PVBL: Punxatawney Groundhogs
Groundhogs First to Clinch a Playoff Berth
September 9, 1997

The first Pepper Virtual Baseball League playoffs have their first contender. After a strong inaugural season, in which they had the best record in the PVBL until recently, the Punxatawney Groundshogs have run away with their division and with a sweep of the Houston Hellraisers in today's doubleheader, have clinched the Riker Division title. They had already clinched a tie, but realistically had the division won since the all-star break. In addition, the team got good news about pitcher Rick Aguilera--he is again 100% and ready to resume his role in the bullpen. Only Jason Giambi, Rocky Coppinger, and Tony Batista are hurting right now.

Luckily, both of today's games were in Punxatawney. The stadium sold out over the weekend as the fans realized that their team might clinch on Monday.

"I've been coming to every home game all year and I already have my playoff tickets. Go Hogs!" said Ken Ledman, a Punxatawney resident and season-ticket holder, on his way into the stadium.

All the Hogs needed was a Tampa Bay loss or a win to clinch the Riker division in the first game. Both games began at 1:35 and fans were eagerly watching both the game and out of town scoreboard. Punxatawney took the lead in the bottom of the first with a single run and scored three more times by the seventh. Jon Lieber got a standing ovation as he left after 7 of his best innings of the year--he gave up just 1 hit and struck out 5 for his 15th victory, making him 15-5 on the year. The offense was provided by the starters in the lineup as rookies Jack Jackson and Damon Mashore both went hitless. Rondell White went 2-4 with a double and a homer. Roberto Kelly also helped Punxatawney achieve a major goal--he went 4-4 with a homerun, his 20th. That gave 8 of the 9 Hogs starters 20 homers--only Tony Batista is going to fall short of the 20 homer plateau. Both Marty Cordova and Scott Rolen also contributed to the offense with 2 hits each, including a Cordova homerun. The team also stole 4 bases off Mike Piazza, including one by Ryan Klesko!

After Sean Bergman recorded the final out against Brian Hunter, the stadium erupted in applause. The entire team came out to the mound and mobbed Bergman. A few rowdy fans ran onto the field and celebrated along with them, but everyone knew that there was still another game to be played and the team recessed into the clubhouse for a closed meeting. As the fans chanted and cheered in favor of their team, they also watched the Tampa Bay Mets fall in 10 innings to Calgary on the stadium's big screen, putting the Hogs even farther ahead.

The second game was just pure emotion for the Hogs. The Hogs went up 2-0, the Hellraisers came back to tie it, but Punxatawney then scored 2 in the 6th and 8th to win 6-2. This was a big game for Hogs rookie Jack Jackson. He had been hitless in his first few games and was really struggling after hitting .352 with 28 stolen bases for the Rhyolite Eddie Gaedels (the Hogs LOW team). He showed a bit of power with his first major league hit, a solo homer to left field. Scott Rolen, Jose Valentin, and Roberto Kelly also all homered in the winning effort.

The win in this game went to Scott Aldred. A 6 inning, 3 hit, 3 walk, 7 K, and 2 ER performance gave him his 9th win, improving him to 9-4. Bobby Munoz and Ricky Bottalico combined for 3 scoreless innings. Bottalico tossed a perfect 9th and Munoz gave up 1 hit and walked 1 in the 7th and 8th.

After game two was done, the fans could not be held back. The field was mobbed by hundreds of fans and the police had to make a tunnel and get the players safely into the clubhouse. The champaigne was waiting for them and a massive celebration followed.

"We're overjoyed, of course. We got win number 90, Aguilera is healthy, and most importantly, we can confirm our plans for October. Now we just want to catch Galena and get the best overall record. And if we can't do that, we want them in the playoffs," said team owner Dan Shapiro.


Stats 'n Stuff

The Hogs pitching rotation has been a major surprise to many people this year. Composed of mainly rookies and youngsters for the last few months, they have proved one of the best staffs in baseball. Here are some stats for the top 3 staters.
                   W/L     ERA    IP     BB    SO     GS    QS       Opp. AVG
Jon Lieber         15-5    3.30   166.1  19    152    28    15        .267
Mike Hampton       12-8    3.37   163.0  43    117    28    15        .242
Bobby Thomas       11-4    3.04   142.1  36    143    27    14        .226
Scott Aldred has pitched well since coming over to Punxatawney, with just a few bad starts and he is now 9-4. Rocky Coppinger had compiled a 9-8 record before his injury. Dustin Hermanson is 9-5 with a 4.80 ERA currently.

As far as the hitters go, Ryan Klesko is still the leader. He is batting .331 with 47 homers and 134 RBI--a top player in many of those categories. Jason Giambi is also doing well with a .302 average, 35 HR, and 115 RBI. 4 or 5 other players may also reach 100 RBI if they have a strong last few weeks. Jose Valentin is one of those, with a .327 average, 30 homers, and 76 RBI. And youngster Scott Rolen, who may or may not be eligible for rookie of the year (since I don't know how FPS chooses it), is hitting .291, has smashed 27 homers, and driven in 85. He also leads the team in doubles with 37.

A very successful year, and once we get to the playoffs, hopefully it'll get even better.

--written by Dan Shapiro