2041 Doubleday Series:Louisville Sluggers vs. Yellow Springs Nine

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2041 Doubleday Series:Louisville Sluggers vs. Yellow Springs Nine

Post by lordtoffee » Tue Mar 03, 2020 12:16 am

Since the last playoff preview I did got a lot of rave reviews, I'll try to do one from the other side of the bracket. The Doubleday round is the best round of the year, since the two division winners in each league come out to protect their home field. In this playoff preview, we will be taking a look at the series between longtime rivals in the Louisville Sluggers and the Yellow Springs Nine.

The Records
Louisville: (93-69, 2nd in Heartland)
Yellow Springs: (98-69, Champions of Heartland)

How did they reach the Doubleday Series?
The Sluggers started their playoff journey by facing off against the Nashville Bluebirds. After dropping Game 1 at home, it looked dicey for the Sluggers when Game 2 went into extras. Kentucky Truck Plant Stadium was nervous, and you could hear Yellow Springs fans starting to come up with some witty trash talk if the Bluebirds could get it done. Alas, it was not to be for the Bluebirds. Like a lighthouse to a mariner on a stormy lake, Sluggers DH/LF Justin Jackson hit a single to even the series, and send the Commonwealth of Kentucky into ecstasy. And so, hope was restored to the Sluggers, while the Bluebirds faced a long trip back to Nashville. Armed with this momentum, and with a big dash of series MVP Carlos Reyes hitting .375, the Sluggers would take two games in Nashville to set up a rivalry series that is as gripping as any great Broadway drama.

The Nine had a bye thanks to winning the Heartland, and are fully rested and ready to go on another playoff journey. It was an interesting year for the Nine, as they won the Heartland and pulled away from what looked like a tight race. The Nine are led by the young phenom Carlos Pineda, who was brought up last year and joined the Nine full-time this year. His changeup is just pure filth, and is a weapon that is feared the league over. His secondary out pitch is a slider that has a sharp break, and is well disguised with his changeup. Make no mistake about it, Pineda looks like a generational pitcher if he stays healthy and continues to improve. On offense, the team was led by Dong-po Thum, their leadoff hitter and 3B. Thum is well-known for his speed and his arm at third, and will always be the first man that opposing starters have to face in the first inning. If he can help the Nine end their tortured history of playoff heartbreak, Thum will never have to worry about paying for anything in Yellow Springs.

How did they do against each other?
Louisville went 8-6 against Yellow Springs this year, and it should give hope to Sluggers fans. The Nine are the best team in the Frick based on their awesome run totals both offensively and defensively. It's at this point that I have to more fully acknowledge the elephant in the room. Yellow Springs continually make the playoffs, but have found ways to deny their fans. If I was a fan of the Nine, I would even say there is a curse on them. And the Sluggers fans know this. The Sluggers have their two rings, and because of the nature of the rivalry I am pretty sure that you are not allowed to refer to Stu Holden or the Genius in Yellow Springs. Ron Collins has done a fantastic job with the Nine, consistently being a contender and being a GM that can consistently develop and sign players that become major factors in Yellow Springs. Stephen Shaw was one of the first UMEBA alum GM hires in the league, and he is looking to try and win his first Landis to go along with the 2038 Elite Cup with Daytona Beach in the FPL. Will it be the GM that can develop talent at a legendary level or the GM that could step out from the Genius sized shadow that hangs over Louisville?

What will be the key game in the series?
Good question, the key is not one individual game, but what will the Yellow Springs crowd do in the Nine home games? The fans at Utopia Field know their baseball, and have packed the stadium for years. What we don't know is how they will respond to a bit of adversity for the Nine. There are younger players on the Nine that haven't had the emotional scar tissue, and they can control the outcome. What the fans need to do at Utopia Field is to be able to stay loud and positive, and maybe the Nine are going to need to do something to make sure that this team can end the curse.

Who wins? Who is the series MVP?

I have the Nine in 5. I know that the Sluggers are going to be determined, but the Nine are just a beastly team. The nature of the rivalry means that all the games will be close, and I am going to go with Thum. He is going to get on base and drive the Sluggers batty.

Will you do previews for the Cartwright Cup?
We shall see. Thanks for reading this preview.
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Re: 2041 Doubleday Series:Louisville Sluggers vs. Yellow Springs Nine

Post by jleddy » Tue Mar 03, 2020 1:05 am

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Re: 2041 Doubleday Series:Louisville Sluggers vs. Yellow Springs Nine

Post by Fat Nige » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:20 am

Well done, a good read
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Re: 2041 Doubleday Series:Louisville Sluggers vs. Yellow Springs Nine

Post by RonCo » Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:27 am

Good preview... you have guts.
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Re: 2041 Doubleday Series:Louisville Sluggers vs. Yellow Springs Nine

Post by bschr682 » Tue Mar 03, 2020 10:22 am

hmmm I would think if OOTP is going to be cruel to Ron yet again he would smash Louisville in a sweep giving his fans some hope only to be crushed in the next round...
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Re: 2041 Doubleday Series:Louisville Sluggers vs. Yellow Springs Nine

Post by RonCo » Tue Mar 03, 2020 11:00 am

It's Loserville. The game knows.
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