Challengers advance to Finals with 24-4 win over Flyers

After last Sunday's grudge-match, my goals heading into the deciding Game 3 of the Challengers' playoff series against the Flyers were simple: Don't drop any F-bombs on the opposing players, and avoid (nearly) starting any brawls. Oh yeah, and one other thing: beat the crap out of the Flyers. Consider it done, done, and done. The Challengers backed Nick Lehmann's strong pitching with an offensive explosion: 24 runs in just 6 innings, including 13 in the 5th inning alone. By the time the game was over, the Flyers had been beaten so soundly that you almost had to feel sorry for them...almost. My only regret was that Andy Fleischaker - he of the unending supply of ringers - wasn't there to witness his squad's demolition (he was busy leading the NLA Flyers to a loss against Embrach).

After losing Game 2 last Sunday, it was pretty clear that some changes had to be made (see, e.g. aforementioned personal goals numbers 1 and 2). In an effort to do my part for the team, I decided to get a ride to the field with Michel Romang as opposed to with Nick (Yusuke Azuma and Renzo Falcone changed things up by actually arriving on time!!). Admittedly, I did have a bit of a selfish motive in making this switch: Nick drives a van that has giant pictures of himself holding some surveying equipment on both sides of the van, which are highly visible from the inside. Quite frankly, having to sit in the fan with the two Nicks starting at me is more than a little unsettling, and kinda freaks me out. Nonetheless, I also felt that I was giving the team its best chance to win.

At the same time, it's important not to be too dogmatic about the need for change...there is a certain value in consistency. That's why I felt a deep sense of unease when, upon walking towards the changing rooms at Therwil's field, I heard Daiki Sato deliver the following message: The place is locked. You'll have to take your dump somewhere else. Faced with the potential loss of one of my most hallowed pre-game routines, I began to wonder whether it would just not be our day as a team. Fortunately, one of the Flyers' players, Roland Bronmann, ran up with the keys to the building. Crisis averted. Let's all take a moment to salute Mr. Bronmann, a true humanitarian. Seriously, I'd probably take a bullet for that guy. It was that urgent.

After looking sloppy in pre-game (the outfield round was especially atrocious), the Challengers got off to a quick start: Kurt Kovac led off with a double, stole third, and then scored on a wild pitch. After Azuma flew out to the shortstop, Falcone reached first after being drilled in the right buttock. Renzo took his revenge by stealing second and third before also scoring on a wild pitch (and no, of course he didn't slide into any of those bases).

Lehmann set down the side in order in the top of the first, helping his own cause by starting a 1-6-3 double play. Nick was also started a double play in the bottom of the second inning, snaring a line drive and then doubling the runner off of second base.

The Challengers added to their lead in the top of the third, as Azuma's triple to right scored Lehmann, who had led off with a walk (Side note: For whatever reason, the Flyers were only able to get 6 of their own NLB players for this game, which probably explains why they always seem to be using players from other organizations. Of the remaining three players, two came from other teams, and the third was a member of the Flyers' softball team. I mention this simply as a way to bring up Sato's comment as Azuma rounded the bag at second and headed for third, which was: Run!! It's a girl throwing...it's a girl...run!!!. Yes, gender equality was likely set back by about 300 years, but then again Azuma did advance that additional base). An RBI groundout by Falcone plated Azuma, and the Challengers had a 4-0 lead.

Things got a little tight in the top of the third: After getting the lead-off man looking, Lehmann hit the number 8 batter before giving up a clean single to the number 9 batter (the aforementioned softball player). Lehmann got the next batter to ground into a fielder's choice, forcing the runner at second, but then walked the next batter to load the bases with two outs. At the time, the walk didn't seem like such a big deal because that particular batter (#2 in the order) had hit much better in the series than the #3 hitter had. Unfortunately, this time the #3 hitter came through - albeit with some help from the defense. With the count 1-2, the batter lifted a fly ball to left field - a solidly struck ball, but certainly playable. However, Falcone, who had been playing far too shallow, got a late break on the ball and was unable to track it down (from my vantage point in center field, it appeared as if he had been able to catch the ball, before dropping it on the exchange, but that was not the case). All three runners scored, the batter took second on the throw home, and it was suddenly 4-3 Challengers.

With their lead cut to 1, the Challengers got back to work on offense - with a big assist from an over-matched umpiring crew: After Adderly Sarmiento drew a one-out walk, Alex Gordon came to the plate for one of the strangest at-bats of the season. Thinking Sarmiento would try to steal second, Gordon took a first pitch strike and then a second pitch ball - but Sarmiento didn't move from first. After fouling off the third pitch for a 1-2 count, Gordon took the next pitch for a ball - just as Sarmiento decided to attempt an ill-advised delayed steal (he was out by a wide margin). Now batting with two outs, Gordon (me) turned to the umpire and asked 2-2, right?. Apparently not. Despite the fact that four pitches had been delivered, both the umpire and the catcher insisted that the count was 1-1. Ok...far be it for me to argue. That extra strike came in handy when, two pitches later, I swung a missed at a change-up, for what should have been strike 3, but under the revised count only made it 2-2. After fouling the next pitch off, I then fouled off another - or so I thought, until the umpire declared the ball, which was rolling towards the backstop, live. After a bit of a delay (since it was really rather clear that I had fouled the ball off), I took off towards first, beating the throw easily. Now, missing the call on a foul tip I can understand, but losing track of the count? I think the guy even had one of those ballrike clickers with him. I mean, I don't even have a joke here.

Instead of the inning being over, the Challengers had new life. Sato followed with a walk, putting runners on first and second. With Lehmann batting, Gordon took off for third on a ball in the dirt - then stopped and headed back towards second, before finally deciding to break for third. This caused a bit of a problem for Sato, who got hung up between first and second while Gordon made up his mind. Fortunately, Sato ultimately made it back to first when the Flyers first baseman failed to apply a tag because he somehow forgot that there was no force play (again, I don't even have a joke here). So...with runners now on first and third, the next pitch hit Lehmann in the leg, and skipped back to the fence. Naturally, neither umpire noticed the hit by pitch, ruling it a live ball, which allowed Gordon to score from third and Sato to advance to second. This bout of umpire-related incompetence seemed to unnerve the Flyers' starter, who walked the next three batters, forcing in another run. After Lehmann scored on Falcone's RBI ground-out, it was 7-3 Challengers.

Although they didn't know it at the time, the Flyers' last chance came in the bottom of the fourth inning. After the lead-off batter struck out, Bronmann, the aforementioned humanitarian, doubled past Falcone (who was once again playing a bit too shallow). After a walk and a double steal, the Flyers had runners on second and third with only one out. However, Lehmann slammed the door, getting the number 8 batter looking, before striking out the number 9 batter swinging (there was another mini-incident brought about by the home-plate umpire giving the hand-signal for a strike, but apparently saying ball, which caused Lehmann a little bit of agita. However, since the same umpire had been so (unintentionally) helpful to the Challengers the previous inning, I'll let it go).

What followed next, in the top of the 5th, can only be described as a first-degree beat-down. Actually, calling it a first-degree beat-down may be understating things a little bit but the scale doesn't go higher than first-degree (I'm sorry, these are not my rules). The Challengers sent 17 men to the plate (17!!!) while scoring 13 runs (13!!). Every player in the lineup except one came to the plate twice that inning. It was really something to behold: Oliver Bernet got things started with a bunt single (yes you read that correctly) down the third base line, then took second on a passed ball. Sarmiento followed with a single of his own. What happened next is a little unclear (but definitely NOT what is depicted on spielplan), but what I seem to recall is that Bernet tried to steal third, and the catcher's throw sailed into left-field, allowing Bernet to score. Sarmiento, following Bernet, took third on the throw home, and then when the catcher threw THAT ball into left field as well, Sarmiento came around to score (It may have been runners on first and third when that sequence began, but the end result was the same). Naturally, with the RBI opportunities having just been eliminated (again, disregard spielplan...actually don't...I'll take the RBI), Gordon crushed (and I mean crushed!!) a ground rule double to left. That was all for the Flyers' starter, and the start of a parade of over-matched Flyer pitchers watching gleeful Challenger batters circle the bases. Rather than type out the entire sequence of events (which would probably cause me to get arthritis), here were some of the highlights: RBI singles by Lehmann, Falcone, and Bernet; 2-RBI doubles by Nepomuceno, Kovac, and Azuma; 6 stolen bases, 5 walks, and 4 different pitchers. Every Challenger batter scored at least once in the inning, and four scored twice (it would have been 5, but Sato was called out at home on a phantom tag). As I said before: First-degree beat-down.

While the mercy-rule apparently does not exist for playoff games, by the time the top of the fifth finally came to an end both teams were willing to make an exception (quite frankly, a lot of us were getting kind've hungry at that point). The game went on for another inning, so that some of the younger Challengers could get a chance at some play-off experience, but with the score at 20-3, both sides knew it was over. The Challengers added another four runs in the top of the 6th (sending 9 men to the plate), and the Flyers pushed one across in the bottom of the inning to account for the 24-4 final.

With the victory, the Challengers advanced to the NLB finals to face the Bern Cardinals - which, when you think about it, isn't much of a reward for beating the Flyers! As noted in previous write-ups, having to play the Cardinals stinks - especially in Bern, where the field is a mess, the scores are often lopsided (and not in a good way), and bathroom facilities are few and far between. But such is the price of first-round excellence I suppose. Bring on the Cards!!

by Alex Gordon