November 17th, 2009 by Curtis Matthews
2018 Championships Over; Legends Again Reign over WBH
The seemingly perennial contest between the Azua Tortugas and San Lorenzo Legends has been decided, and this one belongs yet again to the Legends, who took four of six games from Azua to claim the top prize in the WBH for 2018 and their second straight USA championship.
Playoff wrap-ups for the USA league and all other leagues below the jump.
November 11th, 2009 by Curtis Matthews
2018 Championship Scoreboard
Because something as important as the championships of the WBH should never have to go down without some sort of narrative, for posterity’s sake, here’s a rundown from the first week of championship playoff games.
USA LEAGUE:
San Lorenzo Legends leads AzuaTortugas, 2-1
Game 1 was a pitchers’ duel between Azua’s Christian Lewis and San Lorenzo’s Felix Casilla. Both pitchers tossed scoreless gems, leaving the bullpens to battle it out into extra innings. An walk-off RBI single in the 10th from Azua’s “Shotgun” Nozara was the lone score in the game, and Azua took the first contest by a score of 1-0.
Games 2 and 3 were decisive Legends victories. Game 2 belonged to Legends SP Hyung-gwang Kim, who shut down the Tortugas’ offense all the way to the 2nd out of the 9th inning; Pereira took the ball for the last out and the save. A 3-run homer from Legends C Mario Romero provided the bulk of the scoring in the 4-1 Legends victory. Game 3 was yet another pitcher’s duel, with Legends’ SP Erin Evenson pitching 8 scoreless innings, and Tortugas’ SP Keishi Aoki keeping it scoreless until giving up a run in the 7th. The Legends then broke it wide open with five runs versus the Azua bullpen in the 8th. Final score 6-2.
<more leagues below the jump>
October 31st, 2009 by Curtis Matthews
End of Season Predictions
With just a handful of games left to go in the 2018 season, let’s take a look at the division matchups and project the winners in each league division.
August 1st, 2009 by George Rafael
Around the WBH - September 11, 2017
VEN - No mas. That’s what they’re saying in Venezuela after the dominant performances of Maracaibo and Oaxaca Nueve, who will meet for the VEN championship.
CAN - The Hong Kong Giants got some bad news when the team learned that Marc-André LaRouche was likely to be out for 11 months after he injured himself throwing a pitch in today’s game against the Edmonton Trappers. A round of tests by the team doctors revealed the injury to be a ruptured tricep tendon. Upon learning of their diagnosis, the Hong Kong manager told the press, “As you all know, we can’t control injuries — they are a part of the game. We just have to do the best we can until Marc-André is back in action.”
July 11th, 2009 by George Rafael
Around the WBH - July 17, 2017
MEX - Panama City closer Hector Villalouous is making a strong bid for his first WBH Stopper of the Year Award. With almost half the season in the books, the 26-year old lefty has yet to give up a run, earned or otherwise. He has converted all 19 save opportunities, and his stat line looks like something out of a video game: 28 IP, 13 H, 3 BB, 27 K. Lefties are hitting a miniscule 087/160/087. That’s 2-23 with no walks and 2 HBP. He has only given up two extra-base hits all season, both doubles, and both to righties, who are hitting a “robust” 157/213/186 against the lefty flamethrower.
CHN - It’s starting to look like a two-team race in the LAD. Changsha and Wuhan are one game apart, while Philly and Shanghai are struggling.
June 28th, 2009 by George Rafael
Around the WBH - June 12, 2017
USA - Motoshige Sanda was on fire and sparked his club to a 14-6 victory over the Fighting Jalapenos. The Mao catcher was a tough out and went 6 for 7 against Maracay in a fine hitting display.
JPN - Santiago de Cuba playing well on the road, going 16-5 to date.
June 20th, 2009 by George Rafael
Around the WBH - May 22, 2017
PUR - Osan’s Han-su Yi extended his consecutive-game hitting streak to 21 games.
MEX - After injuring himself, Toucans starting pitcher Francisco Marroquín headed straight to the hospital. He was removed from the game as a precaution after throwing a pitch and the team’s worst fears were confirmed when it turned out to be a little more serious. Marroquín will miss at least 2-3 months with a torn back muscle.
JPN - Toeldo’s Robert Stroupe goes 4-4 with two HR and five RBI in 9-4 win over Tokorozawa.
June 11th, 2009 by Frank Blanco
Who is Pat Wiggins?
I know I was asking myself that as I was going through this year’s awards ballot. I was shocked to find out that Pat, who received the fewest votes for hitter of the year of the candidates considered, set the WBH single season record for hits in a season.
April 19th, 2009 by George Rafael
WBH Weekly Wrap-Up for August 3, 2016
CAN - Detroit and Xi’an have been battling for 1st place in the Canadian LAD all season. The series opener at Detroit went 16 innings and saw the Xi’an staff rack up 20 strikeouts in the win! Xi’an took 2 of the 3 games, with 28 strikeouts to only 7 walks.
USA - The Akashi Fordians have lost seven of their past eight games and are now three behind San Lorenzo in the LOD. They’ve scored a total of only three runs in their past five games. Slumps by 1B Hideaki Shimizu and RF Je-Ju Yi aren’t helping.
CUB - Toa Baja Coquis go 9-1 in their last 10 games.
February 23rd, 2010 by Marc Vose
All Eyes on Korea
Sure, the USA, Japan and Cuba might be the cream of the crop, but if the WBH fans want excitement, Korea is the league to watch in the closing week of the 2019 season. There are only five games left, and Korea has not one but two pennant races that are totally open.
Two native Korean teams are vying for the Latitude Division title in Incheon and Jeonju. Incheon’s lackluster performance of late (5-5 in their last 10) has allowed the red-hot Jeonju Jays to close the gap, recovering from a subpar opening to the season.
Dong-hwan Yi
Jeonju’s done it with a fearsome lineup, led by SS Myung-chor Pak, 1B Dong-hwan Yi and OF Myin-hyuk Kim. The team shows no signs of slowing, their bashers having a good chance at crossing the elusive 700 runs scored barrier. The only question for the Jays will be the pitching…can they keep it close?
Meanwhile, the Inchworms opened up strong, inched their way through the middle of the season, and then blew through August with a 21-7 record. The September record stands at 1-3, though, and fans in Incheon might be worried they’re watching their beloved team choke. On the other hand, if the old adage that good pitching beats good hitting is true, Incheon should prevail. Raymon Vedia is one of the most intriguing free agent pickups in WBH history, with a frightening $27.5 million salary only matched by how fearsome he is to hitters: he’s presently sitting on a 16-2 record with a 1.81 ERA.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2019, korea, pennant race
Posted in Commentary | No Comments »