2040.04 - Playoff bound? Part 1

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It's that time of year where each and every game matters. Will the Bosphorus give their fans the first playoff appearance in franchise history? Will they fall apart in September?

09/01/2040 - Impalers Slip Past Istanbul, 5-4
The Istanbul Bosphorus got a superb performance from pitcher Bernardino Bertoletti. Still, it wasn't enough to beat Bucharest. The Impalers won the game, 5-4. In spite of the loss, Bertoletti was named the player of the game. He threw 8 innings of 7-hit ball. Rob Snyder picked up the win in relief, improving his record to 2-5. George House was tagged with the loss. Bucharest now has a 3-game win streak, Istanbul a 5 game losing streak.

Late-game drama came in the bottom of the tenth inning. With no one out and a runner on 1st, the batter, Mike McCain, hit a double. It helped Bucharest seize the win.

"Honestly, I'm not frustrated," said Istanbul manager Pete Withers. "The effort was great."

09/03/2040 - Hebrew Hammers Edge Past Bosphorus, 4-3
The Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers defeated the Istanbul Bosphorus, 4-3. Earning player of the game honors was third baseman Kazuo Yamamoto, who went 4 for 5 with a home run and 3 singles. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. Dean Oulton got credit for the win, improving to 7-3. He allowed no runs on 3 hits in 2 innings. Brian Soper notched his 10th save in 12 chances.

Flynn Johnson made it 4-3 in favor of Jerusalem when he delivered a run-scoring single. It came with one out in the top of the tenth. The red-hot Hebrew Hammers went on to win.

"Been a rough stretch for us," said Istanbul manager Pete Withers.

The current losing streak for Istanbul has reached 6 games.

09/04/2040 - Hebrew Hammers Need Extra Frames to Get Past Bosphorus
The Istanbul Bosphorus got a sterling performance from pitcher Anastasio López, but the Hebrew Hammers still prevailed, 6-1. López was named the player of the game in a losing cause. He threw 7 innings of 4-hit ball. The slumping Bosphorus have dropped 7 in a row.

José Sánchez made it 2-1 in favor of Jerusalem when he delivered a run-scoring single. It came with one out in the top of the tenth. The red-hot Hebrew Hammers went on to win.

"We've hit a rough patch right now," said Istanbul skipper Pete Withers.

09/05/2040 - Bosphorus Come Back Late to Top Hebrew Hammers
The Istanbul Bosphorus beat the Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers, 7-4, at Istanbul Grounds. The win was largely due to the efforts of first baseman Patrick Lue, who captured player of the game honors. He went 2 for 4 with a home run and a double. He drove in 6 runs and scored once. Istanbul currently is in third place in the Burt League at 58-77.

Lue had a game-changing home run in the bottom of the ninth. On a 1-2 fastball from Brian Soper, he banged a grand slam home run to left, giving the Bosphorus a 7-4 lead. It was the 23rd home run of the year for Lue.

In postgame comments to the Istanbul Chronicle, Lue said, "If the effort is there, the wins will come."

09/06/2040 - Metro Stars Lose, 7-4, at Istanbul Grounds
The Mumbai Metro Stars got a superb performance from second baseman Michael McCarthy. Still, it wasn't enough to beat Istanbul. The Bosphorus won the game, 7-4. In spite of the loss, McCarthy was named the player of the game. He went 3 for 3 with 3 singles and a walk. Bras Gesteiras was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 27 of 34 save opportunities. Istanbul currently is in third place in the Burt League at 59-77.

In the bottom of the first, Juan Rodríguez hit a 3-run home run for Istanbul. The 8th home run of the season for the Istanbul second baseman put the Bosphorus on top, 3-0.

"We put a lot of pressure on ourselves," Rodríguez told a Istanbul Chronicle reporter. "Sometimes we need just to relax."

09/07/2040 - Victory Pushes Metro Stars Record to 71-66
Mumbai right-hander Motoichi Fujita made an effective start against the Istanbul Bosphorus at Istanbul Grounds, leading his team to a 7-4 win. Fujita got the win, improving to 10-7. He allowed 6 hits and walked 3 over 5.1 innings. Fujita allowed 3 earned runs. Mike Manning converted his 35th save in 40 tries.

Steve Kennedy chipped in for Mumbai, stroking a crucial 2-run double in the top of the first inning. For the game, the first baseman went 2-4 with a double, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once.

"We put it together today and came out with the win," Fujita said in postgame remarks. "That's the main thing."

The Metro Stars sit in third place in the Bancroft League with a record of 71-66.

Istanbul sits 6 games behind division leading Cairo Chariot Archers BC and 2 games behind Manama Pearls for the single wildcard with 25 games remaining.

They continue their 3 game series with Mumbai tomorrow before having a 6 game home-stand with 3 games vs Beirut (71-66) and 3 games vs Bucharest (82-55). Wildcard leader Manama finishes their 3 game series vs Beirut tomorrow before hosting Bucharest for 3 games followed by 3 vs Bancroft leading Jerusalem.