NALB - 2023 League 1 Series

K. Fields
2023-09-16T15:12:35-04:00
Baseball

2023 League 1 Series - Luisville Beasts (85-77) vs. Brooklyn Knights (113-49)

Game 1: Luisville 3, Brooklyn 2
Game 2: Brooklyn 4, Luisville 1
Game 3: Luisville 3, Brooklyn 0
Game 4: Brooklyn 4, Luisville 3
Game 5: Brooklyn 5, Luisville 2
Game 6: Brooklyn 8, Luisville 1

For the seventh consecutive season, the Luisville Beasts were division champions and playoff bound. The 2023 Beasts struggled a bit this season. They only won 85 games, which was their lowest total in seven years. The Brooklyn Knights left no doubt as to which team was NALB's best. With 113 wins, the Knights displayed excellence in hitting, pitching, and fielding.

Game one in Brooklyn had a starting pitching matchup of the Beasts' Paco Rivera (13-13, 3.74 ERA) vs. the Knights' Tony Tamayo (175-, 2.47 ERA). With the game tied 2-2 in the eighth inning, Luisville's Yvon Chouinard hit an RBI single for the 3-2 win.

Whitney Sanders (13-8, 3.76 ERA) took the mound for the Beasts in game two. Dan Courtlandt (15-5, 2.06 ERA) got the start for the Knights. Courtlandt shined as the player of the game. Don Hartz hit a two-run home run to help lead Brooklyn to victory by the score of 4-1.

With game three in Luisville, starter Noel Trevenot (16-10, 3.40 ERA) treated the fans to a gem. He pitched 6.1 scoreless innings and struck out eight. Knights' starter Marcos Delgadillo (17-6, 2.02 ERA) looked good but he couldn't match Trevenot's excellence. The Beasts scored a run in three separate innings on the way to a 3-0 victory.

There was some question as to the Knights' starter for game four. Patterson or Kishita? They decided on Aaron Patterson (9-8, 3.16 ERA) and were glad they did. Patterson was sharp over 6.1 innings, giving up only one run. The Beasts' Jonathan Farsey was not as sharp. The Knights tagged him for two homers (by Koche and Ramos) and four runs total. The Beasts made it interesting, however. Home runs by Joe Epp in the seventh and Leonard O'Marron in the ninth closed the gap to 4-3. That is how the game would end. The series was now tied at two games a piece.

Game five was pivotal. With the series tied, the final game in Luisville was particularly critical for the Beasts. The pitching matchup was a rematch of game one—Tamayo vs. Rivera. This time, Tamayo came out on top. The Knights lit up Rivera early, scoring three runs in the first, one in the second, and one in the third. The biggest damage was catcher Nick Koche's three-run homer in the first inning. Although the Knights prevailed 5-2, the win was costly. Left fielder Syman Lowery made a spectacular defensive play with a diving catch. He hurt his back and had to come out of the game. Afterwards, he was diagnosed with a herniated disc and will miss the rest of the playoffs.

With Syman Lowery out due to injury, the Knights added left-fielder Joe Lindsey to their playoff roster. It was Courtlandt vs. Sanders again for game six. The game was a must-win for the Beasts. Unfortunately for them, the Knights played their best baseball of the series. Brooklyn jumped on Sanders early. They delivered eight hits and four runs against him in 3.1 innings. In the sixth inning, right-fielder Dick Gosden hit a three-run homer to give the Knights a 7-1 lead. If there was any doubt to the outcome, Joe Lindsey removed it. He blasted a solo home run in the seventh, which sealed the Knights' 8-1 win.

The Brooklyn Knights avenged their 2022 League 1 Series loss to the Luisville Beasts by defeating them in six games.

Knights' designated hitter Blas Ramos earned series MVP honors, hitting for a .385 average with 1 home run and 4 RBI.