AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

Five BARB squads entered October 4 with playoffs hopes still alive. All three divisions remained there for the taking with two games to go. And when the dust settled, nothing had changed…

The Pottsylvania Creepers were on a five-game losing streak. Just a single win in those previous five contests or the final two would clinch their third Central division crown.

Staying true to his four-man rotation of recent weeks, manager Will Clark sent one of the best in the business, Chris Carpenter, to the hill against the host Riverside Rum Runners, who were 18 games back in the West. Surely a mismatch, right?

Clayton Kershaw had something to say about that. The talented young lefty—rumored, at one point, to be headed out in a deadline deal (with Pottsylvania as a possible destination)—was making his final start for Alex Coffman’s team. Kershaw was among the league leaders in ERA and strikeouts—a certifiable Cy Young candidate in 2012 (and, likely, years to come). Ever the competitor, he didn’t mind that his team was out of the race. He had a chance to pitch his best and frustrate the October plans of the opposition.

Which is just what he did.

Kershaw slung his way through the Pottsylvania batting order nearly twice before giving up a hit, and the only other runner in the first seven innings was a walk in the first frame.

The visitors finally knocked the ace out of the box in the eighth, but at that point they were already trailing, 4-0. Kendrys Morales (solo, 2^nd inning) and Josh Hamilton (two-run, 3^rd inning) hit homers off of Carpenter, and David Freese hit a seeing-eye single for an RBI in the 5^th. The Creepers were down, but they were determined to prove they weren’t out. Mid-season pickup A.J. Pierzynski singled to lead off the top of the 8^th, and Allen Craig followed with the same. Andruw Jones, pinch-hitting for Carlos Pena, drew a full-count walk, and Riverside chief Mike Scioscia decided Kershaw’s day was done. After 112 pitches, 11 strikeouts and no runs in seven innings, this bases-loaded, no-out scenario was placed in the hands of Brian Duensing.

With a heaping of good luck, Duensing did his job. Erick Aybar SMASHED the first pitch right back up the middle, but Duensing flung his right hand in the air and came down with the ball! The lefty fired to third, where Pierzynski had slipped and fallen away from the bag: TWO OUT. Freese then made the long throw to first because Jones was nowhere to be found! Assuming it got through, the veteran put his head down and charged toward second, only to find Craig still standing there, mouth agape and hands on his hips. Jones turned back just in time to see Morales’ glove close around the ball.

A TRIPLE PLAY!!!!

Unbelievably, Pottsylvania’s great rally was cut short in a matter of seconds. Halfway across the country, Casselton faithful roared in unison, as they appeared one game closer to a one-game playoff for all of the Central division marbles.

Duensing worked around a walk to Matt Kemp in the top of the ninth to seal it. The sixth loss in a row for Jeff Moore and company meant they had one more chance to beat Riverside—and if they couldn’t pull it off on October 5, Landon Bolt’s Casselton Horned Toads were waiting.

MEANWHILE…

The spectators who bet on their home town team were celebrating. Those who picked today as the Eastern division clincher for perennial power Brooklyn left confetti in the form of torn-up tickets all around the grandstand. The Sin City Aces, the most unlikely of teams to make it this deep into the season, had just knocked off Cy Young Award favorite Justin Verlander to pull one game back of the Moabs with one to play.

A five-run lead after four innings (on the strength of Jayson Werth and Lucas Duda long balls) stood up despite Adam Lind’s two-run, pinch-hit jack in the top of the ninth. It really wasn’t J.J. Putz’ fault—he would have closed out the game just before Lind came up had Ian Desmond been able to handle Brian McCann’s ten-hopper. Lind’s homer closed the gap to one (Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run bomb in the seventh), but Ichiro Suzuki hacked at the first pitch and flew to right for the final out.

That meant the East, traditionally the “Division of Death”, would have their championship go to the final game. Sin City, with a win, would force a tiebreaker game. They were on track to host it, as well, with a better record against the division than Brooklyn.

FINALLY:

Both teams in the Western division title race were already in the playoffs, and by virtue of Brooklyn’s loss the West winner was guaranteed the top seed in the BARB postseason.

So would the up-and-coming New England squad be able to hold off battle-hardened, history-laden Yuma? More than a few times the Firebirds appeared out of the division race and in danger of missing the playoffs altogether, but they played their way back with a winning percentage better than .600 in the final month.

Alexi Ogando got the call in Yuma against sibling rival Arizona, and he pitched seven strong innings—striking out eight—to earn the victory as the Firebirds blasted the Rattlesnakes, 9-1. Shawn Marcum, meanwhile, didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, and Andrew Miller added to the mess by allowing a bases-clearing double to Joey Votto in the 8^th.

Now just one-half game behind the Yankee Stompers, Yuma’s players returned to the clubhouse just in time to see extra innings take shape in New England.

Trade acquisition Andre Ethier had opened the scoring in the third with a solo home run, his fourth with the new team and 21^st overall. Tough lefty Gio Gonzalez allowed two St. Francis runs in the fourth but settled down and was in line for the division tie-clinching victory after his offense plated single runs in the fifth and sixth.

John Axford was first out of the New England ‘pen to begin the eighth, but Todd Frazier greeted him with a smash down the third-base line. Two batters later, Shin-Soo Choo’s seeing-eye grounder sneaked into left, and Frazier scored to tie the contest at three apiece.

Neither team threatened again until the top of the 11^th, when Choo led off with a double against Ramon Ramirez. After a strikeout, intentional walk and infield single, LaTroy Hawkins was called to the bump to face Brent Lillibridge. Hawkins’ 1-2 pitch was lunged at, and the ball lazily crept toward the outfield. Yankee Stomper center fielder Michael Bourn ran it down, but his throw didn’t have enough to keep Choo from scoring and giving the Friars a 4-3 lead.

New England’s half of the 11^th didn’t produce much, and they had fallen back into a tie with Yuma. Yankee Stomper fans were upbeat, however: big ace Roy ‘Doc’ Halladay was next up, at home, against Clayton Richard. The division that seemed theirs for the taking at many points was still within reach.

Stay tuned for exciting final-day action!