August 29, 2059
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
It was a pitch he’s made thousands of times, but the end result was different this time. After inducing a flyout to left field for the final out of the first inning against the Cyclones, Eric Stevens limped off the field while a sellout crowd held their breath. When he didn’t come out for the second inning, many hoped it was a precautionary step since the Bluebirds had already clinched a playoff berth earlier in the month, but the devastating news was revealed after the game. The star pitcher had torn his meniscus and will miss the rest of the season.
“I didn’t think it was this bad to be honest,” said Stevens. “I felt a pinch in my knee during that last pitch when I pushed off the rubber, but it wasn’t even noticeable enough to affect my pitch. I still got the guy out. Thought I just tweaked it for a bit, but I still felt it while walking off. I’m obviously really bummed to miss the end of this historic season, but these boys are gonna take home the chip without me. I’ll be there supporting them every step of the way.”
RHP Eric Stevens
Stevens was on a shortlist of finalists to win his first Nebraska award. This year he was 16-2(2nd in the FL) with a 2.84 ERA (4th), FIP (2nd) and 4.7 WAR (4th). He led the league in WHIP (0.88), BAA (.193), FIP- (68), K’s (163), K/BB (5.6), K/9 (9.7), and BB/9 (1.7).
The team will likely turn to relievers David Molina and Giustino Modica to fill his spot in the rotation until the Bluebirds turn to a 4 man rotation in the postseason. Even with the loss of Stevens, Nashville is the heavy favorite to win the Monty, though, as fans learned last year, being a heavy favorite doesn’t always guarantee a championship.
