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The soon-to-be-determined World Series champion will next week face the Little League World Series champion to determine who is truly the Ultimate Baseball Champion.
“We really showed those kids from Saipan in the LLWS last week,” said Bulldogs coach Harvey Bigelow. “We’re well-rested, and we’ve got momentum. There’s no reason why we can’t take two here at home and be well on our way to the coveted World Baseball Trophy.”
“All year, Coach has been telling us that with enough grit and determination, we’re unbeatable,” said 12-year-old star pitcher Kyle Bundy of the LLWS champion Rapid City Bulldogs, whose fastball often tops 60 miles per hour—a devastating pitch if you are 12 years old. “There’s no reason that shouldn’t hold true against the Sox or the Cardinals, except maybe that they’re twice as big as us and probably much, much better. Go Bulldogs!”
The victor of the series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals will be forced to head to Iowa on only one or two days rest. Their overworked bullpen and banged-up lineup could make the multimillion dollar payroll teams vulnerable to the scrappy Bulldogs, who receive $50 per player plus travel expenses from Dogman’s Sporting Goods. The best-of-nine series, analysts agree, is up for grabs.
“The World Series is great, no question,” said Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli. “But every kid dreams of making it to the Ultimate Baseball Championship, first as a kid, and next as a grown man. We’ve got what it takes to get past the Cardinals, but the real challenge is yet to come.”
Analysts note that the Bulldogs will have the advantages in terms of fundamentals, having put in hours of practice on fielding pop-ups, tagging up, and sportsmanship—skills often neglected by major league franchises. Conversely, the Bulldogs are relatively inexperienced when it comes to facing pitchers throwing harder than anything they’ve seen in their entire lives, and their shortstop also plays catcher sometimes. The Las Vegas line is even.
“Baseball is full of surprises,” said Deadspin writer Sandra Dawkins. “Any team can beat any other team on any given day. The Sox and the Cardinals can’t get cocky just because the Bulldogs’ arms are like tiny little matchsticks compared to theirs.”
As of press time, the Bulldogs had executed a clever trick play in the bottom of the third in Game 1 of the series to cut their deficit to 18-1.
