Just under the wire before the various drafts and auctions, the Continental League Champion Harmony Grove Toppers faced off against the Brooklyn Blow Monkeys, representing the Federal League. The games were fun, the Netplay hiccups were minor and results were clear.

Game 1:  Max Scherzer vs. Mike Bush

The series opened in Harmony Grove's cavernous Tropicana Field and the vagaries of playoff rest conditions meant that the usual series starter for Brooklyn, Sandy Alcantara, would have to wait till game 2. The toppers went with an opener, part of their bold "use a metric ton of pitchers" strategy that would play out throughout the series. Both starters pitched well - but Brooklyn took advantage of a leadoff triple in the fifth, eventually scoring on a wild pitch from Edwin Diaz. The parade of relievers kept Brooklyn off the board till the Toppers finally got to Scherzer in the 8th and tied things up with a couple of hits and a sacrifice bunt. That knotted everything up into extras, when Brooklyn strung together a rally in the 11th when Mike Trout singled home Abreu and Judge. Devin Williams made things interesting in the bottom of the frame but held on to end the inning. 4-1 final and the Blow Monkeys take the first game on the road.

W: Effross (1-0) L: Phillips (0-1) S: Williams (1) 

Game 2: Sandy Alcantara vs. Johnny Cueto

Another contrast in tactics where Alcantara went 9 full innings and Cueto left after three. Neither team was ahead after nine so the game once again hit extra innings. Brooklyn scored in the first inning but Harmony Grove tied things up in the third before a Christian Bethancourt homer (!?!) in the fifth gave them a 2-1 lead. A merry band of relievers held that lead for the home team before our old friend Edwin Diaz came onto the scene and gave up a couple of hits and a walk to tie the game back up. Things stayed tight till the 12th when the dormant Brooklyn bats exploded for 4 runs on 5 hits and a couple of walks. Devin Williams came on in a non-save situation and tried to keep things close - serving up a two run bomb to Ben Gamel but ultimately held on and Brooklyn took the second game 6-4.

W: Effross (2-0) L: Swanson (0-1)

Game 3: Zach Greinke vs. Clayton Kershaw

Series moves to Brooklyn with the Toppers staring at a 2-0 deficit and network executives panicking over the thought of a short series. The Toppers mixed things up this game, putting a legitimate starting pitcher, Greinke, out there and Brooklyn countered with another expensive All-Star. The visitors struck first with three runs in the third, capped by a Freddie Freeman 2 run shot. Brooklyn bats couldn't get anything going at all against another parade of relievers until Edwin Diaz helpfully let in one of Steven Okert's runs in the 8th. He holds on to nail down the save and breathing some life into the hopes of the Topper faithful. 5-1 HAR

W: Greinke (1-0) L: Kershaw (0-1) S: Diaz (1)

Game 4: Vince Velasquez vs. Jacob DeGrom

Harmony Grove sent a, frankly, exhausting 12 different pitchers to the mound in game 4. They pitched reasonably well till the late innings when Chris Archer was left out there to die but you can't win if you don't score. DeGrom went five scoreless and his relief continued the trend and shut out the CL champs for a 6-0 Brooklyn win. 

W: DeGrom (1-0) L: Velasquez 

Game 5: Mike Bush vs. Max Scherzer

Rematch of Game 1. Brooklyn scratched out runs in the third and seventh but Scherzer left a slider hanging to Brian Harper in the 6th for a 3 run bomb. Despite Diaz's best efforts (walking in one of Lopez's runs) Harmony Grove held the line and kept their season alive with a 3-2 win.

W: Okert (0-1) L: Scherzer (0-1) S: Bednar (1)

Game 6: Johnny Cueto vs. Sandy Alcantara 

Back in Harmony the pressure was on both teams. Brooklyn did not want to go seven and Harmony Grove faced their second elimination game. Through the series Brooklyn had somehow managed to win three out of five while not hitting a single long ball. Aaron Judge came into the game with a .625 on base percentage and 13 walks - non intentional. A solo shot from Judge in the first broke that streak and Brooklyn would go on to hit five homers in the game. Two from Judge, two from Mike Trout and one from Matt Carpenter. Alcantara was dominant in the first few innings but the Toppers got to him in a big way in the sixth. Four hits, including a three run Carlos Correa bomb later brought the home team within two but they never seriously threatened again. Brooklyn wins the game 7-4 and the series 4-2.

W: Alcantara (1-0) L: Cueto (0-2) S: Williams (2) 

Congratulations to Travis for making it this far with an excellent team and good spirits and easy logistics getting net play going. I can't believe he used so many relievers: 9, 9, 6, 12(!), 10, and 6 in game 6. You should definitely trade for some of my starters! (Everyone should!) 

Series MVP is probably Aaron Judge who despite hit homer draught till game 6 was constantly on base. Final line .471/.700/.882 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 13 walks. Serious consideration to Edwin Diaz though. 

Happy to see Mike Trout put up a big game in what is probably his last year in a Blow Monkeys uniform. I drafted him late in the first round of 2010 and have been wasting his career ever since. Brooklyn made the series only once, in 2009, so this was his first time at the dance.

The BRK store is definitely still open and now that I know it paid out I'm more willing to do the tear down. Everything must go! (Or go on the C!)