GAME 6
Tulsa Drillers-George Perkins (3-0 2.05)
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Chicago Iron Pigs-Ken Lee (1-1 3.48)
Heh, well, win or go home time now boys. Never had better experiences or more fun than playing in these, knowing 95% of the guys on the field were terrified, while I was beyond excited. You can make people remember you for life in 9 innings of 1 game, period. Any other outlook is folly. You find out who the true ‘gamers’ are. If you watched the 2001 WS, and you happen to go back and check it out, watch Jeter and I, before the 1st pitch, smile and wink at each other, we knew. We knew we were about to play a game no one would ever forget, and that we’d do something, good or bad, that day. I’ve got as good a pitcher as I could possibly want going, but so do they. Perkins has been a stud so far, unbeaten and dominant, any early mistakes could be huge for either team…
1st Inning
TOP-Becker flies out to open the game. Young hits a ground ball single through the right side.
On a 1-1 pitch Rich Alfred hits what many are calling the longest post season homer in IBL history, 487 feet to straight away center field….
Lee looks flustered and walks Whimster on a full count.
Ladd follows with a sharp single to center. Olivo drills a ball to deep right center….
But Collins runs it down, Whimster tags and makes 3rd.
Brady flies to left to end the inning.
BOTTOM-Coates reaches on a bunt single to 2nd leading it off. Chartier erases him on a fielders choice.
Collins works a long AB into a 1 out walk, putting runners at 1st and 2nd.
Alexanders FC puts runners at the corners with 2 outs, bringing Wes Morgan to the plate….
He flies to center to end the inning. Lee needs 24 pitches to get out of the 1st, Perkins 19.
2-0 Tulsa after 1 inning.
2nd Inning
TOP-A 1-2-3 top, on 12 pitches. Lee at 36 after 2.
BOTTOM-Riggs singles with 1 out, goes to 2nd, and then 3rd on back to back wild pitches from Perkins.
Lorenzelli scores him on a grounder to short. Hudson k’s to end the inning. Perkins needing 18, for 37 total through 2.
Tulsa up 2-1 after 2
3rd Inning
TOP-With 2 outs Whimster singles and Ladd works Lee for a 2 out walk, but Olivo pops to center to end the top half. 23 pitches for Lee, for 59 after 3.
BOTTOM-Coates opens with another single, Chartier moves him to 2nd on a grounder.
Collins hits one off Perkins, who recovers to field it, but Coates moves to 3rd.
It ends up mattering 2 pitches later when Perkins apparently balks to force him home.
Alexander then singles, and is nailed trying to stretch it into a double.
Perkins at 51 after 3, Lee at 58.
2-2 as we head to the 4th.
4th Inning
TOP-A 2 out Cooper Patton single is all they get. 15 pitches and Lee’s at 73 after 4.
BOTTOM-Morgan singles off Perkins to kick off the bottom of 4. Chavez K’s looking, Riggs FC puts him at first for Lorenzelli who flies to right to end the inning. 17 more for Perkins in the 4th, for 68 total.
2-2 after 4.
5th Inning
TOP-Lee gets the side in order on 12 pitches.
BOTTOM-Eric Hudson and Eric Coates single to open the bottom half of the 5th. Chartier moves them over with a bunt.
Hugh Collins is walked intentionally but the move backfires when Alexander works a full count walk 7 pitches later.
Wes Morgan drills a ball to left that easily scores Coates, 4-2 now.
And on a 1-0 pitch Luis Chavez brings the home crowd to its feet as he slams the George Perkins offering to deep right for a 3 run homer and a 7-2 lead. Perkins night is done (4.2-8-7-7-3-2). Edison Sisson is in the game.
7-2 after 5 full.
6th Inning
TOP-Dave Ladd makes it clear this isn’t over yet, tripling into the right field corner to open the 6th.
Oilvo follows with an RBI single to make it 7-3.
Ben Brady works a walk and the bullpen is scrambling. A meeting and Lee lets it be known he’s fine. 1 more hitter is what I am thinking…
German Valdez then doubles to left center and Olivo scores making it 7-4. Lee’s night ends (5-8-5-5-3-1) as Alex Browne is summoned.
Patton taps back to the mound with runners at 2nd and 3rd, no outs, and they hold.
Troy Becker grounds to 2nd to score Brady, 7-5 now, runner on 3rd.
Browne gets young to line out to Riggs to end it.
Chicago 7 Tulsa 5 after 6 and a half.
BOTTOM-Lorenzelli doubles on the 1st pitch from Sisson in the bottom half.
Eric Hudson then fouls off 5 2 strike pitches before lining a single to left center, Lorenzelli holding at 3rd.
Eric Coates fouls off 3 more pitches, and proceeds to draw a full count walk.
Jean Chartier grounds to 2nd, and they just miss turning 2, but Lorenzelli comes home.
Collins grounds softly to 3rd and Hudson comes across. Sisson night ends and Vincente Guzman is in the game. Alexander flies to right to end the inning.
9-5 Chicago after 6.
7th Inning
TOP-Browne walks Alfred leading off. Curt Whimster pops to 2nd. A wild pitch moves Alfred to 2nd and Dave Ladd doubles him home on the next pitch.
Arturo Olivo pushes a routine grounder to Riggs at 2nd who can’t make the play, and his errant throw scores Ladd.
Brady hits into a FC at 2nd and Valdez K’s to end the inning.
BOTTOM-Morgan walks to open it and Chavez singles behind him. Riggs flies to left and Massi Lorenzelli hits a wicked line drive up the middle. Valdez makes an amazing stab and flips to Young racing to 2nd for an inning ending DP.
Chicago up 9-7 after 7 full.
8th Inning
TOP-Dave Winston is summoned for the 8th. Patton goes 6-3 and Becker K’s to open it.
Young reaches when Morgan mishandles a grounder.
Jose Torres comes in to get Alfred, who drills a 2-2 single to push Young to 3rd. Torres remains to get the left handed Whimster but he has other ideas.
Whimster drills a 1-2 offering down the 1st base line and into the right field corner to score both Young and Alfred, and tie it up at 9!
Ken Johnson is called on to get Dave Ladd and he does, catching him looking at a 1-2 pitch. Now tied at 9…
BOTTOM-Arturo Ramirez is called on to hold it there.
Eric Hudson singles to lead it off, and Angel Lopez is called on to run. Eric Coates sac bunt turns into more as he beats the throw. Chartier moves the runners to 2nd and 3rd with his own sac.
Hugh Collins is then intentionally walked to load the bases (we’ve been here before!)
Alexander then comes through big time, singling on a 1-0 pitch scoring Lopez and Coates without a throw! 11-9 Chicago!
Wu-shiun Fou is summoned from the Tulsa pen. He gets Morgan swinging.
Chavez lines the 1st pitch to right and Collins is waved home, Olivo’s throw and the ensuing collision, which Alfred hangs onto, nail Collins at the plate.
11-9 Chicago up, Cruz coming in, heading to the 9th.
9th Inning
TOP-Olivo, Brady and Valdez due up, Flores now catching, Lopez at 2nd.
Cruz gets Olivo on an 0-2 chase, 1 out.
Brady lines a 2-0 pitch to center and Collins runs it down…
Valdez flies to Alexander on a 1-1 pitch, series now tied and heading to a Game 7! WOO HOO!