Twitter (in case you don't know) is a social networking site where you have 140 characters (spaces and punctuation marks included) to answer the question "What are you doing?". If each team in The Bigs had 140 characters to sum up their seasons, it might look a little like this:
National League
Atlanta: First to win two titles. Do we get our due now?
Austin: Made it to .500. Definitely on the way up.
Cheyenne: Lost 10 in a row at a bad time. Then again, is there ever a good time?
Chicago: How do you lose 29 more games compared to last season?
Fargo: Should we just rename the Cy Young Award the Javier Henriquez Award?
Houston: 7 straight division titles and no plans to stop there.
New Orleans: -22 (scored - allowed) + losing record in division = PLAYOFFS?
Norfolk: Watching as Washington took the elevator up past us.
Philadelphia: Not good when your fans refer to a 74 win season a few years back as "The good ol' days".
Salem: Took the wrecking ball to the franchise. Total rebuilding mode.
Salt Lake City: 104 regular season wins mean nothing without 11 more in the playoffs. Only got 2.
San Juan: First two games: wonderful. Last 160: less so.
Trenton: Started the clock on the probably short Dunwoody/Salmon era. Almost enough to take out Atlanta.
Toronto: Respectable effort in final season north of the border.
Vancouver: The one-hit wonders produce yet another flop.
Washington: On the way up even before Balfour and Leonard arrive.
American League
Anaheim: Last place but in a tough division. Could have easily won more than 79.
Boise: Scoreboard operator leads the league in overtime pay.
Boston: Hitters playing wall-ball with the Monster. Pitchers playing "Chuck and Duck".
Buffalo: Went from bad to respectable. The next step is harder...
Charlotte: Hush, hush, sweet Charlotte. Don't talk about the Princesses.
Helena: Pitching coach should win an award for resurrecting Louie Martin's career.
Jackson: Would gladly trade regular season wins for playoff wins (see: Salt Lake City). Dethroning Monterrey was fun, though.
Louisville: Not a vintage Legend team, but one of two to win 7 straight divisions. Still looking to reach the summit.
Milwaukee: Missed the playoffs for the first time ever. Too cold to golf: ice fishing, anyone?
Monterrey: Snuck into the playoffs and were promptly told to leave.
New York: Dominant in one-run games. Lousy in any other type of game.
Oklahoma City: Season was a success, as they booked a trip to the playoffs. Wasn't an extended stay, though.
St. Louis: Took out Milwaukee for first division title, cruised through 2 rounds, gave Seattle all it could handle. Great effort.
Scranton: Those fierce playoff battles with Helena seem light years away after a 71-91 season.
Seattle: Cruised from Opening Day until the ALCS. Came within 2 games of a World Series win. Could very well be back.
Syracuse: Still the little brother in the Upstate NY rivalry.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Season 7 World Series
Atlanta Bandits (NL) vs. Seattle Killer Whales (AL)
The last two teams left were Atlanta, the plucky defending champions who had to stave off 5 elimination games in the first two rounds, and Seattle, the relative newcomer to The Bigs elite.
- In game 1, home team Seattle used the longball to fuel a series opening win. The Killer Whales used 6 homers (3 by former NL MVP Osvaldo Johnson) to account for all their runs in a 7-3 win. Quilvio Sanchez did his best Mariano Rivera imitation, recording a 2-inning save and striking out 5 in the process.
- Game 2 saw a reversal, as Atlanta used its power to jump on Seattle this time. Lynn Abernathy and Paul Turnbow each hit a 2-run homer to help fuel a 6-0 lead, then the Bandits hung on to win 6-4. Steven Michaels pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball for the win.
- Game 3 in Atlanta saw a dramatic comeback in the 9th inning. A Jay Walker solo homer in the 7th snapped a 4-4 tie and gave Atlanta the lead, but Seattle staged a 2-out rally and struck for 4 runs, the big hit being a Pete Duvall single to tie the game- Duvall had already homered twice. A bases-loaded walk to Jacque Puffer provided the winning margin, then Tony Burnitz provided insurance with a 2-run single to cap the scoring in an 8-5 Seattle win. It was also a costly loss for Atlanta as slugger Stan Starr injured himself striking out in the 5th and would not play again in the series.
- Game 4 was a game of missed opportunities for Seattle. Atlanta starter Fred Carter wasn't dominating, but he was good at getting out of trouble- he pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and Seattle ended up leaving 10 men on base. Albie Torres and Eric Baker both drove in 2 and Atlanta tied the series at two with a 5-0 victory.
- Game 5 was a terrible time for Seattle's Kane Grahe to have his worst start of the playoffs. He gave up 6 runs in 6 innings, 3 of them on a pair of homers to Bret Kingman, who was replacing the injured Stan Starr. Meanwhile, Steven Michaels was very good yet again for Atlanta, yielding only 2 runs in 6 innings as Atlanta won 6-2. Atlanta would need only one victory in Seattle to clinch its second straight World Series title.
- Most Seattle fans were not feeling confident about needing a big game from Miguel Benitez, the former Cy Young winner who had struggled all postseason. Benitez's undoing was his last offering, a 2-1 pitch in the 7th inning to Gregg Black which ended up in the seats for a 3-run homer to turn a 3-2 Atlanta lead into a 6-2 game. After a Denny Moss solo homer in the 8th to cut the lead to 6-3, Atlanta tacked on 5 runs in the ninth to make the lead 11-3. After Matty Eusebio got Pete Duvall to pop up to shortstop to end the game, the Bandits started celebrating on the mound.
Congratulations to Atlanta on their second straight championship and to Seattle for a fine season.
The last two teams left were Atlanta, the plucky defending champions who had to stave off 5 elimination games in the first two rounds, and Seattle, the relative newcomer to The Bigs elite.
- In game 1, home team Seattle used the longball to fuel a series opening win. The Killer Whales used 6 homers (3 by former NL MVP Osvaldo Johnson) to account for all their runs in a 7-3 win. Quilvio Sanchez did his best Mariano Rivera imitation, recording a 2-inning save and striking out 5 in the process.
- Game 2 saw a reversal, as Atlanta used its power to jump on Seattle this time. Lynn Abernathy and Paul Turnbow each hit a 2-run homer to help fuel a 6-0 lead, then the Bandits hung on to win 6-4. Steven Michaels pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball for the win.
- Game 3 in Atlanta saw a dramatic comeback in the 9th inning. A Jay Walker solo homer in the 7th snapped a 4-4 tie and gave Atlanta the lead, but Seattle staged a 2-out rally and struck for 4 runs, the big hit being a Pete Duvall single to tie the game- Duvall had already homered twice. A bases-loaded walk to Jacque Puffer provided the winning margin, then Tony Burnitz provided insurance with a 2-run single to cap the scoring in an 8-5 Seattle win. It was also a costly loss for Atlanta as slugger Stan Starr injured himself striking out in the 5th and would not play again in the series.
- Game 4 was a game of missed opportunities for Seattle. Atlanta starter Fred Carter wasn't dominating, but he was good at getting out of trouble- he pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and Seattle ended up leaving 10 men on base. Albie Torres and Eric Baker both drove in 2 and Atlanta tied the series at two with a 5-0 victory.
- Game 5 was a terrible time for Seattle's Kane Grahe to have his worst start of the playoffs. He gave up 6 runs in 6 innings, 3 of them on a pair of homers to Bret Kingman, who was replacing the injured Stan Starr. Meanwhile, Steven Michaels was very good yet again for Atlanta, yielding only 2 runs in 6 innings as Atlanta won 6-2. Atlanta would need only one victory in Seattle to clinch its second straight World Series title.
- Most Seattle fans were not feeling confident about needing a big game from Miguel Benitez, the former Cy Young winner who had struggled all postseason. Benitez's undoing was his last offering, a 2-1 pitch in the 7th inning to Gregg Black which ended up in the seats for a 3-run homer to turn a 3-2 Atlanta lead into a 6-2 game. After a Denny Moss solo homer in the 8th to cut the lead to 6-3, Atlanta tacked on 5 runs in the ninth to make the lead 11-3. After Matty Eusebio got Pete Duvall to pop up to shortstop to end the game, the Bandits started celebrating on the mound.
Congratulations to Atlanta on their second straight championship and to Seattle for a fine season.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
American League Championship Series Season 7
Seattle had been the top dog in the AL all season, but St. Louis looked very good as they went 6-0 in the first two rounds. How would this ALCS turn out?
St. Louis vs. Seattle
- In game 1 St. Louis's Antonio Perez pitched a complete game, giving up 3 runs (two earned) but was done in by the home run ball; Denny Moss hit a solo shot in the 1st followed by recently named MVP Jacque Puffer's solo homer in the 8th. That coupled with Kane Grahe's great outing (7 innings, 1 run) followed by 2 innings of Quilvio Sanchez equaled a 3-1 win for Seattle.
- Game 2 saw St. Louis leave 5 runners on in the first two innings alone while Seattle scored 3 in the first, two on a Puffer triple. Junior Bennett pitched 7 shutout innings and Jack Hunt added a solo shot in the 5th to give Seattle a 4-0 victory.
- In game 3, the St. Louis bats woke up just in time. Seattle built a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the 7th, but St. Louis got a Placido Sanchez 2-run shot in the 7th and then a 3-run homer by Nick Hernandez to give Carlos Carrasco a 5-4 lead, which he held for the save. St. Louis jumped back in the series, trailing only 2-1.
- St. Louis's hot hitting from the last 2 innings of game 3 carried right over to the beginning of game 4. Seattle starter Marty Lane didn't make it out of the first inning, giving up 7 runs in 2/3 of an inning. St. Louis led 9-0 after two innings and cruised to a 10-5 victory to tie the series up at two games apiece.
- In game 5, Seattle tried to take the momentum back with 2 runs in the top of the first- a Denny Moss homer and a King Winn single got Seattle on top. But that was all they would get off Antonio Perez, who again threw a complete game. St. Louis got 7 runs off Junior Bennett, 6 of them via the homerun (4 homers, 2 by Pepe Martin) to win game 5 by a 7-2 score and needing to win just one game in Seattle to make its first ever World Series appearance.
- Game 6 saw St. Louis on the brink of winning the series, but its bullpen imploded. St. Louis held a tenative 1-0 lead until the 5th, where Pete Duvall's two-out RBI single off St. Louis starter Lloyd Freel got Seattle on the board. Reliever Vic Macias came out for the sixth and the floodgates opened right up; Seattle started the inning with 5 straight hitters reaching base safely (4 hits and a walk). After a Footsie post strikeout, Jack Hunt drove in 2 with a double and Pete Duvall followed with a 2-run homer; 7 runs were scored in the inning. Kane Grahe gave up 2 runs (only one earned) in eight innings to help lead Seattle to an 8-2 victory and setting up a deciding game 7.
- Game 7 saw the biggest crowd ever in Safeco. Miguel Benitez (Seattle) and Russell Newson (St. Louis) were tabbed to start the biggest game for both teams in their history by far. Seattle jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on a Footsie Post RBI single in the 2nd and then a Candy Krueter 2-run homer in the 4th, but St. Louis came right back with 3 in the 5th to tie the game. Benitez walked Pepe Sanchez and Nick Hernandez to start the inning, then Rico Guevara followed with a 3-run homer to tie the game; this was Benitez's last batter. Larry Canasone came in to stop the bleeding, then Seattle struck the decisive blow in the bottom of the 5th, as Kris Olson drove in Osvaldo Johnson with an RBI single and then a 1-out grand slam by defensive replacement Henry Canizaro gave Seattle an 8-3 lead, and St. Louis never got close again. They got an RBI groundout in the 7th, but couldn't put a rally together and fell 8-4. Seattle advanced to their first ever World Series and will play Atlanta.
St. Louis vs. Seattle
- In game 1 St. Louis's Antonio Perez pitched a complete game, giving up 3 runs (two earned) but was done in by the home run ball; Denny Moss hit a solo shot in the 1st followed by recently named MVP Jacque Puffer's solo homer in the 8th. That coupled with Kane Grahe's great outing (7 innings, 1 run) followed by 2 innings of Quilvio Sanchez equaled a 3-1 win for Seattle.
- Game 2 saw St. Louis leave 5 runners on in the first two innings alone while Seattle scored 3 in the first, two on a Puffer triple. Junior Bennett pitched 7 shutout innings and Jack Hunt added a solo shot in the 5th to give Seattle a 4-0 victory.
- In game 3, the St. Louis bats woke up just in time. Seattle built a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the 7th, but St. Louis got a Placido Sanchez 2-run shot in the 7th and then a 3-run homer by Nick Hernandez to give Carlos Carrasco a 5-4 lead, which he held for the save. St. Louis jumped back in the series, trailing only 2-1.
- St. Louis's hot hitting from the last 2 innings of game 3 carried right over to the beginning of game 4. Seattle starter Marty Lane didn't make it out of the first inning, giving up 7 runs in 2/3 of an inning. St. Louis led 9-0 after two innings and cruised to a 10-5 victory to tie the series up at two games apiece.
- In game 5, Seattle tried to take the momentum back with 2 runs in the top of the first- a Denny Moss homer and a King Winn single got Seattle on top. But that was all they would get off Antonio Perez, who again threw a complete game. St. Louis got 7 runs off Junior Bennett, 6 of them via the homerun (4 homers, 2 by Pepe Martin) to win game 5 by a 7-2 score and needing to win just one game in Seattle to make its first ever World Series appearance.
- Game 6 saw St. Louis on the brink of winning the series, but its bullpen imploded. St. Louis held a tenative 1-0 lead until the 5th, where Pete Duvall's two-out RBI single off St. Louis starter Lloyd Freel got Seattle on the board. Reliever Vic Macias came out for the sixth and the floodgates opened right up; Seattle started the inning with 5 straight hitters reaching base safely (4 hits and a walk). After a Footsie post strikeout, Jack Hunt drove in 2 with a double and Pete Duvall followed with a 2-run homer; 7 runs were scored in the inning. Kane Grahe gave up 2 runs (only one earned) in eight innings to help lead Seattle to an 8-2 victory and setting up a deciding game 7.
- Game 7 saw the biggest crowd ever in Safeco. Miguel Benitez (Seattle) and Russell Newson (St. Louis) were tabbed to start the biggest game for both teams in their history by far. Seattle jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on a Footsie Post RBI single in the 2nd and then a Candy Krueter 2-run homer in the 4th, but St. Louis came right back with 3 in the 5th to tie the game. Benitez walked Pepe Sanchez and Nick Hernandez to start the inning, then Rico Guevara followed with a 3-run homer to tie the game; this was Benitez's last batter. Larry Canasone came in to stop the bleeding, then Seattle struck the decisive blow in the bottom of the 5th, as Kris Olson drove in Osvaldo Johnson with an RBI single and then a 1-out grand slam by defensive replacement Henry Canizaro gave Seattle an 8-3 lead, and St. Louis never got close again. They got an RBI groundout in the 7th, but couldn't put a rally together and fell 8-4. Seattle advanced to their first ever World Series and will play Atlanta.
National League Championship Series Season 7
Atlanta vs. Fargo seemed to be an appropriate NLCS matchup, since these two teams are the last two World Series winners.
Atlanta vs. Fargo
- Game 1 saw an interesting decision by Fargo to start Sammy Pierce instead of Javier Henriquez. Henriquez won his 4th Cy Young this season (3rd consecutive), but struggled against Houston, whereas the less decorated Pierce was outstanding. Pierce tried to silence the critics by giving the Dirtbags a 2-0 lead in the second with a bases-loaded, 2-out single. But Atlanta struck back with 4 in the very next inning, as Ryan Snyder stepped up with the same situation (bases loaded, two outs) and launced a grand slam well over the 335 foot sign in left field. That would be all Atlanta starter Fred Carter would need, as he went 7 giving up just those two runs. Rico Mangual and Tex Howell each pitched a perfect inning for a 4-2 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.
- Game 2 saw the return of Henriquez to form. Atlanta started Stone Curtis, who gave up back-to-back solo homers in the 1st to Ricardo Martinez and David Rushford, but was very good after that. Problem for Curtis was that Henriquez was just a bit better, going 6 innings (same as Curtis) giving up only 1 run (on a 3rd inning Jason Walker homer). Chris Siddall and Bert Price shut the door over the last 3 innings as Fargo won 2-1 and tied the series at a game apiece.
- As the venue shifted from Fargo to Atlanta, so did the series itself. Fargo had chances in game 3, but left 10 runners on base and therefore only managed one run. Manny Christians was good, but just couldn't overcome his own offense. Atlanta scratched out runs in the 2nd and 6th and then struck for 4 in the 8th just to put the game out of reach. Atlanta won game three 6-1 to take a 2 to 1 series lead.
- Game 4 saw Atlanta pull out a nail-biting extra inning affair. Both teams traded runs in the second inning, then saw ten straight innings of zeroes for both teams go up on the scoreboard. In the 13th, Mac Sung made a mistake in his second inning of work to Stan Starr, who hit one deep to right center. Fargo CF Stan Peterson went to the wall, leaped, but couldn't come down with it and Starr pumped his fist in celebration as he rounded the bases; he had just provided the Bandits with a 2-1 victory to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
- Game 5 was similar to game 3, as the story was again Fargo leaving 10 men on base. Sammy Pierce was very good, but Stone Curtis matched his effort, and in the 8th Albie Torres and Starr went back-to-back off Fargo reliever Bert Price to snap a 1-1 tie and hand a 3-1 lead to Tex Howell in the 9th, who nailed it down to send Atlanta back to the World Series, dispatching Fargo in 5.
Atlanta's opponent would be determined in a very good ALCS.
Atlanta vs. Fargo
- Game 1 saw an interesting decision by Fargo to start Sammy Pierce instead of Javier Henriquez. Henriquez won his 4th Cy Young this season (3rd consecutive), but struggled against Houston, whereas the less decorated Pierce was outstanding. Pierce tried to silence the critics by giving the Dirtbags a 2-0 lead in the second with a bases-loaded, 2-out single. But Atlanta struck back with 4 in the very next inning, as Ryan Snyder stepped up with the same situation (bases loaded, two outs) and launced a grand slam well over the 335 foot sign in left field. That would be all Atlanta starter Fred Carter would need, as he went 7 giving up just those two runs. Rico Mangual and Tex Howell each pitched a perfect inning for a 4-2 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.
- Game 2 saw the return of Henriquez to form. Atlanta started Stone Curtis, who gave up back-to-back solo homers in the 1st to Ricardo Martinez and David Rushford, but was very good after that. Problem for Curtis was that Henriquez was just a bit better, going 6 innings (same as Curtis) giving up only 1 run (on a 3rd inning Jason Walker homer). Chris Siddall and Bert Price shut the door over the last 3 innings as Fargo won 2-1 and tied the series at a game apiece.
- As the venue shifted from Fargo to Atlanta, so did the series itself. Fargo had chances in game 3, but left 10 runners on base and therefore only managed one run. Manny Christians was good, but just couldn't overcome his own offense. Atlanta scratched out runs in the 2nd and 6th and then struck for 4 in the 8th just to put the game out of reach. Atlanta won game three 6-1 to take a 2 to 1 series lead.
- Game 4 saw Atlanta pull out a nail-biting extra inning affair. Both teams traded runs in the second inning, then saw ten straight innings of zeroes for both teams go up on the scoreboard. In the 13th, Mac Sung made a mistake in his second inning of work to Stan Starr, who hit one deep to right center. Fargo CF Stan Peterson went to the wall, leaped, but couldn't come down with it and Starr pumped his fist in celebration as he rounded the bases; he had just provided the Bandits with a 2-1 victory to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
- Game 5 was similar to game 3, as the story was again Fargo leaving 10 men on base. Sammy Pierce was very good, but Stone Curtis matched his effort, and in the 8th Albie Torres and Starr went back-to-back off Fargo reliever Bert Price to snap a 1-1 tie and hand a 3-1 lead to Tex Howell in the 9th, who nailed it down to send Atlanta back to the World Series, dispatching Fargo in 5.
Atlanta's opponent would be determined in a very good ALCS.
Early-round Playoff Synopses
It's been an interesting playoff season thus far. Here's a quick rundown on the 1st round and on the league division series (both LCS and World Series will be in separate posts and in greater detail):
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1st Round
-New Orleans wasn't given much of a shot by oddsmakers against Houston; the Riverdogs did indeed prevail in 4, but all four games were decided by two runs or less.
-Atlanta took down Trenton in the most entertaining series in the 1st round. Trenton went up 2-0 on the road behind Dunwoody and Salmon, but couldn't close the deal. Atlanta took both games in Trenton and then won game 5 in a 14-inning classic.
Division Series
- Atlanta proved that it is a team that is hard to knock out, as top-seeded Salt Lake City had two shots to take out the champs and failed. The Shakers won games 2 and 3 by one run to push the Bandits to the limit, but Atlanta won games 4 and 5 by the same 8-4 score to move on improbably to the NLCS.
- Fargo made its 4th NLCS appearance in 6 seasons by taking out Houston in a tough-fought five game set. Houston went up 2-1 by beating Cy Young Award winner Javier Henriquez twice (games 1 and 3), but couldn't solve Sammy Pierce in games 2 and 4 and in game 5 (much to the surprise of experts) Manny Christians badly outpitched Houston ace Lonny Gates for a 6-0 victory and a date with Atlanta in the NLCS.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1st Round
- St. Louis won its first ever playoff series in three straight games over Monterrey. The Sultans were shut out in both games in St. Louis and then dropped an 8-7 decision south of the border.
- Oklahoma City should have petitioned the league to play its entire 1st round series on the road. They split the first two games with Louisville, losing 5-4 and then winning game 2 10-5, but gave up 14 runs in two games at their home park to lose in four games to the Legends.
Division Series
- Louisville's series with Seattle mirrored their series with OKC, with this time Louisville splitting on the road before getting waxed at home. Seattle scored 31 runs in the 4 game set to win 3-1 and move on to the ALCS.
- Jackson's first ever division title became a little bittersweet as they failed to win a playoff game off of it. The Vipers gave up 7 straight runs to lose game 1, then the St. Louis bullpen beat them in two 1-run decisions in games 2 and 3. St. Louis marched on to face the mighty Killer Whales in the ALCS.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1st Round
-New Orleans wasn't given much of a shot by oddsmakers against Houston; the Riverdogs did indeed prevail in 4, but all four games were decided by two runs or less.
-Atlanta took down Trenton in the most entertaining series in the 1st round. Trenton went up 2-0 on the road behind Dunwoody and Salmon, but couldn't close the deal. Atlanta took both games in Trenton and then won game 5 in a 14-inning classic.
Division Series
- Atlanta proved that it is a team that is hard to knock out, as top-seeded Salt Lake City had two shots to take out the champs and failed. The Shakers won games 2 and 3 by one run to push the Bandits to the limit, but Atlanta won games 4 and 5 by the same 8-4 score to move on improbably to the NLCS.
- Fargo made its 4th NLCS appearance in 6 seasons by taking out Houston in a tough-fought five game set. Houston went up 2-1 by beating Cy Young Award winner Javier Henriquez twice (games 1 and 3), but couldn't solve Sammy Pierce in games 2 and 4 and in game 5 (much to the surprise of experts) Manny Christians badly outpitched Houston ace Lonny Gates for a 6-0 victory and a date with Atlanta in the NLCS.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1st Round
- St. Louis won its first ever playoff series in three straight games over Monterrey. The Sultans were shut out in both games in St. Louis and then dropped an 8-7 decision south of the border.
- Oklahoma City should have petitioned the league to play its entire 1st round series on the road. They split the first two games with Louisville, losing 5-4 and then winning game 2 10-5, but gave up 14 runs in two games at their home park to lose in four games to the Legends.
Division Series
- Louisville's series with Seattle mirrored their series with OKC, with this time Louisville splitting on the road before getting waxed at home. Seattle scored 31 runs in the 4 game set to win 3-1 and move on to the ALCS.
- Jackson's first ever division title became a little bittersweet as they failed to win a playoff game off of it. The Vipers gave up 7 straight runs to lose game 1, then the St. Louis bullpen beat them in two 1-run decisions in games 2 and 3. St. Louis marched on to face the mighty Killer Whales in the ALCS.
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