Talk:Raúl Leal

Raul is mentioned in a recent IRM proposal for Jode Crutch.

Hey all - just posting here to flag that Raúl is mentioned as a part of Agan's page proposal. It's nothing too in depth, just that while they were in the hall the two bonded over their shared role on their respective teams

You can read the full draft here

I plan to add the following to Raul's page to finish his story.

Final Season, Death, and Replacement

Leal was among the first players to be swept Elsewhere by Immateria, disappearing during Season 12, Game 76 against the LA Unlimited Tacos. Search efforts were undertaken by the team and fans alike, particularly via a poster campaign shared throughout the league. Leal was found unharmed a few days later.

The relief was unfortunately short-lived. On Season 13, Day 43, Leal was targeted by a rogue umpire and incinerated, to the shock of the entire league. Scrutiny of the properties of the Iffey Jr. revealed that this loophole in the item’s Fireproof protection had always existed; that is, that the bat allowed Leal to protect his teammates, but not himself.

Accounts vary as to the details of events, but Leal was replaced on the roster by ILB newcomer Riley Firewall. Many sources relate Firewall’s recruitment to Leal’s death specifically, attributing personal or professional motive to Firewall’s impassioned, if allegedly heated, demeanor. Firewall has since spent a great deal of time (including the entire Offseason between Season 15 and 16) Elsewhere, having been swept away by immateria twice. It is unknown whether their relationship to Leal, whatever it may be, has to do with a seemingly shared susceptibility to flooding.

Posthumous Recognition

The ILB, via intern-interim defector commissioner Parker MacMillan IIIII, confirmed Leal’s death in what was widely called “one of his least offensive incineration announcements to date.” MacMillan IIIII later added that “In light of Raúl [Leal]’s storied career, the Iffey Jr. has been deemed Historically Significant and will be Preserved.”

Leal’s obituary was published in multiple Miami newspapers and even picked up by national outlet Celebrities Deaths. A memorial service was held on March 20, XX21 at the First Underwater Methodist Church of Miami’s Terrestrially Accessible Annex. Many of Leal’s surviving teammates spoke in remembrance, notably Don Elliott and Beck Whitney, who both survived incineration attempts thanks to Leal. Whitney would later announce her departure from the Dale to great controversy less than two seasons later and, while the exact reasons were never publicly shared, speculation was rampant that Whitney was struggling in the wake of Leal’s death. Attempts to confirm or deny this were met with Whitney’s typical breezy demeanor, but a source close to her said she had taken to saying that she “need[ed] a vacation from this vacation.”