42

I hope you got a chance to watch some baseball last night. The number 42 was ubiquitous and there were some very fine pieces published throughout the day to be read while watching the games unfold. 

One sad note that is laced with irony: Actor Chadwick Boseman, known for his leading role in Black Panther and also Jackie Robinson in the movie 42, died from cancer at age 42 on Jackie Robinson Day while all players were wearing the number 42. If you haven’t yet had a chance to watch 42, I would highly recommend it. I think I’ll watch it tonight or tomorrow to commemorate both an incredible ballplayer (Jackie) and an incredible actor (Boseman). 

Boseman was an incredible actor who through his acting empowered the Black community to press into their strength as individuals and create change in the world around them. It is no coincidence that he was chosen to play both Black Panther and also Jackie, two characters who embody the courage and the struggle it is to be Black in America. He will be greatly missed.

In the EFL, things are tightening up! What more could we want with the last month of the season? It should be a fun final 30ish games to the finish line, and it is entirely possible we will have a first-time EFL champion. How exciting!

EFL
TEAM	WINS	LOSSES	PCT.	GB	RS	RA
Kaline Drive	19	13	.602	—	158.0	128.0
Haviland Dragons	18	14	.561	1.3	179.5	158.8
Bellingham Cascades	16	16	.495	3.4	166.3	180.1
D.C. Balk	14	17	.461	4.5	146.4	158.4
Canberra Kangaroos	14	17	.459	4.6	162.1	176.1
Flint Hill Tornadoes	15	18	.454	4.8	173.8	196.0
Cottage Cheese	14	17	.439	5.2	147.9	168.3
Peshastin Pears	15	19	.431	5.6	156.1	179.2
Pittsburgh Alleghenys	13	19	.406	6.3	151.5	181.8
Portland Rosebuds	12	22	.354	8.2	174.9	236.4
Old Detroit Wolverines	10	23	.296	10	132.1	201.3

Kaline: DNP, (-1)-0 (28PA; 5.3IP)

AVG: 0.296

OBP: 0.321

SLG: 0.481

OPS: 0.803

ERA: 5.09

WHIP: 1.509

Jesse Winker is on fire this month. Last night he hit his 9th homer in August, and his slash line is now .394/.488/.859, creating 19.55 runs/game. That kind of performance alone can lead a team to victory night and night out. Except last night no games were recorded for Drive, just more excellent hitting, which they are apparently going to store away for another day (of which there are very few left in the month). I’m sure Drive management was happy to see an outing from John Means that was decent, though not long. Those are the things he wants to see as he gears up for a September fight, though we all know Tom isn’t much of a fighter. This could be the most fun we’ve had in September as a league in a long time, with the Drive being joined by relative newcomers DC and Bellingham all pushing for the top spot in the last month of the season.

Haviland: DNP, (-1)-3 (44PA; 1IP)

AVG: 0.225

OBP: 0.295

SLG: 0.550

OPS: 0.845

ERA: 27.00

WHIP: 3.000

The stalwart and storied Dragons continue to hang around the top in a menacing fashion (what, they don’t seem menacing to you?). Unable to take a hint from the other storied franchises in the EFL (Pittsburgh and Old Detroit), the Dragons keep reminding the rest of us that they’ve been here before and they don’t take kindly to new kids crashing their party. You know how I know? Because who in the world would think owning Jed Gyorko down the stretch would be a good idea? Only the most confident and unphased owner would, and yet, he is a Dragon, and last night he went 2 for 4 with 2 HRs. This is Jed Gyorko we’re talking about! It’s been 3 years since he was relevant, but all of a sudden the 31 year old journeyman infielder is the Dragonian Babe Ruth. I know that Dragon management is genuinely likeable, and goes about his business with little fanfare – whether winning or losing. But try losing every once in a while, more often than you are trying to win. 

Bellingham: DNP, 2-0 (37PA; no pitching)

AVG: 0.323

OBP: 0.432

SLG: 0.581

OPS: 1.013

Alert, alert! We have a new 3rd place team in the EFL. Welcome, Cascades, to your new position in the standings. We hope you’ll find your stay both delightful and short – because there is a Dragonmaster just ahead of you who is ripe for the taking and has promised me he will try to lose a little more often (ok, maybe I made that part up). But seriously, welcome! The Cascade climb this season has been one of pure determination and grit. I know we call Tom the Wizard of Whidbey Island, but I think Andre needs to be called the Cascadian Conjuror because look at this stat:

In August, the Cascades have accrued 694 Plate Appearances, turning them into 5.79 Runs Created per Game. The next closest team in terms of PAs? The Pears, with 917 – but whose RC/G is 4.68. The Dragons are perhaps the most similar (and it’s not a surprise since Dragons and Conjurors typically hang out in the same crowds), who has 972 PAs and a RC/G of 5.91. So, with 278 fewer PAs, the Cascades are scoring as many Runs per Game as the Dragons. That is simply magical – there is no other way it can be described. Last night it was Hanser Alberto (4 for 5) and Brad Miller (2 for 3) who led the way, and two unlikely home run hitters in Jacob Nottingham and Derek Dietrich. 

DC: W(-1), L2 (-4)-7 (51PA; no pitching)

AVG: 0.104

OBP: 0.157

SLG: 0.188

OPS: 0.344

Unlike the three teams above them, the Balk took to the field – and this morning they might have wished they has also taken the day off. Falling nearly a game in the standings, they also handed over 3rd place to the Cascades. The Balk fortunes this month have gone as Mookie Betts and Tim Anderson have gone. Last night they combined to go 2 for 9 with 4 Ks, and their team lost. Fortunately for the Balk, most nights have been very good for both of those players, so you know the Balk are not done contending this season. And unlike, say, the Dragon who are depending on people like Gyorko, the likes of Betts and Anderson are a better certainty to continue their excellence all the way to the end of the season, which should be a cause of concern for us and a cause for calm in the Balk front offices.

Canberra: W, 5-4 (42PA; 11.4IP)

AVG: 0.237

OBP: 0.310

SLG: 0.368

OPS: 0.678

ERA: 3.95

WHIP: 0.965

Were the Roos wrong? This question might haunt them for the entire month of August. Just a few weeks ago Roo management was confident in their team’s chances to compete for the 2020 EFL title. But after a couple of weeks of mediocre (and sometimes bad) baseball, they decided they had no chance and began to sell some pieces of their team. But now, look! After winning last night, the Roos are only 4.6 games behind the leader. Lesser teams would see that gap and buy, buy, buy (ahem, Tornadoes), and so we have to wonder as the King Kangaroo arises from his slumber this morning (ok, maybe he is actually getting ready to eat lunch), is he asking, “Was I wrong?” Last night’s happy hoppers were Michael Conforto who went 3 for 7 with a 2B, and Tyler Mahle who pitched 6.7 innings and gave up only 2 runs. 

Flint Hill: L, 6-7 (30PA; 1.6IP)

AVG: 0.240

OBP: 0.367

SLG: 0.480

OPS: 0.847

ERA: 0.00

WHIP: 1.875

It seems only fitting that a team named the Tornadoes would, come trade deadline time, wheel and deal in dizzying fashion. Thus far the Tornadoes have made 4 trades this month, and there are more to come. But will any of it matter? What kind of person sees a nearly 5 game deficit in the standings and thinks, “I can make that up in one month?” While others might proclaim, “The Tornadoes have dizzied themselves into a tizzy!”, those in the front office are saying, “All we need to do now is convince the Drive to trade us their position in the standings, and our plan will be complete!” Think of how poetic that would be! The self-proclaimed man of the middle (Tom) swapping places with the Twisting Trader to make everything feel right again.

Cottage: W, 7-5 (53PA; 5.7IP)

AVG: 0.304

OBP: 0.396

SLG: 0.478

OPS: 0.874

ERA: 4.74

WHIP: 1.404

One of my most lucent memories from the Juniors Abroad trip I took in 2000 was the cheese shop tucked away in the French Alps in Chamonix, France. The smell wafted into the street through an open door, and blocks of aged cheese were sitting on the floor, on shelves, and seemingly in every crack and crevice in the store. I had never before eaten cheese that didn’t come straight from a plastic wrapper in a chilled fridge, and I had a hard time eating this French cheese because it seemed as though it had been there for ages. The EFL Cheese seem to be like this French cheese, just always there. Sometimes they have traveled down into the lower regions of the standings, and sometimes into the upper regions. But whenever I look, they are right there in the middle of everything, and oftentimes not very stinky. In fact, last night they were not stinky at all, led by Corey Seager, Yoan Moncada, and of course, Luis Robert, all of them combining to go 6 for 11 with a HR and a 2B. 

Peshastin: W2, L(-1) 10-2 (21PA; 7IP)

AVG: 0.400

OBP: 0.571

SLG: 0.933

OPS: 1.505

ERA: 2.57

WHIP: 1.143

IP: 7.0

The Pears took a page out of the Cascade playbook, getting only 21 PA on the day but scoring 10 runs from them! After yesterday’s update the Pears seemed to be withering away in the summer heat, but alas! They are not withering. In fact, they are flourishing! Clint Frazier and Victor Robles led the way, the youth movement envisioned by the Pears just starting to come to fruition. They combined for 5 of the 6 Pear hits, and Juan Soto added a HR for good measure. He now has 9 HRs in 21 games. And don’t forget the pitching! Dustin May went 6 innings and gave up 2 runs to lead his team to not one, but two victories on the day.

Pittsburgh: DNP, 2-2 (29PA; 5.3IP)

AVG: 0.259

OBP: 0.310

SLG: 0.519

OPS: 0.829

ERA: 13.58

WHIP: 2.075

One day after delivering a very emotional press conference (watch it here), Smith led his team in offense, going 3 for 5 with a 2B and a HR. Jorge Soler chipped in 2 more hits, including a HR, and even though they took the day off, the Alleghenys showed they are not to be forgotten. Well, Mark probably wants to forget the pitching, so we won’t mentioned Derek Holland’s bad day.

Portland: L, 2-6 (34PA; 9IP)

AVG: 0.207

OBP: 0.294

SLG: 0.379

OPS: 0.673

ERA: 6.00

WHIP: 1.778

Portland has been dealing away almost everything of value in the past few days. They have made 3 known trades, and I bet there might be one or two more in the works. The players, sensing things are changing, decided that doing their best didn’t matter and the results showed. The Rosebuds will look very different next month, and it will be interesting to see if they can compete more closely with the Wolverines for the top pick in next year’s draft.

Old Detroit: W2, L(-1) 9-(-3) (52PA; 12.4IP)

AVG: 0.360

OBP: 0.385

SLG: 0.720

OPS: 1.105

ERA: 2.18

WHIP: 0.806

Something awoke the sleeping Wolverines yesterday! Perhaps it was the prospect of being hit by a fallen plum tree branch that woke them up. Or, more pertinent, perhaps they became woke in light of the protests happening and decided to make a change beginning with Jackie Robinson Day. Whatever the reason, they had their best day of the season (I can say that with certainty even without looking back at every update – that’s how abysmal their season has been thus far). But the bad news is they are moving in the wrong direction if they still covet the number one pick next year. So something will have to change or else the Rosebuds are going to sneak in and ruin everything. Wolverine hitters collected 18 hits, 4 of them HRs; they only walked one time in 52 PAs! Andrew Heaney led the way on the mound, going 7.7 innings and giving up 2 runs. Nice work, Wolverines!