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2024 World Series - Charles - 01-20-2026
The 2024 World Series was a clash of titans. The American League’s Higglytown Heroes won 118 games and led the majors in runs allowed, while the Delaware Red Knots won 104 and paced the National League in both runs scored and runs allowed. With teams this evenly matched, you’d expect a tight series. Which we got; but no one would have predicted what actually happened.
Things began on Halloween night in Higglytown, with the Red Knots sending Yusei Kikuchi (16-8 in the regular season) against the majors’ win leader, Dylan Cease (22-2). Alex Bregman struck first for the visitors with an RBI double in the fourth, but Hero Carlos Santana evened the score with a blast in the bottom of the frame. There things stood until Delaware’s Marcel Ozuna (remember his name) launched a bomb to break the deadlock in the 8th and send the visitors to a 2-1 victory.
The Red Knots looked to extend their series lead behind Kutter Crawford (16-7). They looked poised to do just that as they chased Heroes starter Chris Sale (18-5) in the second. Marcel Ozuna extended the Delaware lead to 4-1 with a dinger in the 4th. But Higglytown battled back with two of their own in the 4th, and then took the lead on an Ian Happ round tripper in the 6th. The Higglytown bullpen held on to preserve a 7-5 win that evened the series.
The proceedings moved to Delaware, where the Heroes tried to continue their momentum behind Bailey Ober (19-5), while Red Knot Hunter Greene (10-6) looked to thrill the home crowd with his mound ministrations. Delaware again built a 4-1 lead behind – what else – an Ozuna longball, but the Heroes once again fought back, levelling the score on a Christian Walker roundtripper. But as nature abhors a vacuum, so Marcel Ozuna abhors a tie game, and his 5th inning smash gave Delaware a 5-4 lead. Relief aces Brant Hurter and Joel Payamps would do the rest and shift the series lead back the Red Knots’ way.
Delaware looked to extend that lead behind righthander Bryan Woo (7-5), while Higglytown pinned its hopes on the left arm of Sean Manea (17-6). Three Heroes blasts put the visitors on top 3-2 going into the seventh until…well, you know. Ozuna hits his fifth home run in 14 AB, sending the Red Knot faithful into delirium, and Delaware to another 5-4 triumph.
With a series end on the line, both teams turned to Game 1 aces Cease and Kikuchi. Another pitching duel ensued, with a scoreless game until the teams traded runs in the 6th. The Heroes grabbed a spark of life on a Max Muncy pinch hit RBI single in the 7th, and held on to win 2-1 and send the series back to Higglytown.
The Heroes turned back to lefty ace Sale for Game 6. Once again, Red Knots bats got to Sale, opening up a 3-0 lead through two. On the other side, Delaware’s Crawford was marvelous, taking a perfect game into the 5th. Higglytown broke up the perfecto and brought the game to 3-2, but an Oniel Cruz blast gave the visitors an insurance run. The Heroes narrowed the lead, and Higglytown hopes soared when Trevor Story opened the bottom of the 8th with a triple. But Red Knot Daniel Hudson notched two clutch strikeouts and got Ramirez to line out to snuff the threat. Delaware sent Payamps to the mound in the 9th to close the 4-3 lead and the series. But a little magic remained in Higglytown, as Muncy slammed a shot to right to tie the game, and doubles by Wilyer Abreu and Yainer Diaz produced an improbable 5-4 decision to force a deciding Game 7.
The rubber match featured a rematch of Greene and Ober. Both hurlers had shaky outings in Game 3, but this was a different story. Happ put the home team ahead with a 3rd inning longball, but Alex Bregman evened the tally with an RBI double the next inning. From there, both teams threatened but could not break through – Hero Alex Call nabbed Ozuna at the plate in the 6th, and Red Knot Collin Snider caught Cesar Tovar napping at second in the 8th. Higglytown’s Kris Bubic held the Delaware bats at bay, and the game went to the bottom of the ninth tied 1-1. Fans around the country watched from the edge of their seats as Hero Muncy took a Snider splitter deep to right, to walk off the series for Higglytown.
Words cannot do justice to this series – three games were 2-1, three were 5-4, and the remaining game was just a two run margin. The longball reigned supreme, as the teams combined for 20 roundtrippers, led by five from Delaware’s Ozuna. Mike and the Red Knots deserved a victory, and Higglytown was fortunate to prevail.
As would be expected, the pitching was splendid. Yusei Kikuchi led Delaware with only three runs in 13.2 innings, while Brant Hurter threw 4.2 dominant, scoreless innings. For Higglytown, Dylan Cease tossed 12.2 innings with only two runs, and relievers Bubic, Cade Smith, Joe Jimenez, and Justin Martinez surrendered only three over 16.2 innings.
At the plate, Red Knot Marcel Ozuna reigned supreme, posting a 1.259 OPS, with 5 HR, 7 runs, and 8 RBI. Had Delaware prevailed, he would have been the runaway series MVP, and indeed, he grabbed several votes as it is. But in the end, MVP honors went to Max Muncy, who put up a 1.311 OPS and closed the series with the game winning hit in Game 5, a 9th inning, game tying HR in Game 6, and the series winning blast in Game 7.
RE: 2024 World Series - mkupfer - 01-20-2026
Congrats, Charles, and thanks for the writeup!. The series was as good as it gets, perhaps minus the part where I lost in the end. No complaints though. The Heroes squad was outstanding during the season and deserves the rings. The Red Knots were perhaps a bit exhausted after going the full distance in all three postseason series. We hope to be back in the postseason for another shot next season, but that may be a but less likely this time around.