61.27 Montreal Offense Awakens as Underdog Blazers Win Geoghegan Series
Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 11:05 am
The much-maligned Blazers' offense, ranked last in the Johnson League by almost every metric, came to life in the first round of the playoffs, scoring 32 runs in four games to propel the team to victory in the Geoghegan Series. They did this against a Gamblers' pitching rotation that ranked second in the league.
Dan 'Tangles' Wilkinson
Montreal team captain and first baseman Dan Wilkinson was named series MVP. He hit .353 with three doubles, a home run, and six RBIs. Left fielder Clancy Lee hit .294 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Centerfielder Ed Rooney, a mid-season acquisition, hit .294 with two home runs. Veteran catcher Calvin Johnson and shortstop Eduardo Galván each contributed five RBIs.
Starting pitchers Rashid Umrani (5-6, 5.64 ERA) and Peter Ramsey (9-7, 4.22 ERA) recorded quality starts in games three and four, respectively, each allowing only one run over six innings. José Barrón also gave the Blazers six innings in game two, allowing four earned runs.
Montreal almost salvaged game one. After seeing their starter get chased in the third inning and falling behind 6-0 after four innings, the Blazers battled back to tie the game in the ninth inning. They brought in closer Augusto Ayala for the bottom of the ninth, only to see him surrender a walk off home run to Gamblers' first baseman Tyler Ober, his third home run of the game.
Next up for the Blazers (84-78) are the Frontier Division champion Las Vegas Hustlers (101-61), who had a first round bye. Vegas is a team with no obvious weakness, ranking in the top three of almost every offensive category and first in almost every pitching category. Their defense ranks second in the Johnson League. Starting pitchers Jim Fleming (12-8, 3.78) and Carlos Berrera (16-5, 3.79) ranked first and second in the JL in pitching WAR, with Owen Geddes (14-8, 3.91) not far behind. Centerfielder Roberto Hampton led all JL centerfielders with a zone rating of 20.3.
Dan 'Tangles' Wilkinson
Montreal team captain and first baseman Dan Wilkinson was named series MVP. He hit .353 with three doubles, a home run, and six RBIs. Left fielder Clancy Lee hit .294 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Centerfielder Ed Rooney, a mid-season acquisition, hit .294 with two home runs. Veteran catcher Calvin Johnson and shortstop Eduardo Galván each contributed five RBIs.
Starting pitchers Rashid Umrani (5-6, 5.64 ERA) and Peter Ramsey (9-7, 4.22 ERA) recorded quality starts in games three and four, respectively, each allowing only one run over six innings. José Barrón also gave the Blazers six innings in game two, allowing four earned runs.
Montreal almost salvaged game one. After seeing their starter get chased in the third inning and falling behind 6-0 after four innings, the Blazers battled back to tie the game in the ninth inning. They brought in closer Augusto Ayala for the bottom of the ninth, only to see him surrender a walk off home run to Gamblers' first baseman Tyler Ober, his third home run of the game.
Next up for the Blazers (84-78) are the Frontier Division champion Las Vegas Hustlers (101-61), who had a first round bye. Vegas is a team with no obvious weakness, ranking in the top three of almost every offensive category and first in almost every pitching category. Their defense ranks second in the Johnson League. Starting pitchers Jim Fleming (12-8, 3.78) and Carlos Berrera (16-5, 3.79) ranked first and second in the JL in pitching WAR, with Owen Geddes (14-8, 3.91) not far behind. Centerfielder Roberto Hampton led all JL centerfielders with a zone rating of 20.3.