2014 World Series Wrap-Up - Cook County vs. Metropolis

The 2014 Brassball World Series is in the books, with Metropolis taking its second crown in three years, having defeated Cook County four games to one. Let's take a look at some of the numbers that combined to give Metropolis the win.

• The main story was the Metropolis pitching. Or maybe it was the lack of Cook County hitting. The Avengers held the Maulers to a .140 batting average, a .215 on base percentage and a shocking .166 slugging percentage.
• Cook County had just two extra base hits in 173 plate appearances - Michael Cuddyer's game winning home run in Game Four and an Evan Longoria double to tie Game Two in the seventh inning.
• Metropolis collected 19 extra base hits in the five games, four homers, 14 doubles and a Jayson Werth triple. The Maulers had just 22 total hits (4.1/game), exactly half of the Avengers' 44.
• The Avengers traded for Clay Buchholz before the season to compliment Stephen Strasburg and Kyle Lohse. Instead, he became the team ace (12-4 2.45 ERA) during the season and the MVP of the World Series, after going 1-0 0.77 ERA with just five hits allowed in 11 2/3 innings.
• Mid-season pickup Michael Cuddyer is the one Mauler that held his own. He hit .429/.500/.643 with three of the team's seven RBIs, all of which came on his home run.
• The Avengers hit a combined .244/.306/.400, which was obviously much better than the Maulers. It was, however, a big drop off from their regular season results of .283/.353/.491. Their team OPS was .844 in the regular season and .706 in the World Series. Cook County dropped from .790 during the season to just .381 in the series.
• The Metropolis bullpen was very good during the series, with a 2.21 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. Their starters were even better, with a sparkling 0.98 ERA in 27 2/3 innings.
• Cook County's pitchers were pretty balanced - the starters had a 2.68 ERA and the relievers had a 2.81 ERA.
• Chris Sale deserved better than his 0-1 record. He went 10+ innings in Game Two, allowing just one earned run, three hits and four walks (two were intentional), while striking out 14 Avenger hitters. That got him the loss in the game and his 137 pitches meant he couldn't start Game Five on short rest. He didn't get the chance to start Game Six.
• Avenger closer Craig Kimbrel threw four wild pitches during the season. He threw two in Game Five alone.
• Jose Reyes had two successful sacrifice bunts in the series. That is two more than Metropolis even attempted all season.
• The Maulers issued 11 intentional walks during the regular season. They issued four in the series - two to Andrew McCutchen, one each to Jayson Werth and Chris Davis.
• Adam Jones hit third for four of the five games and killed more rallies than he helped. He had four base hits (all singles) and grounded into three double plays.
• Metropolis catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is a free agent the Avengers should try to keep. He went .364/.364/.727 for a 1.091 OPS in the Series. He had an even 1.000 OPS in the playoffs as a whole. 
• Mauler ace Max Scherzer struck out 17 batters in his two starts and just 12 innings pitched.
• Avenger reliever Caleb Thielbar was in the running for series MVP before his rough Game Five. Through the first four games, he was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and just two hits allowed in seven innings of relief.
• Metropolis dealt for infielder Ramiro Pena at the trade deadline, but he got into just one playoff game as a pinch hitter, and struck out. Does he get a World Series ring?
• Mauler rookie Christian Yelich hit .373/.432/.485 during the season but got only four at bats during the World Series (1-4 with three K's)
• Only one Mauler - Cuddyer (of course) - had more than three total bases in the series.
• Shin Soo Choo goes into free agency after a 1-16 effort in the series. He did have three walks and a hit by pitch, so his .250 OBP was quite a bit better than his .063 batting average.
• The Mauler bats were obviously cold all series, but they did just fine in the clutch, with a 1.059 OPS in 13 clutch at bats, producing six of the team's seven runs.
• The Avengers, on the other hand, were terrible in the clutch, with a .405 OPS in 22 clutch at bats. They also went 0-7 with three strikeouts with the bases loaded.
• Robinson Cano struggled out of the leadoff spot for Metropolis, going .200/.200/.280 in 25 at bats. 
• Cook County's pinch hitters weren't any better than their starters. The team was 0-5 when coming off the bench, with Ryan Raburn accounting for three of those chances.
• In five games and 17 at bats, the Maulers ninth-place hitters were a perfect .000/.000/.000.
• In the Series, Metropolis averaged 3.0 runs a game and gave up 1.6 to Cook County. In their seven games against each other during the regular season, both teams averaged 4.0.

2014 Brassball World Series - Cook County vs. Metropolis - Game Five

Having won Game Four and prevented a Metropolis sweep, the Cook County Maulers hope to take Game Five and send the 2014 Brassball World Series back to Metropolis. After considering starting Chris Sale on three days rest, the Maulers tapped another lefty, Cole Hamels, for the start. Metropolis stuck to its four-man rotation and sent ace Clay Buchhoz to the mound.

Jose Reyes celebrates his homer with Jose Bautista.

Hamels found himself in trouble from the start. After needing seven pitches to retire Robinson Cano, he lost Andrew McCutchen on a walk and then gave up a single to Josh Satin. McCutchen's raced to third on the hit, where he scored easily on a groundball up the middle by Jayson Werth. Shortstop JJ Hardy did get to the ball and forced Satin at second, but Cook County was in a 1-0 hole before they came to bat.

Buchholz had no trouble in the bottom of the first, striking out the Mauler's top three hitters - Shin Soo Choo, Michael Cuddyer, and Adam Jones. Hamels looked good to start the second, retiring Carlos Quentin and striking out Matt Wieters. He fell behind speedy Jose Reyes 3-1 and left a fastball at the belt, which Reyes jumped on and drove down the left field line for a solo homer. Reyes slugged just .331 against left-handed pitchers during the season, but he picked a perfect time to muscle up for his fourth homer against lefties on the year.

Jose Bautista had a tough postseason,
but connected with Cole Hamels changeup.

Buchholz cruised through the second and third innings, with the only Mauler base runner reaching on a Cano error. Buchholz did allow singles to Jones and Ryan Raburn in the fourth, but got a groundball from Wilson Ramos to end the inning. The game was 2-0 into the fifth, when Jose Bautista crushed a one-out changeup deep into the stands for a solo homer and a 3-0 Avenger lead.

Buchholz retired the Maulers in order in the fifth and called it a night. Metropolis turned to its shutdown lefty, Caleb Thielbar, for the top of the order. He looked a little shaky, giving up consecutive singles to Cuddyer and Jones and walking Raburn to load the bases with two outs. That was all for Thielbar, as righty Craig Kimbrel came in to face Ramos. Ramos fouled off two consecutive fastballs but laid off a Kimbrel slider, which bounced at his feet and got under Matt Wieters's glove for a wild pitch. That scored Cuddyer and cut the lead to 3-1 Metropolis. Kimbrel got the third strike to punch out Ramos and end the inning. Even though Cook County got on the board, they missed a chance to do more damage, as a base hit would have tied the game.

Craig Kimbrel dominated, striking out eight batters in 3 1/3 innings.

Kimbrel dominated in the seventh and eighth innings. He struck out Evan Longoria and Prince Fielder in the seventh and then K'd all three Maulers he faced in the eighth - Choo, Cuddyer and Jones.

Metropolis combined two singles and a sacrifice bunt to add to their lead in the top of the ninth. Matt Wieters led off with a single and scored just ahead of the throw after a Robinson Cano single to right. That put the Maulers in a 4-1 hole going to the bottom of the ninth with their World Series on the line.

Kimbrel stayed out for the bottom of the ninth, having already pitched 2 1/3 inning with six K's and no baserunners. David Ortiz led off with a single and moved to second on a one-out wild pitch. Kimbrel walked Ramos to bring the tying run to the plate in Evan Longoria. After a visit from the pitching coach, Kimbrel kept firing fastballs and Longoria tipped one into Wieters's glove for strike three and the second out. That left Prince Fielder as the Outlaws' last hope. Fielder had just one hit in 15 at bats series thus far, but he is easily capable of turning on a Kimbrel fastball. Unfortunately for the Maulers, Fielder's slump continued and Kimbrel got him swinging on a slider off the plate. Wieters sprinted to the mound after catching the final out and reached Kimbrel just before the rest of the Avengers got there to start the celebration.

Metropolis outfielders Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper
celebrate their World Series win.

With that, Metropolis finished off the Maulers four games to one. The win gave the Avengers their second World Series in three years and third since 2006.

Metropolis looked like the better team before the series, but no one expected them to dominate the way they did. Even if it looked like an easy 4-1 series win, Cook County could easily have one the first two games, both of which were decided by a single run in extra innings. Just a couple of good breaks in those games would have put the Maulers up 2-0.

Now, each team looks to 2015. Metropolis will need to resign or replace their #1 starter (Clay Buchholz) and top slugger (Chris Davis). They hope Corey Kluber can step up to help replace Buchholz, but they don't have anyone ready to play 1B if Davis gets away. Cook County will return nearly all of its core players, with only Shin Soo Choo and Michael Cuddyer as significant free agents. Given the success each team has had in recent years, it would not be a surprise to see them face off again in the 2015 World Series.

2014 Brassball World Series - Cook County vs. Metropolis - Game Four

Down 3-0, Cook County turned to its ace, Max Scherzer, on three days rest. His job was to extend the Maulers' season by one day, but he would need help from the Cook County offense, who has scored just a single run in each World Series game. Metropolis stayed with its standard rotation and sent Kyle Lohse to the mound.

The Mauler bats got to work right away, as Michael Cuddyer, Adam Jones, and David Ortiz hit consecutive singles in the first inning. Cuddyer scored ahead of Jayson Werth's throw to give Cook County a 1-0 lead. Jones moved to third on the throw and looked to add to the lead. Instead Lohse struck out Evan Longoria and Prince Fielder to end the threat.

Cook County called on Scherzer with short rest.

Werth started the top of the second by drilling a ball down the right field line and sliding into third with a leadoff triple. Two pitches later, he tied the game when Bryce Harper singled. Carlos Quentin followed and hit a double into left center. Harper raced around the bases, but held at third. Scherzer had given up the lead and was still in trouble, with two runners on and no outs. However, Scherzer struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia and then did the same to Jose Reyes. Jose Bautista worked a walk to load the bases and Robinson Cano hoped to put Metropolis in the lead with a clutch hit. Instead, Scherzer collected his third strikeout of the inning to retire the side and leave the bases loaded.

The Maulers went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the second. Metropolis pushed across another run in the top of the third behind a Chris Davis walk and back-to-back singles by Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper. Davis's run gave Metropolis a 2-1 lead, but Werth got a little greedy and tried to score on Harper's single, but centerfielder Adam Jones nailed him at the plate. That kept the lead to one and kept the Mauler faithful in the game.

Longoria's play kept the score 2-1.

The pitchers dominated through the middle innings. Lohse was perfect in the third, fourth, and fifth innings - nine up and nine down. Scherzer allowed just one runner in the fourth and fifth, but walked Harper to lead off the sixth. He was pulled for a reliever after giving up a single to Carlos Quentin, moving Harper to third with no outs. Given their offensive struggles, Cook County knew they had to keep the score 2-1 as they couldn't count on scoring much against the Metropolis bullpen.

The Maulers brought in Luis Avilan and the Avengers countered with pinch hitter Matt Wieters. Cook County brought the infield in for a play at the plate and that's just what they got when Wieters hit a sharp grounder to third. Evan Longoria fielded it cleanly and caught Harper trying to score. Jose Reyes followed the fielder's choice with a clean single, but Metropolis had learned its lesson and held Quentin at third to load the bases. Avilan kept them loaded by striking out Jose Bautista and retiring Robinson Cano to end the inning. The Maulers were lucky to be down just 2-1, as Metropolis had stranded six runners through six innings, in addition to the two runners gunned down at the plate.

Despite having retired 14 batters in a row, Kyle Lohse turned the game over the bullpen in the bottom of the sixth. Metropolis brought in righty Kenley Jansen to face the top of the order. He quickly got into trouble when he put the tying run on base by walking Shin Soo Choo. He got out of any trouble by getting a double play from Michael Cuddyer and retiring Adam Jones to end the inning.

Cuddyer's homer was a shocker that not only won the game,
but also extended the Maulers' season.

Harper and Quentin led off the eighth inning with singles, but Tyler Clippard got a double play from Wieters and struck out Reyes to avoid any more damage and keep the game 2-1. Despite being down just one run, most in the stands seemed to think the game and series were all but over. The Avenger bullpen had been overpowering in the World Series, pitching 15 1/3 innings with just a four hits and one run, for a 0.59 ERA.

Jansen stayed in for the eighth and got two outs around a walk to JJ Hardy. Jansen then walked Choo again, moving Hardy into scoring position for Michael Cuddyer. Cuddyer had a 2-2 count and knew he would get another cutter from Jansen. He got that cutter and slugged a deep fly ball into left-center field. McCutchen and Harper went back, but they could only watch as it cleared the wall for a homer and a 4-2 Mauler lead.

The home crowd went crazy, but the Maulers still need to get through the top of the ninth, with Metropolis sending Jose Bautista, Cano and McCutchen to the plate. Reliever Jim Henderson was up to the task, getting all three hitters in order to record the save and give Cook County their first win of the series.

With the series now 3-1, Metropolis was scheduled to send Clay Buchholz to the mound. Cook County's starter was unclear, as they could choose to send Chris Sale on short rest (following his 10-inning loss in Game Two) or lefty Cole Hamels. Either way, the home team and crowd would be energized following Cuddyer's heroics and hope to extend the season one more day. 

2014 Brassball World Series - Cook County vs. Metropolis - Game Three

The Metropolis Avengers took their 2-0 series lead on the road to Veeck Field, home of the AL Champion Cook County Maulers. The Maulers sent Jordan Zimmermann (16-6, 3.30) to the mound to face Avenger Justin Masterson (6-3, 2.53 after a mid-season trade).

Carlos Quentin's solo homer started the scoring.

Metropolis started the scoring in the top of the second, when designated hitter Carlos Quentin caught up to a fastball for a solo homer and a 1-0 Avenger lead. Quentin missed much of the regular season, but is healthy and hot in the playoffs, as the homer was his fifth of the postseason, easily leading the team.

David Ortiz singled to start the bottom of the second. After two outs, shortstop JJ Hardy ripped a single to right and Ortiz aggressively moved to third. Catcher Victor Martinez came through with a clutch, two-out single to score Ortiz and tie the game at one. Ninth place hitter DJ Lemahieu had a chance to put the Maulers ahead, but Masterson caught him looking for a strikeout to end the inning.

Andrew McCutchen drove in the go-ahead run.

Metropolis third baseman Jose Bautista started the third by driving a ball over Shin Soo Choo's head for a lead-off double. He moved to third on a Robinson Cano ground out and scored the go-ahead run when Andrew McCutchen put another ball over Choo's head. Zimmermann took the rest of the inning into his own hands by striking out Chris Davis and Jayson Werth to strand McCutchen at second. Still, the damage was done and Metropolis had a 2-1 lead.

McCutchen's catch turned two runs into two outs.

Masterson had a thin lead and did his best to make it stand up, setting down the next nine batters he faced to breeze through the third, fourth and fifth innings. The Avengers added to their lead in the top of the fifth when McCutchen drove home Cano with a line drive. Mauler reliever Tony Watson pitched the sixth and allowed another run when Metropolis strung together singles by Bryce Harper, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jose Reyes. That pushed the score to 4-1 Metropolis and had the hometown fans nearly silent as Cook County was looking at going down three games to zero.

The Maulers started a rally in the bottom of the sixth when Christian Yelich singled and reliever Caleb Thielbar walked pinch hitter Ryan Raburn. Evan Longoria was the tying run and drove a Thielbar changeup to deep center field. McCutchen went back on the ball and made an incredible leaping catch to retire Longoria for the first out. Yelich expected to score on the long drive but instead had to scramble back to second to avoid a double play. McCutchen followed his great catch with a perfect throw to nail Yelich, turning would could have been a two-run double into an 8-4 double play. 

McCutchen's double play seemed to take the air out of Cook County. David Ortiz hit a shallow fly ball to end the bottom of the sixth and Metropolis loaded the bases in the top of the seventh. They only scored one run, and that one on a Longoria error, but the 5-1 lead seemed insurmountable to nearly everyone in the ballpark.

The Metropolis bullpen combined to make sure the Maulers didn't put together a rally. Or even a baserunner. Thielbar got two outs in the seventh and passed the ball to Kenley Jansen, who retired seven batters in order to close out the game, a 5-1 win which gave the Avengers a commanding 3-0 lead in the World Series.

In the deepest hole possible, the Maulers need something to jump start their team and are turning to Max Scherzer on three days rest. He'll be matched by Avenger starter Kyle Lohse, who will look to keep the Cook County bats quiet. The Maulers averaged 5.15 runs during the regular season but have scored only a single run in each of their three World Series losses.

2014 Brassball World Series - Cook County vs. Metropolis - Game Two

Metropolis won Game One of the World Series in extra innings and looked to take a 2-0 series lead behind Stephen Strasburg. Cook County sent lanky lefty Chris Sale to the mound, hoping to get a couple lucky bounces they didn't get in Game One and even the series.

Chris Sale was dominant.

The pitchers dominated right from the start. Stasburg walked David Ortiz to start the second, but erased him with a double play. Sale did the exact same thing with Jayson Werth - leadoff walk and double play - in the second. Strasburg turned the lead off walk-then-double play trick again in the third with Michael Cuddyer. Those three walks and double plays were the best "rally" either team could mount early on. Through the top of the fifth, Sale and Strasburg combined to allow just four base runners while striking out eight.

Metropolis broke through in the sixth when they scraped together a single, bunt, error and a wild pitch to send Matt Wieters home with the game's first run. Amazingly, Jose Reyes's bunt in the inning was the very first sacrifice the Avengers attempted all season.

The Maulers fought right back in the seventh. Reliever Kasey Jansen gave up a lead off single to Cuddyer and pinch runner Rajai Davis immediately stole second to move into scoring position. Evan Longoria's double in the gap scored Davis easily and knotted the game at one. Jansen stranded Longoria at second to end the inning. Sale stayed on for the seventh and looked energized, striking out the side in the bottom of the inning Werth, Yoenis Cespedes and Carlos Quentin saw just 13 pitches in their at bats and each of the three struck out swinging.

Evan Longoria's double tied the run in the 7th inning.

Jansen and Sale breezed through the eighth and Caleb Thielbar came on for Metropolis in the ninth inning. He quickly got into trouble, walking Shin Soo Choo and giving up a single to Davis. Adam Jones bunted the runners to second and third, leaving them for David Ortiz to drive in. Thielbar was up to the challenge, inducing a ground ball for the second out and keeping the runners in place. Longoria got a slider and put a good swing on it, but it was right to third baseman Jose Bautista for the third out.

Sale went back out for the ninth inning and worked around an Andrew McCutchen double to send the game to extra innings. Sale had pitched well enough to expect a complete game win (allowing just two hits while striking out 13 Avengers), but the Metropolis bullpen had matched him out-for-out and the game kept going.

JJ Hardy reached on a two-out single in the top of the tenth, but Thielbar got Ryan Raburn to fly out to end the inning. Surprisingly, Cook County stayed with Sale for the tenth inning. He got Carlos Quentin for the first out and struck out Wieters for the second. Reyes then walked, but Sale held him close and prevented the speedy shortstop from stealing second and getting into scoring position. Even that wouldn't have mattered, as Sale retired Bautista on a fly ball to right field and the game moved to the 11th inning.

Robinson Cano slides home with the winning run.

Thielbar worked a quick 11th inning, getting Choo and Davis to pop up weakly and retiring Jones on a fly ball to McCutchen. Amazingly, Sale went back to the mound for the bottom of the inning, likely because lefty Robinson Cano was scheduled to lead off the inning. Cano won the battle, slapping a single over the shortstop's head. That was the end of Sale's day. He pitched 10 plus innings and allowed three hits and four walks while striking out 14 batters. Righty Tanner Roark came from the pen to face Andrew McCutchen. Roark got ahead of the count 1-2, but left a fastball over the plate, which McCutchen hammered into right-center field. The line drive split between Jones and Davis and went all the way to the wall. Cano read the ball off the bat and sprinted around the bases, easily beating the relay throw from Ryan Raburn to score the winning run.

Caleb Thielbar got the win. Again.

Metropolis has a 2-0 lead in the World Series, but the games could not have been any closer. Both games were 2-1 and took 11 innings to decide. Caleb Thielbar won both games and has allowed just two hits in 5 1/3 innings. The series now moves to Cook County where Mauler Jordan Zimmermann will face Justin Masterson in Game Three. The hitters are likely happy to be moving to Veeck Field, which is cozier and more hitter-friendly than the spacious Hall of Justice. Still, these pitching staffs are deep and talented and could easily put up another string of zeros in any ballpark.

Stay tuned...

2014 Brassball World Series - Cook County vs. Metropolis - Game One

The 2014 Brassball World Series is a rematch of the 2006 series, when Metropolis beat Cook County 4-2. This year Cook County was the best team in the AL (106-56) and Metropolis dominated the NL (121-41). Both teams are playing well and the series starts at Metropolis's Hall of Justice with aces Max Scherzer and Clay Buchholz on the mound. 

Buchholz reacts after walking Prince Fielder to force in a run.

Buchholz took the mound with a perfect 4-0 record in his four postseason starts, but things started rough. He hit Shin Soo Choo to start the game and followed by walking Michael Cuddyer. Buchholz induced a ground ball double play from Adam Jones and was nearly out of danger, but it only got worse. Buchholz walked David Ortiz and Evan Longoria to load the bases with two outs. That brought Prince Fielder to the plate, and he wisely took a few pitches to see if Buchholz regained his control. Buchholz couldn't and he walked Fielder to force in the game's first run.

Metropolis quickly got the bullpen active, worried that a big hit could put the game out of reach before the Avengers even took their first at bat. With long reliever Alexi Ogando warming up, Buchholz finally got out of the inning when Wilson Ramos grounded to shortstop. Cook County had a 1-0 lead but had to feel like they let an opportunity get away, as they had five base runners in the inning.

Scherzer kept the Avengers in the park. Barely.

Scherzer gave up a leadoff double to Robinson Cano in the bottom of the first but got out of the inning after issuing an intentional walk to Chris Davis and striking out Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper. Cook County was looking for more in the second, but Buchholz had settled down and retired the Maulers in order. From that point on, it was a pitchers' duel.

Buchholz and Scherzer kept the game 1-0, but each had a little help. Buchholz allowed some base runners, but got ground ball double plays in the third, fourth and sixth innings to avoid any more damage. Scherzer didn't give up many base runners, but got lucky when the spacious Hall of Justice turned several possible home runs into long outs. Avengers Chris Davis, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper each hit balls to the warning track in the bottom of the sixth, but each stayed in the park for an easy out.

Saltalmacchia's homer tied the game at one.

Buchholz gave the ball to the bullpen after 6 2/3 innings, having allowed just three hits and the single run. Amazingly, he didn't walk another batter after the first inning. Scherzer stayed on and struck out Carlos Quentin to start the seventh. The next hitter, Jarrod Saltalmacchia hit another deep fly ball, but this one was higher and deeper than the others and cleared the center field wall for a solo homer and a 1-1 game.

The bullpens were strong in the eighth and ninth innings, sending the game to extra innings tied at one. Avenger reliever Caleb Thielbar hit Prince Fielder in the tenth but got out of the inning. Cano singled for Metropolis in the bottom of the inning, but Andrew McCutchen ended the inning with a double play grounder.

Brycer Harper celebrates just prior to scoring the winning run.

Thielbar breezed through the 11th, striking out Ryan Raburn and Choo before getting a lazy fly ball from Michael Cuddyer to end it. Tony Watson started the 11th inning for Cook County and allowed a single to lefty Chris Davis. That was all for Watson and Tanner Roak came on in relief. Roak walked Jayson Werth, moving Davis into scoring position. Bryce Harper followed with a single and Davis lumbered home with the winning run. However, right fielder Rajai Davis made a strong throw to nail Davis at the plate for the first out. Carlos Quentin followed with a ground ball that sent Werth home, but shortstop JJ Hardy nailed him at the plate for the second out of the inning. That brought up Saltalamacchia, who hit a clean single between Hardy and second baseman Ryan Raburn, easily scoring Harper for the winning run.

Thielbar got credit for the win, but Nick Vincent was just as impressive. The two Avenger relievers combined for 4 1/3 innings without a hit or walk while striking out five Maulers. Metropolis took the 1-0 lead in the World Series but both teams know they could easily have won or lost the game. Cook County turns to lefty Chris Sale for Game Two, when he'll face Metropolis righty Stephen Strasburg.

2014 World Series Preview - Cook County vs. Metropolis

The 2014 Brassball World Series is set - the American League champion Cook County Maulers vs. the National League Champion Metropolis Avengers. The Maulers may be the league's most accomplished franchise, with one Championship and three more American League crowns, in addition to a virtual hammerlock on the AL Central crown. The Avengers have been more up-and-down over their history, but have World Series wins in 2006 (over the Maulers) and 2012. They're also making an unprecedented third-straight trip to the World Series.

Let's take a look at how these teams got this far, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.