The Boston Havoc have won the 2023 18+ Division title, following a 3-2 series win over the defending champion Middleboro Mocka Rays in the best-of-five championship series.

This is the Havoc's fifth overall title as a franchise and their fourth title in the last seven years. They are now one championship shy of tying the Yankees/Cutters for the most titles in 18+ Division history.

Led by veteran player-manager Omar Ortiz, the five-time champs posted a division-best 16-3-5 record in the regular season, claiming the top seed in the playoffs for the second consecutive season and, in the process, earning Ortiz his second straight Manager of the Year award.

At the heart of their success was the pitching tandem of Cy Young Award winner Nick Powers (5-0, 0.21 ERA, 68 strikeouts) and John Medina (6-0, 1.05 ERA, 65 strikeouts), the Cy Young runner-up. The dominant duo combined to go undefeated in the regular season with a 0.66 ERA, accounting for 11 of the team's 16 wins.

The pitching staff, as a collective force, allowed the fewest runs (38), ranked second in both ERA (1.71) and WHIP (.992), and produced the third-highest number of strikeouts (178).

On the offensive front, the Havoc averaged a division-high 7.63 runs per game and ranked second in runs scored (145), despite playing the fewest amount of games (due to rainouts) in the regular season.

Setting the table on offense was Havoc' shortstop, Ryan Foley, who was an on-base machine, boasting an impressive .600 OBP. The 2022 MVP runner-up batted .385 (15-39), drew a division-high 17 walks, and scored the second-most runs in the division with 19.

Rookie Connor Weathers further ignited the offense with a .413 batting average (19-46), leading the team in hits (19), doubles (6), and triples (2). The first-year outfielder finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting and tied for 8th in MVP voting alongside Foley.

The Havoc's quest for glory began with a best-of-five semifinal series against last year's runner-up, the South Shore Giants (13-8-3), who entered the fray as the No. 4 seed.

In a fiercely competitive series that saw no game decided by more than three runs, the Havoc emerged victorious, taking the series three games to one and securing their ticket to the postseason finals for the eighth time in twelve years.

Their finals opponent would be determined pending the outcome of the best-of-five semifinal series between the No. 2-seeded Merrimack Valley Marlins (15-4-4) and the reigning champion Middleboro Mocka Rays (16-7-1), owners of the No. 3 seed.

After dropping the first two games of the series, including a thrilling extra-innings affair in Game 2, the Mocka Rays battled back with a vengeance. Faced with an 0-2 deficit, the defending champions went on to win the next three games in decisive fashion (22-3, 10-0, 12-1), outscoring the Marlins 44-4. The Mocka Rays were headed back to the Finals for a fourth straight season.

This set the stage for a classic confrontation between two perennial rivals, the Boston Havoc and the Middleboro Mocka Rays — marking the third time in four years that these titans of the division locked horns in the Finals, each vying to settle the score and claim ultimate supremacy.

Their rivalry began brewing over the past few years, after the Mocka Rays seized the title in 2020, defeating the Havoc (formerly the Sox) in four games. The Havoc then took back the title with a 3-2 series win over the Mocka Rays in the 2021 Finals. This paved the way for an epic series rubber match between the two storied franchises.

The opening game of the 2023 best-of-five Championship Series saw the Havoc unleash an offensive onslaught, overpowering the Mocka Rays with a resounding 14-0 victory. John Medina (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 2 BB) took center stage, tossing a complete game three-hit shutout, walking just two batters while striking out six.

The Havoc's bats were ablaze, amassing fifteen hits, with Omar Ortiz (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB) leading the charge with three hits and two RBIs. Luis Leon (2-3, R, 3 RBI, BB) chipped in with 3 RBIs, while Andrew Mateo (1-3, R, 2 RBI, BB) and Mitch Stern (1-1, 2 RBI) contributed two RBIs apiece.

The Mocka Rays responded with an 11-5 win in Game 2, tying the series at 1-1, behind stellar offensive performances from Derek Pizarro (3-4, 2 R, RBI) and Drew Boli (3-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI), who had three hits apiece and combined to go 6-for-8 with three RBIs and four runs scored.

Zachary Walker (5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 4 BB) secured the win on the hill and improved to 2-0 in the postseason, giving up three runs on seven hits to go along with four strikeouts in five innings of work.

After two high-scoring games in Games 1 and 2, Game 3 evolved into an electrifying pitcher's duel between Nick Radcliffe of the Mocka Rays and John Medina of the Havoc, with both starting pitchers going the distance.

The Mocka Rays were first to get on the board in the top of the 2nd on a Pat Yee (1-2, RBI, BB) RBI single. The Havoc quickly tied things up in the bottom half as Rommel Peguero (1-3, R, SB) stole home on the throw down to second on a stolen base attempt by Connor Weathers (0-3, SB).

The game remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the pivotal moment came in the top of the 5th. With two outs and runners at first and third, the Mocka Rays' Thomas Lenane executed a strategic move, deliberately getting himself caught in a rundown between first and second. The risky maneuver allowed the fleet-footed Tyler Ferdinand, who was on third, to await the opportune moment to sprint home and secure what turned out to be the eventual game-winning run.

The Mocka Rays went on to win Game 3 by a final score of 2-1. Radcliffe (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 2 BB) picked up his second win of the postseason, tossing a complete game, giving up just one run on three hits while striking out a postseason career-high ten batters for the second straight game.

Medina (7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 3 BB) was the tough-luck loser, suffering his first loss of the season despite allowing no earned runs on seven hits while striking out seven in a complete-game effort.

Down 2-1 in the series with their season on the line, the Havoc turned to Cy Young winner Nick Powers, who made his first start of the postseason in the must-win Game 4. The Mocka Rays countered with Jonathan Matos, another hard-throwing lefty, who was also making his postseason debut on the mound.

In a high-stakes matchup between two formidable southpaws, Powers (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 14 K, 4 BB) delivered a masterful performance, allowing just one earned run on five hits while striking out an impressive fourteen batters. Matos (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 5 BB) was equally superb, tossing five innings of one-run ball, fanning six batters and yielding just three hits.

The Havoc jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the 2nd on a Drew Dodakian (1-2, 2 RBI) two-RBI single. That lead grew to 3-0 in the top of the 3rd on a wild pitch that allowed Brendan Pounds (0-3, R, BB) to score from third.

The Mocka Rays responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the 3rd, thanks to RBI singles from Derek Pizarro (1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, SB) and Thomas Lenane (2-4, RBI). They cut the Havoc' lead down to 3-2, but that was as close as they came to pulling off the comeback.

Powers was able to shut down the Mocka Rays' offense the rest of the way en route to a 3-2 Game 4 victory. The Havoc staved off elimination and extended the series to a decisive Game 5.

Heading into the all-or-nothing game, the two franchises had met a total of 24 times in the postseason dating back to 2012, with an astonishing head-to-head record of 12-12, truly making this the ultimate grudge match. Their only prior encounter in a decisive Game 5 was back in the 2021 Finals, where the Havoc walked away with a convincing 9-0 win.

Fast forward to 2023, and history would repeat itself once more in front of an electric crowd at Trum Field in Somerville. The Havoc, leaving nothing to chance, piled on the runs early and often, scoring in all but one inning on their way to a commanding 13-1 victory in Game 5.

The Havoc captured their second 18+ championship in three years. John Medina (7 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 0 BB) delivered another complete game performance, surrendering just one run on nine hits to go along with three strikeouts. The feat earned him Playoff Co-MVP honors alongside teammate Brendan Pounds, who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and led the team in both hits and runs in the postseason.

Congratulations to the Boston Havoc on winning the 2023 18+ championship, and hats off to the Mocka Rays on a remarkable season and a hard-fought competitive series. After trading championships for the last four seasons, it will be exciting to see what transpires between these two powerhouses in 2024.

A special acknowledgement goes out to the Boston Havoc's third-base coach, Brett Rudy, who secured his first 18+ title since 2005.