Embedded Files
Written by Cory Puffett
Published August 17, 2026
It's time for the sixth edition of the Scully Cup!
After three straight seasons of the top two scoring teams of the semifinals meeting a week later in the Scully Cup, this marks the third years in a row in which the second highest scoring team was unfortunate enough to be facing the top scoring wild card team.
Check out the recap of the 2026 semifinals and the preview of Scully Cup VI below!
Players of the Week
Catcher - Liam Hicks, 7.05 points (Rich Blorstad)
1st Baseman - Pete Alonso, 12.35 points (Stephen April)
2nd Baseman - Royce Lewis, 4.65 points (Cory Puffett)
3rd Baseman - Munetaka Murakami, 6.95 points (Cory Puffett)
Shortstop - Gunnar Henderson, 10.55 points (Stephen April)
OF - Wilyer Abreu, 10.30 points (Rich Blorstad)
UTIL - Bryce Harper, 6.30 points (Stephen April)
SP - Sonny Gray, 18.10 points (Sam Martin)
RP - Josh Hader, 11.40 points (Cory Puffett)
Story
The AOA’s 2026 playoff field featured the same four teams from the 2025 postseason, though the matchups shuffled up.
Cory Puffett trailed Stephen April midway through the week before pulling even on Thursday and taking control of the matchup on Saturday with four starting pitchers all taking the mound on the same day. A final push by Dylan Cease and Trevor Rogers was an admirable effort for Stephen, but ultimately came up short as Cory punched his ticket to the Scully Cup for the first time since 2022.
In the other semifinal matchup, the AOA’s leading scorer from the regular season was as vulnerable as he’s been all season. Only three of Rich Blorstad’s seven pitcher starts exceeded five innings and his pitching staff recorded its worst WHIP since Week 4 of the regular season. Fortunately for him, he was facing Sam Martin who finished with the lowest point total among the four playoff teams thanks to the bad luck of both the worst hitting and pitching metrics of the wild card round.
Scully Cup VI Preview
We've reached the final game of the season. Two managers will face off, one looking for his third career Scully Trophy and the other looking for his first.
#2 Rich Blorstad (17-3) vs #1 Cory Puffett (17-3)
#2 Rich Blorstad (17-3) vs #1 Cory Puffett (17-3)
All-time H2H: Cory leads series 6-5
A year after Cory and Rich found themselves on the losing ends of the AOA's two semifinal contests, they flipped the story this year, running through the regular season neck-and-neck before claiming victory in their respective wild card matchups.
The only two managers to score more than 2,000 points during the regular season, they both went 17-3 despite playing in the only division with a third manager above .150 -- Sam Martin, in fact, had the AOA's third best record at 13-7 while playing in the AOA East with them.
Now they face off for the fifth time this season. Cory Puffett claimed victory in the three of their four regular season meetings, a saving grace for Rich, as it turned out. If they had flipped playoff seeds, the Scully Cup would instead feature Stephen April facing off against Cory.
Instead, the AOA East rivals get to do battle one more time in 2026. Cory is looking to win his third Scully Cup after Sam Martin tied him last year with his second AOA title. Rich, meanwhile, has improved his standings in the league every year since joining and now hopes to claim his first title after an impressive campaign.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse