Wumbo Wednesday With Weaselo: Nocturnes Magazine Season H Recap

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y.—The Season G Brooklyn Nocturnes came into their sophomore campaign with hope to turn the corner, and ended up with plenty more than that, winning the division, earning the top seed, and ultimately winning their first Dice Baseball League championship.

The Season H Nocturnes, now no longer a dark horse, had expectations to keep and a title to defend. How would this iteration fare with the target on their back?

At first, not well. The Nocturnes became the first defending champion to be swept in their opening series, losing three straight at home to their nominal rival New Orleans Blues, who took the Night Club Series for the second straight year, scoring 5 runs over the three games. After a fourth straight loss, 4-3 to the cross-Island rival New York Titans, it looked like the title defense may be over before it started.

Not so fast, they said. Seven straight wins, a franchise record, put the Nocturnes back on the right path. Brooklyn from there was in the hunt for a playoff position the rest of the way, though a series loss to the recently-transplanted Chicago Beefs hurt their chances to fight for a second straight West crown.

In the end, the Nocturnes finished 18-12, a game worse than last season, good enough for the top wild card spot. Nobody it seemed would catch the Anchorage Kodiaks and their high-powered offense in the West, with two All-Dice sluggers in Woo Ferrigno and Dallas Fairchild.

The Nocturnes were led, as they’ve been since inception, by their starting pitching. Dakota Story and Claude Sellers were once again one of the top 1-2 punches in the league, with both making the All-Star team. Story won the strikeout title (93) and was 2nd in innings pitched, becoming the first pitcher with back-to-back 70+ inning campaigns. (He holds 2 of the 4 70+ IP seasons, all four of them happening these past two years.) This was thanks to his record 3 complete games, with 2 shutouts, setting the all-time career records in both categories (5 and 3 respectively) with a season left to add to his ledger. Sellers, though less flashy, may have been even better, leading all West pitchers and ending up 2nd in the league in ERA, throwing his first career 65+ IP season in his final year in the league. In the pen, Niko Fawkes had a sub-1.50 ERA and was on the short list for most All-Star ballots, while rookie first rounder Soren Henke and his 8 saves made the team.

On offense, the Nocturnes were led again by their top of the order 12s. Rookie Figaro Romero, last year’s World Series MVP Skipper Carson, and Tanner Stewart all hit over .330 to set up the rest of the order, and after a slow start first-ever first round pick Fenway Evans ended up with 23 RBIs. The Nocturnes didn’t have an MVP powerhouse but three players had 20+ RBIs in the 30-game season (Evans, Carson, & Stewart). Ritzy Chambers had an excellent season, becoming the first player in Nocturnes history to sport a 1.000 OPS, breaking the single-season team record with 7 home runs (held by Chubby Kingman in both Seasons F & G, where he had 6).

In the Wild Card round, the Nocturnes hosted the River Heights Sleuths, who they played an all-timer series with in last year’s League Series. But after the Nocturnes took Game 1 with a 9-2 win thanks to 5 runs in the 5th inning off Kaz Takahashi, the bats went cold. In Game 2, a pair of home runs put the Nocturnes up 3-2 after 6, 9 outs away. But this time it was the Sleuths’ Rally Cap playing, as River Heights tied the game against Garrett Wayne before he could get an out in the 7th, forcing Henke to try and get out of a bases loaded, no out situation in a tie game. Grand Salami played here, as Branch Simmons’s bonus +2 meant that would have been a strikeout played to a groundout, scoring the go-ahead run. Brooklyn loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th against Sleuths closer Drew Sutter, but Tanner Stewart struck out to end the game and force Game 3.

In Game 3, the Nocturnes were flummoxed by knuckleballer Russ Rojas, as he outdueled Sellers in a 4-1 Sleuths win that saw them get revenge for the Season G playoffs (and a Nocturnes sweep earlier in the year) and advance to Springfield to take on the Isotopes in the League Series. By the later innings, the dice made the outcome clear—pinch-hitter Guy Herzog with Set the Table and advantage? He flied out, neutralizing the bonus roll the next batter would potentially get. Rally Cap in the 7th? Nothing doing. Clutch hitter on Chambers in the 8th? 1-2-3, with Chambers in the hole. After a pair of walks to start the bottom of the 9th, Greg Zanfino, the tying run, had Batting Order to give automatic advantage on his card. He flied out. The next batter was Romero, who bounced into a tailor-made double play to send the Sleuths to Springfield and the Nocturnes home.

So, what next? Well, 6 Nocturnes represent the West in the All-Star Game: Story, Sellers, Henke, Carson, Chambers, and utility IF Ron Hedges, because no infielder in the division had enough at-bats to stand out (75 is the standard) and he was the best one, going 13/21 with 12 RBIs. Sellers was snubbed from the All-Dice and Cy Young voting, behind unanimous winner KC Rocket and the River Heights duo of Kaz and Ricardo Gomez. (I also had Sellers 4th due to his high WHIP.)

Then, we wait for the new crop. Losing Sellers, along with captain Smokey Roberts and setup man Gomer Phillips hurts. But that’s the fun of the game, it’s a 14-team league and the churn means everyone hopefully gets a chance to have their runs. We got ours, and flags fly forever.

Go Nox.

As for sports tonight… eh, the usual nothing much. But FOOTBALL TOMORROW! Even if it’s the methadone version!