Current League Date:
October 13, 2005
Quick Links:
More Links:
Team Links:
Kansas City
Monarchs
Madison Muskies
Miami X Giants
Oakland Oaks
Philadelphia
Quakers
Seattle Pilots
St. Louis
Perfectos
|
Robinson League Game Five
October 10, 2005 (Seattle) -- The Seattle Pilots advanced to their first Federal Series by beating the Oakland Oaks 11-5 to close out the RLCS 4 games to 1. The Pilots launched a fifteen-hit attack, with Cliff Floyd and Geoff Blum each scoring three runs. Floyd hit a two-run homer (2), and Blum had a triple and a double. Wade Miller (W, 1-0) struck out nine Oaks in six innings for his first postseason win. The Pilots took a 3-0 lead in the first inning with a two-out rally off Oakland starter Claudio Vargas (L, 0-2). Vargas settled down and kept the Pilots hitless over the next three innings, but in the fifth Brad Wilkerson doubled and Floyd pulled a pitch down the right field line for a 5-0 Seattle lead. Blaine Neal came out of the Oakland bullpen, but the Pilots tacked on another run with consecutive singles by Ivan Rodriguez, Ryan Klesko, and Todd Linden. The Oaks did not go down without a fight, though. In the sixth they broke the shutout by loading the bases against Miller and taking advantage of an error by third baseman Linden. Rafael Furcal's sacrifice fly made it 6-2. In the seventh, the Oaks made it a one-run game when Pat Burrell hit a towering three-run homer (1) off Seattle set-up man Guillermo Mota. But that was as close as they got. Blum doubled and scored in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-5, and the Pilots piled on four more runs in the eighth off Luis Vizcaino and Jason Isringhausen to put the game out of reach. The volume of the crowd at Koufax Park rose steadily, reaching its peak when Scott Strickland struck out Pat Burrell to end the series. The Pilots will now rest and regroup while they await their Federal Series opponent. For the Oaks, it will be another offseason of regret, as they fell to the wild-card team for the second year in a row.
Game Four
October 9, 2005 (Seattle) -- It was the Oakland Oaks' turn to stage a late-game rally in the RLCS. The Pilots took a 4-3 lead into the eighth, just six outs away from a four-game sweep, but Eli Marrero's three-run homer in the eighth kept the Oaks alive. Pat Burrell and Paul LoDuca led off the inning with base hits off relievers Scott Strickland and Mike Matthews (L, 0-1). Seattle manager Ryan Mauck brought in his third pitcher of the inning, set-up man Guillermo Mota, to face Marrero. The Oaks' catcher was a dismal 2-for-15 in the series, but smashed a Mota offering into the upper deck in left field for a 6-4 Oakland lead. Both teams sent their Game One starters back to the mound on three days' rest. Oakland starter Randy Wolf struggled early, giving up doubles to Shawn Green and Geoff Blum in the first and a solo homer to Marcus Giles -- his third of the series -- in the second inning. But Wolf settled down, allowing just one hit and a walk in the next four innings. Meanwhile, the Oaks got on the board in the second when Morgan Ensberg singled off Journell, advanced to third on Rafael Furcal's single, and tagged up on Luis Castillo's sacrifice fly. In the fourth, Walter Young and Furcal doubled and Castillo singled to give Oakland its first lead of the game, 3-2. Wolf was done after six innings, replaced by Luis Vizcaino. Ryan Klesko greeted him with a double, then scored when Furcal threw a Chris Duncan grounder into the dugout. Alex Cintron later drove in Duncan for the go-ahead run. With only one out in the seventh, Oaks manager Alex Tamin brought in closer Jason Isringhausen (W, 1-0) to contain the damage. Isringhausen retired Green and Ivan Rodriguez to keep it a one-run game, setting the stage for Marrero's blast in the eighth, then gave himself an insurance run with an RBI single. The Pilots threatened a rally in the ninth, however, scoring a run and putting runners at the corners with one out for Green. Isringhausen once again retired the MVP candidate, followed by a game-ending grounder from Rodriguez. It's still a long road back for the Oaks, but they can bring the series back to home turf with one more win, and they won't have to face the Pilots' ace starter Journell -- who struck out nine and walked none today -- until a Game Seven.
Game Three
October 8, 2005 (Seattle) -- Ryan Dempster silenced the big bats of the Oakland Oaks to give the Seattle Pilots a commanding 3-0 lead in the RLCS. Dempster struggled with his control at times, walking six batters in 7 2/3 innings, but the Oaks managed just four hits -- all of them singles. Dempster's teammates scratched out three runs off Oakland starter Vicente Padilla, led by Ryan Klesko's 3-for-4 performance. Oakland's best chances came early. Dempster walked the first two batters of the game, but the Oaks failed to score in the inning. Oakland did get on the board in the next inning, taking a 1-0 lead on a Morgan Ensberg walk and singles by Rafael Furcal and Luis Castillo. With men at the corners and none out, the Oaks looked poised to score more, but Dempster battled his way out of the jam. Marcus Giles tried to tag up form third to tie it on Shawn Green's fly ball in the third, but Bobby Abreu threw a strike to home plate to keep the Oaks in the lead. The Pilots tied the game an inning later when Cliff Floyd doubled and scored on Klesko's single up the middle. Brad Wilkerson put the Pilots ahead in the fifth with an RBI double, and Dempster got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the sixth to preserve the lead. Todd Linden's sacrifice fly gave Seattle an insurance run, and Dempster, Scott Sauerbeck, and Eric Gagne (SV, 2) kept Oakland off the board. The win puts the Pilots within a game of their first Federal Series, with ace Jimmy Journell expected to take the mound in Game Four in front of an eager hometown crowd. It's a stunning turn of events for the Oaks, who had hoped to erase memories of last year's upset at the hands of the St. Louis Perfectos, but now seem about to fall victim again to the "first place curse." Randy Wolf is likely to get the call on short rest to try to save the season for the regular-season leaders.
Game Two
October 6, 2005 (Oakland) -- The Seattle Pilots will take a 2-0 lead back to Seattle after felling the Oaks 6-4 tonight. For the second straight day, the Pilots used a big inning to erase an Oakland lead, this time scoring four in the eighth. The Oaks switched up their starting rotation, giving the ball to rookie Claudio Vargas instead of Vicente Padilla. Vargas started strong, allowing just one hit -- a Marcus Giles home run -- in the first four innings. Seattle's Wade Miller kept the Oaks hitless through the first three innings, but the Oaks took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Bobby Abreu tripled in between singles by Luis Castillo and Brian Giles. Miller tied the game, though, with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth. The Oaks retook the lead with two in the sixth, thanks to back-to-back doubles by Abreu and Brian Giles. Then came the Seattle eighth. Shawn Green led off the inning with a solo homer to make it a one-run game. Vargas issued walks to Brad Wilkerson and Cliff Floyd, then Chris Duncan -- last night's hero with a three-run homer in his first NFBL at-bat -- singled sharply to left-center to load the bases. Ivan Rodriguez then poked through a two-run single for a 5-4 Pilots lead. That was it for Vargas. Blaine Neal allowed another run but got the Oaks out of the inning. The Oaks had chances to tie it, but Brian Giles grounded into a double play with two on in the eighth, and Paul LoDuca grounded out with the bases loaded in the ninth.
Game One
October 5, 2005 (Oakland) -- Chris Duncan's pinch-hit three-run homer and Ivan Rodriguez's two-run shot gave the Seattle Pilots five runs in the eighth inning to take Game One. The game featured the first time two twenty-game winners have faced each other in the NFBL playoffs. Jimmy Journell and Randy Wolf were both solid, but neither was dominant. Journell allowed three runs, two of them earned, in six innings on seven hits; he struck out eight and walked none. Wolf also allowed three runs in six innings, yielding nine hits and one walk while fanning seven. The Oaks drew first blood in the third inning when Seattle leftfielder Cliff Floyd muffed a Rafael Furcal line drive, putting Furcal on second base and setting up Bobby Abreu's RBI single. Seattle struck back right away in the fourth, tying the game on singles by Ivan Rodriguez, Geoff Blum, and Ryan Klesko. But Furcal and Abreu teamed up again for Oakland in the fifth, with Abreu's opposite-field home run making it 3-1 Oakland. The Pilots evened the game up again on solo home runs by Cliff Floyd in the sixth and Marcus Giles in the seventh. The Pilots also chased Wolf and loaded the bases in the seventh, but failed to cash in. Wayne Franklin (W, 1-0) came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh for Seattle, and got in trouble via his own error and a walk to Paul LoDuca. Jolbert Cabrera moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt, and Seattle opted to put Bobby Abreu on intentionally. With the bases loaded, Brian Giles hit a deep fly ball to left to put the Oaks up 4-3, but Pat Burrell grounded out to end the inning. The Pilots powered their way to victory in the eighth. With two on and two out, Duncan sent a Blaine Neal (L, 0-1) pitch into the left field stands for a 6-4 Pilots lead. Will Ohman came in to pitch, and promptly gave up a Shawn Green single and an Ivan Rodriguez home run to nearly the same spot as Duncan's shot. Scott Sauerbeck kept the Oaks off the board in the final two innings to preserve the win. Wade Miller (13-9) will take the mound for Seattle in Game Two, with Vicente Padilla (15-8) hoping to even the series for the Oaks.
|
Gehrig League Game Seven
October 13, 2005 (Miami) -- The Curse is dead. The Cleveland Spiders became the first regular season league leader to win an NFBL playoff series by crushing the Miami X Giants 13-1 in the final game of the series. The Spiders remained the only team to ever win a seventh game, having beaten the Brooklyn Superbas in the 2003 GLCS -- the only other seven-game series in league history. The Spiders' dormant offense roared to life with three home runs in the first inning to take a commanding 6-0 lead, and Josh Beckett (W, 3-0) became the first pitcher to win three games in a single series with a commanding seven-inning performance. Miami's momentum from yesterday's 20-1 win didn't survive the first inning. J.D. Drew led off the bottom of the first with a home run (2) off Brad Lidge (L, 1-1). Lidge struck out Jeff Kent, then allowed a single to Craig Brazell and a two-run homer to Austin Kearns (2). Steve Smitherman and Travis Chapman singled, and Brian Schneider broke out of a 2-for-20 slump with a three-run blast to right field. That was all for Lidge, who had dominated the Spiders in Game Three. J.J. Trujillo got the X Giants out of the inning, and John Bale threw three innings of scoreless relief to keep the game within reach. But the X Giants couldn't do much against Beckett, managing just four hits and three walks in seven innings. The Spiders' ace gave up a run in the second inning, but shut the door after that until he handed the ball off to the bullpen. By that time it was too late. The Spiders rallied for six more runs in the bottom of the sixth, aided by a two-out error by Edgar Renteria that loaded the bases and set up back-to-back doubles by Kent and Brazell and singles by Kearns and Chapman. Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Wright threw an inning of scoreless relief each to close out the game and the series. The series was billed going in as a battle of irresistible forces and immovable objects -- the Cleveland offense, which finished second only to Philadelphia in runs scored, versus the dominating pitching of Miami that allowed the fewest runs in the NFBL. Through six games, that battle was not even close -- the X Giants had held the Spiders to sixteen runs in six games. The Spiders survived with the help of some strong pitching of their own. Series MVP Beckett and his colleagues held the X Giants -- who, with the NFBL's best batting average and fourth-most runs, were no offensive slouches themselves -- to thirteen runs in the first five games. "Our pitchers saved our butts all series long," declared Schneider. "Well, except for Game Six [a 20-1 Miami blowout], which NEVER HAPPENED. You hear me? It never happened, just like the last two seasons of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'" For the X Giants, it was a disappointing end to a promising season. After narrowly missing the playoffs last season, Miami chased Cleveland for the league lead all year long, then regrouped from the devastating loss of star Jim Edmonds to battle the Spiders to a standstill through six games. Cleveland will now try to become the first league leader to win the Federal Series, but since no such team has ever made it that far, they're writing on a clean slate. They won't be able to lean so heavily on the exhausted Beckett, who won't be available until Game Three, while a well-rested Jimmy Journell awaits them in Seattle.
Game Six
October 12, 2005 (Cleveland) -- With their playoff lives on the line, the Miami X Giants handed the Cleveland Spiders the biggest drubbing in NFBL postseason history -- a 20-1 humiliation before a crowd that had been hoping to see the Spiders reach their second Federal Series. The X Giants piled on twenty-four hits off four different Cleveland pitchers. Only one of those hits was a home run -- a two-run shot in the eighth by Alex Fernandez (1) -- but nine of them were doubles, including two each by Larry Walker and Edgar Renteria. Miami struck early with two runs in the first inning, then added three more in the third to chase starter Roy Oswalt (L, 0-2). With four runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth, the rout was on. Gabe White (W, 2-0) pitched a much better game than his teammates needed, holding the Spiders to four hits and one run in seven innings for his second win of the series. Fernandez and Walker were the offensive stars for Miami, though every starter except Mike Kinkade had a strong day at the plate. Fernandez finished 5-for-6 with four runs and five RBIs, and had a double to go with his home run. Walker was 5-for-6 with a pair of doubles, scoring three and driving in six. Reactions in the Cleveland clubhouse ranged from disbelief to anger, but manager Jake Taylor tried to put a lighthearted spin on the day. "They won't have any legs left for Game Seven -- they completely exhausted themselves running the bases today." All jokes aside, there's little question who has the momentum going into tomorrow's decisive Game Seven. The Spiders will hope to regroup behind the pitching of Josh Beckett (2-0), who will seek his third win of the series, while Miami is expected to go with Brad Lidge (1-0), who shut the Cleveland lineup down in Game Three.
Game Five
October 10, 2005 (Miami) -- Steve Smitherman's sixth-inning solo homer (1) broke a 3-3 tie and helped the Spiders take a 3-2 lead in the GLCS. The first scoring of the game came from an unlikely source, with Miami starting pitcher Odalis Perez leading off the bottom of the third with a home run off his Cleveland counterpart Santiago Ramirez. Edgar Renteria made it 2-0 Miami an inning later with an RBI double. The Spiders got on the board in the fifth, loading the bases against Perez with none out. Brian Schneider's single drove in a pair of runs to tie the game. Perez retired the next two batters, but Richie Sexson's RBI single gave the visitors their first lead of the game. The X Giants came right back, with Perez hitting a double and scoring his second run of the game on a Chad Tracy single. But Smitherman -- inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this series in lieu of the slumping Mark Kotsay -- led off the sixth with an opposite-field home run. The Spiders threatened to score again in the sixth and again in the seventh, but Perez pitched his way out of the jams. But the X Giants made no headway against Ramirez or reliever Jaime Cerda in the seventh and eighth. The Spiders loaded the bases in the ninth off Al Reyes, and scored an insurance run on Kotsay's pinch-hit single. Austin Kearns was thrown out at the plate to prevent a sixth Cleveland run. Billy Wagner came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. The X Giants got the door open a crack with an Edgar Renteria double and a Jason Romano walk, but Wagner struck out Chad Moeller to send the Spiders back to Cleveland with a 3-2 series lead.
Game Four
October 9, 2005 (Miami) -- The Cleveland Spiders leveled the GLCS at two games apiece with Josh Beckett's second win of the series. Beckett went 7 2/3 innings, striking out four, walking none, and allowing six hits. Both Miami runs came on solo home runs by Chad Tracy (1) and Chad Moeller (1). Beckett (W, 2-0) and Miami starter Scott Eyre (L, 0-1) kept the game scoreless until Tracy's homer in the fourth. Just prior to Tracy's at-bat, Alex Fernandez was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple, costing the X Giants what proved to be a crucial run. The Spiders scored all their runs in a sixth inning rally that began with a one-out walk to Richie Sexson. Austin Kearns and Travis Chapman both singled to load up the bases for J.D. Drew, who slapped a base hit to right to give Cleveland a 2-1 lead. A walk to Jeff Kent loaded the bases, and Eyre was done for the night. Reliever Joey Eischen allowed a sacrifice fly by Brian Schneider to make it 3-1 Spiders, then retired Beckett to escape the inning. Cleveland had a chance to add to the lead when Anderson Machado tripled off John Bale to start the seventh, but the drawn-in infield was able to hold the runner on two consecutive grounders, and Bale retired Kearns to end the inning. Moeller's home run in the eighth cut the Cleveland lead in half, and a Travis Chapman error put the tying run aboard. Beckett left the game in favor of southpaw Jaime Cerda, who fanned Fernandez and got Tracy to ground out to end the inning. Another Chapman error gave Miami a baserunner in the ninth, but Billy Wagner (SV, 2) put down the side to seal the win. Miami is expected to send its Game One starter Odalis Perez (0-1) to the mound tomorrow, while Cleveland manager Jake Taylor announced that Santiago Ramirez (0-0) will make his first appearance of the series for the Spiders.
Game Three
October 8, 2005 (Miami) -- Brad Lidge confounded the Cleveland Spiders, fanning ten batters and combining with his bullpen on a three-hitter as the X Giants pulled ahead two games to one in the GLCS. The Spiders managed just a pair of singles and a walk off Lidge in seven innings. Chris Cervantes pitched well for Cleveland, but Miami scored in the first two innings and never relinquished the lead. Rene Reyes opened the scoring with a double in the first to drive in Alex Fernandez. Unfortunately, Reyes' postseason came to an end, as he ruptured his Achilles tendon sliding into second base and had to be taken off on a stretcher. J.D. Drew kept it a one-run game by throwing out Larry Walker at the plate on Mike Kinkade's fly ball, but the X Giants went up 2-0 in the next inning on Jason Romano's solo home run. The Spiders finally got on the board in the fifth, putting men at the corners with none out. Travis Chapman's double-play ball broke the shutout, but killed the rally. Lidge left the game after the seventh inning, receiving a standing ovation from the Miami crowd. The Spiders fared no better off Al Reyes, who threw a perfect eight, and Romano drove in Walker with a single in the bottom of the inning to give Trevor Hoffman a two-run lead with which to work. Steve Smitherman led off the ninth with a pinch-hit single, but Mark Kotsay hit into a fielder's choice, then committed a serious blunder in getting picked off first for the second out. Hoffman then struck out Jason Michaels to seal the victory. Both managers face pitching decisions -- tomorrow could see either of Game One starters Josh Beckett or Odalis Perez returning on short rest, or the first start by Cleveland's Santiago Ramirez and Miami's Scott Eyre.
Game Two
October 6, 2005 (Cleveland) -- Ruben Mateo's grand slam helped the Miami X Giants even the GLCS at one game apiece. Mateo broke a 1-1 tie by depositing a Roy Oswalt (L, 0-1) offering over the center field wall in the seventh inning. Gabe White (W, 1-0) held the Spiders to two runs in eight innings, striking out nine. White didn't allow a hit until Austin Kearns' home run in the bottom of the fifth. Meanwhile, Oswalt was pitching as though the one run might be enough, shutting the X Giants out through six innings. In the seventh, though, it fell apart. With one out, White helped his own cause with a double. Oswalt then issued three straight walks, loading the bases and forcing in the tying run. After a consultation on the mound, Oswalt was left in the game to pitch to Mateo -- with disastrous results. The Spiders got one run back in the bottom of the eighth, and loaded the bases with one out, but White coaxed a double-play ball from Mark Kotsay to escape the inning. Trevor Hoffman retired the final three batters to give the X Giants their first postseason victory.
Game One
October 5, 2005 (Cleveland) -- Josh Beckett (W, 1-0) tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings and Billy Wagner struck out five as the Spiders blanked the X Giants in the GL opener. Beckett and Miami's Odalis Perez (L, 0-1) traded goose eggs until the bottom of the fifth. Miami had a runner in scoring position in three of the first five innings, but were unable to convert. J.D. Drew and Jeff Kent opened the scoring with back-to-back home runs to lead off the Cleveland fifth. Austin Kearns made it 3-0 in the sixth with an RBI triple. Larry Walker doubled off reliever Mike Crudale with one out in the eighth, but closer Billy Wagner came in to strike out Ruben Mateo and Mike Kinkade to end the inning. Kearns added an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI double. Wagner didn't need it, though he did get in trouble, putting men on first and third in the ninth before fanning Tagg Bozied and Alex Fernandez to end the game. Miami will send Gabe White (11-7) to take on Cleveland's Roy Oswalt (13-10) in Game Two.
|