Forge Ahead! #1 Seed Extends Lead as Contenders Falter in Week 17!

With the trade deadline looming, Week 17 saw our #1 seed create some breathing room at the top, while some of the league's top contenders stumbled in what looked like favourable matchups. The playoff picture is getting clearer, and for some, the panic button is getting awfully tempting to press.

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MASH Monsters & Top Performers

This week's MASH crown goes to BaseOnBalls (Joel), who put on a clinic with a stellar MASH of 73-33-4! It was a dominant, well-rounded performance that led to a huge head-to-head win. Hot on his heels was Bro Bichette (Killer), who also had a monster week, posting the second-best MASH of 72-33-5. An honorable mention goes to Staff Infection (Turg) for securing the third-best MASH of 62-42-6.

Neate Secures a Dub 🏆

Let the record show that a little light can shine even in the darkest of places! While his team remains firmly planted in the league basement, this week's Homer Cup 🏆 goes to Welcome to the Jungle (Neate)! He and Bro Bichette (Zach) both launched 12 longballs, but Neate gets the hardware on the fewer At-Bats tiebreaker. It's a rare bright spot for the cellar-dweller, proving there's at least one thing he didn't fail at this year!

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Matchup Mayhem: The Official Results

Here's how the Week 17 head-to-head battles shook out:

• Ricky Vaughn (Forgy) obliterated Handsy McNasty (Ads) 9-0-1
• BaseOnBalls (Walks) crushed Raleigh Caps (G) 8-2
• Staff Infection (Jer) dispatched Bronx Bombers (DT) 8-2
• JOBU (Jordy) dismantled chicksDigtheLongball (Luke) 8-1-1
• Bro Bichette (Kilby) defeated TNTNT (The Thompson Boys) 6-4
• Welcome to the Jungle (Justin) edged The Beetle Bunch (Benny) 5-4-1

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Focus on the Big Stories: Forgy's Surge and Contenders in Crisis?

Forgy Cements His #1 Spot

While others faltered, Ricky Vaughn (Forgy) took care of business in a big way. Facing the week's worst team, he showed no mercy, cruising to a near-perfect 9-0-1 victory. This dominant win, combined with losses from the #2 and #3 seeds, allowed Forgy to significantly widen his lead atop the standings. He’s looking more and more like the team to beat.

Top Contenders Stumble Badly

It was a rough week for the teams chasing the team at the top. The #2 seed, Raleigh Caps (Garrett), lost his matchup 2-8. While his team actually put up a very respectable 3rd-best MASH, he had the misfortune of running into this week's MASH Monster, Joel.

The real story, however, was the collapse of the #3 seed, chicksDigtheLongball (The Commish). Luke's squad had a week to forget, posting a dreadful MASH score (tied for 11th in the league) and getting absolutely trounced 1-8-1 by JOBU (Jordy), a team in the bottom half of the standings. A golden opportunity to gain ground was completely squandered.

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This Week's Hard Luck Award 😢

No surprise here, this week's award goes to the aforementioned Raleigh Caps (G). Posting a top-3 MASH of 63-45-2 should almost guarantee a win. Unfortunately for Garrett, his opponent was this week's MASH Monster, BaseOnBalls (Joel), who happened to have the one team that was statistically better. It's a tough beat when your team performs that well against the rest of the league, only to be stopped by the one buzzsaw on your schedule.

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This Week's "Got Away With One" Award 🍀

We can't let Neate's head get too big... and we won't! The lucky charm for Week 17 goes to Welcome to the Jungle (Neate)! Neater's squad posted a below-average, 9th-ranked MASH. Yet, he still managed to squeak out a narrow 5-4-1 victory over The Beetle Bunch (Beeg), who actually had the better team on paper with the 7th-best MASH for the week. Snagging a win when you were statistically the inferior team is the definition of getting away with one.

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Dumpster Fire of the Week: Ads Annihilated 🔥

It was a week to forget for Handsy McNasty (Ads). A truly putrid MASH of 23-80-7 earned him the undisputed bottom spot in the league this week, in a week that featured a number of very poor scores. It was a complete failure in nearly every category. To pour salt on the wound, he was on the receiving end of a brutal 9-0-1 beatdown from the league's #1 seed. A performance like that earns you the Dumpster Fire crown with ease.

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🚨 TRADE DEADLINE FINAL CALL! 🚨

This is your final reminder: The league trade deadline is this week! This is your last chance to make a move to bolster your roster for the playoff push or rebuild for next year. Get those offers in before it's too late!

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Standings Snapshot

The gap at the top is growing!

• Ricky Vaughn (101-59-10) – Forgy pulls away from the pack!
• Raleigh Caps (94-68-8) – G holds onto second despite the H2H loss.
• chicksDigtheLongball (91-75-4) – The Commish drops a crucial matchup but remains in third.
• The Beetle Bunch (85-72-13) – Ben hangs around in the top four.
• ...
• Welcome to the Jungle (64-99-7) – Neate stays in the basement, but gets a win!

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That's the wrap for Week 17! Time is running out to make moves.

Good luck in Week 18! ☘️