Game 1: West Coast Washout 1, RBI Steaks 0
The starters for this game came in boasting spotless postseason ERAs, and the stats did not lie in predicting a duel. An across the diamond putout from Nick Winn to Matt Leonard started things off, and was a harbinger of things to come. RBI Steaks starter Riley Brindle split his outs evenly between defensive outs and strikeouts. Similarly, Daniel Rish starting off by dealing three strikeouts was a sign of things to come; he finished with 14. Several innings passed this way, with both pitchers darting their way in and out of trouble. Things were relatively uneventful until the fourth. With two runners on and one out, Brindle showed his grit by recording consecutive strikeouts to avoid trouble. In the bottom of the inning, Jason Matt bailed the Washout out of a jam by recording an unassisted double play to negate a leadoff single by Mitch Barham. With the game looking like it was headed for free wiffleball, the Washout manufactured a run in the sixth. Rish lead off with a single, and Andrew Winter and Austin Cudworth followed in kind. On Cudworth's single, Winter got bottled up between second and third, and Cudworth soon joined the mess. In a flash, both were out, but Rish had crossed the plate. This proved to be the only they would need, as Rish set down the bottom of the sixth in order.
Game 2: West Coast Washout 20, RBI Steaks 14
The West Coast Washout came within one missed extra point of a convincing football score in a marathon game which featured 23 hits, 27 walks, and 34 total runs. The scoring started off mild, with the RBI Steaks claiming a 1-0 lead on a Matt Leonard fielder's choice which plated Steven McGinley from second. The lead did not last long, as Winter struck back with a run-scoring double before Daniel Rish blasted an opposite field grand slam Of the five crossing the plate, three had walked, an issue which plagued both pitchers. Just as quickly as the RBI Steaks lost their lead, they regained it in a second inning that was one of the longest in league history.
In the second, the RBI Steaks scored 11 runs, including 9 with two outs. Seven of eight Steaks in the lineup crossed the plate, and the eighth, Riley Brindle, got in the action with a 2-run single. The rally was jumpstarted by the second "oppo-taco" grand slam of the game, this time by Mitch Barham. The rally was aided by 6 walks in addition to 6 hits, with Steven McGinley, Nick Winn, and Max Crawley joining Barham and Brindle in the hit squad. Despite the damage on the scoreboard, Winter managed to strike out the side. Desperate to claw their way out of a 12-5 hole, the Washout turned to patience at the plate. Five of their first six batters walked, the first of 10 walks in the inning. In the course of the rally, the Washout knocked out Nick Winn after 1.1 IP. He was replaced by Matt Leonard. Austin Cudworth, Jason Matt, and Winter all sped things along with singles to balance out the rally. After the dust settled, the score was 15-12 Washout.
The remainder of the game was fairly typical after that decidedly atypical start. Still, it was hard to sense the game slowing down at the time. The RBI Steaks scored two more two-out runs in the third, as Jack Sandstorm and Jimmy Froio worked walks and scored on a McGinley double to make it 15-14. The Washout then inched farther ahead with a lone run in the bottom of the inning. In a throwback to Game 1, the fourth was scoreless, with the pitchers allowing an inconsequential baserunner apiece. Winter continued the calm into the fifth, utilizing the Washout defense to record two outs after two walks to lead off the inning. With a two-run lead feeling quite tenuous, the Washout drove in the dagger in the fifth. Rish led off with his second homer of the game, and singles by Cudworth and Matt set up a game-altering double down the right line for Cudworth his next time around. Winter capped his hitting performance by driving in the Washout's twentieth run. In the bottom of the inning, he didn't blink. Delivering his third scoreless inning of the game, Winter set down the only three RBI Steaks he faced to give the Washout the inaugural Seattle Wiffleball Crown.
World Series MVP: Andrew Winter
Winter's hitting led the Washout throughout the series. He wound up 9-11 with 4 walks on the day, including a perfect 6-6, 5 RBI performance in the finale. However, his pitching was key to this winning the award. Aside from the 11-run second, Winter contained a potent RBI Steaks offense. More importantly, his struggles did not compound after taking a beating -- he clamped down. What would have happened had he allowed Game 2 to slip away? While we can only speculate, it seems that momentum would have definitely shifted to the RBI Steaks. Winter himself would have had to overcome that by taking the mound again as part of the Game 3 pitching limits. With greater pitching depth, the RBI Steaks could have gone a different route if their own Game 2 starter, Nick Winn, was not refocused by the new game. This means that winning Game 2 was crucial to the Washout winning the series despite their 1-0 lead. The circumstances and Winter's late-game heroics lead to his coronation as World Series MVP.
Climactic Day of Festivities Announced
Be there, or else prepare to miss out on abundant spectacles and pageantry. Here's the schedule:
10:00 AM Homerun Derby
12:00 PM All-Star Game
1:00 PM Cookout; Grilling Commences
1:30 PM Season Award Presentation
2:00 PM World Series Commences
FAQs:
How will the HR Derby be administered?
BYOP (Bring your own pitcher) or be at the mercy of those who will throw to you. Anyone can participate in the first round; then top performers will move on to subsequent rounds. Anyone who did not hit 3 HRs or more in the regular season should show up at 10 AM to be included; "seeded" participants will hit later in the first round, but will likely still hit in the 10:15 AM neighborhood.
I didn't make the all-star game, and can't hit homeruns. Should I come?
Yes! There will be burgers and dogs at about 1 PM, so come for some of the fun, and stay for the season awards and the World Series.
I throw very hard.
Not technically a question, but we'll allow it. A lot of folks have the potential to light up the radar gun, and there is a contest in the works to allow everyone to unleash their fastball. For those pitchers in the World Series who want to participate, they can throw after those games. Is this contest a good idea? No, no it is not. Bring your icepacks.
I don't throw quite that hard. Should I participate?
Yes. The way the rules have been dreamed up, accurate but not particularly fast participants could potentially win, or at least get on the leaderboard.
World Series Preview
#1 v s.#2
Gameday Roster
Mitch Barham: 2-8, 1R, 1RBI
Reilly Brindle: 2-8, 2-2B, 3R, 4RBI
Jimmy Froio: 5-10, 2B, 3R
Matt Leonard: 6-8, 3B, 4RBI
Steven McGinley: 7-9, 5R, 2B, 2RBI
Jack Sandstorm: 2-6, 3R, 2RBI
Nick Winn: 3-8, 1RBI
Gameday Roster
Austin Cudworth: 2-11, 1R
Han-Gyu Kim: 1-9
Jason Matt: [Did not appear in semifinal]
Daniel Rish: 3-9, 2B, 3R, 1RBI
Conor Roberson: 1-7, 3RBI
Kevin Tsuchida: 2-10, 2R, 1RBI
Andrew Winter: 5-14, 2-2B, 2R, 3RBI
Projected Starters:
Nick Winn: 1-0, 2.00 ERA, 6 IP, 3H, 18 K, 1.33 WHIP
Reilly Brindle: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 3H, 4 K, 0.60 WHIP
Projected Starters:
Daniel Rish: 1-0-1, 0.00 ERA, 10 IP, 4 H, 29 K, 0.40 WHIP
Andrew Winter: 1-1, 8.57 ERA, 7 IP, 10 H, 17 K, 2.71 WHIP
In the Pen:
Matt Leonard*: 0-0-2, 8.69 ERA, 9.2 IP, 20 H, 13 K, 3.42 ERA
*Regular Season Stats
In the Pen:
Jason Matt*: 2-1, 14.67 ERA, 18 IP, 47 H, 11 K, 3.83 WHIP
*Regular Season Stats
Takeaways from the Semifinals:
The RBI Steaks cruised into the World Series, beating up on Wiff Waff in Game 1, and maintaining a comfortable lead throughout the clincher. Quick starts have been a noticeable trend, the first two batters scored in Game 1, and the first 3 scored in Game 2. Though everyone on the team hit in the semifinals, there were definite hot spots and cold spots. More consistency throughout the lineup is desirable to create long innings and score runs, and the Steaks will need to improve in that area. The pitching is hard to complain about. Reilly Brindle threw a gem, no less impressive because of his team's offensive dominance, and Nick Winn failed to match it only due to his 5 walks. The pair just needs business as usual.
Takeaways from the Semifinals :
The Washout will not panic if it comes down to close games, as they rallied to score two in the fifth to take a decisive semifinal Game 3 from the Dinger Squad. However, they need to get the bats going early; the pitching will not get easier in the World Series. Mid-series adjustments meant the Washout struck out 8 times in Game 3, compared to 12 and 15 in the first two. Even if not getting hits, it is important for the Washout's run-scoring chances and morale to put the ball in play more. On the mound, Andrew Winter and Daniel Rish combined to strike out 2.70 batters per inning. That's an eye-popping number, but it only matters if runs don't cross the plate. To that end, both pitchers need to continue to be stingy with walks, and be lucky by not allowing the walks or hits to get strung together.
Parting Thoughts:
History suggests a World Series win will not come easy for the RBI Steaks. The Steaks went 11-1 against their own Anthracite Division, but just 4-4 again the Seeyas Division. They will have the chance to prove their supremacy was not simply the result of an easy schedule versus the Washout. The teams split their only two games of the regular season, a 9-4 Washout win followed by a 9-4 Steaks win.
Parting Thoughts:
The Washout brought a 14-6 record into the playoffs despite only outscoring opponents 170-150. Their opponent boasted a 213-92 mark. The Washout then won their seminfinal series with the Dinger Squad despite being outscored on the day, 10-9. They will need to take a page from both vanquished playoff teams, and attempt to steal runs with aggressive baserunning to stoke a sputtering offense.
2015 League Leaders
Offensive League Leaders
Batting Average
[Min 60 PA]
On-base PCT
[Min 60 PA]
Doubles
Homeruns
Runs Batted In
Zac Harris, CNW .602 Sam Johnson .672 Andy Seigel 13 Aidan Welch, DS 7 Daniel Rish, WCW 43
Daniel Rish, WCW .593 Cale Spence .661 Zac Harris 12 Zac Harris, CNW 7 Soucy 43
Liam Munro, CNW .566 Liam Munro .660 Daniel Rish 12 Matt Soucy 7 Munro 40
Matt Leonard, RBI
.556 Jimmy Froio .630 Matt Pearson 10 Cody Thomson 6 Cody Thomson 34
Austin Cudworth, WCW .551 Zac Harris .625 Matt Soucy 8 Liam Munro 4 Aidan Welch 32
Reilly Brindle, RBI .547 Daniel Rish .619 Andrew Winter 7 Kevin Saul 4 Harris 31
Steven McGinley, RBI .532 Ryan Nemethy .619 Craig McGrath 7 Kyle Saul 4 Seigel 31
Andy Seigel, CNW .529 Reilly Brindle .612 Andrew Ybarra 7 Mitch Barham 4 Leonard 30
Sam Johnson, BS .524 Matt Leonard .605 Berner-Hays, Cudworth 6 Reyes/Rish/Leonard/Brindle 3 Barham 29
Andrew Winter, WCW .520 A. Welch/ R. Pope .600 Tsuchida, Winn 6 McGinley/Johnson/P.Lawson 3 Pendergast 29
Pitching League Leaders
Record
ERA
[Min 10 IP]
WHIP
[Min 10 IP]
Strikeouts
K/BB Ratio
[Min 10 K]
Daniel Rish, WCW 6-0-1 Matt Soucy, BB 1.27 Matt Soucy, BB 1.06 Matt Soucy, BB 120 Matt Soucy, BB 17.14
Matt Soucy, BB 7-3-0 Daniel Rish, WCW 1.80 Kevin Saul, WW 1.55 Nick Winn 106 Kevin Saul 4.00
Nick Winn 6-2-0 Kevin Saul, WW 2.18 Nick Winn, RBI 1.63 Daniel Rish 97 Nick Winn 2.79
Aidan Welch 5-1-0 Nick Winn, RBI 2.28 Daniel Rish, WCW 1.90 Andrew Winter 88 Sean Gibbons 2.60
Reilly Brindle 5-2-0 Reilly Brindle, RBI 4.87 Reilly Brindle, RBI 2.29 Aidan Welch, DS 73 Jed Leprade 2.45
Sam Heikell 4-1-0 Aidan Welch, DS 6.32 Aidan Welch 2.70 Cody Thomson, DS 59 Daniel Rish 2.31
Cody Thomson 5-4-0 Cody Thomson, DS 7.50 Cody Thomson 2.84 Kevin Saul, WW 48 Craig McGrath 1.89
Team Rankings
Batting Average
Slugging Pct.
Home Runs
Runs/Game
ERA
Chicken'n'Wiffles .488 Chicken'n'Wiffles .648 Dinger Squad 19 RBI Steaks 10.40 RBI Steaks 5.13
West Coast Washout .480 RBI Steaks .640 RBI Steaks 18 Chicken'n'Wiffles 10.10 Bungalow Boys 6.02
RBI Steaks .463 Wiff Waff .624 Wiff Waff 17 Dinger Squad 9.90 West Coast Washout 8.18
Dinger Squad .436 Dinger Squad .595 Chicken'n'Wiffles 14 Bungalow Boys 9.45 Dinger Squad 9.03
Wiff Waff .432 West Coast Washout .580 Bungalow Boys 11 West Coast Washout 8.84 Wiff Waff 12.41
All-Star Rosters Announced
Anthracite Division
Seeyas Division
Player - Manager:
Matt Pearson
Player - Manager:
Max Berner-Hays
Reilly Brindle
Austin Cudworth
Zac Harris
Sam Johnson
Matt Leonard
Payton Lawson
Craig McGrath
Ryan Nemethy
Liam Munro
Sean Novak
Jacob Pope
Daniel Rish
Randall Pope
Matt Soucy
Kevin Saul
m
Cody Thomson
Andy Siegel
Hunter Van Horne
Cale Spence
Aidan Welch
Nick Winn
Andrew Winter
An Ode to the Bungalow
Boys That Were
May 17, 2015 - August 2, 2015
The date was May 17th, and Seattle Wiffleball was teetering on the brink of non-existence. At this point, I thought that I had seven teams in the bag. One of those seven would fold the following week, but at the moment then-unnamed Wiff Waff was the problem. I scheduled the team before they were ready to go, knowing they would be missing Craig McGrath and Andrew Ybarra. This was before they were supplemented by the addition of Felix Reyes and Gavin Tiemeyer. Due to this poor judgement, a skeleton squad of Kevin Saul, his brother Kyle, and a passerby named Jackson took the field, and were taking it to the Blue Sox. (Allowing this game to occur with only three excellent hitters in the lineup for Wiff Waff was one of two major ways I gave the Blue Sox the short end of the stick this season, but that's a story for another day).
Onto this scene entered the future Bungalow Boys, who happened upon the league after finishing a fateful game of pickup basketball in Ravenna Park. They started talking to the Blue Sox in the outfield, who did a sales job that I could not have pulled off given the circumstances, and my confidence in the league as it stood. The group was immediately interested in playing, and I was more than eager to add another team on. I knew that it was a huge logistical risk; this group of Boeing interns might lose interest like any other team, but they also might find a better way to spend their limited Sundays in the Northwest. It would be a struggle to even get the regular season finished for them, and playoffs were likely out. My desperation overuled my caution, and I scheduled the newly formed Bungalow Boys for the following week. I had unknowingly made an excellent choice by putting my faith in this band of Midwestern refugees, arguably saving Seattle WIffleball as we know it.
The Bungalow Boys quickly showed they were able to play, dominating Wiff Waff by a combined score of 44-3 in their first week on their way to a 4-0 start. Matt Soucy was immediately a dominant pitcher, and the whole lineup -- several of whom had never played bat-and-ball sports before, contributed. Throughout the season, the Bungalow Boys were consistently the most ruthless hecklers in the league, but they kept their playful criticism clean and focused on their own teammates. At their core, they were also supportive of one another. The Boys' uniform was designed by team member Josh York, founder of the York Project, an entrepreneurial apparel line aimed at helping the homeless with each item sold. His Navigator Snapback became the team's unofficial hat. And, the Boys were committed. They came to games multiple times from other recreational activities, including but not limited to trips to Vancouver, white-water rafting, camping, skydiving, and soccer games. In their last week, many of them returned to work on Sunday to close out their affairs, but only after playing their final series.
Had they been able to remain, the Bungalow Boys would have made the playoffs as the #4 seed, with their 12-8 record. Would they have been contenders? Probably. They were likely better than their record, with a median margin of defeat of just a run and a half. Sean Gibbons, who came onto the scene late and only played in 6 games, was beginning to develop into a solid pitcher by season's end, relying a fastball that hit 70 mph only with considerable restraint. With playoffs on the line, he probably could have played the final weekend to become playoff eligible. The 1-2 pitching duo of Soucy and Gibbons just might have masked any offensive futility on the part of the Bungalow Boys. Could they have won a title? The world will never know.
So here's to a self-described crew of " two frat presidents, a body builder, a dad bod, a Borat impersonator, an entrepreneur, and a kid named Beef." Hey Bungalow Boys: if you're still out there, we'll save a spot for you.
