WILD CARD GAME 3’s
Alaska Barry Zito (17-10 3.45)
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Chicago Alfredo Alejandrez (17-7 3.97)
Chicago leads 2-0
After 3 full Alejandrez has 52 pitches and a 3-3-0-0-2-3 line, Zito at 53 pitches with a 3-3-0-0-1-4 line.
Quinn Thomason leads off the 4th with a single and Juan Caraballo follows with a double to left center, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs.
Jesus Blanco hits a sac fly to make it 1-0, and Alejandrez gets Parker on a 5-3, and after a Lorenzelli error put runners on the corners, Alejandrez gets Jerry Grant on a 1st pitch F8.
Wes Morgan answers with a leadoff double in the bottom half. Eric Hudson singles, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Collins punches out but Paul Riggs doubles to tie it at 1-1.
Luis Chavez fails horribly by popping to 1st, and Massi Lorenzelli goes 4-3 to end the 4th, 1-1. Alejandrez at 73 pitches, Zito 78.
Alejandrez heads into the 6th 1-1, and gives up Juan Carabello’s lead off double, and his night ends. Torres relieves and Jesus Blanco greets him with an RBI single, 2-1 Alaska. Johnson comes in, gets Miller and then Grant looking to end it. Alejandrez line 5-7-2-2-1-5 on the night.
A 1 out Arod double in the 7th nets nothing after a wild pitch moves him to 3rd. Johnson K’s Glaus swinging and gets Thomason on 1 pitch to end the inning.
Riggs leads off with a walk, and is erased on a caught stealing. Chavez flies out and Lorenzelli and Chartier single with 2 outs, Coates goes 5-3 to end it, 2-1 after 7. Zito at 111 pitches.
Jorge Sanchez leads off the 8th by walking Caraballo, he then botches a sac bunt, putting runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs, Alex Browne in. Browne retires PH Thatcher Smith on a 1 pitch F9 and K’s Virgil Miller looking and Jerry Grant swinging to end it.
Zito remains, and Eric Hudson singles with 1 out, but Hugh Collins ends it with a harmless fly out. 2-1 Alaska after 8, Zito at 119 pitches.
Eric Coates boots a Tony Gonzalez leadoff single, putting him at 2nd with no outs. Browne gets Arod to ground out, moving the runner to 3rd. He then punches out Glaus and Thomason to hold it at 2-1 entering the bottom half of the 9th.
Former Chicago RP Riley Potts is on to save it.
Angel Lopez (PH for Riggs) draws a leadoff walk.
On a 1-2 pitch Luis Chavez sends the home crowd into a frenzy with a line drive to deep center……
That bounces off the wall for a game tying double! Runner on 2nd, no outs.
Massi Lorenzelli sacrifices Chavez to 3rd….. Jean Chartier, the “Kid”, is up…
Potts intentionally walks him, Eric Coates coming up, we have Alexander in the tunnel warming up, if Coates can steer clear of the DP, or win it, fine, but Alexander hits for Ron Miller if he gets there…
And Eric Coates drills a 3-1 pitch to DEEP left center, Carabello gloves in and Luis Chavez sprints home to a mob, as Chicago wins in a walk off and sweeps the Avalanche!
Chicago 3 Alaska 2
W Browne (1-0) L Potts (0-1)
HR None
Chicago wins the series 3-0
Series MVP Eric Coates .286-1-4 game winning sac fly in game 3.
Green Bay Grant Thomas (15-11 3.85)
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New York Rob Powell (3-6 5.57)
Green Bay leads 2-0
Up 2 games to none Green Bay jumps on New York in the 3rd when Todd Helton drills a bases loaded triple to put Green Bay up 3-0.
It stays there until the 6th when Blizzard 2B Chase Utley drills a 3 run homer, doubling the lead to 6-0.
In the 6th Green Bay pretty much puts the nail in Alaska’s coffin.
Ethan Kirk and Andruw Jones hit 2 run homers, extending the lead to 10-1.
Mario Moreno’s RBI single in the bottom half puts New York on the board at least.
The rout is on. 3 consecutive RBI singles (Jackson, Kirk, Helton) make it 14-1, Kirk and Williams tie an FL playoff record with their 4th runs of the game as they score to make it 16-1 Green Bay.
All kinds of playoff records falling. Ethan Kirk hits his 2nd HR of the game, a 3 run shot (he’s 3-5 2 HR’s 6 RBI’s) and it’s 20-2 when all is said and done, Green Bay sweeps New York.
Green Bay 20 New York 2
W Thomas(1-0) L Powell (0-1)
HR Kirk 2 (2) A Jones (3) Utley (2)
Green Bay wins the series 3-0
Series MVP Andruw Jones .357-3-7
Tulsa Joel Downs (16-9 3.79)
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Pittsburgh Gonzalo Casisas (12-12 4.55)
Tulsa leads 2-0
Tulsa gets out in front on a German Valdez sac fly in the 2nd, and Edward Young follows with a 2 run double. Dave Ladd draws a bases loaded walk to go up 4-0.
Dana Reed homers for Pittsburgh in the bottom half, making it 4-1 Tulsa.
In the 3rd Edward Young’s RBI single, followed by Rich Alfreds, puts Tulsa up 6-1.
Up 6-1 into the 4th Tulsa is breaking away and closing in on a sweep as Wally Reed drills a bases loaded double, scoring Olivo, Cox and Valdez. 9-1 Tulsa still batting in the top of 4.
A Ross Tunstall solo HR in the 4th and Allen Hedden’s solo shot in the 6th have put the score at 9-3 Tulsa after 6.
A double play grounder in the 8th makes it 10-3 Tulsa.
That’s the final as well.
Tulsa 10 Pittsburgh 3
W Downs (1-0) L Casisas (0-1)
HR PIT Tunstall (1) Reed (1) Hedden (1)
Tulsa wins the series 3-0
Series MVP Wally Reed .429-1-4 5 Runs 2B, 3B
Las Vegas Marshall Wall (18-10 3.45)
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Fresno Pepe Artlano (3-7 3.90 21 year old rookie in a win or go home! Their 2013 #1 out of HS)
Las Vegas leads 2-0
Vegas jumps up 1-0 in the first on Bob White’s RBI double.
Game stays 1-1 into the 4th when Drew Leduc drills a leadoff double.
2 hitters later Jeff Weeks brings him home on an RBI groundout, 2-0 Vegas after 3 ½.
Marshall Wall cruises into the 6th, up 2-0.
Rich Stone and Orlando Rios draw 1 out walks and Qi-chen Jung follows with a run scoring double. Jeff Holland comes in to run for him and Joe Rowe drills a 2 run single as Holland barely beats the throw. 3-2 Fresno. With 2 outs Rory Lewis hits another double, making it 4-2 Fresno after 6.
Marshall Wall still in, when Stone hits a 2-2 pitch to deep right for a solo shot, making it 5-2 and ending Walls day.
Closer Glenn Hanna grabs the ball in the 9th and chaos ensues.
Leduc walks, Adams K’s and Jeff Weeks singles.
PH Casey Blanchard walks to load the bases, and Hanna walks Paco Veldez to force in a run, 5-3. Jorge Gonzalez hits an RBI grounder and it’s 5-4, and in a surprise move Fresno pulls Hanna and brings in lefty Carlos Thuiller.
Thuiller then retires LH Thomas Hood to end it, 5-4, and keep Fresno alive.
Fresno 5 Las Vegas 4
W Artlano (1-0) L Wall (0-1) S Thuiller (1)
HR FRE Stone (1)
Las Vegas leads 2-1
#3 Performance of the Day-Todd Helton (GB) 3-6 3B 5 RBI’s 1 Run
#2 Performance of the Day-Chase Utley (GB) 3-5 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 Runs, 2 BB
#1 Performance of the Day-Ethan Kirk (GB) 3-5 2 HR’s 6 RBI’s 5 Runs (Playoff Record) 2 BB
Wow, have a day Green Bay...