We got down to the real business this week, with the top teams entering playoff action. It didn't really go too well for them - here are the quick results, with details and a look forward to the final round after the jump.
Championship playoffs:
Balco's Boys 7, 7-2 Offsuiters 3
The Fighting Amish 1, Shoryukens! 9
Consolation playoffs
Confederate Generals 7, Moving on Uptons 3
Kapsaicin Kids 7, Baked 2
Position playoffs
11th/12th: AZ SnakePit 4, Desert Dingleberries 5
5th/6th: Blonde Streaks 5, Arizona Muugens 4
Balco's Boys 7, 7-2 Offsuiters 3
#3 seeds Balco's took down #2 seeds 7-2, sweeping hitting behind two HR and nine RBI from Teixeira and a two HR, six RBI week by Ellsbury. 7-2 piled up 58 strikeouts with a W + 12 K each by Arroyo and Gallardo, but Balco's 2.13 team ERA and 0.76 WHIP were enough to put them through.
The Fighting Amish 1, Shoryukens! 9
A massive shock here - not just that #4 seeds Shoryu took down #1 Amish, but the magnitude of the victory. Amish barely showed up, hitting a paltry .197 with a 4.95 ERA. Eight Runs and four homers by Tulowitzki anchored Shoryu, who also got a win and two saves from Bell, and cruised into the final.
Consolation playoffs
Confederate Generals 7, Moving on Uptons 3
The top two meet in the Consolation tournament, #8 Generals disposing of #12 Uptons. Neither hit well, both hitting below .250 and combining for nine HR. But Generals pulled away in pitching, Greinke getting a W and eight K's and Wuertz notched the week's only Sv. Hanson got a W + 15 K's for Uptons.
Kapsaicin Kids 7, Baked 2
#7 Kids will face the Generals, beating #11 Baked with Kennedy (seven R, seven RBI) their best performance at the dish, where they took four of the five available points. Pitching was closer: Wainwright notched 18 strikeouts for Kids, while Haren had a W and 11 K's for Baked, but his team fell short.
Position playoffs
11th/12th: AZ SnakePit 4, Desert Dingleberries 5
Desert clinched 11th place with a narrow victory over Snake. Both catchers did well: McCann (Snake) had two HR an nine RBI, while Wieters (Desert) homered twice and drove in ten. Cordero (Desert) had four saves; Verlander K'd 15 for Snake, but neither team managed a Win and that proved crucial.
5th/6th: Blonde Streaks 5, Arizona Muugens 4
Saves were tied at two, enough to give Blonde 5th place, just pipping Muugens. The losers did get three HR from Ethier, and won all the hitting categories bar Runs. However, Blonde's pitching was unstoppable, posting a sub-three team ERA, with Lincecum getting a Win and 14 strikeouts.
Upcoming Games
Championship Final: Balco's Boys (#3 seed) vs. Shoryukens! (#4)
3rd/4th place: 7-2 Offsuiters (#2) vs. The Fighting Amish (#1)
Consolaton Final: Confederate Generals (#8) vs. Kapsaicin Kids (#7)
9th/10th place: Moving on Uptons (#12) vs. Baked (#11)
The final week is when everything will be decided. Two underdogs meet in the Championship Final, while the teams expected to face off there are left to play with nothing more important at stake than third-place. Such is the nature of post-season baseball