This matchup was inevitable since the season befan. Both teams are off shoots from the Savages brand and have very good friends playing against each other. Nothing but love when these two teams are on the field but for Sunday morning they will leave it all out on the field. The winner moves onto semifinals and the loser starts their season early.
The matchup will take place Sunday morning at 8:30am at Baldwin Blue field. This will be a neutral field as both teams have multiple players that can clear the fence. During the regular season, The North swept Shooter McGavins but the playoffs are a different beast and you can almost throw regular season results out the window.
How They Got Here:
The North:
The North was formed last Fall and was captained by Charley Robinson and Irfan Musliwala. In their first go around, they managed to capture the Fall Championship, so they have a good track record of winning. Heading into this season, they made a lot of roster moves and ended up with a team that spent a considerable time at the top of the Power Rankings.
At 16-6, The North finished tied for the second best record. Their run differential of +82 was third best in the league. While they started with a bang on offense and had the best offense for most of the season, a late season lull meant they finished with only the 5th best offense. On the defensive side, they boast a great outfield and that led to the 3rd best defense in the League.
Shooter McGavins:
The story is sort of old now. Shooter McGavins started the season 0-6 and it seemed like all the high expectations coming into the season did them in. However, they buckled down and finished the season an astounding 12-4 and miraculously stayed out of SNL. Nothing short of amazing. Preseason, we expected this team to be one of the top contenders for the trophy, and it took pretty much all season to get themselves to believe it.
Shooter McGavins calling card is defense. On the offensive side of the ball, they don’t have any hitters cracking the .600 Avg mark. As such, they have the 10th ranked offense in the League. However, they average giving up only 9 runs per game which is 4th best in the League. In the playoffs, defense usually wins, so Shooter McGavins have put themselves in a good place to compete.
On-Field Matchups:
Pitcher/Catcher
Advantage: The North.
The North has one of the better pitchers in SASL in Yasar Bokhari who has pitched his teams to many championships. Aasheesh has had a great season on the mound and has turned himself into a strike throwing machine. At catcher we expect to see Adeel for the North and Joel for Shooter McGavins. Joel has the more lively bat but can he finally come thru in the clutch?
Infield
Advantage: The North.
The North infield boasts reigning MVP Charley at 3b and he had another very good year. Steve should be at SS and he is pretty sure handed and he had a solid season at the plate. Akil and Anwar should be on the right side of the infield and while both are average starters, they have big game experience under their belt.
Shooter McGavins are led by team MVP Khurram in the infield. He has had a very good season with the glove, while pitching in a good bat to boot. Surrounding him we have Rich at 3b, Ronak at 2b and Zulfikar at 1b. All three can field their positions well, but had underwhelming seasons with the bat. Shooter McGavins may go with Jojo in the infield like we saw sometimes during the regular season if they have a full outfield. This will improve their lineup considerably.
Outfield
Advantage: Even.
The North has one of the best outfields in SASL. All 4 outfielders: Irfan, Shawn, Nick, Saeed, have range and arms you wouldn’t run on. All 4 have averages north of .500+ and Nick can clear any fence as well. The outfield of The North is usually the catalyst of how good North can be. If they played up to their potential, The North becomes championship contenders. If they are cold with the bat, The North is just another good team.
Not many teams can matchup with the North’s outfield. But here is one team that can. Tom Khal and Nick Tamayo should be manning the key centerfield positions. Both have incredible gloves and are catalysts in the lineup. Mike Velez, reigning MVP is at Left field and since the middle of the season, has been one of the better bats. To finish off they have veteran VJ, who is known for his clutch gene in big games.
Keys To Winning:
1. No Extra Outs: These are two of the premier defensive teams in the league. Whichever team makes all the sure plays will win.
2. Throwing Strikes: Let’s face it, Aasheesh has a reputation of walking too many batters in big games. He has had a great regular season, but let’s see if he can continue it over into the postseason.
3. Baserunning: Between the 2 teams, you have 8 good to great arms in the outfield. Will either team challenge the other on the base paths?
4. Clutch Hits: In the regular season sweep, Shooter McGavins left tons of runners on the bases. Will the bottom of the lineup step it up?
Predictions:
The North are the betting favorites to win tbis matchup and move onto the semifinals. We expect Shooter McGavins to fight valiantly and they have the defense to make noise. But in the end, The North just has the better offense. We are going with The North to escape in 3 games!
