NALB - 2023 Regular Season Ends

K. Fields
2023-09-10T13:32:36-04:00
Baseball

The Brooklyn Knights had a nearly flawless season. They wrapped up the division by the end of August and led League 1 in almost every team stat. For most of the season, injuries did not plague the Knights. Unfortunately, CF Clement Barrows fractured his fibula on August 2. The second big blow came on September 20 when top slugger 1B Toshiro Kakuta suffered a broken ulna when he was hit by a pitch. Brooklyn's offense sputtered to the finish line and they lost seven of their final nine games. After winning 90+ games in each of the last six seasons, the Luisville Beasts only managed 85 wins this year. In 2022, the Beasts won the League 1 Series over the Knights in seven games. They ultimately fell to the Stade Maples in the World Championship Series.

The Key West Corals were a perennial power for many years. They slipped in 2021 and 2022, however, with back to back third place finishes. This year, the Corals went on a September surge to overtake the Washington Allies and win the division by three games. The Vancouver Wild fought off the Richmond Slam this season but ultimately cruised to nine game lead and a division title.

The League Series match-ups:
Luisville Beasts (85-77) vs. Brooklyn Knights (113-49)
Key West Corals (83-79) vs. Vancouver Wild (98-64)

Head to head this season:
The Knights were 15-8 against the Beasts.
The Wild were 14-9 against the Corals.

Playoff injury report:

The Beasts are hot and ready for the League 1 Series with a healthy roster. The Knights are without two of their star players—CF Clement Barrows and 1B Toshiro Kakuta. Barrows was the team's leadoff hitter and Kakuta led the team in home runs and RBIs.

The Corals have several injured players. The most notable are CF Félix Mulen, RP Jaime Coría, and SS Larry Arceniaga. The Wild will have to make do without SP Vincent Cadieux and RP Iván Martinez.

September 2023 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Leonard O'Marron (Luisville Beasts)
Pitcher of the Month: Paco Rivera (Luisville Beasts)
Rookie of the Month: Fred Routh (St. Rock Mudcats)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Mabon Beniniger (Washington Allies)
Pitcher of the Month: Catón Huincho (Key West Corals)
Rookie of the Month: Bobby Fox (Richmond Slam)