The game 2 starters were Lewis McGrew (13-10, 3.12 ERA) for the Wild and Darius Luxton (18-10, 3.73 ERA) for the Knights. Luxton had some struggles in the season down the stretch but he led the league in wins for the second season in a row.

Playing in place of an injured Flavio Marquez, Brooklyn’s second baseman Haden Leventon got the Knights on the scoreboard first with an RBI single in the second inning. The Wild quickly tied the game in the top of the third when Phil Murray hit a solo home run. In the top of the fifth, Murray struck again with his second solo homer of the game. Brooklyn’s home crowd erupted when Hooks Goetz tied the game at 2-2 with a homer in the sixth inning. After the sixth inning, both teams turned to their bullpens. On paper, this appeared to be a big advantage for the Knights. However, the Wild once again used their not-so-secret weapon, closer Matt Genge. The overworked reliever was spectacular, pitching scoreless eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh innings. He struck out five while only giving up one hit. The game ended in the twelfth inning when Lariel Gómez hit a walk off two-run home run over the left field wall.

The World Championship Series is now tied at one game apiece.

Final score: Brooklyn 4, Vancouver 2

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12   R  H  E
Vancouver    0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0  0  0  0   2  5  1
Brooklyn     0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0  0  0  2   4 11  1

W: X. Scaife
L: L. Sherston

The defending champion Brooklyn Knights (100-62) are playing in the World Championship Series (WCS) for the fourth straight year. The Vancouver Wild (80-84) are appearing in their second WCS. The first time was 2008 when they emerged as NALB champions by defeating the Brooklyn Knights. With a regular season record of 80-82, the 2008 Wild were quite a surprise. This year’s WCS features another David vs. Goliath matchup.

In game 1, Vancouver started Mexican sinker ball pitcher Ernesto Estero (10-10, 3.19 ERA). Brooklyn started Tony Tamayo (12-12, 2.94 ERA), who led all NALB pitchers with 280 strikeouts. The Wild scored early when right fielder Darwin Soto hit a two run homer in the second inning. Center fielder Ed Gillum added a solo blast in the fifth to give the Wild a 3-0 lead. Vancouver called on closer Matt Genge to deliver a two out save. Genge had seen plenty of action recently by pitching in five of the six League 2 Series games. The Knights scored a run off of the tired reliever in the eighth inning and Genge was lifted in the ninth. Lou Sherston came in to finish the game. Brooklyn loaded the bases but was unable to score another run.

Final score: Vancouver 3, Brooklyn 1

             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
Vancouver    0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0   3 10  1
Brooklyn     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0   1 10  1

W: E. Estero
L: T. Tamayo
S: L. Sherston

2017 League 2 Series - Vancouver Wild (80-84) vs. Key West Corals (95-68)

Game 1: Vancouver 3, Key West 0
Game 2: Key West 3, Vancouver 2
Game 3: Vancouver 4, Key West 0
Game 4: Vancouver 3, Key West 2
Game 5: Key West 5, Vancouver 3
Game 6: Vancouver 4, Key West 3

This is a rematch of last season’s League 2 Series. Unlike 2016, however, the Key West Corals had home field advantage to go along with its superior record. The Vancouver Wild were clear underdogs as they conquered a weak division with a sub-.500 record.

Game 1 was all about Vancouver’s starter, Lewis McGrew. He pitched eight scoreless innings as the Wild defeated the Corals 3-0.

In game 2, the home team responded with a thrilling victory to even the series. In the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 2-2, outfielder Tad Burridge came to the plate had crushed the first pitch from Wild closer Matt Genge. It was a walk off home run to left. The League 2 Series was tied at one game apiece.

The Wild notched their second win of the series in game 3, again by shutout. This time, it was starter Nicolás Sanalria who did most of the work by pitching seven strong innings. Matt Genge redeemed himself after last game’s blown save. His two innings of relief work sealed Vancouver’s 4-0 win.

Lewis McGrew was back on the mound again for the Wild in game 4. He pitched Vancouver to a 3-0 lead after five innings. Key West made things interesting in the sixth inning. The Corals’ Raúl Mendoza drew a walk with the bases loaded. Later, a sac fly scored another Corals run and the score was 3-2. Once again, Matt Genge came on to pitch the eighth and ninth innings for the Wild. He completed his third save of the playoffs by securing the 3-2 victory.

Down three games to one, the Corals needed a win in Vancouver to survive game 5 and send the series back to Key West. They got just that. With star veteran Ronaldo Mijangos on the mound, the Corals felt confident. Mijangos gave up three runs in six innings. The top of the Corals lineup was productive, however, and delivered five runs of their own. Catcher Matthew Loy led the attack with a single and two home runs.

The teams returned to Key West for game 6. The starters were Nicolás Sanalria for the Wild and Jesús Martinez for the Corals. Key West got on the board first, quickly scoring a run in the first inning. Second baseman Marc Keefe put the Wild ahead in the fourth inning with a 2-run home run. Left fielder Hyung-jin Kim tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning. In the top of the sixth, pinch hitter Chris Cluff hit a 2 RBI single to give Vancouver a 4-2 lead. The Corals responded again with a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning. This time, it was first baseman Raúl Mendoza hitting the long ball. Genge delivered another two out save for the Wild, his fourth of the series. The 4-3 victory won the series for the Vancouver Wild. They will face the Brooklyn Knights for the World Championship.

For a team that lost more games than it won in the regular season, the Vancouver Wild played very good baseball in the League 2 Series. In a series dominated by pitching, the Wild scored just enough runs to get the necessary wins. Despite blowing a save in game 2, Vancouver’s closer Matt Genge was extremely effective. He had four saves and only gave up a single run in eight innings.

Series MVP: 2B Marc Keefe (Vancouver Wild)

2017 League 1 Series - Brooklyn Knights (100-62) vs. Luisville Beasts (102-60)

Game 1: Brooklyn 4, Luisville 2
Game 2: Brooklyn 11, Luisville 3
Game 3: Brooklyn 10, Luisville 1
Game 4: Luisville 6, Brooklyn 4
Game 5: Brooklyn 5, Luisville 4

For the first time in NALB history, the Brooklyn Knights opened a playoff series on the road. Luisville earned the right to home field advantage thanks to an NALB best 102 wins. The Beasts were propelled all season by a formidable offense. They were tops in team batting average, home runs, stolen bases, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Paired with a very good pitching staff, Luisville was well positioned for playoff success. Their first hurdle was the defending champion Brooklyn Knights, however. It was an intriguing match up—Luisville’s offense vs. Brooklyn’s pitching, the best in League 1.

The Knights struck early in game one, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. The Beasts quickly came back, tying the score in the bottom of the second. In the eighth inning, Brooklyn went ahead for good courtesy of back to back doubles by Albero Pescador and Haden Levanton. The Beasts held on to win 4-2.

Charlie Revels (18-9, 3.58 ERA), the Beasts’ ace, took the mound for game two. He was battered by Brooklyn hitters for 8 earned runs over 5.2 innings. The Knights were relentless, scoring in five different innings. Shortstop Lariel Gómez broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning with a grand slam. Five more Brooklyn runs followed as the Knights coasted to an 11-3 win,

The series shifted to Brooklyn for game 3 and the Knights’ hitters picked up where they left off in game two. They scored four runs in the first inning, which was punctuated by a 3-run homer by Alberto Pescador. Tony Tamayo pitched a solid six innings for the Knights and young Alex Mobley finished the final three innings. Brooklyn posted another easy win with a 10-1 final score. Leadoff hitter Romeo Usquiano was the player of the game with 3 hits, including a home run.

Down three games to none, game four was desperation time for the Beasts. Luisville opted to start Whitney Sanders on short rest and that decision paid off. He was very effective through five innings, surrendering only one run. Luisville hitters provided ample run support and their lead was 6-2 going into the bottom of the eighth. Despite a comeback by the home team, the Knights fell to the Beasts 6-4.

Game five featured the Knights talented but oft-injured starter José Arisa vs. the Beasts 22 year old rookie Noel Travenot. What Travenot lacked in experience, he made up for in the quality of his pitches. Possessing a blazing 98 mph fastball and a devastating changeup, Luisville’s 2017 playoff future was riding on his powerful right arm. The starters were solid but not spectacular. By the sixth inning, both pitchers had left the game and Luisville led Brooklyn 4-3. Knights’ catcher Dan Conley batted in the game tying run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. Brooklyn’s other catcher, Andrew Strain, had the game winning RBI in bottom of the 11th inning when his sac fly scored Hooks Goetz from 3rd base. The Knights won the game 5-4, much to the delight of a raucous Brooklyn crowd.

The Brooklyn Knights will play for the World Championship against the winner of the Wild/Corals League 2 Series. Among many great performances, Alberto Pescador’s stood out above the rest. His 8 hits, 8 RBI, and 3 HR in five games earned him the Series MVP honor.

Series MVP: 3B Alberto Pescador (Brooklyn Knights)

The Brooklyn Knights and Luisville Beasts won their divisions with relative ease. The team that would finish with NALB’s best record, however, was very much in question. With two games remaining, the Knights and Beasts were tied with 100 wins. Luisville won two more while Brooklyn lost its final two games. Therefore, the Beasts earned home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Key West Corals fought off challenges from the Allies, Sky Chiefs, and Maples to win the division for the fifth time in six years. By winning their division with a 80-84 record, the Vancouver Wild achieved the dubious distinction of having the worst regular season record ever for a playoff team. This is familiar territory for Vancouver. The Wild were 80-82 in 2008 when they staged a shocking upset over the Knights to win the World Championship.

The League Series match-ups:
Brooklyn Knights (100-62) vs. Luisville Beasts (102-60)
Vancouver Wild (80-84) vs. Key West Corals (95-68)

Head to head:
The Knights were 14-10 against the Beasts this season.
The Corals were 17-6 against the Wild this season.

Playoff injury report:
The Knights are without team captain and staff ace Porfírio Portío, who had radial decompression surgery on his elbow September 22. Likewise, the Brooklyn bullpen is without two lefties who are on the disabled list with elbow injuries—Rikiya Kiyomizu and Christófer De Jesús. The Beasts have several injuries to their pitching staff. Starters Vincent Cadieux and Fred Dyball are out. Perhaps just as important are the injuries to key relievers—Benny Alazardo, Sergio Aispro, and Albin Audelo. Luisville will also play without star second baseman Rico Gómez, who is on the DL with shoulder bursitis. Veteran Alberto Harrington and fellow starting pitcher Lynden O’Hagerty are out for Vancouver. Relievers Tommy Killy and Rob Muncy as well as right fielder Rubén Viladina are off of the playoff roster due to injuries. The Corals’ lineup is in good shape. Their pitching staff, however, has been impacted by injuries. Starters Marcos Amaya and Chun-hua Wen will be missed. Key West’s superstar bullpen is without two big arms. Elbow injuries to Thornton Peters and Tim Sanders will keep them out of action until 2018.

September 2017 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Blas Ramos (Brooklyn Knights)
Pitcher of the Month: Angel Martinez (Cornfield Axemen)
Rookie of the Month: Givon Hopkins (Dayton Grizzlies)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Aramis Jáquez (Richmond Slam)
Pitcher of the Month: Almandeto Trillio (Key West Corals)
Rookie of the Month: Nick Koche (Quebeck Sky Chiefs)

The Brooklyn Knights had a bit of a rough patch in August, losing 6 out of 7 games over one stretch. They finished the month at 15-12. Brooklyn’s lead over Dayton remains a comfortable 13 games. Likewise, the Luisville Beasts cooled off as well. They played .500 baseball in August with a 14-14 record. The Beasts are still 12.5 games ahead of the Firecats. After setting a blistering pace in June and July with a 37-17 record, the Key West Corals struggled mightily in August. Their 11-16 August record allowed the Maples and Sky Chiefs to stay within 4 and 4.5 games respectively. The League 2 Division 2 crown is very much up for grabs with all teams within 5 games of each other.

August 2017 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Mabon Beniniger (Dunedin Otters)
Pitcher of the Month: Renato Balcazar (Nashville Firecats)
Rookie of the Month: Ángel Padilla (St. Rock Mudcats)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Carlos Tejera (Richmond Slam)
Pitcher of the Month: Lewis McGrew (Vancouver Wild)
Rookie of the Month: Chi-ju Fong (Key West Corals)

Brooklyn began July by winning four out of its first five games. The Knights faded a bit as they finished the month with a 14-11 record. Their lead over the Grizzlies, however, was still a comfortable 12.5 games. The Luisville Beasts looked almost as formidable as they did in April. They now possess NALB’s best record. The Key West Corals are once again playing like League 2’s defending champion. The Corals easily outpaced the Maples in July and extended a 5.5 game lead over them. League 2 Division 2 remained as volatile and unpredictable as ever. Vancouver has narrow one game lead over the Slam but all four teams are within 4.5 games of each other.

July 2017 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Yvon Chouinard (Luisville Beasts)
Pitcher of the Month: Joe Farrell (St. Rock Mudcats)
Rookie of the Month: Milburn Hutchison (Brooklyn Knights)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Kurt Johnson (Stade Maples)
Pitcher of the Month: Edric Jones (Richmond Slam)
Rookie of the Month: Marc Keefe (Vancouver Wild)