Hot Corners: Beginning of a Dynasty

by PRAKNASTY

After being unceremoniously fired from the Blowfish for reasons out of his control, Buck Wing was approached by the commissioner of the league to lead a new expansion team as it's manager. Making his choice, Buck must now take a team full of old and new players to the Promised Land and keep them from killing one another. Can he do it? Tune in to find out! #TheNastyOne

24. Moving On

AN: FINALLY THE NASTY ONE HAS COME BACK TO FANFICTION!

Welcome back everyone to the next installment of the Hot Corners dynasty chronicles as the team snuck into the playoffs last chapter by winning their final five games of the regular season. Now they square off against the Sirloins in the first round as the underdog three seed. And judging by the title, you've probably discovered that it didn't end well. You want to see the breakdown and what new moves are made in the offseason? Well let me show you without further adieu.

Chapter 24: Moving On

== Game 1 Sirloins ==

The first game of the postseason series would see the aces square off in lefties Connor Frazier Jr. and Manny Kays. Only time would tell which pitcher would come out on top. Buck made only one lineup change compared to the regular season lineup, Hercules Bentley would start at 1B after being signed to replace the slumping Laffeyette at the end of the season.

== Bottom of the 1st ==

The scoring started early for the Sirloins as veteran 1B Kat Stanza poked a double into the left center gap with two outs to score rookie 2B Trail Gruber who doubled earlier in the inning. The Sirloins were up 1 – 0 as Frazier bore down to get the last out of the inning.

== Top of the 2nd ==

The Hot Corners answered back quickly in the next inning as rookie 3B Vanessa Copeland tripled to the right center gap to start the inning, and Bentley hit a sacrifice fly to score her and make it a tie game at 1 – 1.

== Bottom of the 4th ==

The game would remain tied until the fourth as Frazier allowed base runners to reach second and third with only one out. 3B Madoka Hayata then squared around on the first pitch of her at-bat as the runner broke for the plate on the suicide squeeze play. It succeeded as Frazier could only go to first with the ball as the run scored to make it a 2 – 1 game. RF Juanita Hernandez then singled to left field to score the other runner and made it a 3 – 1 game.

== Bottom of the 7th ==

Through six and a half innings, Kays has only surrendered four hits and one run, while Frazier has given up three runs and eight hits. The inning started poorly for Frazier as he surrendered a six pitch walk to Hernandez, before giving up a 2B off the RF wall to SS Willard Wiggins. This would end Frazier's day on the mound as rookie southpaw Niko Plough entered to make his first career playoff appearance.

He got leadoff hitter LF Lorenzo Praline to ground back to him for the first out as both runners held at second and third. He then lost the strikezone as Gruber forced a six pitch walk to load the bases up. C Terra Lionerre then singled to left as Hernandez came in to score and made it a 4 – 1 Sirloins lead. Plough would then clutch his way out of the jam when he got Stanza to hit into a pitcher's best friend, the (4 – 6 – 3) double play which ended the inning.

== Top of the 9th ==

The score held that way to the ninth as Kays was looking for the complete game as he came back out to start the ninth inning. He retired the first batter, but then allowed 2B Kaleb McClure beat out an infield hit up the middle. This ended his day as righty Miguel Duke came out of the bullpen to try and close the game out.

Duke immediately made the situation worse as he allowed rookie DH Khalil Rogers to single into center field which brought the tying run to the plate. Copeland was coming up to the plate looking for her second hit of the contest as she worked a full count off of Duke who was fighting tooth and nail to not let the game slip through his fingers. He unleashed a curveball looking for the low inside corner, but it hung in the middle of the inside half which was Copeland's happy zone.

THWACK!

The stadium grew quieter than a funeral home as the ball jumped off the bat over the right center fence for Copeland's first career postseason homerun. The long ball tied the game up as Duke could only kick up dirt behind the mound to express how angry he was at himself. Duke cleared his head though and retired the next two batters to keep the game tied.

== Bottom of the 10th ==

Plough pitched through the ninth to get the club to extra innings, but Duke threw a clean top half of the tenth inning and Plough was definitely out of gas after three innings of relief work. Buck went to righty Binky Stevens as he proceeded to pitch a clean tenth inning to send us to an eleventh inning.

== Top of the 11th ==

The eleventh started with a bang as CF Geronimo James tripled to the right center gap as the Sirloins manager had seen enough of Duke and brought in righty Chuck Filthwick to relieve him. McClure flew out to shallow right for the first out, but the ball wasn't deep enough to score even the speedy James as he remained at third. Rogers was up next and hit a deep fly to center as it ended up being a go-ahead sacrifice fly as James walked in from third to make it a 5 – 4 game.

Copeland then singled back up the middle to keep the inning alive with two outs as the pressure started to mount against Filthwick. Bentley followed her with another single to center as Copeland advanced to second. SS Snag Roper came up next and he roped a single to right which allowed Copeland to come around and score to make it a 6 – 4 game. The rally would end there though as LF Big Country would pop out to Wiggins in shallow left field to end the inning.

Stevens came out in the bottom half and pitched a clean three up, three down inning as the Hot Corners stole the first game on the road in extra innings.

WP: Stevens (1 – 0) LP: Duke (0 – 1) POTG: Copeland (3 – 5, HR, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R)

== Game 2 vs. Sirloins ==

The club returned to the friendly confines of Red Rock Park as they looked for the series sweep as rookie Rent Hatter would make her postseason debut against veteran Bugsy Snugs.

== Top of the 1st ==

The scoring would start early once again as Stanza doubled to the left center gap with one out which brought two runners around to score. The Sirloins would end up riding these two runs to victory as the game disseminated into a pitcher's duel.

== Bottom of the 3rd ==

The Hot Corners got one run back as Bentley singled into left center field which scored a run, but he was thrown out going for extra bases which ended the inning outright before the tying run could score.

== Top of the 7th ==

The score remained unchanged until the seventh when Hatter surrendered two more runs on a two out single by Hernandez which bounced off Bentley's diving glove into no man's land in right field. This scored another two runs which grew the lead to 4 – 1.

Hatter would be removed at the start of the 8th as lefty Kyson Manning pitched two scoreless innings of relief, but Snugs pitched into the ninth as he retired the first two batters but was relieved by lefty Remington Sharp. Sharp would go on to get the last out and pick up the save as the Sirloins forced game three back at their place.

WP: Snugs (1 – 0) LP: Hatter (0 – 1) SV: Sharp (1) POTG: Stanza (3 – 4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R)

== Game 3 Sirloins ==

The loss in game two forced a winner take all game three as rookie Hassan Hester draws veteran southpaw Slip Van'Derwink whom the club defeated in the regular season. Hester was the beneficiary of the extra rest between his final start and the beginning of the postseason as his right cheek was fully healed and showed no signs of broken bones in his face. CF Batch Wilson would get the start for the slumping James, and C Stacy Staples would start today to give Oliver some rest before the next series.

== Bottom of the 1st ==

The Sirloins continued their trend of scoring in the first inning as Praline led off the game with a double to the right field corner. Gruber came up to the plate and jumped all over Hester's high curveball as he deposited it over the center field fence for his first career postseason homer. The stadium exploded into raucous cheers and chants as the Sirloins claimed an early 2 – 0 lead.

They weren't done there however as after a Lionerre lineout to Roper, Stanza homered to center field when she time up Hester's first pitch fastball over the center field fence. Her first homer of the postseason made it a 3 – 0 lead. Hester bounced back to retire the next two batters as he hoped the offense would rally behind him.

== Top of the 3rd ==

The team would answer back slightly as Rogers would hit a sacrifice fly to center to score one run as the lead shrunk to 3 – 1. Despite the run, Van'Derwink showed no signs of weakness as he cruised through the game without a care.

== Bottom of the 3rd ==

The outing got worse for Hester in the bottom half as he showed signs of never settling in after the early runs. He surrendered another homerun this time to Lionerre with one out in the inning and thankfully none on base. His meatball of a fastball was severely punished as it sailed over the left field fence as the lead grew to 4 – 1.

== Top of the 4th ==

The game got worse for the Hot Corners as Big Country came up lame trying to beat out an infield grounder in the next inning. He'd have to exit as James came off the bench to play left field.

== Bottom of the 4th ==

The Sirloins grew their lead again in their next time at bat, as Praline delivered a single with the bases loaded to score two more runs as the crowd got more excited as it appeared their team was cruising to the second round. Gruber added one more run for good measure on a sacrifice fly as the lead grew to 7 – 1. Hester fought his way out of the inning, but Buck knew leaving him in anymore would do more harm than good and planned to sub him out at the start of the fifth.

== Top of the 5th ==

Roper showed that he still had some fight left in him as he hit a bases empty two out homer over the left center fence when Van'Derwink lost his concentration for a moment. His first postseason homer of this season made it a 7 – 2 scoreline.

== Bottom of the 5th ==
Troy Harrison came out of the bullpen to make his postseason debut this year as he hoped to keep the game close. He retired the first batter with ease, but then gave up a double into the right center gap off of Hernandez's bat. Wiggins then singled up the middle as Hernandez hustled home to make it an 8 – 2 game. Praline then doubled to the left field corner for a third consecutive hit as Wiggins came in to score from first and made it a 9 – 2 game. Gruber then reached via a walk, before Harrison retired Stanza for the second out. Lionerre came up and homered for the second time today as this ball cruised over the right field corner fence to break it open officially. The Sirloins now held a 12 – 2 lead as the fans started chanting:

WARM UP THE BUS! WARM UP THE BUS! WARM UP THE BUS!

As loudly as possible to signify their belief that this game was over.

== Bottom of the 6th ==

After that disastrous last inning, Buck yanked Harrison for Plough (0.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) as he hoped the rookie southpaw could stop the bleeding. He would not as LF Spits McKinny would crank a two out double into the right center field gap as two more runs scored making it a 14 – 2 game. Praline would then homer over the left center wall as the lead swelled to 16 – 2 on his first homer of this postseason. Stanza would then single with two outs later in the inning as the lead grew to 17 – 2 as the Hot Corners could only look on in disbelief at the collapse of a once promising team happen before their eyes.

== Bottom of the 7th ==

Buck had no choice but to turn to the bullpen once again in the seventh as Binky Stevens (1 – 0, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP) entered in relief of Plough. It didn't get any better for them as McKinny would hit a one out single to right field which scored another run making it a 18 – 2 game. Gruber would then get an infield single off of Roper's diving glove with two outs to score a second run and make it a 19 – 2 game.

Van'Derwink would be relieved with two outs in the top of the eighth as the veteran corrected the mistakes he made against us earlier in the season to make it deep into his start with a lead. Remington Sharp (0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 1 SV) was tasked with getting the final four outs of the game. Lefty Kyson Manning (0.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) would relieve Stevens in the 8th and be the only Hot Corners reliever to throw a scoreless inning. That didn't matter in the slightest as Sharp got the four outs he needed to put an end to a disappointing final game which never was even close.

WP: Van'Derwink (1 – 0) LP: Hester (0 – 1) POTG: Praline (4 – 6, HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R)

== Rest of the Playoffs ==

The other first round series ended with the Moose sweeping the bottom seeded Wild Pigs (3 – 2, and 7 – 4), while the Crocodons upset the #2 seed Beewolves in three (2 – 1, 1 – 2, 14 – 12), and the Platypi upset the #1 seeded, best record holding Jacks in three games (2 – 4, 6 – 1, 7 – 2).

The second round saw the Sirloins sweep the favored Moose (10 – 3, and 4 – 2), while the Platypi also pull out the upset and sweep the Crocodons (8 – 4, and 4 – 3). The championship round saw the Platypi finish off one of the most unprecedented playoff runs by besting the Sirloins in three games to secure their first Championship in team history (5 – 1, 5 – 7, 9 – 5).

== Year 4 Offseason ==

The offseason saw the last original Hot Corners member, CF Geronimo James, declare for free agency as he was tired of the team's playoff woes and wanted to go to a winning team. The only other member of the team to declare for free agency was RP Binky Stevens as he felt he deserved more money than the just fewer than three and a half million he was making. But, looking at the stats he put up, that offer wasn't coming from Buck or owner Jimmy Patterson as both agreed he wasn't worth that much.

Targets for the team as they prepared for the start of the 32 day signing period were to address the bullpen and rotation with at least one pitcher for each, a better backup first baseman as Bentley failed to produce much in the postseason, a better backup catcher as Staples was just a stop-gap option, and also a new everyday center fielder to replace James.

== Day 10 of 32 ==

The first signing wasn't until a week and a half into the signing period, but Buck pulled the trigger on 21 year old rookie catcher Goldie Bruce from Tennessee University for a salary of $5. 9 Million. Bruce wasn't the greatest fielder or hitter, but she had good speed and a good throwing arm for a raw catcher. All she'd need was some time to develop and she'd be an excellent backup option to Oliver.

== Day 13 of 32 ==

Three days later would prove to be a busy one for the club as three players were signed within a matter of hours. The first signing was SS/IF Tyrone Stein a second year 25 year old from the other conference. Stein was a good fielder and had decent hitting traits which would allow him to fill Bentley's spot on the roster at $6.0 Million. The team also signed second year RF/OF Luke Lopside from the Wild Pigs at $5.5 Million to fill the open outfield slot left by James as the plan would be to let Wilson take over the starting role in center field. The final roster move saw 21 year old rookie closer Pumice McCarty from Alabama University be signed by the club to fill Stevens' open roster spot in the bullpen at $7.7 Million. McCarty was an all-around pitcher with a slight preference to her fastballs but she'd provide an immediate ice-cold mentality to lock down close games late. This was one of the things missing from the bullpen last season and cost us quite a few games.

== Day 16 of 32 ==

Buck made a move to release Lopside and bring in 22 year old rookie LF/OF Graysen Becker at $5.5 Million. Becker was a graduate of DePaul University and was a well rounded outfielder that would serve as a good backup for the current members as he was a better hitter and fielder than Lopside which sold the move to Buck. He was informed later in the day by Jimmy that the club only had $1.1 Million left to spend for next year's player development options which wasn't going to cut it. Buck needed to make some cuts to raise the funds otherwise he would be out of a job.

== Day 18 of 32 ==

Two days later, Buck made some moves that would shake the fan base to their very core as he started the task set forth by the owner days earlier. His first move saw him bring in 23 year old rookie CF/OF Ruth Nichols of Northwestern University to replace Batch Wilson at $6.8 Million. This move saved $400,000 and also brought in a faster, better defensive, and younger starter to build around for years to come.

The other move was the more shocking as fan favorite LF/RF Buck "Big Country" Swiner was cut for 23 year old rookie LF/OF Chopper Underhanded out of Maryland University for $7.6 Million. The move was a risky one as Underhanded was a notoriously poor fielder with a weaker arm, but he made up for it with better speed, better hitting attributes than Swiner, and he was a switch hitter. It was seen as an immediately unpopular move as the fans immediately started calling for Buck's firing on the team's twitter page, Facebook page, and on the local radio stations. Nevertheless he saved an additional $900,000 which was a big boost to next year's funds.

== Day 19 of 32 ==

The surprises continued to come out of the organization as Rent Hatter was released by the club for rookie 19 year old sidearm SP Bore McFarland out of Syracuse University for $5.8 Million. It was seen as a giving up move on the organization's part as Hatter was largely inconsistent for the most part. McFarland was five years younger than Hatter and looked more developable. Time would tell if this was a good decision or a poor one but it saved $2.7 Million which was a big plus for the time being.

== Day 21 of 32 ==

What would end of being the club's final roster move saw the release of wildly inconsistent southpaw Niko Plough for 19 year old rookie Pencile Schaefer out of Stanford University for a salary of $4.8 Million. Schaefer was about the same skill level as Plough, but had a higher accuracy on all of her pitches and threw slightly harder despite still loving her breaking balls over her fastball. It was a welcomed move as the fans were calling for Plough's ouster all season after the losses he suffered early on in what were winnable games. The move also pleased Patterson as it saved an additional $700,000.

All in all, the club saved an additional $4.7 Million which raised the player development funds to $5.8 Million. This was enough to placate Patterson as Buck was allowed to keep his job as manager. Still the team would be under close scrutiny as they let go of some fan favorites and would sport two rookie relievers, a rookie starter, and two starting rookie outfielders over previous fan favorites that were seen as the team's glue. Will they dazzle them or fizzle out and cost Buck his job?

AN: And that's a wrap on this chapter folks as the team once again loses in the first round of the playoffs. Nobody knows why, but it seems to be a mental thing with the club more than anything as they're more than talented enough to win it. We also see the last original member of the club leave in free agency, and also some fan favorites depart for newer and younger rookies. Will these guys bring a title to the fans of this club, or will the team go up in smoke? Tune in next time as we tackle the first half of year number five with this team!

Don't forget to favorite, follow, review, and share with your friends as this story literally lives off your continued interest and support. Thanks guys, catch you in the next one!

PRAK #TheNastyOne