Championship goes to Sea Kings in 7th game extra innings
Game 1
The teams met at the Sea Kings home office on Saturday the 28th of December to square off
for the right to hoist the championship plaque in the leagues historic 50th season.
Awakening the next morning as we all now know it was a somber post series reflection as
our founder passed sometime during the same day we played. Fittingly it was a classic
series with game 7 destined to go into extra innings ending in a walk off win for the
Sea Kings in the bottom of the 10th.
Game 1
Can of Corn 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 - 5 7 0
Sea Kings 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 3 8 2
W - Senga (1-0) L - Ohtani (0-1) SV - Graterol (1)
HR - COC - None. Sea Kings - Ohtani (1) Duvall (1)
There were an uncharacteristic number of errors for two teams that sported Fielding One
players at almost defensive position for every start in the series. The Can of Corn got
it started in the first inning after Ramirez led off with a single but was caught
stealing a few hitters later.
Seager then reached on a Wander Franco infield error and later scored along with Olson
who singled behind him when Bregman threw an errant throw allowing two unearned runs to
start the game.
Ohtani led off the bottom of the first frame with a HR and the next inning the Sea Kings
evened the matchup plating 7 batters with four getting to base but only scoring once on
a Benson RBI walk with the bases loaded leaving the infield loaded when Betts flew out.
The 4th inning saw the Can of Corn get on top for good getting four runs when with two
outs and two on Ramirez hit a bases clearing double and then Seager singled him in for a
three run lead.
They tried stretching their lead in the 8th when Mark sent Brandon Marsh home on a Torres
single but Benson mowed him down at home plate.
Things were quiet for the Sea Kings after leaving teh bases loaded in the 2nd inning as
they hit into two double plays in the middle frames. Adam “Big Bopper” Duvall on a one
year contract after a trade deadline acquisition hit a solo HR to lead off the bottom of
the 9th but then Wade was thrown out from right field on a rare play trying to stretch a
single to a double.
Ramirez was the games hitting start batting leadoff for the COC and going 3-4 with two
singles, a 2-RBI game winning double, stolen base and a walk.
Game 2
Can of Corn 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 - 5 5 0
Sea Kings 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 - 6 9 1
W - Martin (1-0) L - Munoz (0-1) BS - Mayza (1)
HR - Can of Corn - Seager (1), Garcia (1, 2), Sea Kings - Betts (1) Goldschmidt (1)
Game 2 saw the Sea Kings get the early lead against the COC Ace Rookie SP lefty Steele.
They failed to score in the first frame when the manager held Robles up at 3rd after a
Betts single with one out.
But the 2nd inning Steele got wild and hit Steer and Dubon back to back to leadoff the
inning and after almost bailing himself out by then striking out Rizzo and Heim back to
back Robles roped a 2-run 2-out double to right field for the early lead.
After that though the Sea Kings bats went silent for four innings garnering only three
baserunners while the Can of Corn racked up a 4-2 lead. It was an efficient offensive
game for the COC as they got a solo HR from Seager to leadoff the 4th and a 2-run shot
by Garcia with 2-out to take a 4-2 lead. They scored in the 3rd off a Duran 66-0/11-1
HR that was reduced to a double by Bradish’s G.
Garcia went back to back with a solo HR in the 7th off Bautista but the bottom of the 7th
saw the Can of Corn bullpen start to falter. Robles stayed in the leadoff spot to face
the RH reliever Foley and popped a 15-11 to get on base and Vinnie Pasquantino got a
rare appearance having only seen a handful of bats during the regular pinch hit for DH
Campusano and busted a double right up the middle to score him.
Leaving Foley against Tucker proved to be a wise move for Mark later in the inning as his
H stopped a 2-run 66-1 HR turning it to a double that scored Vinnie. The rally
continued as Franco singled Tucker to 3rd but was then thrown out at 2nd attempting to
steal. Having seen enough Mark brought in his lefty setup man Mayza to face steer and
coaxed him into a 6-3 grounder to end the rally one short of the tie.
The 8th saw Goldschmidt, a draft day trade acquisition for the Sea Kings, earn his keep
with a game tying solo shot and we headed to the 9th all knotted up at five.
With lefty specialist Tanner Scott having come in during the 8th to stop the Corn he
stayed on for the top of the 9th. The White Rat had seen enough though when with one
out he allowed a single to Garcia and then McCutchen nabbed a pinch hit walk to put
runners on first and second. In came the Sea Kings closer for a rare appearance during
a tie to get two fly outs to end the inning.
After coaxing Vinnie P into a ground out back to the pitcher the Can of Corn manager
turned to Munoz to face Mookie Betts. This proved to be a fateful move as Mookie
blasted a shot to deep center field for the game winning shot and a capped off a late
game 4-run finish to stop the Can of Corn from going up 2 games to start the series.
Game 3
Sea Kings 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 5 1
Can of Corn 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 X - 6 9 1
W - Hendricks (CG) (SO) (1-0) L - Woodruff (0-1)
HR - Can of Corn - Seager (1), Outman (1), Sea Kings - None.
The Sea Kings decided to pull the trigger and hopefully get a leg up on the series
putting their ace J4 SP Woodruff up against the Can of Corn C SP Kyle Hendricks, a
former BWAPBA staff ace already with a championship to his name. Mark Commented that in
the playoffs so far Hendricks had an ERA under 1.00 and it got lower during this game.
Hendricks tossed a complete game 4 hitter scattering four singles, one double and walked
only one. A start reminiscent of his ZZ days as a Rumrunner. The jumped out to a 2-0
lead after a Tucker error led to Olson going to third putting them at first and third.
Torres had a successful hit and run scoring Olson and sending Marsh to 3rd and then
Outman hit a sacrifice fly to right to end the scoring for the inning. They tacked on
two more the next inning as Seager hit a 2-run shot after Ramirez led off with a triple.
Seager was 3-4 with 3 RBI on a HR and a single.
Game 4
Sea Kings 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 1 - 7 13 1
Can of Corn 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 - 4 8 2
W - Kirby (1-0) SV Bautista (1) L - Foley (0-1)
HR - Can of Corn - None. Sea Kings - Ohtani (2), Betts (2)
Facing a potential 2 game deficit the Sea Kings manager took a risk and put his number 3
SP, Kirby, on the mound to face game 1 winner Senga. The risk paid off as they evened
the series.
Kirby went 6 2/3 IP, allowing two runs, one earned, yielding to Doval in the 7th with a
runner on first. The Sea Kings coughed up their 5th unearned run of the series as
Benson booted a ball alllowing Olson to go from first to home on the error cutting the
lead to 5-2.
The game was tied 1-1 going into the 7th with both pitchers having good days when the Sea
Kings batted around starting with Foley on the mound who had come in during the 6th
inning. He faced seven batters in the 7th frame yielding a leadoff single followed by a
1-out Ohtani triple. Benson K’d for the 2nd out of the inning and Foley almost was out
and then Betts drove another HR over the right field fence. A single and RBI double by
Franco Ran foley and Brash was brought in to stop the bleeding but by then the score was
5-1.
The Can of Corn managed to get back to within 6-4 after getting three runs over the 7th
and 8th frame with the previously mentioned unearned run followed by an 8th inning two
run double by Seager but then Bautista came in for the 9th to shut them down. Ohtani
backed up his 3B with a solo HR to leadoff the 8th and Duvall had a 2-out single to
score Tucker in the 9th for insurance.
Game 5
Sea Kings 0 1 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 - 6 12 0
Can of Corn 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 7 0
W - Bradish (1-0) L - Steele (0-1)
HR - Can of Corn - None. , Sea Kings - Tucker (1)
After a strong 5 inning, 2-run performance in game 2 the Sea Kings got to Steele in the
5th frame before he could yield to Munoz after allowing a total of 5 runs over 4 1/3 IP.
The Sea Kings got on the board first when Steer grounded into a 4-6-3 DP scoring Tucker
from 3rd. A 2-run Tucker shot in the 4th put the Sea Kings up 3-1 and then they broke
out stringing together four straight hits in the 5th culminating in a Betts 2-run double
to put the Sea Kings up 6-1 which would be the final score.
Bradish went 6 2/3 strong allowing one run and yielded to Doval who completed the final 2
1/3 IP allowing two hits along the way. Olson was thrown out again at home trying to
stretch a 2-out single from Garcia home from second with 28 chances to score. Robles
gunned him down from right.
Game 6
Can of Corn 0 2 2 2 0 1 1 2 3 - 13 16 0
Sea Kings 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 - 2 8 0
W - Hendricks (2-0) L - Ohtani (0-1)
HR - Can of Corn - Olson (1), Torres (1), Duran (1), Jeffers (1), Outman (2), Sea Kings -
Betts (3)
Hendricks continued his revenge tour domination over the Sea Kings evening the series at
three a piece and sending the series to a climatic extra inning game 7 but not before
the Sea Kings goat roped the Sea Kings starter Shohei Ohtani and again blistered
Woodruff in his lone relief appearance.
Early and often was the mantra for Mark as he gyrated and grinned with his special die
busting double and home runs through out the whole game hitting five home runs and six
doubles enroute to the 13-2 route to send us to game 7. Hendricks started the game with
six scoreless innings increasing his scoreless inning streak in the championship series
to 15 before allowing two late runs when the game winner was not in any doubt.
Game 7
Can of Corn 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 - 4 10 0
Sea Kings 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 - 5 10 1
W - Stewart (1-0) (BS 1) L - Mayza (0-1)
HR - Can of Corn - Ramirez (1), Outman (3), Sea Kings - Tucker (2), Betts (4)
What a great game 7 and it’s a shame it couldn’t just end with a tie in the 9th as these
teams were so evenly matched. The Sea Kings manager, in an attempt to escape all the
unearned runs his team has allowed in the series, changed OF2 Benson to center field and
OF3 Tucker to LF due to the COC lineup having two 15 Error numbers in their lineup. This
backfired right off the bat when they yielded their 6th unearned run of the series with
two out when Olson, looking to regain favor after being thrown out at home twice in the
series, went from first to home after a rare play to center field resulted in a 3-base
error allowing him to score. Brilliant move thwarted. LOL.
The score stayed that way and Mark was beginning to think of having plenty of bullpen
innings left with his setup man Mayza and his ace closer Graterol when the Sea Kings
busted out in to bottom of the 4th with a Tucker timely 2-run shot after a Betts double.
The Corn equalized in the top of the 5th frame with a Ramirez solo shot but the Sea
Kings, finding timely hits for the 2nd game in the series, strung together three singles
scoring Ohtani to take a tenuous 3-2 lead.
As we moved to the 6th with both teams having plenty of bullpen innings left the Sea
Kings went to the pen first bringing in the leagues best reliever card in 23YZZ H
reliever Martin to start the 6th. After a leadoff single by Marsh Martin coaxed Torres
into a 6-6-3 DP but Duran answered with a single and SB to get into scoring position but
again Martin coaxed another ground out to SS. The bottom of the frame saw Mark bring in
his closer, Graterol, who promptly yielded a single to Goldschmidt who was thrown out
stealing immediately.
On to the 7th and the COC evened the game with a Outman solo shot from the 9-spot. What
made this HR special is the first roll was a 42 but Martin stopped it with his HB0
allowin a second roll which was a HR. But again the Sea Kings rallied for a 1-run lead
in the bottom of the frame when Betts answered with his own solo shot. The 9th inning
saw the Sea Kings manager pull his ace closer for setup man 24K RHSP Stewart to stop
Duran from getting on which worked. But immediately alert McCutchen got his second pinch
hit AB and singled and was replaced by Meadows as a pinch runner. Facing 1-1-5 Garcia
and not being able to pull Stewart due to the 3-batter rule The Sea Kings manager
intentionally walked Garcia with first open after a Meadows stolen base.
Unfortunately Stewart then loaded the bases walking Outman and then Ramirez, with the
bases juiced, patiently waited out the suddenly wild Stewart for an RBI walk and the
game was tied.
The Can of Corn manager with one out in the 9th went to setup man Mayza to get -8 LH
split Ohtani and the Sea Kings retired quietly moving to the game to the 10th inning.
Stewart, having had baseball bat placed strategically where the sun doesn’t shine by
the Sea Kings pitching coach between frames promptly struck out the middle of the Can of
Corn lineup sending the game to the bottom of the 10th.
Tucker led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk and promptly stole second base. Wander
Franco, playing his last at bat probably in the league roped a single to deep right and
the speedy Tucker came home to bring to a close the 50th championship of the BWAPBA and
the Rumrunners/Sea Kings fourth championship.
Series notes:
The series started at 8:06 AM and was done around 2:45. The series was tense and fun and
nobody threw any trolls in anger. While Mark continued to emphasize he was just happy
to get to a game six and thrilled to get to seven he wanted to win and he did everything
he could to make that happen. The series was back and forth, tense and a lot of fun.
Series MVP - In the Sea Kings four wins it was hard to find a true MVP as several players
contributed at key times for the wins. But Kyle Tucker in the 3 spot every game had key
at bats in all four wins. In game 2 he had an RBI double to bring the Sea Kings within
one run late. The game four win saw him secure twice in his last two at bats proving
the margin for the win. Game five he again scored twice on a double and HR and then in
game seven he had the series clinching walk off run after walking, stealing a base and
going home from 2nd on a single while also homering and getting an RBI single in the
5th. Accounting for three of the 5 runs in the clinching game was key. In the four
wins he was 7 for 17 with 2 HR’s, 3 2B’s, 6 RBI’s.
Moving forward I would urge our commissioner to consider naming the championship series
the “BWAPBA Roy Langhans Memorial Championship Series” or something similar in honor of
our leagues founder. He was truly a great man and his putting together all those people
so long ago has given so many years of enjoyment to everyone here on this email and
those who preceded us.
Finally thanks to Mark for a great foe to face in a final. He is on vacation but is
compiling the series stats which I’m sure he will share when he finishes them. I hope
to see everyone here but Paul who has resigned unfortunately at the spring 2025 draft
when we hopefully kick off our 51st season!
