Arena The First Baseball Draft Game

I... I almost don't want to post anything now...

 

So, with just one game left, only three teams know their fate

stone temple seattle pilots are locked into the #1 seed.
L A Palms are locked into a 7th place finish, and Furious Fireballs will finish 8th.

There are a ton of permutations for everyone else, but suffice to say:

Performance Enhancers, Every City Bandwagoners, Amazings, and Let's Play Two are all in "win and you are in the actual playoffs" mode. A loss for any of them could range from being out (for the loser of Amazings/Enhancers) to being in a tiebreaker game (the worst case scenario for Let's Play Two, and the only scenario for Every City if they lose) depending on other results. New York Highlanders cannot qualify directly for the playoffs on the final day, but will clinch at least a tiebreaker scenario with a win, and will be eliminated with a loss, no matter what else happens.







I had no idea it would come down to this when I decided to do the final games this way, but good heavens I'm glad I decided to do it this way.

 

So, out of curiosity, since I own the ECBs (at minimum 4-2, and 5-1 with a win, no?) in h2h play -- why would I not edge them out? What sorcery tiebreakers are this?!?

 

H2H only matters for seeding. I don't eliminate teams based on a tiebreaker.

 

Guys... I don't think I'll be able to pull this off...

 

Yes. if Cubbie or heels loses, the loser of your game is still alive for a tiebreaker. if cubbie and heels both win, then the loser of your game is out.

 

Tuesday, intytober 22nd

New York Highlanders vs. Every City Bandwagoners

In the 7th inning, with the score tied at 2, both Mike Scott and Bob Gibson were lifted for pinch hitters.

Both pinch hitters - Norm Cash for Scott, Hank Greenberg for Gibson, struck out.

GIbson ended the night with two runs allowed on five hits in seven innings, while Scott allowed two runs and 3 hits in six innings.

The difference in this one, then, was the bullpens.

And the New York Highlanders got three combined shutout innings from Armando Benitez and Heath Bell.

Every City Bandwagoners ... did not get that kind of performance from John Wetteland.

Singles from Rogers Hornsby and Larry Walker opened the inning, and a sac fly from Jimmie Foxx broke the tie and put the Highlanders up 3-2. Hack WIlson followed with a single to make it 4-2, and Mell Ott was retired to give Wetteland a chance to limit the damage.

He would not be able to, however, as Derek Jeter hit a back-breaking two-run homer to make it 6-2, and the Highlanders clinched a game 43.

Jeter had two hits and three RBI on the night, and Hack Wilson also drove in a pair.

George Brett had two hits, including an RBI triple,and Rickey Henderson had a homer for the Bandwagoners, who now wait for other results to see just how complicated their tie breaker scenario becomes.

Player of the Game, Brought to you by Good, Old Fashioned Hate: Derek Jeter
Final Score: Highlanders 6, Bandwagoners 2
Win: Benitez (3-1)
Loss: Wetteland (2-2)
Save: Bell (4)

Amazings vs. Performance Enhancers

Well.

We should have known nine innings wouldn't be enough for this one.

Trailing two-nothing in the 8th inning, Amazings got consecutive RBI singles from Ron Santo and Yogi Berra to tie the game up, and end the night for Roger Clemens.

Relief pitcher Keith Foulke retired pinch hitter Ken Griffey Jr., but his groundout scored Ron Santo, giving Amazings a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the 8th, John Hiller came in on in relief, after starter Curt Schilling was lifted for Griffey. George Sisler greeted Hiller by smacking a leadoff homer to center field, tying the game back up at three.

The ninth saw both teams put runners in scoring position, but neither was able to bring their run home, and off to extra innings we went.

Amazings went down 1-2-3 in their half of the tenth, and a strikeout and a fly out retired the first two members of Performance Enhancers. But, after Joe Mauer walked, Lou Gehrig - who else - locked up the MVP by hitting a game-winning, playoff-spot-clinching double to walk it off.

Earlier in the game, Gehrig hit a solo homer to give the Enhancers an early 1-0 lead, Sammy Sosa hit a solo homer in the 7th to make it 2-0.

Schilling gave up 2 runs on just 3 hits in his seven innings, striking out 7. Clemens went seven-and-one-third, giving up three runs on nine hits.

Player of the Game, Brought to you by Mr. Met: Lou Gehrig
Final Score: Enhancers 4, Amazings 3 (10 Innings)
Win: Sutter (2-1)
Loss: Fingers (1-1)

Let's Play Two vs. Furious Fireballs

They left it late. They needed drama, heroes and an unlikely culprit.

But Let's Play Two finally took care of business and booked their ticket to the post season.

Down 4-2 in the ninth, and down to their final out, Manager Joe Maddon finally all the right moves. First, he sent up pinch hitter Carlos Delgado, who singled to put men on first and second. Then, he sent Daryl Strawberry in to pinch run for Delgado. and, it was Strawberry who scored the game-tying run as Robbie Alomar laced a two-run single.

After Brad Lidge gave Let's Play Two a scoreless bottom of the ninth, Babe Ruth made an error in handling a routine fly ball, and the go ahead - winning - run would score.

Bobby Thigpen would come in for the bottom of the tenth to close it out.

Cy Young pitched eight-and-two-thirds innings, giving up 4 runs on 10 hits. Justin Verlander pitched 8 innings, giving up 4 runs on 4 hits.

Ruth had earlier hit a three-run homer to put the Fireballs ahead.

Player of the Game, Brought to you by Steve Bartman: Frank Thomas
Final Score: Let's Play Two 5, Fireballs 4 (10 Innings)
Win: Lidge (2-1)
Loss: Hoffman (1-4)
Save: Thigpen (5)

L A Palms vs. stone temple seattle pilots

stone temple seattle pilots are going into the post season on a roll and with all the momentum they could ask for.

L A Palms are going to the off season with a thud.

Mike Piazza hit a two-run homer in the second inning to jump start a five-run inning, and Willie Mays, Honus Wagner, and Mickey Mantle hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the third to make it 8-0, and set the pilots on cruise control.

Randy Johnson tossed a complete game, allowing four runs on nine hits, and striking out eight.

Jimmie Rollins hit a solo homer late to give the Palms something to cheer about on the day.

Orel Hershiser left the game in the third after giving up the back-to-back-to-back homers, lasting two-and-two-thirds innings, giving up 8 runs on 8 hits, and walking five.

Player of the Game, Brought to you by PalmPilot: Randy Johnson
Final Score: pilots 11, Palms 4
Win: R Johnson (6-1)
Loss: Hershiser (4-5)



Final Standings:

Team W-L PCT Run Diff
#1 - stsp 24-16 .600 +90
x - LPT 23-19 .548 +35
x - PE 23-19 .548 -23
y - ECB 22-20 .524 +38
y - NYH 22-20 .524 +1
y - AMZ 22-20 .524 -42
z - LAP 18-24 .429 -28
z - FF 12-30 .286 -79

#1 - team has clinched the #1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs
x - team has clinched a playoff spot
y - team has qualified for the tiebreaker
z - team has been eliminated from post season contention

I'll have tiebreaker scenarios up in a moment or two

 

Derek Jeter vs. John Wetteland to crush the dreams (temporarily) of the bandwagon Yankees fan...

 

Let's Play Two and Performance Enhancers split their season series 3-3. Assigning "heads" to LPT and "tails" to PE, a coin was flipped three times. Heads came up twice, giving the #2 seed to Let's Play Two.

SCHEDULE ANNOUNCEMENT

Game 1 of Performance Enhancers vs. Let's Play Two will take place on Sunday, Intytober 27th from Wrigley Field.



Comparing the three-way head-to-head-to-head records of Amazings, New York Highlanders, and Every City Bandwagoners

NYH had 9 wins
AMZ had 7 wins
ECB had 2 wins

As a result ...


SCHEDULE ANNOUNCEMENT

On Thursday, Intytober 24th Amazings shall be the home-team for a one-game playoff against Every City Bandwagoners. The winner of that game shall drive across town where they will play a one-game playoff against New York Highlanders. The Winner of that game will play against stone temple seattle pilots


SCHEDULE ANNOUNCEMENT

Game 1 of Amazings OR Every City Bandwagoners OR New York Highlanders vs. stone temple seattle pilots will take place on Saturday, Intytober 26th from the Kingdome.



@heels1785 and @AmazingB - your starter for the matinee, followed by your lineups, please.

 

FUN FACTS!

Derek Jeter was the first batter in Marlins Park, and the first hit in Marlins Park... and is now the face of the front office for Marlins Park. And he hit that HR (crushed it) to center-field, 407 feet...

He'd never hit a HR in Marlins Park, but had hit one off of Wetteland previously in 1998.

And I'm not sure he ever hit one that far...