The 2018 season reached its conclusion and a new champion was crowned.  After twenty five weeks of play, the Armadillos captured the title by the slimmest of margins.  The victory erases the pain of 2017 and ends the Lannisters’ three year reign on top.  The Armadillos’ path to victory was dramatic and left the Possums heartbroken.  Rick finished in second place after an outstanding season.  The Lannisters ended up in third place, but the margin between the top three teams was the closest in league history.

RK Possums (16-5-3) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-17-2)

Entering the week both the Possums and Armadillos could clinch a share of the title with a win.  Rick faced the PhoeGnomes, and seemed to be a clear favorite.  Heather was at the bottom of the league and Rick’s pitching neutralized Heather’s biggest strength.  Both teams started slowly but as the week progressed, the Possums appeared to have the advantage.  They were close in all of the hitting categories and had steals locked down.  They also had a good lead in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts.  Rick had our starters lined up for Saturday, and the group delivered good performances.  Justin Verlander struck out ten over six innings.  Miles Mikolas didn’t allow an earned run over eight innings.  Anibal Sanchez was strong and didn’t allow a run.  Corey Kluber was marginal, but not a disaster.  The Possums only picked up one win despite these solid starts.

The PhoeGnomes got a good start from Steven Matz, but Trevor Cahill picked up an unlikely victory after entering a game in the second inning.  (Note:  Cahill was in a starter slot and Heather counted this as one of her starts for the week.)  Aroldis Chapman picked up a save, and Heather tied the critical wins and saves categories.  With no more starters set to go on Sunday, both teams looked to be deadlocked.  Rick had ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts.  The teams were tied in wins.  These two categories would remain tied for the rest of the weekend, and ultimately doom the Possums to a tie for the week.  Sergio Romo had a save for the Possums on the bench on Saturday, but Rick had better options in his starting lineup.  Still, just knowing that the save that would have turned the week existed will haunt the Possums all off-season.

Despite the two tied categories, Rick was optimistic before accounting for hitting.  On Sunday, the Possums rallied around their offense and took an early lead in home runs.  Heather remained in control of RBI and SLG.  However, The Possums only needed a tie in home runs to secure the week.  Cesar Hernandez, Xander Bogaerts, and Charlie Blackmon each had a home run and things looked good for the Possums.  However, Nolan Arenado exploded for the PhoeGnomes and added two home runs of his own.  This flipped the category and earned Heather an implausible tie for the week.  The Possums did everything they could, but Heather’s careful management came through.  The shocking tie left the Possums vulnerable, but the Armadillos still had to win for Rick to lose out on a share of the title.

LK Armadillos (17-6-1) vs.  JK Lannisters (14-4-6)

The Possums’ tie meant that the Armadillos could win the title outright with a victory.  A tie would yield a tie between Larry and Rick, and a Lannister win would cause a tie between the Possums and Lannisters.  With everything on the line, the Armadillos’ offense finally came back to life.  They led the league in home runs, RBI, and SLG.  Trevor Story and Giancarlo Stanton had three home runs each.  Gary Sanchez rallied for two of his own.  The Lannisters were not competitive in power, but they did have the league’s best OBP.  Mookie Betts ended a phenomenal season with a 0.600 OBP for the week.  The offensive onslaught meant that the Lannisters needed a pitching sweep to stay alive.

Jeff’s team responded with excellent performances.  The Lannisters easily led the league in ERA and WHIP.  Jacob deGrom ended his season with a fine start but Stephen Strasburg  (and several other pitchers) struggled to reach many innings pitched.  Jon Lester and Walker Buehler had good starts, but didn’t strike out as many batters as usual.  This left strikeouts as the only category in question.  The Lannisters dominated saves, ERA, and WHIP.  The two teams tied in wins thanks to clutch Sunday starts from both clubs.  Eventually, the week came down to a Craig Kimbrel tune-up outing.  After a disastrous third of an inning earlier in the week, Kimbrel responded and struck out three batters.  This was enough to win the category by one strikeout and claim the title for the Armadillos.  The loss dropped the Lannisters to third place and also knocked the Possums into second.  The Possums and Lannisters were both within two strikeouts of the championship.

Kimbrel’s effort capped off a stunning final few weeks of the season.  The Lannisters rallied to re-enter the playoff picture only to be denied.  The Possums and Armadillos both suffered shocking upsets.  The Goofballs, Lasershow, Lannisters, Legion, PhoeGnomes, and Thunderwolves all applied relentless pressure to the leaders and forced them to earn every category for weeks at a time.  The Armadillos were able to rally at the right time.  For the Possums, one fewer PhoeGnomes’ home run or two Lannisters’ strikeouts would have earned Rick a share of the title.  The same goes for one more win or save.  Rick’s pitching was the most dominant and consistent the league has seen, but they came up just short at the very end.

After 229 moves and one of the most competitive and stressful seasons in league history, the Armadillos earned the title.  If there is any silver lining for the Possums it is that they have the first pick in the 2019 draft thanks to a draft-day trade last year.  They also have several other picks due in various rounds.  Rick should be able to add some impact players and remain competitive.

SM Lasershow (7-12-6) vs.  KK Thunderwolves (9-14-1)

The Lasershow finished their season with a tie against the Thunderwolves.  Kyle hoped to win ten matches for the first time in several seasons but he came up short against Sean’s improved club.  Both teams were competitive forces this season and each has reason to be optimistic for the future.  Each team has a ways to go to compete with the League’s elite, but they are trending in the right direction.

KG Capital City Goofballs (5-14-5) vs.  CP Legion (9-10-5)

The Legion ended their season with a victory over the Goofballs.  Chris made it back to 0.500 after a slow start and played a key role in the spectacular end of the season.  The Goofballs are happy to put 2018 behind them and start preparing for the draft.   With the second overall pick, Kevin will have a variety of interesting ways to go.  Chris ends the year in fourth place and will evaluate what he needs to do to re-enter the league’s elite

Final Thoughts

Thanks to everyone for making this a great season.  This was the closest and most competitive end to the season ever.  Congratulations to the Armadillos for winning the title, and to the Possums for pushing them to the absolute brink.  The rosters will remain open for the next couple of weeks, so if there are any players you want to add, feel free to do so.  I’m going to send out an email with some rules questions and clean-up, then it will be time to think about freezes and preparing for the 2019 season!