October baseball, ya gotta love it! MLB is down to four teams standing, two from LA, one from NY, and then there’s the defending champion team from Philadelphia. There is a big contrast played between games on the east coast and those played in sunny California. The Angels have had to battle the elements as well as the Bronx Bombers, they’re currently down 2-0 heading back to Anaheim. While Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino needed to change his jersey during game two because it was soaked with sweat, the two teams head to the City of Brotherly Love with their series knotted at one. Of the teams left playing ball, I’m probably more of a Phillies fan than anything else, because I watch them a lot during spring training in Clearwater, FL, although I think the Yankees will win it all, money talks!
The Illowa APBA League is finally on its way to achieving parity, there is no longer such a thing as the big two. Before our two October series, nine games each, we were fortunate enough to have amassed a seven game lead, with 36 games to play. Three teams were tied for 2nd place, followed closely by a team eight games out, with another ballclub ten games behind. Our October opponents featured two heavyweights, the Three Rivers Gamblers (8 out) and the Northside Hitmen (7 out). More nerve racking was the fact that we would be playing these series Friday night/Saturday morning, within a 24 hour window.
First up a Skype series from Pittsburgh to Chicago, the Gamblers against the Champions. Both teams started their aces in the opener, C.C. Sabathia for them, Tim Lincecum for us. Sabathia nailed a homer off Lincecum, Justin Morneau jacked one off Sabathia for us, but the winning run scored in the bottom of the 9th when Morneau lined an RBI double off Jensen Lewis, 4-3 win. Mark Buehrle didn’t have it for the Champs, Armando Galarraga had it for them, Victorino hit two long balls & drove in four, one game apiece, 9-3 score, bad guys. Three Rivers outlasted the Champs in 11, 7-6, Jose Arredondo blew the save, but picked up the win, and Joey Devine picked up the L, another bad guy winner, 7-6. Champion hitters pulled out the big lumber against John Lannan in game quatro, evening up the series at two, two homers each by ARod & Ryan Doumit, driving in all 9 runs, for a 9-5 victory, Greg Maddux went five for the win. Game #5: Josh Beckett was in charge, taking no prisoners, 3-1 Chicago winner, now leading the series 3-2, we were the home team for the first half, now it was time to take our act on the road. Freak Lincecum got lit up for six runs (a three run dinger for Gregg Zaun & a two run shot by Sabathia) in five innings and the Gamblers held on to the "pitcher’s dual" win, C.C. got the victory, Craig Breslow got the save, taking over the team’s closer role, 6-5, even at three, with three games to go. In the 7th game Buehrle again got clocked for eight extra base hits in four innings, including four homers, accounting for 12 runs, as Galarraga cruised to a 12-4 win, 4-3 them. Matt Cain & three relievers brought the series back to even with a 2-1 win. Lannan faired much better in his rematch against Maddux in the series finale, we couldn’t overcome 2 two run homers, losing 4-3, and dropping the series 5-4.
Now the race for postseason in the IAL was tightening up a bit, no time to lick our wounds, the Northside Hitmen were dropping by Crackerjack Park to play shum APBA. JRoll hit the first pitch over the wall off Boof Bonser, and we never looked back, Josh Beckett cruised to the complete game victory, even hit a two run tater, 8-4 us. JRoll again hit a leadoff homer, a two run 8th inning blast by Ryan Doumit provided the difference as Lincecum notched the 6-4 win, 2-0 series lead. Maddux went the first five & Lincecum pitched the last four, for a 2-0 victory, three zip good guys. The Hitmen scored seven unearned runs, they counted none the less, ARod’s two HR & 5 RBIs weren’t enough, 9-5 them, 3-1 in Chicago, time to head over to the Northside. Neither starter Cole Hamels, nor Lincecum were around when the 5th game was decided, in 12 the Champs won 5-3, Sergio Romo picked up his 1st career victory going two, ARod ripped a two run double, 4-1 us. Beckett went six, Devine got the save, 4-2 Champions, 5-1 in the series. Cain didn’t have it in the 7th game, down 4-0 after one, Carlos Delgado with a three run first inning Del-got-it shot, bad guys win it 5-2, series at 5-2 still us. Maddux got ripped for five runs in three innings, 4 coming courtesy of a Miggy Cabrera big fly with the bags juiced, 6-3 winner for Jake Peavy, series slips to 5-3 lead, still us, but barely. Now with one game to go the Champs were in danger of kissing their sister BIG TIME, an 18 game split, which wouldn’t be the worst thing, but it could’ve been better. We hit for the cycle of A.J. Burnett in the 2nd inning, a 3 run blast by JRoll, another by B.J. Upton in the 3rd, and a complete game win by Mark Buehrle, for a 6-3 series winner, good guys, YES!