Great Divisonal Series: Mets v. Dbacks!

Viper · 04-20-2003, 03:26 AM

I'm playing with the Mets, and I'm in 2007 right now. I faced off against the upstart Diamondbacks, who dominated the league all year in both pitching and hitting, with Adam Dunn leading the offense and Edgar Gonzalez the ace of the pitching staff. To put Dunn's season into perspective, realize he hit .350 with 43 HR. The rest of the lineup was just as potent, with Alex Cintron, Scott Hairston, and Jesus Cota all devastating hitters batting above .300.

My staff, still pretty young, was put to the test early. Game 1 had me send my young left-handed "ace" Scott Kazmir up against Edgar Gonzalez in Phoenix. Kazmir was hit hard in his first postseason start, particularly on a two run bomb by Hairston, and I lost 6-3.

In Game 2, my #2 (some called him my ace) Barry Zito took the hill at the BOB against Rodrigo Lopez. Zito didn't pitch his best game, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings. The pen preserved a lead generated by homeruns by Ty Wiggington and Joe Crede. LaTroy Hawkins sent down the D-backs in the 9th for his first save of the postseason, giving Zito a win. With the series tied at one a piece, the series shifting back to Shea.

Game 3 featured dominant Arizona pitcher Oscar Villareal against my consistent starter Jeremy Griffiths. I needed a solid performance from him, and I got it, Griffiths going 7 innings and giving up just two runs on a homerun to Adam Dunn. Unfortunately, that was all that Villareal needed as he shut me out through 6, and ceded control to the pen. The shut-out was completed with Billy Wagner closing the door.

Do or die, Game 4 at Shea. I had to choose between Zito on 3 days rest or Kazmir on 4 days. Zito was Mr. Clutch in his World Series Championship Year in Oakland in 2003, but something drew me to choose Kazmir. What resulted was perhaps one of the best pitching duels in Divisional Series History. Gonzalez limited the Mets to 3 hits over 7 innings, a sole Austin Kearns RBI single being the only blemish on his record. Kazmir went 6 strong innings without letting up a run, and a combined effort from Jaime Cerda and Bretty Myers kept the D-backs off the board. Hawkins closed out the game, and we were headed back to Bank One for a winner take it all Game 5.

I really did not have to think much about who to send to the mound for this game: Barry Zito. He had a tough luck 12-12 record this year with an outstanding 2.45 ERA. Unfortunately, he felt tightness in his shoulder after the first inning. Aaron Heilman, who had been injured in the last week of the season, had been kept on the postseason roster. He hadn't thrown at all since Sept. 20th, but I nevertheless put him in. Rodrigo Lopez got hit hard by Randall Simon and Jose Reyes, and Heilman surrendered 4 runs, but we still had a 6-4 lead when he left. Jake Stumm, who had a stellar year for me out of the pen, surrendered 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Cerda doused the fire, preventing further damage. The atmosphere was quite sour, as it seemed as if all was over with Wagner coming in.

Ironically, I had signed Danny Bautista in September to shore up my outfield depth. He had considerable success against lefties, so I let him pinch hit for Cerda and he responded by lining a single to right. I took a risk, hitting and running with Prentice Redman up, but he made contact, lining a single up the middle and I had runners on the corners with nobody out. Jose Reyes, my All-Star shortstop, then ripped a double to RF, giving us the lead. Joe Crede followed with a monster 2 run homer and we had a commanding 12-7 lead. When our fate seemed sealed, we fought back against one of the best closers in the game. Randall Simon, a free agent I took a big risk with signing a 5 million dollar contract, connected for 7 RBI in this game. Latroy Hawkins finished off the Dbacks, sending us into the League Championship against the young, but VERY TALENTED staff of the Giants.

04-20-2003, 03:26 AM	#1
Viper Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 35	Great Divisonal Series: Mets v. Dbacks! I'm playing with the Mets, and I'm in 2007 right now. I faced off against the upstart Diamondbacks, who dominated the league all year in both pitching and hitting, with Adam Dunn leading the offense and Edgar Gonzalez the ace of the pitching staff. To put Dunn's season into perspective, realize he hit .350 with 43 HR. The rest of the lineup was just as potent, with Alex Cintron, Scott Hairston, and Jesus Cota all devastating hitters batting above .300. My staff, still pretty young, was put to the test early. Game 1 had me send my young left-handed "ace" Scott Kazmir up against Edgar Gonzalez in Phoenix. Kazmir was hit hard in his first postseason start, particularly on a two run bomb by Hairston, and I lost 6-3. In Game 2, my #2 (some called him my ace) Barry Zito took the hill at the BOB against Rodrigo Lopez. Zito didn't pitch his best game, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings. The pen preserved a lead generated by homeruns by Ty Wiggington and Joe Crede. LaTroy Hawkins sent down the D-backs in the 9th for his first save of the postseason, giving Zito a win. With the series tied at one a piece, the series shifting back to Shea. Game 3 featured dominant Arizona pitcher Oscar Villareal against my consistent starter Jeremy Griffiths. I needed a solid performance from him, and I got it, Griffiths going 7 innings and giving up just two runs on a homerun to Adam Dunn. Unfortunately, that was all that Villareal needed as he shut me out through 6, and ceded control to the pen. The shut-out was completed with Billy Wagner closing the door. Do or die, Game 4 at Shea. I had to choose between Zito on 3 days rest or Kazmir on 4 days. Zito was Mr. Clutch in his World Series Championship Year in Oakland in 2003, but something drew me to choose Kazmir. What resulted was perhaps one of the best pitching duels in Divisional Series History. Gonzalez limited the Mets to 3 hits over 7 innings, a sole Austin Kearns RBI single being the only blemish on his record. Kazmir went 6 strong innings without letting up a run, and a combined effort from Jaime Cerda and Bretty Myers kept the D-backs off the board. Hawkins closed out the game, and we were headed back to Bank One for a winner take it all Game 5. I really did not have to think much about who to send to the mound for this game: Barry Zito. He had a tough luck 12-12 record this year with an outstanding 2.45 ERA. Unfortunately, he felt tightness in his shoulder after the first inning. Aaron Heilman, who had been injured in the last week of the season, had been kept on the postseason roster. He hadn't thrown at all since Sept. 20th, but I nevertheless put him in. Rodrigo Lopez got hit hard by Randall Simon and Jose Reyes, and Heilman surrendered 4 runs, but we still had a 6-4 lead when he left. Jake Stumm, who had a stellar year for me out of the pen, surrendered 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Cerda doused the fire, preventing further damage. The atmosphere was quite sour, as it seemed as if all was over with Wagner coming in. Ironically, I had signed Danny Bautista in September to shore up my outfield depth. He had considerable success against lefties, so I let him pinch hit for Cerda and he responded by lining a single to right. I took a risk, hitting and running with Prentice Redman up, but he made contact, lining a single up the middle and I had runners on the corners with nobody out. Jose Reyes, my All-Star shortstop, then ripped a double to RF, giving us the lead. Joe Crede followed with a monster 2 run homer and we had a commanding 12-7 lead. When our fate seemed sealed, we fought back against one of the best closers in the game. Randall Simon, a free agent I took a big risk with signing a 5 million dollar contract, connected for 7 RBI in this game. Latroy Hawkins finished off the Dbacks, sending us into the League Championship against the young, but VERY TALENTED staff of the Giants.