Seattle / Maui Trade

Today, Seattle agreed to send C Lonnie Draeger and SP Gil Moore to Maui in exchange for Maui's 4th round pick in the next amateur draft.  And there was much rejoicing. *yaaaay*

Sim's Done -- Awards Announced (Part I)

Game Date:  10/27/2025

The sim was run on Sunday.  The following awards were given out:

Slick Fielder:
P:  Bartolo Olivarez (Shackamaxon)
C:  Cristobal Cordero (Brick)
1B: Martin Cox (Brick)
2B: Norman Kuhn (Seattle)
3B: Larry McCormick (Philadelphia, third award)
SS:  Miguel Martinez (Shackamaxon, second award)
LF:  Jaime Vasquez (Brooklyn)
CF: Bas Bijkerk (Seattle, fifth award)
RF:  Jose Molina (Shackamaxon)

Outstanding Newcomer:
Winner:  1B Jaime Alvarez, Antelope Valley.  .346/.412/.549/23 HR
2nd Place: P Toyoshige Takahashi, Seattle, 18-5 3.15, 1.28 WHIP, 175K
3rd Place: RF Jesus Barcello, Houston, .301/.339/.516/20 HR

It should also be noted that SP Christopher Hester has decided to hang 'em up.  Hester spent seventeen years with the Seattle Monarchs, racking up an impressive 279 victories against only 110 losses with a 3.08 ERA.  Unfortunately, his quest for 300 victories was stopped by an ulnar collateral ligament injury which ended his career.

Next sim:  Wednesday night.

Seattle Trading Post Is Open

There's a number of players available at the Seattle Trading Post this offseason. All of them have that championship smell to them, so there's that. Many are available cheaply, perhaps shockingly so. None all future MVPs or Cy Young winners (at least, I don't think so), but I do think all of them have some value. It's just that they've been made expendable in my organization for a variety of reasons. If there's any interest, send me an email and make an offer.

Starting Pitcher: Gil Moore
Relievers: Masatake Shibata and Héctor Sánchez
Catcher: Either Lonnie Draeger or Steven Broadbent
Infielders: Juan Gómez and Iván Castillo
Outfielders: Luis Gonzáles and Luis Soto (healing from injury right now)
Prospects: Rubén García and Héctor Piña

It's not really an everything-must-go situation, but these guys are all very available.

No Sim Run -- Option Decisions Needed

Upon checking my league email before running the sim, I realized that this is the sim where teams need to make decisions concerning contract options.   I should have noticed that when I ran the last sim, but didn't.

I don't want to catch people unawares, so I'm extending the deadline for this sim until Sunday morning, so that everyone will have a chance to make their player contract decisions.

Zev

Sim's Done

Game Date:  Oct 20, 2025

Next sim:  Thursday night, when we'll hand out some hardware.

Onward....

OK, we've given Mack some time to bask in his epic 10th Cecil Cup title, but now it's time to move on.

Next sim will be Tuesday night.

Zev

congratz to both Michael and Mac on a great series couldn't get  any closer....Michael your team showed so much grit and determination and never gave up....Mac congratz on your championship

10 Innings To Win 10th Title

2009, 2010, 2011
2013, 2014, 2016
2017, 2021, 2024

and now, for the 10th time, I give you the Cecil Cup Champions... The Seattle Monarchs!

The Seattle Monarchs captured their tenth Cecil Cup with a 3-2, come-from-behind, 10 inning victory over the Shackamaxon Lenape.

The Lenape drew first blood in the third inning on a lead-off triple by pitcher Bartolo Olivarez, a walk to Steve Keo and an RBI single by Jose Molina.  However, with one run in the bank and runners on first and second and no one out, Shackamaxon lost the chance to score additional runs.  David Seibel flew out to right, allowing Keo to advance to third.  Tomas Kalakay then flew out to left.  Keo, a good baserunner, tagged up from third, testing the strong arm of LF Lucio Muniz.  However, Muniz's throw beat Keo, for the third out of the inning.

Seattle had a chance to score in the fifth against Olivarez.  With one out Masahide Ueda doubled to right center and, after another out, advanced to third on Terry Hubbard's single.  However, with the tying run on third, Olivarez struck out Jonathan Anderson to end the inning and preserve the 1-0 lead.

Shacakamaxon managed to get a runner on third in the top of the sixth with two out, but Seattle starter Bruno Talamantez struck out veteran John Grondin for the third out.

Seattle managed to tie the score in the bottom of the sixth.  Bas Bijkerk led off with a double.  Dewey Watson then walked.  Talamantez laid down a sacrifice bunt, sending the runners to second and third with one out.  Lucio Muniz then flied out to center, allowing Bijkerk to score.  However, Steve Jones then grounded out to end the inning with the score tied.

Shackamaxon retook the lead in the top of the seventh on a one-out double by George Robinson, a single by pinch hitter Santiago Salazar and a single by pinch hitter Gan Mah, making the score 2-1.  However, with runners at first and second and one out, Talamantez managed to stop the bleeding. He got Steve Keo looking and then induced a first-pitch groundout from Jose Molina.  Yet, still, the Lenape had taken a 2-1 lead.

The score remained 2-1 as the game entered the bottom of the ninth.  With Carlos Arias on the mound, the Lenape were hoping to close out the series.  Arias retired the first two batters - Maximo Rodriguez flew out to right and Lucio Muniz grounded out to second.  That brought up the ever-dangerous catcher Steve Jones.  Arias missed on the first three pitches.  Taking all the way, Arias threw the next one over the plate for a called strike.  He fouled the next one behind the plate for strike two.  With defeat only one strike away, Jones managed to foul another pitch behind the plate.  On the seventh pitch of the at bat, Arias missed, sending Jones to first.  The Seattle manager sent up backup catcher Lonnie Draeger to hit.  On a 2-1 pitch, Draeger hit a line drive double to right-center, sending Jones home and tying the score at two apiece.  With the series winning run only 180 feet away, Norman Kuhn came up, but he flew out to center on the first pitch, ending the frame and sending the game into extra innings.

Seattle closer Pat Carmichael worked the tenth inning, his second of the game.  He retired all three Lenape batters in order.

In the bottom of the tenth, Seattle started off the inning with a groundout by Terry Hubbard against Arias.  The next batter was pinch hitter Ivan Castillo, hitting for the pitcher, Carmichael.  With a 2-2 count, Arias hit Castillo, sending him to first.  The next batter was pinch hitter Javier Chalen.  Chalen fouled off five pitches in the at-bat before finally grounding out, sending Castillo to second.  With a 2-2 count, the next batter, Dewey Wilson hit a single up the middle. Castillo raced around third and came home with the winning run, giving the Monarchs their tenth Cup.

Congratulations to Mack on a well-played season.  We'll let you bask in the glory of your victory for a few days before advancing.

Onward to Game Seven!

The Seattle Monarchs forced a seventh game in the Cecil Cup series by defeating the Shackamaxon Lenape 8-1.

The Monarchs got off to a quick start, scoring three runs before Lenape starter Ivan Gallardo even retired a batter on a home run by Masahide Ueda.  Seattle added five more in the eighth to secure the victory.

Game 7:  Saturday night

Shackamaxon One Victory From The Cup

The Shackamaxon Lenape are now one victory away from capturing the 2025 Cecil Cup, thanks to a 7-1 victory over the Seattle Monarchs.

The Lenape began their assault in the second with three runs on singles by Robert Roberts and Steve Keo.  Seattle responded with a run in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double by Steve Jones.  However, Bruce Roughly kept the Monarchs off the board  until the ninth when Kwang-sub Kim came in to finish the game.  The only time that Seattle even had a chance to score another run was in the fourth when Terry Hubbard led off the inning with a triple, but was stranded there when the next two batters struck out and the the last grounded out.

Game six:  Thursday night.

Monarchs Wallop Lenape, Tie Series at 2 Each...

The Monarchs tied up the Cecil Cup series today by beating up on Lenape starter Scott Loman.  It started right away in the top of the first when leadoff hitter Lucio Muniz walked on four pitches.  The next batter, Steve Jones, launched a shot over the left field wall to give Seattle a 2-0 lead.

In the next inning, Bas Bijkerk started the inning with a double to left.  The next batter, Dewey Wilson, hit a two run homer to left, giving Seattle a 4-1 lead.  Later in the inning, another run came in on a Norman Kuhn RBI single.

The Lenape managed to get a run across in the bottom of the second when veteran John Grondin hit a solo shot.  Ultimately, Seattle managed to score four more runs, winning the game 9-1.

Game 5:  Wednesday night.

Game Three To The Lenape; Shackamaxon Leads 2-1

The Shackamaxon Lenape took a 2-1 lead in the Cecil Cup series today, on the strength of a 6-3 victory over the Seattle Monarchs.

The scoring started in the top of the fourth when Seattle catcher Steve Jones led off the inning with a double against Shackamaxon starter Bartolo Olivarez.  The next batter grounded out, sending Jones to third.  He then scored on a RBI sac fly by Norman Kuhn.

The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth when, with one out, George Robinson laced a double off of Seattle starter Bruno Talamantez.  The next batter, Robert Roberts worked out a walk and pitcher Olivarez bunted them over to second and third.  With two out, Steve Keo grounded a single to right, bringing Robinson and Keo home.  The next batter was Jose Molina hit a line drive single to right, sending Keo to second.  Keo then came home on a Dave Seibel single.  When the inning ended, the score stood at 3-1.

Seattle managed to tie it up in the next half-inning as pitcher Bruno Talamantez led off with a single to right-center.  Lucio Muniz then walked, sending Talamantez to second.  After Steve Jones struck out, Masahide Ueda grounded out, moving the runners up to second and third.  The next battter, Norman Kuhn, hit the first pitch for a single, bringing home both runners and tying the score at 3-3.  Seattle, however, was unable to score again in the inning.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the eighth, when pinch hitter Santiago Salazar hit a three run homer off of rookie reliever Juan Garcia.  Shackamaxon brought in closer Alex Arias to close out the Monarchs in the ninth.

Game 4:  Tuesday night.

Game 2: Seattle Ties Up The Series

In the first game of the series, the Lenape beat up on Monarch pitching.  Today, it was the Monarchs' turn to return the favor.

Shackamaxon actually managed to score first on a sac fly RBI by George Robinson in the first.  However, the one-run lead did not even hold up for half an inning.  In the bottom of the second, Seattle put two across the plate on a home run by Jonathan Anderson.  In the third, Seattle continued pounding on Lenape starter Jermaine Earp.  With one out, Lucio Muniz slapped a single between first and second.  Steve Jones sent him to second on an infield single.  The next batter, Masahide Ueda, hit a single to the left side, scoring Muniz.  The next batter, Norman Kuhn, singled, sending home another run.  After Terry Hubbard flew out, Jonathan Anderson smacked a double, bringing home another run.  That ended Earp's day.  After new pitcher Ivan Gallardo finished his warm-up pitches, the next batter, Bas Bijkerk, singled bringing home another run.  By the time the dust settled, Seattle led 6-1.  Seattle added two more in the seventh on a walk, wild pitch, groundout, walk and double and one more in the eighth on a solo homer by Bas Bijkerk.  The Lenape did manage to send another run across in the ninth on a solo homer by Dave Siebel, but that was too little, too late.

Seattle starter Enrico Hernandez went the entire way, allowing only four hits and four walks while striking out nine.

Game 3 on Monday night.

Game One To The Lenape

Game Date:  Oct 5, 2025

The Shackamaxon Lenape took the first step towards caputring the 2025 Cecil Cup with an 8-3 victory over the Seattle Monarchs in game one of their series.

Seattle starter, Toyoshige Takahashi, who was brilliant all season and a leading Outstanding Newcomer Award candidate with an 18-5, 3.15 record, simply did not have it today.

After retired the Lenape in order in the first, Takahashi ran into trouble at the start of the second inning.  Leadoff hitter George Robinson started things off with a single.  He was followed by Jose Molina who drew a walk.  After getting veteran John Hukill to strike out on a 3-2 pitch, Robert Roberts, who, due to injuries only played seven games this year, hit a line drive double to right-center, bringing home Robinson with the first run and sending Molina to third.  The next batter, starter Scott Loman, hit a double down the first base line, driving home both runners.  Loman later came home on a single by Tomas Kalakay.  By the time he finished the inning, Takahashi had allowed four runs to score - more than enough than the Lenape would need.

Robinson ended up going 3-5 for the evening and Shackamaxon starter Loman went eight innings, scattering nine hits and three runs for the victory.

Next game:  Sunday night.

Game Seven

The two best words in baseball are "opening" and "day", but the third and fourth are probably "game" and "seven". And, we had a game 7 tonight between two of the biggest rivals in our league. This is the third straight postseason Seattle and Brooklyn have faced off. Two years ago, the Wolves stunned the Monarchs in the Cecil Cup, and last season, the Monarchs got revenge over the Wolves on the way to their umpteenth championship.

Tonight, the score was settled. Seattle sent Gregg Fiala to the bump, while Brooklyn countered with Nicholas Vargas. On the line is another trip to the Cecil Cup finals against the Shackamaxon Lenape. Will there be a rematch of last year's final between Seattle and Shackamaxon, or the first-ever Commissioners Cup final between the Wolves and Lenape? Let's find out...

After Fiala pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Monarchs scored quickly on a solo homer by Steve Jones, followed by a two-run shot by Terry Hubbard, and opened up a 3-0 lead.

And, that was all that was needed by the Monarchs. Fiala gave up four hits in six innings, and Juan Garcia and Carlo Humphrey closed the door on the Wolves season over the final three innings. The Seattle Monarchs have won the pennant in a 5-0 victory.

So, it's the Monarchs and the Lenape in their fourth-ever meeting in the Cecil Cup finals, and a rematch of last year's series (won by Seattle in a four-game sweep). The Lenape had a 9-6 advantage in the fifteen games played against the Monarchs this season, including a late September sweep on the road in Seattle.

Congratulations to Zev for another thrilling season for the fans from Brooklyn. He'll have the reigns again as I bow out of the commissioner's chair to run my own team.

Game 1 of the Cecil Cup Championship will be on Saturday night. Don't miss it (unless you're Mack)!

Shackamaxon Takes Series, Wolves, Monarchs Go To Game Seven

Game Date:  Oct 2, 2025

The Shackamaxon Lenape sent the Philadelphia Crushers home today with a come from behind 6-3 victory.

It seemed, at first, to be shaping up as a classic pitchers' duel.  Crusher starter Robinson Cervantes held the Lenape to two runs and three hits through seven innings.  Lenape starter Bruce Roughly also pitched well, scattering nine hits through eight innings while only giving up two runs.

With the score tied at two each, the game entered the ninth inning.  The Crushers had righty reliever Dave Drew on the mound.  The first batter for the Lenape was veteran second baseman John Grondin.  Drew worked the count full before Grondin smashed a line drive into deep right-center for a double.  George Robinson was then issued an intentional walk.  The next batter, Marcel LaBelle laid down a sacrifice bunt, sending the runners to second and third.  Next up was left fielder Gan Mah, who walked, loading the bases.

The next batter was Santiago Salazar, pinch hitting for the pitcher, Roughly.  Salazer sent a 1-0 pitch into right-center, scoring a run and advancing all the runners one base and giving the Lenape a 3-2 lead.  The Philadelphia manager then brought in a new pitcher -- righty Kazahiro Morita.  The next batter was lefty hitting Steve Keo. Keo sent a line drive up the middle for a single.  Crusher CF Yvon Settignano fielded the ball but then threw it away on the return throw.  In the end, two more runs scored.  A final run came in on Dave Siebel's groundout.  By the time the dust settled, the score stood at 6-2.

The Lenape sent in reliever Kwang-sub Kim to finish up.  The Crushers managed to get one more run across before the Lenape brought in closer Carlos Arias to finish up.

In the second game, the Brooklyn Wolves staved off elimination by defeating the Monarchs 5-1.  Monarchs starter Bruno Talamantez, who held the Wolves to one run in seven innings back in Game 2, simply did not have it tonight, allowing ten hits and five runs in five and a third innings.  Brooklyn did most of their damage in the fifth inning when RF Eric Halliwell launched a grand slam to left field off of Talamantez - Brooklyn's second grand slam of the series (the first was by Kevin Works in Game 3).  Brooklyn starter William Lawrence pitched a gem, scattering four hits and one unearned run while pitching the complete game.

Game 7:  Thursday night.

Shackamaxon, Seattle Take Leads

I'm sorry, everyone, but I don't have much time to write up the summary tonight.  Shackamaxon defeated Philadelphia on an RBI double in the 10th by Jose Molina.  The Monarchs beat the Wolves on the strength of two walks and three hits in the sixth inning.

Game 6:  Wednesday night