TSTBL: How the West Was Won (And Where It Got Us)

Driver 8 · 12-13-2002, 01:08 AM

For the third time in as many years, Western League pitching dominated the East in the annual TSTBL All-Star Game. Getting his third straight start, Albuquerque Duke ace Roy Oswalt (13-4, 1.91) combined with six relievers to allow one run and two-hits in the WL's 2-1, 10-inning victory.

After retiring the side in order in the top of the first, Oswalt continued his mastery of the EL by striking out the side in the second. Although none are sure-fire Hall Of Famers, Oswalt brought Carl Hubbell to mind as he fanned 2003 triple-crown winner Adam Dunn (.271-23-62), Andruw Jones (.262-18-67) and Sean Burroughs (.354-12-55) to end his stint in the game. In three All-Star games Oswalt has pitched eight innings, allowing just 5 hits, 1 earned run, fanning 10, while picking up the victory in the 2002 contest. Luckily for the East, Toledo Mudhens manager Aaron Bacon had his ace, Barry Zito (12-3, 3.80), dominating as well, keep the WL off the board during his two innings.

In the bottom of the third, Mudhens pitcher Ricardo Rodriguez (13-5, 3.18) quickly dispatched Rafael Furcal (.348-7-65) before falling behind TSTBL batting leader Hank Blalock (.391-11-75). On a 3-1 slider, the Colorado Springs' lefty hit a mammoth shot to the opposite field to give the WL a 1-0 lead. For most of the game the WL played as if the 1-0 lead was actually a ten run cushion as Joe Kennedy (15-0, 3.49), Mark Mulder (11-7, 3.34), Kevin Walker (0-3, 3.98, 19 save) and Brad Penny (13-6, 3.32) all combined to keep the EL hitless for the first 6.1 innings. The EL managed to scrape a run across in the top of the 8th, without the aid of a hit. After back-to-back one-out walks by Akiyama Shigeo (.270-5-38) and Antonio Hernandez (.330-3-36), RF Marcus Thames (.327-14-63) his into an apparent inning-ending double play, but Hernandez' hard slide into second put runners on the corner with two down. The next batter, Stephen Wilcoxson (.315-19-61), hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Jose Ortiz (.267-14-74), who made a quick throw off target, pulling 1B Nick Johnson (.314-28-85) off the bag, allowing Shigeo to scamper across the plate to even the contest. From there hitters on both side were shut down as regulation ended with a 1-1 deadlock.

After Kerry Wood (12-4, 2.05) quickly dispatched Shigeo, Hernandez and Thames in the top of the tenth, the WL seemed lost against Toledo's Byung-Hyun Kim (4-1, 1.93, 24 saves) in the bottom of the 10th as Furcal and Roberto Ortiz (.278-14-74) both were retired on two pitches, bringing 2002 WL MVP Albert Pujols (.348-15-72) to the plate. With a 2-2 count, Pujols turned on a Kim fastball and deposited it 415 feet into the second deck to give the West a 2-1 victory. For his extra-inning heroics, Pujols joined Tucson's Carlos Beltran (2003) and Oswalt (2002) as TSTBL All-Star game MVP's.

12-13-2002, 01:08 AM	#1
Driver 8 Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: gurnee, il Posts: 397	TSTBL: How the West Was Won (And Where It Got Us) For the third time in as many years, Western League pitching dominated the East in the annual TSTBL All-Star Game. Getting his third straight start, Albuquerque Duke ace Roy Oswalt (13-4, 1.91) combined with six relievers to allow one run and two-hits in the WL's 2-1, 10-inning victory. After retiring the side in order in the top of the first, Oswalt continued his mastery of the EL by striking out the side in the second. Although none are sure-fire Hall Of Famers, Oswalt brought Carl Hubbell to mind as he fanned 2003 triple-crown winner Adam Dunn (.271-23-62), Andruw Jones (.262-18-67) and Sean Burroughs (.354-12-55) to end his stint in the game. In three All-Star games Oswalt has pitched eight innings, allowing just 5 hits, 1 earned run, fanning 10, while picking up the victory in the 2002 contest. Luckily for the East, Toledo Mudhens manager Aaron Bacon had his ace, Barry Zito (12-3, 3.80), dominating as well, keep the WL off the board during his two innings. In the bottom of the third, Mudhens pitcher Ricardo Rodriguez (13-5, 3.18) quickly dispatched Rafael Furcal (.348-7-65) before falling behind TSTBL batting leader Hank Blalock (.391-11-75). On a 3-1 slider, the Colorado Springs' lefty hit a mammoth shot to the opposite field to give the WL a 1-0 lead. For most of the game the WL played as if the 1-0 lead was actually a ten run cushion as Joe Kennedy (15-0, 3.49), Mark Mulder (11-7, 3.34), Kevin Walker (0-3, 3.98, 19 save) and Brad Penny (13-6, 3.32) all combined to keep the EL hitless for the first 6.1 innings. The EL managed to scrape a run across in the top of the 8th, without the aid of a hit. After back-to-back one-out walks by Akiyama Shigeo (.270-5-38) and Antonio Hernandez (.330-3-36), RF Marcus Thames (.327-14-63) his into an apparent inning-ending double play, but Hernandez' hard slide into second put runners on the corner with two down. The next batter, Stephen Wilcoxson (.315-19-61), hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Jose Ortiz (.267-14-74), who made a quick throw off target, pulling 1B Nick Johnson (.314-28-85) off the bag, allowing Shigeo to scamper across the plate to even the contest. From there hitters on both side were shut down as regulation ended with a 1-1 deadlock. After Kerry Wood (12-4, 2.05) quickly dispatched Shigeo, Hernandez and Thames in the top of the tenth, the WL seemed lost against Toledo's Byung-Hyun Kim (4-1, 1.93, 24 saves) in the bottom of the 10th as Furcal and Roberto Ortiz (.278-14-74) both were retired on two pitches, bringing 2002 WL MVP Albert Pujols (.348-15-72) to the plate. With a 2-2 count, Pujols turned on a Kim fastball and deposited it 415 feet into the second deck to give the West a 2-1 victory. For his extra-inning heroics, Pujols joined Tucson's Carlos Beltran (2003) and Oswalt (2002) as TSTBL All-Star game MVP's.