New York Blue Sox - Strat-O-Matic Baseball

Strat-O-Matic Report - Championship Series, Game #1 - Tampa Bay 2, Toronto 1 The opening game of the Championship Series was a tight pitcher’s duel between Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan and Toronto’s Jose Berrios. Tampa Bay struck first when, in the bottom of the 2nd when Wander Franco walked and then scored all the way from first on a Joey Wendle double. Tampa Bay added another run when Nelson Cruz led off the bottom of the 4th with a homer off of Berrios. In the top of the 5th, Toronto made it a 1-run game when Randal Grichuk reached second when Tampa Bay rightfielder Brett Phillips committed an error on Girchuk’s flyball, and Grichuk later scored on a single by Reese McGuire. That made the score 2-1 in favor of Tampa Bay, and neither team scored the rest of the way. In the top of the 9th Tampa Bay reliever Collin McHugh (who had entered the game in the 6th inning) was still on the hill. McHugh struck out Grichuk, but then gave up a single to pinch-hitter Santiago Espinal....

Strat-O-Matic Report - Semifinal Series "B," Game #7 - Tampa Bay 5, Chicago 3 Kevin Kiermaier sparked two key rallies and Ryan Yarbrough held Chicago to just 1 run as the Tampa Bay Rays (CM created by Jim Holland) won the 7th game of their Semifinal Series against Chicago (CM created by Bill Sorenson). The pitching matchup for this game was a repeat of the Game #3 matchup - Yarbrough for Tampa Bay and Dylan Cease for Chicago. Last time, both Yarbrough and Cease failed to last even 2 innings, but this time each of them fared much better. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 4th, when Cease gave up a leadoff homer to Nelson Cruz. That put Tampa Bay up 1-0, but Chicago tied it up in the top of the 5th on a homer by Nick Madrigal. In the bottom of the 5th Tampa Bay regained the lead when, with 1 out, Wander Franco doubled, moved to third on a single by Yandy Diaz, and scored on a wild pitch by Cease with Brandon Lowe at the plate (Diaz advanced to secondbase)...

Strat-O-Matic Report - Semifinal Series "B," Game #6 - Tampa Bay 5, Chicago 4 (10 innings) Jordan Luplow’s homer with 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th inning off Chicago reliever Reynaldo Lopez gave Tampa Bay the victory and force a 7th game. The Semifinal Series between Chicago (CM created by Bill Sorenson) and Tampa Bay (CM created by Jim Holland) is now tied at 3 games apiece. The Game #6 starting pitchers were Michael Wacha for Tampa Bay and Lance Lynn for Chicago, but neither figured in the decision as each team used 3 relievers. Leading off in the top of the 1st, Tim Anderson homered off Wacha to give Chicago a 1-0 lead, but Brandon Lowe homered off Lynn in the bottom of the 1st to tie it up. With 1 out in the bottom of the 4th, Lynn walked Ji-Man Choi. After Joey Wendle struck out, Kevin Kiermaier slammed a triple off Lynn, scoring Choi and giving Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead. In the top of the 6th, Jose Abreu led off with a double, and that was all for Wacha, who ...

Strat-O-Matic Report - Semifinal Series "B," Game #5 - Chicago 5, Tampa Bay 2. Jose Abreu was the star of Game #5, hitting 2 homeruns and knocking in all 5 of Chicago’s runs. With this victory, Chicago (CM created by Bill Sorenson) takes a 3 games to 2 lead over Tampa Bay (CM created by Jim Holland), and is just 1 victory away from meeting the Blue Jays (CM created by Rob Tomlinson). The Game #5 pitching matchup was a repeat of the Game #1 pitching matchup: Carlos Rodon for Chicago and Shane McClanahan for Tampa Bay. In the top of the 1st, Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead when, after 2 were out, Mike Zunino reached on an error by Rodon, moved to second on a single by Nelson Cruz, and scored on a single by Yandy Diaz. But it didn’t take long for Chicago to tie it up as Abreu homered off McClanahan to lead off the bottom of the 2nd. In the top of the 6th, Wander Franco led off with a single, and with Zunino at the plate, Franco went to second on Rodon’s wild pitch. That wa...

Strat-O-Matic Report - Semifinal Series "A," Game #6 - Toronto 7, San Francisco 3 Robbie Ray struck out 11 in 7-2/3 innings and benefited from a 6-run rally in the top of the 8th inning as the Blue Jays (CM created by Rob Tomlinson) win the Semifinal Series 4 games to 2 over San Francisco (CM created by Corbin Dennis Vance). But until that 8th inning rally, it seemed very possible that San Francisco would force a Game #7. In the bottom of the 1st, Austin Slater singled, stole second base, and later scored on Buster Posey’s 2-run homer. San Francisco led 2-0, but Ray settled down and did not allow another hit until the 7th inning. However, through the first 7 innings San Francisco starting pitcher Kevin Gausman held the Blue Jays in check; the only Blue Jay run came on an rbi single by Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in the top of the 3rd. As the game headed to the 8th inning, San Francisco led 2-1. In the top of the 8th, Gausman faltered. He walked three consecutive batte...