On Tuesday, September 9th, 2025, the Tottenham Oldtimers, +35 division officially started the 2025 playoffs. On opening night, 12 teams were in action; the Hurtin' Units were not one of those teams. The Hurtin' Units' first playoff game was scheduled for Wednesday, the 9th, at 7:00 pm vs. Dodge City.
All of the Hurtin' Units games are expected to be played at Coventry Park, with 2 games during the week and 2 games on Saturday. Multiple teams could walk away with the championship this season. I don't think anyone is a clear-cut frontrunner.
Let the games begin—best of luck to all the teams.
Rollin' in to Dodge.
Hurtin' Units vs. Dodge City
Playoff Game # 1- September 10th , 2025
Hurtin' Units win 11-8
Team Playoff Record – 1-0-0
Coventry Park - The Hurtin' Units' first game was against Dodge City. During the regular season, the Units played Dodge City twice, and each team had a victory, both games being won by a single run. On July 17th, Dodge City beat the Units by a score of 12-11 and on July 28th, the Units would win by a score of 18-17. Dodge City finished 10th in the standings, with the same record as the Hurtin' Units, 11-11-0.
The Units were the home team in this game; Laura C. would be the scorekeeper, and Steve would be the umpire for this game.
This game was another close match, but in the end, the Units' defence was solid and kept the Dodge players off the scoresheet. In the first inning, the Units' defence stopped the Dodge, and I think that set the tone for the game. In the bottom of the first, the Units came out on a mission, sending 9 batters to the plate and scoring 7 runs.
In the second inning, Dodge would inch a little closer, scoring 2 runs and holding the Units to no runs. In the third inning, both teams went down quickly with no runs scored. In the fourth, Dodge would tack on another 2 runs to chip away at the Units' lead, but in the bottom of the inning, the Units would score 4 more runs, highlighted by Matt Masters' second homerun of the game, Mike Belise's homerun and an RBI triple by Mike Di Matteo. The score after 4 complete was 11-4 for the Units.
In the fifth, the Units' defence was stellar again, shutting down the top of the Dodge order. The Units went down quickly at the bottom, 4 batters, 3 outs. The sixth inning saw Dodge push back, scoring 2 more runs and stranding 3 runners on base. The Units went down, 1,2, 3, in the bottom of the sixth. The score was 11-6 going into the open inning.
In the open, Dodge made another push with the top of the order. Kyle got on and scored, Lorne got out, Mark C. got on and scored, Matt and Keith would get out, and the Units would hold on for the victory.
I think winning the first game in the playoffs tends to relax teams a little; it seems to take a little bit of the pressure off and put players in the right mindset. The Units win the first game of the playoff run. Go Units!!
King of Diamonds.
Hurtin' Units vs. Diamond Kings
Playoff Game # 2- September 12th , 2025
Hurtin' Units win 18-9
Team Playoff Record – 2-0-0
Coventry Park –During the regular season, the Units only played one game against the Diamond Kings, and came away with ass-kicking. On June 2nd, the Diamond Kings came out on fire; they smashed and slashed the ball all around Keogh Park. The Units did not look good and lost by a score of 17-10. The Diamond Kings finished 15th in the standings with a 5-17-0 record.
In the Wednesday night game, we played solid defence and our offence was just a little bit better to win our first game against the Dodge City team. The Diamond Kings' win against the Units earlier in the season had me a little worried coming into the game. There are some pretty good bats on the Kings, and they could create some havoc. In the first inning, the visiting Units (we took the visitors in this game) went down quickly, and in the bottom of the inning, the Diamond Kings, led by Jon and Lucas, scored 2 runs to take an early lead. In the second inning, the Units woke up and scored 7 runs and shut the Kings down. In the third inning, the Units would score 2 more runs, and held the Kings to a single run. The score after 3 complete innings was The Units 9 and Kings 3.
In the fourth inning, the Units started to take control, scoring 6 more runs in the top and holding the Diamond Kings off the scoreboard. In the fifth, the Units were shut out; the Kings scored a single run. In the sixth inning, each team scored 3 runs. The score after six completed innings, Units 18 and Kings 7. In the open inning, the Units went down quickly, and the Kings had one more chance to catch the Units. The Kings would score 2 more runs, but in the end, they fell short, and the Units would win 18-9. The Units were now sitting 2-0-0 going into Saturday's games vs. the Gamblers and the Draft Kings.
Drafty Duckkings.
Hurtin' Units vs. Draft Kings
Playoff Game # 3- September 13th, 2025
Hurtin' Units tied 12-12
Team Playoff Record – 2-0-1
Coventry Park – The Draft Kings were another team that the Units only faced once during the regular season. On July 7th, the Drafters and Units played, and the Units would come away with a 15-14 win. The Draft Kings finished 7th in the standings, with a 13-9-0 record.
This game was a see-saw battle all the way through. The Units would score, the Kings would score; it was only fitting that the game would end in a tie. Going into the final inning, the Units were up by 2 runs and the Draft Kings would make a push and tie the game in the bottom of the inning.
This was a fun game, the Draft Kings are one of my favourite teams to play against, and they always seem to be in the mix. I look forward to playing them on Sunday.
All Bets are Off!
Hurtin' Units vs. The Gamblers
Playoff Game # 4- September 13th , 2025
Hurtin' Units win 15-7
Team Playoff Record – 3-0-1
Coventry Park – The Gamblers finished in 1st place in the standings and finished with a 15-7-0 record to win the league. The Meatballs finished in 2nd place with the same record, but the Gamblers won out with tie-breakers. During the season, the Hurtin' Units played the Gamblers twice, and both games were losses. The games were not blow-outs, but they were close, either. On June 12th, the Gamblers beat the Units by a score of 13-7, a 5-run difference. On July 22, the Gamblers did it again, this time by an 18-9 win. The Gamblers won the league, and most teams will be gunning for them in the playoffs.
This was the game I was most worried about when the schedule was posted. I really hoped we were in a position to make Sunday games when we got to this game. The Gamblers are a tough out, and if we were close to Sunday games, a loss was not going to put us out. As it turned out, the Units were 2-0-1 with 5 points, and it was the Gamblers that needed the win as they were on the bubble of elimination.
The Units got off to a quick start in this game, scoring 7 runs in the first inning and shutting the high-powered offence of the Gamblers down. In the second, the Units did not score, and the Gamblers put up a single run. In the third inning, neither team scored. In the fourth inning, both teams put up 2 runs on the board. In the fifth inning, both teams scored 3 more runs each. The score after 5 innings, Units 12, Gamblers 6.
In the sixth inning, the Gamblers would tack on another single run and get a little closer for the seventh inning. In the seventh inning, the visiting Units would score 3 more runs, widening the gap and making the Gamblers a little more nervous. At the bottom of the inning, the Units would hold off the Gamblers and put them into an uncertain position for Sunday's playoff picture.
Beer Bros. Squeak By Units.
Hurtin' Units vs. Beer Bros.
Playoff Game – Quarter Finals, September 14th, 2025
Hurtin' Units lose 6-5
Team Playoff Record – 3-1-1
Coventry Park- After knocking the Gamblers out of the playoffs, the Units were going to Sunday with an unbeaten record, 3-0-1, and we were seeded in the fourth spot vs. the fifth-place Beer Bros. The Hurtin' Units had scored 56 runs in the previous 4 playoff games for an average of 14 runs per game. What happened to the Units' bats? Was it too early on a Sunday to hit some baseballs? I don't really know what happened, but the Units could not put up enough in this game against the Beer Bros. The Beer Bros were not much better, but they scored 1 more run, and that was the difference.
In the first inning, the Beer Bros. got off to a good start, sending 6 batters to the plate and scoring 2 runs. At the bottom, the Units started with a Mike G. Double, and it looked promising. Brad and Kyle got out, Mike B hit a double, scoring Mike G., and Kevin would fly out. In the second inning, the Beer Bros. scored another 3 runs, all from the bottom of the order. In the bottom, the Units sent 6 batters to the plate. Pete flew out, Mike D. got a single, Matt got out, Jimmer got a single, Fabio got a single, and Jim R. would fly out, leaving the bases loaded. A huge missed opportunity for the Units to get back in the game. The score after 2 complete innings was 5-1 Beer Bros.
In the third inning, the Units shut down the middle of the Bros' lineup, 4 batters, 3 outs. At the bottom, the Units showed some life. Harley got out, Mike G hit a single, Brad hit a double, Kyle hit a triple and scored Mike and Brad, but Mike B. popped out, and Kevin flied out, leaving Kyle at third. In the fourth, the Units' defence shut down the Bros., 4 batters, 3 outs. In the bottom, the Units would start strong, Pete would single, Mike D would double, Matt would single, scoring Pete and Mike, Jimmer would single, getting Matt out on a fielder's choice at second, Fabio would do the same thing, Jim R., would single moving Fabio to second, Harley would fly out and the inning was over. The score after 4 complete innings was tied, 5-5.
In the fifth, Brent and Brian both got out, and with 2 out, Al Frans would double to keep the inning going, Carl would double, scoring Al from second, Danny would single, and Mark would fly out. The Beer Bros. would score a huge run late in the game. At the bottom, the Units' top of the order was coming up; they had scored 3 of the Units' 5 runs, the top went down 1, 2, 3, quickly and quietly. In the sixth inning, neither team scored a run; both teams sent 5 batters to the plate, and nobody came in to score. The Units headed into the 7th inning down by a single run with the bottom of the order coming to bat.
In the seventh inning, the Beer Bros were near the top of the order; the Units had to hold off these guys to have a chance. Brent got out, Brian got a single, Al Frans got out, and Carl flied out to give the Units a chance to tie or win. In the bottom, the Units' bottom coming up, Jimmer would hit a line drive to the third baseman for the first out, Fabio would fly out, and Jim would hit a line drive to first to end the game and end the Units' season. The Beer Bros. would go on to the semis and the finals to win the championship.
And So It Ends.
It's tough to take when we were this close. The Units had a great time this season. It may not have shown in the standings, but from the start of the season, Pete and I both believed we had a team that could win the championship. We had some good players who missed parts of the regular season, but we really thought that when our whole team was on the field, we could compete with any team in the league. In some ways, we showed it; we beat the Meatballs in the final game of the season to spoil their chance to win the league (helping the Gamblers to win the league), and we beat the Gamblers in the round robin to eliminate them from Sunday games, giving other teams the chance to win.
I really liked the players on this year's squad, a great group of guys that were fun to play with. We had 4 or 5 rookies (depending on the definition), and next season, most of these guys will be spread out across the league. I hope that they enjoyed this season as much as I did, and hopefully, most come back to play in the greatest league I've ever played in. Thanks, everyone, for a fun season.
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