For the third straight season, the Maui Adult Baseball League’s Championship Series will feature the West Maui Brewers and the La Perouse Pirates. The Brewers have won each of the last two matchups, and are returning to the Championship Series for the fourth consecutive season. After finishing the regular season with a 11-3 record to earn the top seed in the playoffs and a first round bye, the Brew Crew swept the Makena Royals to advance to the Championship round. The Pirates entered the playoffs as the 3rd seed after a 9-4 regular season. After defeating the Lahaina Warriors in the single-elimination round, the Pirates came back from a 0-1 hole against the Central Rays to take the series in 3 games.
The Brewers are trying to become the first team to win 3 straight titles since the Rays’ remarkable run of 5 straight which ended after the Spring 2012 season. This season marks their 5th Championship Series appearance in their 20th season in the league. The Brewers’ featured the league’s 2nd ranked offense this season, led by two-time league MVP and Summer 2019 triple crown winner Enmanuel Yajure (.604/.644/.868 AVG/OBP/SLG, 23 R, 32 H, 19 RBI), infielder Ken Henry (.424/.578/.485, 12 R, 14 H), Summer 2018 Rookie of the Year Kirk Bender (.421/.463/.553, 16 H), and center fielder Mike Abercrombie (.419/.479/.628, 12 R, 18 H, 12 RBI). The Brewer’s formidable pitching staff was lead by Yajure (4-2, 3 SV, 1.39 ERA, 56 K, 45.1 IP), original MABL member Andy Michaels (2-1, 3.10 ERA, 28 K, 29.0 IP), Ty Roberts (3-0, 3.04 ERA, 26.2 IP), and Wyatt Martensen (1-0, 1.13 ERA, 16 K, 16.0 IP).
Making their 8th Championship Series appearance in their 17th season, the Pirates are aiming to win their 2nd MABL title, and to revenge losses in the Summer 2018 and Spring 2019 finals. This season they were bolstered by the additions of two Rookie of the Year finalists, Adam Chesick (team leading .406/.486/.656 AVG/OBP/SLG, 13 H, 4 triples) and Elias Steadman (.270/.341/.351, 10 H, 8 RBI and 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 18.0 IP) and powered by a historically dominant pitching staff. The Pirates offense was led by Chesick and catcher Steve Mearriam (.333/.419/.370, 9 H, 6 SB). Their pitching staff, which posted a combined 1.13 ERA (edging out the Rays’ 1.14 ERA during the Summer 2012 season as the best mark in league history), was led by reigning MABL Cy Young award winner Joe McFarlin (4-1, 0.98 ERA, 50 K, 46.0 IP), Austin Beesley (2-0, 0.75 ERA, 23 K, 24.0 IP), and the rookie Steadman.
The two teams split the season series, with the Pirates shutting out the Brewers 5-0 on August 11 at Maehara Stadium, and the Brewers taking the October 20 meeting by a score of 4-1 in Lahaina. The Maui Adult Baseball League’s Championship Series begins on December 1 in Lahaina, with the best-of-three game series concluding on December 8. Don’t miss what promises to be another hard-fought series as both teams compete for the title of Summer 2019 MABL Champion.