Toronto gets past scrappy Las Vegas to win the 2024 World Series!

 The Toronto Thunder battled toe to toe with the Las Vegas Fremonts but ultimately hung on for a World Series victory in Game 6!  Congrats to Chuck for a great regular season AND post-season.  The Fremonts had the Thunder on the ropes a few times, they were a break or two away from winning it themselves.

Special congratulations to Steve Tufte for putting together this juggernaut and getting them off to a great start!!!  I felt a bit like Steve Fisher in 1989 taking over Michigan Basketball for their eventual NCAAA title ("A Toronto Man will coach Toronto"? :-)) .  Very happy I didn't blow this for him.  Sincerely hope to see Steve back in the Thunder Front Office again! 

Tanner Houck earned Series MVP honors, winning both games he started.  Houck was 4-0 with a microscopic 0.91 ERA for the whole post-season!  Bobby Witt had a nice series with two homers and six RBIs, but Houck's dominance got him the award.   

Game 1:  After the Royal Canadian Air Force fly by, the Thunder took the field.  Tanner Houck was a machine this game, tossing eight shutout innings before tiring in the 9th.  Tanner Scott got the last two outs to preserve the shutout.  Aaron Judge hit a HR to lead off the bottom of the 1st and there was no looking back.   Thunder win 3-0.  

kcbutchers.drivehq.com/2024fl/BOX 10-16-2024 LAS @ TOR.htm

Game 2:  Las Vegas' bats were again flummoxed and hopeless against the Thunder's arms.  Bryan Woo tried valiantly to get the complete game shutout, but yielded the last out to Tim Herrin.   Bobby Witt and Shea Langeliers each homered to provide all the scoring for Toronto.   Another game, another 3-0 shutout win for the Thunder.   They couldn't be faulted for thinking that this Series would be a laugher and contemplating the first ever complete Series shutout, but the Fremonts had other ideas, as we would soon see.  

kcbutchers.drivehq.com/2024fl/BOX 10-17-2024 LAS @ TOR.htm

Game 3:  The 'Monts Strike Back!  Going back home to Vegas immediately invigorated the Fremonts.   They needed to breathe more of that unique mix of cigarette smoke, stale beer, and 80-year old grandparents sweating profusely from pulling the arms on the slot machines.   Las Vegas drew first blood, scoring in the first two innings.   Thunder starter Grayson Rodriguez got injured in the second, leading to a parade of relievers trotting out of the Toronto bullpen.  Meanwhile, Tristan Casas launched two home runs.   Vegas took a 3-2 lead in the 4th and held on for dear life to win the game and make the series 2 games Toronto to 1 game Vegas.  The Fremont bullpen of Austin "The Goth" Voth,  Garrelt Cleavinger, and Justin Slaten blacked the Thunder for the last three innings.  

kcbutchers.drivehq.com/2024fl/BOX 10-19-2024 TOR @ LAS.htm

Game 4:  Not merely content with a token win, Las Vegas came ready to battle again.  This game was 1-1 after seven innings but the Fremonts exploded with 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th to take a commanding 5-1 lead.  A lead that Michael "Gulf of" Tonkin seemed intent on relinquishing, however.   Tonkin gave up 3 runs in the top of the 9th to close the score to 5-4 but Justin Slaten put out the fire and got the last out to preserve the win and even the Series at two games apiece.  Marcus Semien and Ernie Clement each had two hits for Vegas.  

kcbutchers.drivehq.com/2024fl/BOX 10-20-2024 TOR @ LAS.htm

Game 5: Las Vegas was continuing their dominance at home and held a 2-1 lead after 7 innings in this pivotal game.  However, Toronto's Bobby Witt hit a clutch two-run homer and Shea Langeliers followed up with a dinger for himself.  Final score was Toronto 4, Vegas 3.   Tanner Houck earned his second win of the series, going 8 strong innings.   Toronto took a 3-2 Series win and eagerly hopped on the team plane to head back to Canada.  

kcbutchers.drivehq.com/2024fl/BOX 10-21-2024 TOR @ LAS.htm

Game 6:  The Thunder come out, well, thundering, and rolled up five runs in the first two innings.  They held the lead  5-1 going into the top of the 9th.   As the champagne bottles were chilled and confetti cannons were being loaded to celebrate the impending series win, Las Vegas still refused to give up.  Cade Smith, battered all Series by the 'Monts, came in to close it out but gave up 3 runs and suddenly the game was 5-4 with a Fremont on 2nd base.    Clay Holmes came in for the shell-shocked Smith and induced a groundout by Rob Refsnyder  to end the game and give the Thunder the title!   The last four games were ALL decided by one-run.  Great job by Chuck all series, and a super fun (and super stressful) set of games, for sure!

kcbutchers.drivehq.com/2024fl/BOX 10-23-2024 LAS @ TOR.htm