The most remarkable finish to a season... ever

[Joe12Pack]

I can't believe what I just saw!

This is seriously one for the books, and easily the most incredible event I've ever witnessed in about 7 years of Baseball Mogul. Here's the scenario... kinda long, but stick with this and I promise it will be worth it, just consider it a mini-dynasty.

It's 2012 in my personal dynasty with the Dodgers, started in the 2009 season. After four consecutive division championships (2008 through 2011, but no NL or WS titles), my Dodgers were hurting both in performance and health. We slipped several games under .500 in May thanks to an 8 game losing streak and a 12-17 month. June and July were not much better: 13-15 and 12-14, respectively. Two days before the trade deadline, in fourth place and 11 games behind the NL West-leading Padres, I decided to pack in my season and traded my starting LF, Vlad Guerrero, and my recently-acquired 2B, Martin Prado (who was batting .340) to the Rays for some prospects, including Tim Beckham.

August shaped up much better at 17-11, as well as September, at 16-11. In late August, we finally climbed back above .500 for the first time since May, and were now in third place and only about 6 games behind the Padres, thanks to remarkable play by real life Dodger prospect Andrew Lambo, taking the place of the departed Vlad in left field, and the re-emerging Matt Kemp, who raised his batting average from .200 to .280 in just 2 months. Throughout September, I slowly chipped away at the distance between us and San Diego, and had my eyes on the final series of the season: 3 games in San Diego. I knew if I could just get to that series only 1 or 2 games down, I'd control my own destiny.

We hit a huge bump in the road on September 26 and 27, dropping 2 of three at home against the Cubs on account of 2 straight blown saves by Broxton (remember this name, he will figure into this later). Things didn't look good: After a day off, I was 5 games behind the Padres with 6 games in 6 days left on the season: 3 games at home against the Brewers (who finished 95-67, tied for the best record in Baseball with the Red Sox), and that 3 game series in San Diego. The Padres had 6 games left as well: 3 against the sub-.500 Rockies in Colorado, and the 3 game series at home against my team.

The Padres' magic number at this point was 2. I had to run the table against the best team in the NL and the leader of my division, and I needed them to lose 2 to Colorado and then get swept by me, just to force a one game playoff.

The Padres took the first game in Colorado and I took the first against Milwaukee. I wasn't eliminated yet, but things looked very bad. The Padres needed one win to clinch, or one loss by me, over 5 games each.

I managed to sweep Milwaukee in spite of a sudden season-ending injury to my 1B, Todd Helton (still a strong hitter in 2012, although with no power). Colorado helped me by taking the last 2 in the other series: 7-5 and 6-5. I was headed into San Diego with a chance to win the division! All I had to do... was win 4 games in a row, the fourth game being the one game playoff.

Now, my trip to San Diego, down 3 games in the standings:




Game 1: Yusmeiro Petit vs. Wade LeBlanc: Adrian Gonzalez hits a solo shot in the bottom of the 2nd to put San Diego up 1-0. LeBlanc holds us scoreless until we squeak out a run with typical Dodger small ball in the 7th; Ryan Sweeney steals second with 2 outs and Russ Martin (3-4 on the game) drives him home with a base hit to tie the game. We pick up 2 more in the 8th with a a smattering of singles, and the Dodger bullpen shuts down the Pads to finish it out. Dodgers: 3, Padres: 1; WP: Matt Capps (4-1), LP: Oneli Perez (6-4), SV: Jonathan Broxton (45)







Game 2: Clayton Kershaw vs. Steve Garrison: Kershaw is back for his first start after missing 17 days with a broken hand. I guess it wasn't his left hand. He gave up just 2 runs in 6 2/3 strong innings to pick up his 14th victory on the season. Ryan Sweeney hits a 2 run homer in the 5th to put the Dodgers up 3-1 and that was all we would need. Matt Capps, Kuo and Broxton combine for a perfect 2 1/3 innings to seal the deal. Dodgers 3, Padres 2; WP: Clayton Kershaw (14-8), LP: Steve Garrison (7-11), SV: Jonathan Broxton (46)







Game 3: Chad Billingsley vs. Jake Peavy: You couldn't ask for a better pitching matchup, in spite of Billingsley's subpar 2012. CBills outpitches Peavy with 7 shutout innings, striking out 12 and walking only 1. Sweeney homers for his second straight game, another 2 run shot. Capps pitches a perfect 8th and Broxton strikes out the side in the 9th for his third consective save. Dodgers 3, Padres 0; WP: Chad Billingsley (11-12), LP: Jake Peavy (16-6), SV: Jonathan Broxton (47)







So now comes the tie-breaker. I couldn't believe I'd made it this far, and could just smell a victory. Everything was coming up Dodgers! Turns out the game's in San Diego (eh... how does the game figure this? Randomly?), but I don't even care. I've got my best pitcher on the season taking the mound.

Game 4: John Lackey vs. Will Inman: This game is a pitcher's duel until the top of the 6th, where I break the game wide open. Matt Kemp singles, Tony Abreu lines out, Ryan Sweeney hits an infield single. With 1 out and runners on first and second, Andrew Lambo hits a 440 foot blast to straightaway center to put the Dodgers up 3-0.

Lackey goes into the bottom of the 7th and he's cruising. Having thrown only 75 pitches, it looks like he'll go the distance for the shutout and give Capps and Broxton some rest for the NLDS. He runs into some trouble with runners at the corners and 1 out. Kuo comes in and gives up a single to Michael Saunders for the Padres' first run of the game, but strikes out the next 2 batters to end the inning. Matt Capps walks Adrian Gonzales in the 8th with 1 out, but gets J.P. Arencibia to ground into a double play to complete a nearly flawless 4-game run for the setup man. In the bottom of the 9th, up 3 to 1, this game is Broxton's to lose, and for the first time since April, the division is mine to lose.

I have no words for what transpires in the bottom of that fateful inning. This should sum it up perfectly:






Did Will Venable... just hit... a 2-out... walkoff... homerun... against... Broxton... in the tie-breaker game... in the bottom of the 9th... on the first pitch he saw... to end my season...???

After I had just won 6 in a row... and the other team had just lost 5 in a row... and after I was leading by 2 in the 9th, with a guy who had just converted 3 straight saves?

Wait... Will... Venable???




I guess... he did...




And the final standings:







So, a team that scored fewer runs than it allowed beat me out by a hair to make the playoffs (and probably lose).

Going into my have-to-win-4 games mode, I assumed some ridiculous stuff would happen, like a 10-1 blowout loss in the first game, or a disappointing third or fourth game, but wow...

4 very, very close, incredible games in San Diego with the division on the line, including memorable performances, a truly marquee pitching matchup, and a 2-out walkoff homer by the most unlikely guy, ON THE FIRST PITCH HE SAW, a finish with San Diego dropping 5 in a row and me winning 6 in a row leading up to our 163rd game, and all of this, and after I had traded off 2 of my 3 best hitters after dropping to a double digit deficit in late July.

Again, wow...

I'm not really upset at all about that ninth inning... I'm actually glad that I got my greatest and most exciting BM season ever, let alone in an all-PbP season.

Well... now I guess it's time to move on to 2013 and focus on getting that 1B and 3B that I am going to need so badly.

God I love this game.

[CC2009]

Great post, thats such a heartbreaker. I'd probably punch a hole through my computer screen, especially if it was an all PBP season.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Wow, that is pretty crazy

[ewing6]

Wow that;s exciting....

[Joe12Pack]

Great post, thats such a heartbreaker. I'd probably punch a hole through my computer screen, especially if it was an all PBP season.

My jaw dropped like a cartoon.

Back when I was a kid, in my Nintendo days, when things even remotely close to this happened in video games, the controller would get shredded and I'd have to beg my parents to buy a new one.

I think I didn't blow up because I knew I had no shot in the playoffs. I was a bad team in a horrible division.

It may have been even more heartbreaking to go on and be swept by a far superior team in the NLDS, especially having to start near the bottom of my rotation.

[Joe12Pack]

My only regret is that it didn't go to extra innings... When the Padres put on the bunt with a runner on first and nobody out, down by 1 (after the Kulbacki homer), I immediately imagined a succesful bunt and then a single to tie the game, and therefore extra innings. The bunt wasn't successful, but it didn't matter.

For some reason, I never thought to pull Broxton, even after he had given up a homer and single to start off the inning. I decided I was going to "play it smart" and ride him, as he's posted sub-3 ERAs and DICEs in each season since I started playing, and Capps was already done for.

I wonder if I'll go into 2013 looking at Broxton as a Norwood... probably not, since we lost a bunch of games thanks to a crappy offense throughout the season, and since he was part of the reason we managed to get to that play-in game. Plus, the Super Bowl is infinitely larger than a playoff tie-breaker.

[filihok]

That was fun...too bad you came out on the wrong end

[BYU 14]

Great finish, I could only imagine the look on your face after that.

[gosensgo101]

Were you managing those games?

It probobly didn't help that it was atleast the fourth straight game Broxton was pitching in.

Also, very well written post, you should consider writing a dynasty.

[RedsoxRockies]

Were you managing those games?

It probobly didn't help that it was atleast the fourth straight game Broxton was pitching in.

Also, very well written post, you should consider writing a dynasty.

Yeah, Broxton looked fatigued, he rapidly dropped from throwing 98 to 92-93, in about 15 pitches.

[Joe12Pack]

Yes, I was managing these. I manage every game of every season.

Good observation with the pitch speed. I didn't really think it may have been any indicator, but it makes a lot of sense.

I knew I was running a risk by having him out there for 4 straight, but it was the bottom of their lineup and the rest of my pen was kind of slim pickings... I mean, I had Vicente Padilla in that pen. Yes, in 2012.

[Joe12Pack]

A quick follow-up:

The Padres went on to sweep the NL-best Brewers in the NLDS, and then to win the NLCS in 6 games. They lost the World Series to the Indians in 5 games.

Will Venable only made one appearance throughout the entire playoffs - as a defensive sub. No plate appearances. Go figure.

Now I see that Josh Hamilton and Joey Votto are on the market. As long as Mizerak's Negotiator App is kind to me, I expect a huge offensive boost that should lead me to an NL West title in 2013.

Also, very well written post, you should consider writing a dynasty.

Thanks. Actually, I've planned on doing a dynasty for quite a while, but I've never quite had the time. Obviously I have the time to play 162 game PbP seasons, but that isn't well-suited for dynasties, especially with something as dull as the 2009-and-beyond Dodgers. That and, I'm quite verbose, so I think I'd spend half my time allotted for BM on writing dynasty posts.

Still, I intend to get around to it someday. I actually have a couple of extremely unique ideas, which I'd prefer to keep to myself... unless someone wants to buy the rights to them.

[Jellio]

Wow, I totally thought this was about how you beat the Padres 4 straight times on your way to your first WS title. Even when you posted the recap of the bottom 9th and i saw Broxton gave up a solo shot to lead off the inning, I thought the recap would end in Broxton getting out of a bases loaded no out jam or something.

Tough break.... I have sometimes had heartbreaking losses in BM but I always sim games and rarely PBP, so I can't even fathom what that game would have felt like after PBP'ing a long season...

[Caseyj77]

A quick follow-up:

They lost the World Series to the Indians in 5 games.

The best part of the story is we have to wait until 2012 for Cleveland to win something