X-President #34 Dwight D. Eisenhower (Fisher) Consults with
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Stephen G. Breyer
The Chief Executives embarked on their first state visit in May, directing X-Air-Force-One to the not-so-sleepy mini-metropolis of Attnang-Puchheim, Austria for Europe’s biggest baseball and softball tournament: Finkstonball. It was the first tournament for the Executive Branch, but the twenty first year of fun for our hosts, the Attnang Athletics (Austria’s Staatsmeister for the 2017 season).
Matched against other Group B participants “The North Baseball,” (a Canadian baseball cooperative), Team Hungary, and the Croatian Team “BK Vindija Varazdin,” your leaders of the free baseball world began the campaign just after noon on Saturday 19 May 2018 with two-hit, complete game gem hurled against Baseball Club Vindija Varazdin by crafty lefty #44 Barack Obama (Berger). X-Presidental bats took some waking up, but a two-run 7th for the Chief Executives reversed a 3-2 deficit with a single by #28 Jimmy Carter (Zeller), a five pitch walk issued to #22 Rutherford Hayers (Sedin), a pair of wild pitches by the Croatian hurler, and a single through the right side by #20 James Madison (Rubanowitz). Obama (Berger) took the mound in the 7th and delivered two strike-outs and a lazy fly ball to center field to sign the victory into law. The X-Presidents advanced to face The North Baseball in late afternoon action.
The North Baseball provided little resistance, falling to the Executive Office holders with a final score of 8-1, not least because of a knockout 6.0 inning performance by the big right-hander #34 Dwight D. Eisenhower (Fisher). Ike surrendered only three hits and struck out eight, carrying a shutout into the final inning before giving up an unearned run after a pass ball advanced one of The North’s few baserunners to second and a delayed steal put the runner within 90 feet of scoring. A rare blooper to left-center stole the shutout from Ike, though he would go on to capture the win (not to mention the “best pitcher” award for the tournament with a 0.00 ERA).
The first days campaign behind them, the X-Presidents continued their diplomatic press facing Team Hungary on Sunday morning. Led on the mound by #32 Franklin D. Roosevelt (Brot, Y.) the Executive Branch pulled ahead in the second inning, plating a slew of runs to bring the score to 5-1. After FDR delivered a shutdown half inning for the top of the third, #20 James Garfield (Murphey) belted out the long one, pulling the X-Presidents into a 6-1 lead. There was no looking back after that legislative session and the White House residents pulled ahead 12-1 before the middle of the third inning. The mercy rule was in effect, and FDR cruised into an abbreviated complete game win with the final score 12-1 in favour of the Chief Executives. The X-Presidents would glide into the afternoon with a 3-0 overall record.
With the weather holding nicely, the X-Presidents prepared to face Team Austria with power-lefty #6 John Quincy Adams (Brisentine) on the mound.
Backed up by some of the most dazzling defence of the tournament (impressive considering the amount of alcohol consumed during the State Dinner and diplomatic reception Saturday night) J.Q. would deliver a dominant State of the Union Address, racking up 14 strikeouts in 8.0 innings pitched. Austrian hitters fell repeatedly to the off-speed offerings delivered by the big lefty. By the middle of the third, the X-Presidents bats had come alive, yielding the field to the Austrian team with a 4-0 lead. Adams would carry the shut-out into the 5th before giving up a run to a blooper. By the 6th Team Austria had battled back to bring the score to 4-3 in favour of the Commander and Chiefs, managing to tie the game 4-4 in the 7th. Adams would work out of trouble to keep the game tied into the 8th, when Austria finally took the lead for the first time on the day. The score: 5-4 Austria. Playing for time, the Austrian team would find advantage in the darkening skies, as the X-Presidential hitters found it hard to pick up the baseball, stranding the tying run on 3rd with one out.
All in all a sharp showing for the first tournament action in X-Presidential history. Full statistics and Presidential histories are available in the Presidential Library below.
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