A Global League: OOTP 6.5

[Izulde]

It's been over 20 years since a consortium of deep-pocketed Americans decided they wanted to expand the game of baseball. The homerun chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998 sparked global interest in the sport (though both would later come under the cloud of PED suspicion in MLB's infamous Steroid Era).

It took three years to get everything established and organized, but in the end, a 16-team league emerged. Half were in the United States, the other half split between a European division and a Southern Hemisphere one.

The inaugural franchises:

Stars and Stripes League
East Division
Kalamazoo Growlers
Pittsburgh Rhinos
Savannah Bananas
Tulsa Ninja Chickens

Southwest Division
Carlsbad Cyclones
Corpus Christi Sharks
Phoenix Phoenix
Santa Fe Chilis

International League
European Division
Athens (Greece) Minotaurs
London Rippers
Oslo Yetis
Paris Cannons

Southern Division
Lagos Jackals
Pretoria Ghosts
Rio de Janeiro Fire Frogs
Santiago (Chile) Purple Sharks

As you might guess from glancing at the names, a dispute arose over the Sharks name. Santiago originally held the rights to the name, but Corpus Christi insisted on having it. An accommodation was reached whereby the Chilean team amended theirs by adding Purple in exchange for a substantial financial contribution from the Corpus Christi owner.

No draft was held - this was a nascent league that simply had to rely on whatever talent they could scrounge up. In practice, that meant the age range of the league was 21-25 when it began, and the talent level was roughly equivalent to AAA-minor league.

I could tell you about the league as a whole, the kind of breezy overview summary that one finds in history books for general audiences. Or you could become a devoted fan of a franchise and I'll spin the saga of that group of heroes.

Which do you prefer?

[Izulde]

Note: This might change to OOTP 6.5 if I'm successful having them re-issue licenses that I no longer have access to since the last computer I had it on was all the way back in 2009. I forgot how much I hate the ugliness of the minors interface in particular

[Izulde]

As it turns out, the age range wasn't 21-25 when the league began. The owners rebelled against creating just another place for prospects to rake out what hopes they could and instead argued that the contracts should be nullified. Administration agreed, and the result was that it turned into a prime age players overall - most between 27-29, with a few outliers of 30, and two considered young enough to be prospects - the best of whom was 24 year old closer Rodney Gillon, who had reasonably good movement on his two pitches (fastball and slider). At 1.5* potential, if the Cannon developed, he would be one of the better players in the league.

There were six players in the entire league who were regarded as 2* or better, and the crown jewel of them all was Athens' 29 year old 3* outfielder Octavio Garza, who had some ability to hit for contact, was speedy on the basepaths, and played excellent defense at all three positions.

The Pretoria Ghosts were blessed with the best pitcher, 2.5* 27 year old Archie Benedict, who had a four-pitch arsenal - including a 100 mph fastball -, the iron endurance to go all game, and excellent fielding ability.

Outfielder Joaquin Morales, 27, of the Lagos Jackals, like Garza, had three-position stellar defense, and was an even better contact hitter, though he lacked the speed or pop to add much else.

Lynn Thompson, a pure centerfielder with no arm to speak of, nonetheless was a good contact hitter, and the 27 year old gave the Cannons two pieces to be excited about.

29 year old SS/3B Joshua Veale was good defensively, with a cannon for an arm, and arguably the fastest speed of anyone in the association. The appropriately blazing Phoenix was also the lone 2* or better player to suit up for an American team.

The Purple Sharks may have lost the rights to the Sharks name, but they had 27 year old left fielder Dave Ozuna, whose speed, stealing ability, and running instincts combined with his switch-hitting ability to make contact to make him the odds-on favorite to be the base-stealing championship in Santiago's inaugural season.

Day 1
The marquee opening game featured London at Athens, and the Minotaurs' manager was thrown out of the game during the first at-bat after the Rippers' William Trim was granted a walk on a full count. Certainly fireworks to start the association! Octavio Garza avenged his manager by making a stellar play for the third out to preserve the no-hitter in the first inning.

The Minotaurs scored three runs in two innings, and George "The Wall" Forde went 2 and 2/3 before giving up a first hit. More drama awaited in the bottom of the third as Athens 1B Jeffrey Janes was tossed after a controversial third strike call, forcing Stanley Renz, a 3B by trade, into first with precisely 0 range at the spot.

Then, in the top of the 4th, Forde went out with injury on the last pitch and out of the inning, ending his day and bid at the Opening Game shutout.

Garza made another brilliant play to rob a homerun in the 8th inning, and though London scored in the 7th, it was too little far too late. 8-2 victory for the Minotaurs, with William Aceves picking up the win in relief of The Wall

Garza was 2 for 4 with 2 doubles, an RBI, and a run, but it was Kevin Oliver's 3 for 4 night with 2 RBI that won Player of the Game.

Elsewhere Around The League
Santiago crushed Rio 16-0 in the first game of the South America Series, Corpus Christi topped Carlsbad 20-8 in a game where no one felt like pitching well, and Archie Benedict lived up to his Preseason Best Pitcher billing, pitching 8 shutout innings with a walk and 5 strikeouts to beat Lagos 1-0 for Pretoria.

3 homeruns were hit across the association on Opening Day - all of them solo shots. The most meaningful one was Carlos Dunbar's for Oslo - a pinch-hit appearance that gave the Yetis their first run in the 8th inning as prelude to a 2-2 9th and a game that went 12 frames before Paris prevailed 4-2 despite Rodney Gillon blowing his first save opportunity.

[Izulde]

Day 2
The marquee matchup of the second day was the second game of the South America Series, the 16-0 Santiago shellacking of Rio having drawn considerable interest.

The Fire Frogs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 5th, Albert Pinerio stroked a 3-RBI double to make it a 4-4 tied ballgame and an error allowed Pinerio to score and put the Purple Sharks on top.

Rio knotted it back up at 5 in the 7th on a solo homerun by Scott Harrison, but then danger came in the bottom of the 8th. Once again, bases loaded with no outs, and the leadoff batter, second baseman Brian Lanctot, who had made several stellar defensive plays was up. William Passarelli made his own brilliant stop to rob Lanctot of a hit and limit the damage to a sac-fly.

Next up was Pasqual Estavez, the league's leading hitters in the early days with a .750 batting average. He was hit by a pitch, allowing franchise star Dave Ozuna of the pedestrian .286 start up to bat with bases loaded and one out. Ozuna struck out and once again it was Albert Pineiro with the 3-RBI double to break open the game and make it 9-5. The score reached 11-5 before Hilton Downard was finally granted mercy and pulled from the game. A 1-2-3 9th ended the game.

Phoenix's Phillip White became the first player for an American team to hit a homerun and the first one to hit a multi-run homer in the Phoenix's 4-0 shutout of Santa Fe, and Pittsburgh's Kent Eisenberg pitched the association's first complete game - a 9-1 Rhinos topping of the Growlers.

Historic yes, but later on that same day, Milton Brinkman of the Carslbad Cyclones topped that with a four-hitter complete game 8-0 shutout of Corpus Christi.

Savannah-Tulsa went 11, the third multi-inning game in association history, with the host Bananas eking out the 2-1 win on a walkoff homer by Jose Saenz

[Izulde]

Day 3
In keeping with the rotation of marquee games, it was Carlsbad and Corpus Christi on tap next in the four-game set.

Two straight bad throws by Cyclones 3B Marvin Dinan in the bottom of the 1st resulted in a .500 split. The first one, the first baseman got the out. The second one, it was officially an error. Fortunately, Carlsbad's stellar infield turned a double play to end the threat.

...until a wild throw by the normally sure-handed SS Paul Basinger in the bottom of the 2nd turned a probable double-play into two men on, who were then cleared by Sharks 3B James Alexander with a double. It was part of a 3-2-1 scoring sequence in innings 2-3-4 for the Sharks.

On the other side, sterling 8 2/3 innings pitched by Samuel Araiza resulted in a league-record 8 strikeouts and surrendering just one run on a sacrifice fly in the 4th. All told, a clean 6-1 victory for the team the rest of the association loved to hate (or at least the South American fanbases).

Elsewhere, three games were decided by a single run - including the Minotaurs' thrilling 9-8 comeback win over the Rippers to be the only undefeated team left after SS Florian Dominguez blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to keep Athens flawless. Paris-Oslo was a boring 2-1 win for the Cannons - just one extra base hit in the entire game. Tulsa topped Savannah by scoring 2 in the top of the 9th to come from behind, and Leo Lozoya calmly allowed just one hit in the bottom of the 9th to secure his first save.

Lagos shredded Pretoria 15-1, and Kalamazoo topped Pittsburgh 13-9, with Growlers' 2B John Miller and LF Erasmo Jones combining for 7 RBIs, the latter with a thrilling bases-loaded triple as part of a 10-run 2nd inning!

Santiago's Joshua Greico became the first association player to hit more than one homer in a season, but the Purple Sharks still sank 3-6 to Rio.

One thing I forgot to tell you - George "The Wall" Forde was declared out for the season after his Opening Day injury, and there were questions whether he'd ever recover from the torn elbow ligament. Tough break for a team that, at least early on, looked like they had genuine championship aspirations.

[Izulde]

Day 4
With an opportunity to see the first series sweep on the line, the association selected London/Athens as the featured Game of the Day.

A bases-loaded bobble with two outs on the board in the first inning by Stanley Renz at his natural position of third base allowed the Rippers to draw first blood, which quickly mushroomed to 3-0 on catcher Michael Barto's two-RBI single.

More signs that it wasn't going to be the Minotaurs' day - Octavio Garza was robbed of a hit by RF George Barahona in the bottom of the third - one that would have at the very least cut the lead to one.

Jeffrey Janes stroked a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth, but then in the top of the fifth, Florian Dominguez threw the ball high on a routine out, which resulted in yet another error. Fortunately, the Minotaurs escaped that one.

Bottom of the 5th: Stanley Renz steals second base, but the call is questionable... and this time it's the Rippers' manager who gets tossed. Four games - ejections in both featured games. One sensed even then a rivalry was starting to brew between the two teams who appeared to thoroughly dislike each other.

The Minotaurs tacked on a run in the bottom of the 9th, and Renz had a chance to be the hero with two men on and two outs... until the umpire made a controversial third strike call to end the game and give London the thrilling 3-2 win.

Hard luck for Joseph Nordin to have a 0.00 ERA and still be tagged with the loss.

The Fire Frogs' Paul Digiovanni became the first pitcher with 2 saves, successfully converting in Rio's 4-2 win over Santiago. Oslo's Alan Card recorded a 5 hit, 4-0 complete game shutout over Paris.

Growlers/Rhinos was an epic, back-and-forth duel in their final game of the set, until RF Peter Pare knocked in a 2-RBI double in the bottom of the ninth to provide the final answer and comeback in an 7-6 victory.

Absolutely devastating meltdown by the Carlsbad Cyclones - they led 4-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th, whereupon they coughed up 5 runs - including a 3-RBI double by SS Samuel Winters to inexplicably lose 4-5 and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Those who were fans from the beginning still grouse about that one.

Here's how things looked after the first series:

[Izulde]

Game Day 5
An absolutely tasty pitching matchup awaited, which made the featured Game of the Day an easy call - the association's acknowledged best pitcher, Archie Benedict, against Hidenori Yoichibei - two starters with sterling 0.00 ERAs who had both pitched 7+ innings and gotten the win in their first starts. Pretoria Ghosts vs. Santiago Purple Sharks it was.



A leadoff double and two walked batters was all it took and Yoichibei's scoreless streak was sunk before the end of the first inning. In the bottom of the first, Pasqual Estevez got himself tossed after a generous, star call third strike, and a brilliant double play kept Benedict's runless run alive.

Santiago threatened in the bottom of the 5th, but Benedict held firm by inducing Yoichibei into a groundout to snuff out a score and extend it yet another full inning. Another threat came in the 6th, with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out after Dave Ozuna stole his third base of the season, but Benedict coolly got a key strikeout and popup.

Finally, in the bottom of the 7th, the Purple Sharks broke through and ended Benedict's scoreless streak at 14 innings. In fact, Santiago savaged him for 5 runs to seize the lead, 5-4, by just hitting long single after long single.

Asa Valante closed out the 9th inning by only allowing a single to record his first save (1-0, 1 save), and just like that, Archie Benedict had his first loss of the season.

Basilio Macias of the Yetis took the four-hit complete game shutout of the Minotaurs 12-0, with 5 RBIs from RF Gerardo Iberra alone as he hit two home runs to be the first player to hit more than one dinger in a contest.

Paul Digiovanni recorded his league-leading 3rd save in Rio's 7-5 win over Lagos, while Elder Palancos earned the ignoble distinction of being the first 0-2 starting pitcher as Carlsbad fell 2-9 to Phoenix. Savannah's Marc Truman pitched a complete game, but drew the L without run support in a 2-3 loss to Kalamazoo

But no fear for scoreless inning streak watchers - there were other players to watch to see if Archie Benedict's streak of 14 would be short-lived... including another matchup of 1-0, 0.00 pitchers the next day.

[Izulde]

Game Day 6
Yes, they were one of the most terrible teams to start, but the Carlsbad Cyclones still had Milton Brinkman, the answer to the trivia question of "Who had the first shutout in association history?". On the other side, the Phoenix Phoenix countered with Marc Abney, who pitched 8 shutout innings of his own. Definitely an easy pick for Game of the Day.



Walk-error-wild pitch sequence in the first three batters, followed by a single, and Marc Abney was done just like Hidenori Yoichibei the day before. In fact, the score was 4-0 before Phoenix recorded the first out of the game.

A 1-2-3 5th inning and Brinkman officially tied Benedict's 14 innings scoreless streak. It indeed looked as though the record would fall, as he only needed one out in the 6th to make the record his own. And that record came with a filthy strikeout. But it ended there after a series of hits culminated in an RBI double. 14 1/3rd innings. Still, with a 9-2 lead, it was only the pitch count that was going to keep Brinkman from recording two straight complete games.

And indeed it did, as he was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th, up
10-2, with a man on third and one out. Although Brinkman moved to 2-0 for the season on the rout, he was only one of four pitchers to pull off the feat - including Pedro Echauge's 5-0, 5 hit complete blanking of the Fire Frogs for Lagos.

Athens got revenge in crushing Oslo 12-3, Paris mauled London 10-1, and Santiago routed Pretoria 11-2. So it was either a rout or a close game - Corpus Christi edging Santa Fe 2-1, Tulsa's 5-4 11th inning win over Pittsburgh after James Pollard hit a leadoff double to make it easy, and Savannah's rally snuffed short in a 4-5 loss to Kalamazoo.

Almost undetected in the shutout innings streak race - Greg Kepley of Lagos, who had quietly pitched 13 shutout innings and had a 0-0 record for the Jackals to show for it in his first two starts. (For context, Orel Hersheisher holds the MLB record with 59 shutout IP, followed by Don Drysdale at 58, then the modern MLB 3rd Bob Gibson breaks up the Dodgers' dominance with 47, then Zach Greinke as a Dodger with 45 and 2/3rd, Carl Hubbell of the Giants 5th at 45 1/3rd.)

Full MLB Top 10 List as of September 11th, 2022
1. Orel Hershiser, Dodgers, 59 IP, Aug. 30-Sept. 28, 1988
2. Don Drysdale, Dodgers, 58 IP, May 14-June 8, 1968
3. Walter Johnson, Senators, 55 2/3 IP, April 10-May 14, 1913 (Deadball Era)
4. Jack Coombs, Athletics, 53 IP, Sept. 5-Sept. 25, 1910 (Deadball Era)
5. Bob Gibson, Cardinals, 47 IP, June 2-26, 1968
6. Zack Greinke, Dodgers, 45 2/3 IP, June 18-July 26, 2015
7. Carl Hubbell, Giants, 45 1/3 IP, July 13-Aug. 1, 1933
8 (tie). Cy Young, Red Sox, 45 IP, April 25-May 17, 1904 (Deadball Era)
8 (tie). Doc White, White Sox, 45 IP, Sept. 12-30,1904 (Deadball Era)
8 (tie). Sal Maglie, Giants, 45 IP, Aug. 16-Sept. 4, 1950

All of which is to say, this association has a long way to go before reaching those kind of dominance numbers - especially in one with such comparative parity (though that will no doubt change as more, better talent comes in)

Kepley's next start immediately got scheduled for a Game of the Day, but in the meantime, there was the debate over which to feature next.

Game of the Day Appearances Through The First Week
Athens Minotaurs: 2
Carlsbad Cyclones: 2
London Rippers: 2
Santiago Purple Sharks: 2
Corpus Christi Sharks: 1
Phoenix Phoenix: 1
Pretoria Ghosts: 1
Rio de Janeiro Fire Frogs: 1
Kalamazoo Growlers: 0
Lagos Jackals: 0 (Will be featured during Kepley's next start)
Oslo Yetis: 0
Paris Cannons: 0
Pittsburgh Rhinos: 0
Santa Fe Chilis: 0
Savannah Bananas: 0
Tulsa Ninja Chickens: 0

[Izulde]

Game Day 7
As it turned out, the perfect Game of the Day presented itself. Dubbed "The Early Season Battle for the East", it was 4-2 Tulsa against 4-2 Kalamazoo. Both the Ninja Chickens and the Growlers were riding four-game win streaks (tied with Corpus Christi in that category), though neither team had anything exciting going on in terms of players other than closer Leo Lozoya of the Ninja Chickens, who was 1-0 with 2 saves and 0 earned runs through 7.2 innings. The Growlers were more lucky than good in particular: 3-1 in 1-run games.



So it's a quiet first few innings until Erasmo Jones belts a leadoff solo homer in the top of the 4th, adding to his legacy of his bases-loaded triple in an earlier 13-9 win over Pittsburgh. Evidently he felt disrespected about the press writing about the game's curious lack of star power.

Oriol Arias showed why he's one of the best defensive right-fielders in the league, throwing out a player at home plate in the 5th to keep the Ninja Chickens off the board.

Most shocking part of the game - Growler Nicholas Tieman has pitched 6 scoreless innings in this pitcher's duel and aids his cause with a double in the 7th. Unfortunately for him, he's stranded there and is so furious, he surrenders two singles to start the bottom of the 7th. A pitching change and two batters later, a sac infield hit ties the game up at 1.

A runner tries to add to Erasmo's RBI total with the go-ahead run, but gets himself thrown out at home in the 8th. Lozoya comes in the top of the 9th and pitches a clean sheet, setting up the Ninja Chickens to get the run and the win.

That doesn't happen, despite two very generous walks by Michael Camden, and the association finally had its first extra innings Game of the Day.

The Ninja Chickens used a pinch-hitter in the 9th, so Luis Goodell is the replacement, and he gives up a leadoff homer to RF Agustin Hernandez on the second pitch of the 10th. John Miller and Erasmo Jones combine to hit back-to-back singles and Miller's on third with 1 out - Jones on 2nd after stealing the base.

Tulsa curiously intentionally walks catcher Luis Cordero of the .185 batting average and take on 3B Augusto Alvarado, who, to be fair, isn't hitting much better at .250. Alvarado dutifully delivers the insurance run via sac fly and the Ninja Chickens are facing a two-run deficit heading into the bottom of the 10th.

Alvarado throws out the first batter on a beautiful play, adding to his clutch heroics, but then commits his first error of the season on a bad throw that would have been the final out of the game.

It doesn't matter, as the next batter pops out. Michael Camden gets the lucky victory here, Erasmo Jones the Player of the Game trophy.

Lagos' bottom of the 9th rally likewise falls short, 4-5, to Santiago. Likewise Savannah in dropping a 3-4 decision to Pittsburgh. Sad Bananas indeed. Mauro Montenegro gets the complete game win to the tune of 5-1 Rio over Pretoria to move to 2-0 on the year.

14 pitchers get used in a crazy 13-inning game between Oslo and London, the Yetis winning when they score all 3 of their runs in the top of 13th. Yes, that means there were 12 innings where neither team scored. The association's leading homerun hitter, Gerardo Ibarra (he of the only multi-homer game to this point), cracks a double with the bases loaded in the 13th to bat in all of the Yetis' runs.

Corpus Christi scores in the 8th and 9th innings to complete a 3-1 comeback win over the Phoenix, making the Sharks 6-1 on the season. Matthew Mose records his 3rd save to tie for the association lead.

[Izulde]

Game Day 8
With the increasing popularity of Gerardo Ibarra and Alan Card starting after a shutout, it was an easy call for the league to feature the Oslo Yetis in their next Game of the Day. That also meant the London Rippers, they of the association-worst 1-6 record, paradoxically became the first team to be featured three times. Complaints arose of International League favoritism - a perhaps fair charge, given only Carlsbad had been shown twice of the Stars and Stripes League, and Savannah, Santa Fe, and Pittsburgh had yet to appear even once. And while Paris and Lagos were also featureless, the Jackals had a promise of appearing in the near future, and would likely get a second appearance of Pedro Echauge's next turn, given the penchant for showing pitchers coming off a shutout.

Fun Fact: At this stage of the season, two of the four shutouts belonged to Yetis - Card and Basilio Macias



London managed to end Card's run in the 3rd inning, but it was still a tense 1-0 game in the top of the 4th. Dale Gilliam had pitched 8 innings while only allowing 1 run in his first start, and he was continuing his strong play here. He was the only Ripper with a victory (ironically in the Day 4 marquee matchup between London and Athens) and was determined to add to his total in hopes of being traded somewhere if the team didn't turn their season around.

The Yetis promptly tied it up in the bottom of the 4th, then went ahead on Ibarra's sac fly to give him the association RBI lead over Santiago's Albert Pineiro.

Oslo LF Jesus Balbas batted in the tying run in the 4th and then hit a 2-RBI double in the 6th to expand the Yeti lead to 4-1. He added in a gorgeous catch in the 8th after Card hit the showers with a 5-1 lead, robbing the Rippers of a rally-starting hit, then negated a two-run homer to close out the inning with another fantastic catch.

Joseph Nordin was again a loser, but this time it was deserved, as only errors kept Athens in the game as the Minotaurs dropped a 3-4 decision to Paris.

C Santiago Panigua had an excellent game with a double, followed by a 3-run homer as part of a startling 8-run 8th inning for the Ghosts in late-blitzing the Fire Frogs 11-8.

Kalamazoo had its own comeback win with a 3-run 8th top Tulsa 4-2 and continue the Ninja Chickens' dreams of being top of the roost to be illusory. The Growlers extended their win streak to 6 games, thereby knocking Corpus Christi off the tie, as the Sharks lost 3-5 to Phoenix.



If memes were prevalent in 2001 like they are now, there would have been a "Thanks for showing us winning baseball" for the European Division, with a "Not You" over the Rippers.

Most fans considered the European the best division - Oslo and Athens were viewed as title contenders in these early days, Paris rather lucky (the Cannons' 2-0 extra innings record lent considerable weight to that argument). Santiago boasted the best offense thus far and Lagos the best pitching.

Small wonder the International League appeared to be favored by the brass in deciding the daily marquee matchups - the Stars and Stripes League simply had lower quality baseball and had yet to build the name-recognition star power that the IL had. The fact the SL had the two best records was regarded by most observers as chumps being chumps, and there were already predictions the International League would crush the Stars and Stripes in the first All-Star game.

[Izulde]

With no notable pitching things to watch (a lot of fifth starters getting their first go here), would you rather see:

Athens (5-3) at Paris (5-3) in a battle of European Division co-leaders (The Minotaurs have featured twice before I started putting logos in; Cannons never)

or

Pittsburgh (3-5) at Savannah (3-5) in a battle of East Division bottom feeders? (Neither team has featured)

[Chas in Cinti]

Pitt/Sav... give everyone a shot here early for GoTD...

[Izulde]

Game Day 9
Public pressure, spearheaded by a grassroots effort in Cincinnati of all places, led to the Pittsburgh-Savannah matchup being the Game of the Day, even though the league administration was eyeing the Athens-Paris tilt. The closest thing either team had to a star was the Rhinos' 1B Pedro Villatoro, who was hitting .343 with a homerun and 5 runs scored. Although other players on both teams were having better statistical starts to the season, scouts unanimously considered Villatoro the best talent in the matchup.



Bananas leadoff hitter and RF Brian Sarratt drew a four-pitch leadoff walk, stole second, and was fast enough to advance the bases on two infield outs to score first in the first inning.

Villatoro proved the scouts right when he stroked a run-scoring single in the bottom of the first to tie the game up, but then disaster struck for Rhinos starter Keneth Kuhl as he gave up 4 runs in the second - including literally walking in a run - before being pulled.

The cushion extended to 6-1 until Bananas pitcher Roy Gilbert got himself in trouble by walking two straight batters to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. CF Joel Abad cracked a long, two-RBI double to cut the deficit to 3-6 and raise his batting average to .200, with his first ribbies of the season. Make that his first three as he hit a single in the bottom of the 7th for his third to make it a 4-6 contest.

All that work to get back in the game, and then Bananas OF Leslie Moore hit a run-scoring triple in the top of the 9th and sat on third with 0 outs, driven in a batter later.

Deflated, the Rhinos lumbered through a 1-2-3 9th inning and officially dropped to the bottom of the East.

Some exciting games around the rest of the league: Santiago scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th to force extra innings, then scored in the top of the 10th to top Lagos 4-3; Rio beat Pretoria by the same score in 13 innings; and Phoenix took 13 to snipe Corpus Christi 3-2.

Athens-Paris had an hour game delay to rain before the Minotaurs emerged 7-5 winners on the back of a 3-1 8th inning advantage, and Kalamazoo continued their run, coasting after hanging 3 runs each in the first two innings to complete the 3-0 series sweep of Tulsa 6-3.

After the day's slate of games, there were only two qualifying pitchers who had a 0.00 ERA - the Jaguars' Greg Kepley, who was on tap to challenge the 14 and 1/3 scoreless innings streak record, and the Ninja Chickens' closer Leo Lozoya, who in 8 appearances and 10 1/3 innings had yet to surrender a run in going 1-0 with 2 saves.

And it was Kepley's turn on the mound next.

[Izulde]

Game Day 10
You already know that Lagos and Greg Kepley were one half of the Game of the Day equation. The other half of the featured matchup? None other than Athens, moving the Minotaurs up to a tie with the Rippers for most-often highlighted team.



One hit in the first inning, but no score. 14 innings. And the Jackals drew first blood in the bottom of the first to boot.

Joaquin Morales robbed IL-leading batter Nabi-n Basho of the .444 average of the homerun to officially tie the record.

A Jeffrey Janes walk, but then a Kieran Oliver popup made 14 and 2/3, thereby setting a new scoreless innings record!

And then the streak ended at 17 1/3 innings, ironically at the hands of pitcher Abdiel Morello, who hit a single to score Florian Dominguez and then beat out the attempted throwout at second.

In fact, it was 3-1 by the end of the inning, the last tacked on by a 2-out triple by superstar Octavio Garza. The home crowd was disappointed, but proud, and the Jaguars clawed one back in the bottom of the fifth to make it 2-3.

Then, in the 8th, the wheels came apart for Kepley. Two walks, followed by accidentally hitting Dominguez to send in a run. Bases loaded with just one out. He did manage to strike out the next batter to exit with his 20th K on the season, as did the reliever to escape the jam and prevent a rout.

In fact, Cesar Orta made it four strikeouts as he struck out the side in the top of the 9th, but not before an error in the infield allowed another insurance run.

An error by Jeffrey Janes in the bottom of the 9th returned the favor, setting up the potential for a comeback, but the Jackals' heart of the order failed them at home.

Jack Tisdale had an 11 and 1/3rd scoreless innings streak going after Rio blanked Oslo 5-0 in a game that only saw the bottom of the 8th with runs put on the board, while Archie Benedict set a new association single-game strikeout record with 10 in 7 innings to move to 2-1 on the season in Pretoria's 4-1 win over London.

Kalamazoo finally fell, 4-10 to Carlsbad as Elder Polanco pitched a complete game and got on the wins board for the Cyclones.

Pittsburgh beat suddenly slumping Corpus Christi in 13 innings, and Phoenix took advantage, beating the Bananas 2-0 to rise above the Sharks in the Southwest standings.

But for all the hubbub over Kepley's record, Pedro Echauge had actually been holding it before the game - 15 straight scoreless innings, and it was his turn to get the ball next. Also coming off a shutout was Basilio Macias, but he was far away from the record, so the choice was obvious.

This also presented a problem for the association - as much fun as it was to keep track of the pitching brilliance, the technology available to them meant it would be difficult to have tabs on it. After all, the record had already been broken and they missed it.

An internal debate developed whether it was simply better just to not try and stay current on that record - instead focusing on the data that was most readily available to them. This would also make more equitable Game of the Day distributions, as most of their decisions to date focused on the compelling matchups - many going to pitchers who might break the scoreless innings streak.

[Izulde]

Game Day 11
For the first time in association history, the same two teams were featured in back-to-back days. This was, of course, due to Pedro Echauge seeking to regain the record he briefly held.



Echauge gave up just one hit in the first two innings, putting him at 17 scoreless heading into the top of the third, backed by Dake Ieutsuna's leadoff homer in the bottom of the second. A Florian Dominguez popup later, the record was tied. Then it was once again set after Jesse Bassham flew out as the lineup turned.

A three-run double by CF Keith Seeman in the bottom of the third extended the Jaguars' lead to 4, but the new record became 19 2/3 scoreless innings after Richard Smith hit a leadoff double and Florian Dominguez's sacrifice sent him home.

The Jackals continued to feast on the Minotaurs' pitching, so that Benny Reyoso's misplay in the top of the 7th on an easy flyball made the two runs inconsequential, the score still a wide 9-3 margin.

Two innings later, it was 10-3 Jackals win - a historic day for Pedro Echauge and the association. Echauge not only became the first pitcher to 3 wins, but he became the first pitcher to deal back-to-back complete games, thereby guaranteeing Lagos another featured appearance when he came up in the rotation.

Paris scored all 4 of its runs in the bottom of the 9th to stun Santiago 4-3, and Pittsburgh pulled a similar feat - scoring both of its runs in the 9th to ruin Darrell Cork's 8 innings of 3-hit shutout baseball.

Basilio Macias got the win thanks to support from the Yetis' offense in Oslo's 10-4 snowing of Rio, and Adrian Pessoa became the first closer to 4 saves, blanking Carlsbad in the 9th with two strikeouts in the 9th in Kalmazoo's 4-3 victory.

2B Christian Pines hit a walkoff homer in the bottom of the 12th to give Tulsa the 4-3 win over sad-sack Santa Fe. The Chilis were anything but hot. London ended their losing streak by nipping Pretoria 3-2.

Game of the Day Appearances Through 12 Games
Athens Minotaurs: 4
London Rippers: 3
Carlsbad Cyclones: 2
Lagos Jackals: 2
Santiago Purple Sharks: 2
Corpus Christi Sharks: 1
Phoenix Phoenix: 1
Pretoria Ghosts: 1
Rio de Janeiro Fire Frogs: 1
Kalamazoo Growlers: 1
Oslo Yetis: 1
Pittsburgh Rhinos: 1
Savannah Bananas: 1
Tulsa Ninja Chickens: 1
Paris Cannons: 0
Santa Fe Chilis: 0

While the Featured Appearances list was still International League-top heavy, only the Cannons and the Chilis had yet to get their turn, prompting posts from C++ programmers across the globe, who accused the association of anti-C bias, studiously ignoring the alliterative Carlsbad Cyclones as the only Stars and Stripes team with two appearances.

[Izulde]

Game Day 12
For all their ineptitude, the Santa Fe Chilis did have one shining star in the early season - Brandon Ricco, who had a 2-0 record with 0.64 ERA in his first two starts. Not only did he have all of Santa Fe's wins, he was Player of the Game in both contests. He therefore became the logical centerpiece for the next Match of the Day, which meant only Paris was unfeatured. His opponent? The Ninja Chickens.


Note: The Chilis logo was resized after this and should appear larger and more clear in future features

The Chilis jammed the first score of the game in the top of the third, with Ricco hitting a single to drive in a run, and it was 3-0 before Santa Fe foolishly sent a runner who got picked off trying to steal second, rather than playing the patient game.

C James Vallone added his first career homer, a solo shot, in the 4th, then tacked on another one-run yarder in the top of the 9th to make it 5-0. Not that the Chilis needed him to atone for their recklessness - Ricco was on fire yet again, pitching 8 straight scoreless innings heading in to the bottom of the 9th.

One hit was all he surrendered in the bottom of the 9th, and there was the third straight Player of the Game award, moving to 3-0, with his first career hit, RBI, and shutout. Definitely a game to remember.

Also shut out: Paris (0-5 loss to Santiago, with just 2 hits all game); Kalamazoo (0-2 loss to Carlsbad, Cyclones SS Floyd Desouza hitting the 2-run homer that netted all the scoring)

Wilson Vazquez pitched a complete game of his own as the Yetis snuffed out the Fire Frogs 5-1. No surprise to see yet another Oslo pitcher get some distinction.

Two triples carried Athens 4-1 over Lagos, but Nashi-n Basho sustained a hip injury in the process. Hard luck for the Minotaurs in the injury department, but they were still tied with the Yetis for the European Division anyway.

Interesting game of pitching and defense in the Phoenix v. the Bananas - Phoenix scored 1 in the 1st, and that was it until the bottom of the 9th, when Savannah came back to score 2 and win.