9-News: 42.110 – McNeill’s September Sizzles

[RonCo]

Off Topic

Star Passes Owner

October 4, 2042: Yellow Springs – At 35 years old, Lucas McNeill was concerned as recently as the end of July that his Hall of Fame career may well be in trouble. He’d already been struggling, and then he tweaked a hamstring running out a ground ball. After trying to play through it, the team eventually set him down on the DL. Perhaps the two week mid-summer vacation helped get that 35-year-old body together again, because from the moment he’s been back, Lucas McNeill has looked a lot like the kid that played maybe ten years prior.

In 124 August and September at bats, McNeill has clubbed 11 homers, 9 doubles and 2 triples. He’s driven in 31 runs and been on base at about a .380 clip.

If he keeps hitting like that things start to look a little different.

It is, perhaps, worth noting that much of this surge has happened after McNeill was moved from his natural #3 slot down to both the clean-up role and more often the 5th slot.

“It’s a little weird,” McNeill said. “After all these years I almost go up there in the #3 slot by muscle memory. I feel pretty all right, though. I’m seeing the ball pretty good.”


McNeill Passes Bosses Boss

YS9 fans are used to seeing Lucas McNeill at the top of various leader boards, but this last one was a doozy. As he finished this season, McNeill’s career WAR total rose to 72.6. It’s a total that leaves him #41 on the all-time BBA list, but even more important, it’s 1.2 more than YS9 owner (and Hall of Famer) Bo Jordan’s 71.4.

“It’s fun to think about,” McNeill joked. “But I don’t think it’s in my best interest to dwell on it too long.”

Jordan sent McNeill a congratulatory text. “Keep it up,” he is reported to have said. “Four more years!”