2024 65+ A’s Go ‘Back-to-Back’ for 65-Over Division Title in Arizona MSBL

Arizona MSBL, 65+ National Division

65+ A’s 8, White Sox 5 (Game two in best-of-three championship series sweep)

‘A’s Go Back-to-Back for Title’

The 65+ A’s, one of five teams playing in the 65+ NATIONAL Division of the Arizona MSBL, entered the 2024 season as the defending champs.  To defend our title and achieve our goal of another championship season, we had our work cut out for us as we had a target on our backs every game.  Everyone always plays their best against the defending champs, so our team almost always got the very best effort from our opponents, week in and week out.

Especially daunting was the fact that one of the competing teams in our division had been newly created from a roster made up of many of this area’s BEST players in this age bracket, with the sole intended purpose of dethroning our team.

Our season was 18 games long.  Not surprisingly, our team was up for the challenge as we (again) took the top spot with a regular season record of 16-1-1.  However, our lone loss (and tie) was to that White Sox team who indeed were a formidable opponent all season long. They finished with a record of 14-3-1.  The White Sox also allowed the fewest runs during the season with 107 compared to our 121.  Heading into the playoffs we knew we’d likely meet them in the finals.

In the first round, the A’s needed to get past a very pesky, Red Sox team. Our pitcher for that game was lefty Steve Pepi.  Steve pitched an outstanding complete game, allowing no runs.  While we did make some very good defensive plays behind Steve, his shutout victory in a must-win (loser goes home) round one game was an amazing feat.  Beating the Red Sox meant we now had to play the rival White Sox in a best-of-three final series.

We managed to win game one as our starter Chris Means pitched another complete game for the A’s as the White Sox did not have their full roster, 13-3.  We knew we would get their best for game two five nights later.  Boy did we!

The White Sox had their back against the wall and started one of the best pitchers in our league against us.  While we put it all on the line starting Chris Means for a second game in 5 days.  Savvy veteran Jim Barker usually saves his best for the A’s and is a fierce competitor on the mound.  But the 65+ A’s have been on a mission all season to defend our title.  And while we certainly respected Barker and the rest of the White Sox, we were determined.

We jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in game two, then it was a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning as the White Sox came to bat.  With two outs in the inning, they warmed up their bats and recorded five hits to go along with an error by us (one of only 3 all game long).   By the time we got the third out of the inning, the White Sox had plated four runs to take a 5-3 lead.  Now we knew we were in a battle.

In the top of the sixth inning, we managed to load the bases with one out, but the White Sox threw our runner out at third base, then got another out to end the threat.  We held them in their half of the sixth inning, but we were still down 5-3 in game two, with only nine outs left.

However, as we’ve done time and time again during the season, we broke through when it counted (in a BIG way) in the top of the seventh inning.  By the time it was over, we’d plated five runs on five base hits.  Bobby Mendiola, Greg Price, Steve Katz, manager Michael DiMino, and Darryll Foster all contributed with CLUTCH hits.  Now the A’s were ahead 8-5.

We had to rely on our defense the rest of the way, and it was superb.  The White Sox did manage to get runners at the corners with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.  But the batter who represented the tying run for the White Sox popped up to behind our first baseman, Steve Pepi.  This was a really difficult play to make on the run.

But Steve gave his very best effort and reached up at the last moment, on a dead run AWAY from home plate in foul territory, and made the catch, sealing the win and catapulting the 65+ A’s to their team goal of being BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONS in the 65+ AZ MSBL 2024 season.

Always fun, always competitive, we are grateful to be playing the sport we love for another season with friends on our team and in our league!