It looked more like high school graduation than last rites for a two-month-old baseball circuit. Often quirky, sometimes emotional, but sprinkled with a dash of old-fashioned fun, the London Monarchs closed out the abbreviated Canadian Baseball League season with a 7-2 loss to the Trois-Rivieres Saints before 512 people yesterday at Labatt Park.
With a win, the Monarchs actually had a shot at the league's best record (based on percentage points) and the opportunity to become the only team to be awarded the Jenkins Cup.
But wins, losses and the league standings lost all meaning Thursday when CBL owners Jeff Mallett and Charlton Lui pulled the plug after only 60 days.
The game had more of an exhibition feel with multiple substitutions, little strategy and a lot more smiling faces than you usually see from pro baseball players.
"I feel bad it's over, these guys are your teammates and after two months, you can't help but get close to them," Monarchs star pitcher Todd Etler said, his eyes wet with emotion. "I'm pretty sure I will be playing somewhere, but a lot of these guys won't and that's too bad."
After the final out, the Monarchs and Saints shook hands and lingered on the field, signing autographs and hugging fans.
Monarchs left fielder and fan favourite Jorge Moreno caught the final game festivities on his camcorder.
Like a championship squad, the Monarchs posed for a group photo after the game. Though the league barely got out of the batter's box, it was a fitting ending to two months of pro baseball in London.
For the books, London finished 20-13 and wrapped up the Eastern division title on Friday night -- a day after the season was cancelled.
The Jenkins Cup will be presented to the Calgary Outlaws during Wednesday's all-star game.
The only question left is whether the players will be paid salary and full expenses by the CBL. Every player received a form letter detailing money owed and travel expenses from the league, but London's seven all-stars will be asking some additional questions on behalf of their mates in Calgary this week.
"We don't know the full story yet," Etler said. "We're going to find out in Calgary. We're going out there, not for the league, but for ourselves. We're not trying to be selfish, but the league said this game was for some of us to be looked at by other teams and leagues and we're going to do that.
"I talked to a couple of scouts for teams and organizations that told me they were going to be there and want to talk to me out there."
In an effort to end the season with class, the Monarchs' front office announced free admission on Saturday for yesterday's game. But the league got wind of it and demanded they charge for tickets (the Monarchs decided to go with half-price ducats).
Yesterday's game featured two Londoners behind the plate -- Andrew Mercier for the Monarchs and Brad Pender, who played for the Ottawa Nepean Canadiens last year, for Trois-Rivieres.
Barely anyone on either team played in their assigned positions. London catcher Kory Doan pitched a scoreless sixth inning, striking out two, but struggled in the seventh. He was relieved by first baseman/knuckleballer Yuji Nerei, who later gave way to outfielder Jeff Pietraszko. The Kitchener native pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
The fielders weren't the only ones to get in on the fun. Etler entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, was hit by a pitch and scored the Monarchs' first run.
Notes
Ever the prankster, Pietraszko coached first base in the fourth inning, caught a foul roller, pulled out a pen, signed the ball and tossed it into the Saints dugout . . . On Saturday night, tank-like Francisco Cabrera stole his first and only base in the CBL . . . London's 19-year-old Dominican pitcher Eddie Cabrera, who was originally signed to a five-year contract and struggled with his control all season, had a fitting end to his CBL career, allowing just one run and striking out the final man he faced in the ninth inning. Ironically, he pinch-hit and struck out for London's "historic" final out.
