NALB 2021 World Championship Series

K. Fields
2021-09-12T16:26:11-04:00
Baseball

2021 World Championship Series - Richmond Slam (86-76) vs. Dayton Grizzlies (90-72)

Game 1: Dayton 5, Richmond 4
Game 2: Dayton 7, Richmond 1
Game 3: Richmond 1, Dayton 0
Game 4: Richmond 2, Dayton 0
Game 5: Richmond 6, Dayton 1
Game 6: Dayton 5, Richmond 4
Game 7: Dayton 5, Richmond 4

Series MVP: Harry Miele (Richmond Slam)

Last season, the Dayton Grizzlies made their first playoff appearance. They won a world championship against a powerhouse Key West Corals team that had won 100 regular season games. This season, the Grizzlies were back in the World Championship Series to defend their title as the favorites against the Richmond Slam. Richmond's last appearance in the WCS was back in 2012. The Grizzlies have a balanced team with good hitting and pitching. The Slam don't score a lot of runs but rely on a very good pitching staff.

Game 1: Catón Huincho (13-9, 3.72 ERA) vs. Saúl Ramírez (10-5, 4.07 ERA). It was cool and cloudy with a threat of rain in the opening game of the WCS. The Slam struck quickly against Saúl Ramirez. After three innings, Richmond held a 4-0 lead. The Grizzlies scored a pair of runs in the fourth and another run in the sixth. Huincho left the game after six innings with a 4-3 lead. Dayton won the game on a pair of late home runs, however. Quilvio Martínez hit a solo homer in the eighth and Givon Hopkins went deep in the ninth to put the Grizzlies on top 5-4.

Game 2: Mariano Ortíz (10-11, 3.17 ERA) vs. Jake Pradia (16-11, 3.09 ERA). Lefty Jake Pradia looked impressive for the Grizzlies. He pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven batters. Left fielder Beaghan Cajar powered Dayton's offense with two home runs. Grizzlies 7, Slam 1.

Game 3: Rey Alvarado (12-7, 3.57 ERA) vs. Don Vowles (14-8, 2.91 ERA). Back home in Richmond, the Slam desperately needed a win after dropping the first two games. Rey Alvarado did all he could for the Grizzlies. He was magnificent through 8 scoreless innings with 0 walks and 14 strikeouts. Starter Don Vowles answered the call for Richmond by pitching 6.1 shutout innings. The Slam's bullpen took care of the rest. In the bottom of the ninth the Slam won 1-0 thanks to a walkoff homer by Marc-André Lavoie.

Game 4: Hai Lovatt (3-3, 5.67 ERA) vs. Gutierre Jiménez (7-10, 3.00 ERA). Jiménez pitched 5.1 innings and the Slam bullpen took it the rest of the way for a combined shutout. The Slam had their second consecutive shutout with a 2-0 victory.

Game 5: Saúl Ramírez vs. Catón Huincho. With the series tied 2-2, game five was pivotal. Once again, Ramirez got shelled early. He surrendered five earned runs and didn't last two innings. Second inning homers by Joshua Ridings and Urbano Ramos drove Ramirez out of the game. Huincho gave up only one run through 6.1 impressive innings. Richmond won easily, 6-1.

Game 6: Mariano Ortíz vs. Jake Pradia. Pradia out-dueled Ortíz again. Heading into the eighth inning, Dayton's 5-2 lead appeared pretty secure. Closer Xavier Widdison gave up two runs but held on to get the save. Grizzlies 5, Slam 4.

Game 7: Don Vowles vs. Rey Alvarado. The Grizzlies thrilled their hometown fans in the bottom of the second. Quilvio Martínez led off with a solo home run and three more hits contributed to a three run inning. Alvarado cruised through four innings, striking out eight batters while giving up no runs. Things began to unravel for Alvarado in the fifth inning, however. The Slam scored four runs off of a single, hit batsman, two walks, and a double. Richmond kept its 4-3 lead into the eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Héctor Veolásquez crushed a 95 mph fastball and sent it over the right field wall. Dayton took a 5-4 lead. Eric Matts held the Slam scoreless in the ninth to give the Grizzlies the win and another world championship. The Grizzlies are only the second team in history (after the Brooklyn Knights) to win back to back NALB championships.

Slam catcher Harry Miele was named the World Championship Series MVP. Despite playing for the losing side, his performance was too impressive to ignore. Miele hit .522 (12 for 23) and had 1 HR, 4 RBI, and scored 4 runs.