CAN THEY CLINCH?

That’s the question being asked of the two lower seeds in the 2012 BARB playoffs. Both the Central Division champion Pottsylvania Creepers and wild card New England Yankee Stompers were up, 2-1, in their best-of-five series with one more at home. Wins would move them four victories away from hoisting the championship trophy, while losses could give the Yuma Firebirds and Brooklyn Moabs, respectively, the advantage at home in Game Five.

YUMA FIREBIRDS AT POTTSYLVANIA CREEPERS: Tommy Hanson vs. Jeremy Hellickson

Even with outstanding rosters each season, the Yuma Firebirds have been without a BARB title since they beat Pottsylvania in six games in 2009. With a late-season push in 2012, they looked to be a favorite to return to the World Series for the second year in a row, but the offense came crashing down to earth in two of the first three games against the Creepers.

The Firebirds, with some help, wasted no time getting on the board. Yasmani Grandal reached second base on a swinging bunt and A.J. Pierzynski throwing error with one away in the top of the first inning and somehow advanced to third when Ryan Braun flew out to center field (though Matt Kemp tried his best to gun down Grandal).

With two away, Ben Zobrist came through. The “Zorilla” pulled a 2-1 pitch through the right side and Grandal walked home for a 1-0 lead.

Tommy Hanson breezed past the first six Pottsylvania hitters, but he slipped up in the third. The first two Creepers to step to the plate in the bottom half of the inning, Allen Craig and Carlos Pena, each sent souvenirs to the bleacher creatures, and all of a sudden the home team was up, 2-1.

The scoring didn’t end there. Desmond Jennings walked on four pitches from a clearly rattled Hanson and sped to third on Erick Aybar’s single. Two batters later, Jennings crossed on a Kemp groundout to make it 3-1.

Hanson’s counterpart, Jeremy Hellickson, didn’t have a great start to the top of the fourth. He walked Buster Posey on four straight pitches. Ryan Zimmerman’s roller was just too slow for Aybar to get off a throw. Posey moved up on a fly out, bringing up Yunel Escobar. Escobar, you may remember, drove in two runs in Yuma’s one-run loss in Game Three. This time, he surprised everyone by squaring around and laying down a suicide squeeze! Hellickson picked it up and went for the sure out at first as Posey scored.

The Firebirds couldn’t put any more across in the fourth. Before Hellickson left the game in the seventh, Yuma only got one other runner as far as second base. The lead stayed one for the Creepers, as they couldn’t muster a rally against Hanson and Tyler Clippard.

So it came down to the ninth inning. Predictably, Pottsylvania manager Will Clark brought in his relief ace: Aroldis Chapman.

With a one-run lead, Chapman had little margin for error, and the margin shrunk when Alberto Callaspo put a single through the right side. Escobar failed to come through, grounding a ball to second and barely beating out the back end of a double play attempt. Chapman then struck out Shane Victorino on a full-count slider to bring up Grandal.

Denard Span had been entered as a pinch runner for Escobar, and Chapman paid a little too much attention. Multiple pickoff throws resulted in the ball getting away down the first base line, and the potential tying run moved to second base.

Grandal, meanwhile, fought hard. He ran the count to 3-2 and then fouled off two pitches. But finally, Chapman blew a 99-MPH fastball past the larger-than-normal youngster and the Creeper Dome erupted! The Creepers had clinched against the powerful Yuma Firebirds to return to the World Series for the first time in three years!

FINAL: POTTSYLVANIA 3, YUMA 2

BROOKLYN MOABS AT NEW ENGLAND YANKEE STOMPERS: Ross Detwiler vs. Kyle Lohse

The Pottsylvania Creepers retreated to their dugout after celebrating with their faithful and turned on the game that would help determine their World Series opponent.

In Boston, Kyle Lohse allowed an infield single and a walk in the top of the first, but he escaped unscathed. His New England offense, however, didn’t fail to capitalize. Michael Bourn grounded a seeing-eye single up the middle to lead off against lefty Ross Detwiler. Late-season trade acquisition Andre Ethier, who struggles mightily against lefties, was next. This time, however, Ethier came through in a BIG way. Detwiler’s first pitch was a get-it-in fastball, and the big outfielder didn’t miss. The ball soared deep to right and went over the fence with plenty to spare for a 2-0 New England lead.

Detwiler got Miguel Cabrera (2-for-15, no RBI in the first round) to fly out, but Carlos Beltran singled and Corey Hart walked. Two on and one out in the first inning after two runs had already scored meant the Moabs were already looking at the end of their season. Dustin Pedroia, however, helped Detwiler out by grounding into a fielder’s choice. Catcher Miguel Montero had a chance with two away, but he grounded harmlessly as well, and the game moved to the second inning.

Neither offense got on track until the fourth, when Brooklyn’s Adrian Beltre led off with a double in pouring rain. Brian McCann lifted the first pitch he saw to left. Ethier made the catch and Beltre sped for third. Ethier has a good arm, but this one got away and sailed into the stands, allowing the runner to score! New England’s lead was cut in half as the rain continued and the umpires pulled the players off the field.

Nearly an hour and a half later, the tarp was pulled and the game resumed. Unfortunately for the Yankee Stompers, Lohse stiffened up and had to be replaced by long man Drew Pomeranz. Jimmy Rollins greeted the lefty with a double, but Detwiler and Colby Rasmus couldn’t move him around and the score remained 2-1.

New England increased its lead in bottom half of the fifth. J.J. Hardy led off with a booming double off the Green Monster and was sacrificed to third base by Pomeranz and then driven in by a Bourn sacrifice fly.

Just innings remained in the Brooklyn season if they couldn’t muster a response. They consistently put runners on but couldn’t bring them around until the seventh, when Andrew McCutchen walked and wheeled to third on Sean Rodriguez’ pinch-single. The night for Pomeranz ended on a walk to Jacoby Ellsbury to load the bases with the big guns stepping up.

In an odd move, the New England skipper summoned righty John Axford to face powerful left-handed hitting Ryan Howard. After taking a ball, Howard skied one deep to left. Ethier found space in front of the wall and made the catch. McCutchen scored and Rodriguez went to third as Ethier, conservatively this time, threw in to second base.

Up stepped Beltre. Runners on first and third; two out. The slugging third sacker already had a home run, two doubles and two RBI in the series. What ensued was an epic battle. Beltre quickly fell in the hole at 0-2, but he fouled off five pitches and took three more out of the strike zone. Finally, on the 11^th pitch of the at bat, Axford fooled Beltre. The slider appeared headed at the hitter’s waist but dove out over the plate  as Beltre ditched the batter’s box to get away from what he thought was a way-too-inside fastball.  Axford held the New England lead at one run.

After that big strikeout, Pedroia came up and atoned for his earlier ground ball by hitting one OVER the Monster. That solo shot to lead off the bottom of the seventh gave the Yankee Stompers a little extra cushion at 4-2.

Brooklyn, however, had no intention of going away. Rollins reached in the eighth and got as far as second base before Rasmus struck out for the fifth time in his eight hitless at bats over the four games to end the frame.

Beltran hit a one-out single in the bottom of that inning off Huston Street. He went to second base on a walk to Tyler Colvin, after which J.P. Howell came on. His 1-0 offering to Pedroia caught too much plate and was smacked into left field. Beltran was waved around third to test Ellsbury’s arm…but the throw was ON THE MONEY, and Brooklyn remained within two runs of New England.

THE NINTH INNING: Jonathan Papelbon stepped to the hill to face McCutchen, Rodriguez and Ellsbury, followed by the meat of the order if someone reached base. TWO reached base for the Moabs, in fact, and rather quickly. McCutchen and John Buck (pinch-hitting for Rodriguez) both walked. Ellsbury drew the count to 2-2 and smashed the ball to left…but right at Ethier! One away.

Howard was next, and he took ball one before swinging through one—TWO—THREE straight pitches, landing Eric Caskey’s squad on their final hope: Beltre. Beltre worked the count in his favor, 2-1, and then saw a pitch he liked. The ball went toward right field and started to carry. Beltran moved back and stumbled onto the track before feeling for the fence.

The crowd tensed as possibilities raced through their minds. If the ball left the field, Brooklyn would take a 5-4 lead in the game and probably push the series to a decisive Game Five in Brooklyn, likely with ace Justin Verlander taking the mound.

That was far as their imaginations got as Beltran took a step in, raised his glove and snapped it closed around the rawhide. The partisan crowd roared! This much-traveled, much-maligned franchise was finally going to appear in the World Series! In fact, New England’s win guaranteed there would be a first-time champion in BARB, as Pottsylvania had yet to wear the crown themselves.

As Brooklyn players jogged off the field, the front office began to wonder if their time was nearing an end. With many age, injury and/or salary question marks (Utley, Howard, McCann, Rollins among others), big decisions had to be made before the 2013 campaign began. One thing was for sure—Caskey would do all he could to keep his team competitive.

FINAL: NEW ENGLAND 4, BROOKLYN 2