ninja edit: I'd like to submit Nicolas Perez to the Home run derby. Thank you :)PLAYOFFSIt’s time for the postseason of South Newlandian baseball. It will be a postseason of big stories, some upsets and almost-upsets, and a champion worth discussing. Eight teams have qualified here, and while the North is expected to take the crown in the end, with the Homers and the Dragons leading the way at the bookmakers; last postseason had proved that everything is possible.
Division round North:#1 Elephant Valley Homers (49-23) - #4 Elephant Valley United (37-35)H2H regular season: Homers 5-3 UnitedThe North had a classic derby waiting. It would be the high favorites, the money club, the team with the best record in the league, against the outsiders, the worker’s team, the underdogs. Raymond McFadden had some work to do if he wanted to have any chance whatsoever. However, this may be the oldest rivalry in South Newlandian sports, and either team faced a tough challenge.
The series kicked off in the home of the Homers, Elephant Stadium. It was the biggest of the nation, and the two starting pitchers, Drawkian Darien Rodriguez for the Homers and Chromatik Hillary Angelou for United fought a tight duel. The Homers lead at first, but United rallied in the last three innings, with the Homers’ bullpen losing to the pen of United. United had taken game one by a score of 4-2 to take a series lead early.
Elephant Valley United 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 4
Elephant Valley Homers 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Game two, still in Elephant Stadium, was a slightly different story. The two teams remained tied at 1 into the 7th; when the two teams traded three-run innings to keep it tied. United took the lead again with a precise double by Bronson Ghirardello, driving in two runs; and the Homers were down two heading into the bottom of the ninth. Adam King homered to cut the deficit in half, and Alisen Moyamoto got to second. With two outs, the pressure was on Fabio Ventura, who tried to get a ball through the middle. Tikariotian Carlton Baines made a leaping catch and found his teammate and countryman Bronson Ghirardello on first base just in time to clinch the game. United took a commanding 2-0 lead with the series now shifting to Southern Valley Arena.
Elephant Valley United 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 6
Elephant Valley Homers 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 5
Game three saw United’s bats go silent. The Homers cruised to a 5-0 win. For game four, both team’s aces would be back on the mound for another showdown, with United still a game away from a major upset.
Elephant Valley Homers 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 5
Elephant Valley United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
It looked like it would go the exact way game three did, but after the Homers led 4-0 after the top of the seventh, United clawed back. The game headed into the ninth and eventually the bottom of the ninth with United trailing just a single run. With two outs and the bases empty, Igor White had to deliver for his team. He uncorked a deep ball to Right Field, nearly reaching the fence, but ultimately landing harmlessly in Ventura’s glove to tie the series. The Drawkian had gotten back at the Chromatik, too, and the series was headed back to Elephant Stadium for a do-or-die game five.
Elephant Valley Homers 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 5
Elephant Valley United 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 4
The pitchers were not giving each other anything here. The Homers took a run in the second, and with United facing potential elimination, they were still trailing 0-1 at the top of the ninth. They needed to score, and they did, with White driving the game-tying run home. The game went to extras, and after United failed to score in the tenth, Ventura took the first pitch of the bottom of the tenth and sent it over the fence. The walk-off home run ended the game to the great pleasure of the home fans. The Homers had come back from trailing 0-2 and were in the next round, while United had their hearts ripped out. They had been so close.
Elephant Valley United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Elephant Valley Homers 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
#2 Masmow Dragons (48-24) - #3 Newport Dolphins (43-29)H2H regular season: Dragons 5-3 DolphinsIt would be another divisional round matchup between the Dragons and the Dolphins in the other series. The games had been very close more often then not in the regular season, and even though the Dragons held the edge, the Dolphins had won the last two. Both teams were regarded to play on roughly equal levels, so it would come down to coaching skill mostly. Llamanean star coach Sofia Rasmussen would try her best for the Dragons, while Daniel Nunez wanted to bring his Dolphins back to the semi-finals.
The series started in the Dragon Island Arena, the smallest ballpark to see playoff baseball. The Dolphins brought their a-game to Masmow, taking a three-run lead in the third and making it 7-2 after a three-run homer by David Drum in the eighth. Two more runs for the Dragons in the ninth were too little, too late.
Newport Dolphins 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 7
Masmow Dragons 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 4
The Dragons struck right back in the next game, shutting the Dolphins out to tie the series. Three runs were enough as their starter, Jay Kramer, dissected the Dolphins batters.
Newport Dolphins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Masmow Dragons 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 3
With the series heading to Dolphin Stadium, everything was still on the table. The match, however, was decided early when the Dragons took their turn on a four-run inning in the eighth, thanks to homers by Gabriel Acosta from Super-Llamaland and Denis Caamano from Ko-oren. Slowing down the Dragons had been nearly impossible all season, and the Dragons took the series lead.
Masmow Dragons 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 0 8
Newport Dolphins 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
In game four, the Dolphins were looking to force a game five. They led early, 5-2 after the end of the fourth, and even though they gave up two runs in the 6th, they took a narrow lead into the ninth. The Dragons lead the inning off with a groundout by Jason Valbuena, another Llamanean on the team, but Daryl Dunlop was walked to get the game-tying run on board. Gabriel Acosta was next, and he slapped a double down the third-base line; good enough to get a double. Game-tying run on third, potentially game-winning run on second. The next batter produced a ground-out to first that saw Dunlop score and Acosta advance to third. The game was tied, and even though the Dragons had two outs with them, Marcia McMahon, yet another Llamanean, had a chance to give the Dragons the lead. Her hit grounded out near second base, narrowly caught by David Drum. He attempeted to get the out, but his throw was too unprecise as he was falling to the ground, and McMahon was called safe. Acosta had scored in the meantime, and the Dragons held on to their lead to move on a round.
Masmow Dragons 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 6
Newport Dolphins 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5
Division round South:#1 Walstreim Lions (44-28) - #4 St. Riecarn Saints (35-37)H2H regular season: Lions 5-3 SaintsWould you look at that, another division re-match. This one was different from the other, however. The Saints had narrowly snuck into the postseason, and the Lions were quite heavily favoured by just about anyone. No one thought the Saints had a shot.
That seemed to be confirmed when the Lions won game one in the Walstreim Baseball Arena. It hadn’t been close either, with the Lions winning handily, 7-1. Tikariotian Stuart Hernandez drove in the lone run for the Saints as Ienaga Vineno from Ko-oren got smoked by the Lions’ line-up.
St. Riecarn Saints 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Walstreim Lions 2 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 X 7
Game two fell to the Lions as well, but this one at least required extras. The game had been tied at 2 since the sixth, but the Lions’ Left Fielder Chan Ford walked it off with a game winning double in the bottom of the tenth.
St. Riecarn Saints 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
Walstreim Lions 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3
With the series heading to Saints Stadium, the Saints were facing elimination. They needed to rally now, and they couldn’t. The first ever playoff match at Saints Stadium ended in a 7-2 blowout that wasn’t ever close. The Lions unceremoniously had swept the Saints, moving on to the next round and proving that they were the team to beat in the South.
Walstreim Lions 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 3 7
St. Riecarn Saints 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
#2 Sun City Flames (36-36) - #3 Ratzupalfu Rhinos (35-37)H2H regular season: Flames 3-1 RhinosThis encounter between the Flames and the Rhinos was the only one not a division match-up, and due to neither team holding a positive record, was frequently called the worst playoff series. The Flames had been cooking the Rhinos in the season, but with the defending champs in grey, it would be a tight matchup.
The series would start with the first ever playoff game in Sun City Arena. The Flames, coached by Drawkian Al Krauss, were hoping to knock out the defending champions.
Despite a first-inning lead, the Rhinos took game one 2-1. Jairon Suarez had a good night for the Flames, bit Ryan Hunter pitching for the Rhinos had been borderline unstoppable. Rufus Salas scored the ultimately game winning run in the seventh on an error.
Ratzupalfu Rhinos 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
Sun City Flames 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
The second game seemed to be destined for another close affair, and the game was still scoreless heading into the ninth. There, the Rhinos woke up, taking four runs for themselves. Grady Reuters, the Drawkian reliever tasked with handling this, had one of the worst nights of his season, and one tiny run by the Flames came too late in the bottom of the ninth. The Rhinos were a game away from a sweep, and they had home field to do it.
Ratzupalfu Rhinos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4
Sun City Flames 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
The Flames came alive in game three, crushing the Rhinos 12-1. It was a total blowout in all the possible ways, and it also was the first ever playoff win. They would need two more to pull off something ridiculous. Ryan Hunter was standing in their way from taking the series to an deciding game five in Sun City.
Sun City Flames 2 2 0 3 0 5 0 0 0 12
Ratzupalfu Rhinos 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
It ended up being their own pitching that smothered the Flames. They were down 5-0 after the first, and this only ballooned into a final score of 2-12. With that, Fu Webb had taken the Rhinos to the next round. Although the Flames would have loved to keep their run alive, it was a very respectable first season that the Flames can build on.
Sun City Flames 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
Ratzupalfu Rhinos 5 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 X 12