NL Round 1 Playoff Recap by cebola

Chicago gets back to the playoffs for the first time since season 21 and a little ahead of their rebuilding schedule.  Don't be fooled by the Blagos's sub .500 record; they went 41-30 since the All-Star break, which happens to coincide with the arrival of slugger David Sisk.  They squared off against Helena, who made their 3rd consecutive playoff appearence.  Chicago took the first two games on brilliant pitching performances by Andrew Gates (7 innings, 2 runs) and Alex Estalella (7 innings, 1 run).  Gates got the support of the explosive Blago bats in the form of six long balls, including three by Sisk, in the 9-2 win.   But Estallela was forced to earn his big free-agent contract as he was asked to protect a 2-0 lead that was provided by a Lew Allen 2-run homer in the first.  And protect he did, as Chicago wins game 2, 2-1.  In game 3, Helena's Valerio "Code Red" Santiago keeps his team alive with a brilliant performance (6 innings, 2 runs, 9 K's), and the bats come to life back home, as the Peacemakers bang out 11 hits, including three by last year's silver slugger CF, Gerald Hull in the 4-2 win.  In game 4, Helena scratches out a couple runs off of game 1 winner Andrew Gates early to take a 2-0 lead, but Chicago answers with 2 in the 4th.  Sisk again was in the middle of the scoring, with an RBI triple and run scored.  The game would stay tied through regulation and well into extras, as both teams get lifts from their deep relief corps. Both pens provide 7 shutout innings before Mac Sano of the Blagos delivers the game winning 2 run homer in the top of the 13th to send his team into the next round.

Congratulations to Helena for getting to the post season again.  The core will no doubt return next season to make another run at the title.  Sluggers Hersh Glynn, Critobal Chavez, and Gerald Hull provide the punch to drive in the table setters Chrity Rivers and Zachary Anderson; and none of these guys will be going anywhere soon, I'm certain!  The Peacemakers caught a lousy break with Daryl Bigbie getting hurt, but he's in line to return as the key component of a strong rotation.  Great job, Helena!


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The other series in the NL featured two teams that finally saw the hard work put in during their rebuilding processes pay off.  The Philadelphia franchise gets to the playoffs for the first time since season 16, and the Texas franchise for the first time since season 13.  Texas got the jump as they took game 1 in a battle that featured two Cy Young candidates.  Reese "Smokin'" Hemphill labored through 7 innings, surrendering 13 baserunners, and his counterpart, Clarence "Nat King" Coleman pitched 6 effective innings and left with a 2-1 lead.  Texas would tie it at 2 in the 8th, and there we stayed until they unloaded for 3 runs in the top of the 12th.  The big hit was a 2-run triple by SS Eddie Wooten.  But Philly would storm back in a manner that would define the series to tie it up on a huge 3-run blast by Santos Torres.  With their hopes dashed after blowing the 3 run lead on enemy territory, the Wildcats don't bow to the pressure, as they get a go ahead HR by 50 homer man Wellington Rijo to take back the lead.  They hold on this time to secure the game 1 victory.  Texas would go on to win game 2 by a 7-2  score, behind a strong pitching performance by Jared Sexson (6 innings, 1 run).  Silver Slugging 3B Alex Scott delivered the crippling blow, a 3-run HR in the five run 5th.  With no margin for error, Philly sends Carl "The King" Pressley,  their co-ace to the mound for game 3 to try to keep their season alive.  Pressley comes up huge with 7 innings of 1 run ball (on 2 hits) and the Philly bats open up a tight 2-1 game with 5 runs in the ninth to take the 7-2 victory.  Robert Ellis's pinch-hit grand salami provided the bulk of the breathing room.  If Texas was going to take the next game and the series, they were going to have to do it against Coleman, who stymied them in game 1.  Coleman (7 innings, 1 run, 10 K's) pitches brilliantly and stakes his team to a 4-1 lead heading into the 8th.  But once he leaves the game, Texas is able to get to rookie 15 game-winner Louie Li for 3 to tie it up.  New Wildcat catcher  Brant Ducey hit a 2-run bomb in the frame, and Eddie Wooten delivers another clutch hit to tie it.  This game would also go to the 13th, where it was Philly's turn to man-up after blowing a late lead.  They get a big RBI double from their  MVP candidate, Geoff "Opie" Cunningham, and hold on for the win that forces the decisive game 5.   "Big Game" Hemphill, who has been in this spot once or twice before, would get the start for Texas against Rob Cormier, who was roughed up in game 2.  The match up is a battle between two pitchers who each have two World Series rings.  And as fate would have it, it was indeed a pitcher's duel.  Wooten gets another big hit, as he homers in the third off Hemphill to give Texas the lead.  Cormier helps himself by getting a hit in the bottom of the frame, and Cunningham brings him in with a clutch two-out hit.  In his next at bat, two innings later, Cunningham homers off Hemphill to give Philly the lead.  Cormier, Luis Castillo, and Cesar Mesa hold the tough Texas bats hitless over the final four frames to seal the victory and complete the Colonial comeback.


Congratulations to Texas for an outstanding season.  They got hot over the final couple months and became a force to be reckoned with.  They knocked around big-brother division rivals Iowa and Tampa during the final week of the season to get into the tournament.  It says here that their performance will carry over into next season where they will again compete for a title.  Kelly, Scott, Rijo, Stoops, Ducey - great hitters all, and all 25 or under!  Hemphill being under contract for a few more seasons will help to keep the window wide open.  Great job!

S25 NL East All-Stars by habslmets

C - Abraham Grabowski  - Louisville
1B - Oleg D'Amico - Washington
2B - Geoff Cunningham -  Philadelphia
3B - Max Kelly -  Philadelphia
SS - Whitey Holzemer  - Louisville
LF - Homer Hill - Washington
CF - Dennis Hammel -  Philadelphia
RF - Pat Dougherty - Scranton
UTL - Domingo Alvarez - Philadelphia
UTL - Sandy Fielder - Louisville

SP - Clarence Coleman  - Philadelphia
SP - Gary Pressley - Philadelphia
SP - Bill Scheppers - Washington
SP - Rob Cormier -  Philadelphia
SP - Louie Li -  Philadelphia
SP - Esteban Colome - Washington
SP - Terrell Jordan - Louisville
RP - Chad Pinto - Scranton
RP - Gill Prokopec - Philadelphia
CP - Cesar Mesa  - Philadelphia

MVP - Geoff Cunningham - Philadelphia

Cy Young - Clarence Coleman  - Philadelphia

ROY - Louie Li -  Philadelphia

AL Round 1 recap by cebola

Division rivals Augusta and Cincinnati squared off in a rematch of their round 1 series two seasons ago.  Cincy got the better of that one, bouncing their rivals in 5 games.  In fact, these two teams have battled it out with each other and have finished 1-2 in the AL North 5 out of the last 6 seasons.  It was only fitting that the series would again take the full slate of games to determine the winner.  The series did not disappoint, as the first three games were all one run affairs, with Augusta getting the better of Cincy in the first two.  Augusta got strong pitching from Pedro "High" Sierra and Flip "Lennon &" McCartney, and got a game-winning homer from Marvin Crabtree (wasn't that the name of the teacher in the "Little Rascals?") in game one, and took advantage of a Davey Diaz error in the 10th to plate the game winner in game two.  Carlos "Exxon" Valdes did his part for Cincinnati, belting a homer in each of the two losses.  In game 3, Cincinnati builds a 4-0 lead , as Valdes goes deep again.  But Augusta ties it by getting a 3-run shot from Victor Lawson in the sixth and a solo shot from Tony Rodrigues in the seventh.  But Dioner Moreno answered the bell with the go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the seventh to get back the lead that would hold up,  keeping Cincy's hopes alive.  Game 4 was all Cincy, or should I say, all Carlos Valdes.  "Exxon" Valdes goes deep three times, giving him 6 for the series, and almost single-handedly evens the series at 2 apiece.  In game 5, Augusta's Cy Young probable Flip "Lennon &" McCartney earns his stripes with a complete game shut-out.  He pitched under pressure all day, as the 'Bear's lead was only 2-0 through the first 7 and a half innings.  Valdes could not work his magic again, and Augusta breaks it open with 6 runs in the eighth to take the game and the series.  Congrats to the 'Bears, who move on to the next round for the first time since season 21.

Congratulations to Cincinnati as well for a tremendous season.  You know they will back to compete for the title next season.  They have a potent line-up, led by Valdes who is locked up for a few more seasons, and a young pitching staff led by a couple of ROY candidates in the rotation, Corky Jackson and Marshall Floyd.  Great job!


The other round one match-up featured two perennial championship contenders, each in a new park and each with new ownership.  Kudos to both of the new owners for keeping their franchises on track to compete for the title.  Oakland (formerly LA) took game one 6-1, behind a strong pitching performance by Morris James, and a big three run homer by Andrew Gipson.  In fact, Gipson drove in all six runs, as his big three-run double in the 9th broke it open and provided some breathing room for Turner Ellis out of the Oakland pen.  San Juan (formerly Jackson) took two out the next three, with Kirk Lee pitching out of jam after jam in 8 gutsy innings of the game 4 series-evening 3-2 win.  Gus Pearce provided the big 2-run homer to break a 1-1 tie in the 6th.  Clay Stanley (who belted three homers in Oakland's game 2 loss), brought his team closer with a solo shot in the bottom of the 6th to cut the lead to 1, but it wasn't quite enough.  For game 5, Oakland sent game 1 star Morris James out to the mound to face the inconsistent Jason Mathews of San Juan.  Oakland got to Mathews early with 3 runs through the first 3 innings, all on solo homers, one each from Gipson, Jamie "Fire" Byrne, and Tony 'The Crooner" Bennett.  James pitched well again, and left after 5 with a 3-1 lead.  Clay Stanley belted another homer (2-run shot) and Oakland got 4 effective innings from Ellis and Valdes out of the pen to take the deciding game 5-3.  Congratulations to Oakland, who moves on to face Augusta in round 2.

Congratulations to San Juan for another fine season.  All the pieces are in place for another run at a championship next season.  Roy "Purple" Hayes has developed into a Cy Young worthy starter, and the line-up is loaded with the likes of Bryce Dupler, Dan Blair, and Ralph "Billy the Kidd' Kydd.  Great job!

S25 NL South All-Stars by cebola

C - Jose Zurbaran - NO
1B - Tony Rodriguez - TB
2B - Alvin Logan - Tex
3B - Alex Scott - Tex
SS - Jesus Aviles - NO
LF - Welington Rijo - Tex
CF - Hi Shouse - TB
RF - Randy Stoops - Tex


SP - Reese Hemphill - Tex
SP - Clinton Puffer - IA
SP-  Doug Rogers - TB
SP - Elrod Coke - IA
SP - Al Lindsey - IA
RP - Jerry May - IA
RP - P.J. O'Shea - IA
RP - Kenta Itou - TB
RP - Alfonso Villafuerte - TB
RP - Antonio Itou - NO


MVP - Welington Rijo - 50 HR, 162 RBI, .944 OPS

Cy Young - Reese Hemphill - 19-7, 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP

ROY - Antonio Itou - 21 saves, 1.08 WHIP

S25 AL West All-Stars by 40_dog

C  -  Pablo Marquez  (OAK)
DH - Junior Yamakazi   (SD)
1B - Adam Smith   (TAC)
2B - Jamie Byrne  (OAK)
3B - Tony Bennett  (OAK)
SS - Garland Clifton   (SD)
LF - Pedro Bonilla  (OAK)
CF - Burt McCartin  (SD)
RF - John Ueno  (OAK)

SP - Kevin Sobolewski   (SD)
SP - Paul Merrick  (OAK)
SP - Bryan Christiansen  (SD)
SP - Hamish Radlosky   (SD)
SP - Edgardo Cruz   (SEA)
SP - Ignacio Flores   (SEA)
SP - Johnny Robinson   (OAK)
RP - Douglas Dobbs   (SD)
RP - Heath Camilli  (TAC)
RP - Bill Heving   (SD)

MVP -  Junior Yamakazi   (SD) -  .281 BA - 38 HR 112. RBI  .915 ops

Cy Young -  Kevin Sobolewski   (SD) - 17-9 1.11 whip 2.72 era in 225 innings

ROY -    Phil Oliver   (SD) - 6-3 1.23 whip 3.23 era in 81.1 innings out of a lights out Beards of Zeus bullpen!!

S25 AL East All-Stars by phlsfan

C-  Miguel Gutierrez  -  New York Mets
1B- Nick Jacquez  - Trenton Thunder
2B- Jonathon Hamelin  - Trenton Thunder
3B- Ariel Rosa  - Trenton Thunder
SS- Carlos Rodriguez  - Baltimore Orioles
LF- Philip Robbins  - New York Mets
CF- John Suzuki  - Trenton Thunder
RF- Javier Samuel  - Baltimore Orioles
_____
SP- Placido Balentien  -  Trenton Thunder
SP- Victor Moya  - Trenton Thunder
SP-  Karl Hurst  - Trenton Thunder
SP-  Pat Combs  - Trenton Thunder
SP-  Royce Holt  - New York Mets
SP-  Matt Livingstone  - Norfolk Turkeys
RP-  Guillermo Manzanillo  - New York Mets
RP-  Neftali Guardado  -  New York Mets
RP-  Hector Marson  - Baltimore Orioles
RP-  Charles Chen  -  Trenton Thunder
____
MVP-  Nick Jacquez  -  Trenton Thunder
Cy Young- Placido Balentien  - Trenton Thunder
ROY-  Miguel Gutierrez -  New York Mets

S25 NL West All-Stars by bigparb13

C -  Pedro Juarez - Salt Lake City
1B-  Marc Clarke  - Colorado
2B-  Christy Rivers  - Helena
3B-  Kevin Lowery  - Salt Lake City
SS-  Ajax Maybin    - Salt Lake City
LF-  Cristobal Chavez  - Helena
CF-  Felipe Mercado   - Colorado
RF-  Louie Santiago   - Salt Lake City
Utility -  Gerald Hull  -  Helena
Utility -  Dock Sanders  - Colorado 

SP -  Rafael Beltre  -  Colorado
SP -  Alex Torres  -  Salt Lake City
SP -  Darrell Bigbie  -  Helena
SP -  Gio Hernandez  -  Colorado
SP -  Babe Colin  -  Helena 
SP -  Valerio Santiago  -  Helena 
RP - Stump Matheson  -  Helena
RP - Lorenzo Alomar   -  Colorado
RP - Lyle Erickson  -  Colorado
RP - Del Castillo   -  Kansas City

MVP - Marc Clarke  - Colorado

Cy Young -   (tie) Rafael Beltre  -  Colorado
                            Alex Torres  -  Salt Lake City

ROY -  CF Zachrey Anderson - Helena