This Reaper Cup Finals official kick off today, with the Dodgers taking on the Royals in a best of 5 matchup!
Let’s look back at how we got here.
Round 1:
Round 1 began with matchups between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, as well as the Padres and Mets.
The Dodgers would come out strong early, putting up a 28 run night in game 1 to back up ace pitcher, Derek Zaretsky on their way to easy victory.
Game two came as a reversal of fortunes, as the Blue Jays turned to pitching legend, Waylen Nelson to help save the season. On the back of his effective pitching, alongside battery mate, Kevin Rye’s 5-6 night and Farhaan Mian’s 3 triple performance, a game 3 was forced.
The rubber match brought back the two winning pitchers of this series, as Zaretsky and Nelson squared off in a winner moves on game. The Jays would fall early due to defensive miscues, and just could not overcome Zaretsky’s dominance on the mound. The Dodgers would go on to face the Rays in round 2.
The Padres would square off against the Mets for their first round matchup. Game 1 would produce one of the most exciting games in recent memory, as two playoff pitching legends toed the bump. Alan Akselrod and James Allison for the Mets and Padres, respectively, would put on a pitching clinic, but it would be the Padres’ lineup that clawed out a 9-6 victory to put them up early.
Game 2 would see two of our Co-Captains face off, as Chris MacLean and Mitch Sadofsky faced off with elimination on the line. The Mets lineup would jump all over the Padres, as Tal Grossman, Kyle McKay, and Sadofsky himself would put up multiple RBI to keep their playoff chances alive.
In a pivotal game 3, Sadofsky and Allison would take the mound for their teams. But on the back of an outrageous 31 run outburst from the Padres thanks to MVP candidates Anwar Khan and Jacob Klotz, the Padres would seal the deal on their way to play the Royals.
Round 2:
The Dodgers would meet the top seeded Rays on their quest to secure a finals appearance. Rays ace, Josh Winer would be the story of Game 1, putting up a dominant performance against the feared Dodgers lineup, never allowing them to get into the game as the Rays out up enough to coast to a game 1 win.
Game 2 would see the Dodgers’ lineup wake up behind a strong effort from Zaretsky and Jordan Lipson on the mound. With the efforts of rookie, Jeff Walsh, and gold glove defender, Eric Seidel, the Dodgers put up 20 runs to force game 3!
Game 3 would see the Rays opt for crafty lefty, Barry Lexchin to start against Walsh for the Dodgers. Lexchin would get jumped early, as the Rays opted for their ace to return to the mound with the season on the line. After a back and forth affair, the Dodgers would turn to Zaretsky once again to close out the 2-run win and secure their ticket to the Reaper Cup Finals!
The Royals and Padres would kick off their series with an exciting game, as star pitcher, Tony Minakakis, delivered both on the mound and at the plate to help secure a game 1 win for the Royals. With the offensive efforts of Jordan Levy, Brock Wilimek, and rising star, Dylan Reeves, the Royals looks ready to take game 2.
What they weren’t prepared for was James Allison pitching with the season on the line. After a massive offensive outburst, Allison held the vaunted Royals lineup to just 4 runs, as Anwar Khan continued to put up RBIs on their way to force a game 3!
Minakakis would return to the mound for the Royals, and Chris MacLean would look to put it all on the line for his team. After being shut down the previous night, the Royals would find their bats again, putting forth an offensive onslaught to all but stamp their ticket to the finals!
The stage is set, Game 1 of the Finals begins today. Will Jordan Levy continue his run of dominance in the Finals? Will Jordan Lipson finally break the curse?
5 games left, hope you’re ready for the exciting series of the year!