Cartwright Cup: RMO vs. CCJ
Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2023 7:27 pm
In 2044, Yellow Springs won 116 games—then a new record. Six years later, the Las Vegas Hustlers did them one better and won 116. Now comes 2055, and the Charm City Jimmies have gone and blown the door open with 120 wins in the regular season. They’ll be trying to do something else those two teams didn’t do, too—that being to win the whole thing. That’s right, the Nine, of course, did not win the Brewster in ’44 and neither did the Hustlers in ’50. Technicallt, the Jimmies are already ahead of the game because both YS9 and LV lost in the Doubleday Round those two years -- and here we are in the Cartwright.
And here lies Rocky Mountain and their Oysters.
On paper, it’s the bout that everyone thought should happen.
Goliath vs. Goliath, as it were.
Just that one Goliath is a little bigger than the next.
Offensively, it’s the #1 Oysters, and the #2 Jimmies.
It makes sense that Rocky Mountain would lead the league in offense. Their park is a pure high-altitude paradise and the humidor the oysters … er … balls … are maintained in often goes on the fritz. Whatever. Fiver Oysters hit more than 30 homers here. Three more were in triple digits, including Henri Charriere, who hadn’t hit double digits since 2045 before coming here. I mean. Imagine what Rich Dares could do in this park? Shudder.
It's not that surprising that the Jimmies are #2, either. Old Bay Park is a little lumber happy itself, so when I tell you Dave Ackerman, Tadataka Yoshikawa, and Kazunari Chikafuji all hit more than 45 homers this year, that may not come as much of a surprise. Three more guys hit more the 20.
If you think I’m saying this is going to be a lumber show, you’re probably right.
So the series probably hinges on whether the Rocky Mountain pitchers can keep the lid on the home run jar, because the Charm City rotation (and pen for that matter) is elite of elite. Will Wullenweber, Kelly, Hernandez, and Thompson be stout enough to get to the bullpen? Because park-adjusted, the Oyster pen has been top three, give or take. Maybe top four. In other words, good enough that in a short series anything can happen.
Will that happen? I don’t know, but I figure someone’s going to me guess before long.
I’m going to lean toward “no,” though.
I say that because on the CCJ side of the field, Hector Silva is looking more and more like a bonafide star as the days tick by. At 23, he’s young, and I suppose he could choke any time, but his numbers speak of a steady nature. In the #2 spot, Rannal Seldon has proven to keep baseballs in even very small parks, and the Suhayb and Buyoya is a combined 19-5. And whatever happens, the Oysters do not want to ever see closer Manuel Barrera with a lead.
The error margin for the Oysters is very small.
On the other hand, there’s still that thing, right, where the big-time winner goes down, because eventually the pressure gets too big or the worlds align in just the wrong way or someone’s favorite fortune teller casts the wrong spell on the wrong person, and then the wheels fall off and Yellow Springs implodes or Las Vegas chucks a wheel.
Will that happen here? Will the Biggest Goliath topple at the feet of the Smaller Goliath?
It could happen. Of course it could.
But my money has to be on Charm City … but just for fun, let’s say it grinds through all seven games.
And here lies Rocky Mountain and their Oysters.
On paper, it’s the bout that everyone thought should happen.
Goliath vs. Goliath, as it were.
Just that one Goliath is a little bigger than the next.
Offensively, it’s the #1 Oysters, and the #2 Jimmies.
It makes sense that Rocky Mountain would lead the league in offense. Their park is a pure high-altitude paradise and the humidor the oysters … er … balls … are maintained in often goes on the fritz. Whatever. Fiver Oysters hit more than 30 homers here. Three more were in triple digits, including Henri Charriere, who hadn’t hit double digits since 2045 before coming here. I mean. Imagine what Rich Dares could do in this park? Shudder.
It's not that surprising that the Jimmies are #2, either. Old Bay Park is a little lumber happy itself, so when I tell you Dave Ackerman, Tadataka Yoshikawa, and Kazunari Chikafuji all hit more than 45 homers this year, that may not come as much of a surprise. Three more guys hit more the 20.
If you think I’m saying this is going to be a lumber show, you’re probably right.
So the series probably hinges on whether the Rocky Mountain pitchers can keep the lid on the home run jar, because the Charm City rotation (and pen for that matter) is elite of elite. Will Wullenweber, Kelly, Hernandez, and Thompson be stout enough to get to the bullpen? Because park-adjusted, the Oyster pen has been top three, give or take. Maybe top four. In other words, good enough that in a short series anything can happen.
Will that happen? I don’t know, but I figure someone’s going to me guess before long.
I’m going to lean toward “no,” though.
I say that because on the CCJ side of the field, Hector Silva is looking more and more like a bonafide star as the days tick by. At 23, he’s young, and I suppose he could choke any time, but his numbers speak of a steady nature. In the #2 spot, Rannal Seldon has proven to keep baseballs in even very small parks, and the Suhayb and Buyoya is a combined 19-5. And whatever happens, the Oysters do not want to ever see closer Manuel Barrera with a lead.
The error margin for the Oysters is very small.
On the other hand, there’s still that thing, right, where the big-time winner goes down, because eventually the pressure gets too big or the worlds align in just the wrong way or someone’s favorite fortune teller casts the wrong spell on the wrong person, and then the wheels fall off and Yellow Springs implodes or Las Vegas chucks a wheel.
Will that happen here? Will the Biggest Goliath topple at the feet of the Smaller Goliath?
It could happen. Of course it could.
But my money has to be on Charm City … but just for fun, let’s say it grinds through all seven games.
