2016 AMERICAN LEAGUE WILD CARD
Chicago Mobsters hosts Motor City Muscle in the best of 3 American League Wild Card Round.
Game #1: Felix Hernandez (25-4 1.94) vs. Jacob deGrom (19-8 2.52)
Salvador Perez is 3 for 5. Carl Crawford chips in with 2 hits. Mike Trout Homers & has 2 RBI’s for the Muscle.  Jacob deGrom goes the distance allowing only 3 Runs (All earned), while striking out 11 Mobsters along the way. Dexter Fowler & Buster Posey both Homer for Chicago. Justin Turner has 2 Doubles & a Run Scored, but it’s not enough for the Mobsters.
Final Score:Â Motor City 5 – Chicago 3
Game #2: Carlos Martinez (19-4 2.40) vs. Justin Verlander (13-6 2.92)
With no Score & bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th Justin Turner facing Justin Verlander & the Muscle playing for the double play – Motor City gets the ground ball they wanted, but Eric Aybar juggles the ball and only gets Turner at first base. Buster Posey scores to give the Mobsters a 1-0 lead, which they hold until the top of the 9th.
With Mike Trout leading the 9th off for the Muscle, Chicago sticks with right handed reliever Wade Davis who came on in the 8th. Trout singles off Davis for a leadoff single. Brandon Moss then steps up & Chicago (Who usually would hand the ball of to Aroldis Chapman at the point) Manager Stray Corrado decides to stick with Davis.  Brandon Moss gives the Motor City Muscle Manager Jim Craddock his most memorable moment in Mid-West Baseball League history as Moss deposits the ball over the left field fence, 2 rows deep for a lead changing Home Run as the Muscle take the lead now 3-2.
In the bottom of the 9th the Muscle stick with former Chicago Reliever Trevor Rosenthal. Mark Teixeria leads off with a Strike Out, putting the Muscle 2 outs away from moving on to the Division Series. With the one out Rosenthal can’t find the zone on a 3-1 fastball & Justin Turner walks. Turner is replaced by Chicago speedster Billy Hamilton who promptly swipes 2nd and 3rd base on two consecutive pitches from Rosenthal. Devon Travis is then intentionally walked (Winning run now on firstbase) to set up the Double Play with Chicago’s number nine hitter Andrelton Simmons striding to the plate. (Chicago removed Justin Turner for Hamilton earlier in the inning & now must let Simmons bat as they have no other available shortstop on the bench).  Motor City Manager Craddock goes to his pen & grabs his #1 reliever A.J. Ramos who had 22 Saves during the regular season. Trying to stay out of a Double Play Chicago manger Corrado puts Travis in motion & Simmons promptly lines one over the head of First baseman Clint Robinson. Hamilton scores tying the game & Travis moves over to 3rd on the play – so fasten your seat belts once again the winning run is now on third base. Simmons steals second without a throw, putting runners and second & third with Ramos to face Right Fielder Dexter Fowler.  Fowler is 0 for 4 at this point in the game & Ramos gets him to check his swing, but home plate umpire Ted Barrett calls him out a pitch just off the corner.  Fowler puts his head down & walks back to the Mobsters dugout knowing he didn’t get the job done. With First base open Motor City must now make the decision of facing McCutchen who is o for 8 so far in the series, or walk him to load the bases & face Buster Posey who is 3 for 7 with a Home Run in the Series.  Craddock decides to face McCutchen. Cutch is a two time former Most Valuable Player (MVP). McCutchen strides to the plate with the game on the line. Ramos takes a long deep breath & after receiving the signs from Salvador Perez – the runners take their lead – Ramos delivers – McCutchen swings, it launched to right… way back … going – Going – GONE! … it’s all over … McCutchen just went with the pitch & drove it over the wall in right field for a 3 Run Game Winning, Walk Off Home Run. Ramos can’t get away with a pitch like that, not in this league. He hung that right in the sweet spot for McCutchen who showed Ramos how clutch Cutch is. Rosenthal takes the loss against his former Mobster Squad, but it was Ramos who really didn’t get the job done for the Muscle.
Final Score:Â Chicago 5 – Motor City 2
Game #3: Noah Snydergaard (12-6 3.51) vs. Edinson Volquez (12-12 3.53)
In the 4th Inning with the bases loaded Edinson Volquez faces Buster Posey & walks in the first run of the game.
In the top of the 5th Noah Snydergaard gives up a long Home Run to Mike Trout to tie the game at 1 run apiece.
Carter Capps comes in for Chicago to start the 6th as Snydergaard does his job holding the Muscle to a lone run over 6 Innings.  Capps walks Trout & gives up a infield single to Joe Panik. Capps gets Salvador Perez swinging (3 K’s for Perez this game). Andrew Miller replaces Capps looking for the Double Play. Craddock looks down his bench & finds Chris Young a right handed hitter to replace Clint Robinson (Robinson was with the Mobsters to start the 2017 campaign).  Young smacks a gapper to left center, Trout scores & Panik comes around to score as well on a close play at the plate. A big gamble sending Panik around 3rd on a great relay throw from Andrelton Simmons, but Panik slid around the tag of Buster Posey giving the Muscle a 3-1 lead.
Leading off the bottom of the 6th Mark Teixeria takes a Jordan Zimmermann fastball over the center field wall for a Solo Home Run. Score is now Motor City 3 – Chicago 2.
Bottom of the 9th score still 3-2 Motor City, Chicago is down to it’s last 2 outs, Chicago Manager Stray Corrado pinch hits for Andrelton Simmons with Curt Casali. Manager Corrado says Casali will Homer.  Pitching for Motor City is A.J. Ramos who gave up the 3 Run dinger in game #2 to Andrew McCutchen. Casali picks up a good twig, checks it out & nods to his manager saying “We got this”.  Casali takes the 2-1 offering from Ramos & hits it – deep left center – it has serious distance – will it hit off the wall? – No! – it’s Loonnnggg Gone Casali ties it up – just like he said he would.  After a Dexter Fowler Strikeout Andrew McCutchen laces a Double to the gap in right. Setting up for a force at any bag the Muscle Intentionally walk Buster Posey to put runners at 1st & 2nd with two out. Late season acquisition Josh Donaldson steps in to face Ramos.  Ramos rocks and fires – Donaldson checked swing – he held up & he walks. That fills the bases the bases with the winning run only 90 feet away. Ramos is not happy with himself (Nor is his manager Craddock) & here comes Muscle manager – he’s asks Ramos for the ball – he’s calling for Trevor Rosenthal the right-hander to face J.D. Martinez in a very tight situation. Martinez looking for a base hit or ball four to win this game & series for Chicago. Rosenthal throws a 2-2 fastball right by Martinez to leave the winning & series winning run on 3rd base. The Muscle get out of it with a big strikeout. The two teams head to Extra Innings where the series will be decided.
Motor City goes down 1-2-3 in the top of the 10th as Aaron Sanchez pitches his 2nd Inning of relief for the Mobsters.
Chicago’s top of 10th starts off with a lead off single from Mark Teixeria, who is promptly replaced by speedster Billy Hamilton.  Hamilton wastes no time in taking second base quickly on a steal off Rosenthal, though Salvador Perez’s throw made it close at 2nd base. Justin Turner facing Rosenthal – No Outs, Hamilton the on Runner on 2nd, Tied 3-3 – Hamilton moves quietly toward third – Rosenthal brings it home – grounder to second – no play at third Panik flips to first in time – one down. The Mobsters have an opening with Hamilton the winning run now at third. Devon Travis now up, Rosenthal on the bump. Travis swings at the 1-2 offering from Rosenthal & misses. Rosenthal is pumped with a huge Strikeout here, now only a out away from taking this to the 11th.  Back in the 9th when Casali tied the game at 3, the Chicago Manager Stray Corrado had to invalidate the D.H. to move Justin Turner to Shortstop to take over at Shortstop for Simmons who was pinch hit for. This leaves Aaron Sanchez due up in the 9 spot in the batting order now with 2 Outs in the 10th. Chicago low on pitching already having used 6 pitchers thus far needs a pinch hitter, but doesn’t want to take Sanchez out of the game. They call upon there bench though. Who do they call? Ryan Raburn.  Yes that’s right. Ryan Raburn who batted a lowly .144 on the season is called upon with 2 Outs, 10th Inning to get a base knock & win this Walk Off Style for Chicago.  Motor City Manager Jim Craddock wheels are turning & he yells over to the Chicago bench “If Raburn beats me this is will Burn my Ass for years to come”.  Raburn hears Craddocks remark, tips his cap & steps in against Rosenthal. The tip of the cap by Raburn was the key here. It sent the sign to Billy Hamilton from the Manager Stray Corrado through Raburn.  Rosenthal sets, starts his motion – what’s this – Hamilton’s racing home, the pitch – Raburn takes the pitch as the ball hits the outside corner of the plate for Strike One – just where Perez wanted the pitch, but Hamilton’s sliding in at the time Perez receives the pitch – Perez sweeps to the left on a tag play – SAFE – SAFE – Ted Barrett emphatically waving his arms yells it again SAFE… What a play! The daring play by the Mobsters manager pays off! … it’s all over! … oh, those Mobsters – Hamilton’s teammates are out to congratulate him – that’s his 4th steal of the series, the Game Winning Walk Off – Series Winning Walk Off Steal of Home.
Final Score:Â Chicago 4 – Motor City 3 (10 Innings)
The Chicago Mobsters take the series 2-1 and move on to the American League Division Series to face the Detroit Crime.