SLCS: Boston vs Baltimore

 Game 1: Boston scored 5 runs off Baltimore ace Bob Flynn on three homers. Richie Jackson's 2 run shot in the 6th inning gave Boston a 5-2 lead. In the 7th Baltimore got solo homers from Pedro Rodriguez and Clarence Wilkins. Jeremy Byers pitched 2 scoreless innings for the save.

Game 2: Cale Black and Jesus Gutierrez homered and Baltimore took a 4-1 lead to the late innings. Drew Tobin gave them 6 1/3 innings of 3-hit, one run ball. Sam Parillo got the first 2 outs of the 9th before Manny Ortez singled. Willem Galpin followed with a game tying 2-run homer.

Baltimore survived that, in the bottom of the 11th Bill Taylor doubled, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a Rodriguez sacrifice fly.

Game 3: Bill Taylor's 3-run homer in the 6th gave Baltimore a 3-2 lead. That lead held to the 8th inning when Baltimore tried another 2 inning save from Parillo. He got the first 2 outs, then gave up a game tying homer to Manny Ortez. Jeremy Byers pitched 4 innings in relief for Boston, allowing 2 hits, no runs, and striking out 5. 

In the bottom of the 13th, Ortez walked, went to second on another walk, moved to third on a bunt, and scored on a sacrifice fly from weak hitting catcher Greg West.

Game 4: Lynn Buck scored 3 runs, and Virgil Burden drove in 3, as Boston took command of the series with a 6-2 in. Nacho Robles pitched into the 8th allowing 4 hits, 2 runs, while striking out 7. Boston knocked Baltimore starter/DH Babe Murphy out in the 3rd inning.

Game 5: This was a well pitched game as Flynn allowed just one run and Cristobal Gonzalez allowed 2 while pitching into the 7th, walking none and striking out 10. 

Baltimore took the lead in the 7th with a homer by Gutierrez. In the bottom of the inning Raul Saldana scored Ortez with a 2-out double. Byers came in for the 8th and pitched 3 dominant innings. 

In the 12th, Gutierrez walked and came around to score on a 2-out double from Julian Rush. Roberto Dominguez went back out for the bottom of the inning, his third, but was running on fumes.

Ortez once again got things started with a single. Lawson grounded into a forceout and Reinfelder struck out. After a long AB, Saldana walked and Baltimore went to the pen for Rafael Moreno. Galpin stood in again, and on the 4th pitch blasted a 3-run homer to end the series and send Boston to the World Series.

SLDS: Hawaii vs Denver

 Game 1: Who says cats are afraid of Dogs? With 2 on and one out in the third inning, Katniss blasted a 3-run homer off Loki Sasaki. It was all the offense Denver would get, and all they would need. Chris Townsend pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, one run, and striking out 8. Three Rabbit relievers pitched one inning each to close out the 3-1 win.

Game 2: Rabbits scored 3 early runs off Shawn Finley, with help from errors by Manny Carson Jr and Jonathan McGee. Jeffrey Curry pitched into the 7th, allowing just one run on 3 hits. They led 3-1 going into the bottom 8th.

Denver reliever Ed Goode was not. He walked McGee, then gave up 2 singles to Garcia and Carson. Each stole a base. Panduro singled, tying the game and sending Carson to third. Carson scored the go-ahead run on a John Branton sacrifice fly. Cesar Cordero got the first 2 outs in the 9th before leaving with a minor injury, and Elijah Tebow struck out Bob Crespo to end the game.

Game 3: Katniss homered twice, in the first and 5th innings, and Denver took a 6-3 lead into the 8th before once again running into trouble. Francisco Hernandez allowed a one out single to Lannister, who scored on a Branton double. Branton advanced to third on the throw. Denver brought in Steve Rice to pitch to Juan Carlos Baez. With one out, a 2 run lead, and runner on third Denver just needed one out. Baez hit an easy ground ball to first but Jerry Godwin, like a complete moron, tried for the out at home. Branton was safe and they got zero outs on the play. 

Hawaii sent in the instant run, Vaughn Henderson, who stole second and third around a Chief Nebit strikeout. Dathcha Lewis singled in Henderson, stole second, and scored on a Gerald White III single.

Cordero came in for the 9th. With 2 0ut he walked Tomas Gatito. Chief Nebit threw the little cat out stealing second to end the game. Hawaii wins 7-6 to take the series lead.

Game 4: Katniss hit 2 more homers, in the first and third innings to give Denver a 4-2 lead. In the 4th Gerald hit a 2-run homer to tie the game. Hawaii loaded the bases in the 7th against Francisco Hernandez, and John Branton unloaded them with a grand slam.

Denver got 2 back in the bottom of the inning highlighted by a Godwin double but could do no more. Cordero closed out the 8-6 win with a scoreless 9th.

SLDS: Miami vs Baltimore

Game 1: Drew Tobin pitched a 1-hit shutout over 7 innings. Pedro Rodriguez hit a 2-run homer to give Baltimore a 3-0 lead in the 6th. Sam Parillo pitched 2 scoreless innings for the save as Baltimore took game 1 3-0.

Game 2: Devan Arceneaux hit a 2-run homer in the first to get things started and Miami scored 7 times in the last 2 innings for a 10-4 win. Clayton Lewis pitched 5 shutout innings for the win and Ken Stafford pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing no runs, to earn the save.

Game 3: Baltimore ambushed Ken Fitzgerald with 3 runs in the first on homers by Ken Sanders and Julian Rush. Cale Black added a 2 run homer in the 6th and Baltimore won the game 6-3.

Game 4: Frank "Babe" Murphy started and hit as DH in the lineup. He allowed just 2 runs while pitching into the 7th. With the score tied at 2-2 in the 5th, Jeffery Anderson got the first 2 outs but then gave up 2 singles. He battled Jesus Gutierrez for 10 pitches before the former MVP launched a 3-run homer. Baltimore won the game 5-2 with Sam Parillo pitching the last 2 innings for the save.

Ken Sanders hit .400 with 2 homers, 5 runs scored, and 3 RBI and was named series MVP.

SLDS: Boston vs Charlotte

Game 1: Cristobal Gonzalez allowed one run while striking out 9 in 6 2/3 innings. Tommy Masuda had 4 hits and drove in 3 runs as Boston took the opener 6-2.

Game 2: Juan Tapia hit a 2-run homer in the 5th, and in the bottom of the 8th Charlie Jennings broke a 2-2 tie with a homer as Charlotte won 3-2 to even the series. Malcolm Sherman allowed one run over 5 innings and Adrian Banuelos struck out 2 in the 9th to earn the save.

Game 3: Masuda homered and drove in 3, Raul Saldana scored 3 runs, and Eduardo Nunez had 3 hits as Boston won 7-3. Larry Moody allowed 3 runs over 5 innings, and Jeremy Byers closed out the last 2 innings while allowing just one walk.

Game 4: Lynn Buck homered, drove in and scored 3 runs. Richie Jackson and Raul Saldana had 3 hits each as Boston cranked out 9 runs for a 9-3 win. Steven Stephens had 4 hits, including a homer, for Charlotte but got little help from the rest of the lineup. Nacho Robles struck out 12 over 5 2/3 innings and Byers pitched the last 2 innings to finish the series.

MLDS: Toronto vs St Louis

 Game 1: Mike Law pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 runs, for the win and David Ramirez pitched 2 scoreless innings for the save. With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom 7th, Ryan Gambeski pinch hit against lefty reliever Kevin Blazek and hit the go-ahead homer.

Game 2: Andres Mora pitched 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits. With the score tied at 1 in the 5th, R.J. Lauritzen hit a 2-run homer. Ramirez closed out the game with another 2-inning save.

Game 3: Both Domingo Rodriguez and Dustin Morris pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed just one run. Ronald Franks homered for Toronto to give them an early lead.

Morris was pulled after getting 2 outs in the 7th and allowing a single. Reliever Charles Thomas allowed a single, then Tim Noble brought home 2 runners with a double. That was all the scoring for the game as St Louis won 2-1. Wilson Winfield pitched 2 perfect innings to close out the series.

Major League 2026 Wild Card Series

 LA vs Denver:

Game 1. Katniss homered in the first inning off playoff legend Silvanos Tonka to give the team a 1-0 lead. Jerry Godwin extended the lead to 3-0 with a 2 run double in the 5th while Jacob Delhomme pitched into the 6th, allowing one unearned run, no walks, and 6 strikeouts.

The Shockers tied the game in the 7th with 2 runs off Ed Goode before Steve Rice got out of the inning. It remained 3-3 until the 10th inning when Jimmy Walker singled, Michael Stewart pinch ran and stole 2 bases. Miguel Perez singled to drive him in and Kevin Schneider pitched a scoreless bottom of the 9th.

Game 2: Katniss homered again and the Rabbits took a 4-2 lead to the 9th, with Schneider on again to close it out. He got a double play after the first runner reached and was one out away from advancing. Michael Molina walked, bringing up Nick Smith. Smith was 0 for 9 in the regular season after hitting .203 in AAA, but he came through with a game tying 2 run shot.

In the bottom of the inning Jimmy Thomas drew a one out walk but was quickly erased on a steal attempt. Katniss singled, and Jerry Godwin crushed a 2-run homer off Jason Mullins to give the Rabbits something to celebrate.

New York vs Toronto:

Game 1: Carson Olsen made his first playoff start and it was a good one, he pitched 7 2/3 innings while allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. He got no support, as New York only managed one hit off Dustin Morris over 6 innings and one more off the bullpen, to lose 2-0. Fernando Flores homered in the 7th for Toronto.

Game 2: New York knocked starter Josh Hale out in the second, taking a 5-0 lead. Michael Rondon led off the game with a homer. Tim Jacobs was in control for the first 4 innings but fell apart in the 5th. He gave up several hits, allowing 2 runs, when Flores homered with 2 out to tie the game at 5.

New York regained the lead in the 7th on Joe Thomas's RBI single. In the bottom 8th, New York brought lefty Marcos Ortiz in to face lefty Tim Hollingsworth, and in a scene reminiscent of Gary Lucas and Rich Gedman, Ortiz hit Hollingsworth with the first pitch. That brought up Alan Henry, a sick gloved third baseman who hit .184 (.139 vs lefties). Ortiz, who had a 1.75 ERA in the regular season, served up a 2-run homer to give Toronto the lead.

In the 9th, Roberto Vargas took a one out walk and gave way for speedy runner Antonio Soomro. He stole second and third and scored on a fly ball from Wes Coffield. That brought up Thomas, and for the second time in 2 at bats Joe put New York into the lead, this time with a homer.

New York brought on closer Elmer Stephens for the bottom of the 9th. Alex Duran struck out, but Nick Swanson tied the game with a homer. With 2 out, Patrick McFarland and Fernando Flores singled, with McFarland going first to third and Flores taking second on the throw. Manny Vargas was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Noah Colvin then singled to right to walk the game off.

Superior League 2026 Wild Cards

 Toledo vs Miami

Game 1: It started out as a great pitcher's duel as Ken Fitzgerald went 5 innings and Jesus Palmeiro 7. Each starter allowed zero runs on 2 hits. Toledo took a 1-0 lead in the 7th when Angel Ramirez singled in Jose Vasquez. In the 9th inning Miami was down to their last strike when Aleixos Capela singled in the tying run. Miami scored 4 in the 10th inning and held on for a 5-3 win. Capela was playing his first game of the season for the big league team after being in AAA all year. He was added to the playoff roster to give Miami a right-handed bat against all the Toledo lefties.

Game 2: Joe Hopper gave Miami a 3-1 lead in the 4th inning with a 2-run homer off Michael Farley. They led 5-3 going to the 9th and brought on Ken Stafford to close out the series. After 1 out and back-to-back singles, Felipe Cortez hit a 3-run homer to give Toledo the lead.

In the bottom of the inning Hopper drew a walk and Tony Flores came on to run for him. Flores stole second and scored on a Joe Cochran single. There was no more scoring until the 16th inning. Will Daugherty walked, stole second, and moved to 3rd on a groundout. Juan Rosado singled off Matt Rogers to bring Daugherty home.

While Miami won the series in 2 games, they might as well have played three as it took them 26 innings. They will play Baltimore next.

Boston vs Texas

Game 1: Lynn Buck homered, tripled, and drove in 3 as Boston won the opener 7-3. Larry Moody pitched 5 1/3 innings for the win and Jeremy Byers threw 2 scoreless innings to finish it.

Game 2: Kent Shoemaker threw only one pitch before leaving with a shoulder injury. The Texas bullpen pitched well and they had a 2-1 lead going into the 7th. Raul Saldana tied the game with a homer off Johnny Simpson and after Masuda was hit by a pitch, Richie Jackson hit a 2-run homer. It was the second career postseason homer from Jackson, who has been known as Mr. October since his professional debut. Dave Nguyen add a homer in the 9th and Byers pitched the last 2 innings to save the 5-2 game. 

Boston will take on Charlotte next.

Season Finish in the Major League

 While Baltimore and Hawaii had the top spots in the league wrapped up long ago, there was some drama for the last few wild card spots. Bay Area was locked into third place in the west, but had a chance to claim a wild card spot over east contenders New York and Toronto. The schedule makers obliged, and their final 7 games came against New York and Toronto.

They won the first but dropped the next 2 to New York in extra innings. The 4th game of the series was a matchup of aces Anthony Henderson and Carson Olsen. New York took the lead with back to back homers in the 4th by Joe Thomas Jr and Roberto Vargas and held on for a 3-1 win.

The win ended Bay Area’s playoff run as they could finish at best one game behind Toronto and tie New York, but NY held the tiebreaker. This season will end the run of one of OOTP’s greatest competitors, Miguel Cruz. His career began 23 years ago as a teenage shortstop. His first manager was Brad, now the owner of the team on the other side of the field. Brad and Miguel embraced before the final game, with Brad calling him “one of the finest ballplayers I’ve ever managed or played against. People will remember the homers and RBI. I will always remember how he took his cannon arm from shortstop and turned into a weapon at first base.”

Playing a meaningless game against Toronto on the final day of the season, Cruz was 0 for 3 in his first 3 trips to the plate. In the 5th inning he came up with 2 outs and the bases loaded. He lined a single to right, driving in two runs. He then left the game for a pinch runner and walked off the field to a standing ovation. Over the last 15 years, Cruz became the face of Bay Area baseball and led his team to championships in 2015 and 2023.

2026 Draft First Round

1. Phoenix - 3B Manuel Salas. He has great raw power, a good batting eye, and a strong arm. If he doesn't have enough range to stick at third, he could end up at first.

2. Alaska - SS Anibal Solo. Solo is a 5-tool shortstop. He should do more than stick at the position, he could win some gold gloves there.

3. Los Angeles - OF LaMelo Solo. For the second time in 3 years, two jawas go in the first 3 picks of the draft. Solo has power and speed and should stick in center field. 

4. Portland - SS Bobby Milligan. Bobby has massive raw power, hitting 25 homers in 43 high school games. He speed is average at best, but he has a great arm. He did not pitch in high school games but in tryouts looks good on the mound. He is potentially a two-way player, though the Decepticons might prefer he concentrate on hitting.

5. Cleveland - SS Armando Hernandez. A solid defensive shortstop with a great eye at the plate. The first college player off the board, he took 109 walks in 79 games at Georgia Tech, also hitting 19 homers. Average speed.

6. Florida - OF Ernesto Rivera. Good defensive outfielder with power and an exceptional feel for hitting. Unlike other Penguin outfielders, he bats from the right side.

7. NY Knights - SS Leonardo Garcia. Wichita State shortstop with great raw power and patience. He has above average speed and glove, but might struggle making contact.

8. Utah - OF Jackson Cheerio. Good all-around skills, will likely move to an outfield corner.

9. Miami - SS Brian Dumbledore. A two sport star at Hogwarts, he played both baseball and quidditch. He's an undersized shortstop without great speed but has great command of the strike zone and more power than you expect from his short stature. 

10. Detroit - P Kayce Dutton-Davis. Son of long-time minor league catcher Crash Davis, Crash raised his family on a Montana Ranch after his playing days. Kayce's best pitch is a splitter which is already good enough to fool big league hitters. He should be up as soon as he is able to command his pitches.

11. Green Day - C Miguel Ortega. The Notre Dame catcher is a 3 true outcome freak, with 31 homers, 129 walks, and 143 strikeouts in just 82 games. His catching skills are solid but his arm is below average.

12. Springfield - P Grayson Brooks. His velocity is not at the level of his father, Bryan, but he has a standard 4 pitch mix and should move through the minors quickly.

13. Chicago - 1B Jorge Rivera. An exceptional line drive hitter. His power is average but he runs very well for a first baseman.

14. Hawaii - 2B Claudio Cano. A talented hitter with a great eye for the strike zone. His speed and range are average at best and his arm is below average.

15. Hollywood - SS Paul Dawson. The best defensive shortstop in the draft class, he has exceptional range, hands, and arm. Potentially an average hitter but he is a bit of a project there.

16. Toronto - P Antonio Angel. The lefty from Texas Tech has a mid 90s fastball and above average slider and change. He holds runners well and has enough stamina to last deep into games. He throws strikes.

17. Orlando P Domingo Alonzo. Right hander with an upper 90s fastball and plus curve. He may need to develop an offspeed pitch to stay in the rotation.

18. Charlotte CF Cristian Sanchez. He has good all-around skills but his best tool is being able to make consistent hard contact.

19. NY Cobra P Jerome "Pooh" Schlittler. Owner Brad went deep while personally scouting this pick. Pooh throws absolute gas and also has an outstanding curve and change.

20. Texas 2B Martin Orosco

21. St Louis OF Carlos Navarro

22. Baltimore OF Manny Rodriguez

23. Las Vegas 3B Felix Moreno

24. Denver C Jose Reyes. This pick starts a run on the catchers.

25. Louisville C Lorenz Broberg

26. Mars C Jose Ramirez

27. Toledo C Roberto Cardoso 

28. Boston OF Octavio Sanchez

29. Bay Area OF Vicente Cardenas

30. Philadelphia OF Julio Vargas

Supplemental First Round Comp Picks

31. Florida

32. Alaska

33. Springfield

34. Louisville

35. Boston

36. Bay Area

37. Louisville 

BREAKING NEWS!  HALL OF FAMER RETIRES EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is being reported out of Las Vegas that long time Gamblers manager and Hall of Famer, Ray Brooks, is retiring effective immediately.  After meeting with Owner and General Manager Boba Fett this afternoon, Brooks was seen leaving the former lair of Jabba the Hutt looking angry.  According to unconfirmed sources within the Vegas organization, Brooks had requested the meeting to discuss the remainder of the 2026 season and beyond.  He had a vision that the Gamblers could use more bullpen arms and also wanted to encourage Fett to sign All-Star catcher Roberto Vargas to a long term contract to keep the Lineup of Death in tact.  Additionally, he expressed frustration at the lack of progress in the negotiations with star pitcher, Shawn Finley.  Apparently the Bounty Hunter informed Brooks of his intentions to begin the rebuilding process and that everyone on the roster would be available and that if Fett had a mother, she'd be available for trade too.  Fett then insulted Brooks' bench coach calling him a "dirty honorary jawa" and demanded he fire him immediately. This set off what sources say was a shouting match and that at one point Brooks even pulled a gun on the Bounty Hunter.  When Fett informed him that he couldn't be certain he was talking to the real Boba Fett and that he could be one of his clones, the long time manager threw down the pistol and stormed off in disgust saying he would be retiring in protest.

Following the meeting Las Vegas made the following press release: 

Effective immediately, Ray Brooks is no longer the manager of the Las Vegas Gamblers.  We thank him for his decade of service and the championship baseball he brought to the city.  We will build a statue of Ray to be unveiled next season.  Dean Ashby is also no longer with the team and we do not thank him for anything.  Hitting Coach Bob Sullivan has been named Interim Manager for the remainder of the season.  Stuart Coppola has been hired as Bench Coach and Yat-sen Guao has been hired as Hitting Coach.