2034 All-Star Game

[KenH]

Neither Burton nor Mora are on the IL squad, yet they still found their way into the festivities with spectacular HR derby performances! Streets is very pleased... legs up on the railing in front of him, chuckling. Very self-satisfied, that one.

[KenH]

Go Arnold! Proud of the kid

[Borealis]

Bakersfield's Pat Willis comes out for the second inning, facing the 4-5-6 hitters for the IL...

Kentucky's Rocky Kowalski comes up swinging a big bat... He swings at a 1-0 pitch from Willis and DRIVES one to right center, Salinas chases after it and hit hits off the wall - but wait! It hits the edge of the windows for the bullpen and takes a wicked bounce and scoots past Salianas... Kowalski sees this and puts on the jets as he round third... Salinas is finally up with the ball with the throw as the third base coach is windmilling Kowalski around third - here comes the relay... the slide... the tag... SAFE!!! It's an Inside the Park Homer for the Thoroughbred!!!

[Borealis]

Florida's Vito van Wondel comes up next, and that'll be a hard act to follow, and the pressure clearly shows as Florida's young 1B pops a 1-2 pitch right up above Willis, with Dr. Evil making the catch on the mound for the first out...

Amsterdam's fine outfield Sandor Vis is up next, and after getting the count full, he takes a ball four that was quite a bit high...

Willis is not looking sharp thus far, as he goes three balls on West Virginia's Carlos Garza who lines the ball in the hole for a single, with Vis stopping at second...

That brings up Adrian Fuentes, who is back in the IL, with Arlington, after a 5-year stint in the SL with Reno and Aurora... he, too goes full and strikes out... two down...

San Juan catcher Dan Collins is up - and he goes full as well before he lines a pitch into left field for a single, Vis scoring and Garza heading to 3rd... The crowd is booing the Bear right-hander, and deservingly so...

And that will be all for Pat Willis...

Kalamazoo's Brenden Clymo comes on to face the top of the order and the IL's leading hitter, Javier Drake...

Clymo get's Drake on a high pop fly to right - Easily handled by Hernandez, and the inning is over...

The IL get's a pair on 3 hits as we head to the bottom of 2...

IL 2
SL 0

[Borealis]

Gustavo Hernandez of the Alleghenies comes on to pitch the second and he'll face the 4-5-6 hitters for the SL...

The crowd in Madison rises to their feet as the teams lone representative, the 'Mountain Man' - Pablo Garza comes to the plate...

On Hernandez' first pitch, a ball in, Garza inside-outs the swing and lifts it over the head of Carlos Garza for a lead-off hit - the SL's first...

'Bullets' - Gustavo Lopez, the powerful 1B for Kalamazoo comes up, and on a 1-1 pitch he lifts a shallow fly to center - Gordon Knoop races in and makes the easy catch...

Shin Seiki outfielder, Felix Rodriguez is next up for the SL, and he gets a pitch he likes at 2-1 and he lifts a medium. deep fly to left that takes Vis back a few steps - but an easy play none the less - two down...

Next up for the SL as the try to get something happening to counter the IL early lead, is Toyama catcher, Kevin Newton, who swings at three pitches and misses all three...

On to the 3rd...

IL 2
SL 0

[Borealis]

Clymo stays in the game for the SL and faces the Leones shortstop, Ricardo Mateo...

'Ogre' takes a strike before grounding one on three-hops to Honma at short for the first out - but not after Mateo made it close at first...

'Sturm' is up next for the IL and Clymo looks good - as he catches Knoop looking at a backdoor slider for strike three...

Rocky Kowalski, trying to repeat his feat of the previous inning, swings at the first pitch, but tops it to short, Honma with the easy play - Dr. Evil following his throw halfway to first...

3-up, 3-down, on to the bottom of 3...

IL 2
SL 0

[Badgers]

Clymo made quick work of some of the IL's best. LETS GOOOOOOO!

[Borealis]

Charleston's Mito Okuda comes in to pitch the 3rd for the IL. The lone Statesman in the All-Star game, Okuda is 3-5 with a 2.46 ERA...

Duluth's Naomi Honma comes to the plate for his first at bat and he pulls the first pitch on a line past van Wondel for a lead-off single...

Bakersfield's Alfonso Reyna is up next... Okuda works a 2-2 pitch before Reyna lines the next pitch in the same spot as Honma - who will race around to third, beating the throw from 'Doppler' - with Reyna holding at first with a hit...

That brings us back to the top of the SL line-up and Ramiro Salinas... Salinas also gets the count to 2-2, but his pops one up - a major league pop-up, that Vito handles at first - one down...

Yoritomo looks at a 3-1 pitch for ball four - Okada has loaded the bases for the heart of the SL order...

'Matchbox' is up next and he drives one to deep right-center, but Javier Drake races back and makes the catch - and all in one motion he slings the throw into the cutoff man - Carlos Garza - and before Honma can tag, he has to hold at third - a wasted chance there...

Pablo Garza comes to the plate as the crowd rises and cheers wildly - looking for the big hit from their hometown hero, but Pablo is probably to excited and loops one over the head of Mateo, who moves back and makes an effortless over the shoulder catch to end the inning...

The SL will regret the missed opportunity as we move to the 4th...

IL 2
SL 0

[Borealis]

Reno's Toby Ayers comes on in the 4th - sporting one of the top ERA's in the league, a sparkling 1.53, to go along with his 8-5 record for the second place Zephyrs...

Vito van Wondel comes up to lead off for the IL... Ayers takes the count full before 'Drang' rolls one up the middle - through Ayers who froze with 'comeback angst', fielded by Honma - but he has no play - Vito has an infield single...

'Pooky' Vis is up and on a 1-2 pitch he also hits a comebacker - this time Ayers fields it, turns and rifles a throw to second for the out - but the ball pops out of the glove - leaving Vis safe at first. van Wondel argues at second but to no avail - the ump says Honma lost it on the exchange...

With 1-out and Sandor Vis at first, Carlos Garza comes up looking to do some damage... and he does, as he hits a looping liner to left for a base hit - too hard for Vis to move on to third...

Adrian Fuentes is up next, and he takes a 1-1 pitch to left center - but it's playable for Salinas - and not deep enough to allow the runners to move up... two down...

Catcher Dan Collins is up and he gets a 2-2 pitch to the outside of the plate and he drives it down the right field line - but Claudio Hernandez races to the line and with an outstretched glove he makes the running catch to save Toby's inning and keep the game where it is...

Heading to the bottom of 4...
IL 2
SL 0

[Borealis]

It is Kentucky's Chris Brown who comes on in the 4th for the IL. The usually reliable Brown has 95 K and just 18 BB in 120 IP...

It'll be KZoo's Gustavo Lopez to lead off for the SL... and 'Bullets' rolls the first pitch into the hole at short, but Mateo makes the play easy, with a little crow-hop and throw to excite the crowd... 1-down...

The Evas Felix Rodriguez is next up and with the count 1-2, he looks at strike three on the inside corner - that was a 98 mph heater from Chris Brown...

Kevin Newton comes up with 2-down and on the first pitch he hits a medium-deep fly to right center - an easy play for Knoop to end the 4th...

On to the 5th...

IL 2
SL 0

[ScottH]

Honma getting recognized for all the right things. Not scoring on the fly ball and dropping a double-play ball.

[Borealis]

Coming on in the 5th for the SL is one of the hottest arms in all of the PEBA - 'Jetstream' - Bakersfield's Jeff Mendoza, who despite strong numbers is getting little support from his club's offense...

Mendoza faces the top of the order for the IL - Javier Drake, no doubt taking his last at bat of the game... and on a 1-ball count Drake takes a big swing - but gets a small return - a slow roller on the third base line that no one has a chance to get before the an with 110 steals in 2033 makes it to first...

Ricardo Mateo is up next and 'Ogre' hits a 3-2 pitch on the nails - right to Honma at short - they get Drake at second, but even on a hard hit ball it's just impossible to double up the Havana shortstop...

Gordon Knoop is up and he, too, works a full count - put he pops it up on the infield - infield fly is the call - and 'Sturm' is retired for out number 2...

Kowalski comes to the plate - the big man thus far - the MVP in the clubhouse thus far, and on a 1-1 pitch he solidifies that award as he rips one past Maeda at third - racing around third and home is Mateo, Rodriguez digs it out of the corner and tosses it back in - its an RBI double for Kowalski and it's now 3-0...

Vito van Wondel steps in, looking to add to the lead, but with the count full he watches a full count pitch cruise right down the middle of the plate - an 87 mph change, to end the inning...

But the IL add to their lead, heading to the bottom of the 5th...

IL 3
SL 0

[Alleghenies]

And who didn't send Drake to steal a base?

[Borealis]

And who didn't send Drake to steal a base?

[Borealis]

Changes abound for the IL as Keiji Honda of the Scottish takes the mound... Taking over in RF is Bernando Rios of San Juan, Francisco Montoya of Amsterdam takes over at Short. Now playing in center is 'El Jaguar', Alfredo Guzman of West Virginia, 'Tofu' Morimoto of the F-striders takes over at DH and Ramon Francisco - The Wizard - of Havana takes over at 1B...

Dr. Evil is leading it off for the SL... Honma grounds a slow one up the middle - Montoya tested right off the bat - take over on the field - the ball will find you, but Montoya is up to the task - he nails Honma by a step...

Reyna is up next and he rolls one to Garza at second, who makes the smooth play to first for the second out...

Ramiro Salinas comes up and he works the count full before he drives one to the wall in right - Rios goes back... to the track... and he makes the catch - reaching high before he gets to the wall...

We head to the 6th...

IL 3
SL 0