The Asian Tsunamis, with a 3-1 series win over the Beefers on Fri, Apr 19, are tied with Jonathan Stilwell’s Otters (5-3) for the early first half lead with a one-game lead in the early going. The Tsunamis hold the lead with percentage points. Frank Fumai’s Taz Devils (3-3) is in third while the Beefers (8-10 after losing their series to the Tsunamis) are tied with Walt Taylor’s Whatevers with a 3-5 record, two games behind.
The pre-season favorite Otters journeyed east to Longwood on Sat., Apr. 13, where they split with Walt Taylor’s defending champion Whatevers. The split kept the Otters (5-3) one game in front in the standings while the Whatevers remained two games behind with a 5-3 record.
In a history-making moment in OAPBA play, Otters OF Corbin Carroll became the first-ever Ghost runner in league play in Game Two, which went 11 innings with the Whats coming out on top by a 5-4 score.
Game 1 Otters 6, Whatevers 1
Scoreless for the first two innings, the Otters scored three in the third and roughed up What starter Kevin Gausman for two more later in the game to take the opener 6-1. Otters first-round draft pick Gunnar Henderson was two for three with a double and a walk. Otter 2b Ketel Marte added a two run homer in the sixth, and Kyle Tucker was two for four with a solo home run. What C Will Smith drove in the only run for the Whats with a single in the sixth. Otters starter Logan Webb gave up eight hits in seven innings to get the win.
A fielder’s choice grounder by What 3b Gleyber Torres in the 11th inning drove in Josh Lowe with the winning run to give the What’s a 4-3 win.
What starter Shohei Ohtani started the scoring with a solo homer in the second. Otter Christian Yelich scored Corbin Carroll with a single in the fifth and longtime Otter great Freddie Freeman broke the tie with a solo homer in the eighth off What reliever Hector Neris.
With one out in the ninth, Christian Walker took Otters closer Felix Bautista deep to tie it at two and send it extras. CorbinCarroll, the first ghost runner in OAPBA history, stole third to start the tenth. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases and a SF by Ronald Acuna gave the Otters a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the frame, with What CF Mike Trout on second, Bryan Abreu walked Whit Merrifield and Ohtani to load’em up. Jonah Heim then hit a grounder, but the Otters could not turn two, scoring Trout to tie the game at three.
Emmanuel Clase stranded the runner in the eleventh to set up a chance for the walk off. Lowe, on second as the Ghost runner, advanced when Francisco Lindor rolled a 11-6 sac bunt to move him to third. Torres followed with a grounder but Lowe was safe on the play at the plate for the win. Otters starter Zac Gallen went 6+ with eleven Ks.
Otters 3-8-0 L-Bryan Abreu. HR Freddie Freeman.
Whats 4-5-1 W-Clase. HR: Shohei Ohtani, Christian Walker.
Game 3 Whatevers 5, Otters 2
What starter Justin Verlander went six innings and the Whats turned three double plays to take this on 5-2. The victory was Verlander’s 56th win in OAPBA.
Otter Corbin Carroll led off the game with a triple and scored on a Christian Yelich single. Whats tied it on a Yordan Alvarez double in the bottom half. In the fifth, Shohei Ohtani singled and stole second and then scored on a Francisco Lindor base hit. The Whats added two more in the sixth on RBI singles by Ohtani and Christian Walker to break the game open. Mike Trout homered in the in the eighth.
Carroll hit his second triple with two outs in the ninth and scored on another Yelich RBI single. What reliever Chris Martin whiffers Ronald Acuna with the bases loaded to end the game and pick up the save. The Otters had plenty of chances and strandrf 12 runners in the game.
Otter 3b Manny Machado went deep twice as the Furries totaled four home runs in total to take the final 7-1.
Machado slugged two-run shot in the fourth and solo dinger in the seventh to go three for four and four rbi’s. Sean Murphy and Luis Robert went yard to finish the scoring. Justin Steele went 6+ allowing three hits, walking five and four Ks.
Otters 7-8-1 W-Justin Steele HR: Machado 2, Sean Murphy, Luis Robert.
Jonathan Stillwell’s Otters, dubbed as pre-season favorites by the other four league managers, debuted with a winning performance on Sat., Apr 6, taking three of four from the Beefers to get their 2024 campaign off to a 3-1 start.
RF Ronald Acuna (5-13, .471, 3 RBIs, 3 BB, 2b SB) and firstJu-round draft pick Gunnar Henderson (4-7, HR, 2b, 3 runs) were offensive drivers for the Otters while Justin Steele(left), with seven-plus scoreless innings in Game Three, led a solid performance by the Otters starting staff. Otters closer Felix Bautista picked up two saves for the Otters.
The Beefs fell to 4-6 for the young season.
Game 1 Beefers 5, Otters 3
The Beefs jumped out to an early 3-1 lead on a two-run HR by Matt Olson and an RBI double by Willson Contreras and went on to survive a shaky start by Sonny Gray to hold for a 5-3 win.
Gray walked seven Otters batters in five-plus innings, but the Furries had trouble driving the runners home, despite scoring opportunities in five of the first six innings. Sam Hentges and Raisel Iglesias finished the game for the Beefers after reliever Enyel de los Santos gave up two runs in the seventh on an RBI triple by Ronald Acuna followed by an RBI double by Freddie Freeman.
Altogether, the Otters left 11 runners on base in the loss.
Beefers 5-3-0 W-Sonny Gray 1-0. HR M. Olson #2.
Otters 3-4-0 L- Zac Gallen 0-1.
Game 2 Otters 7, Beefers 4
Otter LF Christian Yelich hit a 2R HR in the first and the Otters strung together four hits in the fourth to build up a 5-1 lead behind Zach Eflin and go on a 7-4 win. Gunnar Henderson was 3-4 for the Otters with a solo HR in the eighth.
Eflin went six-plus inning for the Otters before giving up three runs in the seventh. Relievers Matt Brash, Bryan Abreu, and Felix Batists finished the Beefs off in the final three innnings
Beefers 4-8-0 L-Shane Bieber 0-2. HR Jose Ramirez #1.
Whats 7-11-0 W- Zach Eflin 1-0. Sv Flx Bautista #1. HR G. Henderson #1, C. Yelich #1.
Game 3 Otters 1, Beefers 0
Otters c Cal Raleigh hit a two-run RBI double in the second and the run held up as lefty Justin Steele outdueled longtime Beefer ace Max Scherzer 1-0.
Steele went 7.2 innings, giving up only a pair of singles and striking out eight before giving way to Otters closer Felix Bautista. Scherzer only allowed six hits and the game’s only run in the loss.
The Otters built up a 4-1 lead after four innings and went on to down the Beefs 7-3 behind a 12-hit attack led by Ronald Acuna (2-4, 2 RBIs) and Manny Machado (2R HR).
Merrill Kelly went six innings for the Otters, allowing three runs, including a pair of homers by Julio Rodriguez. The trio of Andres Munoz, Bobby Abreu, and Justin Topa held the Beefs without a run in the final three innings.
The Taz Devils continue to maintain their position as with the highest winning percentage of active franchises in OAPBA at .555, followed by the Otters at .519. The Whatevers (previously the Metropolitans in the early days of OAPBA) rank third, but have the most wins of any active franchise. The Tsunamis (formerly the Road Warriors) and the Beefers, who entered the league as an expansion franchise and suffered through their early years) are at the bottom of the franchise standings.
OAPBA 