Labor Legends Playoff Game 1 and 2. East River Field # 2. Doubleheader. 1st game Purple Power 6 Labor Legends 8. Doubleheader nightcap Labor Legends 12 Purple Power 0. “Mercy rule” invoked in the 2nd game. Time of 1st game 1 hour and 20 minutes. Time of 2nd game an hour. Umpires. 1st game: Edison Martinez Home Plate Scott Batten basepaths. 2nd game: Scott Batten home plate Edison Martinez bases
Local 371 VIPs in attendance. The Main Man A. Wells. C. Cook, A. Reyes-Santiago, B. Nwosu, M. Okore, D. Murphy, A. Walters, S. Dorsey, D. Barr, Y. De La Cruz, I. Harry, E. Dicks, R. Sabino, Q. Miguel, O. Wheeler. “Honorable mention” VIPs: Lawyer Sean Riordan, Jean O’Hearn, and Americo’s wife and my Assemblywoman Karines Reyes.
Labor Legends are the champions, ladies and gentlemen. 1 and 0 in the semi finals, 2 and 0 in the playoffs. The season is over and Labor Legends has a huge, beautiful trophy in its inaugural season. For perspective: the inaugural season of the New York Yankees, one of the winningest and most successful franchises in sports history, was in 1903. Their first pennant was 1921 and their first World Series win in 1923.
Quickest way to make a major league baseball player act like a wild bull on steroids and amphetamines? An umpire with no consistency in the strike zone. MLB players don’t have an issue with high, low, inside or outside strikes long as the ump is consistent. The above named umps had no consistency. Easily heard 20 groans from LL players as the games progressed and the umps called ball after ball after ball pitched to LL batters out of the strike zone strike after strike after strike. East River Field is a few hundred feet east of the FDR Drive; it seemed as if the only way not to get a strike called on a LL player was for a PP player to pitch the ball onto the roof of a car on the FDR. The umps did hustle to observe the plays on the field. But hustle means jack diddley if you don’t get the call right. In the 1996 ALCS Derek Jeter hit a ball to the right field wall that a fan illegally reached out for and pulled into the stands. The replay clearly indicated the ball was not going over the wall; the ump showed great hustle but blew the call and called it a home run. More later.
The first game was close, but as Doris Murphy so eloquently and correctly told me last night one run or twelve a win is a win. Purple Power scored two runs in the top of the 1st but Labor Legends came back with 5 in the 1st inning. Roberto was nailed at the plate and skinned his knee sliding but was patched up 1 2 3 by the Assemblywoman. Then Purple Power came back with 4 in the 3rd inning and Labor Legends trailed 6 -5 going into the bottom of the 3rd. At that point Roberto held an emergency huddle, LL banged out another two runs in the bottom of the 3rd, and never looked back. Another LL run in the bottom of the 5th for insurance and LL sealed the deal with a 1 2 3 inning to win the 1st game.
Defensive highlights:
-Labor Legends outfielders are hitting the cut off men perfectly. At the beginning of the season balls were going all over the field; LL quickly learned. Opposition has a runner on 1st or 1st and second and a single is hit LL outfielders get the ball in quickly and perfectly for damage control.
-3 PP up 3 down in the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 7th inning.
-Labor Legends infielders are fielding the ball cleanly, taking their time, and making accurate throws to 1st base.
-A beautiful outfield to short to pitcher covering home relay in the 4th to nail a Purple Power runner at the plate. Kelly has made multiple putouts on the season covering home but this play: perfection. Every LL player’s adrenaline was pumping after that one. Completely changed the momentum in LL’s favor.
-Dave at 1st base made an unassisted putout in the 3rd. In the 5th inning snared a screamer down the 1st base line.
-Gian, the vacuum cleaner at 3rd. 6! assists in the 1st game.
-Dara in left field, two putouts on towering pop flies. Ray three putouts in center field.
Offense
-Roberto looks like a major leaguer when he hits a single, rounds 1st base, makes the turn, and is almost a quarter of the way to 2nd base.
-Labor Legends have the art of tagging up to perfection.
-Ray: 2 for 4. Triple in the 4th , tagged up and scored a play later.
Umpire malfeasance.
-Ball hit to left field in the 2nd inning. The ball was clearly trapped (hit the ground 1st); hustling umpire ruled it an out.
Nightcap of the Doubleheader. LL v. Purple Power
It might have been expected this game would be close as well. 12 zip blowout. 5 runs scored in the 1st, 3 in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th, 1 in the 5th, 1 in the 6th. “Mercy rule” invoked in the 6th inning. “Angel Hernandez” (former MLB umpire with a very bad reputation) strike zone continues.
Defensive highlights:
-3 up 3 down in the 1st and 5th innings.
-Defensive gem by Roberto in the 1st; snared a liner to short and a ground ball he threw cleanly to 1st. In that same inning Americo in right field snared a popup around the belt.
-Unassisted putout gem by Dave in the 2nd inning.
-Three putouts by Ray in center field, one by Dara in left field, one by Miguelina at 2nd base.
Offensive
-Dara. 4 for 4, scored once on an error by the left fielder and once on an error by the third baseman.
-Miguelina. 3 for 3. Singled to center, advanced on an error (see Carl below) eventually scored on a single.
-Carl. 2 for 3. Reached on an error in the 5th.
-Roberto. 3 for 4. Scored twice.
It’s been an honor and a privilege scoring for Labor Legends and writing up these games. Thank you for all for your support, up to and including President Wells. This team has grown exponentially since it was 2 and 2. This team has learned and grown from its mistakes and taken advantage of the mistakes made by opponents. While I thank all of you who have complimented me on my scorekeeping I have to acknowledge Chance. The electronic application he uses is not perfect but has been an invaluable backup. Particularly gratifying has been my ability to throw the ball around in stroke inducing heat and suffer no ill effects other than dehydration. Doris, Pauline, Mary Osorio, Assemblywoman Reyes, Andrea, Roberto, my coworker Tiffaney Everett, Derrick, Danielle, Nola, Isaac, Maikude; all have expressed their support. I can’t say much more about Roberto I have already said but his management of this team could be a textbook model in a college management class. To build a team from scratch, handle all the logistics with the league, provide constant leadership throughout, and deal with my obsessive-compulsiveness about getting a lineup from the opposition, Roberto did dandy. Teamwork, all for one and for all. Hopefully Labor Legends will continue for years to come.
Reported by Nat Weiner, 8/13/2025
