The Edinburgh News
09-25-2028
So, it’s down to this:
Havana’s Trans Atlantic Division Lead over Scotland, which as recently as Sept. 10 was 7 games, has shrunk to just one.
So the Claymores, who had been planning to rest some starters and prepare for the team’s first postseason in a decade, suddenly find themselves with a division title within reach.
“I can’t in good conscience tell the guys we’re not going to do everything we can to win the Trans Atlantic title,” said Scottish Manager Hayato Sasaki. “That would violate everything I hold sacred about baseball. So, yes, we will play our starters and we will try to win the division. Anything less would be unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, it appears the clock has struck midnight for both San Juan and London. Both teams are 6 games out of the second Wild Card spot, with just 6 games left in the season.
They’re not yet mathematically eliminated, but it would take an extremely improbable sequence of events for either to get into the post-season: Arlington, Hartford, Kentucky and New Orleans would all need to go winless in the final week while the Coqui and/or Underground go undefeated.
Not impossible, but to channel my inner Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, very, very, very improbable.
In reality, the race almost certainly will come down to whether Arlington, Kentucky or Hartford can finish strong. It could, in fact, come down to the final series of the season when the Harpoon visit the Bureaucrats.
Grab some beer and popcorn, folks. It should be a wild finish!
Havana Happenings
The Leones picked an inconvenient time to cool down: Havana has gone 10-12 in September, while the Claymores have gone 15-7 – which accounts for the incredible shrinking lead. Among the culprits: slugging outfielder Claudio Hernández, who has hit .089 with no homers in has last 11 games; center fielder Maxime Plamondon, who’s gone .095 in the last 5 games; and third baseman Vern Duncan, .091 in the past 8 games. The Leones’ best hope: that those guys snap out of it in the final week They close the season with 3 games against Kentucky and 3 at San Juan.
Coqui Cables
After staying above the .500 mark for most of the summer, San Juan faded badly in the last two months of the season: 9-19 in August, 8-14 in September. Still, the Coqui have nothing to hang their heads about – remember, San Juan was a 102-loss club just a year ago. That it stayed in the post-season chase until the final week is a testament to new management team in San Juan. There’s no secret to where the team must make improvements: the Coqui rank near the bottom of the IL in virtually every offensive category except walks and stolen bases. Outfielder Francisco Torres, at .264, is the leading hitter among players with any decent number of plate appearances for the year, while catcher Jesús Negrete leads the team in homers with just 14 and WAR with 2.7. Outfielder Mike Rose with 10 is the only other Coqui to hit double digits in homers – and 7 of those came in the first week of the season. Hard to win ballgames with an offense at that level of meh. San Juan closes the season by hosting San Antonio for 3 games, then Havana for 3.
Scottish Scoops
The news was mostly – but not totally – ecstatic for the Claymores last week, as they went 5-2 to clinch the team’s first PEBA playoff spot and first post-season berth of any kind since the 2018 championship season in the League of the Rising Sun. Scotland’s 93 wins with just one week remaining in the season is a record for the franchise (88 in 2017 as a member of the LRS was the old mark). Still, the Claymores are still concerned about the health of second baseman José Escobido, who leads both leagues in hitting with a .340 average. A sore elbow kept him on the bench last week, and could keep him down much of the final week, too. “While we will go all-out in our quest to win the division, we will not do anything foolish to risk the health of José,” said manager Hayato Sasaki. “We need him healthy for the playoffs.” Scotland closes out the year with 3 games at New Orleans, then 3 at San Antonio.
Underground Utterings
Like San Juan, London bounced back this season from a disastrous 2027, when the Underground lost 99 games. Although they started the season slowly, the Underground stayed around .500 for much of the summer – and were a factor in the Wild Card race to the very end. Also like San Juan, there’s no question where London’s difficulties lie – and it’s not the pitching staff. The Underground rank third or better in the league for most of the critical pitching categories, but at or near the bottom in most offensive categories. One telling stat: although the Underground rank dead last in the IL for runs scored, their run differential is only -22. A bit more offense, and the Underground could be a significant factor next season. They close the season with 3 games at Florida, then host Amsterdam for 3 games.
Where They Stand
As of Sept. 25, the Trans Atlantic Division standings were: 1). Havana, 94-62, .603, -; 2). Scotland, 93-63, .596, 1 GB; London, 73-83, .468, 21 GB; San Juan, 73-83, .468, 21 GB.
As of Sept. 25, the Imperial League Wild Card standings were: Scotland, 93-63, .596, +14; Arlington, 79-77, .506, --; Kentucky, 78-78, .500, 1 GB; Hartford, 78-78, .500, 1 GB; New Orleans, 74-82, .474, 5 GB; London, 73-83, .468, 6 GB; San Juan, 73-83, .468, 6 GB.
See you next time!