NALB - 2024 League 2 Series

K. Fields
2024-09-24T14:37:37-04:00
Baseball

2024 League 2 Series - Stade Maples (80-82) vs St. James Crusaders (95-67)

Game 1: St. James 4, Stade 1
Game 2: Stade 2, St. James 0
Game 3: Stade 4, St. James 1
Game 4: Stade 6, St. James 3
Game 5: Stade 8, St. James 3

The Stade Maples were one of the most surprising teams of the 2024 season. They were the lowest scoring team with only 498 runs on the season. They had a slow start and a weak finish, winning only 80 games. Yet somehow, they managed to hold off their division rivals and punch their ticket to the playoffs. On the other hand, the St. James Crusaders looked like champions most of the season. They excelled at hitting, pitching, fielding, and base running. Their 95 wins were a franchise record and led all League 2 teams.

The opening game had starters Stade's Braulio Crame (14-9, 2.74 ERA) vs. St. James' Eddie Rodríguez (17-6, 2.45 ERA). Both pitchers shined. The game was decided in the seventh inning when the Crusaders pushed three runs across. They held on to win 4-1.

Game two was a delight to any fan of pitching. The starting pitchers were Alex Mobley (9-13, 2.86 ERA) for the Maples and Ángel Martínez (16-4, 1.96 ERA). The Crusaders were dealt a big blow in the second inning. Ángel Martínez had to leave the game due to back stiffness. He had pitched tremendously all season so his absence was certainly felt. The Crusaders' bullpen was equally fantastic, however. After nine innings, the game was still scoreless. In the top of the tenth, the Maples came up with three hits and two runs to take a 2-0 victory.

The starters for game three were 23 year old Bobby Kirkup (13-6, 2.71 ERA) for the Crusaders and 35 year old veteran Sosuke Nakamura (1-4, 2.91 ERA) for the Maples. Nakamura had missed most of the season with shoulder inflammation. His shoulder looked just fine in this one, however, as he pitched six scoreless innings. Stade banged out 11 hits to notch a 4-1 win.

In game four, St. James turned to starter Carlos Valterza (8-10, 3.72 ERA). Stade felt very confident with Dave Kirby (17-9, 2.71 ERA) on the mound. Kirby looked great under pressure and delivered 6.0 shutout innings. Once again, the Maples outhit the Crusaders as they won 6-3.

The Maples were up 3-1 and wanted to finish the series in game five at home. As in game one, the starting pitchers were Braulio Crame and Eddie Rodríguez. Crame was very effective once again. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, Rodríguez was not. The Maples' hitters were aggressive and jumped on Rodríguez early. They pounded him for seven runs in 2.1 innings. By the end of the third inning, Maples' fans were already starting to celebrate thanks to an 8-0 lead. The Crusaders mounted a small comeback but never made it close. They lost the game 8-3 and the League 2 Series 4-1.

The St. James Crusaders squandered a rare playoff opportunity as the more talented team. The Stade Maples were 9-15 against the Crusaders in the regular season. Despite being a long shot to reach the World Championship Series, their cinderella season continues.

Maples' third baseman Mead Ward was named the series MVP. In the series, he hit .476 (10 for 21) with 1 HR and 6 RBIs.