Congratulations to the Wahoos!
From the Chief...
In what was an epic 7-game series, SGP rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win. How it happened…
Game 1: SGP jumped out quick with an Infante HR in the first and took a 2-0 lead. Chatfield scored the next 14 runs. Marco Estrada was forced into starting Game 1 after SGP played 7 games in the semifinals. Tulo had 6 RBIs and 2 HRs. No. 9 hitter Desmond Jennings homered and drove in 3. Wainwright went 9 for the win.
Game 2: AJ Burnett started for SGP. He pitched pretty poorly. Ivan Nova and 5 relievers combined for a 9-0 victory. At this point Chatfield was 6-0 in the playoffs and SGP was pretty concerned. Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Michael Cuddyer and Matt Carpenter all drove in 2 runs for Chatfield.
Game 3: Finally, SGP got to have Max Scherzer start after his mandatory rest. He went 9 innings. And lost, 3-2. SGP and the ChooChoos traded 2 spots in the first couple innings. But Chatfield scored a single run in the fourth and 6 pitchers were able to hang on. At this point, SGP MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt was hitting .132 for the playoffs. Yasiel Puig .205. Carlos Santana .156. Carlos Gomez .184. Ian Desmond .156. You get the idea…
Game 4: Adam Wainwright vs. Derek Holland. Going to the bottom of the 3rd and SGP was down 4-1. Then, out of nowhere, an 8-run outburst. The inning went: single, out, double walk, HBP, single, single, single, double, single, out, single, out. Omar Infante was 5-for-5. Wainwright went all the way. SGP wins, 11-6.
Game 5: Our final home game of the season. Must win. Marco Estrada. Yeah, same guy who got ripped in Game 1. This time he goes all the way and strikes out 8 only giving up 3 runs (2 earned) as SGP wins, 7-3. Big Bartolo Colon took the loss. SGP scored the first seven runs before Chatfield made it interesting late. Infante had 3 more hits. Goldschmidt and Adam Lind both hit their first postseason homers.
Game 6: Max Scherzer gets another start. He goes all the way and strikes out 12 while allowing 4 hits. The ChooChoos used 7 pitchers. SGP rallies to win 8-3. ChooChoos jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first. SGP scored 5 in the fourth. Ian Desmond had the big hit but everybody was getting in on the action. The victory ties the series and means there is still a chance for a miracle.
Game 7: Derek Holland vs. Adam Wainwright. And neither of them make it out of the 5th inning. ChooChoos score 3 in the third with 2 walks and 3 singles. But the hit that will go down as one of the most clutch in SGP history happened in the fourth. Lind and Puig singled with one out. Cervelli walked. Gomez flew out. Desmond rolls HR 1-3 Fly 4-20. And hit the bomb. SGP leads 4-3. Naturally, this wasn’t it. ChooChoos tie it in the 6th thanks to Carlos Gomez committing a 2-base error in CF. Tyson Ross, a starter and winner earlier in the series, started the eighth. Goldschmidt coaxes a walk. Stanton and Puig K. After a wild pitch, Cervelli is walked intentionally. Carlos Gomez makes up for the error with a single to score Goldy. Bottom of the eighth took awhile as both teams were thinking and rethinking all along. Lefty Brett Cecil gives up a lead double to Matt Carpenter. Hochever walks Tulo. Revere bunts them over. PH Scooter Gennet whiffs. PH David Ortiz walks. PH Shin Soo Choo grounds out. SGP goes quietly in the ninth. ChooChoos have a last gasp but start with 2 quick outs. Craig Breslow comes on to face PH Dioner Navarro. He walks. Matt Carpenter doubles. Tulo comes up. Darren O’Day comes in. And Tulo pops up. Ball game over. World Series over.
Co-MVPs Omar Infante (.419) and Ian Desmond (.346 and the slam). Infante hit .410 in the playoffs.
SGP finally won its first division title this season.
SGP has 3 World Series titles after beating Littleton, Margaritaville and Chatfield.