The City of a thousand Minarets (2039-11)

[Fat Nige]

October 6th 2039

With one game left in the regular season Cairo now know their opponents in the League Championship series and perhaps it is surprising. Bagdad had come up the rails with a late run, had the fixtures in their favour and the bookies had them odds-on to upset Manama’s apple cart. It didn’t go to plan though and all over the Middle East Kings fans can be seen shaking their heads and wondering just how Bagdad had blown it.

Taking the final series of September 2-1 against Cairo the Kings were already printing their playoff T-Shirts, but suddenly it all went wrong. Entering the first day of October, a win against Istanbul catapulted Bagdad a game clear in the Wildcard race as Manama lost in Cairo. A loss to Istanbul didn’t change anything as Manama again went down to Cairo. A second successive loss to the Bosphorus levelled the race again as Manama grabbed a one-run win in their final game in Cairo. The Pearls and the Kings assembled at the Ballpark of Bagdad for a winner take all series. Both had a 77-82 record and Bagdad were looking to use their home field advantage to complete that last minute sneak up the rails. The home side led 2-0 after six and the ground echoed to the rhythmic beat of their drums, but the Pearls got to the Bagdad starter, Nicholas Vankrimpen in the eighth. Two doubles helped to plate three runs and Manama had snatched game one of the series and a precious one-game lead in the race for the wildcard. Bagdad were shell-shocked and just couldn’t recover the next day. Manama, determined to seal the playoff spot that for so long they had counted their own, went out and battered the Kings. Outhitting the home side 15-5 the Pearls were ruthless and ran out 12-0 winners. The team, staff and supporters from Manama partied long and hard on the field as the home side’s supporters slunk away and their players packed away their kit unable to believe that their dream was over. Today they once more must face Manama for the final time, but now it didn’t matter anymore – Manama would face the Chariot Archers in the BURT League Championship Series.

Meanwhile Cairo, free from any playoff races, rotated their players in the final three series. A 2-1 series loss in Bagdad didn’t see a single pitcher on the mound that would be in the rotation come the post season. The Chariot Archers returned home to take two out of three against Manama and thump Istanbul 5-1 and 8-0. With regular long man Santiago Rivera on the mound for the final game of the regular season today, the rotation is all lined up for the playoffs against Manama.

Not doing so well is the African Baseball Alliance’s Nairobi Drifters. Down 3-2 in the World Series they scored three bottom of the seventh runs to come from behind in Game Six to win 6-4 and force a Game 7. Matt Hansen (19-5, 2.73 in the regular season) took the mound for the Drifters but he just didn’t have his stuff on the day. Luanda knocked him out of the game in the fifth innings with the visitors leading 5-1, the bullpen couldn’t do any better and the Anglers clinched the World Series Championship with a 10-3 win.

September though was a good month for Cairo in terms of awards. Adrian Young collected the BURT league Batter of the Month award while former Louisville pitcher Abel Gibson added the Pitcher of the Month award for Cairo, the clean sweep was completed by Young’s second trophy as he was named the BURT league Rookie of the Month. Adrian Young might have missed nearly two months of the season with injury but he has also collected four player of the week awards to go with these two September awards