Buckle up, the last week of the season is looking like a wild ride. We’ll get to that in a minute, but first we’ll look at how we got here.
On Monday, the Flyers played the 3rd game of their series in Atlantic City. Chris McFadden gave Charlotte an early lead with a 2 run double in the 3rd inning. Little Johnny Rasmussen pitched well and left the game with a 1 run lead with 2 out and a runner on 1st in the 8th inning. Jim Thompson couldn’t keep the run from scoring and the game ended up going to extra innings in a 2-2 tie. Alejandro Chavez, who entered the game to get the final out in the bottom of the 9th, came back to the mound to start the 11th. He allowed the first two batters to reach base before being pulled. The next batter hit a 3 run bomb and the Gamblers won the game 5-2. Other meaningful games on Monday: Rockville overcame a late charge from Montreal and then scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th to walk it off for a 9-8 win. Phoenix blew out San Antonio 10-1. Brooklyn beat Charm City 8-7 in 10 innings. Jacksonville beat New Orleans 7-3. Calgary beat Las Vegas 8-7.
At the end of the day, Charlotte still trailed Las Vegas for the final wildcard spot by 1 game.
On Tuesday, Mauro Mendoza allowed 1 hit in 7 scoreless innings as the Flyers beat the Gamblers 3-0. It was Mendoza’s 10th win of the season. Tom Bates had 3 hits and drove in a run in the game. Other meaningful games: Montreal beat Rockville 6-1. Charm City beat Brooklyn 9-3. San Antonio beat Phoenix 5-4 with a walkoff. Jacksonville beat New Orleans 10-2. Las Vegas overcame a late surge by Clagary to earn a walkoff 5-4 win. Charlotte trailed Las Vegas by 1, New Orleans by 2, Phoenix by 3, Charm City by 4, and Montreal by 5.
Wednesday was a day off for all BBA teams.
Thursday, Charlotte started a 4 game series in Brooklyn. Juan Marroquin pitched a complete game and Banger Dan drove in 3 runs as the Flyers won 6-1. Other important games: Charm City won 8-0 over Atlantic City. Montreal lost 4-0 to New Orleans. Phoenix lost 8-5 in 13 innings to Rocky Mountain. Las Vegas won 3-2 against Boise. The Flyers were 1 game behind Las Vegas, 2 games behind New Orleans and Phoenix, and 4 games behind Montreal and Charm City.
Friday, Tadataka Yoshikawa went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI while Jim Fleming stayed undefeated as a member of the Flyers as Charlotte won 10-2. Other important games: Charm City beat Atlantic City 7-1. New Orleans beat Montreal 3-2. Phoenix destroyed Rocky Mountain 17-1. Las Vegas scored 6 in the 9th to beat Boise 6-4. Charlotte trailed Las Vegas by 1 game, New Orleans and Phoenix by 2, Montreal by 3, and Charm City by 4.
Saturday, Little Johnny pitched 7.1 scoreless innings to earn his 16th win of the year as Charlotte won 3-0. Other important games: Charm City beat Atlantic City 6-2 with a 4 run 9th. New Orleans beat Montreal 7-5, scoring all 7 runs from the 6th inning on. Rocky Mountain beat Phoenix 4-1. Boise beat Las Vegas 3-2. The Flyers were now tied with Las Vegas for the final wildcard spot with Phoenix 1 game ahead, New Orleans and Montreal 2 games ahead, and Charm City 4 games ahead.
Sunday marked Mauro Mendoza’s 11th win of the season and Alejandro Chavez’s 20th save as a Flyer as Charlotte won 5-2. Other important games: Charm City beat Atlantic City 4-2. Montreal beat New Orleans 4-2.Boise won 2-1 on a walkoff against Las Vegas. Phoenix beat Rocky Mountain 8-4. Charlotte leads Las Vegas by 1 game, holding the final wildcard spot. The Flyers are 1 game behind Phoenix and New Orleans, 2 games behind Montreal, and 4 games behind Charm City.
That brings us to the final week of the 2058 season. Each of the teams fighting for playoff position has 4 games remaining. The Flyers host Charm City for 4. Both teams have active 5 game winning streaks on the line. Montreal will play at Jacksonville for 4. Phoenix plays 4 at Mexico City. New Orleans hosts Rockville for 4. Las Vegas plays at Edmonton for 4. Just about anything could happen in this final week.
With only 2 of 6 playoff spots in the Johnson League clinched, the last 4 games are going to be a lot of fun to watch, but one of these teams and their fans will be heartbroken. Calgary are the Frontier champs and Charm City is in the playoffs. Beyond that, every playoff spot is up for grabs. If Charlotte were to sweep the Jimmies, there are 4 possible teams that could win the Atlantic. Keep your eyes on the Johnson League this week. The storylines and possible outcomes are going to be exciting all the way through the end of the season.