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.

As if this wasn’t enough, the Roswell Invasion sit 3 games back, in an amazing 3rd place (their 65-50 record would be enough to be leading many divisions throughout the hierarchy). Though they’re not mathematically eliminated, it would take a miracle for them to pull it off.

The hardest ticket to buy may well be the final series of the season, when Jeonju visits Incheon for 3 games. Our call? Incheon, if only because they have two games against lowly Busan, and home field advantage for that final, decisive series.

It doesn’t stop there for Korea League fans, though, because over in the Longitude, a possible photo-finish is brewing as well. Quebec sits only 2 games behind division leader Erie.

Quebec has been somewhat of a star-crossed franchise in its 11 year history. After beginning with two straight first place finishes, and two straight championships, it’s been 8 long years of misery for Dragons fans. Until 2019, that is. The team’s found a good balance, scoring over 600 and holding opponents in the low 500’s. Jeff Mallandain anchors a solid if unspectacular starting rotation, while Carl Conway and “Crawdad” Cho give the Dragons some pop. It’s been an up and down season for Quebec, with a hot May, cold June, hot July, and cold August. September has been predictably hot.

"The Mayor"

All of this means division-leading Erie is under more pressure than they bargained for. Jeonju may be closing in on 700 runs, but Erie’s lineup stands unimpressed: They sit at 714 with 5 games left. This is a lineup no one wants to face, revolving around Yakamochi “The Mayor” Maekawa. The Mayor is hitting .341 with 40 HRs, enough to overcome the team’s pedestrian pitching, only good for 3rd in the division.

Erie has to be regarded as the favorites, if only because they have a two-game advantage. The race is in the hands of the other two teams, though; Quebec just swept Erie three games in their last meeting of the season.

So, for the rest of us rooting for teams in already-decided divisions, we can live vicariously through the pennant race in Korea.

Playoff wrap-ups for the USA league and all other leagues below the jump.

USA LEAGUE:

San Lorenzo Legends defeats Azua Tortugas, 4 games to 2.

San Lorenzo took a 2-1 series lead into Game 4, and both squads handed the ball to their Game 1 pitchers; the Legends to their closer-turned-starter Felix Casilla, and the Tortugas to Christian Lewis. Casilla pitched 6.1 innings of brilliance, allowing 1 hit, no walks, and striking out six. Meanwhile, Christian Lewis, the hard-luck loser of Game 1, couldn’t get the redemption he wanted, giving up four runs in 7 innings, passing the ball in the 8th to MR Andres Tobor, who gave up two more. Azua made it interesting in the bottom of the 9th;  MR Nicolas Sotello gave up three runs courtesy of a Shotgun Nozara RBI double, an Octavio Maes sacrifice grounder, and an RBI single from Juan Neurrez, making it a 2-out save situation for closer Mario Pereira, who shut down the rally with a three pitch strikeout. Legends win, 6-3.

With Azua against the ropes, they needed a blowout in Game 5 to energize the team and bring up morale - and they got their blowout. The Tortugas scored agressively on starter Hyung-gwang Kim, thanks in large part to Azua CF “Reptile” Mikami who knocked in a two-run single in the 1st and another RBI single in the 3rd. Azua starter Rodolfo Casoillas kept the Legends bats mostly quiet, giving up only a lone run in the 6th courtesy of a sacrifice from RF Dustin Goyer. Top of the 7th, Azua chased Kim out of the game leaving runners on first and third; MR Ernesto Reyes came on in relief and Azua punished him with a single from “Shotgun” Nozaro and a pair of two-run homers from “Reptile” Mikami and Juan Neurrez. The mop-up corps came out to finish out the laugher; Azua wins 10-1.

Game 6 was the kind of nail-biter championship playoff fans love to see - a bona-fide pitchers’ duel between San Lorenzo’s Erin Evanson and Azua’s Keishi Aoki. Both starters kept the opponent offense shut down for seven straight edge-of-your-seat innings. In the top of the 8th inning, Ha-ro SunRomero came on in relief of Aoki, and Legends catcher Mario greeted him with a solo homer. This would be all San Lorenzo would need to seal the deal; four pitchers came on in the final two innings to keep Azua from tying the game, the last being 1.1 innings from starter Jermayne McTary, who picks up his first career save with the final pitch to the 2018 season. Legends win, 1-0.

JAPAN LEAGUE:

Maracaibo Jackals defeats Santiago de Cuba Rough Riders, 4 games to 2

Maracaibo went into Game 4 down agains the Rough Riders 2 games to 1, seeking a win to tie it all. The game was a rematch of Game 1, between Jackal Antonio Valverde and Rough Rider “Big Dumb” Palmier, which was won the first time by Palmier. Both pitchers kept it close for most of the game, each giving up one run in the 3rd to keep it tied 1-1 until the top of the 7th inning, when Palmier got chased out of the game with a solo homer from SS Sergio Trevino. The Santiago de Cuba bullpen clearly wasn’t up to the task - the Jackals scored three more in the seventh (two from a homer by C Chi-eun Sin) and four more in the eighth (two from a homer by 1B Bartoli Salinas). Jackals take Game 4, 9-3, tying the series at 2 games all.

Game 5 starter for the Jackals, Cesar Anaya, was obviously looking for redemption for the Game 2 loss, and he got it. Anaya kept the Rough Riders to a single run in seven innings, giving up 7 hits and striking out eight. Meanwhile Maracaibo scored a pai of runs in both the 1st and 3rd innings, led by a RBI single and a sacrifice grounder from 3B Andres Mariota. Rough Riders SS Enrico Quezana finally got to Anaya in the 7th, sacrificing to score Ramon Clenega, but this would be all the noise the Santiago de Cuba bats would make. Maracaibo wins, 5-1.

With Game 6, the tables had been turned, and now it was Maracaibo going in for the kill. Jackals starter Tavio Soravilla, who pitched eight scoreless innings in Game 3, pitched a repeat of his previous stellar performance. Soravilla kept the bats quiet through seven innings, giving up only two hits, two walks, and striking out two. Santiago de Cuba starter Agustin Santana pitched a gem of his own, but the run that made the difference was scored in the 1st inning - Sergio Trevino led off the inning with a double, and crossed the plate on a Bartolo Salinas single. Four Jackal relievers, including closer Jose Soto in the 9th, pitched two scoreless innings to give Maracaibo the game and the championship, 1-0.

CUBA LEAGUE:

Mao Dadaistas defeats Xi’an Kylin, 4 games to 0.

Down three games in the series, the Xi’an Kylin needed Game 4 to be the first in a string of miracles. By the 3rd inning, it became apparent the miracle wasn’t going to happen. Xi’an starter Shu-de Tei came apart in the 3rd, giving up an RBI single to LF Quinto Userin, walking Francisco Benigue with the bases loaded to score Mao starter Ricardo Alonso, and then giving up a three-run jack to 1B Jorge Hueca. Mao’s Alonso pitched just well enough, giving up just three runs (two unearned) in 7.2 innings, getting a hold from Lawrence Gannon and a save from “Lobste” Tsukamoto. Mao wins, 5-3, picking up the sweep and the Cuba league trophy.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC LEAGUE:

Pacora Jaguars defeats Tocumen Pollo Diablo, 4 games to 1.

Tocumen started Game 4 with their ace pitcher, Alejandro Asrreaza, who only lasted three innings in his Game 1 outing versus Pacora. Asrreaza put in the plus performance Tocumen needed, giving up one run and six hits in eight innings, but Pacora’s Zavier Paredez and four relievers combined to keep Tocumen’s offense limited to one run (courtesy of a solo HR from CF Alejandro Rueira) and only three hits. The score was tied 1-1 in the ninth, but that didn’t last long; Pacora broke the tie with a 2-run homer from SS Teo Maradinga off MR Alfonzo Ontiveros. Pacora closer “Franchise” Takashita closed out the game and saved the 3-1 win.

Game 5 once again belonged to the domination of Pacora starting pitching. Pacora’s nigh-unhittible youngster, “Bul” Recimos, was on the mound for the Jaguars and pitched six innings of two-hit ball, with no walks and 4 KOs. The game’s first score came in the 4th when Tocumen starter Pedro Mayorga gave up an RBI double to RF Manuel Niavez and a single to LF German Coronel to give Pacora a lead they would never lose. Pacora would go on to score a couple more runs off the Tocumen bullpen. In the ninth, with the score 4-1, Tocumen made some noise against MR Curro Casillas, scoring an RBI single from 2B Jose Cisneros, bringing “Franchise” Takashita into the game once again. Takashita gave up a sacrifice to C Jose Trujillo, but stopped the bleeding and got the final out of the game. Pacora wins, 4-2, taking the Dominican Republic championship.

SOUTH KOREA LEAGUE:

Suwon Samsung Lions defeats Asahikawa Green Guild, 4 games to 3

With the Green Guild ahead 2-1 in the series, Asahikawa pulled out the big gun, SP Richard Rand, who had been nearly unhittable during the regular season. He responded by pitching a complete game, nine-hit shutout, striking out four with no walks. Suwon started the less untouchable Seok-heung Li, who gave up five runs in the first three innings (two of those courtesy a first-inning homer from Green Guild LF “Torch” Bejar). Another two-run homer in the 7th from 1B Guillermo Manuel added unnecessary insult to injury; the game decisively belonged to Asahikawa all the way, 8-0.

Game 5, as would be all the remaining games, would be a must-win for Suwon. Asahikawa struck first with a “Torch” Bejar solo homer in the 2nd, answered in the 5th by a Suwon RBI single from LF Kyung-nam Yu to tie it.  The Green Guild appeared to break the logjam in the top of the 6th, scoring two, but the true turning point of the game ended up being the bottom of the 7th, when the Suwon lineup got to Green Guild reliever “Litt” Kim for three runs, giving Suwon a lead their bullpen could keep. Asahikawa’s Yoichi Gato connected for a solo homer in the 8th to keep the lead to one run, but it was enough for closer Gi Kim and Suwon took the game, 5-4.

Game 6 was the beginning of the end for Asahikawa, the first of two fantastic pitching efforts from Suwon starters.  Starter “Little BVu” Kwak limited the Green Guild to four hits in eight innings, making only one big mistake in the form of a two-run double to C Pyeong-chu Mangchol in the 4th inning. The Samsung Lions pummeled Asahikawa starter Ramon Alona, with back-to-back 2nd inning homers from 1B Aberto Ruiz and SS Eun-Bum Chon contributing to four runs in the first two innings. Alona gave up 5  runs and 12 hits in six innings, more than enough to maintain a healthy lead for Kwak and closer Gi Kim. Suwon wins 5-2 to even the series.

The Game 7 starters would be Lu-po-teh Yap for Suwon and Katsumi Kawaguchi for Asahikawa. Both pitchers kept it interesting until the top of the sixth inning, when Suwon, already up 2-1, scored three off Kawaguchi in the form of three singles, a triple and a sacrifice grounder. Suwon took the decisive lead and never looked back, emphasizing the point in the top of the 9th by scoring four off “Litt” Kim, including a two-run dinger from 1B Aberto Ruiz, forcing Asahikawa to bring in their closer Carlos Gallo just to stop the bleeding. Suwon wins the game in a 10-2 laugher, giving Suwon the championship and perhaps the most impressive come-from-behind victory of the championships.

VENEZUELA LEAGUE:

Oaxaca Nueve Guerros de Jaguar defeats Tokyo Tankui, 4 games to 2.

Game 4

Game 5 featured Oaxaca starter Kyuso Kaku looking for revenge after getting blown out in the late innings in Game 1, and Tokyo Tankui starter Hidetada Sato making his postseason debut. Tokyo started the 1st inning with a two-run homer from  Sukejuro Nakamura, and Oaxaca tied the game with a two-run double from 1B Ramon Gomez in the 3rd. Tokyo took the lead for good with an RBI single in the 5th from “Banzai” Fujitate and added another in the 7th from Tadayoshi Sato. Oaxaca had a chance in the 7th to tie but could only manage to score Gervaso Ureclay on a sacrifice grounder. “Dagger” Pak was able to save the one-run lead for Tokyo, and they took the Game 4 match, 4-3.

Game 6 was all Oaxaca; specifically, all starter Dan McRae, who shut out Tokyo for 7.2 innings, giving up five hits, seven strikeouts and one walk.  Tokyo’s ‘Clodhopper’ Alipaz did a good job of keeping the ball off the Oaxaca bats (only 4 hits given up in 5 innings, with nine strikeouts) but got into trouble with walks (5 total) and timely hitting from RF Adelmo Segobiano and 2B Hidehira Nii were enough to score three runs off Alipaz and give Oaxaca just enough offense to lead comfortably throughout the game. Oaxaca wins, 4-0, to take the championship for Venezuela.

CANADA LEAGUE:

Changsha Dragon Riders defeats Vancouver Venture Brothers, 4 games to 3.

With the series tied 1 game to 1, Changsha put Ho Zhao on the mound versus Vancouver’s Bobby Blain. The VBs scored a quick two runs in the first courtesy of a home run from RF Juan Sauzo, but Changsha’s  Tong Jian knocked an RBI single in the 1st, and later tied it in the 3rd by scoring on a Jose Bringuez single. Blain left after the third after tweaking a hamstring, handing the ball to Tokuma Shibaguchi, who gave up a run in the 4th to give Changsha the lead until the seventh inning, when the wheels finally fell off the Ho Zhao express. Zhao gave up three home runs in the seventh: solo homers from Nathan Hebert and Carlos Loizu, and a two-run bomb from Montes Morrero. That would give Vancouver a three-run lead they kept until the inevitable “Dr.” McTavish save. Vancouver wins, 7-4.

The hot Vancouver bats kept swinging in Game 4. Changsha starter Guo-qing Hu didn’t stand a chance, lasting only 1.1 innings, giving up six runs. Vancouver 2B Hector Inistera hit a homer for two of the five runs scored in the 1st inning; Juan Sauzo followed up in the 2nd inning with a solo homer, and Hu hit the showers. This was more than enough wiggle room for Vancouver starter Mao Sun, who gave up three runs in seven innings and took the easy win. Vancouver wins, 9-5, taking a series lead of 3 games to 1.

Game 5 had all the earmarks of a killing blow for Vancouver. Despite Changsha’s first strike — a two-run homer from 3B Felix Martinez off VB starter “Critter” Stalker, Vancouver once again teed off on Changsha pitching, punishing Shi-fu Li in the fourth inning with a two-run homer from CF Bob Rose, a single from SS Raul Cruz, and a three-run triple from Nathan Hebert. But Changsha would not go quietly, and the Venture Brothers lost focus.  Stalker would load the bases with a single, an infield error and a hit by pitch, then let three of those runs score by throwing a 1-0 wild pitch to SS Cisco Finones, followed by a 2-0 hanging slider that Finones roped for a double. Changsha still trailed 6-5 after the fourth inning, but it would be yet another two-run homer in the sixth from Felix Martinez off Vancouver reliever Ramon Ferbadez that gave Changsha the 7-6 lead they’d carry all the way to the end of the game. Changsha pulled off the upset to live another game.

Changsha, being in a must-win situation, gambled and started Ho Zhao on four day’s rest for Game 6. Zhao only faced two batters, however, before aggravating a blister on his pitching hand and had to be removed from the game. Definitely not what the Dragon Riders had in mind. Luckily, six Changsha bullpen pitchers combined to limit the Venture Brothers to only three runs on three hits and five walks. Meanwhile Changsha was busily getting what they needed off Vancouver starter David Gorman, scoring four against him in a three-inning outing; a Jose Bringuez RBI single in the first, and three in the third courtesy of RBI singles from LF Zhong-yan Juan and Ye Hu, plus a wild pitch to Felix Martinez.  Carlos Loizu made some seventh-inning noise with a solo homer for Vancouver, but with the score 5-3 in the 9th, Vancouver reliever Ramon Ferbadez gave up singles to Finones and “Maverick” Jung forcing the VBs to bring on closer McTavish to try to keep them within striking range. It didn’t work. Catcher Masujiro Hotsuda knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly, and two walks later, pinch hitter “Hippo” Hor sent the first pitch to the corner for a two-run double. All chances of rally dead, Changsha won, 8-3, forcing a decisive Game 7.

For Game 7, Changsha at last showed the dominant pitching that contributed to their 2018 league-leading 3.73 team ERA. Taking the mound would be  Guo-qing Hu, who blew out of Game 4 early as the victim of a Vancouver offensive onslaught. This time, however, it would be Hu with the upper hand, giving up no runs, three hits and a walk in six innings. Vancouver’s Bobby Blain pitched a decent game but was not nearly as dominant; Changsha scored in the first off a Bringuez sacrifice fly and again in the 6th off a “Maverick” Jung triple. Vancouver would not score until Hu left in the seventh; pitching in relief of Hu, Tse-peng Kang gave up a single to Carlos Loizu to score Brad Southorn. Changsha answered immediately with a Tong Jian solo homer in the 8th. The two-run lead would be preserved until the 9th, and reliever Zhao-ying Jin provided the save in the ninth to win it for Hu, 3-1, and to complete Changsha’s comeback story, giving them the championship series 4 games to 3.

PANAMA LEAGUE:

Nagasaki Blues defeats Ciudad Bolivar Liberators, 4 games to 1

Both sides kept the scoring low in Game 4, with a solo homer from Liberator RF Mario Bonefont off Nagasaki starter Krang-rak Hwang being the only run scored in the game until the 7th inning, when Blues LF Fu-chi Qiu connected for a three-run homer to give the Blues the lead. Hwang pitched 8 innings and then handed the ball to closer Sung-your Ch’ang for his third playoff save. Blues win the game 3-1 to go up three games to one.

Game 5 saw the Liberators putting their survival hopes in the hands of starter Pedro Ceguera, while Blues starter Manny Llaguno, who narrowly missed winning Game 1, was looking for redemption. The Blues struck first with a two-run single in the 3rd from 3B Karim Garza, which the Liberators answered with a C Bartolo Bernard RBI double in the 3rd. Garza and 2B Shotaro Ishii later added to the Nagasaki lead, knocking in two in the 5th, but Llaguno pitched himself into trouble in the 6th, and SS Mauro Valdevez made him pay with a three-run homer to tie the game. The tie breaker would come in the 7th with a pinch-hit single from 1B Tsukasa Yanagimoto followed by a pinch-runner stolen base from Mitsushika Tomimoto. This set the table for C Hector Campos who doubled off Yoriyuki Wada to get the 5-4 lead. For the fourth time, the Blues handed a close lead to Sung-your Ch’ang. Ch’ang would give up a leadoff single to Yeong-kil Yi, but would force CF Ruddy Lorega into a double play to earn the last two outs of the championship. Nagasaki wins, 5-4, and earns the crown in Panama’s farewell series.

PUERTO RICO LEAGUE:

Osan Flying Squid defeats Roswell Invasion, 4 games to 3.

Having been held down to only ten total runs over the first three games of the series, Osan wanted a big offensive performance in Game 4, and they got it. Osan started out the top of the first with a two-run homer from catcher Diego Sanchez, and later in the third Roswell starter Orlando Agure had trouble throwing strikes, walking two and then giving up a single and a sacrifice to plate both the walks. Agure lasted only 2.2 innings before handing it to the bullpen. In the fifth, the Squids teed off on Roswell’s Cheol-chung Son, pummeling him for five runs (three courtesy a 3-run homer by SS Han-su Yi). It was never close after that. Osan starter Raul Hernandez and four others would combine to hold Roswell to three runs (two earned), four hits, and four walks. Osan wins, 10-3.

The story of Game 5 was Osan starter Selby Valance, who despite having a modest 4.32 ERA in 23 starts in the 2018 regular season, managed to shut out the Invasion in eight innings, scattering four hits and four walks. Roswell’s starter, “Tro” Mendez, had in many ways a much more dominant pitching performance, allowing only three hits and three walks, with seven strikeouts compared to Valance’s three; unfortunately, a hanging fastball to Diego Sanchez was deposited over the fences for two Osan runs, and later in the seventh Gilberto Bertot parlayed a no-outs triple into an insurance run. Sanchez would homer again in the ninth (a solo jack) to keep the game well out of reach. Osan wins, 6-0.

Game 6 was an evenly matched battle between Osan starter Octavio Gomez and Invasion starter “Fiasco” Maginn. Roswell scored two in the early innings - one being a double from Maginn himself - but Osan climbed back into the lead with a double from Diego Sanchez and a triple from “Raptor” Vargas. It would not last long. The Invasion scored three in the seventh off an RBI single from Geunhye An followed by a two-run homer from C Raul Perez to put them back in the lead. Gomez would give up five runs and 11 hits total in his 6.1 inning losing effort. Roswell wins, 7-3, to tie the series and force a Game 7.

For the final battle of the championship, Roswell once again chose Game 4’s loser Orlando Agure, and Osan chose their Game 2 starter, Dong-yu Pak. Agure pitched much better than his game 4 fiasco, lasting 5.1 innings, giving up six hits, three walks and three earned runs, all inflicted by Osan’s Gilberto Bertot, who hit a two-run double in the first and a solo home run in the 3rd. Dong-yu Pak, meanwhile, was brilliant, limiting Roswell to one run, three hits, a walk and six strikeouts in eight innings.  The only mistakes Pak made all game were in the sixth, where a balk and a wild pitch contributed to Roswell’s one and only run. With the Squids smelling blood, Diego Sanchez would go on to score two more on a double in the seventh to put this game well out of reach. Osan wins the game, 7-1, and the championship 4 games to 3.

MEXICO LEAGUE:

Tijuana Grasshoppers defeats Valencia Cerveceros, 4 games to 3

Game 4 of the Mexican League Championship was a 14-inning, nearly five hour grind that would see the lead change seven times before the end. Neither Tijuana starter Vinny Trujillo nor Valencia’s Juan Ordonez put together a dominant start; Trujilo lasted 5.2 innings, giving up six hits, six walks, and seven strikeouts, yet miraculously managing to give up only four runs. Ordonez, on the other hand, was dismal: twelve hits and eight runs in 6.1 innings. Valencia appeared to break it open with a four-run seventh inning (three of those courtesy of a three-run homer from RF Wilson Jiminez), but Tijuana battled back with three in the bottom of the seventh (Daniel Nunnalay RBI single followed by a two-RBI double from Ernesto Nuncil) and one more in the eighth ( an RBI single from 3B Antonio Camunas) to give Tijuana the one-run lead. Tijuana closer Ricardo Pedreyra came within an out of saving the game, but with a runner on third and two outs, Pedreyra sent a 1-0 fastball to Ivan Ahumada sailing over the catcher’s head, blowing the save and scoring the tying run. Five innings later, Cerveceros batter Tokuhei Minobe singled to score Ahumada, and Valencia reliever Maximo Gonzalez held on in the bottom of the 14th to save his own win. Valencia wins, 10-9 to tie the series at two games all.

Tijuana starter Pancho Molina started Game 5 for his second attempt at a post-season win, facing Valencia’s “Ugly” Sanchez. The Grasshoppers’ bats chipped away at Sanchez, spreading five earned RBIs among five different batters over the first six innings. Valencia on the other hand could only touch Molina in the fourth inning, when Molina allowed a pair of baserunners and 1B Eugenio Slessor knocked them both in with a bloop single to left. Molina lasted eight innings, giving up only two runs and six hits, striking out five. Closer Ricardo Pedreyra redeemed himself by striking out the side in the 9th. Tijuana wins, 5-2.

Down three games to two and in their home stadium, Valencia called on Game 1’s winner Salvador Mata, while Tijuana, seeking a quick end to the series, chose Ricardo Amaya, who pitched a Game 2 complete game shutout. Amaya pitched well, but in the second inning gave up a solo homer to Eugenio Slessor — then, with two outs, Tijuana shortstop Alberto Lopez botched a routine defensive play that kept the inning going and led to a 2-RBI double from Sancho Alfonso. The Grasshoppers tried to rally in the 7th with back to back solo homers from Daniel Nunnalay and 1B Einar Veve, but with a swing of the bat in the bottom of the seventh, Wilson Jiminez erased Tijuana’s gains with a two-run homer. Valencia’s offense being too much for Tijuana, they win the contest, 7-2.

The seventh and final match would be decided by Valencia starter Bo Woo (Game 2’s loser) and Tijuana’s Pat Dooley, who pitched a good game to no decision in Game 3. Woo clearly did not have his “A” stuff; after giving up a couple runs in the 1st and 2nd innings, Tijuana scored two in the 3rd off a solo homer from “The Br” Maldonado and a double from Daniel Nunnalay. The Valencia management had clearly seen enough, and pulled him for Juan Solarzano in the 4th, whom The Br proceeded to touch up for a two-run homer, putting Tijuana up by 6. Pat Dooley held the Valencia bats to two runs (one earned) four hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Up 7-2, Tijuana reliever Jose Flores pitched into trouble in the eights, allowing two to score via singles from SS Valentin Jeria and Ivan Ahumada. Closer Ricardo Pedreyra came on to get the last out of the 8th, and pitched a scoreless ninth to hand Tijuana the 7-4 victory and the Mexico championship.

CHINA LEAGUE:

Rizao Rally Cats defeats Wuhan Blackhawks, 4 games to 2.

With Rizao desiring a win to keep from going into a 3-1 series hole, they went to “Barbarian” Holloway on the mound versus Wuhan’s Hong-bin Wang. Both teams went to the homer early; Barbarian gave up a 2-run homer in the first inning to Chien-sheh Quan, followed by a solo homer to Armando Rochet in the second. Rizao countered with solo homers from Luis Sendejas and Alberto Anruvio in the first and second innings, giving Wuhan the early 3-2 lead. Holloway took control for the rest of the game, keeping Wuhan’s offense down while the Rally Cats rallied to chip away at the Wuhan lead. In the fifth, and RBI single by 2B Yong Tsao tied the game at three-all, where the score would remain until the ninth. Wuhan brought in closer Cai-fei Ching in a non-save situation, who allowed runners on first and third with one out, setting the table for the Angel Diaz pop fly to score the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly. Rally Cats win, 4-3.

Game 5 was a nail biter, with both starters Cheng-en Chen for Rizao and Miguel Gonzalez getting chased out of the game before the end of the third inning. The Rally Cats scored 3 off Gonzalez in the first inning, followed by a Luis Sendejas triple in the 2nd to score Bernardo Gradega. But in the top of the third, the four-run Rizao lead turned into a 5-4 Wuhan lead, starting with a Gallard Cargill sacrifice fly, then back-to-back 2 RBI doubles from Armando Rochet and 2B “Porky” Razatos. That was enough to knock Chen off the mound, and the game became a battle of the bullpens. The two teams slugged it out until the end, where finally Wuhan found themselves with a 9-7 lead in the bottom of the ninth and closer Segundo Taladay on the mound; a two-run homer from Charlie Cosman blew the save and sent the game into extra innings. An inning later, Rizao would win it with a walk-off single from Yin-fat Jue. Rizao wins, 10-9.

Game 6 would see Rizao starter Yasojiru Minoru, who pitched a gem of a win in Game 2, face off against Julcir Tavora who prevailed in Game 1. This matchup was all Minoru. In six innings of work, Minoru allowed 10 hits and 2 earned runs, but also struck out ten, pitching himself out of jams more often than not. Rizao broke out against Tavora in the fourth, with an RBI single from Francisco Quian, a two-run triple from Yong Tsao and a sacrifice fly from Yin-fat Jue. Minoru gave Rally Cats some fuel for gasping in the seventh, pitching two wild pitches in one at bat to allow Chua-kah Gui to score all the way from second and bring the Blackhawks to within 1. But in the top of the ninth, with Segundo Taladay in for Wuhan to try to keep it close, Rizao added two insurance runs in the form of a Francisco Quian double. Rally Cat reliever Ed Maybry came on for the sloppy but still scoreless save. Rizao wins, 6-3, taking the China League championship in six 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>

JAPAN LEAGUE:

Santiago de Cuba Rough Riders leads Maracaibo Jackals, 2-1

Rough Riders starter “Big Dumb” Palmier kept Maracaibo’s scoring limited to a pair of solo homers from 1B Bartoli Salinas, outdueling Jackals’ starter Antonio Valverde, who gave up four in seven innings. Three additional runs in the 8th versus Maracaibo reliever Junior Couret made Game 1 decisiviely a Rough Riders victory, 7-3.

Game 2 was a stinging blow to Maracaibo. Jackals’ Cesar Anaya, who gave up only 14 home runs all season as a 16-3, 2.30 ERA starter, gave up a first-inning grand slam to 3B Ramon Clenega (who hit only seven HRs all season). The Jackals never recovered despite keeping the Rough Riders scoreless for the rest of the game; the  Maracaibo offense scattered three runs and lost a heartbreaker, 4-3.

Game 3 was a pitchers’ duel won in every sense of the word by Jackals starter Tavio Soravilla, who pitched eight scoreless innings and provided the only RBI of the game, a single that scored Jerrold Muguercia, assisted by an error in left field from Santiago de Cuba’s Jean Lagace. Final score 1-0, Jackals.

CUBA LEAGUE:

Mao Dadaistas leads Xi’an Kylin, 3-0

Game 1 belonged to Xi’an almost the entire game, except the part that counts (the end). The Kylin scored four unearned runs in the third (thanks to an infield error by Mao SS Pascual Gonzalez) and went into the 9th with a 4-3 lead. Then, Xi’an closer De-shi Yao gave up a two-run double to pinch-hitter Alex Ortega, and with the blown save the Kylin went down 6-4.

Game 2 was a slugfest, with Xi’an starter Guo-feng Zong and Mao starter “Fury” Alvarez both giving up five runs and getting knocked out of the game after only 1.2 innings. Both teams proceeded to tee of on each others’ bullpens, but it was Mao who featured the strongest bats; LF Quinto Userin went 2-for-4 with two HRs and 4 RBI, and Francisco Benigue went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a HR, and 4 RBI.  Mao wins, 10-7.

To add insult to injury, Mao took Game 3 in a five-hit shutout, led by starter “The Skul” Baza who scattered five hits and five walks in a 7.1 inning effort. Solo homers by Benigue, 1B Jorge Hueca, and 2B “Fuzzy” Buenoventura were more than enough to hand Mao the 3-0 victory.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC LEAGUE

Pacora Jaguars leads Tocumen Pollo Diablo, 2 games to 1

Game 1 saw the Pacora offense chasing ace Devil Chicken starter Alejandro Asrreaza out of the game after only three innings, giving up four doubles, one HR and four total runs. They weren’t much nicer to his replacement, Kelvim Silva, who gave up three runs of his own. Pacora remained in command throughout, until the 9th, when Tocumen rallied with a 3-run homer from 3B Seville Boquín off mop-up reliever Javiero Opez, forcing Pacora to bring in “Franchise” Takashita to close the deal. Pacora wins, 8-5.

Game 2 was a pitching fan’s dream. The Pollo Diablo scored the one and only run in the game - in the 1st off a sacrifice hit from LF Roberto Soto. From there, Tocumen starter Pedro Mayorga was in command, limiting Pacora to three hits in 8.0 innings, handing the 1-0 lead to closer Cristian Ronda for the save. Pacora starter Marque Lendra and three others kept Tocumen to only six total hits, but the bats couldn’t ignite a rally in Pacora. Tocumen takes Game 2, 1-0.

Game 3 brought the thunder back, in a high-scoring affair that featured 25 total hits between the two teams. Pacora RF Manuel Niavez single-handedly knocked Tocumen starter Jorge Onzales out of the game by the third inning with a grand slam. Tocumen responded by shaking four runs out of “Bugs” Hererra in four innings, and two more out of Álex Salinana to give them a lead that they kept until the 9th inning. Then, Tocumen closer Ronda gave up two leadoff walks, setting the table for an RBI single from SS Teo Maradinga and later a two-run single from RF Alex Jose. Pacora handed a two-run lead to Takashita-san in the bottom of the 9th, and he closed the deal. Pacora wins 10-8.

SOUTH KOREA LEAGUE:

Asahikawa Green Guild leads Suwon Samsung Lions, 2 games to 1

Game 1 started by going the Lions way. Starter “Little BVu” Kwak stayed in command of the Green Guild for most of the game, outlasting Asahikawa’s Misao Inoue to give Suwon a 4-2 lead going into the sixth. The wheels fell off Kwak in the 7th, giving up a 2-run triple to 3B Tomokazu Ohayashi , followed by a solo HR, a double, and an RBI single in the 8th to put them in the lead. Green Guild closer Carlos Gallo preserved the two-run lead for the save. Green Guild wins, 6-4.

In Game 2 Suwon starter Lu-po-teh Yap carried a five-hit shutout and a four-run lead into the eighth, and then proceeded to start the 8th inning with three straight singles and a wild pitch. Four runs on five hits later, the 9th inning began with the two teams tied. The tie only lasted two pitches into the ninth, before Suwon SS Hee-ho Pak belted a solo HR to give the lead back to Suwon; the save however was blown when Green Guild C Hideyori Nakashima doubled and later scored on a Chayo Ramírez sacrifice fly. Not to be deterred, Pak hit yet another solo jack in the top of the 11th; this lead required only seven pitches from Lions reliever Matsu Koike to pick up the save. Suwon wins 6-5.

Game 3 featured yet another star turn by a Suwon starter that got ruined by the bullpen. Lions starter Tu-chin Kim gave 6 good innings of pitching, allowing only three hits and a single run. In the seventh, his one run lead evaporated thanks to bad relief from Jae-woo Yi, and despite Suwon’s offense coming back to tie the game at 3-3 in the eighth, the Suwon bullpen gave up five runs in the eighth and lost in a blowout, 8-5.  Green Guild 3B and dead-lock for series MVP Tomokazu Ohayashi was again the offensive hero, going 2-for-3 with 1 run, 3 RBI and 2 walks. Through Game 3 of the playoffs, Ohayashi is hitting .538.

VENEZUELA LEAGUE:

Oaxaca Nueve Garras de Jaguar leads Tokyo Tankui, 2 games to 1

Game 1 broke the Tankui way in the bottom of the sixth, when they busted up the shutout for Oaxaca starter Kyuso Kaku with a 3-run homer from 3B Elonso Romano. Tankui emphasized the point by picking up another four runs in the eighth (centered around a bases-loaded double from CF ‘Banzai’ Fujitate that scored three). Tokyo wins, 9-3.

Game 2 was a low-scoring pitching battle between Tokyo’s ‘Clodhopper’ Alipaz and Oaxaca’s Dan McRae. Alipaz edged McRae slightly and carried a 3-1 Tankui lead into the eighth, where he got in trouble and gave way to setup man Soo-geun Nae. Nae then gave up a brutal series of singles and walks, handing Oaxaca seven runs and an 8-3 lead, and they never looked back. Final score, 8-3.

Game 3 was a scorekeeper’s dream. The lead pinballed between Tokyo and Oaxaca six times before it was all over. Tokyo managed a total of 17 hits for 9 total runs, but only three of those hits were for extra bases (a pair of doubles from Braulio Tosado and a  solo homer for Sukejuro Nakamura). Oaxaca only connected for 10 hits  - four of which were for extra bases - but benefitted from having more baserunners when they hit them. The decisive play went to Oaxaca’s Chayo López, who hit a 2-run double in the 8th to put the Garras up for good. One of the runners scoring in that play was pinch-runner and aged living legend Gustavo Ureclay, who may have scored his last post-season run of his career. Oaxaca wins, 11-9.

CANADA LEAGUE:

Series tied between Vancouver Venture Brothers and Changsha Dragon Riders, 1 game to 1.

Game 1 was blown wide-open by Changsha early. Dragon Riders’ LF Tong Jian started the 1st with a two-run homer, followed in the 3rd by a grand slam from 1B Tian-yun Xia and a two-run double from SS Cisco Finones. Vancouver did their best to fight back with a barrage of extra-base hits (10 of 11 total hits were for extra bases; 5 doubles, 1 triple and 4 homers) but Changsha scored six more in the 7th and 8th innings to secure a lead that Vancouver couldn’t rise to. Changsha wins, 14-10.

Game 2 saw Vancouver establishing the lead early, with a solo HR from C Brad Southorn in the 2nd and three runs in the 4th. Venture Brother starter David Gorman kept the Dragon Riders’ bats mostly quiet through seven straight innings. A pair of 2-run innings in the 6th and 7th kept the Venture Brothers far ahead of Changsha, and they picked up the victory, 8-2.

PANAMA LEAGUE:

Nagasaki Blues leads Ciudad Bolivar Liberators, 2 games to 1

Game 1 featured a rare occurrence in baseball - a no-hitter vs. a team that still manages to score a run. Liberators starter Gerardo Avilar began the first inning by walking the first two batters and hitting Blues 3B Karim Garza with a pitch; 1B Tsukasa Yanagimoto knocked in the lone Blues run all game, and from there never managed to get another hit. Avilar and closer Horacio Manuel combined for a no-hit, 6 BB, 6 K effort. A homer from CF Ruddy Lorega was among the three runs scored by Ciudad Bolivar. Liberators win, 3-1.

In Game 2 the Nagasaki bats redeemed themselves. Karim Garza started the first inning with a solo homer, and 2B Shotaro Ishii and LF Fu-chi Qiu provided a pair of homers in the 6th inning to provide a plenty big enough lead for Blues closer-turned-starter “Down Home” Casillas who spread three runs out over the first six innings before handing it to the bullpen, where new closer Sung-your Ch’ang buttoned up the save. Blues win, 6-3.

Game 3’s runs were entirely contained in the first two innings. Liberators C Bartolo Bernard scored one on a triple in the first, and P Gerardo Gonzáles knocked in another run on a double. The Blues scored two runs on two different Karim Garza singles in the first and second innings, with an additional RBI single from RF Jose Limon. From there, Blues starter Ho-win Shi and Gonzales battled it out, with both pitchers shutting down the opponent’s offense. With a one-run lead in the ninth, Shi handed the ball to Ch’ang again for his second playoff save. Blues win, 3-2.

PUERTO RICO LEAGUE:

Roswell Invasion leads Osan Flying Squid, 2 games to 1.

Game 1 belonged to Roswell starting pitcher Orlando Agure, who shut out the Squids until the eighth inning. Osan’s “Lunatic” Bath also pitched well, but Roswell got to him for two runs in the third and another in the fourth. This was a plenty big lead for Roswell closer Young-jong Yi to supply the save. Roswell wins, 4-1.

In Game 2, the Roswell bats touched up starter Dong-u Pak for three early runs in the 2nd inning (courtesy of a 2-RBI double from RF Han-soo Kim and two infield errors), but Pak settled down and the Invasion managed only three more total hits off Pak as he pitched a complete game and allowed the Squid offense to battle back to a 3-3 tie in the ninth inning. The game-winning hit came courtesy of a bottom-of-the-ninth, walk-off pinch hit single from Osan’s Pancho Escueta to score Gilberto Bertot. Osan wins, 4-3

Game 3 once again saw Roswell score early against an Osan starter. A pair of 2-run homers in the first and third innings by Roswell 1B Osiris Andujar and SS José Valle respectively contributed to the five early runs that knocked Osan’s Yong-hong Ma off the mound. Osan C “Raptor” Vargas contributed two solo homers to the five runs Osan scattered throughout the game, but the Squid couldn’t apply enough power to overtake the Invasion. Roswell wins, 6-5.

MEXICO LEAGUE:

Tijuana Grasshoppers leads Valencia Cerveceros, 2 games to 1.

Game 1 featured a low-scoring game of chicken between Tijuana starter Pancho Molina and Valencia starter Salvador Mata. It was the Cerveceros who finally broke the deadlock, touching up Molina with a 2-run double from 3B Alejandro González and a pinch-hit RBI single from Vernon McConnell. Valencia fought back with a solo HR from ‘the Br’ Maldonado and a triple by 3B Hernán Martínez that scored on a sacrifice. This wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit, and so Valencia takes the 1st game, 4-3.

Game 2 became a blowout for the Grasshoppers shortly after the 4th inning, when Valencia starter Bo Woo gave up a 2-run homer to “The Br” to give Tijuana a 5-0 lead. Tijuana pitcher Ricardo Amaya pitched a complete game and gave up only one run (a solo homer to 2B Shuncho Osagawa) in a 4-hit effort. Tijuana wins the 2nd game, 7-1.

In Game 3, Tijuana starter Pat Dooley went into the 7th inning with a 2-1 lead over Cerveceros starter Taysuke Kinashita, until an RBI single from RF Sancho Alfonso and an RBI double from 2B Shuncho Osegawa tipped the lead back in Valencia’s favor. It wouldn’t last long, though, as Tijuana responded with a 2-run double in the from 3B António Camuñas to regain the lead. Tijuana’s closer Ricardo Pedreyra was able enough to keep the 4-3 lead and save the win for Tijuana.

CHINA LEAGUE:

Wuhan Blackhawks leads Rizao Rally Cats, 2 games to 1

In Game 1, the Rally Cats made an early statement with two runs against Wuhan starter Julcir Tavora in the third, courtesy of RBI singles from 1B Alberto Anruvio and 3B Jorge Esquival. This would be the only scoring Rizao would manage all game, and after Wuhan earned three in the fifth (two runs coming courtesy of a C Gallard Cargill two-run jack) they kept the lead on to the end. Wuhan wins, 4-2.

Game 2 belonged to Rizao, as starter Yasujiro Minoru pitched 7.1 innings of shutout, three-hit ball. Rally Cat left fielder Bernardo Grageda connected for a two-run homer in the 2nd off Wuhan starter Er Gai for the only offensive action in the game. It was more than enough to net the Rizao victory, 2-0.

Game 3 saw Rizao starter ‘Gold M’ Veolásquez roughed up for three runs early in the game. It would not be until the 7th inning that Rizao answered with an offensive explosion of their own, with an Alberto Anruvio solo HR leading the rally against Wuhan’s starter Stéphane Pellerin to force a 3-3 tie. In the 8th, Wuhan SS Chua-kah Gui connected for an RBI single against reliever Rally Cat Álex Aeyta, breaking the tie for good and leading to the Wuhan 4-3 victory. Closer Cai-fei Ching picked up the save.

USA League
———-

LAD
—

*Yawn* Let’s see…who’s on top in the USA Latitude divison? Oh, what a surprise…the Azua Tortugas. The nigh-unstoppable juggernauts of the WBH are once again headed for the championships, with a 12 game lead over 2nd place Mariel - a good team, unfairly stigmatized by the fact Azua is a much, much better team. Azua outclasses the competition in every offensive and defensive category, and is a lock to make the championships.

LOD
—

After a brief span of time in the early season where it appeared Caracas was the clear favorite, San Lorenzo shook the May doldrums and Caracas suffered an 11-16 June record (during which time their GM disappeared under mysterious circumstances). As a result, the San Lorenzo Legends, led by one of the highest run-producing middle-of-the-order lineups in all of baseball, are again the tops in the LOD, with the Cartel a distant 8 games behind.

PREDICTION:

LAD: Azua
LOD: San Lorenzo

Japan League
————

LAD
—

To give a little perspective on the dangers of writing prediction articles like this one, if I’d have written this article a week ago, I’d have been talking about the Tokorozawa Arsenal as the favorites atop the Japan LAD with Bocas del Toro and Santiago de Cuba playing catch-up two games behind. Then, Tokorozawa lost six in a row and Santiago de Cuba went 5-1 in the same time period. As a result, Santiago de Cuba vaulted to the top of the standings and left the other two three games behind them. To say the least, the results of this race are going to be hard to predict…

There are truly no clear favorites in this race - all teams have critical flaws that make it hard to project a victor. Santiago de Cuba is a team bouncing back from a horrible 12-16 July to go 8-3 in August, thanks to some uncharacteristically good pitching performances (3.18 runs given up per game since August 1st). Their starting pitching is suspect (4.38 team ERA among starters) and their offensive production doesn’t compare favorably to either of the other two rivals. Bocas del Toro boasts the division’s best offense (.799 team OPS, led by MVP-candidate LF Salvador Estrada, who’s belting a personal 1.102 OPS) but apart from SP Aimon Garcia, SP Hirohisa Murakami, or CL Kunihiko Yamakoshi, the pitching is everything from inconsistent to downright terrible.

As for Tokorozawa, they look good on paper, but when you look at the players you can see where they were due for a crash. Statistically they lead all rivals in team pitching categories, yet they have two of the most ineffective starting pitchers in any league (Raul Cajivat and Carlos Bustamanta) as their #4 and #5 starters — these two both have ERA well above 6.00 and have combined for a total 10-16 record in 31 starts (only 9 of which were quality starts). Offensively, they lead the league in home runs with 112, but comparitavely they struggle to get wood on a good pitch, a contributing factor to their horrible record against the more pitching-gifted LOD teams (15-25).

The truth is, out of the three teams in contention, the team that comes closest to the definition of the term “consistently dominant” would have to be Tokorozawa. They’re not good, but they’re good enough. Santiago de Cuba has series vs. Maracaibo and Barquisimento coming up (both of which are better teams) followed by head-to-heads within the division, which history points to the Rough Riders losing more than winning. Bocas del Toro likewise has not matched well vs. Tokorozawa and does not have a pitching core that you can safely bet on. The edge goes to Tokorozawa; but don’t bet money on them you don’t mind losing.

LOD
—

Both by record and by actual talent, the LOD have the #1 and #2 teams in the entire league in Maracaibo and Barquisimeto. And while the Obeliscos outclass all four teams in the Latitude Division, they are an order less magnitude than the Maracaibo Jackals, who share the honor of being tied with Azua for the best record in the WBH (65-29), 12 games ahead of the Obeliscos. With not nearly enough time left in the season to catch up, the O’s will have to be content playing the role of spoiler for the LAD race, as they play 3-game series with Tokorozawa and Santiago de Cuba this week, which will help make or break each one’s chances to make it to the finals.

PREDICTION:

LAD: Tokorozawa
LOD: Maracaibo

Cuba League
———–

LAD
—

The Xi’an Kylin sit atop the division at 54-41, with the Seoul Warlords four games behind, and the Santurce de Cangrejeros only five games behind. Though numerically Seoul and Santurce are within striking distance of the top spot, Xi’an has been playing consistently good baseball, while both Seoul and Santurce have had losing records since July and are both playing worse now than they were at the start of the season. Neither team is carrying momentum into the last few weeks of play, which points to the strong possibility Xi’an will take the division championship.

LOD
—

From the start of the season, the race has been a tight showdown between the Mao Dadaistas and the Taegu Black Bears, two very evenly matched teams. Only two games separate the two teams, who have gone an even 9-9 against each other in division play. The next week of interleague play will be critical in determining the winner; Mao is up against division rivals they have struggled against all year (the Xi’an Kylin, the Santurce de Cangrejeros, and the Toa Baja Coquis, which combined they have a 12-17 record against) while Taegu draws a much better schedule (Seoul, Santurce de, and Toa Baja, of whom they have a 15-14 record). Mao and Taegu could very well find themselves tied by this time next week, at which point the head-to-head matchup becomes all important.

In this race, I like Taegu a little better than Mao. Mao has slightly stronger bats, but a very shallow pitching depth that is teetering a little too close to breakdown. Taegu is a well-balanced team that is well-capable of going into overdrive and sneaking past Mao.

PROBABILITY

LAD: Xi’an
LOD: Taegu

Dominican Republic League
————————-

LAD
—

At the start of this season, Balboa appeared to be the team of destiny in the LAD. Then, two disasters happened. The Pacora Jaguars put together an incredible 21-6 run in the month of June, which Balboa answered with a 9-19 month of July. As a result, Balboa now sits nine games behind Pacora, out of the running for the title this year. At least Balboa will have SP Cristo Cabrera (16-2 2.03 ERA) to cheer for in the MVP awards in the offseason, and plenty of time to figure out what to do about their team .337 OBP and their 36-44 record versus right-handed pitching.

LOD
—
It is the year of the Devil Chickens. The Tocumen Pollo Diablo are the only team in the LOD that the word “punching bag” doesn’t apply to in the LOD - all other teams currently have far lower win totals than 4th place Hiroshima in the LAD. The Bani Banshees have turned their season around and have a 22-17 record since July 1st, but at a total 44-50 record, they’re still a distant second with 12 games separating them from Tocumen.

PREDICTION:

LAD: Pacora
LOD: Tocumen

South Korea League
——————

LAD
—

The Asahikawa Green Guild are the dominant figures of the LAD this year, with a 59-36 record, eight games ahead of second place Detroit. Though the Green Guild’s offense hasn’t been particularly stellar (a division-worst .258 team BA and .731 team OPS) they made up for it with timely run production and stellar starter and bullpen pitching. Detroit has no chance to make up the defecit at this point in the season.

LOD
—

Much like the Japan League LOD, the South Korea LOD features a scrum of three teams, all within four games of each other, that are each flawed in their own way and…dare I say it…not particularly good. The current favorite is Cheju (48-47), who led big early in the season but who has fallen hard since July and allowed Suwon to charge up to two games behind (46-49). San Juan shouldn’t even be under consideration after going 9-19 in the month of June, but due to the relative weakness of the rest of the division stands a mere 4 games away from Cheju’s top spot (44-51).

Realistically, San Juan stands almost no chance. Cheju and Suwon have both kicked the fool out of them in divsion play, and should certainly continue to do so in the upcoming division matchup series. That leaves the real battle between Cheju and Suwon, which I give to Cheju for two reasons:

1. Cheju has a better overall record vs. the remaining division opponents: in particular, Cheju has dog-whipped the Erie Sea Wolves to the tune of 13-5, while Suwon’s record is a mere 9-9.

2. Suwon has a week of interleague play coming up with a number of teams that have dominated them this season: Asahikawa, Detroit, and Jeonju.

With this in mind, the prospect of Suwon picking up two games on Cheju before the end of the season seem pretty slim.

PREDICTION:

LAD: Asahikawa
LOD: Cheju

Venezuela League
—————-

LAD
—

What was shaping up to be a two-man race between Tokyo and Moca this year suddenly turned a different direction in the month of July, when Moca took a 10-18 nose-dive at the same time Panama City went 20-8. The race is still a two-man race, only now with Tokyo on top and Panama City a mere 1 game behind. The Moca Machine sits six games back and likely will be relegated to making mocha for whoever wins.

Though it’s hard to understand how a team as strong as Tokyo can be overtaken, the smart money is on Panama City to win it all. Since July the Bull Moose have been a much better team, putting up better run production than the Tankui and matching them in the pitching department. It bears mentioning that not only do the Bull Moose have a 10-8 record against Tokyo, but also in the last six games played against them, they’ve gone 5-1. In short, this is a team with serious momentum, and it’s not a fluke, it’s because they’re really that good.

LOD
—

The story of the Venezeula LOD so far has been Vertientes Fumadores all the way, with Oaxaca Nueve Garras de Jaguar always close behind but rarely threatening to overtake them. It’s hard to imagine two teams that are more evenly matched than these two…head to head matchups sit 10-8 in Oaxaca’s favor, and both teams have been consistently good all season. Despite being a game down, the slight edge goes to Oaxaca. The bulk of the remaining games are division games, and they have a winning record against all of them (including Vertientes). The Achilles heel of Oaxaca in this scenario is offense (.256 team batting average is a division low) and they currently have both SS Virisimo Petronilho and RF Adelmo Segobiano in pretty nasty hitting slumps. They may need some breakout performances at the plate if they want to avoid fading in the stretch.

PREDICTION:

LAD: Panama City
LOD: Oaxaca Nueve

Canada League
————

LAD
—
It’s a free for all in the LAD, with Changsha and Hukouka tied for 1st, and Beijing and Hamilton within striking distance at 4 games and 5 games out respectively. The balance of power in this division has been hard to read all season, with no team ever really holding a decisive grip on the top spot. How to handicap this race? Let’s start in reverse order.

First, Hamilton. Although they are only five games out of first, they also have three teams they need to vault over in their division, and their chances of doing this are almost negligible, especially since they’re not showing any signs of late-season surging. Beijing is harder to dismiss; after a lackluster first two months, they’ve gone 23-17 since July 1st. Both Changsha and Hukuoka have had similar momentum to Beijing; both teams have 24-16 records in July. So with all three teams playing great baseball, let’s analyze by looking at the remaining schedules and project winners based on previous records.

Changsha
1 vs. Vancouver (3-8 record) (0-1)
3 vs. Kitchener (6-3 record) (2-1)
3 vs. Edmonton (7-2 record) (3-0)
6 vs. Hukuoka (8-10 record) (2-4)
6 vs. Beijing (11-7 record) (4-2)
6 vs. Hamilton (10-8 record) (3-3)

Projected W-L Record: 65-55

Hukuoka

1 vs. Hongkong (7-4 record) (1-0)
3 vs. Edmonton (7-2 record) (3-0)
3 vs. Kitchener (5-4 record) (2-1)
6 vs. Hamilton (10-8 record) (3-3)
6 vs. Beijing (7-11 record) (2-4)
6 vs. Changsha (10-8 record) (4-2)

Project W-L Record: 66-54

Beijing

1 vs. Kitchener (6-5 record) (1-0)
3 vs. Vancouver (3-6 record) (1-2)
3 vs. Hong Kong (6-3 record) (2-1)
6 vs. Hukuoka (11-7 record) (4-2)
6 vs. Changsha (7-11 record) (2-4)
6 vs. Hamilton (9-9 record) (3-3)

Projected W-L Record: 60-60

Two conclusions you can draw from these projections is that Beijing doesn’t appear to stand much of a change, and the battle between Changsha and Hukuoka will likely go to whoever comes out ahead in the remaining six games. Hukuoka has a slight edge with a 10-8 record versus Changsha. The last three games of the season will be between these two, and chances are good the deciding game will be one of these three.

LOD
—

Vancouver sits atop the league at 60-35, an extremely comfortable 15 games ahead of 2nd place Kitchener. The Venture Brothers can relax and wait for the championships.

PREDICTION

LAD: Hukuoka
LOD: Vancouver
Panama League
————-

LAD
—
It’s been a dogfight between Nagasaki and Arraijan all season, with Nagasaki taking an early-season lead, and the Chaos Titans surging mid-season, only to fade and allow the Blues to pull even. Arraijan now stands 2 games ahead of Nagasaki after a strong 5-1 week last week, but still has an uphill battle to take the title, for two big reasons:

1. Six games left vs. Nagasaki, who have owned them all season (11-7).
2. A number of injuries to key Chaos Titans, notably star 2B Frank Nargas, which leaves them without a true 2B in their depth chart. 3B Ricardo Sanatillan has been pressed into duty, but has no experience on that side of the infield — regardless, he’s no substitute for Nargas at the plate, who was leading the team with a .316 batting average.

The Blues have their own key injuries to deal with, with SP Vasco Maradiaga still recovering from early-season surgery and star SP Ho-Win Shi out at least one more week with shoulder tendinitis. Shi should be back in time for the head-to-head matchup vs. Arraijan, however, which increases the chances Nagasaki will gain ground on Arraijan in head-to-head play. This should be one of the must-watch races of the season.

LOD
—
Up until recently, the Ciudad Bolivar Liberators were a lock to take the LOD. But a recent upsurge by Bonao finds the two teams only 4 games apart, thanks in part to Bonao taking two out of three in last week’s series vs. the Liberators. The two teams have six games left to play versus each other, but have pretty much equal-strength schedules for the remaining 26 games, which is bad news for Bonao.

Bonao has the momentum and has also had the upper hand on head-to-head matchups with the Liberators (10-8 record), but at this stage of the game, it’ll take both a strong surge from the Bananas and a colossal choke by the Liberators to give the fans in Bonao their dreamed-of championship. Hope for the “choke” outcome may be coming in the form of a season ending injury to the closest thing Ciudad Bolivar has to a lights-out pitcher, SP Gerardo Avilar (8-6, 3.17 ERA). This injury certainly places some pressure on the already shallow starting pitching depth on the Liberator squad…on the other hand, their winning ways haven’t had anything to do with a pitcher’s mound (4.20 Team ERA; .826 team OPS…you do the math).

PREDICTION:

LAD: Nagasaki
LOD: Ciudad Bolivar

Puerto Rico League
——————

LAD
—

Three teams are in contention in the Puerto Rico League: Busan, Cabo Rojo, and Roswell. Busan has led the division all season, with superior pitching and above-average hitting. Cabo Rojo, however, has never been far behind, and fields a team very similar in profile to Busan’s Burning Dragons (slightly better offense and bullpen, slightly worse starting pitching). Cabo sits just two games behind Busan after going 5-1 last week. Roswell, who boasts the strongest offensive lineup in the LAD (team .741 OPS, 455 total runs scored) has trailed both Cabo and Busan all season, but has since surged with a 23-17 record since the month of July (compare that to Busan’s 20-20 record and Cabo Rojo’s 21-19 record). All things being equal, this points to Busan being a team on the decline and Roswell & Cabo Rojo to be teams on the upswing, so this race could belong to anyone.

With no critical injuries hampering any of the three teams, one can look at the team vs. team records for teams’ remaining schedules to project a winner:

Busan
1 vs. Osan (7-4 record)  (1-0)
3 vs. Thunder Bay (7-2 record) (3-0)
3 vs. Incheon (7-2 record) (3-0)
6 vs. cabo Rojo (9-9 record) (3-3)
6 vs. Roswell (10-8 record) (4-2)
6 vs. Victoria de las Tunes (11-7 record) (4-2)

Projected W-L Record: 73-47

Cabo Rojo
1 vs. Thunder Bay (7-4 record) (1-0)
3 vs. Osan (5-4 record) (2-1)
3 vs. Bayamon (4-5 record) (1-2)
6 vs. Busan (9-9 record) (3-3)
6 vs. Victoria de las Tunes (13-5 record) (5-1)
6 vs. Roswell (9-9 record) (3-3)

Projected W-L Record: 68-52

Roswell

1 vs. Bayamon (5-6 record) (0-1)
3 vs. Incheon (4-5 record) (1-2)
3 vs. Thunder Bay (5-4 record) (2-1)
6 vs. Victoria de Las Tunes (12-6 record) (4-2)
6 vs. Busan (8-10 record) (2-4)
6 vs. Cabo Rojo (9-9 record) (3-3)

Projected W-L Record: 63-57

These projections point to Busan as the clear choice for winning the title. They have the easiest remaining schedule, being the only one of the three who doesn’t have to face giant-killing Bayamon in interleague play anymore, and proven winning records against all remaining teams (except for Cabo Rojo). Cabo Rojo or Roswell still stand a chance, but their fate is in Busan’s hands. If they underachieve vs. Thunder Bay and Incheon next week, they leave ample room for an upset in head-to-head play with Cabo or Roswell.

LOD
—

The Osan Flying Squid have been the dominant figures in the LOD all season, a point they emphasized by turning on the afterburners and going 22-7 in the month of July, putting six games’ distance between themselves and rival Incheon. At 53-42, Incheon has put together a respectable season, and had their own mercurial record for the month of July (18-11) but haven’t showed the necessary momentum to jump over Osan, who lead them in most team offensive and defensive stats.

PREDICTION:

LAD: Busan
LOD: Osan

Mexico League
————-

LAD
—
Valencia has been juicing the competition all season, peeling them, sqeezing them, and beating them to a pulp. And now I’m all out of orange juice metaphors.

Valencia has outclassed the Mexican LAD in both hitting and pitching, and carries a decisive 39-12 record vs. LAD opponents this year. This race is over.

LOD
—
As uninteresting as the race is in LAD, the LOD is shaping up to be a nail-biter. The Tijuana Grasshoppers and the Toluca Toucans are tied for first with 55-39 records, and the Monterrery Alacranes are a mere three games behind. Their records correctly indicate these teams are equally matched, in terms of their head-to-head records:

Tijuana vs. Toluca:    10-8 (Tijuana’s favor)
Tijuana vs. Monterrey: 12-6 (Tijuana’s favor)
Toluca vs. Monterrey:  7-8  (Monterrey’s favor)

Tip your hat to Tijuana, then, in terms of who’s the better team in head-to-head competition. But all three teams have inflated win totals as a result of facing much weaker teams in the LAD during interleague play. The X factor here has always been, and will continue to be, how well they do versus the weaker opponents, and so the balance of the remaining schedule weighs heavily in determining the future. Here’s a rundown of each team, along with their season record vs. that team and, projected from that record, the expected W-L records:

Tijuana
2 vs. Cienfuegos (7-3 record) (2-0)
3 vs. Valencia (3-6 record)  (1-2)
9 vs. Chihuahua (6-9 record) (3-6)
6 vs. Monterrey (12-6 record) (4-2)
6 vs. Toluca (10-8 record)    (4-2)

Projected W-L record: 69-51

Toluca:
2 vs. Cancun Mojitos (8-2 record) (2-0)
3 vs. Nuevo Laredo (5-4 record)  (2-1)
9 vs. Monterrey (7-8 record) (4-5)
6 vs. Chihuahua (12-6 record) (4-2)
6 vs. Tijuana (8-10 record)    (2-4)

Projected W-L record: 69-51

Monterrey:
2 vs. Nuevo Laredo (6-4 record)  (1-1)
3 vs. Cancun (8-2 record) (2-0)
9 vs. Toluca (8-7 record) (5-4)
6 vs. Tijuana (6-12 record) (2-4)
6 Vs. Chihuahua (10-8 record) (4-2)

Projected W-L record: 66-54

From this we can conclude Tijuana holds a slight edge overall. A tie with Toluca at the top of the standings would give Tijuana the title because of head-to-head records. Toluca could easily take the title with strong performances against Tijuana and Monterrey. Monterrey, too, could blow out Toluca and Tijuana in head-to-head play and take it all, although this seems less likely than Toluca doing it at this point.

PREDICTION:

LAD: Valencia
LOD: Tijuana

China League
————

LAD

The top two teams in the LAD are both fantastic in their own right: Wuhan, with an amazing 3.02 team ERA and a bullpen with 27 relief wins & combined 2.30 ERA; and La Habana, with a starting lineup that would be the envy of any team (.288 team AVG; 7 out of 9 starters hitting above .290 for the season). The upper hand has been Wuhan’s, whose lineup, while inferior to La Habana’s, has been good enough to lean on its stellar pitching staff for its success.

Nevertheless, La Habana is knocking at Wuhan’s door, surging in August with an 8-3 record (vs. Wuhan’s 6-5) to sneak up to within 5 games. Sadly, this appears to be too little, too late, as it would take a Wuhan collapse at this point to change La Habana’s fate, and it just doesn’t seem likely.

LOD

It’s been the year of the Rally Cat. Rizao sits atop the division with the only winning record (58-37) and 13 games separating them from Lhasa. Their magic number sits at an easily attainable 13, which they should meet in a couple weeks, at which point all that’s left to do is keep everyone healthy for the championships.

PREDICTION:

LAD: Wuhan
LOD: Rizao

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.”

KOR - The Jeonju Jays are in danger of achieving their second sub-.500 season in their history. The team is two game under with two games to go.

PAN -Puerto Plata and Nagasaki are fighting for the LAD title. Pittsburgh sits and waits to see who they will play for the PAN title.

DOM - Tercero Rosano has to call it a season. The Bocas del Toro Ranas Rojas catcher sustained a season-ending injury against the Tocumen Pollo Diablo and will not play again this year according to club doctors. Rosano was injured while running the bases. His doctors diagnosed it as a torn thigh muscle and
stated that he would not be able to play for 8 months.

PUR - Not even close. Mona dna Osan are the head of the class and will play for the PUR title.

CUB - Seoul Warlords sign 2B Donald Hansen to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $11,070,000.

MEX - Valencia or Panama City? Who will be the MEX champion?

JPN - Toledo looking for answers as attendance dropped off significantly. The club drew an average of just over 33,000 fans this year, compared to over 39,000 last season.

CHN - Changsha and Rizao will play for the CHN championship. Is this the year the Rally Cats take it?

USA - Drinks are on him. Media analysts hailed Lagunillas’s signing of Norberto Arellano, one of United States Baseball League’s brightest stars, as a pivotal move. While the deal is certain to raise a few eyebrows, Arellano is expected to earn every bit of the $41,250,000 promised him over 3 years.

USA - It’ll be Azua and San Lorenzo for the USA title. The teams have an identical 71-47 record.

CHN - The Rizao Rally Cats have finalized a deal with All Star-caliber reliever Éric Blais that will extend his stay in Rizao at least 3 years and will pay out $6,000,000.

JPN - Caracas and Deadwood going down to the wire. Both teams are 68-50 with two to play.

MEX - Edgard Turrubiartez of the Cerveceros just might have to call it quits for the season. The 27-year-old Valencia center fielder received a possible season-ending injury against the Cancun Mojitos recently at Cerveceros Stadium. Turrubiartez suffered a ruptured tricep tendon while throwing the ball. The Cerveceros medical staff said he could be out quite some time, as much as 11 months.

CUB - It’ll be Santurce and Baracoa for the CUB title.

PUR - Spectacular year for Mona SP Ho-cheong Kim. He gets 22 wins with a WHIP if 0.81.

DOM - Balboa and Pacora. Who will take the LAD title? Odds are it’ll be Balboa.

PAN - Arraijan was pleased to see so many goose eggs up on the scoreboard today as Tito Arellano blanked Nagasaki 8-0. He stopped them on 1 hit with no walks and 11 strikeouts. His skipper said, “Once he gets in a groove, he can be dynamite. He was on top of his game in this one.”

KOR - Tight race in the LAD as Ponce and Asahikawa fight until the end. Ponce has a two-game lead with two to play.

CAN - It’s Xi’an and Vancouver for all the marbles in Canada. Each team took control of its respective division.

VEN - Maracaibo’s César Anaya came up big today at Jackals Ballpark with an exceptional 7-0 outing against the Monterrey Alacranes. Not only did he whip them, but Anaya held them hitless, too. He brought his “A stuff” to the ballpark, finishing with 11 strikeouts and 1 walk — a day good enough to get his name in the league record book.

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.

USA - Akashi first baseman Hideaki Shimizu has suffered a ruptured disc according to team doctors and will have to retire from baseball at the age of 29. The career-ending injury occurred in yesterday’s Fordians-Legends game at Ballpark of Akashi. Shimizu was injured colliding with a player at a base and had to be taken to the hospital. Tests revealed the severity of his injury.

JPN - Caracas pitcher Juan Parraga pitches a NO-HITTER against the Havanna Cigars with 8 strikeouts and 2 BB allowed!

CUB - Seoul pitcher Dae-jin Kim pitches a 1-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers with 6 strikeouts and 1 BB allowed!

DOM - The league commissioner’s office announced today that Gabino Altamevano of the Ranas Rojas and Cristóbal Encarnación of the Saints have both been suspended for 9 games for fighting in the recent game between Santo Domingo and Bocas del Toro at Ranas Rojas Ballpark.

KOR - Is Jeonju ready to dump Nam-sup Kim? It looks like it. The 2015 KOR LAD Pitcher of the Year is currently back in AAA and struggling. Coaches and fans have no idea what is going on with him.

VEN - Tokyo hurler Felipe Barrero was at his best as he whitewashed the Moca Machine 10-0 today. “He just kept the ball down, did a good job, made his pitches,” said the Moca manager. “We didn’t do a good job making adjustments, so we helped him out a little bit.” Barrero fired a 1-hitter and totaled 11 strikeouts and 3 walks in the shutout performance.

CAN - Lupe Gonzáles might be greedy, but there’s no disputing his talent. The hotshot left fielder will pocket $25,000,000 after re-signing with the Trappers earlier today, and will hang around another 2 years.

PAN - Bonao catcher Gabino Flores could miss the remainder of the season because of a torn groin muscle. He exited yesterday’s Pittsburgh game after injuring himself while running the bases. The original diagnosis said Flores would be out 11-12 months. Later on his doctors said he could be out even longer.

PUR - In a very impressive mound performance, Juan Freitas stopped the Osan Flying Squid cold. The 25-year-old Inchworms hurler blanked them on 1 hit to post a 6-0 triumph.

MEX - Toucans have gone 10-3 since suffering through an 0-6 sim. Still 9 games behind Panama City Bull Moose who have won 17 out of their last 19 games to open up a huge lead. Roldán ‘Tiog’ Molina hasn’t let up more than two runs in 9 straight starts. He has gone 5-1 with an ERA of 0.76 since losing opening day.

CHN - Players get multi-hit games all the time. But a 5-hit game only comes around once in a blue moon. It happened at Dragon Riders Ballpark when Masami Matsuno of Changsha scattered 5 hits all over the ballpark against the Wuhan Blackhawks.

USA - Toronto Sting signed CF Chris Cook to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $16,200,000.

JPN - Barquisimeto shortstop Li-ren Chia has a herniated disc, suffered while throwing the ball. He’s expected to be out for 7-8 months.

CUB - Santurce is pulling away in the LAD. They hold a 12-game lead over Beijing and Toa Baja.

DOM - Santo Domingo signed MR Javier Merales to a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $6,750,000.

KOR - Victoria de Las Tunas having a tough time getting fans to the ballpark. Attendance has dropped off, and the team is drawing 5,000 less fans per game than last year.

VEN - Oaxaca Nueve is the class of the LOD. The club is the only team over .500 in the division, and they hold a 13-game lead over Mexico City.

CAN - Vancouver LF Nathan Hébert hits 2 home runs against the Kitchener Rangers, going 4-6 with 9 RBI and 3 runs scored.

PAN - Ciudad Boliva fans enjoying their baseball. The team is drawing 7,000+ more fans each game over last year.

PUR - The season is finished for Earl Keats of the Thunder Bay Avengers. The club announced today that he will forego the rest of the year because of injury. The Avengers starting pitcher suffered a torn rotator cuff muscle while throwing a pitch in a recent game against the Bayamon Bulldogs. Team doctors said it would take at least 7-8 months to heal.

JPN - Santiago de Cuba playing well on the road, going 16-5 to date.

CUB - Jorge Zauala of the Baracoa Bahia was something to behold at Baracoa Grounds. He was on fire and fanned 15 Tigers en route to a 5-0 victory. Zauala shackled Detroit on 2 hits and gave up 2 walks in an outstanding performance.

DOM - Sapporo struggling to get fans to the park. The team is averaging just over 22,000 fans per game.

KOR - Cheju Volcano pitcher Kyung-ryul Chong may have many memorable performances during his baseball career, but none will likely compare to the outing he had against Victoria de Las Tunas today at Volcano Ballpark. Chong was perfect, retiring every batter he faced to give his team a 3-0 victory over the Tigres. He finished the game with 7 strikeouts, walked no one, gave up no hits and his teammates made no errors. He retired all 27 batters he faced.

VEN - Team officials triumphantly announced that the Gila Monsters and superstar shortstop Iván Elorz have closed a deal that keeps the 34-year-old in a Mexico City uniform for another 2 years.

CAN - Hamilton reliever Huai-yi Fa could miss the remainder of the season because of a torn labrum. He exited yesterday’s Hukuoka game after injuring himself while throwing a pitch. The original diagnosis said Fa would be out 13 months. Later on his doctors said he could be out even longer.

PAN - Bigger paychecks may be in the offing, if Shotaro Ishii continues to hit like he did today against the Pumas. The Nagasaki third baseman crushed three into the stands at Blues Ballpark in a remarkable performance, propelling the Blues to a 6-5 win over Puerto Plata.

PUR - Han-su Yi might be greedy, but there’s no disputing his talent. The hotshot shortstop will pocket $19,500,000 after re-signing with the Flying Squid earlier today, and will hang around another 3 years.

MEX - After a lackluster May, Cancun heated up in June, going 7-3 in its last 10 games.

CHN - No frontrunner in the LOD. One game is the difference between first and last place.

USA - The season is ending on a bad note for Castel Vera, starting pitcher for the Lagunillas Loros. It was announced today that he will miss the rest of the season because of injury. Vera was hurt against the San Lorenzo Legends while throwing a pitch. He suffered bone chips in his elbow and will be out for at least 7 months.

JPN - Mauro Pacheco of Barquisimeto easily handled the Deadwood Aces & Eights, stopping them on 2 hits and chucking a complete-game 5-0 shutout.

CUB - The season is ending on a bad note for Ernesto Pérez, first baseman for the Taegu Black Bears. It was announced today that he will miss the rest of the season because of injury. Pérez was hurt against the Seoul Warlords while making a defensive play. He suffered a fractured ankle and will be out for at least 7 months.

DOM - It wasn’t just another day at the ballpark for Víctor Franco. It was a very special day, one that many players never experience. But he did. Franco went on a tear and cracked hit after hit off Hiroshima pitching. When the dust settled on the diamond at Barracudas Ballpark, he had a career 5-5 day and something he will long remember.

KOR - Asahikawa’s Juan ‘Ducky’ Colinas feeling as his nickname describes. He’s 5-0 with an ERA of 1.61, so far.

VEN - Oaxaca Nueve is 8-1 so far this year versus Anaco.

CAN - La Habana looking for answers. The team is 12-24 to date.

PAN - Fans hailed the signing of Pete Sweet today as the Puerto Plata Pumas center fielder came to terms with the club. Set to make $12,000,000 over the upcoming 2 years, Sweet signed primarily out of loyalty to the organization, thrilling the most diehard supporters who think there isn’t much loyalty in a market driven by free agency.

PUR - Bayamon starts June cold. The team goes 3-7 in its last 10 games.

MEX - Tight race in the LAD. Only three games separate the four teams.

CHN - Wuhan RF Chien-shih Quan in a class by himself. He leads the league in average (.377), HR (11), and is third in RBI (27).

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.

USA - Behind the strong pitching of José Pelles, Mariel shut out Mao 13-0. Pelles surrendered only 3 hits in recording the complete-game victory. He registered 10 strikeouts and no walks.

MEX - Toluca’s Roldán ‘Tiog’ Molina has been hot, with 24 consecutive scoreless innings. Has three of the top 14 performances in MEX, including the top two.

VEN - Tokyo’s Fidel ‘Genocide’ Lobatos is a wonder. At 38, he’s 4-0 with a 0.60 era and a 0.53 WHIP.

CHN - Going… Going… Gone! Tze-meng Au did it three times in the Changsha 12-3 victory over the Shanghai Golden Eagles. Three home runs in one game! “I was in a groove,” he said, “and every pitch they tossed up there looked like a grapefruit.”

PUR - The season is apparently over for Kraig Allen. The Roswell Invasion medical staff informed the club that the starting pitcher will be out at least 12 months with a torn rotator cuff muscle. Allen was hurt in the game against Mona while throwing a pitch. The doctors did not think he would recover prior to the end of the season.

PAN - Nagasaki starts strong, going 12-5.

DOM - Team officials triumphantly announced that the Ranas Rojas and superstar center fielder Salvador Estrada have closed a deal that keeps the 33-year-old in a Bocas del Toro uniform for another 3 years. Estrada will earn $52,800,000 as part of the settlement.

CAN - It has been quite a while since somebody stopped Zhi-huan Chien without a hit in a game. The Hong Kong Giants third baseman extended his hitting streak to 30 consecutive games.

MEX - The high dollar signings of Tadayoshi Kiyomizu and Miguel Serrano have energized Panama City’s formerly lackadaisical fan base. The early front-runners in Mexico’s Longitude Division are averaging a near-capacity 44,773 per game in attendance, over 10,000 more per game than visited Bull Moose Ballpark last season.

JPN - After the end of today’s game between Barquisimeto and Caracas, Sosa Ikeda skipped the clubhouse and headed straight for the doctor’s office. After he was removed from the game as a precaution after throwing a pitch, the Obeliscos had their worst fears confirmed when it turned out to be more serious. The starting pitcher will miss at least 2-3 months with a torn rotator cuff muscle.

VEN - The LAD is tight with 2 teams at 9-8 and other 2 at 8-9.

USA - Team officials triumphantly announced that the Dadaistas and superstar left fielder Francisco Benigue have closed a deal that keeps the 32-year-old in a Mao uniform for another 4 years. Benigue will earn $41,760,000 as part of the settlement.

CUB - Every now and then, the right things happen at the right time. Sergio Osoy discovered that when he smashed three homers at Ballpark of Brooklyn during today’s 17-7 win over the Taegu Black Bears.

KOR - It took the Suwon team doctor a while to realize it, but catcher Alfonso Díaz won’t simply play through a fractured wrist after he got hurt making a defensive play in today’s Marauders-Samsung Lions game. At first, it looked like Díaz might be back as early as tomorrow, but now the prognosis isn’t quite so good; he’s expected to miss at least 6 weeks.

PAN - Nagasaki management got a shot in the arm today as Yasujiro Kuwano announced he would re-sign with the organization at a rate of $12,710,000 per year.

MEX - Happy times in Cienfuegos as the Piratas and star starting pitcher José Cruz put the finishing touches on a $28,830,000 contract extension that will keep the 28-year-old in town 3 years longer.

CHN - The season is ending on a bad note for Ray Redmond, starting pitcher for the Rizao Rally Cats. It was announced today that he will miss the rest of the season because of injury. Redmond was hurt against the Lhasa Snow Leopards while throwing a pitch. He suffered bone chips in his elbow and will be out for at least 8 months.

VEN - Moca’s Johnny Pomfret has started hot. He is hitting .377/.544 with 4 doubles, 3 HR, and 8 runs. He has hit in all but two games this year!

CUB - The season is finished for Yoshino Sanya of the Baracoa Bahia. The club announced today that he will forego the rest of the year because of injury. The Bahia starting pitcher suffered a torn labrum while throwing a pitch in a recent game against the Brooklyn Hot Dogs. Team doctors said it would take at least 12 months to heal.

KOR - Asahikawa Green Guild must be giving the fans what they want. The team’s average attendance has increased to over 34,000 from last year’s 25,000+.

DOM - Bocas del Toro Ranas Rojas on fire, starting 13-4.

CAN - In the LOD, the Venture Brothers astarted hot, going 9-1 andoutscoring opponents 72-36. Edmonton went 7-0 against teams not from Vancouver.

The speedy Edmonton left fielder walloped opposing pitchers for 185 hits in 116 hits.  In his four years in Erie, prior to coming to Edmonton, he accumulated 223 hits total! He was acquired in a mid-season trade that sent shortstop Louis-Alexandre Roux to Erie during the off-season that preceded the 2016 season.  Roux did not disappoint his handlers in Erie, putting up some impressive numbers of his own, including a .330 average in 28 games as a defensive substitute for veteran shortstop Walt Pirieda.

The fact that Wiggins’ trade to Edmonton and subsequent peformance went relatively unnoticed really underscores the mystique of baseball.  The fact that a simple change of history, the oft-misconstrued use of team chemisty has a lot of bearing on how well a player will perform or badly they will underpeform.  Wiggins had a career year setting personal bests in ABs (513), runs (107), doubles (43), triples (9), home runs (13), RBI (58), total bases (285), walks (49), stolen bases (49), batting average (.361). on-base percentage (.414), slugging percentage (.556), OPS (.970), and of course hits, I guess you could say he really did come out of left field.

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.

DOM - Santiago de los Caballeros leads Pacora by 2.0 games in the LAD. Bocas del Toro leads Bani by 3.0 games in the LOD.

JPN - Toledo holds an 8.0-game lead over Tokorozawa in the LAD. Lagunillas leads Barquisimeto by 6.0 games in the LOD.

KOR - The San Juan Marauders will have to make do without Jorge Núñez for 5 months. He suffered a herniated disc while throwing a pitch in the game today against the Cheju Volcano. His teammates, understandably, were upset about losing the reliever. “That’s a tough break for him,” one of them said. “But this team is resilient. We will just fill in until he gets back.”

USA - MAO CF Mannie Monzanádez has a caree day in 11-6 win at Azua. He went 4-4, with two home runs and five RBI.

VEN - 25-year-old Tokyo center fielder Masamichi Hasegawa had a big day with the bat at Tokyo Grounds today against the Monterrey Alacranes. He cracked 5-for-5 and led the Tanuki to a 12-2 triumph over them.

CHN - It took the Wuhan team doctor a while to realize it, but catcher Gallard Cargill won’t simply play through a torn abdominal muscle after he got hurt running the bases in today’s Golden Eagles-Blackhawks game. At first, it looked like Cargill might be back as early as tomorrow, but now the prognosis isn’t quite so good; he’s expected to miss at least 8 weeks.

MEX - Chihuahua’a 1B Miguel Hernández has monster day at Toluca. He goes 5-5, with two home runs and six RBI and one walk. The Chihuahuas won 14-7.

PAN - “It was kinda freaky. Hopefully, I’ll be back in the lineup soon,” said a dejected Zhao-jun Ci after injuring himself in a game against Puerto Plata. The Arraijan manager told reporters, “He will miss up to 11 months with bone chips in his elbow.” The Chaos Titans are expected to announce a roster move in the next day or two.

PUR - On top of the Mona hit parade today was Pedro Munguía. He went to the plate 5 times and marched away with 5 hits, sparking the Iguanas to a 11-7 victory over the Roswell Invasion.

PUR - Tight race in the LAD. Ponce leads Mona by 1.0 game.

PAN - Balboa still dominating the LAD. Their lead is 14.0 over Arraijan.

MEX - The Toluca Toucans got some bad news when the team learned that Aquila Ropizar was likely to be out for 11-12 months after he injured himself throwing a pitch in today’s game against the Chihuahua Chihuahuas. A round of tests by the team doctors revealed the injury to be back spasms. Upon learning of their diagnosis, the Toluca 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 Aquila is back in action.”

CAN - Kitchener still looking for answers. The team goes 2-8 in its last 10 games.

CHN - 5 hits in a game has always been a magic number in baseball. Only a handful of players will do that. Get 5 hits in a game and you get your moment of glory… your 5 minutes of fame… you get your name in the record book. In the Dragon Riders 5-4 win over Philadelphia, Tian-yun Xia was red-hot today, scorching them for hit after hit at Dragon Riders Ballpark.

VEN - Caracas gets to 60 wins.

USA - Azua’s lead is 14.0 games over Mao in the LAD.

KOR - Santurce de Cangrejeros play well and take the lead in the LAD. Victoria de Las Tunas is now 3.0 games back.

JPN - The Vertientes Fumadores go 8-19 in July.

DOM - The offense isn’t enough in Nagasaki. Despite having the highest batting average in the LOD, the Blues continue to struggle, mostly because of poor pitching.

CUB - Toronto goes 3-7 in their last 10 games. Their lead is 2.0 games ove Brooklyn.