This may be the most interesting first round matchup. Two very evenly matched teams in The Ones (4) and Hit Squad (5). Hit Squad finished only one game behind The Ones, which means The Ones will be the home team and have that advantage of batting last twice. This matchup may just come down to that. During the regular season The Ones swept Hit Squad but Hit Squad had couple of major contributors out.
This is also the Finals rematch of 2018. Both teams look drastically different since then. The Ones have the best offense in the league while Hit Squad still uses the old and tried formula of pitching+defense. The highly anticipated games will get underway at 8:30am Sunday at Mitchel Athletic Complex Field 2.
How They Got Here:
The Ones:
Captains Naeem Bhalli and Amby Cruceta are one of the favorites to win Manager of the Year and for good reason. They barely made the playoffs last year and knew they needed a big overhaul in 2020. They started by securing the services of Saiful which led to the big additions of Rafael Liriano and Denen Olson. They also added Waqas Ali who has been the perfect addition as he has held his own at SS.
The Ones finished as the best offense in the League. They average an astounding 15 runs per game. However their pitching and Defense has been subpar all year. They finished only 9th in the League in defense and give up about 12.5 runs per game. If they want to advance, their defense needs to tighten up. They also have losses to Backdoor Sliders and TSFE, proving they sometimes play down to their competition.
Hit Squad:
Back to back champions, going for the three peat! The playoff tested Hit Squad is led by captains Ali Najimi and Ammad Sheikh. Between them, they have a room full of awards and championships. This year they were able to add former MVP Ramy Abdelhamid, as well as growing star Billal Lateef, Ishaq Kwhaja, as well as impressive rookie Vivek Sukumaran.
They finished the season 13-9, which is very impressive considering injuries to players like Ahmad Halimi, Ankit Ramchandani, etc. They also have impressive wins against Dynasty and The North, proving they can beat any team on any given Sunday. For the season, they are in the middle of the pack on both offense and defense.
On-Field Matchups:
Pitcher/Catcher
Advantage: The Ones
Is there a better pitcher than SASL First Teamer Wahid? The man can make underhand Softball pitching look like an art with his variation of pitching. At Catcher, Hit Squad will probably go with impressive rookie Vivek who has some good pull pop. We expect The Ones to put up MVP favorite Rafael. Rafael finished the season leading the league in many hitting categories. Due to his hitting prowess, The Ones have a huge advantage at the battery tandem.
Infield
Advantage: The Ones.
The Ones have ALOT of offense in the infield starting with Denen Olson at 3b. He is surprisingly effective with the glove and is a pure #3 hitter. Waqas provides a lot of pop in the SS position and a smooth glove. Naeem and Amby both had tough offensive seasons than what they are used to, and still had above average seasons.
Hit Squad doesn’t have the offense in the infield like The Ones, but they have the better defensive infield. Led by Ankit, former starting all star, at SS. He is joined by Billal at 3b, Ishaq at 2b and Binu at 1b. All of them can get on base but doesn’t offer much pop. That is just fine with Hit Squad as they go with a ‘next man up’ philosophy.
Outfield
Advantage: Hit Squad.
The Ones biggest question mark is their Outfield defense. The only sure hand is Saiful who had a great year on both sides of the ball. Joining him we expect Mike Bittner, who has a lot of pop from the left side of the plate. Asad and Zabi. Zabi usually leads off and is top 5 in the league in runs scored. Hit Squad will be smart to exploit their outfield as they have limited range.
Hit Squad has 3 above average outfielders in Ramy, Ahmad and Yaqub. Yaqub is very underrated and is an excellent athlete. Hit Squad will only go as far as Ramy and Ahmad will take them offensively. If they are cold, it may just be over. Ramin Rasuli will probably play outfield and he has been cold most of the season. But we expect him to turn it on with playoffs here.
Keys To Winning:
1. Bases On Balls: The Ones need to throw strikes. Hit Squad hitters are notoriously patient and will not swing at balls. Throw strikes and trust your defense behind you.
2. No Fences: Will The Ones adjust to not having fences? With no fence expect Hit Squad outfielders playing deep and daring The Ones to hit it over them.
3. Turn The Lineup Over: Hit Squad can’t matchup the power of The Ones. They will need their bottom of lineup to turn the lineup over to get to Ankit, Ramy, Halimi.
4. Control the Emptions: This matchup will surely have fireworks. The Ones will need to control their emotions and not let external factors like Field, Umps etc take over the game.
Predictions:
The Ones seem like a Finals Favorite since the calendar turned to September. However, Hit Squad are battle tested and the defending champions. This is very close but we are going with The Ones in 3!
