The North American Baseball Federation (Promotion/Relegation) - the first 30 years and beyond - Page 2

ArquimedezPozo · 01-15-2023, 10:50 PM

Coming into the season, the biggest story was the El Paso Sun Kings. The franchise that couldn’t lose was predicted to have another winning season, and seemed primed for a dynastic run. Young leadoff hitter and left fielder Joe Rison had established himself over the previous two years as an electrifying presence, a 60 steal threat with outstanding on base ability and an emerging leader. Catcher Mike Kepler, himself only 27, was coming off the first MVP season by any catcher in NABF history as well. The club had also made a splash in the free agent market, picking up RF Eduardo Garcia, a former MVP and probable Hall of Famer coming off an amazing season with his Philadelphia Athletics; the Sun Kings were hoping he might prove the difference between a Conference title and a seventh D1 Championship.

The Denver Bears had won four straight D2 West titles and a D2 Championship, and were now playing in the Senior Circuit for the first time, but concerns swirled: Clemens Young and T.J. Hardcastle, who had been the drivers of Denver’s offense, were getting older, with Hardcastle about to enter his age 38 season, and ace Nate Mefford had looked far more hittable in the last couple seasons.

In the East, the biggest question mark was the Tampa Tarpons, who had come storming through Division 2 during Cycle 10 and had buzz around them as a contender in D1. Tampa had a deep lineup headlined by the insanely fast T.J. Carcone (closing in already on the NABF all-time triples record) and a strong rotation. The Athletics, too, were a question mark: the defending champs had a bad offseason, losing star player Garcia without adding much. They still had ace Steve Romano, but Garcia had been the anchor of that lineup, and more holes appeared without him.

The early weeks of the 2037 season produced a couple of surprises in the East. While most commentators saw Tampa and New York as favorites, the early leader was Chicago: Kyle DuBell looked like his old self, with a .919 OPS and three homers in April as Chicago jumped out to a solid lead. By the second week in May, though, they began to cool off. Tampa and New York filled that void, and by the end of May were locked in a heated battle for first, with Philadelphia and Brooklyn behind them. NY catcher Matt Wood was in the middle of a career year as well, homering 14 times combined between May and June. But a 16-11 June vaulted the surprising Dodgers to first place, as 1B Carson Prince - after a difficult 2036 - looked like the slugger that had taken the 2035 MVP again. New York and Tampa were tight on their tails, though, occasionally slipping into first before Brooklyn came back. Tampa launched a surge in September, and drew to within a game of Brooklyn with two games to play, but couldn’t convert, and Brooklyn secured the D1 East for the second time in three seasons. But Tampa announced itself as a major D1 player, and look to be ready to go in 2038.

In the West, it was a different story: a pure dogfight between the two pre-eminent powers of the conference, the Sun Kings and the surprisingly strong LA Angels. Los Angeles hadn’t finished above 4th place since 2032, but here they were neck and neck with the preseason favorites; in fact, LA held first place for more than half the season, taking over in early June before El Paso caught up at the end of September. The last few weeks saw the lead flip back and forth, but in the final days El Paso went up for good. Joe Rison was spectacular in those weeks, fueling talk of an MVP (though Matt Wood remained the favorite).

Division 1 Championship Series

The 2037 D1 Championship opened in El Paso, yet again. Brooklyn started their ace, two time Pitcher of the Year winner Jason Blanche, who had had a solid year, though not one of his best. El Paso, who had been forced to use ace David Matthews down the stretch, opened with Pat Templin. At first, it seemed El Paso would rout: the club scored four off Blanche in the first, the killer blow coming on a two run single by Eduardo Garcia. Garcia had fallen short of expectations over the regular season, but delivered here, much to the delight of the El Paso crowd. But Brooklyn came back, with three in the third on a three run shot by young LF Gary Murray. El Paso pulled away a bit more with a one run sixth, though, and coming into the 8th it was a tough climb for Brooklyn. In the 8th, though, Templin was lifted for reliever Ryan Ratliff, who promptly hit Keither Howard to put a man on first. Ratliff got a strike on SS Matt Williams, but he lined the next one down the line in left, an easy double to put Howard on third. Mike Ivanir popped out, though, and though Howard scored on Murray’s groundout to short, a promising rally looked like it could end a run down. Then Carson Prince happened: he took Ratliff’s first pitcher and blasted it 402 feet over the wall in right center, and Brooklyn had a lead they would protect. The Dodgers took Game 1.

Game 2 had far less drama. David Matthews got the start for El Paso and was flat-out brilliant, spinning a complete game four-hitter while striking out 11. The biggest hit of the game came when Mike Kepler tripled in the 6th, scoring two and making it 3-0 El Paso; Matthews had only needed the one run the Sun Kings had given him in the first, but those additional two must have felt like a dozen to the Dodgers. El Paso added another as 1B Ralph Carter drove in Kepler, and the Sun Kings waltzed to a Game 2, 4-0 victory.

That would prove to be the high point. Back at Ebbets, the Dodgers feasted on El Paso’s subpar pitching: while the Sun Kings had scored an incredible 890 runs over the regular season, they ranked next to last in runs allowed, giving up 761. While Brooklyn’s pitching held, Dodger bats dismantled the visitors over the next three games by a massive 25-2 margin, with the series ending in an 11-1 laugher. Carson Prince, who homered three times, batted .421, and drove in 8, was named series MVP. The crowd in Brooklyn partied deep into the night that night: Brooklyn’s only previous D1 title had been 16 years earlier, also against El Paso. They had won that series in Texas, making this the first time the hometown crowd had ever seen their team hold that trophy aloft. It was a hell of a feeling.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-16-2023, 01:21 PM

Division 1 MVP
Carson Prince, 1B, Brooklyn Dodgers
Prince led D1 in hits, homers, RBI, and Slugging, driving his Dodgers to the second Championship in their history. He is one of only a handful of players in the NABF who have won an MVP and a Championship Series MVP in the same season.

Division 1 Pitcher of the Year
Pedro Luna, SP, Philadelphia Athletics
Luna took home his second consecutive Pitcher of the Year Award after leading the Division in ERA, FIP, and Pitching WAR. He was consistently excellent throughout, leading in ERA and FIP- in every single month of the season, but was especially good down the stretch in September with a miniscule 1.05 ERA and 67 FIP- in 51 innings.

Division 1 Reliever of the Year
Bob Paul, CL, Chicago Whales
The ageless Paul was brilliant out of the pen for Chicago, saving a D1 best 37 games with a 1.99 ERA and 3.46 FIP (77 FIP-). While his strikeout rate was down, he compensated with brilliant control, walking only 8 batters all season. This is his 4th Reliever of the Year, and third in D1.

Division 1 Rookie of the Year
Bill Wheeler, C, Tampa Tarpons
The 25 year old Wheeler took over catching duties for Tampa this season, after some uncertainty in 2036. He performed well, putting up 2.1 WAR with 7 homers and a .295/.326/.386 line. While he didn’t quite qualify for the batting title, his average would have been third among catchers.

Offensive Leaders
Batting Title: SS Tyler Duncan, Monterrey Industriales - .353
On-Base Title: C Matt Wood, New York Giants - .412
OPS Title: 2B Chase Maze, Monterrey Industriales, .971
Slugging Title: 1B Carson Prince, Brooklyn Dodgers, .587
Home Run Title: 1B Carson Prince, Brooklyn Dodgers, 43
Stolen Base Title: LF Joe Rison, El Paso Sun Kings, 60
wOBA Title: 2B Chase Maze, Monterrey Industriales, .414
WAR Title: C Matt Wood, New York Giants - 6.5

Pitching Leaders
ERA Title: SP Pedro Luna, Philadelphia Athletics - 2.31
Wins Title: 4 way tie - SP Jayden Jarrett, Tijuana Potros; SP Jack Johnson, Tampa Tarpons; SP Jeff Martin, Chicago Whales; SP Armando Orozco, Chicago Whales - 14
Saves Title: CL Bob Paul, Chicago Whales - 37
Strikeouts Title: SP Matt O’Brien, Brooklyn Dodgers - 196
FIP Title: SP Pedro Luna, Philadelphia Athletics - 3.43
Shutdowns Title: CL Matt Mayfield, Philadelphia Athletics - 31

Accomplishments
Cycles: Two players completed the cycle in D1 in 2037, and both played for the Monterrey Industriales. 3B Jim Rollins accomplished it on April 14 against Los Angeles, going 4-5 and completing the feat in order, with a single in the second, a double in the 4th, a triple in the 6th, and a homer in the ninth. Then LF George Brandner did it on August 4, against Toronto, going 5-6 with two homers in the effort.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-16-2023, 07:34 PM

Much as the promotion of the Tampa Tarpons spurred speculation of an upset in Division 1, the arrival of the Detroit Stars - back in Division 2 after three cycles in D3 - was the biggest topic of discussion in the junior circuit. Detroit’s powerful offense was headlined by Ali Brown, arguably the best third baseman of his generation and a two-time D3 MVP. In what was widely seen as a weak D2 East, Detroit was seen as having a legitimate shot to take the Conference in their first season. Eyes were also on the Baltimore Terrapins, back in D2 for the first time since their record-shattering Cycle 7 run. They had just completed the worst stretch of their existence, with three straight last place finishes, and though they’d signed star Ft. Worth 2B Omar Juarez in the offseason the roster was still largely bare.

In the west, the promotion of Denver meant opportunity for several clubs. The Buffaloes, whose previous (and only) first place season was now 15 years in the past, has run a close second to Denver in 2036 and seemed primed for a run. The Mounties had a lot of young talent that seemed ready to make a mark: CF Sonny Scoggins, 3B Leo Rodriguez, 2B Colin Hannigan, SP Danny Tanon, and closer Matt Greene were all 27 or younger and made up an impressive youth movement. Then there were the Cats: the relegated former D1 team had bounced up and down twice over the last few cycles, and though they had lost some players (including the aforementioned Juarez) they had signed an intriguing international free agent out of
Japan. Yukinobu Hasegawa was a gifted multi-position defensive whiz whose outstanding batting eye and solid power potential caught Cats Scouting Director Roberto Roman’s eye. The Cats planned to install him at short to replace the departed Omar Arredondo.

In the East, the Terrapins went hard out of the gate, amassing an 11-6 record and the Conference lead by the end of April. The rest of the conference wasn’t far behind, though, and by mid-May the Terrapins had been joined at the top by Detroit and by the resurgent Boston Bees, and by HR leader Russ Mesaros, the DH. But behind a strong month from Ali Brown, the Stars crept into first, while the Terrapins faded back, leaving only Boston within a few games. The Stars and Bees played neck and neck ball through July, ending the month in a tie for first with Baltimore six games out, and Ottawa, New Orleans, and Montreal fighting over last place. The Bees pulled ahead in early August, but a late-month surge put Detroit in first for good. Baltimore stayed in it, but couldn’t close the gap either, and the season ended with Detroit taking the title with Baltimore and Boston both four games back, and Ottawa, Montreal, and New Orleans taking up the rear.
In the West, San Diego jumped out to a surprise lead which they retained into June, but Ft. Worth soon overcame it, with Vancouver and Houston on their heels. Vancouver was powered by Hannigan, who hit .306/.443/.600 in July as the Mounties climbed up the Conference, from six games back in fifth place on July 1 to a tie for first with the Cats on August 1. They kept pace with Ft. Worth for the rest of the month, while the Buffaloes sat just three back. For Fort Worth, their newcomer, Hasegawa, was the difference maker: while playing exceptional defense at short, the rookie hit .325 with seven homers and a .688 SLG in July, keeping the Cats in the hunt. He finished with a .351 wOBA and 129 wRC+ while his defense elevated his value: his 5.8 WAR was tops for shortstops, and he eclipsed all rookies in essentially every offensive category. By the season’s final weekend, the Mounties and Cats remained deadlocked, each at 84-68 with two games to play. But while Ft. Worth beat up on San Diego, winning their final two by a combined score of 15-3, the Mounties dropped close ones to Montreal, ending their bid. The Cats, who had finished last in D1 East the year before, were Conference winners in 2037, and would face Detroit in a battle of D2 newcomers. Neither knew they were about to be part of history.

Division 2 Championship Series

There wasn’t much drama at first. Detroit won game 1 behind a solid Chris Morris start, as 1B Luis Baleia homered, young 2B Shane McBride went 4-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, and Morris - a DH on his pitching days - doubled and scored. Hasegawa and LF Tim Sicinski scored Ft. Worth’s two runs in the contest. Game 2 was much more exciting: a 12 inning game that Detroit won on a walk-off single by Baleia, scoring Ali Brown. Detroit had led 5-3 going into the ninth, but two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Sicinski. Detroit’s closer Shane Smith got the count to two and two, but the Ft. Worth LF was able to line a ball to right, scoring one run immediately. The runner on second, made the turn, and though the throw from RF Bill Schottemer was a strong one, it was up the line. The game was tied.

The bottom of the ninth passed quietly, as did the 10th and 11th, and though Ft. Worth put a runner in scoring position via a Jalen Bynum double, they couldn’t convert. Ft. Worth turned to fifth starter Antonio Duran for the bottom of the twelfth. He got McBride on a fly ball, but walked Brown; Victor Ortiz singled, putting runners on first and second for Luis Baleia. Detroit’s first baseman took a 2-1 pith through the 5-6 hole on a line, and though Sicinski gave it a solid effort, Brown had gotten a great jump and scored the walk off run with relative ease, giving Detroit a 2-0 advantage heading to Texas.

In Game 3, homers by Brown and Ortiz gave Detroit an early lead, 5-2 by the end of the sixth inning. A desperate Ft. Worth struggled against Detroit starter Jacob Bergman and the Stars bullpen in the 6th, 7th, and 8th. And while Jordan Rodriguez homered off Chris Little in the ninth to close the gap by one, the Cats let a Robby Jones double die at second. They were in a three game hole.

When Detroit scored one in the top of the first of Game 4, the feeling at Ft. Worth Municipal was heavy as fans dug in for a sweep. But the Cats showed up in the bottom of the inning, as Kovach tied it with a single and Sicinski pulled the Cats ahead with a sac fly. Ft. Worth’s starter Alvaro Cabello danced through raindrops into the fifth without allowing another run, and RP Chris Baus did the same in the 6th and the seventh. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Ft. Worth added an insurance run, as Hasegawa tripled and scored on a Robby Jones double. That was all the Cats would need as Detroit failed to capitalize on their chances, leaving 11 on base in the loss. The mood of the Ft. Worth crowd that left the park that night was one of very cautious optimism: no team in NABF history had ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a Championship Series, but the first step was done, and at least coming back from 1-3 wasn’t unprecedented.

In Game 5, Detroit once again scored in the first frame, on a double, sac bunt, and sac fly. And with Chris Morris and Nick Khouri on the mound, the score stayed there at 1-0 Detroit into the fifth. But Ft. Worth unleashed a stream of hits against Morries from the very first pitch of that inning, with switch hitting OF Mike Haeg smacking a double and advancing on a single by Robby Jones. A walk to Kevin Peterson brought up the light-hitting Eria Khatabi, but the CF blooped a ball past the shortstop into left, scoring Haeg and tying the game. Shaken, Morris walked Hasegawa to give the Cats the lead. Jalen Bynum worked a ten pitch AB, fouling off six straight before punching a ball that looked great off the bat. The crowd rose to its feet anticipating the grand slam, but the ball fell just ahead of the wall and into CF David Beach’s glove. It was enough to score Ft. Worth’s third run, though, and advance Khatabi to third, from where he scored on a Sicinski groundout. It was 4-1 Ft Worth at the end of the fifth, and it was 4-1 Ft. Worth at the end of the ninth. 2-3 now, but the series was headed back to Motown.

What unfolded in Detroit in Game 6 broke nearly every Championship Series offensive record there was. Detroit scored 11 runs, collecting 12 hits, two of them homers; the team as a whole struck out only twice again starter Steve Granillo and the Ft. Worth pen. But that wasn’t the part of the game that broke the records. Ft. Worth, which had scored 706 runs in the regular season, second in D2, went wild against Detroit pitching. They scored four in the first, almost entirely on singles, and when Detroit answered with a four spot of their own, Ft. Worth gave them another three in the top of the second. Then they dropped a five run third, on a Sicinski grand slam; the Bynum solo shot that followed was just the cherry on top. They scored another three in the fourth, and one in the fifth. They took the sixth inning off, but came back with two in the seventh, one in the eighth, and two in the ninth. Only Elia Khatabia didn’t get a hit, but the eight other starters collected 19 total, the most for any team in NABF history in a single Championship game. That all amounted to 21 runs, a single team CS record, and 32 total runs, a record for a full game. But amidst all those fireworks, one fact lifted above the others: Ft. Worth was on the verge of the most epic comeback in NABF history.

There was little drama in it, when it happened in Game 7. Kovach launched a three run homer in the first, and Detroit was beaten, though they kept on playing. The Stars crawled back to make it 4-2 after 6, but a Robby Jones double (his fifth of the series) scored two, and then he himself scored to make it 7-2. Duran, who had been the losing pitcher in Game 2, came out of the pen again for a perfect ninth inning, and Detroit, stunned, came off the field to dead silence from their hometown as the Cats celebrated. They had done the impossible, and they were champions once again.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-16-2023, 09:48 PM

Division 2 MVP
Colin Hannigan, 2B, Vancouver Mounties
Hannigan, who had shown immense promise with a 6.3 WAR 2024 at age 24, was still productive in ‘35 and ‘36, but hadn’t reached those previous heights again. He did this year, hitting .269/.390/.502 (that OBP leading D2) with a career high 22 homers and a 15.9% walk rate while playing strong defense at second to amass 7.3 WAR and give Vancouver a fighting chance in the D2 West.

Division 2 Pitcher of the Year
Sean Cooper, SP, Detroit Stars
Despite making only 23 starts for the Stars due to injury, Cooper was a unanimous choice for the award, with teammate Chris Morris coming in a distant second. Cooper was 12-2 with a 2.56 ERA and D2 best 0.97 WHIP and 78 FIP-, while striking out 205 in 172 innings for a 4.3 WAR. The best game of his career came on April 24, when he k’d 15 Terrapins in a 4-3 victory.

Division 2 Reliever of the Year
Matt Greene, CL, Vancouver Mounties
Greene had a dominant 2037, totalling 3.4 WAR as a reliever in just over 76 innings. Greene allowed just two homers and saved a league-best 40 with a 2.36 ERA despite a .326 BABIP; his FIP was a mere 1.95, half the league average. This is Greene’s first Reliever of the Year Award.

Division 2 Rookie of the Year
Yukinobu Hasegawa, SS, Ft. Worth Cats
Hasegawa, a highly-anticipated international free agent from Japan, signed with the Cats in January. Hasegawa is a talented and versatile defender at any position, and won a Gold Glove at shortstop along with his Rookie of the Year. Hasegawa hit 25 homers with an OPS above .800 in his first season in the NABF.

Offensive Leaders
Batting Title: Carlos Ybarra, LF, New Orleans Zephyrs - .334
On-Base Title: Colin Hannigan, 2B, Vancouver Mounties - .390
Slugging Title: Robert Zermeno, 1B, New Orleans Zephyrs - .584
OPS Title: Robert Zemeno, 1B, New Orleans Zephyrs - .949
Home Run Title: Russ Mesaros, DH, Boston Bees - 42
Stolen Base Title: Danny Jensen, LF, New Orleans Zephyrs - 35
wOBA Title: Robert Zermeno, 1B, New Orleans Zephyrs - .405
WAR Title: Colin Hannigan, 2B, Vancouver Mounties - 7.3

Pitching Leaders
ERA Title: Chris Vroman, SP, Sacramento Solons - 2.50
Wins Title: Chris Morris, SP, Detroit Stars - 17
Saves Title:Matt Greene, CL, Vancouver Mounties - 40
Strikeouts Title: Josh Beck, SP, San Diego Padres - 262
FIP Title: Josh Beck, SP, San Diego Padres - 2.95
Shutdowns Title: Matt Greene, CL, Vancouver Mounties - 40

Accomplishments
Vancouver’s Anthony Roberts joined a select list, throwing the 29th no-hitter in Division 2 history. Roberts struck out 15 and walked two while shutting down the San Diego Padres on July 11.

Boston’s Russ Mesaros led D2 with 42 homers, but one was more special than the others: on July 28, the slugger hit the 300th of his career in an 8-7 loss vs the Monarchs.

Kansas City Monarchs LF Jeremy Grimm and then Baltimore Terrapins CF Steve Keeler each hit for the cycle, with Grimm going 4-5 with six RBI vs Sacramento on May 5, and Keeler accomplishing it two days later against Boston, going 4-4.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-18-2023, 09:05 PM

Eight teams stayed in Division 3 over the 2036/2037 offseason, and each of them sighed relief that the Detroit Stars and Sacramento Solons had moved on. Those two clubs, now in Division 2, had taken five of the six Conference titles between them over the previous three years, and had won, on average, 91 games a season. Their departure opened up room, especially for the Nashville Sounds. In 2036, Nashville became the only team in NABF history to win 100 games in a season without either winning the conference or being promoted at the end of the cycle (discounting Division 1). The Sounds had assembled an impressive roster, including slugger Bobby Cook and a couple of likely Hall of Famers in SS Ivan Castillo, and CF Mel Irving. It was hard not to consider Nashville the prohibitive D3 East favorite coming into the year.

The biggest question mark for Nashville was a D3 newcomer: the newly-christened Miami Amigos (formerly Marlins) who had just finished cutting their own swath of destruction across D4, with three straight Conference titles and the 2035 and 2036 Division Championships. While Nashville was driven by a powerful lineup, Miami boasted a strong rotation led by two-time Pitcher of the Year (and former MVP) Paul Herrin. The club had also signed veteran hurler Brett Calderon, with SP Corey Keltner staying after arriving in Miami via trade in 2036. The defense was also a strong one, giving Miami deep run prevention potential. Beyond those two, few teams had much to recommend them; that included the Atlanta Crackers, who boasted the best young player in the division, Sam Stanton, but had surrounded him with little.

In the West, the situation was more fluid. The Solons had not only won D3 West each of their three years, they’d essentially been the only winning team: only one other team even had a single over-.500 season over Cycle 10, and that was Salt Lake in 2034. So there was no obvious successor. Neither division newcomer - Austin had come up from D4, and Portland down from D2 - were seen as obvious choices either; Austin had won a historically weak D4 East while Portland seemed like a team on the slide. In a division full of question marks, the best bet might have been St. Paul, with a team full of young and promising players, though there were still significant holes. San Francisco had some intriguing options as well, including young SP Jason Riddle, but was largely a team with aging veterans whose better days were gone; they’d also traded their ace Jon Sayre in the offseason, hoping to make out with some prospects before he tested free agency. So the West was wide open, while the East seemed destined to be a two team race.

The East lived up to that billing, but only somewhat as Miami exploded out of the gate and really never looked back. A surprising Atlanta club, kept pace into June, led by Stanton, at the start of what would become a breakout, MVP season; the young LF had 28 homers by the end of June, though he cooled off in the later months. As Atlanta faded, Nashville remained, and the two frontrunners separated themselves from the rest over the course of July, with Miami holding a commanding position. On August 1, Miami was ten games up on Nashville, which was in turn up nine games on Atlanta and Memphis and more on the rest. In mid-August, Nashville was able to begin to narrow that gap slightly, pulling to within seven games by the start of September, but that’s as close as they’d get. Miami simply refused to allow their opponents to score: only 516 runs scored against them all season, the lowest in all Division 3 by a wide margin. That effort was headlined by Paul Herrin, whose sidearm delivery and five pitch arsenal translated well to Division 3, once again leading in strikeouts, FIP-, and WAR while throwing over 230 innings. It was more than enough to make up for a middling offense, and Miami won 101 games, leaving hard-luck Nashville once again in second place, this time with 94.

In the West, as both newcomers sank quickly to the bottom half of the standings, the legacy D3 West clubs fought it out. San Francisco took a slight lead very early on and held it, and by the start of June they were five up on St. Paul and six up on Salt Lake, while Calgary floundered. But Salt Lake surged as the Seals hit a rough patch, pulling into a tie for first on June 20 with all the momentum behind them. It would prove to be their high water mark: They stayed within three games of the Seals for close to a month, but never got back to first place. By the end of July, the Seals had an 8 game lead on both Salt Lake and St. Paul. While Salt Lake’s booming offense scored more runs than any other D3 team, their pitching was downright awful, second only to Calgary’s in runs allowed. For St. Paul, the season held promise as young players improved: 2B Kevin Walker had an outstanding age 24 season, with 23 homers and a .337/.380/.548 line while their young rotation held their own, with the fourth fewest runs allowed in the Division. The Seals benefitted from an amazing 35-12 record in one-run games, meanwhile, finishing a full nine games ahead of their expected record (St. Paul had the best run differential in the West). The Seals finished eight games up, and now faced a difficult challenge: the 101 win Miami Amigos.

Division 3 Championship Series

Miami came into the series seeking their third straight Championship, having won D4 in 2035 and 2036 in addition to two others, one each in the 2010s and 2020s. But Miami had still never won a D3 championship, and saw their opening facing what, on paper, was a much weaker Seals team. San Francisco, meanwhile, was seeking their second championship, the first a now distant 15 year old memory.

Game 1 belonged to Paul Herrin, as had the season that preceded it. Herrin went seven and a third, striking out 11 on just five hits and a walk; a run scored on a walk and two singles in the eighth ending his night, but the Amigos bullpen held to give Miami a 1-0 series lead. For their part, the Seals had performed well, and young ace Jason Riddle went 8, allowing just three. But that was enough, and he was saddled with the loss.

Game 2, though, saw the Seals beat up on starter Brett Calderon. Though Miami took a 1-0 lead in the first off a Corey Stoute double, they couldn’t add on against an effective George Hunter, and after two quick singles to open the fourth, Calderon hung one to powerful 1B Paul Williamson. The Seal slugger crushed it, 434 feet to dead center to give the Seals a 3-1 lead. They built on that over subsequent innings, with SS George Towne, who had hit only wight homers all year, slamming one in the 9th to make it 6-1 Seals. The series was tied heading to San Francisco, and though the Miami crowd didn’t know it, their city wouldn’t see another game that season.

The Seals offense pulled apart Miamis’ great pitching staff over the next two games. Game 3 was an exciting one, as Miami went up 3-0 in the third while starter Bryce Young held the Seals to just a single hit through four. But in the fifth, San Francisco caught up to the veteran, tying it up on a series of singles and a Milt Webster double before free agent signing Josh Henry - an aging slugger who had a revitalized season for SF - smashed a three run homer. That made it 6-3 , a lead that expanded to 8-4 in the seventh. Miami added one more in the 8th but couldn’t close it, and went down 2 games to 1 in enemy territory. Game 4 opened with a four run first for the Seals as Jim Tyndall crushed a three run homer; the Seals would add four more while Miami eked out just a single run against Alex Ramirez (finishing his first season as a starter and pitching the game of his young life).

But Miami had Herrin waiting in the wings for Game 5, and knew that a win there would send them back to Miami, so optimism reigned in the Amigos clubhouse before first pitch. When leadoff man Gabe Cross drilled a double down the third base line to open the game, then came around on a Joel Gonella single, Miami had reason for their hope. Herrin was, indeed, spectacular: over his seven innings of work, he struck out 11 and allowed only five hits, in a near copy of his game 1 performance. The problem for Miami was that Herrin also allowed a single run in the fifth, on a pair of doubles by Milt Weber and Eddie Rhose, which tied the game up. As good as Herrin had been, Jason Riddle had been better. The two runs Miami got in the first would be their only hits of the game, as Riddle, too, went seven striking out eight and allowing a run. Closer Butch Evans relieved Herrin in the eighth, and got two quick outs. But Josh Henry singled, and Paul Williamson, whose Game 2 homer had been the difference in Game 2, struck again: a two run bomb off Evans gave the Seals what would prove to be the winning run. In front of an ecstatic Seals Stadium crowd, closer Ben Nickson worked around a ninth inning single and closed out San Francisco’s second Championship.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-18-2023, 09:24 PM

Division 3 MVP
Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers
Stanton had already established himself as a star with his 2034 Rookie of the Year campaign and his 2036 season in which he won both the batting title and the home run crown, but in 2037 he took home his first MVP with a .324/.413/.604 line (league best OBP and OPS), another 42 homers, and a D3 leading 6.3 WAR despite playing only nine games in the field. Stanton has a very bright future, which Atlanta just acknowledged by signing him to an extension that will keep him in Cracker Blue until 2045.

Division 3 Pitcher of the Year
Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos
Herrin takes home his third straight Pitcher of the Year and first in D3, winning the pitching Triple Crown while leading the Division in wins (16), ERA (2.72), Ks (278), FIP (2.98), FIP- (72) and WAR (6.6). At just 28, Herrin has a chance to establish himself as an inner circle NABF pitcher over the next few seasons, and Miami has him locked up through 2040.

Division 3 Reliever of the Year
Isaiah Phelps, CL, Nashville Sounds
After several seasons as the Expos closer, this was Phelps’ first season in Nashville, and he was outstanding, setting a career high with 2.9 wAR while striking out 86 over 80 innings against just 19 walks and five homers. Phelps saved 35 games for the second place Sounds.

Division 3 Rookie of the Year
Ed Pless, LF/DH, Portland Beavers
His minor league managers all raved about Pless’s makeup and ability when he was called up in September of 2036, and though he began 2037 in AAA Eugene, Pless established himself as a piece of Portland’s future quickly on arrival, hitting .274 with an outstanding .408 OBP. He hit 14 homers and ended the year with a 141 wRC+ at age 24.

Offensive Leaders
Batting Title: Paul Geisler, 1B, Salt Lake Gulls - .350
On-Base Title: Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers - .413
Slugging Title: Josh Henry, RF, San Francisco Seals - .607
OPS Title: Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers - 1.017
Home Run Title: Josh Henry, RF, San Francisco Seals - 43
Stolen Base Title: Chris Griebe, LF, Salt Lake Gulls - 44
wOBA Title: Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers - .427
WAR Title: Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers - 6.3

Pitching Leaders
ERA Title: Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos - 2.72
Wins Title: two-way tie: Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos and Corey Keltner, SP, Miami Amigos - 16
Saves Title: Butch Evans, CL, Miami Amigos - 43
Strikeouts Title: two way tie: Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos and Ian Weaver, SP, Memphis Blues - 278
FIP Title: Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos - 2.98
Shutdowns Title: Butch Evans, CL, Miami Amigos - 37

Accomplishments
Three D3 pitchers had no-hitters in 2037. The Red Birds; Marcos Campos struck out nine with a walk against Calgary in May, and St. Paul’s promising young starter Ricardo Raygoza shut down Nashville a month later, striking out six. St. Paul’s Jim Mayer benefitted from the good bounces as he locked down his no-no against Sam Stanton’s Crackers in mid-September; Mayer struck out only three.

Miami SP and Pitcher of the Year Paul Herrin won the Pitching Triple Crown, with 16 wins, a 2.72 ERA, and 278 strikeouts, though he shared the wins title with teammate Corey Keltner and the strikeout title with Memphis Blues ace Ian Weaver.

Four players hit for the cycle in D3 this year: Austin’s Nick Bowes did it while going 4-5 against Cleveland on May 29, while Salt Lake’s Nate Madden and San Francisco’s Jordan Sanchez each accomplished it vs. Columbus nine days apart in late July. Andy Feldman went 4-5 i his cycle for Nashville against cross-state rival Memphis on August 15.

Memphis Blues SP Ian Weaver struck out his 2000th batter on June 18 when he dropped Columbus’s Bryan Payne on a swinging strike three in the 6th.

Portland DH Kevin Fillion collected his 2000th hit in late September, only a month after scoring his 1000th career run.

Nashville CF Mel Irving drove in his 1000th run in the last weekend of the season, on an RBI single to left.

St. Paul’s Kevin Walker had a 34 game hit streak, the second longest in D3 history, that ended on August 17.

Austin’s Mike MacArtney joined the 400 home run club early on in the season, finishing with 413 to pull into the top 25 in NABF history; he also drew within 45 hits of joining Bobby Usry as the only NABF players with over 3,000 hits; he is a free agent, but was productive again in 2037, so it’s assumed that a team will give him that chance in 2038.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-18-2023, 10:13 PM

The promotion of the Miami Marlins from D4 East gave the Indianapolis Clowns a clear path to contention. The Clowns had developed an outstanding pitching staff over previous seasons, headlined by co-aces Jason Stanfill and Aaron Cottrell, with prospect Greg Smith ready to join them; they would add former Denver ace Nate Mefford mid-season as well, as Denver fell apart in Division 1. But Indianapolis had struggled to build a solid lineup as slugger David Durica declined, and had finished second to last in runs in 2036, leading second year GM Craig Derby to go out and find bats in the offseason. A trade with Portland brought in 1B Justin Wilson, while 3B Jose Nunez arrived in another with Cleveland; Art Degon, a former independent league signing who had kicked around with Denver and Las Vegas arrived in yet another deal. Derby grabbed 2B Ken Clemons in the Rule 5 draft from Salt Lake, and a host of others - minor league deals that he hoped might pan out, anything that might bring the offense up just enough to secure that top spot.

Other teams were trying to capitalize as well. Cincinnati - back in D4 after a short, successful D3 stint had gone south in Cycle 10 - had some offense, but needed pitching behind ace Willie Rodriguez; they picked up some spare part starters. Havana planned mostly to rely on a young crop of players, but got some veteran help in DH Josh Reynolds. Charlotte continued its regular efforts to build star LF Ernesto Gonzales some lineup protection, grabbing 3B Eric Hicks and 1B Jason McCollum as free agents. Pittsburgh and Washington… mostly continued to be Pittsburgh and Washington. The Conference was clearly Indianapolis’s to lose.

Though the Pioneers had been the team that had topped out the P/R formula at the end of Cycle 10, it was the Phoenix Firebirds who had ended those three seasons on top, winning their first ever Conference title in 2036. They were the clear favorites, though they lost ace closer Bob Paul in free agency. With 2B Matt Armstrong leading an offense of competent bats, the Firebirds went out and traded prospects to San Francisco for ace Jon Sayre, the biggest splash any of their fans cloud recall the historically inept franchise making.

Behind the Firebirds were a bunch of teams with deep flaws. The Missions had a strong offense but hadn’t shown much pitching in recent years, and that was doubly true of the St. Louis Browns who had scored a division-best 758 runs in 2036 but had given up nearly as many. Las Vegas lost 81 in 2036, and no one who watched them expected much different in the coming season. The Brewers were now firmly established as the worst team in baseball, having finished last in their respective conferences in seven of the last ten seasons, with no real hope on the horizon. That left relegated Albuquerque, who had lost several solid players to relegation clauses.

The Clowns showed they weren’t joking around early, blasting through April with a 14-3 record and ending the month six games up on Washington, with others bunched up under the Senators. By the end of May, the lead had extended to nine games; then 12 by the end of June, as the Tigers and Sugar Kings established a second tier, just above .500. The Tigers made a small run in August pulling to within 9 after being 15 games out on August 20; as the Clowns hit a small skid, the Tigers went 7-3 to pull within a decade of the frontrunners. They would get as close as 8 in mid-September, but the Clowns clinched easily and finished at 94 and 60, 12 up on the second place Tigers.

The West, though, was a much more exciting race that boiled down to the Firebirds and the somewhat surprising San Antonio Missions. While the Firebirds led throughout April and May, it was never by a lot, with the Browns on their tail much of that time. St. Louis actually overtook Phoenix in early June, while San Antonio crept further up the chart, and in June 11, the three teams found themselves in a 33-23 tie. They all played essentially even with each other for another two weeks, but by the end of June St. Louis had started to fade, leaving just Phoenix and San Antonio tied atop the standings. The 51s briefly forced their way into the discussion with a nine game win streak wrapped around the All-Star break in July, while Phoenix buckled slightly, leaving San Antonio in command of the conference at the end of the month. But in August, as Arizona reached its hottest point so did its team: the Firebirds went 19-9, ending August in first with a four game lead. They maintained it until nearly the end of September, when suddenly San Antonio made its move. It closed the gap to a game on the final day of the season, and then - as the Firebirds managed to lose three straight to Pittsburgh- tied it up on the final day of the regular season, forcing a one game playoff with Phoenix.

Because of the head to head record, the game was to be played in the desert. What unfolded was a tight pitchers duel, with San Antonio starter Billy Smith throwing seven, allowing just a singly unearned run. Phoenix starter Jonathan Ring, meanwhile, opened with four no-hit innings striking out three. But Ring had been visibly bothered coming off the mound that inning, and was replaced by Jonathan Schaeffer; it was later announced that Ring had ruptured a tendon in his right index finger and was done for the season, whether that season lasted five innings or five games. Schaeffer pitched well, but so didSmith, and in the top of the seventh it was Schaeffer who blinked: an RBI triple by Jesus Rivas tied it up. The game entered the ninth in a 1-1 tie, and Schaeffer worked around an error to send it to the bottom of the inning. Star CF Brandon Murrell was a defense-first player who had hit just .264/.351/.406 on the season, but he was speedy, so when he led off by drilling a ball into the right-center gap it was clearly trouble. Murrell rounded second and dug for third, making it ahead of the throw and giving the Firebirds a huge opportunity. An intentional walk to Fred Levang brought Steve Heinemann to the plate; Heinemann had struck out more than 20% of the time in 2037, so San Antonio was hoping to K him and look for a double play to escape. They got the first two strikes on fouls, but Heinemann took the third offering and lofted it deep to right. It settled into the RF’s glove just shy of the warning track, but his throw was ornamental - there was no chance to get Murrell, who crossed the plate as his teammates streamed from the dugout and the fans exploded in celebration of Phoenix’s second - and second consecutive - Conference title.

Division 4 Championship Series

Phoenix took the field in Indianapolis aware of the mountain they would be forced to climb: Indianapolis had won 94 games behind a pitching staff and defense that had been stingier than the next best team by almost 90 runs. The good news for Phoenix was that they were the next best team: the Firebirds pitching staff, led by Sayre, had improved even from 2036’s strong season. And Phoenix had, by a good margin, the better offense, scoring 705 runs to Indianapolis’s 627 while leading D4 in homers and walks. But any day you have to face Aaron Cottrell is a tough day, and Indianapolis’s big lead at the end of the season meant he was rested and ready.

Cottrell, 27, had been coming off a tough 2036. Tough for him meant a 2.90 ERA and 3.50 FIP, with an uptick in homers and walks to go along with them. But he’d come to Spring Training with fire in his eyes, and it didn’t leave all season. Cottrell was the best he’d ever been in 2037, throwing nearly 250 innings and allowing just 7 homers while striking out 245. He led in wins with 18 and ERA, an even 2.00 despite a .310 BABIP. His 2.52 FIP and 67 FIP- both led D4, as did his 7.8 WAR. He was the best D4 had to offer, and the voters recognized it, giving him the Pitcher of the Year and the MVP - the second straight time that had happened in D4 and just the third ever in the NABF (not counting Ryan Little, who accomplished it from both sides of the ball).

So, naturally, Cottrell bombed. Phoenix got two off him quick after a Murrell single, a walk, and another single loaded the bases. Craig White singled, bringing in two before Alfredo Vega struck out to end the threat. That could have been chalked up to a long layoff, and sure enough Cottrell settled in, allowing just a hit and a walk over the next three while Indianapolis took a 3-2 lead on a Robert Tanksi homer in the third.. But in the fifth, Phoenix came out swinging their third time through the lineup. The suddenly deadly Murrell doubled, and scored on another double by Fred Levang. Matt Armstrong walked, and Nate Wilson singled, loading the bases. Cottrell go Heinemann looking, but Craig White once again delivered, this time clearing the bases with a double into the left center gap. White scored on a Vega single, and that chased Cottrell. Matt West doubled off reliever Tom Newell, scoring one, but Vega was pegged at home keeping the score at 8-3. Indianapolis tried, and came close, adding a run in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the sixth, but couldn’t get that one last run across as Phoenix’s bullpen came in and struck out seven over the last 3 ⅔ innings, allowing just a single hit. Phoenix took a 1-0 lead, on the road, against the best pitcher in the Division - things were looking up.

But Cottrell wasn’t the only ace Indianapolis had. Nate Mefford wasn’t well liked around the league, and had basically forced a trade out of Denver by dogging it once it became clear the Bears were headed for the D1 cellar. But he came to Indianapolis and relit the fire. Mefford, at 34 already in third place on the all-time K list and likely to overcome Malcolm Bush for first in 2038, had always been a strange pitcher: without a devastating fastball, he relied on a tricky sinker and the Federation’s nastiest changeup to get his outs. He walked a lot of batters. He gave up a lot of homers. His ERA and FIP often hovered just a step better than league average. But man could he strike people out: four seasons with over 300 K’s, more than any other pitcher, and a 12.01 K/9, one of the highest career marks in the game. And while the Firebirds had gotten to Cottrell, they simply couldn’t touch Mefford: the 34 year old went 8.1 allowing just a single hit and walking four while striking out 11 on the way to a 4-0 Clowns win. Jon Sayre had started for Phoenix, also striking out 11 over 8 innings of work, but allowing all four Indy runs.

Jason Stanfill took the hill for Indianapolis in Game Three, and though he wasn’t as effective as Mefford he was effective enough. The Clowns clobbered Joe Waybright and two Phoenix relievers, putting up four in the fourth, one in the fifth, and two in the sixth, then adding two for good measure in the eighth on a Rob Tanski two run shot. While Phoenix put up four of their own against Stanfill in the fifth, that’s all they would get, and Indianapolis took a 2-0 series lead.

What happened next struck observers speechless. Francisco Rosado was the definition of journeyman; Phoenix, where he’d arrived after a midseason pitching depth trade with Sacramento, was the 34 year old’s sixth organization. He’d had a couple of decent, even good years with Denver, but had mostly been a league average lefty, sometimes as a starter and sometimes in relief. He collected his check, and he was a pending free agent.

And he threw a no-hitter.

While Phoenix’s hitters hung seven runs on Kenny Hiller and the Clowns pen, Francisco Rosado threw the game of his life: the only no-hitter ever thrown in a Championship Series. He walked two, and a runner reached on an error, and that was all as he struck out 11 and was lifted off his feet by teammates while the crowd roared louder than they had ever done. The stadium shook that night in Phoenix.

While it would make a great story to say that the win spurred Phoenix to two more and the franchise’s first championship, that’s not what happened. Game 5 was an extra-inning affair, a tense, taut matchup as Phoenix tied up the game at five on a line drive single by Fred Levang in the bottom of the ninth with one out. Phoenix came close again in the 12th, putting Levang on third before a Heinemann strikeout ended it. In the top of the 13th, Robert Tanski - a thorn in Phoenix’s side all series - doubled. David Durica struck out for the second out, but Jose Nunez snuck a 1-2 groundball through the 5-6 hole to give the Clowns a 6-5 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Chris White led off with a fly ball that looked right up until the last minute like it might repay the favor, but it was caught, and Greg Smith struck out Vega and West to end the game and send it back to Indianapolis with the Clowns a win away.

They got that win in Game 6, a relatively drama-free game after the previous two, as Phoenix got two quick runs off Mefford before Indianapolis scored four, in part on another homer by Robert Tanski, who would unsurprisingly be named series MVP. The Clowns made it 5-2 in the sixth, and though the Firebirds started to put something together in the ninth, they got only one off an RBI double by Heinemann. Indianapolis closed it out at home, as the crowd cheered and Phoenix was left once more without a trophy.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-18-2023, 10:15 PM

Division 4 MVP and Pitcher of the Year
Aaron Cottrell, SP, Indianapolis Clowns
Cottrell becomes the fourth pitcher (not including two-way seasons) to win the Pitcher of the Year and MVP in the same year with a stellar 2037. The Clowns ace went 18-7 with a 2.00 ERA, striking out 245 while walking only 5% of batters faced and allowing only 7 homers all season. his 7.8 WAR was tops among all D4 players. Cottrell’s Pitcher of the Year was unanimous, while his MVP was more closely contested, though he still took home half of the first place votes with the others spread among four players. Oh, and he won a Gold Glove for his defense to boot. A complete pitcher.

Division 4 Reliever of the Year
Makoto Morimoto, RP, St. Louis Browns
Morimoto, who signed with Cleveland after the season ended, led D4 with 42 saves while striking out 80 batters in 75 innings. His 2.42 FIP and 59 FIP- were the best in the Division among relievers, as was his 2.7 WAR.

Division 4 Rookie of the Year
Greg Smith, SP, Indianapolis Clowns
As if the Clowns needed more great pitching, here comes Greg Smith: the 23 year old started the season in Indianapolis’s pen, earning 11 saves over the season’s first two months before being tapped for the rotation. He was outstanding there too, winning 11 with a 2.57 ERA and league best 1.09 WHIP, earning 3.8 WAR on the season.

Offensive Leaders
Batting Title: Ernesto Gonzales, LF, Charlotte Hornets - .350
On-Base Title: Ernesto Gonzales, LF, Charlotte Hornets - .397
Slugging Title: Ron Golden, 3B, San Antonio Missions - .570
OPS Title: Ron Golden, 3B, San Antonio Missions - .928
Home Run Title: Ron Golden, 3B, San Antonio Missions - 34
Stolen Base Title: Danny Aviles, 1B, Las Vegas 51’s - 43
wOBA Title: Ron Golden, 3B, San Antonio Missions, .392
WAR Title: Ernesto Gonzales, LF, Charlotte Hornets - 6.1

Pitching Leaders
ERA Title: Aaron Cottrell, SP, Indianapolis Clowns - 2.00
Wins Title: Aaron Cottrell, SP, Indianapolis Clowns - 18
Saves Title: Makoto Morimoto, RP, St. Louis Browns - 42
Strikeouts Title: John Sayre, SP, Phoenix Firebirds - 278
FIP Title: Aaron Cottrell, SP, Indianapolis Clowns - 2.52
Shutdowns Title: Makoto Morimoto, RP, St. Louis Browns - 36

Accomplishments
Albuquerque’s Ricky Peck threw only the second perfect game in D4 history, and the sixth in NABF history, in a 14 K gem against the Washington Senators on July 13.

Francisco Rosado threw the NABF’s only Championship Series no-hitter when he struck out 11 Clowns and allowed no hits in Game 4 of the 2037 Series, a series the Firebirds ultimately lost.

Only one D4 player hit for the cycle: Cincinnati’s Joe Hays went 4-5 with a single, double, triple and homer on July 7 vs. San Antonio.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-20-2023, 10:23 PM

Division 1

Moving Up
The Los Angeles Angels - 2037: 2nd Place in the D1 West, 88-66
The headline acquisition for LA was veteran catcher Danny Cadavid, filling a big hole for the club. Cadavid is a five time Silver Slugger winner at catcher and has won three Gold Gloves, including in 2037 for the New Orleans Zephyrs. At 33 he is heading toward the downslope of his career, but the Angels are hoping his veteran leadership and production on both sides of the ball will help lift them past El Paso. LA also added some impressive pitching depth, picking up Dave Daniel in a trade with Toronto and signing FAs Preston Stanton on a short, low-money deal. Both were starters in 2037 but are expected to bolster LA’s bullpen, along with a couple other arms. The rotation help - along with a catcher who has demonstrated excellent ability to manage the game - should bolster what was already one of the stingiest staffs in D1, while allowing LA’s younger hitters (3B Ryan Haymes, RF Jake Baldwin) to establish themselves.

The New York Giants - 2037: 3rd Place in the D1 East, 77-77
The Angels weren’t the only ones adding arms this offseason. The Giants scored the biggest free agent of all when they signed ace Jon Sayre away from Phoenix for a six year, $70.2m contract that will take him through his age 34 season. Sayre put up 5.2 WAR and led D4 in strikeouts in 2037; this will be his first crack at D1, the only division he hasn’t yet pitched in. The Giants, who allowed the fourth most runs in D1 last season, added two more arms to their revamped rotation as well, signing Brian Sawyer (21-11, 3.83 ERA, 89 FIP-, 3.5 WAR with Philly) for three years and $30.3m, and Jim Behan (5-9, 3.89 ERA, 88 FIP-, 3.6 WAR with Brooklyn). The Giants were a hard-luck case in 2037 with the best expected record in the Conference despite their poor run prevention. With a powerful lineup that features C Matt Wood, CF Jose Cruz, and SS Mike Burcham, the Giants could be a major contender in 2038.

Falling Down
The Denver Bears - 2037: 6th Place in the D1 West, 64-90
The fire sale has begun for the Bears, who shot up from D3 over the last two cycles with a powerful offense but whose core is now starting to show their age. The club still managed 811 runs this year, second only to El Paso, but with T.J. Hardcastle’s retirement, 33 year old Clemens Young is the only star bat remaining. More concerning is the Bears pitching staff: over the offseason the club traded away their most effective starter, Roberto Cabrera, as he neared the end of his arbitration years. They also traded away Bobby Hardy, while Jose Fernandez signed with the Gulls, leaving a rotation with Dylan Anderson and a bunch of question marks. The Bears seem to have acknowledged that their window has closed, and will accept a possible relegation as they retool.

The Philadelphia Athletics - 2037: 5th Place in the D1 East, 74-80
The A’s may not be in full firesale mode like the Bears, but it’s not clear they have plans to contend anytime soon. They added a solid bad in LF Jake Haston, and Carlos Ponce provides steady defense and some pop, but both came in on short contracts. Meanwhile, the club dealt 2B Dustin Jennings to Boston for prospects, and let Brian Sawyer go to the rival Giants while great defensive SS Kevin Wassink left to sign with Las Vegas. Rob Cady, who has gotten starts as a super-sub over the last few years, and they’re excited about the potential of some of their younger players such as 3B Josiah Morgan. But behind ace Pedro Luna, the rotation is thin, which may overtax a talented pen. Philly could make a run, but it would take some career years from unlikely places.

Dark Horse Candidate
The Seattle Steelheads - 2037: 5th place in the D1 West, 72-82
There is a lot of buzz around the Steelheads heading into 2038. Though they haven’t had a winning season since their 2034 championship, they avoided relegation and have rebuilt with an impressive crop of young potential stars. C Roger Alvarado has the highest ceiling of the bunch - a once in a generation catching talent, Alvarado has won raves for his approach and instincts behind the plate and at it. Alvarado was Seattle’s first pick, the second overall in 2037, and rocketed through the minors, ripping up AA Tacoma and then AAA Spokane in a short stint. Seattle needs to make sure he’s for real with more time in AAA, but expect him soon. He will join a young core that already features RF Mike Hood (.290/.384/.462 in 2037) and Colin Izak, who will open the year in the bullpen but who has ace potential despite some concerns about his makeup. With Hector Razo and Jeff Baltimore anchoring the rotation, and an exciting lineup full of potential, Seattle could find themselves in the thick of things - if not this year, than possibly in 2039 and for years to come.

MVP Prediction: Hard to bet against Carson Prince again, but this could also finally be the year for El Paso’s great LF Joe Rison, the best leadoff man in the game. Aaron Felton, who will be playing his first season outside Toronto, could make waves as Tijuana’s DH as well. And not to pile on, but Giants C Matt Wood has, unaccountably, never won the award…

Pitcher of the Year Prediction: Brooklyn’s Jason Blanche is hitting 97 on the gun again after an injury-plagued 2037, and he’s long been one of D1’s best. A resurgent campaign could give him his third trophy. Pedro Luna is also a threat to threepeat for Philadelphia.

Rookie of the Year Prediction: Seattle’s phenom catcher Roger Alvarado is almost too perfect as a player - smart, hard-working, talented at all aspects of the game, if he gets a call-up early in the season expect him to take over.

Division 2

Moving Up
The Boston Bees - 2037: tied for 2nd in D2 East, 84-70
After a few transitional seasons, the former D1 power appears ready to compete again. The club was in the thick of the race in 2037, with home run champ Russ Mesaros leading the way, and now Boston has given SS Ramon Santiago a talented double play pattern in Dustin Jennings after a trade with Philly seen widely as a steal for the Bees. They’ve added more depth to their rotation with Dave Wyatt and Joey Chadburn, who came over in a trade with Cleveland. Boston did lose three productive relievers from a bullpen that already had some question marks, so if the Bees stay in it this season as they did last, look for some deals mid-year to add some back end arms.

The Vancouver Mounties: 2nd in D2 West, 84-70
No team in D2 was as active in the trade market as Vancouver, dealing from a productive farm system to acquire what they hope are the missing pieces to put them over Ft. Worth in 2038. New 1B John Witherspoon provides a steady veteran left-handed bat, while the Mounties have stabilized the back of their rotation with Matt Riddle and Lee Poirier. Vancouver’s top two starters are back, and the bullpen continues to be a strength, but the Mounties lost a lot of winnable games last year due to poor starts from their #4 and #5 guys, so the club is hoping offseason moves will provide large benefits. They’re also excited by what they see as leaps forward by young CF Sonny Scoggins, and another season by reigning D2 MVP Colin Hannigan at second. Keep your eye on 3B Leo Rodriguez, too - he’s been a valuable hitter for four years, but a case can be made that he hasn’t yet hit his ceiling, and if he does, watch out.

Falling Down
The Montreal Expos: 4th in D2 East, 75-79
There’s been a lot of head scratching over Montreal’s offseason moves. The third-best run prevention team in D2 traded away much of its starting rotation for questionable returns, including a bewildering trade of promising young starter Dylan Powers for light-hitting defensive 2B Raul Gonzalez, for which fans have rightly lit up social media to protest. Their lineup has gotten neither younger nor better, with the majority of their starters over the age of 32 and on the decline. The best hope for Montreal now is a return to form from former ace Bubba Fread, who inexplicably collapsed in 2037, going 9-15 with a 5.28 ERA. A .345 BABIP and 2.72 SIERA suggest those numbers were inflated, and early returns fro Spring Training are good, but until he shows he is the old Bubba Fread again, it will be hard to take Montreal seriously as a contender for anything but last place.

The Sacramento Solons: 6th in D2 West, 61-93
Like the D1 Bears, the Solons had a rude welcome to their new Division, going from first place in the D3 West to 93 losses and dead last in 2037. They didn’t do themselves many favors, either, with essentially no additions of consequence. Ace Josh Argo looks like he will be the team’s only bright spot for a second straight season; one more like 2037 and the Solons will be a lock to fall back to D3 after Cycle 11.

Dark Horse Candidate
The San Diego Padres: 4th in D2 West, 72-82
Nothing San Diego did this offseason caused more discussion than the controversial trade of starter Tommy Boles to Atlanta for LF Frank Hernandez. On the one hand, San Diego had the second fewest runs allowed of any D2 team and needed offense; on the other, Boles was their ace and while Hernandez has been a valuable hitter, he’s also 36, coming off arguably his worst season, and moving into a higher division than he’s ever played in before. But San Diego is counting on Josh Beck to step into that ace role, and has hopes for DH Ian Farmer, LF Jason Turnquist, 1B Willie Fernandez, and the rest of a young lineup. 24 year old Aaron Meadows will likely step into the rotation at some point this year too, as could top pitching prospect Lesley Buker. If the younger players click, San Diego could be a factor in a relatively weak D2 West.

MVP Prediction: New Orleans 1B Robert Zermeno was second in line to Colin Hannigan’s incredible year last year. Zermeno, who led D2 in slugging and hit .312 with a .365 OBP, is just 25 in 2038 and while last year was a breakout season, this one could catapult him into superstardom. Another young star is Houston’s LF Pedro Salazar, who has extraordinary power potential and an outstanding batting eye.

Pitcher of the Year Prediction: Josh Argo may be the only thing standing between the Solons and relegation this year, and it’s a good bet he’s up to the challenge, after missing out on three straight awards last season. Everyone’s raving about young Expos starter Joe Fuller, too, after his great rookie campaign. But when the dust clears, don’t be surprised if Australian Rhett Frew becomes the first from his country with the award: he was spectacular for KC last season, and is still getting accustomed to North American ball.

Rookie of the Year Prediction: Ft. Worth’s Jesse Moeller stunned everyone outside the Ft. Worth organization when he came up in September and proceeded to hit six homers in 18 games with a .348 OBP. He’s got a lot of talent, but is only 21; if he can stick on the big club, though, he’s a contender. Houston’s impressive SS/RP Kevin Revello could be in the conversation too, but he has to recover from a separated shoulder suffered in Spring Training first.

Division 3

Moving Up
The Miami Amigos: 1st Place in D3 East, 101-53
The NABF’s best regular season team did not rest on its laurels in the offseason: they want that D3 championship that has so long eluded them, and they want a promotion at long last. With multiple Pitcher of the Year winner Paul Herrin, the Amigos already boast a scary rotation, but they added to it by essentially stealing young starter Dylan Powers from Montreal; Powers put up 4.2 WAR and a 12.7 K/9 in D2 last year, and should see improvement with a drop down to D3 as Miami’s #3 behind Herrin and Brett Calderon. The Amigos also took a chance on one of the league’s least friendly players, closer Pedro Llopiz, who was outstanding for Austin last season but who can wear out welcome in a clubhouse quickly. He joins what promises to be a lockdown pen. While Miami probably needed bats more than arms, this is a team capable of winning a lot of low-scoring ballgames, and they’re expected to rise to the top of the D3 East once again. We’ll see if this gets them even further than that.

The San Francisco Seals: 1st Place in D3 West, 89-65
The Seals won 89 games last season, but played well above their heads, eight games better than their expected W/L. They aimed to correct their pitching woes in the offseason, and by adding SP Ryan Roland from Austin they may have done exactly that, giving them a bona fide ace that they lacked last season and shifting their staff around to improve the pen. That includes also signing RP Marcos Castro away from Miami. The Seals still have holes - most notably at catcher where they lost defensive catcher Milt Weber to free agency. But the team that won last year’s D3 title certainly shouldn’t be counted out for this year’s, especially as they’ve addressed their biggest deficiency.

Falling Down
The Austin Pioneers: 6th Place in D3 West, 56-98
The Pioneers seem destined to be a great D4 team only: they’ve won four D4 West titles and carry a .500 average winning percentage in D4, but have averaged only 64 wins a year during their D3 stints. This looks like it will be another three-and-out for Austin, who were flat out awful in 2037 and have lost ace Ryan Roland and closer Pedro Llopiz (though players might tell you the latter is not much of a loss). They also lost a major crowd draw in Mike MacArtney, who will likely become only the second player in NABF history to collect 3,000 hits this season; New Orleans will host that event now, not Austin. The team does have some strong young pitchers, such as Chris Parker, who was much better than his 4.46 ERA and 9-16 record might suggest, but it’s hard to see this team going places in 2038.

The St. Paul Saints: 2nd Place in D3 West, 81-73
The Saints had a real chance to capitalize on 2037 - by run differential, they were the best team in the Conference, and finished second to San Francisco and behind only Salt Lake in runs scored. Had they added some arms - and there were some available - St. Paul could be the odds on favorite for the Conference. But as it stands, they are a better bet to finish in the middle of the pack. They made only minor moves, though trading for closer Pat Pipkin should help in the pen. But what they needed was a top starter or two, and they watched rival San Francisco add Ryan Roland while Salt Lake added Jose Fernandez and Matt Thompson. St. Paul should still score runs, but they’ll be giving up more than their fair share as well.

Dark Horse Candidate
The Salt Lake Gulls: 3rd Place in D3 West, 79-75
The Gulls were an offensive powerhouse in 2037, led by an outrageously good Paul Geisler, who hit .350/.392/.595 with 34 homers in a breakout age 26 season. Though there are concerns of regression as nothing in his minor league record suggested that kind of year, some in the organization believe the transformation is real. Ralph Keough, Nate Madden, and Chris Griebe will also provide offense, while new acquisitions Jose Fernandez and Matt Thompson will be slotted into the rotation, likely in the top two spots. While neither is an ace, they’re certainly better than what Salt Lake had last year, and if Geisler is for real, young hitters keep improving, and the rotation can be even league average, the Gulls could be a force to reckon with.

MVP Prediction: Sam Stanton. The Atlanta LF/DH had one of the best offensive seasons in recent memory last year, and keeps getting better. In this his age 27 season, we could see him bloom into an all-time great.

Pitcher of the Year Prediction: How, at this point, do you not predict Paul Herrin? He’s won three straight, and that includes a year where he also won MVP. He’s 28, in the prime of his career, and another win would tie him with all time greats like Antonio Venegas, David Miramontes, and Bubba Fread, one behind Oliver Chase. But watch out for Memphis’s Ian Weaver, who has been in Herrin’s shadow but is special in his own right - if Herrin falters, or he takes another step forward, Weaver could be it.

Rookie of the Year Prediction: Watch out for St. Paul’s Jerry Dudek, who appears set to stick in the Saints rotation. The 23 year old had an outstanding spring, and can drop three plus pitches - fastball, sinker, curve - on hitters right now; a changeup is making solid progress too. Cleveland is starting 2B Tony Vargas in Canton, but it won’t be long until he takes over the starting job with the Spiders; he’s an all around strong hitter who could stick defensively at second, though he’s probably an even better defensive OF.

Division 4

Moving Up
The San Antonio Missions, 2nd Place in D4 West, 87-68
San Antonio came within a game of a D4 West title in 2037, and with the Firebirds potentially taking a step back in the offseason, now might be the time for the only team that has never left Division 4 to begin its ascent. While San Antonio lost some solid arms, it replaced them well, signing Eric Kronburger away from Milwaukee and picking up RP Ji-hoon Kim from Detroit. A trade with Sacramento netted Roberto Lopez, whose skillset could make him dominant in D4. All of this adds to San Antonio's promising young lineup - 26 year old CF Steve McNellis hit .306/.357/.448 last season, and the Missions will get a full year from 1B Justin Gulden, who hit .357 with a .405 OBP and surprising power in limited time. If Gulden can develop that power stroke he could be a major piece to a championship puzzle.

The Charlotte Hornets, 5th Place in D4 East, 68-86
Charlotte’s season was surprisingly bad in 2037; the team had seemed to be on an upward path since 2034’s last place season, and was withi three games of breaking even in 2036. But they took a major step back in the first year of Cycle 11, finishing 5th with just 68 wins despite the brilliance of Ernesto Gonzales, who came in second in the MVP race on the back of a .350/.397/.489, 6.1 WAR season. If Gonzales can keep up his impressive run, and the Hornets get the improvement they’re counting on from young performers like SP Jo Meeks and 2B Mike Borrego, that will make offseason acquisitions like 3B Jose Nunez worth it. Anything can happen in D4, and Charlotte has put key pieces in place around their star; the question is whether they can convert.

Falling Down
The Indianapolis Clowns, 1st Place in D4 East, 94-60
Indianapolis had a downright awful offseason, and there are rumblings that it may even be jeopardizing GM Craig Derby’s job after two years in which his club performed well (including a 2036 D4 Championship). They lost critical pieces, including 3B Jose Nunez (to their Conference rival Charlotte Hornets) and longtime power hitter David Durica, though he’s very much on the decline.Still, the Clowns acquired no one who is anticipated to have any real impact, and while the pitching staff remains outstanding with the reigning Pitcher of the Year and MVP Aaron Cottrell, revived ace Nate Mefford, and promising youngster Greg Smith, this is a team that continues to starve for offense. To let contributors walk away with no replacements could mean a significant slide for the Clowns in 2038 - whether it will be enough to knock them from their top spot remains to be seen.

The Phoenix Firebirds, 1st Place in D4 West, 88-67
The Clowns’ Championship Series rival also took a big step back in the offseason, losing ace Jon Sayre to a big D1 contract with the Giants. Maybe there was no way they could prevent that, but then SP John Schaeffer signed with Miami as a reliever when Phoenix was willing to give him a rotation spot, and Steve Heinemann jumped ship to Tampa. The Firebirds lost closer Joe Waybright, too, to San Diego. They’ve added a couple of mid-rotation guys in Roberto Cabrera and Steve Hennessey, and they did regain future Hall of Fame closer Bob Paul, but at 40, as good as he’s been in recent seasons, it’s hard to write his contributions in permanent marker.

Dark Horse Candidate
Albuquerque Dukes, 5th Place in D4 West, 70-84
The Dukes didn’t do a ton this offseason, aside from signing defensive specialist Randy Ahern to their outfield, but they also might not need to: Albuquerque has the best farm system in D4, with a number of prospects who are ready to contribute. Among them are CF Dan Kelley, who may open the season in center for the Dukes, and Mike Smith, a power-hitting first baseman with an impact glove who is already penciled in at first for the season, according to manager Ethan Harris. Albuquerque is building a defensive ballclub behind their promising rotation; Matt Walker, Renato Cantimori, and Casey Sturrock all flashed promise in 2037, and if they take a step forward, the Dukes could be among the best pitching teams in the Division this season.

MVP Prediction: Part of the fun of Division 4 is that awards like these are so hard to predict. Cincinnati’s Tony Ruelas has built an early career with some impressive numbers so far. Veteran Charlotte 1B Jason McCollum could make a dent. But if you have to pick just one, it has to be LF Ernesto Gonzales, arguably the best contact hitter in the game; he barely lost out to Aaron Cottrell last season, and it’s not often a pitcher wins the MVP.

Pitcher of the Year Prediction: Aaron Cottrell is certainly a favorite to repeat, and should be. But let’s not forget Cincinnati’s Willie Rodriguez, who has somehow never won the award; while he hasn’t been quite as good since his astronomical 2035 season, he’s been more than deserving, and he’s still just 29.

Rookie of the Year Prediction: St. Louis’s Andy Merritt will start the season in the pen, and could be an asset there, but if he enters the rotation he’ll be a legitimate ROY candidate with a plus four pitch mix and good control.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-20-2023, 10:35 PM

Razo makes history while Moon makes an entrance

The Seattle Steelheads have a lot of hope for this season, and if the first game is any indication that hope will be rewarded.

Hector Razo pitched a game for the ages today, breaking John Belhumeur's eight year old record for K's in a single game, setting down 16 Potros on strikes over a complete game two-hit victory.

Razo, a two-time Pitcher of the Year winner who last took home the trophy in 2034, barely missed the plate, walking only one as he gave his club their first win of the season.

Also making headlines was international free agent signing Ki-Chun Moon; the power-hitting South Korean export crushed two homers in his debut and walked twice while driving in half of Seattle's 8 runs. RF Mike Hood went 4-5 with two doubles and 1B Adam Haney went 2-5 with a homer as Seattle romped over the Potros.

For Tijuana, the lone positive was a homer by 3B Randy Wright, with DH Won-il Cho on third following a triple. Those were Tijuana's only hits of the day, coming in the first inning; a walk to Cho produced the only other baserunner the Potros were able to drum up against Razo.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-20-2023, 10:49 PM

It's like Deja Vu All Over Again for Cats, Stars

It must be like reliving a nightmare for the Detroit Stars: just six months after becoming the only team to lose a Championship series after being up three games to none, the Stars played host to the Ft. Worth Cats, who six months earlier became the only team to overcome that deficit.

Once again, the teams played a dramatic, tight game, with starters Chris Morris (DET) and Chris Schwinger (FTW) each going nine without allowing a run. Schwinger was especially impressive, allowing just three hits and walking two while striking out 11; Morris also gave up three hits, but walked five and struck out six.

The winning run came in the top of the twelfth, when Ft. Worth leadoff hitter Bill Ebron walked; two outs later, rookie RF Jesse Moeller - who socked six homers in 18 games in a callup at the end of 2037 - blasted his first of 2038, a game-winner to left that landed ten rows back in the Detroit bleachers.

Detroit closer Shane Smith took the loss despite giving the stars three innings, two and two-thirds of which were scoreless.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-20-2023, 11:19 PM

A Power-ful Performance In Columbus

The birth of Paul Herrin's first child kept him away from Opening Day for the first time in several years, but that's okay: Miami has a new ace ready to step in.

Dylan Powers, acquired in an offseason trade with the Montreal Expos, threw an eight inning gem, striking out ten and allowing five hits on four walks while holding Columbus scoreless.

Columbus starter Yong-jun Jang was nearly as good, going seven while striking out four, but a single, a wild pitch, a groundout, and another single gave Miami the only run they'd need all night.

New closer Pedro Llopiz shut down Columbus on six pitches, including a strikeout, to earn the first save of his season as Miami seeks another Conference title.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-20-2023, 11:31 PM

The Browns Walk Off on the Wings of an Angel

A late offensive surge first saved the Browns and then won it for them in the home opener at Sportsman's Park on Monday.

Albuquerque jumped out to a four run lead in the fourth, capped by a two run blast by LF Carl Faux off St. Louis starter Hideaki Ito, but the young pitcher recovered to last seven full.

His offense bailed him out with four runs between the seventh and eighth innings, on two homers: the first a three run shot by RF Mauricio Lopez and the second an eighth inning solo shot by Josh Reynolds.

That brought it to the tenth inning, when a single by C Matt Wedel and a bunt by Allen Lockwood set up Angel Cardenas's game winning double, giving the Browns a 1-0 start to the young season.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-21-2023, 02:50 PM

A Wild Night in Salt Lake City Ends with the Blues

An early battle between cross-division contenders resulted in the wildest nights of baseball so far in this 2038 season, as the Blues defeated the Gulls 16-12 in a nine inning affair that still took over four hours to complete.

It was a rainy, cold night in Salt Lake City, but the balls still flew out of Smith's Ballpark as the clubs combined for seven homers, including the first two of the season for Salt Lake right fielder Brian Cannon.

Salt Lake starter Barry Voit had been stellar in his first outing of the season, shutting down St. Louis over eight innings in an eventual 11-2 win. But tonight he ran into trouble almost immediately, as Memphis greeted him with a single and a double before he'd thrown his fourth pitch. With 2B Bill King on third and RF Josh Morgan - the eventual Player of the Game - on second, 1B David Washington grounded out to first, scoring King and advancing Morgan. Eric Olson brought Morgan home with a sacrifice fly to complete scoring in the first for Memphis.

Salt Lake was lucky to escape the second with just a single run scored, as Memphis opened with back to back singles by Izzy Villanueva and Matt Rispoli before a double play erased Rispoli and put Vispoli on third. Bill King, who scored the first run for the Blues in the first, singled home the third run of the night.

Salt Lake got one back in the bottom of the inning with a Brian Cannon solo shot, his first of the season, off Blues starter John Wade. Wade's previous start had been a disaster, as he was tagged for five runs in just two and two thirds. This start would prove equally rough, as Salt Lake would take the lead in the third: a single and a walk brought RF Jerry Easter to the plate, and Easter deposited a 1-2 pitch into the right field stands for a three-run, go-ahead homer that made it 4-3 Gulls.

It stayed there until the top of the fifth, when Memphis leadoff batter Washington drilled a homer into nearly the same spot as Easter's, tying it up at 4; Voit escaped the inning, though, and headed to the bench to watch his team erupt.

After a Paul Geisler fly out, DH Nate Madden drilled a single into right to set up young 2B Ralph Keough. Keough had come into the game hot, hitting .371/.421/.571 with four doubles in the early going; he added his first homer of the season on what proved to be Wade's final pitch, a 2-1 offering that he made disappear into the twilight in right-center. Wade was replaced by RP Joey Dulin, who immediately caused his own mess by allowing a single to Easter and then issuing four straight walks to hand the Gulls two more. He finally got Chris Jones on strikes and the got to 2-2 on Geisler, but the star 1B pulled the ball past Bill King and into right, scoring two more. Just like that, it was 10-4, and Voit headed back out with some breathing room.

The Blues took that room away from him quick. Voit was chased by three singles from Rispoli, C Juan Mungia, and Doug Jacobs, and though he got King on strikes manager Jeff Thornton had seen enough; he had Jim Landers warm, and brought him in to face Josh Morgan with the bases loaded. Morgan was ready, though, and jumped all over Landers' first pitch, drilling it on a line to right. Cannon gave chase thinking it might bang off the wall, but it carried just enough to clear by inches for a grand slam. Then things fell apart further for Salt Lake: Washington doubled, and a passed ball by C Mark Blakely put him on third. He scored on an Eric Olson groundout to bring the Blues within one, though Salt Lake survived a two-out double by Sam Hughes as Villanueva struck out, mercifully ending the top of the sixth.

Keough announced Salt Lake's intentions to keep going immediately, as he rifled a single into center to open the bottom of the inning, but he got too aggressive and was gunned down stealing second before Matt Wieland doubled and Brian Cannon hit his second homer, a two run shot that made it 12-9.

Just as they'd done before, though, Memphis answered back, constructing a rally out of a walk, an error, and a pair of singles, the second of which gave Josh Morgan his fifth and sixth RBI of the game. Landers exited to bring on Mike Williams, who finished the inning to preserve Salt Lake's narrow one run lead.

The previous two and a half innings had seen sixteen runs cross the plate - eight Gulls and eight Blues. So a scoreless bottom of the seventh was a revelation, as Salt Lake sent up the minimum, getting a single from Geisler only to have it erased on an inning-ending double play. But Memphis was uninterested in scoreless innings. Sam Hughes walked to open the eighth, and Adam Long put him on third with a double. Another walk to Rispoli loaded them up for the catcher Mungia, who turned on a 1-2 pitch and pulled it over the wall, delivering another souvenir to the fans in the right field bleachers. It was a go-ahead grand slam, the second slam of the game. For good measure, Memphis scored another as Jacobs and Morgan singled and Jacobs came home on a fielder's choice. When the dust settled after the eighth, it was 16-12 Memphis.

Salt Lake was clearly spent after that, and went quietly, without a baserunner for the remainder of the game as Memphis took this one 16-12, the highest-scoring game in the NABF so far on the young season. Morgan, who went 4-6 with a homer and six RBI, was named Player of the Game, while reliever Dave Wheeler got the win despite allowing two runs over three and a third. Mike Williams, who surrendered Mungia's slam in the 8th, was the loser.

The win puts Memphis into second place in the D3 East, a game back of Nashville; despite the loss, Salt Lake remains in first in the West, a game up on Portland, San Francisco, and Austin.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-21-2023, 09:49 PM

Padres' rally can't overcome Frew, Monarchs
It's a whole new Monarchs early on in 2038: we're only two and a half weeks into the season, but Kansas City has gotten off to a strong start, tonight defeating the San Diego Padres for their tenth win.

The star of the game was Rhett Frew, the Australian import who has improved every year he's played for manager Josh Garcia. Frew has been more than impressive in the early going this year, winning all four of his starts while striking out more than a third of the batters he's faced with a 60 FIP- and a strong GB% of 54.

The Padres countered Frew tonight with their own ace, Josh Beck, who has been less impressive to start the year: now 35, Beck may be slowing, as his K rate has declined early on while opponents are homering off him more frequently (1.5 per nine innings).

It was the Padres, though, who struck first in this one, manufacturing a run in the first. Frank Hernandez singled, then got to third on a steal attempt and throwing error by Monarchs C Ricky Baca. He came in on a groundout deep into the 5/6 hole by Ian Farmer; had Farmer been a faster runner he might have beaten it out. But instead, it was a run-scoring second out, and Frew struck out Jason Turnquist to end the inning.

From there, Frew cruised through the next two innings, allowing only one hit while striking out four, including striking out the side in the third, giving him six through the first three. He collected two more Ks in the 4th, but allowed a solo homer to Ian Farmer as well.

That made it 2-0 Padres due to Beck's strong first three frames. Beck only struck out one, but induced a series of ground ball outs around three hits to keep the Monarchs scoreless. That ended in the bottom of the fourth, as Mike Boyd singled and scored on a one-out triple into the left-center gap by the speedy Mike Paul. Beck got Baca to pop up, but it was a shallow bloop into exactly the right spot, and fell in just past the glove of 2B Nate McHenry. Paul read it perfectly, and came in before San Diego's fielders could recover, tying up the game.

Frew got through the 5th allowing just a single, eschewing strikeouts for efficiency - he got through the inning on eight pitches, and three harmless fly balls. Then Sam Campbell - who had only seven homers in all of 2037 - hit his third on the young season to put KC on top. They added one more on a sacrifice fly by Baca in the 6th, and Frew took it from there.

The Aussie struck out two around a single to get through the 6th, then hurled a perfect 7th with his 11th K. In the eighth, SS John Gilbert hit a comebacker for the first out, and Frank Hernandez finally went down on strikes after a seven pitch AB. When Victor Castro then walked on five, Garcia called for Jason Coopman to relieve Frew, who walked off to an appreciative crowd. Coopman got an inning-ending grounder on the first pitch.

Coopman came back for the ninth, but wasn't so fortunate there. Jason Turnquist turned a full count into a single to lead off, and though Coopman got Fernandez to strike out looking, Mike Montana doubled sending Turnquist to third. McHenry hit a slow roller toward first, which Sam Campbell handled for the force out, but it moved Montana to third as Tunquiest came in with San Diego's third run. With the bullpen active, and Montana 90 feet away from tying it, Coopman threw to Sean McDaniel. The catcher hit the first pitch hard, on one hop, but Vince Green got a glove on it, and was able to beat the slow-footed McDaniel to first to end it.

A close call, but a Monarchs win, bringing KC to 10-6 on the season, still in first.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-22-2023, 09:47 PM

April is the shortest month on the NABF calendar, but a lot has happened already. Let’s dive in.

Division 1

A week ago, the New York Giants sat in third place at 6-6. But then they won, and kept winning: rising a six game win streak, they are now the sole possessors of first place in the D1 East. The offense has been stellar, with SS Mike Burcham hitting .333 with a .388 OBP and seven stolen bases, second only to El Paso’s Rison. 2B Andrew Fitts has been unreal out of the gate, slugging .656 with only three homers, but ten doubles. Matt Wood has gotten off to a slow start at .204/.302/.463, but that hasn’t slowed New York down much. Meanwhile the big offseason acquisition, Jon Sayre, has been brutally bad, giving up 25 runs in his first three starts. In a matchup with Philadelphia on the 28th, though, he seemed to right the ship, pitching a complete game and striking out seven for his first win; if the Giants get him on track along with Brian Sawyer, Randy Peterson, and youngster Josh Dent (the Giants’ best to this point), that offense will carry them a long way.

Elsewhere in the East, Philadelphia has been somewhat stronger than expected, as Pedro Luna has continued that Pitcher of the Year pace while Ray Nowell, Sean Baker, and RF/SP Carlos Ponce have all done well behind him. The offense hasn’t wowed in any one particular area, but they’ve been good enough to score 79 runs so far, the fourth highest total in D1. They recently called up rookie CF Mike Mitchell, who has hit well in four games so far. Chicago and Tampa are both playing .500 ball so far, while Toronto is just behind them. Brooklyn, meanwhile, has gotten off to a rough start, and sit in last place at 6-12; Carson Prince has been outstanding following a short stint on the bench with a twisted ankle, though, so the Dodgers are hoping he’ll key a few wins.

The team atop the West might surprise some, but no one who has been following Seattle’s impressive player development machine will be shocked. The Steelheads have relied on an exciting group of younger players to start 13-5 in April. Steelheads players are all over the leaderboards, with RF Mike Hood an early MVP candidate: the 25 year old could be in the middle of a breakout campaign, hitting .333/.467/.730 with four homers. SS Matt Galante has also come out of the gate strong, leading D1 with a .385 average to go along with a .474 OBP, a .662 Slugging, and four homers of his own. And as if that wasn’t enough, Seattle brought star catching prospect Roger Alvarado up a couple of weeks into the season, and he has rewarded the move by slugging .905 with a .333 average and OBP, two homers in five games, while throwing an inning and two thirds of scoreless ball from Seattle’s bullpen. Hector Razo has been strong in the early going, as has Toshio Nimiya, and Travis Stewart has opened with a 0.75 ERA over 24 innings, though the .197 BABIP says it won’t stay quite that low. All of that has added up to a Steelheads club that has allowed fewer runs than any other D1 team, and has scored third most in the Division.

The Steelheads will have to keep playing at that pace, though, as both Los Angeles and Monterrey are at 11-7 and nipping at Seattle’s heels, while El Paso lurks at 9-9, four games back. El Paso also features D1’s Batter of the Month, second year 1B Brain Castrovinci, who has opened with an unreal .436/.569/.818 line and five homers, after hitting .286/.363/.480 in 2037. Castrovinci has been a heralded prospect and is just 24, which suggests that this year’s growth may be for real; if it is, look out.

Tijuana sits in fifth, at 6-12, a disappointing start for a team some had pegged as a contender this season. While there’s still certainly time, the quality of the four teams above them is hard to ignore, as is the very slow start of aging superstar Aaron Felton, whom Tijuana signed to provide an offensive jolt. But Tijuana is saved from the bottom spot by the Denver Bears, who seem to have fallen away from their winning ways over the past few seasons, and who seem destined for a relegation. No Denver starter has an ERA lower than 5 so far, while the offense has simply not been producing beyond RF Pete Samms - even Clemens Young, normally a strong April performer, has gotten off to a terrible start.

D1 Batter of the Month: Brian Castrovinci, 1B, El Paso - .436/.569/.818, 5HR
D1 Pitcher of the Month: Raul Ordano, SP, Monterrey - 4-0, 1.69 ERA, 42 K
D1 Rookie of the Month: Yoshihiko Kawaguchi, SP, Toronto - 2-2, 4.01 ERA, 28 K

Division 2

The standings are pretty tight up and down Division 2 after the season’s third week. In the east, the Stars and Expos carry matching 10-8 records into May, in a tie for first place. The Stars have been powered by their rotation, with Chris Morris and newcomer Zack Root leading the way, hurling the first no-hitter of his career on April 24; young 5th starter Chad Little has also been excellent in the early going. The offense, though, has been on the anemic side. Victor Ortiz has been the best hitter on the club to this point, and he has a .211/.375/.456 line with 4 homers - not bad, but not great. Of the team’s starters, only four have OPS+ over 100. Former MVP Ali Brown has been in a long slump to start the year, hitting just .176 without a homer.

In Montreal, the good news is that Bubba Fread seems to have returned to form after a dreadful (and unlucky) 2037. The four-time Pitcher of the Year has revived his K rate, though his current BB% of 1.5 is presumably a mirage. Still, he’s got a 78 FIP- and 41 Ks through 34 innings, which is much better than where he was this time last year. Just like in Detroit, Montreal’s position owes to its pitching, as Fread, Jorge Ortiz, and newcomer Jaffer Tirmizi have all been excellent. The aging Expos lineup, though, has been worse even than Detroits, ranking 11 out of 12 in runs scored in D2; their best regular, Max Fuhrman, has an OPS+ of just 106, with a .250/.338/.397 line.

The Baltimore Terrapins are just a game behind, as 2B Omar Juarez is getting off to the best start of his career. Juarez is hitting .345/.471/.582 with three homers, while 3B Tony Posada and 1B Mauricio Fiscal are hitting well behind him. The Pins actually have the widest run differential in the Conference to this point, and an expected W/L that would put them into a tie with Detroit and Montreal. Ottawa and New Orleans sit two back with identical 8-10 records, and the Bees have started slow in a season where they still expect to contend, four games back at 6-12.

The West is even tighter, with every team in the conference within two games of first. Vancouver currently owns the top spot, with reigning MVP Colin Hannigan starting a bit slow but still producing, while 1B John Witherspoon, 3B Leo Rodriguez, and LF Tony Hines do the heavy lifting. Witherspoon, who joined the team from Ottawa in the offseason, has been especially good, hitting .333/.397/.636 with six homers, tied for third most in D2. However, the Mounties just lost LF Steve Kelley, who was hitting .434 through 14 games, to an elbow strain; he’ll be out until at least June.

The Monarchs sit a game back, with D2 Pitcher of the Month Rhett Frew winning all four of his starts so far with a 1.36 ERA. The Mikes, RF Mike Paul and DH Mike Boyd, have both contributed on offense, as has 2B Chris McLaughlin, who is hitting .324/.342/.527 - not likely sustainable for a 35 year old who has never hit like that in his career, but stranger things have happened.

Below the Mounties and Monarchs are the other four clubs, all tied at 9-9. Houston’s offense has led the way for the Buffalos, with 1B Doug Frey hitting .344/.382/.812 with eight homers, leading the Division. The Padres’ pitching has been stellar behind Brice Asmus, Mike Lolley, and Pedro Acosta, though Josh Beck has been hit hard in the early weeks. Ft. Worth got off to a terrible start, but has won their last four straight, as have the Solons. Sacramento ace Josh Argo is now 3-0 with a 0.61 ERA and 32 Ks. 1B Danny Dautel leads the club in most offensive categories as the Solons work to avoid relegation - another last place finish could do it.

D2 Batter of the Month: Doug Frey, 1B, Houston Buffaloes - .344/.382/.812, 8 HR
D2 Pitcher of the Month: Rhett Frew, SP, Kansas City Monarchs - 4-0, 1.36 ERA, 42 K
D2 Rookie of the Month: Tristan McConnell, SP, Ottawa Champions - 2-1, 2.31 ERA, 23 K

Division 3

The bad-luck Sounds have averaged more than 93 wins over the last three seasons, and have finished in second in every one of them. Maybe this will be the year they return to the top: it certainly was in April, as the club went 14-4 to build a two game lead in the D3 East. Much of that lead is due to their pitching, as Andres Orozco and Eddie Carson have gone 5-1 with a combined ERA in the low 2’s. The bullpen has also been stellar, with closer Isaiah Phelps, last year’s Reliever of the Year, nailing down seven saves in 11.1 innings without allowing a run. But Memphis lurks two games back, with the Division’s second-best offense and 4th fewest runs allowed as LF Marcos Diaz and 1B David Washington lead the way.

Miami has been better tha their 10-8 record would suggest, playing a bit below their expected W/L and ranking third in both runs scored and runs allowed. The latter was predictable, as the Amigos boast both Paul Herrin (already 3-1 with a 0.57 ERA) and newcomer Dylan Powers, along with ace closer Pedro Llopiz and a strong pen. The Amigos rank first overall in FIP, though they’ve struggled defensively.

Despite a strong April by defending MVP Sam Stanton (.307/.366/.627 with 6 homers), the rest of Atlanta’s lineup has struggled to produce runs, though their pitching has been more than capable behind Ted Dodds, Tommy Boles, and Jim Mayer. In fact, despite their 8-10 record and offensive woes, Atlanta has scored a few more runs than they’ve allowed. Cleveland stands at 8-10 also, but has been a below average team in all aspects of the game so far, despite John Feist’s .375/.418/.500 line. The Columbus Red Birds are currently taking up the rear, with some major pitching issues behind ace Yong-jun Jang.

Over in the West, three teams are battling it out with 10-8 records: the surprising Portland Beavers are probably playing over their heads with a negative run differential and an offense that ranks last almost across the board, but Andy Beck and Josh Cross have both started well in the Beavers’ rotation. The Seals, too, have played a bit above their heads, but veteran Josh Henry has led a solid offense with his .288/.386/.559, five homer month. And while San Francisco’s rotation has taken hits (though it’s worth noting the team FIP is far lower than the team ERA), the bullpen has been outstanding.

The real momentum in the West seems to be with the third 10-8 club, the Salt Lake Gulls. The Gulls are the only club in the West that have scored more runs than they’ve allowed, and they’ve done it with a booming offense that leads D3 in runs scored and essentially everything else. D3 Batter of the Month Nate Madden has been otherworldly, hitting .420/.481/.826 with a D3 best 8 homers, while Ralph Keough and Paul Geisler have wRC+ of 207 and 142 respectively. And while their rotation has some trouble areas, Elijah LaRose (D3 Pitcher of the Month) and Jose Fernandez have been good. The bullpen is worth watching, however, as Salt Lake has blown a couple winnable games already.

Below those three, the Saints have struggled, with an 8-10 record. Their pitching has been dreadful, and offseason missed opportunities are really being felt here. 2B Kevin Fitzpatrick has been decent, but the lineup hasn’t produced around him, leaving St. Paul 9th in the Division in runs scored. Austin, meanwhile, has done an admirable job of preventing runs, with some excellent Aprils in their rotation (including Rookie of the Month Masahiro Nakanishi). But the offense has simply evaporated, and the Pioneers rank last in runs scored, wOBA, OPS, and homers, with a paltry 10. Calgary, though, takes the prize with a 4-14 start, in part the result of a 1-5 record in 1 run games. They’ve lost every game they’ve played outside Calgary, allowing more runs than any other D3 team. They’ll be getting starter John Hummell off the IL soon, but two other opening day rotation members - Eddie Bailey and Rick Peterson - are done for the season with injuries, while veteran DH David Durica is on the bench for another 5 weeks with a sprained elbow. It’ll be a long road for the Outlaws in 2038.

D3 Batter of the Month: Nate Madden, 1B/DH, Salt Lake Gulls - .420/.481/.826, 8 HR, 22 RBI
D3 Pitcher of the Month: Elijah LaRose, SP, Salt Lake Gulls - 4-0, 2.70 ERA, 24 K
D3 Rookie of the Month: Masahiro Nakanishi, SP, Austin Pioneers - 2-1, 2.93 ERA, 35 K

Division 4

The Charlotte Hornets have surprised a lot of observers with a strong start to 2038, after winning only 68 games in 2037. The biggest improvement so far has been to the team’s pitching; though the rotation ranks just 8th in D4 in ERA, newcomer Kurt Hardin has done well in a transition from D1, while Jo Meeks has opened strong. The real strength has been in the bullpen, however, which has allowed only five runs over 40 ⅔ innings while striking out 43. Ernesto Gonzales has continued to collect hit after hit, and leads D4 with a .408 average, though just a .423 OBP. If Charlotte can keep opponents’ offenses at this level all season, they could be a factor.

Indianapolis, however, has the clear inside track on the division despite sitting a game back of Charlotte. And while their pitching has indeed been excellent, with Pitcher of the Month Nate Mefford striking out 40 over 34 innings with a 1.06 ERA and 2.38 FIP. Greg Smith, too, has struck out 40 over his 35 innings of work, with a similar FIP and a 2.83 ERA. Aaron Cottrell, though, has been less sharp; the defending Pitcher of the Year and MVP has given up six runs in two of his four starts this year, though at least some of that is the result of a .378 BABIP, which seems likely to correct itself. The real strength for the Clowns, though, has been its top ranked offense: a team that ranked in the bottom third of D4 last season has exploded behind 1B Justin Wilson, who is hitting .377/.436/.551. Robert Tanski, last year’s D4 Championship Series MVP, has an OPS near 1.000 with six homers, and the club is getting strong contributions too from RF Zach McKinley.

Havana’s 9-9 record is attributable in large part to Juan Cruz’s hot start. Crus was named the Batter of the Month for D4, hitting .355/.408/.551 to begin his age 26 season. Fellow 26 year old, LF Chris Schutte, has also been pounding the ball, with a .892 OPS. But few others in Havana’s lineup have done much, and the team faces a major power shortage, having hit only ten homers all season. The pitching has been hit or miss, with starters Jason Holt, Adam McKinney, and Joe Abreu throwing well in the early weeks, but Dan Colombe and Joey Hooker have been rough, as has the bullpen.

At the bottom of the conference, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati all seem in trouble. Washington’s offense has been essentially non-existent, with only 52 runs over their 18 games (about 2.9 per) with 2B Brian Presley contributing a large share of those himself with an 18.5 RC. The pitching has been there, but expect Senators starters to get a whole lot of bad-luck losses this year. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has the Division’s worst pitching, having allowed 100 runs already behind a rotation and bullpen that both rank last in the division in ERA. The offense hasn’t been much better either. But last place is reserved for Cincinnati, who has had almost nothing go right so far: the hitters they counted on last year have not started well, and even ace Willie Rodrigue has been only solid to begin the year, rather than his usual phenomenal self.

In the West, Albuquerque is the team to beat right now, with an 11-7 record, a division best rotation, and near-best offense led by Randy Ahern (an offseason acquisition from Houston), Sam Tracy, Jason Taylor, and especially Carl Faux, who has hit .333/.397/.649 with four homers. Brad Heyer, in his first year with the club, has allowed only a single run over 25 innings, while both Matt Walker and Casey Sturrock have been anchors.

Don’t sleep on the defending D4 West champs, though: despite a disappointing offseason, Phoenix has actually improved on the pitching side early on with a reliable rotation. Bob Paul has done well as closer, though the bullpen behind him has run into trouble. Offensively, a few key contributors still haven’t gotten going, though, including Fred Levang and Matt Armstrong (despite his five homers). Tony Guerrero has hit well, though, as has Alex Rivas; if Phoenix can get a couple more hot bats they should be more than an adequate challenge for the Dukes.

The rest of the West is pretty narrowly bunched together. The 51s have broken even, with their excellent rookie catcher Joel Boynton making an immediate impact and even being named Rookie of the Month after just five games. So too have St. Louis and Milwaukee; the Brewers have seen a great start from 1B Alvaro Palomino, who shares the Division lead in homers with Indy’s Matt Armstrong, with five.

The Missions, though, who were seen as a potential contender, have a ways to go; though they’re only three games out, it feels like further. The rotation has been painful, outside of Mario Caudillo and Eduardo Fernandez. Though the club ranks fourth in runs scored, a glance over the lineup doesn’t immediately reveal how, as few Mission have had anything more than mediocre starts. There’s obviously still plenty of time, and you can’t tell anything from 18 games, but the Missions would certainly rather be three games up than three games down.

D4 Batter of the Month: Juan Cruz, 3B, Havana Sugar Kings - .355/.408/.661, 2 HR, 15 RBI
D4 Pitcher of the Month: Nate Mefford, 3-0, 1.06 ERA, 40 K
D4 Rookie of the Month: Joel Boynton, C, Las Vegas 51s - .438/.526/.750, 1 HR in 5 games

ArquimedezPozo · 01-22-2023, 10:20 PM

Giants win Tenth Straight with Close Call in LA

The Giants have taken command over the D1 East over the past two weeks, winning ten straight games for a 16-6 record and a four game lead over Philadelphia and Tampa.

Brian Sawyer, who joined the Giants in the offseason after a bounce-back 2037, was nearly unhittable over eight innings against Los Angeles, and though the game was nearly lost by New York's bullpen, the lead held.

The Giants got to LA starter Alex Turner early, with a run each in the first and second innings. 3B Jim Clark smacked a one out double down the RF line, and scored six pitches later as 2B Andrew Fitts - off to a great start - singled him home for his 14th RBI. Matt Wood followed with another single, but the next two batters struck out against Turner to end the threat.

In the second, the scoring was less complex as rookie Luis Nazario, who showed prodigious power in the minors, launched the second homer of his big league career to make it 2-0 Giants.

That's pretty much where it stayed for the next seven innings. Sawyer allowed a walk and a single to put a man on third in the third, but got out of it. A walk and a balk put a runner on second in the fourth, but he got out of it. Two more singles, in the 5th and the 8th, were stranded, as Sawyer struck out 9 and walked only two.

That's all they had because after that second inning, Alex Turner stifled the potent Giants. He scattered five hits, only really running into trouble in the fifth when Burcham and Fitts singled and Wood walked to load the bases. But Turner got Idar Olsen looking on three pitches to end the threat. He faced the minimum in the 6th and 7th before being pulled, with a final line of seven innings, two runs on nine hits, nine strikeouts, and a walk.

Jaheim Johnson replaced Turner, and cruised through the tops of the 8th and the 9th, allowing just a single in the 8th to Wood, who was 3-3 on the day. Johnson struck out three over his innings, and never allowed a runner into scoring position.

Sawyer returned for the ninth. He was greeted iby a Brian Gilman solo shot on a 2-2 pitch to cut the Giants' lead to one, a shot which chased him from the game in favor of closer Steve Smith.

Smith had only three saves in five chances with a 4.70 ERA and 5.00 FIP, and this one one of the toughest situations he had faced so far in the season. He got Hyun-woo Park to fly out harmlessly, but then, Caleb Battle singled. With one out and a man on first, light-hitting Frank Mozo stepped to the plate, but threats loomed after him in Danny Cadavid and Jake Baldwin.

Mozo squared to bunt on the first pitch, but pulled it back when it sailed high. Smith must have seen something from Battle at first, because before the next pitch he whirled and threw a dart to first, at ankle height. The first baseman applied the tag to Battle, who must have been leaning slightly to get a jump on the bunt. He was out, and now Smith faced Mozo with two out, nobody on. After a strike, Mozo flew out to center, ending the inning and the game for Smith's fourth save and the Giants' tenth straight victory.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-23-2023, 05:23 PM

Tough Luck Loss for Tigers, Rodriguez as San Antonio Walks Off With Win

The San Antonio Missions kept pace in the D4 West with a dramatic walk-off victory, squandering a strong start from Cincy ace Willie Rodriguez. Ron Golden, San Antonio’s key offensive piece in 2037, homered twice including the ninth-inning walkoff, giving the Missions hope that he is regaining his form after a tough start to the season.

It started as a classic pitcher’s duel, as Cincinnati ace Willie Rodriguez went up against hometown hero Joe Brooks. Brooks, from nearby New Braunfels, TX, was originally drafted by the Cats but had limited success there, then floated around for a few years before being put on waivers by Milwaukee after the 2033 season. He was claimed by the Missions, for whom he’d grown up rooting, and once in San Antonio he became a fan favorite as a reliable rotation arm.

Brooks opened the game with three straight Ks, to the roars of an appreciative crowd, and faced the minimum again in the second with a strikeout, a walk, and a double play. Rodriguez, meanwhile, had largely handled San Antonio’s lineup, pitching around a single in the first then making quick work of the Missions with a K and two first pitch fly-outs.

Both pitchers ran into trouble in the third: Tigers 2B Edwin Martinez reached when CF Doug Boten lost a ball in the sunset, giving Martinez second. A Tony de Jesus single brought him home with the game’s first run, though Brooks shook it off to get three quick outs and strand the runner.

Rodriguez, now pitching with a narrow lead, allowed a first pitch single to 2B Jesus Rivas, then struck out Boten. Ray Bostick, though, floated a ball into shallow center that fell in, putting runners on first and second for Justin Gulden. Gulden, who came into the game hitting .297, singled sharply over SS Jim Horwood’s head to plate Rivas and tie it up.

Brooks got out of a jam in the 4th after a single, a wild pitch, and a groundout put a runner on third with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended it, bringing the Missions to the plate. On the fifth pitch of the inning, Ron Golden connected, driving a ball deep to right center, clearing the fence by a wide margin and landing a few rows back to put San Antonio ahead. Golden, who came into the game hitting just .191 with a .270 SLG and two homers, looked relieved as he circled the bases.

That shot would be the last San Antonio would get against Rodriguez for some time to come. The Cincy ace struck out two to end the inning, then struck out two more in the 5th, and the 6th, and the seventh - fourteen strikeouts heading into the eighth.

To make matters worse, Brooks had to come out of the game in the sixth, after a stumble on the mound following a one out RBI double that tied the game. Still, it brought Brooks out, and got into San Antonio’s bullpen in the middle of a dangerous situation.

RP Justin Hensen, however, was up to the challenge, getting two quick groundouts to short to end the threat. Hensen set the Tigers down in order on two Ks and a groundout in the 7th. A long eighth - 24 pitches for four batters - resulted in just a single and man left on for Cincinnati, giving the San Antonio RP two and two thirds scoreless.

In the 8th, against Rodriguez, the Missions got something going when Ray Bostick doubled to chase the ace. Two batters later, RF Morgan Teeple singled into shallow left. Hoping to advance the lead, the 3B coach sent Ray Bostick; it was the wrong call, as the slow Bostick was cut down with room to spare, ending the inning.

Hensen’s long eighth gave way to a quick ninth, with the Tigers going down on six pitches, with a fly out and two groundouts. That sent the game into the bottom of the ninth, as Kazuaki Nomura took the mound. He got Matthew Smith to ground to short, bringing up Ron Golden. The Missions 1B took the first pitch, but liked the second. He swung, and put one in the air down the short right field line at River Walk Park. It carried, and just cleared the wall for a walk-off homer, sending the Missions and their fans into a wild celebration as the Tigers left the field.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-24-2023, 06:53 PM

Mounties Extend D2 West Lead with Extra-Innings Win in Boston

It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the Vancouver Mounties, who extended their D2 West lead to five games with tonight’s extra-inning win over Boston thanks to the heroics of CF Sonny Scoggins and 1B John Witherspoon.

Boston, meanwhile, missed a chance to climb closer to the Conference-leading Terrapins, who lost 3-0 to New Orleans.

The game got off to a raucous start, as both teams scored three in the first. The 37 year old Dave Wyatt has been Boston’s best starter over the first month of the season, and came in with a 2-0 record and a 2.36 ERA. But Vancouver greeted him rudely, as leadoff hitter Sonny Scoggins drew a walk, and scored on John Witherspoon’s first homer of the day, a 365 footer down the RF line. After Wyatt recorded an out, Tony Hines crushed another, to nearly the same spot, making it 3-0 Mounties.

The bees answered back in the bottom half, as an Adam Andersen single and Rogelio Ventura double put runners on second and third for the young cleanup hitter Paul Ratner. Ratner has had a slow start to his season, but he lofted a 2-2 Danny Lowe offering into left and into the stands for a three-run bomb that tied it up.

That’s where things would stay until the fifth, as both pitchers largely kept their opponents off the basepaths. But in the fifth, Witherspoon got to Wyatt again. Tim Taylor reached via an error as Ratner dropped a throw from SS Ramon Santiago, and advanced on a Colin Hannigan single before Witherspoon drilled a 3-2 pitch nearly 400 feet to left center to double Vancouver’s score. That did it for Wyatt, who was replaced by Carlos Castillo.

Lowe didn’t last much longer. He kept the Bees quiet in the bottom of the fifth, but in the sixth he gave up a leadoff double to Jonathan Wyand, who went to third on a Dustin Jennings bunt. Adam Andersen walked, bringing up Rogelio Ventura. Ventura and Lowe had a long battle, during which Andersen stole second. But on the ninth pitch, the Boston RF flew out to right, shallow enough to hold Wyand at third. That brought up Ramon Santiago with two outs. The light-hitting SS is in the middle of a career year, however, and was able to shoot a single up the middle, bringing Wyand and the speedy Andersen home to bring Boston within 1.

Vancouver pulled away again over the next two innings, however. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Witherspoon in the 7th, and though he didn’t homer he did do damage, singling in one. Castillo recovered to strike out three Mounties in a row to escape, ending his night on a relative high note. He was replaced at the start of the 8th by lefty Dan Kuhler, who promptly gave up two singles to put men on the corners, then allowed a double to Sonny Scoggins that put the Mounties up 9-5.

That seemed like a high hill to climb, but climb it Boston did: in the bottom of the 8th, Dustin Jennings doubled, followed by a one out single by Ventura and a walk to Santiago. Shawn Burge strode to the plate with the bases loaded, and after taking a first pitch ball knocked Mounties reliever Josh Coleman’s next pitch straight down the RF line, clearing the fence for a dramatic, game-tying grand slam as the Boston crowd exploded.

Both clubs had a quiet ninth, but trouble started almost immediately for Boston in the tenth. OF Greg Cousino singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a fly ball that once again brought Sonny Scoggins to the plate. Scoggins is known more for his outstanding glove work than he is for his bat, but he whacked his second double of the day, bringing Cousino around for the go-ahead. He went to third on a wild pitch, but the Mounties stranded him there.

The damage was done, though, as Vancouver’s ace close Matt Greene entered to end the game in three batters - a strikeout, a hit batsman, and a double play. The Mounties now sit five games up on the West, while Boston remains in third place, four behind the Conference-leading Baltimore Terrapins.

ArquimedezPozo · 01-24-2023, 10:14 PM

Portland’s Davis Not Here to Make Friends; Slugs Three Against Amigos in Win

Pete Davis put on a fireworks show at Nike Field Friday night, as the Beavers sank the Amigos 9-4. The Portland RF blasted three homers, including a go-ahead, game-winning grand slam, as part of a 4-5 night with 6 RBI.

It was the Amigos who struck first, as Corey Stoute led off with a double into the left-center gap off Portland starter Nick Prince. Stoute went to third on a Ryan Hayden single, then scored as John Correai hit into a double play - at the time, a trade-off Portland was glad to make.

They got out of the inning with nothing further, but failed to score in the second, then faced more difficulty in the second. Two singles by Gabe Galvan and Chris Weber put runners on first and third. Galvan came out with an injury suffered sliding into third, so it was Emanuele Piepoli who scored Miami’s second run after a fielder’s choice that got Weber at second.

Portland woke up in the second. Phil Davis was the immediate catalyst, launching the first of his three shots, a high, lofting fly ball that settled into the second row in left to make it 2-1 Miami. Michael Peterson followed with a single, and CF Ed Weddell reached after Miami 3B David Pollock botched a grounder; all of a sudden, with one run in, Miami faced two on with nobody out.

Starter Brett Calderon almost escaped without further damage; he struck out Ryan Weaver and Justin Adams, the latter on three straight strikes. But Portland’s #9 hitter, Heath McNeil, hit a blazing liner over the head of Bill Ainsworth in left - a game-tying double. Davis struck again in the third, another solo shot to pull Portland ahead 3-2.

That’s where the contest remained until the sixth, with both Prince and Calderon scattering a few hits without much incident. But with two outs and Miami batting in the sixth, Prince got into trouble. Carlos Avalos fouled off pitch after pitch until finding one he liked, shooting a single past the shortstop in front of David Pollack. Pollack had been recalled from AAA Palm Beach earlier in the week, and had gone just 1 for 13 since, but he found the barrel on a 1-2 fastball and drilled it 370 feet to right field for a go-ahead two run homer.

So when Portland came to the plate in the sixth, they were behind for the first time since the second inning. Calderon got two quick outs on a fly to center and grounder to second, but Heath McNeil did damage again with a single that sparked the game winning rally. Franklin Mendez added another base hit, and Ozzie Rosales a third, to put men at every base for LF Ed Pless. The 25 year old worked a 3-2 walk to tie it up, 4-4.

Nick Montgomery was warm in the Miami bullpen, but unaccountably Calderon got left in to face Phil Davis, who had already homered off him twice. Davis let the first pitch go by again, this time for a called strike. But he swung at the second and made contact. It was far from a no-doubter, lofted again into left. At first it seemed like an easy get for Ainsworth, maybe on the track. But then Ainsworth kept drifting, and then he was at the wall, and then he was looking up at the ball falling into the first two rows as the crowd exploded. It was a go-ahead grand slam, and Portland now led 8-4 on Davis’ third homer of the night.

Portland got one more in the seventh, on a Franklin Mendez double that brought McNeil home, but it was pretty clear that Miami was done after the slam. Prince finished them off, facing ten batters over the final three frames, allowing only a single, as Portland drew itself even on the season at 22-22, and denied Miami a chance to move into a second place tie with Atlanta.

01-15-2023, 10:50 PM	#21
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	2037: Division 1 Coming into the season, the biggest story was the El Paso Sun Kings. The franchise that couldn’t lose was predicted to have another winning season, and seemed primed for a dynastic run. Young leadoff hitter and left fielder Joe Rison had established himself over the previous two years as an electrifying presence, a 60 steal threat with outstanding on base ability and an emerging leader. Catcher Mike Kepler, himself only 27, was coming off the first MVP season by any catcher in NABF history as well. The club had also made a splash in the free agent market, picking up RF Eduardo Garcia, a former MVP and probable Hall of Famer coming off an amazing season with his Philadelphia Athletics; the Sun Kings were hoping he might prove the difference between a Conference title and a seventh D1 Championship. The Denver Bears had won four straight D2 West titles and a D2 Championship, and were now playing in the Senior Circuit for the first time, but concerns swirled: Clemens Young and T.J. Hardcastle, who had been the drivers of Denver’s offense, were getting older, with Hardcastle about to enter his age 38 season, and ace Nate Mefford had looked far more hittable in the last couple seasons. In the East, the biggest question mark was the Tampa Tarpons, who had come storming through Division 2 during Cycle 10 and had buzz around them as a contender in D1. Tampa had a deep lineup headlined by the insanely fast T.J. Carcone (closing in already on the NABF all-time triples record) and a strong rotation. The Athletics, too, were a question mark: the defending champs had a bad offseason, losing star player Garcia without adding much. They still had ace Steve Romano, but Garcia had been the anchor of that lineup, and more holes appeared without him. The early weeks of the 2037 season produced a couple of surprises in the East. While most commentators saw Tampa and New York as favorites, the early leader was Chicago: Kyle DuBell looked like his old self, with a .919 OPS and three homers in April as Chicago jumped out to a solid lead. By the second week in May, though, they began to cool off. Tampa and New York filled that void, and by the end of May were locked in a heated battle for first, with Philadelphia and Brooklyn behind them. NY catcher Matt Wood was in the middle of a career year as well, homering 14 times combined between May and June. But a 16-11 June vaulted the surprising Dodgers to first place, as 1B Carson Prince - after a difficult 2036 - looked like the slugger that had taken the 2035 MVP again. New York and Tampa were tight on their tails, though, occasionally slipping into first before Brooklyn came back. Tampa launched a surge in September, and drew to within a game of Brooklyn with two games to play, but couldn’t convert, and Brooklyn secured the D1 East for the second time in three seasons. But Tampa announced itself as a major D1 player, and look to be ready to go in 2038. In the West, it was a different story: a pure dogfight between the two pre-eminent powers of the conference, the Sun Kings and the surprisingly strong LA Angels. Los Angeles hadn’t finished above 4th place since 2032, but here they were neck and neck with the preseason favorites; in fact, LA held first place for more than half the season, taking over in early June before El Paso caught up at the end of September. The last few weeks saw the lead flip back and forth, but in the final days El Paso went up for good. Joe Rison was spectacular in those weeks, fueling talk of an MVP (though Matt Wood remained the favorite). Division 1 Championship Series The 2037 D1 Championship opened in El Paso, yet again. Brooklyn started their ace, two time Pitcher of the Year winner Jason Blanche, who had had a solid year, though not one of his best. El Paso, who had been forced to use ace David Matthews down the stretch, opened with Pat Templin. At first, it seemed El Paso would rout: the club scored four off Blanche in the first, the killer blow coming on a two run single by Eduardo Garcia. Garcia had fallen short of expectations over the regular season, but delivered here, much to the delight of the El Paso crowd. But Brooklyn came back, with three in the third on a three run shot by young LF Gary Murray. El Paso pulled away a bit more with a one run sixth, though, and coming into the 8th it was a tough climb for Brooklyn. In the 8th, though, Templin was lifted for reliever Ryan Ratliff, who promptly hit Keither Howard to put a man on first. Ratliff got a strike on SS Matt Williams, but he lined the next one down the line in left, an easy double to put Howard on third. Mike Ivanir popped out, though, and though Howard scored on Murray’s groundout to short, a promising rally looked like it could end a run down. Then Carson Prince happened: he took Ratliff’s first pitcher and blasted it 402 feet over the wall in right center, and Brooklyn had a lead they would protect. The Dodgers took Game 1. Game 2 had far less drama. David Matthews got the start for El Paso and was flat-out brilliant, spinning a complete game four-hitter while striking out 11. The biggest hit of the game came when Mike Kepler tripled in the 6th, scoring two and making it 3-0 El Paso; Matthews had only needed the one run the Sun Kings had given him in the first, but those additional two must have felt like a dozen to the Dodgers. El Paso added another as 1B Ralph Carter drove in Kepler, and the Sun Kings waltzed to a Game 2, 4-0 victory. That would prove to be the high point. Back at Ebbets, the Dodgers feasted on El Paso’s subpar pitching: while the Sun Kings had scored an incredible 890 runs over the regular season, they ranked next to last in runs allowed, giving up 761. While Brooklyn’s pitching held, Dodger bats dismantled the visitors over the next three games by a massive 25-2 margin, with the series ending in an 11-1 laugher. Carson Prince, who homered three times, batted .421, and drove in 8, was named series MVP. The crowd in Brooklyn partied deep into the night that night: Brooklyn’s only previous D1 title had been 16 years earlier, also against El Paso. They had won that series in Texas, making this the first time the hometown crowd had ever seen their team hold that trophy aloft. It was a hell of a feeling. Attached Images

01-16-2023, 01:21 PM	#22
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	2037 D1 Leaders, Accomplishments, and Records Division 1 MVP Carson Prince, 1B, Brooklyn Dodgers Prince led D1 in hits, homers, RBI, and Slugging, driving his Dodgers to the second Championship in their history. He is one of only a handful of players in the NABF who have won an MVP and a Championship Series MVP in the same season. Division 1 Pitcher of the Year Pedro Luna, SP, Philadelphia Athletics Luna took home his second consecutive Pitcher of the Year Award after leading the Division in ERA, FIP, and Pitching WAR. He was consistently excellent throughout, leading in ERA and FIP- in every single month of the season, but was especially good down the stretch in September with a miniscule 1.05 ERA and 67 FIP- in 51 innings. Division 1 Reliever of the Year Bob Paul, CL, Chicago Whales The ageless Paul was brilliant out of the pen for Chicago, saving a D1 best 37 games with a 1.99 ERA and 3.46 FIP (77 FIP-). While his strikeout rate was down, he compensated with brilliant control, walking only 8 batters all season. This is his 4th Reliever of the Year, and third in D1. Division 1 Rookie of the Year Bill Wheeler, C, Tampa Tarpons The 25 year old Wheeler took over catching duties for Tampa this season, after some uncertainty in 2036. He performed well, putting up 2.1 WAR with 7 homers and a .295/.326/.386 line. While he didn’t quite qualify for the batting title, his average would have been third among catchers. Offensive Leaders Batting Title: SS Tyler Duncan, Monterrey Industriales - .353 On-Base Title: C Matt Wood, New York Giants - .412 OPS Title: 2B Chase Maze, Monterrey Industriales, .971 Slugging Title: 1B Carson Prince, Brooklyn Dodgers, .587 Home Run Title: 1B Carson Prince, Brooklyn Dodgers, 43 Stolen Base Title: LF Joe Rison, El Paso Sun Kings, 60 wOBA Title: 2B Chase Maze, Monterrey Industriales, .414 WAR Title: C Matt Wood, New York Giants - 6.5 Pitching Leaders ERA Title: SP Pedro Luna, Philadelphia Athletics - 2.31 Wins Title: 4 way tie - SP Jayden Jarrett, Tijuana Potros; SP Jack Johnson, Tampa Tarpons; SP Jeff Martin, Chicago Whales; SP Armando Orozco, Chicago Whales - 14 Saves Title: CL Bob Paul, Chicago Whales - 37 Strikeouts Title: SP Matt O’Brien, Brooklyn Dodgers - 196 FIP Title: SP Pedro Luna, Philadelphia Athletics - 3.43 Shutdowns Title: CL Matt Mayfield, Philadelphia Athletics - 31 Accomplishments Cycles: Two players completed the cycle in D1 in 2037, and both played for the Monterrey Industriales. 3B Jim Rollins accomplished it on April 14 against Los Angeles, going 4-5 and completing the feat in order, with a single in the second, a double in the 4th, a triple in the 6th, and a homer in the ninth. Then LF George Brandner did it on August 4, against Toronto, going 5-6 with two homers in the effort. Attached Images

01-16-2023, 07:34 PM	#23
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	2037: Division 2 Much as the promotion of the Tampa Tarpons spurred speculation of an upset in Division 1, the arrival of the Detroit Stars - back in Division 2 after three cycles in D3 - was the biggest topic of discussion in the junior circuit. Detroit’s powerful offense was headlined by Ali Brown, arguably the best third baseman of his generation and a two-time D3 MVP. In what was widely seen as a weak D2 East, Detroit was seen as having a legitimate shot to take the Conference in their first season. Eyes were also on the Baltimore Terrapins, back in D2 for the first time since their record-shattering Cycle 7 run. They had just completed the worst stretch of their existence, with three straight last place finishes, and though they’d signed star Ft. Worth 2B Omar Juarez in the offseason the roster was still largely bare. In the west, the promotion of Denver meant opportunity for several clubs. The Buffaloes, whose previous (and only) first place season was now 15 years in the past, has run a close second to Denver in 2036 and seemed primed for a run. The Mounties had a lot of young talent that seemed ready to make a mark: CF Sonny Scoggins, 3B Leo Rodriguez, 2B Colin Hannigan, SP Danny Tanon, and closer Matt Greene were all 27 or younger and made up an impressive youth movement. Then there were the Cats: the relegated former D1 team had bounced up and down twice over the last few cycles, and though they had lost some players (including the aforementioned Juarez) they had signed an intriguing international free agent out of Japan. Yukinobu Hasegawa was a gifted multi-position defensive whiz whose outstanding batting eye and solid power potential caught Cats Scouting Director Roberto Roman’s eye. The Cats planned to install him at short to replace the departed Omar Arredondo. In the East, the Terrapins went hard out of the gate, amassing an 11-6 record and the Conference lead by the end of April. The rest of the conference wasn’t far behind, though, and by mid-May the Terrapins had been joined at the top by Detroit and by the resurgent Boston Bees, and by HR leader Russ Mesaros, the DH. But behind a strong month from Ali Brown, the Stars crept into first, while the Terrapins faded back, leaving only Boston within a few games. The Stars and Bees played neck and neck ball through July, ending the month in a tie for first with Baltimore six games out, and Ottawa, New Orleans, and Montreal fighting over last place. The Bees pulled ahead in early August, but a late-month surge put Detroit in first for good. Baltimore stayed in it, but couldn’t close the gap either, and the season ended with Detroit taking the title with Baltimore and Boston both four games back, and Ottawa, Montreal, and New Orleans taking up the rear. In the West, San Diego jumped out to a surprise lead which they retained into June, but Ft. Worth soon overcame it, with Vancouver and Houston on their heels. Vancouver was powered by Hannigan, who hit .306/.443/.600 in July as the Mounties climbed up the Conference, from six games back in fifth place on July 1 to a tie for first with the Cats on August 1. They kept pace with Ft. Worth for the rest of the month, while the Buffaloes sat just three back. For Fort Worth, their newcomer, Hasegawa, was the difference maker: while playing exceptional defense at short, the rookie hit .325 with seven homers and a .688 SLG in July, keeping the Cats in the hunt. He finished with a .351 wOBA and 129 wRC+ while his defense elevated his value: his 5.8 WAR was tops for shortstops, and he eclipsed all rookies in essentially every offensive category. By the season’s final weekend, the Mounties and Cats remained deadlocked, each at 84-68 with two games to play. But while Ft. Worth beat up on San Diego, winning their final two by a combined score of 15-3, the Mounties dropped close ones to Montreal, ending their bid. The Cats, who had finished last in D1 East the year before, were Conference winners in 2037, and would face Detroit in a battle of D2 newcomers. Neither knew they were about to be part of history. Division 2 Championship Series There wasn’t much drama at first. Detroit won game 1 behind a solid Chris Morris start, as 1B Luis Baleia homered, young 2B Shane McBride went 4-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, and Morris - a DH on his pitching days - doubled and scored. Hasegawa and LF Tim Sicinski scored Ft. Worth’s two runs in the contest. Game 2 was much more exciting: a 12 inning game that Detroit won on a walk-off single by Baleia, scoring Ali Brown. Detroit had led 5-3 going into the ninth, but two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Sicinski. Detroit’s closer Shane Smith got the count to two and two, but the Ft. Worth LF was able to line a ball to right, scoring one run immediately. The runner on second, made the turn, and though the throw from RF Bill Schottemer was a strong one, it was up the line. The game was tied. The bottom of the ninth passed quietly, as did the 10th and 11th, and though Ft. Worth put a runner in scoring position via a Jalen Bynum double, they couldn’t convert. Ft. Worth turned to fifth starter Antonio Duran for the bottom of the twelfth. He got McBride on a fly ball, but walked Brown; Victor Ortiz singled, putting runners on first and second for Luis Baleia. Detroit’s first baseman took a 2-1 pith through the 5-6 hole on a line, and though Sicinski gave it a solid effort, Brown had gotten a great jump and scored the walk off run with relative ease, giving Detroit a 2-0 advantage heading to Texas. In Game 3, homers by Brown and Ortiz gave Detroit an early lead, 5-2 by the end of the sixth inning. A desperate Ft. Worth struggled against Detroit starter Jacob Bergman and the Stars bullpen in the 6th, 7th, and 8th. And while Jordan Rodriguez homered off Chris Little in the ninth to close the gap by one, the Cats let a Robby Jones double die at second. They were in a three game hole. When Detroit scored one in the top of the first of Game 4, the feeling at Ft. Worth Municipal was heavy as fans dug in for a sweep. But the Cats showed up in the bottom of the inning, as Kovach tied it with a single and Sicinski pulled the Cats ahead with a sac fly. Ft. Worth’s starter Alvaro Cabello danced through raindrops into the fifth without allowing another run, and RP Chris Baus did the same in the 6th and the seventh. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Ft. Worth added an insurance run, as Hasegawa tripled and scored on a Robby Jones double. That was all the Cats would need as Detroit failed to capitalize on their chances, leaving 11 on base in the loss. The mood of the Ft. Worth crowd that left the park that night was one of very cautious optimism: no team in NABF history had ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a Championship Series, but the first step was done, and at least coming back from 1-3 wasn’t unprecedented. In Game 5, Detroit once again scored in the first frame, on a double, sac bunt, and sac fly. And with Chris Morris and Nick Khouri on the mound, the score stayed there at 1-0 Detroit into the fifth. But Ft. Worth unleashed a stream of hits against Morries from the very first pitch of that inning, with switch hitting OF Mike Haeg smacking a double and advancing on a single by Robby Jones. A walk to Kevin Peterson brought up the light-hitting Eria Khatabi, but the CF blooped a ball past the shortstop into left, scoring Haeg and tying the game. Shaken, Morris walked Hasegawa to give the Cats the lead. Jalen Bynum worked a ten pitch AB, fouling off six straight before punching a ball that looked great off the bat. The crowd rose to its feet anticipating the grand slam, but the ball fell just ahead of the wall and into CF David Beach’s glove. It was enough to score Ft. Worth’s third run, though, and advance Khatabi to third, from where he scored on a Sicinski groundout. It was 4-1 Ft Worth at the end of the fifth, and it was 4-1 Ft. Worth at the end of the ninth. 2-3 now, but the series was headed back to Motown. What unfolded in Detroit in Game 6 broke nearly every Championship Series offensive record there was. Detroit scored 11 runs, collecting 12 hits, two of them homers; the team as a whole struck out only twice again starter Steve Granillo and the Ft. Worth pen. But that wasn’t the part of the game that broke the records. Ft. Worth, which had scored 706 runs in the regular season, second in D2, went wild against Detroit pitching. They scored four in the first, almost entirely on singles, and when Detroit answered with a four spot of their own, Ft. Worth gave them another three in the top of the second. Then they dropped a five run third, on a Sicinski grand slam; the Bynum solo shot that followed was just the cherry on top. They scored another three in the fourth, and one in the fifth. They took the sixth inning off, but came back with two in the seventh, one in the eighth, and two in the ninth. Only Elia Khatabia didn’t get a hit, but the eight other starters collected 19 total, the most for any team in NABF history in a single Championship game. That all amounted to 21 runs, a single team CS record, and 32 total runs, a record for a full game. But amidst all those fireworks, one fact lifted above the others: Ft. Worth was on the verge of the most epic comeback in NABF history. There was little drama in it, when it happened in Game 7. Kovach launched a three run homer in the first, and Detroit was beaten, though they kept on playing. The Stars crawled back to make it 4-2 after 6, but a Robby Jones double (his fifth of the series) scored two, and then he himself scored to make it 7-2. Duran, who had been the losing pitcher in Game 2, came out of the pen again for a perfect ninth inning, and Detroit, stunned, came off the field to dead silence from their hometown as the Cats celebrated. They had done the impossible, and they were champions once again. Attached Images

01-16-2023, 09:48 PM	#24
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	D2 Leaders, Accomplishments, and Records Division 2 MVP Colin Hannigan, 2B, Vancouver Mounties Hannigan, who had shown immense promise with a 6.3 WAR 2024 at age 24, was still productive in ‘35 and ‘36, but hadn’t reached those previous heights again. He did this year, hitting .269/.390/.502 (that OBP leading D2) with a career high 22 homers and a 15.9% walk rate while playing strong defense at second to amass 7.3 WAR and give Vancouver a fighting chance in the D2 West. Division 2 Pitcher of the Year Sean Cooper, SP, Detroit Stars Despite making only 23 starts for the Stars due to injury, Cooper was a unanimous choice for the award, with teammate Chris Morris coming in a distant second. Cooper was 12-2 with a 2.56 ERA and D2 best 0.97 WHIP and 78 FIP-, while striking out 205 in 172 innings for a 4.3 WAR. The best game of his career came on April 24, when he k’d 15 Terrapins in a 4-3 victory. Division 2 Reliever of the Year Matt Greene, CL, Vancouver Mounties Greene had a dominant 2037, totalling 3.4 WAR as a reliever in just over 76 innings. Greene allowed just two homers and saved a league-best 40 with a 2.36 ERA despite a .326 BABIP; his FIP was a mere 1.95, half the league average. This is Greene’s first Reliever of the Year Award. Division 2 Rookie of the Year Yukinobu Hasegawa, SS, Ft. Worth Cats Hasegawa, a highly-anticipated international free agent from Japan, signed with the Cats in January. Hasegawa is a talented and versatile defender at any position, and won a Gold Glove at shortstop along with his Rookie of the Year. Hasegawa hit 25 homers with an OPS above .800 in his first season in the NABF. Offensive Leaders Batting Title: Carlos Ybarra, LF, New Orleans Zephyrs - .334 On-Base Title: Colin Hannigan, 2B, Vancouver Mounties - .390 Slugging Title: Robert Zermeno, 1B, New Orleans Zephyrs - .584 OPS Title: Robert Zemeno, 1B, New Orleans Zephyrs - .949 Home Run Title: Russ Mesaros, DH, Boston Bees - 42 Stolen Base Title: Danny Jensen, LF, New Orleans Zephyrs - 35 wOBA Title: Robert Zermeno, 1B, New Orleans Zephyrs - .405 WAR Title: Colin Hannigan, 2B, Vancouver Mounties - 7.3 Pitching Leaders ERA Title: Chris Vroman, SP, Sacramento Solons - 2.50 Wins Title: Chris Morris, SP, Detroit Stars - 17 Saves Title:Matt Greene, CL, Vancouver Mounties - 40 Strikeouts Title: Josh Beck, SP, San Diego Padres - 262 FIP Title: Josh Beck, SP, San Diego Padres - 2.95 Shutdowns Title: Matt Greene, CL, Vancouver Mounties - 40 Accomplishments Vancouver’s Anthony Roberts joined a select list, throwing the 29th no-hitter in Division 2 history. Roberts struck out 15 and walked two while shutting down the San Diego Padres on July 11. Boston’s Russ Mesaros led D2 with 42 homers, but one was more special than the others: on July 28, the slugger hit the 300th of his career in an 8-7 loss vs the Monarchs. Kansas City Monarchs LF Jeremy Grimm and then Baltimore Terrapins CF Steve Keeler each hit for the cycle, with Grimm going 4-5 with six RBI vs Sacramento on May 5, and Keeler accomplishing it two days later against Boston, going 4-4. Attached Images Last edited by ArquimedezPozo; 01-18-2023 at 10:17 PM.

01-18-2023, 09:05 PM	#25
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	2037: Division 3 Eight teams stayed in Division 3 over the 2036/2037 offseason, and each of them sighed relief that the Detroit Stars and Sacramento Solons had moved on. Those two clubs, now in Division 2, had taken five of the six Conference titles between them over the previous three years, and had won, on average, 91 games a season. Their departure opened up room, especially for the Nashville Sounds. In 2036, Nashville became the only team in NABF history to win 100 games in a season without either winning the conference or being promoted at the end of the cycle (discounting Division 1). The Sounds had assembled an impressive roster, including slugger Bobby Cook and a couple of likely Hall of Famers in SS Ivan Castillo, and CF Mel Irving. It was hard not to consider Nashville the prohibitive D3 East favorite coming into the year. The biggest question mark for Nashville was a D3 newcomer: the newly-christened Miami Amigos (formerly Marlins) who had just finished cutting their own swath of destruction across D4, with three straight Conference titles and the 2035 and 2036 Division Championships. While Nashville was driven by a powerful lineup, Miami boasted a strong rotation led by two-time Pitcher of the Year (and former MVP) Paul Herrin. The club had also signed veteran hurler Brett Calderon, with SP Corey Keltner staying after arriving in Miami via trade in 2036. The defense was also a strong one, giving Miami deep run prevention potential. Beyond those two, few teams had much to recommend them; that included the Atlanta Crackers, who boasted the best young player in the division, Sam Stanton, but had surrounded him with little. In the West, the situation was more fluid. The Solons had not only won D3 West each of their three years, they’d essentially been the only winning team: only one other team even had a single over-.500 season over Cycle 10, and that was Salt Lake in 2034. So there was no obvious successor. Neither division newcomer - Austin had come up from D4, and Portland down from D2 - were seen as obvious choices either; Austin had won a historically weak D4 East while Portland seemed like a team on the slide. In a division full of question marks, the best bet might have been St. Paul, with a team full of young and promising players, though there were still significant holes. San Francisco had some intriguing options as well, including young SP Jason Riddle, but was largely a team with aging veterans whose better days were gone; they’d also traded their ace Jon Sayre in the offseason, hoping to make out with some prospects before he tested free agency. So the West was wide open, while the East seemed destined to be a two team race. The East lived up to that billing, but only somewhat as Miami exploded out of the gate and really never looked back. A surprising Atlanta club, kept pace into June, led by Stanton, at the start of what would become a breakout, MVP season; the young LF had 28 homers by the end of June, though he cooled off in the later months. As Atlanta faded, Nashville remained, and the two frontrunners separated themselves from the rest over the course of July, with Miami holding a commanding position. On August 1, Miami was ten games up on Nashville, which was in turn up nine games on Atlanta and Memphis and more on the rest. In mid-August, Nashville was able to begin to narrow that gap slightly, pulling to within seven games by the start of September, but that’s as close as they’d get. Miami simply refused to allow their opponents to score: only 516 runs scored against them all season, the lowest in all Division 3 by a wide margin. That effort was headlined by Paul Herrin, whose sidearm delivery and five pitch arsenal translated well to Division 3, once again leading in strikeouts, FIP-, and WAR while throwing over 230 innings. It was more than enough to make up for a middling offense, and Miami won 101 games, leaving hard-luck Nashville once again in second place, this time with 94. In the West, as both newcomers sank quickly to the bottom half of the standings, the legacy D3 West clubs fought it out. San Francisco took a slight lead very early on and held it, and by the start of June they were five up on St. Paul and six up on Salt Lake, while Calgary floundered. But Salt Lake surged as the Seals hit a rough patch, pulling into a tie for first on June 20 with all the momentum behind them. It would prove to be their high water mark: They stayed within three games of the Seals for close to a month, but never got back to first place. By the end of July, the Seals had an 8 game lead on both Salt Lake and St. Paul. While Salt Lake’s booming offense scored more runs than any other D3 team, their pitching was downright awful, second only to Calgary’s in runs allowed. For St. Paul, the season held promise as young players improved: 2B Kevin Walker had an outstanding age 24 season, with 23 homers and a .337/.380/.548 line while their young rotation held their own, with the fourth fewest runs allowed in the Division. The Seals benefitted from an amazing 35-12 record in one-run games, meanwhile, finishing a full nine games ahead of their expected record (St. Paul had the best run differential in the West). The Seals finished eight games up, and now faced a difficult challenge: the 101 win Miami Amigos. Division 3 Championship Series Miami came into the series seeking their third straight Championship, having won D4 in 2035 and 2036 in addition to two others, one each in the 2010s and 2020s. But Miami had still never won a D3 championship, and saw their opening facing what, on paper, was a much weaker Seals team. San Francisco, meanwhile, was seeking their second championship, the first a now distant 15 year old memory. Game 1 belonged to Paul Herrin, as had the season that preceded it. Herrin went seven and a third, striking out 11 on just five hits and a walk; a run scored on a walk and two singles in the eighth ending his night, but the Amigos bullpen held to give Miami a 1-0 series lead. For their part, the Seals had performed well, and young ace Jason Riddle went 8, allowing just three. But that was enough, and he was saddled with the loss. Game 2, though, saw the Seals beat up on starter Brett Calderon. Though Miami took a 1-0 lead in the first off a Corey Stoute double, they couldn’t add on against an effective George Hunter, and after two quick singles to open the fourth, Calderon hung one to powerful 1B Paul Williamson. The Seal slugger crushed it, 434 feet to dead center to give the Seals a 3-1 lead. They built on that over subsequent innings, with SS George Towne, who had hit only wight homers all year, slamming one in the 9th to make it 6-1 Seals. The series was tied heading to San Francisco, and though the Miami crowd didn’t know it, their city wouldn’t see another game that season. The Seals offense pulled apart Miamis’ great pitching staff over the next two games. Game 3 was an exciting one, as Miami went up 3-0 in the third while starter Bryce Young held the Seals to just a single hit through four. But in the fifth, San Francisco caught up to the veteran, tying it up on a series of singles and a Milt Webster double before free agent signing Josh Henry - an aging slugger who had a revitalized season for SF - smashed a three run homer. That made it 6-3 , a lead that expanded to 8-4 in the seventh. Miami added one more in the 8th but couldn’t close it, and went down 2 games to 1 in enemy territory. Game 4 opened with a four run first for the Seals as Jim Tyndall crushed a three run homer; the Seals would add four more while Miami eked out just a single run against Alex Ramirez (finishing his first season as a starter and pitching the game of his young life). But Miami had Herrin waiting in the wings for Game 5, and knew that a win there would send them back to Miami, so optimism reigned in the Amigos clubhouse before first pitch. When leadoff man Gabe Cross drilled a double down the third base line to open the game, then came around on a Joel Gonella single, Miami had reason for their hope. Herrin was, indeed, spectacular: over his seven innings of work, he struck out 11 and allowed only five hits, in a near copy of his game 1 performance. The problem for Miami was that Herrin also allowed a single run in the fifth, on a pair of doubles by Milt Weber and Eddie Rhose, which tied the game up. As good as Herrin had been, Jason Riddle had been better. The two runs Miami got in the first would be their only hits of the game, as Riddle, too, went seven striking out eight and allowing a run. Closer Butch Evans relieved Herrin in the eighth, and got two quick outs. But Josh Henry singled, and Paul Williamson, whose Game 2 homer had been the difference in Game 2, struck again: a two run bomb off Evans gave the Seals what would prove to be the winning run. In front of an ecstatic Seals Stadium crowd, closer Ben Nickson worked around a ninth inning single and closed out San Francisco’s second Championship. Attached Images Last edited by ArquimedezPozo; 01-18-2023 at 09:12 PM.

01-18-2023, 09:24 PM	#26
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	D3 Leaders, Accomplishments, and Records Division 3 MVP Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers Stanton had already established himself as a star with his 2034 Rookie of the Year campaign and his 2036 season in which he won both the batting title and the home run crown, but in 2037 he took home his first MVP with a .324/.413/.604 line (league best OBP and OPS), another 42 homers, and a D3 leading 6.3 WAR despite playing only nine games in the field. Stanton has a very bright future, which Atlanta just acknowledged by signing him to an extension that will keep him in Cracker Blue until 2045. Division 3 Pitcher of the Year Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos Herrin takes home his third straight Pitcher of the Year and first in D3, winning the pitching Triple Crown while leading the Division in wins (16), ERA (2.72), Ks (278), FIP (2.98), FIP- (72) and WAR (6.6). At just 28, Herrin has a chance to establish himself as an inner circle NABF pitcher over the next few seasons, and Miami has him locked up through 2040. Division 3 Reliever of the Year Isaiah Phelps, CL, Nashville Sounds After several seasons as the Expos closer, this was Phelps’ first season in Nashville, and he was outstanding, setting a career high with 2.9 wAR while striking out 86 over 80 innings against just 19 walks and five homers. Phelps saved 35 games for the second place Sounds. Division 3 Rookie of the Year Ed Pless, LF/DH, Portland Beavers His minor league managers all raved about Pless’s makeup and ability when he was called up in September of 2036, and though he began 2037 in AAA Eugene, Pless established himself as a piece of Portland’s future quickly on arrival, hitting .274 with an outstanding .408 OBP. He hit 14 homers and ended the year with a 141 wRC+ at age 24. Offensive Leaders Batting Title: Paul Geisler, 1B, Salt Lake Gulls - .350 On-Base Title: Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers - .413 Slugging Title: Josh Henry, RF, San Francisco Seals - .607 OPS Title: Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers - 1.017 Home Run Title: Josh Henry, RF, San Francisco Seals - 43 Stolen Base Title: Chris Griebe, LF, Salt Lake Gulls - 44 wOBA Title: Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers - .427 WAR Title: Sam Stanton, DH, Atlanta Crackers - 6.3 Pitching Leaders ERA Title: Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos - 2.72 Wins Title: two-way tie: Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos and Corey Keltner, SP, Miami Amigos - 16 Saves Title: Butch Evans, CL, Miami Amigos - 43 Strikeouts Title: two way tie: Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos and Ian Weaver, SP, Memphis Blues - 278 FIP Title: Paul Herrin, SP, Miami Amigos - 2.98 Shutdowns Title: Butch Evans, CL, Miami Amigos - 37 Accomplishments Three D3 pitchers had no-hitters in 2037. The Red Birds; Marcos Campos struck out nine with a walk against Calgary in May, and St. Paul’s promising young starter Ricardo Raygoza shut down Nashville a month later, striking out six. St. Paul’s Jim Mayer benefitted from the good bounces as he locked down his no-no against Sam Stanton’s Crackers in mid-September; Mayer struck out only three. Miami SP and Pitcher of the Year Paul Herrin won the Pitching Triple Crown, with 16 wins, a 2.72 ERA, and 278 strikeouts, though he shared the wins title with teammate Corey Keltner and the strikeout title with Memphis Blues ace Ian Weaver. Four players hit for the cycle in D3 this year: Austin’s Nick Bowes did it while going 4-5 against Cleveland on May 29, while Salt Lake’s Nate Madden and San Francisco’s Jordan Sanchez each accomplished it vs. Columbus nine days apart in late July. Andy Feldman went 4-5 i his cycle for Nashville against cross-state rival Memphis on August 15. Memphis Blues SP Ian Weaver struck out his 2000th batter on June 18 when he dropped Columbus’s Bryan Payne on a swinging strike three in the 6th. Portland DH Kevin Fillion collected his 2000th hit in late September, only a month after scoring his 1000th career run. Nashville CF Mel Irving drove in his 1000th run in the last weekend of the season, on an RBI single to left. St. Paul’s Kevin Walker had a 34 game hit streak, the second longest in D3 history, that ended on August 17. Austin’s Mike MacArtney joined the 400 home run club early on in the season, finishing with 413 to pull into the top 25 in NABF history; he also drew within 45 hits of joining Bobby Usry as the only NABF players with over 3,000 hits; he is a free agent, but was productive again in 2037, so it’s assumed that a team will give him that chance in 2038. Attached Images Last edited by ArquimedezPozo; 01-18-2023 at 09:26 PM.

01-18-2023, 10:13 PM	#27
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	2037: Division 4 The promotion of the Miami Marlins from D4 East gave the Indianapolis Clowns a clear path to contention. The Clowns had developed an outstanding pitching staff over previous seasons, headlined by co-aces Jason Stanfill and Aaron Cottrell, with prospect Greg Smith ready to join them; they would add former Denver ace Nate Mefford mid-season as well, as Denver fell apart in Division 1. But Indianapolis had struggled to build a solid lineup as slugger David Durica declined, and had finished second to last in runs in 2036, leading second year GM Craig Derby to go out and find bats in the offseason. A trade with Portland brought in 1B Justin Wilson, while 3B Jose Nunez arrived in another with Cleveland; Art Degon, a former independent league signing who had kicked around with Denver and Las Vegas arrived in yet another deal. Derby grabbed 2B Ken Clemons in the Rule 5 draft from Salt Lake, and a host of others - minor league deals that he hoped might pan out, anything that might bring the offense up just enough to secure that top spot. Other teams were trying to capitalize as well. Cincinnati - back in D4 after a short, successful D3 stint had gone south in Cycle 10 - had some offense, but needed pitching behind ace Willie Rodriguez; they picked up some spare part starters. Havana planned mostly to rely on a young crop of players, but got some veteran help in DH Josh Reynolds. Charlotte continued its regular efforts to build star LF Ernesto Gonzales some lineup protection, grabbing 3B Eric Hicks and 1B Jason McCollum as free agents. Pittsburgh and Washington… mostly continued to be Pittsburgh and Washington. The Conference was clearly Indianapolis’s to lose. Though the Pioneers had been the team that had topped out the P/R formula at the end of Cycle 10, it was the Phoenix Firebirds who had ended those three seasons on top, winning their first ever Conference title in 2036. They were the clear favorites, though they lost ace closer Bob Paul in free agency. With 2B Matt Armstrong leading an offense of competent bats, the Firebirds went out and traded prospects to San Francisco for ace Jon Sayre, the biggest splash any of their fans cloud recall the historically inept franchise making. Behind the Firebirds were a bunch of teams with deep flaws. The Missions had a strong offense but hadn’t shown much pitching in recent years, and that was doubly true of the St. Louis Browns who had scored a division-best 758 runs in 2036 but had given up nearly as many. Las Vegas lost 81 in 2036, and no one who watched them expected much different in the coming season. The Brewers were now firmly established as the worst team in baseball, having finished last in their respective conferences in seven of the last ten seasons, with no real hope on the horizon. That left relegated Albuquerque, who had lost several solid players to relegation clauses. The Clowns showed they weren’t joking around early, blasting through April with a 14-3 record and ending the month six games up on Washington, with others bunched up under the Senators. By the end of May, the lead had extended to nine games; then 12 by the end of June, as the Tigers and Sugar Kings established a second tier, just above .500. The Tigers made a small run in August pulling to within 9 after being 15 games out on August 20; as the Clowns hit a small skid, the Tigers went 7-3 to pull within a decade of the frontrunners. They would get as close as 8 in mid-September, but the Clowns clinched easily and finished at 94 and 60, 12 up on the second place Tigers. The West, though, was a much more exciting race that boiled down to the Firebirds and the somewhat surprising San Antonio Missions. While the Firebirds led throughout April and May, it was never by a lot, with the Browns on their tail much of that time. St. Louis actually overtook Phoenix in early June, while San Antonio crept further up the chart, and in June 11, the three teams found themselves in a 33-23 tie. They all played essentially even with each other for another two weeks, but by the end of June St. Louis had started to fade, leaving just Phoenix and San Antonio tied atop the standings. The 51s briefly forced their way into the discussion with a nine game win streak wrapped around the All-Star break in July, while Phoenix buckled slightly, leaving San Antonio in command of the conference at the end of the month. But in August, as Arizona reached its hottest point so did its team: the Firebirds went 19-9, ending August in first with a four game lead. They maintained it until nearly the end of September, when suddenly San Antonio made its move. It closed the gap to a game on the final day of the season, and then - as the Firebirds managed to lose three straight to Pittsburgh- tied it up on the final day of the regular season, forcing a one game playoff with Phoenix. Because of the head to head record, the game was to be played in the desert. What unfolded was a tight pitchers duel, with San Antonio starter Billy Smith throwing seven, allowing just a singly unearned run. Phoenix starter Jonathan Ring, meanwhile, opened with four no-hit innings striking out three. But Ring had been visibly bothered coming off the mound that inning, and was replaced by Jonathan Schaeffer; it was later announced that Ring had ruptured a tendon in his right index finger and was done for the season, whether that season lasted five innings or five games. Schaeffer pitched well, but so didSmith, and in the top of the seventh it was Schaeffer who blinked: an RBI triple by Jesus Rivas tied it up. The game entered the ninth in a 1-1 tie, and Schaeffer worked around an error to send it to the bottom of the inning. Star CF Brandon Murrell was a defense-first player who had hit just .264/.351/.406 on the season, but he was speedy, so when he led off by drilling a ball into the right-center gap it was clearly trouble. Murrell rounded second and dug for third, making it ahead of the throw and giving the Firebirds a huge opportunity. An intentional walk to Fred Levang brought Steve Heinemann to the plate; Heinemann had struck out more than 20% of the time in 2037, so San Antonio was hoping to K him and look for a double play to escape. They got the first two strikes on fouls, but Heinemann took the third offering and lofted it deep to right. It settled into the RF’s glove just shy of the warning track, but his throw was ornamental - there was no chance to get Murrell, who crossed the plate as his teammates streamed from the dugout and the fans exploded in celebration of Phoenix’s second - and second consecutive - Conference title. Division 4 Championship Series Phoenix took the field in Indianapolis aware of the mountain they would be forced to climb: Indianapolis had won 94 games behind a pitching staff and defense that had been stingier than the next best team by almost 90 runs. The good news for Phoenix was that they were the next best team: the Firebirds pitching staff, led by Sayre, had improved even from 2036’s strong season. And Phoenix had, by a good margin, the better offense, scoring 705 runs to Indianapolis’s 627 while leading D4 in homers and walks. But any day you have to face Aaron Cottrell is a tough day, and Indianapolis’s big lead at the end of the season meant he was rested and ready. Cottrell, 27, had been coming off a tough 2036. Tough for him meant a 2.90 ERA and 3.50 FIP, with an uptick in homers and walks to go along with them. But he’d come to Spring Training with fire in his eyes, and it didn’t leave all season. Cottrell was the best he’d ever been in 2037, throwing nearly 250 innings and allowing just 7 homers while striking out 245. He led in wins with 18 and ERA, an even 2.00 despite a .310 BABIP. His 2.52 FIP and 67 FIP- both led D4, as did his 7.8 WAR. He was the best D4 had to offer, and the voters recognized it, giving him the Pitcher of the Year and the MVP - the second straight time that had happened in D4 and just the third ever in the NABF (not counting Ryan Little, who accomplished it from both sides of the ball). So, naturally, Cottrell bombed. Phoenix got two off him quick after a Murrell single, a walk, and another single loaded the bases. Craig White singled, bringing in two before Alfredo Vega struck out to end the threat. That could have been chalked up to a long layoff, and sure enough Cottrell settled in, allowing just a hit and a walk over the next three while Indianapolis took a 3-2 lead on a Robert Tanksi homer in the third.. But in the fifth, Phoenix came out swinging their third time through the lineup. The suddenly deadly Murrell doubled, and scored on another double by Fred Levang. Matt Armstrong walked, and Nate Wilson singled, loading the bases. Cottrell go Heinemann looking, but Craig White once again delivered, this time clearing the bases with a double into the left center gap. White scored on a Vega single, and that chased Cottrell. Matt West doubled off reliever Tom Newell, scoring one, but Vega was pegged at home keeping the score at 8-3. Indianapolis tried, and came close, adding a run in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the sixth, but couldn’t get that one last run across as Phoenix’s bullpen came in and struck out seven over the last 3 ⅔ innings, allowing just a single hit. Phoenix took a 1-0 lead, on the road, against the best pitcher in the Division - things were looking up. But Cottrell wasn’t the only ace Indianapolis had. Nate Mefford wasn’t well liked around the league, and had basically forced a trade out of Denver by dogging it once it became clear the Bears were headed for the D1 cellar. But he came to Indianapolis and relit the fire. Mefford, at 34 already in third place on the all-time K list and likely to overcome Malcolm Bush for first in 2038, had always been a strange pitcher: without a devastating fastball, he relied on a tricky sinker and the Federation’s nastiest changeup to get his outs. He walked a lot of batters. He gave up a lot of homers. His ERA and FIP often hovered just a step better than league average. But man could he strike people out: four seasons with over 300 K’s, more than any other pitcher, and a 12.01 K/9, one of the highest career marks in the game. And while the Firebirds had gotten to Cottrell, they simply couldn’t touch Mefford: the 34 year old went 8.1 allowing just a single hit and walking four while striking out 11 on the way to a 4-0 Clowns win. Jon Sayre had started for Phoenix, also striking out 11 over 8 innings of work, but allowing all four Indy runs. Jason Stanfill took the hill for Indianapolis in Game Three, and though he wasn’t as effective as Mefford he was effective enough. The Clowns clobbered Joe Waybright and two Phoenix relievers, putting up four in the fourth, one in the fifth, and two in the sixth, then adding two for good measure in the eighth on a Rob Tanski two run shot. While Phoenix put up four of their own against Stanfill in the fifth, that’s all they would get, and Indianapolis took a 2-0 series lead. What happened next struck observers speechless. Francisco Rosado was the definition of journeyman; Phoenix, where he’d arrived after a midseason pitching depth trade with Sacramento, was the 34 year old’s sixth organization. He’d had a couple of decent, even good years with Denver, but had mostly been a league average lefty, sometimes as a starter and sometimes in relief. He collected his check, and he was a pending free agent. And he threw a no-hitter. While Phoenix’s hitters hung seven runs on Kenny Hiller and the Clowns pen, Francisco Rosado threw the game of his life: the only no-hitter ever thrown in a Championship Series. He walked two, and a runner reached on an error, and that was all as he struck out 11 and was lifted off his feet by teammates while the crowd roared louder than they had ever done. The stadium shook that night in Phoenix. While it would make a great story to say that the win spurred Phoenix to two more and the franchise’s first championship, that’s not what happened. Game 5 was an extra-inning affair, a tense, taut matchup as Phoenix tied up the game at five on a line drive single by Fred Levang in the bottom of the ninth with one out. Phoenix came close again in the 12th, putting Levang on third before a Heinemann strikeout ended it. In the top of the 13th, Robert Tanski - a thorn in Phoenix’s side all series - doubled. David Durica struck out for the second out, but Jose Nunez snuck a 1-2 groundball through the 5-6 hole to give the Clowns a 6-5 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Chris White led off with a fly ball that looked right up until the last minute like it might repay the favor, but it was caught, and Greg Smith struck out Vega and West to end the game and send it back to Indianapolis with the Clowns a win away. They got that win in Game 6, a relatively drama-free game after the previous two, as Phoenix got two quick runs off Mefford before Indianapolis scored four, in part on another homer by Robert Tanski, who would unsurprisingly be named series MVP. The Clowns made it 5-2 in the sixth, and though the Firebirds started to put something together in the ninth, they got only one off an RBI double by Heinemann. Indianapolis closed it out at home, as the crowd cheered and Phoenix was left once more without a trophy. Attached Images Last edited by ArquimedezPozo; 01-18-2023 at 10:16 PM.

01-18-2023, 10:15 PM	#28
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	D4 Leaders, Accomplishments, and Records Division 4 MVP and Pitcher of the Year Aaron Cottrell, SP, Indianapolis Clowns Cottrell becomes the fourth pitcher (not including two-way seasons) to win the Pitcher of the Year and MVP in the same year with a stellar 2037. The Clowns ace went 18-7 with a 2.00 ERA, striking out 245 while walking only 5% of batters faced and allowing only 7 homers all season. his 7.8 WAR was tops among all D4 players. Cottrell’s Pitcher of the Year was unanimous, while his MVP was more closely contested, though he still took home half of the first place votes with the others spread among four players. Oh, and he won a Gold Glove for his defense to boot. A complete pitcher. Division 4 Reliever of the Year Makoto Morimoto, RP, St. Louis Browns Morimoto, who signed with Cleveland after the season ended, led D4 with 42 saves while striking out 80 batters in 75 innings. His 2.42 FIP and 59 FIP- were the best in the Division among relievers, as was his 2.7 WAR. Division 4 Rookie of the Year Greg Smith, SP, Indianapolis Clowns As if the Clowns needed more great pitching, here comes Greg Smith: the 23 year old started the season in Indianapolis’s pen, earning 11 saves over the season’s first two months before being tapped for the rotation. He was outstanding there too, winning 11 with a 2.57 ERA and league best 1.09 WHIP, earning 3.8 WAR on the season. Offensive Leaders Batting Title: Ernesto Gonzales, LF, Charlotte Hornets - .350 On-Base Title: Ernesto Gonzales, LF, Charlotte Hornets - .397 Slugging Title: Ron Golden, 3B, San Antonio Missions - .570 OPS Title: Ron Golden, 3B, San Antonio Missions - .928 Home Run Title: Ron Golden, 3B, San Antonio Missions - 34 Stolen Base Title: Danny Aviles, 1B, Las Vegas 51’s - 43 wOBA Title: Ron Golden, 3B, San Antonio Missions, .392 WAR Title: Ernesto Gonzales, LF, Charlotte Hornets - 6.1 Pitching Leaders ERA Title: Aaron Cottrell, SP, Indianapolis Clowns - 2.00 Wins Title: Aaron Cottrell, SP, Indianapolis Clowns - 18 Saves Title: Makoto Morimoto, RP, St. Louis Browns - 42 Strikeouts Title: John Sayre, SP, Phoenix Firebirds - 278 FIP Title: Aaron Cottrell, SP, Indianapolis Clowns - 2.52 Shutdowns Title: Makoto Morimoto, RP, St. Louis Browns - 36 Accomplishments Albuquerque’s Ricky Peck threw only the second perfect game in D4 history, and the sixth in NABF history, in a 14 K gem against the Washington Senators on July 13. Francisco Rosado threw the NABF’s only Championship Series no-hitter when he struck out 11 Clowns and allowed no hits in Game 4 of the 2037 Series, a series the Firebirds ultimately lost. Only one D4 player hit for the cycle: Cincinnati’s Joe Hays went 4-5 with a single, double, triple and homer on July 7 vs. San Antonio. Attached Images

01-20-2023, 10:35 PM	#30
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	D1 Opening Day Spotlight: Seattle Steelheads at Tijuana Potros, April 12, 2038 Razo makes history while Moon makes an entrance The Seattle Steelheads have a lot of hope for this season, and if the first game is any indication that hope will be rewarded. Hector Razo pitched a game for the ages today, breaking John Belhumeur's eight year old record for K's in a single game, setting down 16 Potros on strikes over a complete game two-hit victory. Razo, a two-time Pitcher of the Year winner who last took home the trophy in 2034, barely missed the plate, walking only one as he gave his club their first win of the season. Also making headlines was international free agent signing Ki-Chun Moon; the power-hitting South Korean export crushed two homers in his debut and walked twice while driving in half of Seattle's 8 runs. RF Mike Hood went 4-5 with two doubles and 1B Adam Haney went 2-5 with a homer as Seattle romped over the Potros. For Tijuana, the lone positive was a homer by 3B Randy Wright, with DH Won-il Cho on third following a triple. Those were Tijuana's only hits of the day, coming in the first inning; a walk to Cho produced the only other baserunner the Potros were able to drum up against Razo. Attached Images Last edited by ArquimedezPozo; 01-20-2023 at 10:37 PM.

01-20-2023, 10:49 PM	#31
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	D2 Opening Day Spotlight: Ft. Worth Cats at Detroit Stars, April 12, 2038 It's like Deja Vu All Over Again for Cats, Stars It must be like reliving a nightmare for the Detroit Stars: just six months after becoming the only team to lose a Championship series after being up three games to none, the Stars played host to the Ft. Worth Cats, who six months earlier became the only team to overcome that deficit. Once again, the teams played a dramatic, tight game, with starters Chris Morris (DET) and Chris Schwinger (FTW) each going nine without allowing a run. Schwinger was especially impressive, allowing just three hits and walking two while striking out 11; Morris also gave up three hits, but walked five and struck out six. The winning run came in the top of the twelfth, when Ft. Worth leadoff hitter Bill Ebron walked; two outs later, rookie RF Jesse Moeller - who socked six homers in 18 games in a callup at the end of 2037 - blasted his first of 2038, a game-winner to left that landed ten rows back in the Detroit bleachers. Detroit closer Shane Smith took the loss despite giving the stars three innings, two and two-thirds of which were scoreless. Attached Images

01-20-2023, 11:19 PM	#32
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	D3 opening Day Spotlight: Miami Amigos at Columbus Red Birds, April 12, 2038 A Power-ful Performance In Columbus The birth of Paul Herrin's first child kept him away from Opening Day for the first time in several years, but that's okay: Miami has a new ace ready to step in. Dylan Powers, acquired in an offseason trade with the Montreal Expos, threw an eight inning gem, striking out ten and allowing five hits on four walks while holding Columbus scoreless. Columbus starter Yong-jun Jang was nearly as good, going seven while striking out four, but a single, a wild pitch, a groundout, and another single gave Miami the only run they'd need all night. New closer Pedro Llopiz shut down Columbus on six pitches, including a strikeout, to earn the first save of his season as Miami seeks another Conference title. Attached Images

01-20-2023, 11:31 PM	#33
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	D4 Opening Day Spotlight: Albuquerque Dukes at St. Louis Browns, April 12, 2038 The Browns Walk Off on the Wings of an Angel A late offensive surge first saved the Browns and then won it for them in the home opener at Sportsman's Park on Monday. Albuquerque jumped out to a four run lead in the fourth, capped by a two run blast by LF Carl Faux off St. Louis starter Hideaki Ito, but the young pitcher recovered to last seven full. His offense bailed him out with four runs between the seventh and eighth innings, on two homers: the first a three run shot by RF Mauricio Lopez and the second an eighth inning solo shot by Josh Reynolds. That brought it to the tenth inning, when a single by C Matt Wedel and a bunt by Allen Lockwood set up Angel Cardenas's game winning double, giving the Browns a 1-0 start to the young season. Attached Images

01-21-2023, 02:50 PM	#34
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	Game of the Week: D3 Memphis Blues at Salt Lake Gulls, April 21, 2038 A Wild Night in Salt Lake City Ends with the Blues An early battle between cross-division contenders resulted in the wildest nights of baseball so far in this 2038 season, as the Blues defeated the Gulls 16-12 in a nine inning affair that still took over four hours to complete. It was a rainy, cold night in Salt Lake City, but the balls still flew out of Smith's Ballpark as the clubs combined for seven homers, including the first two of the season for Salt Lake right fielder Brian Cannon. Salt Lake starter Barry Voit had been stellar in his first outing of the season, shutting down St. Louis over eight innings in an eventual 11-2 win. But tonight he ran into trouble almost immediately, as Memphis greeted him with a single and a double before he'd thrown his fourth pitch. With 2B Bill King on third and RF Josh Morgan - the eventual Player of the Game - on second, 1B David Washington grounded out to first, scoring King and advancing Morgan. Eric Olson brought Morgan home with a sacrifice fly to complete scoring in the first for Memphis. Salt Lake was lucky to escape the second with just a single run scored, as Memphis opened with back to back singles by Izzy Villanueva and Matt Rispoli before a double play erased Rispoli and put Vispoli on third. Bill King, who scored the first run for the Blues in the first, singled home the third run of the night. Salt Lake got one back in the bottom of the inning with a Brian Cannon solo shot, his first of the season, off Blues starter John Wade. Wade's previous start had been a disaster, as he was tagged for five runs in just two and two thirds. This start would prove equally rough, as Salt Lake would take the lead in the third: a single and a walk brought RF Jerry Easter to the plate, and Easter deposited a 1-2 pitch into the right field stands for a three-run, go-ahead homer that made it 4-3 Gulls. It stayed there until the top of the fifth, when Memphis leadoff batter Washington drilled a homer into nearly the same spot as Easter's, tying it up at 4; Voit escaped the inning, though, and headed to the bench to watch his team erupt. After a Paul Geisler fly out, DH Nate Madden drilled a single into right to set up young 2B Ralph Keough. Keough had come into the game hot, hitting .371/.421/.571 with four doubles in the early going; he added his first homer of the season on what proved to be Wade's final pitch, a 2-1 offering that he made disappear into the twilight in right-center. Wade was replaced by RP Joey Dulin, who immediately caused his own mess by allowing a single to Easter and then issuing four straight walks to hand the Gulls two more. He finally got Chris Jones on strikes and the got to 2-2 on Geisler, but the star 1B pulled the ball past Bill King and into right, scoring two more. Just like that, it was 10-4, and Voit headed back out with some breathing room. The Blues took that room away from him quick. Voit was chased by three singles from Rispoli, C Juan Mungia, and Doug Jacobs, and though he got King on strikes manager Jeff Thornton had seen enough; he had Jim Landers warm, and brought him in to face Josh Morgan with the bases loaded. Morgan was ready, though, and jumped all over Landers' first pitch, drilling it on a line to right. Cannon gave chase thinking it might bang off the wall, but it carried just enough to clear by inches for a grand slam. Then things fell apart further for Salt Lake: Washington doubled, and a passed ball by C Mark Blakely put him on third. He scored on an Eric Olson groundout to bring the Blues within one, though Salt Lake survived a two-out double by Sam Hughes as Villanueva struck out, mercifully ending the top of the sixth. Keough announced Salt Lake's intentions to keep going immediately, as he rifled a single into center to open the bottom of the inning, but he got too aggressive and was gunned down stealing second before Matt Wieland doubled and Brian Cannon hit his second homer, a two run shot that made it 12-9. Just as they'd done before, though, Memphis answered back, constructing a rally out of a walk, an error, and a pair of singles, the second of which gave Josh Morgan his fifth and sixth RBI of the game. Landers exited to bring on Mike Williams, who finished the inning to preserve Salt Lake's narrow one run lead. The previous two and a half innings had seen sixteen runs cross the plate - eight Gulls and eight Blues. So a scoreless bottom of the seventh was a revelation, as Salt Lake sent up the minimum, getting a single from Geisler only to have it erased on an inning-ending double play. But Memphis was uninterested in scoreless innings. Sam Hughes walked to open the eighth, and Adam Long put him on third with a double. Another walk to Rispoli loaded them up for the catcher Mungia, who turned on a 1-2 pitch and pulled it over the wall, delivering another souvenir to the fans in the right field bleachers. It was a go-ahead grand slam, the second slam of the game. For good measure, Memphis scored another as Jacobs and Morgan singled and Jacobs came home on a fielder's choice. When the dust settled after the eighth, it was 16-12 Memphis. Salt Lake was clearly spent after that, and went quietly, without a baserunner for the remainder of the game as Memphis took this one 16-12, the highest-scoring game in the NABF so far on the young season. Morgan, who went 4-6 with a homer and six RBI, was named Player of the Game, while reliever Dave Wheeler got the win despite allowing two runs over three and a third. Mike Williams, who surrendered Mungia's slam in the 8th, was the loser. The win puts Memphis into second place in the D3 East, a game back of Nashville; despite the loss, Salt Lake remains in first in the West, a game up on Portland, San Francisco, and Austin. Attached Images

01-21-2023, 09:49 PM	#35
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	Game of the Week: D2 San Diego Padres at Kansas City Monarchs, April 28, 2038 Padres' rally can't overcome Frew, Monarchs It's a whole new Monarchs early on in 2038: we're only two and a half weeks into the season, but Kansas City has gotten off to a strong start, tonight defeating the San Diego Padres for their tenth win. The star of the game was Rhett Frew, the Australian import who has improved every year he's played for manager Josh Garcia. Frew has been more than impressive in the early going this year, winning all four of his starts while striking out more than a third of the batters he's faced with a 60 FIP- and a strong GB% of 54. The Padres countered Frew tonight with their own ace, Josh Beck, who has been less impressive to start the year: now 35, Beck may be slowing, as his K rate has declined early on while opponents are homering off him more frequently (1.5 per nine innings). It was the Padres, though, who struck first in this one, manufacturing a run in the first. Frank Hernandez singled, then got to third on a steal attempt and throwing error by Monarchs C Ricky Baca. He came in on a groundout deep into the 5/6 hole by Ian Farmer; had Farmer been a faster runner he might have beaten it out. But instead, it was a run-scoring second out, and Frew struck out Jason Turnquist to end the inning. From there, Frew cruised through the next two innings, allowing only one hit while striking out four, including striking out the side in the third, giving him six through the first three. He collected two more Ks in the 4th, but allowed a solo homer to Ian Farmer as well. That made it 2-0 Padres due to Beck's strong first three frames. Beck only struck out one, but induced a series of ground ball outs around three hits to keep the Monarchs scoreless. That ended in the bottom of the fourth, as Mike Boyd singled and scored on a one-out triple into the left-center gap by the speedy Mike Paul. Beck got Baca to pop up, but it was a shallow bloop into exactly the right spot, and fell in just past the glove of 2B Nate McHenry. Paul read it perfectly, and came in before San Diego's fielders could recover, tying up the game. Frew got through the 5th allowing just a single, eschewing strikeouts for efficiency - he got through the inning on eight pitches, and three harmless fly balls. Then Sam Campbell - who had only seven homers in all of 2037 - hit his third on the young season to put KC on top. They added one more on a sacrifice fly by Baca in the 6th, and Frew took it from there. The Aussie struck out two around a single to get through the 6th, then hurled a perfect 7th with his 11th K. In the eighth, SS John Gilbert hit a comebacker for the first out, and Frank Hernandez finally went down on strikes after a seven pitch AB. When Victor Castro then walked on five, Garcia called for Jason Coopman to relieve Frew, who walked off to an appreciative crowd. Coopman got an inning-ending grounder on the first pitch. Coopman came back for the ninth, but wasn't so fortunate there. Jason Turnquist turned a full count into a single to lead off, and though Coopman got Fernandez to strike out looking, Mike Montana doubled sending Turnquist to third. McHenry hit a slow roller toward first, which Sam Campbell handled for the force out, but it moved Montana to third as Tunquiest came in with San Diego's third run. With the bullpen active, and Montana 90 feet away from tying it, Coopman threw to Sean McDaniel. The catcher hit the first pitch hard, on one hop, but Vince Green got a glove on it, and was able to beat the slow-footed McDaniel to first to end it. A close call, but a Monarchs win, bringing KC to 10-6 on the season, still in first. Attached Images Last edited by ArquimedezPozo; 01-21-2023 at 10:04 PM.

01-22-2023, 09:47 PM	#36
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	2038: April Recap April is the shortest month on the NABF calendar, but a lot has happened already. Let’s dive in. Division 1 A week ago, the New York Giants sat in third place at 6-6. But then they won, and kept winning: rising a six game win streak, they are now the sole possessors of first place in the D1 East. The offense has been stellar, with SS Mike Burcham hitting .333 with a .388 OBP and seven stolen bases, second only to El Paso’s Rison. 2B Andrew Fitts has been unreal out of the gate, slugging .656 with only three homers, but ten doubles. Matt Wood has gotten off to a slow start at .204/.302/.463, but that hasn’t slowed New York down much. Meanwhile the big offseason acquisition, Jon Sayre, has been brutally bad, giving up 25 runs in his first three starts. In a matchup with Philadelphia on the 28th, though, he seemed to right the ship, pitching a complete game and striking out seven for his first win; if the Giants get him on track along with Brian Sawyer, Randy Peterson, and youngster Josh Dent (the Giants’ best to this point), that offense will carry them a long way. Elsewhere in the East, Philadelphia has been somewhat stronger than expected, as Pedro Luna has continued that Pitcher of the Year pace while Ray Nowell, Sean Baker, and RF/SP Carlos Ponce have all done well behind him. The offense hasn’t wowed in any one particular area, but they’ve been good enough to score 79 runs so far, the fourth highest total in D1. They recently called up rookie CF Mike Mitchell, who has hit well in four games so far. Chicago and Tampa are both playing .500 ball so far, while Toronto is just behind them. Brooklyn, meanwhile, has gotten off to a rough start, and sit in last place at 6-12; Carson Prince has been outstanding following a short stint on the bench with a twisted ankle, though, so the Dodgers are hoping he’ll key a few wins. The team atop the West might surprise some, but no one who has been following Seattle’s impressive player development machine will be shocked. The Steelheads have relied on an exciting group of younger players to start 13-5 in April. Steelheads players are all over the leaderboards, with RF Mike Hood an early MVP candidate: the 25 year old could be in the middle of a breakout campaign, hitting .333/.467/.730 with four homers. SS Matt Galante has also come out of the gate strong, leading D1 with a .385 average to go along with a .474 OBP, a .662 Slugging, and four homers of his own. And as if that wasn’t enough, Seattle brought star catching prospect Roger Alvarado up a couple of weeks into the season, and he has rewarded the move by slugging .905 with a .333 average and OBP, two homers in five games, while throwing an inning and two thirds of scoreless ball from Seattle’s bullpen. Hector Razo has been strong in the early going, as has Toshio Nimiya, and Travis Stewart has opened with a 0.75 ERA over 24 innings, though the .197 BABIP says it won’t stay quite that low. All of that has added up to a Steelheads club that has allowed fewer runs than any other D1 team, and has scored third most in the Division. The Steelheads will have to keep playing at that pace, though, as both Los Angeles and Monterrey are at 11-7 and nipping at Seattle’s heels, while El Paso lurks at 9-9, four games back. El Paso also features D1’s Batter of the Month, second year 1B Brain Castrovinci, who has opened with an unreal .436/.569/.818 line and five homers, after hitting .286/.363/.480 in 2037. Castrovinci has been a heralded prospect and is just 24, which suggests that this year’s growth may be for real; if it is, look out. Tijuana sits in fifth, at 6-12, a disappointing start for a team some had pegged as a contender this season. While there’s still certainly time, the quality of the four teams above them is hard to ignore, as is the very slow start of aging superstar Aaron Felton, whom Tijuana signed to provide an offensive jolt. But Tijuana is saved from the bottom spot by the Denver Bears, who seem to have fallen away from their winning ways over the past few seasons, and who seem destined for a relegation. No Denver starter has an ERA lower than 5 so far, while the offense has simply not been producing beyond RF Pete Samms - even Clemens Young, normally a strong April performer, has gotten off to a terrible start. D1 Batter of the Month: Brian Castrovinci, 1B, El Paso - .436/.569/.818, 5HR D1 Pitcher of the Month: Raul Ordano, SP, Monterrey - 4-0, 1.69 ERA, 42 K D1 Rookie of the Month: Yoshihiko Kawaguchi, SP, Toronto - 2-2, 4.01 ERA, 28 K Division 2 The standings are pretty tight up and down Division 2 after the season’s third week. In the east, the Stars and Expos carry matching 10-8 records into May, in a tie for first place. The Stars have been powered by their rotation, with Chris Morris and newcomer Zack Root leading the way, hurling the first no-hitter of his career on April 24; young 5th starter Chad Little has also been excellent in the early going. The offense, though, has been on the anemic side. Victor Ortiz has been the best hitter on the club to this point, and he has a .211/.375/.456 line with 4 homers - not bad, but not great. Of the team’s starters, only four have OPS+ over 100. Former MVP Ali Brown has been in a long slump to start the year, hitting just .176 without a homer. In Montreal, the good news is that Bubba Fread seems to have returned to form after a dreadful (and unlucky) 2037. The four-time Pitcher of the Year has revived his K rate, though his current BB% of 1.5 is presumably a mirage. Still, he’s got a 78 FIP- and 41 Ks through 34 innings, which is much better than where he was this time last year. Just like in Detroit, Montreal’s position owes to its pitching, as Fread, Jorge Ortiz, and newcomer Jaffer Tirmizi have all been excellent. The aging Expos lineup, though, has been worse even than Detroits, ranking 11 out of 12 in runs scored in D2; their best regular, Max Fuhrman, has an OPS+ of just 106, with a .250/.338/.397 line. The Baltimore Terrapins are just a game behind, as 2B Omar Juarez is getting off to the best start of his career. Juarez is hitting .345/.471/.582 with three homers, while 3B Tony Posada and 1B Mauricio Fiscal are hitting well behind him. The Pins actually have the widest run differential in the Conference to this point, and an expected W/L that would put them into a tie with Detroit and Montreal. Ottawa and New Orleans sit two back with identical 8-10 records, and the Bees have started slow in a season where they still expect to contend, four games back at 6-12. The West is even tighter, with every team in the conference within two games of first. Vancouver currently owns the top spot, with reigning MVP Colin Hannigan starting a bit slow but still producing, while 1B John Witherspoon, 3B Leo Rodriguez, and LF Tony Hines do the heavy lifting. Witherspoon, who joined the team from Ottawa in the offseason, has been especially good, hitting .333/.397/.636 with six homers, tied for third most in D2. However, the Mounties just lost LF Steve Kelley, who was hitting .434 through 14 games, to an elbow strain; he’ll be out until at least June. The Monarchs sit a game back, with D2 Pitcher of the Month Rhett Frew winning all four of his starts so far with a 1.36 ERA. The Mikes, RF Mike Paul and DH Mike Boyd, have both contributed on offense, as has 2B Chris McLaughlin, who is hitting .324/.342/.527 - not likely sustainable for a 35 year old who has never hit like that in his career, but stranger things have happened. Below the Mounties and Monarchs are the other four clubs, all tied at 9-9. Houston’s offense has led the way for the Buffalos, with 1B Doug Frey hitting .344/.382/.812 with eight homers, leading the Division. The Padres’ pitching has been stellar behind Brice Asmus, Mike Lolley, and Pedro Acosta, though Josh Beck has been hit hard in the early weeks. Ft. Worth got off to a terrible start, but has won their last four straight, as have the Solons. Sacramento ace Josh Argo is now 3-0 with a 0.61 ERA and 32 Ks. 1B Danny Dautel leads the club in most offensive categories as the Solons work to avoid relegation - another last place finish could do it. D2 Batter of the Month: Doug Frey, 1B, Houston Buffaloes - .344/.382/.812, 8 HR D2 Pitcher of the Month: Rhett Frew, SP, Kansas City Monarchs - 4-0, 1.36 ERA, 42 K D2 Rookie of the Month: Tristan McConnell, SP, Ottawa Champions - 2-1, 2.31 ERA, 23 K Division 3 The bad-luck Sounds have averaged more than 93 wins over the last three seasons, and have finished in second in every one of them. Maybe this will be the year they return to the top: it certainly was in April, as the club went 14-4 to build a two game lead in the D3 East. Much of that lead is due to their pitching, as Andres Orozco and Eddie Carson have gone 5-1 with a combined ERA in the low 2’s. The bullpen has also been stellar, with closer Isaiah Phelps, last year’s Reliever of the Year, nailing down seven saves in 11.1 innings without allowing a run. But Memphis lurks two games back, with the Division’s second-best offense and 4th fewest runs allowed as LF Marcos Diaz and 1B David Washington lead the way. Miami has been better tha their 10-8 record would suggest, playing a bit below their expected W/L and ranking third in both runs scored and runs allowed. The latter was predictable, as the Amigos boast both Paul Herrin (already 3-1 with a 0.57 ERA) and newcomer Dylan Powers, along with ace closer Pedro Llopiz and a strong pen. The Amigos rank first overall in FIP, though they’ve struggled defensively. Despite a strong April by defending MVP Sam Stanton (.307/.366/.627 with 6 homers), the rest of Atlanta’s lineup has struggled to produce runs, though their pitching has been more than capable behind Ted Dodds, Tommy Boles, and Jim Mayer. In fact, despite their 8-10 record and offensive woes, Atlanta has scored a few more runs than they’ve allowed. Cleveland stands at 8-10 also, but has been a below average team in all aspects of the game so far, despite John Feist’s .375/.418/.500 line. The Columbus Red Birds are currently taking up the rear, with some major pitching issues behind ace Yong-jun Jang. Over in the West, three teams are battling it out with 10-8 records: the surprising Portland Beavers are probably playing over their heads with a negative run differential and an offense that ranks last almost across the board, but Andy Beck and Josh Cross have both started well in the Beavers’ rotation. The Seals, too, have played a bit above their heads, but veteran Josh Henry has led a solid offense with his .288/.386/.559, five homer month. And while San Francisco’s rotation has taken hits (though it’s worth noting the team FIP is far lower than the team ERA), the bullpen has been outstanding. The real momentum in the West seems to be with the third 10-8 club, the Salt Lake Gulls. The Gulls are the only club in the West that have scored more runs than they’ve allowed, and they’ve done it with a booming offense that leads D3 in runs scored and essentially everything else. D3 Batter of the Month Nate Madden has been otherworldly, hitting .420/.481/.826 with a D3 best 8 homers, while Ralph Keough and Paul Geisler have wRC+ of 207 and 142 respectively. And while their rotation has some trouble areas, Elijah LaRose (D3 Pitcher of the Month) and Jose Fernandez have been good. The bullpen is worth watching, however, as Salt Lake has blown a couple winnable games already. Below those three, the Saints have struggled, with an 8-10 record. Their pitching has been dreadful, and offseason missed opportunities are really being felt here. 2B Kevin Fitzpatrick has been decent, but the lineup hasn’t produced around him, leaving St. Paul 9th in the Division in runs scored. Austin, meanwhile, has done an admirable job of preventing runs, with some excellent Aprils in their rotation (including Rookie of the Month Masahiro Nakanishi). But the offense has simply evaporated, and the Pioneers rank last in runs scored, wOBA, OPS, and homers, with a paltry 10. Calgary, though, takes the prize with a 4-14 start, in part the result of a 1-5 record in 1 run games. They’ve lost every game they’ve played outside Calgary, allowing more runs than any other D3 team. They’ll be getting starter John Hummell off the IL soon, but two other opening day rotation members - Eddie Bailey and Rick Peterson - are done for the season with injuries, while veteran DH David Durica is on the bench for another 5 weeks with a sprained elbow. It’ll be a long road for the Outlaws in 2038. D3 Batter of the Month: Nate Madden, 1B/DH, Salt Lake Gulls - .420/.481/.826, 8 HR, 22 RBI D3 Pitcher of the Month: Elijah LaRose, SP, Salt Lake Gulls - 4-0, 2.70 ERA, 24 K D3 Rookie of the Month: Masahiro Nakanishi, SP, Austin Pioneers - 2-1, 2.93 ERA, 35 K Division 4 The Charlotte Hornets have surprised a lot of observers with a strong start to 2038, after winning only 68 games in 2037. The biggest improvement so far has been to the team’s pitching; though the rotation ranks just 8th in D4 in ERA, newcomer Kurt Hardin has done well in a transition from D1, while Jo Meeks has opened strong. The real strength has been in the bullpen, however, which has allowed only five runs over 40 ⅔ innings while striking out 43. Ernesto Gonzales has continued to collect hit after hit, and leads D4 with a .408 average, though just a .423 OBP. If Charlotte can keep opponents’ offenses at this level all season, they could be a factor. Indianapolis, however, has the clear inside track on the division despite sitting a game back of Charlotte. And while their pitching has indeed been excellent, with Pitcher of the Month Nate Mefford striking out 40 over 34 innings with a 1.06 ERA and 2.38 FIP. Greg Smith, too, has struck out 40 over his 35 innings of work, with a similar FIP and a 2.83 ERA. Aaron Cottrell, though, has been less sharp; the defending Pitcher of the Year and MVP has given up six runs in two of his four starts this year, though at least some of that is the result of a .378 BABIP, which seems likely to correct itself. The real strength for the Clowns, though, has been its top ranked offense: a team that ranked in the bottom third of D4 last season has exploded behind 1B Justin Wilson, who is hitting .377/.436/.551. Robert Tanski, last year’s D4 Championship Series MVP, has an OPS near 1.000 with six homers, and the club is getting strong contributions too from RF Zach McKinley. Havana’s 9-9 record is attributable in large part to Juan Cruz’s hot start. Crus was named the Batter of the Month for D4, hitting .355/.408/.551 to begin his age 26 season. Fellow 26 year old, LF Chris Schutte, has also been pounding the ball, with a .892 OPS. But few others in Havana’s lineup have done much, and the team faces a major power shortage, having hit only ten homers all season. The pitching has been hit or miss, with starters Jason Holt, Adam McKinney, and Joe Abreu throwing well in the early weeks, but Dan Colombe and Joey Hooker have been rough, as has the bullpen. At the bottom of the conference, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati all seem in trouble. Washington’s offense has been essentially non-existent, with only 52 runs over their 18 games (about 2.9 per) with 2B Brian Presley contributing a large share of those himself with an 18.5 RC. The pitching has been there, but expect Senators starters to get a whole lot of bad-luck losses this year. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has the Division’s worst pitching, having allowed 100 runs already behind a rotation and bullpen that both rank last in the division in ERA. The offense hasn’t been much better either. But last place is reserved for Cincinnati, who has had almost nothing go right so far: the hitters they counted on last year have not started well, and even ace Willie Rodrigue has been only solid to begin the year, rather than his usual phenomenal self. In the West, Albuquerque is the team to beat right now, with an 11-7 record, a division best rotation, and near-best offense led by Randy Ahern (an offseason acquisition from Houston), Sam Tracy, Jason Taylor, and especially Carl Faux, who has hit .333/.397/.649 with four homers. Brad Heyer, in his first year with the club, has allowed only a single run over 25 innings, while both Matt Walker and Casey Sturrock have been anchors. Don’t sleep on the defending D4 West champs, though: despite a disappointing offseason, Phoenix has actually improved on the pitching side early on with a reliable rotation. Bob Paul has done well as closer, though the bullpen behind him has run into trouble. Offensively, a few key contributors still haven’t gotten going, though, including Fred Levang and Matt Armstrong (despite his five homers). Tony Guerrero has hit well, though, as has Alex Rivas; if Phoenix can get a couple more hot bats they should be more than an adequate challenge for the Dukes. The rest of the West is pretty narrowly bunched together. The 51s have broken even, with their excellent rookie catcher Joel Boynton making an immediate impact and even being named Rookie of the Month after just five games. So too have St. Louis and Milwaukee; the Brewers have seen a great start from 1B Alvaro Palomino, who shares the Division lead in homers with Indy’s Matt Armstrong, with five. The Missions, though, who were seen as a potential contender, have a ways to go; though they’re only three games out, it feels like further. The rotation has been painful, outside of Mario Caudillo and Eduardo Fernandez. Though the club ranks fourth in runs scored, a glance over the lineup doesn’t immediately reveal how, as few Mission have had anything more than mediocre starts. There’s obviously still plenty of time, and you can’t tell anything from 18 games, but the Missions would certainly rather be three games up than three games down. D4 Batter of the Month: Juan Cruz, 3B, Havana Sugar Kings - .355/.408/.661, 2 HR, 15 RBI D4 Pitcher of the Month: Nate Mefford, 3-0, 1.06 ERA, 40 K D4 Rookie of the Month: Joel Boynton, C, Las Vegas 51s - .438/.526/.750, 1 HR in 5 games Attached Images Last edited by ArquimedezPozo; 01-23-2023 at 06:17 PM.

01-22-2023, 10:20 PM	#37
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	Game of the Week: D1 New York Giants at Los Angeles Angels, May 4, 2038 Giants win Tenth Straight with Close Call in LA The Giants have taken command over the D1 East over the past two weeks, winning ten straight games for a 16-6 record and a four game lead over Philadelphia and Tampa. Brian Sawyer, who joined the Giants in the offseason after a bounce-back 2037, was nearly unhittable over eight innings against Los Angeles, and though the game was nearly lost by New York's bullpen, the lead held. The Giants got to LA starter Alex Turner early, with a run each in the first and second innings. 3B Jim Clark smacked a one out double down the RF line, and scored six pitches later as 2B Andrew Fitts - off to a great start - singled him home for his 14th RBI. Matt Wood followed with another single, but the next two batters struck out against Turner to end the threat. In the second, the scoring was less complex as rookie Luis Nazario, who showed prodigious power in the minors, launched the second homer of his big league career to make it 2-0 Giants. That's pretty much where it stayed for the next seven innings. Sawyer allowed a walk and a single to put a man on third in the third, but got out of it. A walk and a balk put a runner on second in the fourth, but he got out of it. Two more singles, in the 5th and the 8th, were stranded, as Sawyer struck out 9 and walked only two. That's all they had because after that second inning, Alex Turner stifled the potent Giants. He scattered five hits, only really running into trouble in the fifth when Burcham and Fitts singled and Wood walked to load the bases. But Turner got Idar Olsen looking on three pitches to end the threat. He faced the minimum in the 6th and 7th before being pulled, with a final line of seven innings, two runs on nine hits, nine strikeouts, and a walk. Jaheim Johnson replaced Turner, and cruised through the tops of the 8th and the 9th, allowing just a single in the 8th to Wood, who was 3-3 on the day. Johnson struck out three over his innings, and never allowed a runner into scoring position. Sawyer returned for the ninth. He was greeted iby a Brian Gilman solo shot on a 2-2 pitch to cut the Giants' lead to one, a shot which chased him from the game in favor of closer Steve Smith. Smith had only three saves in five chances with a 4.70 ERA and 5.00 FIP, and this one one of the toughest situations he had faced so far in the season. He got Hyun-woo Park to fly out harmlessly, but then, Caleb Battle singled. With one out and a man on first, light-hitting Frank Mozo stepped to the plate, but threats loomed after him in Danny Cadavid and Jake Baldwin. Mozo squared to bunt on the first pitch, but pulled it back when it sailed high. Smith must have seen something from Battle at first, because before the next pitch he whirled and threw a dart to first, at ankle height. The first baseman applied the tag to Battle, who must have been leaning slightly to get a jump on the bunt. He was out, and now Smith faced Mozo with two out, nobody on. After a strike, Mozo flew out to center, ending the inning and the game for Smith's fourth save and the Giants' tenth straight victory. Attached Images

01-23-2023, 05:23 PM	#38
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	Game of the Week: D4 Cincinnati Tigers at San Antonio Missions, May 15, 2038 Tough Luck Loss for Tigers, Rodriguez as San Antonio Walks Off With Win The San Antonio Missions kept pace in the D4 West with a dramatic walk-off victory, squandering a strong start from Cincy ace Willie Rodriguez. Ron Golden, San Antonio’s key offensive piece in 2037, homered twice including the ninth-inning walkoff, giving the Missions hope that he is regaining his form after a tough start to the season. It started as a classic pitcher’s duel, as Cincinnati ace Willie Rodriguez went up against hometown hero Joe Brooks. Brooks, from nearby New Braunfels, TX, was originally drafted by the Cats but had limited success there, then floated around for a few years before being put on waivers by Milwaukee after the 2033 season. He was claimed by the Missions, for whom he’d grown up rooting, and once in San Antonio he became a fan favorite as a reliable rotation arm. Brooks opened the game with three straight Ks, to the roars of an appreciative crowd, and faced the minimum again in the second with a strikeout, a walk, and a double play. Rodriguez, meanwhile, had largely handled San Antonio’s lineup, pitching around a single in the first then making quick work of the Missions with a K and two first pitch fly-outs. Both pitchers ran into trouble in the third: Tigers 2B Edwin Martinez reached when CF Doug Boten lost a ball in the sunset, giving Martinez second. A Tony de Jesus single brought him home with the game’s first run, though Brooks shook it off to get three quick outs and strand the runner. Rodriguez, now pitching with a narrow lead, allowed a first pitch single to 2B Jesus Rivas, then struck out Boten. Ray Bostick, though, floated a ball into shallow center that fell in, putting runners on first and second for Justin Gulden. Gulden, who came into the game hitting .297, singled sharply over SS Jim Horwood’s head to plate Rivas and tie it up. Brooks got out of a jam in the 4th after a single, a wild pitch, and a groundout put a runner on third with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended it, bringing the Missions to the plate. On the fifth pitch of the inning, Ron Golden connected, driving a ball deep to right center, clearing the fence by a wide margin and landing a few rows back to put San Antonio ahead. Golden, who came into the game hitting just .191 with a .270 SLG and two homers, looked relieved as he circled the bases. That shot would be the last San Antonio would get against Rodriguez for some time to come. The Cincy ace struck out two to end the inning, then struck out two more in the 5th, and the 6th, and the seventh - fourteen strikeouts heading into the eighth. To make matters worse, Brooks had to come out of the game in the sixth, after a stumble on the mound following a one out RBI double that tied the game. Still, it brought Brooks out, and got into San Antonio’s bullpen in the middle of a dangerous situation. RP Justin Hensen, however, was up to the challenge, getting two quick groundouts to short to end the threat. Hensen set the Tigers down in order on two Ks and a groundout in the 7th. A long eighth - 24 pitches for four batters - resulted in just a single and man left on for Cincinnati, giving the San Antonio RP two and two thirds scoreless. In the 8th, against Rodriguez, the Missions got something going when Ray Bostick doubled to chase the ace. Two batters later, RF Morgan Teeple singled into shallow left. Hoping to advance the lead, the 3B coach sent Ray Bostick; it was the wrong call, as the slow Bostick was cut down with room to spare, ending the inning. Hensen’s long eighth gave way to a quick ninth, with the Tigers going down on six pitches, with a fly out and two groundouts. That sent the game into the bottom of the ninth, as Kazuaki Nomura took the mound. He got Matthew Smith to ground to short, bringing up Ron Golden. The Missions 1B took the first pitch, but liked the second. He swung, and put one in the air down the short right field line at River Walk Park. It carried, and just cleared the wall for a walk-off homer, sending the Missions and their fans into a wild celebration as the Tigers left the field. Attached Images

01-24-2023, 06:53 PM	#39
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	Game of the Week: D2 Vancouver Mounties at Boston Bees, May 21, 2038 Mounties Extend D2 West Lead with Extra-Innings Win in Boston It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the Vancouver Mounties, who extended their D2 West lead to five games with tonight’s extra-inning win over Boston thanks to the heroics of CF Sonny Scoggins and 1B John Witherspoon. Boston, meanwhile, missed a chance to climb closer to the Conference-leading Terrapins, who lost 3-0 to New Orleans. The game got off to a raucous start, as both teams scored three in the first. The 37 year old Dave Wyatt has been Boston’s best starter over the first month of the season, and came in with a 2-0 record and a 2.36 ERA. But Vancouver greeted him rudely, as leadoff hitter Sonny Scoggins drew a walk, and scored on John Witherspoon’s first homer of the day, a 365 footer down the RF line. After Wyatt recorded an out, Tony Hines crushed another, to nearly the same spot, making it 3-0 Mounties. The bees answered back in the bottom half, as an Adam Andersen single and Rogelio Ventura double put runners on second and third for the young cleanup hitter Paul Ratner. Ratner has had a slow start to his season, but he lofted a 2-2 Danny Lowe offering into left and into the stands for a three-run bomb that tied it up. That’s where things would stay until the fifth, as both pitchers largely kept their opponents off the basepaths. But in the fifth, Witherspoon got to Wyatt again. Tim Taylor reached via an error as Ratner dropped a throw from SS Ramon Santiago, and advanced on a Colin Hannigan single before Witherspoon drilled a 3-2 pitch nearly 400 feet to left center to double Vancouver’s score. That did it for Wyatt, who was replaced by Carlos Castillo. Lowe didn’t last much longer. He kept the Bees quiet in the bottom of the fifth, but in the sixth he gave up a leadoff double to Jonathan Wyand, who went to third on a Dustin Jennings bunt. Adam Andersen walked, bringing up Rogelio Ventura. Ventura and Lowe had a long battle, during which Andersen stole second. But on the ninth pitch, the Boston RF flew out to right, shallow enough to hold Wyand at third. That brought up Ramon Santiago with two outs. The light-hitting SS is in the middle of a career year, however, and was able to shoot a single up the middle, bringing Wyand and the speedy Andersen home to bring Boston within 1. Vancouver pulled away again over the next two innings, however. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Witherspoon in the 7th, and though he didn’t homer he did do damage, singling in one. Castillo recovered to strike out three Mounties in a row to escape, ending his night on a relative high note. He was replaced at the start of the 8th by lefty Dan Kuhler, who promptly gave up two singles to put men on the corners, then allowed a double to Sonny Scoggins that put the Mounties up 9-5. That seemed like a high hill to climb, but climb it Boston did: in the bottom of the 8th, Dustin Jennings doubled, followed by a one out single by Ventura and a walk to Santiago. Shawn Burge strode to the plate with the bases loaded, and after taking a first pitch ball knocked Mounties reliever Josh Coleman’s next pitch straight down the RF line, clearing the fence for a dramatic, game-tying grand slam as the Boston crowd exploded. Both clubs had a quiet ninth, but trouble started almost immediately for Boston in the tenth. OF Greg Cousino singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a fly ball that once again brought Sonny Scoggins to the plate. Scoggins is known more for his outstanding glove work than he is for his bat, but he whacked his second double of the day, bringing Cousino around for the go-ahead. He went to third on a wild pitch, but the Mounties stranded him there. The damage was done, though, as Vancouver’s ace close Matt Greene entered to end the game in three batters - a strikeout, a hit batsman, and a double play. The Mounties now sit five games up on the West, while Boston remains in third place, four behind the Conference-leading Baltimore Terrapins. Attached Images

01-24-2023, 10:14 PM	#40
ArquimedezPozo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 226	Game of the Week: D3 Miami Amigos at Portland Beavers, May 28, 2038 Portland’s Davis Not Here to Make Friends; Slugs Three Against Amigos in Win Pete Davis put on a fireworks show at Nike Field Friday night, as the Beavers sank the Amigos 9-4. The Portland RF blasted three homers, including a go-ahead, game-winning grand slam, as part of a 4-5 night with 6 RBI. It was the Amigos who struck first, as Corey Stoute led off with a double into the left-center gap off Portland starter Nick Prince. Stoute went to third on a Ryan Hayden single, then scored as John Correai hit into a double play - at the time, a trade-off Portland was glad to make. They got out of the inning with nothing further, but failed to score in the second, then faced more difficulty in the second. Two singles by Gabe Galvan and Chris Weber put runners on first and third. Galvan came out with an injury suffered sliding into third, so it was Emanuele Piepoli who scored Miami’s second run after a fielder’s choice that got Weber at second. Portland woke up in the second. Phil Davis was the immediate catalyst, launching the first of his three shots, a high, lofting fly ball that settled into the second row in left to make it 2-1 Miami. Michael Peterson followed with a single, and CF Ed Weddell reached after Miami 3B David Pollock botched a grounder; all of a sudden, with one run in, Miami faced two on with nobody out. Starter Brett Calderon almost escaped without further damage; he struck out Ryan Weaver and Justin Adams, the latter on three straight strikes. But Portland’s #9 hitter, Heath McNeil, hit a blazing liner over the head of Bill Ainsworth in left - a game-tying double. Davis struck again in the third, another solo shot to pull Portland ahead 3-2. That’s where the contest remained until the sixth, with both Prince and Calderon scattering a few hits without much incident. But with two outs and Miami batting in the sixth, Prince got into trouble. Carlos Avalos fouled off pitch after pitch until finding one he liked, shooting a single past the shortstop in front of David Pollack. Pollack had been recalled from AAA Palm Beach earlier in the week, and had gone just 1 for 13 since, but he found the barrel on a 1-2 fastball and drilled it 370 feet to right field for a go-ahead two run homer. So when Portland came to the plate in the sixth, they were behind for the first time since the second inning. Calderon got two quick outs on a fly to center and grounder to second, but Heath McNeil did damage again with a single that sparked the game winning rally. Franklin Mendez added another base hit, and Ozzie Rosales a third, to put men at every base for LF Ed Pless. The 25 year old worked a 3-2 walk to tie it up, 4-4. Nick Montgomery was warm in the Miami bullpen, but unaccountably Calderon got left in to face Phil Davis, who had already homered off him twice. Davis let the first pitch go by again, this time for a called strike. But he swung at the second and made contact. It was far from a no-doubter, lofted again into left. At first it seemed like an easy get for Ainsworth, maybe on the track. But then Ainsworth kept drifting, and then he was at the wall, and then he was looking up at the ball falling into the first two rows as the crowd exploded. It was a go-ahead grand slam, and Portland now led 8-4 on Davis’ third homer of the night. Portland got one more in the seventh, on a Franklin Mendez double that brought McNeil home, but it was pretty clear that Miami was done after the slam. Prince finished them off, facing ten batters over the final three frames, allowing only a single, as Portland drew itself even on the season at 22-22, and denied Miami a chance to move into a second place tie with Atlanta. Attached Images