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One league record fell this year, and another was tied! Plus there were several new additions to the leaderboard. Check out all the single-season team records here.
Here's an in-depth look:
New League Records
Pythagoras believed that the best way to determine a team's true level of ability is not won-lost record, but rather the number of runs scored and runs allowed. By this standard, Livingston Last Place may be the worst team of all time. They scored 600 runs and allowed 982 runs for a -382 run differential -- good enough, or rather bad enough, to set a new league record. The previous record of -323 was set in 2007 by the Las Vegas Rat Pack. (Interestingly, the 2008 Rat Pack won 106 games, so maybe there's hope for Livingston after all.) Note that team runs scored/runs allowed data is not available before the 1997 season, so it's quite likely that the 1993 Waikiki Keys, who went 33-129, or even the 1993 Charleston Chiefs, who went 46-116, may have had even worse run differentials. But those stats are lost to history, so the league record now belongs to Livingston.
The Amityville Ant Slayers tied the league record for the best fielding percentage at .990. The Ant Slayers tied the record set in 2002 by the Wanaque Wolverines. Two other teams, the Newark Sugar Bears and Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta, joined a log jam of 10 teams tied for the 5th-best fielding percentage of all time at .988.
New DMB Era Records
The worst road record was set by Livingston Last Place, who went 17-64 (.210), setting a new DMB Era (1997-present) record! The previous modern record was set in 2006 by D.C. Bushslappers, who went 19-62 in 2006. The all-time record is still held by the Waikiki Keys, who won just 15 road games (.188 W%) in 1993.
New In The Top 5
The 600 runs scored by Livingston Last Place was the second-fewest runs scored in league history, behind only the 572 runs scored by the Hawaii Volcanoes in 1999. The previous second place mark was held by the 2003 Columbia Rattlesnakes, who scored 617 runs.
The 623 runs allowed by the Newark Sugar Bears was the third fewest of all time, just eclipsing last year's Vancouver Iron Fist, who allowed 624 runs. The all-time record is 587 runs allowed by the Iron Fist in 1998.
The 47-115 performance by Livingston Last Place tied with the 1999 Norfolk Ewes for the fourth-worst record in league history. The worst record in history was set by the 1993 Waikiki Keys, at 33-129; the modern record was the 44-118 record of the Phoenix Dragons in 1997.
Joining the leaderboard in best team quality start percentage were the Newark Sugar Bears, with a .617 QS% for fourth-best all-time. The Hopatcong Floating Fish had a .605 QS%, which ranks 6th all-time, just behind the 2004 Carolina Mudcats (.611).
The Bridgewater Mallers led the league in pitchers' strikeouts with 1,467, good enough for 5th all-time. Bridgewater knocked the 2009 Las Vegas Rat Pack and their 1,448 Ks out of the top 5. The 2008 Rat Pack still hold the all-time record with 1,549 Ks.
Records That Didn't Fall
Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta's league-best 107-55 record didn't make the leaderboard; it tied the 1994 Vancouver Iron Fist for the 13th best record of all time. The 2002 Arkansas Golden Falcons still have the best all-time record at 120-42.
The longest winning streak of the year was 10 straight wins, posted by Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta, but it didn't crack the top 5. The 2006 Newark Sugar Bears and 2011 Las Vegas Rat Pack each won 13 straight games to tie for 4th place. The longest streak of all time is 17 games set by the 2009 Sugar Bears.
The Arkansas Golden Falcons lost 10 straight games, and Livingston Last Place ended the season with 10 straight losses. It would take 13 straight losses to reach the leaderboard, set in 1998 by the Columbia Crusaders and tied in 2006 by the Honolulu Sharks. The all-time record was set in 1999 by the Crusaders.
The best home record this year was set by Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta at 57-24 (.704). A team would have to win 62 games at home to reach the leaderboard by tying the Newark Sugar Bears' home record in 2006; the all-time record of 65 home wins was set in 2008 by those same Sugar Bears.
This year's worst home record of 30-51 (.370) was set by Livingston Last Place. To crack the top five a team would have to win just 25 games at home to crack the top 5; the worst home record of all time was set in 1993 by the Waikiki Keys, who won just 18 games at home. The modern record was set in 1997 by the Phoenix Dragons, who went 22-59 at home.
Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta had the league's best road record this year at 50-31 (.617). To break into the top 5, a team would have to win at least 55 games to tie the 5th-best record, set in three different seasons by the Newark Sugar Bears. The all-time best road record was set in 1997 by the Vancouver Iron Fist, who went 60-21.
The most runs scored this year was 883 by Rowdy Roddy's Pipers. A team would have to score 1,123 runs to tie the 1997 Arkansas Golden Falcons for 5th place; the all-time record belongs to the Newark Sugar Bears, who scored 1,383 runs in 2007.
The most runs allowed was by Livingston Last Place, who gave up a whopping 982 runs -- more than a hundred runs more than the next worst team. But that wasn't good enough for even 5th place all-time, currently held by the 2001 Honolulu Sharks (1,021 runs allowed). The all-time record is 1,111 rusn allowed by the Phoenix Dragons in 2000.
The best run differential was set by Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta, with a +171 run margin. Fifth place is currently held by the Arkansas Golden Falcons, who posted a +332 run differential in 2002; the record of +549 runs was set by the 2007 Newark Sugar Bears.
The most home runs hit this year were by the Hoboken Cutters with 231. To reach the top 5, a team would have to hit 288, set by the Jerusalem Rabbis in 1996. The all-time record is 330 by the Newark Sugar Bears in 2007.
The Sardine City Straphangers led the league this year with 101 stolen bases. To make the leaderboard, a team would have to steal 192 bases; the record was set in 1998 by the Phoenix Dragons with 228.
Hopatcong Floating Fish led the league with 353 doubles, but that's a long way from the 393 doubles hit by the Louisiana Lightning in 1997 for 5th place, or the league record 426 doubles hit by the Newark Sugar Bears in 2008.
The 47 triples hit by Sardine City Straphangers led the league, but it would take 57 triples to tie the Toledo Mutthens (1997) for 5th most all time. The record of 80 triples in a season was set by Cheyenne Warhawks in 1993 (thanks to Deion Sanders and his 62 triples that year).
The highest OPS this year was set by Rowdy Roddy's Pipers at .804; it would take a .902 OPS to reach the top 5, and a .995 OPS to set the all-time record, set by the Newark Sugar Bears in 2007.
Rowdy Roddy's Pipers also led the league with 851 RBIs, but it would take 1,121 to reach the leaderboard by tying the 1994 Arkansas Golden Falcons. The all-time record of 1,335 RBIs was set by the Newark Sugar Bears in 2007.
The lowest team ERA was set by the Newark Sugar Bears at 3.54; fifth-place still belongs to the Vancouver Iron Fist at 3.32. The all-time record is 3.08 set by the Arkansas Golden Falcons in 1992, and the DMB Era record is 3.10 set last year by the Philadelphia Endzone Animals.
Hopatcong Floating Fish just missed making the leaderboard with a 1.22 WHIP; to make the leaderboard, they needed a 1.21. The all-time record is 1.16, set last year by the Philadelphia Endzone Animals.
Another near-miss: the Vancouver Iron Fist had a league-best .685 OPS. A .684 OPS would have tied for 5th place and put them on the leaderboard. The lowest OPS allowed of all time (.653) was set in 2011 by the Philadelphia Endzone Animals.
Sardine City Straphangers posted a league-best .780 save percentage, which almost cracked the top 5. The Hillsborough Hired Hitmen in 2011 and the Honolulu Sharks in 2004 tied for a .784 SV%, tied for 4th place. The all-time record of an .836 SV% was set by the Straphangers in 2010.
This year's worst fielding percentage of .981, turned in by Livingston Last Place, was nowhere near the leaderboard. Six teams are tied at .975 for fourth-worst; the worst fielding percentage of all time, .973, was set by the Phoenix Dragons in 1998 and tied by those same Dragons in 2003.
Former DMBL player Ryan Freel died today at the age of 36, apparently after shooting himself in the head with a shotgun inside his Florida home, according to an ESPN report.
Freel had played for five DMBL organizations over a four-year career as a utilityman. He retired following the 2008 season with a career .254 BA (.322 SLG, .313 OBP) in 1,760 AB.
Freel came into the league in 2005 with the Columbia Rattlesnakes after being drafted in the 4th Round (#50 overall), but he disappointed after hitting .242 (.600 OPS) in 529 at-bats. The following year he was taken in the 5th Round (#62) by the Las Vegas Rat Pack and had his best season, hitting .287 (.714 OPS) with 74 R, 19 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, and 14 SB in 551 AB. The Honolulu Sharks drafted him the following year in the 9th Round (#113) of the 2007 draft and he had his worst season, hitting just .225 with a .598 OPS in 502 AB. He went undrafted in his final season, 2008, but the Hoboken Cutters signed him in May after an injury to Travis Buck. Freel hit .270 (.587 OPS) in 37 AB with the Cutters before he too went down with an injury. He was released a month later but was picked up a month later by the D.C. Bushslappers, where he would hit .270 (.602 OPS) in 35 AB.
No rookie reliever has won the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award since John Rocker way back in 1999, but there were some impressive candidates this season! Will the long dry spell end this season?
Al Alburquerque (NWK): The 26-year-old righty has already won the Weirdest Name of the Year Award, but how about the 'Stach? Alburquerque posted a 2.19 ERA and 12.6 R/9 while going 7-3 with 25 saves. The first pick of the 2nd Round (#17) walked 42 but also struck out 85 in 61.2 IP.
Antonio Bastardo (RWY): This 26-year-old has won the Bad Ass Name of the Year Award. What a bastardo! The lefty, taken in the 3rd Round (#36 overall), went 1-4 with 5 saves while posting a 3.02 ERA, 11.6 R/9, 42 BB and 94 K in 86.1 IP. He led all rookies with 19 holds, which was tied for 2nd most in the league.
Aroldis Chapman (HPG): The fireballing Cuban posted a 2.12 ERA and 12.7 R/9 while going 2-5 with 3 saves and 15 holds. The 24-year-old walked 40 but struck out 70 in 51.0 IP. His 2.12 ERA was best among rookie relievers. Drafted in the 6th Round (#75 overall) in 2010 by Hoboken, but was traded to Hopatcong in 2011 along with a 1st Round pick (#6 overall) for the #3 pick in 2011.
Scott Elbert (ARK): The 26-year-old lefty setup man, drafted in the 10th Round (#149 overall), had a 4.12 ERA and 13.7 R/9 while going 5-2. He struck out 76 and walked 22 in 74.1 IP.
Greg Holland (HBK): The 2nd Round pick (#30 overall) went 6-4 with 10 saves (3.75 ERA, 10.1 R/9). He logged 105.2 IP while walking 39 and striking out 134. His 10.1 R/9 was tops among rookie relievers.
Craig Kimbrel (AMI): Amityville's closer led all rookies with 28 saves. The 24-year-old righty had a 3.22 ERA, 12.6 R/9, and walked 38 while striking out 106 in just 67.0 IP. He led all rookies in inherited runners who scored percentage (.167). Kimbrel was taken in the 11th Round (#148 overall) in 2011 by Hoboken, but was traded to Amityville along with a 7th Round pick for Hiroki Kuroda and Carlos Ruiz.
Sam LeCure (AMI): "Crime is a disease... and I am LeCure!" The 28-year-old went 7-4 with 6 saves while posting a 2.88 ERA, 10.2 R/9, 38 BB and 99 K in 122.0 IP. He was quite the bargain as a 7th Round pick (#111 overall).
Fernando Salas (RWY): The 27-year-old Mexican righthander, drafted in the 3rd Round (#43 overall), went 2-2 with 2 saves, with a 3.62 ERA, 10.8 R/9, 30 BB and 78 K in 82.0 IP.
Chris Sale (BRI/LV): Drafted by Bridgewater in the 5th Round in 2011 (#70 overall), the talented 23-year-old lefthander was dealt to Las Vegas along with a 10th Round pick for Tim Lincecum and Francisco J. Rodriguez. Combined, Sale went 10-5 with 4 saves and 15 holds, and a 3.44 ERA and a 11.4 R/9, with 62 BB and 152 K in 131.0 IP. He led all rookies in relief wins, innings, and Ks.
Jordan Walden (STL): The 24-year-old went 6-2 with 3 saves while posting a 4.50 ERA and 13.9 R/9. He walked 35 and sruck out 93 in 80.0 IP. The righty was taken in the 4th Round (#57 overall).
Last year the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award went to starter Travis Wood. Will it be back-to-back years for starting pitchers? Let's take a look at the candidates.
Henderson Alvarez (VAN): The 22-year-old Alvarez went 15-14 with a 4.24 ERA and 10.8 R/9 in 225.0 IP, with 32 BB and 109 K. The 2nd Round pick (#23 overall) tied for the rookie lead in shutouts (3) and complete games (5).
Brandon Beachy (BRI): The #2 pick went 16-7 with a 4.84 ERA and 13.6 R/9, with 78 BB and an amazing 220 K in 182.1 IP. The 25-year-old led all rookies in wins, winning percentage (.696), Ks, and tied with fellow rookie Cory Luebke for the league lead in K/9 (10.9).
Josh Collmenter (HPG): Collmenter posted a 4.47 ERA and 11.5 R/9 while going 13-12 with 45 BB and 122 Ks in 217.1 IP. The 26-year-old was drafted with the final pick in the 1st Round (#16 overall).
Dillon Gee (LIV/PHI/HIL): Drafted in the 10th Round (#154 overall) by Livingston, Gee was bombed in eight starts for the Last Place (2-5, 7.36 ERA, 16.7 R/9) and was released. Philadelphia claimed him off waivers; he went 1-2 with a 6.08 ERA and 12.5 R/9 in four starts, but they released him too. Hillsborough signed him and he went 5-4 with a 4.61 ERA and 13.3 R/9 but they cut him anyway. Too bad a fourth team didn't sign him as he was improving after each stop!
Jeremy Hellickson (BR): Don't be fooled by his mediocre 11-10 record; Hellickson was pitching for 13th place Blue Ridge, who scored him just 3.7 runs per game. Hellickson posted a 3.37 ERA and 10.2 R/9, leading all rookies in both categories. Among all DMBL pitchers, he was 2nd in H/9 (6.9) and 3rd in R/9, tied for 2nd in shutouts (3), and tied for 3rd in complete games (5). Philly drafted back in 2010 in the 13th Round (#176 overall) but traded him and an 8th Round pick to Blue Ridge in 2011 for Howie Kendrick and a 1st Round pick.
Philip Humber (ARK): The 29-year-old Humber, taken #5 overall, went 15-13 with a 4.21 ERA and 12.6 R/9 with 71 BB and 162 K in 220.0 IP.
Cory Luebke (HPG): One of this year's top lefties, the 27-year-old Luebke went 13-8 with a 3.74 ERA and 11.2 R/9. The #4 overall pick gave up 80 BB while striking out 242 batters, tying with Brandon Beachy for the league lead in K/9 (10.9).
Ivan Nova (STL): It was something of a surprise when the 25-year-old Nova was selected with the #10 overall pick, but he went a respectable 13-9 with a 4.63 ERA, 12.3 R/9, and 55 BB with 120 K in 196.1 IP.
Michael Pineda (ARK): The 23-year-old Pineda, drafted in the 7th Round (#86 overall) as an ineligible prospect last year, went 9-14 with a 5.20 ERA and 12.6 R/9, and tied for the rookie lead in starts with 33.
Vance Worley (BR): The third consecutive rookie starter taken in the 1st Round at #6 overall, the 24-year-old Worley went 12-10 with a 4.19 ERA, 12.1 R/9, 69 BB, and 169 K in 195.1 IP.
I know, I know... you want to vote for the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year, but you're not sure who is a rookie and who isn't! Don't worry... I got your back.
Here are the top 10 rookie batters, at least according to me. There are other rookies but no one better than the guys on this list.
Remember, the ROY is for batters and pitchers, so don't just vote for all batters! The pitcher list is coming up next.
2B Dustin Ackley (SAR): Drafted in the 3rd Round (#41 overall) way back in 2010 and then traded in 2011 along with a 1st Round pick for Cole Hamels, the long wait for the 24-year-old Ackley finally ended in 2012. He hit .244/.329/.356 (.685 OPS) with 22 2B, 5 HR, 57 R, and 52 RBI, and led all rookies with 65 walks.
CF Peter Bourjos (NWK): The 25-year-old came out of nowhere (7th round pick) to hit .288/.356/.490 (.846) with 26 2B, 12 HR, 74 R and 47 RBI while playing terrific defense in center field. Bourjos led all rookies in triples with 13.
1B/OF Lucas Duda (AMI): The #1 pick in this year's draft, the 26-year-old Duda hit .261/.341/.453 (.795 OPS) with 32 2B, 25 HR, 90 R, and 96 RBI. He led all rookies in runs and RBIs.
1B Jesus Guzman (BRI): The 28-year-old Guzman hit .300/.369/.448 (.816 OPS) with 47 2B, 12 HR, 85 R, and 82 RBI. The 2nd Round pick (#18 overall) led all rookies in BA, OBP, H, 2B, and total bases, and led the DMBL in SB% (22 steals in 24 attempts, .917).
1B Eric Hosmer (SAR): Drafted in the 3rd Round (#35 overall) of the 2011 draft, the 22-year-old Hosmer made his debut this year and lived up to the hype, hitting .287/.345/.537 (.882 OPS) with 33 2B, 26 HR, 70 R and 85 RBI. He led all rookies in SLG and OPS, and tied for the lead in HRs and extra base hits (63).
OF Desmond Jennings (MAR): Drafted in the 7th Round (#98 overall) in 2010 as an ineligible prospect, Jennings finally made his debut this season and hit .253/.354/.437 (.791 OPS) with 17 2B, 17 HR, 73 R and 68 RBI. He led all rookies with 24 stolen bases.
1B/CF John Mayberry Jr. (VAN): The #11 pick hit .257/.345/.489 (.833 OPS) with 18 2B, 26 HR, 63 R and 60 RBI. The 28-year-old tied for the rookie lead in homers.
C Wilson Ramos (AMI): Taken in the 2nd Round (#22 overall), the 24-year-old Ramos hit .254/.324/.451 (.775 OPS) with 26 2B, 20 HR, 67 R, and 70 RBI. He pounded lefties for a rookie-best 1.092 OPS vs LHP.
OF Eric Thames (LIV): This 8th round pick was an unexpected power source for the Last Place, hitting .255/.295/.457 (.752 OPS) with 33 2B, 20 HR, 56 R and 67 RBI. He tied for the rookie lead in extra base hits with 63.
2B Jemile Weeks (NWK): Drafted #3 overall, Weeks hit .273/.302/.387 (.689 OPS) with 36 2B, 9 HR, 67 R, and 64 RBI. He led all rookies in at-bats and plate appearances.
Rowdy's Roddy Pipers dominated the league's batting categories, led by their first baseman slugger, Prince Fielder , who topped several key batting stats. Teammate Daniel Murphy had the longest hitting streak in the league at 26 games, ending in the season's final game while Hillsborough's Michael Morse ended the season on a 19-game hit streak.
Batting avg: .333, Michael Young, Rowdy
On-base %: .417, Prince Fielder, Rowdy
Slugging: .646, Fielder
Hits: 224, Young
Home runs: 53, Fielder
RBIs: 134, Fielder
Runs: 132, Fielder
Doubles: 58, Ben Zobrist, Blue Ridge
Triples: 21, Dexter Fowler, 21, Vancouver
Stolen Bases: 48, Michael Bourn, Sardine City
Stolen Base %: .917 (22/24), Jesus Guzman, Bridgewater
Walks: 127, Jose Bautista, Hoboken
Strikeouts: 235, Mark Reynolds, Livingston
Runs created: 163.1, Fielder
Runs created/27 outs: 10.2, Fielder
Total Bases: 385, Fielder
Longest Hit Streak: 26, Murphy
 Giancarlo
Stanton set what's believed to be a new league record for games played in
season. He made 97 starts for Hoboken before being dealt to
Philly for Roy Halladay and a draft pick, and made 66 starts for the End Zone
Animals. That's a total of 164 games in a 162-game season!
Two teams lost 100 games: Philly went 61-101 and Livingston was 47-115, which matched the fourth-worst record in league history (Norfolk Ewes, 1999). The Last Placers also had a league-worst run differential of -382. The previous record was -323 by the 2007 Las Vegas Rat Pack ( although run differential stats aren't available before the 1997 season).
Livingston added to the inglorious record books with two individual league records: most losses in a season. Edinson Volquez and Carlos Zambrano trotted out just about every five days, making 32 and 33 starts, respectively, but each loss 22 games.
Volquez went 4-22 with an 8.11 ERA. He had 138 strikeouts in 144.7 IP but also was second in the league in walks, 98. Zambrano was 3-22 with a 7.47 ERA, tossing 168.7 IP, and was 6th in the league in walks, with 84, and only a few more strikeouts, 97. Volquez had the better run support, 3.8 runs per game, versus 3.2 for Zambrano.
 Zambrano and Volquez can look to Newark's Kyle Lohse for inspiration. Lohse endured back-to-back 21 loss seasons for New Jersey (now Hopatcong) in 2009 and 2010, and followed it up with a stellar 1-17 mark for Newark in 2011 (that's 59 losses over three seasons...). Lohse finally rebounded this season for a career year in Newark: 14-8, 3.34 ERA, 1.22 WHIP in 202 IP -- all career highs.
At least five other times in league history, pitchers have lost 21
games. Like this year 1993 saw two pitchers lose 21 games, Chris Bosio
and Rick Sutcliffe, but they played for separate teams (Bosio for
Charleston, Sutcliffe for Waikiki). Oliver Perez also lost 21 games for Las Vegas in 2007.
ERA: 2.85, Justin Verlander, Hillsborough
WHIP: 0.91, Verlander
Strikeouts: 242, Corey Luebke, Hopatcong
Walks: 118, Francisco Liriano, Philly
Wins: 19, Verlander and R.A. Dickey, Marietta
Win %: .792, Dickey
Avg Run Support: 6.4, Brandon Beachy, Bridgewater
R/9: 8.4, Verlander
K/9: 10.9, Luebke and Beachy
Shutouts: 4, Roy Halladay, Philly/Hoboken
IP: 243 2/3, James Shields, Newark
CG: 9, Shields
QS: 23, Josh Tomlin and Matt Cain, Hopatcong; Shields, Verlander
QS %: .719, Tomlin
Saves: 43, Mariano Rivera, Marietta
Save %: .947, Daniel Bard, Sardine City
Holds: 20, Vinnie Pestano, Bridgewater
Home Runs: 41, Tommy Hanson, Las Vegas
Games: 111, David Pauley, Livingston
After 162 games, and a myriad potential tiebreakers heading into yesterday's finale, the 2012 playoff teams have been determined:
#1 Marietta, 107-55
#2 Vancouver, 92-70
#3 Hopatcong, 90-72
#4 Amityville, 89-73
#5 Hoboken, 87-75
#6 Newark, 87-75
Amityville will host Hoboken to open the playoffs on Wednesday while Newark will visit Hopatcong to open their best-of-five series on Thursday, a rematch of the three-game set this past weekend.
Hoboken beat Marietta, 5-2, eliminating Hillsborough and Bridgewater (despite their 8-6 extra-inning win over Philly). The Cutters clinched the playoffs outright when Rowdy's bullpen blew a lead and lost 5-2 to St. Louis. A Pipers' win would have forced a playoff. Hoboken jumped into the #5 seed when Newark lost to Hopatcong, 5-4, finishing with the same record but a 6-4 advantage over the Sugar Bears during the season.
Young Snatches Batting Title From V-Mart
Michael Young caught Victor Martinez on the final day of the season to win the batting title, .333 to .332.
Batting out of the five-hole, Rowdy's third baseman collected 2 hits in 3 at-bats, including an all-important walk in his final plate appearance. Young was on-deck when Carl Crawford ended the game on a flyout to center. He finished the season with a league-high 222 hits in 672 at-bats (.333333).
Batting cleanup for the Mallers, Martinez went 1 for 5 to finish the year with 161 hits in 485 hits, for a batting average of .331958.
The final playoff spots will be determined one way or another today, the last day of the 2012 season.
If the playoffs were to start today, the seeds would look like this:
#1 Marietta, 107-54
#2 Vancouver, 92-70
#3 Hopatcong, 89-72
#4 Amityville, 88-73
#5 Newark, 87-74
#6 Rowdy, 86-75
#6 Hoboken, 86-75
-----------------------------------
#8 Bridgewater, 85-76, 1 game back
#8 Hillsborough, 85-76, 1 game back
Marietta and Vancouver have locked up the top two seeds, meaning a first-round bye and hosting the second round of the playoffs. If the standings hold, there would be a one-game playoff between Hoboken and Rowdy for the 6th and final seed.
Other scenarios going into Saturday's season finale:
Hopatcong
The Floating Fish clinched their first-ever division title after Thursday's win over Newark and they control their own destiny when it comes to a 3rd seed.
* Win -- clinches #3 seed outright and would face the #6 seed in the first round.
* Lose -- clinches #3 seed if Amityville also loses; if Amityville wins, they go to tie-breakers to determine #3 seed.
Amityville
The Ant Slayers also clinched their first division title earlier this week so they can't do worse than a #4 seed, but they need Hopatcong to lose if they have any hopes to jump to #3.
* Win -- hope Hopatcong loses to Newark to finish in a tie at 89-73, forcing a tie-breaker for the third seed.
* Lose -- even if Hopatcong loses, Amityville finishes a game behind at 88-74, in the #4th seed, which would face the #5 seed in round one.
Newark
* Win -- clinches #5 seed. The Sugar Bears could finish with a better record than Amityville if the Ant Slayers lose, but as a division winner, Amityville would be the #4 seed.
* Lose -- clinches #5 seed if Rowdy and Hoboken lose but if either wins, they finish in a tie with them, so there's the potential for a three-way tie at 87 wins.
Rowdy
* Win -- clinches a minimum of a one-game playoff depending on Hoboken's outcome and eliminates Bridgewater and Hillsborough. The Pipers would secure #6 seed outright if they beat St. Louis and Hoboken loses to Marietta, and they would tie Newark for #5 seed if Sugar Bears lose.
* Lose -- hope Hoboken loses also, to force a tie; if Hoboken wins, Rowdy is out. If Bridgewater and Hillsborough both win, they tie Rowdy in this scenario.
Hoboken
* Win -- clinches at least another game to play and knocks out Hillsborough and Bridgewater. If Rowdy also wins, it sets up a one-game playoff for the #6 seed. If Newark also loses, the three teams finish in a tie for the two wild card seeds. A tie-breaker is avoided if Rowdy loses and the Cutters do no worse than the #6 seed.
* Lose -- root for Rowdy to lose to St. Louis, to set up that one-game playoff.
Bridgewater and Hillsborough
* Win -- The gentle neighbors to the west are in the same boat; they need losses by Rowdy and Hoboken to finish in at least a tie for the #6 seed. There's the potential for a four-way tie at 86-76. The Mallers phace Philly while the Hit Men take on Amityville.
* Lose -- See you in 2013.
The duel for the batting title
will come down to today's season finale.
Rowdy's Michael Young went 2-for-5
to gain ground on Victor Martinez, who never came off the bench for
Bridgewater Friday night. The two are expected to start today, with
Young facing starter Mark Buehrle and Martinez facing Philly (a
scheduled starter TBD since Matt Garza went down for 10 days in his last
start).
Entering today's games, Martinez leads the batting race with a .33333 average, ahead of Young and his .331838 clip.
Batting
second in the Pipers' lineup, Young was able to get 5 at-bats last
night. If V-Mart goes hitless in 4 at-bats that would open the door for
Young, who then would need just 1 hit in 5 at-bats to sneak past him.
Assuming Young gets another 5 at-bats, and Martinez 4, he essentially
needs two more hits than Martinez. In most scenarios, if Young outhits
Martinez by just one, he falls short by about .0001.
It's been almost a foregone conclusion for some time that a Bridgewater Maller or a Rowdy Roddy Piper will go home with the 2012 batting title. For the last few weeks, the top three batters in the league hail from those two squads, as well as four of the top five and six of the top 10.
 Bridgewater DH/catcher Victor Martinez holds the edge at the moment, batting .333 (160-480, .333333) followed by veteran Michael Young of Rowdy, hitting .331 (220-664, .331325). Each have two games to play after yesterday's off day. Martinez has started 49 games at catcher and 67 at DH while Young has started 159 (of Rowdy's 160 games) at third base.
Assuming Young gets 8 at-bats in the final two games versus St. Louis, 4 hits would push him into an even tie with Martinez at .333333 -- if Martinez were to not get any at-bats, that is. A sizzling 5 hits over two games (assuming the 8 ABs) would mean a
.334821 batting average for Young and time for Martinez to start looking
over his shoulder. Anything less than three hits in 8 ABs (which would lift his average to .331845) and Young will have to hope for Martinez to swing and miss regularly.
Martinez tends to sit against lefties, though he's hit them well in only 78 at-bats (.372/.424/.500). Tonight's scheduled starter for Philly is Travis Wood, potentially
leaving just one start for Martinez, or 4 at-bats out of the cleanup spot.
Should he go hitless, he would finish at .331 (.330578), a 1-for-4 night would leave him at .333 (.332644), while 3-for-4 would essentially put the crown out of reach for Young at .336776. Of course, if V-Mart comes off the bench, there's always the pinch-hit opportunity, which would mean an additional at-bat, maybe two.
It's Young who's likely to finish as the league leader in
overall hits, now sitting on 220, leading Bridgewater's Jose Reyes and Robinson Cano of Hopatcong,
both at 206.
 Young broke in with Vancouver in 2003 as a part-time player, secured a full-time gig in 2005 and went on to play three consecutive 162-game seasons. He hit a career-high .331 with 237 hits in 2006. Though he's never hit above .300 or gotten 200 hits otherwise (198 in '05), Young has been a model of consistency, entering this season with a career .286 average. He joined Carolina (now Rowdy) last year where he started 162 games. He's started no fewer than 140 (2010 with Hoboken) since those early days in Vancouver.
Another longtime Iron Fister, Martinez spent his first five seasons in Vancouver (2005-2009). He hit for a career-high .306 in 2006, eclipsed .300 again in 2009 (.301), and like Young also entered 2012 with a .286 average.
As for other batting categories, Kevin Mitchell Award contender Prince Fielder of Rowdy has overtaken the league lead in the RBI race in the past two weeks, with 131, ahead of Hopatcong's Joey Votto (138), who enjoyed an 8-RBI night last week. Fielder also passed Jose Bautista of Hoboken in the home run race, holding a 51-49 advantage.
Don't look now but there's another race to watch in the remaining days of the 2012 season.
After four straight wins -- including Tuesday night's no-hitter -- Hopatcong has tied Amityville for the third playoff seed. The Ant Slayers clinched the Drabek Division the other night. Coupled with Newark's loss on Wednesday, the Floating Fish go into tonight's season-ending series versus the Sugar Bears with a two-game lead in the Kruk Division.
After Wednesday's results, if the playoffs started today:
#1 Marietta*, 106-53
#2 Vancouver*, 92-68
#3 Amityville*, 88-71
#4 Hopatcong, 88-71
#5 Newark, 86-73
#6 Rowdy, 86-74
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hoboken, 85-74 -- 1/2 game back of No. 6 seed
Bridgewater, 85-75 -- 1 1/2 back
Hillsborough, 83-76 -- 2 1/2 back
In an amazing coincidence, every team in the Kruk and Van Slyke
divisions won Tuesday night as every team in the Drabek and Fisk
divisions lost, leaving the playoff race essentially intact, other than
the official elimination of Sardine City.
Should Hopatcong and Amityville remain tied for the No. 3 seed at the end of 162 games, the tiebreaker is head-to-heard record, which would go to -- no one! The two teams split 10 games this season! Both teams also are 21-18 within their respective divisions as they face off against division foes this weekend. If the tiebreaker gets that far, Hopatcong currently has a run differential of +114 while Amityville has a margin of +96.
Of course, those tiebreakers all get thrown out the window if Newark sneaks away with the Kruk Division, the only division still undecided. (FYI, Sugar Bears are 4-6 versus Amityville). With a two-game lead, Hopatcong needs just one win in their head-to-head matchup versus the Sugar Bears this weekend to clinch it. Head-to-head this season, Hopatcong holds a 7-4 advantage against Newark. Scheduled starters for both clubs look like this:
NWK @ HPG
Harrison (6-8, 3.91) v. Peavy (0-0, 0.00)
Baker (12-11, 3.47) v. Cain (13-8, 3.44)
Lohse (14-8, 3.37) v. Luebke (13-8, 3.70)
In a surprise move, Hopatcong opted to give Jake Peavy his first start of the season in Game No. 160 over Tim Stauffer, who's struggled much of the year, going 5-17 with a 6.41 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.
Whether Newark wins the Kruk or not, the Sugar Bears still have work to do. They hold just a 1/2-game lead on Rowdy for the 5th seed and other squads are hot on their heels. The Roddy Pippers, who are off today, are just 1/2 game up on Hoboken and 1 game ahead of Bridgewater for that final playoff seed.
Rowdy will finish the season with two games at St. Louis and Bridgewater is also off today before a two-game set at Philly tomorrow. Starting tonight, Hoboken hosts three games against Marietta, which already has clinched the No. 1 seed.
Still hanging on to a sliver of hope is Hillsborough, which sent ace Justin Verlander to the mound yesterday for his final start of the season, and sits 2 1/2 games back of Rowdy for the final seed. The Hit Men will be rooting for Philly, Marietta, St. Louis and Hopatcong to win this weekend while they aim for a sweep in Amityville, who they're 7-4 against this season. The probable starter matchups:
HIL @ AMI
Hernandez (15-9, 3.81) v. Lester (16-6, 4.66)
Haren (12-9, 3.49) v. Weaver (14-11, 4.65)
Scherzer (6-16, 6.36) v. Hamels (14-10, 4.16)
 In a year of many firsts for the Hopatcong franchise, Josh Tomlin threw the first no-hitter in Floating Fish history Tuesday night, downing Livingston 5-0 in the midst of a heated pennant race. It was the second no-hitter in the league this season and the 11th in league history. Just last month, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Motte combined to fire Sardine City's first no-hitter.
The Floating Fish gave Tomlin some breathing room with single runs in each of the first three innings and Tomlin ended up facing the minimum 27 batters. He walked Jimmy Rollins leading off the fourth but B.J. Upton promptly grounded to second for a double play. Tomlin's only other blemish, another leadoff walk, this time to Danny Espinosa in the 6th, also was erased via the twin killing, when Justin Smoak grounded to second to end the inning, after Jonathan LuCroy reached on a fielder's choice. Smoak later flied out to left to end the game.
Adding to the excitement, Brett Gardner pulled off a rare steal of home in the 6th inning, with Chase Headley taking second base, and the Floating Fish faithful packing The Mud Hole were on their feet the rest of the way. While Hopatcong improved to a franchise-record 87-71, remaining a game ahead of Newark in the Kruk Division, the first-year Livingston Last Place dropped to 47-111, long ago clinching the most balls in the draft lottery.
 Tomlin struck out 5 and walked 2, improving to 16-7 and lowered his ERA to an even 3.00, and WHIP to 1.04 (both categories are second in the league trailing only Justin Verlander). He's been among the Floating Fish's most consistent pitchers all season, leading the squad with 16 wins and 5 complete games, including 2 shutouts. Perhaps it was the all-star snub that fueled Tomlin's fire all season. Despite a 9-3 and a 2.80 ERA at the break, as well as being among the league leaders in QS%, R/9 and OPS, Tomlin wasn't selected though he did receive votes.
The 27-year-old righthander was taken by Hopatcong with the 3rd pick of the 5th rounder (67th overall) this year. Last season, he made 28 starts for Newark, after the Sugar Bears used a supplemental 7th round pick (77th overall) on him. He finished 2011 with a respectable 1.14 WHIP and 4.08 ERA but a not-so-respectable 6-15 record for a Newark team that lost a franchise-record 113 games.
Some critical matchups over the weekend did little to quell the uncertainty of the playoff race as the 2012 regular season heads in the final week.
Rowdy (84-73) will begin play today in a tie with Hoboken (84-73) for the 6th and final playoff spot as they prepare for a three-game series at Hillsborough. After reeling off five straight wins, the Hit Men (82-74) now sit just 1 1/2 games back of a wild card but also 5 games behind Drabek division leader Amityville (87-69), whom they face in a season finale series this weekend. The Ant Slayers, with a magic number of 2 to clinch the division, host St. Louis (72-85) for a three-game series starting tonight.
Scheduled starters for Rowdy include two pitchers acquired before the trade deadline while Hillsborough counters with its ace in the third game:
RWD @ HIL
Lee (4-3, 5.31/10-8, 4.38) v. Scherzer (6-15, 6.27)
Colon (4-3, 4.34/7-9, 3.55) v. Neimann (0-2, 6.12)
Gallardo (8-11, 5.80) v. Verlander (18-8, 2.67)
Meanwhile, a three-game set in Bridgewater looks like it could be a play-in game of sorts between the Mallers and Straphangers. Bridgewater (83-74) is just a game out of a wildcard and Sardine City (81-76) continues to cling to hope, 2 games back of the Mallers and 3 games out of the playoffs -- with 5 to play. Bridgewater lost two out of three to Hopatcong over the weekend in a critical series while Sardine City has won 4 of its last 5, including a sweep of Philly.
Neither Doug Fister nor Javier Vazquez, two starters the teams swapped earlier this year, figure to be among the probable starters in this showdown:
SAR @ BRI
Bailey (7-9, 4.56) v. Beckett (10-9, 3.61)
Morrow (10-14, 4.67) v. Ogando (12-11, 4.62)
Detweiler (3-4, 6.75) v. Beachy (16-6, 4.75)
If the season ended today, playoff seedings would look like this:
No. 1 Marietta*
No. 2 Vancouver*
No. 3 Amityville
No. 4 Hopatcong
No. 5 Newark
No. 6 Rowdy/Hoboken
* Clinched playoffs
In this scenario, Hoboken and Rowdy would play a one-game playoff to determine the final seed, with the winner facing Amityville while Kruk division rivals Newark (84-72) and Hopatcong (85-71) would duel in the other first-round series. The two appear headed for a potential division title-deciding three-game series to end the regular season, with the runner-up hoping to be in the mix for a wild card. Marietta (103-53) and Vancouver (91-66) would earn first-round byes.
***
In other news over the weekend, Marietta's R.A. Dickey took the loss versus St. Louis, dropping to 18-5, and with just one start remaining, has lost his chance to be the league's only 20-game winner in 2012. Dickey had a respectable 8-inning, 6-hit, 4-run performance against the Farrakhans, but St. Louis prevailed, 6-2. Newark's James Shields and Hillsborough ace Justin Verlander have matched Dickey for the league lead with 18 wins. All three figure to be in the mix for the Ben McDonald Award.
Fewer than a dozen games remain in the 2012 DMBL season for most teams and while there's some uncertainty left as to seeding, the real drama looks like who will clinch the final few playoff spots.
The Marietta juggernaut (100-52) wrapped up its division last week and will secure the top seed. With their divisions safely in hand, Vancouver (87-66, with a magic number of 1) and Amityville (85-67/4) could battle for seeding in the final week. The difference between a No. 2 and No. 3 seed is a first-round bye.
The only division that seems to be left up for grabs is the Kruk, which also looks like it'll play a major role in determining the wild cards; it's conceivable that three of the four teams could be in the postseason. Newark, Hopatcong and Bridgewater have traded wins and losses for a few weeks, staying with a few games of one another.
Entering Thursday's action, the Sugar Bears held the division lead by just 1/2 game over the Floating Fish, who were only a 1/2 game ahead of the Mallers for the 6th and final playoff seed. After Thursday's games, it was Hopatcong (82-70) leading the division by a 1/2 game over Newark (82-71) and Bridgewater (82-71)!
Hopatcong will make the trip down 280 to Newark for a season-ending three-game series that potentially could crown the division champion -- or maybe the division's lone playoff representative. But before that, the Floating Fish have to go down 287 to Bridgewater this weekend in a three-game set that could provide some separation. Probable starters in the series line up like this:
HPG - Collmenter (12-12, 4.54) v. BRI - Beachy (16-5, 4.52)
Stauffer (5-16, 6.15) v. Lincecum (6-1, 2.93 w/ BRI; 13-6, 3.28)
Cain (12-8, 3.53) v. Vazquez (1-6, 5.67 w/ BRI; 8-10, 3.43)
As for the wild cards, current Van Slyke runner-up Rowdy (83-70) enters Friday's games with a slim one-game lead on Newark and Bridgewater, with division rival Hoboken (81-72) just two games behind. That scenario sets up a playoff-like atmosphere at Rowdy this weekend where the Cutters come in for three games. The pitching matchups in Rowdy appear to be:
HBK - Jurrjens (14-13, 4.34) v. RWD - Gallardo (8-11, 5.65)
Kuroda (5-10, 5.67) v. Sabathia (13-10, 4.91)
Kershaw (13-5, 3.57) v. Wilson (12-8, 4.01)
Until this week, Hillsborough (78-74) and Sardine City (79-75) were still in the thick of the hunt and while there's been some separation in the past few days, these two just won't go away - both still stand within 3 1/2 games of the final seed after winning Thursday night with 10 and 9 games to go, respectively. Hillsborough faced among the most daunting final two weeks, with eight of its final 14 games against playoff contenders. Rowdy has nine of its final 13 against contending squads.
R.A. Dickey of Marietta became the first 18-game winner in the league, and with two potential starts on the schedule, is the only starter left still with a shot at a 20-win season. The 18 wins also matched a career high he achieved last year with Hillsborough.
Dickey went 8 innings Tuesday night in a 9-5 win over Sardine City at PETCO Park, his 19th quality start of the season. His next scheduled start looks like it'll be at home versus St. Louis in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. If he wins that one, Dickey would take the mound looking for win No. 20 in the second game of the season finale series at Hoboken.
 In addition to leading the league in wins, Dickey is tops in winning percentage at .818 (18-4) and likely to hold on to that lead regardless. It helps that his Mighty Men teammates give him an average 6.2 runs per game, bested only by the 6.5 per game for Bridgewater's Brandon Beachy.
Dickey may not finish the year as the league leader in wins, as Newark's James Shields (17-10) and Hillsborough's Justin Verlander (17-8) are hot on his tail. With two more potential starts, Beachy (16-5) and Jon Lester of Amityville (16-6) could still match Dickey.
In 30 starts this year, Dickey sports a 3.29 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, with three complete games and shutout.
The 37-year-old knuckleballer was taken 8th in the 6th round (88th overall) of this year's draft, after being left unprotected by Hillsborough in the offseason. Dickey went 18-9 for the Hit Men last year, with a 3.42 ERA in 30 starts, including four complete games.
Ryan Howard belted his 300th career home run on Sunday
afternoon, becoming the 22nd player in league history to get to 300. He's
the second player to reach 300 during this season, with a
few more possibly still to come in 2012. Rowdy's Lance Berkman pelted No. 300 earlier this year and sitting on the cusp of 300, going into Wednesday's matchups, are Hoboken's David Ortiz at 298 and
Bridgewater's Carlos Beltran at 297.
 Howard has hit 14
home runs in 54 games (after Tuesday's win) since coming to Vancouver from Philly in exchange for a first-round pick. Used
mainly as a DH, with some time at 1B, Howard has a line of
.250/.311/.515 during his time in Vancouver after hitting just 12 home
runs in 77 games with Philly, including .226/.315/.412.
In
game one of Sunday's doubleheader, Howard launched a solo home run
after teammate John Mayberry's solo home run, chasing Marietta starter
David Price in the fourth inning for this 300th. The Fisters ultimately
fell, 9-7, to the Mighty Men.
 Roy Halladay pitched a complete game shutout Sunday afternoon, breaking a tie with Kevin Brown for fourth place all-time in complete games. The righthander now has 71 complete games, trailing only future Hall of Famers Roger Clemens (84), Curt Schilling (87) and Greg Maddux (104). It also was his 22nd career shutout, putting him within two of Brown for second and within 10 of Maddux, the all-time leader with 32 shutouts.
Halladay went the distance in Hoboken's 11-0 thrashing of Sardine City on Sunday, limiting the Straphangers to four hits while striking out five and walking two. It was his first shutout and second complete as a Cutter, improving to 5-4 in 11 starts with a 4.62 ERA since being shipped from Philly, along with a 6th rounder, in exchange for Giancarlo Stanton. Combined, Halladay is now 14-8 with a 3.24 ERA, including seven complete games (second only to James Shields of Newark with nine) and three shutouts.
 Going 6-for-7 from the leadoff spot, you'd think Chris Coghlan would have played a big part in Hoboken's 7-5 win over Sardine City in 13 innings Saturday night. After all, the rest of the team only managed 7 hits combined.
Amazingly, despite tying the league record for hits in a game (now shared by a dozen players), the Cutters centerfielder managed to not collect a single RBI or a score one measly run.
Coghlan led off the game with a double before getting stranded at third. He grounded out to second for his only out, after J.J. Hardy led off the third inning with a home run. In the fourth, he singled after another Hardy homer, this time a three-run shot off starter Ubaldo Jimenez, only to have Ian Kinsler end the inning one at-bat later.
 Coghlan greeted reliever Octavio Dotel with a single to lead off the seventh before Kinsler grounded to short, forcing Coghlan at second. Kinsler got as far as second before the Cutters ended the inning.
In the ninth, Coghlan singled off Daniel Bard with one out, and the Cutters, again, quietly went away, leaving him on first.
Coghlan found himself leading off an inning again, this time the 12th, and doubling again. Jose Bautista advanced him to third with a groundout to second, but after David Ortiz was intentionally walked, Miguel Cabrera struck out to end the inning.
 In the 13th, Matt Joyce broke the tie with a two-run home run to give the Cutters the lead. Coghlan then came to bat with two outs, doubling deep to left center. Kinsler followed up with a groundout to second, ending the inning. Totaling up the night, Coghlan had six hits in all -- three doubles and three singles, for nine total bases. But zero RBIs and zero runs scored!
Coghlan was selected with the 14th pick in the 4th round (62nd overall) of this year's draft. He was Hoboken's opening day center-fielder before losing his job to free agent Nate McLouth and getting sent down for part of the season. He's seen some action in left and right field but has made 81 starts in center for the Cutters. After scuffling around .220 most of the season, he's now hitting .263 for the year.
Coghlan had what now looks like a career year during his rookie campaign with Arkansas in 2010, hitting .314 with 30 doubles in 151 games. He was selected 6th overall in that year's draft, sandwiched between two Hillsborough picks: after Carlos Gonzalez and before Gordon Beckham. He tied with Homer Bailey of Philly for 4th in the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year balloting with 3 points (one second-place vote and a third-place vote), ahead of Vancouver's Ron Belisario (1 point). Kendry Morales won the award that year.
Last week we told you about the Moonlight Grahams of DMBL batters. In response, we were bombarded with emails, faxes, and even a few notes wrapped around bricks from fans demanding equal treatment for the shortest careers by pitchers!
That's actually a somewhat easier assignment. We don't have games played data or plate appearances for the early years of the DMBL, so it's tough to compare eras. But it's easy with pitchers -- we have appearances and innings for every year of the DMBL. So we truly know who has had the shortest career.
Three pitchers in DMBL history have careers that lasted less than an inning... but two of them appeared in games this year, so they're off the list!
Until this year, the Moonlight Graham of DMBL pitchers was Derek Holland. Prior to 2012, the left-handed starter pitched in just one DMBL game -- and didn't record a single out. As a member of the Vancouver Iron Fist in 2011, Holland was lifted after walking the only batter he faced in a relief appearance. This year, however, Holland more than made up for lost time as he's appeared in 28 games and pitched 183.1 innings. He's been pretty effective, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.281 WHIP. However, because of that one walk without recording an out in 2011, his career WHIP soars all the way to... 1.287.
We also have to forget Jake Arrieta. Prior to this season, Arrieta's entire DMBL career consisted of the single batter he faced for the Newark Sugar Bears in 2011. Arrieta got the out and therefore went into the record books with a perfect 0.00 ERA and WHIP. That is, until this year. Arrieta has been thoroughly bombed as a member of Livingston Last Place, going 3-12 with a 5.39 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.
So we have to go the third man on the list, Takashi Kashiwada, to find the pitcher with the shortest DMBL career. A 26-year-old lefthanded reliever with the New York Mets in 1997, Kashiwada was drafted in the 13th Round by the Phoenix Dragons in the 1998 draft. He pitched in just one game for the Dragons, giving up one walk while recording two outs (one by strikeout), but no hits or runs. He was released in June and never threw another pitch in the DMBL. After the 1997 season with the Mets, Kashiwada returned to Japan, pitching until 2004 with the Yomiuri Giants.
The next 10 shortest careers in DMBL history, by innings pitched:
Renyel Pinto, a left-handed reliever, was bombed in his only appearance with the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in 2008 (4 ER, 3 H, 3 BB in 1.3 IP) and was never seen again. Pinto has the highest ERA (27.00) and WHIP (4.50) in DMBL history.
Tied with Pinto is Dan Smith, who also lasted 1.3 innings in his only DMBL appearance. Amazingly, Smith, an 8th Round pick (#109 overall) in the 2003 draft, was on the Hillsborough Destroyers for the entire season -- but only pitched in that one game. He didn't allow a hit or a run, though he did walk two, and struck out a batter. He was not protected and never returned to the DMBL.
Also tied with Pinto and Smith is Ben Rivera, who has the dubious honor of the shortest career -- and also the highest ERA and WHIP -- by a starting pitcher. A member of the 1993 Columbia Crusaders, Rivera was slapped around pretty good in his only start, giving up 3 earned runs on 2 hits and 3 walks in 1.3 innings pitched, giving him a career 20.25 ERA and 3.75 WHIP.
Geraldo Guzman pitched just 1 2/3rds innings in his career... and it took him two games to do it! A member of the 2001 Phoenix Dragons, Guzman was pounded for 3 earned runs on 3 hits and a walk in his two appearances.
The aptly named Scott Dohmann was left with a career 11.60 ERA after giving up 3 earned runs (4 H, 1 BB) in his only 2.3 innings over three appearances in the DMBL. Dohmann did his damage with the 2005 Las Vegas Rat Pack. D'oh!
Another guy with a fitting name, Luther Hackman, also had more appearances (3) than innings (2.7). He was torched for 5 ER (3 H, 2 BB) in his brief taste of glory with the Tijuana Banditos in 2002.
Seth McClung's career lasted just one game as he was pounded for 5 ER on 6 H and 4 BB in 2.7 innings with the Amityville Ant-Slayers in 2009. On the plus side, he did strike out 4 batters.
Steve "Make It" Rain lasted just 3 innings (over three appearances) as a member fo the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in 2001. Rain was lucky to give up just 2 earned runs -- he allowed 4 hits and 4 walks!
Tom Edens also lasted 3 innings spread over three appearances as a member of the 1993 Columbia Crusaders, and like Rain, was fortunate to escape with just 1 earned run after allowing 5 hits and a walk.
And finally, there's Ryan Wagner, another member of the "one and done" club. Wagner lasted just one appearance, but it wasn't so bad -- he gave up just 1 earned run and 1 hit over three innings (but also 4 walks) as a member of the 2005 Hillsborough Hired Hitmen. The hard-throwing right-hander was drafted in the 1st round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003; he was called up to the show after just 9 games in the minors, at age 20, and struck out 25 batters in 21.2 innings. But the usual issues -- a lack of control and injuries -- ended his big league career at the age of 24.
Whenever I'm stopped by fans on the street, they always ask me one question: Who is the DMBL version of Moonlight Graham, the player who appeared in just one MLB game, but was made famous by the movie Field of Dreams?
Well, the long-awaited answer is here!
The DMBL's version of Moonlight Graham is Jose Castillo -- the only player I could find who played in a DMBL game, but didn't have an official at-bat. Castillo's entire DMBL career consists of one game with the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in 2006. That year, the second baseman was signed May 31 as a free agent, and would remain on the team for almost a month (he'd be released on June 25, making way for Zack Greinke). During his 26 days in the show, Castillo would appear in just one game, and get only one plate appearance. And guess what? Castillo delivered with a sac fly, driving in a run! He was never seen in the DMBL again; the 31-year-old infielder is currently playing for Veracruz in the Mexican League.
But he's not the only player who had a brief DMBL career.
Two players had just one official at-bat: Peter Bergeron and Manny Lee. Bergeron played in one game for the Kentucky Hillbillies in 2001, and in his only plate appearance, he singled and then scored. He thus retired with a 1.000 batting average. Lee's single appearance came in 1993 with the Columbia Crusaders, going 0-for-1 in his only at-bat.
The following players had 10 at-bats or less in the entirety of their DMBL careers:
Jermaine Allensworth played in just 3 games, all in 1998 with the Phoenix Dragons. He got five at-bats and went 0-for-5, including a strikeout.
Alfredo Amezaga is unusual in that he played two DMBL seasons -- and has just two at-bats. He appeared in four DMBL games, one in 2008 and three in 2009, all with Sardine City. He had one at-bat in 2008 and another in 2009, and didn't get a hit either time, although in '09 he did reach via walk and scored. The 34-year-old utilityman won't be back in the DMBL any time soon; he hasn't been eligible in three years, and spent all of this season in Triple-A.
Bruce Aven appeared in three games, all with Phoenix in 2000, and got 10 at-bats. He had just one hit -- but it was a home run. He also had two walks.
Rafael Bournigal played in nine DMBL games, all in 1997 for the Jerusalem Rabbis, mostly as a defensive replacement. He did come up four times and had two hits.
Wes Chamberlain played for the Scranton Sparrows in 1992. Games played data isn't available, but we do know he had just 5 at-bats, going 1 for 5.
Jerald Clark played for the Austin Outlaws in 1994; again, we don't know how many games he played in, but he had only 3 at-bats. He didn't get a hit, but he did have a walk.
He had a 20-year career in MLB, but Brian Downing played just two games in the DMBL, both with the Columbia Crusaders in 1993. He went 2-for-8 at the plate (both hits were doubles), with one RBI.
Chris Duffy had five games with Las Vegas in '07, going 2-for-5 with a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI.
Dan Gladden went 1-for-5 (with an RBI) in his only DMBL season -- 1994 with the Charleston Chiefs. Games played data not available.
Rene Gonzales played in one DMBL game, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout as a member of the '93 Arkansas Golden Falcons.
A member of the 1994 Sacramento Seahawks, David Hulse went 0-for-3 (with a walk) in his only DMBL action. Games played data isn't available.
Matt LaPorta has played in just 10 games despite playing for two teams. LaPorta had four games with Carolina in 2011, and then six with Vancouver that same year. Between the two teams he went 2-for-9 with two walks and a run. LaPorta is eligible for 2012, but no one signed him; he won't be eligible next year.
Mitch Maier played in one game with the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in 2010. He went 1-for-3, and the one was a double. He's still in the bigs, but he wasn't eligible this year and won't be next year.
Catcher Eric "No Relation" Munson went 2-for-6 in his only DMBL action, including a home run. He played in seven games with the Vancouver Iron Fist in 2004.
Laynce Nix played in two games with the Vancouver Iron Fist in 2005. He went 0-for-2. There's no danger in adding to his career total -- he wasn't eligible last year and won't be next year, either. Coincidentally, his brother, Jayson Nix, just missed the cutoff -- he had 12 at-bats, getting a hit, but also 5 Ks, in 2010. He played in three games with Hillsborough and four with Philadelphia.
Charlie O'Brien played in 3 games with Vancouver in 1998 and went 2-for-7 with a double and a walk.
Mark Parent was one of the best hitters in DMBL history... if you don't require a minimum number of at-bats. Parent, playing for the 1996 Toledo Mutthens, went 4-for-5 with a double and two home runs, giving him a career .800 batting average (and 2.200 slugging average), for a 3.000 OPS.
Long-heralded prospect Felix Pie finally got his big break for the Iron Fist in 2010. He played in 12 games, mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch runner; at the plate, he got 9 at-bats and had one hit, plus two walks. Pie is still just 27, but hasn't appeared in the bigs this year.
So Taguchi got into 6 games with the Phoenix Dragons in 2006; he went 3-for-10 with a home run.
Willie Wilson played in just two games in his DMBL career, both with the Cheyenne Warhawks in 1993. The 36-year-old outfielder went 3-for-8 with 4 RBIs.
Another small sample size superstar, Daryle Ward got into 10 games with the Las Vegas Rat Pack in 2005. In 10 at-bats, Ward went 4-for-10 with a triple and a home run, plus a walk, giving him a career line of .400/.455/.900.
Honorable mention: Kirk Gibson didn't make it to the DMBL until he was a 36-year-old designated hitter and a shadow of his former self. He had just 11 at-bats, all in 1994 with the Charleston Chiefs, picking up two hits.
In what's shaping up to be his final DMBL season, Vlad Guerrero is taking a few final swings into the record books. Even though he's on pace for a career-low in home runs, Guerrero launched his 12th of the season last week, matching Sammy Sosa for 6th in league history with 446 career homers. In the Rowdy Roddy Pipers' 5-3 home win last Saturday, Guerrero went 4-for-4, including a two-run shot in the 3rd inning off Hillsborough's Felix Hernandez.
The Rowdy designated hitter needs two more home runs in the season's final 35 games to match Ken Griffey, Jr. for 5th all-time with 448 home runs. Guerrero's pace this season has seen about one home run every 9.5 games, or more specifically, one every 34.25 at bats.
 Getting to No. 4 all-time might prove difficult for Vlad the Impaler: Manny Ramirez sits almost 50 home runs away, with 498 round-trippers. But Guerrero also has a unique chance to set another all-time record, at least temporarily. He enters today's doubleheader just one hit behind Derek Jeter for most hits all-time. Guerrero started this season about 20 hits behind the Marietta shortstop and both have passed Barry Bonds, who started 2012 with the league record (2,575).
Jeter, who has 2,670 hits entering Sunday's action, overtook Barry Bonds early this season as the DMBL's all-time hits leader. Since he plans to come back for another DMBL season in 2013, even if Guerrero does pass the Marietta shortstop this year, it looks like Jeter has all of next year to regain the crown. Guerrero currently has 2,669 hits, could call it quits after this season.
The 37-year-old Dominican native hit a career-high 52 home runs in 2001 (along with a staggering 164 RBIs) with the Kentucky Hillbillies and a career-low 16 homers in 2010 with New Jersey Team Buddah. Guerrero has played for 8 franchises in his 16 seasons, his most dominant stretch with the Toledo Mutthens/Tijuana Banditos/South Boston Gang from 2002 to 2007. He posted 100-RBI seasons in six straight years between 2003 and 2008.
They'll be debating this one in Sardine City for years to come. The first no-hitter in franchise history was a combined effort with starter Ubaldo Jimenez and reliever Jason Motte splitting the duties as they shut down Hillsborough 8-0 on the road Tuesday night at Front Stadium by the River.
It's the 10th no-hitter (4th combined) in league history and the first since Brett Myers of Las Vegas no-hit New Jersey in June 2011. It's the first combined no-hitter since 2004 when Arkansas shut down Westwood behind Curt Schilling, Byung-Hyun Kim, Brad Lidge and Octavio Dotel. Hillsborough is the first team to be no-hit twice in their history, first victimized in 2003 by Phoenix's John Lackey.
Jimenez struck out four in five innings of work, tossing 55 pitches (40 for strikes), but still was lifted by Straphangers skipper Joe Torre after a 46-minute rain delay. Torre turned to Motte, who went on to throw four scoreless innings striking out two but walking three and throwing 38 of his 55 pitches for strikes. He earned his first save of the year as Jimenez got the win, improving to 10-11.
 The only scoring for much of the contest came on rookie Eric Hosmer's leadoff home run in the 2nd inning. Sardine City third basemen Evan Longoria walked to start the 6th inning and that's when the rains came. When play resumed, Hillsborough manager Mike Greenwell didn't come back with ace Justin Verlander. Instead, he opted for Jeff Samardzija, who would get out of the inning unscathed, despite a wild pitch and another walk.
The Straphangers put up a four-spot in the 8th, including a three-run homer by Starlin Castro, and another three runs in the 9th behind run-scoring singles from Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis off Jonny Venters.
Verlander suffered the loss, dropping to 14-6, despite allowing just one run and four hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked one and threw 55 of his 84 pitches for strikes. Verlander nearly threw his own perfect game earlier this year against Hopatcong, settling for a 2-0 one-hitter.
There were were only 29 trades made in 2012, which doesn't seem like a lot -- compare that to last season, when there were 29 trades made before the end of spring training!
However, the last year -- and 2010 and 2009 -- really were anomalies when it came to trades. As you can see, over the last 15 years, the number of trades in 2012 is actually much closer to the historical average (27 trades per year) than the previous three seasons.
But while 2012 wasn't notable for quantity, it was a big year for quality. Of the 29 trades made in 2012, 12 involved an eligible starting pitcher -- almost all of them current or former aces, including three former Ben McDonald Award winners and the reigning Bud Black Award winner!
Let's take a look at the "dynamic dozen" who were dealt this season.
Vancouver got the ball rolling on December 9 when they dealt 2010 Ben McDonald Award winner Zack Greinke to Bridgewater along with a 4th Round pick in 2012 in exchange for Todd Helton, Ryan Zimmerman, and two picks in the 8th Round in 2012. Greinke, after his phenomenal 2010 season (21-3, 2.80 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) was solid last year (17-6, 3.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) but the Iron Fist needed offense and, with young guns Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Jamie Garcia, and Derek Holland, had starters to spare. Unfortunately for the Mallers, the 28-year-old Greinke took another step backward this season (5-4, 4.84 ERA, 1.43 WHIP), and at the moment looks no better than a middle-of-the-rotation guy for next season (3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP).
Philadelphia dealt a pair of aces on January 28. The Endzone Animals won the Morris Division last year but felt they wouldn't be able to compete this season. Perhaps it was a self-fulfilling prophecy as they immediately set about dismantling their team! The Endzone Animals sent C.C. Sabathia to the Rowdy Roddy Pipers (formerly known as the Carolina Mudcats) in exchange for 2nd and 3rd Round picks in 2013. Sabathia has been a workhorse throughout his career, topping 200 innings four times in 10 years, but has never had the kind of lights-out season that his owners have expected (106-91, 4.99 ERA, 1.46 WHIP entering 2012). It's been more of the same this year -- C.C. is on pace to pitch more than 200 innings again, but he's 8-8 with a 5.04 ERA, 1.55 WHIP. Aside from name recognition, the 31-year-old lefthander wouldn't be anybody special on next year's protected list (3.45 ERA, 1.27 WHIP).
That same day, Philly sent another big-name starting pitcher to his other brother, the owner of the Amityville Ant-Slayers. (Who says brothers can't play fair?) Philly dealt the well-traveled Jered Weaver -- who has played for four organizations in five seasons -- to Amityville along with Howie Kendrick and a 9th Round pick next year in exchange for Mike Trout, Ike Davis, a 7th in 2012, and a 1st and 4th in 2013. That's quite a haul for a 29-year-old pitcher who to this point has had just one good season (12-15, 3.15 ERA, 1.04 in 2011). Weaver has been so-so with Amityville this year (9-7, 4.82 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), but looks like an outstanding keeper for next year (11-1, 2.26 ERA, 0.95 WHIP).
On Draft Day (March 3), there were two deals that stretch the limit of the word "ace", but we'll include those deals as well. Bridgewater sent 29-year-old righty Jeff Karstens to St. Louis in exchange for a 7th Round pick (used to take reliever Josh Spence). Karstens has been mediocre for St. Louis -- 8-9, 4.55 ERA, 1.43 WHIP -- although, come to think of it, his numbers are comparable with Greinke, Sabathia and Weaver, so maybe he's an ace after all! It remains to be seen if Karstens will be a keeper for next year -- he has a 4.15 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in seven MLB starts this season after missing two months with a shoulder injury.
That same day, Hoboken landed Jair Jurrjens and a 9th Round pick in 2013 from Blue Ridge in exchange for slugging third baseman Wilson Betemit. The Cutters already a third baseman in Jose Bautista and a designated hitter in David Ortiz, so dealing Betemit for a pitcher was a no-brainer -- especially Jurrjens, a 25-year-old righthander coming off his best MLB season (13-6, 2.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). Jurrjens has been solid this year (12-8, 4.29 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) but doesn't look like a keeper for next year (4.97 ERA, 1.66 WHIP).
The first starter to be moved during the regular season was Bridgewater's Wandy Rodriguez, sent to St. Louis on June 18 in exchange for Jeff Francouer. Rodriguez has had a pretty awful DMBL career (20-29, 5.94 ERA, 1.71 WHIP), and St. Louis is his fifth organization in five seasons. Wandy was bombed in his only two starts with Bridgewater (9 ER, 18 H, 7 BB in 10.0 IP) and, remarkably, has been even worse with St. Louis (11 ER, 18 H, 9 BB in 10.1 IP). The 33-year-old lefty has mediocre numbers for next season (3.51 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). Nothing to see here, move along.
Last year's Bud Black Award winner as the World Series MVP, 28-year-old Tim Lincecum was thought by many to be the face of the Rat Pack organization for years to come. But Las Vegas was in the midst of another rebuilding campaign, and the righthander didn't look like he was going to be a part of it next season (5.93 ERA, 1.52 WHIP). And while Lincecum wasn't having a great season for the Rats (9-5, 3.51 ERA, 1.36 WHIP), he's had three huge seasons in a row, including a truly remarkable 2009 campaign (19-3, 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP). Lincecum was paired with Francisco J. Rodriguez -- a former two-time Eck Award winner -- and dealt to Bridgewater on June 23 in exchange for a 10th Round pick and 23-year-old lefthander Chris Sale (11-2, 2.11 ERA, 0.98 WHIP). Lincecum has been solid for the Mallers so far, with a 3.48 ERA and .600 QS% in five starts, though he has just one win to show for it.
Just six days later, another former award winner was dealt when Philly shipped 2009 Ben McDonald Award winner Roy Halladay plus a 6th Round pick in 2013 to Hoboken for Giancarlo Stanton. Halladay has been steadily moving up the career leaders list for several years now, beginning the 2012 campaign ranked 10th in wins (153), 5th in ERA (4.06), 6th in WHIP (1.32) and 10th in Ks (1,732). Doc was having an outstanding season for the Endzone Animals (9-4, 2.45 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) and the 35-year-old righthander looks like a probable keeper for next year (3.98 ERA, 1.15 WHIP), so in order to land him the Cutters had to give up a big chip -- Stanton, a 22-year-old outfielder who could be one of the league's top sluggers for the next 10 years. The results haven't been pleasant for Hoboken so far, as Halladay has gone 1-2 with a 5.02 ERA and 1.36 ERA in his first four starts.
Not satisfied with Greinke and Lincecum, the Mallers picked up yet another ace in Javier Vazquez, coming off a four-year run with the Sugar Bears in which he went 52-19 with a 3.99 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. But the soon-to-be 35-year-old missed all of last season and appeared to be at the end of his career. Sardine City surprised many when they took him with the 12th overall pick in this year's draft, but he proved the doubters wrong by going 8-5 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and making the All-Star team. But Vazquez appears to be retired from MLB, and though the Straphangers are in the battle for a wildcard spot, they decided to deal him to Bridgewater for a 3rd Round pick next year, a 4th Round pick the year after that, and 29-year-old Doug Fister, who was 3-9 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Interestingly, Fister has gone 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in his first three starts for the Straphangers, while Vazquez has gone 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in his first three starts for the Mallers.
When you think "ace", you don't think Bartolo Colon. But the beefy right-hander has had some very good seasons in the DMBL. Granted, he hasn't pitched in the league since 2006. But Colon, who was drafted by Blue Ridge in the 5th round of the Supplemental Draft (#288 overall), was having a flat-out amazing season for the Bombers -- 2.95 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 61 K against just 16 BB in 73.1 IP. Alas, Blue Ridge never got going this year, and the 39-year-old's numbers are on the fence when it comes to being a keeper (3.80 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), so on July 12 they shipped him off to Rowdy for a 3rd Round pick. Bartolo was solid in his first start for the Pipers, picking up the win after allowing just one earned run despite giving up 10 walks and 2 walks in 7 innings.
Cliff Lee put up terrific numbers for a lousy Arkansas team last year, going 12-10 despite a 3.15 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The 34-year-old left-hander was 6-5 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this season for a Golden Falcon team that again appears headed for a high lottery pick, and is on the bubble as a keeper for next year (3.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). So on July 13, he was dealt to Rowdy -- the third starting pitcher they've acquired this season, joining Colon and Sabathia -- in exchange for young hurler Jonathan Niese, prospect Matt Harvey, a 4th Round pick next year and a 5th Round pick in 2014. He was pounded in his first start with the Pipers, giving up 6 ER on 10 hits in just 4.2 innings.
The final deal of the year, made minutes before the July 15 deadline, sent 37-year-old Tim Hudson from Rowdy to Amityville for a 5th Round pick in the 2013 draft. Hudson, a member of the Carolina/Rowdy franchise for his entire 12-year career, came into 2012 with a 128-112 career record, a 4.28 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP, numbers that put the 2004 Ben McDonald Award winner on the bubble for the DMBL Hall of Fame (13th in wins, 13th in ERA, 11th in WHIP). Although he wasn't having a great year by his standards (5.26 ERA, 1.54 WHIP), he was 9-6 for Rowdy this season, and is a borderline keeper (3.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP).
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