Week 13: Wonders clinch; Plugs spring forward, Grays fall back

Hey boys & girls, what time is it? Answer below.

Wednesday:

Wonderboys v. Dorian Grays, rained out

Phils 15, Fainting Goats 1 WP: Ken Sloat, LP: Mike O'Donnell

The 1st inning foreshadowed the kind of game this would turn out to be for the Goats. Mike O’Donnell struck out Phillies leadoff hitter Jack Eisenstadt but strike three got loose and Eisenstadt sprinted safely to 1B. The next 5 Phillies reached base on an error, fielder’s choice, an infield single, walk and solid single (Ron Totten), resulting in 3 runs.

Tom Sebastyn doubled off starter Ken Sloat and scored on a groundout, and that would end the scoring for the Goats for the night. They managed only 4 hits in the game, stifled by Sloat for 5 innings, Strubel closing things out in the 6th.

Rick Stacy relieved O’Donnell in innings 3 and 4. The Phillies scored 2 runs in the 3rd on 3 walks, an rbi single by Al Harchik and an FC rbi by Jim Fogarty. The Phillies plated 1 run in the 4th when Ken Sloat singled, stole 2B and 3B and came home on Strubel’s grounder to SS.

The Goats’ Ed Webb finished the game, pitching innings 5 and 6. Paul Griswold singled home JR Ross in the 5th, Phillies led 7-1. The Phillies added 7 runs in the 6th, highlighted by a two-rbi double by Doug Stowers and two singles and an RBI by Ron Totten.

-- by Max Strubel

Thursday

Game 1
Plugs 9, Grays 5 (suspended game) WP: Greg Elbaum, LP: Mike Whately

Game 2
Grays 7, Plugs 11 (6 in). WP: Greg Elbaum, LP: Mike Whately

Two losses by the Dorian Grays on Thursday, one a suspended game from June 20, did two things. Three things actually but we'll get to the third one in a minute.

The first was that it allowed the Wonderboys to clinch the first seed. The Ageless Wonders™ have 8 wins and 2 losses and no one can catch them.

The second was it allowed the Plug Uglies to leapfrog over the Grays to clinch second seed with an 8-4 record. Their regular-season games are done with an off-week next week, so they have no chance of catching the Wonders.

The third thing the two losses did -- and this is of particular interest to Miracle Max Strubel and the rest of the Phils -- is it put 3rd & 4th place up for grabs. And all of this comes to a rousing conclusion next Thursday when the stumbling Grays (5-5) meet the resurrected Phils (5-6) on the final day of the regular season, next Thursday at Herlihy Field. The winner clinches 3rd place.

And right about now you're probably saying 'this is a lot of hyperbole over 3rd place vs 4th place, isn't it?' It's not and I'll explain why.

The top three teams gain automatic berths in the playoffs. Meanwhile, four & five have a quick turnaround to meet in the play-in game on Saturday, two days after the end of the regular season. The winner then goes on to play the top-seeded Wonderboys. (The Plugs will play whoever finishes third).

It's very simple. Whoever wins next week clinches the 3rd seed and gets to play the Plug Uglies. Whoever loses has to play an extra game on short rest and then, if they win, play the Wonderboys. There's a lot riding on the outcome of Thursday's game.

Hey kids, what time is it? For the Grays and the Phils in particular, it is, as I noted a few weeks ago, squeaky bum time

Congratulations to the Wonders & Plug Uglies.