Seattle to Cinderella: It’s midnight

The upstart Cardinals showed they weren’t backing down when they took game 1 of the series, but Seattle pitching held them to 1 run or fewer in 3 of the next 4 games….and in that other game the hitters managed to score 9 runs….Paxton sealed the deal with a complete game shutout…Robinson, Nelson, and Murphy hit 2 homers each for Seattle…the Cards have nothing to be ashamed of; their pitching held Mike Trout to a .077 average, no small feat…Peralta hit .381 and Holliday had 2 homers…

It was an incredibly run for Jeremy Moore…he’s been a fixture since 1998, and of his 3 lifetime playoff appearances two have been in the last 2 years and all have happened since 2013….this is his first World Series appearance, and he had to go through Chicago to do it…he leads the league in clever phrases submitted with his lineup confirmations and, as a sign of true love, had his fiancee confirm his final lineup…that relationship is going to last.  It’s been great having you in the league for so long and congrats on an excellent year!

Adam has done some incredible things in the league…finishing 43 games ahead of the actual Diamondbacks in 2004….+33 over Seattle in 2010…and he’s just finished back-to-back ASFBL World Championships…a good guy with a great mind and a close friend, you bring so much to the league I’m thankful you’re in it every year.

That’s a wrap on the season — thanks to everyone for keeping this a really fun year!

 

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LCS results

SWEEPFUL IN SEATTLE:  After allowing only 2 runs in the first 18 innings, Seattle pitchers turned the series over the hitters who scored 7 a piece in the last 2 games.   Not giving up, Cleveland pushed the final game to 15 innings as both teams emptied their bullpens.  Trout and Seager were a combined 7-for-14 in the series.

Steve Skrovan is now batting .500 lifetime in his ASFBL playoff series; a Cleveland loyalist, he’s improved on their actual seasons in 3 of his 6 campaigns, and as a Dodger season ticket holder I’m willing to bet he’s pulling for an actual Cleveland-LA World Series.  Where he’ll cheer for the Indians from his seat at Dodger stadium.  Smart people tend to be better over time, and Steve just finished with his best season since joining in 2011.  We’d all like to think we’re trying to make the world a better place, and Steve is one of those guys who’s really doing that on a a daily basis.

THE WILDCARD THAT COULD: The road team won every game of the series before the Cardinals took game 6 at home, sealing the deal.  After beating Noah Syndergaard 1-0, the Cards teed-off on Robert Gsellman for 6 runs and tacked on 3 more against the bullpen.  Oh pitched 2 and 2/3rds innings for the save.

I won’t pat my own back, but given the depths I’d taken the Mets to the past few seasons I am pretty pleased with this run.  I was looking forward to having a chance to win the whole deal for the first time ever, but you just can’t fight the digital momentum that Jeremy has mustered or the run of the wildcard that could.

WORLD SERIES:  Gentlemen, please get me your lineups ASAP and send me an email when you’re ready and I’ll run ’em.  If you can get them in by tomorrow morning the season will be a wrap by tomorrow evening.  Best of luck to you both!

DCS results

CLEVELAND IN 7: After going up 2-1 and then down 3-2, the teams took to extremes and Cleveland won a slugfest 15-10 before taking the clincher 2-1.  Kipnis provided all the offense with a 2-run shot and Allen pitched a 2-inning save.   Steve Skrovan advances in his first ever playoff series!

Mark Chen has been in the league since 2004 and immediately made an impact by finishing +17 and then +20 WOR.  He has guided Baltimore in every campaign and made the playoffs each of the last 4 years.  He’s really got a great attitude and awesome sense of humor.

SEATTLE SNEAKS PAST BOSTON:  In the second 7-game series decided by 1 run in the last game, Seattle went up 3 games to 2 before David Price logged a 5-2 win.  The Mariners scored and won on 2 unearned runs in the 7th after having gone down 2-0.  In his last ever ASFBL game, David Ortiz went 0-for-4 with a sacrifice RBI.  He had 2 homers in the series.  Returning champ Adam Symonds moved one round closer to defending his title.

Tony B is one of the truly awesome people on the planet, quick with a joke, thoughtful, and always thinking of others.  One of his better seasons was 2012 when he finished +28 WOR, and after two down years with the Sox he got them back into the playoffs and just as far as the real club.  Enjoyed this season with him and really looking forward to having him back next year.

METS GET LUCKY: It took 7 games to decide the co-commisioner cup, with Colorado actually going up 3-1 in the series following a definitive 13-0 pounding of Logan Verrett.   But the Mets managed to hang in there and win a pair before clinching behind Seth Lugo; ironically, Carlos Gonzalez had 4 RBI in that final game.  On my quest for the first World Series title ever in a game I program, I’ve inched a step closer.

Leo is the heart and soul of the ASFBL, a level head, heckuva baseball fan, and one of my oldest, dearest friends.  He joined the league in 1994, which I think was the last time he finished behind in WOR with a -2.5.  By 1995 he was +29 (first in the league that year) and by 1996 was in the playoffs.    Since taking over Colorado 2 years ago he’s been at least +20 WOR every year and every year in the playoffs.  Great season, my man.

THE CURSE CONTINUES:  Jeremy Moore typed the phrase “BillyGoatBillyGoatBillyGoat” with every confirmation email he sent and the tact worked.  After the teams combined to score only 13 runs in the first 3 games, culminating in a 11-inning, 1-0 Cub win, the teams scored 29 in the next 2 games.  In the final game, the Reyes and Siegrist combined for a shutout and Matt Adams provided all the offense with a 2-run HR.  After making it to the DCS last year, Jeremy advances to the LCS for the first time ever!

I’m not gonna even try to come up with accolades for Rick Wynne.  Since joining in our second season in 1994 he’s won the World Series 3 times and been the runner-up 3 times.  He has never — I’ll repeat that figure — *never* finished in negative WOR.  He is the all-time ASFBL leader in wins, the all-time leader in winning percentage for owner with more than 1 season, and the all-time WOR leader by 135.  Holy Cow.  22 seasons.  Well done, Mr. Wynne.

NOTABLE DCS PERFORMANCES:

Tom Murphy of SEA hit 3 home runs against BOS on 10/17/2016
Chris Davis of BAL struck out 6 times against CLE on 10/19/2016
CLE and BAL played 17.5 innings on 10/19/2016
Tom Murphy of SEA had 6 RBI against BOS on 10/21/2016
Edgar Olmos of BAL had 14 strikeouts against CLE on 10/23/2016
Armando Rivero of CHC had 14 strikeouts against STL on 10/16/2016
Trey Mancini of BAL hit 3 home runs against CLE on 10/19/2016
DJ LeMahieu of COL had 5 hits against NYM on 10/19/2016
CHC and STL played 14.5 innings on 10/21/2016
STL and CHC played 13.5 innings on 10/19/2016

ON DECK:

LCS is next; Mets host Cards and Cleveland travels to Seattle.  Please enter the lineups by Thursday night and send me a quick confirmation when you’ve done so.  If everyone has their lineups in by tomorrow, we can run them a little earlier.

Wildcard results

Our vastly superior wildcard system plays 5 games…

BOSTON SWEEPS:  Scoring 8, 6, and 8 runs in the three games, and holding the Jays to 2, 4, and 6 (note that every score by every team in every game of the series was even), Boston advanced to the DCS.    Koji Uehara pitched a 2 and 2/3rd inning save in the final game…Mookie Betts had 2 hits, a homer, scored 3 runs, and drove in 4 to clinch the series.

Hugh Brown has been in the league since 2006 and been at climate extremes, managing Arizona and the Jays.  This is his 3rd playoff appearance and second in a row, and he comes off a season as defending AL East champ.  He led the DBacks to the best record in the NL in 2008 and has finished in the top-4 WOR spots three times.  He’s an active owner, a good guy to make a deal with, and a sharp baseball mind.  Great season, Hugh!

CARDINALS SURVIVE THE NATIONAL DRAMA: After losing 5-0 in the opening game the Nats took the next 2 to go up in the series.  In their last home game, the Cards won a 14-inning classic by getting Andrew Miller to allow an inherited run.  The pitching turned in 13 straight scoreless innings after allowing 2 in the first.  With the series back in Washington they scored 5 off of Scherzer in the first and got 3 scoreless bullpen innings to take the final game 5-2.

Andy Somers is in his 7th season and has made the playoffs every year.  No matter how you look at it, that’s a darned impressive streak, and Andy’s run down the last 2 weeks is one I’ll not soon forget.  He was in the World Series every year from 2012-2014 and won two of them…last year he got to the LCS.  But his best year might have been 2011, when he took a wretched Houston team to 34 games over reality and into the playoffs.  It’s been a blast competing against him all year, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does next year.

And, of course, congrats to Tony Bernacchi and Jeremy Moore for making it to the final 8!

DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES:

Please enter your lineups by Sunday evening and we’ll run the games on Monday.  Playoff schedules should be uploaded.  Please email Leo or I to confirm that your lineup is in.

Boston at Seattle

Cleveland at Baltimore (home field advantage broken on head-to-head)

Cards at Cubs

Mets at Rockies (first co-commissioner playoff matchup since 2008)

Best of luck to the 8 survivors!

 

Newsletter for 10/5/2016 — final week of the regular season

Following the St. Louis debacle, I am going to extend the protest period in the ASFBL from 10 seconds to 20 seconds from the end of the game…since all games take 1/3rd of a sentence to play, you may have lost 2 more games before you can file the appeal 🙂 …

COMMENTS: The NL East could literally not have been any closer.  Mets and the Nats tie at 96 wins…Philadelphia took 2 of 3 from the Mets to create the tie..Miami finished strong, taking 2 of 3 from the Nats…St. Louis roared to a 6-1 week to coast into the last wild card spot by a comfortable 8 games…kudos also to San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Arizona, who finished strong with winning weeks…Brewers, Reds, Miami, and Philly all finished above the actual team records…special congratulations go out to Ben Leckie, who took it right down to the last week of the season and played a key role in the divisional outcome….the AL East logjam was settled if not broken; the Orioles finished strong with a 5-1 week to take the division title…Boston and Toronto each finished in the wildcard spots…Toronto had a tough week at 2-5, and the Tigers posted a respectable 4-3 but couldn’t quite catch up…hats off to Gordon, who had a great run and won 92 games, which would have won a wildcard spot in the NL…and you gotta feel for a guy who finished only 1 game out of the last playoff spot…great year, my man…Cleveland held on and clinched a divisional crown with an impressive 5-2 finish….Twins were 5-1 and Oakland finished 6-1…both teams finished in the top 6 WOR…Houston was 5-1…Jim Gerety’s Rangers also had a quality week…Mariners crashed at 0-7 but still have the #1 seed and home field throughout the playoffs…I want to extend a personal congratulations to Andy Somers, who’s been a great competitor and a good guy all year long…

COMMENT OF THE WEEK, from Oriole fan Mark Chen to Met fan Jon Bruschke: “Both of our teams lost in the Wildcard game.  At least your team lost using its best relief pitcher.  Buck must have misclicked and put Zack Britton on ASFBL “never pitch.” ”

BIGGEST CONGRATULATIONS SO FAR:  John Weerts’ Oakland A’s didn’t make the playoffs but had the 2d best WOR total (13), tops for teams not making the playoffs.  Right on his heels was Jamie Richardson’s Tampa Bay Rays at plus-12, and Tim Walsh had the Twins and plus-8 for 6ht overall.  Great seasons, guys!

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: Mets and Nats play a 1-game playoff for the divisional championship on Oct 3.  DCS round starts Oct 5, and all series are best of 5.  Top seeds are the Cubs and Mariners, who will draw the wildcard winners, and the Rockies have home field against the eventual NL East champ by virtue of a better record, while the Orioles host the Indians by virtue of a better head-to-head record (5 wins in 6 tries).

We anticipate that Andy and I will play our game tonight, then I’ll be able to set the DCS series, and the owners still in it will have all day Friday to enter lineups.  We’ll run the games Saturday morning.

FEATS AND FAILURES:

ARI and WAS played 13.5 innings on 9/27/2016
Hunter Pence of SFG struck out 4 times against COL on 9/28/2016
Jordan Patterson of COL had 5 hits against SFG on 9/28/2016
COL and SFG played 19.5 innings on 9/28/2016
Jake Lamb of ARI struck out 4 times against WAS on 9/28/2016
Jon Lester of HOU had 11 strikeouts against SEA on 9/28/2016
Danny Duffy of SEA had 10 strikeouts against OAK on 9/29/2016
OAK and SEA played 13.5 innings on 9/29/2016
Max Scherzer of WAS had 11 strikeouts against ARI on 9/29/2016
Justin Upton of CIN struck out 4 times against STL on 9/29/2016
CIN and STL played 13.5 innings on 9/29/2016
Chris Sale of CWS had 11 strikeouts against MIN on 9/30/2016
PIT and STL played 14.5 innings on 9/30/2016
Noah Syndergaard of NYM had 10 strikeouts against PHI on 9/30/2016
Anthony Rizzo of CHC robbed 3 hits against CIN on 9/30/2016
Stephen Strasburg of WAS had 10 strikeouts against MIA on 9/30/2016
Jedd Gyorko of STL had 8 RBI against PIT on 10/1/2016
Ian Kennedy of KCR had 10 strikeouts against CLE on 10/2/2016

 

 

 

Playoff situation — going into the final week

Courtesy of Andy Somers:

NATIONAL – Clinched playoff berths: Washington, New York, Colorado (clinched division), and Chicago (clinched division).  2nd wild card spot: St. Louis holds 3.5 game lead over LA (magic number 4) and 5.5 game lead over Miami (magic number 2).  Philadelphia, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Arizona, and San Diego out of playoff contention.

AMERICAN – Clinched playoff berths: Seattle (clinched division).  Cleveland magic number is 5 to win division and/or playoff berth over Detroit.  Toronto magic number is 7 over Baltimore and 6 over Boston to win division, and 5 over Detroit to clinch playoff berth.  Detroit is 1.5 games behind Boston for 2nd wild card spot.  Tampa Bay, New York, Kansas City, Minnesota, Chicago, Texas, Houston, Oakland, and Anaheim out of playoff contention.