MLB Tournament Modern Era-Playoffs

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This dynasty is a recount of a tournament to find the champion of the last 8 years of baseball. The tournament will consist of 6 7 game rounds between teams that have made the playoffs the last 8 years. The last team standing is the winner.

League Set Up
This is a second attempt at a project to use the new capabilities to OOTP to make a big tournament. I found with previous experiences that 64 teams seem to be the maximum size for a playoff that works well. The league was created as a historical league, with all teams and free agents deleted. Then the playoff teams from the years 2011-2004 were added. I placed the teams in 2 32 team divisions because the playoffs set up better this way (it seems the computer will only seat 50 teams from a division). All teams were not allowed to make roster moves until the beginning of the playoffs, so no trades of free agent signings. The teams played a 4 game season of 1 game series to warm up for the playoffs. This mixed up the teams a bit so where teams fit in the alphabet did not affect who they met in the first round, but keep injuries to a minimum.
In retrospect I should have placed all AL teams in one league and NL in another, to set up the DH rule properly for the playoffs. Because I did not I am just using DH rule for all playoff games.

From here on out I will recount the results of the games, leading to the crowning of the best team of the modern era. Will it be one of 7 Yankee teams that made the playoffs the last 8 years, a historic champion like the 2004 Red Sox or 2005 White Sox, or an underdog like the 2011 Diamondbacks, read on to find out?

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Round 1
Series 1 Game 1

2008 Chicago Cubs 97-64 N.L Central Division Champs. Swept by LA Dodgers in 1^st round of playoffs
2004 New York Yankees 101-61 A.L. Eastern Division Champs. Beat Minnesota Twins 3-1 in divisional series, Lost to Boston red sox 3-4 in Al championship series (First team to lose a series leading 3-0)

Starting Pitchers NYA Mike Mussina CHN Carlos Zambrano
Game Summary- Offense was the name of the game in this battle of strong regular season teams who struggled in the playoffs. Mike Mussina was forced to leave in the top of the second before leaving due to an undisclosed injury and Chicago capitalized with two runs in the inning. In the bottom of the second the Yankees came back to tie with two runs on a pair of singles and an error. The rest of the Yankees offense was supplied by John Olerud. A 3 run blast in the 3^rd and a 2 run blast in the 7^th. The Cubs rallied in the 8^th with a Soriano Home run starting a three run rally, but a shut down 9^th inning by Rivera clinched the win for the Yankees

Final Score
2004 Yankees 7
2008 Cubs 5
WP- P. Quantril LP- Zambrano SV Rivera
HR- NYA - Olerud 2 CHN Soriano 1
Player of the Game John Olerud 3-4 2 HR 3 R 5 RBI


Series 2 Game 1

2007 Cleveland Indians 96-66 AL Central Champs. Defeated New York 3-1 in division series, lost to Boston 3-4 in A.L. Championship series.
2005 L.A. Angels 95-67 AL West Champs. Defeated New York 3-2 in division series, Lost to Chicago 1-4 in Championship series.

Starting Pitchers CLE- C. Sabathia LAA- J Lackey
Game Summary- The first four innings of the game were dominated by the pitchers. The Angels struck first in the fifth inning, with Chlone Figgens 2 run double of Sabathia. This was all the support Lackey needed as they went on to win 5-1 allowing only 3 hits and striking out 9 in just over 7 innings.

Final Score
2005 Angels 4
2007 Indians 1
WP- J Lackey LP- C Sabathia SV F Rodrigues
Player of the Game J Lackey 7.2 IP 3H 1 ER 2 BB 9 K


Series 3 Game 1

2004 Los Angeles Dodgers- 93-69 NL West Champions. Lost to St. Louis Cardinal in Division series 1-3
2009 New York Yankees 103-59 AL East Champs. Defeated Minnesota 3-0 in division series, Defeated Los Angeles 4-2 in A.L. Championship Series, Defeated Philadelphia 4-2 in World Series.

Starting Pitchers LAD- B. Penny NYA - A. Petitte
Game Summary- The underdog Dodgers came roaring out of the gate, scoring 5 runs in the first. Petitte was off his game walking three and giving up two homeruns in 2/3 of an inning before getting the hook. Brad Penny did not last much longer and had to leave the game in the bottom of the second due to injury. Both bullpens gave up runs though the dodger’s pen was able to control the damage while the Yankees pen just got hammered. Shaun Green finished the game with 2 Home runs (including the two run in the first that chased Petitte) and 5 RBIs while Jose Hernandez had 5 RBI’s and 1 HR.

Final Score
2004 Dodgers-16
2009 New York Yankees- 4
WP- G. Mota LP- A. Petitte
HR- LAD- S. Green 2, J Hernandez NYA- Teixeira, N. Swisher
Player of the Game Shawn Green 3-3 2 HR 2R 5RBI 3BB


Series 4 Game 1

2007 New York Yankees 94-68 A.L. Wild Card, Lost to Cleveland Indians 1-3
2004 Boston Red Sox 98-64 A.L. Wild Card, Defeated Anaheim Angels 3-0, defeated New York Yankees 4-3 in AL Championship series, Defeated St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in World Series

Starting Pitchers NYA- A. Petitte BOS C. Schilling
Game Summary- In a tight low scoring game, every mistake and close play mattered. An Alex Rodriguez single scored Derek Jeter in the first inning. The Yankees struck again in the 5^th when a Schilling Throwing error on a ground ball put Bobby Abreu on second. Abreu scored later on a single by Doug Mientkiewicz who then scored on w two out single by Johnny Damon. In the bottom of the 5^th, Bill Mueller doubles and came home on Robinson Cano error. The Rest of the game was again dominated the games. Schilling pitched a complete game allowing 4 hit and striking out five. While Petitte went 8 innings with no earned runs. Mariano Rivera came in to pitch a perfect ninth for the save

Final Score
2007 New York Yankees 3
2004 Boston Red Sox 1
WP- A. Petitte LP- C Schilling
Player of the Game Andy Petitte 8 IP 7H 0ER 1BB 3K

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Series 5 Game 1

2008 Tampa Bay Rays 97-65 AL East Champs, Defeated Chicago White Sox 3-1 in division series, Defeated Boston Red Sox 4-3 in AL Championship series, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-4 in World Series.
2011 Arizona Diamondbacks 94-68 NL West Champs, Lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 2-3 in the NL Division Series

Starting Pitchers
TB- A Sonnastine ARI- I Kennedy
Game Summary- Exciting tight game that had the home crowd going home happy. Tampa struck first, with a Cliff Floyd single scoring B.J. Upton in the first and a Carl Crawford Triple scoring Carlos Pena in the fourth. Arizona finally got to Sonnastine in the 7^th and 8^th with solo homers by Willy Mo Pena and Russell Branyan. Ian Kennedy recovered from his shaky start to pitch 8 innings. In the bottom of the 9^th Dan Wheeler came in for Tampa Bay and quickly melted down. Walks to Stephen Drew and Henry Blanco and a single by Justin Upton loaded the bases and a 0 out walk of sacrifice fly by Russell Branyan finished the game.

Final Score
2008 Tampa Bay Rays 2
2011 Arizona Diamondbacks 3
WP- Z Duke LP- D Wheeler
HR ARI- W Pena, R Branyan
Player of the Game Ian Kennedy 8 IP 3H 2ER 3BB 5K


Series 6 Game 1

2009 Los Angeles Dodgers 95-67 NL West Champs, Defeated St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 in Division Series, Lost to Philidelphia Phillies 1-4 in NLCS
2005 New York Yankees 95-67 AL East Champs, Lost to Los Angeles Angels 2-3

Starting Pitchers
LAN - C Kershaw NYA - R Johnson
Game Summary- The scoring opened in the second when Jim Thome took Randy Johnson deep to give the Dodgers the early lead but New York came right back in the bottom of the frame with a two run double by Robinson Cano. The Dodgers came back in the top of the third to tie it on a triple by Manny Ramirez that drove in Juan Pierre. In the bottom of the fifth the Yankees reclaimed the lead on a two out double by Jason Giambi. Both Pitchers clamped down at this point and got the game to the 8^th. Mariano Rivera comes in to pitch a clean 9^th for the save.

Final Score
2009 Los Angeles Dodgers 2
2005 New York Yankees 3
WP- R Johnson LP- C Kershaw SV M Rivera
HR LAN Jim Thome
Player of the Game Randy Johnson 7.0 IP 8 H 2ER 2BB 10K


Series 7 Game 1

2010 Cincinnati Reds 91-71 NL Central Champs, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 0-3 in Division Series
2009 Philadelphia Phillies 93-69 NL East Champs, Defeated Colorado Rockies 3-1 in Division series, Defeated LA Dodgers 4-1 in NLCS, Lost to New York Yankees 2-4 in World Series

Starting Pitchers
Cin- B Arroyo NYA - C Lee
Game Summary- A close game that was blown open late. The game started as a pitching duel between Arroyo and Lee. The Reds drew first blood in the 5^th with a solo home run in the fifth by Jay Bruce and a run scoring single by Ramon Hernandez. Game stayed tight till the 8^th when Lee went out and reliever Clay Condry was tagged for three runs including a 3 run home run by Jim Edmonds. Two more runs in the 9^th for the Reds gave the final score 8-0 Reds, with Arroyo earning a 3 hit shutout.

Final Score
2010 Cincinnati Reds 8
2009 Philadelphia Phillies 0
WP- B Arroyo LP- C Lee
HR CIN- J Bruce, J Edmonds, P Janish
Player of the Game Bronson Arroyo 9 IP 3H 0 ER 2 BB 3 K


Series 8 Game 1
2007 Chicago Cubs 85-77 NL Central Champs, Lost to Arizona Diamondbacks 0-3 in Division Series
2008 Philadelphia Phillies 92-70 NL East Champs, Defeated Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 in Division series, Defeated LA Dodgers 4-1 in NLCS, Defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in World Series
Starting Pitchers
Cin- T Lilly Phi - B Myers
Game Summary- Classic pitchers duel. A second inning homerun by Pat Burrell in the second was the only scoring in the game. Ted Lilly only allowed 2 hits and 2 walks in 7+ innings and Myers earned the win with 8 shutout innings. Bryan Lidge shut the door with a 1-2-3 ninth

Final Score
2007 Chicago Cub 0
2008 Philadelphia Phillies 1
WP- B Myers LP- T Lilly SV B Lidge
HR PHI P Burrell
Player of the Game B Myers 8 IP 6 H 0 ER 1 BB 2K

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Series 9 Game 1

2004 Atlanta Braves 96-66 NL East Champs, Lost to Houston Astros 2-3 in Division Series
2010 Tampa Bay Rays 96-66 AL East Champs, Lost to Texas Rangers 2-3 in Division series

Starting Pitchers Atl – J Wright TB- D. Price
Game Summary- Atlanta Struck first with 2 runs in the third and added a third run with a Marcus Giles Sac Fly in the 5^th. A seemingly meaningless insurance run on an Eli Marerro Single in the 9^th turned out to be the game winner as Tampa’s bats finally came alive in the bottom of the ninth. Donnie Navarro blasted a 2-run homer that chased Wright with no outs. Chris Reitisma then came in and allowed 1 run before striking out Brett Hawpe to seal the game 4-3.

Final Score
2004 Atlanta Braves 4
2010 Tampa Bay Rays 3
WP- J Wright LP- D Price SV C Reitisma
HR TB D Navarro
Player of the Game J Wright 8 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 4K


Series 10 Game 1

2005 Chicago White Sox 99-63 AL Central Champs, Defeated Boston Red Sox 3-0 in ALDS, Defeated LA Angels 4-1 in ALCS, Defeated the Houston Astros 4-0 in World Series
2011 Philadelphia Phillies 102-60 NL East Champs, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 2-3 in NLDS.

Starting Pitchers CHA- M Buehrle Phi - R Halladay
Game Summary- The Marquee game of the opening night of the playoffs. Two very good teams battling it out for 13 innings. No Scoring till the 5^th as both pitchers started the game strong. Solo shots by Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzineski in the 5^th and 8^th innings gave Chicago a 2-0 lead. In The bottom of the 9^th Chicago brought in Cliff Politte to finish the game. After Walking Placido Polanco, Politte got Hunter Pence and Ryan Howard to fly out. Shane Victorino then walked and a Chase Utley Single brought in one run. Raul Ibanez then came through with a game tying single and the game moved to extra innings. In the top of the 12^th, Scott Podsednik got to third base with one out but failed to score. Finally in the 13^th inning A Jimmy Rollins Double and then Michael Martinez single ended the game in Philly’s favor 3-2

Final Score
2005 Chicago White Sox 2
2011 Philadelphia Phillies 3
WP- R Madson LP- J Garland
HR CHA A Pierzineski, P Konerko
Player of the Game M Buehrle 8 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 6K


Series 11 Game 1

2011 Detroit Tigers 95-67 AL Central Champs, Defeated New York Yankees 3-2 in ALDS, Lost to Texas Rangers 2-4 in ALCS
2006 New York Mets 97-65 NL East Champs, Defeated LA Dodgers 3-0 2 in NLDS. Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 3-4 in NLCS.

Starting Pitchers DET- J Verlander NYN T Glavine>>
Game Summary- The Mets chased Verlander from the game early with a 7 run second inning that included a 3 run blast by Xavier Nady. Though Detroit scored 3 runs they never really threatened the rest of the game as Tom Glavine pitched a solid game for the win.

Final Score
2011 Detroit Tigers 3
2006 New York Mets 7
WP- T Glavine LP- J Verlander
HR Det- M Cabrerra NYN X Nady
Player of the Game T Glavine 8.1 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 3K


Series 12 Game 1

2006 Detroit Tigers 95-67 AL Wild Card, Defeated New York Yankees 3-1 in ALDS, Defeated Oakland Athletics 4-0 in ALCS, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 1-4 in World Series
2010 New York Yankees 97-65 AL Wild Card, Defeated Minnesota Twins 3-0 2 in ALDS. Lost to Texas Rangers 2-4 in ALCS.

Starting Pitchers DET- J Bonderman NYA CC Sabathia
Game Summary- It was all Yankees early with solo shots by Marcus Thames and Robinson Cano in the first. Solo Shots by Cano and Jorge Posada made it 4-0 by the 6^th inning. Detroit only started hitting once Sabathia left after the 7^th. A three run shot by Craig Monroe in the 8^th cut the lead to 1, But Mariano Rivera Closed out the game with a scoreless 9^th

Final Score
2006 Detroit Tigers 3
2010 New York Yankees 4
WP- C Sabathia LP- J Bonderman SV Rivera
HR DET- Craig Monroe NYAA Posada, Cano 2, Thames
Player of the Game CC Sabathia 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 4K

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Series 13 Game 1

2004 Anaheim Angels 92-70 AL West Champion, Lost to Boston Red Sox 0-3 in ALDS
2010 Atlanta Braves 91-71 NL Wild Card, Lost to San Francisco Giants 1-3 in NLDS

Starting Pitchers ANA- K Escobar ATL – D Lowe
Game Summary- Anaheim opened the scoring in the fourth with a pair of RBI Doubles by Adam Kennedy and Vlad Guerrero and extended the lead to four runs with a 2 run blast by Jeff DaVanon in the 6^th. After scoring one run in the bottom of the 6^th, Atlanta scored 4 in the bottom of the 7^th, including a 3 run blast by Matt Diaz to take the lead. Two more solo Shots by Heyward and Infante made the final score 7-5 Atlanta

Final Score
2004 Anaheim Angels 5
2010 Atlanta Braves 7
WP- D Lowe LP- S Shields SV B Wagner
HR ANA DaVanon ATL Infante, Heyward, Diaz
Player of the Game Jason Heyward 4-5 1HR 2R 1 RBI 1 2B




Series 14 Game 1

2011 Tampa Bay Rays 91-71 AL Wild Card, Lost to Texas Ranger 1-3 in ALDS
2005 Boston Red Sox 95-67 AL Wild Card, Lost to Chicago White Sox 0-3 in ALDS

Starting Pitchers TB D Price Bos B Arroyo
Game Summary- Both teams scored a run off singles in the first inning. The difference maker came in the third when Boston got two early singles then scored runs on a Trot Nixon sac fly and a Bill Mueller double. Both Pitchers were very good but Arroyo though allowing more on base did not allow the runs and came away with the win.

Final Score
2011 Tampa Bay Rays 1
2005 Boston Red Sox 3
WP- B Arroyo LP- D Price SV J Papelbon
Player of the Game B Arroyo 6.2 IP 8 H 2 ER 4 BB 3K



Series 15 Game 1

2010 Philadelphia Phillies 97-65 NL East Champ, Defeated Cincinnati Reds 3-0 in NLDS, Lost to San Francisco Giants 2-4 in NLCS
2009 LA Angels 97-65 AL West Champ, Defeated Boston Red Sox 3-0 in ALDS. Lost to New York Yankees 2-4 in ALCS.

Starting Pitchers PHI R Halladay LA J Lackey
Game Summary- Phillies took the early lead with two out run scoring singles by Raul Ibanez in the third and Placido Polanco in the fourth. The Angels got a run back on a Kendrick Triple in the fifth. Philly came back with two runs on a Chase Utley Single in the 6^th and Held on despite two solo Home runs by Chlone Figgens and Mike Napoli.

Final Score
2010 Philadelphia Phillies 5
2009 LA Angels 3
WP- R Halladay LP- J Lackey SV B Lidge
HR LAA Figgens, Napoli
Player of the Game R Haladay 8 IP 6 H 2 ER 0 BB 9K


Series 16 Game 1
2007 LA Angels 94-68 AL West Champ, Lost to Boston Red Sox 0-3 ALDS
2011 New York Yankees 97-65 AL East Champ, Lost to Detroit Tigers 2-3 in ALDS

Starting Pitchers LAA J Lackey NYA CC Sabathia
Game Summary- The Angels started the game strong, scoring two runs on the first of three errors in the game by Alex Rodriguez at third. The rest of the game was all Yankees as they scored 9 runs over the next 6 innings to coast to the win. CC Sabathia settled down from the difficult first to dominate LA hitters the rest of the game. Rodriguez redeemed himself by crushing two homers and Andruw Jones also hit 2 homers for the Yankees in the game.

Final Score
2007 LA Angels 2
2011 New York Yankees 9
WP- CC Sabathia LP- J Lackey
HR NYA Rodriguez 2, Jones 2
Player of the Game Andruw Jones 2-3 2HR 3R 3RBI 1BB

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Series 17 Game 1

2008 Milwaukee Brewers 90-72 NL Wild Card, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-3 in NLDS
2009 Minnesota Twins 87-76 AL Central Champ, Lost to New York Yankees 0-3 in ALDS

Starting Pitchers MIL CC Sabathia MIN C Pavano
Game Summary- Both Sabathia and Pavano were sharp in this one but Sabathia gave up his hits in bunches while Pavano spread them out, leading to a Minnesota victory. An Orlando Cabrera Double and Jon Mauer single drove in 2 runs in the third and a Mauer Sac fly in the 8^th added an insurance run. That was plenty for Pavano as he pitched 8 shutout innings and Joe Nathan came in the close it in the 9^th.

Final Score
2008 Milwaukee Brewers 0
2009 Minnesota Twins 3
WP- C Pavano LP- CC Sabathia
Player of the Game C Pavano 8 IP 7H 0ER 0BB 4K


Series 18 Game 1
2010 Texas Rangers 90-72 AL West Champ, Defeated Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in ALDS, Defeated New York Yankees 4-2 in ALCS, Lost to San Francisco Giants 1-4 in World Series.
2011 Texas Rangers 96-66 AL West Champ, Defeated Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in ALDS, Defeated Detroit Tigers 4-2 in ALCS, Lost to Saint Louis Cardinals 1-4 in World Series.

Starting Pitchers 2010 TEX C Lee 2011 TEX M Harrison
Game Summary- The Battle of Texas was a Game of high scoring offenses turned on errors and poor bullpen performances by the 2010 club. The 2010 version came out of the gate strong with a four run first that included home runs by Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz. The 2011 club came back with a 3 run Beltre Homer in the bottom of the frame to pull within 1. 3 fielding errors by the 2010 club lead to 3 unearned runs and the 2011 bullpen was able to make it stand.

Final Score
2010 Texas Rangers 5
2011 Texas Rangers 9
WP- M Harrison LP- C Lee S K Uehara
HR 2010 TEX I Kinsler, N Cruz 2011 TEX M Napoli, A Beltre, E Chavez
Player of the Game Adrien Beltre 4-5 1HR 1R 5 RBI


Series 19 Game 1
2007 Arizona Diamondbacks 90-72 NL West Champ, Defeated Chicago Cubs 3-0 in NLDS, Lost to Colorado Rockies 0-4 in NLCS.
2006 St. Louis Cardinals 83-78 NL Central Champ, Defeated San Diego Padres 3-1 in NLDS, Defeated New York Mets 4-3 in NLCS, Defeated Detroit Tigers 4-1 in World Series.
Starting Pitchers ARI B Webb STL C Carpenter
Game Summary- The Diamondbacks jumped right out of the gate scoring six runs in the top of the first on a ton on singles and a 3 run Chad Tracy triple. St Louis came rich back in the bottom of the frame with a 2 run home run by Chris Duncan. What looked to be a high scoring game suddenly changed complexion as Brandon Webb shut the Cardinals down the rest of the way and the cardinal’s bullpen did the same to Arizona after Carpenter was chased in the first. No more runs were scored and Arizona took the game 6-2

Final Score
2007 Arizona Diamondbacks 6
2006 St. Louis Cardinals 2
WP- B Webb LP- C Carpenter
HR STL C Duncan
Player of the Game Brandon Webb 8.1 IP 7H 2 ER 1BB 7K


Series 20 Game 1

2005 Atlanta Braves 90-72 NL East Champ, Lost to Houston Astros 1-3 in NLDS.
2011 St. Louis Cardinals 90-72 NL Wild Card, Defeated Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 in NLDS, Defeated Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 in NLCS, Defeated Texas Rangers 4-3 in World Series.

Starting Pitchers ATL J Smoltz STL C Carpenter
Game Summary- Tight well-played game that stayed close all the way through. Both teams scored two in the second, The Braves on a two run Adam LaRoche homer and the cardinals scoring their pair on a Nick Punto Triple. Atlanta regained the lead on LaRoche’s second home run in the 4^th and added 1 more run in the 6^th on a Johnny Estrada single. St Louis Got 1 run back in the 7^th on a Nick Punto solo shot but could not close the gap anymore as Karl Farnsworth came in for the save.

Final Score
2005 Atlanta Braves 4
2011 St. Louis Cardinals 3
WP- J Smoltz LP- C Carpenter SV K Farnsworth
HR ATL A LaRoche 2 STL N Punto
Player of the Game Adam LaRoche 3-4 2HR 2 R 3 RBI

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Series 21 Game 1

2005 St. Louis Cardinals 100-62 NL Central Champ, Defeated San Diego Padres 3-0 in NLDS. Lost to Houston Astros 2-4 in NLCS
2008 Chicago White Sox 89-74 AL Central Champ. Lost to Tampa Bay rays 1-3 in ALDS

Starting Pitchers STL C Carpenter CHA J Danks
Game Summary- St. Louis Cruised in this game to an easy win. Home Runs by Reggie Sanders and Jim Edmunds in the first gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. The White Sox scored a Run in the third to cut the lead to two but a five run 6^th that included a 2-run homer by Albert Pujols put the game out of reach.

Final Score
2005 St. Louis Cardinals 10
2011 Chicago White Sox 3
WP- C Carpenter LP- J Danks
HR STL A Pujols, J Edmunds, R Sanders
Player of the Game Albert Pujols 3-4 1HR 2R 3RBI 1BB


Series 22 Game 1
2008 LA Angels 100-62 AL West Champ, Lost to Boston Red Sox 1-3 in ALDS
2006 Minnesota Twins 96-66 AL Central Champ. Lost to Oakland Athletics 0-3 in ALDS

Starting Pitchers LAA E Santana MIN J Santana
Game Summary- Johan Santana won the battle of Santanas, and led the twins to a solid victory in game 1. The Twins got on the board early with a Cuddyer solo Home Run and Phil Nevin run scoring single. Twins scored 4 more runs in the 7^th and 8^th as Ervin Santana tired and the Angels had to go to the pen. Johan Santana was not able to finish out the game as a single and an error chased him out and John Nathan was brought in to close out the game. After allowing a 3 run blast to Mike Napoli, Juan Rincon was brought in and he closed out the game 6-3.

Final Score
2008 LA Angels 3
2006 Minnesota Twins 6
WP- J Santana LP- E Santana
HR LAA M Napoli MIN M Cuddyer
Player of the Game Johan Santana 8.1IN 4H 0ER 0BB 10K


Series 23 Game 1
2004 Houston Astros 92-70 NL Wild Card, Defeated Atlanta braves 3-2 in NLDS, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 3-4 in NLCS
2004 Minnesota Twins 92-70 AL Central Champ. Lost to New York Yankees 1-3 in ALDS
Starting Pitchers HOU R Oswalt MIN J Santana
Game Summary- First six innings of this match up was a classic pitchers duel, with 3 hits allowed by each pitcher and no runs scored. A pair of walks by Santana in the 7^th set up brad Asumus’s 2 run double and a Berkman solo shot in the 8^th gave Oswalt all the cushion her needed to get the win.

Final Score
2004 Houston Astros 3
2004 Minnesota Twins 0
WP- R Oswalt LP- J Santana
HR HOU L Berkman
Player of the Game R Oswalt 8 IP 4H 0ER 1BB 5K


Series 24 Game 1
2006 New York Yankees 97-65 Al East Champ, Lost to Detroit Tigers 1-3 ALCS
2010 Minnesota Twins 94-68 AL Central Champ. Lost to New York Yankees 0-3 in ALDS

Starting Pitchers NYA M Mussina MIN F Liriano
Game Summary- Twins struck first in the second with a two run Jason Kubel home run. The Yankees came back in top of the third when Miguel Cairo tripled and then was driven in on a Sal Fasano Single. Minnesota got their lead back to 3 in the bottom of the frame with a Justin Morneau solo shot. The Yankees got back to within one in the fifth with a Bobby Abreu solo shot. In the Bottom of the 7^th a Cuddyer double and a Thome single pushed the twins lead back to 3 and Jacob Kubel's second homer of the game in the 8^th got the lead to 4. Minnesota’s Ron Mahay had trouble closing the game out giving up two runs on a Cairo homer before finishing off the game for a twins win.

Final Score
2006 New York Yankees 4
2010 Minnesota Twins 6
WP- F Liriano LP- M Mussina
HR NYA M Cairo, B Abreu MIN Kubel 2, Morneau
Player of the Game Jason Kubel 3-4 2HR 2R 3RBI

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Series 25 Game 1

2008 Boston Red Sox 95-67 AL Wild Card, Defeated LA Angels 3-1 in ALDS, Lost to Tampa bay rays 3-4 in ALCS
2004 St. Louis Cardinals 105-57 NL Central Champ. Defeated LA Dodgers 3-1 in NLDS, Defeated Houston Astros 4-3 in NLCS, Lost to Boston Red Sox 0-4 in World Series

Starting Pitchers BOS J Beckett STL C Carpenter
Game Summary- Josh Beckett showed his post-season greatness by dominating this game from start to finish. Beckett had a no hitter through six innings until Albert Pujols broke it up with a solo home run in the 7^th. Becket finished the game with a two hit shutout. Mike Lowell supplied all the support Becket needed and more with a Grand Slam in the third inning. Home Runs by Varitek and Manny Ramirez rounded out the scoring.

Final Score
2008 Boston Red Sox 7
2004 St. Louis Cardinal 1
WP- J Beckett LP- C Carpenter
HR BOS- M Lowell, J Varitek, M Ramirez STL A Pujols
Player of the Game Josh Beckett 9 IP 2H 1ER 1BB 6K



Series 26 Game 1

2009 St. Louis Cardinals 91-71 NL Central Champ. Lost to LA Dodgers 0-3 in NLDS
2009 Colorado Rockies 92-70 NL Wild Card, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-3 in NLDS

Starting Pitchers STL C Carpenter COL J Hammel
Game Summary- This was a close game until the late innings. Colorado toke the early lead scoring a single run in both the first and second innings. St Louis came back to tie in the 5^th, scoring two runs on hits by Khalil Greene and Julio Lugo. Julio Lugo’s double in the top of the seventh led to him scoring and a 1 run lead. This lead was short lived as Brad Hawpe homered in the bottom of the frame to tie it again. The Cardinal then blew the game open in the 8^th inning with 4 runs, including a triple by Lugo and a 2 run homer by Colby Rasmus. Hawpe his second solo shot in the 9^th but it was not nearly enough as the cardinals went on to win 8-4

Final Score
2009 St. Louis Cardinals 8
2009 Colorado Rockies 4
WP- C Carpenter LP- J Rincon
HR STL- Rasmus COL Hawpe 2
Player of the Game Brad Hawpe 2-5 2HR 2R 2RBI



Series 27 Game 1
2005 San Diego Padres 82-80 NL West Champ. Lost to St Louis Cardinals 0-3 in the NLDS
2007 Colorado Rockies 90-73 NL Wild Card, Defeated Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 in the NLDS, Defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-0 in the NLCS, Lost to Boston Red Sox 0-4 in World Series

Starting Pitchers SD J Peavey COL J Francis
Game Summary- Pitching and defense dominated a game with only 9 total hits. Colorado got on board first in the third with two run scoring doubles by Kazuo Matsui and Matt Holiday. Colorado added a third insurance run in the 7^th and though Xavier Nady got 1 back on a solo homerun, San Diego never seriously threatened and dropped the game 1-3

Final Score
2005 San Diego Padres 1
2007 Colorado Rockies 3
WP- J Francis LP- J Peavy
HR SD X Nady
Player of the Game Jeff Francis 8IP 5H 1ER 1BB 3K



Series 28 Game 1

2005 Houston Astros 89-73 NL Wild Card. Defeated Atlanta Braves 3-1 in the NLDS, Defeated the St. Louis cardinals 4-2 in NLCS, Lost to Chicago White Sox 0-4 in World Series
2006 Oakland Athletics 93-69 Al West Champ, Defeated Minnesota Twins 3-0 in the ALDS, Lost to Detroit Tigers 0-4 in ALCS

Starting Pitchers HOU A Pettitte OAK D Haren
Game Summary- Oakland started the scoring with 2 runs in the bottom of the first. Houston came back to tie it 2 runs in the top of the 5^th. Oakland regained the lead in the bottom of the 5^th with a Mark Kotsay single then added an insurance run in the 7^th on a Frank Thomas HR.

Final Score
2005 Houston Astros 2
2006 Oakland A’s 4
WP- D Haren LP- A Pettitte SV H Street
HR OAK F Thomas
Player of the Game Dan Haren 8IP 7H 2ER 3BB 7K

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Series 29 Game 1

2007 Philadelphia Phillies 89-73 NL East Champs. Lost to Colorado Rockies 0-3
2008 LA Dodgers 84-78 NL West Champ, Defeated Chicago Cubs 3-0 in the NLDS, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-4 in NLCS

Starting Pitchers PHI C Hamels LAN D Lowe
Game Summary- The Phillies dominated the game from start to finish. Jimmy Rollins started the scoring with a two run double in the second inning. Though the Dodgers came back to score a run in the bottom of the frame a Pat Burrell Double in the top of the third gave them a three run lead and they never looked back. Cole Hammels pitched a solid complete game allowing only 2 runs in 9 innings.

Final Score
2007 Philadelphia Phillies 8
2008 LA Dodgers 2
WP- C Hamels LP- D Lowe SV H Street
HR PHI R Howard LAN M Ramirez
Player of the Game C Hamels 9IP 6H 2R 1BB 9K


Series 30 Game 1

2011 Milwaukee 96-66 NL Central Champs. Defeated Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 in NLDS, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 2-4 in NLCS
2006 LA Dodgers 88-74 NL Wild Card, Lost to New York Mets 0-3 in NLDS

Starting Pitchers MIL Y Gallardo LAN D Lowe
Game Summary- Corey Heart led off the game with a homerun against Derek Lowe. The Dodgers came back in the bottom with a triple and a single to even the score. Prince Fielder launched a solo Shot in the third to again give Milwaukee a 1 run lead and Gallardo was able to keep the dodgers off the scoreboard. 2 insurance runs in the 8^th made the final score 4-1 Brewers.

Final Score
2011 Milwaukee Brewers 4
2006 LA Dodgers 1
WP- Y Gallardo LP- D Lowe SV F Rodriguez
HR MIL P Fielder, C Heart
Player of the Game Y Gallardo 8IP 7H 1ER 0BB 3K


Series 31 Game 1

2009 Boston Red Sox 95-67 AL Wild Card. Lost to LA Angels 0-3 in ALDS
2006 San Diego Padres 88-74 NL West Champs, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 1-3 in NLDS

Starting Pitchers BOS J Smoltz SD J Peavy
Game Summary- A Jason Bay Solo shot in the second started the scoring off for the Red Sox. The Padres responded in the bottom of the frame by scoring two runs off a double and single from Khalil Greene and Dave Roberts. The Padres extended their lead to 5-1 by the 6^th including a solo home run by Greene. Boston attempted a comeback with 2 runs in the seventh but could get no more and the padres got several insurance runs to win the game 9-3

Final Score
2009 Boston Red Sox 3
2006 San Diego Padres 9
WP- J Peavy LP- J Smoltz
HR BOS J Bay SD K Greene
Player of the Game Khalil Greene 2-4 1HR 2R 2RBI 1BB 1 2B


Series 32 Game 1

2007 Boston Red Sox 96-66 AL East Champ. Defeated LA Angels 3-0 in ALDS, Defeated Cleveland Indians 4-3 in ALCS, Defeated Colorado Rockies 4-0 in World Series
2010 San Francisco Giants 92-70 NL West Champs, Defeated Atlanta Braves 3-1 in NLDS, Defeated Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in NLCS, Defeated Texas Rangers 4-1 in World Series.

Starting Pitchers BOS C Schilling SF T Lincecum
Game Summary-this is the only match-up of World Series champions in the first round. After 3 scoreless innings the Red Sox took charge with 11 runs in 3 innings. M Lowell and Willy Mo Pena both collected 3 hits, Pena and Jason Varitek drove in 3 runs and San Francisco had no answer for the offensive outburst.

Final Score
2007 Boston Red Sox 11
2010 San Francisco Giants 2
WP- C Schilling LP- T Lincecum
Player of the Game Mike Lowell 3-5 3R 2RBI 2 2B 1BB

[woodse2]

Day 1 Players of the Day

#1 Shawn Green 2004 LA Dodgers 3-3 2HR 5RBI 2R 3BB

#2 John Olerud 2004 NY Yankees 3-4 2HR 5RBI 3R

#3 Josh Beckett 2008 Boston Redsox 9IP 2H 1ER 1BB 6K W

[woodse2]

Series 1 Game 2

2008 Chicago Cubs 97-64 N.L Central Division Champs. Swept by LA Dodgers in 1^st round of playoffs
2004 New York Yankees 101-61 A.L. Eastern Division Champs. Beat Minnesota Twins 3-1 in divisional series, Lost to Boston red sox 3-4 in Al championship series (First team to lose a series leading 3-0)

Series Recap
Game 1 2004 Yankees 7 2008 Cubs 5

Starting Pitchers CHN T Lilly NYA J Lieber
Game Summary- The Yankees set the tone early in game 2 with a 3 run blast by Alex Rodriguez in the bottom of the first. Jorge Posadas Solo Home run in the fourth, Hideki Matsui’s run scoring double in the fifth and Miguel Cairo’s 2 run triple in the 6^th gave John Lieber a big cushion in a game where he dominated the Cubs batters. The Cubs rarely threatened and only were able to score on a fifth inning Jim Edmonds Home run. Now the series switches to Chicago with the Cubs down 0-2.

Final Score 2004 Yankees 7 2008 Cubs 1
WP- J Lieber (1-0) LP-T Lilly
HR- CHN – Edmonds (1) NYA- Posada (1), Rodriguez (1)
Player of the Game John Lieber 9IP 5H 1ER 1BB 6K
2004 New York Yankees lead series 2-0


Series 2 Game 2

2007 Cleveland Indians 96-66 AL Central Champs. Defeated New York 3-1 in division series, lost to Boston 3-4 in A.L. Championship series.
2005 L.A. Angels 95-67 AL West Champs. Defeated New York 3-2 in division series, Lost to Chicago White Sox 1-4 in Championship series.

Series Recap
Game 1 2005 Angels 4 2007 Indians 1

Starting Pitchers CLE- J Westbrook LAA- P Byrd
Game Summary- Game 2 of the series started off with three scoreless innings where the Indians threatened but could get score. The Angels put 3 on the board in the third being led by a 2 run homer by Bengie Molina. Cleveland Came back with 2 runs in the top of the fifth on a Ryan Garko 2 run home run. The Angels came right back again in the bottom of the frame, scoring 4 runs including run scoring doubles by Adam Kennedy and Vlad Guerrero. This gave the Angels a comfortable lead through the rest of the game.

Final Score 2005 Angels 10 2007 Indians 3
WP- P Byrd (1-0) LP- M Westbrook (0-1)
HR CLE- T Hafner (1), R Garko (1) LAA- B Molina (1)
Player of the Game Vlad Guerrero 3-5 2 2B 2RBI 1R
2005 LA Angels lead series 2-0


Series 3 Game 1
2004 Los Angeles Dodgers- 93-69 NL West Champions. Lost to St. Louis Cardinal in Division series 1-3
2009 New York Yankees 103-59 AL East Champs. Defeated Minnesota 3-0 in division series, Defeated Los Angeles 4-2 in A.L. Championship Series, Defeated Philadelphia 4-2 in World Series.

Series recap
Game 1 2004 Dodgers-16 2009 New York Yankees- 4

Starting Pitchers LAD- O Perez NYA - CC Sabathia
Game Summary- Game 2 looked good again for the Dodgers early as they scored two runs in the first on a Milton Bradley Single. But CC Sabathia recovered from his first inning struggles to pitch a masterful game and the Yankees bats came alive with a vengeance late in the game. The onslaught started in the bottom of the fourth where a Jorge Posada solo blast and Robinson Cano run scoring single tied the score at two. A 2 run homer by Melky Cabrera in the fifth gave the Yankees the lead and they never looked back. A six run 8^th which included a Derek Jeter grand slam sealed the game and send the series to LA knotted up at 1 apiece.

Final Score 2009 New York Yankees 11 2004 LA Dodgers 4
WP- CC Sabathia (1-0) LP O Perez (0-1)
HR- NYA- J Posada (1), D Jeter (1), E Hinske (1), M Cabrera (1)
Player of the Game Melky Cabrera 2-4 1 HR 2R 3RBI
Series Tied 1-1


Series 4 Game 2
2007 New York Yankees 94-68 A.L. Wild Card, Lost to Cleveland Indians 1-3
2004 Boston Red Sox 98-64 A.L. Wild Card, Defeated Anaheim Angels 3-0, defeated New York Yankees 4-3 in AL Championship series, Defeated St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in World Series

Series Recap
Game 1 2007 New York Yankees 3 2004 Boston Red Sox 1

Starting Pitchers NYA- C Wang BOS B Arroyo
Game Summary- Another close game in this Sox-Yankees Series. The Yankees started the scoring in the third when Doug Mientkiewicz scored on a double play ball. The Red sox tied the game on a Garciaparra single in the 5^th and took the lead in the 6^th when Earl Snyder hit a 2 run single. The Red Sox pen could not hold the lead though as the Yankees took the lead back in the 8^th on a 2 run Bobby Abreu single. As usual, Rivera came in the 9^th to close out another tight game.

Final Score 2007 New York Yankees 4 2004 Boston Red Sox 3
WP- C Wang (1-0) LP- D Lowe (0-1) SV Rivera (2)
Player of the Game Bronson Arroyo 7IP 5H 2ER 3BB 4
2007 NY Yankees up 2-0

[woodse2]

Series 5 Game 2

2008 Tampa Bay Rays 97-65 AL East Champs, Defeated Chicago White Sox 3-1 in division series, Defeated Boston Red Sox 4-3 in AL Championship series, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-4 in World Series.
2011 Arizona Diamondbacks 94-68 NL West Champs, Lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 2-3 in the NL Division Series

Series Recap
Game 1 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks 3 2008 Tampa Bay Rays 2

Starting Pitchers TB- J Shields ARI- J Collmenter
Game Summary- This game was all Rays as the bottom half of the Rays lineup lite up Arizona pitching and James Shields pitched a magnificent game. 3 hits and 3 walks in the bottom of the second lead to 4 Tampa runs, and then home runs by willy Aybar and Gabe Gross pushed the lead to 8-0 in the sixth. 6^th hitter Gabe Gross was 2-5 with a 5HR, 2R and 2RBI, 7^th hitter Carl Crawford was 2-3 with 4R, 1RBI and 2 BB and 8^th hitter Willy Aybar was 2-3 with 1 HR 3R and 4RBI.

Final Score
2008 Tampa Bay Rays 11
2011 Arizona Diamondbacks 0
WP- J Shields (1-0) LP- J Collmenter (1-0)
HR TB- G Gross (1), W Aybar (1)
Player of the Game James Shields 8.1 IP 6H 0ER 1BB 8K
Series tied 1-1



Series 6 Game 1
2009 Los Angeles Dodgers 95-67 NL West Champs, Defeated St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 in Division Series, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-4 in NLCS
2005 New York Yankees 95-67 AL East Champs, Lost to Los Angeles Angels 2-3

Series Recap
Game 1 2005 New York Yankees 3 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers 2

Starting Pitchers LAN - H Kuroda NYA - M Mussina
Game Summary- Another tight hard fought game in this series. Pitching dominated early as it was not until the bottom of the 4^th that Tino Martinez hit a solo shot for the Yankees which put them up 1-0. The Dodgers came right back in the top of the 5^th when Ron Belliard led off the inning with a solo home run of his own to tie the score. In the bottom of the 7^th the Yankees regained the lead on a run scoring double by Derek Jeter. The Yankees got one more in the 8^th on a Gary Sheffield sacrifice fly before Mariano Rivera came in the close out the game in the 9^th.

Final Score
2009 Los Angeles Dodgers 1
2005 New York Yankees 3
WP- M Mussina (1-0) LP- H Kuroda (0-1) SV M Rivera (2)
HR LAN- R Belliard (1) NYA- T Martinez (1)
Player of the Game Mark Mussina 7.2 IP 5 H 1ER 4BB 2K

Series 7 Game 2
2010 Cincinnati Reds 91-71 NL Central Champs, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 0-3 in Division Series
2009 Philadelphia Phillies 93-69 NL East Champs, Defeated Colorado Rockies 3-1 in Division series, Defeated LA Dodgers 4-1 in NLCS, Lost to New York Yankees 2-4 in World Series

Series Recap
Game 1 - 2010 Cincinnati Reds 8 2009 Philadelphia Phillies 0
Starting Pitchers CIN- A Harang NYA - C Hamels
Game Summary- Phillies started the scoring off with a 2 run homer by Ryan Howard in the bottom of the first. The Reds rallied in the mid innings to retake the lead. A run scoring single by Ramon Hernandez in the 3^rd, Run scoring hits by Brandon Phillips and Jonny Gomes in the 4^th, and run scoring hits by Scott Rolen and again by Brandon Phillips in the 5^th turned the game 6-2 in the Reds favor. The Phillies rallied to within two on run scoring singles by Matt Stairs and Jason Werth but the Reds put on an insurance run and won the game 7-4 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Final Score
2010 Cincinnati Reds 7
2009 Philadelphia Phillies 4
WP- A Harang LP- C Hamels SV F Cordero
HR PHI - R Howard (1)
Player of the Game Brandon Phillips 2-4 1R 3RBI 1 2B



Series 8 Game 1

2007 Chicago Cubs 85-77 NL Central Champs, Lost to Arizona Diamondbacks 0-3 in Division Series
2008 Philadelphia Phillies 92-70 NL East Champs, Defeated Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 in Division series, Defeated LA Dodgers 4-1 in NLCS, Defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in World Series

Series Recap
Game 1 2008 Philadelphia Phillies 1 2007 Chicago Cub 0

Starting Pitchers CHN- C Zambrano PHI - J Moyer
Game Summary- Jim Rollins lead off the bottom of the 1^st for the Phillies with a solo home run to start the scoring and Pat Burrell hit a solo shot of his own in the second to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Both teams scored a run in the third, the Cubs on a Derek Lee solo home run and the Phillies on a Chase Utley single. Aramis Rameriz hit a solo home run to get the Cubs within 1 in the fourth before another Chase Utley single brought the lead back to 2. The Cubs finally took the lead with 3 runs in the 6^th including another Derek Lee solo shot. Two more runs in the 7^th (on Daryl Ward and Cliff Floyd Singles) gave the Cubs the cushion they needed to win the game and tie the series 1-1.

Final Score
2007 Chicago Cub 7
2008 Philadelphia Phillies 5
WP- C Zambrano LP-R Madson SV B Howry
HR CHN D Lee 2 (2), A Rameriz (1) PHI J Rollins (1), P Burrell (2)
Player of the Game Derek Lee 2-2 2HR 3R 2RBI 3BB

[woodse2]

Series 9 Game 2


2004 Atlanta Braves 96-66 NL East Champs, Lost to Houston Astros 2-3 in Division Series
2010 Tampa Bay Rays 96-66 AL East Champs, Lost to Texas Rangers 2-3 in Division series


Series Recap
Game 1 2004 Atlanta Braves 4 2010 Tampa Bay Rays 3


Starting Pitchers ATL– P Byrd TB- J. Shields
Game Summary- Atlanta Struck hard early, quickly giving Byrd all the support he needed to glide to an easy win. Adam Larouche’s 3 run homer in the top of the first started the scoring. Run scoring singles in the 2^nd and third by Johnny Estrada and Marcus Giles chased Shields out of the game and though the Tampa pen did a good job quieting the Braves bats, they could get no offense themselves. Final result 6-1 win for Atlanta and a 2-0 series lead heading back home.


Final Score
2004 Atlanta Braves 6
2010 Tampa Bay Rays 1
WP- P Byrd (1-0) LP- J Shields (0-1)
HR ATL A LaRouche (1)
Player of the Game Paul Byrd 8.2 IP 4H 1ER 1BB 11K



Series 10 Game 1


2005 Chicago White Sox 99-63 AL Central Champs, Defeated Boston Red Sox 3-0 in ALDS, Defeated LA Angels 4-1 in ALCS, Defeated the Houston Astros 4-0 in World Series
2011 Philadelphia Phillies 102-60 NL East Champs, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 2-3 in NLDS.


Series Recap
Game 1 2011 Philadelphia Phillies 3 2005 Chicago White Sox 2 (13)


Starting Pitchers CHA- F Garcia Phi - R Oswalt
Game Summary- Chicago came back strong from a heartbreaking defeat in game one of the series. The Phillies got going first with a lead-off homerun by Jimmy Rollins. Chicago struck right back with a Pablo Ozuna 2 run double in the second but the Phillies tied it up in the bottom of the frame with Chase Utley scoring after leading off the inning with a triple. Top of the third though, the White Sox retook the lead on a Jermaine Dye single and added another run on a Jermaine Dye home run in the 6^th. In The top of the ninth, Frank Thomas’s 2 run homer seemed to be just icing on the cake but a Philly comeback in the bottom of the inning brought the score to 6-4 making Thomas’s homer essential to the win.


Final Score
2005 Chicago White Sox 6
2011 Philadelphia Phillies 4
WP- F Garcia (1-0) LP- R Oswalt (0-1) SV D Hermanson (1)
HR CHA J Dye (1), F Thomas (1) PHI J Rollins (1)
Player of the Game Frank Thomas 2-4 1HR 2R 2RBI




Series 11 Game 2


2011 Detroit Tigers 95-67 AL Central Champs, Defeated New York Yankees 3-2 in ALDS, Lost to Texas Rangers 2-4 in ALCS>>
2006 New York Mets 97-65 NL East Champs, Defeated LA Dodgers 3-0 2 in NLDS. Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 3-4 in NLCS. >>


Series Recap
Game 1 2006 New York Mets 7 2011 Detroit Tigers 3


Starting Pitchers DET- D Fister NYN O Hernandez
Game Summary- The Tigers turned the tables in game 2 and dominated the Mets. Fister was solid throughout the game allowing 3 runs in a complete game and the Tigers offense did plenty of damage. Victor Martinez led the game with a solo homerun but the real damage started in the 6 run third, capped by a Johnny Peralta grand slam. 4 more runs were added in the 4^th, 2 more on a Peralta double and the Tigers had plenty of cushion to tie the series up 1-1.


Final Score
2011 Detroit Tigers 11
2006 New York Mets 3
WP- D Fister (1-0) LP- O Hernandez (0-1)
HR Det- V Martinez (1), J Peralta (1) NYN J Valentine (1)
Player of the Game Johnny Peralta 2-5 1HR 2R 6RBI 1BB



Series 12 Game 1

2006 Detroit Tigers 95-67 AL Wild Card, Defeated New York Yankees 3-1 in ALDS, Defeated Oakland Athletics 4-0 in ALCS, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 1-4 in World Series
2010 New York Yankees 97-65 AL Wild Card, Defeated Minnesota Twins 3-0 2 in ALDS. Lost to Texas Rangers 2-4 in ALCS.


Series Recap
Game 1 New York Yankees 4 Detroit Tigers 3


Starting Pitchers DET- J Verlander NYA A Pettitte
Game Summary- In The game of the night the Tigers started hot with 3 runs in the 2^nd on homeruns by Chris Shelton and Brandon Inge. 3 more run in the 3^rd on a two out 3 run double by Shelton chased Pettitte form the game and gave the Tigers a commanding 6-1 lead. A Mark Teixeira 2 run homer in the 4^th cut the lead to 3 and a Marcus Thames solo shot cut it to 2. In the top of the 9^th and Ivan Rodriguez triple put the tigers lead back to 3 and Todd Jones came in to close for the Tigers. Mark Teixeira started the bottom of the 9^th with a single. Alex Rodriguez then grounded out moving Teixeira to second. Jorge Posada then singled, moving Teixeira to third. Brett Gardner came in to pinch hit for Austin Kearns and hit a run scoring single to cut the lead to two. Derek Jeter was then walked to load the bases for Curtis Granderson. On a 2-0 count Granderson hit a walk off home run, to give the Yankees the win 9-7 a six run comeback and a 2-0 series lead.


Final Score
2006 Detroit Tigers 7
2010 New York Yankees 9
WP- J Chamberlain (1-0) LP- T Jones (0-1)
HR DET- B Inge (1), C Shelton (1) NYAA M Thames (2), M Teixeira (1), C Granderson (1)
Player of the Game Chris Shelton 2-4 1HR 2 R 5RBI 1 2B

[woodse2]

Series 13 Game 2

2004 Anaheim Angels 92-70 AL West Champion, Lost to Boston Red Sox 0-3 in ALDS
2010 Atlanta Braves 91-71 NL Wild Card, Lost to San Francisco Giants 1-3 in NLDSs

Series Recap
Game 1 2010 Atlanta Braves 7 2004 Anaheim Angels 5

Starting Pitchers ANA- J Lackey ATL – T Hanson
Game Summary- Brian McCann Gave Atlanta the early lead with a two run home run in the bottom of the first. Atlanta continued to hit the ball well in the early part of the game, but could not get a big inning scoring 1 run each in the 2-5^th innings to build a 6-2 lead which they were able to hold to the end of the game for a 2-0 lead in the series.

Final Score
2004 Anaheim Angels 2
2010 Atlanta Braves 6
WP- T Hanson (1-0) LP- J Lackey (0-1)
HR ANA B Molina (1) ATL B McCann (1), E Hinkse (1)
Player of the Game Erick Hinske 4-4 1HR 2R 1RBI 2 2B



Series 14 Game 2

2011 Tampa Bay Rays 91-71 AL Wild Card, Lost to Texas Ranger 1-3 in ALDS
2005 Boston Red Sox 95-67 AL Wild Card, Lost to Chicago White Sox 0-3 in ALDS

Series Recap
Game 1 2005 Boston Red Sox 3 2011 Tampa Bay Rays 1

Starting Pitchers TB J Shields Bos T Wakefield
Game Summary- Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball helped Boston continue their winning ways in the series. They key inning was the third, when Johnny Damon and Tony Graffanino singled then David Ortiz was walked to load the Bases. Manny Ramirez make James Shields pay by launching a 437 ft. grand slam with two outs. This was all Wakefield needed as he spread 7 hits over 8+ innings for the win and a 2-0 series lead for Boston.

Final Score
2011 Tampa Bay Rays 1
2005 Boston Red Sox 5
WP- T Wakefield (1-0) LP- J Shields (0-1) SV J Papelbon (2)
Player of the Game Tim Wakefield 8.2 IP 7 H 1 ER 1 BB 5K



Series 15 Game 2

2010 Philadelphia Phillies 97-65 NL East Champ, Defeated Cincinnati Reds 3-0 in NLDS, Lost to San Francisco Giants 2-4 in NLCS
2009 LA Angels 97-65 AL West Champ, Defeated Boston Red Sox 3-0 in ALDS. Lost to New York Yankees 2-4 in ALCS.

Series Recap
Game 1 2010 Philadelphia Phillies 5 2009 LA Angels 3

Starting Pitchers PHI R Oswalt LA J Weaver
Game Summary- This game was a tight pitcher’s duel that opened up and had plenty of drama late. The first six innings were dominated by Oswalt and Weaver, with the only run scored by the Angels on a two out Gary Mathews triple in the second. In the 7^th the angels added a second run when Chone Figgens singled home Garry Mathews who had just hit his second triple of the game. In the top of the eighth Ryan Howard evened up the score with a two run homer. The Angels came right back in the bottom of the frame, first with an Erick Aybar solo home run, and then with run scoring singles by Kendry Moralis and Garry Mathews Jr. Brian Fuentes then came in for the Angels to finish off the game and tie the series at 1 game apiece.

Final Score
2010 Philadelphia Phillies 2
2009 LA Angels 5
WP- J Weaver (1-0) LP- R Oswalt (0-1) SV B Fuentes
HR PHI R Howard (1) LAA E Aybar (1)
Player of the Game Gary Mathews Jr 3-3 2 3B 1R 2 RBI 1BB



Series 16 Game 2

2007 LA Angels 94-68 AL West Champ, Lost to Boston Red Sox 0-3 ALDS
2011 New York Yankees 97-65 AL East Champ, Lost to Detroit Tigers 2-3 in ALDS

Series recap
Game 1 2011 New York Yankees 9 2007 LA Angels 2

Starting Pitchers LAA K Escobar NYA I Nova
Game Summary- It was obvious this was a hitter’s game early as the Yankees hit back to back to back homers to start the second inning, with Curtis Granderson, mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher delivering the homers. Vlad Guerrero came right back in the top of the 3^rd with a two run shot to get within one, but a two run double by Robinson Cano in the bottom of the frame moved the Yankee lead back to 3. This lead was expanded to 5 in the fifth and sixth by a solo home runs by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. The Angels scored three in the 7^th to get within 2. In the 8^th David Robertson could not find the plate as he walked the bases loaded and then gave up the lead on a Chone Figgens 3 run double. Chris Bootcheck and Francisco Rodriguez pitches strong innings in the 8^th and 9^th to close the game for the angels and even the series at 1-1.

Final Score
2007 LA Angels 9
2011 New York Yankees 7
WP- D Bootcheck (1-0) LP- D Robertson (0-1) Save F Rodriguez (1)
HR LAA V Guerrero NYA M Teixiera (1), A Rodriguez (3), D Jeter (1), C Granderson (1), N Swisher (1)
Player of the Game Chone Figgens 3-5 2 2B 2R 4RBI

[woodse2]

Series 17 Game 2

2008 Milwaukee Brewers 90-72 NL Wild Card, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-3 in NLDS
2009 Minnesota Twins 87-76 AL Central Champ, Lost to New York Yankees 0-3 in ALDS

Series Recap
Game 1 2009 Minnesota Twins 3 2008 Milwaukee Brewers 0

Starting Pitchers MIL M Parra MIN K Slowley
Game Summary- While game one was a pitcher’s duel, game 2 was a slugfest. Both starting pitchers gave up 5 runs in around 5 innings of work and both bullpens were hammered even harder. Minnesota went out to an early 4-1 lead but Milwaukee came back to tie it in the 4^th on a Bill Hall Single then take the lead in the 5^th on a Rickie Weeks sac fly. After more Brewers runs the Twins came back to tie it 7-7 on a Brendan Harris two run home run in the 6^th. Milwaukee came back with 4 runs, including two on a prince Fielder triple to take the lead for good in the top of the 7^th.

Final Score
2008 Milwaukee Brewers 13
2009 Minnesota Twins 11
WP- G Mota (1-0) LP- J Crain (0-1) SV S Torres (1)
HR MIL- R Durham (1) MIN- J Mauer (1), J Morneau (1), J Crede (1), B Harris (1)
Player of the Game Ray Durham 3-5 1HR 3R 3RBI
Series Tied 1-1


Series 18 Game 2

2010 Texas Rangers 90-72 AL West Champ, Defeated Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in ALDS, Defeated New York Yankees 4-2 in ALCS, Lost to San Francisco Giants 1-4 in World Series.
2011 Texas Rangers 96-66 AL West Champ, Defeated Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in ALDS, Defeated Detroit Tigers 4-2 in ALCS, Lost to Saint Louis Cardinals 1-4 in World Series.

Series Recap
Game 1 2011 Texas Rangers 9 2010 Texas Rangers 5
Starting Pitchers 2010 TEX T Hunter 2011 TEX A Ogando
Game Summary- The 2011 Rangers started the game strong by scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the first on a two run double by Adrian Beltre. A Josh Hamilton home run in the bottom of the third got the 2010 version of the Rangers back within 1 run, and in the bottom of the fifth run scoring singles by David Murphy and Nelson Cruz but the 2010 club up 4-2. In the bottom of the 6^th an Alex Cora single increased the 2010 rangers lead to 3. The 2011 Club got two back on Solo home runs by Adrian Beltre and David Murphy by Chris Ray came in in the 9^th to stop the rally and earn the save.

Final Score
2010 Texas Rangers 5
2011 Texas Rangers 4
WP- T Hunter (1-0) LP- A Ogando (0-1) S C Ray (1)
HR 2010 TEX J Hamilton (1) 2011 TEX A Beltre (2) D Murphy (1)
Player of the Game Adrien Beltre 2-4 1HR 1 2B 1R 3RBI
Series tied 1-1


Series 19 Game 2
2007 Arizona Diamondbacks 90-72 NL West Champ, Defeated Chicago Cubs 3-0 in NLDS, Lost to Colorado Rockies 0-4 in NLCS.
2006 St. Louis Cardinals 83-78 NL Central Champ, Defeated San Diego Padres 3-1 in NLDS, Defeated New York Mets 4-3 in NLCS, Defeated Detroit Tigers 4-1 in World Series.

Series Recap
Game 1 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks 6 2006 St. Louis Cardinals 2
Starting Pitchers ARI D Davis STL J Suppan

Game Summary- Both starters had strong outings in this tight game. St. Louis Drew first blood and a Juan Encarion two run double in the bottom of the 4^th inning. Arizona came back to get within 1 on an Eric Brynes Sac Fly in the 6^th. The drama came in the 9^th. Jason Irsinghausen came in to close the game for Suppan and secure the Cardinals win. Chad Tracy was called out at second trying to stretch a single for out 1 but then Conor Jackson walked and Chris Snyder gave Arizona a one run lead with a two run homer. Randy Flores came in and shut down the Diamondbacks to end the inning but the damage had been done and Bob Wickman came in the close the game but quickly gave up solo homeruns to Albert Pujols to tie the game and then Chris Duncan to give St. Louis the victory and tie the series at a game apiece.

Final Score
2007 Arizona Diamondbacks 3
2006 St. Louis Cardinals 4
WP- R Flores (1-0) LP- B Wickman (0-1)
HR ARI- C Snyder (1) STL C Duncan (2), A Pujols (1)
Player of the Game J Suppan 8.0 IP 6H 1 ER 3BB 3K
Series tied 1-1


Series 20 Game 2

2005 Atlanta Braves 90-72 NL East Champ, Lost to Houston Astros 1-3 in NLDS.
2011 St. Louis Cardinals 90-72 NL Wild Card, Defeated Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 in NLDS, Defeated Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 in NLCS, Defeated Texas Rangers 4-3 in World Series.

Series Recap
Game 1 2005 Atlanta Braves 4 2011 St. Louis Cardinals 3

Starting Pitchers ATL T Hudson STL J Garcia
Game Summary- Rafael Fucral started the game off with a triple and scored on a Betiment grounder to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Cardinal followed in suit with a Corey Patterson leadoff double, and Pattrerson advancing on two consecutive grounders to tie the score. Tim Hudson Recovered from this shaky first inning to shut down the Cardinals only allowing 2 hits and 2 walks the rest of the way. Jaimie Garcia gave up a three run homer in the third to Andruw Jones and a three run homer to Jeff Francouer in the 5^th enabling the Braves to coast the rest of the way to an easy win and a 2-0 series lead.

Final Score
2005 Atlanta Braves 7
2011 St. Louis Cardinals 1
WP- T Hudson (1-0) LP- J Garcia (0-1)
HR ATL A Jones (1), J Francouer (1)
Player of the Game Andruw Jones 2-3 1HR 2 R 3 RBI
2005 Atlanta Braves lead 2-0

[woodse2]

Series 21 Game 2

2005 St. Louis Cardinals 100-62 NL Central Champ, Defeated San Diego Padres 3-0 in NLDS. Lost to Houston Astros 2-4 in NLCS
2008 Chicago White Sox 89-74 AL Central Champ. Lost to Tampa Bay rays 1-3 in ALDS

Series Recap
Game 1 2005 St. Louis Cardinals 10 2008 Chicago White Sox 3

Starting Pitchers STL M Morris CHA J Vazquez
Game Summary- St. Louis started the scoring in the 4^th with back to back solo home runs by Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds. After being blanked by Matt Morris for five innings, the White Sox finally got on the board with a 2 run Jim Thome homer. St. Louis came right back in the top of the 7^th with a 3 run pinch hit homer by John Rodriguez. Chicago got 1 more run in the 8^th but could not get any closer as Jason Irsinghausen closed out the game.

Final Score
2005 St. Louis Cardinals 5
2008 Chicago White Sox 3
WP- M Morris (1-0) LP- J Vazquez (0-1) SV J Irsinghausen (1)
HR STL- A Pujols (2), J Edmunds (2) , J Rodriguez (1) CHA- J Thome (1), J Dye (1)
Player of the Game John Rodriguez 1-2 1HR 1R 3RBI
St. Louis up 2-0


Series 22 Game 2

2008 LA Angels 100-62 AL West Champ, Lost to Boston Red Sox 1-3 in ALDS
2006 Minnesota Twins 96-66 AL Central Champ. Lost to Oakland Athletics 0-3 in ALDS

Series Recap
Game 1 2006 Minnesota Twins 6 2008 LA Angels 3

Starting Pitchers LAA J Lackey MIN B Radke
Game Summary- Brad Radke was roughed up to start the game, giving up 4 consecutive hits including a two run homer by Garrett Anderson. He calmed down and got himself out of the inning and pitched solidly for the rest of the game. With two outs in the second John Lackey just lost it giving up 3 consecutive singles then 3 walks and a Hit by Pitch to give up 5 runs ad an early inning exit. The Angels got within 2 on a solo home run in the 5^th by Tori Hunter, but the twins pushed the lead up to 4 on a two run blast by Justin Morneau in the bottom of the frame. The Angels threatened in the 8^th and 9^th but could only get 1 run in each frame to lose 5-8 and go down in the series 0-2 heading to LA.

Final Score
2008 LA Angels 5
2006 Minnesota Twins 8
WP- B Radke (1-0) LP- J Lackey (1-0) SV J Nathan
HR LAA T Hunter (1), G Anderson (1) MIN J Morneau (1)
Player of the Game Garrett Anderson 3-5 1HR 1R 2RBI
Twins lead series 2-0


Series 23 Game 2

2004 Houston Astros 92-70 NL Wild Card, Defeated Atlanta braves 3-2 in NLDS, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 3-4 in NLCS
2004 Minnesota Twins 92-70 AL Central Champ. Lost to New York Yankees 1-3 in ALDS

Series Recap
Game 1 2004 Houston Astros 3 2004 Minnesota Twins 0

Starting Pitchers HOU R Clemens MIN B Radke
Game Summary- Minnesota got on the board first with a Nick Punto solo homer in the bottom of the third. Houston came back to tie it with a run in the top of the 4^th and then took the lead on an Orlando Palmeiro solo shot in the top of the 7^th. The Twins broke the game open in the bottom of the frame with 5 runs, including a 2 run Tori Hunter Double and a two run Corey Koskie home run.

Final Score
2004 Houston Astros 3
2004 Minnesota Twins 6
WP- B Radke (1-0) LP- R Clemens (0-1) SV J Nathan (1)
HR- HOU O Palmero (1) MIN- C Koskie (1), N Punto (1)
Player of the Game B Radke 8IP 5H 3ER 3BB 5K
Series tied 1-1


Series 24 Game 2

2006 New York Yankees 97-65 Al East Champ, Lost to Detroit Tigers 1-3 ALCS
2010 Minnesota Twins 94-68 AL Central Champ. Lost to New York Yankees 0-3 in ALDS

Series Recap
Game 1 2010 Minnesota Twins 6 2006 New York Yankees 4

Starting Pitchers NYA R Johnson MIN C Pavano
Game Summary- The starting pitchers dominated this game. Carl Pavano went 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball and Randy Johnson went 8 scoreless innings with 6 Ks. The game went into extra innings still scoreless. In the top of the 11^th Jesse Crain got into trouble with a Johnny Damon triple giving the Yanks a 1-0 lead, Matt Capps came in to stop the bleeding but gave up a run scoring single to A-Rod and then a two run homer Matsui. This four run outburst propelled the Yanks to the win and a 1-1 series tie.

Final Score
2006 New York Yankees 4
2010 Minnesota Twins 0
WP- M Rivera (1-0) LP- J Crain (0-1)
HR NYA H Matsui (1)
Player of the Game Randy Johnson 8IP 4H 0ER 0BB 6K
Series tied 1-1

[woodse2]

Series 25 Game 2

2008 Boston Red Sox 95-67 AL Wild Card, Defeated LA Angels 3-1 in ALDS, Lost to Tampa bay rays 3-4 in ALCS
2004 St. Louis Cardinals 105-57 NL Central Champ. Defeated LA Dodgers 3-1 in NLDS, Defeated Houston Astros 4-3 in NLCS, Lost to Boston Red Sox 0-4 in World Series

Series Recap
Game 1 2008 Boston Red Sox 7 2004 St. Louis Cardinals 1

Starting Pitchers BOS D Matsuzaka STL J Marquis
Game Summary- Two run singles in the first by Jim Edmonds and Larry Walker gave the Cardinals an Early 4-0 lead. The Red Sox cut the lead to 1 in the top of the fourth on a JD Drew homer and a two out two run double by Julio Lugo. Boston took the lead in the top of the 6^th with a two run double by David Ortiz and a run scoring single later in the inning made the score 6-4. St. Louis retook the lead with a 4 run 7^th which included a 2 run pinch hit Tony Womack double. Kiko Calerio and Jason Irisnghausen came in with strong performances in the 8^th and 9^th to close out the game and tie the series 1-1.

Final Score
2008 Boston Red Sox 6
2004 St. Louis Cardinal 8
WP- R King (1-0) LP- D Matsuzaka (0-1) SV J Irsinghausen (1)
HR BOS- J Drew (1)
Player of the Game Jim Edmonds 3-4 2R 2RBI
Series Tied 1-1


Series 26 Game 2

2009 St. Louis Cardinals 91-71 NL Central Champ. Lost to LA Dodgers 0-3 in NLDS
2009 Colorado Rockies 92-70 NL Wild Card, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-3 in NLDS

Series recap
Game 1 2009 St. Louis Cardinals 8 2009 Colorado Rockeis 4

Starting Pitchers STL J Smoltz COL J Contreras
Game Summary- Jose Contreras dominated the Cardinals in game 2 of this series. A Tom Helton two out double in the third gave Colorado in the third and 4 runs in the 5^th gave the Rockies all the cushion they needed. Contreras shut the cardinals down for seven innings allowing only 5 hits and one walk in seven shutout innings for the victory.

Final Score
2009 St. Louis Cardinals 1
2009 Colorado Rockies 7
WP- J Contreras (1-0) LP- J Smoltz (0-1)
HR STL- S Schumaker (1)
Player of the Game Jose Contreras 7 IP 5H 0ER 1BB 9K
Series Tied 1-1


Series 27 Game 2

2005 San Diego Padres 82-80 NL West Champ. Lost to St Louis Cardinals 0-3 in the NLDS
2007 Colorado Rockies 90-73 NL Wild Card, Defeated Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 in the NLDS, Defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-0 in the NLCS, Lost to Boston Red Sox 0-4 in World Series

Series Recap
Game 1 2007 Colorado Rockies 3 2005 San Diego Padres 1

Starting Pitchers SD B Lawrence COL R Lopez
Game Summary- Four home runs powered the Padres past the Rockies as the Humidor stopped working at Coors Field. In the top of the second inning the Padres pushed out to a 4 run lead on back to back to back homers by Joe Randa, Xavier Nady and Khalil Greene. The Rockies got two back in the third on run scoring singles by Matt Holiday and Todd Helton. Another Helton single in the 7^th brought the lead down to one. A solo Home run in the eighth by Mark Sweeney and another run in the 9^th brought the final core to 7-4 San Diego and a tied series.

Final Score
2005 San Diego Padres 7
2007 Colorado Rockies 4
WP- B Lawrence (1-0) LP- R Lopez (0-1) SV- T Hoffman (1)
HR SD XNady (2), M Sweeney (1), K Greene (1), J Randa (1)
Player of the Game X Nady 2-2 1HR 1 2B 2R 1RBI 1BB


Series 28 Game 2

2005 Houston Astros 89-73 NL Wild Card. Defeated Atlanta Braves 3-1 in the NLDS, Defeated the St. Louis cardinals 4-2 in NLCS, Lost to Chicago White Sox 0-4 in World Series
2006 Oakland Athletics 93-69 Al West Champ, Defeated Minnesota Twins 3-0 in the ALDS, Lost to Detroit Tigers 0-4 in ALCS

Series Recap
Game 1 2006 Oakland A’s 4 2005 Houston Astros 2

Starting Pitchers HOU R Oswalt OAK B Zito
Game Summary- Zito and Oswalt dominated the game early, containing both offenses. Lance Berkman hit a solo home run in the 1^st inning which stayed the only run in the game till Oakland tied it 1-1 on a run scoring single by Milton Bradley in the 5^th. Oakland took the lead in the 7^th when Milton Bradley hit a solo shot to make it 2-1. In the top of the 9^th Erik Bruntlett hit a solo home run off of Hudson Street to force extra innings. The game stayed scoreless in the extra frames until the top of the 13^th when Houston scored two runs off run scoring singles by Jason Lane and Craig Biggio to win the game and even the series.

Final Score
2005 Houston Astros 4
2006 Oakland A’s 2
WP- D Wheeler (1-0) LP- J Duchscherer (0-1) SV C Qualls (1)
HR HOU- L Berkman (1), E Bruntlett (1) OAK M Bradley(1)
Player of the Game Barry Zito 8IP 6H 1ER 3BB 8K

[woodse2]

Series 29 Game 2

2007 Philadelphia Phillies 89-73 NL East Champs. Lost to Colorado Rockies 0-3
2008 LA Dodgers 84-78 NL West Champ, Defeated Chicago Cubs 3-0 in the NLDS, Lost to Philadelphia Phillies 1-4 in NLCS

Series Recap
Game 1 2007 Philadelphia Phillies 8 2008 LA Dodgers 2

Starting Pitchers PHI F Garcia LAN G Maddux
Game Summary- The Dodgers opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a run scoring single by Rafael Fucral. The Phillies came back in the top of the second to take the lead on a two run homer by Russell Branyan. Greg Maddux settled down after this and was able to contain the Phillies bats while the Dodger offense finally got rolling in the series. A Manny Ramirez Single in the bottom of the 5^th tied the score. A two run double by Nomar Garciaparra gave the Dodger a two run lead. Jonathen Broxton allowed two singles in the ninth but coaxed Greg Dobbs into a double play to end the game and tie up the series 1-1.

Final Score
2007 Philadelphia Phillies 2
2008 LA Dodgers 4
WP- G Maddux (1-0) LP- B Myers (0-1) SV J Broxton (1)
HR PHI R Branyan (1)
Player of the Game Russell Branyan 2-4 1HR 1 2B 1R 2RBI
Series Tied 1-1


Series 30 Game 2

2011 Milwaukee 96-66 NL Central Champs. Defeated Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 in NLDS, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 2-4 in NLCS
2006 LA Dodgers 88-74 NL Wild Card, Lost to New York Mets 0-3 in NLDS

Series Recap
Game 1 2011 Milwaukee Brewers 4 2006 LA Dodgers 1

Starting Pitchers MIL S Marcum LAN G Maddux
Game Summary- The Dodgers broke open a scoreless game in the bottom of the third by bringing 11 batters to the plate, scoring 6 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. Milwaukee then came back to tie the game on a two run Prince Fielder Homer in the 4^th and 4 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in the 5^th. In the bottom of the 7^th Andre Ethier's 3 run home run gave the Dodgers back the lead for good.

Final Score
2011 Milwaukee Brewers 6
2006 LA Dodgers 9
WP- D Baez (1-0) LP- J Axford (0-1) SV T Saito (1)
HR MIL- P Fielder (2) LAN- A Ethier
Player of the Game Andre Ethier 1-3 1HR 2R 3RBI 1BB
Series tied 1-1


Series 31 Game 2
2009 Boston Red Sox 95-67 AL Wild Card. Lost to LA Angels 0-3 in ALDS
2006 San Diego Padres 88-74 NL West Champs, Lost to St. Louis Cardinals 1-3 in NLDS

Series recap
Game 1 2006 San Diego Padres 9 2009 Boston Red Sox 3

Starting Pitchers BOS J Beckett SD C Hensley
Game Summary- It was all Padres early. Russell Branyan hit a two run homer for the Padres in the third to start the scoring and then a 3 run homerun in the 5^th chased Beckett and gave San Diego a 6-0 lead. The Red Sox were able to score 3 runs in the sixth including 2 runs on a Rocco Baldeli Double but were shut down after that by the Padres pen.>>
Final Score

2009 Boston Red Sox 3
2006 San Diego Padres 6
WP- C Hensley (1-0) LP- J Beckett (0-1) SV T Hoffman (1)
HR SD M Cameron (1), R Branyan (1)
Player of the Game Mike Cameron 2-4 1HR 1R 3RBI
San Diego leads series 2-0


Series 32 Game 2

2007 Boston Red Sox 96-66 AL East Champ. Defeated LA Angels 3-0 in ALDS, Defeated Cleveland Indians 4-3 in ALCS, Defeated Colorado Rockies 4-0 in World Series
2010 San Francisco Giants 92-70 NL West Champs, Defeated Atlanta Braves 3-1 in NLDS, Defeated Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in NLCS, Defeated Texas Rangers 4-1 in World Series.

Series Recap
Game 1 2007 Boston Red Sox 11 2010 San Francisco Giants 2

Starting Pitchers BOS J Beckett SF M Cain
Game Summary- The first five innings of the game were dominated by the starters Cain and Beckett, with only one hit allowed between the two, a double by David Ortiz. The Red Sox broke through in the sixth, scoring Royce Clayton on a Coco Crisp single. A two run homer by Jacoby Ellsbury in the sixth expanded the lead to three. Beckett lost his no-hit bid in the sixth and also allowed a run on a Pat Burrell double. Jonathan Paperboy came on in the 9^th to close the game for the Sox but struggled loading the bases before striking out Mike Fontenot to close the game.

Final Score
2007 Boston Red Sox 3
2010 San Francisco Giants 1
WP- J Beckett (1-0) LP- M Cain (0-1) SV J Papelbon (1)
Player of the Game Josh Beckett 8IP 4H 1ER 1BB 3K
Red Sox lead series 2-0

[woodse2]

Day 2 Players of the Day

#1 Paul Byrd 2004 Atlanta Braves 8.2 IP 4H 1ER 1BB 11K
#2 James Shields 2008 Tampa Bay Rays 8.1IP 6H 0ER 1BB 8K
#3 Johnny Peralta 2011 Detroit Tigers 2-5 2B HR 6RBI 2R BB

[woodse2]

Series 1 Game 3

2008 Chicago Cubs 97-64 N.L Central Division Champs. Swept by LA Dodgers in NLDS
2004 New York Yankees 101-61 A.L. Eastern Division Champs. Beat Minnesota Twins 3-1 in divisional series, Lost to Boston red sox 3-4 in AL championship series (First team to lose a series leading 3-0)

Series Recap
Game 1 2004 Yankees 7 2008 Cubs 5
Game 2 2004 Yankees 7 2008 Cubs 1

Starting Pitchers CHN R Harden NYA K Brown
Game Summary- Down 2-0 in the series the cubs showed that they had some fight in them. New York struck first scoring two run in the top of the third but the Cubs came back with a six run inning in the bottom of the frame. A Derek Lee 2 run single and a Aramis Rameriz two run double started and closed the scoring in the inning. The Yankees could not get on the score board again and two Mike Derosa solo home runs built up the final score 8-2 Cubs.

Final Score 2008 Cubs 8 2004 Yankees 2
WP- R Harden (1-0) LP-K Brown (0-1)
HR- CHN – DeRosa 2 (2)
Player of the Game Mark DeRosa 3-4 2HR 2R 2RBI
2004 New York Yankees lead series 2-1


Series 2 Game 3
2007 Cleveland Indians 96-66 AL Central Champs. Defeated New York 3-1 in division series, lost to Boston 3-4 in A.L. Championship series.
2005 L.A. Angels 95-67 AL West Champs. Defeated New York 3-2 in division series, Lost to Chicago White Sox 1-4 in Championship series.

Series Recap
Game 1 2005 Angels 4 2007 Indians 1
Game 2 2005 Angels 10 2007 Indians 3

Starting Pitchers CLE- C Lee LAA- E Santana
Game Summary- An hour rain delay in the 2^nd inning and cold weather had a major impact on the game. Because of the delay both starters were lifted after 3 innings and the scoring came versus the bullpens. Kenny Lofton hit a 2 run homer in the 5^th to start the scoring with two runs for the Indians. An Adam Kennedy solo home run in the 6^th cut the lead to 1and a Darin Erstad solo home run in the 7^th tied the game. The Game remained tied till the bottom of the 9^th when Johnny Peralta hit a 3 run homer off Francisco Rodriguez to win the game for the Indians and get them back into the series.

Final Score 2007 Indians 5 2005 Angels 2
WP- R Perez (1-0) LP F Rodriguez (0-1)
HR CLE- J Peralta (1), K Lofton LAA- D Erstad (1), A Kennedy
Player of the Game Johnny Peralta 1-4 1HR 1R 3RBI
2005 LA Angels lead series 2-1


Series 3 Game 3

2004 Los Angeles Dodgers- 93-69 NL West Champions. Lost to St. Louis Cardinal in Division series 1-3
2009 New York Yankees 103-59 AL East Champs. Defeated Minnesota 3-0 in division series, Defeated Los Angeles 4-2 in A.L. Championship Series, Defeated Philadelphia 4-2 in World Series.

Series recap
Game 1 2004 Dodgers-16 2009 New York Yankees- 4
Game 2 2009 New York Yankees- 11 2004 Dodgers-4


Starting Pitchers LAD- J Weaver NYA - C Wang
Game Summary- A Jorge Posada two run homer in the 4^th gave the Yankees their first and only lead. The Dodgers scored three runs in the bottom of the frame on a Shawn Green double and a Paul Du Luca single. Jeff Weaver and Eric Gagne shut the Yankees out the rest of the way as the Dodgers added a couple of insurance runs to win the game 5-2.

Final Score 2004 LA Dodgers 5 2009 New York Yankees 2
WP- J Weaver (1-0) LP C Wang (0-1)
HR- NYA- J Posada (2)
Player of the Game Jeff Weaver 8IP 6H 2ER 1BB 7K
Dodgers lead series 2-1


Series 4 Game 3
2007 New York Yankees 94-68 A.L. Wild Card, Lost to Cleveland Indians 1-3
2004 Boston Red Sox 98-64 A.L. Wild Card, Defeated Anaheim Angels 3-0, defeated New York Yankees 4-3 in AL Championship series, Defeated St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in World Series

Series Recap
Game 1 2007 New York Yankees 3 2004 Boston Red Sox 1
Game 2 2007 New York Yankees 4 2004 Boston Red Sox 3

Starting Pitchers NYA- R Clemens BOS P Martinez
Game Summary- The 2004 Red Sox had to come back from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees on the road to their historic championships. The club will have to accomplish the same feat to get past the first round of the playoffs. Things looked good for the Sox early as Manny Rameriz hit a solo home run in the 2^nd inning and David Ortiz hit a three run blast in the 5^th to make it 4-0. The Yankees bats came alive in the bottom of the inning chasing Pedro with 6 run off 7 hits, including a 2 run homer by Jason Giambi. Boston never recovered and lost the game 4-7.

Final Score
2007 New York Yankees 7
2004 Boston Red Sox 4
WP- R Clemens (1-0) LP- P Martinez (0-1) SV Rivera (3)
HR NYA J Giambi (1) Bos D Ortiz (1) M Ramirez (1)
Player of the Game Jason Giambi 2-3 1HR 1R 3RBI 1BB
2007 NY Yankees up 3-0