Archive | July, 2020

Mike of Shady Characters Voted Pabst Blue Ribbon Wiffler of the Week for Week 4

31 Jul

Mike had four home runs, including a rare Grand Slam, to lead Shady Characters to two victories in week 4. He also received a record number of votes for Wiffler of the Week.

After receiving the most votes a player has ever received in the ten year history of the EWL (29), Mike of Shady Characters was named Pabst Blue Ribbon Wiffler of the Week for week 4 of the 2020 season.

Mike has been the spark that ignited Shady Characters revival after a disappointing start to the season, and his play at the plate and in the field has lifted them into contention, particularly his dominant week 4 performance.

In Shady Characters’ revenge win over Cheap Goats, when they scored thirteen runs in the top of the first inning, Mike went 6-for-7 with three singles, a double, two home runs, five runs scored, and five RBI. He also hit only the fifth ever regular season Grand Slam in the history of the EWL.

Against Jack Shack, Mike went 4-for-8 with a single, a double, two home runs, three runs scored, and five RBI in the 15-9 Shady Characters victory.

In total for the week, he went 10-for-15 with four homers, and he also registered nine putouts in the field, leading Shady Characters.

As the number two hitter in the Shady Characters lineup, Mike has quickly become one of the most dangerous hitters in the league, and he has made the two-time runners-up a legit championship contender in 2020.

This is the first time in Mike’s career that he has been honored as Wiffler of the Week.

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Blaine Strong on the Mound and Turbo Crushes at the Plate in Jack Shack’s 9-2 Win Over Guacamol-yay

27 Jul

Turbo went a perfect 6-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, three home runs, and six RBI to power Jack Shack past Guacamol-yay

Playing short-handed with one of their players making his first career start in his second career EWL game and another being Pete Ness, Jack Shack pulled off an improbable victory against Gucamol-yay, winning 9-2. Blaine was in control on the mound throughout, and Turbo was unstoppable at the plate. He went a perfect 6-for-6 with six extra-base hits, including two doubles, a triple, three home runs, four runs scored, and six RBI. Blaine allowed only two runs in the complete game win, and Jack Shack pulled to .500 on the season at 4-4, tied for second place after four weeks.

Blaine got off to a good start in the top of the first, retiring the first two batters he faced, Jan and Josh K, to end the inning.

Jack Shack took an early lead in the bottom of the first, and provided him with all of the run support that he would need. Turbo started the game with a leadoff homer, setting the tone for his performance throughout the game. Brian followed with a solo homer, and the back-to-back jacks put Jack Shack ahead 2-0. Blaine followed with a triple, and after striking out Pete Ness, Josh K, Guacamol-yay’s starter, allowed an RBI double to Turbo, extending the Jack Shack lead to 3-0. Jan escaped the inning, getting Brian to groundout to center.

Blaine and Turbo celebrate at the plate

Guacamol-yay cut into the deficit in the top of the second. Sean doubled to start the inning, and Ryan drove him in with an RBI triple that made the score 3-1. Ryan attempted to complete an inside-the-park homer on the play, but Brian gunned him down for the first out of the inning. Blaine then retired Alexa to end the inning.

Jack Shack added to their lead in the bottom of the second. Blaine tripled, and after another Pete Ness strikeout, Turbo tripled, scoring Blaine to make the score 4-1. Brian then crushed his second homer of the game, and the two-run shot put Jack Shack ahead 6-1. Blaine followed with a double, but Josh K avoided further damage, retiring Pete Ness to strand the runner and end the inning.

Jan tripled to start the top of the third, but Guacamol-yay couldn’t capitalize. Blaine retired Josh K and Sean in order, ending the inning with the score 6-1.

Guacamol-yay turned to Jan on the mound in the bottom of the third, and Turbo led off with a solo home run, extending the Jack Shack lead to 7-1. Jan retired the next two batters to end the inning, and Jack Shack led by six.

Blaine allowed a leadoff single to Ryan in the top of the fourth, but once again stranded a Guacamol-yay runner. He retired Alexa, and then fanned Jan to end the inning, maintaining the six run lead.

Jack Shack continued to incrementally increase their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Pete Ness registered his first hit with a leadoff double, and Turbo drove him in with a double, putting Jack Shack in front 8-1. Jan retired the next two batters, Brian and Blaine, to strand Turbo at second and end the inning.

Blaine pitched a complete game win, allowing only two runs, in his EWL pitching debut, and also went 3-for-5 at the plate, with a double and two triples

Guacamol-yay got one back in the top of the fifth. Josh K doubled, and two batters later, Ryan doubled to score him, making the score 8-2. Blaine then retired Alexa to end the inning, stranding Ryan at second.

Jack Shack got one more insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Jan fanned Pete Ness to start the inning, but the next batter, Turbo, hit a solo shot, his third homer of the game, to make the score 9-2. Jan then retired Brian to end the inning.

Despite playing with an unusual roster, Jack Shack once again would head into the sixth inning with a lead, this time a seven run lead. Blaine remained in the game to close things out. After allowing a one-out single to Josh K, he retired Sean to strand the runner, ending the inning and giving Jack Shack the 9-2 win.

The win moved both Jack Shack and Guacamol-yay to 4-4 on the season, tied for second in the EWL standings.

W: Blaine (1-0)
L: Josh K (4-3)

Box Score

Game Notes:
– Blaine pitched the complete game win for Jack Shack, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out one.
– Josh K took the loss for Guacamol-yay, giving up six runs on eight hits and striking out one in two innings.
– Jan pitched three innings of relief for Guacamol-yay, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out one.
– Turbo led Jack Shack on offense, going 6-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, three home runs, four runs scored, and six RBI. He also hit a leadoff homer, the first of his career.
– Blain also went 3-for-5 for Jack Shack, with a double, two triples, and two runs scored.
– Ryan led Guacamol-yay at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a single, a double, a triple, and two RBI.

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Shady Characters Rally with Nine Runs in the Sixth Inning to Complete 15-9 Comeback Victory Over Depleted Jack Shack

26 Jul

Dylan went 7-for-8 with six extra-base hits including four doubles and two homers, to lead Shady Characters to a win over Jack Shack

Despite playing with two players who had never stepped on the Wiffle Diamond, Jack Shack led Shady Characters sporadically throughout the game and held a three-run lead heading into the sixth inning. But then the wheels fell off the magic bus, and Shady Characters rolled for nine runs in the top of the sixth, pulling away to a 15-9 win. Dylan was 7-for-8 with four doubles in the win, Mike had two homers and five RBI, and Brad went 5-for-7 as Shady Characters completed their first undefeated week of the 2020 EWL season. They remained in last place in the EWL standings, but only a game out of second and two games out of first.

Brian took the mound for Jack Shack, playing without two of their veteran regulars. He allowed a leadoff double to Dylan, but retired the next two batters, stranding him at second and ending the inning.

Dylan started for Shady Characters, and after allowing a one-out single to Brian, he fanned Blaine, making his EWL debut, to end the inning with the game scoreless through one.

Dylan once again doubled in the top of the second, but Brian once again stranded him, retiring Mike for the second out of the inning.

Jack Shack got on the board in the bottom of the second. Dylan struck out Caroline for the first out of the inning, but Turbo followed with a solo homer, and Jack Shack led 1-0. Brian followed with a double, and Blaine registered his first career hit, a two-run blast to left-center that put Jack Shack ahead 3-0. Dylan got Caroline to ground out to left for the second out, but Jack Shack had taken a three run lead.

Shady Characters quickly evened things up in the top of the third. Brad singled with one out, and he moved from first to third when Dylan followed with his third consecutive double. Mike came to the plate and crushed a three-run homer, tying the game at 3-3. Brian then retired Sam for the second out of the inning.

Mike secures a fly ball in centerfield for an out

Jack Shack bounced back in the bottom of the third. Brian doubled with one out, and Blaine followed with an RBI double, scoring Brian to put Jack Shack back ahead 4-3. Dylan then fanned Caroline to end the inning.

Shady Characters reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth. With one out, Dylan hit a solo bomb to right, tying the game at 4-4. Mike then doubled, and Sam drove him in with an RBI triple, putting Shady Characters in front 5-4. Brad followed with a single, scoring Sam from third and the score was 6-4. Brian finally retired Dylan, stranding Brad at first and ending the inning with Shady Characters up by two runs.

Shady Characters celebrate at the plate after one of Dylan’s two bombs

Jack Shack continued to show heart and swing hot bats in the bottom of the fourth. Turbo singled to lead off the inning, and Brian tied the game with a two-run homer to left-center. Blaine followed with a triple, and after striking out Caroline, Dylan gave up a two-run shot to Turbo, which put Jack Shack in front 8-6. Dylan retired Brian to end the inning, and Jack Shack had pulled ahead again in the back-and-forth slugfest.

Brian rolled in the top of the fifth, sending Mike and Sam down in order.

Shady Characters turned to the bullpen in the bottom of the fifth, bringing Brad to the mound. The first batter he faced, Blaine, doubled. Two batters later, Turbo hit an RBI single, scoring Blaine to make the score 9-6. Brian followed with a single, and Jack Shack had two runners on with one out. But Brad cracked down, retiring Blaine for the second out, ending the inning and stranding two runners.

Mike continued to spark the Shady Characters’ offense, going 5-for-8 with two homers and five RBI

Jack Shack had miraculously made it to the sixth inning with a three-run lead, despite playing with two players who had never touched a wiffle bat or ball. It looked as if Jack Shack would pull off a legendary victory, and then reality returned. Shady Characters busted out of their funk and strung together nine hits, including seven consecutive, to take the lead in the top of the sixth. Brad tripled to start the inning, and Dylan drove him in with an RBI single that cut the deficit to 9-7. Two batters later, Sam hit a one-out RBI single, the first of seven consecutive hits Shady Characters would deliver, and the score was 9-8. Brad then singled, putting two runners on with one out. Dylan hit his fourth double of the game, and cleared the two baserunners to put Shady Characters back on top 10-9. Mike followed with a two-run shot, his second homer of the game, extending the Shady Characters lead to 12-9. Sam then singled, and Brad drove him in with his second triple of the inning, making the score 13-9. Dylan then homered for the second time in the game, and his two-run bomb put Shady Characters ahead 15-9. Mike followed with a single, but after seven straight hits, Brian finally recorded an out, betting Sam to ground out to the mound, ending the inning. The nine run inning gave Shady Characters a 15-9 lead despite trailing by three heading into the inning.

Jack Shack would need an absolute miracle to pull off the upset win, and it wouldn’t happen. Brad retired Caroline and Turbo in order in the bottom of the sixth, ending the game and giving Shady Characters the win.

Shady Characters moved to 3-5 on the season, and Jack Shack dropped to 3-4.

W: Dylan (1-1)
L: Brian (3-1)

Box Score

Game Notes:
– Dylan earned the win for Shady Characters, allowing eight runs on ten hits in four innings. Dylan also set the single-game EWL record for pitching strikeouts, with four. This broke the single-game record of three, which was held by Guthrie – 6/28/11, Mark – 5/10/12, Guthrie – 5/14/13, Josh – 6/18/13, Helal – 7/9/13, Christian – 5/6/14, Christian – 6/23/15, Christian – 5/2/17, Dustin – 5/2/17, BK – 5/23/17, Christian – 6/19/18, and Josh K – 6/30/20.
– Brad pitched two innings of relief for Shady Characters, giving up one run on three hits.
– Brian took the loss in a complete game effort for Jack Shack. He gave up fifteen runs on nineteen hits in six innings.
– Dylan led Shady Characters on offense, going 7-for-8 with a single, four doubles, two home runs, five runs scored, and six RBI.
– Brad went 5-for-7 with three singles, two triples, four runs scored, and two RBI.
– Mike went 4-for-8 with two doubles, two home runs, three runs scored, and five RBI.
– Turbo led Jack Shack at the plate, going 4-for-7 with two singles, two home runs, three runs scored and five RBI.
– Brian also went 5-for-6 for Jack Shack, with two singles, two doubles, a home run, three runs scored, and two RBI.
– Blaine, making his EWL debut, went 4-for-6 with tow doubles, a triple, a home run, three runs scored, and three RBI.
– Shady Characters tied the single-game team record of pitching strikeouts with 4, tying the Ham Slams who struck out four batters on July 3rd, 2012.
– Jack Shack tied the single-game team record of batting strikeouts with 4, tying Caucasians who struck out four times on July 3rd, 2012.

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Josh K Bests Dinger in Pitcher’s Duel as Guacamol-yay Beat Cheap Goats 4-2

25 Jul

Josh was strong on the mound, allowing only two runs on six hits in the Guacamol-yay win

Josh K quieted the Cheap Goats offense, which had been the most explosive in the league through three weeks, as Guacamol-yay topped Cheap Goats 4-2 in week 4. Dinger was strong on the mound for Cheap Goats, but Ryan homered twice and drove in three of the four Guacamol-yay runs, and Josh K’s defense was sound behind him, as Guacamol-yay pulled a game closer to first in the EWL standings.

Dinger retired Guacamol-yay in order in the top of the first, sending Jan and Josh K down consecutively.

Dinger continued to pitch effectively for Cheap Goats, allowing only four runs, but did not get the run support that he needed

Cheap Goats got on the board in the bottom of the first, taking an early lead. Jordan doubled with one out, and Christian followed with an RBI double, scoring Jordan to make the score 1-0. Josh K then got Dinger to fly out to left for the second out of the inning.

Dinger struck out Sean to start the top of the second, but Guacamol-yay evened things up when Ryan followed with a solo homer. Alexa, making her EWL debut, grounded out to right for the second out of the inning, and the score was tied at 1-1.

Ryan led Guacamol-yay on offense, going 2-for-2 with two homers, a sacrifice fly, and three RBI

Joey singled to start off the bottom of the second, and he moved to third when Jordan followed with a double. But Josh K buckled down, and escaped the jam. He got Christian to fly out to the mound, and Joey was doubled up on the play, ending the inning.

Josh makes a juggling catch for an out

Jan tripled to lead off the top of the third. The next batter, Josh K, flew out to center. Jan attempted to tag and score on the play, but Joey threw him out, ending the inning, and the score remained tied at 1-1.

Cheap Goats reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third. Dinger tripled, and Joey drove him in with an RBI double, putting Cheap Goats ahead 2-1. Jordan hit a sac fly that moved Joey from second to third, but Cheap Goats couldn’t add to their lead. Josh K got Christian to fly out for the second out, stranding the runner at third and ending the inning.

Dinger delivers a pitch to Jan as sun sets on the Wiffle Diamond

Guacamol-yay drew even again in the top of the fourth. Sean tripled to lead off the inning, and Ryan followed with a deep fly to right-center. Joey caught the fly for the first out of the inning, but was unable to gun down a Guacamol-yay runner for the second inning in a row. Sean tagged and scored on the play, and Guacamol-yay tied the game at 2-2. Dinger then retired Alexa to end the inning.

Guacamol-yay celebrate at the plate after one of Ryan’s two bombs in the win

Josh K got into a groove starting in the bottom of the fourth. He retired Dinger and Joey in order.

Guacamol-yay took their first lead of the game when Jan led off the top of the fifth with a solo homer to right-center. Dinger retired Josh K and Sean to end the inning, and the score was 3-2.

Jan went 2-for-4 with a home run and added to
his league leading triples total

Josh K continued to roll in the bottom of the fifth, sending Jordan and Christian down consecutively.

Ryan snags a fly ball for an out in right field

Guacamol-yay added an insurance run in the top of the sixth, when Ryan led off the inning with his second solo homer of the game. Dinger retired Alexa and Jan to end the inning, and Guacamol-yay led 4-2.

Alexa made her EWL debut in Guacamol-yay’s win over Cheap Goats

Josh K remained on the mound to close things out for Guacamol-yay in the bottom of the sixth, and he was efficient. He retired Dinger and Joey, the eighth consecutive batters he had retired to close out the game, giving Gucamol-yay a 4-2 win.

Josh delivers a pitch to Joey

The win moved Guacamol-yay to 4-3 on the season, and the loss, their second consecutive, dropped Cheap Goats to 5-3.

W: Josh K (4-2)
L: Dinger (2-2)

Box Score

Game Notes:
– Josh K pitched the complete game win for Guacamol-yay, allowing two runs on six hits.
– Dinger took the loss for Cheap Goats, giving up four runs on five hits and striking out one in six innings.
– Ryan led Guacamol-yay on offense, going 2-for-2 with two solo homers, a sacrifice fly, two runs scored, and three RBI.
– Jan also went 2-for-4 for Guacamol-yay, with a triple, a homer, a run scored, and an RBI.
– Jordan and Joey each had two hits for Cheap Goats. Joey went 2-for-5 with a single, a double, and an RBI. Jordan went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a sacrifice fly, and a run scored.

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Shady Characters Trample Cheap Goats, Ride Historic Thirteen Run Inning to 15-9 Victory

24 Jul

Shady Characters have two runners on, as Christian delivers a pitch to Mike during Shady Characters’ historic top of the first inning

Shady Characters delivered one of the most dominant single innings of offense in the ten year history of the EWL, scoring thirteen runs on fifteen consecutive hits in the top of the first inning, en route to defeating Cheap Goats 15-9. Just several weeks after losing to Cheap Goats 22-1, Shady Characters flipped the script, as Mike went 6-for-7, Sam went 5-for-7, and Dylan went 4-for-7 in Shady Characters’ strongest performance of the 2020 season.

Sam took the mound for Shady Characters, and he was effective early. After allowing a one-out triple to Jordan, he stranded him at third, retiring Christian to end the inning.

Christian, who had been the EWL’s best pitcher through three weeks, met a Shady Characters tidal wave in the bottom of the first. A combination of seeing-eye line drives and absolute bombs led to one of the most historic innings in EWL history. Dylan led off the inning with a single, and he moved from first to third when Mike followed with a double. With no outs and two runners in scoring position, Sam singled, clearing the bases, and Shady Characters led 2-0. Brad then singled, and Dylan followed with his second single of the inning, which loaded the bases with no outs for Mike. There have been quite a few bases loaded situations in EWL history, but only four have led to regular season Grand Slams. And now, there have been five. Mike crushed a pitch over the right-center field wall, clearing the bases with the fifth regular season Grand Slam in league history, extending the Shady Characters lead to 6-0. Sam followed with a double, and he moved to third when Brad singled, putting runners on the corners. Dylan then singled, scoring Sam to make the score 7-0, but Brad was caught in between bases on the play for the first out of the inning Mike then singled, putting two on with one out. Sam cleared the bases with a three-run blast that extended the Shady Characters’ lead to 10-0. The onslaught continued, as Brad doubled, and Dylan drove him in with an RBI single, his fourth single of the inning, which made the score 11-0. Mike followed with a single, putting two on with one out for Sam. He once again emptied the bases, this time with an RBI double, his sixth and seventh RBIs of the inning, which put Shady Characters ahead 13-0. Christian finally escaped the nightmare inning when Brad grounded out to Joey in center for the second out of the inning. Shady Characters had collected thirteen runs on fifteen hits in the top of the first, breaking an eight-year old record for most consecutive hits.

Shady Characters celebrate at the plate after one of Mike’s two bombs

Down thirteen, Cheap Goats didn’t respond in the top of the second. Sam retired Dinger and Joey in order, maintaining the thirteen run lead.

Shady Characters added to their lead in the bottom of the second. With one out, Mike homered, and the solo shot made the score 14-0. Sam followed with his second blast of the game, and the back-to-back jacks put Shady Characters ahead 15-0. To this point in the game, the second inning, both Mike and Sam had gone 5-for-5. Shady Characters weren’t able to post another heroic inning, as Christian got Brad to ground out to center, ending the inning.

Cheap Goats showed signs of life in the top of the third. Jordan led off the inning with a single, and two batters later, Dinger singled, scoring Jordan to put Cheap Goats on the board at 15-1. Joey then doubled, putting runners on second and third with one out. Jordan followed with a double, scoring both runners, and the score was 15-3. Christian then tripled, scoring Jordan, and Cheap Goats had cut the deficit to 15-4. Sam got Dinger to fly out to Dylan for the second out, and Shady Characters led by eleven.

Sam earned the win on the mound and went 5-for-7 at the plate with two doubles two homers and a career high eight RBI

Christian finally got back to form in the bottom of the third. He retired Dylan, and after giving up a one-out single to Mike, he retired Sam to end the inning, pitching a scoreless frame.

Cheap Goats continued to chip away at the Shady Characters lead in the top of the fourth. Joey doubled to start the inning, and Jordan followed with an RBI double, scoring Joey to cut the Shady Characters lead to 15-5. Christian then crushed a two-run homer to right, and the score was 15-7. Sam retired Dinger to end the inning, and Cheap Goats had narrowed the deficit to eight runs.

Cheap Goats made the game respectable in the later innings, led by Jordan, who went 4-for-6 in the game

Christian rolled again in the bottom of the fourth, striking out Brad for the first out of the inning, and retiring Dylan to end the inning.

Cheap Goats picked away at Shady Characters some more in the top of the fifth. Shady Characters turned to Brad on the mound, relieving Sam, and he retired the first batter he faced, Jordan. With one out, Christian hit a solo homer to right-center, which cut the score to 15-8. Dinger followed with a solo blast to left, and the back-to-back homers made the score 15-9. Joey doubled for the third time in the game, but the rally would end there, as Brad retired Jordan for the second out of the inning, stranding the runner at second.

Christian pitched his third consecutive scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth, retiring Mike and Sam in order, and Cheap Goats would head into the sixth trailing by six.

Mike reached base safely in his first six at-bats and finished 6-for-7 with two homers and five runs scored in the Shady Characters win

Cheap Goats had turned an insurmountable deficit into an unlikely but possible mountain to climb, narrowing the Shady Characters’ lead from fifteen runs to six. But they would go quietly in the sixth. Brad struck out Christian for the first out of the inning, and Dinger flew out to right for the second out, ending the game and giving Shady Characters the win.

The win moved Shady Characters to 2-5 on the season, and the loss dropped Cheap Goats to 5-2.

W: Sam (1-0)
L: Christian (3-1)

Box Score

Game Notes:
– Sam earned the win for Shady Characters, pitching four innings while allowing seven runs on nine hits.
– Brad pitched two innings of relief for Shady Characters, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out one.
– Christian pitched the complete game for Cheap Goats, taking the loss. He gave up fifteen runs on eighteen hits and struck out one.
– Mike led Shady Characters on offense, going 6-for-7 with three singles, a double, two home runs, five runs scored, and five RBI. He also hit the fifth regular season Grand Slam in EWL history. The first Grand Slam was hit by Brad in 2011, and the other three were hit by Joey in 2012, 2013, and 2016. This was the first regular season Grand Slam in four years.
– Sam went 5-for-7 for Shady Characters, with a single, two doubles, two home runs, four runs scored, and eight RBI.
– Jordan led Cheap Goats on offense, going 4-for-6 with a single, two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and three RBI.

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