PLAYOFFS SET AS SEASON ENDS

Yuma made it to 100 wins (101, actually). Frostbite Falls secured the #2 seed with a final-day shutout of Philadelphia, which becomes #3. And, finally, on the second-to-last day of the season, the St. Francis Friars clinched the wild card.

The Friars carried a two-game lead on the surprising New England Yankee Stompers with two games to play. St. Francis was in an even better position, with Roy Oswalt pitching at home against the Sin City Cowboys.

Oswalt was on a short leash, though. The short righty was throwing on three days’ rest. He pitched well for three innings, allowing no runs on two hits and five strikeouts, but in the fourth Oswalt was touched for a double and a walk and was pulled from the game with the Friars holding a 3-0 lead. One of those runners scored, but it would be the only one of the day for the gambling Cowboys. Six relievers shut down the final five innings and the St. Francis offense picked up two more runs for the clinching victory, a 5-1 win.

Just a few weeks ago, Scott Hatfield was looking at the #2 seed in the playoffs. Now he gets to face the powerful Yuma Firebirds, winners of four straight and eight of their last 10, for a trip to the BARB World Series.

SQUIRRELS ALTER PITCHING MATCHUP TO SECURE HOME FIELD

When Frostbite Falls clinched the Eastern Division with a few weeks to play, they didn’t expect the Philadelphia Rebels to contend for a playoff spot, let alone the #2 seed. But the Rebels got hot and won nine straight, including two at home against Frostbite, to go into the final day of the season tied for a first-round home field.

Squirrels manager Mike Noakes realized the Rebels were iffy on offense against left-handed pitching, so he decided to start lefty Cole Hamels on the final day. Noakes was hoping his charges would take one of the final three games with Fausto Carmona, Jhoulys Chacin and Anibal Sanchez on the mound to set up his top three for the playoffs, but Carmona and Chacin both struggled. Noakes also realized the Flying Squirrels had struggled against the Rebels during the season, so he considered it imperative that they gained home field advantage.

Hamels stepped up in a big way. The southpaw threw exactly 100 pitches over eight innings, allowing four hits, two walks and no runs while striking out eight. Evan Longoria and Jose Reyes, meanwhile, both homered to help lead Frostbite to a 6-0 win.

The Squirrels had lined up their rotation to start Felix Hernandez #1, Hamels second and Tim Lincecum third, but now its likely Lincecum and Hamels will be swapped.

In other BARB action from the final day:

BROOKLYN 4, LOS ANGELES 3

WP: Jon Lester (11-5, 4.18)

LP: Homer Bailey (5-5, 3.67)

SV: Feliz (16)

Jon Lester struck out seven over 5.1 innings and Ryan Howard homered before injuring his Achilles tendon while striking out in his final at-bat. Ian Stewart showed a pulse, with two RBI from the DH slot, and three different players drove in runs for the host Wolverines.

CASSELTON 5, WORCESTER 4

WP: Darren O’Day (2-1, 2.35)

LP: Kenley Jansen (2-1, 2.98)

SV: Rodriguez (15)

Two run-scoring singles extended the Eliminator lead to 4-1 in the fifth, but Kenley Jansen walked three straight hitters before allowing a two-run Jim Thome single as part of a four-run Horned Toad seventh in Casselton. Thome finished the day, possibly his final game in the majors, with four hits and a home run.

NEW ENGLAND 9, AC/BC 3

WP: Derek Lowe (6-5, 3.71)

LP: Ervin Santana (4-11, 4.92)

Adam Dunn hit a two-run shot and Austin Jackson launched a three-run bomb to pace the Yankee Stompers in their only “meaningless” game of the season. Dunn’s 2-for-4 day raised his season average over the Mendoza Line (to .203). Placido Polanco also drove in two.

YUMA 5, CENTRAL CA 4

WP: Mat Latos (13-8, 4.13)

LP: Jered Weaver (14-11, 3.78)

SV: Soriano (23)

Mat Latos, with seven shutout innings, outdueled Jered Weaver (eight innings, two runs) to give the Firebirds their 101^st win of the season. Yuma very well could have lost if they didn’t score three times in the ninth off Dan Wheeler: the surprise-contender .45s put up a four-spot before Rafael Soriano closed it out in the bottom of the ninth.

THE PLAYOFFS

Yuma hosts St. Francis and Frostbite Falls hosts Philadelphia in best-of-five series. The best-of-seven World Series will be played between the winners.

I’d like to play these playoff games with the owners themselves on hand (and the home team playing the game). I want to get it started with a league get-together sometime this week or next week, so let me know what days work for you. The World Sports Café idea from a few weeks ago might be a possibility for this gathering.