The Salvation Brothers, 1928 Windsor Cup champions, are back in the SemiFinal Series after winning their 2nd straight West division title with a record of 60-40. The Deerborn White Sox appear in their first UA SemiFinal as the wild card team with a record of 61-39. The Brothers will have home field advantage in the series despite the White Sox’ superior record, due to the fact that the Roland Stags won the East division over the White Sox.
The Brothers limped through the season’s second half after a dominant 34-12 start, going 26-28 after the All-Star break. Unlike last year, they will have their star player, Andy Thompson, for this series. Thompson has been red-hot since returning at the end of August from a sprained knee. However, Salvation is dealing with injuries to several other key members of their team, especially in the bullpen, with five of their best pitchers out for the SemiFinal. The Brothers are still a formidable team, and they have the added motivation of defending the Windsor Cup, which has been displayed all season at Tiny Sea City Center.
The White Sox are favored in this series by most experts, if not heavily. Deerborn beat Salvation in 5 of 9 regular season meetings. They rode to the playoffs on the strength of their fierce starting rotation, starring Pitcher of the Year shoo-in Jorge Takato, along with Mathew Huertata and Roberto Tokorres, all of whom notched over a hundred strikeouts this season. The White Sox are no slouches on offense, either. Behind the bats of Rygh Ogg, Jimmy Hamm, and Luke Lia Puedris, Deerborn was second in the league in runs scored behind the Stags, who await the winner of this best-of-5 series in the Windsor Cup Finals.
Game 1: City Center, Tiny Sea, Harmony
9/21/1929
The White Sox cruise to a 7-3 win at Salvation. White Sox 1B Rygh Ogg is the game’s star, 3 for 5 with 2 HR for 3 RBI. Roberto Tokorres strikes out 6 in 6 innings for Deerborn. The Salvation crowd is vocal in its distaste for the home team’s performance in game 1.
Game 2: City Center, Tiny Sea, Harmony
9/22/1929 | DEE leads 1-0
White Sox SS Daniel Lia Yorino starts the scoring in the 4th with a 2-run double, and hits a solo home run in the 9th, just fair over the glove of a leaping Mike Wilson in right field, to send the game to extra innings. Deerborn CF Jimmy Hamm’s 2-run single in the 10th gives the White Sox the win in game 2. For Salvation, Jeff Walker pitches well: 7 innings, 2 ER, 5 H, 5Ks. He also helps himself out on offense with an RBI double in the 5th. The White Sox win, 5-3. Luis Kastillo comes out of the game in the bottom of the 4th after making a fantastic diving catch at third base. He is day-to-day with back spasms. The series now heads to Deerborn. The White Sox will go for the sweep on Tuesday.
Game 3: Kostinsky Park, Deerborn, Woodlyn
9/24/1929 | DEE leads 2-0
Salvation starter Austin Edwards squares off against White Sox ace Jorge Takato in game 3. The crowd of nearly 26,000 is silenced early on when Salvation jumps out to a 2-0 lead before Takato can record an out, but Deerborn evens things up in the bottom of the 1st inning. Edwards walks home a run in the 2nd, followed by a Bob Hove grand slam to give the White Sox a 7-2 lead and end Edwards’s rough start. Hove goes 3 for 4 with the grand slam and 5 total RBI. Takato goes 7.1 innings with 8 Ks for the win. Deerborn sweeps Salvation. The Windsor Cup champs have been sent home, and we will crown a new champion when the Roland Stags meet the Deerborn White Sox in the Windsor Cup Finals.
White Sox 1B Rygh Ogg is named SemiFinal MVP. He hit .429 against the Brothers with 4 RBI in the series, including a 2-HR performance in game 1.
The Windsor Cup Finals start tomorrow at Gateway Park in Roland with Mathew Huertata on the mound for Deerborn and Salim Mujer getting the start for Roland.
Uplantic Sports Today 