April, 2023 

Divisional Series 1 Officially Decided! 

ZSY - 2   BOB - 6   F  
BOB leads best-of-five series 2-0  
W - Seaver (1-0)   L - Hernandez (0-2)   
BOB: Seaver: CG (1), 2 ER, QS (1)  
ZSY: Hernandez: 3 1/3 IP, 5 ER,  
BOB: E. Martinez, 5-5, 4 RBI  
BOB: Aparico, 3-5, 3 SB, 3 R 
ZSY: Kiner, 2-4, HR (3), 2 RBI 

The Spartans came out swinging, tagging Hernandez with 4 runs in the first inning. They never looked back. The Z-Slayers got several runners into scoring position, but Tom Seaver was absolutely solid in his first career postseason performance, pitching a complete game and only getting burned by a home run off the bat of Ralph Kiner, his third of the postseason. Although Ricardo Rincon did an admirable job coming in for long relief for the Z-Slayers, the Bobians kept up the pressure all evening with extremely aggressive base running all night, with extra bases picked up by Luis Aparicio, Ichiro, Raul Mondesi, and Juan Pierre.  
 

BOB – 6 ZSY - 3   F   
BOB wins best-of-five series 3-0   
W - Burkett (1-0)   L - Day (0-1)  S – Fingers (1)  
BOB: Seaver: 6 1/3 IP, 3 ER, QS (1)   
ZSY: Day: 5 IP, 5 ER   
BOB: Mondesi: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI   
BOB: Giles: 3-5, 2 RBI  
ZSY: Pujols: 2-4, HR (1), 2 RBI 

The Spartans again scored most their runs in the first inning, rallying for 4 runs which was already more than they had allowed all year. The Z-Slayers offense showed a little more life than in Game 2, but John Burkett proved why he is perhaps the most valuable 4th starter in the entire league, keeping the extremely potent Z-Slayers to only 3 runs through almost seven strong innings. Although Zach Day settled down a bit in the middle innings, the Spartans kept up pressure all night and added additional runs thanks to clutch hitting from Raul Mondesi and Marcus Giles. Rollie Fingers came on in relief of Burkett, and slammed the door on the sweep of the Series. With that, we head to the Championship Series, which features the very compelling story of the Spartans of Bobia posting the best season on record going up against the Maxion Bombers, the greatest comeback team on record.   

Divisional Series 2 Officially Decided!

MAX - 3   TYC - 1   F
MAX leads best-of-five series 2-0
W - Halladay (2-0)   L - Johnson (0-1)   S - Rivera (2)
MAX: Halladay: 7 IP, ER, QS (1)
TYC: Johnson: CG (1), 3 ER, QS (1)
MAX: Clark: 3-5, HR (2), RBI (3)
TYC: Knoblauch: 5-5, 3B (1), 3 2B, S (1), R
MAX: Koskie: 2-5, HR (2), RBI (4)
Just as they did in Game 1, the Bombers drew first blood early, with Corey Koskie smacking a solo shot as the second batter of the game. The Tycoons threatened a respond, but inexplicably were unable to capitalize after a leadoff triple by Chuck Knoblauch in the first, perhaps most shamefully in the form of number three hitter Jeremy Giambi striking out on his own card. After an awful regular season, the bad times seem to plague the reigning MVP in the playoffs as well. Both teams had opportunities early on, with neither starter looking particularly dominant. The difference, of course, was capitalizing on these opportunities, which the Bombers simply did better. Smart base running by Delino "Delicious" Deshields and a clutch single from Bengie "Don't Make Fun of My Speed" Molina added another run in the third; a solo shot from first baseman Tony Clark extended the Bomber lead to three in the fifth. The Tycoons finally answered in the sixth, after a Chuck Knoblauch single plus was converted into a score by Edgar Renteria, who is known for hot hitting in the postseason. Both starters however stuck around long enough and pitched well enough to earn quality starts. Tycoon starter Randy Johnson ended up completing the game, pitching decently but not quite in his usually dominant style. After the game, the Ghost of Mao stated that he normally would not have let Johnson finish the game, but with his team trailing, he wanted to make sure his bullpen would be fully rested for a do-or-die Game 3. Although it can be argued that the Bomber's starter did not pitch as well as Johnson, Halladay did only allow one run through seven innings. Definitely a commendable effort, but he was certainly helped out by an incompetent Tycoons offense that stranded runners all evening and excelled at the art of striking out on their own cards. Set up man Mike Stanton was called on in the eighth, where Chuck Knoblauch hit his third double of the evening. He was only a homerun short of hitting for the cycle this evening. But once again, the heart of the lineup disappointed tremendously, with Jeremy Giambi unceremoniously striking out on his own card yet again with runners in scoring position. Enter Sand Man in the ninth, where closer Mariano Rivera went one-two-three to earn his second save of the post-season, advance his team's winning streak to six straight games, and seal the deal on a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 goes back to Maxia, where the Bombers will be one win away from punching their tickets to the Championship Series, which would unarguably seal this team as the greatest turnaround story in league history.
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 TYC - 0   MAX - 4   F
MAX wins best-of-five series 3-0
W - Franklin (2-0)   L - Wood 04 (0-1)   S - Rivera (3)
MAX: Franklin: 7 IP, 0 ER, QS (2)
TYC: Wood 04: 6 2/3 IP, 3 ER, QS (1)
MAX: Koskie: 2-4, HR (3), 2 RBI (6), 2 R
MAX: Ashburn: 1-3, 3B (3), RBI (3), R
MAX: Matsui: 2-4, 2B, RBI (4)
What was once thought impossible is now officially done. The Maxion Bombers have come back from the worst start to a season in history, losing 9 of their first ten games, all the way to going to the Championship series. Since that 9 game losing streak was snapped, the team has put together an incredible record of 16-3, including two post season sweeps and despite one of the most difficult second half schedules. The miracle took another tremendous step forward last night, in the form of a good old fashioned pitching duel. Former Darkpaw Kerry Wood 04 took the mound for the Tycoons and was his usual reliable self, cruising through the early innings without any real danger. Bomber starter Ryan Franklin also looked good, even though Mao had rearranged his lineup in an attempt to spark the offense. It seemed like the tweaks had effect, with Adrian Beltre moved to the number two spot and Fred McGriff (really the offensive hero of this team) finally moving to the number three spot. At several points the top of the Tycoon lineup did well to get on base and move into scoring position, but there was absolutely no follow through from the middle of the lineup. Jason Giambi, who remained in the number 4 spot, was 0-3 with runners in scoring position. His brother, Jeremy Giambi, was moved from third to sixth, continued his awful slump with only a measly single crowded out by a double play and couple of strikeouts. As for the Bombers, their bats finally came alive in the sixth, with Hideki Matsui driving home Corey Koskie with an RBI double. Kerry Wood got out of the inning without further bloodshed, but the Bombers continued their assault in the seventh, expanding their lead to two with a Richie Ashburn RBI triple. Wood left the game at that point and was replaced by reliever B.J. Ryan. But Ryan would be the victim of the Bombers biggest hit of the night: Corey Koskie brought Richie Ashburn home with a two run jack, his second homerun in as many games. This homerun represented his fifth and sixth RBI's of the playoffs, which is amazing considering that he only had five all during the regular season. The four run lead was more than enough for the Maxion bullpen, with Ugueth Urbina pitching a perfect eighth inning. Closer Mariano Rivera entered in the ninth on short rest and got two quick outs. But only a couple of pitches later, and the Tycoons had loaded the bases. With the tying run at the plate, Rivera caught a second wind and popped up Kenny Lofton to end the Tycoon's season and punch his team's ticket to the Championship series. As for Mao's team, the end of their two year reign as league champions draws near. Normally a very conservative general manager, will Mao finally make some moves to address the rather dreadful offense? To be fair, much of their problems came from the lack of production from the Giambi's. To turn back to the Bomber's, they now wait to see if their opponents will be the Spartans of Bobia or the Tuldaria Z-Slayers. While their first return to the championship series since Season 1 is already record breaking in every way, they will attempt to cement this season as nothing short of legendary with their first franchise championship.   

Semifinals Game 1

ZSY - 0   BOB - 2   F
BOB leads best-of-five series 1-0
W - Halladay (1-0)  L - Wells (0-1)
BOB: Halladay: CG (1), 0 ER, QS (1)
ZSY: Wells: CG (1), 2 ER, QS (2)
BOB: Giles: 3-4, 2 2B, RBI (1)
BOB: Lowell: 3-4, RBI (1)
BOB: Aparicio: 2-4, 2 SB

It has been said that this series will be the real championship series, as the two best teams in the league face off for the Division 1 championship. This game did not disappoint and was very similar to the games played between these two teams in Series 12 during the regular season. A real pitcher's duel, Cy Young front runner Roy Halladay skillfully navigated through the Z-Slayers lineup, dominating especially in the early innings. Z-Slayers ace Kip Wells, also somewhat in the Cy Young discussion, also pitched an overall excellent game. He faltered however in the second inning, snake bit by a Marcus Giles double that drew first blood. However he settled down afterward and in the third inning managed to survive what has been called an "Aparicio triple", where Bobian leadoff man Luis Aparicio hits a single and then steals his way to third base. After an intentional walk to Travis Hafner, Wells was able to fly out Mike Lowell to end the inning. The Z-Slayers threatened in the fifth inning, with Jeff Cirillo hitting a leadoff triple. But with the heart of the Z-Slayer lineup failed to produce, with heavy hitter Albert Pujols grounding out on his own card. The Z-Slayers threatened again in the sixth, but Halladay got a clutch double play to quash that effort. Meanwhile the Bobian bats came alive in the seventh, with Mike Lowell atoning for stranding Aparicio in the third, this time with an RBI single. In the eighth inning, the pesky bottom of the Z-Slayers  lineup put together a couple of hits but fell short of scoring when Luis Aparicio used his golden glove and proved why the Bobian defense is the considered the best in the league, turning a double play on runners Carl Crawford and Juan Pierre, perhaps the fastest one-two hitters in the league. In the top of the ninth, Halladay went through the 3-6 hitters of the dangerous Z-Slayers to shut them out and earn the W in Game 1. Game 2 will feature the matchup of Tom Seaver vs. Runelvys Hernandez. Seaver faced the Z-Slayers in Game 1 of Series 12, pitching a complete game and allowing 2 earned runs in the win. Hernandez pitched Game 2 of that series, going six innings and also allowing two runs. That was exactly his by-line against Meow Meow Dui in Game 2 of the Divisional Series, which he ended up taking the loss for.
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MAX - 6   TYC - 5   F
MAX leads best-of-five series 1-0
W - Lowe (1-0)   L - Takatsu (0-1)
MAX: Pettite: 7 IP, 4 ER
TYC: Penny: 5 1/3 IP, 4 ER
MAX: Martinez: 3-4, 2 2B, HR (2), RBI sac fly, 3 RBI (4)
MAX: Kent: 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (5)
MAX: Ashburn: 2-4, SB (4), 2 R, 3B (2)
TYC: McGriff: 2-4, HR (1), 2 RBI (2)

The Bombers started off the game on the right foot; centerfielder Richie Ashburn tripled in the first at bat of the game and was then brought home two batters later with an Edgar Martinez sacrifice fly. Tycoon starter Brad Penny struggled in the second inning as well, giving up another run off the bat of Martinez, this one a solo blast to center field. The Bombers added yet another run
in the top of the third, extending their lead to three. Opposing starter and former Cy Young winner Andy Pettite didn't look very good early on either, and was the victim of a Tycoon four run rally in the third. Pettite survived the hell inning and pitched significantly better as the evening progressed, finishing strong in the seventh. Not so for Brad Penny, who could not protect the one run lead and was burned once more by a Richie Ashburn steal and a Edgar Martinez RBI. With a rather wild two thirds of the game behind them, both teams went to the bullpen. Bomber Sean Lowe entered in the eighth and pitched an uneventful inning; the same could be said for his Tycoon counterpart Shingu Takatsu. Come to the top of the ninth and both teams were thinking forward to extra innings. However, these thoughts were rendered unnecessary, thanks to a two run blast off the bat of Jeff Kent, his second homer of the postseason. It could not have been more clutch for the Bombers, giving them a two run lead into the bottom of the ninth. Lowe took the mound again in the ninth with the most dangerous part of the Tycoon lineup. After striking out both Giambi brothers, Lowe was taken deep by Fred McGriff, cutting the Bomber lead in half. Lowe ended the threat there, and retired the side with the next batter, getting the W in Game 1 and extending the Bomber's win streak to five straight games. Game 2 will feature the exciting pitching matchup of Roy Halladay against Randy Johnson.  

Divisional Series Game 4

ZSY - 6   MMD - 4   F

ZSY wins best-of-five series 3-1

W - D'Amico (1-0)   L - Schilling (0-1)   S - Graves 04 (1)

ZSY: D'Amico: 6 IP, 2 ER, QS (1) 

MMD: Schilling: 7 IP, 6 ER

ZSY: Harvey: 2-4, HR (2), 3 RBI (4)

ZSY: Kiner: 3-4, 2B, RBI (6)

MMD: Zaun: 2-4, HR (1) , 2 RBI (3)

The script was flipped in this exciting Game 4, which saw what appeared to be the rather lop sided pitching matchup of control 2 Jeff D'Amico going up against control 5 Curt Schilling. D'Amico was shaky early on and got burned early by a towering two run homer off the bat of hot hitting Gregg Zaun. It also looked like he was going to get tagged again in the third, but got out of a bases loaded jam thanks to a the heroics of his third baseman Jeff Cirillo who successfully turned a double play ball. On the other side of things, "Schilling was chilling" as they say, and made mincemeat of the Z-Slayers lineup, giving up only one hit and no walks in the first three inning. But here is where things changed. D'Amico pitched a strong top of the fourth; Schilling ran into trouble in the bottom of the inning. After surrendering two consecutive singles to Juan Pierre and Jack Wilson, a sacrifice fly from Albert Pujols moved Pierre to third. The rise was unnecessary however, as next batter Ralph Kiner split the right center field gap with a line drive, a double that brought home Kiner's sixth RBI of the series. Things went from bad to worse with the very next batter, second baseman Ken Harvey who brought Kiner and Wilson home with a three run homer. With that, the tables had turned D'Amico pitched the next two innings with confidence while Schilling was constantly under siege by the Z-Slayers attack, which added another two run rally in the fifth. With a comfortable 6-2 lead, Lord Sith turned to former Zachrian Ricardo Rincon, his team's best reliever this year. Rincon was a little shaky in the seventh, and even worse in the eighth, where he found himself in a bases loaded jam with only one out. After giving up a run, he was bailed out again by his defense coming up with a huge double play. Going to the top of the ninth, Z-Slayer closer Danny Graves entered the game in a save situation even though he was on short rest having pitched in the game prior. To the delight of the hometown MMD fans, in a matter of a few pitches Graves had loaded the bases without a recording any outs. In a very strange scene, Coach Sith was picked up and carried fireman style by General Manager Sinister out to a meeting on the mound. It is unsure what was said in this meeting, only that upon reaching the mound, Sith was handed over to Albert Pujols but slipped out of the first baseman's hands and limply fell into the dirt where he laid splayed out while Sinister gave the pep talk to his pitcher and infielders. After Sith was picked up and dragged back into the dugout, MMD shortstop Marco Scutaro hit a ground ball that barely dribbled into the outfield, good for an RBI single that brought MMD within two runs of tying the game. The next batter was Gregg Zaun, who had homered earlier in the game. He almost repeated that feat, rolling a 2 on his own card that was almost a 20. After him was Ryan Freel, who completed the tragedy by grounding out into a double play to end the game and the season for MMD. It was certainly a tumultuous season for the team, with the murder of their long time coach perhaps being one of the biggest stories of the year. Their future is uncertain, but if rumors are any indication, it's probable that the franchise will most likely be abolished in the offseason.  As for the Tuldarian Z-Slayers, this win sets up a long awaited showdown between them and the Bobians in what has been termed "the real Championship final." Although the games were close, the Bobians swept the Z-Slayers during their regular season matchup in Series 12.

Divisional Series Game 3

ZSY - 3   MMD - 1   F
ZSY leads best-of-five series 2-1
W - Graves (1-0)   L - Miceli (0-1)
ZSY: Day: 8 IP, ER, QS (1)
MMD: Pavano: 7 IP, 0 ER, QS (1)
ZSY: Kiner: 1-4. HR (2), 3 RBI (5)
MMD: Williams: 2-4. 2B. RBI (1)
ZSY: Crawford: 4-5, SB (3)

Former Cy Young winner Carl Pavano got off to a rough start. His first pitch was hit for a double by Carl Crawford and his second pitch was a Juan Pierre single. When Crawford attempted to score from second and was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Eric Chavez, the crowd knew that they were in for a good game. Especially when, in the bottom of the inning, their home town team celebrated first blood in the form of a Bernie Williams RBI double. The Z-Slayer starter Zach Day struggled in the first couple of innings, but then settled down and was absolutely dominant, only surrendering three hits between the third and eighth innings. Back on the other side, Carl Pavano also showed why he is a former Cy Young winner, and handled the dangerous Z-Slayer batting order with relative ease. So with the score standing at 1-0, this pitching duel went very fast as batter after batter got mowed down. Fast forward to the top of the ninth, where Ralph Kiner smashed a three run jack, putting the Z-Slayers ahead for the first time in the contest. By the way, that's Kiner's second home run of the series, and his fifth RBI. That ended up being the ball game, as Tuldarian closer Danny Graves put MMD to rest in the bottom of the ninth and secured the win. Game 4 will feature the rather lopsided pitching matchup of fourth starter Jeff D'Amico (ZSY) vs second starter Curt Schilling (MMD). It will be D'Amico's second career playoff appearance, the first of which was a victory over the Darkpaws back in Season 4. As for Schilling, a former Bryn and Z-Slayer, his career playoff record is 1-2 in five appearances with a complete game.
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RED - 4   MAX - 5   F
MAX wins best-of-five series 3-0
W - Halladay (1-0)   L - Takatsu (0-1)   S - Urbina (1)
MAX: Halladay: 7 IP, 4 ER
RED: Sheets: 6 IP, 3 ER, QS (1)
MAX: Matsui: GW 2R HR (1), 2 RBI (3)
MAX: Martinez: 2-3, 2 BB, 2 R, HR (1), RBI (1)
RED: Pierzynski: 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI (2)

In Game Three, the Maxion Bombers had the chance to knock off their division rivals, the Red Clay Aces, who were fighting for their very survival. Things did not get off to the best of starts for them however, as their former ace Roy Halladay stumbled badly out of the gate. In the second inning he gave up two runs thanks to a bottom of the lineup rally from the Aces. The big hits came in the form of an RBI double for catcher A.J. Pierzynski and an RBI single from shortstop Miguel Tejada. Halladay ran into problems again in the third when A.J. Pierzynski increased Red Clay's lead to 3-0 with yet another RBI double. By this point the Maxion faithful had been completely silenced by the results so far, but they were brought back into the game when Edgar Martinez homered in the bottom half of the inning to make the score 3-1. But the wind was out of the Maxion sails soon after that, when Halladay was smoked for a solo homerun off the bat of All Star second baseman Alfonso Soriano. After a few quiet innings, the Maxion bats awoke in the bottom of the sixth, when Tony Clark and Derek Jeter hit back to back solo homeruns to make the score 4-3 in favor of Red Clay. Aces starter Ben Sheets was able to finish the sixth and earn a quality start; besides the back to back jacks he surrendered just before leaving, he had been rather dominant. But as by-lines go. this is exactly the kind of start the has earned Sheets a reputation as the most reliable pitcher in the league. Getting back to the game, Halladay lasted until the seventh, having pitched much better after the fourth inning. In the bottom of the seventh, the Aces elected to go with long relief specialist Shingu Takatsu over Paul Quantril, who had pitched in the game previous. GM Ishmael von Corrin afterward stated that this decision was rooted in the fact that he wanted a rest day for Quantril as well as the fact that Takatsu in theory would be able to pitch two games in a row if needed with fourth starter Ramon Ortiz possibly needing help in a theoretical Game 4. Either way, the decision was the wrong one. After Takatsu easily grounded out lead off man Richie Ashburn and second hitter Corey Koskie, he walked three hitter Fredgar Martinez. Then came the fatal blow: a two run homerun off the bat of left fielder Hideki Matsui, giving the Bombers a lead for the first time in the game. With their entire season on the line, the Red Clay Aces went on the attack in the top of the eighth. But Maxion reliever Mike Stanton managed to pour water on the hot hitting bottom of the Red Clay lineup and earn a hold. Come the ninth inning, the Bombers had to make a bullpen decision of their own: use their closer Mariano Rivera on short rest or someone else? Eventually the call was given to back-up closer Ugueth Urbina. The Maxion faithful were shocked to see him walk leadoff hitter Tom Goodwin. But with the tying run on base, Urbina went into beast mode and threw six consecutive strikes against Miguel Tejada and Alfonso Soriano, two of the best hitters in the league. Urbina then considered intentionally walking the heavy hitter Paul Konerko, but eventually opted to pitch to him. The result? A shallow fly ball to center field that was harmlessly caught by Richie Assburn, ending the Aces season and giving the Bombers their first playoff series win since Season 1 as well as their first franchise playoff series sweep. While the Bombers celebrated the continuation of their miracle season, the Red Clay Aces yet again struggle in the playoffs. "This wasn't our year," said general manager Ishmael von Corrin. "I'll tip my hat to the Bombers; they simply out pitched us. I wish them luck in their next series against Mao." Von Corrin's team, who had lost four straight games against the Bomber's including the last regular season game of the year, will have a brand new waterfront stadium in Red Clay to look forward to next year, but Von Corrin was mum on any word of personnel changes. He did say however that he will remain as one of the most vocal and active GMs in the league, especially as the discussion comes up as to a possible rearranging of the divisions. As for the Bombers, they will now prepare to take on the two year defending champs Mao's Tycoons for a chance to play in the championship. When the Tycoons swept the Bombers in Series Four, the Bombers were mired in the middle of their nine game losing streak. It's safe to say that now, the Bombers are a changed team. Game 1 starting pitchers have yet to be announced.   

Divisional Series, Game 2

MMD - 2   ZSY - 1   F
Best-of-five series tied 1-1
W - Rodgers (1-0)   L - Hernandez (0-1)  S - Biddle (1)
MMD: Rodgers: 7 IP, ER, QS (1)
ZSY: Hernandez: 6 IP, 2 ER, QS (1)
MMD: Freel: 3-4, RBI (1)
MMD: Zaun: 1-4, 2B, RBI (1)
ZSY: Pujols: 2-3, 2B, RBI (3)
MMD: Biddle: 2 IP, 0 ER, S (1)

During the regular season, Runelvys Hernandez was one of the most steadfast pitchers in the league, racking up an astounding six quality starts. But out of the gate, Hernandez struggled in a very ugly first inning in which he was lucky to escape with only giving up one run. The Z-Slayer offense didn't take that lying down, with Albert Pujols tying up the game in the bottom of the first with an RBI double. With both teams scoring in the first, the fans buckled in for a wild ride...that never actually happened. Hernandez struggled the rest of the night, but always managed to sneak out of trouble. He surrendered an RBI double to MMD All Star catcher Gregg Zaun, but besides that finished out the sixth and earned a quality start. The real story in this game, however, was that of MMD starter Kenny Rodgers who settled down after his rough first inning and absolutely manhandled the Z-Slayers offensive attack. He was at times unhittable, surrendering the odd walk or so, and produced crucial double play balls when he needed them. As a free agent, it will indeed be interesting to see where he ends up in the offseason. His wonderful performance was capped off by a two inning save from reliever/closer Rocky Biddle, evening up the series at one win apiece, and moving the series into Game 3, where MMD will enjoy home field advantage.
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MAX - 5   RED - 3   F
MAX leads best-of-five series 2-0
W - Franklin (1-0)   L - Fogg (0-1)   S - Rivera (1)
MAX: Franklin: 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, QS (1)
RED: Fogg: 4 1/3 IP, 5 ER
MAX: Jeter: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI (2)
MAX: Ashburn: 2-3, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 SB (3)
RED: Tejada: 2-4, HR (1), RBI (1)

Much like Game 2 of the Division 1 Series, Game 2 of the Division 2 Series saw both offenses get started in the first inning. Red Clay starter Josh Fogg was under siege the entire evening, never settling down and eventually surrendering more runs than innings pitched. In the first inning, the Maxions rallied for two runs, thanks to RBI singles from second baseman Jeff Kent and first baseman Tony Clark. In the bottom of the inning the Red Clay offense answered with a Miguel Tejada solo shot. Fogg stumbled again in the second inning; smart base running and a stolen base from Richie Ashburn set up a Hideki Matsui RBI single that extended the Bomber lead to 3-1. Although fraught with danger, the third and fourth innings passed without any bloodshed. However the pressure could not be contained, and the Bombers put together another rally in the fifth, with the big hit being a bases loaded double by Derek Jeter. That was the end of the night for Fogg, a second straight major disappointment for Red Clay starters. He was relieved by Paul Quantril, who got out of the fifth inning jam thanks to a crucial double play. On the other side of the mound, Maxion starter Ryan Franklin  was ok, but appeared shaky at times. Thanks to good defense and some mistakes in the batter's box on the part of the Aces, Franklin went out to the mound in the bottom of the seventh with a 5-1 lead. He gave up a solo home run to Paul Konerko, and then proceeded to walk the next two batters. Sean Lowe came in on relief and managed to end the inning as well as pitch a scoreless eighth. For the Aces, credit must be due to reliever Mike Myers, who appeared in his second straight game and went three innings of relief, giving a rest to his team's already beleaguered bullpen. Moving along to the bottom of the ninth, there was still some drama to be had. The Maxions brought in closer Mariano Rivera in a save situation. His very first pitch of the evening was a mistake, sent over the left field wall by a Keith Ginter solo homerun. After a Jose Cruz walk and a Tom Goodwin single, the Aces now had the tying run on base, the heart of their lineup approaching, and still nobody out. Stepping up to the plate next was the very dangerous Miguel Tejada, who had homered earlier in the game. Rivera threw his infamous cutter fastball which jammed Tejada's swing, resulting in a ground ball. It very easily could have been a double play, but Bomber third baseman Corey Koskie bobbled the play, resulting in Tejada to reach first on a fielder's choice. The next batter was three hitter and All Star Alfonso Soriano, who crushed a Rivera fastball to deep center field, but not deep enough to avoid being called out on a fly ball. Next up was clean up hitter Paul Konerko, who also had homered earlier in the game. With a full count, Konerko had the discipline to not bite on an errant Rivera cutter and ball four was called to load the bases. With two outs, bases loaded, and the tying run in scoring position, Jason Giambi stepped to the plate. Every Red Clay fan was on their feet as the fate of Game 2 hung in the balance. Control five Rivera got the sign from the catcher...winded up...and dealt a roll of a seven against Giambi's on-base rating of thirteen. With the crowd at a complete fever pitch, Giambi's roll was...a three! A harmless ground ball fielded by Rivera himself, who threw out Giambi at first to end the game. An absolutely thrilling finish to Game 2, which sets up a dramatic Game 3 in which the Bombers will go for the sweep on their home field. At this point the Aces are hoping to repeat the outcome of their Season 4 Divisional Series against the Bombers, in which they won in five games. For Game 3, the Maxions send former ace Roy Halladay to the mound, who showed marked improvement in his pitching in the second half of the year. In five career postseason appearances, his record is 2-1, with that loss coming at the hands of the Red Clay Aces in Game 3 of the Season 4 Divisional series. For the Aces, they probably could trust no man more with the season on the line than starter Ben Sheets, who will try to initiate a renaissance in terms of his team's pitching. A Red Clay stalwart, Sheets is a veteran who has been on the team since it's inception and also served as the team's ace for several seasons. He's pitched quality starts in all five appearances this year; he is no stranger to playoff baseball either, with a career record of 2-2 with five appearances.

DIVISIONAL SERIES! First Games of the Playoffs

MAX - 8   RED - 0   F
MAX leads best-of-five series 1-0
W - Pettitte (1-0)   L - Buehrle (0-1)
MAX: Pettitte: 7 IP, 0 ER, QS (1)
RED: Buehrle: 3 1/3 IP, 6 ER
MAX: Koskie: HR (1), 2B, 3 RBI (3)
MAX: Ashburn: 3B (1), SB (1), 2 RBI (2)
MAX: Kent: HR (1), 2 2B, 2 RBI (2)

This game was nothing like that the two teams played against each other in the last two games of the season. While those were edge of your seat nail-biters, this one turned into an ugly blowout. At first it seemed as if the Aces were going to strike first, loading the bases with only one out in the bottom of the second. However, Maxion starter and former Cy Young Andy Pettitte got a crucial double play ball from Keith Ginter to put the kibosh on that. It was the fourth inning in which things unraveled for Red Clay starter Mark Buerhle. It started off innocently enough with a Jeff Kent two run homer; ok, Bombers up 2-0. But that was followed by a Tony Clark single, which was followed by a Derek Jeter double which was followed by a Bengie "Don't Make Fun of My Speed" Moline RBI single. Richie Ashburn then struck the real heavy blow with a bases clearing triple, bringing the Bomber lead to 5-0. Buerhle was yanked at that point, but his successor, Travis Harper, couldn't prevent Corey Koskie from bringing home Riche Ashburn with yet another RBI single. When all was said and done, the Bombers had batted around their lineup in the fourth and produced six runs. Harper was beaten again by Koskie in the sixth, when he smashed a home run again bringing home an on base Richie Ashburn. Eight runs was more than enough for Pettitte, although he did struggle somewhat in the sixth and seventh. Credit must be given to the Aces relievers Harper and Myers, who managed to finished the rest of the game and keep the rest of their bullpen available for series to come. An honorable mention to Maxion reliever Shigetohsi Hasegawa, who despite having a rather crummy season, pitched two strong innings of relief to complement Pettitte's scoreless effort. In the aftermath of the loss, immediate criticism was hurled at Red Clay GM Ishmael von Corrin for his choice of Buerhle to start Game 1. In response to the criticism, von Corrin had the following to say: "Obviously Mark has had some rather awful starts during the regular season, but he had been improving as late. My idea was that I would rather play Mark now while he is hot, rather than in a higher pressure Game 3 or 4 situation. Obviously this wasn't the start that any of us envisioned." When reporter Al Leiter pointed out that this meant that Buerhle would have to start a Game 5 if it arose, von Corrin paused a moment before saying "One step at a time." Game 2 will most likely feature the pitching matchup of Ryan Franklin vs. Josh Fogg.
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MMD - 3   ZSY - 7   F
ZSY leads best-of-five series 1-0
W - Rincon (1-0)   L - Hammond (0-1)
ZSY: Wells: 6 IP, 3 ER, QS (1)
MMD: Ortiz: 6 IP, 3 ER, QS (1)
ZSY: Pujols: 3-5, 2 RBI
ZSY: Kiner: HR (1), 2 RBI
MMD: Chavez: HR (1), 3 RBI

With the specter of a very emotional murder investigation haunting the background of this game, two Division 1 powerhouses went to battle in what looked to be an epic series. The potent Z-Slayers offense was relentless from the get-go in this one. After a stolen base from leadoff man Carl Crawford, Albert Pujols drew first blood for the Z-Slayers, bringing him home with a base hit. Meow Meow Dui answered right away with a two run shot from their home run king Eric Chavez in the top of the second. The lead didn't last long however, with the Z-Slayers tying it up at 2 in the third, thanks again to good base running from Juan Pierre and another RBI single from Albert Pujols. The lead lurched back in favor of Meow Meow Dui in the top of the fifth, thanks to an Eric Chavez notching his third RBI of the game with a single, but this lead was too short lived, with the Z-Slayers coming up with a Jason Larue single in the bottom of the inning. Nevertheless, it was a disappointing inning for the Z-Slayer offense, who managed to only score one run from a bases loaded and no outs situation. Both starters had an identical by line, going six innings and allowing three runs, just barely squeezing out a quality start. The battle of bullpens thus commenced in the seventh, with Chris Hammonds taking the mound for MMD and Ricardo Rincon stepping up for the Z-Slayers. The Z-Slayers bats welcomed Hammonds to the game with artillery; MVP candidate Ralph Kiner smashed a two run shot, which was followed in the next at bat with a Ken Harvey solo shot. Things went much differently for Rincon, who pitched three shutout innings where the MMD offense never really threatened. The Z-Slayers added another run in the bottom of the eighth off MMD reliver Dan Miceli, thanks to a solo homerun from leadoff man Carl Crawford. After the game, ZSY GM Lord Sinister was quite pleased with the result, but appeared quite irate when asked about the ongoing Taklamente murder investigation, to which he replied by banning the reporter in question from attending games in Tuldaria. Game 2 will feature the pitching matchup of Runelvys Hernandez, season leader in quality starts, against MMD Kenny Rodgers, also taking place at Sinister Industries Stadium.