June 4, 2063 — Not Fool's Gold?
“Whilst most teams are finding their level,” wrote independent GBC reporter Boyd Flanagan (@RebelArmy) recently, “one breath of fresh air are the Johannesburg Gold...hot on the heels of the Sydney Sharks. If Johannesburg do reach the playoffs, it'll be their first visit in their short history.”
It’s rare for anyone outside of Gauteng to notice the Gold in early June, and even rarer still for someone to say something nice. But Flanagan wasn’t wrong. Through two months of play, Johannesburg’s combination of timely hitting, unspectacular-but-effective pitching (on select days), and a refusal to go away has made them one of the GBC’s surprise teams of the year.
That said, if last week is any indication, the fairytale may be entering its Act Two slump. A 2–4 stretch against São Paulo and Tokyo showed both the promise and the peril of this team: capable of hanging with powerhouses, but still vulnerable to the long inning, the short start, or the occasional ninth-inning heartbreak.
“I don’t think anyone expected us to cruise through the Pearls,” GM Graham Luna said after Sunday’s wild 11–10 win in Sydney. “That’s a club playing chess at a poker table. But we played ‘em tough. We showed up. The question is whether we keep doing that when the spotlight’s not on.”
When asked for his two-month report card, Luna grinned. “We’re a C+ group that thinks like an A- team. That’s a win in my book.”
The week began with a heatwave in São Paulo, and not just the weather. The Gold scored ten runs on Tuesday, but still lost a chaotic slugfest that featured three blown leads and a bullpen that seemed determined to test the crowd’s pacemakers. Adam MacDonald homered and drove in three, but Johannesburg pitchers issued nine walks and got burned for it. A day later, São Paulo’s Kakapa Holakio went full supernova, smashing two home runs, and Taylor Barfoot walked it off in the ninth to send the Gold packing again.
After a merciful travel day back to Johannesburg, the club rebounded Friday with a scrappy 9–7 win over Tokyo. Recent call-up Essam bin Eisa came through with a clutch RBI single, and a late defensive blunder by the Pearls cracked the game open. But the visitors regrouped over the weekend and flexed their muscle. On Saturday, the Pearl's Afzul Chishti struck out 11 over 7 innings and left the Gold lineup looking like they were swinging underwater. Then on Sunday, Tokyo's Ferid Kelueljang delivered a go-ahead single in extra innings to hand the Gold a second straight loss.
Just when it seemed the week would end in disappointment, Johannesburg landed in Sydney and pulled off one of their wildest wins of the year. The 11–10 victory over the division-leading Sharks featured four lead changes, three errors, and at least one infielder nearly vomiting during a mound visit (not confirmed, but highly suspected). James Belinda reached base three times, and the always electric Fareed bin Sa'eed slapped a clutch two-run single to seal the game and preserve the team’s winning record at 32–28.
They may not be perfect, but they’re still ahead of pace and still very much alive in a playoff picture as unpredictable as a Cape Town storm.
* * * * *
All-Star voting opens soon, assuming the ballot boxes aren’t rerouted to some distant port. Johannesburg is expected to mount a potentially meme-heavy campaign for several of its breakout stars, led by the league's best catcher, Simao Hayagawa.
Word has it that fans across the entire GBC can expect some envelope-pushing promotional material from the club’s social intern, Mal Gertz. Last year’s “Big MacDonald $2 Burger” pitch still has lingering Instagram comments and at least two cease-and-desist letters from international fast food conglomerates.
* * * * *
There’s a reason the Gold are still in the hunt, thanks to some recent hot streaks coming from the mound. Kiminobu Seki has been Johannesburg’s rock, crafting a 2.33 ERA over his last five starts while managing to avoid both the long ball and the long inning. Right behind him is Jeff Bannon, who’s found his rhythm with a 2.92 ERA across his last two outings and remains the club’s best free agency addition.
At the plate, few hitters have been hotter than Callum Montgomerie, who seems to have rediscovered his timing in a big way. He’s batting .406 over the past two weeks, with four home runs and six RBIs. When Montgomerie’s dialed in, the crack off his bat sounds like a different sport entirely.
But not everything’s running smoothly in the mines. Veteran reliever Claudio Garcia has been a walking (and occasionally sprinting) hazard lately, posting a 9.72 ERA over his last 12 appearances. Ramon Ayala hasn’t fared much better. Since announcing his retirement at season's end, he’s pitched like a man who already owns a rocking chair, logging a 9.19 ERA in nine recent appearances. Rumor has it the team may be considering designating the 38-year-old for assignment to open a roster spot. And then there’s Juan Garza, the BBA veteran who dazzled in his GBC debut before reality came crashing down like a botched pop-up: two starts that lasted three innings or less, thirteen earned runs, and one very lost look during a mound visit.
* * * * *
With Rookie Ball launching this week, attention now turns to the Qingdao Timber Rattlers, home to a fresh crop of 2063 draftees and wild optimism. Leading the way is 17-year-old Salesi Tuati, a 6'7" second baseman with fast twitch muscles that defy physics and a haircut that defies explanation.
The entire Johannesburg minor league system is thriving, sporting a collective .603 winning percentage. But the crown jewel right now is the Single-A Hiroshima Carp, sitting pretty at 33–9. With a division-leading offense (#1 in runs scored) and pitching (#1 in SP ERA), they’ve become the early darlings of the developmental circuit. While off the pace of the BBA's Phoenix Talons's Single-A affiliate's record-setting 124-16 last year, the team and Johannesburg front office are happy with the early returns.
We’ll dive deeper into the farm system next week with a full report the minor league goings-ons, but for now, it’s safe to say the future is bright.
Until then,
—Jakob