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(AP)
The 2030 season is over and we have a new BLB champion...congrats to the Hartford Whalers as they captured their first ever championship in team history. As an original 1978 franchise they had been to the playoffs 13 times previous to this year while making it to the Brewmaster's in 1995, 1997, and 2023 with all those ending in defeat. Not this time though. Down three games to two to mighty Seattle they stormed back to win game six at home 8-0. In game seven they took a 4-1 lead in the top of the 7th. Seattle fought back and made it 4-3 later in the inning and the score held until the bottom of the 9th. With one out Pilot centerfielder Hisanobu 'Super' Maeda walked and Triple Crown winner Johnny 'Big Stick' Swope came up to bat. With the the chance to blast a home run and send the home crowd into pandemonium he instead hit into a 6-4-3 double play and the series was over. Pitcher Gil Small jumped into the arms of catcher Quadir Jones and the rest as they say is history.
The Brewski's
The Daily Keg is excited to announce the first annual Brewski Awards show. After pouring over the season the selection committee has announced the the winners for the following awards, some serious...some not so serious. So without further delay here we go.
Player of the Year
3B Johnny 'Big Stick' Swope - The best player on the best team who almost broke the unattainable single season record for WAR and won a Triple Crown...ya we'll give him the Brewski. As mentioned he had the chance to cement his legacy with a walk off, game seven, Brewmaster's Cup home run and didn't, that should take nothing away from this amazing season. He finished the year hitting .359 with 51 HR's and 143 RBI's while compiling a 11.3 WAR.
Hitter of the Year
Turell 'Two Ton' Morris - We know, we know. More Morris is not what the people wanted...but you know what...more Morris is what you deserve! Two Ton smashed the single season record for home runs and runs batted in, and almost broke the runs record. His final tally: .323 avg, 69 HR's, 168 RBI's, 7.2 WAR. He also stole 17 bases just to show he could.
Pitcher of the Year
P Manabu Hamada - The 6'7" fireballer from Japan put together his best season yet for Denver and led them to the Divisional Series. He finished the year 16-8 and his 2.45 ERA was the lowest in the majors. He was even better in the postseason when over 17.1 innings he allowed just 1 earned run while striking out 8.
Rookie of the Year
1B Pat Walton - Poor Pat had to spend the first 20 games in AAA before being called up to Hartford. In the following 140 games he hit .290 with 50 HR's and 112 RBI's. He was not only an All-Star, he was the All-Star MVP. In the playoffs he hit bomb after bomb, one of which was a walk-off which broke Maine's spirit.
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All-State Hands Award
(Given to the player with the most total chances and no errors...who doesn't play primarily first base)
RF Dusty Janson - Dusty this year had 320 total chances to screw up while playing left, center, right, third, short, and first. He made zero mistakes. He finished with a ZR of +9.8 and also hit .327 with 28 HR's just for good measure.
Army Ranger Sniper Award
(Given to the catcher with the highest runner thrown out percentage)
C Micah Gordon - Legend has it that Gordon once knocked a Slurpee off the top of a teammates car...with a baseball...as the teammate was driving away. Weather or not Micah actually wasted some sweet goodness like that we don't know, but we do know no one should try to steal a base on him. Only 56 had the guts to try this year and 29 were thrown out for a RTO of 51.8%.
Frank Abagnale, Jr Award
(Given to the player who stole at least 20 bases and was caught the least)
CF Pat Welch - Catch me if you can and mostly they couldn't. Welch stole 29 bases, many of them with his mustache blowing in the breeze, and was only caught twice. His 93.5% success rate was unmatched.
Ludacris Award
(Given to the player who got hit with the most pitches)
1B Geoff 'Mr. Reliable' Dail - Unfortunately for Dail he had a hard time getting out of the way as he was beaned 15 times this season. We're not sure if he likes to crowd the plate, or if its his smug face, but for some reason he led the league by getting beaned 15 times this season.
Broadside of the Barn Award
(Given to the player with the highest strikeouts per plate appearance)
LF Sayid bin Sariyah - The "Moroccan Rock" as he goes in the clubhouse is a leader and captain and much beloved by his teammates. He was also loved by opposing pitching this year. His 147 strikeouts in 551 plate appearances gave him a SO% of 26.7, over two percentage points higher than 2nd place.
Swing For Between the Infielders Award
(Given to the player with the most hits but no home runs)
2B Ricky 'Heartthrob' Figueroa - When they say "chicks love the long ball" that doesn't apply to 'Heartthrob'. He has plenty of ladies yet hasn't hit a home run in two years. This season he recorded 188 hits but didn't get one over the fence. I guess even the Mile High air can't help everyone.
Dickey's BBQ Beans Award
(Given to the pitcher who hits the most batters)
P Nate Bettis - After arguably the worst career of any pitcher in BLB history Bettis finally had enough this year. In fits of rage that would make even the meanest Sith smile he just said "screw it" and started throwing at people. Most pitchers will hit between 6-8 batters. Scooter Nackers was in 2nd place with 15 beaned. Bettis told Scooter to "hold my beer" and went out and doubled that. I guess after going 19-58 with a 6.69 ERA in 100 starts you really do go to the dark side.
The Milton Swingline Stapler Award
(The player who earned a check without deserving one)
P Jerrod Blick - Before the glitch was fixed and Blick was sent to Toronto he was cashing check after check in California to the tune of $17.45 million for the 2030 season. Not bad for a guy who went 0-8 with a 9.00 ERA.
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