American Association Baseball Insider

 Kevin Luckow (non member of IBWAA) I'm going to make this one brief. I started the day off at the paying job. After a couple of hours rest, I did the husband version of "wearing one" by going to a Snoop Dogg concert with my wife and stepson. There was more weed there than an abandoned ballpark. The playoff field is set and matchups in the West are a forgone conclusion. There is still potential jockeying in the East between Kane County and Lake Country and a tough decision to be made by the Milwaukee Milkmen. Scores from tonight: Winnipeg 11 Kansas City 9 Sioux City 13 Lake Country 4 Kane County 5 Cleburne 3 Gary SouthShore 11 Chicago 4 Milwaukee 5 Fargo-Moorhead 2 Sioux Falls 3 Lincoln 2 What's left to play for?: Kansas City: Extremely likely to choose Sioux Falls for a first round opponent. One game behind Milwaukee for top overall record and home field throughout the playoffs. Winnipeg: A good ol' fashioned Northern League like collision with the RedHawks await...

 Kevin Luckow (non meymber of IBWAA) Wow, so much to unpack. But some races got some clarity tonight. Lake Country 12 Sioux City 11 Wow, if there is a game that personifies 2026 in the American Association, this one is the poster child. It looked like a DockHounds runaway as the Hounds got out to an 8-0 lead and all was festive among the campers at Kamp Oconomowoc. But the Explorers who had every reason to call it a night would have none of it, coming all the way back to take a lead in the fifth inning. The game became a 9-9 deadlock before three walks and a Joshua Mears broken bat single scored two runs. A bases loaded walk added another run that proved to be the difference as the Explorers came back to make it 12-11 on a Yorman Rodriguez two run home run. Mears' two RBI single gave him the all time league single season RBI record, and likely the inroad to MVP honors.  The dimensions at Kamp Oconomowoc are embarrassing for a professional ballpark. It does nobody any favors. A...

 Kevin Luckow (non member of IBWAA) The playoff picture remains muddled a bit as six series wrapup with just the next four game sets left for the twelve teams in the American Association. Kansas City 5 Sioux City 4 It was the Monarchs using what they use so well at Legends Field, the long ball, to salvage the series finale with the Explorers. With the score tied at one in the fifth, a Luken Baker three run blast gave the Monarchs a 4-1 lead. The Explorers had an answer however as a Zac Vooletich two run home run tied the game at four in the seventh. Then the Monarchs used their head, as in Hudson Head, hitting a solo home run that proved to be the difference. With the win, the Monarchs will need to win just one game versus Winnipeg at Legends Field this weekend to win the West Division. The Explorers drop a game plus tiebreaker behind Sioux Falls because...... Sioux Falls 6 Cleburne 5 It was another walk off winner, this time a single by Joe Vos driving in the winning run in the bo...

 Kevin Luckow (non member of IBWAA) Another full night of American Association pennant chase baseball and the playoff picture has not become any clearer than it was when the night started. What else should we expect in this crazy season in American Association Baseball? Sioux City 11 Kansas City 2 There's a sound bite that is played at times when the Explorers radio broadcasts comes back from break when it is proclaimed "the hot dogs are ready, the popcorn's popping and the drinks are cold". They may have to add, "and the Explorers are hot" to the end of it. The X's won their fourth game in a row, their longest streak of the season and made easy work of the West leading Kansas City Monarchs. A five run fifth inning highlighted by a grand slam by Wilfredo Gimenez broke the game open. Hunter Poe got the win going seven innings, allowing two runs winning his third start in three outings as an Explorer. However the Explorers remain a tiebreaker behind Sioux ...

Kevin Luckow (non member of IBWAA) The last week of the season has begun with a full slate of games. We had some surprises and races in some spots have tightened. There was a game from June wrapped up early in the night with Fargo-Moorhead defeating Winnipeg 17-7.Let's get down to it. Cleburne 11 Sioux Falls 2 You thought it may be the Canaries night when Mike Hart led off the home half of the first inning with an inside the park home run. But it was all Railroaders from there as they looked more like the team playing for their playoff lives. The Roaders scored a pair in the fourth to take the lead and five in the sixth to take control, cruising to a win. With the loss the Canaries are only a tiebreaker ahead of Sioux City because........ Sioux City 6 Kansas City 5 (10 innings) The Explorers used the long ball to build a lead as Henry George, Jackson Van De Brake and Braulio Vasquez all homered to help stake Sioux City to a lead. But the Monarchs tied the game in the last of the ni...