Lake Erie broadsides Wichita. Game recaps.

Game 1:

In what was billed a pitchers duel, Gerrit Cole took the mound against Logan Gilbert. After no scoring in the 1st, Santander would put up the series 1st run with a one out solo shot to right field. In the bottom half, Wichita countered with a 2 out Rizzo double followed by a Chapman triple to right. Cole then stuck out Massey to end the threat. Lake Erie wasted no time in the top of the 3rd as Regifo lead off with a solo shot of his own to right, giving Lake Erie a 2 to 1 lead. That would be the only runs allowed by the starters. In the 8th J. Duran came in and after a Rengifo walk, Caballero smacked a 2 run insurance home run to seal the deal. Final LE 4-4-0 WIC 1-6-0. W:Cole, L:Gilbert, S:Martin. 

Game 2:

10 game winner Chris Bassitt against 7 game winner and 2.21 era on the year, Sonny Gray. It was an ominous start for Lake Erie as Jankowski injured himself on the 1st at bat of the game trying to beat out an infield grounder. 3 batters later Daiz was hit by a pitch and also had to be replaced by veteran Maldonado. Dubon took over in center field. The scoring started with a 2 out solo homerun from Wichita's Wallner in the 2nd. In the top of the 4th Lake Erie rallied. After a lead off single by Altuve and a Maldonado sacrifice bunt, Santander flied out, but Moniak would come through with a clutch double to tie the game. Then T. Hernandez singled but Moniak was cut down at the plate to keep the score tied at 1. In the bottom of the 6th, Wichita would retake the lead on L. Robert's 1st homer of the series off of Bassitt. In the 8th, Robert his his 2nd homer of the game deep into the left upper deck. The stadium erupted, sensing the game was there's with a 3 to 1 lead. In the top of the 9th however things changed. To lead off Moniak opened the inning with a solo shot off of Mason Miller. The next batter Hernandez roped a triple down the right field line. Then with 1 out Dubon lift a sac fly to score Hernandez to tie the game at 3. The with the bases loaded, Altuve stepped up to the plate. On a 2-2 pitch Jose, grounded out to end the inning. King stayed in the game for the 9th despite giving up the HR in the 8th. He did his job getting Wichita down in order. To extras we went. Maldonado had to lead off the 10th as he was the only catcher available. Maldonado got the count to 3-1. He hit a fly ball to left, but it carried and was gone! Unbelievable. This shook up reliever Kevin Kelly as he then proceeded to give up a double and an rbi single to the next two batters. Duran came into the game and struck out the next 3 batters but the damage was done. Martin came in and retired the Bandits in order to record his 2nd save in as many days. Final LE 5-10-0 WIC 3-6-0. W:King, L:Kelly, S:Martin. 

Game 3:

A needed day off for both team as the series moved to Commodore Perry Stadium. Wichita needed to regroup while Lake Erie checked on the minor injuries to Jankowski and Diaz. It would be Verlander vs German. This was a high scoring affair with the Commodores scoring 2 in the 1st on a 2-run shot by Diaz, then scoring 4 in the 2nd sending 8 men to the plate, highlighted by a bases clearing 3-run double by Noda. However, Wichita rallied in the top of the 3rd, knocking Verlander out of the game in the process. With 2 outs, Robert hit a 3-run bomb, his 3rd of the series. Then after a single, walk, single, the bases were loaded. Pruitt came in and struck out Chapman to end the threat. In the top of the 4th, the Bandits added another run on a 2-out Kwan triple. But in the bottom of the 4th Dubon lead off with a HR off of Dunning. In the 8th Wichita added a run to make it 7-5, but in the 9th Martin again, after a Robert single put down the Bandits in order for save number 3, to give Lake Erie a 3-0 series lead with Cole coming up. LE 7-8-1 WIC 5-14-1. W:Swanson, L:German, S:Martin. 

Game 4:

It was now do or die for Wichita. Cole for Lake Erie vs B. Miller for Wichita. The Commodores jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on 3 straight singles in the 1st. But in the 3rd Cole got hit hard for 4 runs. After a walk and an error by Cole, he gave up a 3-run dinger to Naylor. Then a 1 out double to Kwan and a 2 out rbi single to Alvarez. In the 5th Robert tacked on another run with his 4th homer to make it 5-1 Wichita. In the 5th, Altuve came up with a 2 out double to make it 5-2. Wichita would not be denied as they knocked Cole out of the game after 5.2 innings with 3 singles that plated a run. With 2 outs lefty Beradino came in, but he walked Crawford to load the bases then gave up a 3 run double to Kwan to make it a 9-2 game. With Miller still in the Commodores started a rally. After a 1 out single and a 2 out triple, Kelly came in to get the last out of the 6th. That's when bad things started happening to the Bandits. Espinal was HBP and went out of the game. The next batter hit a line drive to left, but the usually sure handed Kwan let the line drive tip off the top of his glove for a 3 base error, scoring 2. Then Noda hit a 2 run homerun to make it a 9-7 game. Pruitt came in to retire Wichita in order in the 7th. In the bottom half, Diaz led off with his 2nd homer of the series. Incredibly it was now a 1 run game. To the bottom of the 9th. Diaz led off with a single. Isbel went in to pinch run. Santander singled, Isbel to 2nd. Then Isbel and Santander try for a double steal. Naylor throws to 3rd and it sails into left field. Isbel scores and Santander goes to 3rd with no outs and the game tied at 9. Moniak is intentionally walked. Hernandez is then HBP to load the bases. But then Duran induces Rengifo to hit into a home to 1st double play. After another intentional walk to load the bases, Mason Miller comes in to get Dubon to fly out. After a lead-off walk, Swanson comes in and  induces a double play and a ground out to end the top of the 10th. To lead off the bottom half is Ryan Noda. "Noda sets up, here's the pitch. Noda swings, it going deep, will it carry the wall?... Yes! Yes! The Commodores are going to the Friendship League World Series.! I don't believe it!" LE 10-14-1 WIC 9-10-2. W:Swanson, L:Varland.

MVP would have been L. Robert had Wichita won. His stats were .471, 4HR, 6 RBI. But the MVP went to Ryan Noda.  .400, 2HR, 6 RBI. Soon we will see who will hoist the Friendship League trophy. The Lake Erie Commodores or the Mount Pleasant Trainwreck. Should be a fantastic series. 

Series Recap: Mount Pleasant vs Las Vegas

 

Game 1

MVP and incredible human Shohei Ohtani gets the pill to start the playoffs for Las Vegas, squaring off against Mount Pleasant’s Logan Allen. Allen, picked up via draft day trade in the early second round, wasn’t the best starter all season but possessed a left-handed delivery to set the tone for Mount Pleasant’s gameplan.

The action started early with LV’s Taylor Ward driving in Triston Casas with an RBI double, taking a 1-0 lead in the first. Casas knocked in an RBI double in the second inning to increase the lead to 2-0. Mount Pleasant soon fought back, as big Josh Naylor lead off the fourth inning with a solo home run but Ohtani didn’t appreciate that, so he lead of the fifth inning with a solo home run himself to make it 3-1.

Things got a little wonky in the sixth, it’s worth noting. Because we don’t use the ghost runner extra innings rule in the playoffs, the file is preset to use the 2020 ruleset. The issue with that is the current 2023 ruleset includes the new rule that allows you to replace your pitcher without replacing them in the lineup. We learned this the hard way after Ohtani walked the bases loaded and Mike Trout staring him down, ready for revenge for the World Baseball Classic. Paul Sewald replaced Ohtani on the mound, moving him to RF, and punched out Trout to end the threat.

LV was able to hold down the fort until the 8th inning. Whit Merrifield’s base hit and steal prepped him to score on a Royce Lewis RBI single. Lewis then stole second base, again taking advantage of Ryan Pressly’s inability to hold runners. Vlad Guerrero Jr. collected his first hit of the game at just the right time to drive home Lewis and tie the game 3-3. LV again went to the bullpen for Nick Sandlin with Mike Trout to the plate. He was able to drop one in front of Ohtani in RF but further threats were shut down with a timely strikeout.

Mount Pleasant tapped Jordan Romano to hold the 8th inning and he delivered with a 1-2-3 inning. With the game tied, LV subbed Touki Toussaint to pitch the 9th. His nerves got the best of him when Adley Rutschman started with a single, and a clutch pinch hit home run from Austin Wells pushed Mount Pleasant in the lead 5-3! Felix Bautista was called upon for the save situation and struck out the first two batters. Ohtani, still trying to rescue the game, clubbed another solo home run, but Bautista notched the save after a Marcus Semien ground out.

Final Score – Mount Pleasant 5, Las Vegas 4. Romano (Win), Toussaint (Loss), Bautista (Save)

 

Ohtani and Trout square off again

Game 2, MTP 1- 0

The second game in Las Vegas showcased Kutter Crawford on the mound for LV and ace Kevin Gausman for MTP. Crawford had a great season, tying for the second most wins in the league with 10. Gausman was a top pitcher in the league and a strikeout machine, leading the league with 154, 24 more than second place.

MTP pounced early with a Royce Lewis solo HR, yet young Kutter didn’t get rattled. He posted zeros over the next four innings, including seven Ks. Gausman didn’t waver either, pitching a shutout through five innings and nine Ks.

LV blinked again in the sixth, when Crawford gave up a double, single, then double to force a move to the bullpen for Josh Sborz with the score now 3-0. He didn’t fare much better, giving up more runs as the inning mercifully ended with the score 7-0 Mount Pleasant.

Gausman finished with 12 strikeouts across seven innings as his offense racked up 12 hits amongst seven different batters in this shellacking.

Final Score – Mount Pleasant 9, Las Vegas 0. Gausman (Win), Crawford (Loss)

 

Game 3, MTP 2-0

The underdogs flipped the script heading back to Mount Pleasant. MTP starts lefty Shane McClanahan while the Fremonts counter with Nick Pivetta, who lead the team in innings pitched as a steady workhorse. McClanahan severely underperformed on the season, posting a 5.06 ERA. Still, he was called upon to again pressure LV to hit lefties.

Casas didn’t care and hit a leadoff triple on the first pitch of the game. Rob Refsnyder scratched across the first run from a grounder. McClanahan settled in afterward, getting out of a jam in the fourth before finally getting pulled in the sixth. Pivetta, on the other hand, was nearly perfect by retiring 16 of the first 17 batters he faced.

LV finally strung together enough hits for Marcus Semien to notch a ribby and pad the now 2-0 lead. Pivetta gave way to Josh Sborz, who locked it down 1-2-3, who gave way to Ryan Pressly. But Pressly continued to struggled, allowing a homer to Rutschman in the bottom of the 8th. Now trying their best to hang onto the lead and not let the series hit 3-0, Alex Lange stepped on the mound with everything on the line. He struck out Mike Trout, got Game 1 hero Austin Wells to foul out, and caught Seth Brown off-balance with a weak ground out to end the game and begin the comeback.

Final Score – Las Vegas 2, Mount Pleasant 1. Pivetta (Win), McClanahan (Loss), Lange (Save)

 

Game 4, MTP 2-1

Pitching Chaos was back in the form of a Train Wreck. Shawn Armstrong stepped onto the bump for MTP with a clear game plan as an opener. Las Vegas leaned on blossoming starter Reese Olson in an attempt to tie up the series.

Armstrong struck out two in the first while Olson responded by sitting back down his first three batters. Armstrong came back out in the second with a three up, three down showing, but Olson’s encore matched that performance. The third inning saw more of the same as neither pitcher had allowed a runner still. Finally, MTP tagged Olson with a solo homer by Whit Merrifield. Olson struck out two more but that home run would sting. He’d finish the day with a fine box score, going 7 innings, striking out 10, and allowing just the one run.

Meanwhile, MTP would follow up Armstrong with Wandy Peralta, Trent Thorton, and Jake Diekman all pitching hitless innings. LV finally got their first hit of the game in the seventh inning off Jordan Romano but a quick switch to Phil Maton locked down any further threat. Sensing blood in the water and clinging to a 1-0 lead, MTP called on Felix Bautista for the two inning save and he delivered, striking out three and never running into real trouble. Seven different pitchers combined to allow just two hits, no runs, and 10 strikeouts to secure another shutout. LV had only been shut out twice during the 81-game regular season but were blanked twice in the series already.

Final Score – Mount Pleasant 1, Las Vegas 0. Peralta (Win), Olson (Loss), Bautista (Save)

 

Logan Allen started games 1 and 5

Game 5, MTP 3-1

With the season on the line, Las Vegas turns back to their MVP. Ohtani stepped to the mound knowing it could be his last career start for the Fremonts. Despite the LV’s comfort of Ohtani on the mound, the Train Wreck wanted to prove Game 1 wasn’t a fluke. Logan Allen squared back up with Ohtani.

Both pitchers faced mild trouble early on, a lead off Semien double fizzled out and a Guerrero Jr. single dead ended, but Dalton Varsho caught a juicy Ohtani pitch he drove and sailed over the right field wall, bringing Suarez home with him for an early 2-0 lead in the second. Allen handled the LV lineup flipping over, continuing to fluster Jose Ramirez and besting Ohtani at the plate after a fly ball dropped into an outfielder’s glove. His offense was doing their part, as Rutschman smashed his second home run of the series, bumping the lead for MTP to 3-0.

Las Vegas wasn’t done yet. Michael Taylor belted a solo home run of his own to make it 3-1. Taylor Ward drew a walk in the 7th and Mount Pleasant had to turn to their stout bullpen to finish out the inning. Ohtani, for his part, finished out the 7th inning before heading back to the dugout and DHing the rest of the way.

Still, Las Vegas was on their heels and Mount Pleasant could taste their second straight World Series appearance. Vegas fought back in the eight with Triston Casas second triple of the season but set-up man Jordan Romano induced a routine groundout to end the threat and head to the 9th, passing the ball over to Felix Bautista for his third save opportunity.

It wasn’t without one final push though. LV trotted out the heart of their order, starting with Ohtani. He slapped a single into right field and immediately stole second base. Semien couldn’t move the runner over, instead weakly popping out. Taylor Ward kept the pressure on, drawing a walk to bring Grandal up, representing the winning run with just one out. Bautista reached back and fired a 100 MPH fastball that Grandal tops. The grounder dribbled to Correa at shortstop, who flicked it to Merrifield, stepped on second base and flung it to Naylor just in time for the game ending double play!

Final Score – Mount Pleasant 3, Las Vegas 1. Allen (Win), Ohtani (Loss), Bautista (Save)

Mount Pleasant wins series 4-1!

..................

Other than the 9-run outburst, every single game was a pitching duel that struggled to see any easy offense. Everything was earned and came one run at a time. As a team, MTP hit a paltry .207 for the entire series, mostly getting it done with the longball and a .396 slugging. In comparison, Las Vegas, who lead in practically every offensive category, had a .143 batting average, scoring just seven total runs in five games.

Mount Pleasant couldn’t mount much offense, with Josh Naylor leading the way batting .300 and a home run. Royce Lewis was important at the start of the series, tallying three hits and a walk, including a HR, in just 7 ABs. Rutschman gets another shoutout for having two HRs and a team-high 4 RBIs. Mike Trout gets the Least Valuable Player award, batting .150 and striking out SIXTEEN TIMES in 20 ABs. Truly remarkable.   

Series MVP has to be Logan Allen who neutralized LV twice, pitching 12 innings in two starts and allowing just 4 runs to the high-powered offense. Without him the bullpen wouldn’t have been as flexible and effective in the bullpen game. Felix Bautista comes in second, notching three saves, including a crucial two inning save in a 1-0 victory.

The Train Wreck look forward to their World Series matchup against Lake Erie. MTP won the regular series matchup 4-2 but the shorten rotations will certainly favor LE.

 

2023 Regular Season Recap!!!

Another fantastic season in the books!  We have seen some insanely great performances this year, both from teams and individuals.   We also had some high drama down the stretch to determine our playoff teams.  Lots to recap here, so here we go... 

The Rusty Kuntz Division was by far the best this year.  The Division Champs, the Las Vegas Fremonts, had a season for the ages, racking up 58 wins despite the brutal division competition.   The Fremonts 58 wins have only been exceeded twice in the 44 or so years of the league:  the 2005 Boston Bobcats with 60 wins and the 2002 Pittsburgh Phantoms with 59 wins.   Las Vegas excelled in all areas of the game:  The Fremonts led the league in home runs (129) , runs (442), hits (767), batting average (.272), OBP (.453), slugging percentage (.829), OPS (1.282), ERA (3.23) and Opponent Batting Average Allowed (a near Mendoza Line of .202).  Shohei Ohtani, of course, won the Triple Crown and recorded what must be THE best season in Friendship League history:  .369 average, 36 home runs, and 85 RBIs.  Ohtani set new all-time single-season records for runs (88)  and Slugging Percentage (.829)  He also dominated on the mound, going 6-2 with a 2.28 ERA.  Just an unbelievable season, absolutely Ruth-ian effort for our 2023 MVP!

Lake Erie and Maine fought ferociously for the Wild Card, with Lake Erie winning the final showdown with Maine to claim the last playoff spot.  Lake Erie’s one-two punch of Gerrit Cole and Chris Bassitt combined to go 24-9 for the season!  Cole ran away with the voting for the Cy Young Award.  Chris Martin was the best closer in the league, saving 22 games, putting up a 1.21 ERA< and earning the coveted Rolaids Relief Pitcher award.

Maine had some power in their bats (122 homers, second best in the league) but ended up outscoring their opponents for the season by just a total of just five runs.  A 6-1 record in extra innings kept the Loggers in playoff contention right until the end. 

Pittsburgh was the “hard luck” team for the first half of the season as Aaron was beset by a series of late inning collapses dooming the Phantoms.   They ended up with a 9-19 record in one run games. ☹   However, Aaron proved a quick study, and the Phantoms did improve greatly as the season went on.   They are tied with Pawtucket for the most number of bingo balls in the upcoming draft, and should be on their way towards a quick rebuild and future success.  

 

 

The Jack Glasscock Division didn’t have the glitzy juggernaut teams of the other divisions but was the most competitive this season, with three teams battling for the Division crown and Toronto not that far behind the pack.  Mount Pleasant held off the other teams and took the Division with 44 wins.  Kevin Gausman led the league in strikeouts with 154.  The Train Wreck bullpen was exceptionally strong, with five relievers posting ERA’s of 3.07 or lower.  Key Split for Mount Pleasant? Starting pitchers ERA was 4.48, relievers 2.94!

Michigan and KC each finished with 40 wins, just under .500 records.   Kansas City was middle of the road in just about every stat, with only Michael Lorenzen jumping out statistically (5-0, 1.15 ERA in 62 innings).  Michigan’s Kyle Bradish knocked Roger Clemens off the top of the Single Season ERA title, establishing a new record with a 1.53 mark. 

Toronto only won 35 games this season, but they are loaded for bear next season and are pre-season favorites to win it all (thanks to monster seasons from Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt, etc.)

 

Wichita took the Oil Can Boyd division with an excellent 49 win campaign.   Wichita had a well-balanced team, finish 3^rd in batting average. 2^nd in runs scored, 2^nd in runs allowed,  and 2^nd in team ERA. Luis Robert would have been MVP if Ohtani didn’t exist.   He had a .327 average, 25 homers, and 80 RBIs!

Boston was runner up in the division.  Some hard luck may have cost them some wins as their run differential (runs scored minus runs allowed) of 16 would be more in line with a better than .500 season.

Montreal had some nice contact hitters (4 batters over .300) but not much power.  It was the starting rotation that did in the Grizzlies.  Starters had an ERA of 5.58 vs. relievers at 3.29.   There is hope on the horizon though, and a full season of Tarik Skubal will make a BIG difference next year!

Pawtucket was another team doomed by their pitching staff, with a league high 5.07 ERA.  And that was despite the excellent season recorded by Zack Elfin (10-2, 3.23 ERA).  First round pick Esteury Ruiz led the league with 56 steals, most in the league in 14 seasons!  Rickey Henderson has the all-time mark with 76 steals, and Juan Pierre swiped 60 in 2010.  

 

Season Superlatives and “Awards”

Toronto Thunder had the highest run total for a game, exploding for 21 runs against Michigan

Pittsburgh Phantoms had the most hits in one game, with 22 against Kansas City.

Tyler Glasnow of Boston had the most K’s in a game with 16 against Pawtucket

Sombreros:  Boston sluggers Bo Bichette, Sal Perez, Joey Gallo, and Josh Jung each logged a game where they struck out five times (the criteria for a “Platinum Sombrero”).  Pittsburgh’s Byron Buxton was the only non-Bobcat to “achieve” the Platinum Sombrero this season.  Seven batters had four strikeout games, or “Golden Sombrero”:  Aaron Judge, Corey Seager, George Springer, Josh Lowe, Justin Turner, Estuary Ruiz, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Speed Kills:  Pawtucket’’s Estuery Ruiz had SEVEN of the eight games where a player stole three or more bases!  Only Makiei Garcia of Montreal shared space on the Steals list with Estuery, when he swiped three bags against, coincidentally, Pawtucket!  Ruiz peaked with five steals against Boston one day.

(Batting) King for a day!  Not sure how they calculate the Batter Game Score, but Kansas City’s Austin Hays had the single best all-around hitting game this year.   Hays went 4 for 4, with 3 homers, 3 runs, and 6 RBIs.

(Pitching) King for a day!  Not sure how they calculate the Pitcher Game Score, but Michgan Mammoth Kyle Bradish had the highest one this year.   He blanked Pittsburgh en route to throwing a one-hitter with 0 walks and 9 strikeouts!

The “Hung Out to Dry” award goes to Pittsburgh’s Jose Berrios, who allowed 17 runs while struggling through 8 innings to preserve his team’s bullpen arms.

“There Can Only Be One” Highlander Award:  Michigan’s Kyle Bradish, Boston’s Aaron Civale,  and Wichita’s Domingo German each threw one-hitters.

“There Can Only Be Twenty-One”  Blackjack Award goes to KC’s Martin Perez, who allowed 21 hits to Pittsburgh in a league-worst outing.

Tungsten Arm O’Doyle Award for pitching endurance:  Pawtucket’s Dean Kremer stepped up for the Patriots and saved their bullpen by recording 30 outs.  No one else recorded more than 27 outs