Series 12: Part 3: Wrapping Up Division 1

QEY - 4   LIN - 0   F
W - Rodgers (2-2)   L - Schoenweiss (2-3)
QEY: Rodgers: CG (1), 0 ER, QS (5)
LIN: Schoenweiss: 6 IP, ER, QS (5)
QEY: Catalanotto: 2-4, 2B, RBI 12)
QEY: Jenkins: 3-3, 2 2B, RBI (9)
QEY: Guillen: 2-3, RBI (1)

Got his first CG of the year

Both teams were attempting to imitate the Bobians early on, with rather aggressive base running. From both teams, three players were caught stealing while two others were thrown out trying to go for extra bases during the first third of the game. The help from the defense was not wasted by either team's respective starter, who both settled down and pitched rather well in the middle innings. The Warriors were able to squeeze out a run in the fifth, however, thanks to a Frank Catalonotto double. Both offenses went back to being very quiet, as the Lindsyan bullpen and Queynos starter Kenny Rodgers powered through the late innings. But Lindsyan reliever Aquilino Lopez ran into trouble in the top of the ninth, loading up the  bases with only one out. Lindsyan closer Robb Nen then entered the game, but he was not able to stop the bleeding and proceeded to surrender a three run rally to the Warriors. Interesting to note, Warriors shortstop Carlos Guillen achieved his first RBI of the season during this rally...despite the fact that it was also the very last game of the season. A four run lead was more than enough for Rodgers to go the distance, as his 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth secured the victory. Not a very meaningful game, as both teams have long since been eliminated from playoff contention. Nevertheless, decent but overall disappointing seasons for both teams who had the unfortunate circumstance of being in a very difficult division.
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MMD - 1   AXN - 3   F
W- Zito (3-0)   L - Schilling (4-2)   S - Kolb (7)
AXN: Zito (6 IP, ER, QS (5)
MMD: Schilling: 6 IP, 3 ER, QS (5)
AXN: Fullmer: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI (6)
MMD: Zaun: HR (5), RBI (18)
AXN: Cameron: 2-4, RBI (12)

16th career win; most in AXN history

With the expectation of a pitching duel, both teams entered their final game of the season without much to play for. While the Darkpaws are just trying to avoid a last place finish, Meow Meow Dui could secure second place and homefield advantage for the first round of the playoffs with a win. The Darkpaws got off to a promising start in the first inning, completing a two run rally off the normally unhittable Curt Schilling, with the help of a completely botched double play attempt by the Meow Meow defense. On the other side of things, long time Alyxian starter Barry Zito was effective, looking strong, but not dominant. He surrendered a run in the fifth, however, when MMD catcher Gregg Zaun capped off his career year with his fifth homerun and eighteenth RBI. The Darkpaws responded in the sixth, thanks to an RBI double from former Melmegetian Brad Fullmer, his second of the game. Schilling was then pulled from the game, a quality start but undoubtedly his worse showing of the year which could affect his chances at a spot in the very competitive all star rotation. Back to this game, both teams went to the bullpen after the sixth, and both bullpens pitched shutout baseball: two innings from Kevin Gregg for Meow Meow while Vladimir Nunez and Danny Kolb rounded things out for the Darkpaws. Interesting to note that Danny Kolb earned his league leading seventh save, which says a lot when the entire team has only nine wins. Because of the strong showing of the Darkpaws in the second half of the year, the team has agreed to keep GM ALLIED_MASTERCOMPUTER on for another year. But he has said that the team will most likely undergo some restructuring in the offseason. As for MMD, they now prepare for their first ever playoff appearance against the Z-Slayers.
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TYC - 2   STL - 8   F
W - Oliver (1-2)   L - Wood 04 (0-2)
STL: Oliver: 7 1/3 IP, 2 ER, QS (4)
TYC: Wood: 5 IP, 6 ER
STL: Walker: 3-4, 2 HR (8), 4 RBI (17)
STL: Polanco: 4-4, RBI (6), SB (3)
STL: Renteria: RBI (15)

Weapon of Mass Destruction

Since the Marauders own the tie breaker, the Cardinals tonight were simply playing the role of spoiler as well as hopefully positioning themselves not to finish the season with the worst record in the league. As for the Tycoons, much more was at stake; a win would clinch the division, a first round bye, as well as homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. But as John Kruk called it at the beginning of the game "There was no chance that the Tycoons were gonna win this game. The gut has spoken." His intuition seemed on point from the get go, with the Tycoons looking very shaky in the first two innings; they were quite lucky to come out of it only one run behind. On the other side of things, the highly serviceable Cardinal starter Darren Oliver had yet another very solid performance, and was dominant in the early and middle innings. Tycoons starter  Kerry Wood 04 seemed to settle in after the second, going 1-2-3 in both the 3rd and 4th innings. But he simply fell apart in the fifth, surrendering a five run rally, which was culminated in the form of a Larry "Weapon of Mass Destruction" Walker three run blast to the upper deck. Walker homered yet again in the 7th, this one a solo shot representing his eighth of the year. At 7-0, things looked all but over until Darren Oliver allowed two Tycoon baserunners on in the eighth before handing the ball over to the bullpen. Closer Jason Isringhausen struggled to the point that both those base runners came home, tagging two runs to Oliver in what was otherwise a near immaculate performance. The Cardinals added yet another run in the ninth, before putting the Tycoons to be in the ninth with a very nifty gold glove double play. After the game Kruk remarked "What a shame these Cardinals aren't going to be in the playoffs. They sure are a fun team to watch. Not like these Tycoons, they stunk up the joint like Doc Vindaloo on falafel day. No offense to the good doctor, by the way." Indeed, for a team that was entertaining hopes of winning Division 2, the win represents a bittersweet end to a wild season for a team that is not likely to change much in the offseason. They will most likely finish the year in the number 5 spot of the Pee Wee league. As for the Tycoons, they could still win the division and the first round bye IF the Red Clay Aces lose their last game against the Bombers. If the Aces win that game, the Tycoons drop down to the second seed and will need to face off against the yet to be determined third seed in the first round of the playoffs.

Series 12 Part 2: Down to the Wire

TYC - 5   STL - 1   F
W - Johnson (2-3)   L - Veres (2-1)   S - Ryan (1)
TYC: Johnson: 7 IP, ER, QS (3)
STL: Smith: 6 IP, 0 ER, QS (3)
TYC: Beltre: 2-5, HR (3), 4 RBI (11)
STL: Walker: 1-3, HR (6), RBI (13)
TYC: Ryan: 2 IP, S (1)

The Tycoons were playing to punch their tickets to the playoffs...a win would make them the first Division 2 Team to clinch a playoff spot. Both starters were in excellent form, with both Bud Smith and Randy Johnson looking dominant in the first three innings. The Cardinals drew blood first, however, when Larry "Weapon of Mass Destruction" Walker knocked a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, his sixth of the year. Johnson ran into trouble again in the fifth, but got out of a bases loaded jam with a clutch double play ball. His opponent Bud Smith never really ran into trouble and threw six very strong innings, giving up only two hits. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa decided to go to the bullpen in the seventh, but this proved to be a fatal mistake. The normally very solid Dave Veres quickly got into trouble and found himself with runners on second and third with nobody out. That's when former Green Sock Adrian Beltre stepped to the plate and "Beltre'd" an upper deck monster which put the Tycoons ahead 3-1. The Cardinals once again had a chance in the eighth when they loaded the bases, but Tycoon reliever B.J. Ryan shut the door on that. The Tycoons struck again in the top of the ninth with an end of the batting order rally, in which Adrian Beltre notched another RBI with a single and rightfielder Aaron Freel doing the same. B.J. Ryan went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to earn his first save of the year and seal the Tycoons spot in the playoffs. Big celebrations in Tycoonia as they will head to the playoffs for the third straight year. A win in their final game of the year will clinch the Division lead and a first round bye. As for the Cardinals, this is a shattering blow but they are not technically eliminated yet. They can still sneak into the third spot if all of the following occur: they win their final game against the Tycoons, the Maxions lose their final two games, and Tenbil Town loses their final game against the Marauders. In other words, it doesn't look good.
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MAX - 0   RED - 2   F
W - Buerhle (1-4)   L - Halladay (0-3)   S - Wagner (4)
RED: Buerhle: 6 1/3 IP, 0 ER, QS (1)
MAX: Halladay: CG (1), 2 ER, QS (4)
RED: Tejada: RBI (16)
RED: Konerko: RBI (12)
MAX: Ashburn: 1-3, 2 SB (18)

In a much anticipated showdown, two down trodden pitchers took to the mound to continue the struggle for a playoff spot. Mark Buerhle, who has been one of the worst pitchers in the league this year, thankfully for the Aces had by far his best game of the year. Although it was his best performance and although he didn't give up a single run, the real story is how bad the Bombers offense was in this one. Incredibly, they got a runner in scoring position in EVERY SINGLE INNING yet failed to score a run. Missed swings and vicious double play balls struck in every inning, resulting in a very ugly game that was hard to watch. The disease must have been infectious since this affected the Maxion lineup in it's entirety. As for the other side of things, Maxion starter Roy Halladay 02 had probably his best outing of the year, at some points dominant and never really losing control of the pace of the game. He did stumble however in the fourth, when the Aces managed to rally for two runs, thanks to singles from SS Miguel Tejada and 1B Paul Konerko. Halladay was able to pitch the rest of the game without any further trouble but the complete lack of run support results in him taking his third loss of the year. With this win, the Aces clinch a spot in the playoffs; they still have a chance to win the Division if they win their final game and the Tycoons lose theirs. As for the Bombers, they are still alive but they must win their last game of the season against Red Clay. If Tenbil Town loses, then they will be the number three seed team. If Tenbil Town wins, then the Bombers will face the Green Sox in a one game playoff to determine who will advance.
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BOB - 5  ZSY -2   F
W - Seaver (3-1)   L - Wells (5-1)
ZSY: Wells: 6 IP, 3 ER, QS (5)
BOB: Seaver CG (3), 2 ER, QS (4)
BOB: Hafner: 2-4, HR (3), 2B, BB, 3 RBI (12)
BOB: Ichiro: 2-3, 2 RBI (15)
BOB: Aparicio: 2 SB (26)

In what many billed as a preview to the Divisional Championship round, the first place Spartans of Bobia faced off against the Tuldarian Z-Slayers. Both teams are having such impressive years that they are both in the process of recording top five all time winning percentages of teams. In the first game of the double header, both teams sent their ace to the mound in what was sure to be a pitchers duel. The Bobians were the first to strike, with Travis Hafner coming up with a clutch double to put the Bobians ahead by two. Very aggressive base running also paid off for the Spartans, with one stolen base from Juan Pierre, two from Aparicio, and several extra bases which resulted in the classic Bobian manufacturing two more runs. Especially clutch was hitting from Ichiro Suzuki, who has clearly emerged at the offensive leader of this team and is now in talks of making the all star team despite missing almost the entire first quarter of the season. Travis Hafner reared his head once more later in the game, with a towering solo homerun, his third of the year. The Z-Slayer's answered in turn, with heavy hitter Ralph Kiner tacking Tom Seaver deep for two runs. The Z-Slayers were on top of Seaver for most of the game, but Seaver was very good under pressure and navigated out of trouble with help from the always solid Bobian defense. A crucial moment came when Z-Slayer Jack Wilson stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, but was popped up by the resilient Seaver, who went on to finish the game earning his third complete game of the year. After the game, Bobian GM Ronde Barber highlighted the performance of Travis Hafner, whose hitting seems to conveniently get hot whenever the likes of Mike Lowell or Fredgar Martinez falter.
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ZSY - 2   BOB - 3    F
W - Halladay (5-0)   L - Myers (0-2)
BOB: Halladay: CG (5), QS (5), 2 ER
ZSY: Hernandez: 6 IP, 2 ER, QS (6)
BOB: Ichiro: HR (3), RBI (16)
BOB: Aparicio: 2 SB (28), 3B (1), 2 R
ZSY: Kiner: HR (9), 2 RBI (25)

Although these games won't change much in the standings, you could feel both teams on edge, probing each other for weaknesses that might come in handy if these teams face off in the playoffs. The tension was especially thick on the Z-Slayer side, as the invincible aura of the Bobians had withstood the test of their firepower in Game 1. Both teams were threatening early, with Bobian Roy Halladay uncharacteristically working into trouble in the first inning. But his best friend, the double play ball, was faithful to him then and throughout the rest of the game. In the middle innings, Louie Aparicio solidified his reputation as the most dangerous base runner in the league, playing crucial roles in the manufacturing of two runs. One of which was from a Mike Lowell sacrifice fly and the other being brought home by Raul Mondesi after his first triple of the year. But in a strange similarity to game one of the series, the Z-Slayers responded with a Ralph Kiner two run shot. Both teams had quite a few opportunities, often generated by the bottom of their respective orders, but the score remained stubbornly stuck at two apiece until the seventh inning, when Ichiro belted a home run off Z-Slayer reliever Mike Myers which would put his team ahead and notch his team leading 16th RBI of the year. Halladay steamed ahead despite a very shaky seventh inning himself, putting together a respectable eighth. But come the ninth inning, the Z-Slayers managed to get the tying run in scoring position with the two players with the most RBI's in the league stepping to the plate. In a moment which was fraught with tension, Halladay spiked the Dulcolax stock price by grounding out Albert Pujols and striking out Ralph Kiner, thus completing the sweep of the Tuldarians. Z-Slayers Coach Lord Sith was frozen in his seat in amazement at the end of the game, in what some described as rather unsportsmanlike conduct. So ends the regular season for these two amazing teams. For the Bobians, they finish the year with a nine game win streak and will enjoy their first round bye, waiting to see if they will play against Meow Meow Dui or the Z-Slayers in the second round. As for the Z-Slayers, they finish the year with a rather ugly five game losing streak, despite finishing the year near the top of the rankings both in terms of pitching and hitting. Coach Sith will need to create some kind of spark to lift this team above Meow Meow Dui for even a possibility of getting revenge on the Bobians in the playoffs. If MMD wins their final game of the year against the Darkpaws, then the Z-Slayers could drop to third place and lose home field advantage.