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

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2060/2061 Season - January

Hall of Fame

The AUNZBL had spoken last season of changes to the Hall of Fame induction process, and the Commissioner unveiled those changes during the offseason. However, they did so while everybody was enamoured with the Baseball and Betting saga, perhaps with the hope that the changes would detract from the other issue. That, unfortunately, didn't happen and at the time of its initial announcement the media coverage of the new induction process was limited and perfunctory.

On further inspection, however, this new process was a gigantic shift away from the previous method, and much more transparent. Before now, a committee selected by the Commissioner’s Office, and usually consisting solely of ex-players, made a decision behind closed doors on whether players would qualify for the Hall, doing so as soon as a player had been retired for 5 years.

The objectiveness of these committees had been stressed ad nauseam by the Commissioner, but there were plenty of sceptics among media and fans.

Now the committee had been abolished in favour of a voting system, and the organization responsible for the Hall of Fame had also changed, even if it was more a shift than anything else. The Australasian Baseball Society (ABS), sponsored by the AUNZBL, had been in existence since 2024, with a general warrant to expand baseball consciousness, stimulate baseball discussion, and preserve baseball heritage. That sounded like a lot of hooey, and it basically was. Prior to this, ABS members got together every 3 months for a liquid lunch with the odd bit of baseball talk included on the periphery. The ABS did work to some extent as an historical society, but even that was less objective record-keeping and more subjective fan fluff pieces.

Suddenly, however, the ABS became an important cog in the AUNZBL machine, and its members just as much so. Now anybody who was a paid member of the ABS could cast their vote on who would enter the Hall. Each member was allowed 5 votes. Not all votes had to be used, but each vote had to be cast for a different player. Any players included on at least 80% of the voting sheets would be inducted into the Hall. Any players receiving less than 5% of the vote would be dropped from subsequent ballots or would, in other words, become ineligible for future Hall of Fame classes. Players receiving between 5% and 79.99% would not enter the Hall but would remain eligible for the next ballot. If a player remained on the ballot for 10 years without meeting the 80% threshold, they would then become ineligible. As before, players needed 10 years of major-league service time to be eligible for the Hall.

Voting opened on January 2nd and closed on January 19th, with the results announced and subsequent inductions, if any, carried out on the 20th. The process changes were announced again on January 1st, and the ABS reported a sharp increase in memberships sold immediately following, with membership numbers having more than quadrupled by the time voting closed.

The idea that the fans could have a say in who got into the Hall resonated with all and sundry, especially after the president of the ABS assured everybody, “All votes are equal. Even my vote has the exact same value as 12 year-old Johnny Australasian’s does.” As an aside, 12 years of age was the youngest a member of the ABS could be, with parental or guardian approval also required.

From a market dominance perspective, this move by the AUNZBL was pure genius. In giving fans the opportunity to contribute to the legends of baseball the AUNZBL in turn gained something that no rival league would probably ever be able to equal: entry into the mainstream consciousness. Having the general fan ensconced in the ‘process’ meant the AUNZBL didn’t even need to acknowledge the ABC. For all intents and purposes their rival league was nothing more than any of the numerous semipro competitions that dotted the Australasian baseball landscape: they helped grow the game without the AUNZBL having to spend a cent, and anybody who stood out above the rest would inevitably end up in Australasia’s premier league, because that was where the money and the glory were.

The initial Hall of Fame ballot included a lot of players who’d retired more than 5 years ago, the ABS stating they felt it would be unfair if the rule change applied only from such a recent point in history. They also mentioned that there might be “veteran’s committees” formed from time-to-time to review any players who might’ve failed to make the Hall but were of “very high calibre.”

2060 Results

Voting numbers were “far higher than expected,” according to the ABS president, with “nearly all paid members getting in on the action.” Even so, nobody made it into the Hall, with Brodie Backhouse garnering the most votes, finishing up being on the list of 54.5% of respondents.

Here is the full list, not including players who received less than 5% of the vote:

CL Brodie Backhouse - 54.5
2B Mike Wurfel - 51.1
SP Joshua Cheadle - 42.9
2B Bill Bransington - 31.2
SP Dylan Cully - 17.7
SP Luke Bodkin - 15.8
SP Edward Delaney - 15.0
SP Sterling Dunlop - 13.2
C Danny Goodwin - 13.2
1B Patrick Gulledge - 12.0
SP Xing-hua Ling - 9.8
SS Gavin Liddell - 7.9
CF Maurice Downes - 7.9
SP Takashi Takeuchi - 7.5
SP Richard Avery - 7.1
RF Zachariah Hutchinson - 6.0

Notable Performances

1 Jan: In a tight contest, the NZ & Overseas All Stars triumphed 9-8.

6 Jan: Nick Aston led Wellington to a 6-0 shutout victory over the Cavalry. Aston allowed just 4 hits, walking none and fanning 7 in a 108-pitch outing. This was the 1st shutout of Aston’s big-league career, in his 53rd start.

8 Jan: Brock Lawless threw his 2nd shutout in 3 starts, taming the Aces 4-nothing, on the back of 7 hits, 0 walks, and 8 strikeouts.

9 Jan: It took over half the season, but finally someone made it to a 20-game hit streak. That player was Martin Boston, who went 2-4 in Canberra’s 3-2 loss to Wellington. This was the 5th 20+ hit streak of Boston’s career. Along with Stefan Ballard, he held the record for longest streak, putting together a run of 33 games in 2055.

9 Jan: Kununurra’s Blair Norris was at a loss to explain his skipper’s decision, only able to mumble when interviewed in the changing sheds, “Well, I was running on fumes, I guess.” Skipper Cameron Hutcheon, generally known as a laidback figure around media and in the clubhouse, eventually stormed out of the aftermatch presser, growling, “I don’t have to explain my decision to you lot, that’s for sure!”

Why the uproar? Perhaps a brief review of the game will shed some light on things. Norris looked good from the get-go, striking out the 1st batter he faced. He hit a batter an out later but was in another league other than that, dominating the Roos’ lineup to such an extent that the hometown commentator laughingly said in the 6th, after Norris struck another hitter out flailing, “The poor guy looks shellshocked, like he hopes he’s dreaming and is gonna wake up any moment, safe in his bed.” In the 8th, Norris lost his chance at a no-no with a 1-out walk but still struck out 2 of the 4 hitters he faced.

To make the game even more of a spectacle, neither team had yet scored going into the 9th. Kununurra rectified that, however, batting around to bring home 5 and break Newcastle’s back.

Visibly tired, Norris took the mound in the 9th, the crowd on their feet and chanting ‘Bulldozer, Bulldozer’ in between pitches. The first hitter ground out firmly to the shortstop. The next hitter struck out watching a pitch nick the corner. Next up, Aaron Gilleland somehow poked a cut-fastball wide of the shortstop and into left. Single and the no-hitter was broken up! The entire crowd groaned as one, Norris dropping to his knees and staring heavenward. After a few moments, he hauled himself to his feet, took a few deep breaths and prepared to face the next batter. Except it wasn’t to be, Hutcheon making his way to the mound while signaling to the bullpen. Norris couldn’t believe it. Neither could the crowd, and neither could the various commentary teams.

Unbelievably, Norris was done. While he wouldn’t have notched up a no-hitter, he was still within sight of a remarkable 1-hit performance. But no, Hutcheon’s mind was made up and Norris left the mound, the look on his face resembling the look on the face of the hitter the home commentator had joked about earlier. 8.2 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts, no earned runs, 1 runner on-base, the opposition 5 runs behind. It would take Hutcheon some time, and possibly only a Championship victory, to live that one down.



10 Jan: John Foreman hadn’t missed a beat since arriving in Cairns, winning PotW with a .433/.452/.900 performance. His 13 hits included 2 doubles and 4HR.

11 Jan: With Diaz - still over .400 - dominating headlines, another 1B doing impressive things was mostly getting ignored (which was probably just the way he liked it). Ronald Aitken got top billing on the sport shows tonight, however, his 4-4 with 4 runs, 5RBI and 1 walk in Cairns’ 8-2 trampling of the Cavalry punctuated by 3 exclamation points. In the 3rd he crunched a 2-out 2-run HR into the RF bleachers. In the 6th, again with 2-outs, he delivered another 2-run homer, also over right if not quite as far. And in the 8th he made it 3, blasting another fly over the RF fence, this one a solo effort. The 3-time All Star, hitting .327, currently led the league in OBP (.466) and walks (85).

11 Jan: Melbourne accounted for Darwin 11-3, but Kent Okolita still had a right to smile after the game, logging 5 hits for the 1st time in his career.

12 Jan: Boston’s hit streak came to an end after 22 games. He went 0-4 in Canberra’s 6-5 extra-innings win over Cairns.

12 Jan: 24 y/o Kununurra CF Domenic Guerin achieved a feat that hadn’t been seen since the 2057 season, when it happened 3 times. In a 9-1 thumping of lowly division rivals Brisbane, Guerin doubled to lead off the bottom of the 1st, singled in the 4th, tripled in the 7th, and finally homered in the 8th to cap off a cycle. “I hadn’t given it any thought until that triple,” he said, “but I knew how unlikely it was, so I put it out of my mind, and then wham! I got a pitch and I managed to hit it far enough.”

13 Jan: Diaz went 0-5 in Adelaide’s comfortable 8-2 victory over Sydney, seeing his BA drop to .397. He’d maintained a BA above .400 since the 27th December.

15 Jan: Cody Watts threw his 7th career shutout, keeping Melbourne in the doldrums. He allowed just 6 hits and 2 walks, and rang up 6 strikeouts. Sydney cruised to an 11-0 win.

17 Jan: Matthew Utting snared PotW, the 29 y/o mustachioed Cowboy hitting .522/.519/.957, with 3HR.

18 Jan: Joshua Angwin’s confidence in signing a 2-year deal with Wellington, with the 2nd year being a vesting option based on PA, was paying off. He was their regular DH, and today slogged Cairns’ pitching around, going 5-5, including a HR. He scored 3 runs and collected 3RBI in the 12-3 riot.

18 Jan: Eddie Rayner kept things tight versus Whangarei, scattering 7 hits but no walks and, more importantly, no runs, to help Kununurra run out 9-0 winners. Rayner struck out 4 in his 2nd shutout of the season and the 8th of his career.

21 Jan: 30 y/o Nick Waterson was having a career season. Today he notched up his 12th win, doing so in style with a commanding 1-hit, 1-walk shutout of Kununurra. He struck out 2 as the Venom destroyed the Pioneers 14-0.

24 Jan: Young Darwin SS Rod Albury announced himself on the major-league stage, winning PotW with a .563/.563/.906 stat-line. His 18-32 included 6 doubles, 1 triple and 1HR. He only struck out once in 33PA.

24 Jan: Rowan Kimpton could hit dingers, no doubt about that. He had 36 so far on the season, 4 more than anybody else. That he could hit for power despite his unusual stance, swing and plate approach always got the experts chattering. Today he showed he wasn’t just a power guy, though the fact he was hitting .302 before this outing might’ve already clued a few people in on that one. In Kununurra’s blowout 17-8 win over Melbourne he went 5-6, all singles.

25 Jan: Whangarei fought their way past Newcastle 6-5, winning in the bottom of the 11th via a walk-off single. The winning run was scored by Rory Auty, whose leadoff single marked his 5th hit of the night. He was 5-5, with 1 double, 1HR, 3RBI and 3 runs.

25 Jan: Matt Juhl had Adelaide all in a sweat, conceding just 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9, to see his Cowboys shut out the vaunted Venom 3-0.

25 Jan: Central Coast were having an incredible month, rising from below .500 to now hold the division lead by 2 games. Their 6-2 victory over Auckland today gave them 10 wins in a row. Edwin Hayes tonked his 32nd HR of the year in the victory, moving him into a four-way tie for 2nd on the HR board. He’d hit 5HR in his last 4 games.

26 Jan: Cairns downed the Prospects 5-4 in front of a sell-out Hobart crowd. In the 1st inning, as he’d done so often in his career, Aguirre caught the pitcher napping, driving the 1st pitch he saw 410 feet and off the upper leftfield deck. It was Aguirre’s 30th HR of the season - putting paid to the analyst who’d said that ‘Tumbleweed’ would struggle to even reach that mark in 2060 - and 14th of the month. The blast also constituted his 1995th runner batted in, putting him on equal pegging atop that career leaderboard with the redoubtable Alastair Mildren.

30 Jan: Blair Norris finally got that shutout. It wasn’t quite as flashy as his 1-hitter on the 9th might've been but it got the job done. He allowed 7 hits and 2 walks, fanning 6, as Kununurra eased to a 5-0 defeat of Auckland.

31 Jan: Rory Auty had a week to remember, scattering AUNZBL pitching with a .619/.636/.857 stat-line and winning PotW in the process.

31 Jan: 37 y/o Trent Allan reached 2000 career hits with his 3rd-inning RBI-single in Sydney’s 5-0 win over Wellington.

31 Jan: It took until the 8th inning for Kununurra to push ahead and even then it wasn’t a sure thing, Auckland fighting to make it a 1-run game. The Pioneers managed to finish it off, winning 3-2 and serving the Metros their 10th loss in a row.

31 Jan: “So this is what losing feels like?” Justin Auger said after Central Coast fell 7-2 to Canberra. He didn’t look too disappointed, full of confidence that the Thunder would bounce right back. It was confidence he had a right to. They’d won 14 in a row before tonight and finished the month atop their division.

Notable Injuries

1 Jan: Dean Brewster (.319/.390/.391, 0HR from 272PA) had torn his hammy again. He’d be on the DL another 3 weeks.

3 Jan: A sheepish Ed Geoghegan (.295/.375/.545, 21HR) fronted media to tell them he’d be sidelined for at least 4 weeks with a sprained elbow. How had he hurt it? Nobody in the press scrum remembered him leaving yesterday’s game injured. As it transpired, last night he’d turned out as a guest bull-rider at a local rodeo event. He’d lasted all of 4 seconds before falling off and hurting his elbow in the landing. GM Santiago Rodriguez said, face stern, “Yes, we’re very disappointed Ed would do something so silly. But we’re sure he’s learnt his lesson, so this period on the disabled list should be punishment enough.”

6 Jan: Tomas Zartuche (.336/.373/.419, 0HR) would be on the DL for about 4 weeks after he suffered an ankle sprain.

8 Jan: Perth’s Fei-hsien Chang (.283/.354/.493, 7HR from 158PA) had caught the injury bug again. This time it was a torn hamstring. Best estimates were 6 weeks recovery time.

18 Jan: Cairns took a hit, ace Damian Flemming (11-4, 3.37 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.20 WHIP) going down with the 1st significant injury of his career. The 31 y/o had a strained hamstring and would definitely not be back again this season.

22 Jan: Veteran, but AUNZBL newcomer, Keiran Southey (.275/.360/.374, 6HR) would spend the next 6 weeks on the DL with elbow inflammation.

26 Jan: Wellington would have to do without Rick Roughley (.276/.339/.414, 10HR) until the end of February after he was diagnosed with a strained ribcage muscle.

26 Jan: Melbourne’s Luis Cuesta (.287/.322/.415, 8HR) had post-concussion syndrome. While it was very difficult to give a recovery time for an injury like this, best bets were around 2 months, according to the Aces’ team trainer, as Cuesta’s symptoms “didn’t present as severely as in some cases.”

29 Jan: Keiran Cooper (.316/.343/.477, 4HR) would miss the next 6 weeks of Adelaide’s campaign with an oblique strain.

30 Jan: “It’s like a morgue around here,” said Hobart skipper Martin Chapple, in a frank response to questions about how the clubhouse felt in the wake of news that Ismael Aguirre (.296/.362/.551, 30HR) wouldn’t be back this season. Aguirre had fractured an elbow lunging for a grounder in yesterday’s game and wouldn’t be swinging a bat competitively again for at least 5 months. “Look,” Chapple continued, “we’re still more than confident we can get the job done, so it’s not like we think the season’s gone or anything like that. But we all love Ismael to pieces and we’re hurting for him, bad. He’s had rotten luck the last few seasons and it looked like he was just about hitting top form again, too. And at his age, injuries like this are even more worrying. Still, he’s a pro, so I’m sure he’ll get through it, and we’ll make sure he gets all the support he needs.” This was the 1st season since 2048 that Aguirre had hit less than .300.

Notable Trades/Signings

4 Jan: 30 y/o John Foreman (.266/.345/.452, 11HR from 275PA) cut both a dejected and happy figure when intercepted by press at the airport before boarding a plane heading for Cairns. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get more game time,” the slugger said, referring to his having only started 65 of 88 games for the Thunder this season, “but at the same time I’m pretty gutted to be leaving this team. I’ve won 2 Championships here, got a lot of friends in the clubhouse and I was hoping we’d work this out because I’d have liked to play out my career in a Thunder uniform. But that’s not going to happen now, so on to the Crocs and let’s bring home a trophy or two!” To get Foreman, the Crocs gave up 2 minor leaguers, one a 28 y/o four-A baller originally from the NABA, and the other a 22 y/o pitching prospect. Cairns’ GM Julio Sousa couldn’t contain the grins when asked about the deal. “I’m ecstatic, to be honest. To get a hitter of Foreman’s caliber at so cheap a price, well, the Thunder must have some screws loose!” Word from anonymous sources around Central Coast reported that Foreman was another player who'd fallen afoul of fiery manager Reginald Reddick.

9 Jan: 31 y/o OF Adrian Stuart (.299/.344/.471, 1HR from 93PA) had struggled to break into Newcastle’s big-league lineup this season. Now he would have to fight to get on the field in Hobart, the Roos sending him to the Prospects in return for 28 y/o 2B Rich Atteridge (.261/.305/.313, 1HR from 267PA) and a good pitching prospect.

25 Jan: Kununurra, battling it out with Central Coast in the East-West, made what some labelled an ‘unusual’ move, sending 25 y/o SP Roy Blake (10-5, 4.56 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) and cash to lowly division rivals Brisbane in exchange for 32 y/o journeyman OF Randall Butcher (.219/.242/.406, 2HR in 33 major-league PA) and a strong 1B prospect.

30 Jan: Starting pitching was something Wellington, holding onto a 1-game lead in the NZ, weren’t currently overflowing with, and today they shortened their stocks even further, dealing 29 y/o Nick Aston (8-6, 4.21 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.28 WHIP) and cash to Christchurch - who were that 1-game back - in return for 26 y/o Vic Collins (.228/.299/.348, 4HR from 174PA), the #1 overall draft pick of 2055 who’d jumped straight into the majors but would now suit up for his 3rd big-league team.

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: Rich Downes scooted to his 3rd RotM Award, hitting .381/.427/.540, his 43-113 punctuated by 9 doubles and 3HR. He also scored 18 runs, drove in 17 runners and walked 9 times. His .358BA saw him sitting 2nd behind Diaz, and he was tied with the same man at the head of the doubles ladder, having stroked 40 so far this season.

Hurler of the Month: Eddie Rayner had lost only 1 game since the 1st of November. He went undefeated in January to snare another HotM award. His 5-0 from 6 starts was complemented by a 1.80 ERA, a 2.78 FIP, and a 1.11 WHIP. He struck out 24 in 45 innings and currently led the league in BB/9, with a mark of 1.65. He was also tied for the league lead in WAR, with 4.3.

Slugger of the Month: Jorge Diaz ‘only’ hit .339/.380/.702 in January, but that was still enough for him to win his 3rd consecutive SotM gong. The slugging percentage is what would’ve done it for him, his 42-124 including 9 doubles and 12HR. He scored 22 runs, drove home 38 runners and walked 10 times. While it seemed .400 was likely out of reach, Diaz was now a Triple Crown threat. His stat-line read .388/.436/.701 for the season, his 36HR only 2 behind the leader, and his 119RBI six ahead of the pack. He also led the league in SLG, OPS, wOBA (.477), hits (186), runs (105), ISO (.313), XBH (77), total bases (336), and WAR (6.7). If he maintained his BA he'd easily set a new season record, the current record being the .3796 Stewart Warwick had hit in 2022.

Media Watch

Ismael Aguirre: The burly veteran roared back into form in January, hitting .320/.360/.767, 14 of his 33 hits granting him the right to do the 4-bag waltz. It was easy to see why his injury was so devastating, both for him and his teammates. Now that he wouldn’t be back this season, talk shifted to where he’d play next year and whether an elbow fracture might finally be the thing that really did slow down his swing. Aguirre needed 1 more RBI to own that leaderboard, 25 more hits to reach 3500, and 33 more homers to make it to 700.

Last Year’s Top Players Watch

2059’s Top Rookies

2059 Rookie of the Year, Jason Hewitt: See notes for Top Hitters, below.

Cain Donaldson: Not garnering the same headlines as in 2059, but the Blue Sox were happy with his output at the top of the lineup. .311/.400/.423, 137-440, 86 runs, 26 doubles, 4 triples, 5HR, 38RBI, 64BB, 30SB (from 50 attempts), 519PA, 116 OPS+, +7.2 ZR in LF.

Bert Allan: Enjoying life in a competitive Kununurra team. .270/.326/.489, 111-411, 57 runs, 31 doubles, 1 triple, 19HR, 74RBI, 32BB, 448PA, 110 OPS+.

2059’s Top Pitchers

2059 Brodie Backhouse winner Aaron Fingleson: Pitching out of the bullpen as a setup man for the Venom and not particularly enjoying it. 4-4, 1 sv from 44 games, 4.67 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 64 strikeouts from 52.0 IP, ERA+ 100.

2059 Hurler of the Year, Barry Dean: An undisputed ace doing his best to haul Perth out of the mire of last place. 14-4 from 24 starts, 3.46 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 151 strikeouts from 163.2 IP, ERA+ 134. Led the league in wins, FIP, and tied for the lead in WAR (4.3).

Damian Flemming: Tracking along very nicely before a season-ending injury. 11-4 from 21 starts, 3.37 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 105 strikeouts from 120.1 IP, ERA+ 138.

Lance Ralston: Should be back pitching in the majors by March and boy would Wellington need him. 1-1 from 3 starts, 3.38 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.63 WHIP, 12 strikeouts from 16.0 IP, ERA+ 138.

2059’s Top Hitters

2059 Slugger of the Year Jason Hewitt: Wasn’t having quite the same impact his 2nd year in the league, but was doing what he needed to do as clean-up man in a struggling Cavalry lineup. .259/.343/.501, 97-375, 55 runs, 16 doubles, 25HR, 74RBI, 42BB, 429PA, 117 OPS+.

John Foreman: Traded by the Thunder to the Crocs and looking a much happier camper. .292/.359/.507, 99-339, 52 runs, 19 doubles, 18HR, 49RBI, 36BB, 379PA, 123 OPS+.

Vern Bull: The rock in a disappointing Melbourne lineup but rarely seen on the highlight reels. .279/.398/.518, 92-330, 62 runs, 10 doubles, 23HR, 63RBI, 65BB, 400PA, 137 OPS+.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Adelaide (15-13) were good without being great in January, but Cairns (11-17) were awful and found themselves 13 games behind heading into Killer February, tied with Darwin (16-12), who'd picked themselves up to .500.

East-West Division: Central Coast (23-5) got their second wind in January, surging past Kununurra (19-9), though the Pioneers were no slouches either, finishing the month on a 5-game streak to be just 1 game behind.

NZ Division: Christchurch (19-9) rose from 3rd to 1st in the NZ, overtaking a struggling Wellington (11-17) and a consistently average Whangarei (13-15). The Cowboys were 1 game ahead of the Fury and 4 games ahead of the Sluggers heading into February.

Southern Division: Hobart (17-11) continued to truck along, despite their offense having the 2nd-worst BA (.255), 3rd-least hits (997), and most strikeouts (875). They led the Blue Sox (13-15) by 10 games.

Wildcard: Kununurra and Sydney were well out in front in the wildcard race, the Fury next-best, 5 games adrift of the Blue Sox. Cairns and Darwin were a further game behind.

#

Alan Sneddon (.345/.450/.507, 8HR) led the league in OBP.

Rowan Kimpton (.312/.345/.597, 38HR) topped the HR board by 2.

Ronald Aitken (.299/.440/.524, 22HR) had drawn 97 walks, 14 more than anybody else.

Teammate Stephane Lecomte (.303/.364/.381, 2HR), who was only 22 y/o but nearing 5 years in the bigs, led all-comers in steals with 50. This meant he’d stolen at least 50 bases every season he’d been in the league.

Brock Lawless (6-3, 2.71 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.03 WHIP) wasn’t getting that many decisions, as his Prospects seemed to leave it late to fire in his games on the mound, but he was still having a decent season, leading the league in ERA, WHIP, and K/BB (4.20).

Teammate Marcello Thornton (12-4, 2.72 ERA, 5.15 FIP, 1.11 WHIP) was also benefiting from Hobart’s sharp defence, leading the league in H/9 (6.98), and OAVG (.216).

Greg Ahern (12-8, 4.00 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.22 WHIP) now led the league in punch-outs, ‘Buzzard’ having danced on the mound 161 times thus far. However, it was Marty Okolita (9-6, 3.96 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.37 WHIP) who had the best K/9 rate among qualified pitchers, fanning 9.94 hitters every 9 innings.

Sterling Boston and Isaac Canavan were tied atop the saves board, with 32 each.

ABC Wrap-up

Brisbane’s lead in the Northern had been cut to 3 1/2 games, Alice Springs closing fast. Melbourne extended their lead in the Southern to 5 1/2 games, while Kalgoorlie were still comfortably in charge in the Western, 11 games up. Jakarta were unstoppable in the Overseas, their 22-6 month pushing them 12 1/2 games clear.

Jakarta’s Kapali Hokuaonani won the monthly Golden Arm Award, his figures for the season thus far 11-4, 3.62 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.23 WHIP).

Sydney’s Bob Crawford (.263/.299/.381, 6HR), who’d come across to the ABC from the NABA last season, wasn’t doing quite so well this campaign, chasing a lot of pitches and grounding into a lot of double plays. On the bright side, he led the league in doubles, with 35.

AUNZBL Standings, Feb 1

[Izz]

2060/2061 Season - February

Notable Performances

1 Feb: A 3-run Yong-jun Chu blast in the 5th were all the runs Auckland could muster, but they proved to be enough, the Metros overcoming Christchurch 3-1 to stop their losing streak at 10 games. Nelson Casey, called up from AAA to make his 1st big-league start (he’d thrown some March innings out of the bullpen last season), was the winner, throwing 6.2 innings of scoreless ball.

5 Feb: Cain Donaldson went 2-4 in Sydney’s 5-2 loss to Hobart. Both hits were only singles, but they meant he’d made it to 20 games with a hit. This was the 2nd time in his AUNZBL career he’d made it to the 20-game threshold.

7 Feb: Whangarei’s rookie CF Burt Trewartha took out PotW with a .529/.579/.735 effort. His 18-34 included 4 doubles and 1HR. He also scored 10 runs and stole 2 bases. When presented with the award the 25 y/o said, “Yeah, this last week has given me a lot of confidence that I can face big-league pitching and do okay.”

7 Feb: Donaldson’s hit streak was halted at 21 games. To make matters worse, Hobart’s offense busted out, beating up Sydney 9-3. Donaldson also made an error in the field. “Not a happy night,” he admitted after the game, “but tomorrow’s another day, right?”

8 Feb: Rodney Bashford crafted a 4-hit shutout for Newcastle against Auckland, striking out 5 Metros in the process. Newcastle bounced to an 8-0 win.

11 Feb: “They usually happen in threes, don’t they?” Nick Ahern joked after hitting for the cycle in Kununurra’s 10-7 win over Cairns. “So there should be another one before the season’s done. And do I get extra points for getting a walk as well?” Ahern tripled in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, walked in the 4th, singled in the 6th, and homered in the 8th.

11 Feb: Cain Donaldson had already collected 6 hits in a game (extra-innings) in November and today he went 5-5, with 3 runs scored and 2 ribbies, in Sydney’s 10-3 thrashing of Darwin. He stole his 31st base of the season, too.

12 Feb: Jorge Diaz went 3-3, including a HR, in Adelaide’s 8-5 victory over Perth. His 1st-inning single was his 200th hit of the season. He had nearly 40 more hits than any other player.

13 Feb: Rowan Kimpton became the 1st player to 40HR this season, bashing a 2-out solo shot in the 5th inning of Kununurra’s narrow 7-6 loss to Cairns.

13 Feb: Newcastle were rolling, winning their 10th straight thanks to a 5-3 triumph over Canberra. Despite the streak, Newcastle were still 8 games below .500 and dead last in the East-West.

14 Feb: Tyler Pratly went .429/.478/.952 over the last 7 days to win PotW.

14 Feb: Jorge Diaz became the 2nd player to 40HR in 2060, his 2-run blast in the 7th part of a 2-5 night in Adelaide’s 10-8 win over Melbourne. They won via a walk-off 2-run homer in the 10th from Axel Nankervis.

14 Feb: Rory Budd went 5-6 in Central Coast’s 7-5 extra-innings win over Darwin. His final hit of the game was an RBI-single in the 11th which gave the Thunder their game-winning 2-run lead. Budd had got to 5 hits in a game 3 times before.

15 Feb: Newcastle’s winning run came to an end after 11 games, going down 11-6 to Wellington. In that same game, Luigi Dempster got involved in his 2nd fight of the month, charging the mound in the 8th after getting beaned. He and pitcher Graeme Birkenshaw were suspended for 4 games. Dempster had been suspended for 2 games at the beginning of the month for a similar offense, and had also charged the mound in December of the 2059 season, garnering a 3-game ejection. Skipper Matthew Throsby acknowledged that Dempster “probably had to rein in that temper some,” but went on to say, “It’s pretty sad on the other guys' part though if they think they can target him to take attention away from how their team is going.”

15 Feb: Baden Henderson threw a southpaw special, restricting Melbourne to just 4 hits and no walks, while striking out 9. Adelaide won the game 4-0.

15 Feb: 36 y/o Patrick Maggs’ linedrive single in the 8th inning of Perth’s 3-1 win over Sydney was the 2500th time he’d successfully reached base via hit in his 14+ year career. Maggs, hitting .302 lifetime with 436HR, was the 19th player to reach that coveted milestone.

17 Feb: Cairns went down 5-4 to Christchurch. For the losers, Stephane Lecomte collected 3-5. He also stole his 60th base of the season. If he nabbed at least 8 more he’d own the season record.

18 Feb: Diaz took the outright homerun lead with his solo effort in Adelaide’s 5-4 extra-innings tussle with Auckland. Media outlets had already been crying ‘Triple Crown’ but now the ante upped even further. Hitting .377, Diaz was way out in front of the batting race. He also had 132RBI to go with his 41HR, 6RBI in front of Nigel Anderton.

21 Feb: Young superstar in the making Gordon Ladds won PotW, hitting .483/.531/.828, with 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 2HR amongst his 14 hits.

21 Feb: Roy Haynes collected a 20-game hit streak, reaching the mark with a 2-run HR in Perth’s 8-4 loss to Melbourne.

23 Feb: Nigel Anderton’s twin jacks in Syndey’s 14-3 crushing of Kununurra made him the 3rd player to 40 for the season. His 2nd homer, and 40th of the campaign, was a Slammer, his 4th of the season and the 9th of his career.

25 Feb: Arthur Hammer had started off the season well but had slumped in the middle. Today he was once again in top form, however, conceding only 3 hits and 2 walks to lead Melbourne to a 10-0 shutout victory over Auckland. It was Hammer’s 2nd shutout of the season. He struck out 6. For Auckland, this finalized what everybody had known since early on in proceedings: it was now mathematically impossible for them to make the playoffs.

25 Feb: Hobart’s Pete Rawnsley also recorded his 2nd shutout of the year, though he admitted after the game, “Yeah, I didn’t bring my best stuff today, and I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my defence who kept on doing what they’ve done all season, making us pitchers look good.” Rawnsley allowed Newcastle 6 hits and 1 walk, and was better than he gave himself credit for, striking out 9 hitters. Hobart cruised to a 6-0 win.

26 Feb: Roy Haynes' (.271/.311/.427, 14HR) turn in the spotlight came to an end, his hit streak cruelled at 22 games. It didn’t help that he left the game injured after just 1 at-bat. The diagnosis was quickly forthcoming: a hamstring strain and no more ball for Haynes this season.

27 Feb: Nigel Anderton crushed his 5th Grand Slam of the season, his 4-run effort in the 7th taking Sydney out of Christchurch’s reach in an eventual 5-1 victory.

27 Feb: Haynes' hit streak might’ve ended, but a teammate’s was continuing. Quentin Welch, who’d missed a good portion of the season with injury, made it to 20 games with a hit, going 2-4 in Perth’s 7-0 drubbing of Auckland.

28 Feb: Blue Sock Toby Norris earned PotW this time around. The 24 y/o hit .600/.640/1.200, 4 of his 12 hits four-baggers.

28 Feb: Hothead Luigi Dempster didn’t let his suspensions during the month bother him, today recording a 20-game hit streak. He was 2-4 in Wellington’s 6-4 defeat of Adelaide.

28 Feb: Stephane Lecomte was a menace on the basepaths, his manager saying, “I’ve learnt to just let him do his thing. If he thinks he’s got a chance he’s going to take it, regardless of any instructions we might give him.” He took his chances twice in today’s game against Whangarei, reaching in the 5th on a fielder’s choice then stealing 2nd and then 3rd during Dylan Glynn’s following at-bat. That gave him 67 steals for the season, equalling the season record held by Alan Sneddon and Carlos Aguilar, and giving him nearly a month to break it. “I’d like 75,” he said, “or maybe 80. Let’s say somewhere between 75 and 80.”

28 Feb: Barry Dean went 7.2 innings for Perth against Auckland, giving up 7 hits, 1 walk and 0 runs, setting the stage for a 5-0 victory. It was his 19th win of the season. He also struck out 11 to record his 5th 10+ strikeout game of 2060. The feat propelled him past 200 strikeouts, making him the first past that mark.

Notable Injuries

6 Feb: Nothing but bad news for Central Coast pitcher Jose Ramos (7-5, 3.90 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.48 WHIP). The 6’10” behemoth needed an elbow ligament reconstruction. Apparently, his injury required even more delicacy on the surgery table than most, and more recovery time as well. The 30 y/o, who would be a free agent after this season, was looking at 15-16 months out of the game. “It sucks,” Ramos said with a shrug of his broad shoulders, “but there’s nothing I can do about it except follow doctor’s orders and stay out of trouble until it’s better.”

18 Feb: Adelaide would be without livewire Tomas Zartuche (.332/.374/.410, 0HR, 33SB) for the rest of the season after he tore his triceps.

19 Feb: Beau Snell (.313/.367/.411, 5HR) would be missing from Wellington’s lineup for the rest of the regular season with a torn thumb ligament. If Wellington made the postseason he’d miss at least the 1st round of that, also.

20 Feb: Gary Young (.285/.369/.494, 24HR) lived up to his nickname of ‘Glass,’ tearing the meniscus in his right knee while running the bases in Adelaide’s 6-5 win over Auckland yesterday. He’d be gone the rest of the regular season and some of the postseason too. Jorge Diaz also left the game injured after a collision on the basepaths, but no word was yet forthcoming on his injury...

21 Feb: It was news that shocked the baseball world. 28 y/o Jorge Diaz (.378/.428/.676, 41HR) had led fans on a wild ride this season, a ride on par with the delirium he’d caused in 2056 when he shattered the HR and RBI records. In the 4th inning of Adelaide’s game on the 19th he’d led off with a single, and on the next hitter’s single had tried to go from 1st to 3rd. He dived and was tagged out, though attention immediately shifted to him rolling on the ground clutching his shoulder. Replays showed he’d snagged a finger in the dirt and twisted his shoulder awkwardly. He got up unassisted however and came from the field on his own strength, leading to a sigh of relief from the stands.

Two days later, flanked by Adelaide’s skipper and GM, Diaz tearfully fronted media to tell them he wasn’t sure he’d ever play again. He’d torn his labrum so severely that even with the marvels of modern medical technology doctors weren’t sure if he’d ever regain full use of his arm. He didn’t say much more and for once no journos clamoured to ask questions.

GM Santiago Rodriguez took over, saying, “We’re just in shock. It’s unbelievable, really, yet the doctors are insistent. As you all know, Jorge has already overcome so much to become the star he is and the very idea that his career can be snuffed out in such a brief instant is very difficult to fathom. He’s grieving, we’re grieving, and I know the fans will be grieving. He’s only been with us for part of a season but he already feels like family to this tightknit group of players, and I know they’ll be doing all they can to bring home some more silverware in his honour.”

A few days later the subject of Diaz’s Hall of Fame eligibility was broached on talkback. He had just over 8 years of major-league service time, and to be Hall eligible a player needed 10. Ismael Aguirre called the talkback show to suggest changing the name of the Slugger of the Year Award to the ‘Jorge Diaz Award.’ The idea caught on and that evening petition was started which quickly gained thousands of signatures.

The AUNZBL Commissioner responded at the conclusion of the month with the following, “We will certainly consider this request on all its merits, but given first the passage of some more time. Also, Jorge’s feats this current season mean he is still eligible to win this Slugger of the Year Award, and if he were to do so it might be a bit awkward to accept an award with his own name already engraved on the title plaque.”

Diaz had won the 2053 Rookie of the Year, the 2056 Slugger of the Year, and the 2058 DH Super Slugger Award. He’d also been to 6 All Star Games.



22 Feb: Canberra’s Lachlan Limeburner (.297/.347/.478, 18HR) wouldn’t be back this season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: Gordon Ladds led the league in WAR (7.3) and had been near the top of that board the entire season but had missed out on any rookie awards so far due to the hitting tour de force that was Rich Downes. Ladds outshone Downes in February, however, to win the year’s final monthly rookie award. He hit .386/.495/.580, 34-88, with 11 runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 3HR, 15RBI, 14 walks and 3SB (as well as 8 unsuccessful attempts). He finished the month serving a 2-game suspension after inciting an all-in brawl on the 28th. One of the reasons Ladds (hitting .320/.410/.497, with 16HR for the season) was a league-leader in WAR was because of his tremendous athleticism at CF. He’d already racked up a +25.7 ZR and was so gifted defensively that he’d even fielded 5.1 innings at catcher early in the season when injury struck during a game. Those 5.1 innings were probably best forgotten, however, though they’d certainly made a few bloopers reels already. Ladds admitted after the game that he'd never spent any time behind the plate, not even in little league, and "had absolutely no idea" what he was doing.

Hurler of the Month: Barry Dean was the premier pitcher of February, going 5-1 from 6 starts, with an ERA of 1.21, an FIP of 3.19, and a WHIP of 1.03. He notched up 51 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched, throwing the most innings of any pitcher during the month. For the season he was 19-5, with a 2.98 ERA, 3.40 FIP, and 1.16 WHIP. He led the AUNZBL in wins, FIP, strikeouts (202), and WAR (5.7).

Slugger of the Month: Malcolm Pickhills hit .326/.421/.674 in February, his 30-92 punctuated by 5 doubles, 3 triples and 7HR. He also crossed home-plate safely 19 times, collected 23 ribbies and walked 14 times. For the season he was hitting .287/.367/.562, with 37HR.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Adelaide (15-11) had a magic number of 10 going into March, Darwin (15-11) continuing their good run of results to remain 13 games behind. Cairns (11-15) had plummeted to the foot of the division.

East-West Division: Central Coast (14-12) and Kununurra (15-11) were locked up heading into the final stretch of the season. They would start the month in the middle of a 4-game series but wouldn’t play again in the regular season.

NZ Division: Wellington (16-10) recovered from their poor January to retake the lead in the NZ, finishing the month 3 games ahead of a faltering Christchurch (12-14).

Southern Division: Hobart (16-10) continued trucking along, their pitching and defence a well-oiled machine. They finished the month 14 games ahead of Sydney (12-14) and with a magic number of 9.

Wildcard: Either Central Coast or Kununurra had a firm hand on the 1st wildcard slot, while Sydney were 3 games clear in the 2nd. Darwin were the closest chasers, with Christchurch an extra game back and Perth an unlikely 6 games in arrears.

#

Jorge Diaz still dominated the leaderboards, reminding everybody every time they looked of the massive loss the game had suffered.

Rich Downes (.344/.378/.525, 17HR) had the best BA of the active qualified hitters, as well as the most hits (191). He also led the league outright in doubles, with 46.

Richard Moore (.322/.436/.597, 38HR) was the shining light on Brisbane’s roster, with the best SLG, OPS, wOBA (.434), and equal-best runs (104) of all active, qualified hitters.

Cain Donaldson (.310/.400/.414, 6HR) shared the runs mark with Moore.

Alan Sneddon (.336/.446/.495, 8HR) led the league outright in OBP, while Ronald Aitken (.300/.438/.507, 24HR) had the most walks (117).

Nigel Anderton (.303/.371/.581, 41HR) and Rowan Kimpton (.301/.336/.556, 41HR) were tied with Diaz on 41HR. Anderton also led the league in RBI (136) and was the best active hitter on the ISO (.278), XBH (69), and total bases (320) boards.

Stephane Lecomte’s (.310/.374/.389, 2HR) 67 steals put him 20 ahead of any other hitter.

Armando Santos (.255/.310/.493, 32HR) had defied expectation to play the entire season in the big leagues and looked set to break the existing season strikeout record of 213. So far Santos had 190. He was quite possibly the worst fielding shortstop the AUNZBL had ever seen, putting up a -26.2 ZR so far.

Brock Lawless (7-4, 2.85 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.03 WHIP) continued not to get decisions, but still led the league in ERA, WHIP, H/9 (7.40), and OAVG (.221).

Marty Okolita (11-8, 4.21 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 1.37 WHIP) didn’t have a particularly happy month but pushed his K/9 up to 9.99, best among qualified pitchers.

Isaac Canavan had 41 saves so far, as well as 8 wins, testimony to how often Hobart left it late to win.

ABC Wrap-up

Brisbane jumped back out to a comfortable lead in the Northern, 8 games ahead going into March. Sydney took 2 games off Melbourne’s lead, the Victory only 3 1/2 games up at the end of the month. Kalgoorlie and Jakarta were riding easy in their divisions, 14 games and 12 1/2 games ahead respectively.

Rowan Reardon (.342/.448/.676, 43HR) was having another beast of a season, leading the league in BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, HR, walks, ISO, and TB. He was just 5 behind on the RBI charts so a Triple Crown wasn’t out of the question either. The 35 y/o would be a free agent at season’s end, and already a few AUNZBL teams had publicly expressed interest in him.

Also heading to free agency was Satya Susanti (14-7, 2.17 ERA, 2.05 FIP, 0.85 WHIP). As well as having thrown the most innings of any pitcher, having the best FIP, and putting up an astounding 8.2 WAR, Susanti had rung up 258 strikeouts at a K/9 rate of 10.59.

AUNZBL Standings, Mar 1

[Izz]

2060/2061 Season - March

Notable Performances

1 Mar: Luigi Dempster’s hit streak ended at 20 games. He went 0-4 in Wellington’s 5-1 loss to Adelaide.

1 Mar: Cairns might’ve got upended 5-2 by Whangarei, but Stephane Lecomte still had a great night, going 2-4 with a double. In the 3rd he hustled to beat out the throw on a soft grounder between 3B and short for an infield single. The very next pitch he stole 2B. Steal number 68 for the season and Lecomte was now the single-season record holder!

1 Mar: A 6-run 9th made Hobart’s 14-7 defeat of Brisbane seem less of a contest than it was. Maurice Clemens starred in the victory, his 2-5 both home runs. That jumped him to 41HR, giving him a share of the lead and making him the 4th player to pass the 40HR mark in 2060.

2 Mar: Quentin Welch had his hit streak snapped at 22 games in Perth’s 4-1 loss to Auckland. Welch went 0-2 with a walk.

3 Mar: Whangarei rookie Burt Trewartha became the 1st AUNZBL player ever to register 7 hits in a game, doing so in the Sluggers’ 13-11 extra-innings win over Hobart. He went 7-7, 6 of those hits coming in regulation time. Not only that, but he also slugged 3HR, going deep in the 2nd, 9th (to tie things up), and 11th (to walk off a winner). He scored 5 runs too, tying the AUNZBL extra-innings game record. The 25 y/o CF, who teammates said was a known stat-head, remarked to media after the game, “Yeah, that was good, wasn’t it? Pulled my OPS above .700 and my OPS+ all the way up to 88. And yes, I am being somewhat sarcastic. I think this is one of those things a mathematician might call a ‘blip.’” In all honesty, various sabermetricians agreed afterwards, he was probably right. But what a blip to have on your record!



3 Mar: Greg Ahern crashed through the 200K barrier, though he didn’t get the win in Sydney’s 4-3 defeat of Newcastle, the Blue Sox having to score 2 in the bottom of the 9th to after Newcastle rattled their cage with 3 runs in the top of the inning. Ahern deserved a win however, allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks in 8 innings of scoreless ball. In terms of strikeouts, he did the ‘Buzzard’ 10 times, pushing him - temporarily in all likelihood - to the head of the strikeout list.

4 Mar: Ronald Pedley, in his 5th big-league start of the season, allowed Christchurch only 7 hits, fanning 3, to lead Central Coast to a 4-0 shutout victory. Pedley had 3 prior major-league shutouts to his name, all achieved in the 2056 season while playing for Perth.

5 Mar: Central Coast’s Juan Moran was even more impressive than Pedley yesterday, keeping Christchurch to just 2 hits and 1 walk, punching out 7, in another 4-0 shutout win.

7 Mar: Mitchell Cox lived up to his nickname of ‘Big Thunder’ over the last week, putting the hurt to opposition pitchers in as close to a perfect display of contact hitting as would ever be seen in a baseball competition. He went 16-20, for an .800/.833/.800 stat-line. All his hits were singles. He scored 5, drove in 5, walked 3 times, and stole 3 bases.

9 Mar: Central Coast’s pitchers were certainly hitting form at the pointy end of the season. Ethan Humphries bamboozled Newcastle, conceding just 2 hits and 2 walks in 9 innings of shutout ball. He struck out 7 and the Thunder won by their favourite scoreline: 4-0. The win saw Central Coast draw level on top peg with Kununurra in the East-West.

9 Mar: Stephane Lecomte became the 1st AUNZBL player ever to steal 70 bases in a season, doing so in the Crocs’ 8-5 win over Melbourne.

9 Mar: A 6-run 8th from Syndey toppled Brisbane 7-6. For the losers, Richard Moore slugged HR number 40 for the season. He was the 5th player to the mark.

10 Mar: With his 3rd HR in 3 games Luigi Dempster became the 6th player to 40 for the season. Dempster was also the overall standout for Wellington in their 9-3 dismantling of the Metros, going 4-4 with a double, 2 runs and 3RBI.

11 Mar: Auckland lost their 100th game of the season, going down 11-6 to arch-rivals Wellington. This was the 2nd consecutive season the once proud Metros had shelled 100 and the previous 4 seasons before that they’d lost at least 90. The 81-81 they’d finished with in 2054 was the only time since 2047, when they’d snared their last Championship, that they’d had a .500 or better season.

11 Mar: Barry Dean brought up his 20th win of the season in style. He went the whole game, giving up only 2 hits and 3 walks to lead Perth to a 7-0 shutout victory. Dean struck out 8 and Canberra’s skipper admitted after the game that his hitters had “no answers” to the Perth ace. Dean was the 2nd player in AUZNBL history, after Edward Delaney, to record back-to-back 20-win seasons. Delaney did his at age 32-33, Dean at age 23-24 (he was currently 25 y/o, but had started the season only 24). Dean was 1 strikeout behind Aherrn and now led the league in wins as well as ERA. Could a pitching Triple Crown be a possibility for the young gun?

14 Mar: Luigi Dempster won the penultimate PotW award, feasting on March pitching over the last 7 days to record a .560/.586/1.320 stat-line. Of his 14-25, 6 were HR. He also scored 10 and drove in 14.

14 Mar: Adelaide weren’t the 1st team assured a postseason berth - Hobart had known for a certainty they were going to the playoffs since the 10th - but they were the 1st team to win their division in 2060. Fittingly, they did so with a come-from-behind 7-6 win over Darwin, their closest division rivals at 10 games back prior to today’s proceedings.

14 Mar: Lance Ralston was back strutting his stuff for Wellington just in time to help them clinch a postseason appearance. He helped them to their 5th straight win today, keeping Canberra to naught across 9 innings while conceding only 3 hits and 3 walks to go with 5 strikeouts. While Ralston’s velocity was steadily dropping, he remained as difficult to pick and hit as he ever had thanks to his repertoire of pitches and his intelligent use of them.

15 Mar: Canberra had all but closed up shop for the season. Wellington followed up yesterday’s shutout with a 14-4 thumping of the hapless Cavalry and amongst the stars was Dempster, who went 4-5 with a double and 2HR. His 2nd jack was his 45th for the season, making him the 1st player to that mark.

15 Mar: Greg Ahern led the way in Sydney’s 6-1 defeat of the Sluggers, his 7 innings of 1-run ball accompanied by 10 strikeouts. That pushed him to 223 for the season, 11 ahead of Barry Dean, who was scheduled to start tomorrow.

15 Mar: Malcolm Pickhills became the 7th player to achieve the 40HR mark this season, his 2-run effort helpful in Adelaide’s 8-3 whipping of the Diggers.

15 Mar: Angelo Spear, back from injury, picked up his 1st win of this campaign for Melbourne against Hobart, allowing just 1 run off 4 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings of a 2-1 victory. The win was the 213th of Spear’s career.

16 Mar: Known as a party animal, though guys who’d played with him throughout his career said he still trained as hard as anybody else, 36 y/o Sean Carr was doing his best to help Darwin get to the playoffs, though they were currently 4 games back from a wildcard slot. Today Darwin defeated Melbourne 5-1, but Carr would remember the game for a whole other reason. In the 6th he hit an RBI-single, part of a 4-run inning that saw Darwin pull away, and upon reaching 1B gave the fans an air guitar routine. That hit was the 2500th of his career. He was the 3rd player to that mark this season, and the 20th in AUNZBL history.

16 Mar: Dempster was finishing the regular season with a roar. His solo HR in the 4th inning of Wellington’s 12-1 loss to Perth was his 11th bomb of the month and put him on 46 for the year...

16 Mar: ...Dean was the player Dempster went deep off, that HR the only blemish of an 8-inning outing. Win 21 for the year. Dean's ERA dropped below 3.00 and he also punched out 11, moving him into a tie with Ahern at the top of the strikeout board.

16 Mar: It took 11 innings but Canberra ended their 5-game skid with an 8-5 win over Cairns. Front and centre was Jai Rowe, who went 5-6 with a double and HR. The 28 y/o was thriving in his 1st full season, hitting .315/.369/.497, with 25HR and a 4.0 WAR.

17 Mar: Hobart locked up the Southern Division with a 3-1 win over Auckland, their 94th victory of the year.

17 Mar: Edwin Hayes made it 8 players past 40HR in 2060, doing so via a 3-run blast in Central Coast’s 6-5 loss to Whangarei. Hayes, who’d played with Jorge Diaz at Kununurra and been the other half of 2056’s HR shootout, hitting 53, said he was “gutted” that his good friend had been forced to quit the game. “Future generations won’t know what we’ve lost,” he said, “but everybody around today does: Jorge's already a legend but in a few more seasons he would've been in any conversation for greatest of all time.”

18 Mar: In the scheme of the season it meant little, as even after today’s result Perth’s chances of making the postseason were officially over, but Jesus Solis still deserved to carry himself with pride. He threw the 1st shutout of his big-league career, restricting Wellington to only 2 hits. He walked none and struck out 9 in the 4-0 win and said afterwards, “I was in the zone, man. Just pitch, get the ball back, pitch. I might as well have been throwing them peas out there.”

19 Mar: Sydney lost 4-1 to Adelaide but were still celebrating heartily after the game. Down country in Melbourne, Darwin had fallen 11-6 thus gifting the Blue Sox a postseason berth. This also meant that Central Coast, who beat Whangarei 4-2, would also feature in the playoffs, but whether that would be as a wildcard or division winner remained to be seen.

19 Mar: Zachariah Pond might’ve been on the losing team in that 11-6 loss to Melbourne but he got plenty of Aces whiffing. In 5 innings he fanned 12 to catapult him past the 200 strikeout mark.

19 Mar: Marty Okolita was also on the losing side in the Whangarei-Central Coast clash but he too passed 200 strikeouts, notching up 8 in 5.2 innings.

20 Mar: The final off day of the regular season. This year, the only playoff competitor not decided was in the NZ between Wellington and Christchurch. The Fury, who’d lost their last 4, had a 3-game lead and would tomorrow begin a 4-game series at home against Cairns. Christchurch, victorious in their last 2, would take on Brisbane, also at home.

While both Kununurra and Central Coast were assured of postseason berths and would both feature in the opening round of the playoffs, the East-West Division title was still up for grabs. Kununurra had a lead of 2 and a magic number of 3. They would host Whangarei while Central Coast would host Adelaide.

21 Mar: The season’s last PotW went to youngster Andre Wiltshire, who hit .667/.696/.952.

21 Mar: Wellington disposed of Cairns 9-1, the highlight being Christos Spargo’s 6th-inning Grand Slam. Christchurch also won, fighting past Brisbane 4-3 to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. The Fury’s magic number was now 1.

21 Mar: In a high-scoring encounter, Kununurra saw off a late comeback by Whangarei to win 13-11. Central Coast got beat in a tight one 4-3 by Adelaide, meaning Kununurra’s magic number was now also 1.

21 Mar: Barry Dean was once again excellent, throwing 8 innings for 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 run in his final start of the year. Perth won the game 4-1 and Dean had equalled his 22 wins from last season. He struck out 8, putting him on 231 punch-outs for the year. Ahern was due to start tomorrow. If he whiffed less than 8 Dean was a pretty safe bet to record a pitching Triple Crown as the ERA of the closest qualified pitchers still to throw this season were at least 23 points back.

21 Mar: Angelo Spear finished a frustrating season on a good note, his 6.1 innings going for just 2 runs in Melbourne’s 7-2 battering of Sydney. Spear would head into 2061 with 214 career wins, 7 clear on that leaderboard. Clint Aitcheson, who would also get 1 more start this season was currently on 195 career wins, 19 in arrears.

22 Mar: Wellington sewed up the NZ with an 8-7 defeat of Cairns, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. With the scores locked at 5 apiece at the end of regulation time, the game progressed to extra innings. Cairns went 2 ahead in the 10th. Wellington, however, refused to lie down and proceeded to go on a 2-out rally that ended with Rick Roughley’s loaded bases walk bringing home the winning run. Christchurch also won, slugging 4HR in their 7-2 victory over Brisbane, but it was all for naught. They’d have to settle for missing the playoffs for the 3rd straight year.

22 Mar: The East-West was decided too, Kununurra emphatically disposing of Whangarei 9-0 to win the pennant. Rhett Meehan was superb, going 8.1 innings for just 2 hits and 2 walks before getting pulled 1 out into the 9th in sight of a shutout. The fans were once again left scratching their heads at Cameron Hutcheon’s tactics but the joy of a division title took the heat off him somewhat. Central Coast were tipped up 7-3 by Adelaide but would still feature in the postseason, doing so for the 6th straight season and the 11th time in the last 13 years.

22 Mar: The Blue Sox might’ve imploded to lose 6-3 to Melbourne but for most of his outing Greg Ahern looked good. He threw 7 innings for 6 hits, 2 walks and 1 run. He struck out only 6, meaning he’d finish the season 2 Ks behind Dean, on 229.

23 Mar: Cody Watts helped Sydney put an end to a 4-game losing streak, throwing a 2-hitter against Melbourne. Sydney won 2-0, Watts conceding just those 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 3 and only throwing 83 pitches. This was his 2nd shutout of the season, a feat he’d now achieved 3 years running.

Notable Injuries

1 Mar: Hobart would be without Connor Chapman (10-14, 4.35 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 1.43 WHIP) for postseason festivities. While the 35 y/o hadn’t been pitching all that well this season he would be missed come playoff time, having appeared in 6 postseason campaigns in his career-to-date.

2 Mar: Another injury blow for Hobart, though Norman Ladds (.242/.352/.450, 27HR) was expected to make it back just in time for the postseason. Ladds had an oblique strain. Hobart, sitting at 90-52, had a magic number of 7.

6 Mar: Wellington would be hoping Will Glasson (.311/.389/.475, 14HR) would recover from a bone bruise on his wrist in time for the playoffs. Wellington were currently 5 games ahead of the Cowboys in the NZ.

8 Mar: Jayden Downes (.301/.326/.386, 6HR) could book an early holiday. The Melbourne slap hitter had a strained rib cage muscle and would play no further part in proceedings this season.

17 Mar: Hobart wouldn’t have the services of livewire Ignacio Maldonado (.262/.339/.408, 17HR, 48SB) for the rest of the regular season, but were hopeful he’d be recovered from knee tendinitis by the time they entered the postseason fray.

21 Mar: Guillermo Julio’s (.303/.376/.389, 6HR, 43SB) season was over thanks to shoulder tendinitis.

21 Mar: Tom Doig (.282/.362/.540, 26HR from 481PA) had a rib cage muscle strain that would keep him out of action until at least the end of the regular season. Central Coast management were mum on whether they’d bring him off the DL for the 1st round of the playoffs.

23 Mar: Many commentators over the course of the season had remarked that Hobart appeared to be overplaying 2B Maurice Clemens (.246/.342/.514, 43HR from 153 started games) and that he was running a high risk of injury. Now, with the playoffs only a few days away, that fear had been realized. Thankfully his sprained ankle wasn’t too severe and would only keep him sidelined for around 2 weeks. Whether Hobart would put him on their playoff roster for their 2nd round entrance, even though he’d only be fit for some of the series, remained to be seen.

25 Mar: Ed Geoghegan (.275/.360/.511, 29HR) had had an injury prone year already but now had to face the news that he’d miss the entire postseason with a fractured finger. With Diaz gone, Tomas Zartuche also out for the duration of the playoffs, and with Gary Young still a few days away from returning, skipper Luis Gonzalez had to admit they’d “lost a fair bit of firepower.”

Notable Trades/Signings

18 Mar: Canberra had made the playoffs the last 2 seasons despite expert expectations, so most expected skipper Leon Moreno to get a reprieve after this season’s result. Expectations were often far from reality, as was borne out at today's press conference. With 6 days in the regular season left, Moreno had been given the boot. GM Stephen Goodwin told media, “Leon will get another job in the league, I have no doubt. But we had to make a statement to all involved in this organization, and sadly that statement had to be made by way of Leon.”

Media Watch

Young-tae Lee: Lee got a March call-up to the Crocs’ big-league squad but sat the entire month on the pine without even getting a single at-bat. The 44 y/o was philosophical about it, however, saying, “Sure I was ready and willing. Hell, I’d have been out in the on-deck circle before coach had even finished the sentence. But even though I didn’t get to swing in front of a major-league crowd again it was still nice to experience the big-league atmosphere from the dugout again.”

Other Notes

Pitching Triple Crown!!!! Barry Dean (22-6, 2.93 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.12 WHIP) did it, finishing the season with the most wins, best ERA, and most strikeouts (231). It was no fluke either - in case anybody dared to wonder - as he also led the league in FIP and WAR (6.6), was 3rd in WHIP, 2nd in H/9 (7.57), 3rd in OAVG (.232), and 2nd in innings pitched (236.2). Surely he would be the 1st player to win back-to-back HotY awards since Tyler Silk in 2021 and 2022. After only 4 years in the majors Dean had a 71-32 record and it would be sad not to see him in the postseason. In both his previous playoff appearances (2057, 2058), he’d been injured in his 1st start and missed the rest of the action.

Rich Downes (.338/.374/.508, 17HR) capped off a remarkable rookie season with the batting award, the AUNZBL belatedly - and controversially - deciding Jorge Diaz didn’t qualify although he’d met the minimum PA requirements before retiring. Downes only shrugged when questioned about how he felt, saying, “Bit of a false dawn really, isn’t it?” Downes also finished atop the hits board (220), and rapped 55 doubles, another league-best and good enough for equal 4th-best all-time on the season leaderboard.

3 other players reached 200 hits:

Jai Rowe (.314/.370/.507, 28HR, 210 hits)
Stephane Lecomte (.311/.378/.394, 3HR, 206 hits)
Angus Wheeler (.307/.353/.481, 23HR, 206 hits)

Lecomte finished the season with 74 stolen bases, 24 more than next-best Carlos Aguilar (.303/.374/.403, 6HR).

Luigi Dempster (.298/.365/.560, 46HR) won the HR race.

Along with Dempster, the following batters slugged 40+ HR:

Nigel Anderton (.297/.365/.559, 44HR)
Rowan Kimpton (.309/.345/.556, 44HR)
Maurice Clemens (.246/.342/.514, 43HR)
Edwin Hayes (.259/.327/.527, 43HR)
Malcolm Pickhills (.289/.372/.565, 42HR)
Richard Moore (.306/.415/.558, 41HR)

Anderton finished atop the RBI board, with 148, and safely rounded the most bases, totalling 357.

Pickhills had the league’s best WAR (8.0), best SLG and ISO (276), and most extra-base hits (78).

Moore topped the OPS and wOBA (.411) trees.

Armando Santos (.262/.315/.514, 39HR) set a new season record for strikeouts, amassing 215. The Peruvian was nonchalant when asked about his feat, saying, “I swing and miss sometimes, but other times I hit the ball a long way.”

Two players achieved the runs-walks double-double: Moore (113-109), and Ronald Aitken (.293/.436/.498, 28HR, 102 runs, 140BB). Aitken finished the season with 31 more free passes than anybody else.

Alan Sneddon (.333/.443/.489, 9HR) finished 7 walks short of 100, the 1st time he’d missed that mark in a full season (at least 502PAs) since 2047. He did finish atop the OBP board, however. He also finished the year with 99 career HRs.

Cain Donaldson (.314/.403/.420, 8HR) scored the most runs of any major-leaguer, crossing homeplate safely 116 times.

Dylan Glynn’s (.309/.350/.448, 12HR) 12 triples put him atop the AUNZBL. This was the 3rd time in his career he’d topped the league in that category.

Apart from Dean, 3 other pitchers amassed 200+ strikeouts:

Greg Ahern (15-11, 3.65 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.17 WHIP, 229 strikeouts)
Zachariah Pond (11-11, 4.98 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.32 WHIP, 213 strikeouts)
Marty Okolita (13-8, 4.17 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 204 strikeouts)

Ahern, unenviably, led the league in homeruns allowed for the 2nd year straight, this season surrendering 40.

Okolita had the best K/9 rate of all qualified pitchers, with 10.01.

Brock Lawless (8-6, 3.21 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 1.10 WHIP) had the AUNZBL’s best WHIP.

Teammate Marcello Thornton (15-7, 3.14 ERA, 5.13 FIP, 1.17 WHIP) needed to send his fielders chocolates. He boasted the league’s best OAVG (.231) and H/9 (7.57).

Another Prospect led the league in saves. Isaac Canavan (8-1, 49 sv, 1.45 ERA, 1.97 FIP, 0.89 WHIP) had an astounding season, his 49 saves the highest season total since Ian Naismith set the current record of 51 back in 2036. Even the great Brodie Backhouse had never recorded more than 46 saves in a season. Canavan also pitched in a league-high 77 games, striking out 137 in 87 innings pitched.

ABC Wrap-up

At the conclusion of the AUNZBL season the ABC still had 3 games remaining. The only playoff spot not decided was in the Northern Division, where Brisbane held a 2-game lead over Alice Springs.

Melbourne would represent the Southern Division, Kalgoorlie the Western Division, and Jakarta the Overseas Division.

35 y/o Rowan Reardon (.336/.441/.677, 56HR) crushed the previous ABC season HR record, and the talkback lines were alight with discussion of how he’d go in the AUNZBL. Of course, no deals had been signed yet, but everybody seemed to think it was a foregone conclusion. Commonly, the chatter went like this, “56HR in a pitcher-friendly league! Just imagine what he could do in the hitter-friendly AUNZBL!”

Satya Susanti (17-7, 1.98 ERA, 1.94 FIP, 0.82 WHIP) was lights-out for the whole season, crushing the 300 K barrier, finishing up with 311, over 100 more than next-best, at a 10.81 K/9 rate. He also topped the ABC in FIP, WAR (10.1), H/9 (5.94), OAVG (.184), and IP (259.0). He was in fact contracted to Hobart for 1 more season, so AUNZBL fans would have to wait a while longer to see if he’d turn out for their league.

AUNZBL Standings, Nov 1

[Izz]

2060 Division Finals

Game 1 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

Jack Binns struggled in the top of the 1st, giving up a leadoff double to Phillip Eissens, and then craning his neck to watch Rory Budd’s fly travel 435 feet over left-centre to score 2 runs. He got out of the inning without further damage, whiffing 2, but trotted to the dugout shaking his head.

Sydney loaded the bases with 1 out in the bottom of the 2nd, the 59,000+ crowd baying for runs. John Zglinicki fanned Timothy Browne on 3 pitches and then sat Dylan Thomas down on strikes to end the threat. Edwin Hayes extended Central Coast’s lead by 1 with a solo bomb in the 4th. Sydney finally got on the board in the 6th, Nigel Anderton doubling Cain Donaldson home.

With the score still 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 9th, Domenic Purss came to the mound, having put up a 5-8, 29-save record as the Thunder closer. He threw nothing but four-seam fastballs, and got the save, giving up a 2-out single in the process. Final score: 3-1 Central Coast. Zglinicki (8.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 2BB, 6K) got the W, while Jack Binns (8.1IP, 6H, 3ER, 2BB, 8K) stayed on the mound longer than expected.

Game 1 - Wellington Fury vs Kununurra Pioneers

Lance Ralston versus Eddie Rayner in a matchup that had every commentary team salivating.

A 2-out Vic Collins HR in the 2nd opened the scoring for Wellington, the strong breeze helping the ball out of the park. Joshua Angwin bashed a solo HR in the 3rd, extending Wellington’s lead to 3. Blake Caffyn singled home Kununurra’s opening run in the 4th and in the 7th Tyler Pratly edged the Pioneers 1 closer with an rbi-single.

Heading into the bottom of the 9th it was still a 1-run game, veteran Rex Herbert taking the mound for Wellington hoping to close the game out. He gave up a 1-out single but didn’t falter, getting it done to record his 12th postseason save. Final score: 3-2 Wellington in a game of many hits but few runs.

Rayner (8.0IP, 11H, 3ER, 0BB, 4K) went deep for the loss, while Ralston (6.0IP, 7H, 2ER, 4BB, 5K) had control issues but got the win, telling media after the game, “This rooster’s still got plenty to crow about.”

Game 2 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

Sydney loaded the bases in the bottom of the 1st with 1 out and, while there were no spectacular line drives or booming flies, they managed to score 3 before their outs were used up. Karl Aston got Central Coast into the game with a 434-foot blast over left centre to begin the 3rd, and the Thunder would’ve got to within 1 if not for a great diving catch at 3B by Gordon Appleby to end the inning with a runner stranded on 2B.

Aston hit a deep double in the 5th to drive in another, making it a 1-run game, but was left stranded. A 2-out Anderton rbi-double in the bottom of the inning pushed the lead back out to 2, and next inning that became 3 as Trent Allan converted his triple into a run thanks to a Timothy Browne single.

In the 8th Central Coast once again reduced the deficit to 2, Budd doubling home Robert Martin. Ryan Digby climbed the mound in the 9th, looking to close the game out for Sydney. A walk and a hit saw Sydney’s fans chewing their nails but a nice jumping catch by Anderton at 1B put paid to any Central Coast heroics. Final score: 5-3 Sydney to square the series at 1.

Ethan Humphries (6.0IP, 8H, 5R, 4ER, 0BB, 2K) took the loss. Cody Watts (6.0IP, 6H, 2ER, 0BB, 5K) took the win.

Game 2 - Wellington Fury vs Kununurra Pioneers

An error in the bottom of the 2nd saw Ramon Martinez aboard and Bert Allan, next up, made Wellington pay, lofting a 2-run shot into the bullpen behind the CF wall. Tyler Pratly then walked and Blake Caffyn deposited a fastball into the leftfield bleachers to make it 4-0. An out later and Kununurra loaded the bases via 2 walks and a single, Byron Moore struggling to pick his spots. Sadly for the Pioneers Kimpton could only ground into a double-play to end the inning.

Wellington loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 3rd but Li Ayliffe composed himself and struck the next hitter out to end the inning. Dempster pulled one over the LF fence in the 5th to give Wellington their opening run.

Moore got himself into trouble again in the 6th, juicing the bases with no outs. The Pioneers rallied to score 3 and that was Moore’s night done (5.2IP, 10H, 7R, 6ER, 3BB, 4K). Al Ayliffe tripled in a run in the 8th, but Kununurra got the run back in the bottom of the inning. Wellington retired 1-2-3 in the 9th and this game was in the books. Final score: 8-2 Kununurra in a no-contest. Li Ayliffe (7.2IP, 7H, 2ER, 2BB, 6K) was the well-deserved winner. Nick Ahern went 2-4 to be hitting .714 for the series so far.

Kununurra skipper Cameron Hutcheon had been taken to hospital during warmups with a suspected concussion after being hit in the head by an errant throw, and plenty of Pioneers’ fans clogged the talkback lines to say how much better the team did without him calling the shots.

Game 3 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

Hayes jumped on a first-pitch changeup in the bottom of the 1st, sending it 436 feet over centrefield to score 2 and open proceedings. Greg Ahern was having trouble keeping his pitches down in the zone through the 1st 2, but ironically it was a low changeup that Dermott Alcock sent down the RF line and into the stands to score 2 more and give Central Coast a 4-0 lead.

Allan singled home Donahue in the 4th to get Sydney on the board. Eissens hit a 1-out triple in the bottom of the 5th and for a moment it looked as if he were going to head for home before deciding to pull up. Next hitter up, Budd, singled him home and ended up at 2nd thanks to an error in RF. Auger then drove Budd home and Ahern’s night was over (4.1IP, 6H, 6ER, 2BB, 7K).

Somewhat surprisingly Juan Moran (6.0IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 7K) came out of the game after 6, but reliever Roy Trevelyan didn’t come to grief, getting through the inning in 5 pitches. Sydney got a rally going in the 8th, scoring 2 to make it a 3-run game. Aston extended Central Coast’s lead back to 4 in the bottom of the inning via a 2-out solo HR. Sydney could mount no miraculous comeback in the 9th, Central Coast easing to a 7-3 victory.

Game 3 - Wellington Fury vs Kununurra Pioneers

Kununurra took an early lead, scoring 2 via a series of groundballs. Wellington cut the deficit in half in the 2nd, losing Ayliffe to injury in the process. Ahern doubled home Domenic Guerin in the top of the 3rd before an out had been recorded before scoring an out later on Ramon Martinez’s 1st hit of the series. Caffyn’s just-fair double scored another and the Pioneers went into the bottom of the 3rd ahead 5-1.

Willem Birss (5.0IP, 10H, 5ER, 0BB, 3K) didn’t last long, his tenure on the mound non-threatening. The score remained 5-1 until the 8th, when Kununurra loaded the bases with 1 out. They managed to score only 1 to extend the lead to 5. With the score unchanged heading into the bottom of the 9th, Blair Norris headed out to the mound, having thrown only 90 pitches so far. Norris surrendered a single and a walk while recording the 1st 2 outs before getting yanked, as was his manager’s wont. Reliever Rhett Meehan left a sinker up in the zone to Vic Collins who didn’t miss, cracking the ball into the leftfield stands for a 3-run HR. Suddenly it was a 2-run game, with 9-hitter Harris Geaner, who’d managed .091 for the series, up. He could only fly out and Kununurra survived a scare to go within a game of advancing.

Final score: 6-4 Pioneers. Norris’s figures (8.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 4BB, 5K) were smeared somewhat by his 9th-inning appearance. Guerin went 3-4 for the victors. For the majority of the game, Wellington appeared tame rather than furious.

Game 4 - Central Coast Thunder vs Sydney Blue Sox

Both sides traded outs until the bottom of the 2nd, when with 1 out Patrick Wigmore recorded his 1st hit of the postseason, a long drive into the RF bleachers. 1-0 Central Coast. Binns then lost his composure somewhat, conceding a walk and 2 singles to load the bases. Robert Martin sac-flied a runner home and a groundball out later Binns looked relieved to be heading to the dugout without more damage.

Sydney put runners on the corners with no outs in the 3rd but could do nothing with the opportunity. Central Coast sac-flied another home in the 4th to make it a 3-run game, and extended their lead further next inning, Hayes doubling home a run to make it 4-zip.

Bailey Kinnear had made good contact his first 2 at-bats without success, but didn’t miss out 3rd time up in the 6th, lofting a 2-1 fastball into the RF stands to put Sydney on the board. That jack was the Blue Sox's 1st of the postseason. Binns (5.0IP, 7H, 4ER, 1BB, 4K) was subbed after 5, Zglinicki (8.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 3K) after a well-constructed 8.

Closer Purss came to the mound in the 9th, and started proceedings off by punching out Kinnear. An error by 3B Martin on a routine throw to 1B saw Anderton wind up at 2B rather than in the dugout, Sydney now with a sniff. Donahue’s ground-out advanced Anderton a base, but saw Sydney now at last-chance saloon. Appleby struck out on 3 pitches and the game and the series was over. Final score: 4-1 Central Coast to see them ease into the Preliminary Finals.

Karl Aston (.500/.571/1.083, 2HR) picked up series MVP.

Game 4 - Wellington Fury vs Kununurra Pioneers

Ayliffe only had a sore hip which might hamper his defensive movement and swing a little bit, but wouldn’t prevent him from playing.

Guerin started things off in the best possible way for Kununurra, cracking the 2nd pitch of the game into the LF bleachers, Ralston shaking his head in disbelief. Ralston got himself in further trouble, loading the bases with only 1 out but induced a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the jam.

Dempster put Wellington ahead in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run blast off Rayner. Kimpton made it a tie-game in the 2nd with the 3rd homer of the night. Christos Spargo upped the HR tally to 4 in the bottom of the inning, his drive carrying the distance over right-centre. 3-2 Wellington after an action-packed 2 innings. Will Glasson got in on the longball action in the bottom of the 3rd, cracking one 432 feet and into the upper RF tier.

It was a tater-tot night, Ayliffe slugging the 6th of the evening to lead off the 4th, extending Wellington’s advantage to 3. With the roof closed due to rain outside, the OotPB commentators wondered if the muggy conditions were assisting ball flight, or at least making it hard for the pitchers to keep the ball down in the zone. Rayner (3.1IP, 5H, 5ER, 1BB, 1K) recorded the next out and then headed to the showers.

Kununurra reliever Fraser Moore struck out the side in the 6th. Ralston (6.0IP, 6H, 2ER, 2BB, 6K) didn’t come out for the 7th, watching on anxiously from the dugout. He watched Hai-dong Yang send one down the RF line and into the bleachers for a 2-out solo HR to make it a 2-run game and set about chewing his nails. That was all the scoring in the inning, but Wellington were definitely after some insurance.

It didn’t take long in the 8th for Ralston to get to his feet and trounce towards the lockers. Ortiz led off with a single and Pratly evened the game up with a 2-run blast, the 8th HR of the night. 2-outs later and a run of weak singles gave Kununurra the advantage for the first time since the 1st. To rub salt into the wound, Martinez wound one around the LF foul pole in the 9th to score 2 more and put Kununurra 3 runs clear and within sight of the Preliminary Finals.

Allen Jiang came out to close the game and face the lower half of Wellington’s order. Ayliffe struck out but Pratly couldn’t handle the pitch and couldn’t throw to 1st in time to get the out. Spargo singled to right and Ayliffe hustled to 3B and then left the game injured. Collins singled up the middle to bring the runner home. 2-run game and nobody yet out. Geaner struck out swinging, as did Roughley. Glasson, seeing the ball like a melon today, singled up the middle, scoring Spargo. 1-run game, 2 outs, tying run at 2B, winning run at 1B, season HR-king Dempster at the plate. Rhett Meehan replaced Jiang and Dempster could only fly out to right to end it. Final score: 8-7 Kununurra in an action-packed contest, seeing them through to the next playoff round. 9 homeruns were hit.

Nick Ahern won series MVP, hitting .471/.526/.529.

[reds1]

Originally Posted by Izz

Kununurra skipper Cameron Hutcheon had been taken to hospital during warmups with a suspected concussion after being hit in the head by an errant throw, and plenty of Pioneers’ fans clogged the talkback lines to say how much better the team did without him calling the shots.

That's a new one! Great stuff, Izz.

[Izz]

Originally Posted by reds1

That's a new one! Great stuff, Izz.

Heh - the bit about him being hit in the head was an actual ingame news story; i just added the talkback radio bit

[Izz]

2060 Preliminary Finals

Game 1 - Central Coast Thunder vs Hobart Prospects

Despite boasting the best regular season record and with the best pitching left in the postseason, bookies weren’t giving Hobart the lower odds for this series, citing a lack of Aguirre and Maurice Clemens from an already anemic offense. Central Coast skipper Reginald Reddick dismissed the idea his team were favoured in typical style at the pre-match presser: “Bookies’ predictions? What the hell are they worth? About as much as one of your guys’ testicles, that’s how much. We're confident, of course, but we're not going to fall for any of that 'favourites tag' garbage.”

Central Coast and Hobart were very similar looking teams: great pitching and defense, mediocre offense. Humphries and Brock Lawless would face off in the 1st game of the series.

Lawless was energetic early, striking out the side in the 2nd. Hobart fans were left worried in the bottom of the inning with 1B Mitchell Jarvis injured himself heading from 1B to 3B on a soft Jay Saunderson single down the RF line. Jarvis came from the game, but wasn’t seriously hurt. A sore back would slow him down for a few days but wouldn’t warrant a visit to the DL.

Ronald Arnott drove substitute Adrian Stuart home to open the scoring. Hobart finished the inning up 1-nothing. Central Coast loaded the bases with 1 out in the 3rd. Lawless struck out Auger swinging but couldn’t do the same to Hayes who took on the 1st pitch of his at-bat, a hanging curve, and deposited it way back on the LF upper tier. Grand Slam!

A 2-out Norman Ladds triple off the top of the CF wall in the bottom of the 5th drove 2 home and made it a 1-run game. Lawless (5.0IP, 7H, 4ER, 0BB, 7K), who’d looked good apart from the 3rd, was hooked after 5, as was Humphries (5.0IP, 7H, 3ER, 1BB, 4K).

Both bullpens traded punches, the score still 4-3 heading into the 9th. Central Coast couldn’t add any insurance and Purss came out looking for his 3rd save of the postseason. Pinch hitter Lou Albury ground out 4-3. Ignacio Maldonado singled into short centre and Robin Herbert fought his way to a 9-pitch walk. The tying run was now in scoring position with 1 away. Gordon Ladds smoked a single to right, which Medina played aggressively, preventing the speedy Maldonado from heading home. Bases juiced, winning run at 2B. John Dalton pulled a single into RF and Purss had blown the save and looked very likely to blow the game as well. Norman Ladds didn’t swing his bat for 5 pitches. 4 of them were balls and he’d walked the winning run home! Final score: 5-4 Hobart, doing what they’d so often done in the regular season: keep it close then come from behind to win at the death. Isaac Canavan got the W. Division Finals MVP Aston got himself a hat-trick of strikeouts.

Game 1 - Kununurra Pioneers vs Adelaide Venom

The undisputed best offense in the AUNZBL versus a team of overachievers. Adelaide had the catch-cry, ‘Do it for Jorge,’ while Kununurra, the team who’d signed and developed Diaz, said they’d ‘quite like to do it for him as well.'

First up, a battle of 2 southpaws: Li Ayliffe for the Pioneers, and Baden ‘Woody’ Henderson for the Venom.

Kununurra got a rally going with 1 out in the 1st, Martinez doubling a run home before Ahern drew a walk to load the bases. Kimpton - who sources close to the team said had almost been scratched from the lineup by skipper Hutcheon due to perceived lack of ability against lefties (though the stats said he’d hit .289 against LHP during the season, 7 of his 28 hits going the distance) - singled home 2 more, and the Pioneers had themselves an early 3-run lead.

A great catch near the wall by Kununurra CF Guerin robbed Malcolm Pickhills of extra-bases and an RBI, and also ended the bottom of the 1st. More good defense in the bottom of the 2nd, this time by the infield, kept Adelaide from landing any blows. A series of ground balls up the middle saw Kununurra fill the bases with zero out in the 4th and add 2 to the scoreboard via a sac-fly and a loaded-bases walk.

Aggressive baserunning by Keiran Cooper allowed him to turn a single into a double and then come home on a weak William Fenton single, getting Adelaide a chalk mark on the board. Henderson (5.0IP, 8H, 5ER, 4BB, 2K) had a rough night, his reliever not doing much better, giving up a 2-out RBI-double to see Kununurra’s lead back to 5. Ayliffe (5.0IP, 6H, 1ER, 1BB, 2K) also got yanked after 5.0IP, but looked much happier with his efforts.

Miguel Ibanez was happy to see the relief, launching one into the LF bleachers to score 2 and get Adelaide within a sniff. Fenton drove in another and suddenly this thing was looking a lot closer. Brian Swerdlove, getting postseason game time thanks to injury and still a cult hero in his new city, doubled home Fenton and the inning finished with the score 6-5. All of the sudden Kununurra’s offense disappeared, Adelaide providing all the threats through the next 2 innings, Swerdlove sending the crowd into raptures in the bottom of the 8th, his 2-out double driving Fenton all the way home from 1B and tying the game up. Swerdlove was left stranded at 2B but the crowd chanted his name for a good 2 minutes while the teams changed places.

Rhett Thurley took the mound for Adelaide in the 9th, going 1-2-3 through Kununurra. Danny Ahernfeld came out for the Pioneers. He got Pickhills out on a weak grounder. Nankervis flied out to the track at CF. Norm Donaldson walked on 4 pitches but Ibanez’s fly only went as far as the centrefielder’s glove. Into extra-innings!

Thurley struck out the side in the 10th, though he hit a batter in between Ks. Cooper walked to lead off the bottom of the inning, and Fenton followed suit. Swerdlove came to the plate and everybody in the stadium got to their feet. He popped out and everybody sat back down. Rory Delaney struck out. Young sent a weak grounder to 3B but Ortiz booted it. Bases loaded, 2 outs, Pickhills at the plate. In the end it was all very anticlimactic. The 1-0 pitch went high when it should’ve gone low and Pratly had no chance of catching it. It rolled to the backstop and Cooper rolled home to win the game for Adelaide. Final score: 7-6 Venom, summed up by one commentator this way: “If I were Pioneers’ fans I’d be blowing up deluxe because their lads just blew it big time.” Swerdlove went 3-6 with 2 doubles and 2RBI.

Game 2 - Central Coast Thunder vs Hobart Prospects

First blood went to Hobart, Dalton’s 2-out single bringing home Maldonado in the bottom of the 1st. Dalton, unusually fleet-footed for a catcher, then stole 2B before scoring off Norman Ladds’ deep double. Central Coast put runners on 1B and 2B with no outs in the 4th thanks to a hit batter and an error by pitcher Marcello Thornton covering 1st. Wigmore than ground into a double-play, and while Medina walked, Aston struck out to end the threat.

The defensive and pitching showcase continued until the 6th, when Thornton walked 2 and advanced them both via a wild pitch. Medina then singled into shallow centre, both runners scooting home to knot the scores. That spelled the end of Thornton’s night (5.2IP, 3H, 2ER, 3BB, 4K), the former ABCer throwing exactly 100 pitches.

It only took 1 batter in the bottom of the inning to give Hobart back the lead. Gordon Ladds jumped on a 1-1 fastball and sent it over the fence to end Moran’s outing (5.0IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB, 4K). Ladds then gave Hobart some insurance in the 7th, his 2-out single scoring 2. The top of the 8th ended with a run-and-hit play gone wrong, Hayes being called out on strikes and Auger tagged out at 2B.

Hobart turned the screws in the bottom of the inning, Dalton leading off with a double, Norman Ladds beating out the throw for an infield single, and Jarvis going opposite field for an RBI-double into the LF corner. Ladds took on the throw on a medium-depth fly to centre and won, upping the score to 7-2. Isaac Graham, who’d already thrown 2.1 innings of sterling relief, came out for the 9th and finished the game off in 12 pitches, walking away with a very well-deserved win. Final score: 7-2 Hobart, who completely outclassed the Thunder.

Jarvis didn’t seem too hampered by his sore back, doubling twice in a 2-4 display. Jacob Blanksby went 0-4, looking very tired at the plate for the 2nd night in a row.

Game 2 - Kununurra Pioneers vs Adelaide Venom

Neither side scored through 3, both starters up for the job, Adelaide only able to manage 1 baserunner via walk. Allan opened the scoring in the bottom of the 4th, depositing a 163 km/h Robinson Saldana fastball into the LF bleachers to make it 1-0 Kununurra. The blast seemed to wake Adelaide up, Pickhills beginning the bottom of the inning with a walk and Nankervis following up with the Venom’s 1st hit of the game, a double to left. Surprisingly, or not so if the skipper involved was consider, Rhett Meehan (4.0IP, 1H, 0ER, 2BB, 4K) was yanked. Whether the move was smart or lucky would always depend on who was asked, reliever Danny Shaw striking out 2 on his way to stranding the runners.

Saldana struck out the side in the 6th and Shaw also got through the bottom of the inning despite an infield single and a wild pitch. That 6th was Saldana’s last act of the night (6.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 8K), the lanky lower American getting his speeder to touch 164 km/h a couple times.

Hai-dong Yang drove in a run in the 7th, giving Kununurra a little more breathing room. Not that 2 runs meant much to Adelaide’s offense, if they could get cracking. They loaded the bases with 1 out in the bottom of the inning and an out later Delaney tied the game up with a 2RBI-double. Swerdlove wore 1 on the arm and Cooper’s single put Adelaide up by 2. Gary Young then rubbed salt on the wound with a 3-run jack over left-centre. 7-run inning and suddenly the game looked out of reach for Kununurra.

And out of reach it proved to be. Final score: 7-2 Adelaide, all their runs scored in 1 inning.

Game 3 - Central Coast Thunder vs Hobart Prospects

Could Zglinicki get the Thunder back into the series? Was Kioniko Mullion up for the pressures of postseason ball or would the 22 y/o wilt under the flame?

Hobart showed characteristic patience in the top of the 1st, drawing 2 walks before Norman Ladds singled a run home with 2 outs. Zglinicki took 27 pitches to get through the inning, Mullion, on the other hand, only took 9 and allowed no baserunners. Saunderson, whose below-average defensive qualities at 2B had been debated by talkback callers all series, showcased his offensive abilities in the 2nd, clearing the LF fences for a 2-run HR. Zglinicki continued to struggle, Gordon Ladds hitting a 2-out RBI-single in the same inning to extend Hobart’s lead to 4 before getting tagged out at the plate trying to score off Dalton’s double off the CF wall.

Mullion didn’t look so assured in the bottom of the inning, walking the 1st 2 hitters on 4 pitches each before surrendering an infield single to jam the bases with nobody out. An out later and Alcock singled a runner home before Robert Martin recorded his 1st hit of the postseason, doubling into the LF corner to drive 2 in and make it a 1-run game. Mullion recovered to get the next 2 outs, the score 4-3 after 2.

Mullion loaded the bases again in the 3rd, this time with 1 out. Aston’s ground-out scored a runner to tie things up, before Alcock blasted one 440 feet over CF. 3-run HR and a 3-run lead to the Thunder and the young Mullion (2.2IP, 5H, 7ER, 4BB, 3K) treaded disconsolately off to the showers.

Central Coast kept their foot on the throat in the 4th, scoring 2 before an out had been recorded. They added another and went into the 5th up 10-4.

Zglinicki, meanwhile, had settled into a rhythm, notching his 6th strikeout in the 5th. Gordon Ladds singled home another run for Hobart in the 7th. Dalton singled and Zglinicki (6.1IP, 10H, 5ER, 3BB, 6K) came from the mound. His relief walked the next hitter, the bases now loaded with 1 out. Hobart couldn’t do anything with the opportunity, however, still 5 behind at the end of the inning.

Hobart offered no resistance through the next 2 innings, the final score 10-5 Central Coast, the Thunder keeping the series alive.

Game 3 - Kununurra Pioneers vs Adelaide Venom

Kununurra were also looking to avoid a sweep, Rayner hoping to do better than he had in his previous 2 starts this postseason. He’d be up against Umashankar Meenakshi, who’d come back down to earth somewhat in his sophomore year.

Back-to-back doubles opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd, Kununurra once again taking the early lead. They added 2 more in the inning, though that was tempered somewhat by Blake Caffyn injuring his quad diving in at home-plate. He’d take no further part in the postseason, but the more pressing worry was defensive realignment, as he was the only real SS on the postseason roster. 3B Ricardo Ortiz moved to SS, outfielder Jarrod Squire subbing in at 3B and hoping the ball wouldn’t come his way too often.

Delaney immediately lined past him for a single, but even had he been Malcolm Pickhills he wouldn’t have reached that one. Swerdlove then ground one softly to him and he started a round-the-horn double-play, fist-pumping ecstatically when the 2nd out was recorded at 1B. Ahern batted in a run in the 3rd to increase Kununurra’s lead to 4.

Ortiz showed he had some chops at SS, making a fine diving catch in the 4th to rob Nankervis of a hit. 2 hitters later, however, and the bases were loaded, though Adelaide only had 1 out to play with. Ibanez swung through a monster curve to strike out and the inning was ended. Squire continued his confident outing, doubling to open the bottom of the inning and scoring off a sac-fly an out later.

A wild pitch helped Adelaide to their 1st run of the night in the 5th. Rayner (5.0IP, 6H, 1ER, 2BB, 3K) sat down after 5 having thrown 96 pitches. An errant throw to 1B by reliever Dylan Durrington with runners at 2B and 3B led to Central Coast’s 2nd run scoring but he got out of the inning without further damage thanks to a 3-6-3 double play.

A deep Pickhills’ double in the 7th, his 1st hit of the series, saw Adelaide inch a run closer and put runners on 2B and 3B with only 1 out. Young beat out the throw to score off a deep pop-out to right, and it was now a 1-run game. Meenakshi (6.0IP, 9H, 5ER, 1BB, 3K) had a typical outing, and took a seat on the pine to watch proceedings, his face impassive.

Ibanez struck out to begin the 8th but the ball skipped past Pratly and he reached 1B safely. The Kununurra catcher would rue his lapse, as 2 outs later Cooper singled up the middle and Ibanez scampered home. Tie game, Adelaide once again storming towards the finish line. The tie didn’t last long. Next up, Young battered a fastball into the LF bleachers and the Venom were now ahead by 2. The Venom loaded the bases with 2 outs in the top of the 9th but were unable to extend their lead.

Thurley marched out to close the game, the veteran hoping to record his 6th career postseason save to go with 4 career postseason wins. He painted the edges of the strikezone to punch out Yang. Guerin made good contact but not quite good enough, the LF having enough room to make the catch. Ortiz singled down the LF line but Martinez was a regulation fly out to CF and that was the series. Final score: 7-5 Adelaide as they came from behind in every game.

Gary Young (.357/.400/.786, 2HR) took home series MVP. Blair Norris wasn't sighted on the mound once for the Pioneers.

Game 4 - Central Coast Thunder vs Hobart Prospects

Lawless and Humphries would duke it out again.

Aggressive baserunning in the bottom of the 1st saw Eissens steal a base, advance on a ground-out and hustle home on a shallow fly-out to right. Next up, Hayes didn’t need any hustle, muscling a fly over the LF fence to double the score. In the 3rd Central Coast loaded the bases with 1 out, Lawless having trouble throwing to his catcher’s glove. He knuckled down to get the next out and should’ve had the last except for an error by 2B Saunderson. A run scored and Lawless spent a few seconds swearing into his glove. He really had reason to curse 4 pitches later, however, Aston lofting one over right, going, going, gone. Grand Slam! Just like that it was 7-0 and Lawless (2.2IP, 4H, 7R, 2ER, 2BB, 2K) was escorted from the field by his manager, his glare focused firmly on Saunderson, who spent the whole time smoothing the dirt in front of him with his foot.

Saunderson partially redeemed himself by leading off the top of the 5th with a single and scoring 2 batters later. The Prospects scored another to make it a 5-run game. Central Coast pushed it back out to 6 in the bottom of the inning, the commentators suggesting Hobart were “visibly frustrated” in the field. Saunderson made his 2nd error of the night in the 6th, the Central Coast crowd jeering him loudly. The error resulted in 2 more unearned runs, the scorers crediting only 3 of Central Coast’s 10 runs as earned.

Humphries (6.0IP, 7H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K) took a rest after 6, victory surely all but assured. Saunderson led off the 7th with a double, clapping his hands together vigorously at 2B in an apparent effort to incite his teammates. The attempt didn’t work and he ended the inning marooned at 3B.

The game wound towards its inevitable conclusion through the next 2 innings, the scorers not troubled any further. Final score: 10-2 Central Coast and it was a safe bet there’d be angry words exchanged in the Hobart locker rooms tonight. Hayes went 3-4 with 2 doubles and a HR. Aston was 2-4 with 5RBI.

Game 5 - Central Coast Thunder vs Hobart Prospects

All the momentum was with the Central Coast, various analysts of the opinion that if Hobart lost this one it’d be the ‘biggest postseason implosion for at least the last decade.’ Moran and Thornton would tussle on the mound once more. Saunderson retained his place in Hobart’s lineup, with skipper Chapple saying his 2B was “eager to atone for last game in front of the home fans.”

The Thunder skipped out to an early lead in the 1st, Hayes driving home 2 with a double into the LF corner. Hayes scored off a shallow ground-out (which was well-played by Saunderson) and Central Coast finished the inning 3-0 up, all the commentary teams talking choke before Hobart had even had a turn at bat.

Thornton continued to struggle in the 2nd, loading the bases before recording an out. He managed to induce a 4-6-3 double-play but a run still scored to make it 4-0.

Herbert’s double to lead off the bottom of the 4th was Hobart’s 1st hit of the night. The next 2 hitters singled and the Prospects were on the board and a threat to put together a decent rally. To the surprise of the commentators they put on a double-steal, Gordon Ladds just diving in under the throw to reach 3B safely. Norman Ladds walked and the bases were juiced with nobody out. They scored their 2nd run off a groundball out to 1B but could do no more. 4-2 Thunder after 4.

Thornton (5.0IP, 5H, 4ER, 4BB, 2K) sat down after 5, his outing tending towards the poor. Moran (6.0IP, 4H, 2ER, 3BB, 4K) was pulled after 6, and his relief immediately gave up a single and a double to put the tying run in scoring position. Adrian Stuart came out as a PH, and bashed the 1st pitch he saw, a splitter, over right. The RF tracked back and back but didn’t have enough room. 3-run HR and Hobart were in front for the 1st time in the game, the home fans on their feet and stomping, the stadium appearing to shudder with the force of the excitement.

The rally continued, Gordon Ladds’ RBI-single leaving runners on 1B and 2B with nobody yet out. That was followed by a Dalton double down the RF line which scored 2 and put Hobart 4 in the clear. All the choker talk in the various commentary booths was suddenly choked off.

Central Coast went down 1-2-3 in the 8th but Hobart didn’t. Substitute SS Edward Geaner walked and Maldonado, who’d been taking big digs all game and making good contact on most of them, pulled 1 down the RF line. He watched it fly, waving it fair, and couldn’t help an ecstatic hand-clap when it stayed on the good side of the foul-pole. 2-run HR and Hobart were making this a rout.

Once more, the Thunder offered no resistance in the 9th and Hobart had come from nowhere to vindicate their regular season finish and progress to the Championship. Final score: 10-4 Prospects. John Dalton (.476/.522/.667, 0HR) was awarded series’ MVP, though Norman Ladds (.471/.591/.765, 0HR) was unlucky to miss out. Hayes (.389/.500/.944, 2HR, 9RBI) was a standout in a losing effort.

[Izz]

2060 Championship - Adelaide Venom vs Hobart Prospects

Preview: The undisputed offensive kings of the league trying to go back-to-back versus a team of patient hitters, miserly pitchers and capable defenders.

Even without Jorge Diaz and Ed Geoghegan, Adelaide’s lineup was still stacked to the rafters and could ignite at any time to devastating effect. Malcolm Pickhills (.289/.372/.565, 42HR) was in the running for another SotY but apart from him, Adelaide had 4 other players featuring in their postseason lineup who’d hit 20+ HR. As a team, they’d scored the most runs (939), had the best BA (.289), SLG (.478), OPS (831), hits (1643), XBH (576), and HR (250). Their pitching wasn’t awful either, their bullpen the best in the league with a 3.19 ERA. They’d also struck out the 2nd-most (1238), and allowed the 3rd-least hits (1427), and the 5th-least runs (741).

Apart from Diaz and Geoghegan, they were also without livewire Tomas Zartuche.

Adelaide were up against Hobart, whose BA of .251 and hits of 1382 were both 2nd-worst in the AUNZBL. They didn’t lack for power though, their 226HR 2nd to the Venom, and they also didn’t swing wildly, drawing a league-high 717 walks. Their 113 stolen bases were 2nd-most. Pitching and defence were what this team was built around, however. They’d allowed the least hits (1347), restricted hitters to the worst BA (.243), had the best BABIP (.269), and the 2nd-best ERA (3.75). Their defensive efficiency of .715 was better than all-comers.

While Aguirre and Connor Chapman were still injured, Hobart welcomed back offensive lynchpin Maurice Clemens (.246/.342/.514, 43HR) from injury. While he didn’t hit for average, he was a constant power threat and gave the lineup needed depth. Plus, he enabled the Prospects to realign defensively and had posted a +8.0ZR at 2B across the season.

Verdict: Adelaide in 5. Too much firepower.

Game 1

Leftie Baden Henderson (11-9, 4.45 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.31 WHIP) got the Game 1 nod for Adelaide. Hobart went with Kioniko Mullion (13-5, 3.80 ERA, 4.74 FIP, 1.39 WHIP), a groundball pitcher who supplemented a good fastball with a great slider and changeup.

Blanksby, who’d looked all of his 39 years during the Preliminary Finals, was hitting at 2 in today’s game against the leftie. In the bottom of the 1st with the count 3-2 he made good contact on a fastball low in the zone and sent it sizzling into the seats behind the left-centre wall. 433 feet, the tape said and Hobart were up 1-0. He was the only hitter in the inning to make much contact, Henderson striking out the other 3.

Nankervis and Donaldson both nubbed themselves infield singles in the 2nd before Ibanez singled to left and brought Nankervis home to knot the scores. The usually excellent Russell Arnott mishandled a routine groundball to extend the inning and load the bases but made no mistake on the next grounder, Mullion looking mighty relieved as he headed to the dugout.

Adelaide’s defence was also nervous, both Donaldson and Pickhills with handling issues in the bottom of the inning, but both recovering quick enough to get the outs. Blanksby was all class again in the 3rd, his opposite field double scoring the go-ahead run and leaving runners at 2B and 3B with only 1 out. Henderson struck out Norman Ladds but walked Clemens to load the bases. Dalton took a huge cut at 1-2 changeup and missed to end the inning. 2-1 Hobart after 3.

Mullion was consistently getting ground balls but also walking guys. In the 4th he gave up a leadoff walk and Ibanez’s grounder found room up the middle. A hard slide by Ibanez then broke up a possible double-play, leaving Delaney at 1B and Fenton at 3B. Delaney stole 2nd and an out later Cooper walked to load the bases. Young showed good patience and also walked - Mullion’s 5th of the night - to see the tying run home. Pickhills’ drive to right sailed over Maldonado’s head and skipped to the fence. Double for Malcolm and 2 runners batted in. Nankervis’ ground ball found space between the catcher and a slow-to-react pitcher. He beat out the throw to 1B and Young scampered home in the meantime. That marked the end of Mullion’s night (3.2IP, 6H, 5ER, 5BB, 2K) and brought Isaac Graham to the mound. The reliever got the final out of the inning, Adelaide now ahead 5-2.

After 5, Henderson (5.0IP, 3H, 2ER, 3BB, 8K) had 8 punchouts but that was his night, Rafael Hurlson coming on to replace him.

The score remained 5-2 through 7, the Venom outfield showing good range to get to several deep flies.

Arnold led off the bottom of the 8th with a single to left but was the first half of a U4-3 double-play. The last call was contentious and for a few moments it looked as if both hitter and skipper might get thrown out of the game. Blanksby was then robbed of his 3rd hit of the night by an excellent diving catch by 2B Nankervis.

Rhett Thurley headed to the mound for the bottom of the night, the difference still 3 runs. Norman Ladds got fooled by a split-fingered fastball and struck out. Clemens singled to centre. Dalton took a fastball to the bicep and headed to 1B, rubbing at the wound. Tying run at the plate, 1 out. A wild pitch advanced both runners and took the double-play out of the equation. Saunderson singled to right, scoring 1. Winning run now at the plate, still 1 out. Jarvis hit 1 hard over the head of the 2B, but could only watch as Nankervis pulled off another great play, leaping to snare the ball and record the 2nd out. Maldonado walked. Bases loaded, 2 outs, pinch-hit hero of the Preliminary Finals, Adrian Stuart, up at the plate. He creamed one to centre. A single, but perhaps too hard as only 1 runner could score. Thurley was sweating on the mound, taking plenty of time to dry his hands and his forehead. Gordon Ladds hit one towards the hole between 1B and 2B. Swerdlove lunged to his right and knocked the ball down. From his knees he flipped it to Thurley. Just in time!

Final score: 5-4 Adelaide in a game that really only got interesting in the final half of the final inning. Thurley remarked dryly after the match, “Yep, that was one of the longer saves of my career.” Gary Young drew 3 walks, while Norman Ladds whiffed 3 times.



Game 2

Robinson Saldana (10-7, 4.25 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 1.27 WHIP) was Adelaide’s starter. He would take on Hobart’s ace, Brock Lawless (8-6, 3.21 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 1.10 WHIP), who’d looked less than impressive in both his Preliminary Finals starts.

Lawless got through the 1st without any issues, retiring the side in order on 11 pitches. Saldana gave up a walk but otherwise also looked untroubled.

The 2nd didn’t start so well for Lawless, however. He threw his 1-0 cut fastball to Pickhills exactly where he wanted it, but Pickhills had quick hands and got the barrel of the bat firmly to the ball. It sailed high and handsome over LF and into the bleachers. 1-0 Venom. Nankervis hit a deep fly to CF but was caught out. Donaldson had no such issues, latching onto a 3-2 changeup and sending it out of the yard. 2-0 Venom.

Saunderson led off the bottom of the 3rd with a triple into the LF-CF alley but Saldana dialled up his fastball a notch to strike out 2 of the next 3 hitters and leave Saunderson stranded. The top of the 4th was headlined by a 3-6-1 double-play, the bottom of the inning by Saldana’s 6th strikeout.

The 5th passed in scoreless fashion, Saldana showing good reactions to snare a return drive. Cooper singled with 1 out in the 6th and then Young absolutely creamed one over LF. As soon as it came off the bat everybody in the ground knew it was gone. And go it went, landing on the roof of the LF stands. 4-0 Venom and it might’ve been more except for a great catch at the wall by RF Maldonado to end the frame.

A pair of 2-out singles in the 6th gave Hobart 3 hits on the night and put runners at the corners. Dalton worked the count to 3-2 and then watched a fastball zip through the middle of the zone. K number 8 for Saldana and the score remained 4-naught.

Adelaide’s HR-fest continued, Fenton going deep over left-centre to begin the 7th and finally end Lawless’s night (6.0IP, 8H, 5ER, 0BB, 3K). Reliever Nicholas Buffey recorded 2 outs but left injured after hunting down a nubber on the 3B line but failing to get the out.

Hobart fans hadn’t had much to cheer for so far in the game, Saldana having their measure at every opportunity. Finally, in the bottom of the 8th, with 2 outs, they got to see a Championship first. Maldonado worked a walk. Norman Ladds bruised a 2-0 fastball over the head of a retreating Delaney at LF. It caromed off the wall into deep CF. By this time Ladds had rounded 2B and was heading for 3B. By the time that Ibanez had collected the ball he was at 3B and not slowing down. The throw came in. Ladds dived. The throw was strong but not quite on the mark. Inside the park homerun! The score was now 5-2 and even pitcher Saldana applauded. Would this wake up Hobart’s struggling offense? Gordon Ladds flied out to deep centre and that was the 8th completed.

Central Coast couldn’t add to their tally in the top of the 9th and Thurley once again marched out, rotating his shoulders in preparation. Dalton walked and Thurley glared at the base of the mound. Clemens’ grounder went straight to 3B and Pickhills started a round-the-horn double play. Thurley expression softened. Jarvis again froze up on a 2-strike pitch in the zone and the game was done. Final score: 5-2 Central Coast in a game dominated by Saldana (8.0IP, 4H, 2ER, 2BB, 8K). Both Cooper (3-5) and Nankervis (3-4) got themselves a trifecta of hits.



Game 3

On the home leg of their Championship, Adelaide held all the cards. They’d start Umashankar Meenakshi (10-6, 5.20 ERA, 4.86 FIP, 1.58 WHIP). Hobart opted for Marcello Thornton (15-7, 3.14 ERA, 5.13 FIP, 1.17 WHIP), who’d had the lowest BABIP (.232) among qualified pitchers this season.

Meenakshi was in fine fettle in the top of the 1st, striking out the 1st 2 hitters before an error extended the inning. He looked worried for a moment when Clemens got good wood on one over left, but it was tracked back to the wall and caught and the frown lines disappeared.

Pickhills delivered his 2nd HR of the series in the 2nd, scooping the 1st pitch of the inning 438 feet over right-centre. A passed ball later in the inning (following a single and double) allowed another run to score and a single to the edge of the 2B-side of the infield by Delaney scored another. 3-0 after 2.

Meenakshi signalled to the trainers after giving up a 1-out single in the 3rd - Hobart’s 1st hit of the game - and came from the field to groans of worry from the home faithful. He was replaced by Edwin Kerr. Gordon Ladds lofted one deep to left but only found glove. Blanksby wasn’t to be denied, however, his fly finding its way into the crowds behind the LF fence. 2-run dinger and 1-run game.

Both sides traded outs until the bottom of the 6th when Young went yard to begin the inning. 4-2 Adelaide. Apart from his early blemish, Kerr looked good, striking out 4 in 3.2IP before getting replaced to begin the 7th. Thornton (6.0IP, 6H, 4ER, 1BB, 4K) was also replaced after 6.

The score was still 4-2 heading into the 9th. Thurley strode out to the hill, hoping to make it 3 saves in 3 Championship games. Gordon Ladds had other ideas, dispatching a fastball up in the zone up into the RF bleachers. 4-3 Adelaide. Blanksby swung through a fastball to strike out for the 3rd time in the game. Norman Ladds also struck out on 3 pitches. Clemens became Thurley’s 3rd strikeout victim, misjudging a fastball that replays showed was well in the zone. Final score: 4-3 Central Coast and they had an opportunity to sweep not only the Championship, but the entire postseason.

Only 9 players reached base successfully in this one, and no player had more than 1 hit.



Game 4

Nicholas Buffey wouldn’t return this postseason. He had an acutely sore elbow, with nobody quite sure how long he’d take to get through it. No word came out of Adelaide’s camp on Meenakshi.

Looking to sweep, Adelaide sent Teddy Wigley (9-7 from 22 starts, 4.94 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.31 WHIP) to the mound, while Hobart rested their hopes on Pete Rawnsley (12-9, 4.06 ERA, 4.76 FIP, 1.20 WHIP). Neither player had pitched previously this postseason. Both were 26 y/o.

Adrian Stuart would start at 1B for Hobart in place of Mitchell Jarvis, who hadn’t had a hit since Game 2 of the Preliminary Finals.

Wigley’s 1st pitch was a fastball in the zone, which Maldonado greeted by bouncing over the IF for a single to right. Norman Ladds followed with a single between 3B and short and Hobart had a chance to put some early scoreboard pressure on. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalize and left runners stranded at the corners.

In the bottom of the inning, Adelaide showed how it was done. Swerdlove led off with a double and advanced to 3B on a ground-out. Young walked and Pickhills dispatched a belt-high curveball over the centre-right fence to score 3 runs.

In the 2nd, Swerdlove walked, then scored off Cooper’s triple into the RF corner. Young then doubled Cooper home and this was already looking like a rout. Young came home on Pickhills’ follow-up single and that signalled the end of a short night for Rawnsley (1.1IP, 7H, 6ER, 2BB, 2K). He threw 68 pitches for 4 outs.

Ibanez pulled one into the LF bleachers in the 3rd to make it 7-0, that run the 1st reliever Gilberto Gutierrez had given up in 8.1 postseason innings.

Swerdlove sent the already celebrating crowd into orbit in the 4th, stealing 2B after an earlier single. Pickhills’ single to RF saw the 1B scamper home, the 59,660 in attendance roaring their approval. 8-0 after 4, the commentators saying Hobart looked like they were “already planning their loser’s party.”

Ibanez stupidly got himself tossed in the 5th after arguing a strikeout call with the home plate ump. Neither side scored through 7, both teams appearing as if they were counting down to the inevitable last out of the 9th. Wigley (7.0IP, 6H, 0ER, 2BB, 3K) had to leave the dugout to doff his cap twice after being subbed after 7, having thrown 116 pitches.

The top of the 9th ended with a 4-6-3 double-play, and Adelaide had swept their way to back-to-back Championships! Final score: 8-0 in as one-sided a series as it was possible to have. Pickhills went 4-4 with 5RBI and in so doing took away the Championship MVP award. He hit .467/.500/1.133 with 3HR from 7 hits.



2060 Championship-winning Adelaide Venom

[Izz]

2060 Season Leaderboards

With Diaz's season accomplishments not included, the batting leaderboards showed no clear frontrunner for SotY. Pickhills was the early favourite, but his 8.0 WAR was just as much due to his impressive defense as it was to his offense. Could Downes - who was surely a shoe-in for RotY - pull off the double as Jason Hewitt had last season? Moore, Dempster and Anderton were in the running, too.

There was no doubt in anybody's mind who'd take home HotY. Dean all the way. Nobody was quite sure who'd pick up 2nd and 3rd, though.

[Izz]

2060 Awards

Gold Gloves

Pitcher: Nick Aston (Christchurch Cowboys)
Catcher: Vern Bull (Melbourne Aces)
First Baseman: Luigi Dempster (Wellington Fury)
Second Baseman: Dylan Glynn (Cairns Crocs)
Third Baseman: Matthew Utting (Christchurch Cowboys)
Shortstop: Stéphane Lecomte (Cairns Crocs)
Left Fielder: Kelvin Pickhills (Christchurch Cowboys)
Center Fielder: Gordon Ladds (Hobart Prospects)
Right Fielder: Ignacio Maldonado (Hobart Prospects)

Brodie Backhouse Award

Isaac Canavan topped off a stellar season by taking home the Brodie Backhouse Award. He was reminiscent of Backhouse in many ways in 2060, as he racked up a 8-1, 49 sv record in 77 games. His ERA was 1.45, his FIP 1.97, and his WHIP 0.89. He put up a 316 ERA+, a 2.9 WAR, and a 44 FIP-. He struck out 137 hitters in 87.0 innings, for a staggering K/9 rate of 14.2. His 49 saves were good enough for 3rd-best ever in a season (tied with 2 other players - 1 who achieved the feat twice) and was the highest mark in 24 years.



Championship-winner Rhett Thurley (3-3, 40 sv, 1.98 ERA, 2.92 FIP, 1.11 WHIP) came 2nd, the Betting in Baseball saga already long behind him, while Central Coast’s Domenic Purss (5-8, 29 sv, 2.36 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 1.24 WHIP) picked up bronze.

Super Slugger Awards

C: Vern Bull - MEL - .282/.397/.512, 33HR, 5.7 WAR, 137 OPS+, 133 wRC+

1B: Richard Moore - BRI - .306/.415/.558, 41HR, 5.8 WAR, 153 OPS+, 151 wRC+

2B: Maurice Clemens - HOB - .246/.342/.514, 43HR, 5.4 WAR, 121 OPS+, 124 wRC+

3B: Malcolm Pickhills - ADE - .289/.372/.565, 42HR, 8.0 WAR, 142 OPS+, 138 wRC+

SS: Armando Santos - WHA - .262/.315/.514, 39HR, 0.9 WAR, 113 OPS+, 111 wRC+

LF: Cain Donaldson - SYD - .314/.403/.420, 8HR, 3.5 WAR, 117 OPS+, 119 wRC+

CF: Gordon Ladds - HOB - .311/.404/.486, 19HR, 7.8 WAR, 133 OPS+, 135 wRC+

RF: Nick Ahern - KUN - .274/.383/.546, 31HR, 4.3 WAR, 141 OPS+, 141 wRC+

DH: Rowan Kimpton - KUN - .309/.345/.556, 44HR, 3.7 WAR, 132 OPS+, 127 wRC+

Rookie of the Year

Most in attendance expected Rich Downes to win this by a landslide. He, however, did not. Why not? Because 23 y/o Gordon ‘Joey’ Ladds still qualified as a rookie (and had, in fact, won the season’s last RotM award). Ladds had already taken home a Gold Glove and a Super Slugger, and suddenly talk in the room began to shift to the possibility of him also winning Slugger of the Year. “I’m still learning,” Ladds said upon acceptance of the award, “and I hope this is the beginning of a long career.”



3-time Rookie of the Month and AUNZBL batting champ, Rich Downes (.338/.374/.508, 17HR, 3.4 WAR, 129 OPS+, 131 wRC+) had to settle for silver, while 2060 All Star Neil Bellett (.271/.387/.428, 19HR, 3.6 WAR, 114 OPS+, 121 wRC+) came in 3rd.

Skipper of the Year

Luis Gonzalez followed up his 2059 Skipper of the Year award with another one in 2060. He led the Venom to an even better record this season than last, and brought home a Division Title as well as the Championship. He used his speech to pay homage to Jorge Diaz, saying it had been a privilege to manage him, even if only for less than a season.



Hurler of the Year

No surprises here when the winner was announced. Barry Dean became only the 2nd pitcher since Tyler Silk in 2021-2022 to win back-to-back HotY Awards. Notable, too, was the fact that Silk completed a Pitching Triple Crown in 2021*.

Dean wowed fans with a 22-6 season, his ERA 2.93, his FIP 3.36 and his WHIP 1.12. In 236.2 innings he fanned 231 hitters, posting a 6.6 WAR for the season, along with a 156 ERA+ and 74 FIP-. At only 25 years of age, the baseball world was Dean’s oyster.

*Elsewhere in this narrative, Edward Delaney’s Pitching Triple Crown in 2042 has been referred to as the only one in AUNZBL history. That is not correct. A perusal of the historical records show that there have now been 3 Pitching Triple Crowns: Silk, Delaney and now Dean.



There was some surprise when the 1st runner-up was announced. Isaac Canavan capped off an already memorable awards night by falling just short of HotY. Eddie Rayner (19-8, 3.12 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.12 WHIP, 5.6 WAR, 147 ERA+, 81 FIP-) came 3rd.

Slugger of the Year

There had been no word leading up to awards night as to whether Jorge Diaz would be eligible for SotY, and he hadn't been spotted at any tables around the venue.

When it came time to announce the SotY award nominees the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone on entrance stage left. After a long pause Diaz walked slowly onto stage. The applause was thunderous and spontaneous.

Stepping up to the podium he said, once the noise died down, “We’ve got a change to announce. The Slugger of the Year Award has now been renamed the Jorge Diaz Award. Of course, I would’ve preferred to be eligible for it, but I’d also prefer to still be playing the game I love. Sadly I cannot, but at least this is a way that I won’t quickly be forgotten.”

The winner of the first Jorge Diaz Award? Adelaide teammate Malcolm Pickhills. Pickhills held the award for a scant moment, then handed it over to Diaz. “Bro,” he said, “this might have my name on it, but it’s also got yours, and you deserve it a lot more than I do.”

In any other year, Pickhills would’ve been a worthy runner-up. He hit .289/.372/.565, with 42HR, an 8.0 WAR, a 142 OPS+, and a 138 wRC+.



Luigi Dempster (.298/.365/.560, 46HR, 5.8 WAR, 139 OPS+, 142 wRC+) and Richard Moore (.306/.415/.558, 41HR, 5.8 WAR, 153 OPS+, 151 wRC+) filled out the dais.

[Izz]

2060 Career Leaderboards

Ismael Aguirre was still chasing 3500 hits and 700HRs. Of more pressing interest, however, was which team he'd play for in 2061.

37 y/o Patrick Maggs, also a free agent, needed 59HRs to reach 500. If he reached the mark he would likely present a very interesting statistic: he had not yet ever hit 40 or more homers in a season. His best was 39 in 2052.

Clint Aitcheson was still short of 200 wins, with plenty of betting agencies of the opinion the 35 y/o would not make it to that hallowed ground.

Caspar Buffey, whose arm was also falling off real quick, found his way onto the career saves top 10 board.

[Izz]

Offseason

2060 Notes

League ERA jumped 6 points to 4.58, while BA ended up the same as last season: .270.

The 250HR Adelaide hit was the 3rd-best season mark ever, while the 717 walks Hobart drew was the 2nd-best ever.

The Metros, who’d been an awful pitching unit the last few seasons, put up some more unenviable numbers in 2060. The 1418 innings they pitched was the 2nd-least of any team since the 2022 Venom, while the 986 runs they gave up was worst ever, surpassing their total of 983 from 2059 and 976 from 2058. They walked 4.85 hitters every 9 innings, another worst-ever record. It was no surprise, then, that their WHIP of 1.693 was also a new highest-ever mark.

44 y/o Young-tae Lee (.281/.392/.437, 330HR) finally called time on his baseball career, having not played any major-league ball for the last 3 seasons. The 10-time Championship winner, who held the postseason career records for games (126), at-bats (495), runs (88), hits (157), total bases (264), singles (105), and walks (68), was more than happy with his 26-year pro career. Addressing media, he said, “I came across from Korea in 2033. Things were tough back then, and it was like some impossible dream that I might one day play professional baseball in the one place in the world that hadn’t been completely ravaged by The War. But I got to live that impossible dream. And not only that, but I got to live it at the highest level, and not only that, but be a part of so many winning teams. Sometimes I still pinch myself and think I must be dreaming. The funny thing is, I don’t know what I’ll do now. Of course, there are options within baseball open to me, but I haven’t decided if I want to try something else for a while instead. Perhaps I’ll travel. The world now is a much safer place than it was before I came to Australia, and my year in the Lower Americas has taught me that the variety of human culture is fascinating and amazing, and worth exploring.”

ABC Wrap-up

The ABC crowned a new champion in 2060, with both contenders playing in the Grand Final series for the first time. In the semi-finals, Melbourne overcame Jakarta 3-2, winning Game 5 by 1 run, scored in the top of the 9th. Brisbane disposed of Kalgoorlie 3-1 in the other match-up to set the scene.

The Grand Final series was a lot closer than the 4-1 winning margin appeared. 3 games were decided by 1 run and no game was decided by more than 2 runs. Melbourne, who’'d had the leakiest defense of any team in the ABC in 2060, won the 1st game 5-3. In Game 2, Brisbane came from behind to win it 3-2 via a walk-off single in the 10th. Game 3 saw Melbourne make a push in the bottom of the 9th but come up just short, going down 4-3. That was the same score as Game 4, Brisbane scoring 3 in the 7th to go ahead and eventually win. Game 5 was a punchy affair, both teams trading blows throughout the game. But it was the Broncos who finished victorious, winning 6-4 and taking home their 1st ABC Championship. Not bad for a team who had finished the inaugural 2058 season with a 58-104 record and had also failed to play better than .500 in 2059.

25 y/o Jakarta SS Sterling Withers (.251/.302/.411, 13HR) won the Golden Rookie Award.

Satya Susanti (17-7, 1.98 ERA, 1.95 FIP, 0.82 WHIP, 311 Ks, 10.1 WAR) was far ahead of any other ABC pitcher, his WAR around double that of next best. He won the Golden Arm, his goal for next season to strike out even more hitters than he had in 2060.

Rowan Reardon (.336/.440/.684, 56HR, 8.4 WAR) would command top dollar in the AUNZBL, the experts predicted. The 35 y/o soon-to-be free agent took out Golden Bat, and was sure his season HR record would “last a long time.”

BL Wrap-up

Asuncion and Maracaibo cruised through their semi-final matchups, winning 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. The Serie de Campeonato was no one-sided affair however, both teams trading victory for victory to force a Game 7. The decisive encounter was won by Maracaibo 5-1, giving the Magnates their 3rd BL Championship.

27 y/o Manuel Espinoza (.278/.331/.487, 18HR) had been drafted by Havana in 2050, but hadn’t broken into the top flight before becoming eligible for minor league free agency. He then signed with Canon City in the NABA and sat on their reserve roster for the better part of 4 seasons before getting called up. He played for them over 3 seasons, taking home their rookie award in 2058 and the MVP in 2059. Now he was back in the BL, playing for Lima, and said his “journey back home felt somewhat complete” after scooping the Novato del Ano.

Logan Dale (8-7, 3.01 ERA, 2.47 FIP, 1.12 WHIP) had played 3 seasons for Belo Horizonte between 2056-2058 before heading back to the AUNZBL and turning out for Melbourne in 2059. Now he was back in the BL, this time with Guayaquil, and was deemed good enough to win Jarra de Ano.

27 y/o Troy Hopewell (.275/.410/.501, 25HR) had been Wellington's 13th-round draft pick in 2056, before being released by the organization a year later to make room for a new draft pick. 8 days later he signed a minor-league deal with San Jose and began working his way up through the BL minors. He broke into the BL top-flight midway through next season before being traded to Juarez in the latter half of the 2059 campaign. Juarez had to be happy with the trade, as Hopewell led the league in runs (85), HR, PA (517), and WAR (5.0) in 2060, as well as winning Bateador de Ano. When asked if he'd one day like to return to give the AUNZBL another go he smiled and said, "Maybe," before winking and continuing, "but that ABC definitely looks like it might be worth a shot."

League News

Notable Club Happenings

Canberra: Temporary Cavalry skipper Noel Howell (1-3) didn’t do well enough in his short audition to hold onto the job longterm. Rafael Kelly, who’d been bench coach since 2048, was also told to find a new job. Kelly was not happy about the decision, saying, “I’ve been here 13 years and this is only the 3rd time we’ve put up a losing season. Besides that, we’ve won 3 Championships and been to the postseason 8 times. I would’ve thought, with the loyalty I’ve shown and the results I’ve helped this organization achieve, that I’d be in line for a chance to show my worth as manager. But maybe it’s a good thing for me to move on. Honestly, as long as Goodwin* remains at the helm I can only see this team getting worse.”

*Stephen Goodwin, Cavalry GM of 3 years

Hobart: “Sure, going out with a Championship victory would’ve been real sweet, but this is the next best thing.” So said 61 y/o Martin Chapple, announcing his retirement from baseball. Chapple had been Hobart’s skipper for 6 seasons, taking them to the playoffs for 2 of the last 3. Hobart was the only team he’d managed, though he’d been Newcastle’s BC for 6 seasons prior. He finished with a 494-478 record in the manager’s chair and had led Hobart to a 99-63 record this season. With him retiring, the question in media circles was, ‘Would the AUNZBL still consider him eligible to contest Skipper of the Year?’ Chapple would be replaced as skipper by bench coach Junior Munoz, whose only previous stint as manager in the bigs had been an unsuccessful part season for the Metros in 2053, when his charges had gone 32-60 before he’d got the boot.

Melbourne: Owner Hack Ginnis came down hard the day the offseason began, fronting media to announce that GM Danny Stapleton and skipper Ling-lai Tsao had both been sent packing. Aces’ fans rejoiced. Stapleton, who’d sat in the big office for 2 seasons, wasn’t available for comment, though anonymous sources close to him said he was of the opinion that if Ginnis wanted a winning team he ‘needed to do something about his ballpark.’ Tsao was available for comment, and didn’t hesitate to lay the blame at Stapleton’s feet. “Look,” he said, “if Danny had been more focused on building a team around our strength, which is hitting, and focused less on trying to buy aging pitchers chasing milestones, we’d have done a lot better. It’s pretty sad, in my opinion, that I should take the fall for his inadequacies as general manager.” 66 y/o Brett Rawnsley, who’d been BC for the last 3 seasons and had never yet managed in the bigs, was promoted to skipper. Many thought this was a short-sighted choice, however, as advancing age made it unlikely that Rawnsley would stay in the game much longer.

Notable Free Agent Signings/Player Contract Extensions

28 Mar: 25 y/o Mitchell Cox (.280/.361/.421, 27HR), who’d hit .321/.396/.473 in 2060, signed a 6-year extension with the Roos.

18 Apr: Kununurra bought out 27 y/o Nick Ahern’s (.236/.328/.438, 91HR) remaining arbitration years and then some with a 5-year contract extension.

18 Apr: 27 y/o Dermott Alcock (.273/.314/.432, 27HR) and Central Coast agreed to a 3-year extension to see out the rest of his arbitration period.

18 Apr: Perth and power pitcher Jose Ramirez (51-41, 4.29 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 1.35 WHIP) agreed to a 4-year extension. 24 y/o Ramirez already had 4 years ML service time under his belt and was excited to have his future with the Heat sorted out. “Love it here,” he said. “Love hearing the fans chant my name when I strike a guy out.” In 2060 he’d fanned 176 hitters in 173.1 innings pitched.

22 Apr: Newcastle saw 24 y/o Dean Ambrose (9-13, 19 sv, 4.21 ERA, 4.44 FIP, 1.55 WHIP) as a guy who could a job for them anywhere, from the rotation to the pointy end of the bullpen. The youngster threw a great fastball and a super curve, along with a pretty mediocre changeup. He’d been acquired by the Roos in the Rule 5 Draft in 2058, and had now inked his name to a 6-year extension. He already had 3 years ML service, and hoped he’d remain at Newcastle for the duration. “They believe in me and encourage me,” he said, “and belief and encouragement, to me, are the most valuable things a ballplayer can have.”

8 May: The top 5 free agents on the market this season, according to OotPB TV were:

28 y/o 1B Richard Moore
26 y/o SS Carlos Aguilar
37 y/o 1B Patrick Maggs
30 y/o 2B Quentin Welch
35 y/o RF Rowan Reardon (ABC)

Surprisingly, Ismael Aguirre didn’t make the list, with a lot of analysts of the opinion a broken elbow would be a hard thing, at his age, to recover from well enough to reach the heights he had before.

Other free agents of interest on the market were:

37 y/o 1B Ismael Aguirre
30 y/o C Yen-nien Liu
35 y/o RF Manuel Alou
30 y/o RF Peter Moy
30 y/o RF Rodney Ellison (ABC)
35 y/o SS Adare Subadio (ABC)
35 y/o 1B Ed Geoghegan
27 y/o 2B Maurice Clemens
31 y/o SS Michael Waddingham (ABC)
32 y/o CF Martin Boston
35 y/o SP Baden Henderson
32 y/o CL Ryan Digby

Not quite as interesting to the pundits but still looking for a home in 2061 were:

37 y/o 1B Marcos Lopez
30 y/o SP Eddie Zglinicki
39 y/o C Jacob Blanksby
36 y/o LF Norman Ladds
34 y/o SP Xuan-ling Wong
35 y/o SP Dan Pankhurst
30 y/o 1B Si-xun Qiao
41 y/o C Zachary Woollett
29 y/o SP Bradley Boston
35 y/o 3B Yong-jun Chu
33 y/o SP Bruno Budd
36 y/o 2B Manuel Salinas
27 y/o 2B Dylan Glynn
34 y/o CL Caspar Buffey
29 y/o RF Arturo Medina

There was a real dearth of quality pitchers in this free agent class, and an overabundance of offense.

Hobart and Perth were the biggest losers, the meat of their lineups ripped out. Hobart lost 12.3 WAR and Perth 11.3. Canberra (-9.1), Adelaide (-7.4), and Brisbane (-7.2) were the next worst. Both Newcastle (+0.9) and Kununurra (+0.6) gained WAR.

14 May: Was the ABC beginning to rise on the list of player destinations? 27 y/o SP Gordon Brown (34-26, 4.39 ERA, 5.04 FIP, 1.39 WHIP), who’d played 5 seasons with Cairns but not been offered arbitration this offseason, was off to the Melbourne Victory. He’d signed a 7-year deal.

16 May: “We’re just super-excited he’s coming back,” Hobart GM Charles Dethridge told media. “Even at 37 years of age and coming off injury, he’s still one of the premier talents in the league, and just having him on the roster means we’ll be competitive again in 2061.” Who was Dethridge talking about? Ismael Aguirre (.320/.378/.573, 667HR), of course. The 5-time SotY had signed a 2-year deal. Yes, he admitted, it was for a lot less than his last 2-year deal with Hobart, but he’d signed last time to win a Championship, and felt he’d shortchanged the club due to injury. Across 2059-2060 he’d appeared in only 195 of a possible 324 regular season games.

17 May: With a wink, Martin Boston (.331/.369/.409, 18HR) said the thing he was looking forward to most about moving to Brisbane was the weather. “It gets a bit cold in Canberra,” he said, “but I don’t think ‘cold’ is a word that’s in the vocabulary of anybody in Brisbane.” The Bandits had netted the AUNZBL’s career BA leader and 4-time Gold Glover on a 2-year deal.

17 May: Yen-nien Liu (.303/.382/.456, 97HR) admitted it’d be hard playing for a team other than the Metros, but he was determined to make a good fist of the opportunity. He’d signed a 7-year contract with Newcastle.

17 May: The Townsville Taipans jubilantly announced the signing of Jacob Blanksby (.299/.392/.535, 517HR) on a 2-year deal. 39 y/o Blanksby admitted he no longer had the swing of previous years, but was excited both at the prospect of playing ball in Northern Queensland and playing in the ABC.

17 May: Blanksby wasn’t the only former AUNZBL signing Townsville announced this day. 36 y/o Joshua Angwin (.275/.325/.480, 292HR) had agreed to terms on a 3-year deal.

17 May: 41 y/o Blair Toohey (.264/.371/.398, 208HR) would extend his career another couple years by heading back to the BL. He’d signed with Guayaquil for 2 seasons.

18 May: To the ire of Perth fans, Quentin Welch (.290/.378/.484, 136HR) was jumping across to division rivals and defending champions Adelaide on a 6-year agreement.



19 May: In a case of like-for-like, Hobart replaced Maurice Clemens with former ABCer Adare Subadio (.274/.372/.534, 86HR). Subadio was 8 years Clemens’ senior, but Prospects’ management were certain he’d be productive across his 3-year deal.

21 May: Clemens (.246/.334/.468, 185HR) was off to the Pioneers. Kununurra was the team that had drafted him in 2051 and even given him a handful of March at-bats in the majors that same year. Hobart had claimed him off waivers in 2054 but now the Pioneers really wanted the star 2B back. To that end, the parties had worked out a 3-year agreement.

21 May: Adelaide fixed their 1B issue in the best possible way, by signing Richard Moore (.288/.376/.516, 205HR) to a mammoth 6-year contract. Moore said, “The Venom are a winning team with a winning attitude, and that’s the type of outfit I don’t just want to play for, but also have a career with.”



21 May: Sydney swooped on former Jakarta CF Rodney Ellison (.318/.385/.510, 68HR), snaring him on a 7-year deal.

22 May: Carlos Aguilar (.280/.355/.385, 47HR) had played in the bigs for Perth since he was 18, but said he was “champing at the bit for the new challenge” of playing in Fury colours. Aguilar had put up 5+ WAR his last 2 seasons, thanks to hitting over .300, fielding either side of 2B with aplomb, and being a kleptomaniac on the base paths.



22 May: 2057 Rookie of the Year, a now 29 y/o Tim Broomhall (.286/.348/.475, 99HR), joined the stream of players off to the ABC. He’d turn out for the Gold Coast, having signed a 6-year contract.

23 May: Norman Ladds (.251/.367/.458, 309HR) would once again be teammates with Blanskby. The wily LF had also signed with Townsville on a 2-year deal.

23 May: The Melbourne Victory signed Si-xun Qiao (.258/.322/.463, 200HR) for 7 years.

24 May: The PU made an interesting internal move today (though it didn’t take long for it to leak out to press). They advised all players and agents associated with them to be wary of any ABC deals offered longer than 4 years as they were “still not sure of the financial viability of the new league.”

25 May: Sydney signed another ABC gun, wooing Rowan Reardon (.313/.408/.615, 136HR) with a 3-year deal. Reardon, nicknamed ‘Beast’ and muscled like an Olympic wrestler, said he “couldn’t wait to team up with the other ABC guys and give this league a real shakedown.”



26 May: The ABC Commissioner responded to the PU’s in-house advice with an angry public response: “What the PU has done in instructing players aligned with it to not consider extended contract offers from our clubs constitutes an illegal restraint of trade. They need to immediately revise their standing on this matter or legal action will commence.”

That evening the PU issued an answer: “Advice is not the same as instruction. Word choice is important. However, advice could easily become instruction if so deemed to be in the best interests of the players. Caution is therefore advised (yes, advised, not instructed, or demanded, or any other word with a vague resemblance).”

The ABC made no reply.

27 May: Hobart had been busy already this offseason, making a lot of depth signings. Today's announcement wasn't AAA-depth, however. 33 y/o Dwi Purbacaraka (35-21, 2.31 ERA, 2.41 FIP, 1.03 WHIP) would be joining them on a 4-year contract. Southpaw Purbacaraka had previously led the Dunedin rotation and was known as a guy who ‘threw hard and got fizz’ even if he sometimes had control issues.

28 May: Hobart made another addition to their pitching staff, signing Ryan Digby (34-52, 228 sv, 3.42 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.25 WHIP) for 3 years. He would likely go into a setup role, as it was hard to see anybody dislodging Isaac Canavan from the closer’s slot.

28 May: Zachary Woollett (.304/.377/.519, 454HR) signed with the Sydney Highlife for the 2061 season.

5 Jun: Peter Moy (.295/.340/.464, 106HR) was ecstatic that he’d signed with the Fury, the ball club of the city he was raised in. “It’s always been a dream to pull on this jersey,” he told reporters moments after pulling on a Wellington jersey for the first time. “And now I’ve fulfilled that dream it’s time to fulfill another: winning a Championship with the Fury.” Moy had inked his name to a 5-year deal.

5 Jun: “I never really wanted to leave,” Manuel Alou (.299/.390/.500, 313HR) said at the presser to announce he’d re-signed with the Roos for a further 3 years. Negotiations before free agency filing, Alou went on to say, had stalled but he’d never seriously considered going anyplace else even though he’d had tempting offers from several clubs.

7 Jun: Patrick Maggs (.302/.378/.527, 441HR) was heading back to Darwin on a 2-year deal. Alan Sneddon was excited at the chance to play with his old teammate again: “Yep, really looking forward to it. We came up through the grades together in Whangarei and then spent time here with the Diggers, and it’ll be great to see him in this uniform again. I might have to try to get a regular assignment to RF so I can spend the game heckling him.”



9 Jun: Darwin believed they’d got themselves a steal. 29 y/o RHP Willie Russell (51-71, 4.81 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.42 WHIP) had slipped under everybody’s radar, especially as he’d so far only had 1 winning season in a 6-year career as a starter, way back in 2057. But Darwin management felt he was much better than that, but just hadn’t received the support (both defensive and offensive) that he needed. The Diggers signed him for 4 years.

11 Jun: Baden Henderson (143-137, 4.27 ERA, 4.24 FIP, 1.35 WHIP) would ply his trade for Kununurra in 2061 and, if all went well, in 2062 also. The 2nd year of his contract was a vesting option, based on innings pitched.

12 Jun: Newcastle were confident everything was coming together for a good season. Dylan Glynn (.278/.327/.408, 62HR), 3-time league leader in triples and 4-time Gold Glover, signed with them today for 5 years.

16 Jun: Darwin added some more pop to their lineup, signing Ed Geoghegan (.284/.363/.490, 372HR) on a 3-year deal, the 3rd year being a vesting option based on games played.

27 Jun: Eddie Zglinicki (77-75, 4.33 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 1.35 WHIP) was off to the ABC. But he wasn’t going far. He would trade in his Melbourne Aces uniform for a Melbourne Victory uniform. He’d signed for 5 years, and when asked about the wisdom of that choice he responded, “The Victory have been very open through this whole process. They’ve let me and my agent look through the books, they haven’t held anything back, and I’m confident they and this league will be around a long time.” Zglinicki would join fellow former AUNZBLers Si-xun Qiao, Marshall Tipping, Logan Eissens, Nicholas Ahernfeld, Yi-da Jiang, and Gordon Brown at the Victory.

30 Jun: Sydney and Manuel Salinas (.311/.412/.380, 34HR) agreed to terms on a 1-year deal.

7 Jul: Marcos Lopez (.316/.363/.514, 382HR) started his big-league career with Wellington and it looked as if he might finish it there, having signed a 2-year contract, the 2nd year being a vesting option based on games played.

7 Jul: Power pitcher Xuan-ling Wong (66-86, 4.78 ERA, 4.60 FIP, 1.41 WHIP) was quite open about his reasons for signing with Dunedin in the ABC: “I’m sick of the disparity between bat and ball in the AUNZBL. Over here, pitchers get an even shake.” Wong had gone 6-16 for Canberra in 2060.

11 Jul: Perhaps spurred on by news of his buddy Maggs re-joining the team, 36 y/o Alan Sneddon (.301/.437/.410, 99HR) today re-upped with Darwin for another 2 years - the 2nd being a vesting option - meaning he might be in Diggers’ uniform until the end of the 2063 season.

29 Jul: Bruno Budd (120-93, 4.05 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.33 WHIP) was taking his big ticker to Adelaide, signing on with them for 4 years. He’d likely be their ace, too, as their rotation looked as light as it had last season.

30 Jul: Caspar Buffey (49-71, 326 sv, 3.45 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 1.23 WHIP) was hoping the pitcher-friendly climes of the ABC might help rejuvenate his arm. He’d signed a 3-year deal with Dunedin, but seeing as the last year was a vesting option triggered by 40 games finished, it was pretty likely he’d only be there 2 seasons.

3 Aug: Bradley Boston (63-53, 4.02 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 1.31 WHIP) became the latest pitcher to turn his back on the AUNZBL, heading to the Highlife on a 4-year deal.

4 Aug: Brisbane snared Arturo Medina (.267/.355/.458, 167HR) on a 3-year contract.

12 Aug: Dan Pankhurst (127-149, 4.45 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 1.42 WHIP) had always flattered to deceive. But the 35 y/o had been a AUNZBL regular since the latter part of 2048 and would be so for at least 1 more season, signing a value-for-money 1-year deal with the Diggers.

14 Aug: Eccentric IF Yong-jun Chu (.300/.335/.427, 178HR) would play for Newcastle in 2061.

14 Aug: There had been at least some interest in AUNZBL quarters regarding Michael Waddingham (.309/.354/.391, 7HR) but that obviously didn’t amount to much, as today he signed a 1-year small-money deal with the Victory and would therefore remain in the ABC at least another season.

Notable Trades

7 May: Not the first trade of the offseason but probably the most interesting thus far: Melbourne, who had signed now 29 y/o Alwin de Lange (43-36, 107 sv, 4.01 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1,30 WHIP) to a 3-year contract before the 2060 season, sent him off to Cairns in exchange for declining 36 y/o veteran Rob Lane (.309/.379/.508, 277HR career - .233/.311/.377, 13HR in 2060). Lane was in the last year of a big money deal, while de Lange had been moved around between closer and the rotation and even admitted he “sometimes wasn’t sure of what game face to bring.” Early indications were Cairns wanted de Lange setting up Sterling Boston at the backend of games. What the Aces wanted with Lane was anybody's guess. New Melbourne GM Rory Ollson, who’d been at the helm of the Sydney Highlife in the ABC the last 3 seasons, immediately got a roasting on talkback for the move, the common themes being, ‘Looks about the same as the last guy and we didn’t like him very much either,’ and, ‘I know there’s money in retirement homes, but come on.’

17 May: Christchurch and Perth pulled the trigger on a trade. Perth sent 27 y/o corner outfielder Bryan McMullen (.267/.319/.387, 4HR in 769PA across parts of 6 seasons), who’d hit .291/.341/.443 in 2061 in 413PA, to the Cowboys in exchange for 33 y/o Zachary Pengilly (.259/.297/.427, 148HR) and cash.

17 May: Kununurra and Wellington engaged in some trade behaviour. Wellington shifted 31 y/o utility Al Ayliffe (.262/.328/.435, 189HR), whose primary claim to fame was 3 Grand Slams in the 2054 postseason, while Kununurra parted ways with 27 y/o SS Blake Caffyn (.288/.329/.452, 43HR).

23 May: With Aguilar coming into the Wellington team, suddenly 30 y/o Beau Snell (.324/.375/.419, 49HR) was surplus to requirements. Today they sent him off to Cairns, along with cash, in return for 30 y/o CF Marshall Hooks (.241/.293/.436, 106HR) and a pitching prospect. Snell, who’d just a few weeks prior launched his own charity golf tournament in the windy city, wasn’t willing to talk to reporters about the situation.

28 May: Central Coast had shown in recent years that they weren’t tied to individual players but rather were more concerned with how the overall team was constructed. Even so, there were a few long faces amongst the fans at news that 34 y/o Edwin Hayes (.266/.332/.512, 374HR) had been shifted on to Melbourne in exchange for 30 y/o CF Jayden Downes (.294/.318/.370, 23HR), a 21 y/o outfield prospect, and cash.

23 Jul: Christchurch parted ways with 28 y/o 3B Blake Rawnsley (.240/.309/.427, 87HR), who’d bashed 31HR in 2060, sending him to Sydney in exchange for 27 y/o relief pitcher Martin Silva (20-29, 34 sv) and a gun 1B prospect.

16 Sep: Halfway through spring training, Hobart dealt 34 y/o 1B Mitchell Jarvis (.188/.314/.373, 13HR in 328PA in 2060), who’d come over from the ABC in 2059 and played in the minors before getting called up to the bigs midway through last season, and a young 3B prospect to Whangarei in return for 26 y/o RHP Jason Brewster (17-28, 4.64 ERA, 4.44 FIP, 1.45 WHIP). Hobart skipper Junior Munoz was excited about the trade. “Jason will fill out our rotation nicely. Really, I can’t see any weaknesses in our roster now.”

NABA Wrap-up

The regular season was no close race this year, Canon City crowned winners with a week to spare. The wildcard wasn’t close either, Evansville clinching it easily. This would be Evansville’s 7th trip to the NABA Cup and they were desperately hoping to break their duck. Canon City, on the other hand, while never having won the regular season race before, had been to the Cup in 2054 and won it.

Evansville took out the first game 5-4, despite a late comeback across the 8th and 9th by the Convicts. 2 days later, in Canon City, 13 innings were needed before the Convicts put together a rally to walk off 3-2 winners. The decider, however, was nowhere near as tight as the first 2 games. After 4, Canon City led by 4 and didn’t let their feet off the Peacemakers’ throats, running out 9-1 winners to secure the NABA Cup for the 2nd time. Antonio Suggia, who had thrown 3 shutouts during the regular season, including a no-hitter, was the winning pitcher, going 6.2 innings to ensure the rout.

28 y/o Alfredo Colon (.292/.401/.552, 16HR), in his 1st full season with Olympia, won the North Cascades Award. Rookie Colon led the league in runs (53), OPS, and WAR (3.2).

Former AUNZBLer Nathan Floyd (9-2, 2.43 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 1.08 WHIP) of Canon City took out the Yosemite Award. He’d spent 6 seasons in or around the big leagues with Brisbane before heading across to the NABA at the end of 2058. This season he led all qualified NABA pitchers in ERA and WHIP.

36 y/o Randolph McKinna (.298/.379/.570, 19HR) looked every day his age and then some, but that didn’t slow him down any on his return to the NABA after a year back in the AUZNBL minors trying for one last shot at big-league glory. The Evansville 3B won the Grand Canyon Award, leading the league in SLG, HR, and isolated power (.273).

Other Notes

It seemed a shift might be taking place within the baseball landscape. Not a monumental shift, not yet at least, but still a shift. While in previous offseasons the BL snared a lot of AUNZBL players either on the fringes of the majors or wanting to age gracefully, this year it was the ABC doing all the signing. The BL wasn’t inactive, but its primary movement was in player retention and the new guys entering that league seemed to be coming mainly from the ABC or the high AUNZBL minors. Only time would tell if the trend would continue, but it made sense on one level: for the guys who couldn’t break in as everyday players in the AUNZBL, moving to the ABC meant they were still in the room, so to speak. Good performances would make the news, therefore it’d be easier to be seen by AUNZBL GMs than it would playing over in the Lower Americas. For some pitchers, though, the move had a much simpler rationale: higher mounds equalled better times on the mound.

Another thing to note about the ABC: it was concentrating on developing international talent. Its scouts were everywhere, it seemed, and if one kept a close eye on the signing wire, it looked as if young talents were being brought over daily. Indeed, baseball journalists in various parts of the world described the scouting scene as a ‘warzone,’ with ABC and AUNZBL scouts clashing time and again in the race to secure the next Ismael Aguirre, Jorge Diaz or Young-tae Lee.

From a business perspective, the move was a smart one. Better to grow players than buy them. From an entertainment perspective it was also shrewd. Make the league a melting pot, have your fans delight in spotting the next big thing, keep the playing field from getting stagnant.

#

As Opening Day loomed the stats-heads converged to add up which teams had benefited the most from their offseason activities, and which teams had done the worst. The clear WAR winner was Sydney, who’d piled on a staggering additional 17.0 WAR, though a lot of that came down to the signings of Reardon and Ellison and nobody quite knew how they’d go in the AUNZBL. Newcastle was next-best, adding 10.8 WAR, while a gaggle of other teams (Kununurra - +7.8 - Darwin - +7.6 - Adelaide - +7.5) made up the chasing pack.

Perth, whose financial position restricted the moves they could make, were the biggest losers, down 10.9 WAR. Canberra (-9.1), and Whangarei (-8.9) weren’t far behind.

All in all, it was an action-packed offseason.

[Izz]

2061 Preseason Predictions

Coastal: Adelaide by the width of the Tasman Sea, the experts picking them to win 106 games. Cairns would finish a few games above .500 and be in contention for a wildcard slot. Neither Perth nor Darwin were expected to compete.

East-West: The East-West would be tightly contested by virtue of its weakness, with Central Coast picked to scrape to a Division title ahead of Newcastle. Kununurra and Brisbane would bring up the reat.

NZ: The NZ would be even weaker than the East-West, Christchurch winning the division comfortably without even breaking the .500 barrier.

Southern: Sydney would win 105 games to take out the Southern, with Melbourne somehow winning 94 to come in 2nd. Hobart would also play above .500.

Wildcard: Melbourne for the top wildcard slot, with Cairns, Hobart and Newcastle battling it out for the other one.

Jorge Diaz Award: Most likely someone from Adelaide, with Gary Young, Axel Nankervis, and Richard Moore the favourites. Vern Bull would be in contention as well.

Hurler of the Year: Melbourne’s Karl Blackwell would break out, Cody Watts and Jack Binns of Sydney giving him real competition. Barry Dean would not make it 3 in a row.

ABC: With their ex-AUNZBL additions, Melbourne were favourites to have the league’s best record, though they’d be fighting Sydney all the way. And because both were in the same division only one could play postseason ball, and that, according to one prominent commentator, “would be a travesty.”

Melbourne, from the Southern, would be joined in the postseason by Brisbane, Perth, and Dunedin. Everybody in the Overseas Division was expected to play plus-500 ball.

Si-xun Qiao and Joshua Angwin would battle it out for best hitter in the league, while Phil Cox, Eddie Zglinicki and Xuan-ling Wong, all also of AUNZBL vintage, were among the favourites to win Golden Arm.

[Izz]

2061/2062 Season - October

Notable Performances

3 Oct: Greg Ahern was number 3 in Sydney’s rotation to start the season, but said before today’s game against Brisbane that “it doesn't matter what spot in the rotation I pitch, it’s all about winning the game.” And he did a fine job of that, leading his Blue Sox teammates to a 7-0 shutout win, allowing only 5 hits and 2 walks, and doing the ‘Buzzard’ 8 times.

4 Oct: Angelo Spear started 2061 off in winning fashion, allowing 3 earned runs across 7 innings in Melbourne’s 10-6 thrashing of Newcastle. That win gave Spear 215 for his career.

4 Oct: Adare Subadio was quickly worming his way into the affections of Hobart’s fans. He went 4-5 in Hobart’s 11-inning 6-5 victory over Auckland, winning the game with a walk-off HR.

5 Oct: Rowan Reardon cleared the fence for the 1st time in an AUNZBL regular season game. His 2-run blast in the bottom of the 1st gave Sydney an early advantage over Brisbane but the game would slip from their grasp, the Bandits scoring 4 in the top of the 9th to steal it 9-7.

8 Oct: Arthur Hammer's 2nd start of 2061 was a pearler, Central Coast only managing 3 hits and 1 walk off him. He struck out 3 and Melbourne cruised to a 5-0 win. The shutout was the 4th of the 32 y/o’s career.

8 Oct: In a rugby score, Christchurch smashed Darwin 20-10, 3 Cowboys’ players managing 4 hits. On the losing side, Angel Rivera went 5-6.

9 Oct: Hobart got thumped 14-5 by Cairns, but amongst the carnage Aguirre became the 1st-ever AUNZBL player to drive in 2000 runners. Number 1999 came in the top of the 1st via a 2-out single to shallow centre. RBI number 2000 was also a 2-out effort, in the 2nd, this one a double over the head of the CF. The 2 hits Aguirre recorded put him only 15 shy of 3500. He needed another 32 dingers to make 700.

9 Oct: Like his 1st effort, this wasn’t totally convincing, but a win was a win and Spear now had 2 on the season. He gave up another 3 earned runs in 6 innings but his bullpen held on to keep Central Coast scoreless and see Melbourne to a 4-3 victory. Win 216 for the 38 y/o all-time wins leader.

10 Oct: Rivera earned the season’s 1st PotW with a .529/.543/.706 showing. His 18 hits included only 3 of the extra-base variety: 1 double, 1 triple, and 1 HR.

13 Oct: Brisbane put on a clinic to destroy Darwin 14-0. Hitting at 7 in the lineup, Martin Boston had a 5-hitter, the 6th time he’d managed that feat in his big-league career.

13 Oct: Aguirre’s Prospects were struggling, tonight dropping their 9th straight, falling 11-6 to the vaunted Venom, but Aguirre at least was finding some form. He was 2-3, with a double and 2 walks, putting him on 3491 hits. The countdown to 3500 was on.

14 Oct: Hobart managed to avoid the dreaded 10-loss streak, downing Adelaide 11-5 in the last game of the series. Aguirre contributed 2 singles, 3 runs, 1 walk and 1 RBI. Just 7 hits to go!

16 Oct: 35 y/o Justin Auger had a poor 2060, but had started 2061 like he was 25 again. He played a defining role in Central Coast’s 8-7 win over Canberra, thundering his way to 5-5, with 2 doubles and a 2-run HR included. This marked his 2nd 5-hit game and 1st since 2051.

16 Oct: Aguirre’s 4th-inning RBI-single in Hobart’s tight 2-0 victory over Wellington gave him 3494 hits.

17 Oct: Auger took out PotW, hitting .591/.679/1.227, his 13 hits including 4HR.

17 Oct: Hobart could only manage 4 hits in their 8-1 shellacking by Wellington. One of those hits came courtesy of Aguirre, a double in the 4th, his 7th of the season. 3495 hits!

18 Oct: The Aces were going great guns, today winning their 4th straight and heading to the top of the Southern. A big part of the 10-4 victory over Brisbane was Caspar Purcell, who went 5-5, including a HR. He also scored 3 and drove in 3. This was his 2nd career 5-hit game.

19 Oct: It wasn’t often a game in the AUNZBL went 14 innings without a run scoring, especially not when a team stacked to the rafters with offense like Adelaide were involved. But that’s exactly what happened today, Adelaide and Newcastle tussling for 14 scoreless innings before the Venom scored the go-ahead and eventual winning run in the 15th.



20 Oct: “This is gonna be a good year for this team,” Angelo Spear crowed after Melbourne’s 6-1 victory over Kununurra. “I can just feel it.” Spear took home the W, giving up Kununurra’s 1 run in 6 innings of 2-hit, 2-walk ball. He went to 3-0 on the year and 217-155 for the career. And the experts agreed with him about Melbourne’s fortunes. Most had picked the team to do well preseason, saying ‘the new management had given the place a new look without actually changing all that much.’ The one strange thing new skipper Brett Rawnsley insisted on, though, was to play aging OF Rob Lane at SS, a position he was just plain awful at. But as long as Melbourne kept winning it’d be difficult to persuade Rawnsley to do anything else.

20 Oct: From the same game... Clint Aitcheson had been relegated to the bullpen as a long reliever this season, a move he’d already publicly said he was not a fan of. Today, he recorded a career first: his 3.0 scoreless innings in Melbourne’s 6-1 win over the Pioneers gave him a save. This wasn’t just a first for his professional career, but his entire recorded baseball career. “I’ve always been a starter,” he said after the game. “Before this season I’d never worked out of a bullpen. Never, not once. But I guess we get paid to do what we’re told, so I’m doing what I’m told.”

20 Oct: After 2 days off with a sinus infection, Aguirre returned to Hobart’s lineup for their 9-7 win over division rivals Sydney. Aguirre went 1-2 before coming from the field clutching at his hamstring. Nothing major, team medical staff assured worried fans, just a bit of tightness. 3496 hits...

21 Oct: Nick Ahern put on a light show to bring the Aces’ 6-game winning streak to an end. ‘Pirate Face’ socked 3 homeruns, solo efforts in the 1st and 7th followed by the pièce de résistance, a Grand Slam in the 8th. It was in the 7th and 8th that Kununurra blew the game out, scoring 13 runs to run out 15-3 winners.

22 Oct: Struggling Hobart got involved in their 2nd bench-clearing brawl of the season, Connor Chapman beaning Rodney Ellison in the 3rd inning of an eventual 9-8 loss to Sydney. The league came down hard on the 2 offenders, banishing both to the stands for 8 games...

22 Oct: ...Aguirre went 1-3 in the loss, his 8th double of the season moving him to 2nd on that ladder. 3 hits to go!

24 Oct: After an injury-interrupted 2060, Tadakuni Sasaki was, in his words, “out to make a statement” in 2061. He’d certainly done that over the past week, the Perth catcher hitting .462/.481/1.038, with 3 doubles and 4HR in his 12-26. Good enough for PotW? You betcha!

24 Oct: Aguirre’s 3rd-inning double in Hobart’s heartbreaking 10-inning 7-6 loss to Whangarei was career hit 3498.

25 Oct: Just 1 to go! Aguirre went 1-3 in Hobart’s morale-boosting 4-1 defeat of the Sluggers.

29 Oct: “This rooster's not dead yet!” Lance Ralston told journalists after shutting out Whangarei 7-0. While not quite as dominating as the Ralston who’d led Brisbane’s rotation with a swagger nearly as pronounced as his curveball back in the early 2050s, today’s Ralston was in some ways even better to watch. He worked batters over beautifully, feeding them something different, and just as inedible, each time they came to the plate. He allowed only 2 hits and 3 walks, dealt gracefully with 2 errors, and struck out 7. That last number was also how many career shutouts he now had.

29 Oct: “Well,” one fan said in the carpark after the game, “he made us wait for it, didn’t he?” And indeed he had. But it was worth the wait. Hitless on the 26th and 27th, and following an off-day, Aguirre reached 3500 with a bases-loaded 7th-inning double that very nearly went the distance, stopped only by the top of the CF wall. 2 runs scored, the away crowd cheered, the Hobart fans who’d make the trek all the way from Tasmania to Darwin shook the seats, yelling “Izzy” over and over again. He was out in a fielder’s choice at 3B soon after and was grabbed by a sideline reporter on the way back to the dugout.

“How did you feel as the ball left the bat?” she asked.
“Good,” he replied, “then a bit annoyed it didn’t go out of the park.”

He came up again in the 9th, this time with 2 on base. After fouling a couple off he ripped one to centre and nodded. He knew where it was going. It landed with a splash in the pool next to the dugout behind the centrefield wall. 3-run HR and what a way to celebrate! Hobart won 8-4, Aguirre responsible for 5 of those runs. His next goal? 700 dingers. After today’s effort he needed another 31. He was also closing in on 700 doubles, needing only 16 more to be the 1st AUNZBL player to that mark.



30 Oct: Dean Brewster was settling in well to his new surrounds in Brisbane, at least if his on-field performance was anything to go by. His 2-4 in a 9-3 loss to Newcastle gave him a 20-game hit streak, the 1st time in his career he’d achieved that feat.

31 Oct: Gu Luo hustled his way to PotW, hitting .423/.423/.923, 4 doubles and 3HR included.

31 Oct: The Venom kicked into high gear to dispatch the Blue Sox 21-0. Amongst the carnage, Malcolm Pickhills went 3-3 with 2 walks. His 3 hits were a 2-run double, a 3-run HR and a Grand Slam. That gave him 8RBI, tying the Adelaide team record Axel Nankervis had set in 2058. The Venom hit 8HR in today’s demolition effort.

Notable Injuries

9 Oct: Canberra SS Nathaniel Bowden (.238/.304/.238, 0HR) would miss the next 3-4 weeks with a herniated disc in his back. His was the 1st injury of the AUNZBL season expected to last longer than 2 weeks.

10 Oct: Carlos Aguilar (.440/.464/.680, 1HR) wouldn’t be seen again for Wellington in this campaign. He had a ruptured MCL and would be on the DL at least 7 months.

21 Oct: Roos’ SP Rodney Bashford (0-3, 8.41 ERA, 6.98 FIP, 1.92 WHIP) would miss at least 3 months with biceps tendinitis.

22 Oct: 40 y/o Jayden Pye (.293/.417/.345, 0HR), who’d somehow found himself batting cleanup for Perth - perhaps an indication of the financial difficulties Perth were in - had fractured his thumb and would miss about a month.

His replacement, interestingly, was 39 y/o Rick Clohessy, notable for his drug suspension in 2049 and then his 47HR, 150RBI season in 2051. 2 seasons after that he left the AUNZBL for the Americas, saying it was “too hard to have everything I do looked at with suspicion.” He’d made his way back in 2059, playing AAA-ball for Wellington’s affiliate and getting 8 at-bats in March, which were barely noticed by the public. He’d played in the NABA again last season but the pull of the AUNZBL was too much and he’d signed a minor-league deal with Perth 2 days before the season began. Now he’d got himself a call-up to the bigs and was determined to avoid media, saying only, “Just here to play, that’s all.”

28 Oct: Kununurra would be without star signing Maurice Clemens (.191/.301/.427, 7HR) for the next month or so while he recovered from an intercostal strain. A few analysts were of the opinion that batting Clemens at 6 in the lineup was a mistake Kununurra needed to rectify. One said, “He either needs protection or needs to be the protector. The way Kununurra’s lineup is built, where he’s hitting he’s neither.”

30 Oct: Whangarei’s Tristan Agar (1-3, 4.26 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.39 WHIP) was looking at a return sometime in February from a partially torn labrum.

Notable Trades/Signings

12 Oct: Sydney moved to ensure 29 y/o Raymond Eykelbosch (1-1, 5.06 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 1.31 WHIP) would remain a Blue Sock for a while longer, today announcing he’d agreed to 5-year extension.

25 Oct: Another member of the Blue Sox rotation signed an extension with the club. 33 y/o Cody Watts (3-0, 4.26 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 1.04 WHIP) would be a Sydney-sider for another 2 years.

26 Oct: Melbourne made a move that strengthened their offense still further but weakened their pitching. Adelaide, the other party of this deal, strengthened their pitching and dealt away a guy who’d started the season in AAA. The particulars? Adelaide sent 29 y/o CF Rory Delaney to the Aces, along with a decent 2B prospect, in return for 32 y/o Arthur Hammer (2-1, 2.84 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 0.98 WHIP) and a wad of cash.

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: 20 y/o Whangarei CF Edgardo ‘Crash’ Rico had been spotted by Sluggers’ scouts in 2057, started playing A-ball at the tender age of 17 in 2058 and 3 years later had forced his way into Whangarei’s big-league roster as their everyday CF. He took out the season’s 1st RotM, hitting .331/.372/.424, 39-118, with 16 runs, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 14RBI, 8BB and 7SB.

Hurler of the Month: 6-0, 2.51 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 0.94 WHIP, 34 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched. Those were Umashankar Meenakshi’s October stats, and those were what won him HotM. The 6’6” southpaw still looked innocuous on the mound, but he was getting through innings even more efficiently than in seasons past, and while hitters returning to the dugout commonly looked more frustrated than bewildered, perhaps that worked in Meenakshi’s favour. As one analyst said, “Frustration typically leads to more frustration. ‘Why can’t I hit this guy?’ you’re asking yourself and then next at-bat you’re too aggressive or overly watchful or otherwise pushed outside of your normal hitting routine and before you know it you’ve gone 0-4 and it’s the bottom of the 9th and you’re 6 runs in the hole.” Meenakshi led the league in wins, and was 2nd in WHIP, WAR (1.5) and IP (46.2).

Slugger of the Month: Vern Bull had started off 2061 with a roar. He hit .378/.458/.714 through October, 37-98, with 22 runs, 3 doubles, 10HR, 26RBI and 16BB. He led the league in SLG, OPS, and wOBA (.485) and was 2nd in HR, WAR (2.0), and isolated power (.337). This was the 32 y/o’s 5th SotM award.

In an interesting factoid, both Hurler and Slugger of this month were born and raised on Auckland’s North Shore in New Zealand.

Media Watch

The Defectors: How were the most well-known ABC recruits going?

For Dunedin:
Kane Pond - .267/.309/.543, 9HR
Xuan-ling Wong - 3-3, 3.15 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 1.17 WHIP

For Melbourne:
Si-xun Qiao - .377/.441/.632, 7HR, Golden Rookie of the Month
Eddie Zglinicki - 1-5, 3.67 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 1.19 WHIP

For Sydney:
Zachary Woollett - .215/.234/.289, 1HR
Bradley Boston - 4-1, 1.34 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.00 WHIP - Golden Arm of the Month

For Townsville:
Jacob Blanksby - .260/.351/.400, 2HR
Norman Ladds - .257/.358/.362, 2HR
Joshua Angwin - .298/.339/.481, 5HR

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Adelaide, Adelaide, Adelaide. 21 wins to start the season, putting them 4 ahead of Cairns and 5 ahead of Perth, both of whom had also started strongly.

East-West Division: Central Coast and Kununurra tied up, 3 games ahead of Brisbane.

NZ Division: Christchurch a game ahead of Whangarei, Wellington a further 2 games back and Auckland 3.

Southern Division: Sydney 2 games clear of Melbourne. Hobart and Canberra were both poor, the Cavalry losing 20 games in October.

#

Justin Auger (.319/.398/.655, 11HR) led the league in four-baggers and total bases (74).

Guillermo Julio (.410/.457/.607, 2HR) topped the league in BA and was tied for the lead in triples (4).

Gary Baker (.398/.476/.580, 3HR) had the highest OBP, while Alan Sneddon (.324/.467/.417, 0HR) appeared back to his best at doing what he did best, drawing walks. He had 29 so far, 8 more than anybody else.

Axel Nankervis (.371/.407/.545, 6HR) had recorded the most hits (49) and scored the most runs (27).

Teammate Malcolm Pickhills (.330/.407/.651, 9HR) had the best WAR, at 2.1.

Cain Donaldson (.328/.409/.395, 0HR) and Tomas Zartuche (.273/.341/.331, 1HR) had both stolen 14 bases.

Lance Ralston (4-1, 1.45 ERA, 2.90 FIP, 0.86 WHIP) led the league in ERA, WHIP, H/9 (4.10), and OAVG (.137).

Clint Kline (2-2, 5.46 ERA, 2.47 FIP, 1.50 WHIP) was having an unlucky start to the year. His ERA was high, but his FIP was best in the league among qualified pitchers. He was also striking out 10.05 hitters every 9 innings, another league-best.

Defending HotY Barry Dean (4-2, 3.02 ERA, 2.72 FIP, 1.21 WHIP) was looking as good as ever. He had the highest WAR (1.7) among qualified pitchers and had struck out the most batters, with 46 so far.

Aaron Fingleson had assumed the closer’s role in Adelaide and was going well so far, his 9 saves leading the league.

ABC Wrap-up

Gold Coast led the Northern by 1 game over Alice Springs. Canberra won 20 games to top the Southern by 4, Melbourne and Sydney the trailing teams. Hobart, at the bottom of the division, lost 23 in October. In the Western, Adelaide also won 20 games, their lead over Perth 5. Dunedin did as they always seemed to do in the Overseas, start out fast. They held a 2-game lead over Port Moresby.

Gavin Howell (.339/.402/.617, 9HR) won Golden Bat of the Month, his 9HR tied with Pond atop that leaderboard. Of the former AUNZBL players now active in the ABC, Howell said, "Yes, it's certainly changed the landscape a bit, hasn't it?"

AUNZBL Standings, Nov 1

[Izz]

2061/2062 Season - November

Notable Performances

2 Nov: Dean Brewster’s hit streak ended at 22 games. He went 0-3 in Brisbane’s 9-2 loss to Central Coast.

7 Nov: John Foreman snared PotW with a bruising .379/.455/.862 effort which included 2 doubles and 4HR. His 11HR on the season placed him in a tie for 2nd in the HR race.

7 Nov: Barry Dean had lost 2 of his first 3 starts this season, but today made it 5 wins in a row since then, doing as he’d done for each of those wins, going deep and singlehandedly keeping his team in it. He threw 8 innings of 5-hit, 1-walk, 9-K ball, conceding 2 runs and enabling Perth to defeat Hobart 5-2. He led the league in FIP (2.33), strikeouts (62), and WAR (2.6). Aguirre hit his 14th double of the season in a 2-4 outing for the losers. He still had only 2HR to his name in 2061.

9 Nov: Clint Aitcheson came to the mound in the 5th against Wellington with Melbourne down 5-2. He left after 1 out in the 7th with the Aces now up 6-5. They would add some insurance and run out 8-5 winners, giving Aitcheson his 1st win of the season and the 196th of his career.

14 Nov: Rowan Reardon was getting the hang of the AUNZBL. The 35 y/o won PotW by hitting .500/.520/1.000, with 3 doubles and 3HR.

14 Nov: Armando Santos was well on his way to smashing the season strikeout record he set last year. He’d already whiffed 66 times in 2061, putting him on pace for a whopping 255 strikeouts. Not that he especially cared. He’d also hit 12HR and, in his words, ‘scared pitchers’ every time he was at the plate. He was certainly scary today in Whangarei’s 7-5 defeat of Darwin. He didn’t whiff once. In fact, he hit safely each time he was at the plate, going 5-5, with 2 doubles and his 13th HR of the season. The 33 y/o had hit 5 times in a game twice before, in the BL and in triple-A, but this was the 1st time he’d achieved the feat in the majors. To make the night even sweeter, Santos' HR came in the bottom of the 9th, breaking a 5-5 tie, for some flip-the-bat, walk-off magic.

17 Nov: 6 hours and 24 minutes. 20 innings. No runs scored between the bottom of the 9th and the top of the 20th. 15 pitchers used, and surprisingly no position players. Final score: 7-6 Hobart. Hobart led 6-5 going into the 9th after scoring 3 in the 8th to take back the lead. Newcastle hustled and rode an error to equalize. Hobart couldn’t score the winner and into extra-innings the game went. There was plenty of tension but no runs. That is, until the bottom of the 20th when Ronald Arnott, who’d walked to lead off the inning, scooted home thanks to a Gordon Ladds single to right-centre. Arnott collapsed on home plate and the entire Hobart squad emptied onto the field and collapsed with him.

Newcastle skipper Zhang-sung Sun said in the aftermatch presser, “When you lose ones like that, well, you feel extra tired tomorrow. Especially the pitchers.” For the losers Nathan Kapuna equaled the AUNZBL extra-innings game record of 6 strikeouts. He went 0-8 in the contest, with a walk.



19 Nov: Richard Moore hit in his 20th straight game, the first time he’d achieved that feat. He went 3-5 in Adelaide’s narrow 8-7 win over Kununurra.

19 Nov: There weren’t too many shutouts being thrown so far this season, with plenty of managers electing to pull starters at the death if the game was still tight. Nobody was taking Greg Ahern off the mound today, however. He walked a hitter in the 1st but that was the only baserunner he allowed until the 7th when Jai Rowe broke up the no-hitter with a single to right-centre. Ahern hit a batter in the 8th and walked another in the 9th but allowed no more hits and zero runs in the game. Sydney barely broke a sweat to win 7-0, Ahern also striking out 7 for his 2nd shutout of the season. He still wasn’t completely satisfied with how his campaign was going, saying, “It’s really weird. I’m either lights out or getting lit up, it seems. It’s not like I’m doing anything different the days I get tagged, I still feel just as good out there as I did today. But it is what I is, I guess. As long as I give an honest day’s work each time I’m on the mound then things will even out over the season.”

21 Nov: Armando Santos won PotW. He hit .462/.500/1.077, with 4 doubles and 4HR, and ‘only’ 9 strikeouts. He had 75 strikeouts for the season, surprisingly only 4 clear of the next-missingest hitter, young Newcastle corner outfielder Nathan Kapuna.

21 Nov: Cairns rookie Mario Correa was the headline act of their 12-3 thumping of Christchurch. The 22 y/o went 5-5 with 2 doubles and a HR.

25 Nov: Moore seemed to be getting better by the game. He hit in his 25th straight in Adelaide’s 6-0 win over Melbourne, going 3-5 in the process. In fact, he was on a 7-game multi-hit streak, his worst night being a 2 singles from 4 at-bats effort. His feats had pushed him to the top of the BA tree (.391), and he also led the league in OBP (475), SLG (647), OPS, wOBA (.469), runs (43), total bases (134), and WAR (3.1)...

25 Nov: ...Moore’s performance wasn’t the only highlight of Adelaide's win over Melbourne. Bruno Budd controlled the game from the outset, shutting down the Aces on the back of 5 hits and no walks. He struck out 5, and induced 16 groundball outs. Over the course of his 12-year major-league career, Budd had now thrown 5 shutouts.

25 Nov: Hobart might not be winning a whole lot of games, but they were certainly getting involved in some strange outings in 2061. Today, against Christchurch, the score was locked at 1 after 9. In the top of the 11th the Cowboys went on a tear, sending 11 hitters to the plate and scoring 7 runs. Blowout extra innings victory, right? Not quite. Hobart went on a bit of a tear themselves, putting the winning run on 3B with 2 outs. Aguirre, who’d been hit by a pitch his 1st time up in the inning, came to the plate again and struck out on 3 pitches. 8-7 Christchurch, 37 y/o Aguirre telling reporters in the locker room, “No matter how long you’ve played, being the final guy out in a situation like that hurts. In fact, I think it hurts even more now than it did when I was 20 because I know now that I’m running out of opportunities to be the hero.”

27 Nov: Cain Hayes bashed Hobart around to the tune of 5-5, getting to 5 hits for the 1st time in his major-league career (he’d gone 6-6 in AAA in 2058). He wasn’t the only Christchurch player to star in the 20-3 thrashing. 5 of his teammates had 3 or more hits on the night, one of whom, Matthew Utting, picked up PotG with a 3-4 performance, including 4 runs, 4RBI, 3 walks and 2HR.

27 Nov: Adelaide shut out Melbourne for the 2nd time in their series, winning 11-0. Teddy Wigley was the star of the show, giving up a single in the 4th but nothing else. Along the way he struck out 7 and following the final out was hoisted onto the backs of his teammates and taken for a lap of honour around the ground.

28 Nov: Mario Correa won PotW. He hit .571/.565/.952.

28 Nov: Kununurra triumphed over Cairns 8-3, but the Crocs still had something to cheer about after the game. John Foreman cracked his 17th dinger of the year, and the 300th of his career. 31 y/o Foreman cleared the fence nearly a quarter of the time he successfully hit, his 300HR coming from 1273 career hits.

30 Nov: Matthew Utting and the rest of his Christchurch brethren trampled all over division rivals Wellington, winning 20-4. Utting was one of 5 in the lineup to record 3 hits, but his trio outshone the others by some margin. His 1st hit was a 2-run jack in the 4th. His 2nd was another 2-run homer, in the 5th. His 3rd came in the 6th, and was a 3-run home run.

30 Nov: It was finally over. Auckland were the team to stop Moore’s streak, halting it at 29 games, a tie for 5th-best all-time. Even without Moore’s bat Adelaide had enough in the tank to get home, winning 6-3.

30 Nov: Leading by 5 heading into the bottom of the 9th, Newcastle surely thought they had this one sown up. The Sluggers had other ideas, though. The first 2 hitters walked and then Armando Santos hit his 2nd HR of the night, and possibly the longest ever recorded. It flew over RF, out of the stadium and onto the road. Final measurement according to the experts? 552 feet!!! That blow seemed to break the back of the Roos and 4 batters later with no outs recorded on the inning the game was over, Whangarei winning 11-10.



Notable Injuries

2 Nov: Cairns would be without Damian Krajancic (.315/.405/.699, 8HR from 84PA) for at least 6 weeks thanks to a bone spur in his elbow.

5 Nov: Blake Caffyn (.257/.303/.376, 2HR) went down with a herniated disc in his back. He’d be missing from Wellington’s lineup for 6-7 weeks.

10 Nov: Melbourne’s Caspar Purcell (.286/.366/.524, 10HR) had a fractured hand and would be on the DL 6 or more weeks.

14 Nov: Young Metros’ up-and-comer Domenic Jones (4-2, 2.44 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 1.29 WHIP) would likely be out of the game for almost a year. He needed Tommy John surgery. He’d been drafted in 2059, played major-league ball the same year, and lost 19 games in 2060 when most with his experience would’ve been learning their craft in the high minors.

14 Nov: Rob Lane (.289/.381/.430, 3HR) faced 5 weeks on the sideline with a fractured wrist. Aces’ fans, who’d warmed to the veteran, were still not terribly unhappy, as this should mean an actual SS might play the position now.

17 Nov: Yoshihito Morimoto (.335/.353/.388, 1HR) had an infectious love for the game that endeared him to fans wherever he played, home or away. Today he tore a muscle in his ribcage after colliding with the 2B in a hard slide to break up a double play. He’d be out of the game until mid-February, at least.

19 Nov: Mitchell Cox (.218/.307/.359, 4HR) hadn’t started the season well, but his presence would still be missed, both in the Newcastle lineup and defensive unit. He had a partially torn labrum and would be on the DL at least 3 months.

22 Nov: One of Sydney’s high profile ABC recruits would on the DL for at least a month. Rodney Ellison (.267/.320/.412, 4HR) had a chronically sore shoulder that team medical staff said would only heal with a long spell of rest.

24 Nov: Canberra’s Elijah Lutz (.292/.329/.474, 7HR) was touch and go to make it back this season after fracturing his ankle.

Notable Trades/Signings

3 Nov: Whangarei traded 25 y/o LHP Elele Yuka (1-1, 3.63 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 1.50 WHIP from 6 starts) to Darwin in exchange for 2 corner infield prospects.

3 Nov: Central Coast made a huge move. 32 y/o Patrick Wigmore (.138/.286/.207, 0HR from 36PA), who in June of 2060 had signed a 5-year extension, all parties trumpeting how excited they were at the thought of Wigmore being a one-club player, had been relegated to the bench to begin the 2061 season, his spot usurped by 25 y/o Richard Humphrey, who’d been his backup the last 2 seasons. Humphrey (.354/.404/.626, 7HR) had made the most of his chance and Wigmore was looking less and less happy warming the pine. The Thunder had made a name for themselves in recent seasons as being a club for whom loyalty to individual players was less important than winning, John Foreman, Manuel Salinas, Edwin Hayes being examples of other players relegated to the bench or moved on. Now Wigmore would join that group. He was off to Sydney, where’d he play backup to Mitch Donahue. Somewhat surprisingly, all Central Coast managed to wrangle for Wigmore was 25 y/o RF Toby Norris (.248/.333/.440, 4HR).

3 Nov: Adelaide extended 27 y/o RHP Teddy Wigley (2-2, 3.44 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) for another 4 years. Wigley was a traditional 4-pitch starter, throwing a fastball, curve, change and slider. His greatest asset was his overall movement, meaning hitters didn’t go yard off him too often.

30 Nov: Central Coast acquired 29 y/o 2B Gu Luo (.303/.327/.542, 9HR) from Brisbane, along with cash, in return for 2 youngsters.

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: 35 y/o Rowan Reardon had grown accustomed to AUNZBL pitching, as his November stat-line of .351/.419/.631 showed. He went 39-111, with 19 runs, 7 doubles, 8HR, 24RBI and 12 walks.

Hurler of the Month: Clint Kline went 5-0 on the month, his ERA 2.65, his FIP 4.76, and his WHIP 1.09. He fanned 21 in 34.0 innings pitched and was somewhat of a surprise choice for the award, with many pundits thinking it would go to Barry Dean, despite the fact he got knocked around for his 1st loss of the month on the 30th. Kline did, however, only allow 10 earned runs during the month in comparison to Dean’s 20 (from 8 less innings pitched). Kline also walked only 4 hitters in his 34.0 innings and led the league in K/BB, with a 5.60 mark.

Slugger of the Month: It had been a while since Matthew Utting had hogged the spotlight like he had in November. Yes, there’d been the 3HR game to end the month, but that only capped off a highlight reel of efforts, from towering bombs to spectacular plays at 3B. He won SotM on the back of a .343/.413/.733 stat-line, his 36-105 including 8 doubles and 11HR. He also scored 24 runs, drove in a huge 36 runners and walked 14 times. For the season he was hitting .293/.353/.556, with 14 homers. He led the AUNZBL in RBI, his 55 five more than next-best Justin Auger.

Media Watch

Ismael Aguirre: Perhaps it was one of the perils of his position, but every time Aguirre had a form slump the media came out in droves to tell all and sundry that he was on the decline. The thing was, they’d have to be right one of these days. In November Aguirre struggled, hitting .230/.299/.398, his 26-113 including 7 doubles and 4HR. He scored 18 runs and drove in 15 runners, as well as drawing 11 walks, but he also struck out 25 times to give him 49 for the season and put him on track for around 140. Aguirre needed 8 doubles and 27HR to make 700 in both categories, with some analysts boldly declaring that the superstar would get to the threshold of 700 homeruns but not over the line. Aguirre’s swing and reaction time did seem slower than in year’s past, and the ball wasn’t exploding off the bat like fans were used to. The man himself was very upbeat about his game, saying, “I feel as good as ever, feel like I’m hitting the ball as well as ever, just been a bit unlucky in a few areas, is all. But the season’s still got a long way to go, and I reckon I’ll get on a roll soon enough.”

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Adelaide (19-9) continued on their merry way, Cairns (16-12) bravely holding on in their wake, 7 games behind. Perth (15-13) were a further 2 games behind, while Darwin (16-12) pulled themselves to 1 game above .500.

East-West Division: Central Coast (18-10) and Kununurra (17-11) were trading punches at the top of this ladder, the Pioneers 1 game back heading into December.

NZ Division: Christchurch (14-14) were par, but that was enough for them to extend their lead over Whangarei (13-15) by another game.

Southern Division: Sydney (15-13) put some extra distance between themselves and a faltering Melbourne (12-16), the Blue Sox’s lead out to 5 by month’s end.

Wildcard: Cairns and Kununurra held both slots currently, with Perth 2 games back, Darwin 4, and Whangarei 5.

#

Richard Moore (.380/.460/.620, 13HR) dominated plenty of leaderboard space, atop the league in BA, OBP, OPS, wOBA (.454), runs (46), and total bases (142).

Teammate Axel Nankervis (.367/.411/.531, 9HR) led the league in hits, with 94, while Tomas Zartuche (.289/.341/.356, 2HR) had stolen his way to the top of that board, with 23 successful steals thus far.

Central Coast’s new everyday catcher, Richard Humphrey (.348/.417/.631, 14HR) was flying high, his slugging percentage the best of all qualified hitters.

Armando ‘Get The Tape’ Santos (.254/.319/.565, 19HR) topped the league in dingers, and while 83 strikeouts after 2 months was a lot, had somehow been overtaken in that stat by Newcastle’s Nathan Kapuna (.184/.233/.307, 3HR), who was quite obviously overmatched as an everyday big-league player.

Ronald Aitken (.338/.459/.620, 13HR) had the most XBH of any hitter (33), and the best WAR (3.3).

Teammate John Foreman (.293/.361/.626, 18HR) had the greatest isolated power, with .333.

Rich Downes (.310/.376/.472, 5HR) hurtled to the top of the doubles leaderboard, with 22, while Guillermo Julio (.325/.375/.479, 2HR) had completed 8 triples so far.

Alan Sneddon (.303/.454/.365, 0HR) was yet to hit a HR, but had drawn 58 walks, 9 more than next-best Aitken.

Barry Dean (9-3, 3.63 ERA, 2.70 FIP, 1.18 WHIP) led the pitchers in wins, FIP, and WAR (3.3).

John Zglinicki (8-2, 2.14 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 1.00 WHIP) was proving to be Mr. Dependable for Central Coast, with the best ERA and WHIP in the AUNZBL. He’d also thrown 92.1 innings, to top that category.

Lance Ralston (5-5, 2.93 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.10 WHIP) was finding life to be an up-and-down proposition as Wellington’s ace. He continued to lead the league in H/9 (6.11), HR/9 (0.38), and OAVG (.192).

Robinson Saldana (7-1, 4.54 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) had jumped to the top of the strikeout board, thanks to tallies of 11 and 10 his last 2 times on the mound. He had 88 punch outs. Marty Okolita (4-2, 3.30 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.14 WHIP, 84 Ks), however, had the best K/9 rate, of 10.26.

Adelaide weren’t winning all their games by mammoth scores. In fact, they were edging out a fair few, as evidenced by closer Aaron Fingleson leading the league in saves, with 17.

ABC Wrap-up

Alice Springs had taken over in the Northern, Brisbane 1 game back and Gold Coast and Townsville 3. No team in the division was above .500. Canberra crashed back to earth in the Southern, both Melbourne and Sydney each winning 20 games to surge into a tie for the lead. Adelaide held onto their lead in the Western, but saw it whittled down to 1 game by Perth. Dunedin stayed ahead in the Overseas, but had Jakarta hot on their heels, 1 game back.

35 y/o Bradley Courcha (.354/.430/.542, 8HR), playing for Brisbane, won Rookie honours in November. He led the league in BA and OBP.

Al Rees (.291/.348/.609, 21HR) did it for homegrown ABC talent, winning GBotM and jumping to the top of the HR and RBI (55) trees.

Satya Susanti (3-4, 2.71 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.21 WHIP) had two 14 K games during November (1 of them a 3-hit shutout) to move to the top of the strikeout board, with 88.

AUNZBL Standings, Dec 1

[Izz]

2061/2062 Season - December

2061 #1 Draft Pick

Auckland grabbed 21 y/o Axel Zhou as the #1 overall draft pick for 2061. Zhou was an above-average outfielder, with plus speed, both in the field and on the basepaths. He projected to be a high-average, high-power hitter who probably wouldn’t draw a lot of walks. His college coaches said he was also a guy who didn’t let success get to his head. The Metros slotted him straight into A-ball.

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

2060, Richard Page: Got a handful of at-bats in the bigs for Darwin in March. Hit .250/.357/.333 in his 14 times at the plate. Was playing double-A this year, hitting .250/.289/.353, with 1HR. Darwin’s scouts were still of the opinion that he’d be a .300+ hitter, and a 30+ HR guy. He’d also be hard to strike out. As a catcher, he seemed to be good at framing the zone, even if his arm was a bit weak.

2059, Domenic Cook: An excellent infielder, Cook was splitting his time in the majors between SS and 2B. He was struggling at the plate, however, hitting only .214/.266/.317, with 3HR. Last season he hit .241/.295/.413 at big-league level, with 18 jacks. Brisbane still felt he had a ways to go to reach his power ceiling, though he’d only ever likely have a mid-range BA.

2058, Callum McCabe: Snatched by Auckland when Adelaide tried to push him through waivers, and was hitting .226/.301/.381, with 1HR, in a limited platoon role. 21 y/o McCabe was going to be a gun, though his development seemed on the slow side.

2057, Miguel Ibanez: On the DL currently and had already spent a stint at AAA. Hitting .256/.306/.518, with 13HR, against major-league pitching. His power was game-changing, no doubt about that, but he lacked patience, situational awareness, and adaptability. Low average-high power, but certainly able to do a job in Adelaide’s fearsome lineup.

Notable Performances

2 Dec: Richard Humphrey was certainly justifying Central Coast’s decision to make him their everyday catcher. Today he hit in his 20th straight game, going 2-3 in a 3-2 loss to Whangarei. Humphrey’s .632 SLG saw him leading the lead in that stat, while his 3.1 WAR had him in a tie for 2nd.

2 Dec: Melbourne overcame Canberra 7-5. Angelo Spear got tagged with the W, going 5.2 innings for 7 hits, 5 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Spear pushed onto 218 career wins, this being his first since the 20th October.

4 Dec: Humphrey’s hit streak came to an end after 21 games. He was 0-3 in Central Coast’s 6-1 loss to Whangarei.

4 Dec: The Crocs thrashed Auckland 11-1, giving Beau Snell double cause for celebration. His 4th-inning single was career hit number 2000. Snell, who’d been struggling to find his stroke over the last month, said after the game, “It’s a nice milestone to reach, definitely. It shows I’ve carved out a respectable career for myself. But it’s only 2000. If I get to 3000, then I’ll know I’ve been good.”

5 Dec: Manuel Alou took out PotW. The 35 y/o quiet achiever hit .480/.600/.960, with 3 doubles and 3HR.

5 Dec: King of walks, Alan Sneddon, needed only 12 more to be the 1st ever AUNZBL player to earn 2000 free passes. It wasn’t the 2 walks he got in tonight’s 12-5 victory over Newcastle that had the press espousing his greatness, though. It was his single in the top of the 9th. That hit marked the 2500th of Sneddon’s career, making him the 21st player to that total, and the 5th player to get both 2500 hits and 1500 walks.

7 Dec: Calvin Hodnett boosted his way to his 1st career 20-hit streak, doing so with a 1-4 performance in Perth’s 7-2 loss to Canberra.

9 Dec: Hodnett couldn’t make it past 21 games in his hit streak but still wore a smile after the match, as his Heat came out 2-1 in front in a tight contest with the Cavalry. The winning pitcher was Barry Dean, who threw 8 innings of 2-hit, 3-walk ball, conceding no runs and fanning 5. The win was his 10th of the year, making him the 1st pitcher to that mark.

10 Dec: Jayden Downes, a career .294 hitter who had mostly gone unnoticed playing for Melbourne, attracted some headlines today, starring for Central Coast in their 8-3 win over Darwin. He went 5-5, with 1 run and 2RBI, as well as drawing a walk and stealing a base. Skipper Reginald Reddick described it to press as a “pretty complete game.”

12 Dec: Young Bandits’ 1B Norm Blume took out PotW, bashing AUNZBL pitching around to the tune of .444/.516/.815, 3 homers amongst his 12 hits.

12 Dec: Marty Okolita fanned 9 while conceding 2 runs in 6.2 innings of 4-hit, 2-walk ball in Whangarei’s 5-3 win over Brisbane. Those 9 punch-outs made him the 1st pitcher past 100 for the season. He had a haul of 106 for the year so far.

17 Dec: Patrick Maggs was warming the pine a lot in 2061, today starting only his 19th game of the year. But he did his best to make his manager sit up and take notice, steadying Darwin’s ship with a 5-5 outing, his single in the bottom of the 12th breaking a 4-4 deadlock and giving the Diggers a walk-off victory. This was the 2nd time in his career Maggs had made it to 5 hits, and the 1st time since 2048.

18 Dec: It was tight through the 1st half but eventually Melbourne coasted away with the win, defeating Christchurch 7-1. The winning pitcher was Clint Aitcheson, after starter Angelo Spear came from the mound with a stiff neck. Aitcheson threw 2.1 innings, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk to record the 197th win of his career. “200,” he said after the game, “that number just keeps me throwing.”

18 Dec: Darwin jousted their way past Brisbane 9-6. For the winners, Alan Sneddon went 1-3, with 2 walks. The 2nd walk was the 2000th of his career, making him the first AUNZBL player to reach that feat.

19 Dec: 25 y/o Hal Boxsell, Canberra 3B, and a rookie, took out PotW with a .536/.594/.714 effort.

20 Dec: Kununurra romped to a 10-0 victory over expansion rivals Darwin, Rayner the star with ball in hand. He went the whole game, conceding 7 hits, 2 walks and no runs, while striking out 7. Rayner now had 9 career major-league shutouts, putting him in a tie for 7th all-time, and 2 shutouts back from the record, held jointly by Jay Cummins and Keiran Tennant.

21 Dec: 27 y/o Edward Vance had been up and down between the bigs and AAA over the last 4 seasons. The Cowboys were giving him an extended run in the rotation this year and he was looking better and better with each start. “Though now,” he joked after shutting out the Heat 4-0, “I can’t probably go anywhere but down.” He allowed just 3 hits, walked 2 and struck out 4.

23 Dec: John Zglinicki was having the dominating season everybody had expected him of him 2 seasons ago. He went the distance against Canberra today, giving up just 3 hits, while walking none and striking out 4, to see Central Coast to a 4-0 win. The win gave Zglinicki 12 on the season, took his ERA down below 2.00, to 1.93, and lowered his WHIP to 0.89. He’d thrown all 9 innings his last 3 starts but this was his 1st shutout of the season. The 135.1 innings he’d pitched so far this season saw him easily at the head of that stat. Next-best, Barry Dean, had thrown 117.0 innings.

24 Dec: Darwin bounced back from their 18-3 hammering at the hands of Kununurra yesterday by destroying Auckland 14-3. Amongst the carnage, Rod Albury went 5-6, scoring 3 runs. 2 other players got themselves 4 hits, and 2 more 3.

26 Dec: Axel Nankervis showed why he had the nickname ‘Hot Stuff,’ searing AUNZBL pitching over the last week with a stat-line of .500/.567/1.115, with 4 doubles and 4HR in his 13 hits. The Venom star had jumped to the top of the BA (.365) and RBI boards (78), and also led the league in hits (131), runs (68), and total bases (207).

27 Dec: Karl Gadd unobtrusively found himself with a 20-game hit streak, going 1-4 in Whangarei’s 6-5 loss to Cairns. Gadd, a free-swinging, low-power 3B, shrugged after the match, saying, “Yeah, gotta admit, that kinda snuck up on me.” The streak would end the following day.

28 Dec: It was a mouth-watering matchup. Umashankar Meenakshi versus John Zglinicki. Both pitchers tied for the league lead in wins, with 12, and both named All Stars earlier in the day. Both were coming off complete game outings, Zglinicki’s a 3-hit shutout. Zglinicki went deep again today, hurling 8, but allowing 5 runs in the process. Meenakshi went an inning better, and conceded 5 less runs. He allowed 7 hits, walked 1, struck out 8, and collected the 2nd shutout of his still young career. Adelaide won 5-0, southpaw Meenakshi now leading the league outright in wins.

29 Dec: The Venom weren’t the only team biting in the Coastal. Cairns edged their way past Darwin 3-1 to give them 10 straight wins. At 48-36, they were still 11 games back from Adelaide.

29 Dec: Angelo Spear gave up a run in the 1st but that was all he allowed in 5.2 innings, despite conceding 7 hits and 3 walks. Melbourne held on to win 2-1 to give Spear career win 219. He was 5-5 on the year, with a 6.48 ERA and a 5.30 FIP.

30 Dec: Adelaide’s Arthur Hammer threw his 2nd shutout of the season, blanking Central Coast 5-0. He gave up 5 hits and 1 walk, punching out 5. 16 of his outs were groundballs.

31 Dec: Cairns’ winning streak came to an end at 11 games, Darwin getting up 3-1.

Notable Injuries

4 Dec: Keiran Southey (.353/.430/.538, 4HR from 135PA) had already spent time on the DL this season. Now the Christchurch veteran was expected to be out for 6 weeks with an oblique strain.

5 Dec: Sydney star Cody Watts (7-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.18 WHIP) would likely be unavailable for All Star selection thanks to a strained forearm. While medical staff wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a return before the January 1st event, Watts himself didn’t think he’d quite be ready by then. “Needs rest,” he said. “I might be on light throwing duties, but I sure won’t be risking further injury by coming back before I’m ready!”

6 Dec: Miguel Ibanez (.256/.306/.518, 13HR) faced a month out of the game with a fractured thumb.

7 Dec: Hobart would be without SS defensive specialist Ronald Arnott (.239/.304/.349, 2HR, +9.0ZR) for the rest of the season. He had a broken bone in his elbow.

11 Dec: Ismael Aguirre (.275/.343/.459, 7HR) suffered a mild hamstring strain while running the bases in Hobart’s 13-9 win over Cairns. While he shrugged it off in the aftermatch presser, saying, “Yeah, just a bit of a twinge, nothing I can’t play through,” management took a different view and the next morning he was assigned to the DL. “Precautionary only,” skipper Junior Munoz assured all and sundry, “but it’s better he rest now rather than blow the hammy out and be gone the rest of the season.” The other item of note to come from the Hobart-Cairns game was Hobart’s 3rd bench-clearing brawl of the season. Aguirre, in a jovial mood in the presser, said, “We’re not really an aggressive team. Actually, we’re a real caring bunch. Things happen and we just want to give everybody a hug so they’ll cool off. So that’s why we run out there. We pick a guy from the other team and say, ‘I’m going to give him a hug.’ Sometimes they like it, sometimes they don’t, but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?” The league thought otherwise, handing down a 4-game suspension to Ignacio Maldonado, the Prospects’ player who charged the mound, and a 6-game break to Cairns’ starting pitcher Harrison Mitchinson, who’d beaned Maldonado after giving up 7 runs - 4 earned - in two-thirds of the 1st inning, 2 homers included. Maldonado had led off the inning and got plunked his 2nd time up. Aguirre had 2 doubles in the game, putting him on 698 for his career.

13 Dec: Andre Wiltshire (.344/.423/.502, 7HR) faced 5 weeks on the DL with a hamstring strain. Auckland, already one of the worst hitting teams in the comp, would sorely miss him.

15 Dec: Pioneers’ offseason recruit Baden Henderson (6-3, 3.86 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.61 WHIP) was facing a hefty chunk of time on the pine. He’d torn the flexor tendon in his elbow and best estimates were 13 months before he’d be able to pitch competitively again. The 2nd year of Henderson’s contract with Kununurra was a vesting option based on 180 innings pitched, so he’d be in a pickle next season with it unlikely he’d be fit until midway through the campaign.

25 Dec: Manuel Alou (.288/.383/.458, 13HR) needed at least 5 weeks to recover from his quad strain.

28 Dec: 25 y/o Todd Fisher had done his minor-league time, steadily working his way up the ranks since Newcastle drafted him in 2057. This season he’d impressed enough in 69 AAA games to get a call-up to the bigs. He wasn’t a traditional power-hitting 1B, though he’d socked 12 homers this season, suggesting there might be some latent power still to be unveiled. He made his debut on the 25th, hitting at 2 in the lineup of a home game against Central Coast. He came up in the 1st and if there were any nerves, they weren’t showing. First pitch was a belt-high fastball and he drove it into leftfield, wide of the fielder. He rounded 1B in a hurry and put his head down, determined to make 2nd. He dived in under the tag, safe, a double his 1st-ever major-league hit. The crowd cheered, then quieted when Fisher took some time to get to his feet, concerned fielders and base coaches crowding around. Eventually he was helped from the field. Today he learnt that he’d fractured a rib and would be on the DL 3-4 weeks as a result. Manager Zhang-sung Sun wasn’t especially moved by the circumstances surrounding his young charge’s injury. “That’s just baseball,” Sun said. “There’s a story in every at-bat if you want to look for one.”

29 Dec: Edgardo Rico (.340/.381/.473, 5HR) would have to enjoy his 1st All Star Game from the bench. He’d lived up to his nickname of ‘Crash,’ slamming into the fence while taking a catch and spraining his elbow. He’d be on the DL about a month.

2061 All Stars - announced December 28

Australian All Stars

SP John Zglinicki - CEN - 12-3, 1.93 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 0.89 WHIP
SP Matt Juhl - CHR - 10-5, 3.83 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.31 WHIP
SP Blair Norris - KUN - 6-4, 3.56 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 1.18 WHIP
SP Marty Okolita - WHA - 6-2, 3.01 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.07 WHIP
SP Lance Ralston - WEL - 8-5, 2.62 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 1.13 WHIP
SP Victor Doubleday - CAI - 6-2, 3.56 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.32 WHIP
SP Teddy Wigley - ADE - 7-5, 3.50 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 1.25 WHIP
RP Rhett Thurley - ADE - 2-0, 4 sv, 1.38 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 0.92 WHIP
RP Cam Kneale - CEN - 3-0, 2 sv, 1.99 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 0.79 WHIP
CL Aaron Fingleson - ADE - 3-0, 26 sv, 1.96 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 0.70 WHIP
CL Rodney Donovan - CHR - 5-4, 21 sv, 3.86 ERA, 3.15 FIP, 1.31 WHIP
CL Brendan Neill - DAR - 0-1, 15 sv, 3.52 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.30 WHIP
C Richard Humphrey - CEN - .338/.406/.605, 18HR
C John Dalton - HOB - .288/.404/.575, 16HR
1B Ronald Aitken - CAI - .338/.470/.584, 14HR
1B Justin Auger - CEN - .290/.374/.567, 25HR
1B Edwin Hayes - MEL - .296/.362/.574, 20HR
2B Axel Nankervis - ADE - .363/.406/.569, 16HR
2B Dylan Glynn - NEW - .302/.359/.484, 9HR
3B Matthew Utting - CHR - .316/.377/.581, 20HR
3B Malcolm Pickhills - ADE - .282/.369/.548, 21HR
SS Dean Brewster - BRI - .359/.429/.438, 0HR
LF Alan Sneddon - DAR - .314/.455/.395, 2HR
LF Cain Donaldson - SYD - .315/.384/.395, 1HR
CF Gordon Ladds - HOB - .293/.401/.439, 9HR
RF John Foreman - CAI - .320/.381/.629, 24HR
RF Sean Carr - DAR - .350/.413/.442, 4HR
RF Rowan Reardon - SYD - .297/.375/.536, 19HR

NZ & Overseas All Stars

SP Barry Dean - PER - 11-6, 3.64 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 1.16 WHIP
SP Bruno Budd - ADE - 7-7, 3.65 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.32 WHIP
SP Damian Flemming - CAI - 6-5, 3.54 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.38 WHIP
SP Clint Kline - CAI - 8-5, 4.09 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 1.38 WHIP
SP Umashankar Meenakshi - ADE - 12-2, 4.26 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 1.31 WHIP
SP Robinson Saldana - ADE - 9-2, 4.45 ERA, 4.47 FIP, 1.32 WHIP
SP Cameron Worsfold - CAI - 7-3, 3.39 ERA, 4.58 FIP, 1.39 WHIP
RP Phillip Hammond - CEN - 3-1, 1 sv, 0.71 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 0.84 WHIP
RP Hal Massingham - CAI - 3-0, 1 sv, 2.20 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.12 WHIP
RP Scott McAuley - CHR - 2-1, 1 sv, 2.42 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 1.01 WHIP
CL Domenic Purss - CEN - 3-3, 21 sv, 3.78 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 1.47 WHIP
CL Sterling Boston - CAI - 4-3, 19 sv, 3.83 ERA, 4.70 FIP, 1.48 WHIP
C Vern Bull - MEL - .318/.431/.548, 16HR
C Tadakuni Sasaki - PER - .301/.366/.541, 15HR
C Rowan Kimpton - KUN - .324/.353/.529, 13HR
1B Richard Moore - ADE - .361/.461/.598, 18HR
1B Lance Fookes - CHR - .339/.372/.589, 14HR
1B Ramon Martinez - KUN - .310/.397/.530, 16HR
1B Nigel Anderton - SYD - .302/.380/.502, 14HR
2B Bailey Kinnear - SYD - .292/.361/.426, 5HR
3B Mario Correa - CAI - .322/.364/.542, 11HR
SS Armando Santos - WHA - .261/.331/.585, 25HR
SS Dylan Thomas - SYD - .301/.341/.445, 4HR
LF Guillermo Julio - NEW - .315/.362/.478, 5HR
LF Pedro Mercado - PER - .320/.375/.460, 5HR
CF Edgardo Rico - WHA - .345/.383/.479, 5HR
CF Beau Hauer - CHR - .277/.348/.453, 10HR
RF Tomas Zartuche - ADE - .304/.350/.412, 6HR

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: 26 y/o Glen Donovan had taken a while to make it into the majors, playing minor-league ball for 4 seasons after having been drafted at age 22. December was his first month playing every day and he didn’t disappoint, hitting .353/.363/.529, 42-119, with 17 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5HR, 25RBI, 3 walks and 1 stolen base.

Hurler of the Month: Elijah Deas had a sterling month, winning all 6 of his starts, his ERA 1.70, his FIP 3.36, and his WHIP 0.99. He struck out 23 in 42.1 innings, allowing only 8 earned runs. At the beginning of December, Deas had been 1-4. This was the first time in his career the 34 y/o had taken home any type of award.

Slugger of the Month: There was no going past Axel Nankervis. The affable 27 y/o, who said he was “totally sure” his game could still improve, hit .336/.381/.609 in December, his 43-128 including 10 doubles, 2 triples, and 7HR. He also scored 26 runs, brought home a whopping 38 runners, and walked 9 times. For the season Nankervis (.357/.401/.557, 16HR) led the league in BA, RBI (80), hits (137), runs (72), and total bases (214).

Media Watch

Ismael Aguirre: Continued to struggle in an injury-shortened month. Hit .234/.282/.375, 15-64, for his overall stat-line to be .263/.330/.432. Unless he had a huge second half he was looking at the worst season of his career since his debut year in 2043 as a 19 y/o. Needed 2 doubles and 26HR to make 700 in both categories.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: The Venom (20-9) were just unstoppable, Cairns (16-13) now 11 games in their wake. Darwin (13-16) and Perth (11-18) both had poor months to drop below .500 and be tied for bottom rung of the division ladder.

East-west Division: Kununurra (17-12) leapfrogged Central Coast (15-14) to take a 1-game lead into January.

NZ Division: Christchurch (18-11) had a strong month to solidify their lead. Whangarei (14-15) salvaged December by finishing on a 4-game win streak but were still 6 games behind.

Southern Division: Sydney (16-13) did what they needed to do, while Melbourne (16-13) fought their way to .500 and remained 5 games back.

Wildcard: Cairns and Central Coast all the way, with Melbourne 6 games behind and Darwin, Perth and Whangarei 7 games in arrears.

Ronald Aitken (.349/.477/.609, 16HR) was a familiar face on the hitting leaderboards. He topped the league in BA, OPS, wOBA (.455), doubles (31), and XBH (48).

Teammate John Foreman (.312/.371/.628, 26HR) found himself with the best slugging percentage in the league. He was also in a tight HR race, 1 behind leader Armando Santos (.264/.340/.602, 27HR), who continued to punch well above his weight, and 1 ahead of former teammate Justin Auger (.281/.366/.549, 25HR).

Santos also led the league in ISO, with a .338 mark.

Matthew Utting (.315/.386/.575, 20HR) led all-comers in WAR, with 5.0.

There was also a tussle going on in the stolen base department. Cain Donaldson (.316/.383/.399, 1HR) and Tomas Zartuche (.299/.343/.403, 6HR) were tied at the top, with 29. Stephane Lecomte (.276/.341/.345, 0HR), who missed the All Star Game for the 1st time since 2057, was next-best, with 28, while Guillermo Julio (.313/.361/.472, 5HR) had 26 and Jesus Vega (.259/.357/.400, 10HR) had 25.

Alan Sneddon (.302/.445/.381, 2HR) led the league in walks, with 81. He was on track to earn 150 free passes for the 4th time in his career.

John Zglinicki (12-4, 2.13 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 0.90 WHIP) was making a strong early case for HotY. He led the league in ERA, WHIP, H/9 (6.47), OAVG (.198) and innings pitched (143.1).

Umashankar Meenakshi (13-2, 3.95 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 1.28 WHIP) topped the AUNZBL in wins. His joking (or perhaps not-so) advice to young pitchers: “Go where the hitters are.” Of course, he hadn’t had much choice in the matter, having been drafted by Adelaide, but that maxim was working pretty well for him so far. He had a career record of 50-18 in 3 1/2 years in the majors.

Barry Dean (11-7, 3.86 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 1.20 WHIP) was being let down some by his defense, with his league-leading FIP a whole run lower than his ERA. He also led the league in WAR, with a 4.6 mark.

Dean’s 127 strikeouts was 1 less than league leader Marty Okolita (6-2, 3.01 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 1.06 WHIP), who was the only qualified pitcher striking out more than 10 hitters every 9 innings, with a 10.13 average.

Aaron Fingleson had 27 saves to his name, 3 more than anybody else. He’d also picked up 3 wins and lost none.

ABC Wrap-up

Alice Springs now had a 2-game lead in the Northern, their overall record 1 game above .500. Sydney had pushed to 1 game in front of Melbourne in the Southern, both teams winnings at least 20 games in the month. Perth were decent in December, while the rest of the division was awful. The net result? The Sharks led the rest of the Western by 6. Jakarta punched their way to a half-game lead over Dunedin in the Overseas, with Hamilton 2 1/2 games back.

30 y/o Jing-song Ming (.282/.332/.436, 8HR), who’d made it to AAA in the AUNZBL before heading over to the BL and NABA, won ABC rookie honours for December, hitting .360/.398/.630, with 6HR.

Gavin Howell (.317/.393/.651, 29HR) was leading the HR charge, his 29 keeping him on course in his bid to snatch back the season HR crown Rowan Reardon had taken from him last season. Howell also led the league in SLG, OPS, wOBA (.449), RBI (78), runs (65), and ISO (.333).

New Brisbane recruit Gerry Spicer (6-7, 3.03 ERA, 2.97 FIP, 0.91 WHIP) had turned down the opportunity to play in the AUNZBL during the offseason, instead opting to remain in the ABC and signing a 6-year contract with the Broncos. The 29 y/o led the league in WHIP and WAR (2.9).

AUNZBL Standings, Jan 1

[Izz]

2061/2062 Season - January

Hall of Fame

4 new players were eligible for consideration this voting season. They were Lindsay Colson, Karl Bell, Benjamin Ziersch, and Rhett Morrow.

Brodie Backhouse jumped 20% in voter estimates, and was considered likely to get into the Hall next voting cycle. Mike Wurfel improved around 16%, and was also a good chance of getting inducted next year. None of the other existing nominees bettered last year’s efforts.

Joshua Cheadle, who had garnered a 42.9% vote last time around, was considered now to be ineligible as too much time had passed since his retirement. It was possible a special committee would be raised to consider his situation.

Of the new guys, Lindsay Colson entered with 18.4% of voters thinking he deserved to be in the Hall. The others were quickly wiped off future ballots, all receiving less than 5%. In fact, Benjamin Ziersch didn’t receive a single vote.

Results

CL Brodie Backhouse - 74.4
2B Mike Wurfel - 67.9
2B Bill Bransington - 23.1
LF Lindsay Colson - 18.4
SP Dylan Cully - 11.9
C Danny Goodwin - 9.0
SP Sterling Dunlop - 7.9
SP Luke Bodkin - 6.9
SP Xing-hua Ling - 6.9
1B Patrick Gulledge - 6.9

The following would not appear on next year's ballot, as they hadn't received the required 5.0% of the vote:

RF Zachariah Hutchinson - 4.7
SP Takashi Takeuchi - 4.0
SP Richard Avery - 2.5
SP Karl Bell - 2.2
SS Gavin Liddell - 2.2
LF Rhett Morrow - 0.4
1B Benjamin Ziersch - 0.0

Notable Performances

1 Jan: The Australian All Stars won this year’s contest by the score of 7-4.

2 Jan: 38 y/o Paul Colenutt, one of the old men of the league, was doing a decent job for the Thunder at the bottom of their rotation. Today he was more than decent, however, holding his nerve to shut out Christchurch 2-0. He allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk, while fanning 5. Colenutt, who’d made his major-league debut in 2046, had a 142-110 lifetime record, and had won HotY in 2056.

3 Jan: Hobart lost their 6th straight, getting run down 8-6 by the Diggers. Aguirre went 3-5 in the loss, his 7th-inning double the 700th of his storied career. The next-best player on that leaderboard was Hall-of-Famer Kelvin Ackland, who amassed 600 two-baggers. The closest active player was Patrick Maggs, who’d recorded 529 thus far.

9 Jan: Tadakuni Sasaki picked up another PotW, hitting an exceptional .625/.630/1.208, his 15-24 including 2 doubles and 4HR.

9 Jan: Ethan Humphries wheeled and dealed his way to a 4-0 shutout of Brisbane, the Thunder hurler conceding 7 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 4 to snare his 6th win of the year.

12 Jan: Whangarei’s Domingo Dominguez pulled off a rare feat in his side’s 3-2 defeat of Adelaide, hitting for the cycle. He tripled in the 2nd, doubled in the 4th, homered in the 6th, and singled in the 8th.

12 Jan: Canberra went on a riot, thumping Cairns 17-5. Hitting at 9, 34 y/o journeyman 2B Wes Lipinski went 5-5, with a double, HR, 4RBI and 2 runs. Lipinski had been playing pro-ball since 2047, though only had 187 big-league plate appearances, with 3 teams. This was his 1st 5-hit game, at any professional level and in any professional league.

15 Jan: Cody Watts pitched 8 innings in Sydney’s 5-4 victory over Melbourne, taking home the win, his 11th of the season. That W was his 12th on the trot, and his 18th undefeated start.

16 Jan: Young Glen Walsh was making a name for himself in the AUNZBL. The 22 y/o, who’d spent most of last season on Melbourne’s bench, had 25HR, only 2 behind the league leaders. 4 of those homers came in the last week, where he hit .423/.483/.962 to win PotW.

17 Jan: David Anderton, who’d made the jump from short-A in 2060 to The Show in 2061, was the star of the show in Whangarei’s 17-4 dusting of Darwin. He went 5-6, with a double and HR, scoring 4 times and driving in 4 runners.

18 Jan: In his typically understated fashion, Marcos Lopez today became the 14th hitter to reach 400 career home runs. It was actually a day off for Lopez, but he came on as a pinch-hitter in the 9th and stayed in the game. In the 11th he went yard, the solo effort breaking the tie and giving him his milestone, the combination of which 37 y/o Lopez described in the locker rooms later as “satisfying.” Wellington won the extra-innings encounter 5-3. Lopez was a career .315 hitter with more than 2700 hits but had drifted out of the spotlight in recent years.

19 Jan: “You can’t keep a good pitcher down.” At least that was what Umashankar Meenakshi thought. Due to a shuffle around in Adelaide’s rotation, Meenakshi hadn’t pitched for 7 days. But perhaps the rest was a good thing, as he restricted Darwin to 5 hits, while walking none and striking out 2 in a complete-game shutout. Adelaide won 4-0, and Meenakshi moved onto 16 wins for the season. The shutout was his 2nd of the season. Whether Meenakshi’s earlier words were a reference to his apparent drop down the Adelaide pitching pecking order or just jubilation at getting the shutout was anybody’s guess.

20 Jan: Eddie Rayner owned Brisbane, conceding just 4 hits and walking none in Kununurra’s 6-0 win. He struck out 2 and threw only 90 pitches for his 2nd shutout of the season and the 10th of his career. He was now tied for 3rd all-time on the shutout ladder, 1 behind the overall leaders.

20 Jan: Despite a late implosion, Perth held on to beat Sydney 7-6. Barry Dean probably shouldn’t have come out for the 9th but deservedly got the win after pitching 7 scoreless innings. The losing pitcher was Cody Watts, knocked out of the game in 5.2 innings. This was his 1st loss for the season, snapping his winning streak at 12 and his undefeated streak at 18.

23 Jan: Tomas Zartuche showcased his ability over the past 7 days, snaring the weekly award with a .545/.545/.788 performance.

23 Jan: Clint Aitcheson came on in the 4th to spell Ashley Okolita with Melbourne already ahead 8-5. He would let in 2 runs but the rest of the bullpen held steady to see the Aces to an 8-7 victory. By virtue of Okolita not lasting long enough, Aitcheson was gifted the win. He needed only 2 more to reach 200.

24 Jan: Adelaide had transformed themselves via some sharp midseason trades into not only an offensive powerhouse but also one of the league’s best pitching units. Today they won 10 in a row, disposing of Kununurra 7-2, the winning pitcher none other than Meenakshi, who now had a record of 17-3 in 2061.

26 Jan: It took 12 innings before Christchurch triumphed over Cairns, winning 8-5. For the Crocs, Beau Snell went 5-7, the 3rd time in his major-league career he’d achieved 5 hits in a game.

26 Jan: Angelo Spear allowed only 3 runners to score in 6 innings pitched, helping set the platform for Melbourne to defeat Darwin 10-4. Career win #220 for Spear.

29 Jan: Adelaide extended their winning streak to 14 games, fighting their way past Melbourne 5-3. Tomas Zartuche went 1-6, the 20th straight game he’d recorded a hit...

29 Jan: ...For the Aces, Edwin Hayes went 2-4. His 1st hit of the night was a giant 493-foot home run that sailed way back into the upper leftfield deck. The bomb was the 26th of Hayes’ season and the 400th of his career. “It felt really good off the bat,” the 34 y/o said later. “I knew as soon as I made contact that it wasn’t just gone but it was gone a long way.” About the milestone: “Yep, 400’s special. Not many guys get there. The great thing for me is I’ve still got hopefully a few good power years left. If I can get to 500 I’ll be ecstatic.”

30 Jan: Nigel Anderton scored PotW, lighting up opposition pitching to the tune of .483/.500/.897, his 14-29 including 3 doubles and 3HR.

30 Jan: Melbourne ended Adelaide’s win streak at 14, beating them 8-5.

30 Jan: In his 1st game back from injury, Armando Santos belted 2 homers to take him to 29 for the season. That was good for 2nd place and only 2 behind Justin Auger at the top. Despite Santos’ efforts, Whangarei lost 5-4 to Canberra in 10 innings.

Notable Injuries

2 Jan: Central Coast trade acquisition Gu Luo (.280/.303/.487, 15HR) would need at least a month off to recuperate a strained rib cage muscle.

8 Jan: Dwi Purbacaraka (6-5, 4.32 ERA, 4.96 FIP, 1.07 WHIP) was done for the season. Hobart’s high profile ABC recruit had torn his rotator cuff.

10 Jan: Kununurra lost Al Ayliffe (.240/.306/.436, 15HR) to a fractured thumb. He’d be sidelined 6-7 weeks.

11 Jan: Perth would need to appoint a new closer after Steven Leseberg (3-3, 21 sv) was diagnosed with a hamstring strain that would potentially keep him off the mound for the rest of the season.

12 Jan: Armando ‘Get The Tape’ Santos (.255/.334/.573, 27HR) got squared up by a fastball on the 10th and today the diagnosis was in: bruised wrist, 2-3 weeks on the DL. In HR terms, 2-3 weeks might be enough to derail his bid for the 2061 crown. He was currently tied with Justin Auger for the lead.

14 Jan: 26 y/o 2-time All Star Dylan Thomas (.296/.334/.435, 5HR) had torn his labrum. The injury to the slick SS, in only his 2nd full season, was “a real bad one” according to Blue Sox medical staff, and no-one was willing to give a recovery date, with a few whispers circulating that Thomas "would be lucky to get back on the paddock."

26 Jan: Yesterday the Prospects learnt that SP Jason Brewster (7-8, 4.69 ERA, 5.76 FIP, 1.38 WHIP) would be gone for 13-14 months with a torn rotator cuff. Today they found out that Brock Lawless (10-8, 4.26 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 1.24 WHIP) was unlikely to be back this season thanks to shoulder tendinitis. With their playoff hopes already faint and a long injury list that included 3 of their preferred rotation, it would be interesting to see how Hobart responded.

28 Jan: Sydney would be without star Cody Watts (11-1, 3.71 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.15 WHIP) for the rest of the season. The 33 y/o was headed for the surgery table to have bone chips removed from his elbow.

28 Jan: Just 2 games back in the wildcard, Perth would sorely miss Fei-hsien Chang (.261/.346/.442, 16HR) in their push down the straight. He was very unlikely to return during the regular season thanks to torn ankle ligaments.

Notable Trades/Signings

13 Jan: In possibly the biggest, and most contentious, trade of the last decade, Adelaide sent 27 y/o Axel Nankervis (.346/.389/.534, 17HR) over to Sydney in return for 30 y/o Greg ‘Buzzard’ Ahern (9-9, 4.12 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 1.12 WHIP, 119 Ks) and cash. Nankervis led the league in BA, hits (151), RBI (87), and total bases (233) and would likely find a place in the meat of Sydney’s lineup, providing protection for sluggers Nigel Anderton and Rowan Reardon. Ahern, of course, had been with the Venom until free agency in 2060, when he signed a 6-year deal with the Blue Sox. Now he’d be back strutting his stuff at Venom Ballpark, for a team that was still super-strong offensively but had just lost one of its other favourite sons. “It’s nice to be back home,” Ahern said, while Nankervis tried his best to be stoic, saying, “It is what it is, I guess. Certainly unexpected, that’s for sure.”

20 Jan: Perth rated 26 y/o rookie corner infielder Hal Boxsell (.277/.359/.402, 6HR), giving up 2 prospects to acquire him from Canberra. The Cavalry, sitting 40-64, were well out of this year’s race and looking to build up their farm system, as well as blood another talented young 1B who’d hit 34HR in AAA last season.

28 Jan: As trade season wound up, 32 y/o Martin Boston (.308/.341/.383, 0HR) found himself heading down the highway from Brisbane to Sydney. In return, the Bandits would get 3 youngsters honing their craft in the low minors. Boston, while still hitting better than .300, openly admitted he’d been struggling in Brisbane, saying it was taking him “longer than expected to get used to not being a Cavalryman anymore.” Sydney would have a conundrum as to how to fit all their outfielders into the lineup in a few days when Rodney Ellison (.279/.350/.436, 7HR) returned from injury.

30 Jan: 32 y/o Ryan Digby (1-2, 2 sv, 5.00 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 1.36 WHIP) hadn’t been a good fit at Hobart and they’d been open about the fact they’d like to move him on. Today they finalized a trade with Christchurch, who wanted some more starch in their bullpen heading into the postseason. In return for Digby, the Cowboys sent 32 y/o Jarod Newbold (.237/.276/.435, 20HR) and a gun relief prospect down to Tasmania.

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: Wes Lipinski made his major-league debut in 2050, starting 1 game for Sydney before being sent back to AAA. He stayed in the minors until 2053 at which point he became a free agent and signed a deal with San Jose in the BL. He graced the Lower Americas for 3 seasons, leading the BL in doubles 2 of those years. But the drive of making it in the AUNZBL still burned strong and he headed back to Australasia in 2057. He played in the minors with Wellington, Newcastle and Brisbane, making it back to the majors in 2060 with the Bandits, appearing in 41 games, hitting .255/.286/.383. Brisbane traded him to Canberra midway through December and the Cavalry immediately made him their everyday 2B. And now, at 34 y/o, Lipinski found himself the unlikely recipient of January's Rookie of the Month Award. “Yeah,” he said, scratching his head when journalists found him at batting practice, “it’s been a weird journey, hasn’t it? I hope it finishes with me playing first-grade until I’m 40.” Lipinski hit .340/.387/.505 in January, 35-103, scoring 13 runs, hitting 5 doubles and 4HR, driving in 23 runners, and walking 5 times.

Hurler of the Month: Arthur Hammer was loving it in Adelaide. He won all 5 of his starts in the month, doing so with a 2.37 ERA, 3.17 FIP, and 0.97 WHIP. In 38 innings he fanned 32 hitters. “One of the great things about playing for this team,” he said, “is that opposition hitters are already intimidated before the game even starts. That’s half the battle won right there.”

Slugger of the Month: A 34 y/o RotM, and a 25 y/o SotM, both from the same team. Neil Bellett hadn’t attracted a lot of headlines so far in his career, though scouts said his power matched Armando Santos for brutality and Vern Bull for consistency. He slugged pitchers about in January for a stat-line of .361/.461/.742, 35-97, scoring 24 runs, hitting 10 doubles and 9HR, driving in 20 runners, drawing 18 walks and stealing 2 bases. Though a quiet clubhouse presence, Bellett was known to have a massive drive to win, putting in the hard yards off the field as well as on it. “Expect to see him give 50 a good shake in the next couple seasons,” one of Canberra’s coaching staff told OotPB TV. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the 1st guy to hit 50 twice.”

Media Watch

Ismael Aguirre: Aguirre was strong in January, hitting .348/.397/.574, with 11 doubles and 5HR, though he did strike out 34 times. He homered in the last 2 games of the month and headed into February sitting on 679 career four-baggers. His 35 doubles for the season saw him 2nd in the league.

Last Year’s Top Players Watch

2060’s Top Rookies

2060, Rookie of the Year, Gordon Ladds: Had inexplicably dropped off as a fielder, his amazing +27.9 ZR of last season replaced by a -3.2 ZR so far this campaign. He’d started the year off slow with the bat, too, but had recovered to be hitting .292/.400/.456, 116-397, with 82 runs, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 16HR, 63RBI, 61BB, 14SB, from 478PA.

Rich Downes: Had just sprained his knee, so set for a couple weeks on the DL. While not as dominating as in 2060 he was still having a decent sophomore campaign, hitting .301/.368/.429, 134-445, with 60 runs, 33 doubles, 8HR, 57RBI, and 43BB, from 497PA.

Neil Bellett: Quietly came 3rd in the RotY voting last season, but was beginning to get noticed, having just picked up SotM. For the year was hitting .301/.426/.525, 107-356, with 70 runs, 23 doubles, 19HR, 51RBI, 78BB, and 3SB from 437PA.

2060’s Top Pitchers

2060 Brodie Backhouse Award Winner and 1st runner-up in HotY, Isaac Canavan: Not having such a happy season in 2061. 2-5, 19 sv from 41 games, 3.97 ERA, 3.56 ERA, 1.08 WHIP. 64 strikeouts in 45.1 innings.

2060 Hurler of the Year, Barry Dean: The Perth ace had recorded decisions in 23 of his 24 starts, his record currently 15-8, which put him on track to become the 1st pitcher in AUNZBL history to win 20 games 3 years in a row. That was still a couple months off, though, but Dean’s stats showed he was a good chance of doing it: 3.76 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 1.17 WHIP, 165 strikeouts from 170.0 innings pitched. He led the league in FIP, strikeouts, and WAR (5.6), and had thrown the 2nd-most innings of any pitcher.

Eddie Rayner: 9-7 from 25 starts, 3.61 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 108 strikeouts from 164.2 IP. Rayner led the league in games started, and while he wasn’t getting quite the wins of last season, he was doing an able job as the leader of Kununurra’s rotation.

2060’s Top Hitters

2060, Jorge Diaz Award Winner, Malcolm Pickhills: A valuable cog in an unstoppable machine, but would be the first to admit he wasn’t playing up to last season’s standards. .262/.353/.495, 110-420, 68 runs, 24 doubles, 1 triple, 24HR, 77RBI, 56BB, 1SB, 482PA. On track to strike out more than in any previous big-league season.

Luigi Dempster: Not up to par. .253/.315/.456, 114-450, 59 runs, 29 doubles, 1 triple, 20HR, 64RBI, 36BB, 5SB, 496PA.

Richard Moore: The new alpha-male in the Venom pack. .330/.439/.529, 144-437, 78 runs, 20 doubles, 2 triples, 21HR, 79RBI, 79BB, 524PA.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Adelaide (21-7) were in for a special season. If they could snag 32 wins from their remaining 48 games they’d break the regular season record of 112-50 set by the 2053 Brisbane Bandits, who were also currently the only team in AUNZBL history to win 110+ games in a season. In an interview towards the end of their 14-game win streak during the month, skipper Luis Gonzalez was asked whether breaking that 2053 record was a team focus. His typically Gonzalez response was: “It would certainly be an achievement but I wouldn’t say it’s a focus. As a unit our focus is on excellence, and if the reward of excellence is achievement, then I believe that's a just reward for our excellent focus.”

Cairns (13-15) had a lean month to fall 19 games behind the juggernaut that was Adelaide, while Perth (16-12) were fighting hard to put themselves in wildcard contention. Darwin (14-14) didn’t make any gains, which in this division was the same as losing ground.

East-West Division: Kununurra (15-13) had a streaky month, but managed to extend their lead over Central Coast (14-14) to 2 games.

NZ Division: Christchurch (11-17) had an awful month but so did Whangarei (12-16) so the net result was still a 5-game lead for the Cowboys.

Southern Division: The Blue Sox (16-12) had been consistently good all season, and extended their lead over a faltering Melbourne (13-15) to 8 games.

Wildcard: Central Coast had a 5-game buffer in slot 1, while Cairns were up by 4 games. Perth were the closest chasers, with Darwin and Melbourne 6 games off the pace.

#

Despite the upheaval of being traded, Axel Nankervis (.354/.398/.545, 20HR) pushed his way to the top of the BA board - he was hitting over .400 so far for Sydney in 15 games. He also led the league in hits (176), RBI (98), and total bases (271).

Ronald Aitken (.328/.457/.580, 22HR) sat atop the OBP, OPS, wOBA (.435), doubles (38), and XBH (61) boards.

Armando Santos (.259/.338/.589, 29HR) had the league’s best slugging percentage, and best isolated power (.330).

Santos was at the bottom of the leading HR trifecta. Justin Auger (.281/.372/.543, 31HR) was in the lead, with Kununurra’s Nick ‘Pirate Face’ Ahern (.293/.395/.562, 30HR) in 2nd.

Stephane Lecomte (.293/.358/.367, 0HR) had a 3-steal lead in that race, with 41. Cain Donaldson (.318/.394/.390, 1HR) was next-best, with 38, followed by Tomas Zartuche (.328/.375/.436, 8HR), who had 37.

Lecomte was tied with Guillermo Julio (.323/.370/.492, 10HR) atop the triples board. Both players had 11 so far.

Alan Sneddon (.306/.449/.408, 3HR), who was closing in on 700 career stolen bases (currently at 674), was the only player with more than 100 walks (109), and only needed 8 more runs to reach 100 and attain the runs-walks double-double for the 11th time. He led the league by 2 runs.

Matthew Utting (.305/.382/.537, 23HR) led the league in no major tracked category other than WAR (6.0).

John Zglinicki (16-5, 2.67 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.04 WHIP) was the best in the AUNZBL amongst qualified pitchers in the following: ERA, WHIP, OAVG (.227), and IP (182.1).

Meenakshi (17-4, 3.81 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.26 WHIP) was leading the race to 20 wins.

Marty Okolita (8-3, 4.06 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.15 WHIP) was 3rd in the league in strikeouts (149) but leader in K/9 (9.60).

Young Victor Doubleday (8-5, 3.68 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.36 WHIP) threw an excellent fastball, slider and changeup but still struggled at times to find the plate when under pressure. He was 2nd on the strikeout board (152) and the only qualified pitcher other than Okolita to be fanning more than a hitter an inning (9.18 K/9).

Lance Ralston (11-6, 2.78 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 1.17 WHIP) was leading the veteran’s brigade. The 37 y/o, who had moved to 188 career wins, was allowing the least H/9 (7.55) and the least HR/9 (0.48).

Arthur Fingleson was angling for another Brodie Backhouse Award. He was the best closer by some margin, his 37 saves 8 higher than the next-best closer, and putting him on track for 50+.

ABC Wrap-up

The Brisbane Broncos had galloped their way into the lead in the Northern, ahead of Alice Springs by 1 1/2 games. Melbourne had edged half a game ahead of Sydney in the Southern, while Perth extended their lead in the Western to 7 games. Jakarta and Dunedin remained neck and neck in the Overseas, the Stars maintaining their half-game lead, while Hamilton dropped off the pace, 5 behind.

35 y/o Marshall Tipping (.281/.391/.544, 27HR) took out the month’s Golden Rookie Award.

Jakarta Stars closer Bronson Rees (8-3, 22 sv), formerly of the AUNZBL, took out Golden Arm, picking up 4 wins and 5 saves in 11 appearances.

Rex Kwan (.278/.395/.506, 20HR) was making a good fist of his return to the ABC after 2 underwhelming seasons for Perth in the AUNZBL. He had the 4th-best WAR in the league, with a 4.0 mark.

AUNZBL Standings, Feb 1

[Izz]

2061/2062 Season - February

Notable Performances

1 Feb: It took until the bottom of the 9th for either side to score a run, but Wellington’s Will Glasson became the hero with a solo shot over straightaway centre to see the Fury walk off winners 1-0 over division rivals Christchurch. Glasson wasn’t the only, or biggest, hero of the night, however. Sam Gaynon stayed the distance and kept his nerve, throwing a complete-game shutout, 2 of the 4 hits he allowed coming in the 8th and 9th. He walked none and struck out only 2, but his strategy of keeping the ball down in the zone and pitching to contact worked out well. He only threw 84 pitches for a game score of 81.

1 Feb: Hobart and Brisbane battled it out for 11 innings, the Bandits eventually coming off victors by the score of 11-8. Norm Blume went 5-6 for Brisbane, his outing including 2 doubles, 3 runs and 3RBI.

1 Feb: It could only rightly be described as a thrashing, Melbourne beating up Perth 16-2. The winning pitcher was Angelo Spear, in possibly his best outing of the season, allowing only 1 run off 5 hits and a walk in 6.0 innings. Career win number 221.

2 Feb: Axel Nankervis became the 1st player to 100RBI this season, driving in 1 in Sydney’s 5-1 defeat of Central Coast.

2 Feb: Zartuche’s hit streak came to a crashing halt in Adelaide’s 9-8 loss to Auckland. He went 0-5.

4 Feb: Kioniko Mullion kept Brisbane guessing all game, giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 7, to help Hobart to a decisive 7-0 victory. Aguirre went deep twice in the win, having also homered yesterday, to take him to 682 career home runs.

6 Feb: Aguirre jacked one yesterday as well, to finish the week on a 3-game HR tear. He’d hit 6HR in the last 7 days and that, along with a .407/.500/1.111 stat-line, saw him awarded PotW.

8 Feb: Karl Blackwell recorded his 1st major-league shutout, holding Canberra to only 5 hits, while walking none and fanning 7. Melbourne romped to a 10-0 victory.

8 Feb: It wasn’t very often a pitcher could say he’d put up a 10-hit shutout, but that was exactly what John Zglinicki did for Central Coast against Whangarei. He walked none and punched out 4, the Thunder winning 6-0 on 1 less hit than Zglinicki allowed. The shutout was his 2nd of the season and the 5th of his career, all thrown in the last 3 years.

10 Feb: Newcastle bounced to a 7-0 victory over Melbourne, thanks in large part to Dean Ambrose fashioning an 8-hit, 2-walk complete game performance. He struck out 4 in his first ever pro shutout, saying after the game, “Everybody made such a fuss when Zglinicki allowed 10 hits and 0 walks 2 days ago, but I bet 8 hits and 2 walks will barely get a mention.”

10 Feb: Aaron Fingleson collected his 40th save of the season to help Adelaide hold off Cairns 7-5. It wasn’t without its nervous moments, though, as he gave up a walk and a double before getting a strikeout and ground-out to finish it. He was 8 saves ahead of Sydney’s Wes Blenkhorn.

12 Feb: Arthur Hammer threw his 3rd shutout of the season, blanking Cairns 8-zip on the back of 7 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Hammer had been a starting pitcher in the majors since 2054, but 5 of his 6 career shutouts had come in the last 2 seasons.

13 Feb: Rodney Ellison had settled into the AUNZBL rhythm, winning PotW with a .538/.538/.962 showing. His 14-26 included 5 doubles and 2 dingers.

14 Feb: 23 y/o Hobart catcher John Dalton was having a breakout season, sitting atop the league in SLG. He did that stat no harm in today’s 14-2 crunching of the Crocs, belting 3 home runs. His 1st was a 3-run effort in the 1st, his 2nd a 2-run blast in the 3rd and his 3rd a solo shot in the 8th. He scored 4 times in the game, driving home 6 runners.

14 Feb: Halfway recap. After half of Killer February the race for the 2nd wildcard had become very interesting. Today’s loss to Hobart put Cairns on an 8-game losing streak. And after their win, Hobart, 10-3 for the month, had inexplicably pushed themselves through the pack and into a tie with Cairns for that 2nd wildcard. Just 1 game back lurked Darwin and Perth, while Melbourne (63-64) were only 2 games off the pace and Whangarei (62-65) 3. The Central Coast were 1 game behind Kununurra in the East-West and 4 games clear in the top wildcard position.

Elsewhere, Adelaide were 11-2 for the month thus far, the typically soaring temperatures just making them that much more toxic. They were 92 and 35, their magic number to clinch the Coastal just 9, while all the other division leaders still had magic numbers in the 30s. As stated, Kununurra and Central Coast continued their neck-and-neck race, while Christchurch were only just above par so far, their lead over Whangarei in the NZ 4 games. Sydney continued to rule the Southern but a surging Hobart had leaped ahead of Melbourne to sit 6 games back.

15 Feb: Even on his bad days Barry Dean, just 26 years and 1 month old, was a master of his craft. He didn’t have the 5 pitche arsenal Lance Ralston had, or the blow-you-away power of Marty Okolita, but he knew what he was doing. While he didn’t throw a traditional 4-seam fastball, his cutter still arrived at the plate quicker than most 4-seamers. His curveball would drop like a bomb and everything about his changeup, from release point to arm-speed, looked exactly like his cut fastball. As one analyst put it: “His pitches move enough to make him dangerous, but they don’t move so much that he struggles to locate them. Plus, he can throw plenty of pitches, work batters over. He doesn’t need to go for quick outs or else be fatigued after 5 innings.”

Today was an example of that. On the 10th of the month he threw 120 pitches in 8.1 innings of a winning performance. He admitted before this game that he was “still a bit achy,” but didn’t come off the mound until he’d thrown another 8.1 innings. In fact, some fans and commentators were surprised he came off at all, as he was 2 outs short of a 2-hit shutout, with nobody on base and 5 runs in the bank. He walked none, and most impressively, struck out 12. The effort gave him 194 strikeouts for the year, and pushed his K/9 above 9.00, to 9.02. His W-L was 17-9.

15 Feb: Lance Ralston bridled Auckland, throwing 6.1 innings for 1 earned run while punching out 9 to help Wellington to a 6-1 win. The W was his 13th of the season and the 190th of his career. The 37 y/o, who was relying more and more on his offspeed pitches, was unusually honest when asked about his chances of getting to 200. “I really don’t know,” he said. “I’d like to think I’d crank that out in the 1st half of next season, but I’m not even sure where I’ll be playing then, and I’ve seen guys my age go away for an offseason and come back next year and their arm’s just given up. I’ve always been a guy who’s relied on blowing guys away or fooling them - more fooling them in recent seasons. I’ve never been a painter, which I think counts against me as I get older, and I think I’m a bit long in the tooth to learn how to do that now. That’s not to say I don’t know where I’m throwing, I just have a larger margin of error than those guys that spend all game nicking the edges of the zone.”

16 Feb: The confusingly average-looking Umashankar Meenakshi became the 1st AUNZBL pitcher to 20 wins in 2061. He threw 6.2 innings in Adelaide’s 5-2 defeat of Canberra, conceding 6 hits and 2 walks. He allowed 1 run, unearned, and struck out 3. His record for the year thus far was 20-4 from 26 starts.

16 Feb: Adrian Stuart was quietly going about his business at the plate for Hobart, relishing the opportunity to string some games together. He’d played every day since the 8th, after having not had a game at all since January 11th. He had a good argument at his disposal if his skipper wanted to relegate him to the bench again, however. While Hobart sank 11-5 to Cairns, Stuart went 1-4, hitting in his 20th straight game.

16 Feb: Walk-off extra-innings Grand Slam! Rowan Kimpton produced the magic for Kununurra, his grand salami in the bottom of the 12th enabling them to overcome Sydney 11-8. After a moment watching the ball he dropped his bat like he was dropping a microphone and shouted something before rounding the bases. What did he say? “Boom goes the dynamite!" he revealed at the aftermatch presser.

17 Feb: Central Coast skipper Reginald Reddick threatened to send an official complaint to the Commissioner after 2 of his players left the game injured after being hit by pitches in his side’s 15-3 demolition derby of Melbourne. Both Justin Auger and Tom Doig took no further part in the game after being hit by Clint Aitcheson in the 4th inning. Aitcheson allowed 6 runs in the frame and insisted after the game that neither plunking was intentional. “You all know me,” he said. “No way I’m going to throw at batters, and especially not when I’m ahead in the count.” His manager, Brett Rawnsley, jumped to his defense also. “In high-pressure situations sometimes pitches get away from guys. That’s what happened here. Nothing more, and certainly no malice intended. Reggie can certainly lodge a complaint if he wants too, but he knows as well as I do that doing so will just be a waste of everybody’s time.”

18 Feb: Stephen ‘Fat Cat’ Lawless mixed his 5 pitches up to good effect, shutting down Whangarei on the back of 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. Kununurra won 5-0.

18 Feb: Javier Garcia was unstoppable for Auckland in their 12-4 toppling of Sydney. The leadoff hitter went 6-6, including a HR, and scored 4 runs.

19 Feb: Heading into the top of the 9th, Wellington fans would’ve felt comfortable with their team 8-0 ahead. But any real baseball fans knows never to get complacent. Beau Snell led off with a double and advanced to 3B on a ground-out. Mario Correa singled him home before Glen Donovan slugged a 2-run bomb. Still 5 runs behind, so no drama, right? Pitching change and John Foreman walked and then ran aggressively to break up a double-play. Ian Toohey singled before Chi-seong Lee swatted the 1st pitch he saw into the RF stands to score 3. 8-6, and Wellington’s skipper and bench coach gripped the dugout railings with undoubtedly sweaty hands. Another pitching change. Stephane Lecomte singled and Damian Krajancic hit the 3rd homer of the inning to tie things up.

But the game had still another twist. Luigi Dempster led off the bottom of the 9th with a double. An out later Christos Spargo was intentionally walked. Rick Roughley singled and the bases were jammed. In very anti-climactic fashion Rhett Allan flied out to the CF track, allowing the winning run to sprint home without a throw. 9-8 Wellington, and manager Matthew Throsby was probably off to the doctors to check his heart health.



20 Feb: This week’s PotW went to Wellingtonian Luigi Dempster, who hit .560/.593/1.120, his 14-27 stuffed with 6 doubles, 1 triple and 2HR.

20 Feb: The Venom overcame Hobart 5-2 and in the process ended Adrian Stuart’s hit streak at 22 games.

20 Feb: Axel Nankervis became the 1st AUNZBL player to 200 hits. He started the night on 199 and finished on 202, going 3-5 in Sydney’s 8-4 defeat of Auckland. Next closest was former Adelaide teammate Tomas Zartuche, who had 194 hits.

20 Feb: In a heartbreaking outing, Barry Dean threw 8.0 innings, allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk, for 2 unearned runs. Those 2 runs were enough for Central Coast to grab victory, by that margin, over the Heat. Dean struck out 7 to move to 201 strikeouts for the season, and be the 1st pitcher past that mark.

21 Feb: Kohei Kawamata demonstrated his pinpoint control, painting the corners all day to shut out Cairns. He gave up 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3, to help Wellington stroll to a 7-0 victory. 6’3” Kawamata was an odd pitcher. He threw a fastball that sometimes topped out at 163 km/h, but wasn’t nearly as hard to put wood on as a lot of AUNZBL pitchers who threw 10-15 km/h slower. His curveball was really just a loopy changeup, his forkball tumbled a bit better but not much, and his actual changeup was obvious and typically stayed flat. However, as seemingly poor as his pitches were, Kawamata had them all on a string and got just enough movement to frustrate hitters. He’d spent most of his AUNZBL career pitching out of the bullpen, but Wellington had used him in the rotation as a spot-starter and injury fill-in the last couple seasons. This was his 1st pro shutout since 2050, the year he’d debuted as a 19 year-old in A-ball.

21 Feb: The Venom outslugged Hobart 17-8 to win their 98th game of the season and, in so doing, clinch the Coastal Division. They were 17-3 so far for the month of February.

24 Feb: Warren Chapple sparkled, going 5-6 in Wellington’s 9-3 beating of Hobart. 24 y/o Chapple could field as well as hit. So far this season he’d put up a +20.9 ZR at CF.

24 Feb: Tomas Zartuche won the race to 50 stolen bases, stealing a base for the 3rd consecutive game in Adelaide’s 5-4 loss to Newcastle.

25 Feb: Adelaide charged to their 100th win of the season, disposing of Newcastle 9-4. Zartuche went 4-5, with a HR and 2 stolen bases, in a PotG performance.

25 Feb: Yoshihito Morimoto’s season had been curtailed by injury but he showed no ill effects today, banging out 5 hits from 5 at-bats in Melbourne’s 8-5 win over Brisbane. This was Morimoto’s 2nd big-league 5+ hit game. Coincidentally, his previous 5-hitter came against the club he now played for, back in 2056.

27 Feb: Melbourne’s Glen Walsh grabbed his 2nd PotW of the season, hitting .423/.444/.962, with 4HR.

27 Feb: Meenakshi kept on rolling on. After a no-decision his last time up, he went the whole game in Adelaide’s 8-1 whipping of Wellington, conceding 9 hits and 2 walks, while striking out a season-high 10 hitters. Win number 21 for the year.

27 Feb: Paul Colenutt joined the ranks of pitchers with 2 or more shutouts in 2061. He allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks in Central Coast’s 7-0 win over Newcastle. While he only faced 30 batters, he had to battle his way past most of them, only striking out 1 while throwing 111 pitches.

28 Feb: John Zglinicki brought up win 19 for the season in style, keeping the Roos scoreless for the 2nd day running. He conceded 5 hits and 1 walk, and like Colenutt the day before, also struck out only 1. He got through the game on only 97 pitches, though, Central Coast cruising to a 5-0 win. The shutout was Zglinicki’s 2nd of the month and 3rd of the season.

Notable Injuries

4 Feb: Quentin Welch (.297/.394/.454, 14HR) would be back towards the end of March after suffering a latissimus dorsi strain.

5 Feb: Darwin’s Rod Albury (.311/.343/.415, 5HR) was an even odds chance to make it back for the last week of the season. He had an oblique strain.

8 Feb: Angelo Spear’s (7-6, 6.27 ERA, 5.22 FIP, 1.65 WHIP) season was over. The 38 y/o had a partially torn labrum. He’d torn his labrum completely in 2060 and made a full recovery but he himself admitted he'd have "to seriously think" about his playing future.

8 Feb: 2059 #1 overall pick Domenic Cook (.201/.282/.299, 8HR) was unlikely to return this season due to a groin strain.

11 Feb: The Venom were dealt a blow, with news that Bruno Budd (10-11, 3.95 ERA, 3.93 FIP, 1.33 WHIP) would miss the rest of the regular season, at least, with a hamstring strain.

16 Feb: Wendell Eykelbosch (.306/.392/.422, 1HR from 201PA) had done an admirable job for the Venom stepping into the shoes vacated by Axel Nankervis, but would be struggling to make it back this regular season after leaving today’s game with shoulder tendinitis.

22 Feb: Sydney were dealt a major blow, with news that star recruit Rowan Reardon (.270/.345/.485, 28HR) would be out injured until October/November of next season. He had a broken kneecap, sustained during an awkward dive to 2B on the 20th.

26 Feb: Nick Ahern (.280/.384/.544, 35HR), currently tied for the HR lead, would miss at least the next 3 weeks with a sore elbow. In turn, Kununurra would miss him as they jostled with Central Coast for a division crown. Both teams were locked up at 76-61 atop the East-West.

28 Feb: Hobart already had a large injury ward, and offseason recruit Adare Subadio (.224/.314/.430, 27HR) today joined the list. His fractured thumb would keep him out of the side for the rest of the season. Subadio had struggled to make the transition from ABC to AUNZBL, saying mid-January, “The mounds here might be lower, that’s true, but the overall quality of pitching, in my opinion, is a lot higher.”

Month Awards



Rookie of the Month: Unlike Subadio, 31 y/o Rodney Ellison had settled nicely into the AUNZBL. In February he hit .410/.445/.750, his 41-100 including 10 doubles and 8HR. He scored 23 runs, drove in 28 runners, walked 8 times and stole 2 bases. With fellow Sydney ABC recruit Rowan Reardon gone for the season, Ellison said he was “taking more weight” on his shoulders. Overall, Ellison was hitting .313/.375/.518, with 15HR.

Hurler of the Month: This year’s monthly awards panel sure loved Arthur Hammer. The January HotM took out the February award as well. He had a 5-1 record from 6 starts in the month, his ERA 3.32, his FIP 4.70, and his WHIP 1.36. He struck out 30 in 43.1 innings, and for the year had a 17-7 record, placing him tied for 3rd on the wins ladders. With 3 shutouts he was tied at the top of that leaderboard too.

Slugger of the Month: Richard Moore found himself on-base more than 50% of the time in February, and won SotM for his efforts. He hit .363/.512/.681, 33-91, with 32 runs, 2 doubles, 9HR, 25RBI, 27 walks, and 1 stolen base. For the season, Moore (.335/.453/.555, 30HR) sat atop the OBP and wOBA (.427) trees. His 6.6 WAR put him 2nd in that category. He had also scored 110 runs and walked 106 times to be the 2nd player to reach the runs-walks double-double for the season.

Media Watch

Ismael Aguirre: Had a consistent month. Hit .304/.390/.539, with 7HR. That put him on 686 career jacks. Just 14 more to go. He’d also struck out 120 times already, putting him on track for his worst season in that regard since 2046, when he was punched out 137 times after whiffing 171 times the season before that and a season-leading 197 in 2044. He needed 56 more runs to reach 2000. Aguirre already led that category by 143. The next-best active player was Alan Sneddon, on 1730.

Other Notes

Coastal Division: Adelaide (22-4) just got better and better. They needed only 10 wins from their final 22 games to set a new season wins record. With the division already clinched, the remaining teams were just fighting it out for the wildcard.

East-West Division: Neither Kununurra (14-12) or Central Coast (15-11) could break away at the top of the East-West, both teams matching each other move for move. If things continued as they had thus far, this division might need a 163rd game to decide a winner.

NZ Division: Christchurch (17-9) fought off Killer February with aplomb, extending their lead over an almost-as-good Whangarei (15-11) to 7 games. The Cowboys’ magic number was 16.

Southern Division: Sydney’s (14-12) magic number was 13. They led Hobart (13-13) and Melbourne (12-14) by 10 games.

Wildcard: Central Coast had an 8-game buffer in the top slot, and it would take something catastrophic on their part if they were to miss the postseason for the 1st time in 7 years. Cairns (9-17) dropped like firemen down a greasy pole in February, but still managed to hold a 1-game lead over Perth (12-14) in the 2nd wildcard. Whangarei was a further game back, while Darwin (12-14), Hobart and Melbourne lurked in the shadows ready to pounce, 3 games in arrears.

#

Gary Young (.292/.365/.556, 37HR) parked 13 balls in February, shooting him to the top of the HR leaderboard.

Nick Ahern (.280/.384/.544, 35HR) and Armando Santos (.261/.338/.584, 35HR) were tied for 2nd.

Andre Wiltshire (.358/.431/.568, 17HR) hadn’t featured on any leaderboards for some time because of injury. But now he met the minimum PA requirements and found himself leading the league in batting average.

John Dalton (.299/.395/.629, 33HR) led the SLG, OPS, and ISO (.331) categories.

Axel Nankervis (.351/.390/.526, 23HR) revealed during the month that he was dreaming of a Sydney-Adelaide Championship match-up, and one where he hit the winning HR in Game 4. “That’s right,” he said, “no 7 game epics. I want us to sweep them like Mum sweeps out the garage.” Nankervis led the league in hits (213), and total bases (319).

Ronald Aitken (.314/.443/.545, 23HR) had dropped off most of the leaderboards, but still topped all hitters in doubles, with 46.

Brisbane’s Norm Blume (.286/.342/.494, 26HR) leaped to the top of the RBI board, with 116.

Alan Sneddon (.309/.452/.412, 4HR) had drawn 134 walks and scored 117 runs so far, both league-best marks.

Lance Fookes (.315/.349/.572, 29HR) liked putting the ball in play. He’d done so pretty well so far, his 73 extra-base hits the most of any hitter.

Tomas Zartuche (.345/.387/.454, 10HR) was prone to bad decisions in the outfield, but not at the plate or on the bases. He continued to lead the league in steals, with 55, and his 210 hits put him only 3 behind Nankervis.

Matthew Utting (.293/.373/.511, 26HR) continued to lead the league in WAR, with 6.7. A large part of this was because of his excellent fielding at 3B (ZR +19.3).

John Zglinicki (19-8, 2.39 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.06 WHIP) was a league-leader in ERA, WHIP, IP (229.1), and tied with Hammer on 3 shutouts.

Umashankar Meenakshi (21-4, 3.72 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 1.28 WHIP) just kept on winning games, 2 clear of Zglinicki on that score.

Barry Dean (17-11, 3.23 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 1.10 WHIP) lost his last 2 starts of the month without conceding an earned run, which he admitted was "quite frustrating." His FIP was the only one among qualified pitchers to be below 3.60, and he also topped the standings in strikeouts (211), K/BB (6.03), and WAR (7.7).

Tsukaka Takaki (6-20, 6.87 ERA, 5.96 FIP, 1.76 FIP) of the hapless Cavalry led the league in losses.

Arthur Fingleson (5-0, 44 sv) was still on track to save 50+ games.

ABC Wrap-up

Brisbane and Alice Springs were neck-and-neck heading into the final straight, the Broncos a half-game nose ahead. Melbourne had extended their lead over Sydney in the Southern to 1 1/2 games, while Perth saw their lead chopped down a game, to 6, in the Western. Dunedin and Jakarta were all tied up in the Overseas. Southern Division cellar-dwellers Hobart finished the month on a 15-game skid.

Gavin Howell (.293/.382/.606, 42HR) was no longer tracking to break Reardon’s HR record, but could still become the 1st ABC player to hit 50 homers in a season twice.

31 y/o lumbering SS Lachlan Foley (.302/.354/.424, 10HR), who’d played for 3 AUNZBL clubs from 2053-2060, won the ABC’s Golden Rookie of the Month award.

Satya Susanti (10-9, 2.71 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 1.11 WHIP) was having a down year, to be expected when playing for Hobart. He was still striking out 10.99 guys every 9 innings, however, his 223 strikeouts easily a league-leader. It was very unlikely he’d get to 300 this season, however.

AUNZBL Standings, Mar 1

[Izz]

2061/2062 Season - March

Notable Performances

2 Mar: Kent Carson led the way for Perth against Brisbane, going 5-6, with a double and HR included. He also scored 3 runs and drove in 4 in the 9-2 victory.

2 Mar: Matt Juhl continued his strong season, helping Christchurch to a 5-0 shutout win over Canberra. He gave up 5 hits and 1 walk while fanning 10 to record the 3rd shutout of his career.

4 Mar: Jesus Vega, who one commentator noted “had the squarest jaw in baseball,” played the part of superhero well in Christchurch’s 8-1 thumping of Newcastle. He went 5-5, including a double and a HR. 25 y/o Vega, initially drafted into the BL as a 17 year-old out of high school, was featuring in his 4th AUNZBL season, but his 1st as an everyday player.

5 Mar: It was a tight contest, but John Zglinicki did enough to get the win, throwing 6.0 innings for 6 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. The end result was a 5-4 Central Coast victory over Adelaide, and Zglinicki had his 20th win of the season.

5 Mar: Baby-faced Larry Booth had just about grown into his ability, according to his coaches. His 5-6 effort in Brisbane’s 9-3 thrashing of Canberra helped underscore that. Amazingly, Booth did it while carrying a restrictive injury, listed as day-to-day with a tight groin.

6 Mar: Andre Wiltshire might have one of those awful mustache-less beards, but he could hit, winning PotW with a .440/.548/.960 showing. His 11-25 included 2 doubles, 1 triple and 3HR, and he also walked 6 times. Wiltshire, .360/.435/.592 for the season, led the league in BA, OPS, and wOBA (.435).

8 Mar: Nathan Kapuna went 2-6, with 2 doubles and 3RBI, in Newcastle’s big 13-3 victory over Brisbane. He also struck out twice, giving him 201 Ks for the year. 15 more whiffs and he’d own the season record.

9 Mar: Tadakuni Sasaki did his best but it was to no avail, Perth getting pipped at the post by Auckland, losing 6-5 in 10 innings. Sasaki was 5-5, with a double and HR, in the loss.

13 Mar: Domenic Guerin feasted on March pitching over the past week, hitting .478/.552/.870, with 3HR, to win PotW.

13 Mar: Tomas Zartuche stole his 60th base of the season in Adelaide’s 2-1 loss to Christchurch. He’d only been caught stealing 14 times so far in 2061.

13 Mar: Hobart, 5 games back in the wildcard after today’s 8-3 defeat of Melbourne, were realistic about their chances of making the playoffs. “Never say never,” skipper Junior Munoz said, “but with 5 teams ahead of us, it’s probably unlikely, isn’t it?” Next to him, Ismael Aguirre chimed in, “But we’ll play to the final pitch, that’s for sure.” Hobart had done some of that in this game, scoring 6 in the 8th to take the lead and break the Aces' back. Aguirre was 2-4 in the win, hitting his 23HR of the season in the 4th inning. That took him to 690 career jacks. 10 more to get to the Golden 700!

14 Mar: The Blue Sox assured themselves of a postseason berth by whipping the Sluggers 8-2. Rodney Ellison went 3-5 in the win, with 5RBI.

14 Mar: Central Coast’s come-from-behind 5-3 win over Brisbane extended their lead over Kununurra in the East-West to 4 games. It also assured them of a spot in the playoffs. Whether that would be as a division winner or wildcard was yet to be determined.

14 Mar: The Diggers and Fury cleared their benches today in the top of the 1st in a mass brawl that lasted 15 minutes and threatened to reignite again when the instigators, Ed Geoghegan and Kohei Kawamata, pushed their way free of the jam and found themselves face-to-face again. Both players were ejected and later found themselves served with 10-game suspensions. Kawamata, who’d never been suspended previously and was generally known as calm and collected, said the next morning, “Unbelievable. I try to push him back off the plate, it hits him, he gets upset and charges me. All I'm doing is pushing him away from me. I don’t even throw a punch and I get rubbed out for the rest of the season. I’d hardly call that fair.” Geoghegan wasn’t available for comment. This was the 6th time ‘Cushion’ had been suspended for fighting during his pro-career, and the 2nd time this season. He’d also received a 10-game suspension back in 2052.

16 Mar: Alan Sneddon went 0-2, with 2 walks, in Darwin’s 3-2 loss to Sydney. His 1st walk of the night was his 150th of the season. This was the 4th time he’d accumulated 150+ free passes in a season. Sneddon was also the only player to have reached that mark at all in the league’s history. He held 7 of the top 10 season walk marks.

17 Mar: Kununurra lost 6-1 to Central Coast to go to 0 and 2 in a series which would almost surely determine the East-West pennant. The Pioneers still had reason to celebrate after the game, though. Despite Melbourne beating Wellington 7-6 via a walk-off 2-run HR, they were still too far away to threaten Kununurra’s wildcard slot. The Pioneers were off to the postseason for the 2nd season in a row and the 5th time in their 14-year history!

17 Mar: The Venom busted out to thrash Whangarei 15-2 and end a 4-game skid. The win was their 110th of the season but they still needed 3 more from their remaining 6 games to set a new season record. They were only the 2nd team ever to reach the 110-win mark.

19 Mar: Christchurch overcame Brisbane 5-2 to clinch the NZ Division. They would head to the playoffs for the 1st time since 2057. They had last won the Championship in 2030 and since 2038 had only appeared in 3 postseasons.

19 Mar: Kununurra fought their way past Central Coast 5-4 in 10 innings to even up the series 2-2 and keep their faint division title hopes alive. For the Thunder, Tom Doig’s solo effort in the 9th kept the game alive even if it was ultimately lost. The blast was the 300th of the 33 y/o’s career.

19 Mar: Nathan Kapuna now owned the unenviable season strikeout record. He fanned twice in an 0-5 effort in Newcastle’s 6-4 loss to Auckland, giving him 217 strikeouts for the year.

20 Mar: The season’s last PotW award went to Rowan Kimpton. He was coming into prime hitting form just in time for the playoffs, bashing pitching around for a .481/.500/1.037 stat-line over the last week, 5 of his 13 hits clearing the fence.

20 Mar: The final series’ of the season would kick into action on the 21st. Only 1 playoff spot was still up for grabs, as well as 1 division not being decided. Central Coast just needed to win 1 of their games against Wellington to clinch the East-West, having roared past Kununurra in the standings in March. The Pioneers were taking on Christchurch.

Cairns, travelling to Newcastle, had a magic number of 2 to grab the 2nd wildcard, and were on a 5-game win streak. Melbourne, 3 games back, were also on a 5-game streak but had a much tougher proposition if they were to play postseason ball for the 1st time since 2057 and only the 3rd time in the last 29 years. They were off to play the Blue Sox.

Nobody had yet reached 40HR, with Gary Young the closest, on 39. Justin Auger, John Dalton, Malcolm Pickhills and Glen Walsh sat on 38.

21 Mar: Central Coast scored 4 in the 1st and held on to snag a 6-4 win over Auckland. And thus the East-West was won. This would be Central Coast’s 7th straight playoff appearance.

21 Mar: Cairns shut Newcastle out 3-0 to go within a game of snaring the 2nd wildcard. The star of the show was young Victor Doubleday, who threw 8 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks. He also struck out 15, the highest game mark since Greg Ahern punched out 16 in 2058.

21 Mar: Melbourne also kept their season alive, beating Sydney 9-5. Glen Walsh led the way for the Aces, going 2-3, with 2 walks. Both of his hits were of the longball variety, making him the 1st to 40 for the year.

22 Mar: The 2nd wildcard was going to... Cairns. The Crocs pushed past the Roos 5-3, despite Newcastle putting more men on base, to secure the final postseason berth. Melbourne also won by the same scoreline over Sydney, but their 7-game win streak would be all for naught.

22 Mar: Central Coast pounded Auckland 13-3. Justin Auger parked 2 balls, giving him 40HR for the season.

22 Mar: Meenakshi picked up his 23rd win of the season (though Zglinicki had beaten him to that mark) and Adelaide a record-equaling 112th win thanks to a 19-1 blowout over Brisbane.

23 Mar: Lance Ralston finished his season on a high note, allowing just 3 hits and 4 walks in 8 innings of 1-run ball in Wellington’s 5-1 defeat of Perth. Career win number 191. Ralston admitted his previous 5 starts had been “frustrating,” not because of poor pitching on his part, but because in 3 of those games his bullpen conspired to blow the lead and in the other 2 the Fury offense only kicked into gear once he was off the mound.

23 Mar: John Dalton became the 3rd hitter to 40HR in 2061, blasting a brace of bombs in Hobart’s 9-4 shelling of the Cavalry. Dalton went 2-2 with 3 walks.

24 Mar: Justin Auger started the last day of the regular season on 1997 career hits. Leading off the 4th he singled, and did so again leading off the 6th. Up once more in the 7th he cracked his 3rd single of the night and gave the crowd a salute once safely at 1B. The 35 y/o 2-time SotY had bounced back very nicely after a horrid 2060. He finished the regular season needing 1 more HR to reach 400.

24 Mar: Adelaide got beat up by a rampaging Brisbane yesterday 17-7, meaning they had only 1 game left to snare the season wins record. Brisbane scored 1 in the 3rd, Adelaide’s offense struggling to get going. That was still the only score heading into the 8th, when Miguel Ibanez connected with 1 of his huge licks, sending the ball into the LF bleachers to knot the game up. The Venom loaded the bases in the top of the 9th with 2 out, and PH Angus Wang thought for a moment he’d hit a Grand Slam. But his drive bounced off the LF wall, earning him a 2-RBI double instead, and Adelaide had the lead for the 1st time in the game. Aaron Fingleson, who hadn’t had a save opportunity since the 9th, came to the mound and went 1-2-3 through Brisbane to ensure the 3-1 victory. Win number 113 for the season, a new record!



24 Mar: Barry Dean told press a couple hours ahead of the final game of his season, “With this being a dead rubber Chappy* wasn’t going to start me. He said, ‘If you get injured I’ll probably lose my job.’ But I’ve got a chance to become the first ever pitcher to win 20 games 3 seasons in a row, so yeah I whined at him until he gave in.” Dean's offense gave him some early runs via a 2-run Calvin Hodnett bomb in the 1st, and added 2 more in the 3rd. Dean had a bumpy 3rd himself, surrendering 3 runs, including a 430-foot HR. Aaron Gilleland’s 2-out 3-run dinger in the 5th restored the 4 peg advantage and then Kent Carson’s 2-run shot made it a 6-run game.

*Manager Robert Chapman

Dean had settled back into a rhythm and when he came from the mound after 8 the score was still 9-3. He’d struck out 7 and looked certain to record win number 20. When a 1-out sac fly scored Wellington a run the camera panned to Dean in the dugout but he didn’t look worried. A wild pitch then scored another and Dean shared a joke with a teammate. Then a triple brought home the 3rd run of the inning and it was a 3-run game. Dean’s attention was now firmly fixed on the diamond. Perth’s closer came out and gave up an RBI-single. 2-run game, the tying run at the plate, power-hitter Luigi Dempster that hitter. Dean began nibbling on his nails. Dempster hit a fly. Not well, as it turned out, and the CF gobbled it up. Win number 20 for Dean, making him the 1st-ever AUNZBL pitcher to have 3 consecutive 20 win seasons. He finished 2061 with 244 strikeouts, the 8th-best total in history, and 9.11 WAR, a new season record.



Notable Injuries

1 Mar: Zachariah Pond (13-10, 4.28 ERA, 4.62 FIP, 1.33 WHIP) would have to watch on anxiously as his Diggers attempted to sneak into the postseason. In fact, he probably wouldn’t return to competitive pitching until December of the 2062 season, at the earliest. He had a torn elbow ligament.

8 Mar: Whangarei’s James Bacosa (.313/.357/.448, 10HR) was expected to be unable to play for 5-6 weeks after spraining his ankle. The Sluggers were currently 2 games back in the wildcard, and 7 games adrift in their division.

9 Mar: Melbourne would be without Dan Holz (13-10, 4.25 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 1.32 WHIP) for the rest of the regular season thanks to a strained triceps. If Melbourne were to make the playoffs he would likely miss the 1st round. The Aces were currently 2 games back in the wildcard.

11 Mar: Cain Hayes (.310/.421/.470, 12HR) and Christchurch were struck a cruel blow, learning today that the standout catcher faced a lengthy spell of recovery and rehab after tearing his calf muscle. He certainly wouldn’t be available for the postseason.

13 Mar: Central Coast’s Jayden Downes (.309/.332/.384, 3HR) would miss the rest of the regular season thanks to a sore shoulder.

22 Mar: Gu Luo (.302/.325/.564, 29HR) wouldn’t take any part in Central Coast’s playoff campaign. He had an inflamed elbow.

24 May: Sydney would have to do without Martin Boston (.293/.328/.369, 0HR) for at least the 1st round of the playoffs. He had hyperextended his elbow. Boston’s 2061 season was his worst since his rookie year, with many commentators saying he ‘just didn’t look at home outside of Cavalry colours.’

Media Watch

Ismael Aguirre: Aguirre finished the season hitting .284/.353/.476, the evidence obvious that the great man was reaching the twilight years of his career. He did hit 41 doubles, his highest mark since 2055, but only 23HR, leaving him 10 off 700. He also drove in 106RBI, the 1st time he’d passed 100 since 2057. His 142 strikeouts were his highest total since 2046. He scored 92 runs, putting him on 1951 career scores. 49 more to be the 1st AUNZBL player to reach 2000. His 2.3 WAR for the season was only average, but not bad considering he only played 31 of his 147 games in the field. His OPS+ (115) was his lowest since his rookie year in 2043, when as a lanky 19 y/o he hit .245/.290/.391, with 16HR and 160 strikeouts from 566PA, for an OPS+ of 84.

His 3640 career hits put him well at the top of that board, and 896 ahead of the next-best active player. Aguirre also needed only 4 more singles to own the singles list as well. Leader Gavin Liddell singled 2202 times during his career, and Aguirre currently had 2199 one-baggers.

Other Notes

24 y/o Andre Wiltshire (.355/.425/.579, 23HR) took home the batting crown. While only an average defensive 2B, Wiltshire certainly looked like he had the batting goods, with his hitting coach saying, "Otter's going to own the comp next season, mark my words."

Tomas Zartuche (.345/.386/.471, 14HR) was runner-up on the BA board, and also led the league in hits (241), and stolen bases (63). Both of those marks were the 3rd-best season totals ever, hits outright, stolen bases tied.

Axel Nankervis (.344/.382/.523, 29HR), who’d spent most of the season leading the BA and hits charge, recorded 239 hits for the season, 4th-best ever, and led the league in total bases, with 363.

4 other players made it to 200+ hits. They were:

Guillermo Julio (.315/.366/.479, 15HR, 207 hits, 50SB)
Domenic Guerin (.309/.366/.449, 17HR, 205 hits, 36SB)
Cain Donaldson (.313/.396/.387, 3HR, 204 hits, 51SB)
Richard Moore (.333/.450/.562, 37HR, 204 hits, 1SB)

Julio was also tied for the league lead in triples (13), along with Stephane Lecomte (.273/.344/.346, 0HR, 56SB), and Bryan McMullen (.263/.317/.380, 7HR).

Moore sat atop the OBP and WAR (7.7) boards.

23 y/o John Dalton (.312/.415/.673, 42HR) led the league in SLG, OPS, wOBA (.439), ISO (.361), and HR. His SLG percentage was the 4th-best season total in AUZNBL history and he finished with the HR lead thanks to hitting 7HR in the last 8 games of the campaign.

2 other players made it to 40 dingers. They were:

23 y/o Glen Walsh (.279/.323/.527, 41HR)
Justin Auger (.293/.388/.551, 40HR)

Alan Sneddon (.298/.449/.390, 4HR) walked 159 times in 2061, the 4th season he’d reached 150+ and his 2nd-highest mark ever. He also led the league in runs, with 130.

3 other players reached the runs-walks double-double:

Ronald Aitken (.318/.443/.546, 26HR, 110 runs, 129BB)
Richard Moore (129 runs, 121BB)
Neil Bellett (.302/.421/.579, 35HR, 103 runs, 102BB)

Aitken also led the AUNZBL in doubles (54), and XBH (82).

24 y/o Norm Blume (.292/.350/.494, 30HR) finished at the head of the RBI board, with 135. This was ‘The Tornado’s’ 1st year starting every day, but his 4th year in the majors.

Nathan Kapuna (.213/.272/.354, 13HR) finished the season with a new season high of 226 strikeouts. He was the only player to fan 200+ times.

John Zglinicki (23-8, 2.42 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.04 WHIP) had a campaign to remember, leading the league in ERA, WHIP, and IP (257.1), and tying with Umashankar Meenakshi (23-5, 3.39 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 1.24 WHIP) for wins.

The other player to reach 20 wins also had one helluva season, perhaps his best-to-date, even if basic stats might indicate otherwise. Barry Dean (20-11, 3.19 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 1.06 WHIP) got to 20 wins 3 seasons in a row, and was the only player to have an FIP lower than 3.00. His 244 strikeouts was a personal season-best, and league-leader, as was his 9.1 WAR. That WAR was also the best-ever season total, surpassing Ted Heathcote’s 2052 mark of 8.30. Dean was only the 2nd pitcher other than Heathcote to top 8.00 WAR in a season. Dean’s ERA was 3rd-best, as was his K/9 rate of 8.84. His innings pitched (248.1), BB/9 (1.45), K/BB (6.10), and WHIP were all 2nd-best. Following his record-setting 20th win, a reporter asked him, “Does this mean 3 consecutive HotYs?” Dean laughed and replied, “That’d be nice, wouldn’t it, but it’d be pretty hard to go past Zglinicki this year, I’d say. Plus he’s in the postseason, whereas I’ll just be twiddling my thumbs and wishing I was.”

3 other players made it to 200 strikeouts. They were:

Victor ‘Grin’ Doubleday (12-7, 3.41 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.30 WHIP, 230 Ks). Despite this being his 1st season full-time in the rotation, 23 y/o Doubleday was already halfway to free agency, having playing a prominent role out of Cairns’ bullpen the last 2 years.
Marty Okolita (14-7, 3.99 ERA, 4.36 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 222 Ks)
Greg Ahern (18-12, 3.99 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.16 WHIP, 205 Ks)

Okolita also led the league in K/9 (9.96) and was tied with Ahern for another, less enviable stat: HR allowed (36).

Lance Ralston (14-7, 2.95 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.19 WHIP) had a strong season. He allowed only 0.46 home runs every 9 innings, to top that category.

Clint Kline (13-10, 4.15 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 1.22 WHIP) had the best control of all qualified pitchers, allowing only 1.08 walks every 9 innings. He also had the best strikeout to walk ratio, fanning 6.38 hitters for every walk.

Austin Ya (11-11, 4.15 ERA, 4.56 FIP, 1.43 WHIP) was hard to hit because nobody, not even him, knew where he was going to throw next. He had the league’s best H/9 rate (7.43) and OAVG (.225), but topped the league in walks surrendered (112).

Aaron Fingleson fell short of 50 saves, mostly because Adelaide gave him very few opportunities in March. He finished with 47, 5 ahead of Central Coast’s Domenic Purss.

ABC Wrap-up

There were still 3 games left in the ABC regular season as the AUNZBL headed into playoff territory. Alice Springs and Brisbane were tied atop the Northern, while Melbourne and Perth had snared the Southern and Western pennants and were assured postseason berths. Jakarta led Dunedin by 1 in the Overseas.

Gavin Howell (.287/.382/.608, 50HR) became the 1st ABC player to hit 50HR in a season twice, while Satya Susanti (12-11, 2.60 ERA, 2.80 FIP, 1.10 WHIP) was continuing to make AUNZBL scouts drool. He had punched out 260 so far, and was likely to start 1 more game before the end of the season.

AUNZBL Standings, EORS

[Izz]

2061 Division Finals

Game 1 - Christchurch Cowboys vs Kununurra Pioneers

Kununurra jumped into the lead in the bottom of the 2nd, Pancho Cruz going yard with 2 outs to score 3. A great infield play by Cowboys’ 2B Jesus Vega ended the 3rd and prevented the Pioneers stretching their lead further. Vega made another great play, this one a lunging catch, to end the 4th and Christchurch’s SP Elijah Deas made sure to pat him on the back on the way to the dugout.

Beau Hauer led off the top of the 5th with a solo HR to put Christchurch on the board but aside from that rare error, Eddie Rayner looked in total control through 5. Rayner (6.0IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB, 5K) struck out 2 in the 6th, throwing mainly sinkers and sliders, and was subbed out. An error in the bottom of the 7th allowed Maurice Clemens aboard and then Bert Allan ripped one into the LF corner. Clemens rounded 3B and headed home. Kelvin Pickhills sent a bullet to SS Reginald Sorensen, whose throw to home plate was on target. Wurfel swept down with the tag and the umpire’s call was... out! Clemens didn’t agree but stopped short of arguing, instead shaking his head and muttering on his way back to the dugout. Allan was left stranded at 2B and heading into the 8th the score was still 3-1.

Rowan Kimpton showed great awareness in the 8th to gun down a runner at 1B who’d strayed too far off the bag. That play probably saved his side a run, as the next 2 hitters singled and doubled but neither scored and the inning ended with a deep fly out to right.

Allen Jiang, with a 9-7, 29 save regular season record from 66 games, trotted out in the 9th. He eased through the Cowboys on 11 pitches to ensure 1st blood for the Pioneers. Final score: 3-1 Kununurra. Deas (7.0IP, 8H, 3ER, 0BB, 4K) was decent without being memorable, Kununurra scoring all their runs thanks to 1 homer.

Game 1 - Cairns Crocs vs Sydney Blue Sox

An error in the bottom of the 1st by Gold Glove SS Stephane Lecomte allowed Sydney to score the opening run. Another error in the bottom of the 4th extended the inning and gave Sydney the opportunity to go further ahead. They managed to add 1 more but that was it. John Foreman got that run back leading off the top of the 5th with a towering drive over the CF wall. Nankervis responded with a solo bomb over right in the bottom of the inning to keep the difference 2.

Beau Snell, who’d managed 1HR all year, back in November, started off the 6th with a 415-foot blast over right-centre. An error, out, and walk later Foreman singled home the tying run. Blake Rawnsley gave Sydney back the lead in the bottom of the inning, following the leadoff HR trend, and 2 outs later Donaldson’s RBI-single once again made it a 2-run game. Victor Doubleday (5.0IP, 8H, 5R, 3ER, 2BB, 5K) came from the mound during the inning, his 1st postseason start ruined by the defensive lapses of his teammates.

Jack Binns (7.0IP, 7H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, 1K) sat down after a satisfactory stint, and the score remained the same through 8. Wes Blenkhorn, who’d collected 41 saves during the regular season, marched out to the mound in the 9th, and watched Brent Dwyer hustle an infield single. Gary Baker walked, and the go-ahead run came to the plate. Somewhat surprisingly, Lecomte bunted and both runners moved into scoring position. Snell showed good patience to draw a walk and the bases were jammed with only 1 out.

And then Ronald Aitken, who’d looked out of sync the entire night to this point, got a belt-high 1-0 fastball that he sent towards the RF wall. Going, going, and well back into the bleachers. Grand Slam! Cairns up by 2, Blenkhorn traipsing off the mound, chin resting on his chest. The next 2 batters didn’t offer any trouble and Sterling Boston, who’d warmed up in a frenzy, came to the hill.

Timothy Browne led off with a double. Tying run at the plate, top and middle of the lineup due. Donaldson ground out 6-3 and Browne stayed put at 2B. A wild slider saw Browne advance to 3B but Boston struck out Bailey Kinnear next pitch with a vicious fastball. Nankervis watched 2 fastballs nick the zone then swung lustily at a slider. Big miss and the game was done. Final score: 7-5 Cairns, winning in heart attack alley.

Game 2 - Christchurch Cowboys vs Kununurra Pioneers

Once again, Kununurra leaped out to an early 3-0 lead, this time thanks to Ramon Martinez’s 3-run homer over left in the bottom of the 1st before Christchurch had recorded an out. Allan jumped on the 1st pitch he saw in the 2nd and got just enough wood on it to send it over the LF fence. He was yet to be retired this postseason.

A sac-fly scored Christchurch their 1st run in the 5th, and they got another back in the 7th, Vega hustling to avoid an inning-ending double-play in the process. Kununurra juiced the bases with 1 out in the bottom of the inning and an out later Ortiz singled a runner home. A wild pitch extended the lead to 4 and a single by Martinez to the edge of the dirt at 3B saw another run score. Rowan Kimpton then got his 1st hit of the series to score another and Kununurra were crushing the life out of the Cowboys. With the lead 6, Blair Norris (7.0IP, 7H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K) took a seat and watched reliever Rhett Meehan throw the final 2 innings for nothing more than a solitary walk. Final score: 8-2 Kununurra in a classy performance. For Christchurch, Carl Rowlands (6.1IP, 9H, 7ER, 1BB, 3K) had a forgettable night.

Game 2 - Cairns Crocs vs Sydney Blue Sox

A Foreman double in the top of the 2nd scored Glen Donovan all the way from 1B but Sydney equalized in the bottom of the inning via an RBI Mitch Donahue double. Clint Kline, uncharacteristically missing his spots, then walked his 2nd hitter of the inning to load the bases but recovered to get the next 2 outs and limit the damage.

Cairns surged back into the lead in the 4th, rookie Mario Correa’s 1st-ever postseason hit a 2-run terrace treat. Sydney responded in the bottom of the inning by loading the bases via 3 shallow outfield singles. Kline then induced a 5-4-3 double-play ball, but a runner still scored to make it a 3-2 game. It didn’t stay that score for long, though, Timothy Browne launching a 2-run homer to give Sydney the lead.

Snell doubled in the 5th but then was thrown out trying to steal 3B in a move one commentator said “could only be called ‘boneheaded.’” Kline (4.0IP, 7H, 4ER, 2BB, 2K) didn’t come out for the 5th, and his relief proceeded to load the bases with 2 outs before managing a 6-4 ground-out to stop the inning. Foreman also made a potentially bone-headed decision in the 6th, trying to turn his 1-out single to right into a double, and on the very strong arm of Rodney Ellison. Ellison’s throw was good, but the tag was slow and Foreman was called safe. The aggressive running was to no avail however, Foreman left stranded.

The Crocs continued to push the envelope on the bases and it paid off in the 7th, Lecomte scoring the game-tying run off an Aitken single, Snell taking on the throw to go from 1B to 3B. Correa sent a routine double-play ball up the middle, but a hard slide by Aitken as well as good hustle up the 1B line saw Correa beat out the throw and Snell score the go-ahead run. To make matters worse Bailey Kinnear landed awkwardly after making the throw and left the game with a sprained ankle. That episode marked the end of Raymond Eykelbosch’s night (6.2IP, 11H, 5ER, 1BB, 5K), Cairns finishing the top of the 7th ahead 5-4.

A Nankervis error in the 8th allowed Cairns to extend the inning and they used the opportunity to add an insurance run. It then became a rout in the 9th, Cairns adding 4, 3 via a Foreman four-bagger. Sydney weren’t about to lie down, however, Anderton cutting 2 off the deficit with a mighty HR over left before an out had been recorded in the bottom of the inning. That was all they could manage, though, the final score: 10-6 Cairns. Foreman went 3-5, with 2 doubles and a HR resulting in 4 ribbies.

Game 3 - Christchurch Cowboys vs Kununurra Pioneers

A mistake behind the plate by Kimpton taking a fastball in the bottom of the 2nd gifted Christchurch the opening run, Matthew Utting scampering home while Kimpton chased the passed ball to the backstop. In the 3rd Kimpton made another mistake - this one charged an error - in trying to throw out Vega stealing 3B. The throw sailed high and wide and into LF, Vega scoring as a result. An out later Lance Fookes blasted a solo HR into the RF bleachers to put Christchurch up by 3.

Matt Juhl gave up his 1st hit in the 4th, Al Ayliffe doubling to left. Ayliffe scored an out later on a deep 6-3 ground out. The Cowboys restored the 3-run difference in the bottom of the inning, Simon Morrow coming home off a 4-3 ground out. RF Nick Ahern and Maurice Clemens combined well to throw out a runner at home-plate in the 5th and Cruz made a nice running catch to end the inning and leave a runner stranded at 2B.

Beau Hauer crushed a 1-0 fastball in the bottom of the 6th, sending it 431 feet over CF to extend Christchurch’s lead to 4. Sorensen, reportedly a late inclusion in today’s lineup, singled home another run in the inning, adding further misery to Li Ayliffe’s stat-line (5.2IP, 10H, 6ER, 0BB, 3K). Ahern went deep in the top of the 7th to make it 6-2.

Juhl came out for the 8th and struck out the side, the home crowd on their feet and shouting his name as the teams swapped around. The fans continued to cheer after Sorensen led off the bottom of the inning with a double and advanced to 3B on a wild pitch. The cheering died away though, RP Edward Hewat knuckling down to get 3 groundball outs and exit the inning unscathed. Juhl (8.0IP, 4H, 2ER, 9BB, 9K) was replaced by Rod Whiskin, Christchurch’s newly appointed closer, for the 9th. Al Ayliffe led off the inning with a single up the middle but that was as close as the Pioneers came to making a game of it, Whiskin striking out 2 of the next 3 hitters to end the game. Final score: 6-2 Christchurch to keep the series alive. Every Cowboy except for Kelvin Pickhills got a hit, while Al Ayliffe went 3-3 with a walk for the Pioneers.

Game 3 - Cairns Crocs vs Sydney Blue Sox

Correa singled home the 1st run of the game in the bottom of the 1st, which seemed to fluster Ryan Douglass, who threw a wild pitch and then was called for a balk. He recovered to get through the inning, but wore a bemused expression on his way to the dugout.

Douglass was called for another balk in the 3rd and demanded an explanation from the umpire. It was obvious he didn’t agree with the reasoning given, but stopped short of getting into an argument, possibly helped by his catcher and 1B ushering him back to the mound. He got a strikeout to end the inning and this time walked back to the dugout shaking his head. Damian Flemming was having no such meltdowns, getting through 4 on 2 hits and 5 strikeouts, and aided by 2 double plays.

In the 5th, however, Flemming got himself in trouble, allowing a 2-out single, followed by a double and then a 3-run Browne HR. 3-1 Sydney. Baker went opposite field in the bottom of the inning, sending a cutter down the RF line and into the bleachers. 1-run game. An Anderton RBI-single next inning pushed Sydney’s lead back out to 2, the inning ended by an impressive 3-6-3 double play.

Flemming’s (6.0IP, 7H, 4ER, 1BB, 6K) night was a tale of 2 halves, while Douglass (6.0IP, 7H, 2ER, 2BB, 3K) looked constantly rattled but left with the lead.

Snell doubled home Baker in the 7th, but Anderton’s double in the 8th brought Donaldson home and kept the distance between the 2 sides at 2 runs. Sydney loaded the bases in the top of the 9th, scoring a solitary insurance run. Blenkhorn took the mound in the bottom of the 9th, memories of his last outing undoubtedly swirling through his mind. He fanned Baker with a low fastball. Lecomte doubled into the RF corner. Snell singled to right and Lecomte bolted home. 6-4, 1 out, tying run at the plate. Game 1 hero Aitken drove a fastball flat and hard over the head of the 3B. Double, Snell pulling up at 3B. Still 1 out, winning run now at the plate, Blenkhorn huffing and puffing on the hill. Wayne Roneberg flied out to centre and Snell tagged up and scored without a throw. Tying run at 2B, 2 out, and Blenkhorn was replaced by Rory Karsumaatmaja. Donovan hit a sharp grounder to 1B, who shovelled a throw to Karsumaatmaja for the final out. Final score: 6-5 Sydney, their skipper admitting after the game his nerves were “shot.”

Game 4 - Christchurch Cowboys vs Kununurra Pioneers

Deas and Rayner traded outs through 3, Deas striking out 4 on 33 pitches and Rayner none on 22 pitches. Kimpton recorded the 1st hit of the game in the 4th, doubling with 2 outs into the LF corner. He advanced on a wild pitch but was left stranded as Deas fanned his 5th.

After 5, Deas had 7 strikeouts. Rayner surrendered his 1st baserunner of the night in the bottom of the inning, Hauer blooping a single to centre.

The scoring drought was finally broken in the 6th. Bryan McMullen singled to lead off the bottom of the inning, and then Sorensen tripled over the head of the CF. 1-0 Christchurch in a game that until now had produced only 4 hits and no walks. The Cowboys then changed things up a bit, going for a squeeze bunt play. Sorensen was thrown out at home, the crowd oohing and aahing. A double-play ended the inning and the commentators all seemed to think 1 run might be enough in this contest.

Deas (6.1IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 9K) struck out his 9th to start the 7th, then gave up an infield single to Kimpton and was given his marching orders. Reliever Martin Silva immediately surrendered a double to Martinez and the go-ahead run moved into scoring position. Ahern walked and the bases were full. Clemens’ fly-out to right wasn’t deep enough for Kimpton to try for home and then Allan struck out looking in a real hometown call - and not the 1st of the night, either! Christchurch held onto their lead, and the Pioneers’ fans who’d trekked all the way across to New Zealand had a right to look dejected.

Rayner went 1-2-3 through the Cowboys in the 7th, and had only thrown 70 pitches so far. Pancho Cruz’s only hit of the series before now had been a 3-run HR in Game 1, and his 2nd hit,a HR leading off the 8th, was just as important. It was only worth 1 run, but it tied the game up and the Pioneers’ fans suddenly found their voice.

Hauer led off the bottom of the inning with a single, Rayner still on the mound. Hauer went to 2B on Rayner’s 2nd balk of the night, and the Kununurra ace wasn’t happy, jawing with the umpire for a couple of minutes before skipper Cameron Hutcheon took over. He was also unimpressed with the umpiring, the on-field audio picking up a few choice snippets about ‘hometown advantage.’ But just as it looked like he would get tossed, Hutcheon backed off and strode to the dugout, the umpire glaring after him.

Rayner struck out the hitter at the plate, Simon Morrow, on 3 angry pitches, then walked McMullen to set up the double-play. Pinch-hitter Seinosuke Nakashima was sent to the plate and he duly delivered, belting the 1st pitch of his at-bat into the CF bleachers for a 3-run HR. Rayner stayed pitching and got through the inning, though it didn’t look as if his heart was in it.

Whiskin came out for his 2nd outing in 2 days and easily dealt with the middle of Kununurra’s lineup. Final score: 4-1 Christchurch and the series was headed to Game 5! Rayner (8.0IP, 5H, 4ER, 1BB, 4K) came out swinging at the umpires at the press conference, noting that he “knew a fine would be coming,” but didn’t care. “There were 2 separate strike zones out there,” he said. “I felt like I was trying to thread a needle, while Elijah had a barn door to throw at. And those balk calls, well, they were just ridiculous. All I did was look over my shoulder at the baserunners. Is that illegal now? I can’t even take a peek?”

Game 4 - Cairns Crocs vs Sydney Blue Sox

A strong wind blowing in from centre had the OotPB TV commentary expert saying there wouldn’t be too many home runs on offer. Correa wasn’t deterred, however, slugging a fly into the teeth of the wind and over the fence in the bottom of the 1st, scoring 3. Doubleday was enjoying the wind assistance, striking out the side in the 2nd. However, he didn’t look right on his way back to the dugout and didn’t return to the mound in the 3rd. No immediate diagnosis was forthcoming from the sheds.

Alwin de Lange replaced Doubleday but found himself in trouble. That trouble was compounded by Anderton’s 2-out 3-run blast over left. Tie game, though none of the runs were counted as earned thanks to a Correa error at the beginning of the inning. In the 4th, again with 2 outs, de Lange gave up a walk and then Donaldson doubled the go-ahead run home. de Lange had the direction of the showers pointed out to him and his replacement ended the inning with a 3-pitch strikeout.

Cains suffered their 2nd injury scare of the night in the bottom of the inning, Damian Krajancic hurting his hand going from 1st to 3rd. Next up, Baker got a cutter up in the zone for his 1st pitch and made money, banking it into the LF bleachers. 3-run dinger and Cairns had the lead back. The lead OotPB commentator gave his sidekick a ribbing about the no-homers prediction and they both had a good laugh. While they were chortling, Binns (3.0IP, 7H, 6ER, 2BB, 3K) headed forlornly to the dugout.

Back-to-back doubles to begin the 5th pushed Sydney to within a run and 2 outs later Donahue singled home the tying run. The inning continued with a walk and then Browne singled to left and Donahue scurried home to put Sydney back in front. Donaldson’s single added another to the score. 8-6 Blue Sox.

The offense dried up until the bottom of the 7th, when 2 singles put the go-ahead run at the plate for Cairns, with nobody out. The opportunity was squandered, however, Sydney holding on to their 2-run advantage. The Crocs once again got the 1st 2 hitters on base in the 8th and an out later Aitken’s RBI-single halved the deficit. Correa wasn’t thinking of doing it in singles, however, turning on a 1-1 fastball and sending it way back into the LF seats. That was his 2nd 3-run jack of the night, each coming from a different side of the plate.

Was there still a twist or two to come? Boston walked Nankervis and then Foreman made a great running catch to dismiss Anderton. Rawnsley’s fly was a bit harder to catch, finding its way over the fence to tie the game up. Ellison struck out. Donahue doubled and Trent Allan hit a deep fly to left. This one stayed in the yard, though, caught just before the fence.

Blenkhorn, whose 2 outings so far had been horrid, came out to throw the bottom of the 9th. Wayne Roneberg ripped one to right, and Ellison made a sensational catch, colliding with the fence but holding onto the ball. At SS Kinnear made a similarly smart grab, robbing Dwyer of a single. Baker singled wide of 3B but then got picked off to end the inning.

Into extra time! Sydney loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 10th, Boston still on the mound, sweating up a storm. Rawnsley’s single up the middle scored 2. Would that be enough? Bottom of the inning, Lecomte singled to right. Blenkhorn struck out Snell swinging. Aitken ground out to 2B and Correa could only fly out to shallow centre. Final score: 12-10 Sydney in a slug-fest that had more twists than an action movie. Leadoff hitters Donaldson and Lecomte both collected 4 hits.

Game 5 - Christchurch Cowboys vs Kununurra Pioneers

Neither pitcher allowed a hit until Allan’s 1-out single in the bottom of the 3rd. The Cowboys recorded their 1st hit of the game in the 5th, Kelvin Pickhills singling up the middle for what was also his 1st hit of the series. 2 outs later and he got picked off to end the inning. 0-0 in a pitcher’s duel.

After 5 1/2 innings, both pitchers had only surrendered 2 hits each. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th, Rowlands gave up hit number 3, Ricardo Ortiz pulling a 1st-pitch cutter into the LF seats. 1-0 Kununurra. For a moment it looked like Rowlands had given up back-to-back dingers, Martinez hitting a hefty fly over right-centre. But McMullen showed great range and awareness, tracking it back and leaping at the fence to pull it in.

Norris battled his way to an 8-pitch strikeout to begin the 7th, then fought 10 pitches with Utting before inducing a regulation fly-out to centre. When Fookes swung at his 1st pitch, sending it straight to 1B for a U3 ground-out, Norris looked relieved, the sweat pouring off his forehead. He’d struck out 6 so far, conceding 2 singles and a walk. Ahern made a nice catch at the wall to help Norris out in the 8th but nobody could run down Hauer’s shot over right-centre. It just had enough legs to clear the fence and the game was knotted at 1.

Kununurra managed to load the bases with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th but were unable to capitalize. Norris (8.0IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 6K) was replaced by closer Allen Jiang for the 9th, and Jiang immediately had to crane his neck and watch Vega’s linedrive travel 439 feet over CF. 2-1 Christchurch. Jiang recovered to get the next 3 outs but Kununurra still headed into the bottom of the 9th looking down the barrel at elimination.

Whiskin trotted out for the Cowboys. Al Ayliffe squibbed out on a 2-3. Kimpton fanned on a fastball. Last chance saloon, with Clemens, yet to record a hit in the series, at the plate. He walked on 6 pitches. Ahern got decent wood on one, but only as far as the CF’s glove. End game and series win to Christchurch, coming back from 0-2 down! Final score: 2-1 Cowboys. Rowlands (7.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 2BB, 3K) had a good outing and would get the chance to have at least 1 more.

Young Beau Hauer (.375/.412/.938, 3HR) took home the series’ MVP.

Game 5 - Cairns Crocs vs Sydney Blue Sox

Doubleday was done for the postseason. He had a badly inflamed shoulder. Cairns’ skipper Carlos Sosa said that, while the news was “unfortunate,” his team were “just focusing on recapturing their momentum and winning today’s decider.”

Correa slogged his 4th bomb of the series in the top of the 1st, with 2 out, scoring 2. Rawnsley jumped on the 1st pitch he saw in the bottom of the 2nd, a tame centre-of-the-plate fastball, and sent it into the RF bleachers to make it a 1-run game.

In the 5th, the Crocs loaded the bases with 2 outs. Correa drove one smartly up the middle but SS Kinnear made a great diving catch to end the inning and prevent at least 1 run, probably 2, from scoring. In the bottom of the inning Aitken made an excellent leaping catch while guarding 1B and just as swiftly applied the tag to the retreating runner to record an unassisted double-play. The inning continued, however, Kinnear doubling over the head of CF Dwyer and coming home on Nankervis’ bloop single to right - one which should’ve been caught but nobody called for. Tie game.

Lecomte hit a 1-out single in the 7th and then stole 2nd to get into scoring position. Snell hit a shallow fly into left-centre and Lecomte scored. LF Browne, who’d been playing deep, made a good show of charging the ball, but Snell was still thinking double and dived in under the tag. 3-2 Cairns. Aitken was walked to set up the double-play, bringing Correa to the plate, and ending Eykelbosch’s night. Reliever Javier Flores induced a weak return groundball and sent it to 2B, hoping to start a double-play. Correa showed good hustle, though, beating out the throw. Runners on 1B and 3B with 2 out. Donovan’s linedrive went as far as Browne’s glove and that was the inning completed. Eykelbosch (6.1IP, 10H, 3ER, 2BB, 4K), who’d been leaning anxiously on the dugout railings, gave Flores a high-five and then headed for the showers.

Kline (7.0IP, 8H, 2ER, 0BB, 2K) sat after 7. With 1 out in the bottom of the 8th Nankervis doubled and an out later Rawnsley’s drive looked like it’d fall out of reach of substitute RF Roneberg. But Roneberg showed great heart and nice extension to make a fine running catch to end the inning and keep Cairns 1 in front.

The Crocs couldn’t add anymore in the top of the 9th and Boston headed out in the bottom of the inning, hoping to put aside his horror outing last game. He struck out Ellison with a perfect slider. Donahue ground out to 2B and Allan was blown away by a heater. Final score: 3-2 Cairns, and they were off to the Preliminary Finals.

Correa (.273/.304/.818) might’ve slugged 4 homers, but it was Beau Snell (.455/.538/.773, 1HR) who took home the series’ MVP award. Of his 10 hits, 5 went for extra-bases (4 doubles, 1 dinger).