December, 2022

2022: Year in Review

These days, sadly enough, it is difficult to find much of anything that lasts 24 years: automobiles, appliances, careers, marriages, you name it. Longevity seems like a quaint remnant of the past. Given that, it is incredibly impressive that the Big Daddy Baseball League has managed to last for twenty-four years and counting. Even more impressive, however, is that we've retained seven of our original twenty-four owners. It is always nice when someone wins the BDBL trophy for the first time, but it is extra nice when that person happens to be one of those seven. Congratulations, D.J. Shepard, on your much-deserved and long-awaited first BDBL championship!

You could argue that we all saw this coming. After all, Akron received more votes (7) than any other team in preseason polling to win it all in 2022. Let's be honest, though: how many times does the best team in the league, and the presumptive favorite, actually win it all in the end? In twenty-four seasons, we can probably count that number on one hand.

Before I get to my annual wrap-up, let me take a moment to thank all of you who contributed to making this season such a success. I'll begin by thanking the guy who actually runs this league (while I enjoy the many fringe benefits of my figurehead position), Tony Chamra. Tony somehow keeps a running tally of every player in this league, along with their contract statuses, latest blood pressure readings, and the weights of their most recent bowel movements. I have no idea how he does it -- and frankly, I don't want to know. He manually adds all 6,956 farm players to our disk. He creates our schedule every year. He organizes our Auction Committee. He combs through our rulebook like a Harvard law student, looking for any discrepancies or possible problematic issues.

Other than all of that, he does absolutely nothing for this league. Slacker.

I'd like to also thank our new champion, D.J. Shepard, for taking on the role of the Most Hated Villain in the League (a.k.a. the Usage Nazi.) Of course, he never delivers his messages himself. Smart man. Many, many, thanks to our IT Department, Tony Badger, who we cannot afford to actually hire as our IT Department. Lucky for us, he works for free. If it weren't for Badger, folks, we wouldn't have an auction. Period.

Mega-thank-yous to Ian Hartner for his role as VORP Czar (or WAR General or whatever it is we're calling him this week.) Thanks to Jeff Paulson for dealing with our chaotic transactions process. And thanks to Mike Stein for keeping track of all of our ballpark info. With all of these fine people doing so much work, I hardly need to lift a finger. And I really like it that way.

The Akron Ryche went into the auction with the best pitching staff in the BDBL. Corbin Burnes won the NL Cy Young award in 2021 and had one of the most dominant seasons in recent history. His MLB and BDBL teammate, Brandon Woodruff, finished fifth that year in Cy Young voting, and posted a miniscule 2.21 CERA. Akron's #3 starter, Cal Quantrill, posted a 3.31 CERA and 1.18 WHIP -- numbers that most BDBL teams would happily accept from their ace. Akron GM Shepard wasn't content with merely owning the best starting rotation in the BDBL, however. He wanted to completely dominate the league and make us all beg for mercy.

Gerrit Cole was the #1 overall free agent in the 2022 auction. After only one day of bidding, his high bid already reached $9 million. On day two, the Gill family (John and Mitch) tag-teamed Cole's auction page by incrementally bidding higher and higher for Cole throughout the day. $10 million. $11 million. $12 million. $12.5 million. $13.5 million. $14 million. Shepard's pre-submitted high bid trumped each and every one of those offers. At last, the final day of Cole's auction arrived. The 10:00pm deadline approached. Surely, someone was waiting to "snipe" Cole in the very last closing seconds, right? Wrong. The deadline came and went, and Shepard was left as the winner of the Cole Sweepstakes at $14 million.

Adding Gerrit Cole -- the runner-up for the AL Cy Young award in 2021 -- to a rotation that already included three Cy Young candidates seemed like overkill. Yet, that was the ultimate outcome of that 2022 winter auction. The Akron Ryche immediately became the Team to Beat.

The sudden promotion of the Akron Ryche as the most likely team to win the trophy wasn't so sudden. It took years of grueling research and patience to reach that point. Not long ago, I dubbed the Akron Ryche as "Team Meh" for appearing to be so boring, never making any big moves, and for a lack of "exciting impact players." That all changed when Ronald Acuna hit the big leagues. In 2017 and 2018, the Ryche owned the #1-ranked farm system in the BDBL, thanks in large part to Acuna, who was the #1 overall prospect in 2018. That 2018 farm system included several players who would lead the Ryche to a championship only four years later. In addition to Acuna, that system included Francisco Mejia (#10 overall), Corbin Burnes (#61), Austin Riley (#82), and Brandon Woodruff (#102). Shepard's seemingly strange obsession with collecting Milwaukee Brewers prospects at that time paid huge dividends in 2022 with the ascensions of Burnes and Woodruff as Cy Young candidates.

Shepard began his BDBL career in the Ozzie League, but was moved over to the Eck League in his second season. The Ryche remained in the Eck League until 2019. In 2020, Akron beat the Salem Cowtippers in the OLDS, and then swept their way past Los Altos into the World Series. They faced a buzzsaw that year in the Southern Cal Slyme, who were playing their final season under that name. That was the first time D.J. Shepard played in the World Series. Just two years later, he won it all.

It didn't come as easily as some assumed. The Ravenswood Infidels were not about to roll over and let Akron win the division title outright. Instead, they fought Akron every step of the way, posting an identical record through each of the first four chapters of the season. The Infidels then posted an impressive 18-10 record in Chapter Five. Akron, however, went 23-5, including a four-game sweep of the Infidels. In Chapter Six, Ravenswood once again posted a respectable 16-12 record, but Akron -- once again -- kicked it up a notch. They went 21-7 in Chapter Six, giving them a BDBL-best .786 winning percentage over the final two chapters of the season. In the end, Akron easily won the Benes Division by double digits.

"After several pre-season games, Kansas realized if they wanted to be competitive they would need more offense. In a trade that will go a long way to help solve that problem they traded their #1 prospect CJ Abrams, their previous #1 prospect Casey Mize and bullpen arm Erik Swanson. In return they get 2021 MLB HR leader Salvador Perez..."

-- Chris Luhning, 1/22/22

The bidding war over Salvador Perez was won by Luhning's Kansas Law Dogs shortly after the conclusion of the draft. That preseason trade gave Kansas the slugger they desperately needed to go with their top-notch pitching staff. Perez hit .279/.336/.582, with 51 home runs, and led the team with 117.3 runs created. Max Muncy (.248/.352/.498, 96.7 RC) was the only other Law Dog with more than 90 RC.

The Law Dogs needed the offense to support a pitching staff that was heavily-reliant on its bullpen. Luhning spent $6.5 million on Blake Treinen in the auction. He instantly became the most expensive setup man in the league. That distinction was due to the fact that Kansas was carrying the most expensive closer (at $17.5 million) in the league in Jacob deGrom. deGrom, the MLB starter, delivered the most impressive season in the BDBL, inning-for-inning, in 2022. He took part in 54 games for the Law Dogs, won 8 of them, saved 29 others, and compiled a 1.90 ERA in 94+ innings.

Kansas stumbled out of the gate with a 14-14 record, which trailed both the Great Lakes Sphinx (16-12) and South Philly Gritty (15-13.) The 'Dogs then went just 13-15 in Chapter Two, which put them five games behind the Sphinx in the division. The Buckingham Sovereigns, who went just 11-17 in Chapter One, performed a 180-degree pirouette in Chapter Two, going 19-9 to pull within two games of the division lead. Heading into the all-star break, the surprising Sovereigns had managed to take the division lead by one full game over the Law Dogs, who bounced back with their first winning chapter (16-8) in Chapter Three. Shockingly, Buckingham accomplished this feat while being outscored by 16 runs!

Buckingham continued their mysterious winning streak in Chapter Four, and actually gained an additional game over Kansas in the process. They then added yet another game to their lead in Chapter Five. Heading into the final chapter of the season, the Sovereigns enjoyed a seemingly-comfortable three-game lead over Kansas, and the Law Dogs were sitting two games out of the playoffs picture altogether. That all changed, and quickly, in Chapter Six.

Buckingham's luck finally ran out in that final chapter. They went a respectable 14-14, but Kansas wrapped up the regular season with their best chapter of the season, at 21-7. The crushing blow for the Sovereigns was losing three of four to the Law Dogs in Kansas. A 20-8 Chapter Six by the Chicago Black Sox knocked Buckingham out of the wildcard race as well. In the end, the Sovereigns were forced to settle for a record of 89-71, four games behind Kansas. Their consolation prize: the #1 pick in each round of the 2023 draft.

"Mike has built an impressive team. I am pretty amazed at how well this team is put together - just a marvelous job. I thought going into the series that Akron was the favorite to win the Ozzie - but I think Mike is the clear favorite after playing them."

-- Jeff Paulson, 3/6/22

Call it the Paulson Curse. The 2022 Salem Cowtippers were an impressive team in March when Paulson made the statement above. GM Mike Glander's winter spending spree netted several key free agents, including Brandon Belt (.270/.378/.586), Mark Canha (.267/.393/.495), Ranger Suarez (14-2, 2.74 ERA in 115 IP), and Joe Kelly (2.70 ERA in 46+ IP). Franchise player Shohei Ohtani delivered an historic performance, contributing both on the mound (15-2, 3.71 ERA in 143 IP) and at the plate (.223/.345/.526, 50 HR, 109.7 RC). Brandon Crawford, acquired as a free agent in 2021, hit an MVP-caliber .306/.384/.523 with 25 homers. Franchise players Trea Turner (.298/.339/.477) and Rafael Devers (.262/.329/.570, 50 HR) also had big years. The Salem bullpen was loaded with closer-worthy arms.

The Cowtippers began the season on fire, going 23-5 in Chapter One while outscoring their opponents by nearly 100 runs (+92). Before the McGowan Division race had a chance to be competitive, Salem had already blown their competition out of the water, taking an eight game lead after only one chapter of play. By the end of two chapters, that lead had grown to 18 games. By the all-star break, Salem had taken a 19-game lead and owned the best record in the BDBL.

For a moment, the '22 Cowtippers looked as though they could be an historic team. At the halfway point of the season, they were on pace to win 112 games and outscore their opponents by more than 350 runs. The wheels began to fall off the Salem bus, however, in the second half. Salem's vaunted pitching staff, which posted a miniscule ERA of 2.49 in Chapter One, completely fell apart. Their 4.47 ERA in the second half ranked behind five other teams in the Ozzie League.

The Cowtippers limped into the postseason with a 13-15 record in Chapter Six -- a chapter in which they were outscored by their opponents. They (barely) managed to win 100+ games for the tenth time in franchise history, and captured their eleventh division title. The way the regular season ended, however, turned out to be an omen of what was to come.

"Mike Ranney has waited twelve long years for this moment. He bided his time, built his franchise from the farm-up, and demonstrated a level of patience that I have never personally known. All of that patience has finally paid dividends. The Niagara Locks are finally playing November baseball."

-- Mike Glander, Playoffs Preview

Mike Ranney took over the helm of the Niagara Locks franchise toward the end of the 2009 season. At the time, the Locks (then known as the Nashville Funkadelic) were on their way to a 93-loss season. Niagara would lose 106 games in Ranney's first full year with the club. Over the next eleven seasons, Niagara enjoyed only two winning seasons: 81-79 in 2011, and 84-76 in 2014.

Former GM of the Niagara franchise, Steve Osbourne, was famous for his obsession with Japanese prospects. Unfortunately for the fans of the franchise, very few of those prospects ever materialized. The result was that the Niagara farm ranked among the bottom of the league more often than not in our annual Farm Report. When Ranney took over the franchise, he concentrated on high-risk/high-reward Latin American teenagers. Niagara's farm went from a #14 ranking in 2011 to #2 in 2012. That was the beginning of a ten-year stretch run where the Niagara farm ranked among the top five in the BDBL, year after year.

One of those players on the 2012 farm club was Xander Bogaerts. He hit .282/.362/.509 for the '22 Locks, and was one of three Locks to compile 100+ runs created. The team leader in that category -- who also happened to lead the entire BDBL in that category -- was another one of Ranney's international teenage finds. That young man, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., was just fifteen years old when Ranney selected him in the second round of the winter farm draft. Guerrero hit .322/.407/.635 in 2022, with a league-leading 56 home runs, 151 runs scored, and 165.5 runs created.

League-wide preseason polling favored the D.C. Memorials in the Wilkie Division by a margin of 11-4 over Niagara. The two teams began the season tied at 16-12 after one chapter of play. However, the Memorials soon unraveled at the seams. They went just 12-16 in Chapter Two and limped into the all-star break tied for second place with the South Carolina Sea Cats, both two games behind Niagara.

Despite the two-game difference between those three teams, none of those teams made a big move to bolster their club down the stretch. Both D.C. (11-13) and South Carolina (10-14) posted losing records in Chapter Four, while Niagara separated themselves from the pack with a 15-9 record. The Locks then slammed the door in Chapter Five, going 20-8 to open up a 14-game lead in the division.

Ranney easily captured his first BDBL division title, and easily surpassed his previous wins record with 95. Unfortunately, his first BDBL postseason experience would be all too brief.

"Game 160s have been high drama the last 3 years!

in 2020, the Jamboree won a MUST WIN game 160 against Akron behind 8 dominant innings from Hyun-Jin Ryu to pull to into a tie the with the Infidels for the Wild Card. The Jamboree ended up winning that tiebreaker game.

In 2021, the Jamboree and Undertakers were tied at 88 wins apiece going into game 160, which the Jamboree won against the Undertakers, to win the Ozzie League Wild Card.

In 2022, the Jamboree needed a W to grab the 3rd seed in the Griffin to play what we believe is a less dominant pitching staff in Salem (as opposed to Akron's). With very little usage left from ANY reliever, we patched together a W."

-- Matt Clemm, 10/26/22

The Bear Country Jamboree were the overwhelming favorites (by a margin of 11-4) to win their division according to preseason polling. Two chapters into the season, however, they were facing some stiff competition from the Blacksburg Beamers. Blacksburg's 20-win Chapter Two vaulted them into a tie for the division lead with nearly-identical numbers of runs scored and allowed.

Something strange and inexplicable happened to the Beamers after that point. They went just 10-14 in Chapter Three. They repeated that record the following chapter. They dropped to 10-18 in Chapter Five. They improved to 16-12 in Chapter Six, but by then, it was far too late. Bear Country easily won the division by 20 games over the Beamers, capturing the third seed of the OL playoffs in the final game of the season.

Bear Country's success in 2022 can be attributed to GM Matt Clemm's prescient trading skills over the past three years. Frankie Montas (17-4, 2.68 ERA in 204+ IP) and Dylan Cease (12-7, 3.10 in 180) carried the Jamboree to success in 2022. Both aces came to the team via trade. Montas was acquired along with Carlos Rodon in a big trade with St. Louis in 2019. In exchange, Bear Country gave up James Paxton, who became a free agent at the end of that season. That same winter, Clemm added Cease from the Chicago Black Sox in a five-player deal in which he sacrificed Aroldis Chapman and Wilsson Contreras.

Clemm added a third ace to his rotation through the most unusual means imaginable. During the 2020 season, Los Altos GM Jeff Paulson acquired Logan Webb (11-9, 3.38 ERA in 157 IP for Bear Country in '22) as a free agent at the final Chapter Six deadline after the Darien Blue Wave had released him the previous chapter. Last year, at the Chapter Three deadline, Paulson released Webb. The very next chapter, Clemm snatched him up. The rest is history.

On the offensive side, Bear Country's top contributors were all signed during the auction. Clemm broke the bank in 2020 to sign Paul Goldschmidt (.303/.366/.529) and J.D. Martinez (.248/.320/.436) at $6 million and $8.5 million, respectively. This past winter, Clemm shelled out more big bucks ($8 million) to sign Tim Anderson (.318/.346/.463.)

Matt Clemm was happy to draw the Salem Cowtippers as his opponent in the Division Series. In retrospect, this fell into the category of "Be Careful What You Wish For."

"The competition in this division is fierce, to say the least. If the Mustangs perform as expected, then they should have no problem winning a spot in the postseason, whether it is as the division winner or the wildcard. The question is how far this team can progress in the Tournament of Randomness. We all should know by now how unpredictable that is. I think the Mustangs are among the five strongest teams in the league this year. What does that mean? Historically speaking, not much in the end."

-- Mike Glander, Preseason Preview

The Mustangs came within one strike of winning the BDBL championship in 2019, but then fell to a third-place finish in 2020, and then finished below .500 (76-84) a year ago. Charlotte scored over 100 runs more in 2020 than they did in 2019, but their pitching and defense also allowed over 100 more runs. In 2021, the Mustangs scored roughly the same number of runs as that 2019 team, and allowed around 60 more runs to score. The 2022 team combined the best of all three teams. Charlotte scored roughly the same number of runs as their 2020 team, and allowed far fewer runs (667) than any Mustangs team of the recent past.

Franchise players Juan Soto (.277/.424/.471) and Alex Bregman (.297/.361/.449) contributed to that runs tally, but it was 2022 free agent Yuliesky Gurriel (.345/.415/.528, 125.1 RC) and 2021 free agent Nick Castellanos (.320/.372/.545, 110.3 RC) who made the biggest contributions to the Mustangs offense. On the other side of the ball, Charlotte relied heavily on their bullpen, which was filled with household names like Sam Coonrod (1.44 ERA in 31+ IP), Joe Barlow (1.47 in 30+), John King (1.71 in 31+), Tejay Antone (1.77 in 35+), and Colin McHugh (2.13 in 67+).

Preseason polling showed Charlotte as the favorites not only to win their division (by a narrow vote of 7-5-3), but also the Eck League title (by a vote of 6-4-1-1-1). It was little surprise, then, when the Mustangs bolted out of the gate with a 20-8 record to start the season. They followed up with an 18-10 performance in Chapter Two, and went into the all-star break with a commanding six-game cushion over the Myrtle Beach Hitmen.

The Hitmen were a very interesting story early in the 2022 season. After suffering through five straight last-place finishes (each with 100+ losses) in their first five years at the helm of the Hitmen franchise, Mitch and Ryne Gill finally appeared ready to compete in 2022. The Hitmen owned the Eck League wildcard lead at the all-star break, and also held a seemingly-comfortable seven-game lead over their father, John, in the Hrbek Division.

The Chicago Black Sox got off to their (very) typical slow start to the 2022 season, and limped into the break with an even record of 40-40. To that point in the season, Chicago had only outscored their opponents by ten runs. Myrtle Beach, in comparison, had outscored theirs by 72. Chapter Four changed everything. Chicago posted the best record (19-5) of any team in the BDBL that chapter, while the Hitmen slumped to 10-14. Chicago was so dominant that chapter, they outscored their opponents by the same number of runs -- in one chapter! -- as Myrtle Beach had outscored theirs over the first three chapters combined.

The Hitmen and Black Sox posted identical 15-13 records in Chapter Five. As we headed into the final chapter of the season, Chicago had taken a two-game lead over Myrtle Beach in the wildcard race, with Charlotte running far ahead of the pack with a cushion of thirteen games. The "feel-good story" of 2022 failed to materialize. Chicago wrapped up the season with a 20-8 Chapter Six, including three wins against the Hitmen.

In the end, Charlotte finished with 108 wins, just shy of their all-time franchise record of 109. Chicago easily captured the wildcard, five games ahead of the Buckingham Sovereigns and eight ahead of Myrtle Beach. For Tony Chamra, it was his third division title since rejoining the BDBL, and fourth overall. For John Gill, it was his twelfth trip to the postseason. For Mitch and Ryne Gill, they will have to wait another year for that feel-good fairytale ending.

"Awww, you guys. It's great to be back, even temporarily. I suspect this is just a clever ruse by the Commish to drag me back into the league."

-- Greg Newgard, 1/8/22

To call the 2021 BDBL season "chaotic" would be an understatement. Our forced experiment using the projection disk resulted in a season that often appeared to be completely random and completely disconnected from reality. The ending to that season was entirely appropriate and consistent with the regular season. Billy "Baseball" Romaniello, who was one of the founding members of the BDBL in 1999, took over as manager of the Joplin Miners franchise after former owner Jim Doyle wore out his welcome (and then some.)

Romaniello took over just as the final chapter began. He managed his team into a division win, and then proceeded to manage them through the Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series. In our 23rd season, the winner of the BDBL championship trophy was a guy who had nothing to do with the franchise he managed aside from managing a handful of games toward the end of the season.

I checked in with Billy often following his World Series win, trying to gauge whether or not he wanted to take over the franchise permanently. I told him the decision was entirely his. I was hoping he would not hesitate either way, but he seemed to be straddling the fence. Ultimately, he decided to keep the franchise, mostly out of a sense of obligation as the defending champion. I could tell, however, that his heart just wasn't in it.

We were in the middle of our free agent auction when Billy let me know he was having a personal issue and would need someone to take over temporarily. (As he had spent almost all of his auction money on Eduardo Rodriguez, his auction was over, anyway.) My very first reflex was to check in with Greg "Hoss" Newgard. Ol' Reliable. The former Real Commissioner of the BDBL. Thankfully, he accepted my offer and became the "temporary" GM of the Bradenton Blazers franchise. Four days later, I convinced him to make it permanent.

Given the intensity of the season-long rivalry between the Akron Ryche and Ravenswood Infidels, their Division Series felt anticlimactic. Granted, Akron had dominated Ravenswood throughout the season, and had won nine in a row against the Infidels heading into the postseason. However, given the random nature of the Tournament of Randomness, it was assumed that we would be treated to a less lopsided affair in the Division Series.

Akron slugger Austin Riley began the scoring in the series with a three-run homer off of Max Scherzer in the first inning of Game One. In the end, thanks to the pitching of Corbin Burnes and the Akron bullpen, that was all the scoring Akron would need. In Game Two, Ravenswood staged a come-from-behind rally in the eighth inning to tie the score at 6-6. Infidels reliever Noe Ramirez then recorded two quick outs to start the bottom of the ninth. A walk, a single, and a walk-off RBI single by pinch hitter Keibert Ruiz gave Akron a two-to-none series lead as the series shifted to Ravenswood.

In Game Three, it was Brandon Woodruff's turn to mow through the Infidels lineup like a hot knife through butter. He allowed just one run through six innings before turning the game over to the dominant Akron bullpen. Meanwhile, Jesse Winker gave the Ryche all the runs they would need with his three-run blast in the third inning,.

Game Four was never a close game at all. Akron took the early lead on a Ronald Acuna single in the second inning, and then tacked on two more in the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth. By the time Ravenswood scored their first run of the game, Akron owned a 7-0 lead. That was all she wrote. A four-game sweep ended the Infidels' once-promising season.

***

The EL Division Series matchup between the Chicago Black Sox and Niagara Locks was touted as a slugfest between two of the league's top offensives. Niagara held up their end of that narrative by pounding Chicago ace Sandy Alcantara for six runs in only four innings en route to an 8-3 victory in Game One. In Game Two, a leadoff homer by Chicago slugger Kyle Schwarber put the Black Sox in the lead, 3-1. Liam Hendricks nearly gave that lead away in the bottom of the ninth, serving up a solo shot to Yandy Diaz before retiring the next two batters to earn the save.

The series shifted to Chicago, where the Locks jumped on the board early in the first inning, thanks to Xander Bogaerts' three-run homer off of Taijuan Walker. Walker was pummeled for five runs in five innings by the relentless Niagara offense. Chicago nearly pulled off a late-game comeback, but Niagara reliever Ashton Goudeau struck out all four batters he faced in the eighth and ninth innings to slam the door shut.

Chicago evened the series once again in Game Four by jumping all over Niagara starter Michael Pineda. He left the game after allowing five runs in six innings. Chicago starter Ian Anderson and the Black Sox bullpen kept the Locks at bay to clinch the win. The Black Sox then took the series lead in Game Five, scoring eight runs -- five of which were plated by Bryce Harper. That put Chicago one win away from a series victory as the series shifted back to Niagara.

The Locks weren't about to roll over and quietly die. They pounded out nine runs in Game Six, winning an easy 9-2 game, to force a Game Seven. Walker took the hill in that deciding game against surprise starter Eric Lauer. Lauer did his job, holding the dangerous Chicago lineup to just two runs through six innings. The Locks took an early 3-0 lead on Danny Jansen's three-run homer in the fourth inning. Javier Baez's two-run blast in the sixth cut that lead to 3-2.

Niagara managed to hold their lead until the eighth inning, when an untimely error allowed leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis to move into scoring position on a routine fly ball to right fielder Joey Gallo. Tatis advanced to third on a ground ball, and then scored the tying run on a wild pitch (which happened to be the third strike.)

With the score knotted at 3-3 heading into the ninth inning, Niagara manager Mike Ranney stuck with his eighth inning reliever, Juan Minaya. Minaya allowed a leadoff base hit to Jake Rogers, and then a go-ahead double to pinch hitter Kris Bryant. Goudeau came into the game to put out the fire. Instead, he poured a bit of gasoline on it by serving up a two-run blast to Tatis. Kodi Whitley then retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, clinching the series victory for Chicago.

***

Like the Akron/Ravenswood Division Series, the matchup between the Salem Cowtippers and Bear Country Jamboree was expected to be a knock-down, drag-out, brawl. Instead, the results were largely the same as the other OL Division Series. Trea Turner's two-run blast in the fourth inning of Game One put Salem in the lead, 2-1. This would become a common theme throughout the entire series. While the Cowtippers offense continued to tack on more runs, Bear Country's potent lineup was shut down by the stifling Salem bullpen.

The same pattern appeared in Game Two. Bear Country took an early lead. Trea Turner's clutch two-run home run put the 'Tippers in the lead. The Salem bullpen then slammed the door for win number two. Bear Country rallied to tie the score in the fifth inning of Game Three. But in the top of the sixth, the Cowtippers rallied for five runs on back-to-back homers by Andrew Benintendi and Ramon Laureano.

In Game Four, the score remained deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the seventh inning until (stop me if you've heard this one already) Trea Turner put his team in the lead with a three-run homer off of Mark Melancon. In total, Turner hit five home runs in the series, and knocked in nine of his team's fifteen RBI's.

***

With 108 wins, the Charlotte Mustangs owned the #1 seed in the Eck League playoffs. That earned them a Division Series matchup against the Kansas Law Dogs, who closed the regular season with tremendous momentum. In Game One, Kansas starter Marcus Stroman and the Law Dogs bullpen completely shut down the high-powered Charlotte offense, allowing only one run on four hits. Kansas cruised to an easy 5-1 win.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the seventh inning of Game Two, Charlotte's backup catcher Daulton Varsho tripled home the go-ahead run. Collin McHugh, Corey Knebel, and Tejay Antone then shut down the Kansas offense over the final three innings to secure the win. The Law Dogs recaptured the series lead when the series shifted to Kansas in Game Three. A four-run fourth inning, highlighted by Pavin Smith's two-run double, gave Kansas all the runs they would need.

Game Four was a classic pitcher's duel featuring the unlikeliest pitcher's duel starters: Paolo Espino for Charlotte and Kris Bubic for Kansas. Espino allowed only one run in his six innings of work, while Bubic tossed six shutout innings. When Bubic exited the game, Kansas manager Chris Luhning handed the ball to Jacob deGrom to close out the final three innings. As always, he got the job done.

With Charlotte's back against the wall, they turned to their de facto ace, Nick Pivetta, in Game Five. He delivered, allowing only one run in his four innings of work. With 76 pitches under his belt, and with the Mustangs clinging to a 2-1 lead, Pivetta was due to lead off the fifth inning. 'Stangs manager Tony Chamra decided to yank his starter for a pinch hitter. That move ultimately cost the series, as reliever Knebel coughed up two singles, a double, a three-run homer, and a walk in the fifth inning while recording only one out in the fifth inning. That was the end of the ride for Charlotte.

In preseason polling, the Akron Ryche received seven votes from the league to win the BDBL championship in 2022. The Salem Cowtippers earned five votes. No other team received more than one vote. In many ways, this OL Championship Series matchup between these two teams felt like the true World Series. By nearly every measurement, Akron owned the best pitching staff in the BDBL, while the Cowtippers owned the best offense in the league. This series was a true test of the old axiom: "great pitching beats great hitting."

The series began with a nail-biter. Salem took an early 1-0 lead in the third inning, and Akron tied it up in the fifth on a leadoff homer by Ronald Acuna. The score remained tied until the seventh, when pinch hitter Ramon Laureano went yard off of Tyler Wells. The vaunted Salem bullpen then held that 2-1 lead until the very end. As if that game weren't stressful enough, Game Two was also decided by one run. After the Salem bullpen blew a 6-0 lead in the sixth inning, the game was forced into extra innings. Salem's "closer," Joe Kelly, retired two of the first three batters he faced before running into trouble. Edmundo Sosa singled with two outs, extending the inning for .189-hitting Manny Pina. Pina played the hero, walking his team off the field with a clutch base hit.

With the series tied at two apiece, Salem re-took the lead with a win in Game Three, thanks in large part to the pitching of starter Jon Gray. Game Four was yet another one-run game decided in the ninth inning when the Salem bullpen blew yet another lead. Once again, it was Joe Kelly who gave the game away after recording two quick outs. Wilmer Flores' clutch two-out single put Akron ahead, 2-1. Josh Hader then retired the side in the bottom of the ninth to even the series at 2-2.

The Cowtippers were faced with a very tough decision as to who to start in Game Five. Ultimately, I chose right-hander Luis H. Garcia. Ultimately, that decision sealed this team's fate this season. Garcia was immediately clobbered by the Ryche lineup. He issued a leadoff walk, but then retired the next two batters in a row. That is when the wheels fell off: single, single, wild pitch, single, single. Before Salem could get another pitcher into the game, the damage had been done. Four runs crossed the plate before the Cowtippers stepped to the plate. Just like that, Akron was one win away from a series victory.

Salem's Game Six starter, Lance Lynn, gave his team new life by tossing six shutout innings against Akron's $14 million man, Gerrit Cole. The Cowtippers eked out a 1-0 win to push the series to Game Seven. Shohei Ohtani had been Salem's best and most consistent starting pitcher all season, but his luck was bound to run out. It did in Game Seven. The presumptive OL MVP allowed three home runs in his five innings of work. Meanwhile, Salem's offense completely stalled against Akron's ace, Corbin Burnes. The Ryche won a laugher, 11-2, to earn their way to the World Series.

***

The Kansas Law Dogs and Chicago Black Sox have some postseason history together. In 2001, Kansas defeated Chicago in seven games in the ELDS. In 2012, Chicago repaid the favor, beating Kansas in six games in the ELDS. In 2020, the two teams met in the ELDS yet again. Yet again, Kansas emerged as the winner in seven games. This was the first-ever matchup between these two teams in the ELCS, and it did not disappoint.

The Law Dogs took an early 4-0 lead in the first game of the series. Chicago fought back to cut that lead to one, but the Kansas bullpen -- led by two innings from Jacob deGrom -- closed out the win. The Law Dogs then easily won Game Two by a score of 5-0. Kyle Gibson and Adam Cimber held the powerful Chicago lineup to just three hits and one walk. Kansas pitching then shut out Chicago yet again in Game Three, as Trevor Rogers, Jacob Staumont, and deGrom held the Black Sox to just four hits and two walks.

Through the first three games of this series, the best offense in the Eck League was shut out twice, and limited to just three runs on 15 hits. Incredibly, Chicago was facing an elimination game in Game Four. Down 3-2 in the seventh inning, the Black Sox's bats finally woke up. They strung together four straight singles off of Blake Treinen and secured their first win of the series by the skin of their teeth: 5-4.

The final score of Game Five was the same: 5-4. For the first time in the postseason, Kansas starter Marcus Stroman was roughed up. He allowed four runs on ten hits in only five innings. Four different Chicago relievers earned a hold, and Liam Hendriks got the save. Incredibly, Chicago then tied the series with a win in Game Six, winning by a laugher score of 10-1.

A Game Seven, it seemed, was inevitable with these two teams. Chicago took an early 1-0 lead, and watched as their starter, Sean Manaea, mowed down the Kansas lineup with four shutout innings to start the game. Unfortunately for the Black Sox, his no-hitter was broken up by a leadoff single in the top of the fifth. That base hit was followed by three more, plus a sacrifice fly. Manaea failed to record an out that inning. The Law Dogs took a 3-1 lead. Then, in the sixth inning, Ty France's three-run bomb was followed two batters later by a solo home run by Pavin Smith. Just like that, Chicago's 1-0 lead turned into a 7-1 deficit.

The Black Sox fought back with three runs in the eighth inning, but Kansas then scored two in the top of the ninth, to make it a final score of 9-4. Chris Luhning was heading back to the World Series to face D.J. Shepard.

What better way to kick off a World Series featuring two of the league's best pitching staffs than with a pitcher's duel? That is exactly what Game One delivered, when the game was forced into extra innings tied at 1-1. After four straight scoreless innings by both sides, the enigmatic overachiever Edmundo Sosa stepped to the plate for Akron with two outs and two runners on base. His clutchy bleeder up the middle was enough to score the winning run, igniting a raucous celebration at home plate in front of the jubilant Akron crowd.

For the second game in a row, the score was all tied up heading into the ninth inning of Game Two. In the top of the ninth, Kansas slugger Jordan Luplow untied the score with a two-run blast off of Lucas Sims, giving the 'Dogs a 5-3 lead. Thanks to Jacob deGrom, that is how that game would end.

The venue shifted to Kansas in Game Three, but the Ryche didn't appear to be homesick at all. They took an early 2-0 lead in the third inning, and let the pitching staff take over from there. Kansas managed just one run on five hits against Corbin Burnes and the Akron bullpen. Given the pitching-heavy start to this series, Kansas' 16-3 blowout in Game Four was a shocker. Akron starter Cal Quantrill was hammered for six runs in two-plus innings. The Akron bullpen then yielded eleven more runs in "relief." Just like that, this best-of-seven series turned into a best-of-three.

One of Akron's three aces, Brandon Woodruff, got off to a shaky start in Game Five, allowing back-to-back home runs to Pavin Smith and Luplow to put the Ryche in an early 3-0 hole. Luckily for Akron, Dansby Swanson earned it all back with a three-run blast in the fourth inning. Kansas starting pitcher Marcus Stroman then helped himself with an RBI double in the bottom of that inning, and Nicky Lopez's RBI single gave Kansas a 5-3 lead.

Jesse Winker, by far the most annoying player in the BDBL, led off the fifth inning with an annoying home run. Kansas then handed the ball to deGrom in the sixth inning to stop the bleeding. Incredibly, for the first time in this postseason, deGrom failed to get the job done. He served up a double, a fielder's choice, a walk, and a two-run double by Austin Riley in his one inning of work. That gave Akron a 7-5 lead after six innings. Both bullpens were shaky from that point forward, but Tim Mayza and Josh Hader eventually slammed the door, giving Akron a 9-6 win.

Game Six featured a surprise starter for the Law Dogs. After throwing 15 pitches in Game Two and 22 pitches in Game Five, Jacob deGrom was given the chance to keep his team alive. He made the most of that opportunity, allowing only one run on two hits through five innings. Akron starter Gerrit Cole kept his team alive as well, allowing just one run through his five innings of work.

That 1-1 tie remained through nine innings, as both bullpens stepped up their games. Hader retired the side in order in the top of the tenth, setting the stage for Ronald Acuna, who was due to lead off the bottom half of the inning. Facing tough right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga, Acuna swung at the very first pitch thrown...and launched it into the bleachers for a walk-off, World-Series-winning, home run.

For Founding Father D.J. Shepard, this honor has been a long time coming. This is his first BDBL championship in his 24th season in the league. After the bad taste that the 2021 season left in our mouths, Shepard's win is like a refreshing serving of sorbet to cleanse the palate.

Many thanks to you all for a fun and satisfying season. On to season #25!