No one will get the reference in the title. I do not regret it.
Round 2 of the Total Twins Draft League has been dubbed the “Compensatory Clash.” Another best of five series, this will cut teams down from eight to four…
Compensatory Clash
Game 1
Select League
(5) Lakeville Noses 4
(1) Rochester Locks 2
Noses lead 1-0
In the game voted for me to play this week (thanks to all the person who voted), the Locks showed the more consistent bat but the Noses got more power, hitting three home runs to take a 4-2 win.
Rochester’s Bert Blyleven may have had the star power and name, but Lakeville’s Jeff Harris matched him for six frames, each pitcher allowing just a pair of runs. The Noses struck first with solo shots from Lyman Bostock and Tommy Watkins in the fourth, but the Locks tied the score in the sixth: Rich Becker tripled and scored on Spencer Steer’s groundout, then after a flyout, Graig Nettles beat out an infield single and Eddie Rosario doubled him home. Rochester threatened to burst open the game, loading the bases on another infield single and hit batsman, but Harris got Nick Gordon to pop out.
Blyleven pitched a clean seventh, but after Tyler Robertson replaced him in the eighth, the Noses struck the final blow: with Midre Cummings on second, Corey Koskie sent a fly over the right field wall. The Lakeville bullpen held in the eighth and ninth, Bob Gebhard stranding a man on third at game’s end.
(3) Kenosha Sticks 2
(2) Bloomington Berries 7
Berries lead 1-0
All Bloomington had to do to take an early series lead and put pressure on the Sticks was to pummel them in the middle innings, a task they accomplished with ease: three runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings lifted them to an easy win.
The fourth saw the Berries put the first three men on base and drive them all in with singles by Dave Edwards and Marty Cordova. Kenosha got one back in the top of the fifth but Bloomington put on a power show in the bottom of the frame, scoring on home runs by Brian Dozier and Mitch Garver.
J.D. Martinez gave the Sticks a homer of their own, but one homer was not enough to lead them to a comeback.
Choice League
(7) Plymouth Holes 1
(1) Minneapolis Winners 17
Winners lead 1-0
In their first game of the playoffs, the Winners showed their first-round status with their star power, clobbering the Holes early and coasting to a 17-1 win. Minneapolis set the tone with 11 runs in the first two innings, including their first two homers (from the bats of Joe Mauer and Steve Brye). Chuck Knoblauch added a third homer in the third frame.
On the mound, José Berríos held Plymouth to five hits and one run across eight innings with Willie Banks pitching a zero-stress ninth.
(5) St. Paul Battles 2
(3) Racine Pieces 12
Pieces lead 1-0
The Pieces matched the Winners’ hit tally with 19 and also used a double-digit-runs offensive performance to squash their opponent in Game 1. St. Paul only managed six hits (including, interestingly, four doubles) and didn’t score until they were already down seven.
Racine put steady runs on the board early (including homers by Steve Pearce and George Springer) then exploded for five in the eighth, keyed by two-RBI hits from Gary Matthews Jr. (single) and Emil Brown (double).
Two notes before the poll:
- As I want to get this tournament done before the start of the season (and ideally before spring training), I’m going to up the pace to two posts a week. This will start next Wednesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
- After playing the Lakeville/Rochester game, I realized that the Noses had been playing the entire season without reliever Michael Tonkin. I have now added him to their roster.
And now the question… see you again in a week!