12-22-2025, 03:27 AM
The Higglytown Heroes and Being Don Mattingly, with 123 regular season wins between them, met to contest the 2024 ALDS. The series did not disappoint, as two games were walked off, and two more ended with the tying or winning run at the plate.
BDM sent ace Zack Wheeler (20-9) to face Higglytown lefty Chris Sale. Max Muncy opened the scoring for the home team with a homerun in the second, and the Heroes added three more in that frame and four more in the fifth to cruise to an 8-1 victory and an early series lead.
Game 2 featured Higglytown ace Dylan Cease (22-3) against BDM’s Jared Jones (4-8). Jones was an unexpected choice, but he backed his manager up, allowing only one run over seven innings. Cease was even better, however, and the Heroes rode homers from Muncy and Ezequiel Tovar to a 2-0 decision in the game, and a similar lead in the series.
The proceedings shifted to a surprisingly balmy Yankee Stadium, where crafty BDM portsider Shoto Imanaga (18-3) stared down Higgly’s own lefty Sean Manea (17-6). The teams traded early taters, from Hero Alex Call and the home side’s Matt Chapman, before the visitors took a 2-1 lead in the 6th. Higglytown turned to its bullpen to protect the lead and put a stranglehold on the series, but a funny thing happened on the way to the forum – that funny thing being a Colton Cowser grand slam off Hero relief ace Cade Smith with two out in the 8th, that turned the game, and this series, around.
The Donnie Baseballs brought ace Wheeler back for Game 4; the Heroes considered bringing back Chis Sale, but opted instead for Bailey Ober (19-5). Wheeler allowed only four hits through eight shutout innings, and Ober matched him frame for frame. But Cowser broke the deadlock in the bottom of the ninth, giving the home team a 1-0 victory to square the series at 2.
Game 5 saw the Heroes’ Sale return to face BDM swingman Grant Holmes (6-4). The first two innings saw plenty of momentum swings, as Jose Ramirez gave Higglytown the lead with a first inning round tripper, the home team responded with four hits to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first, and Tovar put the visitors back in front with a three run blast in the second. The Heroes stretched the lead to 8-3, but BDM roared back to cut the deficit to 8-7 going into the bottom of the ninth. The home squad got a man on but could get no closer, as Joe Jimemez shut the door to send Higgly home with a series lead.
Back in Higglytown, the home team turned again to Cease, while the visitors’ Imanaga tried to force a seventh game. The Heroes got two run shots from Tovar and Eric Haase to go up 4-0, but BDM’s one man wrecking crew Byron Buxton homered in the 6th and doubled in the eighth to square the ledger. BDM stopper Raisel Iglesias and Hero closer Smith tossed zeroes into extras until Muncy singled home Jackson Merrill with two out in the 11th to give Higglytown the series.
These were two evenly matched teams, as the results demonstrate – changes in just two plays would have given BDM a five game victory instead. In the end, Higglytown got a few more wind gusts under its fly balls, and managed to squeak through to the next round. Thank you to Arthur for an extremely hard-fought series.
BDM sent ace Zack Wheeler (20-9) to face Higglytown lefty Chris Sale. Max Muncy opened the scoring for the home team with a homerun in the second, and the Heroes added three more in that frame and four more in the fifth to cruise to an 8-1 victory and an early series lead.
Game 2 featured Higglytown ace Dylan Cease (22-3) against BDM’s Jared Jones (4-8). Jones was an unexpected choice, but he backed his manager up, allowing only one run over seven innings. Cease was even better, however, and the Heroes rode homers from Muncy and Ezequiel Tovar to a 2-0 decision in the game, and a similar lead in the series.
The proceedings shifted to a surprisingly balmy Yankee Stadium, where crafty BDM portsider Shoto Imanaga (18-3) stared down Higgly’s own lefty Sean Manea (17-6). The teams traded early taters, from Hero Alex Call and the home side’s Matt Chapman, before the visitors took a 2-1 lead in the 6th. Higglytown turned to its bullpen to protect the lead and put a stranglehold on the series, but a funny thing happened on the way to the forum – that funny thing being a Colton Cowser grand slam off Hero relief ace Cade Smith with two out in the 8th, that turned the game, and this series, around.
The Donnie Baseballs brought ace Wheeler back for Game 4; the Heroes considered bringing back Chis Sale, but opted instead for Bailey Ober (19-5). Wheeler allowed only four hits through eight shutout innings, and Ober matched him frame for frame. But Cowser broke the deadlock in the bottom of the ninth, giving the home team a 1-0 victory to square the series at 2.
Game 5 saw the Heroes’ Sale return to face BDM swingman Grant Holmes (6-4). The first two innings saw plenty of momentum swings, as Jose Ramirez gave Higglytown the lead with a first inning round tripper, the home team responded with four hits to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first, and Tovar put the visitors back in front with a three run blast in the second. The Heroes stretched the lead to 8-3, but BDM roared back to cut the deficit to 8-7 going into the bottom of the ninth. The home squad got a man on but could get no closer, as Joe Jimemez shut the door to send Higgly home with a series lead.
Back in Higglytown, the home team turned again to Cease, while the visitors’ Imanaga tried to force a seventh game. The Heroes got two run shots from Tovar and Eric Haase to go up 4-0, but BDM’s one man wrecking crew Byron Buxton homered in the 6th and doubled in the eighth to square the ledger. BDM stopper Raisel Iglesias and Hero closer Smith tossed zeroes into extras until Muncy singled home Jackson Merrill with two out in the 11th to give Higglytown the series.
These were two evenly matched teams, as the results demonstrate – changes in just two plays would have given BDM a five game victory instead. In the end, Higglytown got a few more wind gusts under its fly balls, and managed to squeak through to the next round. Thank you to Arthur for an extremely hard-fought series.