World Baseball Classic 61 | IC thread

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Mon Sep 29, 2025 4:00 pm

RESULTS
OCTOFINAL SERIES GAMES 3/4

#1 Drawkland vs #16 United States of Nova Calania @ The Ballpark at Starnwood Racecourse, Starnwood
Drawkland                          0 0 0 0 0 4 0 3 2  9
United States of Nova Calania      1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0  4
Drawkland lead series 2-1

Drawkland                          1 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0  5
United States of Nova Calania      0 0 1 1 1 0 4 1 X  8
Series tied 2-2

#8 Kamijiro vs #9 Milchama @ Donaldson Olympic Diamond, Zube
Kamijiro                           0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2  5
Milchama                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Kamijiro win series 3-0

#4 South Newlandia vs. #13 TJUN-ia @ Parque del Mar, Santa Mordana
South Newlandia                    1 0 0 1 3 0 2 2 0  9
TJUN-ia                            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
South Newlandia win series 3-0

#5 Banija vs. #12 The Kytler Peninsulae @ Angel of Liberation Park, Alaer Scored by Tikariot
Banija                    	   1 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0  5
The Kytler Peninsulae   	   0 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 X  6
The Kytler Peninsulae win series 3-0

#2 Quebec and Shingoryeo vs. #18 Chromatika @ Dockyard Park, Pyathora
Quebec and Shingoryeo              0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 1  6
Chromatika                         0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0  3
Quebec and Shingoryeo lead series 2-1

Quebec and Shingoryeo              0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 9 13
Chromatika                         1 5 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 10
Quebec and Shingoryeo win series 3-1

#7 Zwangzug vs. #10 Tikariot @ Alcassar Plains Stadium, Alcassar
Zwangzug                           0 1 1 1 0 0 2 2 0  7
Tikariot                           0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Zwangzug win series 3-0

#3 Liventia vs. #19 Zenic @ Juniper Park, Carroll Lewiston
Liventia                           1 1 1 0 2 0 0 4 0  9
Zenic                              0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  1
Liventia lead series 2-1

Liventia                           0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2  5
Zenic                              3 1 0 4 0 0 0 1 X  9
Series tied 2-2

#6 Ranoria vs. #11 Katzeburg @ South Central Park, Kytler Bay City
Ranoria                            1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3  5
Katzeburg                          0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0  4
Ranoria lead series 2-1

Ranoria                            2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
Katzeburg                          0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Ranoria win series 3-1

Two series remain undecided, and for those, we will see you tomorrow night.

Administrative notes:
1. With Milchama having been eliminated, there may be a rescheduling of the Quarterfinal Series from 3-5 October to 2-4 October, i.e. splitting the mid-playoff break in two. This will be confirmed either way with the Game 5 post.
2. Teams who have secured Quarterfinal Series berths without recourse to a Game 5 will receive credit for that window equal to their highest League Phase RP grade, and if they do RP in the next 24 hours it will be treated as an RP for the Quarterfinal Series Games 1/2 window.

by **United States of Nova Calania** » Tue Sep 30, 2025 7:08 am

Wait, we're still alive?

Starnwood, The Kytler Peninsulae - When we learned Nova Calania beat Valentine Z and qualified for the octofinals, we celebrated it like if we won the World Series.Many Calanians thought we would lose in 3 matches against Drawkland... but we're still alive. Nova Calania won game one 7-3, thanks to a three runs homerun in the 1st inning by Jesus Rodriguez Castro. Without any surprise, Drawkland won match 2 and 3.

Game 4. The miracle of Starnwood! The comeback of the century! Drawkland takes a 5-3 lead at the top 7th inning. No DH because Nova Calania acts as the home team. Pinch hitter Rowan Gough comes at bat to start the bottom 7th inning and she hits a single in center left field. Esperanza Juarez Galarraga hits a double, Gough advance to 3rd base. Katherine Zebrowski is flied out. Gough stays at 3rd. Léo-Paul Couillard, hits a double, both Rowan Gough and Juarez Galarraga scores and the game is tied at 5-5. Jesus Rodriguez Castro follows with a two runs homerun to put the score at 7-5. Nova Calania scores another run in the 8th inning and wins 8-5. Veteran relief pitcher Sarah Michelle Faircloth is the winning pitcher and Jackson McCloskey gets the save. Whats awesome is that if we lose against Drawkland, Sarah Michelle Faircloth may have played her last match with the national teams and she got credit of the win in her final match! She still play domestically but at 35 years old, she could retire from the national team.

Game 5 is tonight and the DH will be used since Drawkland will act as the home team. Tyler Wu-Kwiatkowski will be the starting pitcher for Nova Calania. The winner will probably play against Kamijiro if there is no reseeding.

Océane Desruisseaux

by **Zenic** » Tue Sep 30, 2025 10:50 am

Siro Amando Alamilla was beside himself.

Zenic were in the exact situation he had prepared for them: Survive until Game 5 and let baseball magic take control. Had the road to this Game 5 been easy? Absolutely not. The 9-1 loss in Game 3 had been nerve-racking, forcing Game 4 into a do-or-die situation one game too soon in Alamilla's plan. That loss was less about Karla Koppel's pitching but more on Liventia's hitting just being top tier. He had hoped for win there as, while Manoel Alvarado is good enough to be on this team, he was one of the weaker pitchers as he only had two pitches and specialized in beating everyone with speed. And Alamilla wasn't sure if that could work against a top 20 nation.

Turns out: yes, yes it can work. They managed to jump out to an 8-1 lead in the first four innings before scoring came to a screeching halt. It wasn't until a surge of runs in the last two innings did the score of 9-5 become finalized and Game 5 was officially needed. Now, this current run's future in the WBC relies on the arm of Felícia Brígida Castro. Pitch velocity? Mediocre. Pitch variety? Average. Pitch location? Superb. If Felicia was going to keep the game competitive, she would need to paint the corners like an artist.

Luckily, not all eyes will be on her performance as this Rushmori confrontation was not the only series to go the distance. Drawkland versus the United States of Nova Calania will also be playing at the same time so while the pressure will be on, it won't be as nauseating as it could be. Ultimately, Baseball is a team sport so everyone is going to have to deal with the pressure and perform to their highest potential if they want to upset Liventia for both regional bragging rights and a trip to the Quarterfinals for a rematch with Ranoria. But there was no point in looking that far ahead if Alamilla was of no use to his players by being sleep deprived and not at the top of his mental game.

So, it was time to hit the sheets and get some rest before what would currently be the biggest Baseball match in Zenician history.

by **Drawkland** » Tue Sep 30, 2025 2:03 pm

"The Triumphant Return"

It was only an invitational, but there was no reason to take it easy the last three games. The Base Corps was just one win away from taking the title of a tournament with some pretty impressive nations involved. If nothing else, it was an opportunity to show that Drawkland baseball could indeed win things. Brooklyn Beck, as small as her role was, had already done her part to bring the Corps closer to that end. She was left out of the lineup for the potential title-winning game three, but she was content to sit on the bench alongside her friend Grace Robbins.

“So, I heard that their snake made it through the night.” Grace said as Derek Green navigated an at-bat against switch-hitting Easton Marsh in the first inning.

“Yeah, I read about Dhomas this morning,” Brooklyn replied. She still felt guilty about injuring Dhemixia’s mascot the previous night, but it was a freak accident. “I’m glad he’s okay, at least.”

“They say he was fitted with cybernetic enhancements,” Grace lowered her voice conspiratorially. “The vets had to install metal plates to reconstruct his skull and decided to add cyborg technology to make him more powerful.”

“Who is ‘they?’” Brooklyn scoffed. “And I don’t think they have that sort of tech in a South Newlandian animal hospital. Maybe in Drawkland, but not here. How would that even work?”

“I’m just telling you what I heard!” Grace hissed. “They say now he understands sabermetrics. He’s probably going to get upgraded from mascot to analytics coach by the next WBC.”

“He’s a snake!” Brooklyn exclaimed. “How do ‘they’ even know? It’s not like he can talk. Or write.” Despite her valid skepticism, Brooklyn still snuck a look over at the Dhemixian dugout, trying to see if Dhomas was visible or up to anything.

“That’s just what they say.” Grace shrugged.

“Who is ‘they?!’” Brooklyn repeated, more exasperated this time.

Two innings later, it felt like Drawkland had already sealed the deal. William Roach opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the second. The Base Corps responded with eight runs in the bottom of the second, chasing off starting Morgan Andrews in the process. Drawkland batted around and plated almost every member of the starting lineup. At that point it felt like the Eight Nations Shield was already in Drawkian hands.

The Serpents, rallying around their allegedly cyborg mascot, would not go quietly. Giving up an eight-spot in the second inning is never optimal, but responding with a 3-run rally in the very next frame is the best way to realistically rebound. Having already burned the starter and a reliever by the second inning, and knowing this game meant “elimination” with a loss, Dhemixian manager Neil McCarthy looked to his rotation and picked the next starter in line. Cael Robertson was known for his stamina, and if Dhemixia was going to somehow come back in this series, the bullpen needed to not be overworked. Robertson proceeded to put forth an effort nothing short of heroic, shutting down a Drawkian lineup that looked unstoppable early and putting up six scoreless frames out of the bullpen despite being penciled in to start game four.

Meanwhile, the Drawkian pitching staff started doing things expected of the older Corps teams. Derek Green ran into trouble again in the sixth inning, loading the bases before being yanked. Quentin Nichollson hoped to stop the bleeding, but a bases-clearing double tied the ballgame before he could get the third out. Against all odds, it was a ballgame again. A parade of Drawkian relievers attempted to match Robertson’s dominance on the other side, but the Drawkians blinked first. Usual Corps closer Lorraine Lockwood came on in the ninth inning and got two outs before disaster struck. One of her looping 12-6 curveballs hung too much, and that was enough for Kassandra Dawson to sit back and pound it over the center field wall. Suddenly Dhemixia had a lead. The vibes were shifting, but the action was far from over.

Due to a string of hard-hitting righties coming up in the Drawkian order, Neil McCarthy was hesitant to put in the normal Serpents closer Alexandra Graham. It was a save situation, but Graham was a lefty with a penchant for inconsistency. Robertson looked as strong as ever on the hill. It felt right to keep Robertson in, but that choice came back to bite when Jimmy Todd clobbered a 2-1 pitch to deep left field. Tie ballgame. Gustavo Benson came in to finish the inning and force extras, and he did just that. Bonus baseball was on in Elephant Valley, with the 8NS title potentially on the line.

Once again the Drawkian bullpen couldn’t hold it together. Jaxson St. James got on base and stole his way into scoring position, and that run was cashed in soon after to once again put the pressure on Drawkland. This time, McCarthy wasn’t fooling around. Alexandra Graham came on to close the bottom of the tenth. If there was any solace for Drawkland, it was that the heart of the order was due up. When Lane Kavana singled on a ground ball up the middle with his brother coming up to bat, it felt like the comeback was inevitable … until Abram shattered his bat on a particularly sharp slider from Graham. The ball floated and bounced ahead of third base, and Wade Carlisle didn’t want to risk trying for two and getting zero. Lane moved up to second base, but Abram was easily out at first. Tying run in scoring position, but two outs.

Now the lefty left fielder Wilson Jennings was due up to face the lefty Graham. It wasn’t surprising that manager Glenn Sutton moved to a right-handed pinch hitter in this spot. What was surprising is that he picked the 24-year-old college athlete to do it. So there was Brooklyn, swinging in the on-deck circle as Abram’s firewood groundout almost ended the game. There was Brooklyn, coming up to the plate with the game on the line. There was Brooklyn, bearing down and taking a couple pitches from Graham, praying to get something hittable. There was Brooklyn, seeing a hanging slider float in on a 1-2 count. There was Brooklyn, sitting back and clocking the pitch down the left field line. Bat flick, fist pump, both runners got on their horse for what became a game-tying trade-places double off the bat of Brooklyn Beck. Two games in the championship series, two massive RBI hits.

The game was tied once again, this time at 10-10. The inexperienced members of the Corps bullpen were clearly not reliable, so Glenn Sutton summoned Trevor Bell to give as much length as possible. The former LPB Reliever of the Year award winner played up to his potential, shutting out the Dhemixian lineup for two frames. At this point it was a game of whether Bell or the dregs of the Dhemixian pen would collapse first.

The answer came in the twelfth inning, and unfortunately for Dhemixia, it was the bottom frame. Brooklyn’s clutch services would not be needed this time. She was standing in the on-deck circle when it happened, though. The bullpen baton had been passed to Harper Avila for the Serpents, and though she managed to get Lane Kavana to fly out, his brother lurked right behind him. Abram Kavana, despite being the younger brother, was still a veteran and the second-oldest member of the Corps roster. He navigated the at-bat against Avila well. He didn’t quite have the same plate control as his older brother, but that’s like comparing a fission bomb to a fusion bomb. You’re still getting blown up if you’re not careful. Avila was careful, but not careful enough. She tried to sneak an inside cutter for a swing-and-miss on a 2-2 count, but Abram had been waiting for an inside fastball the whole time. Brooklyn watched the swing, the drive, the ball flying to deep left center field. She was the first at the plate before being joined by the rest of the Corps flooding out of the dugout to celebrate and mob Abram at the plate. Drawkland had won the Eight Nations Shield.

There were two games left in the extended series thanks to the tournament format, but that game three win clinched the title. Brooklyn got another start since the games didn’t matter anymore, and a few days later she and Grace were flying back to Sadeg with Base Corps souvenirs in their bags and smiles on their faces. No matter what happened for the rest of their careers, they had something to hang their hats on.

The Shield proved to be more than enough of a distraction for Brooklyn. She returned to Sadeg State’s campus with renewed vigor. The glow of playing Base Corps baseball and the time required to catch up on the week of classes she’d missed was more than enough to carry her to the end of her DOCA suspension and return to the Sadeg State baseball team without missing a beat.

Brooklyn had only spent a few weeks training and playing with wooden bats, but even that short time frame had forced her to improve her bat-to-ball skills and derive better barrel contact from her swings. When she switched back to the metal composite college bats she was hitting like a demon. As a senior she was starting nearly every game in one of the corner outfield positions, so her production was unreal. If it weren’t for Grace Robbins hitting at nearly the same level, she’d be the far-and-away choice for team MVP.

Even as the weeks of the DOCA baseball season turned to months, Brooklyn’s pace did not slow down. The Skyhawks were tearing up the Iarocavet Conference and the rest of the Drawkionel’s League. Assuming they didn’t choke in the regional playoffs, they’d be a shoo-in for the College Classic down in Dellaburg. Through all of this, the Beck-Robbins tandem powered the surge in addition to the litany of supporting teammates who had good seasons of their own. As the regular season neared its end, the conversation about potential Golden Spikes honors included Brooklyn. The Skyhawks were no strangers to Spikes winners, most recently earned by current Base Corps member Alexander Gates in his senior season at State.

The thoughts about the NSCF season had pretty much evaporated from Brooklyn’s mind. She wasn’t stressing. She was having fun. Her senior season was going smoothly and her last college semester was wrapping up without much issue. Being a business major helped matters there. The worries about football were gone. The GLD draft was in a couple weeks, but she couldn’t care less. Brooklyn actually missed the GLD Combine a couple months prior due to a scheduling conflict with the baseball season. This was easier said than done, evidenced by a conversation Brooklyn had with her dad a couple weeks before the Combine itself.

“So, do you want to discuss travel plans?” Dustin asked Brooklyn from across the dinner table. Brooklyn tried to make it back to her parents’ house every few weeks for dinner or something else. This was one of those occasions.

“Plans for what?” Brooklyn asked automatically between sips of soup.

“The Combine, of course.” Dustin replied with a chuckle, assuming his daughter was just distracted. He did realize he opened a bit vaguely.

“Oh yeah. That.” Brooklyn loudly slurped another spoonful, intentionally holding it in her mouth for a moment as a covert form of hesitation. “I dunno. I’m pretty sure it’s during our away series against Cajel, which is a pretty big one.”

“So?” Dustin raised a brow, though he didn’t seem bothered yet. “Coach Denton has always been flexible with your other sport commitments. NSCAA, all that. This is no different. Plus you’ll only miss a day, maybe two or three because of travel.”

“Maybe. Coach was more flexible in past years because I wasn’t as big of a piece on the roster. I’m kinda the core of the program right now, if you didn’t notice. And this series would be huge to take an early lead over the conference.”

“Come on, BB. The team’s been doing great even outside of your performance. Surely your presence won’t be missed that much.”

“Hm.” Brooklyn took another pensive sip before responding. “It’s not just about the team. I feel really good, I’m in a great rhythm right now. Leaving the team, having to switch gears to football mode out of nowhere, it could be jarring. Could break what I have.”

“Switching gears?” Dustin echoed. “Haven’t you been keeping up with your throwing drills? Keeping your mechanics leading up to the Combine?”

“Uh … no.” Brooklyn admitted. She couldn’t muster eye contact. “I’ve just been real focused on baseball and my last semester of classes. Kinda fell to the wayside.”

“Brooklyn, this is really important.” Dustin’s tone changed to what Brooklyn recognized as an oncoming lecture. “Football is a part of your future. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, but you remained very consistent with your multidisciplinary training throughout the year every year. Why the sudden change now? What about the NSCF season, are you expecting to just cram that ramp-up into the week of downtime between baseball and the tournament training camp?”

“Is it really important?” Brooklyn countered, timidly at first but increasing in resolution as she continued. “Be honest dad, do you really think I’m getting drafted anywhere near the first round? I don’t think there’s any question about my football reputation at this point. Is there really a GLD team that’ll be willing to make me a starter as a rookie?”

“There might be. That’s why going to the Combine is so important: it’ll show your raw talent and athleticism, separated from the politics and the expectations that surrounded you at State. That’s where you make your pitch to be more than just a backup. You do have real talent, BB. Don’t forget that just because of the derision of a scorned fanbase. You still have a football career ahead of you, if you just go and take it.”

“Maybe I don’t want to take it. All football has brought me is stress and strife. I got the coach fired, he hates me. It split me away from one of my friends, he doesn’t care for me anymore. The AD at my school blames me for all his problems. Everybody blames me for all their problems, honestly. All because I committed the great crime of not being a perfect quarterback. Why should I bother sticking with that? What would I gain besides a new fanbase of people who’d hate to see me under center?”

“Nobody hates seeing you under center, BB. The haters, maybe, but you can’t listen to those idiots.”

“Even if you’re right, it’s an uphill battle. But baseball? I’m already on top of that hill. I’m not going to be an all-star immediately, but at my current pace I could easily be in the big leagues by the time I’m 26. That’s success, and that’s bigger money than I could make with football, at least by my reckoning. I don’t want to kneecap my baseball career by being chained to a football franchise that’s probably not going to let me start anytime soon anyway.”

“Okay.” Dustin leaned back in the chair, arms folded sternly. “So no Combine, then?”

“I don’t think so.” Brooklyn raised her brows challengingly. “Let me fall in the draft. I don’t care. The PBL draft is the one that matters to me, personally.”

“Fine.” Dustin said, but it didn’t sound like the conversation was final. It was, at least for the evening, paused. Brooklyn went on to skip the Combine without a second thought, and had no issue ignoring the articles and talking head reactions to her missing the event. Whether or not she got drafted, when, and by whom was entirely secondary to keeping her baseball hitting in tune. As the DOCA baseball playoffs approached, Brooklyn only grew more determined.

by **Liventia** » Tue Sep 30, 2025 2:51 pm

"After review, the ball did not hit the foul pole first. The ball made contact with a fan in foul territory before rebounding onto the foul pole, and is ruled a foul ball."

With that, Liventia's bases-loaded, two-out, top-ninth situation down four to Zenic — with two runs already home in the inning — would have to be replayed.

And Tim North would whiff on the eighth pitch he saw, two after the apparent game-tying grand slam was taken away from him.

Game 5 it would be.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Tue Sep 30, 2025 3:06 pm

CUTOFF
OCTOFINAL SERIES GAME 5

#1 Drawkland vs #16 United States of Nova Calania @ The Ballpark at Starnwood Racecourse, Starnwood
United States of Nova Calania      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drawkland                          0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 X  2
Drawkland win series 3-2

#3 Liventia vs. #19 Zenic @ Juniper Park, Carroll Lewiston
Zenic                              0 0 1 0 0 2 0 6 0  9
Liventia                           0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0  2
Zenic win series 3-2

QUARTERFINAL SERIES
All series are best-of-five. The higher-seeded team is considered to be at home in Games 1, 2, and (if necessary) 5.

#1 Drawkland vs #8 Kamijiro @ South Central Park, Kytler Bay City
#4 South Newlandia vs. #12 The Kytler Peninsulae @ Donaldson Olympic Diamond, Zube
#2 Quebec and Shingoryeo vs. #7 Zwangzug @ Angel of Liberation Park, Alaer
#19 Zenic vs. #6 Ranoria @ Dockyard Park, Pyathora

Administrative note: This series will now be scorinated on 2-4 October.

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Wed Oct 01, 2025 10:38 am

Octofinal Series vs South Newlandia(1/#4) - Parque del Mar, Santa Mordana, The Kytler Peninsulae
Game 1: Maddison "Missy" Jembembe vs Hailey Clark (DH) L 4-5
Game 2: Yolande Sirapui vs Wolodymyr King (DH) L 5-18
Game 3: Charles Morgan vs Joseph "JoJo" McAlbo L 0-9
Game 4 (if needed): Dylan Borges vs Peter Glendinning
Game 5 (if needed): Khamis Ali Makame vs Brandon Jackson (DH)

South Newlandia won the series 3-0.

To the surprise of no one in the baseball world, TJUN-ia was a dead team walking. A 9-0 shutout by Charles Morgan in Game 3 sealed our fate, a fate that everyone knew was coming.
All in all, there was nothing we could've done that could've changed this result. Sure, we could've found a way not to let Game 1 go...but to be honest, that would've delayed the inevitable.

This seems to be where TJUN-ia is as a state - good enough to make dance, not good enough to impress at it.
Maybe we are just content being like this, always there and nothing else...but soon enough, it might become too much to bear.

One day, TJUN-ia will be a champion in a Big 5 sport.
Whether it takes 5 years, 10, or 500, we will conquer something in our time.
But right now, we ain't there yet.

Holly Davids, Martina Andrade de Souza, Maddison "Missy" Jembembe - you did very well.

See you around.

by **Zwangzug** » Wed Oct 01, 2025 4:28 pm

Perhaps you laugh at daring to abstract
The world of flesh and pain and strife and fact
Down to notation--6-4-3; e4--
As if the world was numbers, nothing more.
The battlefields where troops and horses hurt,
The diamonds full of grass and infield dirt,
Torn ligaments, and muscles ripped from bones,
A horseshoe nail, a lucky bounce on stones,
The places where people and seasons died
Can they, should they, really be simplified
To symbols and to numbers and to stats
Ignoring cowhide stitches, corks in bats?

But you forget; it goes the other way.
The cold statistics open doors to play.
The daily updates on the home-run race
Unlock a world of leather and of lace.
That numbers can tell stories: here are charms
Accessible even to those whose arms
Will never make a windup, and whose feet
Will never slide or kick up dirt by cleat.
These rigorous abstractions, made of wood
And pencil graphite, can be understood.
And one who stood outside, who could not reach
The empty small talk held so dear by each
Babbling stranger, now has found a key.
The scorecards clear the way for even me.
So bring your shorthand, your notation brief.
Leave behind all your scapegoating and grief,
Self-loathing, insecurities, and doubts.
Reduce the world to pixels: "In play, out(s)."
0-0-0, king goes hiding behind rooks.
Someday we'll trace a narrative in books,
We'll read of wins and losses, wacky draws,
Adjournments, rain delays that bring a pause.
But first, the papers, first, the fleeting digits.
Out from our nervous tics and anxious fidgets,
Whatever scandals later mar the fame
Of those who racked them up, deserving blame,
Nothing can shutter this once-open door.
So I take pen in hand, and note the score.

by **Zenic** » Wed Oct 01, 2025 5:23 pm

"Payback. That's our mantra for this series."

It was the day of beginning of the 61st World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals and the Zenic Diamond Survivors found themselves in the visitor's locker room of the Dockyard Park in Pyathora. They had overcome Liventia and knocked them out to advance to face a team they had confronted later in the group stage: Ranoria. The unranked Zenic had lost 2 out of 3 games against the 17th ranked Ranoria, pitting Zenic in a must-win series against Ko-oren in the final series that they eventually ended up winning to qualify.

"Do they have advantages in their favor? Indeed. They've played 4 games less than we have so their arms and legs are fresher. They're all pros so they have the tools to recover faster and prep better. They've won it all before so they know what to do here," Alamilla stated. "But we've got our own advantages: youth and home field. We're young, we're spry, we stay fresh," he continued, getting smiles and few chuckles from the players and staff. "We will recover faster than they do, even with all their fancy gadgets and gizmos. And, sure they might be listed as the home team but West Pavola is in Rushmore and Rushmore is OUR home."

That was met with a thunderous response from the room. "THIS. IS. OUR. REGION. And no one does it better than we do. Either we go big and win or we go done swinging like no one has ever swung before! And on top of that, we're not even supposed to be here. We're literally playing with house money at this point so let's go out there and show them how Rushmore does things! Are you ready?!"

"YEAH!!!"

"Let's go!," Alamilla shouted, signaling to two staff members to open the doors and let the players flood onto the field in preparation for Game 1 of their Quarterfinals series. And he wasn't lying at all. They were the sole remaining unranked team in the World Baseball Classic, having barely snuck in on the final group stage series, and needed to go the distance in every playoff series so far. If they were going to win this series against Ranoria, there was a very high chance that it would also take 5 games to do so. Could the Diamond Survivors overcome the Krauts? It was possible and that's all Alamilla needed to know.

Because Alamilla knew that if he could get his players to keep playing how they've been playing, Ranoria were in for a VERY disappointing series.

by **Kamijiro** » Thu Oct 02, 2025 1:53 pm

Diamond IX, Vol. III, Part X: Into the Quarters.

"Milchama proved not to be the challenge we expected." Orielle starts her speech. "Our defense that whole series was outstanding. Two runs given up in three games. No runs given up over the past twenty-two straight innings, either. We didn't let them score after the fifth inning of game one. So, round of applause."

Once the applause had died down, she continued on. "But that just means the real work starts now. We play the one-seed next. Drawkland. They damn near lost to the sixteen seed in the first round. But we absolutely cannot afford to take things lightly. We let them get on a roll and we're going to have to perform literal miracles to keep up. So, keep your heads clear. Stay mentally in the game. From this point forward, no drinking. No partying. No drugs. Just baseball. Until we either lift the damn trophy or we go home. Understood?"

"Wait, no drinking?" Tenshi started. "But-"
"No. Drinking."
"What about cigarettes?" Magurix asked pointedly. Orielle's a smoker. No way she'd ban cigarettes.
"Cigarettes are fine because I know we'll bite at each other otherwise. We don't need that."
"What about weed?" Devyn called from the back. "I have a doctor's note."
"Shut up. No weed. Don't care what the doctor said."
"But-"
"No."

Miharu's notes about the series were published in the sports pages back home. It focused heavily on the pitching staff - how they'd pitched twenty-two straight shutout innings. How they'd formed an unlikely success story out of something that only a telenovela could provide. The star-crossed lovers in Orielle and Atsuji, the city-meets-country crossover between Howard and Clarence, and the wildcard in Adélaïde. Those were the five pitchers that the Diamond IX featured through those three games. The bullpen stepped back and let the starting rotation sub in when needed. So long as the pitch counts stayed below seventy, everything was fine. And with how well the defense was playing, most of the pitchers were able to stretch their seventy pitches through five or six innings.

When it was published, it quickly became must-read stuff. And now the televisions in Kamijiro were starting to tune back into baseball. Even if the players had gone away from the amateurism side of the sport, this stuff was just too good not to watch.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Thu Oct 02, 2025 2:43 pm

This audio RP covers the ending to the BAN-KYP Octofinal Series Game 3 as seen on Kytlerian broadcaster NBO. Play-by-play commentary is from Stephen Blaine, with Matt Rogers - who was the primary backup catcher for the Phoenix in WBC58 - joining him in the booth.

by **South Newlandia** » Thu Oct 02, 2025 3:40 pm

Llamaphant Pro Baseball Season 9 - Recaps

LPB STANDINGS -  80 / 160 games played

  SNL NORTH                     SNL CENTRAL                   SNL SOUTH
           W-L     GB  WCGB              W-L     GB  WCGB              W-L     GB  WCGB
  JADR   48-32    --   --       RÜBS   60-20    --   --       STRS   50-30    --   --
  RUDA   48-32    --   --       NEOW   48-32    12   --       BUTR   44-36     6    4
  EVSB   40-40     8    8       NEDO   36-44    24   12       WAST   36-44    14   12
  EVHO   33-47    17   17       SCMO   20-60    40   28       RARH   29-51    21   19

Another month, more craziness, and half of the season is now in the book. Up North, the Dachshunds immediately gobbled up the deficit again by getting really hot, going 16-4 in this stretch and catching up with the Drawks at the top of the division. The pitching rotation keeps fuelling them, with Joseph McAlbo standing out as a crucial right-hander in a team with a ton of lefties. Nicole Rasmussen, though she remains short of lofty expectations, has also been a really solid arm for them.
The Snow Bears are still in punching distance, but they’ll need to get hot really soon. Julian Breit can’t do it alone, and despite the pitching rotation looking very good, they haven’t really gotten enough punch from the non-Ranorian parts of their lineup. That might mean that we once again have no Elephant Valley representation in the playoffs, with the Homers seemingly entering another rebuild, finding themselves well out of playoff contention. Shoutout to Magnussen and Wu, who have been All-Star calibre on a team not interested in providing any help.
Okay, this is getting weird now. The Blue Sox are still doing this, and are now on 120-win pace, which would shatter the record for the best win percentage in LPB history. Every part of the lineup is clicking. Their rotation has been unstoppable, with all five capable of shutting down their opposition. The lineup is providing damage from every spot and every angle, with Jaxson St. James arguably the breakout star of their season. Even their bullpen is locked in, Alexandra Graham hasn’t blown a save opportunity in months. The Blue Sox are not only the big favourite to win the SNL, but we have to ask bigger questions at this point. Are they the best team in SNL history? Could they maybe even beat a Llamanean team in a Multiversal Series?
It certainly looks like they will take the Central, with the Owls slumping. Injuries haven’t helped, with much of their pitching staff on the shelf, but the division lead is getting further and further out of view. For aging players like Carew, Gray, Martorella and Ramsey, that likely means the only path to a championship is the wildcard. Elsewhere in Newport, the Dolphins have been pretty cold, with their bullpen costing them games too often, and the Monarchs are just bad. They’re also on track to make SNL history, just in the other direction.
Is it Sündstrom season? You bet it is! The Saints have played another phenomenal month, going 15-5, as their pitching staff remains dominant. Howard Ellis is continuing to develop more and more, and the late Ashleigh Witters breakout is much appreciated, though the defense behind her has also been helping her approach. Sündstrom has also been good, with the former MVP effectively leading the team, partially because Gutierrez is out for the season. The Triceratops are still not far behind, although they’re currently on the outside looking in to the playoff picture. They’ve been dealing with injuries of their own, with Charles Morgan the one that really stings, but the signings have been panning out, with Kantu and Nameleego each playing at a very high level. Koyie Guzmán also looks like a future superstar at short.
The Rays are in trouble, as injuries continue to pile up for the team already trailing in the division significantly, but things reached crisis level for the Rhinos. The defending SNL champions only won 3 games all month, losing the other 17; a horrifying spot at any time, but especially as they were already in rough shape before that. For players like Lutaakome, who have thanklessly laboured, that will likely mean a season without playoffs, and it’ll be a tough question where the Rhinos go from here.
The pitcher of the month is Rüsselsheims’ Shrifflu Whootung, who may not be logging the same number of innings as the others in the rotation, but has only allowed 3 earned runs all month and striking out batters left and right. Fielder of the month? Apollo Sündstrom, who looks like he did at his early-career peak, doing it all for the Saints as a five-tool player, and hitting a couple of clutch home runs in this stretch.

Welcome to the Final of the RTC Trophy, a tournament that people care about and definitely isn’t getting scrapped next season, trust me. The Busukuma Triceratops were hosting the red-hot Rüsselsheim Blue Sox for this one, two teams with really big ambitions for the season. Game one saw Hailey Clark a late scratch with shoulder tightness, with Whootung instead getting the start against Banijan superstar Kigongo Namatiwa. Both teams traded blows, with three lead changes in the first 5 innings. After that, the Triceratops led, with Whootung exiting with a line of 5 IP and 4 runs (3 earned), with a Pia Skogstad home run doing most of the damage. On the other side, Bolton had gone yard for the Sox, but former Jaffro Drawk Namatiwa left the game with a lead after six. That’s about as far as that got, with Ander Parra immediately blowing the game in relief. He allowed the Sox to load the bases with none out, and though he wouldn’t remain on the mound to do it himself, they were all eventually driven in by St. James and Marshall as the Sox took the lead for good. After they added an insurance run in the ninth, Alexandra Graham locked down game 1 by sitting down the heart of the Triceratops lineup in order.
Game two would take a similar form. The Blue Sox, with Clark still unavailable, gave the start to Guzman, while the Trikes relied on young Banijan national teamer Mulowa Kantu. Both of them delivered, allowing only 2 earned runs apiece. For the Dhemixian, those came on his lone mistake, hanging a breaking pitch in the first that Rylan Rodgers Jr. annihilated deep into the Busukuma seating. The Sox would eventually get those runs back, partially thanks to Dawson having a three-hit night with 2 XBH. Entering the seventh, the teams were tied at 2. That’s where it all went wrong for Busukuma the previous night, and it would be no different now, with Dario Bernardi surrendering a three-run blast to Rich Bolton. It wouldn’t be the end of the game, though, as Mark Ellis gave those runs right back. After a HBP and a walk, Koyie Guzmán doubled to put the tying run at second, and Nameleego hit a clutch single to tie the game.
On the eighth, the Trikes bullpen woes continued, with Klostermann allowing Jaxson St. James to drive in the go-ahead run for the Blue Sox, re-taking the lead at 6-5. From there, Zoe Young and once again Alexandra Graham were able to provide a drama-free save for Rüsselsheim, who manage to win the RTC Trophy, 7-4 and 6-5.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Thu Oct 02, 2025 4:01 pm

CUTOFF
QUARTERFINAL SERIES GAMES 1/2

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Thu Oct 02, 2025 4:09 pm

RESULTS
QUARTERFINAL SERIES GAMES 1/2

#1 Drawkland vs #8 Kamijiro @ South Central Park, Kytler Bay City
Kamijiro                   0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0  3
Drawkland                  0 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 X  6

Kamijiro                   2 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1  6
Drawkland                  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2  3
Series tied 1-1

#4 South Newlandia vs #12 The Kytler Peninsulae @ Donaldson Olympic Diamond, Zube Scored by Tikariot
The Kytler Peninsulae      0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 1  5
South Newlandia            0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0  1

The Kytler Peninsulae      1 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0  4
South Newlandia            0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  5
Series tied 1-1

#2 Quebec and Shingoryeo vs #7 Zwangzug @ Angel of Liberation Park, Alaer
Zwangzug                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Quebec and Shingoryeo      0 1 0 3 1 1 0 1 X  7

Zwangzug                   0 1 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0  6
Quebec and Shingoryeo      0 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2  8
Quebec and Shingoryeo lead series 2-0

#19 Zenic vs #6 Ranoria @ Dockyard Park, Pyathora
Zenic                      1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  2
Ranoria                    3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 X  5

Zenic                      0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2  6
Ranoria                    0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0  5
Series tied 1-1

by **Zenic** » Fri Oct 03, 2025 11:38 am

'We're still alive and that's half the battle.'

Alamilla was a vessel filled with mixed emotions at this point in this Quarterfinal series against Ranoria. On one hand, they were level at 1-1 after the first two game, meaning they would be playing at least 4 out of 5 games this series. On the other hand, they were a lot sloppier at the start of this series than they were in the Octofinals against Liventia.

Against their Rushmori brethren, they had a 6 run victory and a 1 run loss for a +5 run differential after 2 games. Even going back further to the Repechage series against The Batavia, they were at least even with both a 5 run victory and a 5 run loss. As it stood, they were at a -2 run differential for this series as they lost the first game 5-2 before winning the 2nd game 6-5. But he did have to admit there were some positives so far. Despite losing Game 1, they fought hard and kept the game from being a blowout after a poor start. Obviously, Alamilla would have preferred not having a bad start at all but finding another run late when they could have easily given up had restored some hope. Game 2 rewarded that attitude with 2 runs in the top of 9th for the lead in a very close game and a solid performance from Wenceslao for the win and save.

Now, they head into Game 3 and 4 with a goal: win at all costs. A win in Game 3 would put Zenic in the driver's seat once again and give them the chance to do something they haven't done before: finish a series before the final game. As much as they did not want to, the Diamond Survivors staff and players occasionally looked at the other Quarterfinals matchups and there were some growing concerns, specifically with the other matchup on their side of the bracket. They noticed that Quebec and Shingoryeo had taken a 2-0 series lead over fellow Zquad nation Zwangzug. They had dominated in Game 1 with a shutout and won Game 2 in spectacular fashion with a 2-run walk-off homer run.

Thus, that left Zenic with two options: rely on Zwangzug to win at least one game to keep the exhaustion levels equal between all the nations in the lower bracket, which would afford Zenic the possibility of winning the series in 5 games OR attempt to take control of their own destiny and win as quickly as possible. The first option was essentially Zenic playing their game and hoping for a competitive series from both of their potential Semifinal opponents. The second was Zenic basically going with an 'all-or-nothing' mentality: either they won Games 3 and 4 or they lost Games 3 and 4.

Alamilla was obviously leaning more towards the latter more than the former, based on his previous thoughts. Everyone knew Zenic had overachieved in their return to the World Baseball Classic and nothing else was truly expected of them. So, going a little reckless in pursuit of a quicker upset against a superior opponent than last time, even if it backfired, wouldn't really count against the national team and its members. And it if worked out? Everyone would be considering them geniuses and baseball savants.

'So, why not live a little?'

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Fri Oct 03, 2025 3:13 pm

"I know a lot of people thought we wouldn't get here. I think even inside our own dugout, I'm not going to lie and say we knew for sure we would do this. Just that we could. And here we are, two wins away from breaking the curse."

The curse to which Phoenix manager Dean Charles was referring to is the way no Kytlerian team has made it past the quarterfinals of a major team sporting tournament. They have fallen at that stage of this competition twice - both in sweeps, the second to these same Elephants in Banija last time out. (So in winning Game 1 of this Quarterfinal Series they are already in new territory.) They have fallen at that stage of the World Bowl twice, the second time in a squeaker to Sarzonia at World Bowl L. And when the Bitternean-led basketball team made their debut in the IBC? Their exit point was the quarterfinals. (Sort of. That tournament had classification matches through the entire final eight, the Kytlerians ultimately winding up sixth.)

So this is now the sixth time they've made it to the last eight of one of these tournaments, and all of the previous five ended the same way - defeat.

But there's a difference. None of those were at home - indeed, the first of the WBC exits was against the hosts of that particular dance in Quebec and Shingoryeo - and in fact, none of them were even in Rushmore. Three of them - that WBC in Q&S, the IBC there as well, World Bowl L in Banija - were over the Blood Sea in Arrosia, which evidently could have been considered the cursed continent for Kytlerians even before Flight 134. (But a flipside to that; the two Quebecois-hosted events were both Kytlerian debuts, in which a quarterfinal appearance was a major overachievement.) This one is different. This one is a home tournament in a sport where there is one very distinct, tangible element of "home field advantage" in the form of literally having your own shape of said home field - and few home fields are as distinctly shaped as the infamously asymmetric Donaldson Olympic Diamond. Even if this team have already murdertwatted the Kytlerians there.

Arndór Asbjørnsson - a man who was already synonymous with SNL-KYP clashes from WBC59 (both the 21-1 one and, to an actually greater extent, that other one) - made the absolute most of that. Coming off a white-hot Octofinal Series in which he basically rendered the absence of fellow BFG Benjamin Ígorsson shockingly irrelevant, he played the asymmetry to perfection by going opposite-field in clubbing two-run homers over the short porch in right in the sixth inning of Game 1 and the sixth inning of Game 2. The first one provided crucial padding in an eventual 5-1 win; the second was why the Phoenix were able to take a lead into the bottom of the ninth before the Ellies reminded everyone that they are still them. But for the man who now carries the power burden on his substantial shoulders for this tournament's remaining home team, Asbjørnsson is clearly wearing that well.

"Obviously pull power is the big currency of this sport for any slugger, getting your full body involved in the rotation and powering the ball over the fence, but if you're able to go oppo and still clear the fence it changes so much," he noted in a post-Game 2 interview. "And even just having that extra few milliseconds or whatever it is to react to what you see out of the pitcher's hand, it makes a huge difference in terms of the chances of even being able to get good contact in the first place. With the velo you get from relievers especially but also starters sometimes, you almost have to - I think you basically have to guess where the ball's going to swing in time to pull it against those power arms, so to be able to go yard without having to do that is huge and obviously this park encourages righty hitters to do that anyway."

Everyone has a plan, of course, until they get punched in the face. And that walkoff win for the Ellies - a quirk of WBC playoff series involving the host nation where you can have visitors getting walkoff wins against their hosts - was certainly that. What the Phoenix need to do in these next two games is make sure that it doesn't turn out to be a body blow.

And that they can make more internal sense than that mixed metaphor.

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Fri Oct 03, 2025 3:17 pm

Two out of two. So far so good.

Unexpectedly strong start to the quarterfinals series between the Reapers and the Zebras was not what Taylor Bryant had expected, if there's grain of honesty to be found. It wasn't just that Bryant had a notoriety for coming short on quarterfinals, where the Reapers came out flat-tired against Drawkland and Milchama in last four years, it was over how there's relatively little to no history between two sides. Two sides performed well in one another's country, with the Reapers coming away with a historic, third-place finish on the WBC-54 and then a quarterfinals finish on the WBC-59, while the Zebras themselves finished in the quarterfinals during the WBC-58, but unlike most of the biggest names, they had surprisingly never faced each another on elimination rounds.

So for this matchup to take place between Quebec and Zwangzug, on what most had considered to be the biggest test faced by the Cassadagan manager, could not have been any more perfect. Bryant, for all the accolades she carried both as the Cassadagan international, who helped bringing back the Fillies to their ascent before their historic victory in the WBC-50, wasn't exactly the most favoured to win in the biggest of stages. People were quick to point out, upon her appointment, Bryant's catastrophic run in the WBC-53, and would note how her North Cassadaigua performance, one those more friendly to her had raised, wasn't good enough for the job she was offered following the Reapers' third-place finish on the WBC-57. And this, combined with her inability to crack the quarterfinals where they appeared to go out on whimpers rather than even thuds, led into a rather unusual situation where Bryant either had to answer the call or take the fall.

So for Taylor Bryant, what had happened in the last four games of the postseason couldn't have happened at any more opportune time, as what appeared to be a losing momentum following a poor game two against Chromatik had turned around early and quickly. For one, there's certain element of endurance attached to it as one could testify on how the game three and four in the Chromatika series looked contrasting on the surface. Looking back at the match video, it seemed to many that there was a certain element of inevitability, as much as that of the continued serenity that the Reapers weren't so known for in the earlier generations with more vocal leadership, attached to them as Reapers managed to find clutch in the crunch time, mostly off the back of their bats that had not looked most optimal early on, to outlast the Outliers.

Of course, it is harder to explain when the most abnormal circumstances have occurred - 9-run ninth inning, one where you'd see a Heo Hae-Seung grand slam no less (a second baseman??? a grand slam??? this guy averages twelve home runs a year not twenty-one!) - is probably one of the most abominable things one could find not named the 10-3 - but for the Reapers, that in itself was the point of recovery, to the line of expectations they were held under. In a WBC where the top-seed Drawkland was almost upset to upstarts Nova Calania, defending champions Banija erased by the hosts Kytler Peninsulae in one of the most dramatic collapses in recent WBC history, and a Liventia side that came short of a historic run by the Zenicians having their own, the Reapers were going to take it in four.

Having survived the Outliers' scare attempt in generating yet another outlier, the Reapers found themselves to a strong start as game one featured a complete-game shutout from Joh Hong-Seok, who seemed to have adjusted well to the newfound expectations as the Reapers' number one ace since his shocking move to the MBL a year ago. Joh, who emphasised the need for a better start after being hooked early following game one, emphasised before the start of the game the need for a good start: 'Hopefully the Green Monster will bless me like the Yoseo marijuana plantations,' Joh said while seemingly in intoxicated state, drawing a light, semi-political controversy in online spaces since. 'They look like cash money bundles when you look at them from the mound, I will say.'

Were his remarks going to backfire, or would this serve as a fuel? Fortunately for Joh, he managed to deliver in the best way possible as he put together a 102-pitch, 7 strikeout performance to give the Reapers a fighting chance at the victory. The bats, who seemed to be on good shape for much of the past week in Rushmore, seemed to respond to that as they managed to stay patient early, before gradually adding runs enough to give Joh enough confidence in staying on the pitch. Eventually, the gap was big enough to call it a day for Joh as he would stay until the end, giving a Team Quebec starter first complete-game performance in this WBC.

While Joh had an outstanding day, the same couldn't have been said for Devon McNeely-Buchanan as the rightie, whom many had speculated to be the future face of the Team heading into this WBC, struggled early against a very patient Zwangzugian plate before being yanked after four runs and nine hits in five innings. With this being her second consecutive start to struggle, one that followed her uncharacteristic performance against Chromatika, McNeely-Buchanan appeared particularly frustrated back in the dugout, and was unable for the post-match conference.

'Well, that happens,' said Reapers' pitching coach Mathieu Berard. 'We all have bad days, yes. It's just that having second consecutive stinkers on the worst timing possible isn't the most ideal of circumstances, so I get everybody's frustrations over it.'

As for whether the Reapers would consider starting Nahuel Fornacieri, the veteran who had been slotted in for the emergency starter spot for the Reapers this postseason, neither Berard nor Bryant commented, though the insiders have commented to the media that said possibilities remain if the Reapers survive the quarterfinals series.

by **South Newlandia** » Fri Oct 03, 2025 3:28 pm

The Elephants suddenly and unexpectedly found themselves with their backs to the wall. Cedric Lundy had out-pitched Hailey Clark in game one, continuing her struggles for the Ellies of late, and the pachyderms had no answer for the Bats* bats scoring five runs, with Arndór Asbjørnsson surely well on his way to earning LPB contract offers. Down 0-1 in the series, they needed a win in game 2, but Shrifflu Whootung made things really difficult, and Wolodymyr King didn’t have a great game, either. The game swung back and forth, with the Kytlerians taking the lead after six innings. They managed to keep the Ellies off the board in the seventh and eighth, with Dijkstra and Zoe Young each working clean frames despite some traffic. On the other side, the South Newlandian pen got strong innings from Weiß, Nguyen and Trunkman to at least keep the deficit at only one run entering the bottom of the ninth.

The Phoenix called on Park to lock down the save, facing the heart of the South Newlandian order. The dual-national faced Sofia Löfgren, with the South Newlandian catcher still looking for her first hit of the series. She emphatically delivered, taking a Park fastball and depositing it over the short wall in Right. Tie game, and all the momentum was in the Ellies’ favour all of a sudden, with the Donaldson Olympic Diamond silenced. Park had to compose himself quickly, now facing a batter from the left side of the plate, but struggled to locate the fastball, ultimately losing Schäfer on a full count and allowing the winning run on base. Teresa Mills flew out on the first pitch, allowing Park to settle in a little. Two more outs to force extras. He wouldn’t get either of them. Joan Allen fell behind in the count, but on the fourth pitch managed to get bat-to-ball against a splitter, bouncing it over the outstretched arm of Fox to put two on. Facing another switch-hitter, the Phoenix had no way to get the platoon advantage even if they wanted to. Maria Phillips was patient, fouled off a splitter on full count, and spat on a slider to load the bases.

Kathryn King would be up next, but with the third baseman struggling this series, they opted to let Lio Fisher pinch-hit. The Phoenix left Park in the game to face yet another switch-hitter, hoping to somehow induce weak contact to get a double play ball. They would get weak contact. On an 0-1 count, in the highest-leverage situation of his young career, Fischer managed to make contact with another slider. Once again, a weakly-hit ball eluded the defenders, with an outstretched diving Anderson coming up just short. It’s possibly that even if he had gotten to the ball, the winning run would have scored anyway, but Fischer managed to sneak the ball into the outfield to make it work without a doubt. Ellies walk it off and tie the series.

They’re far from out of the woods, though. The Phoenix have looked like the better team so far, and have home advantage in Zube as both teams look to stay there for the semis. The Pachyderms will also yet again have to play more games without the option to use the Designated Hitter. Charles Morgan and Dylan Borges have tough assignments, trying to take on a Phoenix lineup that has been sizzling. They already eliminated Esportivan friends Hapilopper and the reigning champions Banija (in a sweep!), and are well-positioned to add the Ellies to their list of victims. It would be the biggest accomplishment of, arguably, post-hiatus Kytlerian sports, and everyone in the stadium can tell they’re going to leave it all on the field for it.

Llamaphant Pro Baseball Season 9 - Recaps

LPB STANDINGS - 100 / 160 games played

  SNL NORTH                     SNL CENTRAL                   SNL SOUTH
           W-L     GB  WCGB              W-L     GB  WCGB              W-L     GB  WCGB
  JADR   59-41    --   --       RÜBS   73-27    --   --       STRS   58-42    --   --
  RUDA   57-43     2   --       NEOW   61-39    12   --       BUTR   57-43     1   --
  EVSB   52-48     7    5       NEDO   44-56    29   13       WAST   44-56    14   13
  EVHO   43-57    16   14       SCMO   26-74    47   31       RARH   39-61    19   18

The LPB marches on, and we’re starting to get some good ideas about who our potential playoff teams will be. The North is the only division with three realistic candidates, although none of them are locks. The Drawks have regained the division lead despite a rather mediocre month, but the Dachshunds had probably their worst one of the season, in the process slipping into a tie for the second wildcard. Tanya Ericsson’s team only trails Jaffro by two games, though, and has been one of the most consistent teams in the SNL with no real weaknesses. After losing the last two wildcard games, the Dachshunds surely aren’t eager to play another one.
The Snow Bears had a strong month, vaulting back into contention in the SNL North, with their stacked pitching rotation really coming to fruition. Billing and Ten Fingies Bohannon have been their usual selves, but Valentina Rodon dealt with some injuries and the rookies had some growing pains. Now, though, Tia Shinde looks like a clear-cut future superstar, seemingly dominating lineups at will and making a strong case to be an Elephant next season. John Solomons also remains underrated, overshadowed by his Snow Bear friends, and Julian Breit still slugs bombs and munches dogs.

Does it count as a slump when you still go 13-7 on the month? The Blue Sox slowed down ever so slightly from their terrifying pace, but retain a solid 12-game lead on the division. Their rotation is still shoving, and although Graham’s streak of saves has ended, the lineup has showed no signs of slowing down, with Bolton and Dawson in particular having superstar breakout years.
The unfortunate Owls have the second-best record in the SNL, but under the current format, they’re likely to go to the wildcard game anyway. The squad of Stryre hasn’t been very lucky in the playoffs, but this looks like the best lineup they’ve ever fielded, with Martorella still getting it done despite her age and Gunther looking like a superstar signing. They’ll likely be the only Newport team in the playoffs, with the Dolphins mostly dropped out of the race at this point. Despite a star-studded rotation, they just haven’t had the depth to keep up with injuries, and will likely have to endure another playoff-less season; a tough break for Mironer and Jones, who sacrificed their national team career (arguably resulting in an early exit for the Warriors) for this. Monarchs fans are busy watching college games and hoping for the #1 overall pick. Hopefully, there won’t be any shenanigans.

Is it Sündstrom season? Definitely Not Calling It Off Yet. St. Riecarn has cooled off a little bit from a really hot stretch, but they maintain a narrow lead in the SNL South. Their bullpen has struggled in this month, with the bullpen depth really catching up them with Sandlin missing. The Triceratops were able to catch up significantly, not only gaining 5 games in the division race, but also leaping into a tie for the wildcard. With a favourable schedule, the team of Ifeatu Chee has a pretty good opportunity to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in Busukuma, which would end the longest playoff drought in the SNL. The team that would inherit that distinction would be the Stingrays, who’ve struggled this season. Injuries to their veteran pitching staff haven’t helped. Despite likely missing the postseason again, the breakout of some Chromatik players is a major win for the team, and they do remain in a position to compete in the future. If that’s also true of the Rhinos remains to be seen, although they at least recovered a little from their terrible first half of the season.
Yahweh “Ten Fingies” Bohannon managed to secure the Pitcher of the Month award, only one part of the stacked Snow Bear rotation, but a very effective one in his 4 starts this month largely because he managed to limit the walks. The fielder of the month is Akia Nameleego, who has been getting it done offensively and defensively this month as been a major part of the Busukuma surge.

It was also the All-Star break, which means the South Newlandian All-Star roster was officially unveiled, playing the Llamanean All-Stars in Busukuma.

All-Stars Alternates
C: Cooper Calebs (DRK/JD)
1B: Gouta Rehana (BNJ/RR)
2B: John Solomons (RAN/EVSB)
SS: Apollo Sündstrom (SLL/SRS)
3B: Elisabeth Sa (BNJ/RR)
LF: Rich Bolton (KYP/RBS)
CF: Martina Andrade de Souza (TJU/RD)
RF: Lewis Hunter (SLL/RR)
DH: Rylan Rodgers Jr. (RAN/BT)

SP: Khris Kirchenbaum (SLL/SCM)
SP: Yahweh Bohannon (RAN/EVSB)
SP: Eddard Friend (CMT/WS)
SP: Jack Guzman (DHE/RBS)
SP: Alex Mann (ESL/NO)

RP: Daniella Arenta (ESL/NO)
RP: Zoe Young (KYP/RBS)
RP: Reagan Ahadi (LOY/SRS)
RP: Ryan Halamer (ESL/NO)
RP: Zack Herman (HAP/WS)

All-Stars
C: Ryan Marshall (KYP/RBS)
1B: Ted Honeycutt (DRK/JD)
2B: Len Pijpenbroek (KOR/EVH)
SS: Koyie Guzmán (SLL/BT)
3B: Jesse Griffith (RAN/JD)
LF: Pia Skogstad (VAL/BT)
CF: Akia Nameleego (BNJ/BT)
RF: Evander Stone (SLL/SRS)
DH: Grant Faulkner (RAN/JD)

SP: Liza Salix (ZWZ/ND)
SP: Andrew Boone (DRK/JD)
SP: Kigongo Namatiwa (BNJ/BT)
SP: Shrifflu Whootung (KYP/RBS)
SP: Sylvi Magnussen (SLL/EVH)

RP: Miellen Walker (RAN/EVSB)
RP: Trevor Bell (DRK/JD)
RP: Trinity Shelby-Dowora (TJU/RD)
RP: Ellen Poiger-Snast (ZWZ/ND)
RP: Alexandra Graham (DHE/RBS)

But who cares about that. The much more fun thing on display was the Home Run Derby. As a reminder of the format, one representative of each of the SNL teams had 20 swings from 25 pitches in order to hit as many home runs as possible. The top four would advance to the single-elimination semifinals.

Harry Brentwood of Eshialand started things off, and managed to hit an impressive 12 home runs thanks to going 4-for-4 on her final swings. Julian Breit managed to match that, although he also needed to go 3-for-3 at the end despite a strong start. Banijan Gouta Rehana managed to one-up both of them with a very strong 13, including a streak of 6 straight that would be the second-longest streak of the night. That meant that when Len Pijpenbroek, Batya Jones and Kassandra Dawson all hit between 10 and 11, they were in surprisingly bad shape, with many strong hitters still to come. One of them was Apollo Sündstrom, who also hit 11, though with the best tiebreaker (longest HR) so far. Tyler Alameda only managed 7, a microcosm of the Monarchs season, but Ted Honeycutt, one of the favourites, did better than that. The Drawkian started excellently with 7 out of the first 8 leaving the yard, and although he slowed down a bit after that, he still hit 13 to take the lead with a better tiebreak than Rehana. The last three batters (JP Valencia, Rylan Rodgers and Martina Andrade de Souza) all failed to hit double digits, which meant the semifinals would be Brentwood v Honeycutt and Breit v Rehana.

Harry Brentwood looked like he would pose a serious threat to Honeycutt, starting 9-for-11 before eventually settling on a dozen. That’s still not an easy bar to clear, and despite a similarly strong 8-for-11 start, Honeycutt slowed down. With four swings remaining, he only stood at 9, needing 3/4 to trigger a swing-off and 4 in a row to win outright. Honeycutt locked in and did the latter of those, winning the matchup right under the wire.
Breit, meanwhile, struggled. Possibly, the Snow Bear slugger had been confused by the format, celebrating his first round by munching an unrecorded number of hot dogs, and only managed 9 home runs in the semis. Rehana did have some trouble, but got hot in time to reach 10 with three swings to spare, setting up a Banija v Drawkland final, and arguably a mini-SNLCS rematch.

Gouta Rehana turned in her weakest round of the Derby in the Final, going cold down the stretch to finish on only 10. Honeycutt started 3 from 6. Remember how Rehana’s 6 in a row were only second-best for the Derby? That’s because Honeycutt managed to slug eight straight, as the former MVP cruised to a win, adding a Home Run Derby Crown to his list of accomplishments.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Fri Oct 03, 2025 3:45 pm

RESULTS
QUARTERFINAL SERIES GAMES 3/4

#1 Drawkland vs #8 Kamijiro @ South Central Park, Kytler Bay City
Drawkland                  0 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 0  6
Kamijiro                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drawkland lead series 2-1

Drawkland                  1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0  6
Kamijiro                   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Drawkland win series 3-1

#4 South Newlandia vs #12 The Kytler Peninsulae @ Donaldson Olympic Diamond, Zube Scored by Tikariot
South Newlandia            0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0  3
The Kytler Peninsulae      0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 X  5
The Kytler Peninsulae lead series 2-1

South Newlandia            0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0  4
The Kytler Peninsulae      1 0 0 0 1 0 7 0 X  9
The Kytler Peninsulae win series 3-1

#2 Quebec and Shingoryeo vs #7 Zwangzug @ Angel of Liberation Park, Alaer
Quebec and Shingoryeo      0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0
Zwangzug                   0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 X  3
Quebec and Shingoryeo lead series 2-1

Quebec and Shingoryeo      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  1
Zwangzug                   2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 X  6
Series tied 2-2

#19 Zenic vs #6 Ranoria @ Dockyard Park, Pyathora
Ranoria                    0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0  4
Zenic                      0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0  2
Ranoria lead series 2-1

Ranoria                    0 0 4 0 0 3 0 0 0  7
Zenic                      0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1  2
Ranoria win series 3-1

The singular Game 5 will be in about 24 hours from this message. The Semifinal Series will start 48 hours after that, and the teams who've already booked their spots there will get credit for the Game 5 window equal to their best League Phase window.

by **Zwangzug** » Sat Oct 04, 2025 7:12 am

Health Advisory: Bubonic Plague

Individuals traveling to Alaer, The Kytler Peninsulae should be advised that a large-scale outbreak of the Bubonic Plague has been reported in that city.

Symptoms: Individuals affected by the Bubonic Plague tend to have red, black, and yellow discolorations on their body. High temperatures are common, which can lead to sweating and removal of clothing.

Transmission: Inconclusive. The conventional wisdom is that the Bubonic Plague is acquired in childhood, based on environmental rather than genetic factors, and it can be prevented by cultivating alternative microbiota (Warrior Spirit, Elefriend Energy, Phoenix Phire, et. al). However, more recent research has challenged this narrative, pointing out the power of bandwagon effects. The "miracle" phenomena observed in Zwangzug during WBC54 indicate an ongoing appreciation of Zwangzugian culture and fans among current victims of the plague, which could lead to increased suspectability.

Comorbidities: There appears to be a weak correlation between Bubonic Plague symptoms and promiscuous behavior, leading to an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections. However, correlation is not causation, and there is no evidence that the Bubonic Plague itself can be spread via sexual intercourse.

Seasonality: Unlike various flu strains or playoff fevers, the Bubonic Plague is not associated with a specific season of the year. (Consult local time dilation authorities for further information.)

Treatment: At this time, no medicinal treatment for the Bubonic Plague is known. While some folk traditions recommend use of cannabis or other hemp products, this has not been scientifically validated and could exacerbate symptoms. Please observe all local laws when traveling overseas.

Some authorities recommend moderate exercise in response to the bubonic plague, however, even brisk walking can be dangerous if overdone. (See: "Walkoffs and the Bubonic Plague," Ryan-Gekas & Yi, Alaer Journal of Extra Innings, 2070, vol. 2.)

by **Ranoria** » Sat Oct 04, 2025 2:55 pm

"Underdogs Are Only Cool If They Win,"
Krauts Bats Explode In Game Four To Earn Fourth Semifinal Berth

For a team that seemed to have regressed and settled into mediocrity, the Krauts have made their way to the final four with back-to-back 3-1 series victories

Zenic's squad would tell you, they were playing with house money. For a debutant squad, they felt they'd not just met but exceeded expectations coming into the Classic. They'd already done something special advancing as far as they had - but with a former champion across the diamond, it was a tall task. A former champion that had come into the season expected to maybe squeak into the playoffs, only to rattle off the most wins in team history in the group stage (coming one short of that mark even through thirty games). So sure the Survivors were underdogs coming into this one, but for the Krauts, that didn't matter. The best batting performance in any Classic in the team's history and the group stage results had this team convinced - they'd been disrespected. They felt like they were the underdogs.

So with no pressure on them in game four, the Krauts came in and never gave the Survivors a chance to fight their way back into it.

A three-run bomb from Julian Breit made the game a quick 3-0 in the third inning, and Jesse Griffith followed it up with a solo shot on the very next at bat to put up a score that Zenic's squad would never be able to draw even with.

"Underdogs are only cool if they win," the team's manager, Leonardo Harrison said after the convincing performance, "And both of these teams did that all season long. The Survivors fought their way back to make the postseason and won a series to advance, and us? We were supposed to finish around five hundred. News flash, Ranoria's still got some of the best baseball talent in Ranoria. We're still better than Banija, and that slugger Jesse Griffith is still better than Sadiiq Xoosh."

That said - the run's probably over. This side of the bracket was indisputably softer than the other, and the friendly lack of information retention of Ol' Red the red golden retriever is unlikely to carry the Krauts past the Grim Reapers 3rd ranked & 2nd seeded baseball team or Zenic's constantly contending side. Lots of history between Ranoria and the first option - Quebec and Shingoryeo's colonization of Ranoria centuries ago was what originally unified and civilized the nation. Quebec and Shingoryeo was a team that saw some wild opening games against the Krauts on their lone championship run. they've played in plenty of playoff games on the gridiron, and plenty of athletes have signed on with the other nation's leagues. Vontaze Ahn, Benoit Youngblood, and Kieran Kweo-Atkinson were or are superstars in the Ranorian Football League. Retired Ranorian quarterback Astrid Verona and her husband - our very own Jesse Griffith - had stints in Quebec and Shingroyeo's professional leagues.

On the other side, with South Newlandia eliminated (one of the combinations of words ever produced) our Zebra friends in Zwangzug are about as good a shot as we'll get for a snow bear cuddle game that inevitably ends with Ranoria being eliminated.

No one's got Ranoria advancing to the Championship Series. No one's expected Ranoria to go as far as they have, to have the success they've had. The second best scoring team in the group stage, sixth seed in the tournament, and sporting the best mascot in the sport depending on what metric you use. And unfortunately for Cyborg Dhomas's adorableness as a snake, his knowledge of sabermetrics hasn't overcome Ol' Red not thinking a single thing ever.

So say what you will, but the Grim Reapers and Zebras are both battle tested, truly blue blood baseball teams. They're not going to take a perhaps overlooked squad likely, and they'll look to take care of business for an opportunity to play on the sports' biggest stage.

Do the shockingly successful Krauts have a chance to make history? And - if they do - is it the greatest underdog run in recent history, or the greatest mickey mouse story in sports?

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Sat Oct 04, 2025 4:07 pm

And like that, it was all tied at two games a piece between the Reapers and the Zebras.

It was, in every way possible, the opposite of what the Reapers wanted to get from the next two games against a more patient Zwangzug side that knew how to outlast an opponent. In the first two games, the Reapers definitely were the more fortunate of two sides - one that was aided by Joh Hong-Seok's complete game strikeout, as well as the timely turnarounds their batters, who were comprised competently, were able to put together in the later innings - but there's some degree of fortune attached to it as well as one would recall from the ways this Reapers' squad, time after time, was able to pull it off in the four-game stretch where they looked invincible. Luck followed them, as did timely hits and run-saving defensive plays, and of course, Joh's game one start was going to be the break the Reapers' bullpen needed to retool and reset.

Well, until they weren't. As the Reapers' bats, who seemed more poised than explosive this series, got figured out, the momentum of the series turned around quickly. A mostly quiet start to the game three, then would quickly turn into a sinkhole as a tricky swing from Sulsan Kulsam-Breo was about to caught by Louise Blakenau-Abueng, only for the third baseman to drop and then whiff the throw. An ordinary groundout, benefitting from the rain earlier in the day, then turned into a double, and a hit that would turn around the series followed as Cedric Arx-Gowen, who had so far been hitless after a struggle at bats, followed it up with a beautifully placed double. Havoc was wreaked on the Reapers' infield, who had been solid up to this point, as SKB, taking full advantage of the opportunity, rushed her way home, giving the Zebras a perfect 1-0 start on the bottom of the rest.

And like that, the rest of the next game and a half went along, as the momentum turned around. Having seemingly figured out the weakness of the Reapers' bullpen, who had their on and off cycles all cycle long, the meticulous hitters of Zwangzug wasted little time as they converted opportunities after another, building small leads after small leads in ways the Reapers had done so. The Reapers' bats, in the meanwhile, lost their tension as they went cold, combining for 6 hits and one single run, which included zero run converted into the full base, no out situation on the 2nd inning of game two, the rest of the way.

And like that, the series was back on two-all, as the seventh-seeded Zebras tied it with convincing 3-0 and 6-1 wins. Now, it was all going to come down to a deciding game five for both sides as Griffith Puyo-Sachar and Taylor Bryant had questions to answer for their legacies here. Puyo-Sachar, since his debuting cycle on the WB 55 when Zwangzug made the Championship Series in Drawkland, has more or less been under inconsistent form relative to the Zebras' reputation, while Byrant's viability as the manager stood on an awkward spot where the Reapers were solid quarterfinalists at the minimum, but had questions over whether they could make it back to the semifinals.

Which one of two's going to make it, and break the narrative surrounding them?

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Sat Oct 04, 2025 4:08 pm

RESULT
QUARTERFINAL SERIES GAME 5

#2 Quebec and Shingoryeo vs #7 Zwangzug @ Angel of Liberation Park, Alaer
Zwangzug                   0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2  4
Quebec and Shingoryeo      0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 X  5
Quebec and Shingoryeo win series 3-2

SEMIFINAL SERIES
All series are best-of-five. The higher-seeded team is considered to be at home in Games 1, 2, and (if necessary) 5.

#1 Drawkland vs. #12 The Kytler Peninsulae @ Donaldson Olympic Diamond, Zube
#2 Quebec and Shingoryeo vs. #6 Ranoria @ Alcassar Plains Stadium, Alcassar

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Mon Oct 06, 2025 1:59 pm

The Curse.

In two separate Kytlerian eras - pre- and post-Isolation - none of their international teams in the major team sports (soccer, gridiron, baseball, basketball, ice hockey) had ever won a quarterfinal. And while plenty of reliably competitive nations can hit a wall in that kind of territory - TJUN-ia spring to mind, across all five of those sports - what made it sting more for the Kytlerians is that two of those quarterfinals came as an unranked team in the first cycle of the post-Isolation era.

The Phoenix - named explicitly with that context in mind - were one of those teams responsible for that, swept by the Quebecois hosts of WBC58 after that particular insurgent run. (The gridiron team, who stunned an injury-hit Chromatika in their very first game back and then pulled off a miracle octofinal defeat of Saint Kanye to set up a last-eight exit to Drawkland, were the other.) They had entered the fringes of contender territory as if by magic, and... then never took the next step.

Until now.

And who would have thought it would be this team in this cycle? Yes, they were at home, in a sport where that means something; their back-to-back statement series wins both came in venues notable for how generic their dimensions aren't. But this was a team who never once looked like getting the bye through the Repechage Series, who actually lost Game 1 of said Repechage Series against unranked Hapilopper, and were without their best player in Benjamin Ígorsson after a torn ACL sustained on LPB duty. Oh, and the small matter of facing an Octofinal Series against Banija for the right to face South Newlandia in the last eight. Or, as anyone with eyes could have foreseen, being a speedbump to a neutral-side rematch of the epic WBC60 championship series that Banija won at home with a come-from-behind, 11-inning Game 7 win.

But that would require the sport making sense.

Naturally, given that this wasn't making sense, Arndór Asbjørnsson was prominently involved. Four homers in the first two series, two more in the first two games against the Ellies, and he still hadn't got to his defining moment yet. That came in Game 4, with the Phoenix reeling from a three-run rally in the top of the seventh to overturn a 2-0 deficit after Cedric Lundy needed just 76 pitches to get through six scoreless innings. After the seventh-inning stretch singalong of Rise Like A Phoenix, pinch-hitter Fredrik Färm beat out a leadoff infield single, Alexander Fox and John Bolton were walked on a combined nine pitches to put an end to Dylan Borges' quality start, and up stepped Asbjørnsson with the bases loaded in a one-run game with Côme Nguyen summoned in this big spot against a fellow righty.

The All-Name reliever opted for a first-pitch changeup, presumably anticipating that Asbjørnsson would be anticipating a fastball and swinging accordingly.

If I felt up for doing an audio RP again, this would have been a centrepiece of it. Same booth as the last one...

MATT ROGERS: And the thing with Côme Nguyen is she really relies on throwing the right pitch at the right time and also having great control particularly with the fastball, and I think that's what she'll lean on heavily in this at-bat because the contact she does give up with her other pitches, and there's not much of it, is often hard contact.

STEPHEN BLAINE: Biggest moment of the game, and maybe even of this entire era of Kytlerian sport. Arndór Asbjørnsson...

*SMASH*

SB: ...DRILLS ONE TO LEFT! If it's fair it's gone... IT IIIIIIIIS!!

Incoherent screaming from basically everyone in the Donaldson Olympic Diamond, and no further words until Asbjørnsson rounds the bases.

SB: Has this just happened? Has this incredible playoff performer, with one swing of the bat for his seventh home run of these playoffs... just changed a national narrative forever?

Just like that, the Phoenix led 6-3 in the seventh. And as if that weren't enough - though it was - this was with no outs. Magnus Álfarsson, after working a full count, deposited another offspeed offering over the much shorter porch in right to make it 7-3. Still no outs. Ryan Marshall popped up to opposite number Sofia Löfgren, but then Fyls Minanad drew a ten-pitch walk, and Gaia Colombo was summoned almost out of desperation to face Zoe Anderson. A switch-hitter, sure, but the southpaw slinger would put her in position where her pull power was to the deep left side rather than the shallow right side of this famously asymmetric park.

There was one small oversight with this plan. It implied Zoe Anderson cared about hitting a home run to begin with.

She duly popped a line drive over the shortstop and into the left-centre alley, the deepest part of the entire outfield. It made it to the wall, took an awkward bounce that caused it to evade Theo Möller's glove, and trickled comically slowly into exactly the worst possible spot for anyone else to grab it. Minanad cruised in to score, and then Anderson was waved around third and beat out Emil Hurley's desperate throw to the plate.

9-3. Seven runs in the seventh. Against the Ellies.

In a quarterfinal clinch game.

Stephen Blaine then delivered an immortal commentary line that may have been aimed at himself as much as his TV audience.

"Your eyes are open! Your ears are working! You are awake! This is not a dream!"

The final out, when it came (with the deficit having been cut to "only" 9-4 by then), was always going to be another moment where whatever Blaine said would go down in history, even if a huge chunk of the attention would surely have gone to those seventh-inning calls (and the absolutely batty seventh in general).

It would have seemed presumptuous - even with a 2-1 lead in the series - to have a line prepared for a Kytlerian quarterfinal win. But it sure sounded like Blaine had one ready when it happened...

"The whole of the country, let alone this historic ballpark, waiting for the moment that will be remembered forever. One strike away now. The 1-2 to Hurley... in the air to left... Bolton will be under it! THE CURSE! WE'RE OVER IT!"

by **South Newlandia** » Mon Oct 06, 2025 3:07 pm

mostly made from recycled assets but I dont get a grade for this so I dont really care

World Baseball Classic 61 | IC thread

Brooklyn Beck (S6:E9)

Batter Up!: 61-XV (Octofinal END)

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