Florida Falls, Ghosts Win It All

[Ghosts]

Jacksonville, Florida, USA – November 11, 2036

Game six saw the series-leading Ghosts drop a game that was tied in the 8th to the mighty, back-to-back-to-back champion Florida Farstriders. The teams met for the final, winner-take-all match on a brisk Florida evening at Streets Casino and Holdings Park. 25-year-old Edgardo Trevino, Florida’s fire-breathing phenom, would face off against Alonso “Shocker” Hernandez that evening. Inside Streets Casino, the home team and Trevino were favored nearly 2 to 1.

On paper, that likely seemed to many as an underestimated advantage for this talented of a team. The casino’s payouts, however, demonstrated more uncertainty. The competition, had, after all, bested considerable opposition to reach this point. More so than Florida, even, having to play through Wild Card weekend. Beyond that, though, there was something else. Something unquantifiable about these Niihama-shi Ghosts. An aura, perhaps. An air of destiny. The league had seen it before. Just a few seasons past, the San Juan Coqui lit the postseason ablaze and captured an unlikely championship marked by an unstoppability uncharacteristic of a 95-win team. The 97-win Ghosts had demonstrated a healthy dose of that magic in sweeping the Shin Seiki Evas and defeating the Toyoma Wind Dancers – pillars of perennial power in the Rising Sun. The magic continued as the Ghosts bested the Great Lakes champion Fargo Dinosaurs – but the Ghosts would need a spectacular dose of that magic to compete with the historically great Florida squad before them at the dawn of the series.

A 6-3 win in Florida to open the series wherein the Ghosts out-hit the likes of Vito van Wondel, Bartolo Mora, Gordon Knopp, Michael Roberts, and Jose Rios 13-7 and overcame two errors demonstrated that magic was alive, well, and potent in this contest for the Rodriguez Cup. Florida would win the next two games, one each in Florida in Niihama-shi, leaving the Ghosts down 2-1 with the next two games at home their last of the season. A 2-out, bottom of the 9th home run by Jin-song Zambrano gave the Ghosts the win in game four and tied the series. Gigantor did it again the next night, taking Ernesto Gutierrez deep in the bottom of the 8th to give the Ghosts another narrow victory and the series edge.

With a 3-2 Ghosts lead, the series returned to Jacksonville last night, when the Farstriders broke that 8th inning tie with Bob Ellerby’s dramatic 3-run blast and evened the series. With the stage set for a dramatic series finale, the Ghosts took the air out of the crowd quickly with a four-run 2nd inning. The Ghosts would never relinquish the lead, scoring again in the third before allowing a run in each of the 5th and 6th innings. With a 5-2 lead heading into the 9th, the Ghosts were feeling good but not remotely settled, knowing this lineup could score 3-runs while holding their collective breath. A lead-off single by Jose Rivera and a ground out by Steve McDonald left a runner on and one out for Miguel “Headhunter” Fernandez. Falling behind Hen-to Tse 0-2, Headhunter sat on a fastball and lofted it over the left field wall, giving the Ghosts a 7-2 lead that seemed to shock the crowd into realizing, for the first time, that the four-peat was not a foregone conclusion. That maybe they were watching their team lose instead of waiting for their inevitable win. It would be hard to blame them for such a mentality. The Farstriders won 128 games in their 5th straight 100+ win season (a PEBA record, with apologies to that famed 2013 Aurora squad). They won 120, 119, and 120 games each of the three previous seasons, and each time marched through the postseason with relative ease. Expectations simply cannot go higher.

Yet, here they were, on the very edge of elimination. The side retired, Florida took to the plate one last time. Earl “Wild Card” Lucas, known almost as much for his lack of command as his indominable fastball/slider combo, walked one batter and induced a fielder’s choice for the next. Then, Gordon Knopp, the Mickey Mantle of the modern age, stepped to the plate. Knopp connected with one of those unhittable offerings, singling and placing runners on the corners for Michael Roberts. The crowd of over 66,000 Floridians stirred to life and stood for their beloved “XXX”. Working the count to an even 2-2, Roberts connected with a slider and lined a shot right back up the middle. Centerfielder Jose Rivera bolted to a sprint heading directly toward second base and dove for the line drive. With two runs on the line, leather met leather and he stole the hit, retiring Roberts and leaving Florida with just one out left on their 2036 campaign. The crowd fell into a quiet murmur but regained their composure as “King” Coronado took the plate. Wild Card wasted no time in attacking the powerful lefty with a pair of sliders for called strikes. Down 0-2, Coronado fouled a pitch off and watched a slider miss the outside edge by an inch. With the count 1-2, Lucas reached back for his fastball and scorched it over the inside edge of the plate. Coronado froze. The home plate umpire seized the moment and delivered the call of his career: SSSSSSSTIIIIRRRRRRRRRIIIIKE!!!

The crowd fell silent. Coronado’s bat made an audible thud as he dropped it’s end onto the plate. It was over. The Ghosts swarmed. Veterans Pedro Flores and Steve McDonald were indistinguishable from the youthful majority, bouncing and hollering like little leaguers. As the revelry shifted into the visitor’s locker room, now thoroughly draped in plastic sheeting as the carts of champagne wheeled in, the fans at Streets Casino and Holdings Park shuffled towards the exits, the harsh lights of the casino silhouetting the crestfallen crowd. At least for this team, there’s always next year.

[Borealis]

Excellent write-up Dan!! Congrats on the amazing run!!

[Sandgnats]

Congrats Dan!

[Arroyos]

Yuma sends its congratulations too, Dan!

[Ghosts]

Thanks gentlemen!

[Mike Dunn]

Congrats Dan! Proud of the Ghosts!