April 15, 2063 — Hope in The Holy Land
A funny thing happened on the way to irrelevance.
The Johannesburg Gold, our mercurial, maddening, mildly masochistic ballclub, may have stumbled into something resembling momentum. After an 2-5 start and an early April schedule that looked more like a gauntlet than a runway, the Gold finished this week with a 3-4 mark and the faintest whiff of hope in their travel bags as they departed Buenos Aires and touched down in Jerusalem.
They capped the week with a convincing 7-2 victory over the Hebrew Hammers at hallowed Hebron Park, behind a resurgent outing from embattled starter Aaron Bridges. Bridges, whose ERA had previously been bloated enough to be considered a safety hazard, carved through the Hammers for 6.1 innings of one-run ball. His 71 game score wasn’t just the best by a Gold starter this year; it was the first time all season a Gold pitcher could look in the mirror without flinching.
"I told myself this week: just throw the ball, let the defense work," Bridges said postgame. "Turns out, that actually works when the defense remembers their gloves."
He’s not wrong. The middle infield was a revolving door of misfortune earlier in the week, committing five errors across two games in Buenos Aires. But by Sunday, Johannesburg had turned four crisp double plays and looked, dare I say, functional. The defense may still have a long road ahead, but the progress was tangible. Credit where it’s due.
The week began in Cairo, where the Pharaohs outmuscled Johannesburg’s tired arms. Manny Ortiz was tagged for five runs in four innings in the opener, including a towering three-run blast by Zhao-hui Mei that put the Gold in a quick 4-0 hole. Ortiz, for all his electric potential, now sports an ERA north of 10.00. Fareed bin Sa'eed's two-run homer was a rare bright spot in that 5-3 loss.
The following night, Enrique Serrano of Cairo silenced the Gold bats completely, tossing seven scoreless innings in a 6-0 shutout. Johannesburg managed just three hits. Meanwhile, Bridges gave up three homers and five runs in five innings. There were whispers from the clubhouse that his spot in the rotation was in jeopardy. As you already know, he answered that speculation emphatically in Jerusalem.
From the sands of Cairo to the tango rhythms of Buenos Aires, the Gold hit a bit of turbulence. They dropped their opener to the Brisas 4-2, as the long ball continued to plague their pitching staff, as Ivan Martinez, who otherwise pitched decently, surrendered three solo shots. First baseman Hamza bin Uthman went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, and Adam MacDonald reached base four times. If moral victories counted in the standings, the Gold would be playoff-bound.
Then, finally, a win. Behind Max Dawe’s gritty effort (5.1 IP, 3 ER) and the continued hot bat of Simao Hayagawa (.350 AVG), the Gold eked out a 4-3 victory in the second game of the series. Prabhu Vogelsang contributed the go-ahead groundout, and reliever Husam bin Shareef slammed the door for his first save of the year.
The following night, a 4-3 loss reminded us all that baseball giveth, and baseball taketh away. Derek Folland, getting a rare start at third base, homered and notched two hits. But the bullpen couldn’t undo a shaky start by Kiminobu Seki, and defensive miscues once again reared their head, as Vogelsang and Rich Moore each made errors.
Still, the team didn’t fold. They rebounded with a 6-4 win in the series finale, powered by James Belinda’s three-hit night and a clutch two-run bomb by designated hitter Antonio Roman. Roman, whose bat had been missing in action most of the month, drilled a seventh-inning fastball into the Buenos Aires dusk, putting the Gold ahead for good.
That game also featured a pair of unsung heroes. Cesar Torres entered in the seventh with runners aboard and calmly extinguished the threat, tossing two scoreless innings and maintaining his perfect 0.00 ERA on the season. Said one scout: "He’s been nails. Probably our best bullpen arm."
On to Jerusalem, where the Gold grabbed a 7-2 win to end the week. The clash featured a three-hit game from Jesus Alvarez, three RBI from Roman, and MacDonald, who continues to provide rare life at the top of the order (.370 OBP), swiped his sixth bag of the early campaign.
The Gold now sit at 5-9. Not great, not good, but there are signs of life. The rotation is still finding its footing, but Dawe and Bridges showed poise. The bullpen is coalescing, particularly Torres and bin Shareef. Hayagawa and Belinda are steady bats, and bin Uthman continues to spray hits across the field like a man chasing a contract year.
There are still holes. Gilberto Ortiz is hitting .154. Fred Mailing is off to a 0-for-14 start to the year. The left side of the infield might as well be playing on roller skates. But for now, the team has emerged from the early storm cloud with a few things: a sense of fight, a better record, and -- dare we believe it -- a glimmer of hope.
They’ll need it. Next week: the final two games in Jerusalem before heading home for a seven-game homestead, kicking off agains São Paulo.
Hope, as they say, may be the thing with feathers. But in Johannesburg, it’s the thing with cleats, a beat-up glove, and a fresh roll of athletic tape.
Let’s see where it runs.
-Jakob