2017 Seattle Wiffleball Final Standings Results as of 7/23/2017
		W	L	PCT	GB	WCGB
	x-Cannonball Coming	14	2	.875	--	--
	x-RBI Steaks	12	4	.750	1	--
	x-100% Real Juice	11	5	.688	2	--
	y-Gorilla Eagles	8	8	.500	5	--
	z-Chicken'n'Wiffles	7	9	.438	6	--
	z-The Dingers	7	9	.438	6	--
	West Coast Washout	6	10	.375	7	1
	Get A Wiff	4	12	.250	9	3
	Wiffle Junction	3	13	.188	10	4

x - Clinched Full Playoff Berth

y - Clinched Wildcard Playoff Berth

z - Tied for Wildcard Playoff Berth

Despite All Appearance, League Survives

The lack of content on the site cannot detract from the quality of the product on the field.  Check out the standings (left sidebar), and look for new content coming to the site June 2017.

Cannonball Coming In Hot

Double digit wins may be elusive in the shortened 16-game season, but Cannonball Coming is wasting no time in getting there.  The team blew their shot at the #1 seed last year on the final day of the season, which has led to them charging out of the gate in 2017.  At 8-2, Cannonball maintains a 2-game lead over their nearest rivals, with the Dingers (5-5), Chicken'n'Wiffles (4-4), and Get A Wiff (2-8) remaining on the docket.

Cannonball comes with three pitchers sporting ERAs of 2.00 or less over 10+ innings (Meagher, Lewis, Rogers), and a team batting average of .348.  They are second in team walks, with 85.

Transitive Property Breaks Down

Leaves Analysts Confused

Cannonball > Juice > Steaks > Cannonball?!?

In early-season action, Cannonball Coming easily dispatched last year's regular season leading 100% Real Juice, winning by scores of 7-0 and 9-3.  This could have been early season malaise for the Juicers in their first games, or a result of the previous day's wedding of Juice captain Gabe Showalter.  It established Cannonball Coming as the early season team to beat at 4-0.  The 2-2 RBI Steaks did just that the following week, evening the teams' records at 4-2 with a pair of 1-run victories.  The Steaks did it with a Nick Winn shutout victory, in which he delivered the walkoff hit, and followed that up with a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory.

Several weeks later, the question of who's #1 had perhaps a chance to be answered definitively, but that chance was squashed as 100% Real Juice survived a 2-0 duel with Epo Olivarez on the mound, then battered the Steaks 10-2 on the nightcap.  So who is the best?  Stay tuned for the playoffs.

Gorilla Eagles Go Ape on Offense

Scoring 130 runs in their first 10 games, the Gorilla Eagles have burst on the scene bringing a vengeance to the plate.  They lead the league in 13 of the 16 statistical categories, only missing the lead on walks, strikeouts (which is arguably good), and sac flies, of which only a handful have been recorded.   The Eagles have scored 20 runs 4 times, and remarkably have lost 2 of those games.  The Eagles feature two competent going on dominant pitchers in Andrew Dunklee and Nate Chase, and when they dial it in...watch out!

Chicken'n'Wiffles Among Crowded Field of Playoff Contenders

 At 4-4, Chicken'n'Wiffles already has plenty to celebrate.  They have matched their franchise record for wins (excluding forfeit wins), and remain in solidly in contention midway through the season.  After enduring campaigns which saw them go 4-16 and 5-15, Chicken'n'Wiffles has battled to a tie by sweeping Get A Wiff, while pulling draws against the Gorilla Eagles and reigning champ Dingers.  Chicken'n'Wiffles is lead at the plate by all-around threat Zac Harris, on-base man Preston Sahabu, and Andy Seigel as a threat on the bases.  Their pitching has improved, with Matt Pearson leading the team with 30 K's.

Were the playoffs to begin today, Chicken'n'Wiffles would have to battle the Dingers to an on-field death, with the winner facing the Gorilla Eagles in an elimination game to determine the opponent of #1 Cannonball Coming.  Wiffle Junction and the West Coast Washout lurk one game back.

Playoff SNAFU Likely

With one-week left in the regular season, the fates of three teams are still up in the air.  The Dingers (7-9) are in the clubhouse, but still need some losses from Chicken'n'Wiffles (7-7) and the West Coast Washout (6-8).  Here's the teams who have something at stake:

Chicken'n'Wiffles: Win and they're in.  Taking one from Cannonball Coming would tie them with the Gorilla Eagles, but would leave open the door for a three-way tie with the Washout.  Sweeping would make them the home team for a one-game playoff after the #5 seed is sorted out.

West Coast Washout: The last games of the day, the Washout will know what they need to do.  They need to at least take one from the RBI Steaks to advance, but will need to play for the sweep should CNW get a win.

The Dingers: They need CNW to get swept, and the Washout to win no more than one to get in.  In any case, they will face a series of elimination games should they sneak in.

Cannonball Coming: Clinches the one seed with a victory.

100% Real Juice/RBI Steaks: With their playoff date set, the only thing to determine is who gets home-field advantage. The Steaks must sweep to maintain it, after being swept by the Juice earlier in the year.

Gorilla Eagles: Sit back and enjoy the chaos.

The Throne Awaits

Three teams have separated themselves from the pack.  They've played close games among each other, while by-and-large blowing out the rest of the league.  All three of the teams profiled combine solid hitting top-to-bottom with at least two solid pitchers.

#1 Cannonball Coming (14-2) 

Overview:  Cannonball Coming has looked dominant all season.  Their only two losses both came by a single run to the RBI Steaks.  Losing twice to the same team means that this team is not invincible, but they will be a tough out.  They outscored opponents 140-16 over the course of the season.

On the Hill:  Posting a team ERA of 1.29 speaks for itself.  The way that number was accomplished only adds to its monstrosity.  Scott Lewis, Patrick Meagher, and Paul Rogers each pitched more than 20 innings, all compiling ERAs and WHIPs less than 2.00.

At the Plate:  Lewis, Rogers, and Karl Koch each batted .400 or better, with 8 of 9 roster members contributing double-digit season hit totals.  Eight of nine also reach base at greater than a 50% clip.

#2 RBI Steaks (12-4) 

Overview:  The Steaks haven't lost since June 11th, stringing together 8 straight victories to rise from the middle of the pack to secure a spot as a home team.  They've done it winning big -- a 24-22 victory over Gorilla Eagles, and small, with two 1-0 victories under their belt.

On the Hill:  Nick Winn led the team in ERA, with a 1.60 mark while posting a 5-1 record.  Riley Brindle, who recorded a 6.79 ERA, was the sole 7 game winner in the league this year.  This reliable 1-2 punch has been at it for years, but a potential weakness is that there is no third horse in the stable.

At the Plate:  Mitch Barham led the team in hitting, with a .466 average.  Brindle is not far behind.  There are no easy outs on the team.  The lowest on-base percentage on the team belongs to perennial all-star Steven McGinley, at .429.   Winn and captain Jim Froio provide the chief home run threats.

#3 100% Real Juice (11-5) 

Overview:  After losing their first series to Cannonball Coming, 100% Real Juice was in minor panic mode.  The ship was soon righted, as they would not lose another series all year.  Their two losses to Cannonball were not particularly close, but their other three were by a combined three runs.  Not much separates the three top contenders.

On the Hill:  Fireballer Epo Olivarez (93K, 3.54 ERA) and knuckleballer Aaron Hunter (2.13 ERA) both pitched more than thirty innings, and account for all of the teams decisions.  It would be a mistake to think their depth stops there.  Duncan Robinson recorded a 1.20 ERA in limited action, and Adam Brickett, who pitched just one inning, was in a similar position before stepping up and delivering a quality performance in the 2016 playoffs.

At the Plate:  Tim Haggerty and Hunter both batted above .500, with Sam Lacroix and Olivarez both reaching the .400 mark. As with the Steaks, the low-water mark for on-base percentage is still above .400.  Hunter smacked 6 HRs -- league best excluding the homer-happy Gorilla Eagles.

Wildcards Take Aim

After a come-from-behind Steaks victory sank the playoff hopes of the West Coast Washout, the playoff field was set -- six contenders for the crown.   Here's a look at the wildcard teams.  Only one will advance to the playoff semifinals.

#4 Gorilla Eagles (8-8) 

Overview:  The Eagles swept the Dingers and were swept by Cannonball Coming.  Other than that, every series they played in was a split, suggesting they can beat anyone -- and be beaten by anyone. 

On the Hill:  Andrew Dunklee posted a respectable by workmanlike 8.87 ERA.  The ace of the staff is Nate Chase, who posted a 2.75 ERA en route to a 3-1 record.  Beyond these two, there is not much backup -- but offense is the Eagles' calling card.

At the Plate:  The Silverback Raptors led the league in team average (.444) and HRs (24) by a significant margin.  They are a team driven by offense.  Dunklee (.632) and Max Brown (.500) led the team in average, with Brown (8 HR) and Nate Sinner (5 HR) providing much of the pop. 

#5 Dingers (7-9) 

Overview:  The Dingers arguably backed their way into the playoffs.  They haven't won since June 4th on the field, when they were 5-3 (they did get two forfeit victories in July).  Don't be fooled.  They are probably the truest contender in the wildcard field, and it all comes down to pitching.

On the Hill:  Aidan Welch posted a 0.52 ERA, with Cody Thomsen close behind at 2.00.  The malaise which has struck the Dingers coincides with the pair's extended absence.  Beyond the two aces, no one on the staff recorded an ERA under 10 for the season. 

At the Plate:  The Dingers batted just .278 this year.  Who cares -- they were also a lackluster offensive team when they won the title last year.  Payton Lawson led the team in average and home runs this year, with several members -- Welch, Thomsen, Max Berner-Hays, and Cale Spence putting up respectable numbers.

#5 Chicken'n'Wiffles (7-9) 

Overview:  Chicken'n'Wiffles has been the surprise team of 2017.  They have taken care of business against worse teams, and won close games when they had to -- most notably a 17-16 win over the Dingers which ended on a full count, with the tying run on third, and a 19-14 win over the Washout.   Upsetting Cannonball Coming is hard to see, but they can make it to Sunday if their offense shows up to play.

On the Hill:  Starting pitchers Matt Pearson (14.8 ERA) and Zac Harris (18.3 ERA) have given up runs -- their season low allowed was 6, which happened 3 times.  However, Harris has had flashes of brilliance when he is throwing strikes, and Pearson has been steadily improving.

At the Plate:  Chicken'n'Wiffles uses a patient approach at the plate, turning Preston Sahabu (.167 BA/.600 OBP), Liam Munro (.269/.500), and Jesse Pearson (.154,.522) into bona fide offensive weapons.  Harris, Matt Pearson, and Andy Seigel lead the team in average.

All-Stars Announced

The Gorilla Eagles and 100% Real Juice combined for 7 all-stars beyond their captains, who will serve as this year's managers. Only Sam Lacroix and Alex Carey evaded their regular captain's grasps in the second annual all-star draft. Scott Lewis returned as the top pick in the 2017 All-Star draft.

Showalter's All-Stars

100 - Aaron Hunter

100 - Epo Olivarez

100 - Tim Haggerty

CC -  Paul Rogers

CC - Patrick Meagher

CNW - Matt Pearson

CNW - Zac Harris

DS - Aidan Welch

DS - Cody Thomsen

DS - Payton Lawson

GE - Alex Carey

RBI - Riley Brindle

Dunklee's All-Stars

100 - Sam Lacroix

CC - Scott Lewis

GAW - Finn Tangeman

GAW - Francis Nyssen

GE - Max Brown

GE - Nate Chase

RBI - Jack Sandstorm

RBI - Mitch Barham

RBI - Nick Winn

WCW - Andrew Winter

WCW - Daniel Rish

WJ - Joel Koncinski

#1 vs. #2 For World Series

Dingers Depart After Wildcard Victories

Dingers 11, Chicken'n'Wiffles 2

This one was all Dingers, as multiple first-inning extra base hits led to an 8-0 lead.  The lead would grow to 11-0 before Andy Seigel nubbed a ball just past the fair line.  He hesitated to run the bases, and the resulting confusion somehow allowed both Grant Costa and Seigel to score.  Zac Harris and Aidan Welch threw three scoreless innings each, both aided by the lack of a radar gun.  Anonymous sources claimed that Harris was putting up unbelievable numbers, while Welch was really, really throwing tremendously hard. 

Dingers 12, Gorilla Eagles 8

After loading the bases in the first, Gorilla Eagles starter Nate Chase pitched out of trouble unscathed, and the offense took advantage of wildness from Aidan Welch with an Andrew Dunklee single and sac fly to take a 4-0 lead.  Cody Thomsen and Welch blasted consecutive homers to cut the lead to 4-2, only to have Alec Deichman answer with one of his own in the 2nd.  Things were looking dim for the Dingers when the starters had to be relieved after 3 innings.  If you were going to pick a hero for the Dingers, you would not have picked Sam Coburn.  The lefty knocked a lead-off home run for just his first hit of the 2017 campaign.  The hit sparked a 6-run rally, and negated the excellent start for the Gorilla Eagles.  Going into the 6th, the Dingers held an 8-6 lead.  Cale Spence rattled the Eagles confidence by baiting ill-advised throws on his way to a round-the-bases single, and the lead ballooned to 12-6.  The Eagles were not done, waiting until they had two quick outs to notch 3 straight singles and then a walk on a 3-2 count.  Thomsen seemed to lose a bit of accuracy on the mound.  With the tying run at the plate and another 3-2 count, Thomsen got Dunklee to chase an offering out of the zone, ending the Eagles' chances.

Cannonball Rides Brooms to World Series

After their victories in the wildcard round, the Dingers realized their two aces would not be able to play in the semis or finals as scheduled.  Captain Max Berner-Hays graciously offered to either play, weakened, or cede the spot for the good of the competitive balance of the playoffs.  After much front office hand-wringing, Chicken'n'Wiffles stepped up to the tough task of facing the #1 team.

Cannonball Coming 9, Chicken'n'Wiffles 5

Cannonball Coming drew first blood against Matt Pearson in the 2nd, scoring two on an Andrew Waite single and a Patrick Meagher sac fly.  Chicken'n'Wiffles quickly responded, showing they meant to compete.  Matt Pearson doubled in a pair, and Preston Sahabu singled in another.  In this, they did the nearly unthinkable -- scored multiple runs off Scott Lewis, who allowed only 2 all regular season.  Waite and Meagher teamed up again to launch a 5-run third, making the score 7-3.  Matt Pearson would homer and score another, but Cannonball Coming padded their lead with doubles from Lewis and Paul Rogers to score a 9-5 Game 1 victory.

Cannonball Coming 8, Chicken'n'Wiffles 4

Chicken'n'Wiffles took advantage of uncharacteristic wildness from Patrick Meagher to build a 3-0 first inning lead.  With Zac Harris on the mound, Chicken'n'Wiffles flirted with trouble, but managed to avoid the worst of it.  In the bottom of the second, CNW got a big break on a Karl Koch double, which scored Meagher, but saw Scott Lewis hosed at the plate by a quarter-step to end the inning.  Cannonball would tie the game at 3 in the third on a Lewis single, but Harris recorded bases loaded strikeouts of Koch and Paul Rogers to preserve the tie.  That tie was not long for the world, as Preston Sahabu hit a sac fly to left after a memorable 10-pitch at-bat.  Matt Pearson was caught advancing to third, breaking the cardinal rule of never making the third out there, but not before Andy Seigel had made the game 4-3.  Another bases-loaded jam led to a 4-4 4th inning tie, with Matt Sayre scoring on a fielder's choice.  At 4-4 in the fifth, the bases were loaded again with two outs for Scott Lewis.  In hindsight, captain Matt Pearson wistfully acknowledged giving Lewis the Bondsian intentional walk.  He didn't, and Lewis crushed a grand slam, and with it, the hopes for a rubbermatch.

Steaks Back to Series in Dramatic Fashion

RBI Steaks 3, 100% Real Juice 1

Steaks starter Riley Brindle and his Juice counterpart Aaron Hunter proved themselves adept at getting out of jams with timely strikeouts and solid team defense.  Hunter outdid Brindle in stranded runner count by a score of 7-5 after three scoreless innings.  His fate-tempting ways ran out of luck in the fourth, as the RBI Steaks worked 5 walks followed by a Brindle single to build a 3-0 lead.  100% Real Juice mounted a 5th inning threat, with an Epo Olivarez walk and a Tim Haggerty single leading to two on, one out.  The threat was quickly rebuffed with a strikeout and a fly out.  Hunter struck out the side in the bottom of the inning, leading to the last stand of the Juice.  A Matt Guindon single scored Gabe Showalter, making the score 3-1, an bringing the go-ahead run to the plate (Duncan Robinson was had walked aboard). With the tension rising, Brindle dialed it in, recording his 11th K of the day.  Juice outhit the Steaks 7-2, but were out-walked by 405 feet.

RBI Steaks 2, 100% Real Juice 1

Game 1 felt like an offensive game masquerading as a pitcher's duel.  Game 2 was the real McCoy.  Epo Olivarez and Nick Winn dueled to a scoreless tie through two.  In the second, 100% Real Juice drew first blood, as Sam Lacroix turned agressively to third on a Matt Rosenfeld groundout, baiting a throw from first baseman Brad Barham.  Lacroix went home, avoiding a throw from Jack Sandstorm after the ball was corralled.  The play seemed to rattle the Steaks, and they went down in succession via the strikeout in the 3rd.  The game stayed locked until the 6th.  With one out, Barham drew a critical walk, as the twice-fanned Winn stepped to the plate.  He would not be denied again, launching a dagger line drive homer into left.  With a cry of "Let's Go!", Winn circled the bases with a 2-1 lead, needing only 3 outs.  He issued his first walk of the game to Tim Haggerty with one out, and Haggerty advanced to 3rd on an Aaron Hunter ground out.  With the equalizer one base away, Sam Lacroix popped the ball lazily towards second.  Max Crawley circled under it.  Riley Brindle circled under it.  Like a bird of prey, Jimmy Froio swooped down on the ball.  Somehow, in the forest of hands, the ball was caught, ending the series and sending the Steaks back to the World Series. 

Well-Done Steaks!

[Editor's Note: Due to tight deadlines, the results of this August 13, 2017 contest were not known at press time. So instead, this article first appeared on Feb 14, 2018. We regret the inconvenience]. After twice making the World Series and twice seeing their opponents crowned, the long-suffering RBI Steaks and their fans have reason to celebrate as they embrace their new status as defending champions.  The Steaks took the Series in two one-run games, capping an undefeated postseason marked by stifling defense and timely hitting.  

Game 1: RBI Steaks 3, Cannonball Coming 2

Scott Lewis started the World Series off right, recording two first inning strikeouts and a harmless single before closing out the inning. He then wasted no time putting his team in the league, as he drove in Patrick Meagher on a two-run homer in his first trip to the plate.  The lead would not last long, with Steven McGinley driving a retaliatory blow in second to tie the game.  From there, the game settled into an uneasy detente, with Lewis and Steaks starter Riley Brindle racking up strikeouts and working out of trouble.  Brindle defused a huge threat by inducing a Lewis fly-out to end the 2nd with the bases loaded.  Cannonball Coming similarly avoided a dam-burst in the 4th, this time with Nick Winn flying out to the warning track.  Finally, in the fifth, McGinley took advantage of a rare defensive misplay to end up on third following a single.  Two batters later, Brindle knocked him in as the go-ahead run, then set about setting down the remaining six Cannonballs sequentially to seal the win.

Game 2: RBI Steaks 2, Cannonball Coming 1

Game two started off as a riff on a familiar theme - pitchers working in and out of trouble, but with little damage.  Patrick Meagher filled the bases in the first, but worked out of the jam with consecutive strikeouts. Then, Paul Rogers again gave Cannonball Coming the first lead with a solo shot off Nick Winn in the second.  The bottom half of the inning saw Riley Brindle knock home Steven McGinley and Jack Sandstorm.  That narrow lead would be enough with Nick Winn if he could lock in on the mound.  Things looked shakiest in the 3rd, as Cannonball had the tying run one base away.  The inning ended, and so did Cannonball’s chances, though it wasn’t apparent yet.  Over the back half of the game, only two more Cannonballs would reach base, neither advancing farther than first.  A fine pitching performance by Meagher was overshadowed by his counterpart, all leading to the Steaks first Series victory.

MVP: Riley Brindle, RBI Steaks

It’s hard to choose anyone other than a pitcher for MVP, given that pitching is paramount to team success in a way not seen in similar sports.  This year, MVP Riley Brindle made that discussion a moot point, as he led the way both on the mound and at the plate.  Brindle finished 4-8 at the plate with a double, and drove in 3 of his team’s 5 runs.  On the mound, he allowed just a baserunner an inning, and struck out 13 over six innings pitched.  His offense (McGinley) and pitching (Winn) each had a parallel, but the combination made Brindle the most effective at putting his team over the top.