2007 Kansas City Royals - Here we go Again

[Dauis]

9/28/2007
Game #159 – Kansas City (J. Bale 11-11, 5.27 ERA) at Chicago (A) (J. Garland 10-14, 5.60 ERA)
Kansas City 7
Chicago (A) 4
W: J. Bale (12-11) L: G. Floyd (0-3) S: J. Soria (12)
HR – KC: W. Betemit (25) CHA: T. Hall (9), J. Crede (22), J. Uribe (1)

Another game where we were really never in danger. We built a 6-1 lead going into the 7th inning stretch, and while they got 1 in the 7th and 2 in the 8th, I was never really worried. Bale went 7 decent innings. He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, and he struck out 5. Wilson Betemit went 3-5 with a home run, 2 runs scored, and an RBI to earn player of the game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Boston 4
Cleveland 3
W: C. Schilling (21-9) L: R. Hernandez (4-3) S: B. Baker (3)

New York (A) 5
Toronto 4 (10)
W: L. Vizcaino (9-2) L: B. Ryan (3-6)
HR – NYA: A. Rodriguez (39), E. Duncan (14) TOR: V. Wells (28)

Tampa Bay 4
Detroit 3
W: S. Kazmir (8-12) L: N. Robertson (11-15) S: A. Reyes (31)
HR – TBA: G. Norton (14)

Oakland 3
Los Angeles (A) 7
W: B. Colon (9-16) L: D. Haren (11-16) S: F. Rodriguez (40)
HR – OAK: M. Bradley (25)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 8
Washington 1
W: I. Snell (10-17) L: J. Williams (5-17)
HR – PIT: C. Duffy (10)

Houston 1
Chicago (N) 4
W: J. Marquis (8-10) L: R. Oswalt (18-6) S: B. Howry (34)
HR – CHN: D. Lee (44), J. Jones (25)

New York (N) 2
Florida 5
W: J. Gogal (3-1) L: P. Martinez (10-11) S: J. Julio (47)
HR – FLO: M. Olivo (31), M. Cabrera (29), M. Jacobs (27)

San Francisco 1
Los Angeles (N) 3
W: W. Juarez (7-11) L: P. Liriano (3-7) S: Y. Brazoban (1)
HR – LAN: C. Koskie (23)

San Diego 1
Arizona 5
W: E. Gonzalez (5-0) L: J. Peavy (11-14)
HR – ARI: C. Snyder (13)

Milwaukee 5
Cincinnati 0
W: B. Sheets (19-10) L: B. Arroyo (13-14)
HR – MIL: B. Hall (37)

Philadelphia 3
Atlanta 2
W: R. Madson (4-9) L: K. Davies (5-10) S: T. Gordon (24)
HR – PHI: E. Reed (6) ATL: W. Timmons (2), K. Johnson (13)

In the AL West, Oakland holds a 2 game lead over the Angels, and their magic number is down to 2. In the Wild Card, the Rod Sox lead the Angels by 1, and their magic number is 3.

In the NL West, the Diamondbacks lead the Rockies by 2 games, and their magic number is 2. The Wild Card is where the real fun is though. With only 3 games left to play, the Rockies, Marlins, and Astros are all tied for the lead, the Braves are only a game back, and the Phillies are 2 games back.

The Rockies finish up the season at home against the worst team in baseball—the San Francisco Giants, who stand at 52-107. The Astros and Marlins actually play each other in Florida, and the Braves are at home against the Mets. It should be an interesting end of the season.

[Dauis]

9/29/2007
Game #160 – Kansas City (C. Hamels 7-4, 3.39 ERA) at Cleveland (D. Denham 0-3, 4.34 ERA)
Kansas City 5
Cleveland 0
W: M. Ford (1-0) L: D. Denham (0-4)
HR – KC: M. Teahen (28)

Cole pitched the first three innings, giving up 3 hits and striking out 6, but he left after the third when he fractured his elbow. He will be out for 7 months, meaning he will miss the first few weeks of next season. Monty Ford came in and pitched very well in relief, going the final 6 innings and giving up 4 hits and a walk and striking out 3. Denham pitched well for the first 5 innings, but let the game get away from him 5 batters into the 6th inning. He allowed a leadoff single to Murphy before he got Gathright to pop out to third. Then Emil Brown doubled to score Murphy, Nomar doubled to score Brown, and Teahen hit a 2-run homer to make it 4-0.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 13
Los Angeles (A) 3
W: E. Loaiza (12-11) L: J. Weaver (11-12)
HR – OAK: M. Piazza (13), R. Langerhans (3), K. Ginter (5), D. Barton (14) LAA: P. Konerko (31)

With the win, the Athletics clinched the AL West.

Boston 8
Toronto 9
W: B. League (4-7) L: M. Delcarmen (2-2)
HR – BOS: M. Ramirez (45), D. Ortiz (47), H. Choi (14), D. Pedroia (9) TOR: G. Zaun (13)

New York (A) 13
Baltimore 1
W: C. Wang (21-10) L: H. Penn (7-13)
HR – NYA: J. Posada (23), T. Long (9)

Minnesota 1
Chicago (A) 2
W: D. Bush (16-10) L: J. Santana (21-11) S: F. Bastamonte (23)

Seattle 3
Texas 7
W: K. Millwood (19-10) L: J. Weaver (9-15) S: F. Francisco (4)
HR – SEA: R. Durham (21) TEX: G. Laird (12), I. Kinsler (20)

Tampa Bay 0
Detroit 3
W: J. Verlander (9-9) L: E. Gonzalez (9-11) S: T. Jones (39)
HR – DET: C. Guillen (17), C. Shelton (15)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (N) 1
St. Louis 2
W: G. Meche (9-14) L: J. Sanchez (4-2) S: B. Looper (30)

New York (N) 6
Atlanta 2
W: P. Humber (2-1) L: J. Parr (3-3)

Houston 3
Florida 9
W: D. Willis (14-11) L: C. Sampson (7-16)
HR – HOU: M. Ensberg (32) FLO: T. Wilson (3), M. Jacobs 2 (29), H. Ramirez (10)

Pittsburgh 5
Chicago (N) 10
W: S. Marshall (9-7) L: A. Miller (4-4)
HR – CHN: M. DeRosa (16), A. Soriano (34), D. Ward (9)

Philadelphia 4
Washington 6
W: J. Bergmann (5-1) L: B. Claussen (6-5) S: L. Ayala (38)
HR – PHI: E. Reed (7)

Milwaukee 4
Cincinnati 6
W: T. Coffey (2-3) L: M. Parra (0-1) S: E. Guardado (29)
HR – MIL: C. Hart (15), J. Owens (4) CIN: K. Griffey Jr 2 (18), A. Dunn (24), A. Beattie (1)

San Francisco 8
Colorado 4
W: B. Zito (11-18) L: J. Francis (11-13)
HR – SFN: R. Aurilia (32) COL: J. Carroll (12), I. Stewart (1)

Barry Bonds’ season came to an end today after suffering a bruised foot. He will not be 100 percent for 2 weeks. He ends the season 1 home run short of Hank Aaron’s record. What are the chances that he retires after this season?

San Diego 1
Arizona 2
W: L. Hernandez (11-10) L: C. Carillo (9-13) S: J. Valverde (39)
HR – SDN: J. Bard (16) ARI: C. Thomas (1), S. Drew (14)

Thanks to the win and the Rockies loss, the Diamondbacks clinched the NL West.

In the AL Wild Card, Boston remains a game up on the Angels. In the NL Wild Card, Florida is all alone on top, thanks to their victory over Houston and the Rockies’ loss to the Giants. Atlanta has been eliminated after their loss to the Mets.

[Dauis]

9/30/2007
CONTRACT EXTENSION
Reliever Scott Strickland and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a 1 year, $3.06 million extension.

Game #161 – Kansas City (Z. Greinke 7-20, 6.48 ERA) at Cleveland (J. Sowers 12-12, 4.65 ERA)
Kansas City 4
Cleveland 13
W: J. Sowers (13-12) L: Z. Greinke (7-21)
HR – KC: N. Garciaparra (19) CLE: J. Still (1)

Believe it or not, we had a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Then Cleveland scored 4 in the second, 4 in the 4th, and 5 in the 8th to pound us in our next-to-last game of the season. I hope we can end the season on a better note. Jon Still went 3-5 with a double, a home run, 2 runs, and 5 RBIs to lead the Indians.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 4
Los Angeles (A) 8
W: E. Santana (16-8) L: B. Halsey (6-18) S: F. Rodriguez (41)
HR – OAK: E. Chavez (20) LAA: J. Mathis (6)

Boston 0
Toronto 3
W: J. Towers (15-10) L: D. Matsuzaka (16-15) S: B. Ryan (33)

New York (A) 7
Baltimore 4 (10)
W: L. Vizcaino (10-2) L: J. Walker (4-2)
HR – NYA: A. Rodriguez (40), J. Posada (24) BAL: C. Patterson (14)

Minnesota 1
Chicago (A) 7
W: J. Vazquez (13-11) L: M. Garza (0-1)
HR – MIN: M. Lowell (8) CHA: J. Crede 2 (24), J. Thome (45)

Seattle 6
Texas 13
W: V. Padilla (15-14) L: J. Washburn (11-19)
HR – SEA: J. Reed (2) TEX: V. Diaz 2 (10)

Victor Diaz had a great day, going 5-5. He hit a three-run home run in the 1st, hit a two-run single in the 3rd, doubled in the 4th, doubled in the 6th, and hit a three-run home run in the 7th.

Tampa Bay 5
Detroit 4
W: J. Blanton (9-12) L: J. Bonderman (5-10) S: A. Reyes (32)
HR – TBA: C. Crawford (16) DET: C. Granderson (18)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (N) 5
St. Louis 7
W: J. Isringhausen (4-3) L: Y. Brazoban (7-4) S: B. Looper (31)
HR – LAN: R. Furcal 2 (12) STL: A. Pujols 2 (53)

New York (N) 2
Atlanta 6
W: T. Hudson (14-13) L: C. Capuano (12-10) S: M. Gonzalez (4)
HR – ATL: A. Jones (35), S. Thorman (2), K. Johnson (14)

Houston 3
Florida 4
W: J. Vargas (4-1) L: W. Williams (11-7) S: J. Julio (48)

Pittsburgh 7
Chicago (N) 9
W: W. Miller (8-7) L: S. Kim (8-12) S: B. Howry (35)
HR – CHN: A. Ramirez (39), W. Miller (1)

Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez dislocated his finger and will miss the season finale.

Philadelphia 2
Washington 1
W: R. Nolasco (16-9) L: M. Bacsik (10-8) S: T. Gordon (25)
HR – PHI: E. Reed (8)

Milwaukee 1
Cincinnati 2
W: K. Saarloos (9-15) L: Z. Jackson (4-4) S: E. Guardado (30)

San Francisco 1
Colorado 9
W: J. Morillo (5-6) L: N. Lowry (4-21)
HR – SFN: B. Broussard (21) COL: J. Carroll (13), B. Hawpe (31), M. Holliday (40), R. Spilborghs (10), I. Stewart (2)

San Diego 1
Arizona 12
W: B. Webb (15-13) L: G. Maddux (9-13)

Boston and the Angels are tied for the AL Wild Card. Boston will send Josh Beckett to the mound to face Gustavo Chacin in Toronto, while the Angels will send John Lackey to face 22-6 Rich Harden in Los Angeles.

In the NL, Florida is a game up on the Rockies. Florida is at home and will send Anibel Sanchez to face Scott Baker and the Astros. The Rockies are also at home and will send Mike Gosling to face the Giants and Matt Morris. It should be an interesting last day of the season.

[Dauis]

AL Player of the Week
C Jorge Posada (NYA) .500, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB, .481 OBP

NL Player of the Week
1B Derrek Lee (CHN) .500, 5 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R


AL Batter of the Month
1B David Ortiz (BOS) .343, 9 HR, 29 RBI, 29 R, .455 OBP

NL Batter of the Month
OF Lance Berkman (HOU) .457, 14 HR, 26 RBI, 33 R, 27 BB, .600 OBP

AL Pitcher of the Month
Kevin Millwood (TEX) 6-0, 1.86 ERA, 6 GS, 30 K, 48.1 IP

NL Pitcher of the Month
Yusmeiro Petit (ARI) 4 W, 6 GS, 2.37 ERA, 56 K, 38 IP

AL Rookie of the Month
1B Eric Duncan (NYA) .275, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 18 R, .288 OBP

NL Rookie of the Month
OF Eric Reed (PHI) .376, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 22 R

[Dauis]

10/1/2007
TRADE
Florida has traded 37-year-old starting pitcher Pedro Astacio and 24-year-old minor league reliever Christopher Mobley to Washington for 27-year-old center fielder Nook Logan.

I don’t know how this trade happened. I’m sure it’s part of some evil ploy by Bud Selig to somehow take over the world.

Game #162 – Kansas City (J. Gobble 5-13, 5.75 ERA) at Cleveland (P. Byrd 11-14, 4.50 ERA)
Kansas City 6
Cleveland 7
W: A. Fultz (3-0) L: S. Stemle (5-4) S: R. Betancourt (36)
HR – KC: M. Teahen (29) CLE: T. Hafner (39), B. Francisco (7)

This game was a reminder of what most of the season was like. We scored 4 in the top of the 4th, then gave up 3 in the bottom of the inning. We scored 2 in the 5th, then gave up 1 in the 6th and 3 in the 7th. Mark Teahen went 3-4 with a home run, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBIs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 1
Los Angeles (A) 2
W: D. Oliver (5-4) L: R. Harden (22-7) S: F. Rodriguez (42)
HR – LAA: M. Napoli (32)

Boston 4
Toronto 5
W: G. Chacin (2-3) L: J. Beckett (7-5) S: B. Ryan (34)

New York (A) 6
Baltimore 7
W: C. Bradford (9-1) L: C. Pavano (8-11) S: D. Baez (37)
HR – NYA: A. Rodriguez (41), R. Cano (23)

Minnesota 3
Chicago (A) 8
W: M. Buehrle (13-11) L: C. Silva (20-11)
HR – MIN: M. Cuddyer (17), M. Bellhorn (18) CHA: A. Pierzynski (14), J. Crede (25)

Seattle 11
Texas 7
W: M. Batista (16-8) L: K. Loe (10-17) S: J. Putz (31)
HR – SEA: R. Ibanez (17) TEX: V. Diaz (11), J. Botts (4)

Tampa Bay 5
Detroit 3
W: B. Stokes (2-9) L: D. Wells (9-15) S: A. Reyes (33)
HR – TBA: L. Rivas (7), E. Hinske (28), C. Crawford (17), R. Baldelli (11) DET: C. Shelton (16)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (N) 6
St. Louis 0
W: A. Thompson (1-0) L: R. Franklin (8-6)
HR – LAN: C. Koskie (24), J. Kent (11)

New York (N) 15
Atlanta 8
W: J. Maine (13-14) L: M. Redman (7-5)
HR – NYN: M. Tucker (1), L. Milledge 2 (6), M. Alou (26) ATL: C. Jones (27), K. Johnson (15)

Houston 0
Florida 9
W: A. Sanchez (11-10) L: S. Baker (6-6)

Pittsburgh 2
Chicago (N) 3
W: T. Lilly (15-8) L: V. Santos (8-9) S: B. Howry (36)
HR – PIT: R. Doumit (12) CHN: A. Soriano (35)

Philadelphia 7
Washington 6 (10)
W: T. Gordon (7-6) L: E. Fruto (1-6)
HR – PHI: R. Howard (55), C. Ruiz (3) WSH: R. Church (24), C. Snelling (2), R. Zimmerman (12)

Milwaukee 8
Cincinnati 3
W: J. Suppan (13-15) L: A. Harang (15-15)
HR – MIL: G. Jenkins (15), E. Chavez (4) CIN: K. Griffey Jr (19)

San Francisco 3
Colorado 6
W: M. Gosling (5-3) L: M. Morris (6-13) S: B. Fuentes (33)

San Diego 4
Arizona 9
W: Y. Petit (18-10) L: T. Stauffer (5-4) S: J. Cruz (1)
HR – SDN: K. Kouzmanoff (22) ARI: C. Young (4)


So the playoffs are set. The Angels and the Marlins won the Wild Card spots. To recap, the American League teams are the Yankees, Twins, A’s, and Angels. The National League teams are the Mets, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Marlins.

The Yankees were the best team in the regular season, going 101-61. The Giants were by far the worst, going 53-109.

[Dauis]

10/2/2007
AL Batting Title
Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners picked up the American League batting crown today. He hit .334 with 10 home runs and 58 RBIs. He also delivered 222 hits, including 18 doubles and 6 triples, played in 153 games and scored 95 runs.

NL Triple Crown Winner!
Lance Berkman of the Astros won the Triple Crown, leading the National League in batting average (.340), home runs (60), and runs batted in (148).

TRADE
Tampa Bay has traded 37-year-old closer Dan Miceli to the Detroit Tigers for 18-year-old minor league first baseman Stephen Harren.

[Dauis]

10/3/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Minnesota 12
Oakland 3
W: J. Santana (1-0) L: D. Haren (0-1)
HR – MIN: J. Morneau (1), T. Hunter (1), J. Mauer (1) OAK: M. Bradley (1), N. Swisher 2 (2)
Minnesota leads series, 1 to 0.

Los Angeles (A) 6
New York (A) 10
W: C. Wang (1-0) L: J. Weaver (0-1)
HR – LAA: P. Konerko (1) NYA: A. Rodriguez (1)
New York (A) leads series, 1 to 0.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Arizona 3
New York (N) 4 (11)
W: D. Sanchez (1-0) L: B. Lyon (0-1)
HR – ARI: O. Hudson (1) NYN: M. Tucker (1), D. Wright (1)
New York (N) leads series, 1 to 0.

Michael Tucker led off the bottom of the 11th with a walk-off shot to center.

Florida 6
Chicago (N) 4
W: D. Willis (1-0) L: C. Zambrano (0-1) S: J. Julio (1)
HR – CHN: C. McGehee (1), M. Murton (1)
Florida leads series, 1 to 0.

[Dauis]

10/4/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Minnesota 8
Oakland 1
W: M. Garza (1-0) L: B. Halsey (0-1)
HR – OAK: N. Swisher (3)
Minnesota leads series, 2 to 0.

Los Angeles (A) 3
New York (A) 5
W: K. Igawa (1-0) L: F. Rodriguez (0-1)
HR – NYA: H. Matsui (1), J. Giambi (1)
New York (A) leads series, 2 to 0.

Jason Giambi is a hero for at least one night in New York, as he hit a pinch hit, 2-run home run to end the game.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Arizona 6
New York (N) 4
W: B. Webb (1-0) L: C. Capuano (0-1) S: J. Valverde (1)
HR – ARI: C. Quentin (1), C. Snyder (1), R. Garko (1) NYN: L. Milledge (1)
Series is tied a 1.

Florida 7
Chicago (N) 1
W: S. Olsen (1-0) L: S. Marshall (0-1)
HR – FLO: D. Uggla (1) CHN: M. DeRosa (1)
Florida leads series, 2 to 0.

[Dauis]

10/6/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Oakland 10
Minnesota 3
W: J. Duchscherer (1-0) L: C. Silva (0-1)
HR – OAK: B. Crosby (1), N. Swisher (4) MIN: J. Morneau (2)
Minnesota leads series, 2 to 1.

If Oakland comes back and wins the series, they will be without Rich Harden for 2 weeks due to a damaged meniscus.

New York (A) 1
Los Angeles (A) 2 (10)
W: F. Rodriguez (1-1) L: L. Vizcaino (0-1)
New York (A) leads series, 2 to 1.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
New York (N) 3
Arizona 10
W: Y. Petit (1-0) L: J. Maine (0-1)
HR – ARI: C. Quentin (2), R. Garko (2)
Arizona leads series, 2 to 1.

Chicago (N) 1
Florida 4
W: A. Sanchez (1-0) L: T. Lilly (0-1) S: J. Julio (2)
HR – FLO: M. Cabrera (1), M. Little (1)
Florida wins series, 3 to 0.

[Dauis]

10/7/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Oakland 4
Minnesota 5
W: J. Santana (2-0) L: D. Haren (0-2) S: J. Nathan (1)
HR – OAK: M. Piazza (1), J. Gomes (1), D. Barton (1) MIN: J. Morneau (3), M. Cuddyer (1)
Minnesota wins series, 3 to 1.

New York (A) 6
Los Angeles (A) 7
W: F. Rodriguez (2-1) L: L. Vizcaino (0-2)
Series is tied at 2.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
New York (N) 8
Arizona 0
W: P. Martinez (1-0) L: R. Johnson (0-1)
Series is tied at 2.

[Dauis]

10/9/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Los Angeles (A) 2
New York (A) 10
W: R. Clemens (1-0) L: K. Escobar (0-1)
HR – NYA: E. Duncan (1)
New York (A) wins series, 3 to 2.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
Arizona 6
New York (N) 1
W: B. Webb (2-0) L: C. Capuano (0-2) S: J. Cruz (1)
HR – ARI: O. Hudson (2), C. Quentin (3)
Arizona leads series, 3 to 2.

[Dauis]

10/11/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Minnesota 3
New York (A) 0
W: J. Santana (3-0) L: C. Wang (1-1) S: J. Nathan (2)
Minnesota leads series, 1 to 0.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Florida 3
Arizona 1
W: D. Willis (2-0) L: Y. Petit (1-1) S: J. Julio (3)
HR – FLO: M. Jacobs (1)
Florida leads series, 1 to 0.

[Dauis]

10/12/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Minnesota 5
New York (A) 10
W: M. Mussina (1-0) L: M. Garza (1-1)
HR – MIN: M. Cuddyer (2) NYA: E. Duncan (2)
Series is tied at 1.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Florida 1
Arizona 4
W: R. Johnson (1-1) L: A. Sanchez (1-1) S: J. Valverde (2)
Series is tied at 1.

[Dauis]

10/14/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
New York (A) 4
Minnesota 5 (12)
W: P. Neshek (1-0) L: S. Proctor (0-1)
HR – NYA: H. Matsui (2) MIN: J. Morneau (4), J. Mauer (2)
Minnesota leads series, 2 to 1.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Arizona 3
Florida 5
W: S. Olsen (2-0) L: B. Webb (2-1) S: J. Julio (4)
HR – ARI: C. Monroe (1), C. Quentin (4) FLO: J. Hermida (1), M. Jacobs (2)
Florida leads series, 2 to 1.

[Dauis]

10/15/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
New York (A) 8
Minnesota 0
W: C. Wang (2-1) L: J. Santana (3-1)
HR – NYA: A. Rodriguez (2), H. Matsui (3)
Series is tied at 2.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Arizona 1
Florida 2
W: J. Frasor (1-0) L: B. Lyon (0-2) S: J. Julio (5)
HR – FLO: C. Ross (1)
Florida leads series, 3 to 1.

Florida was dealt a huge blow. Dontrelle Willis ruptured a tricep tendon. He will be out for 7 months.

[Dauis]

10/16/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
New York (A) 1
Minnesota 8
W: M. Garza (2-1) L: A. Pettitte (0-1)
Minnesota leads series, 3 to 2.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Arizona 8
Florida 9
W: T. Bowyer (1-0) L: J. Valverde (0-1)
Florida wins series, 4 to 1.

What a way to end the season for Arizona. Valverde entered in the 9th with the game tied at 8. He got Jacobs and Olivo to both fly out to right. He gave up a single to Cody Ross. Alex Sanchez drew a pinch-hit walk. Nook Logan drew a walk as well to load the bases for Tony Miller, who was pinch hitting. He took the first pitch for a ball. He fouled off the second pitch. He took the 1-1 for a ball. He took the 2-1 for a ball. Finally, he also took the 3-1 for the walk-off walk to send the Marlins to the World Series.

[Dauis]

10/18/2007
CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
Ivan Rodriguez and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a 3 year, $33 million extension.

Travis Hafner and the Cleveland Indians have agreed to a 3 year, $22.627 million extension.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Minnesota 2
New York (A) 1
W: P. Neshek (2-0) L: R. Clemens (1-1) S: J. Nathan (3)
HR – MIN: M. Lowell (1)
Minnesota wins series, 4 to 2.

[Dauis]

10/20/2007
RETIREMENT
Philadelphia closer Tom Gordon decided to retire. He ends his career with 175 saves, a 137-123 record, and a 3.87 ERA.

WORLD SERIES GAME 1
Florida 3
Minnesota 4
W: J. Santana (4-1) L: A. Sanchez (1-2) S: J. Nathan (4)
HR – FLO: C. Ross (2), M. Jacobs (3) MIN: J. Morneau (5)
Minnesota leads series, 1 to 0.

[Dauis]

10/21/2007
WORLD SERIES GAME 2
Florida 5
Minnesota 4 (14)
W: T. Bowyer (2-0) L: J. Crain (0-1)
HR – FLO: M. Cabrera (2) MIN: M. Bellhorn (1), A. Machado (1)
Series is tied at 1.

[Dauis]

10/23/2007
CONTRACT EXTENSION
Curt Schilling and the Red Sox agreed to a 2 year deal worth $15.33 million a year.

WORLD SERIES GAME 3
Minnesota 1
Florida 2
W: J. Gogal (1-0) L: C. Silva (0-2) S: J. Julio (6)
Florida leads series, 2 to 1.