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02/02/09 08:04 PM
Game One:
Starting pitchers, for Grassy Dave Burba, fresh off the DL. For Stawell, undefeated Rick Reed.
Inning 1:
Chipper Jones reached on a Tony Fernandez (also fresh off the DL) error to start the game, but a Barry Bonds DP erased him.
Grassy went down 1-2-3.
Inning 2:
Stawell scored on a double by Rafael Palmeiro and a single by Henry Rodriguez. However Rodriguez was thrown out trying for second on the throw home, important because Jay Bell followed with a hit of his own. Quilvio Veras reached on a HBP, but Reed grounded out to end the inning.
Inning 3:
Stawell went down 1-2-3.
Fernandez walked, and Mike Lieberthal reached on a Chipper Jones error. Burba sacrificed, but Derek Jeter fouled out. With two outs, Brian Jordan singled in both runs and went to second on the throw. Jeff Bagwell then singled Jordan home. Jeff Kent was hit by a pitch, but Dmitri Young flew out to end the inning.
Inning 4:
Grassy got a 2-out homer from Lieberthal to take a 4-1 lead.
Inning 5:
Walks to Veras and Chipper Jones put runners on first and second, and Gary Sheffield tied the game with a home run. Barry Bonds doubled, but Mike Piazza lined out hard to Bagwell to end the inning.
Bagwell reached on Chipper Jones' second error, but was caught stealing.
Inning 6:
Kent reached on Palmeiro's throwing error to start the inning. Young singled and Mondesi fouled out. All were safe on Jay Bell's error of Fernandez' grounder. That made four errors on SS. Lieberthal grounded to third, but Jones could get only a force, and the go-ahead run scored. Yorkis Perez entered and retired pinch-hitter Willie Greene.
Inning 7:
Scott Service entered to pitch for GS. Gregg Jefferies got a pinch-hit single, and Chipper Jones walked, both with one out. Sheffield fouled out, and Rich Rodriguez entered to face Bonds. Bonds grounded out to end the inning.
Jeter walked against new pitcher Juan Acevedo and stole second. He went to third on Jordan's ground out, but Bagwell grounded to Chipper Jones who held Jeter on third. Kent grounded out to end the inning.
Inning 8:
Piazza singled off Rodriguez. Darren Lewis pinch-ran. Palmeiro doubled to right, and Lewis held at third. Henry Rodriguez flew out to shallow right, as Mondesi made a great running catch. The runners held. Jay Bell was walked intentionally, and John Johnstone entered to pitch. Mickey Morandini also entered the game to play second in a double switch. With the bases full, Quilvio Veras tried a suicide squeeze bunt, but bunted through it and Lewis was out at home. The other two runners advanced. Veras then blasted a single to right, scoring both runners and giving SS a 6-5 lead. Veras was then caught stealing with pinch-hitter Rich Brogna standing at the plate.
Stawell was forced to make several changes because of the caught stealing. Royce Clayton replaced Bell at shortstop batting ninth. Lewis stayed in the game to play center field and bat fourth. Charlie O'Brien came in to catch and bat sixth, and John Wetteland came in to pitch and bat seventh. Wetteland had not blown a save all season, and appeared to be on his way to the Sisk Award. His one loss had come only a few games before, when his own throwing error let the winning run reach base, and a single brought it home. Wetteland allowed a one-out single in the eighth, but ended the inning with the runner on second by striking out pinch-hitter Tim Raines.
Inning 9:
Chipper Jones socked a one-out double against Johnstone, but Sheffield flew out and Bonds was walked intentionally to bring up Lewis. Andrew Jones pinch-hit, but struck out.
Morandini led off the ninth and reached on a Wetteland throwing error, the fifth error for Stawell and shades of Wetteland's only loss. Morandini stole second, but two outs later was still there. Jeff Bagwell batted, and the pitcher's spot was up next. Grassy was running low on pinch-hitters. Stawell manager Credence Carlisle chose to walk Bagwell intentionally, putting the winning run on with possibly the pennant at stake. Edgardo Alfonso came off the bench. He rocketed a drive toward the corner in right. Morandini scored easily. Bagwell streaked around third and headed for home. In a cloud of dust he was safe and Grassy had won, 7-6.
Game Two
Starting pitchers, ace Tom Glavine for Grassy, fresh off an impressive outing, and ace Curt Schilling, getting shelled mercilessly of late.
Jeter led off with a walk, stole second, went to third on Jordan's fly out, stayed there on Bagwell's strikeout, and scored on Kent's bloop double. Dmitri Young flew out to end the inning.
Mondesi led off for Grassy with a home run to left. The next three batters went down easily.
With two out, Schilling got Stawell's first hit, a double to the wall. Chipper Jones then singled to left, but Schilling was thrown out at home by leftfielder Young.
Grassy got a one-out double by Jordan, but he was thrown out trying for third.
Innings 4 through 7:
Stawell had a two-out double in the fourth by Piazza, and a two-out runner in the sixth on Lieberthal's error, but that was it.
Grassy had a pair of walks, one to Glavine and the other to Jordan.
Stawell had a one-out single by Veras, but Rodriguez, pinch-hitting for Schilling despite the lefty Glavine, struck out. Chipper Jones grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
With Yorkis Perez pitching, Glavine let off with his second walk. Acevedo quickly entered. Jeter sacrificed Glavine to second, but he died there when Jordan and Bagwell both flew out.
With one out, Barry Bonds broke up Glavine's shutout with a solo home run. Piazza then doubled, and Lewis pinch-ran. Palmeiro drove a pitch down the left-field line that just snuck inside the foul pole for a two-run home run that put SS up 3-2. Andrew Jones singled and stole second, but after a Jay Bell fly out and an intentional walk to Veras, pinch-hitter Jefferies grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Wetteland came on again. He walked Kent, but Young flew out. Kent then stole second. Mondesi drove a ball to the wall in left-center to tie the score. Two blown saves in one day. Fernandez was walked intentionally to bring up Morandini as a pinch-hitter for Lieberthal. Morandini dunked a pitch into right field, just fair, but devastatingly so, and Mondesi scored the winning run.
The Grassy fans rushed the field, but seemed dazed by the events of the day, and bewildered at having never been in such a situation before.
A glance at the standings with but a week to go indicates that the end of the world is near. The Grassy Skirts and The Urapunga Nature Boys, the two teams who have never won anything, are both in first place.
Yaneverno.
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