World Series Game 6

 Cleveland scored the first 2 runs against Dan Mason. Will Daugherty doubled in a run in the 4th against Tim Goff to make it 2-1. In the 5th, Jody Rasmussen homered to make it 3-1. That's all the runs Hollywood would get against Goff, who pitched a 2 hitter over 7 innings.

Ernesto Lopez came in for the 8th, trying to get his team to a game 7. Eddie Del Toro started the inning with a single, and Eugene Wheeler doubled him to 3rd. Pinch hitter Gunnar Lumo singled in Del Toro, and Erik Valentin hit a sac fly to center to tie the game. After Will Daugherty struck out, Lumo stole second base and then came home on a Cesar Corona single. Just like that, the B's were on top 4-3 and 3 outs away from their first title.

Doug Freeman, who had already saved 3 games with 6 innings of work, took the mound once more. Roy Snipes grounded to second. Rasmussen drew a walk, bringing up Otto Stevens. Stevens hit a grounder to second, with Daugherty go to short, then back to first for a double play.

The B's are now world champions. Eddie Del Toro was named series MVP, though many thought Freeman deserved it most.

"From day one of spring training, I could see it in their eyes," said Hollywood manager Keith Grace. "The players had that look of intensity, of hunger, of a desire to accomplish something great, and today they did that. They're champions of the world."

World Series Games 1-5

Game 1:

Eddie Del Toro hit a game tying homer in the 5th inning, and Cleveland went on to win 3-1.  Pat Evans allowed just one run through 7 innings, striking out 8.

Doug Freeman took over in the 8th and pitched 2 scoreless innings for the save. He walked 3 while striking out 5.

Game 2:

Cleveland rocked Dan Mason, scoring 7 runs in the first 2 innings en route to an 8-6 victory. Troy Wyckoff had 3 hits, including a HR, and drove in 3. Otto Stevens went 4-4. Hollywood scored 4 runs in the 5th to make things close, but Kirby Miller gave Cleveland 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, and Ernesto Lopez pitched the last 2 for the save.

Game 3:

Hollywood scored 4 runs in the first 3 innings off Greg Bowen. Eugene Wheeler, batting 9th as the DH, had 3 hits including a 2 run homer. Fozzy Wacha pitched 7 innings of 4 hit, one run ball for the win, and Freeman had another 2 inning save, striking out 3 while getting all 6 batters faced out.

Game 4: 

Malcolm Thomas hit 2 homers off Jason Richardson as Cleveland won 7-0. It was a costly win, however, as Thomas was hit in the hand by a pitch in the 7th inning. X-rays showed he broke a finger and will not be able to play the rest of the series.

Delvis Winchester pitched 6 scoreless innings, and David Ramirez got the save, pitching the last 3 and striking out 6.

Game 5:

The B's jumped out to a 5- 0 led against Drew Tobin in the first inning, and were up 7-0 after two. With one out in the first, a runner on first and the score 1-0, Victor Baker lifted a routine fly to center which was dropped by Chris Hamilton. The Cleveland fans have to wonder if regular CF Malcolm Thomas, sitting on the bench with a broken finger, would have made the pfoulay.

Cleveland fought back to make it close. Jody Rasmussen hit a pair of homers, knocking in 5, and they scored 7 runs off starter Pat Evans. With an 11-8 lead in the 8th, Doug Freeman came out again for a 2 inning save. He pitched a scoreless 8th, and though he did allow a Chris Hamilton solo homer in the 9th, allowed only that one run to put Hollywood one game away from the Championship.

MLCS Game 7

 Buddy Dervish, who pitched a complete game victory in game 3, took on Jason Richardson.

Richardson pitched a scoreless 1st around a Conn Barbarian double. Buddy set the B's down in order.

In the bottom 2nd, Donaldson led off with a walk and moved to third on a Del Toro single. Junior Alcantara sent the ball into the right field seats for a 3 run homer. With 2 out Erik Valentin singled, and Wally Calhoun had seen enough of Buddy, bringing in Ryan Bordenick, who got the final out.

Richardson set the Penguins down in the 3rd. In the 4th after a leadoff double, he struck out the next 3. He pitched a 1-2-3 5th, still holding a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning Victor Baker hit a 2 out, 2 run homer to make it 5-0.

Richardson gave up a single in the 6th and then a Conn double brought home the first Penguin run. That was it for him, Joe Pinches struck out 2 of the next 3 hitters to end the inning. In the bottom 6th, nunez and Lumo had back to back doubles off Ron Tejada to make it 6-1. Lumo stole 3rd and Florida went to Joel Camels, playing infield in. Valentin tried a suicide squeeze but popped the ball in the air. Camels was quick off the mound, caught the bunt, and doubled Lumo off the base.

Brad Hayes pitched a scoreless 7th and got the first out of the 8th. Al Baldwin finished the inning, getting Glenn and Meyer. In the 9th, Baldwin struck out Manny Nunes. Nathan Tabor got Gromit on a flyout, and Vaughan Henderson on a grounder to 3rd, sending the B's to the 1st world series in their 35 season history.

MLCS Game 6

 B's scored 2 in the bottom of the first on Corona's sacrifice fly and Victor Baker's single. In the top 2nd Wade Meyer singled with one out and the next two walked. Fozzy Wacha struck out Glenn Chase, and the only thing that stood between him and a scoreless inning was the other pitcher, Roger Blackwood.

Blackwood shocked the world with an opposite field grand slam. B's scored in the bottom of the inning as Erik Valentin brought home Rey Nunez. In the 3rd, Hollywood took the lead on a Corona homer and Del Toro single. They were up 5-4, but in the 4th Florida really got to Wacha.

With one out, they again loaded the bases for Blackwood. This time he hit into a force out, bringing home one run. A wild pitch brought home another. Angel Garcia singled, moving Blackwood to 3rd, and then stole second. Juan Penales brought them both home with a single.

Blackwood pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th but was back in trouble for the 5th. After a pair of singles Eddie Del Toro crushed a 3 run homer to tie the game. After Alcantara singled, it was finally time for Blackwood to hit the showers. Rey Nunez singled against Shawn George, and Gunnar Lumo singled to load the bases. Playing the infield in, the Penguins got the out at the plate, but a wild pitch brought the go ahead run home.

In the 6th with George Taylor on the mound the Penguins put speedy runners on 1st and 3rd with one out, but Conn and Don Glenn struck out to end the inning. The B's added an insurance run in the bottom 6th. Taylor pitched a perfect 7th, and turned it over to Doug Freeman for the 8th. He set the next 6 Penguins down in order to force game 7.

MLCS Games 4-5

 Game 4:

Angel Garcia gave Florida and early lead the Penguin way: He singled, stole 2 bases, and scored on a groundout. The B's tied the game in the second on a Victor Baker single, and took the lead on a Rey Nunez double in the 4th. Junior Alcantara homered in the 6th to make it 3-1.

Tim Sullivan went 5 innings for the Penguins, giving up 2 runs. Dan Mason was pitching great for Hollywood, 1 run through 6, but got into trouble in the 7th. Manny Nunes led off the inning with a homer. With one out Glenn Chase singled, and Vaughn Henderson came on to run as Kurt Kawasaki pinch hit for the pitcher. Henderson took off for second, Kawasaki line the ball into right for an RBI double.

Woody Francis held the B's scoreless in the 8th and 9th. In the bottom of the inning with one out, Michael James pinch hit against Joe Pinches, and sent a line drive into the left field corner. The ball barely made it over the wall, hitting the foul pole, and gave the Penguins an exciting victory.

Game 5: 

In the second inning the B's loaded the bases with nobody out against Joel Camels. After a Victor Baker single, Pat Evans hit into a double play, bringing home another run. A third run came home on a wild pitch. Rey Nunez singled home another in the 4th.

In the bottom of the inning Conn homered, and Manny Nunes doubled to cut the lead in half. In the 6th, Evans had 2 outs and a runner on first when things fell apart. Chase singled, Kawasaki pinch hit and singled to make it 4-3. Angel Garcia's infield single off reliever Mark McCaffery tied the game. Juan Penales singled in the go ahead run after an 11 pitch battle.

Steve Rice pitched a scoreless 7th, and Grant Hansen a scoreless 8th. The B's fans were frustrated as when Bubba Donaldson singled with 2 out, Cesar Corona was not around to bat next. He had been removed in an ill advised double switch. Pinch hitter Gunnar Lumo grounded to short in his place.

In the 9th, the Penguins went to Jake Richardson. After a leadoff single, He got Alcantara on a fly ball, struck out Bergeron, and Victor Baker ended the game with a grounder to second.

SLCS: Cleveland wins

 Game 5:

Spiders blew out the Sluggers 16 to 1, collecting 25 hits in the game. Walt Carson started and gave up 7 runs in 3 innings. The bullpen wasn't much better until the 9th inning when Kal Chillingworth made the first pitching appearance of his career and threw a scoreless inning.

Malcolm Thomas and Otto Stevens had 4 hits each, Troy Wyckoff homered twice and knocked in 4 runs. Drew Tobin pitched 6 innings for the win.

Game 6: 

Having lost their best 2 starters to injury, Louisville was forced to turn to Andy Davis, who only made 7 regular season starts, in an elimination game. Davis gave up homers to Chris Hamilton and Malcolm Thomas but kept his team in the game, giving up no more runs in 3 innings and leaving just down 2-1. Troy Wyckoff's RBI single in the 6th made it 3-1 Cleveland. Still 3-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Sluggers went to their closer Ricardo Osuna to try and keep it close. Osuna got the first 2 outs around 2 singles, but then lost the strike zone and walked 3 straight hitters, forcing in 2 runs before striking out Stevens to end the inning.

In the 9th, 3 Louisville doubles brought in 2 runs, and the Sluggers put the tying run on base for oliver Brooks. Ernesto Lopez was able to get the strikeout, and send Cleveland to their first ever world series.

Championship series continues

 Otto Stevens had 3 hits, including a homer, and 3 RBI to lead Cleveland to a 6-3 win over the Sluggers. Nick Lawson allowed 5 runs for the Sluggers. Delvis Winchester pitched into the 7th inning for Cleveland, allowing 3 runs for the win. He walked one while striking out 6. Ernesto Lopez pitched 2 innings for the save, getting the job done on only 12 pitches.

Florida took game 3 behind a Buddy Dervish complete game victory. Dervish allowed 6 hits, one run, one walk, and struck out 6. Angel Garcia was 4-4 and drove in 2 runs, Wade Meyer had 3 hits as the Penguins won 5 to 1.

SLCS Game 3

 Terrence Hatcher drove in 2 runs with a double to put the sluggers up 3-0 in the second inning. Carlos Padron stuck out 10 over 6 innings as the Sluggers won 7-2 over Cleveland.

In the 7th inning, Cole Werner hit a 2 run homer to seal the game. The Sluggers won 7-2.

Florida v Hollywood

 Game 1: Hollywood scored in the first inning on a 2 out single by Bubba Donaldson. In the second inning Florida took the lead as Don Glenn and Manny Nunes both homered against Pat Evans. They added another in the 3rd as Angel Garcia stole 2 bases and came home on a Penales single.

In the bottom of the 3rd Corona doubled and scored on a Victor Baker single. Junior Alcantara tied the game with a 2 out single, but Roger Blackwood should have been out of it after that. Chad Richardson grounded to 3rd, but Angel Garcia's throw to second pulled Penales off the bag. Pitcher Pat Evans followed with a 2 run double.

In the 5th Florida reclaimed the lead. With a runner on, Will Daugherty booted a ground ball by Conn Barbarian. Don Glenn followed with his second homer of the game, a 3 run shot to make it 6-5. The homer sent Evans to the showers.

In the bottom of the inning, Alcantara homered to tie it back up. One batter later, Roger Blackwood was chased from the ballgame. Ron Tejada gave the Penguins two good innings of relief, and the game was still tied 6-6 into the bottom of the 8th.

Against Scott Klippenstein, Valentin hit a 1 out double and scored on a Daugherty single. With 2 out, Victor Baker and Eddie Del Toro cashed in RBI singles against Woody Francis to make it 9-6. Joe Pinches pitched a 1-2-3 9th for the save, making Doug Freeman, who pitched the 8th, the winner.

Game 2:

In the bottom of the first, Angel Garcia booted a leadoff grounder, allowing Erik Valentin to reach against Ryan Bordenick. He walked the next two batters. Cesar Corona struck out, Del Toro hit a sac fly, and Alcantara struck out. Getting out of a bases loaded jam with one run was a nice recovery.

Fozzy Wacha started strong and gave Florida few chances to score. In the 4th, Angel Garcia led off with a single but was thrown out trying to steal. Valentin had an RBI double in the 4th and Wacha added an RBI single in the 6th. Hollywood tacked on 3 more in the 8th against Klippenstein, who was given up 6 runs in 2 games (3 earned). That's 5 more runs than he allowed in 8 innings of the 2019 playoffs.

Wacha was dominant and finished with a complete game 4 hitter, striking out 10 and walking none. He did it with only 99 pitches. Hollywood will take a 2-0 lead as the series moves across the country.

DeMario to retire

 Jered DeMario, 37, announced his retirement today. The 2020 season was a rough one for him as he went 1-7 with a 6.50 ERA for the Chicago Winds. For his career, he pitched just over 3000 innings with a 207-135 W-L record.

DeMario was the 2015 Roger Chillingworth award winner, when he went 21-7 with a 2.68 ERA for Miami, pitching 258 innings.

Cleveland v Louisville games 1-2

 Game 1:

Sluggers had none of their regular starters on normal rest, so give the ball to Victor Medina, who had all of 2/3 of an inning big league experience. He did well, allowing only 1 run in four innings. With the game tied at 1 in the 6th inning, Lou Huff hit a 2 run homer off Slugger lefty Kevin Blazek.

Ernesto Lopez pitched the last 2 innings. After a scoreless 8th, Sislau Iser doubled with one out, but felt a strain and had to leave. Steve Taylor singled to bring in the pinch runner, making it a one run game. Lopez was able to get the next two hitters and save the game, 3-2 Spiders.

Game 2: Iser was able to get back in the lineup for Louisville. In the top 2nd, Jimmy Flannery stole second and scored on a Steve Taylor double.

In the 3rd, Bernardo Cardenas felt something wrong with his arm and had to leave. Iser took a walk in the 6th and went 1st to 3rd in the 6th, but aggravated his injury and had to leave the game again. Oliver Brooks drove in 2 runs on a 5th inning single, and added another with a 7th inning homer.

Blazek pitched 2 scoreless innings, and Osuna came on for a 2 inning save. He struck out 3, allowed one run to hold on to a 6-4 victory. It was a costly one though, as Iser was diagnosed with a groin tear and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Cardenas was placed the the IL as well, so he will miss the rest of the playoffs as well.

Florida v New York Game 3

 With their backs against the wall, the New York Cobra faced their old teammate, Buddy Dervish. They got two on in the first inning, but Ken Jones bounced into a 3-6-3 double play.

In the bottom of the first, Angel Garcia singled and then stole second and third. Juan Penales was in a hole after taking pitches to let him steal, and struck out. Juan Barraco then struck out Conn. Don Glenn delivered a 2 out single and the Penguins led 1-0.

Dervish handled his old mates, pitching 7 shutout innings, striking out 8, walking none, and allowing 6 hits. In the bottom 7th, Florida held a 3-0 lead. Penales singled, and Conn crushed the baseball, saw it driven before him, and heard the lamentations of Brad.

With the score 5-0, the Penguins went to Jake Richardson for the 8th, and Grant Hansen for the 9th. Hansen got Adrian Sandusky to fly to center, Gromit grabbed the ball and Florida will head to the championship series.

MLDS Alaska v Hollywood game 3

 David Zapata pitched well for Alaska, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings while striking out 9. The first run came in the 3rd inning, and in the 5th Eddie Del Toro hit a 2 run homer. Jason Richardson however, was better. He took a no-hitter into the 8th inning. Richardson has great stuff, but has been troubled by injuries and inconsistency in his young career. In the regular season he had a 5.48 ERA in 87 innings.

With a 3 run lead and 6 outs away from advancing, Richardson was allowed to start the 8th. A leadoff double by Robb Stark broke up the no-no, and Richardson left the game for closer Doug Freeman. Freeman allowed another hit to put runners on the corners, but pitched out of it.

In the 9th, still 3-0, Hollywood went to Joe Pinches. After 2 walks and 2 strikeouts, he was one out away. Standing in his way was the king of the north, and Robb Stark crushed a 441 foot homer to tie the game.

For the next few innings, neither team was able to put more than one runner on in any inning. The bullpens held the game scoreless. In the 14th, Rey Nunez hit a one out double, and pinch hitter Eugene Wheeler followed with a double to bring him home.

With a 4-3 lead, Hollywood was once again 3 outs away and gave the ball to Curt Jensen, the 4th reliever of the day. Tom Chaisson walked with one out. Eric Lemon flew out to right, bringing up Stark once again. Another homer would give Alaska another game to play. Jensen worked a full count, but didn't give him anything to hit and Stark walked. That brought up Ed Chaney, and Jensen struck him out to send Hollywood to the MLCS.

SLCS games 4

 Cleveland v Baltimore

Noel Walton struck out the first 2, but Troy Wyckoff homered to give Cleveland the early lead. In the bottom of the inning, Delvis Winchester struck out the side. Winchester was their closer for most of the season, saving 42 games. In an interesting maneuver, Jason Gambini decided to let him start in the postseason. In the regular season, he only had one 3 inning tuneup to prepare for this role.

Cale Black homered in the second to tie the game at 1. Otto Stevens homered in the 5th to make it 2-1 Cleveland. Both starters had good games, with Walton going 7 and just allowing 2 runs, while Winchester only allowed one through 6 innings, striking out 7.

Cleveland added an insurance run in the 8th while David Ramirez shut down the Colts in the 7th and 8th. He was still on the mound protecting a 2 run lead in the bottom 9th.

After back to back singles to start the inning, Kirby Morris came on in relief to face Cale Black, He flew out, but Logan Best singled to load the bases. Pete Craig hit one down the right field line, 2 runs scored to tie the game. Best remained at third, a decision he may come to regret. 

Xian Guao struck out, and after an intentional walk, Mike McCarty grounded to short, sending the game into extras.

A double by Joey Encarnacion and a single from Gerald Evans put runners on 2nd and 3rd, nobody out in the bottom 10th. Playing the infield in, Cleveland got ground balls from the dangerous Jason Robinson and Cale Black, stranding the runners. Pete Craig struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Neither team threatened until the 13th. With a runner on and 2 out, Malcolm Thomas homered to give Cleveland another 2 run lead. 

Daniel Reyes was charged with protecting it. Last season, he was a 23 game loser in Philadelphia. This year he was much better in relief. Cale Black homered to make it a one run game. Reyes got the next 3, and Cleveland will advance to the championship series.

Louisville v Mars

It was a close game early, as Louisville held a 2-1 lead going into the 6th, when they exploded for 5 runs. In the 8th, Cole Werner put the icing on the cake with a grand slam. Louisville routed Mars 12-6 to advance. Jimmy Flannery, with 3 homers, 7 runs, and 7 RBI in the series, was named MVP. 

SLCS game 3

 Cleveland routed Baltimore 7-2 to take a lead in their series. Otto Stevens homered and had 2 RBI, and Greg Bowen allowed one run on 5 hits through 6 innings. Duncan Cook pitched the last 3 innings for a save. Baltimore starter Zak Owens left in the 5th with a shoulder injury and will not pitch again in the playoffs.

Thomas Smith pitched 6 strong innings for Mars, allowing one run, and they took at 2-1 lead to the 8th inning. Jimmy Flannery belted a homer, his third of the series, to tie the game up. In the bottom of the inning, Mark Lee homered off Ricardo Osuna to put Mars back on top, 3-2. Pat Jones pitched a scoreless 9th to earn the first win for Mars.

Manager openings

 Green Day has fired both GM Rewind and manager Alex Morales. Morales manager for 3 years. He made the playoffs in 2018, but has finished last in the last two season. Rewind fell under heavy criticism for trading Squirrel Nutkin Jr, who had a career year in Portland. While it is unfair to judge the trade yet, since the main return was #13 prospect Francisco Soliz (18 years old), the trade certainly could not save his job.

Los Angeles and Hawaii are looking for managers after firing Don Muttonly and Nomad Garciajawa in mid summer. Both replaced them with interim options and will conduct full searches in the offseason. Hawaii's opening may wait until a new owner is found, as Lisa Marie Presley has put the team up for sale.

St. Louis fired Paul Hudson despite having 4 years left on his contract. His playoff strategic failures were too common, as the team once again lost in the opening playoff round. GM Adam Powers stated that the team would prioritize established winning managers in their search.

Chicago's Sylvanus Wong and Florida's Wally Calhoun have managed a long time and have not stated their plans for 2021 yet. Both have expiring contracts. Keith Grace, only 46, led the B's to a team record 103 wins and is currently in the middle of a playoff run. His contract is also up after the end of the season.

Walter Lewis led the Sluggers back to the playoffs, but does not have a 2021 contract. George Kird, who won world series titles in his first 3 seasons, is in the same boat in New York. He is rumored to be on the hot seat as his team currently faces an 0-2 deficit against the Florida Penguins.

Also in New York, Bob Cobb's contract is up and in 3 seasons has not had a winning record for the Knights.

MLDS Florida v New York

 Silvanos Tonka, the greatest postseason pitcher in OOTP history with a 15-1 record, got the first out but let Juan Penales on first. Penales got the steal sign with Conn up, but the Barbarian never takes a pitch he likes, and he drove it into the right field corner to score the first run.

Tonka pitched effectively after that, and Roger Blackwood was dominant, the score was still 1-0 in the 7th. Tonka hit Don Glenn with a pitch, he later scored on a Wade Meyer single. With one out Florida loaded the bases to chase Tonka. Brian Ohman came on, and Florida allowed Blackwood to hit. He lined a double to the left field gap, 2 runs scored, and Glen Chase was out at the plate.

New York got 2 runs late on a pinch hit homer by Brienne of Tarth, but fell 6-3 in the opener.

Blackwood allowed 3 hits, 2 runs, no walks, and had 9 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.

Game 2:

Penguins struck first on a first inning, 2 run homer by Don Glenn. Adrian Sandusky homered for New York in the second, and they tied it up in the 3rd. Steven Stephens led off with a single, and a rare Mark Stevens single moved him to 3rd. Lee Thompson brought the run home with a sacrifice fly.

Tim Sullivan allowed just those 2 runs in 6 innings. Still tied at 2 in the 8th, Penales reached first, prompting New York to go to the pen for Brian Avila. Wally Calhoun gave Conn the hit and run sign. Penales took off, and Conn instead did the hit and trot, crushing a homer to the second deck in left.

Joel Camels pitched the last 3 innings, did not allow a baserunner, and picked up the win.

MLDS game 2 Alaska v Hollywood

 B’s took an early 2 run lead on a Victor Baker single. In the 3rd, Blair Polanco gave the Snow Sox the lead with a 3 run homer. Cesar Corona tied the game back up with a solo shot in the bottom 3rd.

Chris Kaufman struck out 10 with no walks for Alaska through 5 innings, but was removed for a pinch hitter. Tony Bastard took over and could retire any of the 6 batters he faced, 4 of them scoring.

Fozzy Wacha gets the win with a 7 inning 3 run performance, and Doug Freeman pitched the last two innings, allowing one hit, no runs, and 4 strikeouts. Hollywood will look to close out the series.

MLDS Hollywood v Alaska game 1

 It was a great pitcher’s duel early between Pat Evans and Brandon Bailey. Hollywood score first on a 5th inning Chad Richardson single. Going to the 7th, Evans had a shutout.

Robb Stark singled and moved to 3rd on an Ed Chaney double. He scored on Tom Chaisson’s sac fly. Noah Colvin doubled in the go ahead run against reliever Nathan Tabor.

In the bottom of the inning, Victor Baker was on second when Junior Alcantara hit a deep fly to right. Orlando Morales unleashed an incredible throw to get Baker at third, ending the inning.

In the bottom 8th, Alaska went to their dominant closer Cesar Cordero. In the regular season he had a 1.33 ERA and struck out more than 2 batters per inning. He did have a meltdown in the allstar game, and here had some postseason trouble.

After striking out the first batter, he walked Valentin and the Will Daugherty jumped on a 1-0 fastball and hit it 426 feet into the seats.

Now holding a 3-2 lead, Hollywood went to their ace, Doug Freeman, who saved 54 games in the regular season.  With one out, Colvin singled and went to 3rd on a Richard Moore single. Eric Lemon’s sac fly tied the game at 3.

Cordero was still out there for the bottom 9th. Cesar Corona double, and Victor Baker singled to bring him home, just beating the throw from Morales.

Hollywood will start Fozzy Wacha as they try to take a 2-0 lead.

SLDS Louisville v Mars

 Louisville scored 2 in the 3rd on a 2 run double by Sislau Iser. Jimmie Walker added a homer in the 5th. Sluggers forced Jeffery Anderson to throw a lot of pitches, he left after throwing 89 in only 4 innings, walking 5 and striking out 4.

Slugger ace Andy Roughton left the game with an injury in the 3rd, but reliever Tom Ford pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out 6. Closer Ricardo Osuna came on for a 2 run save. He allowed a run in the 8th, but was able to hold on to a 3-1 win.

Game 2:

Jimmy Flannery went deep twice, a pair of 3 run homers, and the Sluggers knocked Pedro Cruz out early. Bernardo Cardenas pitched a solid 6 inning, 3 run game with 9 strikeouts, and Walt Carson struck out 5 in the last 2 innings. Louisville won 8 to 5.

Jamie Lannister, who had not played since late July, is back on the playoff roster and went 2-9 in the first 2 games. Mars returns to the red planet down 2-0 as the Sluggers look to finish the series.

Roughton was diagnosed with an oblique strain and will miss the rest of the postseason.

SLDS Cleveland v Baltimore

 Game 1:

It was a good pitcher’s duel between Gustavo Harper and Drew Tobin. Baltimore took a 2-0 lead to the 6th thanks to solo homers from Ben Hunter and Jason Robinson. Harper had a no-hitter going despite zero strikeouts. 

In the 6th Cleveland struck together 4 hits to tie the game at 2. In the 8th, back to back homers from Jody Rasmussen and Malcolm Thomas put Cleveland up 4-2. Ernesto Lopez allowed back to back doubles in the 9th with 2 out, but struck out Bill Taylor to preserve a 4-3 game.

Game 2:

Elton Quintanilla gave Baltimore 6 innings of 4 hit, one run ball and left with a 3-1 lead. In the 7th, Roy Snipes tied the game with a 2 run homer off Ricardo Silva.

Still tied at 3 in the bottom 9th, Nelson Miller doubled and moved to 3rd on a flyout, however Trent Harris struck out the next 2 to strand him. The game continued to the 14th. Baltimore loaded the bases with nobody out. Reliever Kirby Morris walked the weak hitting Michael McCarty to force in a run, but then struck out the next 3 to preserve a 1 run game.

In the bottom 14th, Scott Arroyo came out for his 3rd inning. Roy Snipes and Brett Solo had 1 out singles, but Baltimore was able to turn a 3-6-1 double play off the bat of speedy Jody Rasmussen.

The series is tied at 1

Wild card games 10-5-2020

 In the beginning of what would be a wild game, St Louis retired the first 2 Penguin hitters before Conn singled to left. Don Glenn followed with a routine fly to left, which was dropped by Jared Gary. Gromit popped the ball up towards third base, yet somehow the ball fell among third baseman Mark Gray. Both runners, moving with 2 outs, would score. After a steal, Manny Nunez singled in the third run and Wade Meyer hit a 2 run homer. Just like that, Robins were down 5-0 and Tim Garrison came in to relieve Jose Escobar.

Buddy Dervish loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but escaped without a run. St Louis scored 3 in the 2nd, and 4 in the 3rd as pinch hitter Lonnie Turner had a 3 run homer. In the 6th, Bryce Parkman hit a 3 run homer and they added another run to take an 11-5 lead.

With 2 out in the top 7th, Angel Garcia was thrown out trying to score on a single to center. St Louis had only 6 outs to go, but Michael Casteel gave up a 2 run homer, forcing Paul Hudson to bring in his closer, Matt King.

King loaded the bases with one out. Michael James hit a 2 run double. Angel Garcia tied the game when he reached on an error. With the go ahead run on third, Juan Penales and Conn struck out.

Still tied in the bottom 9th, Bryce Parkman came to the plate with 2 out and runners on 1st and 3rd. Penguins elected to pitch to him with Burgos on deck, but he hit a ground out to short.

Penguins did not score in the 10th. In the bottom of the inning, with lefthander Woody Francis on the mound, Paul Hudson elected to pinch hit backup catcher Tony Miller, a righty batter, for lefty Simon Burgos, who has only hit 113 homers over the past two seasons. St Louis made 3 quick outs, and the last guy on the bench, Steve Worthington, came in to play first base.

Penguins did not score in the 11th. In the bottom of the inning pitcher Paul Watkins came to the plate and had to bat, the Robins had no pinch hitters left. He actually singled, but Gerald Proctor, 5 for 5 to that point, struck out.

In the 12th Vaughan Henderson doubled in a run, and Glen Chase brought in another with a sac fly. Jake Richardson pitched a 1-2-3 9th and the Penguins will advance.

After the game Hudson was asked why he pinch hit for his slugger. He responded “it’s simple really, Burgos was a lefty and Miller a righty. I gained the platoon advantage. It’s what smart managers do to win ballgames.”

While he has 4 years left on his contract, it seems likely that the Robins will soon be looking for a new manager.

In the Superior League, we had a pitcher’s duel. Joe Clayton allowed a first inning run but no more as he allowed only 3 hits in 7 innings. In the 4th inning, Bobby Barrios hit a 2 run homer off Noel Walton, but Walton allowed no more and only 2 hits in 6 innings. The rookie sensation went 8-1 with a 1.81 ERA on the season.

In the bottom 8th, with 2 out and Jason Robinson on first, Cale Black tied the game with a double. Still tied in the bottom 9th, David Kison on the mound and one out, Xian Guao came up. The Taiwanese lefty was hitless on the day, but sent a 441 foot drive into the right field seats to give Baltimore a win.

They will take on Cleveland next.

Wild card games

 Roger Blackwood started for the Penguins, struck out Gerald proctor, and immediately felt a strain. He had to come out of the game after facing one batter. Joel Camels pitched 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Penguins scored in the 1st and 4th innings, and in the 5th Kurt Kawasaki added a 2 run homer.

Five Penguin relievers combined to shut out the Robins, and the Penguins took game 1 4-0.

In the Superior League Roberto Gomez led off with a homer and the Mud Hens scored 3 in the first inning. Cary Lee could not hold the lead, getting rocked for 5 runs on 8 hits in only 2 1/3 innings. Baltimore pitchers struck out 20 Mud Hens on the day and took a 7-4 lead to the 9th.

Oswaldo Dominguez, who had struck out the side in the 8th, ran out of gas. He put 2 on around 2 outs and faced Orlando Colangelo, trying to get the last out. Colangelo took him deep, his 2nd of the game, and they were tied at 7.

Moving along to the bottom 10th, Justin Evans got Ben Hunter to fly out. With lefty Logan Best due up, Baltimore sent backup catcher Tadanobu Suzuki to the plate. Suzuki lined the first pitch into the left field seats for an 8-7 Colts win.

Game 3 will be winner take all.