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St. Louis Tides (87-75) vs Los Angeles Idols (96-66)
GAME 7
The PBL has seen memorable series. A lot of six-game nailbiters have gone down during the league's 8-year existence. And while we have been at the brink of Game 7 several times, there has never been a Game 7...until now.
Fergie Jenkins toes the slab for St. Louis. Ervin Santana did the same for Los Angeles.
Between the two of them, they would allow 17 runs on 21 hits over 5 1/3 innings, including four homers. And incredibly, it was a reliever who allowed 1 run in four innings of work who would take the loss.
As he did in Game Six, Yogi Berra led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer, putting the Idols up 1-0.
In the bottom of the second, the Idols turned it on. Roy Sievers hit a two-run shot, and Vern Stephens went back-to-back to make it 4-0 Idols. Dan Brouthers' RBI single would make it 5-0, and the Tides seemed to be receding.
But in the top of the third, Doggie Miller and Billy Hamilton started with singles. After Johnny Evers popped out to catcher, Tris Speaker walked to load the bases. Duke Snider dug in his spikes, but failed to produce, striking out on three pitches. Rusty Staub would dig in as well, only he would produce - in a big way.
Staub went deep for a grand slam to make it a 5-4 game, and bring life back to the St. Louis dugout, in addition to taking some steam out of the 52,058 in the stands of MGM Field.
The Idols, though, weren't to be denied. Wally Post singled. Sievers doubled. Stephens grounded out, scoring Post to make it 6-4 Los Angeles. Berra singled to put runners at the corners, and Jerry Turner doubled to make it 7-4.
Herb Pennock relieved Jenkins and fell behind Brouthers 2-0 before the slugger ripped one into left, a two-run single to make it 9-4 that would conclude the scoring...at least for that half.
Staked to a 5-run lead, Santana took the hill again. Pete Suder singled. Dick Higham tripled him home to make it 9-5. Doggie Miller singled to right to make it 9-6, as the Idols' bullpen leapt to work. Billy Hamilton singled to right, and when Miller went to third, so did an ill-advised throw that allowed Hamilton to take second. Evers ripped a single into left to make it 9-7 with runners on the corners. And in a flash, Santana's day was over.
Brian Fuentes came on and proceeded to walk Speaker to load the bases. But he struck out Snider and got Staub to pop to second, leaving Jack Manning up to try and complete the rally. Ball, strike, ball, strike, ball...ball. Hamilton came home to make it 9-8, leaving the bases loaded for Suder, who would bounce the first pitch to first to end the rally at 9-8.
The comeback wouldn't be completed until the fifth, when a one-out double from Miller was followed by a two-out single from Evers that tied the game at 9.
Stephens led off the bottom of the fifth with a double. Berra hit a SAC FLy to right that moved Stephens to third, a huge play once Jerry Turner bounced weakly to second, scoring the run and making it a 10-9 game.
From there on it was a bullpen battle. St. Louis sent out Pennock and Victor Zambrano. L.A. sent out Fuentes, Gary Lavelle and Joel Pineiro. And in the 9th, it was time for Jonathan Papelbon to try and close out the dramatic game, and 3-1 series comeback.
His first pitch to Pete Suder was scalded, but right at Luke Easter for the first out. Higham took a strike, a ball and another strike before whiffing on a splitter in the dirt for strike three. Miller then got ahead 2-1 before turning on a 98 mph fastball. But he turned it into the ground, and Hank Thompson made a strong throw to Eddie Murray, in at first for defense, to close out the game, the series and the comeback, sending the Los Angeles Idols to their first PBL Championship Series.
Los Angeles 10, St. Louis 9: Los Angeles wins series 4-3