Edinburgh News - 2028-10-11 - "The Magic Continues"

Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Vic
Triple-A
Triple-A
Posts: 739
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:56 pm

Edinburgh News - 2028-10-11 - "The Magic Continues"

#1 Post by Vic »

By Hamish Campbell
Evening News Staff Writer
2028-10-11

Edinburgh – The magic continues.

And who knew that one of the chief magicians would be a lightly-regarded (before this season, at least) former relief pitcher whose main claim to fame was a Spring Training faceoff with manager Hayato Sasaki over becoming a starter?


At the end of that little dustup, Soichiro Ogawa declared he would let his pitching do the talking.

And so he did, to the tune of a franchise record 18 wins during the regular season, plus two victories – including the clincher – in the tense Wild Card postseason series against a game Arlington ballclub.

Soichiro Ogawa



“So, what do you think?” a champagne-drenched Ogawa asked in the Clubhouse after the Claymores’ 6-3 victory to oust the Bureaucrats from the playoffs. “Can I have a spot in the starting rotation?”

Sasaki, who has had an impressive season of his own as a rookie manager, smiled and nodded.

“Yes, Soichiro,” he said. “I do believe you can!”

Ogawa’s win in Tuesday’s deciding game was all the more improbable because it faced him off against Motoyuki Hatsutori, one of the best starters in the league, who owns a 123-53 career record with a 2.04 ERA and 65.1 WAR.

“Soichiro doesn’t care about that,” said catcher Jason Aaron, with a laugh. “He just goes out and plays his game – which, it turns out, is pretty damn good.”

Of course, Ogawa was not the only story for the Claymores in this improbable run from last season’s 63-99 record to this year’s franchise record 96 wins.

Two names in particular shown brightly in the post-season: Wild Card Series MVP José Guillén and late-season hero Don Mercer.

Guillén slashed .350/.409/.900 for the 5-game series, with 3 home runs and 6 RBI’s. He nearly won Monday’s Game 4, which tied the series at 2 apiece, single-handedly, crushing a home run and two doubles.

José Guillén



His performance should come as no surprise to Scottish fans, though – he slashed .306/.390/.532 for the season and would have gone to the All-Star game had he not been injured.

“José has been huge for us all season,” said Sasaki. “But, true to form, he came up the biggest when it counted the most.”

The same can be said for Mercer, a renowned slugger who came to the Scottish in a blockbuster trade in late July. He got off to a slow start for the Claymores, and some in the locker room said Mercer was – and still is – unhappy about being traded, and decided to sulk a bit.

In August, he hit just .243 with 3 homers and 13 RBIs, well off the pace he had set in Duluth prior to the trade. But in September, he exploded, slashing .339/.374/.670, with 10 homers and 36 RBIs to help carry Scotland over the finish line.

“I object to the word ‘sulk,’” said Mercer, towling off from a champagne shower administered by his teammates after Tuesday’s win. “But I’m not going to pretend this wasn’t difficult for me – a new team, a new country. New everything.”

But, clubhouse sources said, Mercer finally couldn’t resist the excitement of the pennant race or the extraordinary clubhouse atmosphere in Edinburgh.

Don Mercer



“It’s the best clubhouse I’ve ever been a part of,” Mercer said. “I mean, how can you not want to go to war for these guys? They’re awesome. I wanted to do everything I could to make sure this team got into the playoffs.”

And so he did. On Tuesday, he also made sure the playoff run would keep going, because his 3-run tape-measure shot to right center in the bottom of the 7th proved to be the deciding blow in the game.

“That thing traveled, what, 422 feet? He just crushed that ball,” said Ogawa. “He gave us – and me – the win. I will never forget that, man. Brothers for life!”

Tomorrow, of course, the Claymores will need to put aside their euphoria and face the reality that they’ll next be going up against the formidable Havana Leones, who won the season series between the two teams 10-8, and who have won the Trans Atlantic Division six years in a row.

“Look, we know how it is,” said closer Ken Fisher, who notched a save in each of Scotland’s three wins over Arlington in the Wild Card series. “No one is going to expect us to beat Havana.

“But I will just say this: we swept ‘em, all three games, in our last series of the season, and it was in Havana. So we might not be favored, but don’t count us out entirely. We might just surprise you.”

Indeed, they already have.
Last edited by Vic on Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
Vic Caleca
Scottish Claymores
User avatar
Borealis
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8430
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:27 pm
Location: San Francisco

Re: Edinburgh News - 2028-10-11 - "The Magic Continues"

#2 Post by Borealis »

Great Job Vic, and congrats on the exciting Wild Card win!! Good luck v. Havana - they certainly must be out for blood, what with their past post season failures and all...
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
Image
2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 PEBA Champions
User avatar
DrewV
Triple-A
Triple-A
Posts: 519
Joined: Sat Mar 09, 2019 6:47 pm
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

Re: Edinburgh News - 2028-10-11 - "The Magic Continues"

#3 Post by DrewV »

Congrats Vic! Great series, full of drama and fun. Good luck against the mighty leones.
Drew Visscher (GM Ricky McCoy) | Duluth Warriors
User avatar
Sandgnats
All-Star
All-Star
Posts: 1648
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2016 5:52 pm
Location: Spokane, Washington State, United States of America

Re: Edinburgh News - 2028-10-11 - "The Magic Continues"

#4 Post by Sandgnats »

Slàinte!!! :bang:
RJ Ermola
Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations
Crystal Lake Sandgnats

*2024 PEBA Champions*
User avatar
Leones
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2579
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:42 pm

Re: Edinburgh News - 2028-10-11 - "The Magic Continues"

#5 Post by Leones »

Congrats to Scottish and best of luck in round 2!
Patrick Hildreth
- La leña roja tarde pero llega

Image
User avatar
Ghosts
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 2120
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:04 pm

Re: Edinburgh News - 2028-10-11 - "The Magic Continues"

#6 Post by Ghosts »

Looking forward to round 2. Congrats, Scotsmen!
Dan Vail
Bakersfield Bears 2028-2030
Niihama-shi Ghosts 2010, 2031-current
Post Reply

Return to “Scottish Claymores”