Blowing in the Wind 2057.6: Jacksonville Loses Three One-Run Games, Out of Playoffs

[aaronweiner]

Ouch. After making a big deal of the team's experience in big games, Jacksonville managed to somehow choke in three straight to knock themselves out of the 2057 playoffs, losing two fourteen-plus inning games in Montreal and then stranding the tying run on second base in the bottom of the ninth inning in the third game after Jim Hopewell was caught trying to score from third base with one out. Three one run games - which will go down as Jacksonville being swept out of the playoffs in what might be their best chance for a while.

"It's hard to believe it went down like that," said Hopewell, who had a down year for the Hurricanes but had a great series for them in the Geoghegan. "A cheap groundout and I couldn't get from third to home, and that was just all there was. It's heartbreaking, and it would have felt like redemption after the year I'd had."

It was a tough series loss for the Hurricanes, who saw Arthur Dunn blow a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth in Game 2 on a miracle Mike LeBlanc two-run home run with two outs. LeBlanc, one of the biggest draft busts of all time, has three career home runs in 900 at bats and had zero major league homers in 2057 before popping one into the stands. It seemed to take the wind out of Jacksonville's sails, as they didn't manage a single baserunner for the rest of the 15-inning marathon.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said LeBlanc. "I knew I'd gotten a hold of it but the ball kept going and going and just never stopped going. It's easily the biggest hit of my career by far."

It's hard to imagine what might have happened if Jacksonville had won that Game 2, but those are the twists and turns that make the game great. Now, the Hurricanes will have to face an difficult offseason. Their lineup core is aging and the core of their pitching staff has opt-outs after next season. A number of their key reserves are free agents this year. Financially the team lost money this year, though owner Tuck Friar has deep pockets and will probably restore the operating budget. Questions abound for the Hurricanes, and it will be interesting to see how they sort through them.

"It's always hard to see a series that we could have won slip away by such slight margins," said Jacksonville GM Aaron Weiner. "Obviously we have a lot of difficult decisions and tough choices next year, especially since we won the wild card by such a slim margin this year. We'll just try to do the right thing for the fans, like always."

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