SPORTS – GNATS NOW
Mogadishu Pirates win 2031 IBC Championship
Updated: October 11th, 2031 – 1:25 PM
By Howard Heskin, Gnats Beat Writer and ESPN PEBA Correspondent – Twitter @HowardHeskin1
Gun shots could be heard all over Somalia today as the country celebrated their own Mogadishu Pirates 2031 Championship win at Nasra Agil Stadium verse Aruba. In a repeat of last year's championship series, the Pirates ended up on top this year. This season the Pirates finished second place behind Florida's affiliate Port Sudan to enter the playoffs as a wild card. The Pirates defeated Hobart 3 games to 1 in the first round and then won a tight 5 game series against Suwan before sweeping Aruba in the championship round. Modagadish was lead by a trio of former star Gnats, manager Nelson 'Nails Anderson, pitching coach Ramon 'Doberman' Contreras, and hitting coach Eduardo 'Pappy' Molina in their second full season coaching the rookie league team. Impressive leadership by these former Gnats gives hope for a bright future to Gnats' fans on the other side of the globe in Illinois.
Another trio lead the team on the field this season with impressive batting statistics. First Baseman Dave Moyer lead the team with a batting average of .368 followed by second baseman Yen-ti Yi with a .332 average and center fielder Kata Iitsuka with a .323 average. Moyer and Iitsuka also chipped in with a team leading 13 home runs for the season. Third basemen Pedro Cruz lead the league this season with an .OPS of 1.071 and second in the league with a slugging percentage of .612.
Pitcher Héctor Anaya finished 3rd in league stats with a k/9 of 12. Philadelphia's own Cory Briggs had an impressive final season in rookie ball this year. The former 2029 10th round pick notched stats an ERA of 2.91, BB/9 2.1 and, K/9 of 9.2. HIS ERA+ was 151 for the season. Not to be outdone Yoshihito Otsuka had an impressive season with and ERA of 2.27 and WHIP of 0.84. His K/9 was a monster 13.1 and BB/9 of 2.
"We kept believing," manager Nelson 'Nails Anderson said at the post championship press conference "That's what we did all season. I felt like even if we were down by 10, we still were not out of it. The guys really stepped up and I'm proud of these young guys. They believed in each other. We found a way to win it in the end."
We never give up," Cory Briggs said. "I think those guys, the leaders that we have on this team, they have that mindset that we never give up and we're going to fight until the end. Thank you, Mogadishu. We did it, baby!"
With the leaders of this team turning 20 this season the fans on the Big Island of Hawaii have a lot to look forward to in Mauna Loa for the SA season in 2032.