Crusaders News! 2035.36 - Team of Destiny?

[Ted]

One More Time!
October 29th, 2035
Offen Sichtlich der Kunstgriff

So Crusaders fans, I've been pushing the whole team of destiny thing in these last couple posts. I'm not sure who said it first. Someone brought it up when we were halfway through the season, and on a huge roll. But it feels right, you know? After a few years of having nearly identical teams, teams that felt like they should have been better, disappointing playoff losses, this time it just has felt different. Every hurdle that tripped us up, conquered. An improbable comeback against the defending champs in round one was followed by another comeback against the Calgary Pinoeers. And old man Ricardo Diaz. Oh man. Old man Diaz.

Game 1 Ricardo Diaz versus Randall Thomas - The heroics by the starting pitching staff in games 5, 6, and 7 of the Doubleday really put our Crusaders in a though spot. Jaime Mercado, who got roughed up for 11 runs of 10.1 innings against San Fernando was option one. Option two was the 37 year old legend Ricardo Diaz, who didn't get a start in the Doubleday, and has gracefully transitioned to a fifth/emergency playoff starter role. Manager Alberto Franco looked at all the Pioneers right handed bats, and handed the ball to Diaz, hoping that the well wasn't dry. The bats looked determined to give the old warhorse a chance, scoring two in the bottom of the first after Diaz induced three flyouts in the first. Esteban Cuervo launched a two run shot to left scoring Claudio Defazio. Diaz struggled in the second and third, giving up a two run shot to Santiago Sanchez and a sac fly to Juan Karyabwhite. Our Crusaders had scored a run of their own in the bottom of the second when Jesus Flores doubled and eventually scored. IN the bottom of the third, Esteban Curvo reached on a single, stole second and third. After a walk to Flynn Johnson, Newman Watson put a 2-1 pitch in the air to tight, deep enough to score the speedy Cuervo. 4-3 Crusaders! And Diaz was done giving up leads. He also didn't give up the baseball. The old man's final line? 9 innings, 127 pitches. 5 hits. 3 runs. 2 walks. 4 strikeouts. It wasn't vintage Ricardo Diaz, but it was on the of the most gritty, relentless playoff performances I've ever seen. With his Crusaders in desperate straits, Diaz turned in an effort that says everything anyone ever needed to know about why he was the most dominant pitcher of his generation.

Game 2 Luis Gracia versus Cristobal Hernandez - What a marque pitching matchup! I was pretty pumped. As it turns out though, Luis Gracia can't win 'em all. The Doubleday hero DID turn in a complete game, giving up only three runs. But Hernandez only allowed two runs through eight. This one was frustrating. The Crusaders out hit the Pioneers eight to five, but couldn't string enough of those together to do any damage. Pioneers win 3-2.

Game 3 - Jimmy Greenwood versus Miguel Ramos - Man, we needed a win here. First game in Calgary. Don't want to be down again in a series. Unfortunately, Miguel Ramos still seemed to be struggling with consistency. The Pioneers and Crusaders traded solo shots from Nico Eijpe and Mauro Garcia in the third, and Ramos took the mound in a tied game in the bottom of the 5th. The the wheels fell off. Or .. um .. whatever falls off starting pitchers when they get clobbered. Cesar Flores lead off the inning with a solo home run. Then Ramos gave up a single and a double to Garcia and Bilbo Baggins. Mario Soriano grounded out, but then Francisco Marin and Juan Karyabwhite singled scoring Garcia and Baggins. 4-1 Pioneers. There would have been runners on first and second with one out. Flores had given up five hits at this point and looked like dead meat. Fortunately, Calgary ran themseleves out of the innings. ON the prviously mentioned single, Marin got thrown out heading for third. Then Karyabwhite got thrown out on a steal attempt by Chip Saunders at second with Rupert Grant batting. Wow! The Pioneers two dumb base running mistakes were probably the onyl thing that kept them from blowing this game wide open. As it turns out, it wouldn't matter. Ramos would give up two more runs before coming out in the eighth. I can tell you. I .. um .. could have appreciated a quicker hook on Ramos, but well .. Franco seems to have pushed all the right buttons so far.. Maybe he figured Greenwood was dealing, we've lost this one, why waste the 'pen? I dunno. This is the playoffs!!! So on to game four, down 2-1. Offie had hope this time though!

Game 4 Noonien Soong versus Cisco Morales
Have to get this one guys! We can't go down 3-1 again. Jesus Flores definitely got the message, leading off the game with a homer! Cris Vazquez doubled and scored on a Ippolito Basaglia double. 2-0 Crusaders! The teams traded one run innings and Morales took the mound in the bottom of the fifth with a 3-1 lead. After getting Sanchez to ground out, he got into trouble. Single for Baggins. Double for Soriano. Double for Marin. Single by Karyabwhite. Not again! Offie just watched this yesterday! Rupert Grant at the plate, but this time the Pioneers didn't run him out of the innings. Instead Morales struck him out! And then induced a Jose Rios popup to get out of the inning. 4-3 Pioneers. Morales appeared to have righted the ship, and three three more scoreless innings. Soong also made it to the seventh and started things off with a Defazio ground out. But that was the last out he;d get. Flores and Seabara singled before the Pioneers turned to the pen, giving the game to Hector Perez who got out of the innings without any damage. I thought, "That's it. That was our best chance." But in the bottom of the eight, it was our Crusaders turn for a hit parade! Basaglia lead off with a double over Soriano's head! Bryan Robson singled! First and third, nobody out! John Corchran, who has been just awful (sorry John, but it's true) ripped the ninth pitch of his at bat past first base to score Basaglia. We're tied! Esteban Cuervo up to bat. He's been on fire! Offie is unable to sit still. The count gets to 3-1. Cuervo hit the ball on the ground to the right side of the infield ... and beats it out! Robson scores! Still nobody out. Defazio up. And bunts. Into a double play. Whaaa ... Why? What the heck? So Fernando Moreno comes to the plate with two on, two out and promptly gets down 0-2. But he worked the count back to 2-2, and hit the fifth pitch in the air to the left field gap ... and it kept going ... and going .. and just made it over the wall (measured at 365 feet). 7-4 Crusaders! Oscar Borlase, Reynaldo Garza and Guus Alberink took over for Morales to nail down the win. Crusaders win! Bring on game five!

Game 5 Randall Thomas versus Jaime Mercado - Mercado wasn't great, but didn't have to be. The Crusaders jumped all over Thomas, scoring five in the second, and two in the third, knocking him out of the game. They didn't stop there. Three more Calgary relievers got knocked around for 3 runs apiece. Moreno provided a grand slam in the sixth inning for an encore of his game four heroics. Robson had the only other home run but the Crusaders tallied 17 hits. Robson and Defazio had three apiece. Crusaders win 16-5 in an emphatic statement about the future of this series.

Game 6 Gracia versus Hernandez again. - Crusaders fans, I just felt it. I knew the Pioneers couldn't beat Gracia twice in one series. It was our turn to rough up their ace. Or maybe not. Though five innings Hernandez and Gracia were nearly unhittable. Then in the top of the six Gracia agve up a two out single to Franciso Marin, who I have to say, I was getting really tired of at this point. It feels like was right in the middle of every Pioneers rally. Sure enough, Karyabwhite double to score Marin. But unlike his rotation mates, Gracia shut down the rally immediately by getting Grant to fly out. Okay. Whew! Minimal damage, but Hernandez was dealing. Can we come back again? Off of the Pioneers ace? Well, Defazio lined out to start the inning, but Esteban Cuerco wasn't done with his own heroics. With the count 2-2, Cuervo launched a Hernandez offering 407 feet to left. the game was tied! Flynn Johnson was up .. and flied out. So two outs, would Hernandez stop his own rally? Who are the next two California batters? Newman Watson and Fernando Moreno! What do those two do every tine? Watson singles! Fernando homers! Crusaders lead 3-1! Gracia struck out the side in the top of the seventh, but thee Crusaders weren't done with Hernandez in the bottom of the frame. Robson singled, then Hernandez struck out the next batter and was done. Esteban Ortiz came in and got Eijpe to strike out, but Defazio walked and Atilio Seabra pinch hit to face the lefty and doubled! Two more runs score! California up 5-1. Gracia got the first tow in the top of the eighth, and yield to Garza who finished off the win. Te Crusaders added another tun to win the game 6-1 and the series 4-2. On to the Landis!

Wow! What a series! Congrats to the Pioneers on a great season. Congrats to our Crusaders on a league championship! But we're not done. Next up is Rockville. And well .. they are good. Really good. Frankly, friends, they are better, or at least more talented. They pitch just as well as we do. They hit a ton. They defend. They are, by all measurements, a Juggernaut. But you know what? They are NOT the team of destiny! That's us. So on to the Landis. Bring on Goliath! Go Crusaders!