2063.04 - The Long Beach Independent - Tombstone Geckos

[Lane]

GECKOS WIN PENNANT
Fall to the Best Team Ever, but season a success.

The Tombstone Geckos were not able to keep pace with the Springdale Roosters (NSH) but they took care of business against them in the first round of the Charlie Pegler League playoffs. A sweep of the Topeka Thunderbears (ROS) in the Garden Cup won the Geckos the pennant. The championship Pegler Series was of course a matchup against the undisputed Best Team Ever, the vaunted Toledo Liberty.

It was a hard fought series, with the teams trading wins in the first four games, forcing a deciding Game 5. Toledo starting pitcher Lawrence Forest shut down the league's best offense (886 runs) over 7.1 scoreless innings. The Gecko offense was shut out, with the Liberty taking the final game 6-0.

Following the series, the team received the exciting news that Jose Rinlon was selected as the unanimous winner of the Provost League Sixto Mazzola Batter Award. In 136 games, Rinlon hit .336/.414/.651 with 45 HR, 128 RBI and 111 runs scored. Rinlon set the Tombstone record for Home Runs, Total Bases, and RBI in his stellar season.

His teammate Juan Mir was third in the voting. In 119 games, Mir hit .317/.405/.578 with 22 home runs and 76 RBI.

It look as though the organization's new approach to winning in the minor leagues has found immediate success and we look forward to seeing this strategy extend to more teams in the system.

[BaseClogger]

Rinlon is a name to keep an eye on in the pacific.