Home Run Derby and Season 6 All Star Game Results

The thirteen top homerun hitters in the league met at Dulcolax Stadium for the first ever Home Run Derby. The rules were as follows: each player would have fifteen pitches to hit as many home runs as possible. The top six hitters would advance to the second round, which would also be fifteen pitches. Advancing to the third round would be the top four cumulative hitters from rounds 1 and 2. In round three, the score would reset, so that the top two would duke it out, one on one, in the fourth and final round.

The night got off to an exciting start with the first round results as follows:

1. Alber Pujols (ZSY) - 8
2. Ralph Kiner (ZSY) - 7
3. Gregg Zaun (MMD) - 7
4. David Ortiz (TEN) - 7
5. Eric Chavez (MMD) - 7
6. J.D. Drew (TEN) - 6
7. Ellis Burks (QEY) - 6
8. Larry Walker (STL) - 4
9. Magglio Ordonez (TEN) - 4
10. Jeff Kent (MAX) - 4
11. Jorge Posada (TEN) - 3
12. Miguel Tejada (RED) - 3
13. Jason Giambi (RED) - 1

In the event of the tie between Ellis Burks and J.D. Drew, both were accepted to advance to Round 2. Also of interest to note was the early departure of Larry "Weapon of Mass Destruction" Walker, who only hit four homers in this round. Round 2 went as follows

1. Albert Pujols (ZSY) - 14 (+6)
2. Ralph Kiner (ZSY) - 14 (+7)
3. David Ortiz (TEN) - 14 (+7)
4. J.D. Drew (TEN) - 13 (+7)
5. Ellis Burks (QEY) - 12 (+6)
6. Eric Chavez (MMD) - 12 (+5)
7. Gregg Zaun (MMD) - 9 (+2)

While Pujols, Ortiz, and Kiner continued with the fireworks, there was a three way tie for the number 4 spot. It was agreed on the spot for a sudden death elimination, which was won by Tenbil Town Green Sock J.D. Drew, sending Eric Chavez and Ellis Burks home. Down to the final four, Round 3 commenced.

1. Albert Pujols (ZSY) - 6
2. J.D. Drew (TEN) - 5
3. Ralph Kiner (ZSY) - 4
4. David Ortiz (TEN) - 3

Two Z-Slayers faced off against two Green Sox, and the result was surprising, namely the very bad performance from sluggers Ralph Kiner and David Ortiz. Both posted their worst performance of the evening in the crucial Round 3, paving the way for J.D. Drew to challenge Albert Pujols, who had remained atop the leaderboard the entire evening. Round 4 would prove even more dramatic than the third.

1. Albert Pujols (ZSY) - 4
2. J.D. Drew (TEN) - 4

The rules once again had not provided for the case of a tie. In a gentleman's agreement made right there on the field, the two agreed upon a repeat of the same conditions in a fifth round.

1. Albert Pujols (ZSY) - 5
2. J.D. Drew (TEN) - 4

And thus, with a razor thin margin of one home run, Albert Pujols was crowned the first ever Champion of the Home Run Derby.

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SEASON 6 ALL STAR GAME

D2 - 0   D1 - 9   F

D1: Ellis Burks: 3B, 3 RBI

D1: Ralph Kiner: HR, 3 RBI

D1: Luis Aparicio: 3B, SB

D1 Jack Wilson: RBI

D1: Gregg Zaun: HR, RBI

D1: Albert Pujols, HR, RBI

In the first All Star Game since Season 3, the entire league cast their attention towards hosting Dulcolax Stadium on this muggy summer evening. Division 1 did not waste any time in flexing their muscles and exerting their dominance over the Pee Wee League, with Coach Greg Maddux's incredibly dangerous lineup punishing Division 2 starter Jamie Moyer with a leadoff Luis Aparicio triple, followed by a rally bringing home two runs. The Ghost of Mao rotated a different pitcher each inning, with Brad Penny and Andy Pettite both pitching scoreless innings. But Ben Sheets ran into trouble in the fifth surrendering home runs to Z-Slayer sluggers Ralph Kiner and Albert Pujols. Kiner's was a three run shot, while Pujols's could be considered his 40th of the night if you factor in his performance in the Home Run Derby earlier that day. As for the Division 1 pitching, the Bobian starters did what they do best. Roy Halladay, Tom Seaver, and Tom Glavine SS all put in 2 dominant innings each, leaving the Division 2 lineup speechless. Division 1 did not let up, eventually expanding the lead to 9-0, thanks to a Gregg Zaun solo shot and an Ellis Burks triple. The Ghost of Mao went to the bench in the eighth and ninth innings, which seemed to finally bring a spark to the team's offense. In the top of the ninth, the team managed to load the bases with two outs. The Ghost of Mao opted to pinch hit the Tycoons Fred McGriff with the Marauders Fred McGriff, which ended up backfiring when the latter struck out to end the game. After the game, all players shared a good natured laugh over a highlight reel that included bloopers and achievements during the season. A Little League game between Georgia and Hawaii followed after, but was cut short after both teams strategy of "swing at everything" failed to break the tie after extra innings. Even still, the mood with the Division 2 players seemed dampened, with Coach Ghost of Mao wondering aloud at one point how any Pee Wee team would have any chance of winning the championship after such a humiliating performance.  

All Star Team and Home Run Derby Qualifiers!

After a long season, the League Commissioner presents the highly anticipated All Star Teams. The teams will play against each other next week. The number in parenthesis shows how many times that player had been named to the All Star Team.

This year, the Division 1 Team has made two slight adjustments. Since there were no outstanding second basemen and two very highly qualified shortstops, one of the shortstops can also play second base and has been accordingly granted that spot even though he played most of the season as a shortstop. Next, a team usually carries four starters and four relievers. Due to the very high caliber of starters in Division 1, an exception has been granted whereby the team will carry five starters and three relievers.  

For Division 2, a special congratulations is in order for Red Clay second baseman Alfonso Soriano, the only player who has made every single All Star team since Season 3.

DIVISION 1

Coach - Greg Maddux, BOB

C - Gregg Zaun, MMD (1)

1B - Albert Pujols, ZSY (3)

2B - Jack Wilson, ZSY (3)

SS - Luis Aparicio, BOB (1)

3B - Mike Lowell, BOB (1)

LF - Eric Chavez, MMD (1)

CF - Ellis Burks, QEY (3)

RF - Ichiro Suzuki, BOB (1)

DH - Ralph Kiner, ZSY (3)

Bench - Frank Catalanotto, QEY (2)

Bench - Jason Larue, ZSY (1)

Bench - Manny Ramirez, LIN (3)

Bench - Rondell White, LIN (3)

Bench - Travis Hafner, BOB (1)

Starter - Roy Halladay, BOB (1)

Starter - Tom Glavine SS, BOB (1)

Starter - Tom Seaver, BOB (1)

Starter - Kip Wells, ZSY (1)

Starter - John Burkett, BOB (1)

Reliever - Rollie Fingers, BOB (1)

Reliever - Tim Spooneybarger, QEY (2)

Reliever - Steve Karsay, LIN (2)

Closer - Keith Foulke, MMD (2)

Closer - Danny Graves, ZSY (3)

Division 2

Coach - The Ghost of Mao

C - Bengie "Don't Make Fun of My Speed" Molina, MAX (2)

1B - Fred McGriff, TYC (1)

2B - Alfonso Soriano, RED (4) 

SS - Miguel Tejada, RED (2)

3B - Edgar Martinez Jr., TEN (1)

LF - J.D. Drew, TEN (1)

CF - Richie Ashburn, MAX (3)

RF - Larry Walker, STL (2)

DH - David Ortiz, TEN (1)

Bench - Edgar Renteria, STL (1)

Bench - Jorge Posada, TEN (2)

Bench - Fred McGriff, MEL (1)

Bench - Scott Rolen, MEL (1)

Bench - Jeff Kent, MAX (2)

Starter - Andy Petitte, MAX (3)

Starter - Brad Penny, TYC (2)

Starter - Jamie Moyer, MEL (2)

Starter - Ben Sheets, RED (2)

Reliever - Shingu Takatsu, TYC (3)

Reliever - Shingu Takatsu, RED (3)

Reliever - B.J. Ryan, TYC (1)

Reliever - Dave Veres, STL (1)

Closer - Mariano Rivera, MAX (3)

Closer - Danny Kolb, TYC (1)

HOME RUN DERBY

All players who hit five or more homeruns during the regular season will qualify for the Home Run Derby. The qualifiers are as follows.

David Ortiz (TEN)

Albert Pujols (ZSY)

Eric Chavez (MMD)

Ralph Kiner (ZSY)

Larry Walker (STL)

J.D. Drew (TEN)

Ellis Burks (QEY)

Jason Giambi (RED)

Magglio Ordonez (TEN)

Miguel Tejada (RED)

Jorge Posada (TEN)

Jeff Kent (MAX)

Gregg Zaun (MMD) 

 

Series 12: Part 4: So it Comes to This...

TEN - 4   MEL - 6   F
W - Politte (1-1)   L - Foulke (1-3)
MEL: Beckett: 4 1/3 IP, 4 ER
TEN: Ishii: 5 IP, 3 ER
MEL: Jeter: GW HR (4), 2 RBI (10), SB (3)
TEN: Drew: HR (6), 3 RBI (13)
MEL: Groom: 2 2/3 IP, BB, 0 H, 0 ER

The tension could not be thicker as both teams stared down elimination in the ultimate contest of do or die in their last game of the season. The nervous energy could be felt in the packed crowd at Melmegetia Municipal Stadium in which every seat was filled this evening. Nerves certainly seemed to be an issue for both starting pitchers, as neither seemed comfortable throughout the evening. Veteran Josh Beckett was the first to stumble, rocked by a J.D. Drew three run home run in the third inning. Beckett stumbled again in the fourth, surrendering a leadoff triple to Omar Vizquel, his league leading sixth of the year. Magglio Ordonez brought him home with a single on the next pitch, expanding the Green Sox league to 4-0. Beckett did not survive the inning, resulting in a very disappointing 4 and a third inning performance. He was relieved by Buddy Groom who was dominant in his first appearance in a while, not surrendering a hit in almost three innings and being a solid bridge to the late innings. On the other side of things, Tenbil Town starter Kaz Ishii ended up in some hot water himself in the bottom of the sixth. After a leadoff single from catcher Miguel Olivo, team captain and manager Adam Kennedy made things interesting by crushing a double and moving himself and Olivo into scoring position. The Marauders then finally got on the board with a Scott Rolen single; this ended Ishii's night as Emerick Jones called in Paul Shuey from the bullpen. But Shuey had a bit of a choking incident; Kennedy scored on a Brandon Larson single, Scott Rolen scored on a Fred McGriff double, and Larson scored on a Frank Thomas single. But the time Shuey finally ended the inning, the Marauder rally had brought the score to 4-4. Both bullpens kicked into high gear, and neither offense had any spark in the seventh and eighth innings. As the game went to the bottom of the ninth, the entire stadium held their collective breath as it looked like they were in for a long night. But there was to be drama before regulation was over. In the bottom of the ninth, with a runner on first, hot hitting Derek Jeter stepped to the plate. Tenbil closer Keith Foulke dealed a  fastball that hung just enough over the plate for Jeter to connect. The ball then sailed over the right field wall, and just like that, the Tenbil Town Green Sox season was over. While Melmegetia celebrates for the time being, their fate now rests in the hands of the Red Clay Aces. If the Aces when, then the Marauders punch their ticket to the playoffs...
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RED - 1   MAX - 3   F
W - Daal (2-2)   L - Fogg (1-2)   S - Rivera (6)
MAX: Daal: 7 IP, ER, QS (3)
RED: Fogg: 7 IP, 3 ER, QS (4)
MAX: Koskie: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI (5)
MAX: Martinez: 1-3, 2B, RBI (17)
RED: Walker 04: 2-3, HR (2), RBI (7)

The last game of the season had so much riding on it. Would the Aces win the division? Could the Bombers pull off an incredible second half of the season turnaround and secure a playoff spot? Would they fail and allow the equally incredible story of the Marauders to have the Cinderella ending? Both teams threatened early, with both offenses getting runners on second and third in the first inning. Neither team capitalized on this chance, nor on the other opportunities in the early innings. Both starters indeed seemed nervous and were working in and out of trouble most of the evening. Huge double play balls saved each respective starter in the fourth inning; very tough rolls were achieved by the Maxion defense thanks to a very tough turn by second baseman Jeff Kent, while the Aces were able to emerge unscathed from a bases loaded situation with only one out when Bomber LF Hideki Matsui grounded out into a double play. But the Maxions bats finally hit pay dirt in the fifth inning, when the first three men of their lineup, Richie Ashburn, Corey Koskie and Edgar Martinez, hit three consecutive doubles. The Aces answered back in the sixth with a Larry Walker solo homerun, bringing the score to 3-1. Both starters pitched the seventh without incident before turning it over to their bullpens. The Maxions went to normally solid setup man Ugueth Urbina who started off the inning with two quick strikeouts. But two walks and a single lead to a bases loaded situation where they called in the closer Mariano Rivera. Using his signature cutter fastball, he struck out Jose Cruz to end the eighth. In the bottom of the inning, Aces reliever Paul Quantril struggled but managed to get out of a jam without any bloodshed. In the top of the ninth, Rivera was to face the top of the Aces order. After surrendering a walk to leadoff man Tom Goodwin, the Bombers could not capitalize on a ground ball from the next batter. The number three hitter, Paul Konerko, then singled, moving a runner to scoring position and allowing the go ahead run to come to the plate. But Rivera did not falter. After popping up the hot hitting Alfonso Soriano, he put the game to rest but catching Jason Giambi looking and sending the Maxion Bombers to the playoffs!

What an incredible run for this team, who bounced back after a 1-9 start to finish the year with a record of 10-12. They will play in the first round of the playoffs against the Red Clay Aces, a rematch of this epic series where they were able to secure the third Pee Wee League playoff spot.

So ends the regular season of Season 6. With the playoff picture decided, stay tuned for the All Star Team announcements.

League News Roundup 02 AUG 2018

Your Guide to the Thrilling Pee Wee League Finish

Although there are only two games left in the season, Division 2 standings could change radically based on the outcome of these two games. Here is a breakdown of exactly what each team is playing for:

RED: Has already clinched a playoff spot, but a win against MAX will give them the division crown, a first round bye, and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They will send second starter Josh Fogg to the mound. In five appearances this year, he is 1-1, with 3 quality starts and one complete game.

MAX: Will be eliminated with a loss. Will clinch the number 3 playoff spot with a win over RED and a TEN loss. If they get the win over RED, but TEN also wins, the Maxions will face off against TENin a one game playoff due to a perfectly even tie breaker. Omar Daal, who has been reliable in the second half of the year, will start their final game (5 starts, 1-2 record, 2 QS).

TEN: Is in the same exact situation as the Bombers. A loss means elimination. A win plus a MAX loss gives them the third spot, while a win and a MAX win results in the one game playoff. The team has lost two games in a row, games which GM Emerick Jones called "easy wins transformed into nightmare losses." Jones hands the ball to Kaz Ishii, who in five largely disappointing starts is 1-3 with only 2 quality starts.

MEL: Incredibly, Doctor Vindaloo's squad could still grab the number three spot with a win over the Green Sox and a MAX loss. They would have a similar record as the Bombers and Green Sox if this were to happen, but would control the tie breaker over both of them thanks to head-to-head record and division record. A loss results in their immediate elimination. Veteran and long time Marauder Josh Beckett 03 will take on the very dangerous Green Sox offense. In five starts, Beckett is only 1-3 with three quality starts, but is admittedly better than that might lead one to believe.

Z-Slayers GM Implicated in "Mister B" Plot; Makes Strange Comments

A leaked police report shows that several calls on murderer Tomo Ohka's mobile device have been traced back to the Tuldarian Z-Slayers clubhouse of all places. There's no word yet on how this exactly factors into the investigation, but Z-Slayers GM Lord Sinister blasted the accusation as "utterly false" and "slanderous of my team's immaculate reputation." In an open press conference in which all journalists except for John Kruk were invited, Sinister went on to explain that the Tuldarian Z-Slayers were the one and only team in the entire league that did not have any player or coach on the roster whose first or last name started with the letter "B", and therefore it was absurd to even think that someone in his organization had any involvement in the plot. But that's when league luminary Butthead asked a very poignant question: "Uhhhh...uhuh, uhuh...like, why do you even know that?" Butthead's co-host of the Leit'em Up Roster Report, Al Leiter, then rose as well and said "Yes, that is indeed a random fact. What if "Mister B" picked that alias for himself, knowing that would direct the search elsewhere?" There was then a moment of very awkward silence until it was shattered by a furious outburst from Sinister. "LISTEN HERE, IF I WAS GONNA KILL A COACH, IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THAT CHUMP TAKLAMENTE. DON'T YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF TAKING OUT THAT BOBIAN A**HOLE RONDE BARBER? THERE'S MY ANSWER TO THAT. NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! ALL OF YOU! YOU SO CALLED "SPORTS JOURNALISTS MAKE ME SICK!" And thus ended a very interesting press conference.  

Stadium Mania: Report initiates Renovations Across the League

A report commissioned by Red Clay GM Ishmael van Corrin has published the result that a well perceived stadium directly correlates to a team's success on the field. Driving the result were the Spartans of Bobia and the Tuldarian Z-Slayers, whose home field's (Dulcolax Stadium and Sinister Industries Stadium) both received the highest rankings of A+. Aside from commanding scenic views of their respective hometowns, both are world renowned for the variety and sophistication of their dining options. Both are also relatively new builds as well and are number 1 and 2 in the league in terms of crowd capacity. Both stadiums also feature very unique aspects such as a high tech drainage system in Bobia and a Zachrian war memorial in Tuldaria. Other stadiums around the league that scored decently were Melmegetia Municipal Stadium (B+), the South Queynos Grounds of Fate (B), and Beanway Park (B). In light of this report, many other teams launched initiatives to "spruce up" their home fields. The Red Clay Aces, Tenbil Town Green Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Alyxian Darkpaws, Maxion Bombers and Mao's Tycoons all released statements that they would be looking to rebuild, renovate, or rebrand their home fields. But the big news was that Ishmael von Corrin unveiled plans for a new waterfront stadium in Red Clay, which will be started in the offseason if he can receive proper permits and funding from the city.