Thunder protection list

OAA Manaea,S* SP, BOA Sale,C SP, LAA Sandoval,P* SP/RP, NYA Green,C RP, NYA Loaisiga,J RP, CLA Karinchak,J RP, MNA Alcala,J RP, TBA Anderson,N NC, MNA Polanco,J+ 2B/SS, MNA Kepler,M* RF/CF, NYA Judge,A RF/CF, TBA Arozarena,R LF/RF/CF, TBA Zunino,M C, MNA Cruz,N 1B, TEA Calhoun,W* LF, MNA Jeffers,R C, MNA Gonzalez,M+ 2B/1B/3B/SS/LF/RF ------------------------- YD -- TBA McKay,B NC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CUTS--------- TEA Allard,K* SP/RP, TEA Hearn,T* SP/RP, HOA James,J RP, CHA Lopez,R SP/RP, LAA Bundy,D SP/RP, LAA Canning,G SP, TEA Cody,K RP, BAA Fry,P* RP, NYA Andujar,M LF/3B/1B, SEA White,E 1B, OAA Pinder,C, RF/LF/2B/SS/3B, TEA Trevino,J C, NYA Gardner,B* CF/LF, TEA Tejeda,A+ NC

Lake Erie Commodores Protected List

S. Espinal 3B, T. Hernandez RF, K. Plawecki C, L. Gurriel LF, N. Solak 2B, A. Santander RF,                   R. Grichuk CF, M. Maldonado C, and welcoming back after a one-year hiatus to clear his head, 

(Bang, bang), J. Altuve.

G. Cole SP, C. Bassett SP, J. Means SP, K. Maeda SP, R. Hill SP, L. Hendricks RP, G. Soto RP,

M. Mayers RP

Yu Darvish: J. Verlander

Dropped: W. Adames SS, Delino DeShields CF, J. Diekman RP, J.B. Wendleken RP, C. Hill RP,

M. Tauchman OF, K. Smith C, T. LaStella 3B, D. Norris RP, R. Guzman 1B, C. Hernandez 2B,

R. Nunez 1B, I. Paredes 3B, B. Taylor RP

 

 

COMMODORES AND BOBCATS BATTLE TO THE END IN A THRILLER

The Sandlot division didn't bring the one seed to the party.  But they did bring an unprecedented record of all teams above .500.  This showdown did not disappoint as the top two, who were separated by just a game in the regular season, went at it for one last time.  It ended in an unbelievable comeback that all can appreciate.  

The Bobcats were built like a watch. Andy Willnus had a number of watch makers in his lineage but knows nothing about watches.  He does know how to make a team tick though, and every piece of this team was intricate in the survival of this squad.  Right down to the last round.  Many were important during the regular season for sure.  However, it was the late round picks that helped the Bobcats move on to the World Series.  Sam Haggerty (round 6), Brett Phillips (round 7), Tony Kemp (round 9,) AJ Cole, (round 10) and even Julian Merryweather (round 12) were all needed to get past a tough Commodores team. Lake Erie brought an angry cut of the Bobcats to the party.  Delino DeShields (round 10), and he wasn't going to go quietly. 

Game 1 saw Gerrit Cole facing off against Marco Gonzalez.  Teoscar Hernandez had a monster year against the Bobcats and he continued.  He hit a two run shot in the first and Lake Erie didn't look back.  They held the lead from start to finish winning 8-4.  Gerrit Cole was chased out of the game in the 5th inning with the Bobcats rallying but the Commodores bullpen held them off to preserve the win.

Game two in Boston saw Dallas Keuchel face off against K. Madea.  It was a classic pitchers duel until Madea was injured in the 4th inning and had to be removed.  The bullpen continued with a great scoreless game.  Keuchel finally exited after 7 innings and Aaron Slegers took over.  Taylor and Mayers kept the Bobcats in check.  Finally, with one out in the bottom of the 9th Bo Bichette pinch hit for Ty France and he crushed a two run homer off of Gregory Soto to give the Bobcats a 2-0 win and a 1-1 tie in the series.

Game 3 we move to Lake Erie.  Lance Lynn against Rich Hill the former Bobcat.  The Bobcats score one in the first.  The Commodores get three in the second and the Bobcats get two in the 3rd as they battle to a 3-3 tie.   The Commodores score another in the 4th and the Bobcats finally tied it with one in the 8th off of Mayers.  Boston had a chance to win it in the 9th when DJ Stewart missed a homerun 1-17 or Flyout.  That missed two run shot hurt as Lake Erie got the game winning hit from the former Bobcat Deshields in the bottom of the 14th inning.     Lake Erie led 2-1 in the series.

Game 4 seemed liked it would make it Lake Erie's series as they brought back Gerrit Cole to face opener Julian Merryweather and a depleted Bobcat bullpen after the game 3 marathon.  Things changed quickly when Jake Lamb crushed a three run homerun in the top of the first inning.   Merryweather cruised with hitless ball even while tired through 4 innings when he expended his innings.  In came AJ Cole to defeat the other Cole when he finished up with 5 scoreless 2 hit ball to end it at 4-0.   A huge relief for the Bobcats, tying the series at 2-2.

Lake Erie game 5.  Marco Gonzalez returned to the hill against Jeff Means.  The Bobcats jumped him for 2 runs in the first.   They didn't give up the lead as Sam Haggerty hit a big homerun and Salvador Perez drove in two for a big 7-1 victory for Boston and giving them a huge 3-2 series lead heading back to Boston.

Game 6 saw a tough K. Maeda back from injury and D. Keuchel back from his gem in game 2.  Both pitchers performed very well again.  Maeda exited with the lead 1-0 in the 8th inning but Jake Lamb hit a sac fly to tie the game then.   It remained tied and Andy Willnus decided to stick with a tired Dallas Keuchel to save his bullpen for a possible game 7.  Liam Hendricks was on for Lake Erie and Willnus was hoping for an extended game if he couldn't end the series to burn the specialist.  It was Deshields again who hit a monster triple in the 10th that drove in the winning run before Willnus could counter with his bullpen.  A huge hit that left the Bobcats wondering if they had made a poor decision that would cost them the series.  One hit later, and the final was 3-1.  Series is now 3-3.

Game 7 for it all.  The Bobcat bullpen looks deep and loaded but the Commodores have Gerrit Cole.  Lance Lynn seems to be on a short leash for the Bobcats as they are most concerned about relievers getting tired as opposed to running out of innings.  Boston strikes quickly with a run in the first.  The Commodores get one back in the 2nd.  Into the 3rd, Andy Willnus considers pulling Lance Lynn but after a quick two outs he thought he was okay.  Then T. La Stella and Hernandez go back to back homeruns and it's quickly 3-1.  Willnus went to his strong bullpen but things got worse for the Bobcats, as Andrelton Simmons the defensive gem at SS gets injured for the 2nd time in the series.  With the Bobcats down, Willnus decides to go with Bo Bichette at SS to give them a offensive boost.  That backfires as Lake Erie got massive hits off of his 4 rating in inning 4 and 6 that total 5 runs.  By the time the dust had settled it was 8-2 Commodores heading into the bottom of the 6th.  That is when Rocky cut Drago, or when Boston cut Lake Erie.  They were able to tire Gerrit Cole with two out in the 6th and push one run across.  It was now 8-3 but the Commodores were bleeding from the eye.  M. Mayers entered and pitched well.   It was still 8-3 heading into the 8th.  Jake Lamb hit his 2nd homerun of the game off of J. Diekman to make it 8-4.  It still looked hopeless for Boston as Liam Hendricks would come on holding an 8-4 lead and being the best closer in baseball.  Willnus just looked at his team and said, "One batter at a time.  Let's get to Salvy and see what happens."  Salvador Perez was the seventh batter in the inning, but he was looking ahead.  Jeimer Candelario walked to start it.  Yandy Diaz then singled for first and 2nd.  Brett Phillips then stood in and like he had done all season long in the clutch he crushed a three run shot to right field and it was suddenly 8-7 and Hendricks was tired.  Liam stayed on for the time being and got Bichette out.  Then Tony Kemp singled.  That could have forced Hendricks from the game because of his weak hold rating and to keep Kemp on first.  J. Wendelken came on.  He was able to get Joe Panik out for the 2nd out.  The Bobcats were down to the final out, but they made it to Salvy!   What they set out to accomplish and they were pumped!  He rolls a 1-11 just missing the walk-off but he drills a double 1-3 or single and gets the single**. First and third and the dangerous Jake Lamb is up.   Doug Ebbole does what I think most would have done, and he intentionally walks Lamb to load the bases and put the winning run on 2nd to face Sam Haggerty.  He goes to the bullpen one more time and pulls out C. Bassitt.  Willnus looks to the bench with the best alternative probably being Jorge Soler he elects to stick with a very clutch hitting Haggerty all season long.  He did it again, 3-6 double 1-3 or single** for a walk-off game and series winner.  Final 9-8.

MVP; Jake Lamb (8th round)     3-13, 4 runs, 6 RBI, 3 HR's

Huge 3 run shot in game 4 in the first inning.  Sac fly to force extras in game 6 to help burn Lake Erie pen.  Big homerun in the 8th of game 7 and important intentional walk to lead the walk-off an inning later.  

Phantoms Win in seven games to advance to World Series

 

 Not sure if Dave or Steve T. wrote this, but enjoy this fantastic writeup!

Game 1:

Bieber versus Canning. The Thunder struck first in the opening frame with Cruz being hit by the pitch and Kepler hitting a two run homer. In the bottom of the second, Devers got the Phantoms on the board with a solo home run of his own. The Thunder loaded the bases with two out in the 5^th but could not punch any runs over. Pittsburgh also loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the frame but a pitching change to Hearn and a double play ended the threat. In the bottom of the 7^th Karinchak came on to relieve and got a quick strike out. However, Gallo laced a single in to the outfield. Nola bounded in to a force out but stayed out of the double play which was critical. Sano stepped to the plate and sent a shot to right to give the Phantoms the lead for good. Bieber shut the Thunder down in the eighth and Holland came on and got the save in the ninth. W-Bieber 8IP 2R 2ER 2BB 10K, S-Holland 1IP 0R 0ER 0BB 2K, L-Karinchak 1IP 2R 2ER 0BB 1K Players of note Phantoms: Iglesias 2-4, Devers 2-3 1HR 1RBI, Sano 3-3 1HR 2RBI Thunder: Kepler 1-4 1HR 2RBI, Judge 2-4, Canning 4.1IP 1R 1ER 1BB 3K

 

Game 2:

Berrios versus Cody. In the bottom of the first the Phantoms got a double from Arraez and a single from Iglesias to put the pressure on Cody with runners at 1st and 3^rd with no out. Cody however responded with a strikeout of Tucker and got Buxton to bounce into a double play. Neither team did much until the top of the third. Gonzalez led off the inning with a solo shot to left and Arozarena followed it up with a sharp single. However, Berrios bore down and got Cruz to strikeout, Kepler to ground out and Judge to end the inning with a strikeout as well. Both pitchers were doing well into the top of the 5th. Gonzalez grounded out to lead off the inning but Berrios got a little wild and plunked Arozarena. Cruz struck out for the second out, but Kepler made the pitcher pay with a centerfield two run homer. Judge grounded out to end the threat but the Thunder now had a 3 run lead. The Phantoms were not going to go down like this, as Gallo worked a walk and Jimenez smashed a two run shot over the leftfield wall to bring the score to 3-2. Cody plunked Nola and Nola had to leave the game with an injury. Sisco came on to run but was wiped by a force play by Arraez for the second out. Cody then walked Iglesias and then committed an error to allow Tucker to load the bases. The Thunder manager had seen enough and brought in Hearn to try and shut the door and sure enough, got Buxton to line out sharply for the final out of the inning. Berrios cruised through the top of the 6th, and Green came on for the Thunder and did likewise. Going into the top of the eighth, Judge led off with a fly out, but some bad blood might have risen up as Jeffers was plunked by Berrios, the third HBP of the game. Tejeda stepped up and made Berrios pay for that by sending a homer over the leftfield wall. With two in, the Pittsburgh manager made the move to Ottavino. Pinder greeted him with a double. Polanco then worked a walk and up stepped Gonzalez. He blasted a right field shot to give the Thunder a now large 8-2 lead. That would be all the Thunder would need as the relief staff shut down the Phantoms in the final two innings to tie the series 1-1. W-Green 2.2IP 0R 0ER 1BB 5K, L-Berrios 7.1IP 5R 5ER 1BB 10K Players of note Phantoms: Inglesias 1-3, Gallo 1-3, Jimenez 3-4 1HR 2RBI, Thunder: Kepler 1-5 1HR 2RBI, Tejeda 2-4 1HR 2RBI, Gonzalez 2-4 2HR 4RBI Cody 4.2IP 2R 2ER 3BB 6K

 

Game 3:

Walker versus Bundy. Both pitchers retired the 1^st inning lineups in order but the second was not like that. Devers tripled into the corner. Bundy struck out Buxton but Lowe connected with a hard single to drive in the run. Bundy recovered to form and got Jimenez and Gallo out quickly. Not wanting to be left out, Arozarena doubled to lead off the bottom of the frame. Tejeda stuck out but Calhoun bounced a ball to Walker and the pitcher could not handle it, to put runners on 1^st and 2nd. Gonzalez continued his hot ways hitting a single through the infield to bring in the runner from second. Walker then struck out Jeffers for the second out but Pinder would drive a ball into the corner to score one more runner. With runners on 2^nd and 3^rd Walker bore down on Polanco and got him to hit an easy fly ball to end the threat, but the Thunder now had the 2-1 lead. Both pitchers went into the 6^th with no further damage. In the top of the 6th, Buxton came to the plate and smashed a shot over the center fence to tie the game. Bundy got Lowe and Jimenez to ground out for two outs, but then lost control. Gallo hit a solo shot to the right field stands, Sisco followed up with a single and Shaw put the cherry on top with a two run shot to left. Pittsburgh now had a 5-2 lead. Toronto had a quiet 6^th and 7^th inning but got going in the eighth. In the 7^th inning Thielbar had come on in relief of Walker and had retired the two batters he had faced so far. He got Cruz to fly out deep to start the eighth but Kepler lined a single off of him. Pittsburgh brought in Tate to replace Thielbar as Judge stepped to the plate. Judge connected for a two run shot to close the gap to 5-4. However, Tate quickly retired Tejeda and Calhoun to quell the rally. Hearn cam in for Green to pitch for the Thunder in the top of the ninth. He simply did not have it tonight as he gave up a single to Sisco, a walk to Shaw, another walk to Inglesias and then Tucker knocked a two run single still with no one out. The Thunder manger moved in Alcala but he also allowed a quick single to Devers, allowing one more run. He then settled down to get the three outs. Tate had no problem setting down the Thunder in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory 9-4 and take the lead of the series 2-1. W-Walker 6.1IP 2R 0ER 2BB 9K S-Tate 1.2 IP 1R 1ER 0BB 2K L-Bundy 6IP 5R 5ER 1BB 4K Players of note Phantoms: Shaw 2-2 1HR 2RBI Tucker 2-4 2RBI, Devers 2-4 1RBI Lowe 2-4 1RBI Sisco 2-4 Thunder: Judge 1-2 1HR 2RBI Calhoun 2-4 Gonzalez 2-3 1RBI

 

Game 4

Bieber versus Manaea. Bieber continued his strong pitching by quickly going through his first 3innings. Manaea started sharp but ran into issues in the top of the 3rd. Manaea struck out Gallo to start the inning but Alberto lined a single into left field. Jimenez struck out for the second out but Tucker came up and smashed a deep drive over the center field fence to put the Phantoms up 2-0. Lowe flew out deep to end the inning t0 end the damage but the Thunder had yet to do anything against Bieber. That would change in the bottom of the 4th. Bieber struck out Judge and White but Zunino caught a hanger and deposited it over the short left field fence. Gonzalez was struck by a wayward curve and Tejeda took over for him at 1st. Tejeda proceeded to steal 2^nd and a single by Andujar drove him in to tie the game. Polanco flew out to center to end the rally. Manaea moved through the 5^th with no issues and the Thunder came up in the bottom half. Gardner shot a single through the infield into right field. He then proceeded to steal 2^nd base. Cruz grounded out moving Gardner to 3rd. Kepler came up to bat looking to knock him in but could not catch up to any of Biebers pitches for a strikeout. Judge was next but had a different result. He blasted a shot over the right field fence to score two and give the Thunder a 4-2 lead. Both pitchers pitched to the minimum for the next two innings to bring up the top of the 8^th. Karinchak came in for relief of Manaea and Nola came in as a pinch hitter to start the inning. Nola cracked a single and then Alberto shot a double into the gap. Jimenez shot a solid single into the outfield and all of a sudden the game was tied, still with no outs. The Thunder manager made the move to Green but he did not fare that much better. Tucker flew out and Low struck out but Iglesias hit a double into the gap to drive in Jimenez from first on a close play at home. Tucker took 3^rd on the throw. Buxton got beaned by an errant throw by Green as the series continued its testiness. Lewis came in for the injured Buxton and that brought up Devers. He smacked a double into center field to drive in Inglesias. Lewis scrambled all the way around the bases to try and score but was nailed by Kepler at home. The Phantoms now had a 6-4 lead. The Thunder got two singles with two outs in the eighth but could not score against Bieber. Alcala came on for the Thunder and easily worked through the 9th. Tate came in for the close and while the Thunder once again put two on, they could not get anything across and the game ended with a Phantom victory and a now substantial 3-1 series lead. W-Bieber 8IP 4R 4ER 2BB 13K S-Tate 1IP 0R 0ER 1BB 1K L-Karinchak 0IP 3R 3ER 0BB 0K Players of note Phantoms: Alberto 4-5 2runs Jimenez 1-4 2RBI Tucker 1-4 1HR 2RBI Iglesias 3-4 1RBI Thunder: Judge1-4 1HR 2RBI Zunino 2-4 1HR 1RBI Manaea 7IP 2R 2ER 0BB 7K

 

Game 5

Singer versus Loaisiga. Pittsburgh looked to close the series out with a win but the Thunder did not want to give up. Loaisiga quickly moved through the first three batters for his half of the first. The same could not be said for Singer. The Thunder came out with a vengeance. Arozarena started off with a single. That seemed to rattle Singer as he proceeded to walk Cruz, Kepler and Judge to bring in the first run. Jeffers then connected on the desperation pitch of Singer’s and slammed a Grand Slam over the left field fence. The Phantom manger could not remove Singer who was now tired due to the chance of destroying his bullpen for the rest of the series, so Singer had to press on. Tejeda was up next and took a walk. White came up and slapped a homer over the right field fence. Polanco hit a single but Pinder bounced into a double play. Arozarena came up again in the same inning but struck out this time to end the inning. Toronto was up 7-0 after 1. Pittsburgh fought back a little in the second as they scored two runs on a single by Lewis and back to back doubles by Gallo and Sano. That made it 7-2. Both pitchers cruised through the next few innings with Karinchak and Green coming in for a few innings of relief work. In the bottom of the 6^th Singer ran into a little trouble. White hit a single and Polanco ground out but moved him over. Pinder then followed with a single to drive him in. Gardner and Cruz were then retired to end the inning but the score moved to 8-2. Fry came in for relief for the Thunder and proceeded to hit newly inserted batter Sisco. A walk to Lowe put runners on 1^st and 2nd. Inglesias hit into a force but moved Sisco to 3rd. Jimenez hit a deep fly to sacrifice him in to move the score to 8-3. The Thunder were not done however. In their half of the inning Kepler started off with a single. Judge struck out but Trevino smacked a double to move the runner over to 3rd. Tejeda hit a seeing eye single to drive in Kepler. White came up next but struck out. Polanco however would not miss Singer’s pitch. He nailed a fastball over the left field fence for a three run shot. Singer got Andujar to pop out weakly but the score now was Thunder up 12-3. The Thunder brought in Alcala to manage the last two innings and he started rusty. Alcala struck out Lewis but Devers reached on a single. Gallo drew a walk and Sano stepped up and slapped a solid double into center field driving in Devers. Sisco grounded out allowing Gallo to score. An error by Gonzalez at second allowed Sano to score. Iglesias flew out to end the threat. Score now 12-6. Both Singer and Alcala made it through their other halves without incident. That gave the game to the Thunder and the series was now 3-2 in favor of the Phantoms. W-Green 1IP 0R 0ER 0BB 2K L-Singer 8IP 12R 12ER 4BB 7K Players of note Phantoms: Devers 2-4 Gallo 3-3 Sano 2-4 3RBI Thunder: Jeffers 1-2 1HR 4RBI White 2-4 1HR 2RBI Polanco 2-3 1HR 3RBI Loaisiga 4.2IP 2R 2ER 0BB 4K

 

Game 6

Berrios versus Canning. With the series shifting back to Pittsburgh, the Phantoms again looked to close out the series. With the first pitch of the game Berrios hit Arozarena in the arm with the pitch and the batter had to leave the game. Gardner came into sub but the Thunder could not take advantage of the runner and did not score. In the bottom of the 1^st Arraez led off with a solid single. He was erased by a force play with Iglesias taking over on 1st. Tucker stuck out and it looked like the Thunder might be able to get out of any trouble. However Buxton hit it to Canning and he could not handle the ball and was charged an error. With runners on 1^st and 2nd, Jimenez came to the plate and sent a deep liner to the right center field gap. Iglesias scored easily but Buxton was out at home on the throw from Judge. The Phantoms had the lead 1-0. Both pitchers easily went through the next two innings facing the minimum of batters. In the top of the 4^th Kepler came up. He sent a shot down the 1B line and Sano could not handle it. Kepler on 1^st with an error. Judge flew out to center and that brought Jeffers up. Jeffers connected on a seeing eye single to put runners on 1^st and 2nd. Berrios bore down on Tejeda however, striking him out for out number 2. Pinder was not having any of that however, as he connected on a solid double to bring in Kepler. Polanco followed suit with a double of his own to knock in both runners and give the Thunder a 3-1 lead. Gonzalez drew a walk but Gardner flew out to end any threat. Canning proceeded to move through the 4^th and 5^th innings with ease and Berrios made it through the heart of the Thunder lineup in the 5^th as well. In the top of the 6th, the Thunder were at it again. Jeffers led off with a single. Tejeda struck out but Pinder drew a walk. Polanco hit a single to load the base sand that brought up Gonzalez. Berrios missed with a 2-2 pitch and Gonzalez sent it over the right field wall for a Grand Slam, the second one of the series for the Thunder. Gardner smacked a single but Cruz and Kepler both got out to stop the Thunder roll. Toronto up 7-1 now. Canning rolled through the 6^th and 7^th innings and Berrios recovered his form for the 7^th and 8^th innings. In the bottom of the 8^th the Phantoms hit back. Sisco drew a walk from Canning and Zunino made a rare error on a hit by Arraez to put runners on 1^st and 2^nd with no outs. That was enough for the Thunder manager. He thanked Canning for his excellent outing and brought in Karinchak. While hoping for better results, Karinchak kept to his previous form. Iglesias hit a single to knock in Sisco. Tucker slammed a triple into the right field corner to score Arraez and Iglesias to move the score to 7-4. That brought out the pitching coach to try and settle Karinchak down. It worked, as he proceeded to strike out Buxton and Jimenez and then get Devers to ground out to preserve the lead. The Thunder got a couple of men on in the top of the ninth but could not add to their total. I don’t think their manager was that worried however. For the first time in the series with a close lead by the Thunder, they brought in their closer Anderson. The Phantoms were no match for him on this day as he proceeded to strike out all three batters he faced. The Thunder now had evened the series at 3 games apiece. W-Canning 7IP 3R 1ER 3BB 7K S-Anderson 1IP 0R 0ER 0BB 3K L-Berrios 9IP 7R 4ER 3BB 9K Players of note Phantoms: Arraez 2-4 1run Iglesias 1-4 1RBI 2runs Tucker 1-4 2RBI Thunder: Judge 2-5 Jeffers 2-3 2runs Pinder 1-3 1RBI 2runs Polanco 2-4 2RBI Gonzalez 1-3 1HR 4RBI

 

Game 7

 

Bieber versus Bundy. Somehow the series got to the seventh game. Pittsburgh’s MVP and Cy Young winner versus Toronto’s number 1 starter with 10 wins during the season. The Thunder knew that if they somehow could get the lead as they had in each of the other 6 games, they might have a chance as they had fresh arms in Cody and Anderson ready in the bullpen. Pittsburgh was determined to finally start hitting the ball and were confident in Bieber. Bieber was not messing around this time. He made short work of the Thunder lineup in the first issuing one walk but getting 3 easy fly outs. Bundy matched him by hitting one batter but then getting 3 quick outs. Bieber faced the minimum in the second. Bundy however, could not match him. Jimenez led off with a single and while Devers flew out to deep left, moving the runner to second, and Lowe ground out for the second out, Shaw hit a double to drive in Jimenez. Bundy issued a walk to Nola and Arraez came through with a double to knock in Shaw. Iglesias flew out to left but the damage was done, Phantoms up 2-0. The Thunder knew they were in a tough spot but were confident in their ability to somehow get runs on Bieber in the series. Bieber however, was at his best today. He struck out all three batters in the 3^rd and retired the batters in order in the 4th. Bundy did well in the 3rd, getting 3 quick outs, but did not fare as well in the 4th. Devers led off with a ground out and Lowe flew out for the second out.  Shaw walked and up came Nola. Bundy missed with a curve and Nola took advantage sailing the ball over the right field fence for a two run homer. Arraez struck out but the score now was Phantoms up 4-0. Bieber struck out all 3 batters in the 5^th and the Thunder still had no hits on the day, having only 1 walk. The Toronto manager knew they did not have much chance but could not allow any more runs. In came Cody, the game 2 starter to start the 5^th inning for the Thunder. Cody proceeded to get two fly outs and a ground out. Bieber came on to start the 6^th inning and things went a bit different this time. White connected on a rare miss by Bieber and sent the ball over the left field fence. Polanco followed with a single and suddenly the Thunder dugout was energized. Bieber struck out the tough Arozarena but Cruz came through with a double to put runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with one out. Kepler hit a fly ball to center to get Polanco in from third to cut the deficit to two runs. Judge drew a walk as Bieber was careful not to give into the tough veteran. Jeffers came up but could not connect and flew out harmlessly for the 3^rd out. The Thunder finally showed some offense as the score was 4-2 heading into the bottom of the 6th. Cody made quick work of it as he struck out Jimenez and Devers and got Lowe to groundout. Tejeda led off the inning and brought even more hope to the Thunder as he connected on a Bieber pitch for a home run. Bieber bore down and got Pinder to strike out and White and Polanco both to ground out. Score was now Phantoms 4-3. Cody started the 7^th but was showing tiredness. He struck out Shaw but it was a long at bat. The Thunder Manager walked to the mound and congratulated him on holding the Phantoms scoreless and signaled for Anderson. Anderson got Nola to ground out but gave up a single to the ever dangerous Arraez. With two out, Anderson got Iglesias to ground out to keep the score the same. Bieber had given his all through the 3 starts but did not have anything left for this game. Pittsburgh went with Holland to try and close the game out. The Thunder knew they had to somehow take advantage of this. Arozarena led off the eighth and did not disappoint. He slammed a Holland fastball out of the park to tie the game up. Holland was upset with himself for missing his spot and it showed. He struck Cruz out on 3pitches. Kepler flew out weakly to Arraez at second, and Holland then struck out Judge. The game was now tied up. Anderson handled the bottom of the 8^th with a ground out by Tucker, striking out Buxton, giving up a double to Jimenez but ending the inning with a Devers groundout. That brought up Jeffers to start the top of the ninth for the Thunder. Holland was dealing and struck out Jeffers. Gardner was inserted as a pinch hitter but grounded out and Pinder did the same. The Thunder knew that they would need to end this soon as Anderson was only going to be able to go another inning or two. The Phantoms felt the same. Lowe drew a walk and Shaw slammed the next pitch over the center field wall to win the series! Phantoms win 6-4 and win the series 4-3. W-Holland 2IP 1R 1ER 2BB 3K L-Anderson 1.2IP 2R 2ER 1BB 1K Players of note Phantoms: Arraez 2-4 1RBI Jimenez 2-4 1run Shaw 2-3 1HR 3RBI 3runs  Nola 1-2 1HR 2RBI Bieber 7IP 3R 3ER 2BB 10K Thunder: Arozarena, Tejeda, White all solo HRs Cody 2.1IP 0R 0ER 0BB 3K

MVP of the series Bieber 2wins 23IP 3.52ERA 6BB 33K

And now there are three!  Pittsburgh escapes Toronto
in a razor-tight seven game series

Shane Bieber shows off his MVP trophy

End of an Era

Las Vegas - Jose Ramirez has shuttered his salsa line. The Las Vegas ownership group learned of this while attempting to order products for the March Draft.

Vegas ordered jars of both the mild and medium varieties for the March 2020 draft that was subsequently moved online. Fortunately, the jars were consumed by Fremont management during draft weekend. Unfortunately, the jars were not saved for the yet-to-be-built Las Vegas Fremont Hall of Fame and Museum -- and the rest of the league will be deprived of what was (in all honesty) a pretty good salsa.

The Fremont org will be on the lookout for replacement player-developed food/snack options for draft weekend.

Let's not be sad that Jose Jose Salsa is gone - let's celebrate that we had it at all