After a long twelve-year journey to capture their first-ever 28+ championship, the Boston Cardinals needed just one season — two if you count their brief 2019 stint — to accomplish the feat in the Masters 38+ Division.

With a decisive 13-1 victory in Game 3 of the 38+ Finals, the Cardinals clinched the 2024 championship with a 3-0 series sweep of Los Gigantes, capping off a 7-1 postseason run, where they outscored opponents by a combined margin of 61-22.

After spending twelve seasons in the 28+ Division, during which they captured one championship, an aging Cardinals squad set their sights on a new challenge, making the move up to the Masters 38+ Division for the 2024 season.

It did not take long for the newly crowned champs to make their mark on the division. Led by manager Rich Slamin, the Cardinals cruised through the regular season, finishing with an impressive 13-4 record while outscoring opponents 108-53.

A force on both sides of the ball, the Cardinals ranked second in average (.344) and third in both hits (163) and slugging (.435). They also co-led the division in home runs with seven.

Julian Alvarez was the catalyst on offense, leading the team in average (.567), runs (13), doubles (5), and OPS (1.606).

On the mound, the Cardinals' pitching staff finished second in strikeouts (153), ERA (2.23), and runs allowed (53). They gave up the fewest amount of hits, just 76, and held opponents to a division-low .217 batting average.

Juan Mendoza, the backbone of the rotation, posted a 5-1 record with a 3.17 ERA. The veteran right-hander led the division in SOIP (1.88) and ranked third in strikeouts with 54. His performance earned him a third place finish in Cy Young voting, marking the fifth time in his career he has placed in the top ten.

In the opening round of the postseason, the second-seeded Cardinals faced a difficult first test, squaring off against the No. 7-seeded South Shore Mariners (6-11) in a best-of-three quarterfinal matchup.

Game 1 fell in favor of the Cardinals, notching their first 38+ postseason victory with a convincing 9-3 win. Brendan Moore (4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 10 K, BB) led the charge on the mound, surrendering two runs on five hits to go along with ten strikeouts and just one walk in 4 2/3 innings.

Early run support was the key, as the offense plated three runs in the 1st, another run in the 2nd, and five more in the 5th. Juan Sanchez (2-3, R, RBI, K), Luis Rivera (2-3, K), and Joel Torres (2-3, R, 3 RBI, HR, K) had multiple hits on the night, including a clutch three-run homer from Torres that broke the game open and helped seal the Game 1 victory.

The Mariners turned the tables in Game 2, pulling off a hard-fought 2-1 win on their home turf to stave off elimination and force a decisive Game 3.

Tom Levett (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB), who previously held the Cardinals to one run on five hits in their last regular season meeting, repeated the feat with another complete-game gem. This time, Levett allowed just one unearned run on three hits while striking out two and walking none.

Oscar Cordero (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB) pitched well for the Cardinals in the loss, escaping with a no-decision after giving up one run (unearned) on three hits in five innings of work.

In the must-win Game 3, Juan Mendoza made his first start of the postseason, going up against Tom Levett, who was making his second straight start on just two days' rest.

The Cardinals' offense found its rhythm the second time around, knocking Levett (2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, K) out of the game after just two innings. Pedro Vasquez (3-5, R, RBI, SB), Julian Alvarez (2-4, R), and Jose Toledano (2-4, 2 R) powered the offense, which put up runs in all but the 5th inning, leading to a 7-4 victory.

Mendoza (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 K, BB) earned the win, limiting the Mariners to just two runs on five hits while striking out two and walking one over six steady innings.

The Cardinals advanced on to the semifinals to face the No. 3-seeded Milton Breakers (12-4-1), a team that was making their third straight semifinal appearance and sixth in the last seven seasons.

In Game 1 of the best-of-three series, Brendan Moore (5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 7 K, 5 BB) made his second start of the postseason, going up against the 2024 Cy Young winner Brian Tanguy (6 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 4 K, BB).

The Breakers were first to get on the board, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st. The Cardinals quickly responded, plating two runs in the bottom half and two more in the 3rd to establish a 4-1 advantage.

Undeterred, the Breakers chipped away, adding runs in the 4th and 5th to narrow the gap to 4-3 at the end of five innings.

In the 6th, Yulkin German (2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 2 BB) took over for Moore and shut down the Breakers' rally with two dominant, scoreless innings. The three-time 28+ Cy Young winner allowed no hits, struck out five, and issued two walks, notching the save and sealing the 4-3 victory.

The Cardinals' No. 1 through 3 hitters each turned in a multi-hit performance, combining to go 6-for-9 with two doubles and a triple while scoring all four of the team's runs on the night.

In Game 2, the Breakers once again took an early lead, scoring one run in the 1st and three more in the 4th, highlighted by a 2-run shot from Lenyn Soto (2-2, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB) that gave his team a 4-0 cushion.

With the Cardinals on the ropes, Yulkin German made his second straight relief appearance, taking over for starter Oscar Cordero (4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, BB), who exited the game with two outs in the 4th.

German (2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 K, BB) was once again lights-out, tossing 2 1/3 hitless and scoreless innings of relief, striking out five while allowing just one walk.

His performance on the mound seemed to breathe life into the Cardinals' stagnant offense, which suddenly erupted for seven runs in the 5th, one run in the 6th, and three more in the 7th en route to an 11-4 come-from-behind win.

In the end, the Cardinals put up eleven runs on sixteen hits in Game 2. Five different players had multiple hits in the game, including German (3-4, 2 R, RBI, BB), who not only earned the vulture win on the mound but also helped fuel the offense, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

This set the stage for a dramatic finals showdown that few could have predicted. The Cardinals, bolstered by a roster featuring several former Los Gigantes stars, were now preparing to face off against their old team in a storyline almost too perfect to script.

Many of those players, now donning Cardinals red, had once been the heart of the Gigantes lineup, even winning a championship together back in 2022. With their departure, the Gigantes seemed like a long shot to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Yet, they shattered expectations, winning five of their final seven regular season games to clinch the No. 5 seed. They carried that late-season momentum into the playoffs, bouncing back from an opening loss in the quarterfinals to eliminate the defending champion Rockies (11-6) with a 2-1 series win.

Then, in a stunning semifinal series, they swept the top-seeded Bulls (14-2-1) in two games, securing an improbable spot in the Finals and a shot at the title against their former teammates.

Game 1 of the best-of-five series featured a matchup between the Cardinals' Brendan Moore and the Gigantes' George Ziegler, with both starting pitchers entering the game boasting a 2-0 record in the postseason.

The red-hot Gigantes struck first, taking an early 2-0 lead on timely RBI singles from Carlos Escano (2-4, RBI) in the 3rd and Danny Colon (1-2, RBI, K) in the 4th.

Moore (3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 K, BB) exited the game after three innings, handing the ball to Luis Rivera, who proceeded to shut down the Gigantes' offense and keep his team within striking distance.

In the top of the 6th, with the Cardinals still trailing 2-0, the offense finally found its spark. After capitalizing on two walks and an error, the spotlight shifted to Chris Deane (1-3, 2 RBI), who stepped up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Down 1-2 in the count, Deane delivered in the clutch, singling home German and pinch-runner Juan Rouge to tie the game at 2-2, sending his bench into a frenzy.

With the score still knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the 7th, Pedro Vasquez (1-4, R) started another Cardinals' rally, ripping a one-out single and quickly advancing to third on a moonshot double by Yulkin German (1-3, 2B, BB). A four-pitch walk to pinch hitter Brendan Moore (0-0, BB) then loaded the bases, paving the way for a dramatic finish.

Carlos Escano was called upon to relieve Ziegler (6.1 IP, 5 H, ER, 5 K, 4 BB) and put a stop to the Cardinals' rally. Instead, he was promptly greeted with a line-drive single off the bat of Jose Toledano (1-4, RBI) that scored Vasquez and sealed a thrilling 3-2 walk-off victory for the Cardinals in Game 1.

Rivera (4 IP, 1 H, 3 K, 0 BB) earned the win in relief, surrendering just one hit over four innings while striking out three and walking none.

In Game 2, it was the Cardinals who took an early 2-0 lead, only for the Gigantes to respond with two runs of their own, tying the game at a familiar score of 2-2 after five.

In the 6th, the Cardinals exploded for eight runs and took a commanding 10-2 lead, however, the long inning pushed the game past the field curfew time and play was suspended.

Five days later, the game resumed and the Cardinals picked up right where they left off, scoring an additional five runs in the 7th. Pedro Vasquez (4-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B) and Chris Deane (4-5, 3 R, 3 RBI) led the offense with four hits apiece, combining for six runs and five RBIs in the 15-4 Game 2 victory.

Juan Mendoza (6 IP, 3 H, ER, 8 K, BB) was credited with the win and moved to 3-0 in the postseason, giving up three hits over six innings while striking out eight and walking one. The Cardinals climbed within one win of clinching the 38+ title.

Game 3 of the series began immediately following the conclusion of Game 2, and almost as quickly as it started, it was all but over. The Cardinals wasted no time putting the game out of reach, breaking out for thirteen runs in the first three innings on their way to a commanding 13-1 victory and the 2024 Masters 38+ title.

Yulkin German (5 IP, 2 H, ER, 11 K, BB) earned the series-clinching win in his first start of the postseason, allowing one run on just two hits while striking out eleven in five innings of work.

Pedro Vasquez (3-4, 2 RBI) recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the postseason, adding three hits and two RBIs alongside teammate Juan Valle (3-3, 3 R, BB), who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored.

Congratulations to the Boston Cardinals on winning the 2024 Masters 38+ championship, and hats off to Los Gigantes on a fine season and fantastic run in the playoffs.