December, 2020

2020: The Year in Review

Just two years ago, the Southern Cal Slyme lost 100 games during the 2018 season. Two years prior to that, the Slyme nearly broke the BDBL's all-time record for losses in a season when they went just 43-117. Today, the Southern Cal Slyme are the newly-crowned champions of the BDBL universe. Congratulations to Colonel Bob Sylvester, one of the founding fathers of the BDBL, and now two-time champion.

Bob appeared in our first-ever BDBL World Series in 1999, and lost to the Evil Empire in Stamford. After a few rebuilding years, including two 100-loss seasons, the Slyme rebounded in the mid-2000's and won a then-record 116 games during the 2008 season. In 2009, the Slyme faced the Los Altos Undertakers in Jeff Paulson's first of many World Series appearances. Southern Cal lost that one, too. Four years later, Bob had the great fortune of meeting the Salem Cowtippers in the 2013 World Series and predictably walked away with his first BDBL trophy. This year's addition to his trophy case makes him the fourth person in BDBL history to win more than one championship (fifth if you count Gene Patterson's shared title in 2014.)

How on earth did the Slyme go from 100+ losses to a BDBL championship in only two years? Much of the credit has to go to Sylvester's uncanny talent for wheeling and dealing. Yoan Moncada, arguably this team's MVP, was acquired in a ten-player trade with Sylvester's son, Bobby, way back in 2016. Lucas Giolito, the World Series MVP, was acquired a year ago in a trade with the Myrtle Beach Hitmen. In exchange for Nomar Mazara, Sylvester received not only Giolito, but Alex Verdugo as well. Verdugo was then flipped this year (along with George Valera) for Michael Brantley and Giovanny Gallegos -- both of whom made a big impact in the playoffs. The same winter that Giolito was acquired, Sylvester also received the team's co-MVP, Eugenio Suarez, from Salem in exchange for Trevor Cahill and some salary relief.

Another big trade that led to SoCal's championship was their acquisition of Jorge Soler this past winter. Soler, who hit .295/.359/.652 with 52 home runs and 125.5 runs created, was acquired from the Darien Blue Wave for prospect J.J. Bleday and salary relief in the form of Zack Cozart. Combined, Soler, Suarez, and Moncada created over 400 runs this season, on a team that created over 1,000 runs in total.

The Slyme weren't expected to face much competition in the Wilkie Division, and they didn't. They jumped out to a four-game lead in Chapter One, and by the all-star break, that lead had grown to double-digits. In the end, they won the division by 30 games. Their 105 wins topped the Eck League, and was the eighth time in franchise history that they topped 100. It was Bob Sylvester's tenth division title in 22 seasons, thirteenth trip to the postseason, and fourth visit to the World Series.

Before I go any further, let me thank the usual cast of characters for another fun and flawless season. Many thanks to Tony Chamra, who pretty much runs this league now. In addition to creating our schedule each year, keeping track of all of our contracts data, and manually adding thousands of farm guys to the disk twice a year (with their actual birthdates!), Tony took a leadership role in ensuring that every inch of ground is covered for 2021 with regard to rule changes that became necessary due to the pandemic. Given the amount of work that he does for this league, I almost feel guilty for beating him in the championship last year. Almost.

A big thanks to Tony Badger, who rewrote, tested, and implemented our entire d-Day auction system in a matter of weeks. If only our government were as efficient as Mr. Badger! As always, I thank our Transactions Secretary, Jeff Paulson, and our Usage Nazi, D.J. Shepard. D.J. also volunteered for extra responsibilities this year, and became our League Historian (official title pending.)

Thank you, Ian Hartner, for stepping up to become our Administrator of VORP, and congratulations for avoiding that responsibility next year. Shout-out to Mike Stein for keeping track of all of our ballparks info.

The Akron Ryche came within a best-of-three series of winning it all this year. In 22 seasons, Founding Father D.J. Shepard finally managed to get to the World Series for the first time in his career. To do so, he had to beat the Ravenswood Infidels in a hard-fought division race, and then hurdle over two 100-win teams in the OL playoffs.

In a year of historic offense, the Akron Ryche delivered an historic performance. They became the first team since 2004 to slug .500. They were one of four teams this season to hit 300+ home runs. They scored 961 runs, which would have ranked among the top fifteen prior to 2020. Until their midseason acquisition of ace Pat Corbin, the Ryche pitching staff was a mish-mosh of low-usage spot starters, and yet their offense was so powerful it carried them to the end.

Akron got off to such a slow start that, for a brief moment, my preseason prediction of their OL title appeared to be on rocky footing. But Akron followed their 13-15 Chapter One performance by going 16-12 in Chapter Two, and 15-9 in Chapter Three. Still, the Ravenswood Infidels were even better. Heading into the all-star break, Ravenswood held a three-game lead over Akron in the Benes Division.

At the midseason trading deadline, Shepard made two huge deals, adding Corbin, lights-out closer Scott Oberg, and utility man Tommy Edman. Corbin got off to an inconsistent start, but finished with an 8-3 record and a 4.25 ERA in 101+ innings. Oberg posted a miniscule 0.31 ERA in 29 innings of relief. Edman hit .330/.365/.534 in 206 at-bats.

The Ryche picked up the pace at that point. They went 16-8 in Chapter Four, and pulled into a tie with the Infidels. In Chapter Five, they went 16-12 and gained a game on Ravenswood. They then closed out the season with their best chapter yet, going 21-7 -- the same exact record as Ravenswood's.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for Ravenswood fans and their hard-luck owner, Brian Potrafka. The Infidels saved their best for last, won 21 games in a 28-game Chapter Six...and still fell short of the division title. Making matters worse, the Bear Country Jamboree managed to finish with the same record as Ravenswood's, forcing a one-game playoff.

Bear Country's rise to the top was among the most unexpected events of the 2020 season. Without question, they were expected to have a very good team, especially after GM Matt Clemm broke open his wallet at the auction and went on a spending spree that ended with him somehow holding the winning bids for Hyun-Jin Ryu, J.D. Martinez, Paul Goldschmidt, Wilson Ramos, and Aroldis Chapman. This team was so stacked as a result of that spending spree that I named them as the favorites to win the OL wildcard.

When we headed into the all-star break, the Jamboree owned an impressive 49-31 record (five games better than the OL-winning Ryche) despite being out-scored by their opponents. Many thought there was no way they would be able to maintain that lead with such a dreadful runs differential.

In Chapter Four, it seemed as though the wheels finally fell off the Jamboree bandwagon. They went just 9-15 in the chapter -- the worst record in their division -- and were outscored by ten runs. Undeterred, Clemm kept adding to his arsenal. He had acquired Jeff Samardzija just prior to the all-star break. Then, at the final trading deadline of the season he added Francisco Liriano, Emilio Pagan, and Sergio Romo.

Of course, the problem with his trade for Liriano was that Clemm didn't confirm the trade until two minutes after the deadline. The trade was nullified. Pleas were made. Many, many, pleas. Eventually, I relented and allowed the trade to pass. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have done so. But the decision was made, and there was no reversing it. We pressed on with the season.

Incredibly, Bear Country went an astounding 21-7 in Chapter Five, despite outscoring their opponents by only 24 runs. They then wrapped up their season with a 17-11 Chapter Six, including a +15 runs differential. They finished with one of the most extraordinary seasons in league history: 96-64 (.600) record, a +26 runs differential, and a Pythagorean difference of +13.

2020 was a year of offense like we haven't seen since the heyday of the Steroids Era. Although no team beat the 2001 Kansas Law Dogs' record of 364 home runs, FOUR teams managed to top 300 home runs in 2020. Prior to this year, the '01 'Dogs were the only team to accomplish that feat. Christian Yelich (63) and Eugenio Suarez (62) hit 60 or more homers for the ninth and tenth times in league history (and are the seventh and eighth players to do so.) Yelich's .725 slugging percentage ranks 10th all-time. Suarez and Jorge Soler (52) became the first teammates in league history to hit 50+ homers in the same season.

Three pitchers allowed 50 or more home runs: Jose Berrios (57), Mike Minor (51), and Matt Boyd (50). The Myrtle Beach Hitmen, who set a new BDBL record with 128 losses, also set a new BDBL record with a team ERA of 6.45. Only two other teams in BDBL history finished with an ERA above 6.00.

2020 was unusual in so many ways, including an unusual amount of turnover in the BDBL. That turnover began in September of 2019 when former BDBL owner Chuck Mosca was re-introduced to the league as the new owner of the Flagstaff Outlaws, which had been led by BDBL legend Greg Newgard for many years. Chuck had been a member of the BDBL way back in 200, but for only two months. His second term in the BDBL lasted a little over three months before he unceremoniously exited the league after an unhinged expletive-laden tirade over the Bad Orange Man.

Mosca was immediately replaced with Scott Hapner as our Cutdown Day deadline quickly approached. But then, the very next day, Hapner backed out, stating that he didn't have enough time to make contract decisions by the deadline. Just as it was looking as though Newgard would need to step back in, temporarily, to make those decisions for his former franchise, the first unexpected event of 2020 happened: Tom "The Emperor" DiStefano, five-time BDBL champion, expressed his interest in taking over the franchise. In hindsight, we should have all recognized this as a sign of the coming Apocalypse.

The Eck League saw its share of turnover as well. Kyle Robinson of the Saskatoon Sasquatch announced his departure from the league just after Opening Day of the 2020 season. He was replaced on March 1st by Jason Gargac, who took over just after Robinson had made a series of trades that nearly maxed out his season's VORP trade cap. Ultimately, that factor led to Gargac's disappearance from the league by the end of July. That is when Robinson reappeared and reclaimed his old franchise.

In a year of unexpected events, the most unexpected event in the BDBL took place on August 7th, when long-time BDBL mainstay and former champion Bobby Sylvester announced his resignation from the league. His position remained unfilled until November 10th, when Don Swearingen was officially introduced to the league. Bobby then re-emerged in early December when he was named the GM of his father's Southern Cal Slyme franchise.

Lastly, we recently learned of Scot Zook's decision to step down as the owner of the Kansas City Boulevards franchise. Scott is one of many people to rejoin the BDBL after leaving the league. He was a member from 2000-2002 before returning to the league in the middle of the 2013 season. As a competitor and contributor to the league forum, he will be greatly missed. However, we still hope that he will join us for future BDBL Weekends, and a third term in the BDBL would not be a surprise.

Out of all the teams that won a division in 2020, the defending champion Salem Cowtippers (sadly, the last time I can use that phrase) had the easiest path, given that all three of the other teams in the McGowan Division had officially announced their plans to rebuild in 2020 long before Opening Day. The Cowtippers finished with 103 wins, 34 games ahead of the second-place Joplin Miners. It was the ninth time Salem won 100 or more games in a season, and was their tenth division title (but only the second since 2008.)

After losing out on the bidding war for Cy Young ace Jacob deGrom in the last remaining seconds of the auction's first lot, the Cowtippers won the consolation prize in the form of Max Scherzer in the second lot, at a cost of $15.5 million. Scherzer (15-9, 3.57 ERA) was added to a starting rotation that already included Sonny Gray (20-7, 3.06 ERA) and Stephen Strasburg (16-8, 3.85 ERA.) The thought process was that such dominant starting pitching would provide a perfect counter-balance to a year of offensive explosion. As it turned out, Salem did lead the BDBL in ERA (3.89) and fewest runs allowed (709), but this strategy failed to carry over into the postseason.

For the first time in many years (possibly ever), I forgot to conduct league polling at the beginning of the 2020 season. We'll never know what the league as a whole thought about the Cleveland Rocks' odds of making the playoffs, but in my preseason preview, I predicted a third-place finish. Imagine my surprise, then, when the Rocks ended Chapter One tied for first-place in the Hrbek Division, and continued to hang within striking distance of a playoffs spot to the very last series of the season.

Thanks in large part to a stellar bullpen and a starting rotation led by rookie Mike Sorotka (15-4, 3.71 ERA in 179+ IP), the Rocks managed to stay in the Eck League wildcard race from beginning to end, fending off both the division-rival Charlotte Mustangs and the Great Lakes Sphinx. All of this happened without signing a single player in the winter auction and making only one minor trade during the season.

The defending EL champion, Tony Chamra, took no chances in his bid to return to the BDBL World Series. During the draft, Chamra made his biggest trade of the year, adding sluggers Nelson Cruz, Michael Brantley, and Brad Miller from the Saskatoon Sasquatch in exchange for youngsters Scott Kingery, Alex Kiriloff, and Matt Liberatore, plus two veteran space-fillers.

Despite those additions, the Mustangs got off to a slow start at 13-15 in Chapter One, and continued their lethargic play for the next several chapters. By the all-star break, they found themselves sitting six games out of the division race, but only one game behind Great Lakes and Cleveland in the wildcard race. After going just 11-13 in Chapter Four, Chamra threw in the towel. In a deal with the Southern Cal Slyme, Charlotte sent Brantley and Giovanny Gallegos packing, getting prospects Alex Verdugo and George Valera in exchange.

In the end, Charlotte led the Eck League in runs scored (987) and hit 298 home runs as a team. Yet, they finished 15 games out of the division lead and four games behind the wildcard winner. One reason for that disappointing finish was the performance of Charlotte's supposed ace, Jose Berrios, who went 11-18 with a 7.04 ERA in 211 innings, with 57 home runs allowed.

In his bid to return to the postseason, Great Lakes GM Scott Romonosky threw a whopping $18 million toward Christian Yelich, who had helped carry Charlotte to an EL title the year before. It was the highest salary awarded to a free agent since Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta earned the same amount in 2016. Thanks in large part to Yelich's BDBL-leading 63 home runs, the Sphinx led the BDBL with 340 homers as a team -- the second-highest total in BDBL history.

Unfortunately for Sphinx fans, only six teams in the BDBL allowed more home runs than the 264 allowed by Great Lakes -- and four of those teams finished with 100 or more losses. Despite their struggle to put runs on the board, the Sphinx managed to head into the final chapter tied with Cleveland for the EL wildcard lead.

With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Rocks needed six wins to tie for the wildcard, and seven to advance straight to the Division Series. With Great Lakes fans watching nervously from the sidelines, Cleveland took three of four from the Niagara Locks. That meant they would need to win three of four from the lowly Myrtle Beach Hitmen in order to tie for the wildcard. A sweep would put them into the playoffs.

After a 16-0 laugher win in Game One, Game Two proved to be no laugher, as the Rocks clung to a 2-1 lead in the ninth. That game ended when Tommy Pham threw out a Myrtle Beach base runner for the final out of the game. Cleveland trailed by four runs heading into the ninth inning of Game Three, tied it up in the ninth, and eventually won the game in thirteen innings. They then eked out a 7-5 win in their 160th game of the season to win the EL wildcard by one game and advance to a Division Series against the imposing Southern California Slyme.

It was just another boring 100-win season for the Los Altos Undertakers in 2020. Imagine being a sports talk radio host in Los Altos, where your entire job depends on complaining about your local sports team and insisting that you know better than management how to run a baseball franchise. What a nightmare that must be.

It was the eleventh time in twenty-two seasons that Los Altos won 100+ games. For the mathematically-inclined, that means the Undertakers have won a ridiculous number of games in half the seasons they have played since this league began. They not only led the BDBL in wins in 2020, but also -- for the sixth time in history -- runs differential. They won their fifteenth division title this year, which is also a league record.

The Los Altos offense scored 1,005 runs in 2020 -- the first team to score 1,000 since 2009. They were also one of only five teams in history (including four in 2020) to hit 300+ home runs. Seven different Los Altos hitters crushed 20+ home runs (plus Cory Seager, who just missed at 19.) Six players created 80 or more runs.

For a brief moment, the Bear Country Jamboree made the Undertakers sweat a little. Through the first two chapters of play, the Jamboree trailed Los Altos by only four games in the Higuera Division race. That lead grew to five games after Chapter Three, and by the end of four chapters, the race was over. In the end, Los Altos easily won the division by ten games. They then headed to the postseason with the #1 seed in the BDBL for the second year in a row.

When Chris Luhning of the Kansas Law Dogs emerged as the winner of the Jacob deGrom Sweepstakes in the first lot of the winter auction, the Law Dogs went from being a favorite to win the Higuera Division to being an absolute lock. deGrom led the entire BDBL with 23 wins this season, and posted the second-best ERA (2.72) in the league.

The Law Dogs were one of four EL teams to score 900 or more runs in 2020. Possible league MVP Cody Bellinger (.308/.380/.643, 55 HR, 142 RBI) led the way. Max Muncy (.286/.408/.606, 44 HR), Whit Merrifield (.302/.350/.461), and Eduardo Escobar (.277/.332/.515, 34 HR) gave Kansas four batters with 100 or more runs created.

Kansas faced a surprise competitor for the division title in the early part of the season. The Great Lakes Sphinx managed to win one more game than Kansas in the first chapter, going 19-9 -- the best record in the Eck League. Their division lead didn't last long. Great Lakes reversed their winning ways in Chapter Two, going just 13-15, while Kansas repeated their 18-10 Chapter One performance. By the all-star break, the Law Dogs held a comfortable five-game lead in the division, and shared the best record in the EL with both the Southern Cal Slyme and Chicago Black Sox at 49-31.

As for the always-surprising Sphinx, they headed into the final chapter tied with the also-surprising Cleveland Rocks atop the EL wildcard race, with the Buckingham Sovereigns and Charlotte Mustangs trailing just three games behind. Thanks in part to a deadline deal in which they added Mike Yastrzemski, Great Lakes went an impressive 17-11 in their final chapter. But it wasn't enough, as Cleveland eked out a wildcard win in their final game of the season.

No team better exemplified the offensive explosion of 2020 more than the Chicago Black Sox. Chicago was one of four BDBL teams to hit 300 or more home runs, including no fewer than eight players who hit 20-plus, three with 30-plus, and three with 40-plus.

GM John Gill's biggest move of the season was made during the winter, when he acquired both Charlie Morton and Freddie Freeman from the rebuilding Joplin Miners. Morton (21-7, 3.94 ERA in 210 IP) pitched like a true ace, and teamed with rookie Shane Bieber (16-8, 3.90 ERA in 235+ IP) and Clayton Kershaw (12-12, 4.96 ERA in 192+ IP) to form a very solid starting rotation. Freeman (.309/.400/.577, 37 HR, 123.9 RC) was one of four Chicago players who topped 100 runs created. The others were Kris Bryant (.297/.389/.587, 43 HR), Bryce Harper (.268/.378/.545, 41 HR), and another preseason pickup, Mike Moustakas (.275/.344/.554, 43 HR.)

As per tradition, Chicago got off to a slow start. They went 16-12 in the first chapter, which was only good enough for a share of first place with the Cleveland Rocks. They righted the ship in Chapter Two, going an EL-best 19-9, but then stumbled again in Chapter Three, going 14-10. After the all-star break, the Black Sox stumbled yet again, going 11-13 in Chapter Four, which cut their lead in the division to just three games.

Rather than panic-sell, Gill stuck with the team he had. He added yet another slugger, Trey Mancini (.310/.375/.560 for Chicago) at the final trading deadline. His team rewarded his patience by going 20-8 in Chapter Five, and a league-best 21-7 in Chapter Six. In the end, Chicago easily won their ninth division title by eleven games. Their record of 101-59 marked the sixth time in John Gill's 22-year BDBL career that he won 100 or more games in a season.

Before the Division Series could get underway, the Ozzie League had some unfinished business to address. For the second year in a row (the first because of the BDBL's foolish one-year experiment with the "Wildcard Play-in"), Brian Potrafka and the Ravenswood Infidels were forced to play a one-game playoff to get into the Division Series. You may recall that the Infidels lost their one-game playoff to the Joplin Miners in 2019 in heartbreaking fashion. They lost a 1-0 pitcher's duel against Hyun-Jin Ryu, in which Ryu and "reliever" Chris Sale allowed only three hits and four Ravenswood batters to reach base the entire game.

Would history repeat itself? Well...yes and no. The same pitcher, Walker Buehler, started for Ravenswood in this year's single-elimination game. After having signed Ryu as a free agent, Bear Country manager Matt Clemm could have rubbed some salt in Potrafka's never-healed wounds by starting Ryu again this year. Instead, he went with a more obscure option: Frankie Montas. Montas held the Infidels offense to just one run on four hits, with no walks and nine strikeouts in six-plus innings of work.

Buehler, meanwhile, ran into a buzzsaw right off the bat, as two batters reached base in the first inning before team MVP Paul Goldschmidt crushed a home run to give the Jamboree a 3-0 lead. In the end, thanks to the pitching of Montas and the Bear Country bullpen (NOT including controversial reliever Francisco Liriano!), the Jamboree pulled off a 5-2 win and headed into the Division Series, where Matt Clemm would face his childhood friend, Jeff Paulson.

For a hot minute, it seemed as though the Upset of All Upsets would be possible, and the Jamboree would somehow defeat the heavily-favored Los Altos Undertakers in the OL Division Series. That possibility was raised when Bear Country defeated Los Altos and their ace, Gerrit Cole, in the first game of the series. The Undertakers kept the game close throughout the contest, but back-to-back home runs by Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez in the seventh inning made the difference in the end.

The elation in the Bear Country dugout didn't last long. Sandy Alcantara completely stymied the Jamboree batters in Game Two, allowing just two hits through seven innings. Despite walking five batters, while not recording a single strikeout, Alcantara and the Undertakers bullpen held Bear Country to just one run, while rookie Fernando Tatis, Jr. provided all of the runs Los Altos would need with a two-run blast in the first inning.

When the series shifted to Bear Country, the Jamboree found themselves in a 5-0 lead in the very first inning, but scratched and clawed their way back, and clung to an 8-6 lead heading into the top of the ninth. Aroldis Chapman, who had led the OL in saves, took the hill to close it out against the bottom of the Los Altos lineup. He was greeted by a single, a walk, and a three-run blast by Danny Santana. Just like that, before a single out was recorded, Bear Country's lead vanished. Seth Lugo then closed out the bottom of the ninth to secure the 9-8 Los Altos win.

After a 7-1 Los Altos blowout in Game Four, the Jamboree found themselves with their backs against the wall, one loss away from elimination. Down by one run in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and a runner in scoring position, Jeff McNeil came through with a double to tie the score. That sent the game into extra innings. After a scoreless tenth inning, Los Altos began the eleventh with back-to-back singles against Stephen Crichton. Three batters later, Danny Santana struck again. His three-run blast put a dagger through Bear Country's heart. Once again, the Los Altos Undertakers were heading to the OL Championship Series.

***

After the Cleveland Rocks eked out the last spot in the playoffs with their victory in Game #160, they faced the Southern Cal Slyme in the EL Division Series. The Rocks were considered heavy underdogs, and they lived down to that role as they dropped the first three games in the series. The Southern Cal offense pounded the Rocks pitchers with home run after home run. They hit ten in the first three games, by seven different players. They scored nineteen runs in those three games, including twelve in Game Two.

Cleveland managed to give the home crowd one last reason to cheer by winning Game Four by a score of 4-3. Then, in Game Five, the game was tied heading into the eighth inning. Southern Cal quickly untied the game with back-to-back-to-back RBI singles by Ketel Marte, Yoan Moncada, and Jorge Soler. Giovani Gallegos then closed it out in the bottom of the ninth to send Southern Cal to the EL Championship Series.

***

For the second year in a row, the Salem Cowtippers and Akron Ryche faced off in the OL Division Series. Despite their defense falling apart, the Cowtippers managed to win Game One thanks to the pitching of Sonny Gray and a five-run offensive outburst in the fifth inning against Akron's Patrick Corbin.

In Game Two, Salem's franchise pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, completely imploded. He hit the first batter of the game, and it only went downhill from there. Jesse Winker followed with a two-run homer -- one of three Strasburg would allow in the game. Akron scored five runs in the fourth inning -- one on a homer by Starling Marte -- turning the game into a laugher.

It was then Max Scherzer's turn to stink up the stadium in Game Three. He allowed five runs in six innings of work en route to a 5-3 Salem loss. Akron's unstoppable momentum carried into Game Four as well. This time, it was the always-reliable reliever J.B. Wendelken who imploded for Salem. Wendelken was tasked with holding a tied score in the fifth inning. Instead, he allowed a pair of runs on two singles, a walk, and a crucial error by Rafael Devers.

With their backs to the wall, Salem managed to win Game Five, thanks again to the pitching of Sonny Gray. But then it was Strasburg's turn to take the hill in Game Six, with the series returning back to Salem. For the second game in a row, Strasburg completely sabotaged his team by allowing four runs in the first inning. In that disastrous inning, he allowed two singles, a double, a walk, a hit batter, and no fewer than TWO wild pitches. Then, just to ensure that his team could never claw their way back into the game, he then allowed home runs to Josh Bell in each of his next two at-bats.

Thanks to Stephen Strasburg's nightmarish performance, Salem's dream of winning back-to-back titles came to an end and the Akron Ryche advanced to the next round to face the Los Altos Undertakers in the OLCS.

***

While the other three Division Series held very little drama, the series between the Kansas Law Dogs and Chicago Black Sox made up for it. The series began with a walk-off win by the Black Sox in Game One, after an inning that featured a leadoff double, TWO intentional walks, a sac bunt, and a game-winning single by rookie Eloy Jimenez.

Kansas tied the series by pounding Chicago's pitching in Game Two. They scored fourteen runs in that game, including five in the second inning and six in the eighth. Then then took the series lead in Game Three when Chicago starter Shane Bieber allowed four runs to score in the first inning, on a pair of doubles and a two-run triple by Eduardo Escobar.

Chicago needed a win in Game Four, but they would need to defeat Kansas' dominating starter, defending Cy Young winner, and expensive winter acquisition, Jacob deGrom. A sac fly and solo homer by Freddie Freeman put Chicago in an early lead in the first inning. Chicago managed to get to deGrom again in the fifth inning, scoring a pair of runs on a two-out double by Kris Bryant. Meanwhile, Chicago starter Dallas Keuchel was pitching the game of his life. He allowed just one run on three hits through six innings, before giving way to a shaky bullpen. Clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Chicago handed the ball to their closer, Carlos Martinez, who walked the first two batters he faced before recording two quick outs.

With the series tied at two games apiece, Game Five featured a pitcher's duel between Chicago's Charlie Morton and Kansas' Brad Keller. Cody Bellinger's two-run blast in the first inning put Kansas in an early lead. Bryce Harper's solo shot for Chicago in the third inning cut that lead in half. Whit Merrifield's triple scored another Kansas run in the eighth. The heart of the Chicago lineup then came to the plate in the top of the ninth inning to face Kansas closer Ken Giles. Freddie Freeman struck out. Eloy Jimenez struck out. Kyle Schwarber struck out. Game over.

Chicago trailed by a score of 3-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning of Game Six. Mike Moustakas then stepped to the dish and put his team in the lead with one stroke of his bat. His three-run dinger gave Chicago a 5-3 lead. Martinez faltered again in the top of the ninth and allowed one Kansas run to score on a walk, a double, and a wild pitch. Oliver Drake came in to relieve Martinez, and got Escobar to ground to first base. The runner at third took off, and was cut down at the plate. That brought the dangerous Bellinger to the plate...who grounded out to end the game.

Game Seven. deGrom took the hill for the visiting Law Dogs, while Bieber toed the rubber for Chicago. The Black Sox wasted no time jumping all over Bieber. Three home runs in the first three innings -- by Freeman, Jimenez, and Harper -- gave Chicago a 4-0 lead. But a three-run blast by Kansas' #8 hitter, Stephen Vogt, made it a one-run game in the fourth inning. deGrom then helped himself with a two-run homer in the sixth inning, giving Kansas the improbable 5-4 lead.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth, Chicago found themselves in a 6-4 hole, three outs away from elimination. Giles recorded two quick outs for the Law Dogs to start his day. Jimenez then cranked a home run to make it a one-run game. After pinch hitter Jonathan Schoop's clutch single extended the inning, Harper came through with an RBI double, tying the game at 6-6. For the second time in two years, a BDBL Game Seven playoff game headed into extra innings.

After a scoreless tenth and eleventh innings, Asdrubal Cabrera greeted Keuchel with a single to lead off the top of the twelfth. Tyler Mahle then came into the game for Chicago and recorded a quick out before allowing back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out. The outstanding Max Muncy then came through with a clutch double to the gap, scoring two runs. Tim Anderson followed with a fielder's choice ground-out, giving Kansas a three-run lead. Madison Bumgarner (starting his third inning in relief) and Matt Barnes then closed out the bottom of the inning to send the Law Dogs to the Championship Series.

The Championship Series is old and boring for Los Altos fans, but this was only the third time in D.J. Shepard's 22-year BDBL career that he ever reached this stage of the postseason. The last LCS appearance for Akron was in 2013, back when the Ryche were an Eck League franchise. Akron lost to Southern Cal in the LCS that year, and the Slyme went on to win the BDBL championship -- yet another example of the BDBL's Circle of Life.

Facing the formidable four-time BDBL champion Undertakers in the OLCS, Akron took a scoreless tie into the sixth inning of Game One. A solo shot by Jesse Winker broke the ice. Akron then tacked on four more runs in the seventh inning. Meanwhile, Patrick Corbin was pitching a gem. He began the game with six shutout frames before turning it over to the Akron bullpen, which continued to stymie the Los Altos offense. Akron went on to win by a score of 5-0.

Akron's momentum continued into Game Two when a two-run double by Josh Bell gave the Ryche an early lead in the first inning. They extended that lead to 4-0 before Los Altos finally scored their first runs of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Undertakers scratched and clawed their way to a tied game in the sixth inning, thanks to a two-run blast by Mitch Garver, but the Ryche stormed back for two more runs in the eighth inning. Clinging to a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the ninth, Trevor Gott and Tyler Clippard managed to slam the door, giving Akron an improbable 2-0 series lead as the venue moved to Akron.

With the veteran David Price getting the ball for Los Altos in Game Three, the home team got off to an early lead thanks to a pair of two-run homers by Ronald Acuna and Austin Riley in the first inning. Los Altos cut that lead in half with two runs in the second inning, but Akron's bats came alive again in the fifth inning. After issuing a pair of walks and a single to load the bases, Price unloaded them by serving up a grand slam home run to Donovan Solano. Akron later tacked on four more runs, including another two-run blast by Acuna, en route to an easy 12-3 win.

Anyone who bet on an Akron sweep of this series would have made a bundle of money, but not without sweating it out a bit in Game Four. Los Altos built a 5-1 lead heading into the ninth inning. Dustin May began the ninth with two quick outs before handing the ball to Jose Urquidy. He faced only two batters, and put them both on base via a single and double. Jeff Paulson then handed the ball to his always-reliable closer, Seth Lugo.

On this occasion, Lugo was anything but reliable. Needing to record only one out to escape with the victory, Lugo instead allowed an RBI single by Solano to start his day. The next batter, Dansby Swanson, cranked a game-tying three-run homer. That sent the game into extra innings.

After a scoreless top of the tenth, Acuna stepped to the plate with one out and Lugo still on the hill. With a 1-2 count, the strikeout-prone Acuna got into one down the left field line. It hooked into the corner...and stayed fair. Ballgame over. Series over. The Akron Ryche, for the first time in their history, were heading to the BDBL World Series.

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Kansas' powerful offense took center stage early in Game One of the Eck League Championship Series. With Southern Cal ace Lucas Giolito on the mound, Kansas took a 3-0 lead through the top of the fifth inning thanks to solo homers by Nomar Mazara and Cody Bellinger and an RBI double by Whit Merrifield. Southern Cal pecked away at that lead with a pair of solo homers (by Yoan Moncada and Jose Iglesias) of their own. Then, in the seventh inning, the Kansas bullpen ran into a buzzsaw. A pair of walks and two RBI doubles caused three runs to score for SoCal. They took the lead, 5-3, and held that lead as Giovani Gallegos slammed the door in the ninth.

Max Muncy kicked off Game Two with a solo homer in the first, giving the Law Dogs the lead, but Southern Cal quickly took over when Jorge Soler connected with a two-run single off of Madison Bumgarner, who was making a very early appearance out of the bullpen in only the third inning. SoCal continued building on that lead with a run in the fourth and three more in the seventh. Kansas tried to play catch-up, but fell short. Gallegos closed out the ninth by striking out the side, giving the Slyme a 6-4 win.

Down two games to none, the Law Dogs hoped that some home cooking would turn their series around. Each team hit a two-run homer in the first inning of Game Three. An untimely two-out error in the fourth then gave the Slyme a 3-2 lead. Bellinger's two-run blast in the sixth inning put Kansas back in the lead, but the relentless Southern Cal offense tied the score in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Eugenio Suarez. They regained the lead the following inning on a fielder's choice. Gallegos then slammed the door yet again, recording the final five outs of the game.

For a moment, it looked as though both Championship Series would end in a sweep. When the Slyme scored five runs in the fifth inning of Game Four to take a 7-3 lead, it certainly looked that way. Clubhouse attendants began to tack up plastic sheets in the visiting clubhouse to prepare for the SoCal celebration. They were forced to quickly remove those sheets, however, when the Law Dogs suddenly came to life in the final three innings. They scored two runs in the seventh inning, and then tied the score on Merrifield's two-run blast in the eighth. With Lucas Giolito pitching his second inning of relief in the ninth inning, Bellinger led off with a double. Two batters later, Mazara sent the Kansas crowd home with smiles on their faces, as he launched a walk-off two-run homer to give the 'Dogs their first win of the series.

Despite throwing two innings in Game Four, Giolito was ready to go to start Game Five. Incredibly, he tossed a good game, allowing just two runs in six innings. With the score knotted at 3-3 in the eighth inning, Merrifield stepped to the plate with two outs and a runner at first. He managed to plate that run on a clutch triple, giving Kansas a 4-3 lead. That lead held as Ken Giles faced the first four batter in the SoCal lineup in the ninth and retired three of them with ease.

After losing the first three games of the series, the Law Dogs had managed to win two in a row, forcing the series to shift back to Southern Cal. Once again, Kansas took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Once again, the Slyme roared back on a three-run homer by Ketel Marte in the third inning and a two-run blast by Jose Abreu in the fourth. The Slyme built on that lead with another run in the seventh inning, taking a 6-1 lead. The normally-reliable Slyme bullpen faltered. Tyler Duffey began the eighth by allowing a home run to leadoff hitter Tommy La Stella. Then, in the ninth, Ol' Reliable Gallegos allowed a double and a balk before serving up a two-run blast to Stephen Vogt. That cut SoCal's lead to 6-4. But with two outs, the writing was on the wall. Pinch hitter Jordy Mercer popped out to center field, and that was the end of Kansas' storied 2020 season.

Giolito took the hill for SoCal in Game One of the BDBL World Series, facing Akron's ace, Patrick Corbin. After two scoreless innings, SoCal's powerful offense came to life. A solo shot by Yoan Moncada represented the first run of the World Series. Jose Abreu added a two-run blast in the fourth, and Jose Iglesias plated another run four batters later. The following inning, Eugenio Suarez connected for yet another homer. That gave the Slyme a commanding 5-0 lead. With Giolito pitching a gem (6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 12 K), that was enough for a SoCal win.

In Game Two, it was Akron's turn for a pitching gem. Mike Clevinger got the nod for the Ryche and proceeded to shut down the powerful SoCal offense for seven innings, allowing just one run on five hits and no walks. Akron got all the runs they would need in the second inning, when a comedy of errors (an error, a wild pitch, two walks, a bases-loaded hit batter, a fielder's choice, and a two-run single) accounted for four runs scored. They went on to win a rather boring 4-1 game to tie the series.

That momentum carried into Game Three, when Southern Cal's bats went mostly silent yet again. This time it was Brandon Woodruff who pitched the game of his life for Akron. Through six innings, he allowed just one hit: a leadoff homer by Yoan Moncada to start the seventh inning. With only 86 pitches under his belt, Woodruff was cruelly yanked by Shepard, and the game was handed over to the bullpen, which proceeded to shut down the Slyme through the final three innings. Meanwhile, the Akron offense scored two runs in the third and three in the seventh (on a three-run bomb by Bell.) Akron's 5-1 win put them in the series lead.

The Slyme played longball in Game Four, scoring their second, third, and fourth runs of the game all on solo home runs by Ketel Marte, Jorge Soler, and Moncada. SoCal starter Cole Hamels was yanked out of the game in the second inning, and Bob Sylvester's bullpenning strategy worked to perfection as the Slyme cruised to a 4-2 win to even the series.

Giolito took center stage once again in Game Five, shutting down Akron's offense by allowing just one run through nearly eight innings of work. Meanwhile, Jorge Alfaro's RBI double scored SoCal's first run of the game. In the ninth, his leadoff home run gave the Slyme a 4-1 lead. The all-too-familiar Giovani Gallegos then slammed the door, getting the final four outs of the game to put his team just one win away from the championship.

Back in front of their home crowd, the Slyme took an early lead in Game Six, but Akron then tied the score in the fourth inning and went ahead 3-2 on Keston Hiura's leadoff homer in the sixth. Still clinging to that lead in the bottom of the eighth, Akron's Tyler Clippard served up a leadoff homer to Eugenio Suarez that tied the score once again. Clippard stayed in the game, and allowed a hit batter, a sac bunt, and a go-ahead RBI single before he was sent to the showers. That gave the Ryche just one inning to get back in the game. With Colin Poche on the hill for SoCal, David Dahl struck out. Starling Marte followed with a pop-out to center. Then, in the last at-bat of the year for the Ryche, the fantastic Josh Bell struck out.

In the make-believe BDBL universe where viruses don't exist, the Slyme converged onto the pitching mound and piled on top of Poche. Bob Sylvester sprinted from the dugout and leaped high in the air, landing on top of the pile. Pitchers and catchers sprinted in from the bullpen to join the party. SoCal fans, friends and strangers alike, hugged each other and wept tears of joy in the stands. Slyme Stadium shook on its foundation in celebration of a second BDBL championship for their beloved team from Southern California.

Thank you all for another fun and competitive season. In this year of global pandemic, forced isolation, lockdowns, economic devastation, rioting and violence in the streets, endless protests, and the most unusual election in American history, we could all use a distraction. Thankfully, for many of us, the BDBL provided just the distraction we needed to get through all of this with our sanity (mostly) intact. Here's hoping that 2021 is a much quieter, peaceful, and less eventful year.