2022 WORLD SERIES

The Fremont Cannons finished atop the AL with a 121-41 record, while the Dirt Bags of Long Beach were 3rd in the NL and the top Wild Card at 109-53 while winning the Central.

Fremont brings the top offense in MWBL to bear, while Long Beach finished 5th in the NL in runs scored. Long Beach’s strength is their pitching, 3rd in the NL in runs allowed but not far from the top. Fremont is no slouch in that department, allowing the fewest runs in the AL. Long Beach can toss out 4 starters that you’ll have a tough time beating. Fremont’s top 2 might be better but there is a drop-off after that. Conversely, the back end of the Dirt Bags bullpen is dominant, but Fremont has more depth. Both teams were upper middle of the league in fielding, with Long Beach’s .983 fielding average edging Fremont’s .982. Long Beach enters with Alcides Escobar rehabbing from injury for the first two games, while Fremont is fully healthy.

Fremont gets home field based on the alternating Al/NL format. Jim “The Oracle” Craddock ran the numbers and is calling it a low-scoring, seven-game win for Long Beach. What do the dice say?

The Dirt Bags kick off the series with a leadoff double from Kevin Kiermaier. Salvador Perez singles him home, and Long Beach takes the early 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st. Yoan Moncada leads off the bottom of the 1st with a double, and a Ronald Torreyes error puts two on for Fremont with no outs. Zack Wheeler bears down, and the Cannons are unable to score.

In the top of the 2nd, LaMonte Wade leads off with a single. The next batter, Nick Solak, is HBP and injured for 7 days. Walker Buehler is able to work out of the jam without a run allowed. Teoscar Hernandez leads off the bottom of the 2nd with a double, and Elias Diaz is beaned, putting two runners on. A double play ends the Cannons threat.

In the bottom of the third, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reaches scoring position with a two-out double. Byron Buxton comes to the plate, and is hit in the elbow with the pitch, ending his season. Carlos Correa pops out to end the threat. Javier Baez leads off the bottom of the 5th and gets hit in the helmet; with the third HBP Wheeler gets tossed. Logan Webb takes his spot, which is not much of a drop-off. Guerrero Jr. gets a two-out walk, but again Fremont fails to bring anyone home.

LaMonte Wade leads off the 7th with a double, but Buehler is able to set the rest of the Dirt Bags down to keep it 1-0. With two outs and two on in the bottom of the 7th, Blake Treinen is able to get Guerrero Jr. to ground out.

In the top of the 9th, Danny Mendick knocks one down the line with Franmil Reyes on first. Long Beach elects to send him home, but Joshua Rojas is able to cut him down to keep it at 1-0. In the bottom of the 9th, the Dirt Bags stick with Treinen rather than bringing in Liam Hendriks. The non-move works, as Fremont goes down 1-2-3 and Long Beach wins the opener 1-0.

Long Beach leads the series 1-0 after holding the mighty Fremont lineup to just 3 hits. The loss of Buxton will affect Fremont both offensively and defensively, while Long Beach needs a new second baseman with Solak out.

HR: LBD-none; FRE- none

LBD 1 – FRE 0
Win: Logan Webb 1-0 (0.00)
Loss: Walker Buehler 0-1 (1.29)
Save: Blake Treinen #1

GAME #2 – Brandon Woodruff 14-8 (2.43)  vs. Carlos Rodon 18-1 (1.84)

With Nick Solak out, the Dirt Bags go with Danny Mendick at 2B. Fremont replaces Byron Buxton by bringing Shohei Ohtani into the outfield, moving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to DH, and starting Yulieski Gurriel at 1B. Both pitchers start strong in this one. Fremont threatens in the bottom of the third with two on and no outs, but Brandon Woodruff is able to work out of it.

In the bottom of the fourth, Yulieski Gurriel gets jammed but is able to turn it into a double. Teoscar Hernandez is able to send it over the fence in center to put the Cannons up 2-0. Ronald Torreyes doubles to lead off the top of the 6th. After a two-out walk to Robbie Grossman, Carlos Rodon is able to strike out Salvador Perez.

Javier Baez leads off the top of the 7th, and hits one that just keeps going until it clears the left-field fence to put Fremont up 3-0. Shohei Ohtani walks to lead off the bottom of the 8th. He advances to second on a hit-and-run out from Yulieski Gurriel. Liam Hendriks is brought in to end the threat, but Carlos Correa brings Ohtani home with a two-out single to put Fremont up 4-0. With the 4-run cushion, Garrett Whitlock retaliates for Game One and drills Salvador Perez in the top of the 9th, ending the catcher’s day. That does put two on for the Dirt Bags, but Ryan Tepera is brought in and ends the threat. Fremont wins 4-0.

The series is tied at 1-1. Carlos Rodon and four relievers one-hit the Dirt Bags.

HR: LBD- none; FRE- Teoscar Hernandez, Javier Baez

FRE 4 – LBD 0
Win: Carlos Rodon 1-0 (0.00)
Loss: Brandon Woodruff 0-1 (4.50)
Save: Ryan Tepera #1

The series shifts to Long Beach, where Justin Turner gets the crowd gets excited early with a solo HR in the bottom of the 1st, the first Dirt Bag homerun in the series. Long Beach would put runners on 2B and 3B, but Sandy Alcantara is able to get Lamonte Wade to ground out. In the bottom of the 4th, Kevin Kiermaier triples with two outs, but Ronald Torreyes flies out.

The Dirt Bags get two singles to lead off the bottom of the 5th, ending Alcantara’s day. With the help of a double play, Ryan Tepera is able to quash the threat. Tepera walks Nelson Cruz in the 6th, and T.J. McFarland is brought in to face the lefty Wade. LaMonte gets a hold of one and sends it out of the yard to put the Dirt Bags up 3-0. Fremont gets on the board in the top of the 7th with back-to-back two-out doubles from Carlos Correa and Teoscar Hernandez to cut it to 3-1. Blake Treinen comes and strands the runner.

Shohei Ohtani leads off the top of the 9th with a walk, so Long Beach calls on Liam Hendricks to close it out. He gets the first two outs, then walks Carlos Correa to put the tying run on. Teoscar Hernandez smashes the next pitch to left center, bringing two runs in to tie it 3-3, with the go-ahead run on 3rd. Javier Baez then connects for one over the left-field fence to put the Cannons on top 5-3. Tejay Antone sets Long Beach down in order to close out the 5-3 Fremont victory.

Fremont leads the series 2-1. Liam Hendricks gives up 4 runs in the 9th in the improbable comeback. Lance Lynn allows just 3 hits in the no-decision. Teoscar Hernandez goes 2-3 with 3 RBI.

HR: FRE- Javier Baez; LBD- Justin Turner, LaMonte Wade

FRE 5 – LBD 3
Win: Tejay Antone 1-0 (0.00)
Loss: Liam Hendriks 0-1 (27.00)

Game 4 sees a rematch of Game 1 that went the Dirt Bags way. Zack Wheeler is feeling some pressure early with two walks in the 1st inning, but Fremont cannot capitalize. In the bottom of the 1st, Justin Turner walks, then Salvador Perez is HBP for the second time in the series. As before, he will miss the rest of the game, but this time it happened at the start. With two runners on, Walker Buehler is able to get the next two batters out.

LaMonte Wade gets the scoring going with a homerun to lead off the bottom of the 2nd. Fremont answers in the top of the 3rd. After Shohei Ohtani singles, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lifts one high to left. The Dirt Bag defense fails to communicate, and Alcides Escobar and Robbie Grossman collide. The ball drops, bringing in a run to tie it 1-1. Worse yet, Escobar, who came into the series with an injury, is knocked out for the remainder of the playoffs, and Grossman is also knocked out for 3 days, leaving Long Beach with just two healthy middle infielders on the roster.

Justin Turner is HBP to lead off the bottom of 3rd but is able to avoid the injuries that are plaguing this game. Fremont is able to take the lead 2-1 in the 4th off of a Javier Baez walk, wild pitch, and RBI single from Elias Diaz. The score stays the same until the top of the 8th, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homers for a 3-1 Fremont lead. Justin Turner leads off the bottom of the 9th with a double to bring the tying run to the plate. The Dirt Bags are not able to bring any runs across, and the Cannons take this one 3-1.

Fremont leads the series 3-1. The Dirt Bags are held to just two hits. Fremont is held to just 5 hits but makes the most of them. Long Beach is being hit hard with injuries.

HR: FRE- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.; LBD- LaMonte Wade

FRE 3 – LBD 1
Win: Walker Buehler 1-1 (1.35)
Loss: Zack Wheeler 0-1 (1.80)
Save: Ryan Tepera #2

Long Beach has their backs against the wall but were in a worse position in the NLCS. This is a rematch of Game 2, won by Fremont. The Cannons get the scoring started in the top of the 1st, as Shohei Ohtani walks and reaches third on an error from the pitcher. Fremont trades an out at second for a run at home on a flyout from Yulieski Gurriel to go up 1-0. With two outs in the bottom of the 3rd, Kevin Kiermaier blasts one to left field but Shohei Ohtani robs him of a homer.

The injury bug strikes the Dirt Bags again in the bottom of the 4th when Guillermo Heredia is hit by Carlos Rodon and lost for the rest of the series. Long Beach hits some loud flyouts but is unable to take advantage of the free runner. Carlos Correa doubles to lead off the 5th. Elias Diaz sends one into left field, and again Fremont trades an out for a run when Diaz is thrown out at second. Maybe it wasn’t necessary, as Javier Baez follows up with a solo HR to put Fremont up 3-0, ending Woodruff’s day.

Fremont gets runners on second and third in the top of the 6th but cannot get anyone home as Blake Treinen ends the threat. Long Beach finally gets something going off of Rodon in the 7th with a Nelson Cruz double and Justin Turner walk. Ryan Zimmerman slices one down the right field line for a run-scoring double to make it 3-1. Ronald Torreyes then hits a ground-hugger that leads to an out at first but another run scores to make it 3-2. Ryan Tepera is able to strike out Danny Mendick with Zimmerman on third to keep the one-run lead for Fremont.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. answers with a solo HR in the top of the 8th for an insurance run. After a Yulieski Gurriel single, Treinen is replaced with Liam Hendricks. Carlos Correa steps up and sends one over the fence in right for the 6-2 Fremont lead. LaMonte Wade singles in the 8th but does not score.
Down to their final at-bats, Nelson Cruz leads off the bottom of the 9th with a flyout to center. Fremont brings on Tejay Antone, who then gets Justin Turner to fly out to left. Ryan Zimmerman steps to the plate in what could be his final career at-bat. He dribbles it to third, Yoan Moncada wings it to first, and the Cannons close it out 6-2.

The Dirt Bags offense managed just 4 hits in the elimination game. The Cannons use 3 homers to overpower Long Beach.

HR: FRE- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Carlos Correa, Javier Baez; LBD- none

FRE 6 – LBD 2
Win: Carlos Rodon 1-0 (1.38)
Loss: Brandon Woodruff 0-2 (4.35)

Fremont outscored Long Beach 18-7, with an 11-2 edge in innings seven through nine. The Fremont bullpen allowed two runs for a 1.23 ERA, while the Dirt Bags bullpen allowed 9 for a 4.76 ERA. Fremont’s offense was poor by their normal standards with a triple-slash of .189/.261/.390, but Long Beach was even worse with .133/.226/.260. Fremont out-homered Long Beach 7-3. Not a single stolen base was recorded in the series (sorry Taco Bell fans).

The World Series MVP goes to Carlos Rodon, who went 2-0, 1.38 ERA in 13.0 innings and striking out fourteen. Rodon was undefeated in the playoffs, going 6-0 in seven starts with a 2.64 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. Teoscar Hernandez (.316/.350/.632), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.222/.300/.667), and Carlos Correa (.263/.300/.526) also had a nice series. Javier Baez only hit .188, but slugged .750 for an OPS of 1.028 (which was actually down from the .810 slugging in the ALCS). Shohei Ohtani was ice cold, hitting .067/.300/.067.

For the Dirt Bags, LaMonte Wade hit a cool .294/.294/706, while Justin Turner also had a good series (.214/.450/.500). Long Beach failed to get much out of some of their top sluggers: Nelson Cruz (.125/.222/.188), Salvador Perez (.067/.176/.067), and Franmil Reyes (.053/.100/.053) with just one extra-base hit combined. Liam Hendriks finished with an ugly 15.00 ERA.

Fremont was able to get significant and/or timely contributions from their midseason acquisitions. Game 3 seemed to be magic for Fremont in the playoffs, other than the 4-3 loss where they blew a late lead to Coconut Creek in the Wild Card Round, they tied it in the 9th and won in the 10th in the ALDS, tied it in the 9th and won in the 13th in the ALCS, and scored 4 in the 9th in the World Series to win by 2. The Cannons chances at repeating next year will have to hinge on their starting pitching rather than the offense, and the loss of draft picks will make it even harder to repeat, but for now, they will savor bringing the trophy home, their first in their 22 year history in the Mid-West Baseball League.