“Rain, Extra Innings, and a Record-Setting Walk-Off”
By Chad G. Petey, Baseball News Network (BNN)
The Sacramento Prayers’ blistering start to 1988 encountered three very different tests from the Seattle Lucifers: a rain-soaked duel, a late-night heartbreaker, and a dramatic walk-off capped by a historic performance from one of the franchise’s iconic stars. Sacramento took
two of three, improving to
16–2 and continuing to show the depth, resilience, and star power that have defined their early-season dominance.
APRIL 20, 1988
Prayers 3, Lucifers 0
Rubalcava Weathers the Storm, Delivers Shutout
On a wet, windy Sacramento night,
Jordan Rubalcava delivered one of the most poised performances of the young season — rain slicking his cap, mud splattering his landing spot, Seattle hitters offering little in the way of resistance.
Rubalcava fired a
5-inning complete-game shutout (weather-shortened), allowing only
4 hits, striking out
5, and walking just one. He improved to
4–0 with a 1.26 ERA, firmly establishing himself as one of the early-season revelations in the rotation.
“It just felt right today,” Rubalcava said afterward. “Even with the rain, it didn’t throw me off my rhythm.”
Sacramento supported him with just enough offense:
• Bret Perez lifted a sac fly in the 1st.
• Eli Murguia added an RBI single.
• Andres Valadez continued his timely hitting with an RBI.
Seattle managed only a trio of doubles but stranded five runners.
The game was called after five innings due to worsening conditions, but the message was loud and clear: Sacramento can win even when the weather tries to slow them down.
Record after Game 16: Sacramento 15–1
APRIL 21, 1988
Lucifers 7, Prayers 5 (11 innings)
Seattle Snaps Sacramento’s Streak in a Marathon
A night after being shut out, Seattle turned the tables in a grinding, exhausting 11-inning fight in front of a restless crowd at Sacramento Stadium.
Right-hander
Nelson Huichapa matched Sacramento pitch-for-pitch early, scattering six hits in six innings and limiting the Prayers to two runs. The Lucifers struck late — first with
Lázaro Guerrero’s 2-run homer in the 7th, then again with two runs in the 8th to take a 4–3 lead.
But Sacramento refused to fold.
• Alex Velasquez lashed a two-out RBI double.
• Hector Iniguez ripped a game-tying double in the 8th.
• Spencer Strauss hammered another clutch extra-base hit — his
7th double of April — to tie the game again in the 8th.
Still, Sacramento couldn’t push across the winning run despite
14 hits, and Seattle made them pay.
In the top of the 11th, with two on,
Miguel Flores drove a dagger of a double into the right-field alley, scoring both runners for a 7–5 lead the Prayers never overcame.
“Always feels extra good winning this kind of game,” Flores said afterward.
The loss dropped Sacramento to
15–2, ending a six-game winning streak.
Notable Sacramento performances:
• Murguia — 3 hits, continued his hot stretch
• Strauss — 4-for-5, doubles machine
• Iniguez — RBI double
• Martinez — 2 hits and a sac fly
APRIL 22, 1988
Prayers 8, Lucifers 7
MURGUIA’S FIVE-HIT WALK-OFF — A GAME FOR THE AGES
If the second game of the series stung, game number 3 delivered pure euphoria—an instant classic that will sit comfortably in Sacramento highlight reels for years.
Eli Murguia went 5-for-5, tying the
AL regular-season record for hits in a game, and drove in
4 runs, including the
walk-off, bases-clearing double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Trailing 7–5 entering their final at-bat, Sacramento put two aboard and worked the count full with the game — and series — on the line. When Seattle reliever Manny Morales hung a curveball, Murguia uncorked a scorched liner into right-center that split the gap and sent Sacramento Stadium into chaos.
“Satisfied,” Murguia said afterward — a masterful understatement.
Murguia wasn’t alone in powering the offense:
• J. Rubbi blasted a two-run homer in the 4th.
• Edwin Musco added two hits.
• Strauss delivered three more hits, raising his average to .400.
• Andres Valadez contributed another multi-hit game.
• Liston and
Iniguez produced timely RBIs.
On the mound, Bernardo Andretti battled (6 IP, 6 R), Gino Caliari struggled with inherited runners, and
Ed Kukuk threw a clean ninth to earn the win.
But this day belonged to Murguia — and to a Sacramento club that once again proved it can strike from behind at any moment.
Record after Game 18: Sacramento 16–2
SEATTLE SERIES TAKEAWAYS
* Eli Murguia’s Historic Stretch
9 hits in the final two games.
A five-hit masterpiece.
A walk-off that will be replayed for decades.
* Rotation Foundations Look Strong
Rubalcava’s surge.
Salazar grinding through innings.
Andretti eating starts even on off days.
* Clutch DNA Everywhere
Strauss. Valadez. Velasquez. Iniguez.
Sacramento’s late-inning offense looks dangerous against anyone.
* A Tough-Luck Loss, But a Statement Response
Love how they recovered — Game 3 was the mark of a contender with zero panic.