go after the guy who’ll give you the best headlines. You’re all a blight on humanity and I don’t want any of you talking to me ever again.”

He wasn’t done, but the remainder of his tirade sounded very similar to what had already been said. It provided plenty of fodder for the late-night baseball shows, however, as did the expression of his new manager, 38 y/o Gavin Brigatti, who had recently been hired by Darwin after having managed Adelaide and Brisbane in the ABC. Brigatti’s expression quickly changed from serene to worried to badly-concealed horror as Salinas continued talking, and close-ups of his face dominated the baseball news for the next couple days.

4 Jul: Blair Toohey (.265/.372/.399, 204HR) would be 41 y/o before the start of the 2060 season, but Sydney obviously still saw value in the burly 3B. They signed him to a 1-year deal, planning to use him as a backup to 3B Appleby and 1B Nigel Anderton. Toohey had fond memories of Sydney already, having been part of their 2046 Championship-winning team.

9 Aug: 36 y/o 1B Joshua Angwin (.275/.322/.479, 266HR) signed on with the Fury for 2 seasons, the 2nd being dependent on 550PA in 2060. He was slated to be Wellington’s DH, but with Angwin, Luigi Dempster and Arthur Fingleson fighting it out for 3 spots, Angwin was either supremely confident in signing a contract with a PA vesting option, or desperate.

9 Aug: 33 y/o SP Wally Moylan (54-72, 4.99 ERA, 4.87 FIP, 1.44 WHIP) would be a Digger in 2060, having agreed to a 2-year contract.

20 Aug: When now 32 y/o SP Marcos Gallo (141-102, 4.04 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.30 WHIP) burst onto the scene for Brisbane in 2049 - he’d also thrown 3 March innings in 2048 - he was touted as the next big thing in a Brisbane staff already dominated by stars. He won 22 games in 2053, coming runner-up in HotY, and then 18 the next season and it looked as if the predictions were true. But then, inexplicably, his arm began to fall off. There were no injuries to blame, in fact, Gallo was remarkably resilient for a starting pitcher, to-date never spending any time on the DL. He went from Brisbane to Darwin, but the change of scenery did him no good and in 2058 he was a league-leader in games lost, putting 17 in that column. It wasn’t that his defense was letting him down, either. No, he had just become plain awful. He stayed up in the bigs all season for Darwin in 2059, but started only 6 games, being used out of the pen in mop-up situations the rest of the time. Surprisingly, however, his AUNZBL career was set to continue, at least for the 2060 season. Perhaps out of sentimentality, Brisbane offered Gallo a 1-year deal, though, with 2 of his option years unused it was likely he’d be serving up tater-balls in the minors before long.

3 Sep: On the morning Spring Training began, 38 y/o Jay Cummins (169-141, 3.59 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.28 WHIP), who’d plied his trade for 14 seasons in Wellington and was tied atop the league leaderboards in career shutouts, with 11, but whose arm was certainly showing the effects of age, signed for the 2060 season with Cairns. He’d work out of the bullpen and had no illusions about doing otherwise. “I’m just grateful to the Crocs for giving me another year in the top league in the world,” he said. “I knew I wasn’t ready to call it quits here just yet, but it was looking more and more as if I’d have to head overseas to keep playing. While I'll be honest that it was initially hard for me to get my head around playing for anybody but the Fury, now I just want to do my best for this club and their amazing fans.”

Notable Trades

27 Apr: The first trade of the AUNZBL offseason was between Hobart and Christchurch. Hobart parted with 31 y/o Lance Fookes (.286/.339/.504, 209HR), who was only 1 year into a 7-year deal, in exchange for 33 y/o IF Robin Herbert (.252/.359/.383, 107HR), who was said to be “on peanuts” for the 4 years remaining on his contract, and a 21 y/o Japanese OF prospect who looked like he’d be a big-leaguer one day in the not-too-distant future, even if he’d been trade bait for his last 3 teams.

28 Apr: 27 y/o Arturo Medina’s (.272/.355/.467, 147HR) stint in Perth only lasted half a season, the Heat trading him to Christchurch for the last year of his current contract. In return, Perth acquired 27 y/o fringe-MLer Kent Carson (.226/.307/.346, 6HR from 329PA across 5 seasons) and a 19 y/o pitching prospect.

2 Jun: Whangarei had a new GM in 38 y/o Jose Gonzalez, who had no prior experience in the role in any league of note. In fact, he had no apparent baseball experience at all, but had instead been one of the young movers and shakers in the Mexican business world. One of his first moves in the job was to trade away 28 y/o LF Luke Maggs (.268/.351/.391, 46HR) to Brisbane in return for 32 y/o power hitter and strikeout machine Armando Santos (.203/.267/.387, 20HR from 475 major-league PA, 182 of which were Ks) and cash. Santos could be a good bench bat or platoon corner outfielder, the analysts surmised, but for some reason the Sluggers were talking about playing him at SS, perhaps the most important fielding position in the game and one Santos was most definitely not suited for.

2 Jun: Melbourne parted with 32 y/o OF Will Glasson (.288/.357/.450, 195HR), who’d been on their big league roster the best part of 10 years, to Wellington in exchange for 26 y/o 2B Luis Cesta, who was yet to properly break into the bigs, and a 19 y/o pitching prospect.

4 Jun: Canberra and Sydney consummated a trade, the Cavalry receiving 25 y/o SS Nathaniel Bowden (.281/.326/.454, 37HR), who hit 21HR in 2059, his 1st full season in the majors, along with cash, while Sydney acquired 26 y/o reliever Kyle Ablett, and a boss 18 y/o 1B prospect by the name of Ewan Stenis. Stenis was Dutch and had signed with the Venom before the 2058 season after being discovered doing the rounds in a high-school scratch softball league in what remained of his homeland. Adelaide had traded him to the Cavalry in January as part of a deal for pitcher Nick Waterson and now he was on the move again, but according to all who had seen him he’d be in The Show sooner rather than later.

6 Jun: Canberra made another move to strengthen their infield, acquiring 25 y/o 3B Lachlan Limeburner (.238/.285/.411, 32HR) from Wellington in exchange for 32 y/o reliever Xavier Grimes and a decent 21 y/o pitching prospect.

27 Sep: Cairns and Canberra indulged in a late preseason trade, the Crocs sending 28 y/o 1B Jai Rowe (.261/.319/.412, 5HR from 166 career PA), the subject of much fan debate last postseason, down to Canberra, along with a minor-leaguer, in return for 32 y/o corner outfielder Damian Krajancic (.260/.337/.418, 151HR). Cairns would be Krajancic’s 6th different club. He’d accumulated just over 7 and-a-half years of major-league service time.

Notable Injuries

4 Sep: Canberra would be without SP Marty Palmer (78-79, 4.53 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 1.43 WHIP) for up to 12 months after he tore his UCL. He would go under the knife immediately and openly admitted he was worried about whether he’d ever be the same pitcher again.

11 Sep: Fei-hsien Chang (.277/.341/.487, 156HR) was set to miss a good chunk of the season thanks to a bad concussion. While doctors were reluctant to put a time-frame on his return, they did say that concussions they’d seen of similar severity often took 2-3 months for a person to recover from.

25 Sep: More bad injury news for the Heat. Tadakuni Sasaki (.305/.369/.493, 27HR), who team coaching staff had been saying was going to ‘take the league by the scruff of his neck’ this season, would miss 3-4 months of proceedings thanks to a torn calf muscle.

NABA Wrap-up

The Evansville Peacemakers clinched the NABA regular season for the 3rd time and progressed to the NABA Cup for the 6th time. They were yet to win the Cup. The Olympia Shockwave, 2 games back, took out the wildcard spot, edging out Canon City by 1 game. This was Canon City’s 3rd trip to the dessert cart. They’d won it in 2057.

The Shockwave took out Game 1 by the score of 3-1, Evansville not getting on the board until the 9th. Game 2 went down to the wire, the score locked at 2 each heading into the 9th. The Shockwave hustled home the go-ahead run in the top of the inning and that was enough to win it, Olympia snaring their 2nd NABA Cup, and Evansville still without a trophy after 6 attempts.

Sioux City’s 25 y/o rookie RF Francisco Carrion (.315/.334/.566, 17HR) took out the North Cascades Award, much to the delight of the fans, as he was a NABA product through and through. Drafted in 2055 by the Rampage, Carrion developed on their reserve roster - players contracted to the NABA but not in the top flight turned out for teams in the local match-payment competitions - before getting his shot in 2060. The fans in attendance at the awards dinner weren’t done chanting Carrion’s name, however, as later that night he also won the league’s biggest honour, the Grand Canyon Award.

33 y/o Blake Cook (8-4, 1.79 ERA, 2.96 FIP, 1.01 WHIP), also of Sioux City, won the Yosemite Award. Cooke had made it as high as AAA in the AUNZBL before heading to the NABA in 2055. He played 5 seasons in the Upper Americas before giving the big-time one more try, playing the 2059/2060 season for Christchurch’s AAA-affiliate. Unable to crack the majors he once again found himself in the NABA, though he said his year back in Australia had helped him “iron out some kinks” that had developed in his game, making him an even more valuable pitcher on his return to the Upper Americas.

Other Notes

As the offseason rushed to a close, it was Perth, who’d reportedly lost somewhere close to 60 million dollars in 2059 and therefore made nearly no moves during the winter months, who’d go into 2060 with the biggest net WAR loss (-10.7). Canberra, whose only moves had been at the trading table, were the second-worst off, having lost -8.2 WAR.

On the positive end of the scale the Aces, who had had seemingly been making signing announcements every other day, added a net total of 14.3 WAR added to their 2060 roster. Champions Adelaide had also been active, turning an 11.2 WAR loss at the beginning of free agency to a 10.3 WAR gain on the eve of the 2060 season.

[Izz]

2060 Preseason Predictions

According to the stats gurus, the 2060 AUNZBL regular season would be one of the most closely contested of all time across every division.

Coastal: Adelaide and Perth would duke it out, the Venom eventually snaring the division crown. Cairns would play better than .500 ball but wouldn’t be in it to win it.

East-West: The Central Coast were once again favourites but Kununurra would snap at their heels all the way to the finish line.

NZ: Christchurch and Wellington would take this race down to the wire, the Cowboys picked to nudge out the Fury by 1 game. Whangarei and Auckland would once again be awful.

Southern: Hobart and Sydney were the contenders here, with Hobart the majority choice to take out the division. Melbourne, for all their offseason moves, wouldn’t play above .500 and Canberra, as they’d been picked to do last season, would finish last.

Wildcard: Perth for one slot, with Kununurra and Sydney possibly needing an extra game to sort out the second entry.

Slugger of the Year: Calvin Hodnett would snare his 2nd SotY title, with Ronald Aitken, Quentin Welch and Jorge Diaz his primary competition. Aguirre would have a strong season, while young Kununurra OF Nick Ahern would break out. Surprisingly, virtually nobody had Jason Hewitt or Cain Donaldson on their top 10 list.

Hurler of the Year: Barry Dean, in the eyes of the stats-heads, was already a future Hall-of-Famer. They predicted he’d win back-to-back HotY’s, edging out Lance Ralston and perennial preseason favourite Ethan Humphries. Edwin Kerr would also have a strong season in his return to Adelaide.

ABC: Alice Springs would dominate the Northern, Sydney would edge out Canberra in the Southern, Kalgoorlie would ease to a division title in the Western, and Jakarta would take out a competitive Overseas Division. These same 4 teams had been picked by the experts the previous 2 seasons, and had mostly lived up to expectations.

Gavin Howell was favourite for Golden Bat, while Satya Susanti was picked to not only win Golden Arm but also finally break the 300 strikeout barrier, having recorded 293 last season, and 286 in 2058. The 31 y/o was in the last year of his contract with Hobart and already there was talk of which AUNZBL team would snatch him up, and whether he’d have quite the same dominance in that offense-centric league.

43 y/o Rhys Susanti had signed for another season with Jakarta and was picked to top the league in wins even if his fastball was drastically slower than 2 years ago.

[Izz]

2060/2061 Season - October

Notable Performances

1 Oct: Damian Flemming got through 5.2 innings of 4-hit, 3-walk, 1-run ball in Cairns 8-5 Opening Day win over Kununurra. He also struck out 9, but the newsworthy aspect of his victory was that he’d now gone 19 starts without a loss, a streak which tied him for 5th all-time. If he could make it 20 undefeated starts he’d jump into a tie for 2nd all-time. Cain Blenkhorn held the record, having put together a remarkable run of 39 undefeated starts across 2044-2045.

2 Oct: Last time Edwin Kerr played for the Venom (2054-2058), things had started off well enough. He’d won 20 games in 2054 along the way to HotY, the fans rejoicing. However, things quickly went downhill, and he ended up posting losing records the last 3 seasons of his contract. In his pre-match interview before his first start in his second stint with the team, Kerr admitted to a “fair few nerves.” 9 innings later and those nerves were long gone. He’d held the ship steady, leading Adelaide to a 7-0 shutout win over Perth. He conceded 6 hits and 2 walks, fanning 6, for only the 3rd shutout of his 12-year career.

3 Oct: Commentators noted during ST that 34 y/o Clint Aitcheson’s pitches looked “tired.” He got through 7 innings of work today in Melbourne’s first victory of the season, a 9-5 beating of Whangarei, and while he fanned 10, he also allowed 8 hits and 1 walk for 4 earned runs. Still, a win was a win and this particular one was the 192nd of his career.

4 Oct: Hobart suffered a 6-5 defeat to Central Coast, giving them a 1-3 record so far. For the Prospects, 38 y/o Jacob Blanksby, in the DH role so far this season, went 2-3, including a 4th inning homer. The blast was his 1st of the year, and the 495th of his career.

6 Oct: Damian Flemming didn’t get the win for Cairns as they snuck past Christchurch 4-3, but he didn’t take the loss either, meaning he now had a run of 20 straight undefeated starts, tying him for 2nd all-time alongside Sterling Dunlop, Allan Spear, and Walter Anglesey.

7 Oct: Edwin Kerr was all giggles after today’s game against Melbourne. The southpaw slinger threw just about a carbon copy of his Opening Day start. Once again he allowed only 6 hits for no runs to help the Venom shut out the Aces 9-0. He gave up 1 walk and struck out 4. “It’s something, isn’t it?” he told press after the game, in between chortles. “Let’s see if we can go three in a row!”

7 Oct: Since snaring 18 wins in 2057, Zachariah Pond had had 2 forgettable seasons, going 9-13 and 5-14 respectively. He got beat up in his first outing of the season, giving up 5 runs off 10 hits in 6 innings, but managed to escape with a no-decision. He looked a completely different pitcher today though, commanding the plate like an army general on his way to a 4-hit, 2-walk, 8-strikeout whitewash of Central Coast. Darwin won the game 4-0.

8 Oct: For the last 2 seasons Auckland and Whangarei had attempted to build up their games as interdivision rivalries. It seems like some of the players had bought into the hype, with Metros SS Tyler Johnston taking exception to a brushback pitch from Sluggers’ SP Jason Brewster in the 2nd and charging the mound. An all-in brawl ensued and play was halted for 15 minutes while the two teams were prised apart. Some fans got in on the action too, taking advantage of the security team’s distraction to vault the fences and join the rolling maul. Primarily because of the latter, the Commissioner’s Office handed down 10-game suspensions to both players. Whangarei would eventually go on to win the game 7-6, Auckland scoring 3 in the top of the 9th to make it close.

9 Oct: Jarrod Gulledge dominated the Central Coast en-route to a 5-hit, 1-walk, 4-K shutout. Darwin eased to a 5-0 win.

9 Oct: 2057's first overall pick, Miguel Ibanez, had nailed down his spot as Adelaide’s everyday CF. Ibanez showed great fielding chops, but that wasn’t what had the Venom fans in raptures. Hitting 9th in Adelaide’s lineup, Ibanez today slugged his 7th HR in his last 5 games, having had double-homer games tonight and yesterday. If he could go deep tomorrow he’d equal the all-time AUNZBL HR-streak, a feat which hadn’t been managed since 2055. With the season’s first PotW to be announced in 2 days, Ibanez seemed like a sure bet.

9 Oct: 24 y/o rookie Rich ‘Domino’ Downes could be forgiven for thinking this big-league thing was a bit of a lark. He was the star of the show in Auckland’s 11-6 victory over Whangarei, going 5-6, with 2 doubles, 1HR, 4 runs and 3 ribbies. Downes, drafted in 2058, had last season played short-A and double-A before making the jump into the majors this year.

11 Oct: Ibanez only went 1-4 yesterday but as predicted he took home the season’s first PotW award the next morning. For the week Ibanez had hit an incredible .519/.552/1.370, his 14-27 including 2 doubles and 7 dingers. He scored 9 runs and drove in 15.

11 Oct: Flemming’s undefeated streak came to an end at the hands of the Roos, who boxed him around for 4 hits, 5 walks, and 8 runs in 4.1 innings on their way to a resounding 14-7 victory.

11 Oct: During Spring Training, Venom skipper Luis Gonzalez surprised a journalist tasked with interviewing him by providing an actual soundbite: “We’re going to be a force to be reckoned with this season, believe you me.” That was about the only memorable thing from the interview but it was called to mind in baseball circles today after Adelaide destroyed Auckland 9-4 to win their 10th on the trot and move to a 10-1 record for the season.

12 Oct: Jacob Blanksby bashed career HR number 496 in Hobart’s 5-1 defeat of Christchurch.

13 Oct: Adelaide slugged it out with Auckland but came off the losers, going down 14-9 to end their winning run at 11 games.

16 Oct: Hobart fought off Newcastle in an 8-6 win. Maurice Clemens had his second 2HR game in a row, catapulting him into the HR lead with 9. Jacob Blanksy also went long, his 3-run effort in the 5th putting him within 3 of the golden 500.

17 Oct: The Cowboys lit up the Diggers, scoring 18 runs off 20 hits, including 9 in the top of the 9th, to romp to an 18-8 win. SS Blake Rawnsley was a standout, going 5-6, with 2 doubles, 3 runs and 4RBI.

18 Oct: 23 y/o Metros LF Javier Garcia had spent time in the majors in 2058 (with Wellington) and 2059, but hadn’t turned too many heads. He looked like he belonged in The Show this season though, winning PotW with a .520/.520/.880 performance, his 13 hits including 2 doubles and 3HR.

18 Oct: Low-key offseason recruit Arthur Hammer was proving to be the bright spot in Melbourne’s stumbling start to the season. He’d started on the 5th, throwing 8.2 innings for 1 earned run and a well-earned victory. He made a 2 inning relief appearance on the 9th, allowing no hitters to cross homeplate. On the 12th he found himself the headline pitcher once again, throwing 8.2 innings of no-run ball in a 10-inning 1-0 loss to Perth. And today he did even better. Auckland were his opponents and Hammer conceded just 7 hits on the way to a shutout victory. He struck out 3, walked none, and induced a whopping 18 groundball outs to see Melbourne to a 7-0 victory. This was only the Aces’ 5th win of the season. Hammers carried 2 of those wins against his name. His ERA for the season-to-date was a league-leading 0.32.

19 Oct: 35 y/o Ed Geoghegan had been an integral part of 2 Championship-winning teams in the last 2 seasons, but he rated today’s achievement as just as special. It was only a 2-out single in a scoreless 3rd inning of a 9-4 Venom win over Canberra, but Geoghegan would always remember the hit as number 2000 in a career into its 13th year. Scratching his head after the game, he said, “Yeah, I seem old to be just getting to 2000, don’t I? But I still reckon it’s a hell of an achievement, and I’m stoked to have made it.” Geoghegan was the 46th player in the history of the AUNZBL to reach 2000 hits and only the 10th first baseman to do so.

21 Oct: Hobart thrashed Brisbane 8-0, and one of the chief architects of their victory was old man Blanksby. He launched a 2-run 4-bagger in the 2nd, and then another 2-run blast in the 6th. All up he was 2-4 on the night, with 2 runs and 4RBI. Even more importantly from his point of view, he now sat on 499 career homers.

22 Oct: Today’s Adelaide-Wellington matchup was a tight affair, going the distance and then some before the Venom emerged victorious, scoring 2 in the top of the 11th to win 9-7. The star of the night was Gary Young, who went 5-6. His hits included a double and the 2-run HR that broke the deadlock. He scored 3 runs and drove in 5. This was the 2nd time Young had recorded 5 hits in a game and Wellington had been the victims both times.

22 Oct: Clint Aitcheson hadn’t pitched since the 14th, Melbourne management saying he needed extra time off to work on his “mound balance.” The rest seemed to have done him good, as he threw 7.0 innings of 6-hit, 2-walk, 1-run ball in Melbourne’s 6-2 victory over Canberra. Win 193 for his career.

24 Oct: And there it was! And there it went! The Prospects slugged 5 homeruns in their 9-6 defeat of Whangarei, but the most memorable by far was Blanksby’s 2-out solo blast in the top of the 2nd. It was the first scoring act of the game and a monster, travelling 440 feet over dead centre. Blanksby stood and watched it for a few moments before rounding the bases and nobody minded. Number 500. Blanksby was only the 5th player to reach that milestone and the 1st catcher to do so. However, whereas the 4 ahead of him had all gone on to break the 600HR mark, that would be a bridge too far for 39 y/o Blanksby, who celebrated on the diamond with his wife and two daughters following the game. Typically always one to speak his mind, the rugged catcher was unusually quiet in the postmatch presser. “Just letting it settle,” he said. “This feels like my crowning accomplishment and I just want to linger over it for a while.”



24 Oct: Byron Moore made the ball dance like he was a snake charmer, throttling the Aces, who could only manage 3 hits and 1 walk against him. He held his nerve right to the end in a tense encounter to see Wellington win 1-0. Moore struck out 3 and threw 102 pitches, recording 16 groundball outs. This was the 5th shutout of Moore’s career and the 4th consecutive season he'd recorded at least 1. The win was Moore’s 5th of the month.

24 Oct: In a comeback tale that would surely become legend among Thunder fans in the years to come, Central Coast scored nothing through 8 innings before finally sparking to life in the bottom of the 9th, scoring 5 to win it. While that was remarkable, Tom Doig’s walk-off Grand Slam was what really made it magic. Christchurch's Elijah Deas, who’d thrown 8 scoreless innings before allowing the 1st 3 runners of the 9th aboard could only shrug after the game. “Yeah, well, I sure didn’t like it, I can tell you that.” Doig’s walk-off Slammer was his 3rd walk-off hit of the month. It was also his 2nd Grand Slam of the month. The final score was 5-4 Central Coast.

25 Oct: Gary Young battered his way to PotW with a .469/.485/.875 stat-line, his 15 hits including 1 double and 4 homers. He also scored 12 runs and drove in 12 runners.

25 Oct: Blanksby celebrated yesterday’s milestone HR by cracking the 8th Grand Slam of his career in today’s 8-3 win over Whangarei. This was his 1st salami since the 2054 season and his 4th against the Sluggers.

27 Oct: Clint Aitcheson held Melbourne steady, throwing 8 solid innings to help the Aces to a 4-1 victory over Wellington. Vern Bull was the star with the bat, cracking 2HR. Aitcheson moved to 3-1 for the year, and 194-117 for his career.

29 Oct: Baseball, where anything can happen and quite often does, especially, it seemed, if the Central Coast Thunder were involved. Newcastle, in front of their home crowd, held a 4-2 advantage heading into the 9th inning. Central Coast, though, got cracking and the lightning strikes just kept coming. They sent 14 hitters to the plate, scored 10 runs, all earned, and toppled the stunned Roos by the score of 12-4. No Thunder hitters cleared the fence in the entire game.

31 Oct: 26 y/o Pete Rawnsley had made Hobart’s rotation this season after 1 1/2 seasons in the pen. He threw a great fastball and curve supplemented by an occasional changeup, which only worked if it stayed occasional. So far, his season was going well, and today he threw his best ever game, restricting the Venom to 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8 and, most importantly, allowing no runs to safely cross homeplate. Hobart won 3-0, and Aguirre was quick to heap praise on his teammate after the game. “He’s got a great head on his shoulders. Nothing gets him down. He gives up a double, he just shrugs and focuses on hitting the corners for the next guy.” This was Rawnsley’s 2nd complete game in a row, and Adelaide’s 5th loss on the trot.

31 Oct: Where had Martin Boston been hiding the last couple seasons? In plain sight, and performing just as well as ever, but not making the headlines he usually made, possibly due to injuries. He’d spent 2 weeks on the DL already this season, with a sprained finger, but showed no ill effects in Canberra’s 12-10 win over Perth. He went 5-5, scoring 3 runs. This was the fifth 5-hit game of his career.

Notable Injuries

1 Oct: Quentin Welch didn’t take long to join teammates Fei-hsien Chang and Tadakuni Sasaki on the DL. He went 2-4 in Perth’s Opening Day 8-3 win over Adelaide, but hurt his hand when diving into 2nd to complete his 8th-inning double. The verdict was immediate: fractured thumb, and at least 5 weeks on the sidelines.

6 Oct: Wellington closer Rex Herbert (1 save from 2 appearances) would sit out the next 2 months with a strained oblique. 36 y/o Herbert had 371 saves, and was still optimistic he could get to 400 this season.

9 Oct: Yoshihito Morimoto (.282/.317/.359, 0HR) faced around 5 weeks on the DL with biceps tendinitis.

11 Oct: Perth suffered another injury blow, 3B Rex Kwan (.256/.273/.442, 1HR) set to miss at least 5 weeks with a quad tear.

11 Oct: Luke Maggs (.308/.426/.513, 1HR) strained a ribcage muscle while completing a triple for Brisbane today. He’d be on the DL for about a month.

13 Oct: Bad news for Wellington and their fans. Lance Ralston (1-1, 3.38 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 1.63 WHIP) would be out until at least February with ulnar nerve irritation.

13 Oct: Fernando Contreras (.241/.364/.463, 0HR) had a fractured hand. 5-6 weeks of rest and rehab awaited.

18 Oct: Angelo Spear (0-4, 6.85 ERA, 5.67 FIP, 1.48 WHIP) had been pitching awfully for his new team. In yesterday’s start, while he gave up 4 runs on 10 hits in 7 innings, he looked much better, his season FIP dropping nearly 2 runs. Sadly, though, he left the field in some discomfort at the end of the 7th, having finished the inning via strikeout. Today he learnt that the injury was much worse than he’d thought: a torn labrum. He’d be on the DL at least 4 months. “My shoulder’s been feeling funny since the end of Spring Training,” Spear said, “but everybody plays through niggles so I just shrugged and kept pitching. Guess I should’ve talked to the medical staff sooner. If I had it might not have been so serious.”

18 Oct: Wellington fans were cursing the injury gods, another prominent player now sidelined. This time it was Beau Snell (.328/.392/.403, 1HR), who’d torn a ligament in his thumb and could expect to be on the DL at least 5 weeks.

20 Oct: From extremely high to incredibly low in the matter of a few weeks. Edwin Kerr (2-1, 1.63 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 1.12 WHIP) cut a disconsolate figure at a press conference announcing the extent of the injury he’d suffered while pitching on the 17th. He’d be sidelined at least 3 months with shoulder inflammation, and while he tried to put a positive spin on matters, saying, “At least I’ll get back on the paddock this season,” it didn’t ring true.

31 Oct: Damian Krajancic (.311/.422/.419, 1HR) had settled into platooning duties for Cairns, but he’d be laid up in the infirmary for a while, team medics reckoned, due to recurring back spasms.

Notable Trades/Signings

8 Oct: 28 y/o Dean Brewster (.444/.467/.481, 0HR) cut a dejected figure at Sydney airport when found by journalists. “Yeah, a complete shock,” he said. “We just signed a 3-year deal back in May after I went to free agency but Keith* said, ‘Look we really want you to stay a Blue Sock.’ So we negotiated, I signed, and Jules** and I figured it was time to buy a house because we’ve been renting here this whole time. And then, boom, no warning and I’ve got to uproot my life. Jules will join me in a few weeks, but it’s not really fair on her either is it, suddenly having to manage a move like this. The kids are settled in at kindy and school, we just started getting all DIY on the new house, her whole family is in this city. But that’s baseball, I guess, even though it doesn’t feel like I’ve been dealt with in good faith.”

Why was Brewster so upset? Sydney had just traded him to Brisbane in return for 29 y/o Bailey Kinnear (.364/.364/.576, 1HR) who, on the other hand, was excited about moving to a team that had played in 2 of the last 3 postseasons. Neither player had logged enough service time to give them the right to veto a trade.

*Keith Rodriguez, Blue Sox GM
**Julia Barber, Brewster’s longtime partner

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: Rich Downes was a long way from the finished product, according to his coaches, even if his October numbers suggested otherwise. He hit .368/.403/.632, 42-114, with 23 runs, 10 doubles, 1 triples, 6HR, 19RBI, 7 walks and only 16 strikeouts. Metros’ fans were pinning their hopes on the 24 y/o, of the belief that he and Andre Wiltshire, the 2056 overall #1 pick and still only 22 y/o, were the guys to build a team around and bring Auckland back to its glory days.

Hurler of the Month: Wellington fans weren’t wringing their hands quite as much as they might otherwise be over Lance Ralston’s longterm injury thanks to Byron Moore’s splendid October. The 31 y/o pitcher scooped his 3rd HotM award with a 5-and-oh effort from 6 starts. His ERA was 2.49, his FIP 3.15, and his WHIP 1.02. He wasn’t fanning many, ringing up just 21 strikeouts in 47.0 innings pitched but as long as he kept getting weak contact his manager wouldn’t give a damn. He didn’t give up a single HR during the month either - the only qualified starter not to do so - had thrown the most innings, and was tied for the league lead in wins.

Slugger of the Month: Richard Moore was the star in an otherwise underwhelming Brisbane lineup. He knocked opposition pitching about in October to the tune of .346/.474/.598, his 37-107 including 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 7HR. He also scored 21 runs and drove in 27 runners while drawing 25 walks (top of the league), leading one analyst to joke, “Might as well put him on the mound everyday too. He’s already producing all the team's offense.” Moore also led the league in OPS and wOBA (.456).

Media Watch

Clint Aitcheson was closing in on 200 wins but, apart from that, no veterans were in the media’s eye yet in 2060. Those eyes were firmly focused on the new talent coming through, particularly who might be the ‘next Aguirre.’ The original Aguirre gave nobody any indication as to how he felt about being put on the shelf before he’d actually retired!

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Adelaide ended the month on a 5-game losing streak, and saw their lead over Cairns reduced to just 1 game. Darwin and Perth were a further 3 games back.

East-West Division: Central Coast was always the team to beat in the East-West, and while they’d started the last couple seasons slow, that wasn’t the case this year. They already led the Pioneers and Roos by 3 games, both those teams 1 game below .500.

NZ Division: Wellington had the ascendency, 3 games ahead of Christchurch, who were playing just below .500.

Southern Division: Hobart were 2 games ahead of Sydney, who were also below the .500 line. Melbourne and Canberra were fighting it out for worst in the league.

Wildcard: Too early to pay attention too.

#

The hitting leaderboards were full of Venom brown and red. Miguel Ibanez (.301/.311/.689, 11HR) was yet to earn his 1st walk of the season, but had the best slugging percentage of any qualified hitter. He’d also hit the most HR, and had the best isolated power (.388). All from #9 in the lineup, too!

Teammate Jorge Diaz (.380/.424/.636, 6HR) was loving his new team. His 46 hits were 3 clear of anybody else, and he had the most XBH (18), and total bases (77). He was also tied for the league lead in doubles, with 11.

Tomas Zartuche (.314/.341/.430, 0HR) hit a crazy 5 triples during the month.

Cain Donaldson (.394/.492/.538, 1HR) was demonstrating that his rookie year was no fluke. He led all-comers in BA, OBP, and runs (27), and was tied atop the WAR board (1.8).

Tied with Donaldson at the top of the WAR tree was 22 y/o Hobart sensation Gordon Ladds (.313/.431/.406, 1HR). Ladds had already put up a +6.2 ZR in CF, and was becoming known amongst fans as ‘Joey’ because he pouched everything that came his way.

Barry Dean (4-1, 3.11 ERA, 2.47 FIP, 1.19 WHIP) was a joy to watch on the mound. He had the league’s best FIP, and had struck out the most hitters (47) at the best K/9 rate (11.23).

Wally Moylan (5-0, 2.42 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 1.01 WHIP) had settled into his news digs in Darwin with aplomb. Tied for the league lead in wins, he also led the league in WAR, with 1.7.

Sterling Boston had seen plenty of action so far in 2060 as closer for Cairns. He led the league with 10 saves, and also had 1 win and 3 losses.

ABC Wrap-up

Alice Springs led Townsville by 1, and Brisbane by 2 1/2 in the Northern. Canberra and Sydney were locked at 17-12 in the Southern, while Kalgoorlie had jumped to an early 5-game lead in the Western. Dunedin led Port Moresby by 3 in the Overseas, with Jakarta an extra game back.

The month’s rookie award went to 23 y/o Hammerhead 1B Bruno Roach (.347/.391/.535, 3HR), while 28 y/o Jakarta hurler Bradley Schwer (5-0, 1.43 ERA, 2.59 FIP, 0.85 WHIP) picked up the pitching award. The best hitter of the month was deemed to be Dunedin’s Rowan Reardon (.330/.441/.726, 13HR), who’d bashed 4 more dingers than any other hitter.

AUNZBL Standings, Nov 1

[Izz]

2060/2061 Season - November

Notable Performances

1 Nov: Cain Donaldson snaffled PotW with a .583/.630/.750 showing.

2 Nov: 37 y/o Christchurch recruit Keiran Southey was almost in tears after tonight’s game against the Heat. “What a highlight,” the former ABCer kept repeating, “what a highlight!” What was such a highlight? He’d gone 5-5, with a double and 2 homeruns in Christchurch’s 10-3 battering of Perth. He also scored 3 runs and brought home 5 runners.

2 Nov: It took 11 innings for Central Coast to squeak past Brisbane 6-5. As they’d been doing so far this season, the Thunder left their run late, tying the game up in the 8th via a 5-run charge. Tom Doig was the main contributor, his Grand Slam tying the game up. That was already Doig’s 3rd Grand Slam of the season, and 7th of his big-league career.

2 Nov: After getting swept by Hobart in a low-scoring series, Adelaide unleashed on Darwin, sending them home with their ears ringing, piling on 21 runs in a mammoth victory. The 2nd inning saw 2 Grand Slams, to Ibanez and Axel Nankervis. Nankervis scored 5 runs on the night, equaling the Adelaide game record. Both he and Ibanez slugged 2 homers, Ibanez’s haul keeping him at the head of the HR race.

6 Nov: It had been a while since Eddie Rayner had demanded newsreel attention. Today he did, though, shutting Brisbane out on the back of 3 hits and 2 walks. Amazingly, he struck out only 1 but no Bandit hitter was able to do better than single against him. Kununurra eased to a 4-0 victory, all their runs scored by way of solo homers.

8 Nov: Marcos Lopez reminded fans how good he was, hitting .500/.545/.767 over the past week to win PotW. The 2HR he launched were his 1st of the year.

15 Nov: Patrick Maggs, likely a free agent at season’s end, was determined to show potential suitors he still had some value. To that end he put up a .435/.500/1.043 stat-line over the last 7 days, 2 doubles and 4HR included, to win PotW.

15 Nov: In his own words, Ed Geoghegan was “lovin’ it” in 2060. He’d made it to 2000 career hits in October, and today was seeing it like a beach ball in Adelaide’s 6-2 win over Kununurra. He was 4-4 in the game, with 4 runs scored and 4RBI. He was directly responsible for 3 of those runs scored himself. In the 2nd he launched a solo blast to right-centre. In the 4th he pulled one into the upper RF deck, driving home 2. In the 6th he again pulled one, and this shot also had the legs. 3HR for Geoghegan! This wasn’t a new feat for ‘Cushion.’ He’d deposited 3 dingers during a game twice before, in the 2048 season and again during the 2052 season. 2048 had been his debut year in the bigs.

16 Nov: Marcello Thornton put Wellington under a spell, restricting them to just 3 hits as Hobart made their way to a 4-0 victory. He struck out 3 and only threw 93 pitches. The 30 y/o former ABC All Star was doing an admirable job in the middle of Hobart’s rotation, having not lost a game since the 13th of October. His record was currently 5-3.

18 Nov: Hobart finished their domination of Wellington today, completing a sweep by means of a shutout, their 2nd of the series. Connor Chapman was the starter this time around, conceding just 5 hits, and like Thornton 2 days earlier, no walks. He struck out 5, the final margin a comfortable 8-0.

19 Nov: Cain Donaldson continued to prove all the critics wrong. He led from the top of the lineup in Sydney’s 14-inning 12-10 victory over Canberra, putting together a 6-8 performance. Surprisingly, only 1 of his hits went for extra-bases, a 5th-inning leadoff double.

19 Nov: In another game for hitters, Auckland scraped past Central Coast 11-10 in regulation innings. 30 y/o Yen-nien Liu had already made no secret of the fact that while he liked Auckland, both the city and the team, he’d most likely be looking to snare a contract with a contender in 2061. He'd surely have caught the eye of a few organizations with tonight's 5 from 5 performance. Liu had twice before collected 5 hits in a big-league game.

19 Nov: ‘A struggle’ was quite an understatement when describing Melbourne’s season to date. 17-29 before today’s fixture against Kununurra, their hitters weren’t hitting and their pitchers were getting sore necks watching the taters fly. Clint Aitcheson had so far had more bad outings than good, but today was one of the good ones. He pushed through 8 innings of 1-run ball to give his side a chance. And it was one they took, the 3 runs they scored in the 4th enough to win it 3-1. Aitcheson picked up win #4 for the year, and #195 for the career.

22 Nov: Malcolm Pickhills swung a heavy bat over the past week, his .385/.515/1.192 including 7HRs (out of 10 hits). That was good enough to earn him PotW. He also scored 11 runs, drove in 17 runners and walked 5 times.

22 Nov: Wally Moylan continued his excellent season by shutting out the Fury. He conceded 5 hits, walked none, and struck out 3 in the 95 pitch outing. Darwin made hard work of the victory, eventually winning 2-0. The result gave Byron Moore his 1st loss of the season. He too went the whole game, giving up 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1.

27 Nov: Tom Doig launched his 4th Grand Slam of the season in Central Coast’s 11-8 win over Canberra. Doig had 14HRs on the year so far. With a league-leading 61 RBI, Doig was tracking to drive in around 180 runners. “Wouldn’t that be something?” he said when the possibility was raised after match. “Man, I’d get blank cheques for the rest of my career!”

29 Nov: Central Coast’s Patrick Wigmore nabbed PotW, hitting .435/.536/.783, with 2 doubles and 2HR scattered amongst his 10 hits.

29 Nov: Domenic Eastick gave the long-suffering Auckland fans something to cheer about, shutting down division rivals Christchurch in a great display of pitching. He surrendered just 4 hits and 1 walk, fanning 5, to help the Metros to a 5-0 win.

30 Nov: Melbourne’s policy, according to some cynical fans, was to recruit high-profile veterans hunting for milestones in the hope that would keep gate sales high. Marcos Lopez was in his 2nd season in an Aces uniform, and was struggling like the rest of the lineup, having hit only 4HR so far to go with a .262 BA (last season he hit .328). His 1st-inning rbi-double in today’s 10-7 loss to the Roos did bring a cheer from the crowd though, even if the game was in Newcastle. That hit was career number 2500 for the 36 y/o Lopez, who’d been a regular in the majors since 2048. Lopez came from the field in the 6th, injuring himself while beating out a throw from the catcher on the 3B side to record an infield single. No word was immediately forthcoming on the extent of his injury. Lopez was the 18th player to reach 2500 career hits.

30 Nov: Jack Binns gave up 7 hits but 0 walks, fanning 5, to help Sydney tame the Crocs 4-0. Binns threw 97 pitches and gave up only 1 extra-base hit, a double in the 9th.

30 Nov: Ismael Aguirre’s walk-off solo HR gave Hobart a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over Darwin. This was the 18th walk-off hit of Aguirre’s career and the 10th walk-off homer. All-in-all, Aguirre was 4-5 in the victory. He needed just 2 more HR to reach 650, and 86 more hits to make 3500.

Notable Injuries

5 Nov: Dean Brewster (.323/.392/.411, 0HR) would have the opportunity to get to know his new city a bit better, or maybe sulk at home. The 3B had a strained hamstring which would probably take at least 4 weeks to fully heal. By all accounts, Brewster was not settling into his new environs well, with various anonymous team sources saying he “seemed withdrawn” in the locker room, and “didn’t engage much” when training with the team.

17 Nov: Miguel Ibanez (.266/.282/.601, 15HR), currently leading the league in HR and quickly winning the adoration of his hometown fans, would miss around 6 weeks with a fractured finger.

18 Nov: 35 y/o Alan Sneddon (.346/.465/.503, 3HR) appeared to have wound back the clock to his glory days of the late 2040s and early 2050s with a positively exuberant start to the season. That would all have to be put on hold for 3-4 weeks, however, ‘The Professor’ straining his quad sliding into 2nd in today’s game versus Canberra.

22 Nov: Martin Boston (.362/.410/.434, 2HR) was not a happy camper after an inside pitch fractured his thumb in Canberra’s 7-4 win over Sydney. “Look,” he said, “I’ve got no problem with pitchers throwing inside. They’ve got a right to protect the plate just as much as hitters do. What I don’t like is when it seems like pitchers are determined to hit a guy just because things aren't going well and it felt like Douglass* was trying to do that today. Yeah, having a bad game is frustrating, but trying to knock blokes down isn’t the answer.” Boston was 2nd on the BA ladder at the time of his injury and was looking at around 6 weeks on the DL.

*Ryan Douglass, Sydney starting pitcher (3.0IP, 9H, 6R, 4ER, 2BB, 1K)

27 Nov: 39 y/o Jayden Pye (.283/.381/.408, 4HR) had started 42 of the season’s 54 games, doing so primarily as Melbourne’s DH. He’d been doing a decent offensive job for the awful Aces, but wouldn’t be in the lineup for at least a month while he battled a sore shoulder.

29 Nov: Melbourne had already lost Angelo Spear to injury, and now they’d be without another veteran superstar. Like Spear, Clint Aitcheson (4-2, 6.42 ERA, 5.88 FIP, 1.52 WHIP) had also been down on form. He wouldn’t be mounting the mound for them anytime soon, however, today diagnosed with rotator cuff inflammation after leaving a game on the 26th. He’d be out at least 3 months. With 5 more victories needed to reach 200, it was hard to see him getting there this season.

29 Nov: 37 y/o local fan favourite Trent Allan (.271/.353/.420, 4HR), a career Blue Sock, would be warming the pine for the next 5-6 weeks thanks to a high ankle sprain.

Notable Trades/Signings

1 Nov: 29 y/o Zachariah Pond (2-2, 4.50 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.12 WHIP), the 1st overall pick in 2050, signed a 3-year contract extension with the Diggers. 64-62 for his career, Pond appeared to have broken out in 2057, going 18-10, but had posted only losing seasons since.

2 Nov: 44 y/o Young-tae Lee (.281/.392/.437, 330HR) wasn’t done just yet. Last year he’d plied his trade in the minors for Brisbane and this year he would do so for the Crocs. They’d signed him to a 40-man roster deal, too, and Lee was hopeful of a call-up sometime during the season. “I feel I’ve still got something to offer a big-league team and I know if I get a shot I won’t let my teammates down.”

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: 25 y/o Dylan Thomas had got himself a few cups of coffee between 2057 and 2059. This season he'd nailed down the everyday starting role at SS, a decision Sydney weren’t regretting. More than capable fielding his position (+5.5ZR so far), Thomas could also hit, and in November put up a .374/.388/.606 stat-line. His 37-99 included 5 doubles, 3 triples and 4HR. He also scored 14 runs, brought home 12 runners and earned 3 walks.

Hurler of the Month: Two months of the season gone, and Eddie Rayner’s season had been one of contrasts. He went 0-5 in October, with one analyst of the opinion that “Rayner was drowning out there.” In November, however, his was a totally different story. He went 5-0 from 6 starts (the last of which was a 9.2 inning outing for no runs in an eventual loss). His ERA was 1.34, his FIP 2.97 and his WHIP 0.83. He threw 47.0 innings and struck out 23, conceding just 1HR and 7 earned runs.

Slugger of the Month: Nobody, absolutely nobody, was swinging the willow like Jorge Diaz in 2060. Comfortably ensconced in the meat of a formidable Adelaide lineup that led the league in every offensive category except walks, strikeouts and stolen bases, Diaz hit .389/.462/.690 in November. That amounted to 44-113, with 10 doubles and 8HR. He scored a staggering 31 runs, picked up 28 ribbies and drew 14 walks. His season stat-line of .385/.443/.662, with 14HR, wasn’t all that much different to his month's effort and he was currently 39 points ahead of all other qualified hitters on the BA ladder. He also led the league in SLG, OPS, wOBA (.469), hits (90), runs (56), XBH (36), and total bases (155). Diaz already held the single-season record for HR (55), and needed just 8 more to reach 300, which would happen this season, barring catastrophe, meaning he’d get to that mark at only 28 y/o.

In an interesting juxtaposition, November’s HotM, Eddie Rayner, was the primary piece Kununurra acquired in the 2057 trade which sent Diaz to Canberra. Because of that trade, and even though he had no control over it, Rayner always got a small chorus of boos when walking out to the mound before each start at Kununurra’s home park.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: At times during the month, Cairns (16-12) held a lead over Adelaide (16-12) but the Venom had pushed back out to a 1-game advantage heading into December. Darwin (12-16) and Perth (11-17) fell off the pace, finishing November below .500.

East-West Division: Central Coast (16-12) pushed forward, extending their lead over Kununurra and Newcastle (both 15-13) to 4 games.

NZ Division: Wellington (14-14) kept their heads above water, and in so doing pulled 1 game further ahead in the NZ. Whangarei (14-14) were their closest rivals, 4 games back and 3 games beneath .500.

Southern Division: Hobart (23-5) were astonishing in November, most of their games won on the back of the league’s best pitching and defense. Indeed, their offense was only hitting .256, 2nd-worst in the league! They were a lot better in the other offensive categories, that being said. Their super month saw a lead of 2 games stretch out to 7, with Sydney (18-10), who were no slouches in November either, unable to keep pace.

Wildcard: Cairns had a 5-game safety net in wildcard slot 1, while Sydney were 2 games back in the 2nd slot, with Kununurra and Newcastle the current primary challengers.

#

Maurice Clemens (.225/.343/.529, 19HR) led the league in HR and ISO (.304).

Ronald Aitken (.337/.465/.572, 12HR) had the best OBP and had drawn the most walks (47).

Teammate Stephane Lecomte (.307/.375/.395, 2HR) headed the steals board, with 23 so far.

Malcolm Pickhills (.290/.379/.546, 15HR) was possibly the best fielding 3B the league had ever seen. Already he’d put up a +13.2 ZR for the season, having committed just 1 error in 487.2 innings. That mixed with his offense saw him lead the league in WAR, with 3.5.

Barry Dean (8-2, 3.07 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 1.05 WHIP) was tracking for another 20-win season, no mean feat in an underachieving Perth team. He topped the league in FIP, WHIP, strikeouts (94), K/9 (10.32) and WAR (2.4). He was tied for the league lead in wins with Newcastle’s Rodney Bashford (8-3, 3.57 ERA, 4.81 FIP, 1.41 WHIP).

Byron Moore (7-1, 2.44 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.21 WHIP) gave up a HR and lost a game during the month, but still led the league in ERA and in HR/9 (0.10).

Unheralded 26 y/o Brisbane starter Carl Rowlands (2-4, 4.54 ERA, 5.05 FIP, 1.37 WHIP) was proving the hardest qualified pitcher to hit, conceding just 6.55 hits per 9 innings at an opponents’ average of .207. His 5.7 walks per 9 innings was letting him down some, though.

Sterling Boston (3-3, 18 sv) led the league in saves, Whangarei’s Addergoole Bintang (0-0, 17 sv) 1 behind.

ABC Wrap-up

Brisbane had bucked their way into the lead in the Northern, out in front of Alice Springs by 5 and Townsville by 7. Sydney had edged their way in front of Canberra by 1 game in the Southern, though Melbourne now lurked only 2 games back.

Kalgoorlie were playing well, but could’ve been playing a lot worse and still been in front in the Western. They were 7 games ahead of a lacklustre Broome, with awful Adelaide and pitiful Perth a further 2 games in arrears. Dunedin held a slim 2-game advantage over Jakarta in the Overseas, Port Moresby holding steady 3 games behind.

Former Pioneer Bronson O’Connell had lost 17 games in the AUNZBL triple-A last season. He’d been picked up by Alice Springs on a minor-league deal for 2060 and had put the ABC on notice, winning both the rookie and pitcher’s awards in November. For the season he was 8-2, with a 1.73 ERA, 2.85 FIP, and 1.20 WHIP. Critics of the ABC were of the opinion "O'Connell's victory only highlighted the massive talent gulf between the two leagues."

28 y/o Broome LF Achaius Muljana (.327/.383/.529, 6HR) won the month’s Golden Bat Award.

AUNZBL Standings, Dec 1

[Izz]

2060/2061 Season - December

2060 #1 Draft Pick

Darwin pounced on 21 y/o university catcher Richard ‘Clank’ Page, who just screamed out ‘superstar.’ The majority opinion among the scouting community was that he would cope okay against major-league pitching already and would be a force to be reckoned with before all was done. He projected to be able to hit for both average and power, a guy with quick wrists who even if he was fooled would still be able to foul most of them off. Known as a ‘quiet dude’ amongst his teammates, Page apparently played primarily for the love of the game and was a good trainer, even if some things had to be explained to him a couple times.

Page would start off his pro-career in Darwin’s short-A affiliate, but nobody expected him to stay there long.

A quick look at how the previous 4 #1 draft picks were doing:

2059, Domenic Cook: Started the season in AAA but was now playing every day in the bigs for Brisbane. Hitting .262/.321/.460, with 6HR, he didn’t look out of place, and could certainly field his position at SS well.

2058, Callum McCabe: After a strong spring, McCabe nailed down a spot on the Adelaide bench. He looked a tad underdone, his .234/.265/.277 translating to an OPS+ of 44. At only 20 y/o McCabe still had plenty of time to develop and Adelaide’s scouts were positive he’d be the next power-hitter off the Venom conveyor belt.

2057, Miguel Ibanez: Currently injured, but lighting up the league before that happened, his .266/.282/.601 from 164PA accompanied by 15HR. Low-average, high-power was the general consensus, as well as an excellent defensive CF.

2056, Andre Wiltshire: At 22 y/o, already Auckland’s everyday 2B. Looking the goods at major-league level, with a .309/.349/.462 stat-line, and 9HR. He still hadn’t reached either his power or contact ceilings yet but when he did Auckland’s scouts reckoned he might be the guy to break the .400 duck.

Notable Performances

1 Dec: Tomas Zartuche went 2-3, with 1 triple, 2 walks, and 3 runs, in Adelaide’s 6-3 defeat of Brisbane. He also swiped 4 bases, stealing 2 in the 1st, 1 in the 7th, and another in the 9th, the last part of a successful double-steal. The feat saw Zartuche become one of 12 players to have stolen 4 bases in a game. So far nobody had accomplished it twice.

2 Dec: Blair Toohey signed a 1-year deal with the Blue Sox in July. He made the Opening Day team, where he went 2-2, with 2 walks and 3RBI, in a 7-0 victory over Darwin. He then warmed the pine for a few days before getting optioned to AAA. At the time he was sent down he was on 1999 career hits, but was optimistic he’d get the chance this season to reach the 2000-hit milestone. He was recalled to the big-league squad on the 1st and started today’s game against Hobart. In his 2nd at-bat, in the 4th, Toohey drove the 1st pitch he saw into shallow left for a single. His 116kg frame carried him down the line to 1B and he raised his arms in triumph. He’d made it, and at a young 41 years and 94 days old, too! Toohey collected another hit in the 7-2 triumph. Sydney’s victory saw Hobart’s winning streak snapped at 8. For the losers, 22 y/o Gordon Ladds went 4-4, with 2 doubles and 1HR.

6 Dec: Axel Nankervis went .481/.500/1.000 on his way to PotW. He hit 4HR as well.

7 Dec: Adelaide might’ve got outmuscled 15-7 by Perth, but Gary Young would remember the night for a different reason. His solo HR in the 6th was career jack number 300.

9 Dec: John Zglinicki kept Hobart in check, conceding just 7 hits while walking none and striking out 3, to help Central Coast to a 4-0 shutout victory.

10 Dec: Melbourne’s offense clicked all at once and they went on a rampage against the Sluggers, destroying them 23-4. Marcos Lopez, Vern Bull and Luis Cesta each collected 4 hits. Every starter reached base safely at least twice. The Sluggers still managed 13 hits but that didn’t amount to much against 26 hits and 5 walks.

11 Dec: Jason Brewster had thrown well so far for Whangarei, but been unlucky as evidenced by his 2-7 record. The win column gained an extra notch after today’s performance, however. Auckland could only manage 7 hits, 2 walks and no runs, Brewster fanning 3 in a 94-pitch outing. Whangarei won 7-0, Danny Chatfield contributing 2 solo HRs.

11 Dec: Brisbane’s Domenic Cook today demonstrated against Canberra that it didn’t matter where in the lineup you hit, if guys got on base in front of you it was possible to bring them home. He was batting at 9 in the order, and got his 1st at-bat in the 2nd, with 2 runners aboard. His groundball double down the 3B line and into the corner scored both. In the 7th he came to the plate with the bases loaded and deposited a 1-1 fastball into the leftfield stands. Grand Slam and 6RBI to his name so far. But he wasn’t done batting runners in just yet! In the 8th he got his turn to bat with the bases loaded once again. His deep fly to centre caromed off the base of the wall and all 3 runners scored, Cook stopping at 2nd standing up. 9RBI for the 9-hole guy! He joined 3 other players who’d collected 9RBI in a game, but only shrugged when asked about it. “Today it just worked out, like it does some days. I was seeing and hitting the ball well, and guys were on-base in front of me. It’s special, I guess, but I could’ve been seeing the ball just as well with nobody on and come away with no ribbies.” Brisbane won the game 15-2.

12 Dec: Elijah Deas kept the Crocs guessing all night, conceding only 6 hits and 2 walks in Christchurch’s 6-0 victory. He also struck out 5.

12 Dec: Central Coast prevailed over Darwin 7-6 in a 13-inning, 4-hour epic. In the process, Patrick Wigmore set a new extra-inning game record for walks, drawing 6 from 7 plate appearances. Surprisingly, he wasn’t the 1st player to earn 6 walks in a game. Dean McKinna had done so in a regulation-length game back in the 2028 season.

13 Dec: Marcos Lopez won his 2nd PotW award of the season with a .519/.533/.741 effort, 2HR amongst his 14 hits.

20 Dec: Sean Carr hit .500/.536/.846 over the last week to win PotW. His 13-26 included 6 doubles and 1HR.

21 Dec: Ismael Aguirre had been going through perhaps the leanest patch of his career in December, his BA for the month on the 14th less than .100. But he’d picked things back up in the last week, even if he was still only hitting .175 for the month. Today he slugged his 2nd HR in his last 2 games. This one, a 2-run effort in the 8th that gave Hobart some insurance in their 4-1 defeat of Newcastle, was career HR #650.

22 Dec: Sean Carr, 36 y/o, was looking as good this season as he ever had. He went 5-5, with a double and 2RBI, in Darwin’s 5-4 loss to the Cowboys. Darwin scored 2 in the top of the 9th to break a 2-all deadlock, only to see closer Rupert Mansfield implode and Christchurch score 3 to walk off winners. This was the 7th time Carr had posted a 5-hit match but his 1st since the 2054 season.

22 Dec: Hobart opened up on Newcastle with both barrels, scoring ten 2-out runs in the 2nd inning and not letting up, demolishing the Roos 23-8. Aguirre went 4-6, with a double, triple, walk, 2 runs and 5RBI. Maurice Clemens also went 4-6, with a HR, walk and 4RBI, while Gordon Ladds was 3-5, with 2HR, 5RBI, 2 walks and a Hobart record-equalling 5 runs. Norman Ladds was injured diving home (safe) in the 2nd, breaking his nose on the plate. He’d get a couple days rest for that.

25 Dec: Jorge Diaz was hitting .396 for the season, leading the league in a ton of offensive categories. His 2-5 in Adelaide’s 14-2 spanking of Wellington maintained his BA, and his 4th-inning 3-run dinger gave him 22 on the year, and 300 for his career. The 28 y/o, who hadn’t breached 40HR in a season since his record-breaking 55 in 2056, said he was just focusing on “having a nice stroke.” That was helped, he continued, by the might of the lineup around him. “Everybody in this lineup is scary for opposition pitchers,” he said. “That takes a lot of weight off my shoulders. I can just go out there and have fun, and not worry too much about having to be the ‘big man’ at the plate. I’m loving it!”

26 Dec: 23 y/o Javier Garcia was notable mainly for the fact his moustache was already grey. Today he put his name up in lights for another reason. He went 5-5, with 3 runs scored, in Auckland’s 8-3 win over Perth.

27 Dec: It surprised no-one when Diaz snared PotW. He hit .500/.500/.867, 15-30, with 2 doubles and 3HR. The next day, he went 3-5, with 2 doubles, in Adelaide’s 10-5 win over Wellington to raise his BA above .400, to .401.

28 Dec: It was a big afternoon for Hobart, up against Marty Okolita and the Whangarei Sluggers. Brock Lawless celebrated his All Star selection - announced in the morning - with a masterful performance, conceding only 2 hits and 2 walks and striking out 8 for the 2nd shutout victory of his big-league career. And in the 8th, 35 y/o Norman Ladds bashed the 300th HR of his career, the icing on the cake in the 7-0 victory. Elsewise, Maurice Clemens slugged 2HR, giving him 26 for the season and 2nd outright on that leaderboard, while Jay Saunderson was 4-4, with a double and a HR.

29 Dec: Jayden Pye had been on a HR tear the last few days, today launching 2 in Melbourne’s 12-4 shellacking of Wellington. His 2nd effort, a solo shot in the 4th, was career dinger number 300 for the 39 y/o journeyman, who’d played for 10 of the 16 AUNZBL teams, and been at 2 of them twice.

31 Dec: It was themonth of 300. 34 y/o Manuel Alou became the 5th player to that career milestone in December, and the 4th in the last 7 days, his 3-run shot in the 5th part of a 4-run Newcastle rally that was enough to see them squeeze past Sydney 4-3. Alou was the 39th AUNZLB player to the mark and would likely be the last for a little while. 39 y/o Martin Valentin was on 299, and playing for Sydney’s AAA-affiliate, but while he’d already had an injury call-up game in the majors this season, that was likely as much as he was going to get.

Notable Injuries

4 Dec: Baseballers had a knack for injuring themselves in the most bizarre ways. Heat SP Dylan Edwards (0-6, 5.67 ERA, 5.77 FIP, 1.70 WHIP) had a lot weighing on his mind, in regards to his on-field performance at least, so perhaps that was one reason why he wasn’t paying much attention while chopping up some onions to go in a dinner stew. According to his flatmate, Edwards had his eyes shut tight and his head tilted towards the ceiling in an effort to avoid the inevitable tears that accompanied the dissection of the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. Whatever the reason, Edwards wasn’t watching where his knife was going and before he knew it he’d sliced half his index finger off. When he realized what’d happened he promptly fainted, but his flatmate was made of stern enough stuff to leap into action, calling an ambulance and thrusting the severed digit into a jug of ice cubes.

Unfortunately, the reattachment surgery had complications and the two finger halves were unable to be reunited. All was not lost, however, and work immediately began on re-growing the lost portion of the finger. A tedious process, Edwards would need to stay attached to the growing apparatus for at least 3 months and it would be another 3 months - if all went well - after that before he’d have full movement. Perth’s medical staff estimated it would be another 2-3 months beyond that before Edwards could begin pitching competitively again, though they were optimistic the accident wouldn’t adversely affect his pitching long term.

Edwards, well, he was just glad he’d “only chopped off a finger.” With wide eyes he continued, “Just imagine if the knife had slipped a bit further and got all up in my jewel box. I wonder how long I’d have to stay attached to a machine for that one!”

16 Dec: Gordon Appleby (.245/.311/.365, 4HR) would be at least 6 weeks on the DL with a sprained ankle. He’d just looked like he was hitting form too, going 11-23 over his last 6 games.

16 Dec: Jacob Blanksby (.287/.399/.530, 14HR) couldn’t drop his hands fast enough on an inside pitch and left the game with a fractured finger. 6 weeks on the DL if recovery went according to plan.

19 Dec: Central Coast would have to do without SP Luis Nunez (3-4, 4.78 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.41 WHIP) for the rest of the season. He had torn his labrum.

20 Dec: Young Brisbane OF Larry Booth (.275/.340/.328, 0HR) would miss the next 4-5 weeks with plantar fasciitis.

23 Dec: Kununurra RF Nick Ahern (.252/.339/.524, 18HR), popular with Pioneers’ fans even though he hadn’t done all that much of note in his 3 prior big-league seasons, would miss around a month with a hamstring strain.

25 Dec: The defending champs took another hit to their rotation. Umashankar Meenakshi (9-5, 5.31 ERA, 4.77 FIP, 1.60 WHIP) came from a game on the 22nd - after throwing his best innings of the season - clutching at his hamstring. Today the injury was confirmed, a severe strain. He’d miss over 2 months, with medical staff hopeful he’d return to the mound in the middle of March.

31 Dec: Roderick Beresford (9-6, 3.33 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 1.14 WHIP) was selected to the NZ & Overseas All Stars team the morning of the 28th. He threw the same day, looking like an All Star (2 hits, 0 walks, 7 punch-outs) until partway through the 6th when he came from the field clutching his elbow and moaning in agony. Today the news was in, and it wasn’t pretty. Ruptured UCL, and something like 11 months on the DL. His skipper, Matthew Throsby, fronted the presser and could only shrug and glance heavenward. “Gutted for the young fellah, absolutely. But there’s not a whole lot you can do. It’s not a case of overthrowing, or arm fatigue, or anything like that. It’s just one of those freak baseball injuries. We’ll make sure he’s got support and friends by his side every step of the way and hopefully he’ll come back wiser for the time off.”

31 Dec: Whangarei LF James Bacosa (.315/.365/.453, 5HR) had a fractured foot. 4 weeks on the pine.

Notable Trades/Signings

1 Dec: Hobart acquired 28 y/o SS Jay Saunderson (.235/.284/.422, 6HR in 109PA) from Sydney in exchange for 2 relievers, 27 y/o Martin Silva (2-2, 1sv, 3.16 ERA from 22 appearances) and 23 y/o Rory Karsumaatmaja (0-1, 1sv, 1.33 ERA from 21 appearances). Saunderson, signed by the Blue Sox to a 3-year deal in June, had struggled to hold down a big-league spot in Sydney, but Hobart were enthusiastic about how he would slot into their infield.

2 Dec: Auckland and Newcastle wrangled themselves a trade deal. The Metros parted with 28 y/o Gao Chin (.297/.329/.522, 14HR), who could play catcher or 1B but had spent the season so far at DH. Chin was known around the league as a real joker. This season’s baseball cards showed him with a thick handlebar mustache... a fake, of course, worn only during that photoshoot. To acquire him, Newcastle gave up 27 y/o 1B Troy Jamieson (.251/.344/.409, 7HR), who’d hit .299 with 36 doubles and 24HR last season.

6 Dec: 30 y/o Fei-hsien Chang (.263/.391/.632, 2HR from 23PA) was only just back from a concussion, but Perth obviously didn’t feel the hard-hitting corner outfielder had lost any value. Today they wrapped him up with a 7-year extension at what they felt was “an affordable rate for us and a nice guaranteed income for him.” Chang, whose last 2 seasons had also been affected by injury, was ecstatic to re-sign with the club. He said, “This is a great organization and we’ve got a great bunch of guys here too. I hope a few more stick around so we can put some more silverware in that cabinet.”

21 Dec: Wellington and 30 y/o Luigi Dempster (.279/.342/.508, 18HR) put pen to paper on a 4-year extension. Dempster had got a relatively late start in the majors, only nailing down an everyday spot in the lineup in 2057 at age 26. He’d impressed both fans and management since then, hitting at least 33 homers in each of the last 3 seasons. This year he was again on track to repeat those efforts.

2060 All Stars

Australian All Stars

SP Ethan Humphries - CEN - 8-3, 3.55 ERA, 3.95 FIP, 1.17 WHIP
SP Jeremy Challinor - CHR - 2-5, 3.65 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.31 WHIP
SP Brock Lawless - HOB - 4-2, 2.82 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 1.10 WHIP
SP Marty Okolita - WHA - 7-1, 3.25 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 1.29 WHIP
SP Raymond Eykelbosch - SYD - 7-2, 2.92 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.07 WHIP
SP John Zglinicki - CEN - 7-7, 3.54 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.16 WHIP
SP Eddie Rayner - KUN - 7-6, 3.40 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 1.17 WHIP
RP Victor Doubleday - CAI - 3-3, 1 sv, 1.56 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 1.20 WHIP
RP Sam Gaynon - WEL - 5-2, 2 sv, 2.23 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 1.09 WHIP
CL Isaac Canavan - HOB - 6-1, 22 sv, 1.81 ERA, 1.90 FIP, 0.96 WHIP
CL Jarrod Culaham - KUN - 0-0, 18 sv, 1.19 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 0.99 WHIP
CL Rhett Thurley - ADE - 1-1, 19 sv, 1.57 ERA, 2.96 FIP, 1.01 WHIP
C Gao Chin - NEW - .314/.356/.536, 15HR
C Yen-nien Liu - AUC - .309/.394/.457, 7HR
1B Ronald Aitken - CAI - .319/.457/.540, 15HR
1B Rich Downes - AUC - .355/.393/.573, 13HR
1B Ed Geoghegan - ADE - .294/.378/.538, 19HR
2B Dylan Glynn - CAI - .339/.381/.485, 8HR
2B Axel Nankervis - ADE - .283/.325/.566, 24HR
3B Malcolm Pickhills - ADE - .281/.360/.556, 23HR
3B Matthew Utting - CHR - .281/.364/.406, 9HR
SS Gary Young - ADE - .268/.338/.474, 14HR
LF Alan Sneddon - DAR - .351/.459/.536, 6HR
LF Cain Donaldson - SYD - .321/.409/.429, 3HR
CF Gordon Ladds - HOB - .326/.409/.519, 10HR
CF Mitchell Cox - NEW - .335/.419/.530, 9HR
RF Sean Carr - DAR - .319/.367/.513, 12HR
RF Tom Doig - CEN - .307/.374/.592, 16HR

NZ & Overseas All Stars

SP Barry Dean - PER - 12-2, 3.33 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 1.16 WHIP
SP Byron Moore - WEL - 9-2, 3.08 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 1.28 WHIP
SP Damian Flemming - CAI - 9-3, 3.46 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.27 WHIP
SP Baskoro Subagja - WHA - 5-6, 3.50 ERA, 3.95 FIP, 1.24 WHIP
SP Wally Moylan - DAR - 7-6, 4.44 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.36 WHIP
SP Cameron Worsfold - CAI - 8-5, 3.70 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 1.37 WHIP
SP Roderick Beresford - WEL - 8-6, 3.49 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 1.18 WHIP
RP Brodie Tucker - SYD - 2-0, 1 sv, 3.12 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 0.88 WHIP
RP Vern Durrington - CAN - 0-0, 2.20 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.26 WHIP
CL Sterling Boston - CAI - 3-4, 24 sv, 2.70 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 1.23 WHIP
CL Domenic Purss - CEN - 2-3, 15 sv, 2.88 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 1.54 WHIP
CL Rupert Mansfield - DAR - 2-3, 17 sv, 4.08 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 1.33 WHIP
C Rowan Kimpton - KUN - .306/.333/.615, 30HR
C Vern Bull - MEL - .271/.404/.484, 14HR
1B Jorge Diaz - ADE - .401/.454/.688, 22HR
1B Richard Moore - BRI - .339/.460/.641, 25HR
1B Patrick Maggs - PER - .310/.405/.573, 18HR
1B Nigel Anderton - SYD - .283/.346/.554, 23HR
2B Bailey Kinnear - SYD - .293/.375/.414, 6HR
2B Carlos Aguilar - PER - .308/.377/.405, 3HR
3B Maurice Clemens - HOB - .250/.352/.532, 24HR
SS Dylan Thomas - SYD - .315/.353/.457, 8HR
SS Stephane Lecomte - CAI - .296/.361/.372, 2HR
LF Tomas Zartuche - ADE - .329/.370/.415, 0HR
LF James Bacosa - WHA - .326/.375/.470, 5HR
CF Guillermo Julio - NEW - .292/.358/.341, 1HR
RF Neil Bellett - CAN - .279/.402/.459, 10HR
RF Armando Santos - WHA - .280/.335/.567, 22HR

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: Rich Downes grabbed his 2nd RotM Award of the season, his December numbers eerily similar to his October numbers: .368/.415/.605, 42-114, 19 runs, 9 doubles, 6HR, 21RBI, 8BB, 123PA. For the year, Downes was hitting .350/.387/.573, his BA 2nd in the league, as were his 118 hits. The 31 doubles he’d struck had him in a tie for the lead in that category, with his total of 46 extra-base hits good enough for 2nd overall.

Hurler of the Month: Raymond Eykelbosch scored his 2nd All Star selection on the 28th and capped off a strong month with his first-ever HotM. He went 4-0 from 5 starts, with a 1.27 ERA, 3.84 FIP, and 0.93 WHIP. He fanned 23 in 35.1 innings, the 5 runs he allowed by far the best among qualified starting pitchers.

Slugger of the Month: Jorge Diaz was playing in another stratosphere in the first half of 2060. He crushed opposition pitching to the tune of .446/.481/.777 in December, his 54-121 including 10 doubles and 10HR. He scored 27 times, brought 30 runners home and walked 9 times. The net result of this bruising offensive pace? He finished the month hitting .406/.456/.701, with 24HR, for the season, every analyst and commentator in the game drooling with excitement and anticipation. He finished December on a 14-game hitting streak, his last 9 games all multi-hitters. He dominated the batting leaderboards, sitting pretty atop the BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, wOBA (.489), hits (144), runs (83), XBH (56), total bases (249), and WAR (5.4) categories. He was tied with Downes for most doubles (31), and tied for best ISO (.296). He was also tied for 4th in homers, and tied for 3rd in RBI (81).

Adelaide fans had taken to waving three-fingered gloves at home games whenever he stepped up to the plate, and Diaz sometimes responded after a HR by waving his three-fingered hand at the crowd. “It’s great seeing the fans so involved,” he said. “And it’s contagious. We all talk about it in the changing sheds and in the dugout. When the crowd gets behind us we just get taller and taller.”

Media Watch

Ismael Aguirre: At the tail-end of Aguirre’s December slump, an interesting piece was aired on OotPB TV. The question, or questions, had been raised: Had the fractured hands Aguirre suffered in 2058 and 2059 impacted on his swing, or possibly, was age catching up to the current consensus for GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)? The analyst running the piece played 4 slow-mo captures of Aguirre’s swing side-by-side, from 2046, 2050, 2055 and this season. To the naked eye there was no discernible difference. He then slowed the shots down even further. Again, no difference.

He discarded the 2046 and 2050 captures, saying they were essentially identical to the 2055 capture. The remaining shots were played again, Aguirre’s wrists enlarged to dominate the screen. Were Aguirre’s wrists in 2060 marginally slower than in 2055? Yes, the analyst confirmed, but only by a fraction of a second.

What did this mean? Not a great deal, but still something. Aguirre’s swing was so mechanically sound, and his ability to read a pitch out of the pitcher’s hand so good, that a slight slowing of his wrists wouldn’t greatly impact his overall hitting ability. He could still hit .320+ with 35-40 doubles, no problem. The impact of the change would be felt, however, in his home run output. No more 40+ HR seasons, though age was a factor in play there, too. Could he hit 30+ homers in a season still? Yes, but as a righthanded hitter who spent half the season at Prospects Ballpark that many might even be a struggle.

Overall, the fans needn’t worry, however. Aguirre wouldn’t stay slumping, and would remain a force to be reckoned with, at least until age turned its heavy hand towards him. By the end of the month Aguirre had recovered somewhat to be hitting .289/.363/.487, with 19 doubles and 16HR. He needed 58 hits to become the first player to 3500, and 25RBI to reach the top of that leaderboard. 29RBI would make him the first hitter ever to drive in 2000 runners.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Adelaide (20-9) were being carried by their offense, their pitching and defence in the bottom half of the league. Even so, a bumbling month from Cairns (12-17) saw the Venom extend their lead to 9 games.

East-west Division: Kununurra (16-13) pushed themselves to the top of the East-West, Central Coast (9-20) having an awful month to fall below .500, tied with Newcastle (13-16) at 3 games off the lead.

NZ Division: Wellington (16-13) extended their lead over Whangarei (15-14) to 5 games.

Southern Division: Hobart (17-12) started the month off slow, but were humming along again by the end, their lead over Sydney (18-11) dropping 1 game, to 6.

Wildcard: This was all Cairns and Sydney, as only 6 teams in the league were playing better than .500 ball. Sydney had an 8-game buffer in the top slot, while Cairns led Central Coast, Newcastle and Whangarei by 4 games.

#

Rowan Kimpton (.303/.331/.598, 30HR) went homerless the last 7 days of the month, but still comfortably led the league, 4 better than next-best Maurice Clemens (.246/.345/.536, 26HR) and Richard Moore (.338/.455/.634, 26HR). Moore was tied with Diaz for best isolated power (.296) among qualified hitters.

Nigel Anderton (.299/.365/.569, 24HR) had edged ahead on the RBI board, with 83.

Tomas Zartuche (.331/.369/.415, 0HR) was one of the reasons Diaz was enjoying Adelaide so much. He hit 2 spots ahead of Diaz in the lineup and his league leading 10 triples put plenty of pressure on opposition pitchers.

Hobart’s Ignacio Maldonado (.239/.319/.356, 7HR) had an OPS+ of only 78 so far this season, but Hobart liked his speed and hustle. He led the league in steals, with 37, and had only been caught 4 times.

Ronald Aitken (.312/.454/.527, 15HR) had drawn 75 walks so far, 9 more than any other hitter.

Brock Lawless (5-2, 2.59 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 1.05 WHIP) had the league’s best ERA and WHIP.

Barry Dean (12-2, 3.33 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 1.16 WHIP) led the league in wins (12), FIP, strikeouts (129), and WAR (3.7).

Sterling Boston had 25 saves, 2 clear of all other closers.

ABC Wrap-up

Brisbane now led the Northern by 8 games, while Melbourne had leapfrogged their way into the lead in the Southern, 3 games ahead of Sydney. Canberra had nosedived below .500 and 9 games off the pace.

Kalgoorlie had the Western by the scruff of the neck, their lead 12 games. Jakarta had overtaken Dunedin in the Overseas Division, with a lead of 2 games heading into the 2nd half. Port Moresby were still playing better than .500 but were now 6 games back.

Rowan Reardon had a monster month to win Golden Bat. He hit .450 with 9HRs. For the season, the 34 y/o soon-to-be free agent was hitting .344/.444/.689, with 28 jacks. He'd hinted that he'd like to give the AUNZBL a shot before he was "too old for it."

Brisbane’s Sigit Kawilarang (10-2, 0.96 ERA, 1.75 FIP, 0.68 WHIP) was a mound menace. The southpaw topped the ABC in ERA, FIP, WHIP, H/9 (5.00), HR/9 (0.18), and OAVG (.157). The #1 overall pick in the 2058 ABC draft still had room for growth, according to his coaches. He’d be a fixture in the ABC for some time to come.

AUNZBL Standings, Jan 1

[Izz]

Narrator's Note

Time has flown. Which is apt, really, as I too have been flying - yes, I know piloting a spacecraft isn't quite flying in the conventional sense, but we all still relate to it like that. Almost 2 and a half years ago, just over 6 months into a 3-year stint on garbage duty in the Belt, I decided to start a history of the AUNZBL, digging through the data archives in an attempt to relay the most complete history yet of our great league.

It's taken longer than I anticipated. I didn't think I'd get sucked in quite as deep into the rabbit hole that is baseball history as I have been. Not that I mind, of course. The sadness, actually, is that I can't relate all the baseball minutiae I have unearthed. Well, I could, but I have to draw the line somewhere, and there can be too much of a good thing.

So, then, I hear you asking, what's the purpose of this interruption of the narrative?

And the answer is: no purpose really. Just an update on my personal situation. My three-year tour of duty in the Belt has come to a finish. I write this while sitting on a bench in the depths of Jupiter Station, watching the inhabitants of this metal and plastic world pass me by. Most are obviously earth-born, their build and gait giving them away. Others are just as obviously station-born, their build and gait as much a marker of their origins. And many I could only guess as to where they call home: Mars, Earth's Moon, anywhere else in this vast expanse we still call Our Solar System, even though we are acutely aware it is only one of countless such.

Truth be told, I haven't got my station-legs properly yet. The artificial gravity here feels far different to my ship - no longer mine, now, of course. So I'm still pitching and rolling a bit when I walk, and those watching me pass by probably have a good chuckle.

Where to from here? I'd always imagined returning to Earth after finishing this job to chase some other goals, which I'll share with anybody reading in due course. But there's a snag or two in that line of thinking now. The biggest snag is that I'm still only less than halfway through this history. And while I could return home and finish it there, I'm also not sure I could, either. Too many interruptions, too many other things to do, too much that could wrench me away from my obsession.

On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd survive 3 more years alone in the Belt with my wits still intact. Too few interruptions, too few other things to do, too little to stop me becoming completely enveloped in my obsession.

Thankfully, a possible alternative has come up: a position monitoring the emergency frequencies of all the garbage collectors in the Belt. A job, I've been told, where very little happens and there's not a great deal to do. Sounds perfect. And they're quite happy to let me continue my baseball research. In fact, the head of HR is a great baseball fan who'd already heard of my history, would you believe? In fact, she'd been wondering which of the 'dump truckers' was the author.

So, dear readers, now you're up-to-date. I start the job in a few days. Now all that is left is to find myself some accommodation - easy - some furniture - easy - and a place that serves decent steak - not so easy, though I'm not a stickler for it being the genuine article. As long as it tastes good, I'll take it, field-grown, vat-grown, or replicated.

To finish, and I probably haven't said this enough: thank you, any and all who are reading, whether you're following along update by update or chance upon this later on. I'm glad I can relate the history via this medium - it gives me far greater freedom than compiling a book would have, but still limits me enough that I don't go meandering off on too many tangents.

Thank you again, and I hope you continue reading.