2021 40+ Mountain
Baseball BBQ Forkballers 8, San Jose Bees 2
‘Mullen and Waiton Team Up to Swat the Bees’
Submitted by Brett Mandel, Forkballers manager, and Greater Philadelphia MSBL League President
The Baseball BBQ Forkballers, primarily from the Greater Philadelphia MSBL, took the long route to the 2021 MSBL 40+ World Series (Mountain Division) Championship, but the destination was worth the trip. After a mediocre 3-3 week of baseball highlighted by missed chances and a handful of innings that got away, the Forkballers used lock-down defense and strong pitching to climb into the playoffs, win their way into the semifinals, and then advance to the finals and win the championship as underdogs.
Ian Downes, Brandon Bowron, and Mike Mullen pitched the Forkballers through the playoffs with Mullen going eight before yielding to Travis Waiton to win the Championship game over the San Jose Bees.
In the final game, Chris Godwin singled in the fifth inning to start the 6-run rally that keyed the Forkballers title win. Team MVP Lawrence Richmond smashed a double, Chuck Lovell had a big RBI, and David Waite scorched a single to tack on another run in the big inning.
With Mullen on the mound slinging curves to keep the Bees from stinging baseballs, the Forkballers gloves went to work. Ray Vetter and Justin Sherwin teamed up on a twin killing and Riley Berton and Vetter completed another double play to preserve the lead.
With the 8-2 victory, the Forkballers made me a winning manager, joining my father, Steve Mandel, as 40+ winners two decades apart — a nice Mandel family MSBL legacy. Mandel’s Forkballers played together and stayed together through the week, an incredibly fun way to enjoy the week of baseball, complete with a steak-night team celebration and a raucous kangaroo court.
To celebrate the victory, BaseballBBQ — makers of patented bat-handle BBQ tools and accessories (www.BaseballBBQ.com) — offer a special discount (use GPMABL20 to get 20% off customized tools and cutting boards) for all MSBL players and fans!