A day after the second-highest combined run output in any World Series Game 1 (18 total runs, 11-7 win by the Giants), baseball purists everywhere got exactly what they wanted in Game 2, a pitching duel. Giants' right-hander Matt Cain butted heads with Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson, with one mistake pitch by Wilson to San Fran's Edgar Renteria (solo homer) the difference between them. Hits were few, walks were fewer.
So, how did it end up 9-0 Giants? How did a team that scratched and clawed for runs all season (and all postseason) turn into the 1927 Yankees?
First, a blister on a finger on Wilson's pitching hand ruptured, and started to bleed. Then Giants' third basemen Juan Uribe thunked a blooper of an RBI double into right-center field against Darren O'Day, the Rangers' first reliever, to double the score.
Then the Rangers' ship sunk faster than the Titanic in an eighth inning that was a million times worse than the Yankees 5-run eruption in Game 1 of the ALCS that took away a sure-thing win.
But, first, one has to dwell on Matt Cain. Cain, a quiet, unassuming right-hander who looks like Michael Cera (the dweeby actor from Juno and Superbad), who also happens to be one of the unluckiest guys in the world from a pitching standpoint (he pitches for the oft-offensively challenged Giants, after all, and has often been talked about with the asterisk *run support) is becoming the greatest pitching story in a postseason loaded with great pitching stories. Roy Halladay's no-hitter? Yep, got it. Tim Lincecum's 14-strikeout, two-hitter? Gotcha. Cliff Lee dominance's (until last night). Yessir. But how about 21 1/3 scoreless innings? That's where Cain is. He has allowed one unearned run, but, otherwise, has given up no homers, and has held teams to a 1 in 15 chances percentage with runners in scoring position.
Naturally, Cain chugged through the Texas lineup. He got an unseemly lucky break when an Ian Kinsler (Texas 2B) fly ball bounced off the top of the center field wall and caromed backward, back onto the field of play, for a double instead of a home run. But that was a leadoff man in scoring position. No problem. Cain ended up in the dugout with the appropriate goose-egg on the board.
Two innings before that? Michael Young and Josh Hamilton got back-to-back singles with one out, and a sacrifice moved them to 2nd and third. All the Rangers needed was a fly ball! But Cain effectively put away Nelson Cruz (pop up) and Kinsler (fly to right) to get out of it.
Zero. That's Matt Cain's career postseason ERA. 0.00. Looks pretty cool, doesn't it?
"I've been trying to work ahead in the count," Cain said afterward, having pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and receiving an earth-shaking standing ovation as he left the field. "I really tried to make sure that I made every pitch count from here on out."
When Cain left, it was still just 2-0 in the top of the eighth. Typical Giants' torture. But the Rangers dropped 38 runs on the Yankees in 6 games, and scored two runs against just Brian Wilson, the Giants' famously bearded closer, in the ninth inning of Game 1.
Again, the Rangers' ship sunk. Darren O'Day, a submarine-style right-hander, got two outs, then gave up a single to Buster Posey. Rangers manager Ron Washington summoned lefty Derek Holland-so good in shutting down the Yankees in the ALCS-to pitch to utility player Nate Schierholtz, and that was essentially the ballgame.
Let me be clear: I'm rooting for the Giants. Maybe, as an aspiring journalist, I'm supposed to remain neutral, but, I can't help it. I'm still a fan. I'm rooting for the Giants, but even I was horrified when Holland threw 11 straight balls to three hitters, walking two, and going 3-0 on the next one. He then managed a strike. Then another ball. Another walk, and a run walked in. 3-0, Giants. Holland was pulled, then Mark Lowe came in to pitch. He walked the first man he saw, Cody Ross, allowing another run to score. 4-0, Giants. The Giants then got three run-scoring hits in a row off Lowe and Michael Kirkman--a two-run single by Edgar Renteria, who added to an already impressive World Series resume, a two-run triple by Aaron Rowand, who was pinch-hitting, and an RBI double by Andres Torres. Seven runs in the innings. Seven runs with two outs. 9-0 Giants. Then Freddy Sanchez struck out swinging.
It was so wide-open that Guillermo Mota, a hard-throwing righty who hadn't pitched the entire postseason, came on to pitch the ninth, allowed a walk, and yet nobody got active in the bullpen. Didn't need to. He got the third out.
Now the Giants are up 2-0 as we head back to Texas. They've been beaten 11-7 and 9-0, and it hasn't even been that close. Their two best pitchers have lost. And they're facing a Giants' squad that knows how to torture.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Giants Baseball=Torture, October 28, 2010
Because of their tendency to play close games that are decided late, with much twisting of the stomach muscles and clenching of the fists, the San Francisco Giants, "a group of misfits" by their own declaration, have labeled their brand of winning baseball "torture." The end of the NLCS against the Phillies was most certainly torture, in which closer Brian "The Beard" Wilson struck out Ryan Howard in the bottom of the ninth on a 3-2 count with two men on with just a one-run lead.
If it ain't broke, why fix it? The Giants stuck with the idea of torture for Game One of the World Series against the AL Champion Texas Rangers, and it worked. But this time, they tortured not themselves, or their fans...they tortured a man named Cliff Lee.
Lee, the southpaw ace of the Rangers, postseason wunderkind who entered the night with career playoff stats like 7-0 record, 1.26 ERA, in the same sentence with Sandy Koufax and Christy Mathewson, was touched for six runs in 4 1/3 innings, five in the fifth, en route to a Game One Giants' win, 11-7.
Hailed as yet another great pitching matchup, pitting Lee versus Giants windmill Tim Lincecum, the game quickly reverted from the scripted formula. Lincecum gave up three first-inning hits, and a run scored on a hard chopper by Vladimir Guerrero that bounced off Lincecum's leg into no-man's-land. Then, in what he would later call "a brain fart", he got a chopper back to the mound, saw Rangers' third-baseman Michael Young running for the plate, and ran after him. Giants third baseman Juan Uribe waited for a throw, waited, and waited. Lincecum never threw it, apparently forgetting the amount of runners on base. Fortunately for him, the next batter, Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler, grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Lincecum, who pitched a two-hit, fourteen-strikeout shut out in his postseason debut in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, gave up another run in the second, but it quickly became apparent that Lee wasn't himself either. A Michael Young error opened the door for an RBI double by Freddy Sanchez (who had four hits in this game, including three doubles in his first three World Series at-bats, a first) in the third, then rookie catcher Buster Posey tied the game with a single, but Lee pitched out of more trouble by striking out Pat Burrell and Cody Ross.
But, in the fifth inning, it all fell apart for Lee and the Rangers. By the time Sanchez hit his third double of the night, with one out, there were two runners on, and it became 3-2 Giants. Lee stuck out Posey. Two outs. Then Ross hit a missile up the middle that almost took Lee's head off. 4-2. Then Aubrey Huff slapped a single into right field, 5-2. Lee was then pulled, and he rushed off the mound quickly, looking like he wanted to duck under the tide of inevitable backlash against his first real postseason stinker. The man who relieved him, submariner Darren O'Day, promptly gave up a three-run homer to Juan Uribe, making it 8-2, and slapping Lee with seven runs, six earned.
After looking energized to start the sixth, and striking out the first two, Lincecum got into trouble, allowed two runs, and was pulled. In the process of unraveling, he took a hard Mitch Moreland line drive off the back of his left thigh. But reliever Santiago Casilla got out of it by striking out Rangers' shortstop Elvis Andrus (first World Series participant ever named Elvis), leaving it at 8-4.
In the eigth, the Giants, who were shocked and awed by their own power display when they hung six runs on the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLCS (first time they had topped four runs in about four weeks), they scored three more times, with backups Travis Ishikawa and Nate Schierholtz sandwiching RBI hits around Sanchez' mind-boggling fourth double of the night, with also drove in a run. 11-4, Giants.
While the Rangers would take on three in the ninth, including a two-out, two-run double by Nelson Cruz off closer Brian Wilson, that would be it. The Rangers surprisingly dropped Game One, their first-ever World Series game, behind the glittering left arm of their untouchable ace.
"I was trying to make adjustments," Lee, who got the loss, said. "I was up. I was down. I was in. I was out. I was trying to find it, and I was never really consistent with what I was doing."
"We know he throws a lot of strikes," Freddy "Doubles" Sanchez said of Lee. "We know he's one of the best pitchers in the game, especially in the postseason. We just wanted to attack him early."
Well, they attacked, and tortured, Lee, and the Rangers, en route to a World Series Game 1 victory. The Rangers also committed four errors, twice their misplay output in the six-game ALCS and the first four-error World Series performance since the 2004 Red Sox (who did it twice).
But the Rangers did lose Game 1 of the ALCS, and still won the series.
But the Giants did win Game 1 of the NLCS, and won the series.
Something's gotta give.
If it ain't broke, why fix it? The Giants stuck with the idea of torture for Game One of the World Series against the AL Champion Texas Rangers, and it worked. But this time, they tortured not themselves, or their fans...they tortured a man named Cliff Lee.
Lee, the southpaw ace of the Rangers, postseason wunderkind who entered the night with career playoff stats like 7-0 record, 1.26 ERA, in the same sentence with Sandy Koufax and Christy Mathewson, was touched for six runs in 4 1/3 innings, five in the fifth, en route to a Game One Giants' win, 11-7.
Hailed as yet another great pitching matchup, pitting Lee versus Giants windmill Tim Lincecum, the game quickly reverted from the scripted formula. Lincecum gave up three first-inning hits, and a run scored on a hard chopper by Vladimir Guerrero that bounced off Lincecum's leg into no-man's-land. Then, in what he would later call "a brain fart", he got a chopper back to the mound, saw Rangers' third-baseman Michael Young running for the plate, and ran after him. Giants third baseman Juan Uribe waited for a throw, waited, and waited. Lincecum never threw it, apparently forgetting the amount of runners on base. Fortunately for him, the next batter, Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler, grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Lincecum, who pitched a two-hit, fourteen-strikeout shut out in his postseason debut in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, gave up another run in the second, but it quickly became apparent that Lee wasn't himself either. A Michael Young error opened the door for an RBI double by Freddy Sanchez (who had four hits in this game, including three doubles in his first three World Series at-bats, a first) in the third, then rookie catcher Buster Posey tied the game with a single, but Lee pitched out of more trouble by striking out Pat Burrell and Cody Ross.
But, in the fifth inning, it all fell apart for Lee and the Rangers. By the time Sanchez hit his third double of the night, with one out, there were two runners on, and it became 3-2 Giants. Lee stuck out Posey. Two outs. Then Ross hit a missile up the middle that almost took Lee's head off. 4-2. Then Aubrey Huff slapped a single into right field, 5-2. Lee was then pulled, and he rushed off the mound quickly, looking like he wanted to duck under the tide of inevitable backlash against his first real postseason stinker. The man who relieved him, submariner Darren O'Day, promptly gave up a three-run homer to Juan Uribe, making it 8-2, and slapping Lee with seven runs, six earned.
After looking energized to start the sixth, and striking out the first two, Lincecum got into trouble, allowed two runs, and was pulled. In the process of unraveling, he took a hard Mitch Moreland line drive off the back of his left thigh. But reliever Santiago Casilla got out of it by striking out Rangers' shortstop Elvis Andrus (first World Series participant ever named Elvis), leaving it at 8-4.
In the eigth, the Giants, who were shocked and awed by their own power display when they hung six runs on the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLCS (first time they had topped four runs in about four weeks), they scored three more times, with backups Travis Ishikawa and Nate Schierholtz sandwiching RBI hits around Sanchez' mind-boggling fourth double of the night, with also drove in a run. 11-4, Giants.
While the Rangers would take on three in the ninth, including a two-out, two-run double by Nelson Cruz off closer Brian Wilson, that would be it. The Rangers surprisingly dropped Game One, their first-ever World Series game, behind the glittering left arm of their untouchable ace.
"I was trying to make adjustments," Lee, who got the loss, said. "I was up. I was down. I was in. I was out. I was trying to find it, and I was never really consistent with what I was doing."
"We know he throws a lot of strikes," Freddy "Doubles" Sanchez said of Lee. "We know he's one of the best pitchers in the game, especially in the postseason. We just wanted to attack him early."
Well, they attacked, and tortured, Lee, and the Rangers, en route to a World Series Game 1 victory. The Rangers also committed four errors, twice their misplay output in the six-game ALCS and the first four-error World Series performance since the 2004 Red Sox (who did it twice).
But the Rangers did lose Game 1 of the ALCS, and still won the series.
But the Giants did win Game 1 of the NLCS, and won the series.
Something's gotta give.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Dream World Series Matchup, October 23, 2010
Joe Buck shouted "The Giants win the pennant", and every dedicated baseball fan hearkened back to at least recordings of Bobby Thompson's famous 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' from 1954: "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" This time, it was San Francisco Giants closer Brian "the Beard" Wilson striking out Ryan Howard looking with two on and two out, to set off a wild celebration on the field in the middle of a stone-quiet Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia.
This World Series is truly going to be a baseball purist's dream. Maybe the ratings won't be so great, maybe it won't be played in two of the biggest cities in the country, maybe the most popular, "sexiest" players (Jeter, A-Rod, Rivera, Halladay, Utley, Howard, Rollins) won't be in it, but darn it, it will be played between two teams who earned it. The Texas Rangers finished off the defending World Champion New York Yankees in six games Friday night, and the San Francisco Giants, a ragtag crew of colorful characters who, in late August, were 6 1/2 games out of first place, with barely a prayer of making the postseason, eliminated the class of the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies, in six games just minutes ago.
The Giants won game Six, 3-2, behind an eighth-inning, opposite field home run by third baseman Juan Uribe off Ryan Madson that broke a 2-2 tie that had existed since the third inning. The Giants bullpen pitched seven innings of five-hit, shutout ball, with appearances by starters Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner, after starter Jonathan Sanchez was shaky. And, in the ninth, Wilson walked Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, but got Howard looking to end it.
Oh, don't worry: there'll be recognizable faces. There's the Freak (Lincecum), with his long hair, boyish looks, and whirling windup. There's Cliff Lee, Postseason Extraodinaire, going in Game 1 for the Rangers, 7-0 and coming off three-consecutive 10-strikeout performances. There's Josh Hamilton, the likely American League MVP, and Vladimir Guerrero, a likely future Hall-of-Famer, making his first career postseason appearance. There's NL Rookie of the Year candidate Buster Posey, a rookie catcher who has ended up batting cleanup for the Giants throughout the playoffs. There's Edgar Renteria, a veteran who ended one World Series ages ago with a walkoff RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the eleventh inning of Game Seven.
The Giants haven't been to the big dance since 2002, when they lost a heartbreaking seven-game series to the Angels (and their MVP was some guy named Bonds). The Rangers have never been-had never even won a playoff series until this year.
The Giants have scored more than four runs just once (6 in Game Four of the NLCS) in the past three weeks; the Rangers beat the Yankees with scores of 7-2, 8-0, 10-3, and 6-1. The Giants had the lowest team ERA over the past month and a half; the Rangers got wins from each of their four starting pitchers in the NLCS.
I've called both teams a motley crew. I've hinted that both teams are underdogs. Both teams are already champions. The Giants are champions of the National League, stealing the crown, first-hand, from the two-time defending league champion Phillies. The Rangers are champions of the American League, stealing the crown from the defending, and all-time champions, the New York Yankees, winners of 27 World Series. The Giants won the NLCS with grit, gut, and guile, often in one-run games of white knuckle intensity. The Rangers waited out the Yankees' starters and repeatedly shellacked a talented bullpen.
It might not be the matchup of the decade. You won't hear the word 'dynasty' uttered within ten feet of this World Series. There won't be huge celebrities. One team is ancient, one has only been around since the '60s. Neither team was expected to win their division. Neither team was expectedt to make the playoffs. Both were underdogs in the LCS.
Well, they're both here. We have to make do with what we have. And boy howdy, it's gonna be great. Game One is Wednesday.
This World Series is truly going to be a baseball purist's dream. Maybe the ratings won't be so great, maybe it won't be played in two of the biggest cities in the country, maybe the most popular, "sexiest" players (Jeter, A-Rod, Rivera, Halladay, Utley, Howard, Rollins) won't be in it, but darn it, it will be played between two teams who earned it. The Texas Rangers finished off the defending World Champion New York Yankees in six games Friday night, and the San Francisco Giants, a ragtag crew of colorful characters who, in late August, were 6 1/2 games out of first place, with barely a prayer of making the postseason, eliminated the class of the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies, in six games just minutes ago.
The Giants won game Six, 3-2, behind an eighth-inning, opposite field home run by third baseman Juan Uribe off Ryan Madson that broke a 2-2 tie that had existed since the third inning. The Giants bullpen pitched seven innings of five-hit, shutout ball, with appearances by starters Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner, after starter Jonathan Sanchez was shaky. And, in the ninth, Wilson walked Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, but got Howard looking to end it.
Oh, don't worry: there'll be recognizable faces. There's the Freak (Lincecum), with his long hair, boyish looks, and whirling windup. There's Cliff Lee, Postseason Extraodinaire, going in Game 1 for the Rangers, 7-0 and coming off three-consecutive 10-strikeout performances. There's Josh Hamilton, the likely American League MVP, and Vladimir Guerrero, a likely future Hall-of-Famer, making his first career postseason appearance. There's NL Rookie of the Year candidate Buster Posey, a rookie catcher who has ended up batting cleanup for the Giants throughout the playoffs. There's Edgar Renteria, a veteran who ended one World Series ages ago with a walkoff RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the eleventh inning of Game Seven.
The Giants haven't been to the big dance since 2002, when they lost a heartbreaking seven-game series to the Angels (and their MVP was some guy named Bonds). The Rangers have never been-had never even won a playoff series until this year.
The Giants have scored more than four runs just once (6 in Game Four of the NLCS) in the past three weeks; the Rangers beat the Yankees with scores of 7-2, 8-0, 10-3, and 6-1. The Giants had the lowest team ERA over the past month and a half; the Rangers got wins from each of their four starting pitchers in the NLCS.
I've called both teams a motley crew. I've hinted that both teams are underdogs. Both teams are already champions. The Giants are champions of the National League, stealing the crown, first-hand, from the two-time defending league champion Phillies. The Rangers are champions of the American League, stealing the crown from the defending, and all-time champions, the New York Yankees, winners of 27 World Series. The Giants won the NLCS with grit, gut, and guile, often in one-run games of white knuckle intensity. The Rangers waited out the Yankees' starters and repeatedly shellacked a talented bullpen.
It might not be the matchup of the decade. You won't hear the word 'dynasty' uttered within ten feet of this World Series. There won't be huge celebrities. One team is ancient, one has only been around since the '60s. Neither team was expected to win their division. Neither team was expectedt to make the playoffs. Both were underdogs in the LCS.
Well, they're both here. We have to make do with what we have. And boy howdy, it's gonna be great. Game One is Wednesday.
Who Dat in the World Series?, October 23, 2010
"My season? It's over: that's how I would describe it." -Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter after Game Six of the ALCS, when asked how he would describe his season.
You'll have to excuse the title. That represented the New Orleans Saints last year-and I guess it still does-but the Texas Rangers, who came into last night's game having never won a playoff series before last week, and having been eliminated in all three previous trips to the playoffs by the New York Yankees, beat the Yankees 6-1 in Game Six of the ALCS, sending the Yankees home for the winter, and making their first-ever World Series.
Vladimir Guerrero made the Yankees pay for intentionally walking Josh Hamilton in front of him three times by wracking up three RBIs, including a 2-run double in the fifth that broke a 1-1 tie and essentially won the game. Nelson Cruz belted a two-run homer immediately afterward to make it 5-1, and Ian Kinsler added a sacrifice fly next inning to reach the final margin of 6-1. Colby Lewis, who won Game 2 of this series a year after pitching in Japan, pitched eight solid innings, striking out the side in the eighth. Elvis Andrus and Kinsler made key defensive stops against the Yankees, and rookie closer Neftali Feliz, just 22 years old, struck out Alex Rodriguez looking to end the ninth, setting up fireworks, throaty roars, Ginger Ale showers, and a giant pile of Rangers on the mound.
One columnist has already written that this is the first time baseball has really gained a foothold in Texas, where football has always reigned supreme. Now the World Series will come to Arlington next week (albeit for Games 3, 4 (and, if necessary, 5) since the National League won homefield advantage in the All-Star Game), and make a once-mocked franchise history.
Phil Hughes took the loss for the Yankees, David Robertson gave up the Cruz home run to the first batter he faced, Kerry Wood and Mariano Rivera pitched scoreless ball, but other than Alex Rodriguez scoring on a controversial passed ball in the third inning, the Yankees' bats were silent. They mustered just three hits and one walk against Lewis, and nothing against Feliz. They now face an off-season where manager Joe Girardi, shortstop Derek Jeter, closer Mariano Rivera, and pitcher Andy Pettite will need new contracts. Pettite, in particular, must decide where he wants to retire or come back again.
Either way, the Yankees' world-championship defense is over. The Rangers are in for the first time (with a humble Hamilton as MVP) and are waiting on an opponent. Game Six of the NLCS (Giants lead the Phillies 3-2) will be played Saturday night in Philadelphia.
You'll have to excuse the title. That represented the New Orleans Saints last year-and I guess it still does-but the Texas Rangers, who came into last night's game having never won a playoff series before last week, and having been eliminated in all three previous trips to the playoffs by the New York Yankees, beat the Yankees 6-1 in Game Six of the ALCS, sending the Yankees home for the winter, and making their first-ever World Series.
Vladimir Guerrero made the Yankees pay for intentionally walking Josh Hamilton in front of him three times by wracking up three RBIs, including a 2-run double in the fifth that broke a 1-1 tie and essentially won the game. Nelson Cruz belted a two-run homer immediately afterward to make it 5-1, and Ian Kinsler added a sacrifice fly next inning to reach the final margin of 6-1. Colby Lewis, who won Game 2 of this series a year after pitching in Japan, pitched eight solid innings, striking out the side in the eighth. Elvis Andrus and Kinsler made key defensive stops against the Yankees, and rookie closer Neftali Feliz, just 22 years old, struck out Alex Rodriguez looking to end the ninth, setting up fireworks, throaty roars, Ginger Ale showers, and a giant pile of Rangers on the mound.
One columnist has already written that this is the first time baseball has really gained a foothold in Texas, where football has always reigned supreme. Now the World Series will come to Arlington next week (albeit for Games 3, 4 (and, if necessary, 5) since the National League won homefield advantage in the All-Star Game), and make a once-mocked franchise history.
Phil Hughes took the loss for the Yankees, David Robertson gave up the Cruz home run to the first batter he faced, Kerry Wood and Mariano Rivera pitched scoreless ball, but other than Alex Rodriguez scoring on a controversial passed ball in the third inning, the Yankees' bats were silent. They mustered just three hits and one walk against Lewis, and nothing against Feliz. They now face an off-season where manager Joe Girardi, shortstop Derek Jeter, closer Mariano Rivera, and pitcher Andy Pettite will need new contracts. Pettite, in particular, must decide where he wants to retire or come back again.
Either way, the Yankees' world-championship defense is over. The Rangers are in for the first time (with a humble Hamilton as MVP) and are waiting on an opponent. Game Six of the NLCS (Giants lead the Phillies 3-2) will be played Saturday night in Philadelphia.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Giants Edge Phillies, Yankees Head to Texas, October 21, 2010
They've got a Freak, a Kung Fu Panda, a Raging Bull, Buster Ballgame, Huff Daddy, the Beard, the Franchise, and a guy who once aspired to be a rodeo clown, but the members of the San Francisco Giants are not the cast of some new MTV reality show, or a motley crew of cartoon characters, they are driven, talented baseball players. They just out-gutted the two-time defending national champions in an epic 6-5 nine-inning thriller Wednesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the NLCS.
The Philadelphia Phillies scored four runs in the fifth inning to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead, erased another deficit later in the game with back-to-back no-out doubles by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth, had a couple calls go their way and sent their Number Two starter (Roy Oswalt) to the mound to pitch the ninth inning, but they still couldn't make a 2-1 series deficit a 2-2.
Giants catcher Buster Posey became the first rookie catcher in about 60 years to collect four hits and two RBIs (two-out RBIs, at that) in a postseason game, Aubrey Huff had three hits, the slumping, recently-benched Pablo Sandoval (the Panda) whacked a two-run double for his first postseason hit, and shortstop Juan Uribe, inserted into the game in the eighth inning despite a sore wrist, send the Bay Area into walk-off heaven with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, scoring Huff from third after hits by Huff and Posey. The Giants, who used 17 players in the game, face Roy Halladay (remember him?) tonight in Game 5.
Meanwhile, baseball's other motley crew, the Texas Rangers, ran out of Yankee Stadium magic Wednesday afternoon, collecting 13 hits but being stifled to the tune of two runs by C.C. Sabathia, Kerry Wood, and Mariano Rivera in a game that could have sent the Yankees home for the winter. Instead, it's a 3-2 series, with Game Six in Arlington looming tomorrow. Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning, and Curtis Granderson had a key hit. Rangers' starter C.J. Wilson, who pitched seven innings of shutout ball in Game One, gave up five runs in four innings to take the loss.
The Philadelphia Phillies scored four runs in the fifth inning to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead, erased another deficit later in the game with back-to-back no-out doubles by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth, had a couple calls go their way and sent their Number Two starter (Roy Oswalt) to the mound to pitch the ninth inning, but they still couldn't make a 2-1 series deficit a 2-2.
Giants catcher Buster Posey became the first rookie catcher in about 60 years to collect four hits and two RBIs (two-out RBIs, at that) in a postseason game, Aubrey Huff had three hits, the slumping, recently-benched Pablo Sandoval (the Panda) whacked a two-run double for his first postseason hit, and shortstop Juan Uribe, inserted into the game in the eighth inning despite a sore wrist, send the Bay Area into walk-off heaven with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, scoring Huff from third after hits by Huff and Posey. The Giants, who used 17 players in the game, face Roy Halladay (remember him?) tonight in Game 5.
Meanwhile, baseball's other motley crew, the Texas Rangers, ran out of Yankee Stadium magic Wednesday afternoon, collecting 13 hits but being stifled to the tune of two runs by C.C. Sabathia, Kerry Wood, and Mariano Rivera in a game that could have sent the Yankees home for the winter. Instead, it's a 3-2 series, with Game Six in Arlington looming tomorrow. Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning, and Curtis Granderson had a key hit. Rangers' starter C.J. Wilson, who pitched seven innings of shutout ball in Game One, gave up five runs in four innings to take the loss.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Swing-Dancing with the Rangers, October 20, 2010
Man, I need to stop going to bed. I'm missing all this good stuff.
Baseball games are long and slow. It's the truth. That perception is only sharpened when it's football season, when one is used to watching sports in which plays go a lot faster and there is a terminal clock dictating just how long these proceedings can last.
I get it that Cliff Lee is pretty awesome. I watched most of Game Three Sunday night, when he continued his ridiculous Bob Gibson/Sandy Koufax impression by improving to 7-o lifetime in the postseason, with an ERA in the low 1.00's, with his third 10-strikeout game this season. But no one was that surprised. After all, Lee came in with that insane postseason resume, some of it (two wins in the '09 World Series as a member of the Phillies) coming against the Yankees, and the unflappable man continues to toss. Easy. 2-1 ALCS lead for the Rangers, behind their ace.
I coulda told you all that just watching through the sixth or seventh inning. It was 2-0 when I went to bed. I saw Josh Hamilton in the first inning, putting a relaxed, easy swing on an Andy Pettite cutter, still somehow sending it 320 feet into the right field stands. I saw Pettite toughen up after that, looking like a guy who is the all-time leader in postseason wins. But Lee kept sending the Yankees hitters away like an angry man hanging up instantaneously on telemarketers.
But, in the ninth inning, the Rangers teed off against the Yankee bullpen (it wasn't a save situation, so Mariano Rivera wasn't brought in), scoring six times to make it an 8-0 game instead of a 2-0 game. Apparently, fans left the glorious new Yankee Stadium in droves. I wouldn't know. I was asleep.
So, last night, I watched two and a quarter hours of baseball, of the pivotal Game Four, the one the Yankees had to win. I saw A.J. Burnett, the Yanks' much-maligned fourth starter, who had a 10-15 record this year, pitch far better than anyone could have anticipated. He gave up two runs (without allowing a ball out of the infield) in five innings. I saw Rangers' right-hander Tommy Hunter give up a home run to Robinson Cano (on a ball that Rangers' right-fielder Nelson Cruz complained that a fan had reached over the wall and interfered with--my diagnosis? The ball was out of the park. I don't think Cruz gets that ball even if the stadium is completely empty. A fan did grab his glove, but it was after the ball had landed. The hands 'in his way' were ones trying to catch a baseball falling at them from 315 feet away.) I saw Lance Berkman, two batters later, lose a home run to instant replay umpire review, on a bomb that just barely faded foul down the right field line.
I saw Derek Jeter throw all the crap about a .270 season out the window by breaking some more postseason records, dropping a double, a triple, and a run-scored onto his already illustrious career resume. I saw a fan down the left field line bounce a foul ball off his fingertips, thus knocking the ball out of the way of Yankees' left fielder Brett Gardner, who had a clear shot. Of course, this brought up mention of the hapless Cubs' fan Steve Bartman.
But, when I went to bed, I had seen four-and-a-half innings. Burnett was doing pretty well. The Yanks had a 3-2 lead. Hunter had been chased. Yet I watched from 8:00-10:15! But that was all I saw, because, during their innings of trouble, Burnett and especially Hunter seemed to go about two minutes between pitches. Baseball can be slow. Have I said that yet?
Well, after I went to bed, Yankee first baseman Mark Texeira blew his right hamstring running to first, A.J. Burnett intentionally walked a left-handed Ranger to bring up right-handed Bengie Molina, and surrendered a back-breaking three-run homer on the next pitch. Josh Hamilton hit a home run later. Josh Hamilton hit a home run later. Sorry, did I just say that twice? Well, it's the truth. Hamilton hit homers in the seventh and ninth innings against a Yankee bullpen looking worse and worse by the day (literally). Two batters after Hamilton's second drive, Nelson Cruz sent a missile into the second deck in nearly-empty Yankee Stadium, making it 10-3, and four home runs, all in favor of the Rangers.
So, allow me to continue my metaphor from the title of this post. Everyone's invited to the parties, they start late and they end later, they can be kinda slow, but, once mere mortals have gone to bed, they open up the dance floor, and the guys from Texas hit it. Then Hamilton, Cruz, Molina, and their buddies Michael Young, Vladimir Guerrero, and Elvis Andrus clap their hands, stomp their feet, and ultimately dance around like kings of the world, who, along with party security, can't seem to do a thing about it. Oh, and there's the odd VIP appearance by Cliff Lee, the biggest party crasher of them all.
It's 3-1 Rangers in the ALCS. Yanks' ace C.C. Sabathia pitches tonight to try and save his team's season. Texeira is done for the year.
Walking with Giants
Another inexcusable pun, but in the other, equally-dramatic, but less-watched, LCS, the San Francisco Giants took a 2-1 lead in the first game Bay-side with a two-out uprising in the fourth against proven postseason starter Cole Hamels of the Phillies. High-riding folk hero Cody Ross had the first RBI hit. Aubrey Huff had the second. An RBI groundout the next inning added a third run, and so it went, 3-0 Giants. That's the way it would end. Young right-hander Matt Cain shut down the Phillies for seven innings, the bullpen did the rest, and almost no one noticed a guy named Barry Bonds sitting in the front row, because the Giants on the field are far more interesting and far less controversial.
Baseball games are long and slow. It's the truth. That perception is only sharpened when it's football season, when one is used to watching sports in which plays go a lot faster and there is a terminal clock dictating just how long these proceedings can last.
I get it that Cliff Lee is pretty awesome. I watched most of Game Three Sunday night, when he continued his ridiculous Bob Gibson/Sandy Koufax impression by improving to 7-o lifetime in the postseason, with an ERA in the low 1.00's, with his third 10-strikeout game this season. But no one was that surprised. After all, Lee came in with that insane postseason resume, some of it (two wins in the '09 World Series as a member of the Phillies) coming against the Yankees, and the unflappable man continues to toss. Easy. 2-1 ALCS lead for the Rangers, behind their ace.
I coulda told you all that just watching through the sixth or seventh inning. It was 2-0 when I went to bed. I saw Josh Hamilton in the first inning, putting a relaxed, easy swing on an Andy Pettite cutter, still somehow sending it 320 feet into the right field stands. I saw Pettite toughen up after that, looking like a guy who is the all-time leader in postseason wins. But Lee kept sending the Yankees hitters away like an angry man hanging up instantaneously on telemarketers.
But, in the ninth inning, the Rangers teed off against the Yankee bullpen (it wasn't a save situation, so Mariano Rivera wasn't brought in), scoring six times to make it an 8-0 game instead of a 2-0 game. Apparently, fans left the glorious new Yankee Stadium in droves. I wouldn't know. I was asleep.
So, last night, I watched two and a quarter hours of baseball, of the pivotal Game Four, the one the Yankees had to win. I saw A.J. Burnett, the Yanks' much-maligned fourth starter, who had a 10-15 record this year, pitch far better than anyone could have anticipated. He gave up two runs (without allowing a ball out of the infield) in five innings. I saw Rangers' right-hander Tommy Hunter give up a home run to Robinson Cano (on a ball that Rangers' right-fielder Nelson Cruz complained that a fan had reached over the wall and interfered with--my diagnosis? The ball was out of the park. I don't think Cruz gets that ball even if the stadium is completely empty. A fan did grab his glove, but it was after the ball had landed. The hands 'in his way' were ones trying to catch a baseball falling at them from 315 feet away.) I saw Lance Berkman, two batters later, lose a home run to instant replay umpire review, on a bomb that just barely faded foul down the right field line.
I saw Derek Jeter throw all the crap about a .270 season out the window by breaking some more postseason records, dropping a double, a triple, and a run-scored onto his already illustrious career resume. I saw a fan down the left field line bounce a foul ball off his fingertips, thus knocking the ball out of the way of Yankees' left fielder Brett Gardner, who had a clear shot. Of course, this brought up mention of the hapless Cubs' fan Steve Bartman.
But, when I went to bed, I had seen four-and-a-half innings. Burnett was doing pretty well. The Yanks had a 3-2 lead. Hunter had been chased. Yet I watched from 8:00-10:15! But that was all I saw, because, during their innings of trouble, Burnett and especially Hunter seemed to go about two minutes between pitches. Baseball can be slow. Have I said that yet?
Well, after I went to bed, Yankee first baseman Mark Texeira blew his right hamstring running to first, A.J. Burnett intentionally walked a left-handed Ranger to bring up right-handed Bengie Molina, and surrendered a back-breaking three-run homer on the next pitch. Josh Hamilton hit a home run later. Josh Hamilton hit a home run later. Sorry, did I just say that twice? Well, it's the truth. Hamilton hit homers in the seventh and ninth innings against a Yankee bullpen looking worse and worse by the day (literally). Two batters after Hamilton's second drive, Nelson Cruz sent a missile into the second deck in nearly-empty Yankee Stadium, making it 10-3, and four home runs, all in favor of the Rangers.
So, allow me to continue my metaphor from the title of this post. Everyone's invited to the parties, they start late and they end later, they can be kinda slow, but, once mere mortals have gone to bed, they open up the dance floor, and the guys from Texas hit it. Then Hamilton, Cruz, Molina, and their buddies Michael Young, Vladimir Guerrero, and Elvis Andrus clap their hands, stomp their feet, and ultimately dance around like kings of the world, who, along with party security, can't seem to do a thing about it. Oh, and there's the odd VIP appearance by Cliff Lee, the biggest party crasher of them all.
It's 3-1 Rangers in the ALCS. Yanks' ace C.C. Sabathia pitches tonight to try and save his team's season. Texeira is done for the year.
Walking with Giants
Another inexcusable pun, but in the other, equally-dramatic, but less-watched, LCS, the San Francisco Giants took a 2-1 lead in the first game Bay-side with a two-out uprising in the fourth against proven postseason starter Cole Hamels of the Phillies. High-riding folk hero Cody Ross had the first RBI hit. Aubrey Huff had the second. An RBI groundout the next inning added a third run, and so it went, 3-0 Giants. That's the way it would end. Young right-hander Matt Cain shut down the Phillies for seven innings, the bullpen did the rest, and almost no one noticed a guy named Barry Bonds sitting in the front row, because the Giants on the field are far more interesting and far less controversial.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Big Ben, Little Roy, and The Man Who Would Be Starter, October 18, 2010
Well it was an action-packed Sunday (and weekend, really) that gives this blog post the potential to be extremely long. I'll try to hit all the highlights.
Ohio State Capsizes
Just a week after gaining the nation's #1 FCS college football ranking in the wake of Alabama's loss to South Carolina, the Ohio State Buckeyes fell apart against the Wisconsin Badgers, who beat a #1 team for the first time since 1981. In front of a raucous home crowd, the Badgers jumped out to a 21-0 lead (including a David Gilreath touchdown on the opening kickoff). They held on to win 31-18, after it got as close as 21-18, and the crowd rushed the field after game in a sea of red.
In other key developments in the FCS, Texas beat previously undefeated Nebraska, Florida lost its third straight game, South Carolina lost to Mississippi State, Arkansas was crushed by undefeated Auburn, and Alabama recovered from their loss at South Carolina to beat Ole Miss 23-10.
The FCS Top Ten now stands: 1) Oklahoma 2) Oregon 3) Boise State 4) Auburn 5) TCU 6) LSU 7) Michigan State 8) Alabama 9) Utah 10) Ohio State
Fightin' Phils
Just as the Texas Rangers recovered from an ugly Game One loss in the LCS to win Game Two (in their case, blowing a 5-0 lead in the 8th inning to the Yankees was more like soul-crushing), the Philadelphia Phillies brushed off Saturday's 4-3 loss to Tim Lincecum and the Giants to win 6-1 last night. Starter "Little Roy" Oswalt went eight innings, struck out nine, and added a key hit and scored from second on a single, running through a stop sign from the third base coach on a close play to score. His teammates praised his grit. San Francisco's Cody Ross hit his third home run of the LCS (he had two off "Big Roy" Halladay Saturday night) in Game Two, but he was the Giants' only offense.
Tonight, the Rangers send Cliff Lee (who beat the Yankees twice in the 2009 World Series as a Phillie) against all-time postseason wins leader Andy Pettite in Yankee Stadium for Game Three of the ALCS. Tomorrow night, Giants' right-hander Matt Cain will host the Phillies and red-hot left-hander Cole Hamels in Game Three of the NLCS.
Around the NFL
In an action-packed Sunday in the National Football League, legends returned, rookies made big debuts, and the most disappointing team in the league just got worse.
First, both the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots pulled out 23-20 overtime wins, over the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, then the defending-champion New Orleans Saints showed shades of their explosive 2009 selves in a 31-6 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Seahawks surprised the Bears, the Giants beat the Lions, and the San Francisco 49ers won their first game of the year after an 0-5 start, beating the Oakland Raiders.
The two teams had little in common coming into the game, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns clashed in a huge game early in the afternoon. In 2009, the Browns beat the Steelers for the first time in 13 years, and, yesterday, they were the welcoming-back party for two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, fresh off his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Among that welcoming party was former Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, the FCS' all-time leader in wins, with 45, playing his first competitive football since the first series of the National Championship Game against Alabama (he was knocked out of the series, and the game, by a hard hit that left his throwing shoulder numb).
McCoy, the third-string quarterback, started in place of injured starter Jake Delhomme and injured backup Seneca Wallace. Staring down one of the league's best defenses, McCoy responded well, completing 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards and one touchdown while also throwing one interception and being sacked five times.
"He's going to be a good quarterback," Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior said. "He didn't have all of his weapons and he came out of it all right."
He didn't have all of his weapons because Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison (the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year) sent Browns' players Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi from the game with head-to-head hits in the same eight-minute span.
But most of the focus was on the man under center for Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger, who passed for over 500 yards in one game last season, and has won two Super Bowls, was greeted with a warm reception from fans and responded with a 16 of 27, 257 yard, three-touchdown performance that included a beauty of a 50-yard pass to Mike Wallace while backing into his own end zone on the three-yard line. He had some overthrows that were likely due to rust and adrenaline, but the Steelers looked happy to have him back in a 28-10 whaling of the Browns.
Late Sunday night, Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts squeaked by Donovan McNabb's Washington Redskins with a 27-24 victory, aided hugely by a 57-yard TD pass from Manning to Pierre Garcon immediately following a McNabb interception. Garcon made a highlight-reel one-handed, leaping, twisting catch later in the game. Indy's Joseph Addai rushed for 128 yards.
Other news came from Minnesota, in what was cheekily nicknamed "The Desperation Bowl", where the Minnesota Vikings (of Brett Favre and Randy Moss fame) faced the Dallas Cowboys (of Wade Phillips, Jerry Jones, Tony Romo, Miles Austin fame). Both teams, who won at least one game in the playoffs last year (and Minnesota was one Favre interception away from reaching the Super Bowl), came in with 1-3 records, among the worst in the league. Only5 teams have even made the playoffs after a 1-4 start in the last 20 years. Both teams were trying to avoid it. In the end, despite no Moss touchdowns and numerous hard hits on the 41-year-old Favre, the Vikings won, 24-21, thanks to 11 Cowboys penalties, including one that negated a 68-yard touchdown. The Vikings are now 2-3, the Cowboys sink to the dreaded 1-4.
Finally, Kevin Kolb made some (more) fans in Philadelphia yesterday, passing for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 31-17 torching of the Atlanta Falcons in his second full game of the year. Kolb, who was supposed to be the starter this year in the wake of McNabb's being traded to Washington, missed two and a half games after suffering a concussion in the opening quarter of the season opener against Green Bay. He was replaced, of course, by Michael Vick, who had two and a half brilliant games before leaving Philly's game against Washington with bruised ribs. After the season-opening game-which they lost to Green Bay but which had convinced Eagles' coach Andy Reid to name Vick the starter-controversy began. Reid continues to call Vick his starting quarterback, despite his injury and Kolb's performance. Vick is not expected to start next week's game against the Titans. There are rumblings that if Kolb plays well and beats Tennessee this week, he should be re-made the starter on his own merits.
Ohio State Capsizes
Just a week after gaining the nation's #1 FCS college football ranking in the wake of Alabama's loss to South Carolina, the Ohio State Buckeyes fell apart against the Wisconsin Badgers, who beat a #1 team for the first time since 1981. In front of a raucous home crowd, the Badgers jumped out to a 21-0 lead (including a David Gilreath touchdown on the opening kickoff). They held on to win 31-18, after it got as close as 21-18, and the crowd rushed the field after game in a sea of red.
In other key developments in the FCS, Texas beat previously undefeated Nebraska, Florida lost its third straight game, South Carolina lost to Mississippi State, Arkansas was crushed by undefeated Auburn, and Alabama recovered from their loss at South Carolina to beat Ole Miss 23-10.
The FCS Top Ten now stands: 1) Oklahoma 2) Oregon 3) Boise State 4) Auburn 5) TCU 6) LSU 7) Michigan State 8) Alabama 9) Utah 10) Ohio State
Fightin' Phils
Just as the Texas Rangers recovered from an ugly Game One loss in the LCS to win Game Two (in their case, blowing a 5-0 lead in the 8th inning to the Yankees was more like soul-crushing), the Philadelphia Phillies brushed off Saturday's 4-3 loss to Tim Lincecum and the Giants to win 6-1 last night. Starter "Little Roy" Oswalt went eight innings, struck out nine, and added a key hit and scored from second on a single, running through a stop sign from the third base coach on a close play to score. His teammates praised his grit. San Francisco's Cody Ross hit his third home run of the LCS (he had two off "Big Roy" Halladay Saturday night) in Game Two, but he was the Giants' only offense.
Tonight, the Rangers send Cliff Lee (who beat the Yankees twice in the 2009 World Series as a Phillie) against all-time postseason wins leader Andy Pettite in Yankee Stadium for Game Three of the ALCS. Tomorrow night, Giants' right-hander Matt Cain will host the Phillies and red-hot left-hander Cole Hamels in Game Three of the NLCS.
Around the NFL
In an action-packed Sunday in the National Football League, legends returned, rookies made big debuts, and the most disappointing team in the league just got worse.
First, both the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots pulled out 23-20 overtime wins, over the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, then the defending-champion New Orleans Saints showed shades of their explosive 2009 selves in a 31-6 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Seahawks surprised the Bears, the Giants beat the Lions, and the San Francisco 49ers won their first game of the year after an 0-5 start, beating the Oakland Raiders.
The two teams had little in common coming into the game, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns clashed in a huge game early in the afternoon. In 2009, the Browns beat the Steelers for the first time in 13 years, and, yesterday, they were the welcoming-back party for two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, fresh off his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Among that welcoming party was former Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, the FCS' all-time leader in wins, with 45, playing his first competitive football since the first series of the National Championship Game against Alabama (he was knocked out of the series, and the game, by a hard hit that left his throwing shoulder numb).
McCoy, the third-string quarterback, started in place of injured starter Jake Delhomme and injured backup Seneca Wallace. Staring down one of the league's best defenses, McCoy responded well, completing 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards and one touchdown while also throwing one interception and being sacked five times.
"He's going to be a good quarterback," Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior said. "He didn't have all of his weapons and he came out of it all right."
He didn't have all of his weapons because Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison (the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year) sent Browns' players Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi from the game with head-to-head hits in the same eight-minute span.
But most of the focus was on the man under center for Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger, who passed for over 500 yards in one game last season, and has won two Super Bowls, was greeted with a warm reception from fans and responded with a 16 of 27, 257 yard, three-touchdown performance that included a beauty of a 50-yard pass to Mike Wallace while backing into his own end zone on the three-yard line. He had some overthrows that were likely due to rust and adrenaline, but the Steelers looked happy to have him back in a 28-10 whaling of the Browns.
Late Sunday night, Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts squeaked by Donovan McNabb's Washington Redskins with a 27-24 victory, aided hugely by a 57-yard TD pass from Manning to Pierre Garcon immediately following a McNabb interception. Garcon made a highlight-reel one-handed, leaping, twisting catch later in the game. Indy's Joseph Addai rushed for 128 yards.
Other news came from Minnesota, in what was cheekily nicknamed "The Desperation Bowl", where the Minnesota Vikings (of Brett Favre and Randy Moss fame) faced the Dallas Cowboys (of Wade Phillips, Jerry Jones, Tony Romo, Miles Austin fame). Both teams, who won at least one game in the playoffs last year (and Minnesota was one Favre interception away from reaching the Super Bowl), came in with 1-3 records, among the worst in the league. Only5 teams have even made the playoffs after a 1-4 start in the last 20 years. Both teams were trying to avoid it. In the end, despite no Moss touchdowns and numerous hard hits on the 41-year-old Favre, the Vikings won, 24-21, thanks to 11 Cowboys penalties, including one that negated a 68-yard touchdown. The Vikings are now 2-3, the Cowboys sink to the dreaded 1-4.
Finally, Kevin Kolb made some (more) fans in Philadelphia yesterday, passing for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 31-17 torching of the Atlanta Falcons in his second full game of the year. Kolb, who was supposed to be the starter this year in the wake of McNabb's being traded to Washington, missed two and a half games after suffering a concussion in the opening quarter of the season opener against Green Bay. He was replaced, of course, by Michael Vick, who had two and a half brilliant games before leaving Philly's game against Washington with bruised ribs. After the season-opening game-which they lost to Green Bay but which had convinced Eagles' coach Andy Reid to name Vick the starter-controversy began. Reid continues to call Vick his starting quarterback, despite his injury and Kolb's performance. Vick is not expected to start next week's game against the Titans. There are rumblings that if Kolb plays well and beats Tennessee this week, he should be re-made the starter on his own merits.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Pondering the Rangers, October 16, 2010
It's my Dad's birthday. I just have to say that because it's awesome. He's great. I thank God for him. :)
Anyway, the Rangers are currently up 7-2 on the Yankees in the sixth inning, which is great for them BUT it would be way better if they hadn't blown a 5-0 lead in 8th last night in Game One. They got to C.C. Sabathia early, Josh Hamilton and Michael Young got big hits, C.J. Wilson pitched well enough to make everyone okay with Cliff Lee's not being able to start 'till Game Three, then the bottom fell out. Derek Jeter and A-Rod got the big hits, shocking the Rangers, Nolan Ryan, and the Texas crowd, in what was easily the most devastating loss in Texas baseball history. They went down 6-5, shut out after the fourth inning.
But, yeah, they're winning right now. It would, of course, be wonderful to win today and tie the series, especially with Cliff Lee pitching the next game, giving them a great chance to go up 2-1, but we can only dream of a potential 2-0 lead today, and Lee pitching to give them a potential 3-0. No, I won't even talk about it.
I work early tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to watch all of the Giants-Phillies' first game tonight, but I'm pumped. Tim Lincecum vs. Roy Halladay. The Freak vs Doc. 2009 (and 2008) CY Young winner against the likely 2010 winner. Two hits, 14 strikeouts, no walks (in Lincecum's postseason debut against the Braves last week) vs no-hitter, just one walk (in Halladay's postseason debut against the Reds last week). It'll be great.
Anyway, the Rangers are currently up 7-2 on the Yankees in the sixth inning, which is great for them BUT it would be way better if they hadn't blown a 5-0 lead in 8th last night in Game One. They got to C.C. Sabathia early, Josh Hamilton and Michael Young got big hits, C.J. Wilson pitched well enough to make everyone okay with Cliff Lee's not being able to start 'till Game Three, then the bottom fell out. Derek Jeter and A-Rod got the big hits, shocking the Rangers, Nolan Ryan, and the Texas crowd, in what was easily the most devastating loss in Texas baseball history. They went down 6-5, shut out after the fourth inning.
But, yeah, they're winning right now. It would, of course, be wonderful to win today and tie the series, especially with Cliff Lee pitching the next game, giving them a great chance to go up 2-1, but we can only dream of a potential 2-0 lead today, and Lee pitching to give them a potential 3-0. No, I won't even talk about it.
I work early tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to watch all of the Giants-Phillies' first game tonight, but I'm pumped. Tim Lincecum vs. Roy Halladay. The Freak vs Doc. 2009 (and 2008) CY Young winner against the likely 2010 winner. Two hits, 14 strikeouts, no walks (in Lincecum's postseason debut against the Braves last week) vs no-hitter, just one walk (in Halladay's postseason debut against the Reds last week). It'll be great.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Baseball is Popular, October 15, 2010
So, tomorrow, college football will take over the airwaves and the Directv channels. On Sunday, millions will sit around to watch a bunch of guys named Favre, Brady, Manning, Manning, and Moss play play ball. Dwayne Wade is still suffering from a hamstring injury, so Miami's Big Three of Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh haven't gotten to play together yet, and the NHL preseason is in full swing.
On a personal note, I'm very excited that I don't work this Sunday (for once), so I actually get to watch some NFL games. I'm planning to see Pittsburgh-Cleveland at 1 (Ben Roethlisberger returns for the 3-1 Steelers while former Texas great Colt McCoy starts for Cleveland with the #1 and #2 quarterbacks injured), and Minnesota-Dallas at 4:15 (matchup of this year's surprising underachievers).
Baseball doesn't get a lot of press these days. It is, and always has, been nicknamed "America's Pasttime", but, when I was in college, college football, pro football, pro basketball, college basketball, and even hockey were more talked about than pro baseball. There were a select few guys I could hablo with about the MLB, but far more people talk about LeBron, or Kobe, or Ovechkin, or Favre, or Manning, than they do about baseball. Plus, it's common knowledge that pro football and even NASCAR are the most-watched sports in the US, far out-pacing baseball.
Yet, it's that time of year when baseball is fun. There are only four teams left, but the fact that two of the teams (the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers) are anything but postseason staples, adds some excitement to the mix, and makes baseball fans out of people you wouldn't expect. Every team has a following, of course (why else are 40,000-capacity stadiums packed all the time?) but, as I watched a video about Rangers' fans reactions to the Rangers' win over Tampa Bay, I was somewhat surprised. A whole bar full of people wearing Rangers stuff, cheering on the Rangers? I thought Texas people were all about the Cowboys, the Longhorns...somehow the Rangers, because they lack the success of those other programs, always seemed under-the-radar.
Well, this is the time of year when baseball is fun. Facebook is suddenly alive with people cheering on their teams, and bars and houses are packed for people watching baseball. Now, it's worth mentioning that, in my opinion, football, hockey, and even basketball are usually more exciting to watch than baseball. It's true. Baseball can be slow, and the games are long. But I'll be darned if October baseball isn't exciting.
It has other people excited, too, and not just me. Check out this video of San Francisco Giants fans: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/thelife/news/story?page=goingviral/101310. They've re-made the Journey song "Don't Stop Believin'" with Giants lingo attached.
And check out this video of Philadelphia Phillies' first baseman Ryan Howard (the 2006 NL MVP) presenting the Top Ten on Letterman's Tonight Show: "Ten Reasons to Watch the Baseball Playoffs." These are always amusing. I've seen Cole Hamels and Mark Buerhle present the top ten's on Letterman before. In case you don't have time to watch, here they are:
10: Fox's Coverage Now Extends to the Post-game Shower
9: What Are You Gonna Do: Watch Hockey?
8: One Lucky Viewer Will Win A Free Tommy-John Surgery
7: We Just Had the Phillie Phanatic (their green, fuzzy mascot) Clipped, Wormed, and Neutered
6: Trips to the Mound Now Include a Fabulous 'Glee'-style Dance Number
5: The Crack of the Bat Replaced by a boing sound
4: Do You Really Need An Excuse to Sit on the Couch and Drink Beer?
3: Mention My Name, and You Can Re-Broadcast the Game Without the Express Written Consent of Major League Baseball
2: It's About Time the Yankees Got Some Attention From the National Media
1: If You're Watching This, You'll Watch Anything
Seriously, though, it's worth watching. Even if you're just a casual fan. Everything matters more, now. The drama is heightened. Lincecum and Halladay will face off Saturday night, in one of the greatest pitching match-ups you're likely to see in this era.
C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees faces off with C.J. Wilson of the Rangers tonight at 8 in Game 1 of the ALCS.
On a personal note, I'm very excited that I don't work this Sunday (for once), so I actually get to watch some NFL games. I'm planning to see Pittsburgh-Cleveland at 1 (Ben Roethlisberger returns for the 3-1 Steelers while former Texas great Colt McCoy starts for Cleveland with the #1 and #2 quarterbacks injured), and Minnesota-Dallas at 4:15 (matchup of this year's surprising underachievers).
Baseball doesn't get a lot of press these days. It is, and always has, been nicknamed "America's Pasttime", but, when I was in college, college football, pro football, pro basketball, college basketball, and even hockey were more talked about than pro baseball. There were a select few guys I could hablo with about the MLB, but far more people talk about LeBron, or Kobe, or Ovechkin, or Favre, or Manning, than they do about baseball. Plus, it's common knowledge that pro football and even NASCAR are the most-watched sports in the US, far out-pacing baseball.
Yet, it's that time of year when baseball is fun. There are only four teams left, but the fact that two of the teams (the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers) are anything but postseason staples, adds some excitement to the mix, and makes baseball fans out of people you wouldn't expect. Every team has a following, of course (why else are 40,000-capacity stadiums packed all the time?) but, as I watched a video about Rangers' fans reactions to the Rangers' win over Tampa Bay, I was somewhat surprised. A whole bar full of people wearing Rangers stuff, cheering on the Rangers? I thought Texas people were all about the Cowboys, the Longhorns...somehow the Rangers, because they lack the success of those other programs, always seemed under-the-radar.
Well, this is the time of year when baseball is fun. Facebook is suddenly alive with people cheering on their teams, and bars and houses are packed for people watching baseball. Now, it's worth mentioning that, in my opinion, football, hockey, and even basketball are usually more exciting to watch than baseball. It's true. Baseball can be slow, and the games are long. But I'll be darned if October baseball isn't exciting.
It has other people excited, too, and not just me. Check out this video of San Francisco Giants fans: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/thelife/news/story?page=goingviral/101310. They've re-made the Journey song "Don't Stop Believin'" with Giants lingo attached.
And check out this video of Philadelphia Phillies' first baseman Ryan Howard (the 2006 NL MVP) presenting the Top Ten on Letterman's Tonight Show: "Ten Reasons to Watch the Baseball Playoffs." These are always amusing. I've seen Cole Hamels and Mark Buerhle present the top ten's on Letterman before. In case you don't have time to watch, here they are:
10: Fox's Coverage Now Extends to the Post-game Shower
9: What Are You Gonna Do: Watch Hockey?
8: One Lucky Viewer Will Win A Free Tommy-John Surgery
7: We Just Had the Phillie Phanatic (their green, fuzzy mascot) Clipped, Wormed, and Neutered
6: Trips to the Mound Now Include a Fabulous 'Glee'-style Dance Number
5: The Crack of the Bat Replaced by a boing sound
4: Do You Really Need An Excuse to Sit on the Couch and Drink Beer?
3: Mention My Name, and You Can Re-Broadcast the Game Without the Express Written Consent of Major League Baseball
2: It's About Time the Yankees Got Some Attention From the National Media
1: If You're Watching This, You'll Watch Anything
Seriously, though, it's worth watching. Even if you're just a casual fan. Everything matters more, now. The drama is heightened. Lincecum and Halladay will face off Saturday night, in one of the greatest pitching match-ups you're likely to see in this era.
C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees faces off with C.J. Wilson of the Rangers tonight at 8 in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The League Championship Series, October 13, 2010
In a show of great class, the Texas Rangers substituted Ginger Ale for alcohol for the majority of their post-ALDS-winning celebration in order to include recovering alcoholic teammate Josh Hamilton.
"It was the coolest thing for my teammates to understand why I couldn't be a part of the celebration," Hamilton said after getting as wet as anybody in the clubhouse party. "And for them to adapt it for me to be a part of it says a lot about my teammates."
When they arrived home in Texas in the small hours of the morning, the Rangers found an airport full of screaming, celebrating fans. Many of the players gave high-fives and hugs, and signed autographs while music blared and horns honked.
After all, they've been a team since 1972, and this was their first postseason series victory. Of course, it had to come in the first postseason series where the home team never won a game.
The Rangers will play the Yankees in the ALCS, which starts Friday night (8:00 p.m.) in Arlington, pitting southpaws C.C. Sabathia (NY) against C.J. Wilson, who won Game Two of the ALDS in Tropicana Field.
The Yankees are the defending World Champions, as they beat the Phillies in six games in the Fall Classic last year. They have a rotation of Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettite and A.J. Burnett, and a lineup featuring Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Mark Texeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner, and Lance Berkman. And their closer's name is Mariano Rivera.
Meanwhile, the NLCS will keep The Year of the Pitcher theme alive and well, with anticipated matchups of Roy Halladay vs Tim Lincecum, Roy Oswalt vs Matt Cain, and Cole Hamels vs Jonathan Sanchez, at the very least. That Game One matchup pits the 2009 All-Star Game starters against each other (Halladay was still with the Blue Jays, and started for the AL), pits the 2009 CY Young winner Lincecum against the likely 2010 winner in Halladay, and both already own CY Young awards (Lincecum, '08 and '09; Halladay, the AL CY Young in '03).
The Phillies beat the Dodgers in 5 games in the NLCS each of the last two years. They beat the Rays in five games in the 2008 World Series, and lost in six last year to the Yankees. The Giants were eliminated in the NLDS by the Marlins in 2003 after they lost the classic 2002 World Series in seven games to the Angels.
Halladay and Lincecum face off in Philadelphia on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
"It was the coolest thing for my teammates to understand why I couldn't be a part of the celebration," Hamilton said after getting as wet as anybody in the clubhouse party. "And for them to adapt it for me to be a part of it says a lot about my teammates."
When they arrived home in Texas in the small hours of the morning, the Rangers found an airport full of screaming, celebrating fans. Many of the players gave high-fives and hugs, and signed autographs while music blared and horns honked.
After all, they've been a team since 1972, and this was their first postseason series victory. Of course, it had to come in the first postseason series where the home team never won a game.
The Rangers will play the Yankees in the ALCS, which starts Friday night (8:00 p.m.) in Arlington, pitting southpaws C.C. Sabathia (NY) against C.J. Wilson, who won Game Two of the ALDS in Tropicana Field.
The Yankees are the defending World Champions, as they beat the Phillies in six games in the Fall Classic last year. They have a rotation of Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettite and A.J. Burnett, and a lineup featuring Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Mark Texeira, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner, and Lance Berkman. And their closer's name is Mariano Rivera.
Meanwhile, the NLCS will keep The Year of the Pitcher theme alive and well, with anticipated matchups of Roy Halladay vs Tim Lincecum, Roy Oswalt vs Matt Cain, and Cole Hamels vs Jonathan Sanchez, at the very least. That Game One matchup pits the 2009 All-Star Game starters against each other (Halladay was still with the Blue Jays, and started for the AL), pits the 2009 CY Young winner Lincecum against the likely 2010 winner in Halladay, and both already own CY Young awards (Lincecum, '08 and '09; Halladay, the AL CY Young in '03).
The Phillies beat the Dodgers in 5 games in the NLCS each of the last two years. They beat the Rays in five games in the 2008 World Series, and lost in six last year to the Yankees. The Giants were eliminated in the NLDS by the Marlins in 2003 after they lost the classic 2002 World Series in seven games to the Angels.
Halladay and Lincecum face off in Philadelphia on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Everything's Bigger in Texas, October 13, 2010
Especially the baseball. The October baseball. It's huge! After all, the Astros haven't sniffed the playoffs since getting swept in the World Series in 2005, and the Rangers hadn't been able to touch the playoffs with a ten-foot pole since the late '90s.
Well, the Rangers, who made their playoff debut in 1996 (also reaching in '98 and '99), have finally won a postseason series, and they did it without the benefit of a win at home. Tuesday night, they were back in Tropicana Field, home of the American League East Champion Tampa Bay Rays, having dropped two in a row in Arlington, facing a stiff challenge in CY Young candidate David Price. MVP candidate Josh Hamilton, who missed three weeks in September with injured ribs, is still not hitting, and parts of this team are struggling to produce.
They still won, didn't they?
The Rangers clinched the winner-take-all Game Five of the American League Division Series Tuesday night with a 5-1 victory in from of 45,000 in Tampa in what was without question the biggest game in their history. They made some solid defensive plays, got some effective, scrappy baserunning, benefited from an error or two, and got a late, key home run, but the Rangers don't need to thank their lucky stars for this victory.
They need to thank Clifton Phifer Lee, better known as Cliff Lee.
Lee, who won four games in his first-ever postseason last year (including two World Series games against the Yankees), was coming off a Game 1 in which he struck out 10 Rays, and, early on, the left-hander didn't look quite as sharp.
By the first time he pitched, he had already been handed a lead. Shortstop Elvis Andrus led off the game against Price with a single, stole second base during a Michael Young strikeout, then scored on a Hamilton groundout on which Price had to cover first, and, forgetting about the runner, turned his back to the plate and didn't react in time.
Lee got somewhat lucky in the bottom of the first, when Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett led off with a single, getting the capacity crowd roaring and the cowbells clanging, but then a sacrifice bunt attempt failed, the lead runner was erased on a fielder's choice, and Rays star Evan Longoria was retired on a foul pop-up.
Both pitchers breezed through the second inning, and Price owned the top of the third, which brought the pivotal moment of the game into play. The bottom of the third. Lee hadn't had quite the command or the crackle of his Game One start (he brought just one K into the bottom of the third). With one out, Sean Rodriguez singled to right. Then Bartlett reached on an infield hit that Lee had to field. Two on. Then Ben Zobrist blooped a single to center, and All-Star Hamilton threw the ball wide of home plate, past the catcher, as Rodriguez slid home, and it was a tie game. But, with the runner from third (Bartlett) charging, Lee got Carl Crawford to bounce back to him. They caught Bartlett in a rundown for the key second out. And with runners on second and third, the Rays' MVP candidate, 104-RBI man Longoria, who called time while Lee was winding up more than once to throw him off, with cowbells clanging, grounded harmlessly to short.
Pressure released. Inning over. Threat over. The Rays could kiss their chances goodbye.
They didn't know it at the time, of course. It was only the start of the fourth inning, and, at home, they had to like their chances of being able to win out in a 1-1 tie. After all, they did finish third in the AL in runs scored, with over 800.
Their chances got a little smaller in the top of the fourth, when Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz thunked a double high off the center field wall. Any sighs of relief the Rays were breathing that the ball had stayed in the park were forfeit a moment later, when Cruz stole third and catcher Kelly Shoppach's throw went into left field. Cruz trotted home, 2-1.
All eyes were on Lee for the bottom of the fourth. His pitch count was up just a little bit. He was feeling the pressure of a close game, and, now, a slim lead. The crowd was howling for their Rays to answer. The hitters were taking pitches, fouling pitches off, calling time when he was ready to throw, trying to get into his head.
In the bottom of the fourth, coming off his first pressure spot in the game, Lee struck out Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton, and Dan Johnson back-to-back-to-back.
He struck out two of the three hitters in the bottom of the fifth, as well. He retired the side in order in the sixth. Upton singled and stole second in a flourish to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but Lee struck out two more to avoid any other crisis. When the Rays were really starting to feel the pressure, in the bottom of the eighth, Lee set Bartlett, Zobrist, and Crawford down almost without blinking. And he came out for the ninth inning as well.
By that time, it was 5-1 Rangers. In the sixth, Vladimir Guerrero had singled, moved over on an infield hit by Cruz, and then scored from second when Ian Kinsler ground to first and beat the throw, and Price, covering first, was, again, too slow to realize the play was still going. Replays showed Kinsler may have been out by a fraction of a step (the crowd booed vigorously), but it was 3-1 Rangers.
And in the top of the ninth, Kinsler took most of the remaining air out of the Rays' sails by blasting a laser beam of a two-run homer over the left field wall, and doing so against Tampa's prize closer, Rafael Soriano.
Lee walked out to the mound for the top of the ninth, with the Rangers already thinking about an ALCS against the Yankees. He had thrown about 115 pitches, but, with a four-run lead, he had to like his chances.
He started the ninth by striking out a flailing Longoria. It was his 11th strikeout of the game, and 21st of the series, tying an LDS record (Kevin Brown of the Padres did it in 1998). Then Carlos Pena grounded to third. Then B.J. Upton popped out to shortstop, and the Rangers exploded, throwing their arms around each other, whooping and hollering. As soon as the ball was caught, Lee showed some of his first emotion of the game, leaping into the arms of his catcher, Bengie Molina, with a look of delight on his face. And the Rangers celebrated as if all 25 of them had been around for each of those three LDS losses in the '90s (not a single one of them actually were). The Rays, 96-game winners in the regular season, ran for the clubhouse.
"It was a lot of fun," Lee said after the game, having cemented his status as the ultimate big-game pitcher. "We had our backs against the wall today, and we came out and performed."
"It's unbelievable, it's something to be so proud of," Josh Hamilton said. "I'm so privileged to be a part of this team. All season long, when somebody went down, somebody stepped in and did their job. My bat wasn't there, but a lot of other guys stepped in and did a good job. Cliff Lee? What an asset to the team."
Both mentioned that they knew the Yankees would be a challenge, that "it's a good team over there", and it would be tough. All three of the Rangers' playoff series losses in the '90s came against the Yankees. But, with a postseason series won, their pitching on fire and their offense clicking, these guys looked tough to beat. And they deserved to celebrate.
Well, the Rangers, who made their playoff debut in 1996 (also reaching in '98 and '99), have finally won a postseason series, and they did it without the benefit of a win at home. Tuesday night, they were back in Tropicana Field, home of the American League East Champion Tampa Bay Rays, having dropped two in a row in Arlington, facing a stiff challenge in CY Young candidate David Price. MVP candidate Josh Hamilton, who missed three weeks in September with injured ribs, is still not hitting, and parts of this team are struggling to produce.
They still won, didn't they?
The Rangers clinched the winner-take-all Game Five of the American League Division Series Tuesday night with a 5-1 victory in from of 45,000 in Tampa in what was without question the biggest game in their history. They made some solid defensive plays, got some effective, scrappy baserunning, benefited from an error or two, and got a late, key home run, but the Rangers don't need to thank their lucky stars for this victory.
They need to thank Clifton Phifer Lee, better known as Cliff Lee.
Lee, who won four games in his first-ever postseason last year (including two World Series games against the Yankees), was coming off a Game 1 in which he struck out 10 Rays, and, early on, the left-hander didn't look quite as sharp.
By the first time he pitched, he had already been handed a lead. Shortstop Elvis Andrus led off the game against Price with a single, stole second base during a Michael Young strikeout, then scored on a Hamilton groundout on which Price had to cover first, and, forgetting about the runner, turned his back to the plate and didn't react in time.
Lee got somewhat lucky in the bottom of the first, when Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett led off with a single, getting the capacity crowd roaring and the cowbells clanging, but then a sacrifice bunt attempt failed, the lead runner was erased on a fielder's choice, and Rays star Evan Longoria was retired on a foul pop-up.
Both pitchers breezed through the second inning, and Price owned the top of the third, which brought the pivotal moment of the game into play. The bottom of the third. Lee hadn't had quite the command or the crackle of his Game One start (he brought just one K into the bottom of the third). With one out, Sean Rodriguez singled to right. Then Bartlett reached on an infield hit that Lee had to field. Two on. Then Ben Zobrist blooped a single to center, and All-Star Hamilton threw the ball wide of home plate, past the catcher, as Rodriguez slid home, and it was a tie game. But, with the runner from third (Bartlett) charging, Lee got Carl Crawford to bounce back to him. They caught Bartlett in a rundown for the key second out. And with runners on second and third, the Rays' MVP candidate, 104-RBI man Longoria, who called time while Lee was winding up more than once to throw him off, with cowbells clanging, grounded harmlessly to short.
Pressure released. Inning over. Threat over. The Rays could kiss their chances goodbye.
They didn't know it at the time, of course. It was only the start of the fourth inning, and, at home, they had to like their chances of being able to win out in a 1-1 tie. After all, they did finish third in the AL in runs scored, with over 800.
Their chances got a little smaller in the top of the fourth, when Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz thunked a double high off the center field wall. Any sighs of relief the Rays were breathing that the ball had stayed in the park were forfeit a moment later, when Cruz stole third and catcher Kelly Shoppach's throw went into left field. Cruz trotted home, 2-1.
All eyes were on Lee for the bottom of the fourth. His pitch count was up just a little bit. He was feeling the pressure of a close game, and, now, a slim lead. The crowd was howling for their Rays to answer. The hitters were taking pitches, fouling pitches off, calling time when he was ready to throw, trying to get into his head.
In the bottom of the fourth, coming off his first pressure spot in the game, Lee struck out Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton, and Dan Johnson back-to-back-to-back.
He struck out two of the three hitters in the bottom of the fifth, as well. He retired the side in order in the sixth. Upton singled and stole second in a flourish to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but Lee struck out two more to avoid any other crisis. When the Rays were really starting to feel the pressure, in the bottom of the eighth, Lee set Bartlett, Zobrist, and Crawford down almost without blinking. And he came out for the ninth inning as well.
By that time, it was 5-1 Rangers. In the sixth, Vladimir Guerrero had singled, moved over on an infield hit by Cruz, and then scored from second when Ian Kinsler ground to first and beat the throw, and Price, covering first, was, again, too slow to realize the play was still going. Replays showed Kinsler may have been out by a fraction of a step (the crowd booed vigorously), but it was 3-1 Rangers.
And in the top of the ninth, Kinsler took most of the remaining air out of the Rays' sails by blasting a laser beam of a two-run homer over the left field wall, and doing so against Tampa's prize closer, Rafael Soriano.
Lee walked out to the mound for the top of the ninth, with the Rangers already thinking about an ALCS against the Yankees. He had thrown about 115 pitches, but, with a four-run lead, he had to like his chances.
He started the ninth by striking out a flailing Longoria. It was his 11th strikeout of the game, and 21st of the series, tying an LDS record (Kevin Brown of the Padres did it in 1998). Then Carlos Pena grounded to third. Then B.J. Upton popped out to shortstop, and the Rangers exploded, throwing their arms around each other, whooping and hollering. As soon as the ball was caught, Lee showed some of his first emotion of the game, leaping into the arms of his catcher, Bengie Molina, with a look of delight on his face. And the Rangers celebrated as if all 25 of them had been around for each of those three LDS losses in the '90s (not a single one of them actually were). The Rays, 96-game winners in the regular season, ran for the clubhouse.
"It was a lot of fun," Lee said after the game, having cemented his status as the ultimate big-game pitcher. "We had our backs against the wall today, and we came out and performed."
"It's unbelievable, it's something to be so proud of," Josh Hamilton said. "I'm so privileged to be a part of this team. All season long, when somebody went down, somebody stepped in and did their job. My bat wasn't there, but a lot of other guys stepped in and did a good job. Cliff Lee? What an asset to the team."
Both mentioned that they knew the Yankees would be a challenge, that "it's a good team over there", and it would be tough. All three of the Rangers' playoff series losses in the '90s came against the Yankees. But, with a postseason series won, their pitching on fire and their offense clicking, these guys looked tough to beat. And they deserved to celebrate.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Giants Win, Salute Cox, October 12, 2010
The San Francisco Giants clinched a spot in the NLCS opposite the Fightin' Phils with a 3-2 win Monday Night in Turner Field, eliminating the injury-ridden Atlanta Braves. The winning run came on a bouncing Cody Ross single to left with the bases loaded in the seventh, shortly after Braves pitcher Derek Lowe was removed from the game by manager Bobby Cox, arguing all the way. It was most certainly anticlimactic, considering the crowd roared with delight on that very play when the second runner coming to the plate, Pat Burrell, was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Matt Diaz, and stoned by a rock-solid Brian McCann, the Atlanta catcher.
However, the Braves' offense, which had been on something resembling life support for a while anyway without the lost-for-the-season Chipper Jones and Martin Prado, wasn't able to make up the deficit. The final out came in the ninth, on an infield chopper, with a runner on second.
The Giants now move on the NLCS, where they will be underdogs, but match up as well with the Phillies as anyone could. Their rotation of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez may actually give H20 (Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels) some trouble, and if they can score enough runs, it could be an interesting series. It's their first LCS appearance since 2002, when they went all the way to the World Series.
However, the final out resembled something other than just the end of a game, the end of a series, and the end of a season for the Braves. It was, of course, also the end of Atlanta manager Bobby Cox's 29-year-career. Cox had been preparing to retire at the end of the season, and, shortly after the Giants' celebratory scrum on the mound had turned into a series of hugs and high-fives, Cox came out of the dugout, and the fans roared appreciatively. Even the Giants turned around and clapped, the coaches emptying the dugout to clap for a man who managed a record 16 postseason appearances, 15 of them in a row from 1991 to 2005. Cox won a World Series over the Indians in 1995.
After the game, Cox had an emotional press conference, talking about his last game, how he wouldn't be putting on a uniform anymore. But he was humble and optimistic to the last, saying over and over how proud he was of his guys, and of pitcher Derek Lowe. "He could be a 20 game winner next year, if they support 'im."
Cox retires ranked third all time in managing wins, and first in managerial ejections by umpires.
However, the Braves' offense, which had been on something resembling life support for a while anyway without the lost-for-the-season Chipper Jones and Martin Prado, wasn't able to make up the deficit. The final out came in the ninth, on an infield chopper, with a runner on second.
The Giants now move on the NLCS, where they will be underdogs, but match up as well with the Phillies as anyone could. Their rotation of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez may actually give H20 (Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels) some trouble, and if they can score enough runs, it could be an interesting series. It's their first LCS appearance since 2002, when they went all the way to the World Series.
However, the final out resembled something other than just the end of a game, the end of a series, and the end of a season for the Braves. It was, of course, also the end of Atlanta manager Bobby Cox's 29-year-career. Cox had been preparing to retire at the end of the season, and, shortly after the Giants' celebratory scrum on the mound had turned into a series of hugs and high-fives, Cox came out of the dugout, and the fans roared appreciatively. Even the Giants turned around and clapped, the coaches emptying the dugout to clap for a man who managed a record 16 postseason appearances, 15 of them in a row from 1991 to 2005. Cox won a World Series over the Indians in 1995.
After the game, Cox had an emotional press conference, talking about his last game, how he wouldn't be putting on a uniform anymore. But he was humble and optimistic to the last, saying over and over how proud he was of his guys, and of pitcher Derek Lowe. "He could be a 20 game winner next year, if they support 'im."
Cox retires ranked third all time in managing wins, and first in managerial ejections by umpires.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Cole-d, October 11, 2010
Five days ago, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay made history with the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history. His only blemish was a fifth inning walk to Jay Bruce.
Last night, his Philadelphia teammate, 26-year old Cole Hamels, did one better. He didn't walk anybody.
No, Hamels did not pitch the second perfect game in postseason history. But the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP churned out a five-hit shutout in Game 3 of the NLDS, sending the Phillies to the NLCS for the third-straight year, and sending the NL Central Division Champions, and NL Leaders in runs-scored, home.
Well, that wasn't very memorable. After waiting 15 years (since 1995) to play in the postseason, the Reds all but ran for the exit. They got no-hit by Roy Halladay in Game 1 in Philadelphia. They looked uncomfortable holding a lead in Game 2, and subsequently got rid of it as hastily as they could. Then they got stumped again, this time by a guy who lost all semblance of his 2008 self last year, losing a game in each postseason series en route to a playoff ERA over 7. All-Star Scott Rolen was the last to face Hamels, just after MVP candidate Joey Votto hit into a spirit-crushing double play with no outs and a runner on first. Hamels fired a 95-mile-per-hour fastball, Rolen swung, and the southpaw hurler pumped his fist and spun around in one motion. The Phillies gathered excitedly on the mound as fans ran for the exits.
The last time a pitcher threw a complete game shutout in the clinching game of a postseason series on the road was Josh Beckett, in 2003, winning Game Six of the World Series in the old Yankee Stadium.
The Reds went quietly, scoring just four runs in the series (in the first three innings of Game 2) and looked completely outmatched about 96 percent of the time. At least they can know they ran into some great pitching (Halladay and Hamels) that made competing a lot harder--they didn't just panic, roll over, and die like the Twins did against the Yankees.
Speaking of the Yankees, the Bronx Bombers await an ALCS opponent as they continue their quest for World Series Championship #28. The Texas Rangers dropped both games in Texas to the Rays, turning a 2-0 series in a 2-2, which culminates in a second Cliff Lee/David Price match-up in Tropicana Field tonight. Lee is 5-0 lifetime in the postseason, including two wins in last year's World Series as a member of the Phillies, and he struck out 10 Rays in seven innings Game 1 of this series.
Tonight, behind the experienced arm of Derrick Lowe, the Braves try to recover from an ugly 3-2 loss in Game Three (now-benched second baseman Brooks Conrad did his best Bill Buckner impression on a key ninth-inning ground ball; unfortunately for the Braves, said impression was spot on), to even their series. The Giants lead 2-1, and send rookie Madison Bumgarner against the ragtag sons of Bobby Cox.
Last night, his Philadelphia teammate, 26-year old Cole Hamels, did one better. He didn't walk anybody.
No, Hamels did not pitch the second perfect game in postseason history. But the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP churned out a five-hit shutout in Game 3 of the NLDS, sending the Phillies to the NLCS for the third-straight year, and sending the NL Central Division Champions, and NL Leaders in runs-scored, home.
Well, that wasn't very memorable. After waiting 15 years (since 1995) to play in the postseason, the Reds all but ran for the exit. They got no-hit by Roy Halladay in Game 1 in Philadelphia. They looked uncomfortable holding a lead in Game 2, and subsequently got rid of it as hastily as they could. Then they got stumped again, this time by a guy who lost all semblance of his 2008 self last year, losing a game in each postseason series en route to a playoff ERA over 7. All-Star Scott Rolen was the last to face Hamels, just after MVP candidate Joey Votto hit into a spirit-crushing double play with no outs and a runner on first. Hamels fired a 95-mile-per-hour fastball, Rolen swung, and the southpaw hurler pumped his fist and spun around in one motion. The Phillies gathered excitedly on the mound as fans ran for the exits.
The last time a pitcher threw a complete game shutout in the clinching game of a postseason series on the road was Josh Beckett, in 2003, winning Game Six of the World Series in the old Yankee Stadium.
The Reds went quietly, scoring just four runs in the series (in the first three innings of Game 2) and looked completely outmatched about 96 percent of the time. At least they can know they ran into some great pitching (Halladay and Hamels) that made competing a lot harder--they didn't just panic, roll over, and die like the Twins did against the Yankees.
Speaking of the Yankees, the Bronx Bombers await an ALCS opponent as they continue their quest for World Series Championship #28. The Texas Rangers dropped both games in Texas to the Rays, turning a 2-0 series in a 2-2, which culminates in a second Cliff Lee/David Price match-up in Tropicana Field tonight. Lee is 5-0 lifetime in the postseason, including two wins in last year's World Series as a member of the Phillies, and he struck out 10 Rays in seven innings Game 1 of this series.
Tonight, behind the experienced arm of Derrick Lowe, the Braves try to recover from an ugly 3-2 loss in Game Three (now-benched second baseman Brooks Conrad did his best Bill Buckner impression on a key ninth-inning ground ball; unfortunately for the Braves, said impression was spot on), to even their series. The Giants lead 2-1, and send rookie Madison Bumgarner against the ragtag sons of Bobby Cox.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Low Tide, October 10, 2010
It's the morning after, and some people will still have trouble believing it. Like quarterback Greg McElroy. The University of Alabama signal-caller had a positively eye-popping track record of success going into yesterday's game against the 19th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks-the teams for which he started under center had not lost since he was in eighth grade. The top-ranked Crimson Tide? They had not lost a regular season game in 29 tries, undefeated all of last season, and excluding 2008's SEC Championship Game loss to Florida.
Well, it was #1 vs. #19 yesterday, in an old-fashioned SEC matchup, and Cocks' coach Steve Spurrier bested Nick Saban, and his defense smothered the best running game in the country (Defending Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Ingram had just 41 yards on 11 carries, and Trent Richardson, the nation's best backup, had 23 yards on 6 carries; neither had a touchdown). McElroy had one of the best games of his career, going 27 for 34 passing for 315 yards and two touchdowns, but pinching off Bama's usually explosive running game proved to be key.
The Tide was coming off a clobbering of Florida, which followed a sturring comeback over upset-minded Arkansas the week before. South Carolina, meanwhile, was coming off an ugly 35-27 loss at Auburn, in which their starting quarterback, Stephen Garcia, was benched for losing two fumbles.
South Carolina started hot, with Garcia throwing three touchdown passes in the first two quarters, building a 21-3 advantage over the Tide. Bama then scored with just 38 seconds left in the half, got a safety and a field goal to start the second half, and it was a one-possession game, 21-14. The Gamecocks scored again, Bama answered (on a 51-yard touchdown pass from McElroy to Darius Hanks), and South Carolina responded again, scoring again with just over seven minutes left to put the game away.
Alabama had more total yards (351 to 311) and showed shades of their usual dominant selves, but McElroy was sacked eight times, and that running game never caught fire like it usually does. Bama will likely fall to #5 in the country with this loss, slipping behind undefeated teams Ohio State (#2), Oregon (#3), Boise State (#4), and TCU (#5), all of which won on Saturday.
"It's not a good feeling," a tense McElroy said in a post-game interview, tasting loss for the first time in years. "I promise I will do everything in my power to get these guys ready to go and put this loss in the rearview mirror. We're not gonna have this feeling again."
A certain popular SEC quarterback (he played for Florida) gave a similarly-ambitious declaration after a shocking loss a few seasons ago, and that quarterback (lately of the Denver Broncos), won a National Championship that same year.
Other Scores in College Football:
#17 Michigan State beat #18 Michigan, 34-17; #8 Auburn beat Kentucky, 37-34
#12 LSU beat #14 Florida in The Swamp, 33-29; #16 Stanford beat USC, 37-35
#11 Arkansas beat Texas A&M, 24-17
Start Spreading the News
For the second-straight year, the New York Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series, winning two in Minnesota, then winning last night's Game 3 in New York, 6-1. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes held the Twins to just four hits and no runs in seven innings. The Yankees are, of course, the defending world champions.
Whom they will face in the ALCS, however, has not yet been decided. Down 0-2 in the series, down 2-1 in the game, on their opponent's home ground, the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for five runs late, including home runs by Crawford and Carlos Pena, and key RBI singles by Pena and catcher John Jaso. The Rangers had them five outs from a sweep after winning two games in Tampa, but the Rays showed they, unlike the Twins, aren't going out without a fight.
In the National League, both series were dormant. The Cincinnati Reds, down 0-2 to the two-time defending league champion Philadelphia Phillies, are trying to clear their heads after the hideous comedy of errors (four errors, three hit batters, two bases-loaded walks) that robbed them of a 4-0 lead, and 1-1 series tie, on Friday in Philadelphia. Now in Cincinnati-the city's first playoff game since 1995, the Reds look to make something happen.
The other National League series gets going again tonight, in Atlanta, after an 11th inning home run by outfielder Rick Ankiel gave the Braves a huge win in San Francisco to tie that series at one game apiece. The Braves were losing 4-0 after two innings, but never gave up, topping Matt Cain, Brian Wilson, and the rest of the SF bullpen for a huge win.
Said Ankiel, a pitcher-turned-outfielder, of his home run: "It was one of those things where I didn't even wanna go around the bases. I just wanted to go straight to dugout to celebrate with the guys. It's the biggest home run of my career."
Well, it was #1 vs. #19 yesterday, in an old-fashioned SEC matchup, and Cocks' coach Steve Spurrier bested Nick Saban, and his defense smothered the best running game in the country (Defending Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Ingram had just 41 yards on 11 carries, and Trent Richardson, the nation's best backup, had 23 yards on 6 carries; neither had a touchdown). McElroy had one of the best games of his career, going 27 for 34 passing for 315 yards and two touchdowns, but pinching off Bama's usually explosive running game proved to be key.
The Tide was coming off a clobbering of Florida, which followed a sturring comeback over upset-minded Arkansas the week before. South Carolina, meanwhile, was coming off an ugly 35-27 loss at Auburn, in which their starting quarterback, Stephen Garcia, was benched for losing two fumbles.
South Carolina started hot, with Garcia throwing three touchdown passes in the first two quarters, building a 21-3 advantage over the Tide. Bama then scored with just 38 seconds left in the half, got a safety and a field goal to start the second half, and it was a one-possession game, 21-14. The Gamecocks scored again, Bama answered (on a 51-yard touchdown pass from McElroy to Darius Hanks), and South Carolina responded again, scoring again with just over seven minutes left to put the game away.
Alabama had more total yards (351 to 311) and showed shades of their usual dominant selves, but McElroy was sacked eight times, and that running game never caught fire like it usually does. Bama will likely fall to #5 in the country with this loss, slipping behind undefeated teams Ohio State (#2), Oregon (#3), Boise State (#4), and TCU (#5), all of which won on Saturday.
"It's not a good feeling," a tense McElroy said in a post-game interview, tasting loss for the first time in years. "I promise I will do everything in my power to get these guys ready to go and put this loss in the rearview mirror. We're not gonna have this feeling again."
A certain popular SEC quarterback (he played for Florida) gave a similarly-ambitious declaration after a shocking loss a few seasons ago, and that quarterback (lately of the Denver Broncos), won a National Championship that same year.
Other Scores in College Football:
#17 Michigan State beat #18 Michigan, 34-17; #8 Auburn beat Kentucky, 37-34
#12 LSU beat #14 Florida in The Swamp, 33-29; #16 Stanford beat USC, 37-35
#11 Arkansas beat Texas A&M, 24-17
Start Spreading the News
For the second-straight year, the New York Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series, winning two in Minnesota, then winning last night's Game 3 in New York, 6-1. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes held the Twins to just four hits and no runs in seven innings. The Yankees are, of course, the defending world champions.
Whom they will face in the ALCS, however, has not yet been decided. Down 0-2 in the series, down 2-1 in the game, on their opponent's home ground, the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for five runs late, including home runs by Crawford and Carlos Pena, and key RBI singles by Pena and catcher John Jaso. The Rangers had them five outs from a sweep after winning two games in Tampa, but the Rays showed they, unlike the Twins, aren't going out without a fight.
In the National League, both series were dormant. The Cincinnati Reds, down 0-2 to the two-time defending league champion Philadelphia Phillies, are trying to clear their heads after the hideous comedy of errors (four errors, three hit batters, two bases-loaded walks) that robbed them of a 4-0 lead, and 1-1 series tie, on Friday in Philadelphia. Now in Cincinnati-the city's first playoff game since 1995, the Reds look to make something happen.
The other National League series gets going again tonight, in Atlanta, after an 11th inning home run by outfielder Rick Ankiel gave the Braves a huge win in San Francisco to tie that series at one game apiece. The Braves were losing 4-0 after two innings, but never gave up, topping Matt Cain, Brian Wilson, and the rest of the SF bullpen for a huge win.
Said Ankiel, a pitcher-turned-outfielder, of his home run: "It was one of those things where I didn't even wanna go around the bases. I just wanted to go straight to dugout to celebrate with the guys. It's the biggest home run of my career."
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
What the Doctor Ordered, October 6, 2010
So, after I got back from work, and saw that my Rays lost to the Rangers in Game 1 of the ALDS (5-1, Cliff Lee struck out 10), I decided to sit in front of the TV and watch some of the first game of the Reds-Phillies series. Seconds later, I decided to blog about the game, started writing up a play-by-play, and watched.
I saw about four innings, in which Roy "Doc" Halladay, making his postseason debut after more than a decade with the sub-.500 Blue Jays, looked great, giving up no hits and no walks, and got an RBI single at a key moment to keep his team alive. On the other hand, Cincinnati starter Edinson Volquez wilted under the pressure, the roar of the crowd, the patience of the Phillies' hitters, and a rising pitch count, exiting after just one and two-thirds innings. He got two outs in the second before allowing five straight baserunners, including Halladay, the opposing pitcher. It was 4-0 after the second inning.
I got into the fourth inning before my face (which, suffering from a fever/congestion cold, had felt heavy and uncomfortable all day) closed up, and I decided to take a shower and see if I could sleep. While I had been at work earlier, I had daydreamed lustily of coming home, taking a shower, and falling in bed and sleeping until whenever. So, I decided not to blog, turned off the TV, took a shower, and went to bed. However, I didn't fall asleep, and after about an hour, I decided to see if I could catch the end of the Reds-Phillies game.
Well, I missed the final out by about two minutes. The Phillies won, 4-0. So I saw all the scoring. But that final out I just missed: it wasn't just any final out. Turns out, Halladay, who threw a perfect game against the Marlins back in May, and totaled 9 complete games in his first season with the Phillies, threw a no-hitter, allowing only a walk to Reds' right-fielder Jay Bruce in the fifth. He threw 104 pitches, struck out eight, and got a series of weak flies, dribblers, and ground balls.
That was Halladay's first career postseason start. You know, postseason, playoffs, more pressure, more intensity, everything matters more, people (like Volquez) wilt under the pressure. Tell that to Halladay. He went the distance (which really isn't that big of a deal for him), shut out the Reds, got his team a win, and didn't allow a single hit. The hardest-hit ball of the entire game was a line drive to right field by the first Reds' pitcher to relieve Volquez, rookie Travis Wood.
That was "Doc's" second no-hitter of this season, after the perfect game. Only four other guys have thrown two no-hitters in one season, and none in 37 years, when the patron saint of no-hitters (Nolan Ryan) double-dipped in 1973.
By the way, did you know the last no-hitter in postseason history was in 1956, when New York Yankees' starter Don Larsen threw a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game One of the World Series? Yep. That was the last time. 1956.
Oh yeah, that is the only other time a no-hitter has been thrown in the post-season. 1956. It happened then, in Larsen's classic perfect game, and it happened today, behind the brain, heart, and right arm of the Good Doctor.
He's already the favorite to win the CY Young (he had a 21-10 record, a 2.44 ERA-which led the league-tossed 250 innings-which led the league-and was second in strikeouts), and his team is the favorite to win the National League pennant. He clinched the Phillies' postseason berth nine days ago with a complete-game two-hitter. He may have been the best hurler of 'The Year of the Pitcher', and he just made some serious history.
And I just barely missed it. In all honesty, I knew Roy looked good early on. It looked like he was gonna have a good night. I even amused myself with the thought of his throwing a no-hitter. I was lying up in bed, not sleeping, and thinking about going downstairs to watch the end of the game, and I waited too long, and just missed it.
Roy didn't miss it, though. Mr. Larsen, you've got company.
I saw about four innings, in which Roy "Doc" Halladay, making his postseason debut after more than a decade with the sub-.500 Blue Jays, looked great, giving up no hits and no walks, and got an RBI single at a key moment to keep his team alive. On the other hand, Cincinnati starter Edinson Volquez wilted under the pressure, the roar of the crowd, the patience of the Phillies' hitters, and a rising pitch count, exiting after just one and two-thirds innings. He got two outs in the second before allowing five straight baserunners, including Halladay, the opposing pitcher. It was 4-0 after the second inning.
I got into the fourth inning before my face (which, suffering from a fever/congestion cold, had felt heavy and uncomfortable all day) closed up, and I decided to take a shower and see if I could sleep. While I had been at work earlier, I had daydreamed lustily of coming home, taking a shower, and falling in bed and sleeping until whenever. So, I decided not to blog, turned off the TV, took a shower, and went to bed. However, I didn't fall asleep, and after about an hour, I decided to see if I could catch the end of the Reds-Phillies game.
Well, I missed the final out by about two minutes. The Phillies won, 4-0. So I saw all the scoring. But that final out I just missed: it wasn't just any final out. Turns out, Halladay, who threw a perfect game against the Marlins back in May, and totaled 9 complete games in his first season with the Phillies, threw a no-hitter, allowing only a walk to Reds' right-fielder Jay Bruce in the fifth. He threw 104 pitches, struck out eight, and got a series of weak flies, dribblers, and ground balls.
That was Halladay's first career postseason start. You know, postseason, playoffs, more pressure, more intensity, everything matters more, people (like Volquez) wilt under the pressure. Tell that to Halladay. He went the distance (which really isn't that big of a deal for him), shut out the Reds, got his team a win, and didn't allow a single hit. The hardest-hit ball of the entire game was a line drive to right field by the first Reds' pitcher to relieve Volquez, rookie Travis Wood.
That was "Doc's" second no-hitter of this season, after the perfect game. Only four other guys have thrown two no-hitters in one season, and none in 37 years, when the patron saint of no-hitters (Nolan Ryan) double-dipped in 1973.
By the way, did you know the last no-hitter in postseason history was in 1956, when New York Yankees' starter Don Larsen threw a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game One of the World Series? Yep. That was the last time. 1956.
Oh yeah, that is the only other time a no-hitter has been thrown in the post-season. 1956. It happened then, in Larsen's classic perfect game, and it happened today, behind the brain, heart, and right arm of the Good Doctor.
He's already the favorite to win the CY Young (he had a 21-10 record, a 2.44 ERA-which led the league-tossed 250 innings-which led the league-and was second in strikeouts), and his team is the favorite to win the National League pennant. He clinched the Phillies' postseason berth nine days ago with a complete-game two-hitter. He may have been the best hurler of 'The Year of the Pitcher', and he just made some serious history.
And I just barely missed it. In all honesty, I knew Roy looked good early on. It looked like he was gonna have a good night. I even amused myself with the thought of his throwing a no-hitter. I was lying up in bed, not sleeping, and thinking about going downstairs to watch the end of the game, and I waited too long, and just missed it.
Roy didn't miss it, though. Mr. Larsen, you've got company.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
"Pennants, Get Your Pennants!" October 3, 2010
For the first time in four years, there will be no one game playoff to determine the final postseason contender in Major League Baseball. It was all decided today, Sunday, October 3.
The San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves both dug deep against talented division rivals to win the third and final game of a series in which they were almost swept. The Giants beat the San Diego Padres, who surprisingly led the National League West almost all season, 3-0, behind the pitching of lefty Jonathan Sanchez and the bat of rookie catcher Buster Posey, who's solo home run to lead off the eighth was sweet icing on the victory cake. The Giants lost 12 games this year against the Padres, versus just 6 wins, and lost the first two games of this series knowing all they had to do was win 1 to get in, but they finally did it. The Padres go home, and the Giants will host the Wild Card Atlanta Braves in their first postseason since 2003.
Speaking of the Braves, legendary manager Bobby Cox's baseball life lives on. His ragtag team (missing stars like Chipper Jones and Martin Prado to injuries) beat the NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies, 8-7, after losing twice in a row and facing the prospect of a one-game playoff for the Wild Card. That won't happen now. The Braves make their first postseason since 2005 (which was their 14th straight), and give Bobby another week-at least-of action. They face the Giants, who crept in not long after them. The Phillies, whom they defeated after being beaten in the first two games of this crucial series, will host the Cincinnati Reds. In a special sentiment, Braves' closer Billy Wagner, who is also planning to retire after this season, struck out the last four hitters of the game in what could have been his last Major League appearance.
In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays collected their second American League East crown (2008 was the other) by defeating the Kansas City Royals, 3-2, in 12 innings, while the New York Yankees lost, 8-4, to the Boston Red Sox. The Rays entered the top of the ninth after the Sox had already beaten the Yanks--they knew they were already in, but they played for pride, scoring twice in the ninth to erase a goose-egg score, and win later. The Rays will host the Texas Rangers in the first round of the playoffs, while the Yankees will travel to Minnesota, where the Twins' new ballpark, Target Field, will see its first playoff action in its first season.
PLAYOFFS
American League
ALDS-Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins
NLDS-Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Phillies
The San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves both dug deep against talented division rivals to win the third and final game of a series in which they were almost swept. The Giants beat the San Diego Padres, who surprisingly led the National League West almost all season, 3-0, behind the pitching of lefty Jonathan Sanchez and the bat of rookie catcher Buster Posey, who's solo home run to lead off the eighth was sweet icing on the victory cake. The Giants lost 12 games this year against the Padres, versus just 6 wins, and lost the first two games of this series knowing all they had to do was win 1 to get in, but they finally did it. The Padres go home, and the Giants will host the Wild Card Atlanta Braves in their first postseason since 2003.
Speaking of the Braves, legendary manager Bobby Cox's baseball life lives on. His ragtag team (missing stars like Chipper Jones and Martin Prado to injuries) beat the NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies, 8-7, after losing twice in a row and facing the prospect of a one-game playoff for the Wild Card. That won't happen now. The Braves make their first postseason since 2005 (which was their 14th straight), and give Bobby another week-at least-of action. They face the Giants, who crept in not long after them. The Phillies, whom they defeated after being beaten in the first two games of this crucial series, will host the Cincinnati Reds. In a special sentiment, Braves' closer Billy Wagner, who is also planning to retire after this season, struck out the last four hitters of the game in what could have been his last Major League appearance.
In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays collected their second American League East crown (2008 was the other) by defeating the Kansas City Royals, 3-2, in 12 innings, while the New York Yankees lost, 8-4, to the Boston Red Sox. The Rays entered the top of the ninth after the Sox had already beaten the Yanks--they knew they were already in, but they played for pride, scoring twice in the ninth to erase a goose-egg score, and win later. The Rays will host the Texas Rangers in the first round of the playoffs, while the Yankees will travel to Minnesota, where the Twins' new ballpark, Target Field, will see its first playoff action in its first season.
PLAYOFFS
American League
ALDS-Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins
NLDS-Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Phillies
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