It’s that time of the year again! We’ve completed the regular season, and now the real season begins. That’s right. It’s playoff time, and we have a number of enticing matchups right out of the gate. Time to wipe the slate clean and see what these guys are made of!
Powerhouses collide in the Cal Ripken division. Round 1 sees #4 Outlaws take on top seeded Bad Intentions. Bad Intentions ended the season with an incredible +150 run differential. Outlaws did, however, hand their playoff opponent 1 of their 4 losses on the season in week 8. They will look to build on that victory for the David vs. Goliath style upset. The other matchup features #2 Tainos vs #3 L.O.B. Tainos swept the season series. However, L.O.B. proved they can hang with their round 1 opponent, losing one game but just 1 run and another by 5. The bats woke up last week for L.O.B. to the tune of 52 runs in two games, and they will look to keep the ball rolling into this week’s matchup.
The Joe Carter Division playoffs has #1 Adrenaline Rush take on #4 BigBigWillie’s in a rematch of their season finale. Adrenaline Rush swept the doubleheader, stealing that top seed in their final game, and thwarted their opponent’s attempt to move up to the 3 seed. This was their only regular season matchup, and BigBigWillie’s hung tough. They have to come in with confidence, knowing they had a chance to win both of those games, and will look for the ultimate payback in knocking their opponent out of the playoffs. To round off the division, #2 North Bergen Dawgs meets with #3 Arsenal. North Bergen Dawgs swept the season series, but Arsenal certainly has the firepower to make a playoff run. They started the season strong, but will need to be more consistent when it counts if they hope to make a push for the crown.
Top seeded Bad Hombres has dominated the competition in the Kirby Puckett Division. They finished the season 16-2 with only one loss coming within the division, finishing with an unheard of +195 run differential. In 18 games. That averages out to almost 11 runs better per game, including losses. Wow. Good luck to #4 Expos. They met once in the regular season, and, well, Expos will want to forget that one. The other divisional matchup features #2 Young Bucs and #3 Cliff Dwellers. This is set to be the most even matchup of the first round. Yung Bucs finished the season with three more wins than their opponent and won 3 of their 4 head-to-head battles. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. In those head-to-heads, the overall run differential was +1, edging out their opponent by just 1 run in all three of their victories. Cliff Dwellers will look to swing some of those close games in their favorite this time around.
So what’s all this mean? We have some fun ahead of us. The top seeds will look to continue their dominance into the postseason, while other teams will have their work cut out for them. What’s the beauty of the playoffs though? Throw the records out the window, this is anyone’s game. Good luck to all, we look forward to seeing who comes out on top!
Tag(s): 2017 Men's Fall Cal Ripken Division Joe Carter Division Kirby Puckett Division
