Welcome to Part IV of my celebration of Randy Johnson's 300th win. Back in 2009 I used Part III and Part IV to tell my personal story about getting interested in the 300 Win Club and the events that led to my being at Nationals Park on that historic day. I don't see a need to revisit all of that. You can go back to the posts in December 2009. Instead, I am going to do something a little bit different (and ultimately probably very boring, but bear with me here.) The Nationals-Giants game that started ten years ago the moment this posts went up wasn't the only sports game that happened on June 4, 2009. Heck, it wasn't even the only game at Nationals Park on June 4, 2009. Every sports game tells a story, and what I am trying to do here (who knows how successful I will be) is to tell the story of each sports game that also happened on June 4, 2009. I suppose this was largely inspired by the 30 for 30 documentary June 17th, 1994 about the sports landscape on the day of the O.J. Simpson chase. There is nothing quite as dramatic on June 4, 2009, but it was still a very strong sports day. Most of them will be in baseball, but there were also games in soccer, hockey, and basketball. I'll talk about the play-by-play but will go down certain rabbit holes. Some of them will probably be fascinating, others will end up being boring. Anyways I hope to show that June 4, 2009 was a pretty big day in sports history.
Part I: The 300 Win Club
Part II: The Player
Part III: The Game
Part IV: The Other Games (you are here)
Part V: The Future (of the 300 Win Club)
Pirates 11, Mets 6
PNC Park
Pittsburgh, PA
One of the first of the 14 Major League Baseball games scheduled for June 4, 2009 took place at beautiful PNC Park located alongside the Allegheny River in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh. PNC Park had been a jewel of a ballpark since it opened in the 2001 season to replace the cookie-cutter, multi-purpose Three Rivers Stadium, offering a stunning view of the Pittsburgh skyline and the Roberto Clemente Bridge, formerly known as the Sixth Street Bridge. Alas, the team on the field doesn't quite match the majesty of their ballpark.
Pittsburgh had long been home one of baseball's most successful franchises, winning five World Series titles from 1909 to 1979 behind some of the greatest players from Honus Wagner to Paul Waner to Clemente to Willie Stargell. They had started play in the American Association as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1882. They had limited success until 1886, when they challenged the AA pennant. Afterwards they were invited to join the National League. The Alleghenys suffered upon their transfer, even with the presence of ace Pud Galvin. Galvin became the first pitcher to win 300 games in 1888. the same year the team went 66-68. Pittsburgh succumbed to a dismal 23-113 record in 1890 when their best players broke off to form the Player's League. The dissolution of the outlaw league led to the Alleghenys acquiring players from the Pittsburgh PL franchise. The team also signed Lou Bierbauer formerly of Brooklyn. Bierbauer's original team the AA's Philadelphia Athletics complained, calling it a "piratical" move. The complaint failed, and the team also picked up a new nickname: the Pirates. The Pirates remained mediocre for most of the 1890s, but the contraction of four National League teams after 1899 led to an opportunity. With former Louisville Colonels owner Barney Dreyfuss a part-owner of the Pirates, Pittsburgh acquired most of the Colonels' star players, including a bow-legged shortstop named Johannes Peter Wagner. Wagner was a superlative player, and helped the Pirates to two pennants in the remainder of his career, including Pittsburgh's first title in 1909. Wagner's later years saw a dip in the team's fortunes in the 1910s, but an influx of young players led to a revival in the 1920s. The Pirates won two more pennants that decade, winning the title in 1925 before getting wiped out by the 1927 Yankees two years later. The presence of the Waner brothers kept Pittsburgh afloat in the standings, but the team struggled heavily in the post-war years. Not even the presence of "the Mahatma" Branch Rickey could keep the Pirates from avoiding 100 losses. However, Rickey still had his magic touch, acquiring several young players, the most significant of which was a Puerto Rican outfielder named Roberto Clemente. The fruits of his labor blossomed in 1960 when the Pirates won a surprising pennant and World Series title, upsetting the Yankees on Bill Mazeroski's walk-off homer. The Pirates faded in the rest of the 1960s, but Clemente was joined by other stars including Stargell, and became one of the dominant teams in the 1970s, even after Clemente's tragic death in 1972. Pittsburgh went through some trouble times in the 1980s highlighted by a cocaine scandal, but the losing led to more young talent leading to another round of success. The Pirates had won three-straight National League East titles from 1990 to 1992 behind the bats of Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla, but they suffered three straight defeats in the National League Championship Series, with the loss in 1992 against the Atlanta Braves the most heart-wrenching. The team came back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a Game 7, and held a 2-0 lead going into the ninth. However, they could only watch in horror as the Braves battled back to score three runs, with the slow-footed Sid Bream racing home from second to score the pennant-clinching winning run. Pittsburgh lost not only the series, but also the core of their team, with Bonds, Bonilla, and ace Doug Drabek signing big free-agent deals elsewhere. The Pirates sank to a 75-87 record in 1993 to finish fifth, and since then they had not finished a season with a winning record. Pittsburgh won 67 or 68 games for four straight seasons from 2005-2008, and were below .500 again at 24-28 going into the June 4 contest.
As mediocre as the Pirates were in 2009, they had at least won two straight against their opponents the New York Mets on June 1 and 2. The Mets had their own share of shame and excitement in their history. They were one of the two National League expansion franchises granted in response to the Continental League. They were named the Mets after the old American Association team the New York Metropolitans, who had won the AA pennant in 1884. The National League's Mets began play in 1962 and were one of the worst teams in baseball history, finishing with 40 wins and a modern-day record of 120 losses. The Mets remained laughingstocks, losing 100 or more games five of their first six season. The losing continued until 1969, when they stormed to 100 wins behind the right arm of "The Franchise" Tom Seaver, then defeated the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS and shocked the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. The Mets supplied their fans with a roller-coaster ride in the 40 years since that miraculous title. They traded away a young, inconsistent flamethrower named Nolan Ryan in December 1971, and then their Franchise five and a half years later. They managed another pennant in 1973 despite a mediocre 82-79 record that was somehow enough to win the NL East. They won 108 games and another World Series in 1986, but then lost 103 in 1993 and were the "Worst Team Money Can Buy." They recovered to win another pennant in 2000, two years after trading for All-Star catcher Mike Piazza. Six years later with future 300-game-winner Tom Glavine in the rotation the Mets were tied for the best regular season record in baseball. However, their title hopes were crushed when they lost the NLCS in seven games, with star outfielder Carlos Beltran getting caught looking at a filthy curveball with the bases loaded for the final out. The Mets were contenders for the NL East in the following two seasons, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in both years, the losing on the final day of the season in the former year after blowing a seven-game lead with 17 games left to play. The Mets were expected to be contenders again in 2009, with Sports Illustrated calling them the potential World Series champions. However, shortly before the season opened, court documents showed that Mets owner Fred Wilpon was one of the investors that had invested in the Ponzi scheme ran by Bernie Madoff that had collapsed the year before. The Mets played valiantly as questions swirled around the financial impact of the Madoff scandal and they had taken over first place in May after sweeping the Pirates in New York. They held onto first for 12 days, but fell behind the Phillies as the calendar switched to June, then dropped the first two games of the four-game series in Pittsburgh. The June 3 game was mercifully rained out, and that allowed Beltran to recover from a serious case of food poisoning.
Pirates fan had their own source of excitement to look forward to on June 4. A day earlier the club made a stunning trade, sending 2008 All-Star Nate McLouth to Atlanta for a young right-hander named Charlie Morton and a pair of minor-leaguers. They also sent Craig Hansen, out since April with brachial plexus neuropathy, to the 60-day disabled list. The most intriguing move of the day was the purchase of the contract of outfielder Andrew McCutchen from AAA Indianapolis. McCutchen was Pittsburgh's first-round draft pick in 2005 out of Fort Meade High School just south of Lakeland and Winter Haven, the former spring training home of the Cleveland Indians. The Pirates had flubbed most of their top draft picks in the 12 years before drafting McCutchen, but McCutchen signed early enough to play 58 games in the minors, where he hit .310/.419/433. He continued to tear up the minor leagues and was picked as either the #1 or #2 prospect in the Pirates system by Baseball America every year from 2006-2009. He had dropped to #2 in the 2009 list below 2008 top draft pick Pedro Alvarez, but his .303/.361/.493 slashline in 49 AAA games convinced Pittsburgh brass that Andrew McCutchen was ready for the big leagues. Not only would he McCutchen making his Major League debut on June 4, but manager John Russell put him at the top of the lineup, a heady responsibility for such a young player. Mets manager Jerry Manuel, who had replaced Willie Randolph the year before, submitted his own lineup to home plate umpire Tim McClelland.
New York Mets
SS Alex Cora
2B Luis Castillo
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Gary Sheffield
3B David Wright
1B Daniel Murphy
LF Fernando Martinez
C Omir Santos
P Mike Pelfrey
Pittsburgh Pirates
CF Andrew McCutchen
LF Nyjer Morgan
2B Freddy Sanchez
1B Adam LaRoche
3B Andy LaRoche
RF Brandon Moss
C Jason Jaramillo
SS Ramon Vazquez
P Ross Ohlendorf
Pittsburgh's starter Ross Ohlendorf was making his 16th career start after being used exclusively in relief during his tenure with the New York Yankees. Ohlendorf was drafted in the fourth round out of Princeton University in 2004 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was studying Operations Research and Financial Engineering and continued his studies while working his way through Arizona's minor-league system, completing his degree with a 140-page senior thesis on the financial successes of the Major League Baseball June (Rule IV) draft from 1989 to 1993. His baseball career took a wild turn on January 9, 2007 when he was one of four players sent from the Diamondbacks to the Yankees in the deal returning Randy Johnson to Arizona. The deal turned out to be a boon for Ohlendorf as he made his Major League debut on September 11, 2007, only the 26th Princeton alum to make the Majors, joining Chris Young. They would later be joined by Will Venable a year later. Ohlendorf performed well in six games in 2007, but struggled in 2008. The Yankees would include Ohlendorf in another four-player package on July 26, sending him to Pittsburgh for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady. The Pirates tried Ohlendorf in the rotation, but he was once again terrible as he finished 2008 with a 6.46 ERA. Ohlendorf made the team out of spring training 2009, and he was named the number four starter. He had a strong April, but struggled in May, and went into the start 5-5 with a 4.45 ERA.
Mets starter Mike Pelfrey had a more direct path to the Major Leagues. He was born to a military family, but settled down in Wichita, Kansas. He was drafted out of high school in 2002, but opted to go to nearby Wichita State University, a baseball powerhouse. He had three tremendous seasons in Wichita, helping the Shockers into the NCAA tournament each year. The Mets made him their number one draft pick in 2005, ultimately signing him six months later in Jaunary 2006. Pelfrey sped through three rounds of minor league baseball before making his Major League debut on July 8, 2006. He made only four starts and was hit hard before returning for more seasoning in August. He was the Mets top prospect before the 2007 season, and made the team out of spring training, but he struggled mightily in three separate stints and finished with a 5.57 ERA. Pelfrey sparkled in 2008, serving as a solid number 2 starter behind ace Johan Santana, acquired that off-season. Nevertheless the rest of the rotation stumbled and the Mets finished a game out of the Wild Card spot. Expectations were high for Pelfrey coming out of spring training as he overcame a leg strain to once again take the number two starter behind Santana. He was given the honor of pitching the first game in Citi Field, but he was hammered in both of his starts, putting up an 8.10 ERA in ten innings. He pitched better after his start was skipped, whittling his ERA down to 3.88 prior to the Pittsburgh game as he prepared to avoid a sweep.
The game was scheduled to start at 12:35, but Ohlendorf's first pitch to leadoff hitter Alex Cora didn't actually come until 12:38 in front of an announced attendance of 20,683, just 53% of the capacity of 38,747. Cora was not supposed to be the shortstop and the leadoff hitter for the Mets on June 4, 2009. The future World Series-winning manager was signed that off-season to be a utility middle infielder backing up starters Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes. However, he injured his thumb sliding into second base on May 17 and ended up on the disabled list. Reyes joined him three days later after suffering from some calf tendinitis. The Mets frantically called up veteran Ramon Martinez, then purchased Wilson Valdez from the Indians to take over at shortstop. The duo was pitiful, so Cora was recalled on June 2, and found himself leading off against Ohlendorf. He got ahead in the count 2-1, but then popped to shortstop Vazquez. Up next was Castillo, the second baseman acquired from the Twins on July 30, 2007. He went four for five with a double and two runs in his sixth game with New York, which just happened to have been Tom Glavine's 300th win, and then played well down the stretch. He struggled with injuries and inconsistency in 2008 before rebounding thus far in 2009. He took a hack at Ohlendorf's first pitch and grounded it to Vazquez who threw over to barely nail the runner. Beltran was next, playing in his first game in June after suffering from food poisoning. Beltran was one of the Mets' top players since he signed a seven year, $119 million contract after a historic post-season performance with the Astros in 2004. However, he never completely claimed the hearts of Mets fans. While most Mets fans appreciated his play, there were plenty who blamed him for Game 7 of the NLCS or the injuries he suffered in New York. He got plenty of criticism for his perceived lack of effort. He was leading the team with a .352 average going into the game, and increased it with a two-out double, but he was stranded when Gary Sheffield, the 40-year-old veteran who hit his 500th career home run on April 17, was called out on strikes.
The PNC crowd eagerly watched as their hot young prospect Andrew McCutchen took his first turn at bat in the Major Leagues. Pelfrey got ahead in the count 12, but threw a fastball in on the rookie's hands. McCutchen got the bat around and drove the ball up the middle. It bounced off the front of the pitcher's mounds, and bounced in between the Mets middle infielders before going into center field for the youngster's first Major League hit. After the crowd showed their appreciation and the ball was sent over for safekeeping, up stepped Nyjer Morgan, the young outfielder who was turning heads with his solid play. At the end of the month the Pirates would send him to the Washington Nationals for their future closer Joel Hanrahan and the washed-up former Met Lastings Milledge. Morgan would make some bizarre history on July 9 when he scored the winning run in a game that was suspended from May 5. The stats from the game was dated to the original start-date, so the record books show that Nyjer Morgan scored a run on the same day he went one for five against the Milwaukee Brewers. The winning pitcher in that game would go to none other than Hanrahan. In the more standard game on June 4, Morgan hit another single to send McCutchen racing towards third. The next batter was Freddy Sanchez, the 2006 National League batting champion who struggled in 2008, but had recovered to be hitting .328/.367/.500. On this occasion he hit a grounder towards Mets first baseman Daniel Murphy, who went to the bag himself with Morgan going to second.
With runners on second and third with one out, Mike Pelfrey was facing a difficult task in the LaRoche brothers. Adam and Andy LaRoche were the sons of former reliever Dave LaRoche, who was best known for his eephus pitch, a super-slow curve that the fans dubbed the LaLob. The LaRoches settled in Fort Scott, Kansas just north of Pittsburg. The brothers took to hitting instead of pitching and were noticed by teams, but were taken in rounds typically reserved for sons of former players. Adam, older by almost four years, was drafted out of high school in the 18th round. He went to Fort Scott Community College where he was drafted in the 42nd round a year later. He transferred to the Seminole State College where he was taken in the 29th round in 2000 by the Atlanta Braves. He finally decided to sign and started his professional career. Andy went undrafted out of high school, but went to Grayson County College in north Texas. He was taken in the 21st round in 2002 and the 39th in 2003, after which he decided to sign. Adam worked his way to become one of Baseball America's 100 top prospects before the 2004 season, and made the team out of spring training. He had three decent years in Atlanta before getting sent to Pittsburgh on January 19, 2007. Andy made his way on the top 100 prospects earlier in his minor league career, but didn't make his debut until May 6, 2007. He had an uninspiring start to his Major League career, and was involved in a three-team trade at the 2008 trade deadline with 2004 Rookie of the Year Jason Bay being the centerpiece, going from Pittsburgh to Boston. Andy went from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh where he reunited with is brother. Andy struggled for the rest of the 2008 season, but with the LaRoche brothers reunited, Andy was hitting .297/.366/.424 to his brother's .243/.335/.464. Even so, with Adam's track record, Mets manager Manuel decided it would be safer to face Andy and elected to walk Adam intentionally to load the bases and set up the force at all bases. Andy made the Mets pay by lining a single to left-center, driving McCutchen home for his first Major League run. Morgan would follow and the Pirates were quickly up 2-0.
Brandon Moss was next. He was another piece from the three-team trade that brought Andy LaRoche to Pittsburgh. At the time Moss was a rookie outfielder who showed some promise with the bat. However, the Bay trade made him expendable especially in an outfield that already included Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew and he was sent packing alongside the unfortunate Craig Hansen. Moss struggled in the rest of 2008 in Pittsburgh, but he made the team out of spring training and now found himself facing the 6'7" Pelfrey with the LaRoche brothers on first and second. Moss hit a little dribbler on Pelfrey's first pitch. Second baseman Castillo raced over, but could not make the play at any base as the Pirates re-loaded the bases. Jason Jaramillo followed with a great opportunity to add to the lead. Jaramillo was a second-round draft pick with the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent five season in the minors and felt he could make the team for the defending World Champions, but he was across the state to the Pirates for catcher Ronny Paulino. Jaramillo finally made the Majors to back up veteran Ryan Doumit. Doumit suffered a broken scaphoid bone in his wrist on April 19, giving Jaramillo a chance to play regularly alongside another rookie Robinzon Diaz. Jaramillo was making most of the opportunity, hitting .272/.359/.407 after blasting his first career home run on June 2. He didn't get a grand slam, but drove in the LaRoches with another single. That brought up Ramon Vazquez, the former Texas Rangers infielder who contributed to history with seven RBIs in their 30-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on August 22, 2007. He had a solid season in 2008 and turned that into a two-year, $4 million deal with the Pirates. His bat had slowed after leaving the heart of Texas, but he lifted a short fly that fell for a single to re-load the bases.
The Mets were feeling the heat. They were already down 4-0 and had the pitcher up with only one out. Pelfrey already had gotten visits from his pitching coach Dan Warthen, and he escaped further damage when he got Ohlendorf to hit into a comebacker that he turned into a 1-2-3 double play. The Mets knew they needed some offense to stay in the game, and who better to supply some than their Captain David Wright? Wright was a product of the South Hampton Roads area of Virginia, a fertile breeding ground for solid baseball players. Wright was selected by the Mets in the first round of the 2001 draft. They didn't have a pick until the 38th selection due to their signing of Kevin Appier in the 2000 off-season, but that pick turned out to be a gem. Wright made it into the Majors on July 21, 2004, and became the most popular player on the team. He combined a natural charisma with solid play both with the glove and the bat. He hit .311/.394/.534 from 2005 to 2008 and won two Gold Gloves in the latter two years. He also made a play for the ages on August 9, 2005 when he ran out and made a bare-handed play on Brian Giles's blooper while falling to the ground. Wright was continuing his exception play, hitting .321/.421/.465, and he worked a walk to lead off the second, and then stole second with Daniel Murphy at the plate. Murphy was an unheralded 13th-round draft pick out of Jacksonville University. Teams were wary of his defensive shortcoming, but he showed a exceptional ability with his bat, and that allowed him to reach the Majors only two years after getting drafted. He had a solid rookie season in 2008, hitting .313/.397/.473 in 49 games. He made the team out of spring training in 2009, but had slumped to only .248/.325/.383. He still knew what to do with a hittable pitch, and lined a single to drive in Wright.
The Mets hoped to extend the inning with their top prospect, Fernando Martinez. Martinez was signed out of the Dominican Republic on July 11, 2005. He made his stateside debut in 2006, and showed enough promise with the bat that he was named the Mets' #2 prospect by Baseball America behind only Mike Pelfrey. With Pelfrey making the Majors, Martinez took over the number 1 slot in 2008 and 2009. After Martinez hit .290/.337/.540 with eight home runs in only 45 games in AAA Buffalo, the Mets brass decided to see what their star outfielder of the future could do. He made his Major League debut on May 26 but struggled, going hitless in his first three games. He was still hitting only .174/.269/.261 after a hitless game on June 2. However, he showed some of his promise by grounding a single to left. Murphy headed to third and barely beat the throw from the outfield. The Mets hoped catcher Omir Santos could drive in another run. Santos spent seven seasons in the Yankees organization before making his Major League debut with the Orioles in 2008 with only one hit in 10 at-bats. He signed with the Mets on a minor-league debut, but got a call-up when veteran Brian Schneider got hurt on April 15. Santos hit well enough that he stayed in the lineup even after Schneider returned. However, he hit a grounder to Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche. Andy threw home where catcher Jaramillo tagged out Murphy trying to score. Pelfrey was up next and the whole ballpark knew that he was there to bunt the runners up a base. Pelfrey's poor play continued as he bunted a ball down the first base line. First baseman Adam LaRoche snagged the ball and threw to second to force Santos. There were now two outs as Alex Cora came up to take his second plate appearance of the day. Cora pulled the ball down the right field line. Martinez scored easily, and Pelfrey made it to third with Cora reaching second on a double. Castillo was next and hit a slow grounder to short that he beat out this time as Pelfrey scored the Huge run. Beltran worked a four-pitch walk, and that loaded the bases for Sheffield, whose 504 home runs tied him with Eddie Murray on the all-time list. Alas, instead of a grand slam, Sheffield hit a weak grounder to pitcher Ohlendorf who threw to first to end the inning.
McCutchen took his second plate appearance in the bottom of the inning. Any chances of maintaining his batting average at 1.000 came to an end when he lifted a deep fly ball that was caught for an out. Nyjer Morgan followed with a grounder down the right field line towards first baseman Murphy. The Mets had hoped to limit the damage of his subpar defense by putting Murphy at first, but Murphy couldn't field it cleanly as it caromed off his glove and into right field. Morgan was able to get all the way to third. Pelfrey struck out Freddy Sanchez to finally record his first strikeout of the game, but Adam LaRoche lined a double to left on the first pitch. Morgan was able to score easily to make it 5-3. Murphy was able to make a play on Andy's grounder, but the damage was already done. Murphy hoped to atone for his error when he came up after Wright worked a walk to lead off the third, but he flied to right, as did Martinez after him. Santos got the hit that he missed out on in the previous inning, but all it did was send Wright to second, where he stayed when Pelfrey grounded out. Pelfrey opened the third by striking out Moss on three pitches, then got a groundout against Jaramillo. Vazquez singled, but Pelfrey seemed to be back in the groove when he got another three-pitch strikeout against Ohlendorf. Ohlendorf got two quick outs in the top of the fourth, but then Beltran blasted his first home run since May 9 during the sweep of the Pirates, and it was 5-4. Adam LaRoche made a tremendous play on Sheffield's grounder to rob him of a base hit and end the inning. It was a tough break for the Mets, but if they could keep the Pirates from scoring in the bottom of the inning, then they can possibly salvage the series.
Pelfrey was hoping to build upon his solid third inning, but he ended up walking the rookie McCutchen on four pitches. Morgan followed with a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher, and Pelfrey's only play was at first. Sanchez followed with another groundout that sent McCutchen hustling to third. Pelfrey was close to getting out of the inning unscathed, but ended up walking Adam LaRoche on four pitches. Things went downhill as he had a 2-2 count against Andy LaRoche, but hit the batter in the left knee with a pitch. Andy was still able to walk to first, then Pelfrey walked Moss to drive in McCutchen with his second run of the game. Jaramillo was next. He already had a two-run single in the first, and he made it two with another single to drive in the LaRoche Brothers for the second time. That was enough for Jerry Manuel. He called on lefty Ken Takahashi to face the left-handed Ramon Vazquez. Takahashi had a long career with the Hiroshima Carp in Nippon Professional Baseball. He was hoping to play in the Major Leagues and signed as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays invited him to spring training, but released him after a poor showing. He was picked up by the Mets who assigned him to AAA, but called him up when their bullpen was struggling. He made his Major League debut on May 2, 16 days after his 40th birthday. He was the fourth oldest player to make his Major League debut, behind Satchel Paige, Diomedes Olivo, and Chuck Hostetler. Takahashi was fairly effective in his ten previous appearances, with a 2.84 ERA. However, Vazquez worked him for a single to drive in Moss and add another run to Pelfrey's ledger. Takahashi finally ended the carnage with a strikeout of Ohlendorf.
David Wright was not ready to give up. He led off the fifth with a single. Murphy popped up, but then Fernando Martinez lined a double on a full count. Ohlendorf was only two outs away from qualifying for the win, but manager John Russell had seen enough. He removed Ohlendorf and brought in Tom Gorzelanny. Gorzelanny was the ace of the team in 2007, but he was awful in 2008, putting up a 6.66 ERA. He didn't even make the team in 2009, but he was recalled in the middle of May and even then he was only given a bullpen role. He had two awful appearances that wrecked his ERA, but Russell figured he can get two outs. Gorzelanny proved him right, getting both Santos and pinch-hitter Emil Brown to tap back to himself.
With both starters out of the game, the game became a battle of the bullpens. The Mets called on Sean Green, who was acquired in a massive three-team trade that netted them All-star closer J.J. Putz and backup outfielder Jeremy Reed. Green had the ability to pitch every day, but he like Gorzelanny he had a few disastrous appearances that sent his ERA to 6.53, but with the game already out of hand he was called to get as many outs as he can. Green was up to the task, retiring McCutchen and Morgan on groundouts, and getting Sanchez to fly to center. The Pirates countered with lefty Sean Burnett, who pitched for the Pirates in 2004 before succumbing to Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2005. He toiled in Indianapolis in 2006 and 2007 before getting another Major League chance in 2008. He made the Opening Day roster for the first time in 2009 and was the Pirates' top left-handed reliever, with a 3.18 ERA in 25 appearances. He was also sharp, getting Cora on a groundout. Castillo lined out, and Beltran struck out. Green came out for his second inning of work in the bottom of the sixth. He got Adam LaRoche to fly out, and then Andy struck out swinging. Moss grounded out to end the inning.
Andy LaRoche had played on after getting hit by Pelfrey's pitch in the fourth inning. He was able to stay in the game and scored a run, but started having pain in his knee. Russell decided to take him out on a precaution with a double switch. Veteran and 2002 Rookie of the Year winner Eric Hinske came in to play third batting ninth, while rookie right-hander Steven Jackson came in to pitch and take over Andy's spot in the lineup. Jackson was raised in Summerville, South Carolina just outside of Charleston. He was drafted in the 38th round out of high school, but opted to play for Clemson instead. Clemson was a baseball powerhouse under legendary head coach Jack Leggett, and Jackson played on a team that advanced all the way to the College World Series in 2002. Jackson struggled with the Tigers his first two years, but lowered his ERA to 4.27 in his junior year, which was enough to get drafted in the 32nd round. Jackson opted to return for his senior year. He pitched in a relief role and put up a 3.56 ERA, and that earned him a pick in the 10th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jackson worked his way through the minors, but like Ohlendorf he was part of the package to bring Randy Johnson back to Arizona. Jackson was uneven in parts of two seasons in the Yankees system. He was pitching well in AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre in 2009, and he was selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. after 12 games in AAA Indianapolis, Jackson finally got a call to the Majors, and he pitched one scoreless inning in the first game of the Mets series on June 1. Jackson had a tough task, facing the heart of the Mets lineup, but he got both Sheffield and Wright to ground to shortstop Vazquez. Daniel Murphy worked a four-pitch walk, but then Martinez grounded into a forceout to end the inning.
With Sean Green having pitched two innings, the Mets called in J.J. Putz, the centerpiece of the trade that sent Green to New York. Putz was a shutdown closer with the Seattle Mariners. He had a season for the ages in 2007, putting up a 1.38 ERA in 68 games and recording 40 saves. He was named to the All-Star team, and was given the save opportunity, although he struggled and allowed two runs. He struggled in 2008 as he dealt with elbow pain, but still put up 15 saves. The Mets felt he could be a useful set-up man for their big-game free agent closer signing Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez. Putz was mostly effective in the set-up role, getting 10 holds and getting the occasional save, but he blew up on June 1, allowing four runs without a single out. Manuel hoped Putz can get through the seventh unscathed. Things started out rough as Putz flubbed Jaramillo comebacker, but third baseman Wright was able to make the play and keep his pitcher from an error. Vazquez singled and stole second, but then Hinske popped out on a full count. Putz went to work on the rookie McCutchen. He got two strikes on the rookie, but McCutchen lined a single to right to score Vazquez for his first RBI. McCutchen then stole second on the first pitch without a throw. Morgan followed with a triple and it was now 11-5. Sanchez lined out to end the inning. After the game Putz complained of worsening elbow pain and he would eventually be lost for the season.
Meanwhile Steven Jackson went out for this second inning of work. He got Santos out on a fly ball. Jeremy Reed came in to pinch-hit for Putz, but all Reed could do was ground out. Alex Cora hit a fly ball, and that was all for the Mets in the eighth. With Putz out the Mets turned to Pedro Feliciano, the rubber armed reliever and one of the few bullpen pieces left from the 2008 season, when he had led the Majors with 86 games. A year before that he had gotten one out in the crucial seventh inning in Tom Glavine's 300th win, but also allowed an inherited runner to score. In 2009, Feliciano rebounded from a disastrous start to bring his ERA back down to 2.53, and it was that high only because he allowed a run on June 1. He made quick work of the Pirates on this occasion. Adam LaRoche hit a fly ball to center. Former Tiger outfielder Craig Monroe came in to pinch-hit for Jackson, but Feliciano got him swinging. Moss grounded a weak grounder for the final out of the eighth.
With a six-run lead, the Pirates turned the ball to Jesse Chavez. Chavez was drafted out of high school in the 39th round. He declined to sign and went to the Riverside Community College. The Texas Rangers drafted him in the 42nd round as a draft-and-follow. The Rangers liked what they saw of Chavez in 2003 and signed him. He sputtered around in the Texas minor league system before they sent him to the Pirates in the 2006 trade deadline for Kip Wells. Chavez did better in AAA Indianapolis and found himself making his Major League debut on August 27, 2008. He made the team out of spring training in 2009, and became a useful bullpen piece, with a 2.86 ERA in 25 games. This was the Mets last chance for a comeback and avoid the sweep, and they wanted to make the most of it. Luis Castillo led off with a walk, and went to second on a wild pitch. Chavez came back and got Beltran to ground out, and Sheffield hit a foul pop. David Wright had been the Mets' best hitter on this day, and blasted a double on the first pitch to drive in Castillo to make it 11-6. That would end up being the final score as Chavez got Murphy to fly to left to end the game.
The Pirates wrapped up the sweep of the Mets, getting revenge for the sweep in New York a month earlier. The game took 2 hours and 49 minutes. Mike Pelfrey got the loss, with his career-high nine runs (eight earned) in three and 2/3 innings. Ohlendorf was not much better, giving up five runs in four and 1/3 innings. With Ohlendorf failing to complete five innings, rule 10.17(b) came into play and the official scorer is able to pick the relief pitcher was the most effective. The scorer decided Steven Jackson's two innings of scoreless relief work was the most effective, and so Jackson picked up a win in only his second Major League game. The Mets and the Pirates went their separate ways after this game. The two teams faced each other only one more time, on July 2 in a game that was a replay of the rained out game from June 3. The Mets won that one 9-8 in ten innings. By then both teams were hopelessly out of the race. The Pirates had a winning record in June, but fell apart after that and went 37-71 after June 4 to finish at 62-99. Only a rainout that was not made up kept them from potentially getting 100 loses. The Mets were not much better. They collapsed under the weight of their injuries and under-performing free agent signings and went 42-68 over the rest of the season to finish at 70-92 for their worst record since the infamous 1993 season. They had the two worst records in the National League after June 4. Andrew McCutchen did become an All-Star and became the headline talent for a much-improved Pirates team that eventually broke the streak of losing seasons at 20 seasons with a winning season and playoff berth in 2013, a year when he won MVP. The Pirates went on to make the playoffs as a Wild Card three years in a row, but could never advance past the Division Series. His bat disappeared abruptly in 2016. The Mets ended up suffering from Wilpon's involvement in the Madoff scandal and suffered through six losing seasons. During that time they acquired young talent, and that brought them all the way to the World Series in 2015. By then Mike Pelfrey was pitching for the Minnesota Twins, and he was never able to achieve his initial promise, the same as Fernando Martinez. However, the star of the 2015 post-season and the NLCS MVP was none other than Daniel Murphy.
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Angels 6, Blue Jays 5
Rogers Centre
Toronto, Ontario
The other of the first two games of June 4, 2009 happened north of the border in Canada in Toronto's Rogers Centre. It was the only Major League Baseball game to take place outside of the continental United States on this day, but the Rogers Centre had also been the only Major League Baseball stadium in Canada since the Montreal Expos left for Washington DC, leaving the Toronto Blue Jays as the only Canadian MLB franchise. When the Rogers Centre opened on June 3, 1989 as the SkyDome, it was one of the most celebrated ballparks in baseball. It was the first new ballpark built for baseball since the Minnesota Twins moved into the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome seven years earlier. The Rogers Centre had several features that the Metrodome lacked. It was the first stadium with a fully functional retractable roof, and also featured a hotel and several different restaurants. It had a great location in the Toronto downtown, and featured a view of the CN Tower with the gates opened. It took the baseball world by storm, and the Blue Jays established new attendance records, becoming the first team to draw 4 million fans. However, in the 20 years since, the large majority of other Major League Baseball franchises moved into their own separate ballparks, each with technological and design advances. By 2009 the Rogers Centre had become the tenth oldest Major League Baseball stadium, and it was starting to show its age. The team that had drawn over 4 million once upon a time was drawing barely half as many.Rogers Centre
Of course part of that may have been related to the team on the field. The Toronto Blue Jays has had a proud history. They entered the American League as one of the expansion franchises that started play in 1977. The Blue Jays had their shares of growing pains. They lost 107 games in their first year of play and finished last in the American League East in each of their first five seasons. However, under the supervision of their general manager Pat Gillick, the Blue Jays slowly acquired top-level talent, and with the hiring of Bobby Cox from the Atlanta Braves they became contenders. This climaxed in 1985 when they won 99 games and took the AL East in a heated battle. Only Phil Niekro's 300th win on the last day of the season kept them from winning 100 games. The Blue Jays lost to the Kansas City Royals in a stunning League Championship Series, but Toronto remained contenders well into the early 1990s, bolstered by the presence of second baseman Roberto Alomar and outfielders Devon White and Joe Carter. The Blue Jays won three straight division titles from 1991-1993, and in 1992 they were able to do what the Montreal Expos were never able to do: bring a World Series title to Canada. They were successful in defending their title in 1993, when Carter's walk-off two-run home run in Game 6 brought them back from the brink of defeat. However, they fell below .500 in 1994 when the season was ended by the strike, and never found their way back into contention. The Blue Jays had talent and also saw two of the best seasons in 300-game winner Roger Clemens's career, but they could never put it together to make a serious run for the playoffs, as the AL East became dominated by the likes of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Toronto failed to won even 90 games in the years after their back-to-back titles, but there was some hope for the future. The Blue Jays had three straight winning seasons from 2006 through 2008 behind the likes of future Hall of Famer Roy Halladay, but finished over 10 games behind each time. Toronto had a hot start and in first place through May 23. However, they went on a nine-game losing streak where they fell to third behind the Yankees and Red Sox despite a 30-25 record.
Their opponents the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were having the opposite issues; they were in the midst of one of their most successful runs in their history. The Angels entered the American League in 1961 as the Los Angeles Angels under the ownership of singing cowboy Gene Autry. There had been talks of bringing a team to Los Angeles up to 20 years earlier, with the St. Louis Browns being the most likely candidate, but World War II ended the relocation talks. The Brooklyn Dodgers eventually broke into the Los Angeles market, but it was large enough to support another team. The Angels initially played their games in the California Wrigley Field before sharing Dodger Stadium with the Dodgers. The team had some success in the early year, posting a winning season in only their second year. They changed their name to the California Angels at the end of the 1965 to separate them from the Dodgers, and moved to Anaheim a year later. The Angels witnessed the transformation of Nolan Ryan into one of the most lethal fireballers of all time in the 1970s, but they were never in contention until near the end of the decade. The 1978 Angels team were within a game of first place as late as September 10, but ultimately fell short. Even worse, they suffered a devastating tragedy with the senseless murder of Lyman Bostock, one of their best young players. Bostock was the Angels' big free agent signing that season. He was a great player and was leading the team in hitting at the time of his death, yet had the modesty to donate his salary to charity when he got off to an awful start earlier in the season. Bostock's death shook the Angels to the core. They won the AL West for the first time a year later, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS. The Angels took home two more division titles in the 1980s, but could never break through, losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982 and the Red Sox in 1986. After that the Angels fell back into mediocrity for almost a decade. The team nearly broke out of it in 1995, having a double-digit lead in the division in August, but whittled it away and falling to the Seattle Mariners in a tie-break game. A year the Angels came leadership of the Walt Disney Company, who had released an Angels in the Outfield remake two years earlier. One of Disney's first order of business as owners of the Angels was to rename the team the Anaheim Angels. As this was happening the Angels were busy stockpiling talent, and hired former Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia as manager in 2000. In 2002 they won 99 games and made the playoffs as the Wild Card team. They knocked off the hated New York Yankees in the Division Series, and then defeated the Minnesota Twins for their first pennant. Afterwards they defeated Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants in a hard-fought seven-game series. The Angels fell to 77-85 in 2003, but came back to win four more AL West titles in five seasons. During this time the team was purchased by Arte Moreno, who redubbed them as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. However, they were unable to advance past the ALCS as either the Anaheim Angels or the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The 2009 Angels were trying for their third consecutive division titles and the fifth in six years, but they were doing so with heavy hearts. On April 8, the Angels lost to the Oakland Athletics 6-4 when closer Brian Fuentes allowed three runs to blow a save. The Angels lost the series, but they were encouraged by the performance of their starter Nick Adenhart, who threw six scoreless innings in his first start of the season. Adenhart was the Angels' top prospect according to Baseball America. He was drafted out of high school in 2004, but fell to the 14th round because of Tommy John surgery. The Angels signed him, and Adenhart dominated in the minor leagues. He was given a three-game trial in the Majors in 2008 but struggled, but made the team out of spring training in 2009 due to injuries to other veteran starters. His excellent start showed his potential of being a key rotation piece in the future. After the game Adenhart went out with a few of his friends. He was sitting in the backseat of his friend's car and was crossing an intersection when a drunk driver in a minivan ran the red light and crashed into the car carrying Adenhart, which spiraled and crashed into a post. Adenhart was still living when help arrived, but he died during surgery. Adenhart's death devastated the Angels just as Bostock's did 30 years earlier. They struggled mightily after the tragedy and were still 9-12 at the end of April. They managed to coalesce and find their footing and were back to 25-24 at the end of May. They were in second behind the surprising Texas Rangers, but wanted to continue with the chase. The Angels split the first two games of the series, and so the rubber match proved to be crucial for both Angels manager Scioscia and Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston, which was evident in the lineups that were given to home-plate umpire Bill Welke.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3B Chone Figgins
SS Erick Aybar
DH Vladimir Guerrero
CF Torii Hunter
RF Juan Rivera
1B Kendrys Morales
C Mike Napoli
LF Robb Quinlan
2B Howie Kendrick
P John Lackey
Toronto Blue Jays
SS Marco Scutero
2B Aaron Hill
CF Alex Rios
LF Adam Lind
DH Kevin Millar
1B Lyle Overbay
3B Jose Bautista
C Raul Chavez
RF Joe Inglett
P Brian Tallet
Toronto's starter Brian Tallet was rediscovering his role as a starter after several years in relief. He was an Oklahoma native who did well enough in his Oklahoma City high school to get drafted in the 14th round, but Tallet decided to go to attend Hill College, a community college in Hillsboro, Texas instead. He was drafted in the 13th round, but chose to transfer to Louisiana State University, a baseball powerhouse who won the College World Series in 1996 and 1997. The Tigers made it to the College World Series again in 1998, but fell in the semifinals. They couldn't get out of the Super Regionals in 1999, so Tallet passed when he was drafted in the 19th round that year. He became the ace for the Tigers in 2000 as they made it back into the College World Series. The draft happened between the Super Regionals and the College World Series, and the Cleveland Indians made him their second round draft pick. The Tigers went on to win the College World Series, and Tallet signed shortly afterward. He rocketed through the minor leagues and was in the Majors by 2002 as a September call-up. He did well, but struggled in 2003, during which the Indians tried him in the bullpen. That eventually fell apart as he wound up needing Tommy John surgery. He came back by 2004 during which he pitched almost exclusively in relief. Tallet was a starter with AAA Buffalo in 2005, but came out of the bullpen in the Majors. The Indians traded to the Blue Jays that off-season, and Toronto used him almost exclusively in relief. He made only one start in 143 games, but was good for a 3.38 ERA. Tallet was once again in the bullpen when the 2009 season started, but was slotted in the rotation due to injuries to prospective starters Jesse Litsch and rookie Ricky Romero. Even though Tallet had been making his first starts since 2006, he performed admirably, putting up a 4.00 ERA in nine starts, which drops to 2.52 with the removal of a disaster start against the Kansas City Royals on April 29.
His opponent John Lackey, the Angels starter, had the pedigree that was lacking in Tallet. Lackey was making his 211st start in the Major Leagues and was seeking the 93rd regular season win of his career, which doesn't include his gutsy victory in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series. Lackey was a late bloomer when it came to pitching. He was an infielder when he played high school baseball in his hometown Abilene. He went to University of Texas Arlington on a baseball scholarship just minutes from the Ballpark in Arlington, but started pitching when playing in summer league. He transferred to Grayson County College to work on his pitching, and led them to the Junior College World Series. That got the attention of the Angels, who drafted Lackey in the second round of the 1999 draft. Lackey wasted little time to sign, and got action in the minor league that summer. He advanced quickly but methodically, and found himself in the starting rotation in the midst of a pennant race in 2002. The Angels ultimately fell short to the Moneyball Oakland Athletics, but got the last laugh as they won the pennant and the World Series. Lackey had some struggles in 2003 and 2004, but evolved as an ace in 2005. He had his best season in 2007, going 19-9 with a league-leading 3.01 ERA and finished third in Cy Young voting. He had some arm injuries in 2008, but came back to win 12 games and helped the Angels to another division title. He had some more forearm issues in 2009, and was out until May 16. Since then he had struggled, with a 6.05 ERA in four starts. Lackey was hoping to turn things around.
The game was scheduled to start on 12:37, and it was 12:38 when Tallet threw his first pitch to Angels leadoff hitter Chone Figgins. The announced attendance of 31,163 was almost 63% of the ballpark capacity. The speedy Figgins had been a staple atop the Angels lineup since his first rookie season in 2003. He had scored 482 runs and 238 stolen bases through 2008, and led the American League with 62 stolen bases in 2005. He was also caught 79 times, but those numbers weren't readily available. In 2009 Figgins had taken his offense to the next level by adding walks to his repertoire, with 26 thus far in the season, and that made him even more of an offense threat. And of course, Figgins worked a full-count walk to open the game. The next batter was Dominican shortstop Erick Aybar. Aybar was signed in 2002 and advanced relatively quickly to make the Majors on May 16, 2006. He was primarily a glove-first player, but had seen an improvement in his hitting. Nevertheless he grounded out, but Figgins was on the move and made it to second. Following Aybar was the Angels' superstar future Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero was born into poverty in the Dominican Republic, but he had uncommon athleticism that made him one of the best players in his neighborhood. He went to tryouts in the big city and eventually got a contract with the Montreal Expos. Guerrero dominated in the minor leagues and was in the Majors by 1996. He played in only nine games that year, but came back to stay a year later, and he dazzled with his power, his arm, and his ability to put his bat on the ball no matter how far outside the strike zone it is. He hit .324/.391/.590 with 233 homers and 701 RBIs from 1997 to 2003 and was one of the top free agents that off-season. The Angels lured him over, and all he did was go .337/.391/.598 with 39 home runs and 124 runs to win the MVP award. He remained a dangerous hitter through 2007, but slowed down in 2008. His .303/.365/.521 slashline seemed mortal in comparison to his previous success. He was off to a dreadful start in 2009, hitting .262/.300/.354 going into this game. However, on this occasion he grounded a single to left, scoring Figgins. And then he stole second for his first stolen base of 2009.
Next up for the Angels was Torii Hunter. Hunter established a reputation as one of the best defensive center fielders in the game in 12 seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He won seven straight Gold Gloves from 2001 to 2007, and was above average with the bat during that time, hitting .272/.326/.484 and 178 home runs. Hunter became a free agent in the 2007-08 offseason, and the Angels jumped on him, offering him a five-year, $90 million deal for him to man center field. That deal worked out in 2008, as he won another Gold Glove with above-average offense. His offense seemed to take a great leap forward in 2009 as he went into the game with a .308/.393/.582 slashline, which would all be career highs. And he came through in this occasion, singling in Guerrero, and adding another stolen base. That brought up Juan Rivera. Rivera was signed out of Venezuela by the New York Yankees. He was able to make the Majors with the Yankees and played in Roger Clemens's 300th win where he contributed with a single, a walk, and a double, but he was never more than a bench player. The Yankees traded him with Nick Johnson and Randy Choate for Javier Vazquez, a move they would soon regret. Rivera had a terrific season in Montreal, and the Angels came asking for his services, trading Jose Guillen for him and Maicer Izturis. Rivera was a key player in the 2006 team that fell short, but then dealt with injuries in 2007 and 2008. He was healthy again in 2009 and was hitting .302/.343/.440. And he took Tallet deep with a ground-rule double, and Hunter came around to score. Tallet was in some deep trouble. He was down 3-0 and had gotten only one out, and was facing Kendrys Morales, the Cuban defect who was playing well in his first real opportunity to play every day. Tallet got Morales to ground out, but Rivera went to third on the play. Next was Mike Napoli, the portly backstop whose power potential made him one of the most valuable catchers in the American League. He slugged 20 home runs in 2008 and already had seven in 2009. This time he struck out swinging, but the damage was already done.
Lackey was given a 3-0 lead before taking the mound to face Toronto's leadoff hitter Marco Scutaro. Scutaro would beloved in San Francisco for helping the Giants to the World Series in 2012 when he helped them to the World Series and won the NLCS MVP trophy, but at this point he was trying to establish himself as an everyday Major League player. He was signed out of Venezuela by the Cleveland Indians, and had played in three organizations before making his Major League debut with the New York Mets. The Oakland Athletics picked him out of waivers and gave him the chance to play almost every day, but he gained a reputation as being good-field, no-bat utility infielder. He was traded to Toronto after the 2007 season and he bounced around the infield in 2008. He won the starting shortstop job and was contributing with the bat as well as the glove. However, Lackey got him to ground out. Next was Aaron Hill, who was Toronto's 1st round draft pick in 2003. He sped through the minors and was in the Majors by 2005. He was leading the Blue Jays with a .322 batting average, but Lackey also got him to ground out on a comebacker. Alex Rios followed, and the former 1st round draft pick out of Puerto Rico had been one of the Blue Jays' top position players since making his debut in 2004. He was a two-time All-Star in 2006 and 2007, but couldn't help as Lackey struck him out looking.
Robb Quinlan stepped up to lead off the second. He was making only his 12th start on the field of the season.The Minnesota native had played all over the field, from first base to third base, and from left field to right field. He was starting in left field today so Bobby Abreu could get a day off. Quinlan was not known for his hitting prowess, and struck out. That would bring up Howie Kendrick. The 10th round draft pick had a firm control of the starting second base job for his defense, but he was off to a poor start with the bat and was hitting .227/.267/.350, well off his career totals. Kendrick worked a walk, but then Figgins and Aybar both flied out to Toronto left fielder Adam Lind. It would be Lind that led off the third trying to chip into the Angels lead. Lind was a third-round draft pick out of the University of South Alabama in 2004, and received a September call-up in 2006. He showed off the hitting prowess that had defined him in the minors and made him one of the top prospects. He struggled in 2007 as he spent time in Toronto and AAA Syracuse, but recovered his hitting stroke in 2008. He was crucial in the Blue Jays getting off to their strong start, hitting .296/.370/.500 going into the game. Lind added to it by leading off with a single for Toronto's first hit. Up next was Kevin Millar, the veteran who became a hero in Boston for his role in the 2004 Red Sox that won the World Series, playing first base and in the corner outfield positions. His bat deteriorated as he went to Baltimore after the 2005 season, but his batting eye was still sufficient to keep his on-base percentage .100 above his batting average. Millar signed a free agent contract with Toronto, where he split time at first and designated hitter. He was playing in the latter role when he flied to center. Lackey's wild pitch against Lyle Overbay sent Lind to second. Overbay was trying to duplicate his 2006 numbers when he hit .312/.372/.508. His .278/.380/.516 numbers going into this game suggested he was not far off. Overbay flied to center, but Lind was able to tag up and get to third.
With two outs and Lind at third, John Lackey went to work against Jose Bautista. Bautista's exploits nowadays were legendary, but at that time he was still trying to make it in the Major Leagues. Bautista was born in the Dominican Republic. Unlike Vlad Guerrero, Bautista grew up in a well-educated, middle class family and was able to pursue an education as well as baseball. He couldn't get an acceptable contract from Major League teams, and went to Chipola College in Florida. That made Bautista available to the draft. He was drafted in the 20th round, and was signed a year later through a draft-and-follow. He never played beyond A ball in three years with the Pirates, and they left him off the 40-man roster when he became eligible for the 2003 Rule 5 draft. The Baltimore Orioles picked him, and he made the team out of spring training. Under the Rule 5 rules, the Orioles had to keep him in the Major League roster all season, or expose him to waivers. He played in 16 games before exposing to waivers after two weeks on the bench. He was claimed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and he played for them on June 4, 2004. He played 12 games in Tampa before the Kansas City Royals purchased him. He was in a baker's dozen games with Kansas City before they traded him to the New York Mets, who immediately traded him back to his original team the Pirates. The Pirates could send him down without losing him, but kept him in the Majors where he got in 23 games. He spent most of 2005 in the minors before getting more Major League playing time in 2006 and 2007, where he was never able to establish himself. The Pirates finally traded Bautista to Toronto on August 21, 2008 for a player to be named later, who turned out to be catcher Robinzon Diaz. Bautista struggled with the Blue Jays in 2008. He made the team out of spring training in 2009 and showed off his batting eye with a slashline of .274/.410/.389 and 21 walks, but he also had only one home run and nine RBIs in 34 games. He couldn't make it ten as he struck out swinging.
Tallet seemed to have gotten his bearings as he faced the Angels in the third. Guerrero flied to right, and Hunter struck out swinging. Rivera followed with a groundout to Toronto shortstop Scutaro. Meanwhile the Blue Jays were trying to get through their lineup for the first time. Raul Chavez led off. The Venezuelan had been a backup catcher his entire career, but he had managed to last 11 seasons in the Majors, and was on the post-season roster with the Houston Astros in 2004 and 2005 where he caught 300-game winner Roger Clemens. He was in the same role with the Blue Jays, his seventh organization, where he backed up starter Rod Barajas. He hit a soft line drive to Angels third baseman Figgins for the out. Bringing up the rear was Joe Inglett. Inglett was claimed off waivers late in the 2007 season. He became a useful utilityman in 2008 but went back to AAA Las Vegas to start out 2009 before getting called back up in mid-May. He was making his first start in a week so Vernon Wells could get a day off. Inglett made the most of the opportunity, and singled to center. Marco Scutaro followed with a walk, and the Blue Jays had their first real rally of the day. However, Lackey got Hill to ground into a double play, and that was the end of that rally. The game moved on into the fourth. Kendrys Morales led off the inning with a walk. Tallet recovered by striking out Napoli on three pitches, but allowed a single to Robb Quinlan. Morales stopped at second, and then he was erased at third base on Kendrick's grounder. Tallet was close to getting out of the inning and preventing the Angels from extending their lead, but Chone Figgins put an end to that when he singled, and Quinlan was able to come around to score. Aybar struck out to end the inning, but the Angels had a four-run lead. Lackey opened up the bottom half of the fourth inning by getting Rios to strike out, but then Adam Lind doubled for his second hit of the game. Millar grounded out to send Lind to third. Lind scored easily when Overbay lined a single to right to get the Blue Jays on the board, but Bautista was called out on strikes. Tallet had little trouble getting through the fifth. Guerroero and Rivera grounded out, with Hunter striking out in between. Raul Chavez led off the Toronto fifth with a single, but then Inglett and Scutaro both flied out. Hill forced Chavez to make the game official.
The game moved on into the sixth. Morales led off by flying out to Toronto center fielder Rios. Tallet threw three straight balls to Mike Napoli, who didn't bite on any of them, but he connected on the fourth pitch to send another fly ball out to left center. This one flew over the head of Rios, and over the wall as well for his eighth home run of the season. Tallet got Quinlan and Kendrick to both ground out, but the damage was done and the Angels had extended their lead back to four runs. The Angels made a slight change in their defense in the bottom of the inning. Quinlan left the game, and Juan Rivera moved from right field to his more natural position in left. Coming in to play right was Gary Matthews Jr. The son of longtime National League outfielder Gary "Sarge" Matthews, "Little Sarge" bounced around the Majors before establishing himself as an All-Star in 2006. He hit .313/.371/.495 and also made a tremendous catch climbing the center field wall to rob Mike Lamb of a home run. Matthews turned that season into a five-year, $50 million deal with the Angels, but his first two years in Los Angeles were a disappointment both with the bat and the glove. He saw his role reduced with the arrival of Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu and the emergence of Rivera. Nevertheless he was stationed in right as Lackey went to work on the Angels. He struck out Rios for the outfielder's third strikeout of the day, but then Adam Lind hit a ground-rule double for his third hit of the day. Lind went to third when Millar grounded out, but then Overbay grounded out to end the inning.
Brian Tallet's day was done after six as Cito Gaston made a call to the bullpen. He called on Dirk Hayhurst, who was making his first appearance as a Blue Jay after an arduous road to the Majors, much of which he was putting together in a book that would be published a year later called The Bullpen Gospels. Hayhurst was born and raised in Canton, Ohio, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He attended nearby Kent State University, and was selected in the eighth round by the San Diego Padres in 2003. He signed and began a six-year journey that took him all around the country as he went from A-ball to AA to AAA. He finally spent most of 2008 with the Padres' AAA affiliate in Portland, and was called up to the Major League in August where he made his debut on August 23. He was blasted for a 9.72 ERA in ten games (three starts), and was exposed to waivers in the off-season. The Blue Jays picked him up, but released him early in spring training, only to re-sign him on a minor league deal three days later. He opened the season with AAA Las Vegas, but was called up on June 2. He was tasked with keeping the game in line while facing the heart of the Angels order. He got off to a good start, getting a called strike three against Figgins and striking Aybar out swinging. However, Vlad the Impaler lined a single. Then Hunter followed with another single. Toronto right fielder Inglett caught Hunter making too wide of a turn and threw to shortstop Scutaro. Hunter tried to retreat but he was caught in a rundown and was tagged out to end the inning.
Lackey went to work in the seventh. He had thrown 91 pitches after six and was hoping for a quick inning so maybe he can pitch the eighth. However, he walked Jose Bautista on a full count, and Raul Chavez followed with a single after falling behind 0-2. Joe Inglett walked as well and the bases were full. With the bases loaded, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston decided he wanted somebody faster on second, somebody who would be more likely to score on a single. So he pulled Chavez for John McDonald, the veteran infielder who's biggest claim to fame was being one of the players duped to let a pop-up ball drop when the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez supposedly yelled "Mine" as he ran past them on May 30, 2007. Two years later, McDonald couldn't move as Lackey got Scutaro to hit a popup. Aaron Hill followed with a comebacker. Lackey deflected it to his shortstop Erick Aybar, who was able to throw to first for the out, but all the runners advanced, including Bautista with Toronto's second run. With runners on second and third and two outs, Lackey was facing Alex Rios, who had the indignity of striking out three times already. A fourth strikeout would give Rios the golden sombrero, a term that had been in use since 1984 to describe a four-strikeout game. With the game on the line, Lackey reached back and struck out Rios to give him the golden sombrero and end the inning. Hayhurst's day was done in the eighth as Brandon League came in to pitch, with regular catcher Rod Barajas taking over as well. League grew up in Hawaii, but had enough potential to get drafted in the second round by the Blue Jays in 2001. League advanced in the minors as a starter, but he was converted to a reliever in 2004, and served in that role as he made his first Major League appearances. League spent the next five seasons splitting time between Toronto and AAA Syracuse, but made the team out of spring training in 2009 and was hoping to spend the whole season there, although he had struggled to a 3.97 ERA in 20 games. He was sharp in the eighth, getting Rivera to ground out and Morales to fly out. Toronto third baseman Bautista flubbed the throw on Mike Napoli's grounder, but then Matthews flied out as well to end the inning.
With Lackey at 114 pitches, it was time for Angels manager Mike Scioscia to go to his bullpen. With a pair of left-handed hitters coming up in Adam Lind and Lyle Overbay, Scioscia called on veteran southpaw Darren Oliver. Oliver spent most of his career from 1993 to 2004 as a starter, mostly with the Texas Rangers. He went 87-79 with an ugly 5.07 ERA, and called it a career when he was released three times in 2005. He attended the winter meetings in Dallas out of curiosity that winter and ended up getting invited to spring training with the New York Mets. He made the team and became a valuable piece out of the bullpen. He signed with the key rotation piece in 2007 and 2008, even getting his 100th career victory the latter year. He re-signed with the Angels for 2009 and while he spent time on the disabled list, he was great, putting up a 1.99 ERA. However, Lind nicked him for a single, his fourth hit of the day, and Kevin Millar also singled. Oliver went to work on Overbay, but unleashed a wild pitch to advance both runners. After another ball put the count to 3-1, Overbay doubled in both runners and put an end to Oliver's day. Scioscia called on another veteran, Justin Speier. Speier is the son of longtime National League infielder Chris Speier. Justin was a pitcher, and was drafted in the 55th round by the Chicago Cubs in 1995 out of Nicholls State University. Speier progressed surprisingly quickly through the minors, and was in the Majors by 1998. He was a reliever, but seemed to be more valuable as a trade piece, as he was involved in four different trades before finally establishing himself with the Blue Jays. He put up a 3.18 ERA in 76 games in three years with Toronto, and that convinced the Angels to sign him. Speier was very good in 2007, but struggled in 2008. He still made the team in 2009, but still struggled to a 5.31 ERA. Still, Scioscia hoped he could get the job done to maintain the lead. Speier walked Jose Bautista, then allowed a single to Rod Barajas, but it wasn't deep enough to score Overbay. The bases were now loaded. Speier got Inglett to line to second. Marco Scutaro then lifted a fly ball to right. It was deep enough to score Overbay with the tying run, with Bautista advancing to third. Speier got two strikes against Aaron Hill, but then Barajas stole second. Speier kept his focus on the hitter, and got the strikeout against Hill. Nevertheless the damage had been done, and the game was tied.
Cito Gaston let Brandon League pitch a second inning with the game tied. League probably felt pretty good to be facing Howie Kendrick, who had only one hit since May 23 and was already 0 for 3 that day. Kendrick decided to mix things up and bunted for a base hit. The bunt was good and Kendrick was safe at first. Chone Figgins followed with a single, and Kendrick was able to make it all the way to third. The next batter Erick Aybar hit a grounder to Toronto second baseman Aaron Hill. Kendrick held up as Hill tossed to Blue Jays shortstop Marco Scutaro for the force, then ran home once he saw Scutaro throw to first for the double play. Toronto first baseman Lyle Overbay threw home to go for the triple play, but Kendrick beat the tag for the go-ahead run. Guerrero struck out, but the damage had been done. Still, Toronto was not giving up. The Angels was sending their closer Brian Fuentes to the mound. Fuentes was an established closer, saving 111 games for the Colorado Rockies from 2005-2008. He became a free agent and the Angels saw him as a cheaper alternative to their incumbent closer K-Rod, who was allowed to go to the New York Mets. Fuentes had 13 saves, but he had a few rough outings, including three runs in Nick Adenhart's only start, and his ERA stood at an ugly 5.30. Fuentes's first task was facing Alex Rios, who already suffered the indignity of four strikeouts. Toronto's eighth inning outburst meant he could be working on the dreaded platinum sombrero, for five strikeouts in a game. Rios's troubles continued as Fuentes struck him out. However, when all hope seemed lost, Adam Lind doubled for his fifth hit of the day. Kevin Millar followed with a walk. He was replaced by Vernon Wells, the popular center fielder who had his first day off but still came in as a pinch-runner for this crucial moment. Fuentes was keyed in. He got a full count against Lyle Overbay, but struck him out. And then he did the same to Jose Bautista to nail down the win.
The loss was a crushing blow to the Blue Jays, who had come back from the depth only to let it slip away almost immediately. The excruciating affair took three hours to complete. John Lackey was denied his second win of the season, which went to Justin Speier even though he had allowed the tying run in the eighth. Brandon League was saddled with the loss despite being fairly effective in his two innings of work. The loss was Toronto's 12th in 15 games. Things would stabilize for them in June, but then the team collapsed again in July and August. Not even a winning September could keep them from another losing effort as the team went 45-61 after this game to finish the season at 75-87. The fans rewarded them by staying away in droves, as the team finished with an attendance of only 1,876,129. The Angels on the other hand went on a tear. They had winning streaks of seven games and six games before the end of June as they chased down the pitiful Rangers. By the time the season was over they had gone 70-40 since June 4 to finish at 97-65. They won the division by 10 games and swept the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series. Alas they were steamrolled by the New York Yankees for another disappointing finish. Since then the Angels struggled to regain their earlier advantages. With Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, Chone Figgins, and Darren Oliver all leaving as free agents, the Angels watched as the Rangers and Oakland Athletics eclipsed them, and the Houston Astros did as well upon the latter's arrival in the AL West. The Angels were only able to win one of the division titles, in 2014 when they won 98 games but were swept in the Division Series by the Kansas City Royals. The Blue Jays traded Roy Halladay after the season, but the emergence of Jose Bautista as an offensive force alongside Edwin Encarnacion, and a few crafty trades finally ended Toronto's playoff drought in 2015. They won the AL East that year, and made it as the Wild Card team a year later, and advanced to the ALCS both times, but couldn't do much else.
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Red Sox 6, Tigers 3
Comerica Park
Detroit, MI
The Detroit Tigers were set to begin their final game of a three-game series against the visiting Boston Red Sox in a match between two of the original American League teams that had never changed cities. While the cities never changed, the venue of Comerica Park had been around since 2000. The Tigers had played in Tiger Stadium since the 1912 season, when Ty Cobb and Wahoo Sam Crawford patrolled the Detroit outfield. The ballpark was state of the art when it opened, but by the 1990s it was showing its age with its obstructed view seats and lack of any luxury boxes. The plans were approved for a new ballpark located a little more than a mile away. The ballpark was completed and opened in 2000. The playing field paid tribute to the old Tiger Stadium by including the dirt stripe between the pitcher's mound and home plate. It also featured a Ferris wheel and a carousel, and several tiger status. Meanwhile the slow demolition of the old Tiger Stadium was proceeding, and efforts to preserve the remains had failed in a court case earlier in the month.
The Tigers have been through extreme highs and lows since moving into Comerica Park, but then again the Detroit Tigers have always been a team of extremes. They were the first team to win three straight American League pennants, which they did from 1907 to 1909 during the early years of Ty Cobb's fiery career. However, they were also the first team to suffer through the ignominy of losing three straight World Series, falling to the Chicago Cubs in 1907 and 1908 and then the Pittsburgh Pirates in the latter year. They vacillated between competitiveness and mediocre for the next 25 years before a new cast of stars including Mickey Cochraine, Charlie Gehringer, Leon "Goose" Goslin and the biggest start of them all Hank Greenberg led them to back-to-back pennants in 1934 and 1935. They lost to the Gashouse Gang St. Louis Cardinals in the former year, but successfully got revenge against the Cubs by beating them in the latter. A decade later they would crush the hopes of the Cubbies once again. Detroit would collapse and fell to a horrific 50-104 campaign in 1952, although two of their victories were no-hitters by Virgil Trucks. The Tigers would recover quickly and were one of the best teams in the American League in the 1960s, but they won only one pennant, in 1968, a year after losing a tight pennant race to the Boston Red Sox. Part of this turnaround was the emergence of Al Kaline, a gentlemanly but talented outfielder signed out of Baltimore in 1953 and would lead the American League in hitting two years later at the age of 20. He dazzled with the glove and with the bat, but his career was fading by the time he got his 3,000th hit in 1974. The Tigers would suffer through some down years after Kaline's retirement, but they struck gold in the draft and picked up a new cast of characters that would lead the Tigers back into domination: pitcher Jack Morris, catcher Lance Parrish, and middle infielders Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell. The hiring of Sparky Anderson as manager gave the team a veteran leader. They climaxed in 1984, when they started the season 35-5 and ended at 104-58. They lost only once as they breezed to a World Series title. Alas, that core would never taste such sweet victory, and they found themselves back into the depth of hell, losing 109 games in 1996 to break the franchise record set 44 years prior. A move into the American League Central in 1998 and the move into Comerica Park two years later helped mitigate some of the despair, but couldn't keep it away forever. The Tigers fell to 106 losses in 2002. Tigers fans felt things couldn't get any worse, but they were dead wrong. They lost their first nine games, and ended up going 5-25. They had losing streaks of eight games, nine games (a second one), ten games, and eleven games. They had 100 losses by August 30 and seemed poised to beat the 1962 Mets' record for most losses in a season, but they reeled off victories in five of their last six games to finish at 43-119. To add insult to injury, the overall #1 draft pick a year later went to the San Diego Padres due to alternating of the number one pick between leagues. With the Padres drafting hometown infielder Matt Bush, Detroit went ahead and drafted a dominating pitcher from Old Dominion University named Justin Verlander. Tigers owner Mike Ilitch also authorized the free-agent signing of catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who won the World Series with the Florida Marlins the year before. Within three years the Tigers jumped to 95 wins and won the Wild Card. They stormed all the way back into the World Series, winning seven of eight over the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics. Although they faltered and lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, the season was still a massive success. They failed to replicate it in 2007 and 2008, but they got off to a hot start and stood at 28-23, first in the AL Central even after losing two straight to the Red Sox.
The Boston Red Sox has also had a checkered history. They were one of the top teams in the first two decades of the American League. Boston won the pennant in 1903 behind the arm of Cy Young. As it was the first year after the truce between the American and National League, the Americans as they were known then got to play the Pittsburgh Pirates, and won the best-of-nine series in eight games. They held off the plucky New York Highlanders the next year, but the New York Giants refused to play them in the World Series, rendering it impossible to defend their title. The Americans faded in the next few years, but they signed a hard-scrabbled Texan named Trisram Speaker during that time, and he was their best position player when the team now known as the Red Sox burst out to 105 wins in 1912, the same year they started playing in Fenway Park. This time the New York Giants were willing to play them, and Boston came out on top in a highly contentious affair that captured the attention of the entire country. Boston won three more pennants and three more titles from 1915 to 1918 after they acquired a stout southpaw by the name of George Herman "Babe" Ruth. The Red Sox faded to sixth in 1919, after which owner H. Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the Yankees, allegedly to finance a stage play. The sale sent the Red Sox into a downward spiral. They had a streak of six seasons of last-place finishes, including three straight 100-loss seasons from 1925-1927. They lost a franchise-worst 111 games in 1932 a year after breaking that streak. It wasn't until the arrival of a lanky kid from San Diego named Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams that the Red Sox returned to respectability. Boston suffered when Williams went off to WWII, but captured the pennant upon his return, although the Red Sox fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Boston could never end up on top as Red Sox fans had a contentious relationship with their Splendid Splinter. It wasn't until Carl Michael Yastrzemski, Ted's successor in left field, came onto the scene that the Red Sox started becoming contenders again. They captured the pennant in 1967, the same year Yaz won the Triple Crown, fighting off the Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. Then they won again in 1975. Both times they lost the World Series in seven games. The Red Sox remained competitive in the late 1970s, but fell to the hands of the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978, the latter after Boston blew a 14-game lead and then a tie-break game, and a fierce rivalry would begin. Yaz's retirement in 1983 left a void, but one that was picked up by young stars Jim Ed Rice, Wade Anthony Boggs, and future 300-game winner William Roger Clemens. They won a pennant in 1986 but ultimately fell short of a title, losing once again in seven games. The Red Sox remained competitive even after the retirement of Rice and the departure of Boggs and Clemens, but often had to rely on the Wild Card to make the playoffs, as they'd finish behind the Yankees in the standings. Even then they fell short of another pennant, losing to the hands of the Yankees in 1999 and 2003. The Yankees had the Red Sox down 0-3 in the American League Championship Series in 2004, but they stormed back to four straight wins to win the pennant, then swept the Cardinals for their first title since 1918. Three years later they won the division, and then another World Series. The Red Sox were back to a Wild Card entrant in 2008, finishing behind the surprising Tampa Bay Rays. Then they lost to the Rays in the ALCS in seven games.
Boston got off to another solid start in 2009. They were tied for first with the hated New York Yankees with a 31-22 record after winning the first two games against the Tigers, and held the second best record in the American League. However, there was a cause for concern. The bat of their clutch leader and most popular player David Ortiz had disappeared. Ortiz had been a fan favorite since he was signed prior to the 2003 season under the recommendation of Red Sox ace Pedro Jaime Martinez. At that time Ortiz was a struggling designated hitter who had gotten his release from the Minnesota Twins. It was just another roadblock on David Ortiz's long path for success. Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners out of the Dominican Republic just ten days after his 17th birthday. He spent two years in rookie ball during his initial stateside stint because he struggled to hit his first year. He broke out in 1995, then dominated A-ball in 196. However, the Mariners sent Ortiz to the Twins as the player to be named later in an August trade for veteran Dave Hollins. Ortiz was shut down for the rest of the 1996 season, but he came back strong in 1997 and vaulted himself all the way to a September call-up. He spent time between Minnesota and AAA Salt Lake City over the next two seasons before breaking out in 2000, hitting .282/.364/.446 with 10 home runs. A wrist injury kept him from taking the next step in 2001, and knee injuries as well as the death of his mother limited him in 2002. He was beginning to heat up in the second half of the season, but with Ortiz eligible for arbitration, the Twins released him. Minnesota's loss became Boston's gain, as Ortiz formed a perfect left and right-handed tandem with enigmatic slugger Manny Ramirez. He hit .288/.369/.592 with 31 home runs in 2003 and finished fifth in MVP voting. He hit a key home run late in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, but the game eventually became known for the Yankees' comeback against a fatigued Pedro, and the Red Sox lost on Aaron Boone's walk-off home run. Ortiz improved his numbers in 2004, hitting .301/.380/.603 and blasting 41 home runs. He then became the hero in the ALCS comeback, walloping a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of Game 4, and then homering and hitting the 14th-inning walk-off single in Game 5. While he went hitless in Game 6, his first-inning home run set the tone for Game 7, and he was named the ALCS MVP. He remained one of the most feared hitters from 2005-2007, finishing in the top four in MVP voting each year, including a second-place finish in 2005 when he had 148 RBIs, and a third-place finish in 2006 when he walloped 54 home runs. He got off to a poor start in 2008, but found his hitting stroke before another wrist injury limited him, and he ended the season hitting .244/.323/.581 in September. The Red Sox hoped that was just a temporary setback and an off-season of rest would help him recover, but things went from bad to worse. He hit .230/.290/.333 in April, and fell to .143/.278/.242 in May. He was hitting .187/.281/.289 even after hits in three straight games. Ortiz decided to make an appointment to get his eyes re-examined after he had passed an eye test that off-season. Red Sox manager left Ortiz off of his lineup for the day. Meanwhile Tigers manager Jim Leyland submitted his own lineup to home plate umpire Jeff Nelson.
Boston Red Sox
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH J.D. Drew
1B Kevin Youkilis
LF Jason Bay
3B Mike Lowell
RF Rocco Baldelli
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
SS Julio Lugo
C George Kottaras
P Tim Wakefield
Detroit Tigers
RF Clete Thomas
2B Ramon Santiago
DH Magglio Ordonez
1B Miguel Cabrera
CF Curtis Granderson
3B Brandon Inge
LF Ryan Raburn
SS Adam Everett
C Dane Sardinha
P Dontrelle Willis
Tigers starter Dontrelle Willis was the most enigmatic member of the otherwise-solid Tigers rotation. Once upon a time Willis was one of the most celebrated pitchers in the Majors. Willis was born in Oakland and raised in Alameda. He was a top pitcher with Encinal high school, alma mater of Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, and was drafted in the 8th round by the Chicago Cubs in 2000. Willis signed and spent two seasons in the Cubs minor league system where he was strong against older competition. However, the Cubs traded him to the Florida Marlins before the 2002 season. Willis kept on going right where he left off, dominating A-ball. He made six starts in AA Carolina in 2003 and was excellent, convincing the Marlins to bring him straight up to the Majors. He electrified fans with his high leg kick and jovial personality. His pitching also helped the Marlins go from fourth place to a Wild Card spot. He struggled in the post-season when he pitched mostly in relief, but the Marlins still shocked the baseball world by winning the World Series, knocking off the San Francisco Giants, the Cubs, and the Yankees. Willis had a down year in 2004, but came back strong in 2005, going 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA. He narrowly lost the Cy Young award to Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter. It seemed like Willis would be dominating for quite some time. However, he got off to a 1-6 start in 2006 before recovering and putting up an above-average season. That year he was voted as the DHL Hometown Hero for the Florida Marlins by fans. The 2007 season would see him slip further. He was hittable all year and ended the season 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA. That December the Marlins included him in a massive trade with the Detroit Tigers. Any thoughts that a change of scenery would be beneficial went out the window, as Willis struggled with his knee and his command. He made only eight appearances with the Tigers and posted a 9.38 ERA. His 2009 season started with Willis getting placed on the disabled list with an "anxiety disorder," which seemed befuddling to fans. The Tigers also made note of an "abnormal blood test" which was never specified. They brought Willis back up in mid-May, and he made four starts of varying success. His ERA stood at 5.56 as he went in to start against the Red Sox.
If Tigers starter Willis was a flash in the pan, Boston's Tim Wakefield had been a steady presence in the Red Sox pitching staff since 1995, but that is selling his career short. Wakefield was born and raised in Melbourne, Florida, and went on to play with his hometown Florida Tech. He was a power-hitting first baseman, and the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the 8th round in 1988 with the idea that he would be Pittsburgh's first baseman of the future. That idea went down the drain when he hit only .189/.328/.308 with only three home runs in low-A Watertown. His numbers failed to improve the next year and it seemed like his career would finish before it would even get started. Wakefield had been toying with a knuckleball, and the Pirates gave him one last chance to save his career by converting to a knuckleball pitcher. The pitch was befuddling to minor league league pitchers used to fastballs, and Wakefield slowly made the climb up the minor-league ladder. A strong season at AAA Buffalo in 1992 led Pittsburgh to call him up at the end of July. He was a revelation for Jim Leyland's Pirates, going 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA. He made it onto the post-season roster and won both of his post-season starts, although the Pirates lost to the Atlanta Braves. Wakefield made the Opening Day roster in 1993, but he struggled mightily, and was demoted back to AA Carolina after posting a 6.35 ERA. He made it back as a September call-up and ended the season with back-to-back shutouts, but another poor season in AAA in 1994 led the Pirates to cut ties after the strike. During that time Wakefield had worked with 300-game-winner knuckleball extraordinaire Phil Niekro to perfect his knuckleball. The Boston Red Sox picked him up off the scrap heap, and sent him to AAA Pawtucket. He was dominant in three starts and made it back to the Majors, where he was once again a revelation, going 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA, finishing third in Cy Young voting as the Red Sox won the division. Wakefield had never quite had that level of success, leading to Boston experimenting him as a closer / spot starter, but he made it back into the rotation by July 2002. The next year that saw him pitching in Game 7 of the ALCS. Wakefield had dominated the Yankees in two previous starts that series, but his third appearance ended in tragedy when he allowed Boone's home run. He pitched largely in relief in the 2004 post-season, but started Game 1 of the World Series that ended the Red Sox's misery. By 2009 he was closing in on his 200th victory, a mark achieved by only the Niekro brothers and Charlie Hough among knuckleballers, with Ted Lyons, Jesse Haines and Eddie Cicotte reaching the mark with pitches that were called the knuckleball but seemed different than the ones Wakefield threw. His 184 career wins were the most by any of the scheduled starting pitchers on this day besides Randy Johnson.
It was right at 1:05 when Dontrelle Willis threw a strike to leadoff batter Dustin Pedroia to officially kick off the ballgame. An announced attendance of 31,353 was at the game, almost 76% of capacity at Comerica Park. However, the Red Sox are always a good draw due to their star power, and the reigning MVP is certainly one of them. Pedroia was born and raised in Woodland in the Sacramento area. He was an excellent hitter, going a full year without striking out, but he also grew to be no taller than 5'8", and didn't get any attention from the draft. He went on to Arizona State and continued to mash and played in every game. The scouts took notice, and the Red Sox took Pedroia in the second round in 2004. He jumped two levels his first year, then two more in his second season, and was up in the Majors on August 22, 2006. His first taste of the Majors was a bit of a dud, but by 2007 he had settled into Boston's lineup, hitting .317/.380/.442 with eight home runs. He won the Rookie of the Year award overwhelmingly, but more importantly he helped the team to the World Series title. A year later he was even better, going .326/.376/.493 with 17 home runs and was the catalyst for the Red Sox all year. He was awarded the MVP, but Boston fell in the ALCS. Pedroia was having another great season, but reached for a low pitch and grounded out. The next batter was J.D. Drew, another important piece of the Red Sox lineup since signing a five-year contract prior to the 2007 season. J.D. was the oldest of the Drew brothers and he started his career as a symbol for baseball avarice. Drew was a superstar at Florida State, winning multiple awards. The Philadelphia Phillies named him the second overall pick in the 1997 draft, but Drew demanded over $10 million, which Philadelphia wasn't prepared to meet those demands. Instead of going back to Florida State, Drew went to the independent St. Paul Saints in an effort to get named a free agent, but those efforts failed and went back into the draft in 1998. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted him fifth overall and he signed for $7 million. Drew made his debut later as a September call-up. He had been a serviceable player, but frustrated teammates and fans because he never seemed to give it all, and his injury history didn't help. Drew played in Los Angeles with the Dodgers for two years before exercising an opt-out clause that allowed him to sign with Boston. Drew was off to a rough start in 2009, and struck against Willis. The Red Sox's next hitter was Kevin Youkilis the player dubbed the "Greek God of Walks" in the Moneyball book. He was born and raised in Cincinnati, and went to the University of Cincinnati. Boston drafted him in the 8th round in 2001, and he showed an exceptional ability to get on base, posting a .442 OBP in the minors. He made his Major League debut on May 15, 2004 and was on the Red Sox post-season roster in the curse-breaking team, but didn't become a regular until 2006. He showed his ability to outperform his batting average with his on-base percentage, and also had decent power. He was off to his best start in 2009, bringing a .365/.482/.664 slashline into the game. However, Willis got him to ground out to short for a good start.
The Tigers sent Clete Thomas in to face a Major League knuckleball for the first time in his young career. Thomas was born in Jacksonville, but raised in the Florida panhandle. He played in the Little League World Series at the age of 12 in 1996. He was a star in high school and was drafted in the 5th round, but chose to go to Auburn University. He played well in Auburn, but when he came up for the draft again in 2005 he fell to the sixth round. He nevertheless signed and advanced steadily. He made the Opening Day roster in 2008 due to an injury to superstar Curtis Granderson, but went back down to AAA Toledo upon the veteran's return. He made several trips up and down the ladder in the next two seasons and was recalled on May 5 in 2009 when Carlos Guillen went on the disabled list. He was holding his own, but could only fly to left with the dancing knuckleball. The next batter Ramon Santiago had a little more experience. He was one of two position players left from the disastrous 2003 team that went 43-119. At the time Santiago was a 23-year-old playing in his second season in the Majors since being signed from the Dominican Republic. He hit .225/.292/.284. After that he spent two years in Seattle after Detroit trade him to the Mariners for shortstop Guillen. He spent most of his time in Seattle with AAA Tacoma, and was released after two years. The Tigers picked him back up and once again played more of a backup role, spending more time in AAA. He made the Opening Day roster in 2009 and was off to a strong start, hitting /.296/.333/.481, but like his younger counterpart he also flew to left. The Tigers were hoping Magglio Ordonez could get things going. The Venezuelan veteran had come through time and time again since he signed as a free agent prior to the 2005 season after spending most of his career with the Chicago White Sox, who had signed him out in 1991 and who had called him up for him to make his Major League debut on August 29, 1997. His walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2006 ALCS helped break a 3-3 tie and send Detroit to the World Series. He had the best season of his career in 2007 when he led the league in hitting and went .363/.434/.595 as he finished second in MVP voting. He was still a very productive hitter, but lifted a fly ball to right field.
Willis came out for his second inning of work to face the middle of Boston's lineup, which was still dangerous even with Ortiz struggling. Jason Bay was the first up. Bay has been one of the more successful baseball players to come out of Canada. Growing up in Trail, British Columbia just outside the US border, he played in the Little League World Series in 1990 and helped his team finish third. He went to North Idaho College before transferring to Gonzaga University, when was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 22nd round. Bay looked forward to play for a Canadian team, but he was traded three times between 2002-03 getting only tastes of the Majors with the San Diego Padres before sticking with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his first full season he went .282/.358/.550 with 26 home runs to capture the Rookie of the Year award, the first Canadian play so honored. He continued to hit well for Pittsburgh, but with the Pirates losing he was sent to the Red Sox in the three-team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers. He played well in two months with Boston and was off to another great start, going .285/.410/.624 with 16 home runs. However, Willis struck him out swinging. The Red Sox's next hope was Mike Lowell, their World Series hero from 2007. He had been with Boston since coming over with Josh Beckett from the Florida Marlins after the 2005 season. He had won another World Series with Florida in 2003, defeating the New York Yankees, the team that had originally drafted him out of Florida International University in 1995 and brought him up as a September call-up in 1998. Lowell was having another good season in 2009, and got things going by drawing a four-pitch walk. That put a runner on base for Rocco Baldelli, who the Red Sox hoped would finally overcome the injuries that plagued him his whole career. Baldelli was the first round draft pick by the Devil Rays out of Rhode Island in 2000. He was raw as a player, but developed quickly in the minor league system, and was on the Tampa Bay Opening Day roster in 2003. He had fantastic season, going .289/.326/.416 with 11 home runs and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, although the numbers suggested he may have been the best rookie given his defensive work, as he led the American League with 14 outfield assists. It seemed like he would be a superstar in the making after another strong year in 2004, but he started having severe injuries including an anterior cruciate ligament injury and later required Tommy John surgery. Eventually he underwent testing and found some mitochondrial abnormalities. He became a free agent after the 2008 season, when he was officially diagnosed with a mitochondrial channelopathy, an abnormality in the ion channels in the mitochondria rather than the mitochondria itself. The Red Sox used Baldelli sparingly, and he was making only his 13th start of the season. He had some power, but he grounded into a double play to get Willis out of trouble.
Tim Wakefield had struggled against Detroit for most of his career, and he knew he had to work carefully as he faced Detroit's best player in Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera had been a tremendous hitter since he first came up with the Florida Marlins as a 20-year-old in 2003. He was signed out of Venezuela at 16 in 1999 and he struggled with the bat for most of his minor league career, but he showed enough promise to play in the Futures Game. Things didn't click for him until he went to AA Carolina in 2003. There he hit .365/.429/.609 and the Marlins called him up to make his Major League debut June 20, 2003. He hit a walk-off home run in his first game, and he got stronger as the season went on to finish at .268/.325/.468. He improved his numbers in 2004, and from 2005-2007 he went .327/.405/.564 with 93 home runs. The Tigers were needing an extra power bat in their lineup, and traded six prospects to the Marlins for Cabrera and Willis, then Detroit signed Cabrera to an eight-year extension. Cabrera's batting average and OBP dipped to .292 and .349 in 2008, but he also hit 37 home runs. He didn't quite have the same power in 2009, but he was hitting .351/.412/.565 and he was still one of the fiercest hitters in baseball. He hit a sharp ground ball under the glove of Boston first baseman Youkilis that went for a single. The Tigers had a baserunner, and hoped Curtis Granderson could help move him around the bases. Granderson had been an important piece of Detroit's resurgence. He was the Tigers' third round draft pick out of the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2002 and was playing in high-A Lakeland in 2003 when the Tigers lost 119. He impressed the front office with his power-speed combination, as he hit 10 triples and 11 home runs in 2003. He received a September call-up in 2004, but spent most of 2005 in AAA Toledo, where he hit 13 triples and 15 home runs. He played all of 2006 in the Majors and helped the team to the playoffs, performing well in the first two rounds before his bat went cold in the World Series. In 2007 he hit 23 home runs and 23 home runs, becoming the first player to reach 20 in both since George Brett did so in 1979. Granderson fell to 13 triples in 2008, but that was still enough to lead the league. He got of to an uncharacteristically rough start in 2009, but had five hits in the last two games to bring his numbers up to .272/.349/.505. Then he poked a single to left. Cabrera went to second, but the Tigers superstar was hobbling by the time he went to second and was grabbing at his left hamstring. Trainer Kevin Rand and third base coach Gene Lamont came to check on Cabrera, but they left him at second while Wakefield went to work on Brandon Inge. Inge was another player who was on the 2003 Tigers team. At the time he was 26 and a touted young player, having been Detroit's second round pick out of Virginia Commonwealth University in 1998. However, he went .203/.254/.339 as the primary catcher. Inge was able to move out behind the plate when the Tigers signed Ivan Rodriguez, and his bat perked up as well. He was roughly average with low OBP but some pop, homering 27 times in 2006 and playing well in the post-season. Inge's bat disappeared in 2008 as his .205/.303/.369 slashline resembled that from 2003. He was turning things around in 2009, and lined a pitch down the left field line and rolled to the wall. Cabrera limped around to score, and Granderson followed him home easily. Inge went into second with a two-run double.
Cabrera's hamstring was concerning, but the Tigers had a 2-0 lead as they looked to the bottom of the order to bring Inge home. First up was Ryan Raburn, the veteran utilityman who could play around the diamond. Raburn was Detroit's fifth round draft pick in 2001 out of the South Florida Community College, where he had transferred to after being unable to break through the lineup at the University of Florida. He was uneven with his bat, but his versatility helped him advance slowly but surely and made his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2004. He spent all of the next two seasons with AAA Toledo before seeing action again in 2007. He was more of a defensive specialist, and started 2009 again in Toledo. He received a call-up near the end of April, and was making only his 14th start. He grounded out to short, but that was enough for Inge to go to third. The Tigers' next batter was Adam Everett, the shortstop spending his first year in Detroit after signing a free agent deal. Everett had made his name as a defensive shortstop with the Houston Astros. He was actually Boston's first-round draft pick out of the University of South Carolina in 1998, but the Red Sox had traded him to Houston for Carl Everett. He advanced slowly but became the Astros' starting shortstop in their playoff years in 2004 and 2005. A freak injury led to a fractured fibula that cost him most of 2007, after which he spent one year in Minnesota before coming to the Tigers. He was playing his usual solid defense while being serviceable with the bat. He hit another short grounder, but even with the infield in Inge was able to race home, and the only play was at first. The bases were empty as Wakefield went to face Dane Sardinha, Detroit's back-up catcher. Sardinha grew up in Hawaii where he was one of the top players in the state at Kamehameha High School. He was drafted in the second round in 1997, but went instead to Pepperdine University. The Cincinnati Reds picked him in the 2000 draft, again in the second round and this time he signed. Sardinha was solid defensively in his minors, but struggled with his bat. He appeared in two games in the Majors, but could never hit enough to get solid playing time. The Reds let him go after the 2006 season, and Sardinha signed with Detroit. He spent all of 2007 in AAA Toledo, but he was called up in June 2008 due to an injury to Inge. He played sparingly in 2008 and 2009. He was the backup for Gerald Laird in 2009 and had only two hits in 24 at-bats for a .083 batting average. It went down as he struck out.
The Tigers felt pretty good with a 3-0 lead and Dontrelle Willis pitching well through two innings. Miguel Cabrera had to leave the game, with rookie Jeff Larish coming in to play first, only the 72nd career game for the Arizona native. He stood at the ready as Willis went to work against the bottom of Boston's order starting off with Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury had been a catalyst for the Boston offense, leading the American League with 50 stolen bases in 2008. He was the Red Sox's first-round draft pick out of Oregon State in 2005 and had made the Majors by June 30, 2007. He was on the post-season roster and hit .438/.500/.688 in the World Series sweep. He was off to another tremendous start and electrified baseball with a straight steal of home on April 26 against the New York Yankees. He spent most of the season in the leadoff spot, but was recently dropped to the lower third of the lineup to bring more speed to the bottom of the order, and also because of his .349 on-base percentage. Willis got ahead Ellsbury with an 0-2 count, but then a fastball got away and Ellsbury was hit in the behind. Boston got their leadoff man on board for the veteran Julio Lugo. The Dominican-born Lugo was the starting shortstop for the World Series winning team in 2007, his first year in Boston after playing for three previous teams. His defense sudden dropped off in 2008, which led to a diminished role. A knee injury requiring arthroscopic surgery cost him most of April, and he was only just starting to come back. Willis's control continued to betray him as he walked Lugo, much to his chagrin. His pitching coach Rick Knapp came out to talk to Willis before he went to work on backup catcher George Kottaras. The Canadian native was making his first extended stay in the Majors where he served as Wakefield's personal catcher after showing his ability to catch the knuckleball in spring training. He hasn't done much with the bat, but manager Franco had Kottaras swing away with his power potential. However, Willis's fastball nipped the outside corner, and Kottaras was called out on strikes.
The first out was a bit of a sigh of relief for Willis and the Tigers, but now he had the top of the Red Sox lineup to deal with. Willis missed with four pitches and Dustin Pedroia walked to load the bases. J.D. Drew came up with a chance to get his fifth grand slam. Willis wouldn't give him that opportunity, and walked Drew on five pitches. Boos started ringing around the stadium as the Tigers bullpen went to work. Willis threw a strike to the Greek God of Walks Kevin Youkilis, and then missed with four straight as Willis grew increasingly agitated. The last two pitches were way outside as the Red Sox bring in another run. The Red Sox had cut the lead to 3-2 without a single hit. Manager Leyland had seen enough, and went out to bring out Willis in favor of Zach Miner. Along the way Leyland had some heated words with home plate umpire Nelson which earned himself an ejection. Miner had become a dependable long reliever and spot starter since coming over as a minor league prospect from the Atlanta Braves in a trade for Kyle Farnsworth. He was doing well, but allowed four runs while getting only one out the day before which brought his ERA up to 5.70. It didn't get better as Jason Bay golfed a ball over the third baseman Inge's outstretched glove. It went all the way to the wall for a double, and two runs came racing home with Drew stopping at third. Lowell hit a slower to third for the second out, but both runners advanced with Drew scoring. Rocco Baldelli grounded a single into left field and the Red Sox stretched the lead to 6-3. Ellsbury came back for his second plate appearance of the inning. Zach Miner struck him out, but the damage had already been done.
Tim Wakefield had watched as his three-run deficit turned into a three-run lead as he came out for the third inning. He was facing the top of the order once again. The Tigers were determined to get back on the board against their punching bag, but Wakefield got Thomas and Santiago both to ground out to second. Magglio Ordonez gave the Tigers some hope by lining a single to right field, but that brought up Larish, the rookie who was also taking his first swings against Wakefield. He lifted a fly ball out to center, but it stayed up in the air just long enough for center fielder Ellsbury to run it down. Miner came out for another inning in the fourth. Lugo hit a sharp ground ball that third baseman Inge was able to field on a diving play and threw to first for the out. Kottaras hit a more standard ground ball to first. Miner had two outs, but had to get the third out against he top of the Boston lineup. Dustin Pedroia lined a single that was hit so hard Inge didn't even move. J.D. Drew followed by working a walk to put runners on first and second. The next batter was not Youkilis but veteran Mark Kotsay appearing as a pinch-hitter. Kotsay had come to Boston on an August trade with the Atlanta Braves the year before but missed most of the season due to back surgery. He finally came back as a defensive replacement in Boston's 10-5 win the day before shortly before right fielder Josh Anderson stepped on Youkilis causing the first baseman to leave the game. Youkilis felt well enough to start, but manager Francona had enough concerns that he sent up Kotsay, who flew out to center end the inning. Kotsay took over at first in the bottom of the fourth as Wakefield tried to get through the fourth inning with the lead. He struck out Granderson for his second strikeout of the game. Brandon Inge followed and waved at a knuckleball, sending it bouncing down the third-base line. It stayed fair as Wakefield and catcher Kottaras both watched it and Inge went to first with an infield hit. Inge was never known for his speed with only 39 stolen bases in his career, but with the knuckler on the mound he decided to test Kottaras's arm. Kottaras made a good throw to second baseman Pedroia who reached down to tag Inge with a caught stealing. Raburn then struck out to end the inning.
The game moves into the fifth. Miner was still on the mound, and Bay hit his first pitch to center field for an easy out. Mike Lowell was next and poked a fly ball into center field just in front of center fielder Granderson for a single. However, Miner calmly got Baldelli to ground a ball to third. Third baseman Inge fielded the ball and threw it to second to start a 5-4-3 double play. Wakefield went into the fifth needing only three more outs before the game could become official, although it wasn't likely going to come into play given the sunny weather. Everett grounded a ball to short for the first out. Dane Sardinha lined a single to left for on his his third hit of the season, bringing his batting average up to .115. However, Thomas hit Wakefield's first pitch and grounded it to second baseman Pedroia, who tagged Sardinha and threw to first for the easy double play. Miner came out for another inning as the Red Sox sent up the bottom of their lineup. Ellsbury lined a ball to left that went just foul before he blooped a ball to shallow left field. Shortstop Everett raced out and caught the ball for the first out. Lugo struck out on three pitches, and then Kottaras flied to left to end the inning. Ramon Santiago led off the sixth with a battle against Wakefield, and lined the sixth pitch into left for a single. Ordonez hit a high fly ball into right field on the first pitch that right fielder Baldelli corraled for the out. Larish lined a fly ball to deep right field that appeared to go just foul. Acting manager Lloyd McClendon came out and asked the umpires to consider a replay. Major League Baseball had been in use since the 2008 season and was used on home run boundary calls such as the one on Larish's fly ball. The umpires decided it was worth reviewing, and after a short delay crew chief Tim Tschida ruled the ball was indeed foul. Larish went and hit a comebacker that Wakefield was able to deflect to second baseman Pedroia who started a double play.
Miner came out for his fourth inning of work against the top of the Red Sox lineup. Pedroia led off with an eight-pitch battle that ended with a flyout to left. J.D. Drew also took Miner to six pitches, and that ended in a walk. Miner had pitched four innings since coming in the disastrous third and pitched well after allowing the four runs, but pitching coach Knapp came out and had a short discussion with Miner after the walk to Drew. Knapp decided it was time to make a pitching change. He went and called upon rookie Ryan Perry, who had been warming up since the beginning of the inning. Perry was the Tigers' first-round draft pick in 2008 out of the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he also went to high school. Perry pitched well in high-A Lakeland in 2008, and made the Opening Day lineup in 2009. He was sharp in April and May, but allowed two runs against Boston on June 2 to bring his ERA to 3.38. Perry came out and got both Kotsay and Bay to fly out to the end the inning. Wakefield had also pitched well since his difficulty inning in the second. He has allowed at least one hit in every inning besides the first, but limited the damage to only the second inning. Granderson hit a fly ball to center, but center fielder Ellsbury caught it just in front of the warning track. Inge then grounded to short. Wakefield just had to get by Ryan Raburn to get out of the inning, but Raburn lined a pitch down the left field line that stayed just fair. Wakefield had just 81 innings, but manager Francona came out and called for Justin Masterson, the youngster who was Boston's second-round draft pick out of San Diego State in 2006. Masterson was born in Jamaica but went to high school in Beavercreek, Ohio. He spent one year at Bethel College before transferring to San Diego where he excelled as a reliever. Masterson dominated the minors as a reliever in short-season A Lowell, but the Red Sox tried him as a starter in 2007. He made the Majors in 2008 pitching primarily as a reliever but making a few spot starts. He had a similar role in 2009 and was trying to preserve the lead for Wakefield, which he did by striking out Everett.
The Tigers opened the eighth with Joel Zumaya on the mound. Zumaya was of the most electric pitchers when he made his debut in 2006. He threw a 100-mph fastball and served as a set-up man for Todd Jones. Zumaya was still primarily a starter when the Tigers drafted him out of Bonita Vista High School just outside San Diego in the 11th round in 2002. He was used exclusively as a starter as he made his journey up the minor league system, but he was in the bullpen when he made the Opening Day roster in 2006. He was dynamic, posting a 1.94 ERA while striking out 97 in 83.1 innings and held batters to a .187 batting average against. He was sharp in the Division Series, but struggled in the ALCS and the World Series, allowing the go-ahead run in Game 4 to pick up the loss. In the off-season Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski revealed that he had injured his wrist from long sessions of playing Guitar Hero. It made for a fantastic story, but Zumaya later revealed it wasn't the real cause. It was no laughing matter for the Tigers, as he dealt with injuries as he lost his effectiveness. He started the 2009 season on the disabled list from a sore pitching shoulder. He was back by April and was still throwing 99 mph. However, the Red Sox were able to time his pitches, as Mike Lowell lined a fastball for a single. Rocco Baldelli followed with a walk on a full count. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a fly ball that fell for a single just out of reach of the diving left fielder Raburn and the bases were loaded. The Red Sox were threatening to blow the game open, but Lugo hit a comebacker. Zumaya raced over and threw to the catcher for the crucial fielder's choice out. Then Kottaras was caught looking at a 100mph fastball for the second out. Pedroia then grounded out to second to end the threat.
Masterson was still out in the bottom of the eighth, but instead of facing Sardinha he was facing Gerald Laird, the Tigers' regular catcher who they acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers. Laird had spent six seasons in Texas shuffling between Arlington and AAA Oklahoma. He established himself with a terrific throwing arm, and by 2008 his bat was becoming less of a liability. The Tigers needed a new catcher after Ivan Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees the year earlier and acquired Laird. He was sharp defensively and his offense was an upgrade over Sardinha, but he still struck out against Masterson. With the top of the Tigers order coming up manager Francona went to the veteran Hideki Okajima. Okajima pitched for several years with the Yomiuri Giants as a reliever before going to the Nippon Ham Fighters where he helped the Fighters to the championship. The Boston Red Sox signed him after the season. Daisuke Matsuzaka was the big profile rookie in 2007, but Okajima shined, putting up a 2.22 ERA out of the bullpen and picking up Rookie of the Year votes. He was fantastic in the first two rounds of the post-season as well. Okajima was still a trusted member of the Red Sox bullpen, and struck out Thomas. Ramon Santiago followed by grounding a ball to shortstop Lugo that he beat out for an infield single. However, Ordonez grounded out with a comebacker to end the inning.
The game went into the ninth inning. The Red Sox had one more chance to add to the lead, but it would begin against Fernando Rodney, the Detroit closer. Rodney was one of the few pitchers remaining from the 2003 Tigers team. At the time he was a 26 year old reliever, having been signed six years earlier out of the Dominican Republic. He went 1-3 with a 6.07 ERA, and then had to get Tommy John surgery. He came back in 2005, and became an effective bullpen arm, spending time in the closer role before coming their full-time closer in 2008. He had gotten 10 saves, but with the Tigers on the verge of getting swept he hadn't pitched since May 31, and he went in the non-save situation to get some work in. He led off the inning by walking J.D. Drew on a full count, Drew's fourth walk of the game. He went to another full count against Kotsay, but got him to fly out to center. The count was only 2-2 when Bay struck out, but then Lowell brought the count full before hitting a popup in foul territory to end the inning. With the lead still at three, the Red Sox had to call on their closer Jonathn Papelbon. Papelbon had been the Boston closer since 2006. He was a starter as he navigated Boston's minor league system after he was drafted in the 4th round out of Mississippi State University in 2003. He was reasonably successful, but Boston started to try him as a reliever with AAA Pawtucket, and he got one save in three relief appearances. He made three starts after making his Major League debut July 31, 2005 and had a 2.25 ERA in three no-decisions, but moved him into the bullpen, where he primarily served as a set-up man for closer Mike Timlin who had taken over after incumbent closer Keith Foulke went down with an injury. Papelbon went into spring training possibly taking over at starter, but he became the closer when Foulke had a poor spring. Papelbon was a phenomenal, not allowing a run until his 15th appearance on May 3. He saved 35 games with a 0.92 ERA, and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. He became Boston's full time closer and was on the mound when he struck out Seth Smith to end the 2007 World Series. He had 126 saves after another strong 2009 season, and was going for another. Jeff Larish came in to lead off, but Papelbon lost him on a full count walk. Granderson followed with a sharp grounder to second. Second baseman Pedroia made a diving stop, and flipped to shortstop Lugo for the force, but Granderson beat out the double play. Brandon Inge lined a single to left field and all of a sudden the Tigers had the tying run at the plate, a rare jam for Papelbon. Raburn was only able to hit a popup in foul territory for the second out. The Tigers' last hope was Placido Polanco, the veteran Dominican-born second baseman who was pinch-hitting for Everett. Polanco was acquired by Detroit in a trade with Philadelphia in 2005. Polanco had been fantastic in Detroit, playing solid defense while hitting for average while rarely striking out. He made contact, but was only able to ground the ball to shortstop Lugo, who threw to his double play partner Pedroia for a game-ending forceout.
The Red Sox had their sweep, a game that took two hours 53 minutes, a relatively quick affair by Boston standards. The Tigers was still in first, but saw their lead shrink to 2.5 games with the Minnesota Twins. They were able to turn things around and bring their lead up to five games. A rough month of July saw them fall into a tie with the Chicago White Sox, but they rebounded and had a three-game lead with four games left to play. However, the Tigers went into a free fall, losing three straight. This time it was the Twins that caught up. Both teams won the final game, forcing a tie-break game in Minnesota. The Tigers had a 3-1 lead after three, but the Twins chipped away to move ahead 4-3. The Tigers scored in the eighth, and once again in the 10th after the game moved into extra innings. However, Rodney was unable to nail down the save as the Twins scored. Rodney was in his third inning of work when Alexi Casilla singled in the walk-off run in the 12th, an epic affair that Sports Illustrated called the best baseball game in the 2000s. Detroit's collapse was complete as they had gone 58-53 after June 4 to finish at 86-77. Boston was in a tie with the Yankees, and they continued to win in June as they moved ahead, but New York was able to chase them down, and dealt a finishing blow with a four-game sweep in New York in August. The Red Sox still had the third best record in the American League and fourth best in the Majors after June 4 at 63-45 and took the Wild Card with a 95-67 record. However, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim put and end to their season with a three game sweep in the Division Series. Ortiz was able to hit a little bit better to finish at .238/.332/.462, still barely above average. The Red Sox missed the playoffs for three years straight. They had their most collapse in 2011, sitting at first in the beginning of September, but went 7-20 and fell behind not only the Yankees but also the Tampa Bay Rays in the last day of the season. Wakefield won his 200th game earlier in the year, but could not win another as he finally ended his career. Ortiz's bat came to life again, as he went .309/.398/.554. The Tigers won the AL Central that year behind the power arm of Justin Verlander who won 24 games and later the Cy Young and the MVP. They defeated the Yankees in the Division Series, only to fall to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS. A year later Boston had their first last place finish since 1992, while the Tigers won another division title, then the pennant, but were swept by the Even Year San Francisco Giants. Miguel Cabrera was the star, as he won the first Triple Crown since Yastrzemski in 1967, then won the MVP in a contested vote over star rookie Mike Trout. Boston and Detroit went head to head again in the 2013 ALCS after winning the divisions and the Division Series. The country was on Boston's side given the devastation of the Boston Marathon bombing in April. The Red Sox came out on top as David Ortiz's grand slam served as the big hit and gave the series its most indelible image, then Boston captured the World Series over the Cardinals in six games. Boston immediately finished last two more years while Detroit did the same in 2015 after one more division title the year before. It was the Red Sox that climbed back out first, winning three straight AL East titles beginning in 2016, Ortiz's final season seven years after his epic struggles. Boston lost in the Division Series two years in a row, before jumping to a franchise-high 108 wins in 2018, then won another World Series to put their stamp on being the most successful franchise in the 2000s on.
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Yankees 8, Rangers 6
Yankee Stadium
New York, NY
It had rained earlier in New York on June 4, 2009, but by the time the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees began their rubber match at New Yankee Stadium the precipitation had cleared leaving behind a warm and beautiful day. The New Yankee Stadium was one of two new ballparks opening in the 2009 season, along with Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets. Yankee Stadium is certainly the one with the higher profile, considering the time and money involved in its construction. The Yankees have been in the Bronx since 1923 when the team moved into the original Yankee Stadium. Prior to that they had spent ten seasons sharing the Polo Grounds in Manhattan with the New York Giants. The Yankees spent over 80 seasons in Yankee Stadium, which had had several memorable features including Monument Park and its recognizable facade. However, while the stadium received a massive renovation in 1974 and 1975 during which the team played in Shea Stadium, and had one of the largest seating capacities in baseball, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was wanting a new ballpark by the 1980s. He threatened to move the team out of New York into New Jersey when the city balked at supplying public financing. Ultimately the financing was approved, and construction started in 2006 in the site of Macombs Dam Park. The new ballpark was designed to resemble the original pre-renovation Yankee Stadium in its exterior, while the interior featured the recognizable facade as well as Monument Park. The stadium's construction soon became a topic of contention. The cost eventually reached well over $1.6 billion, more than any other sports complexes. There was also the embarrassing news that a construction worker who was a Boston Red Sox fan buried the uniform of David Ortiz to curse the Yankees. The ballpark finally opened on April 3 when the Yankees hosted the Chicago Cubs in a pair of exhibition games. While it received praised for its aesthetics, there was criticism over ticket cost and the presence of seats with obstructed views. The team and the fans also noticed that balls were flying out of the park at higher frequency than in any other ballpark. The reasons for the increased home run rate was still under investigation as the team prepared to play its 26th home game in the new stadium.
There is little doubt that the New York Yankees were the most successful team in Major League Baseball history. No team has won more pennants, more championships, or a higher percentage of their games. It is quite an accomplishment for a team that wasn't among the original teams in the American League. The American League originally had a team in Baltimore called the Orioles that was managed by John McGraw. While the team was reasonably successful in 1901, it fell apart in 1902 as McGraw began bickering with AL overlord Ban Johnson. McGraw eventually jumped to the National League, after which the Orioles limped to the finish and folded. Johnson wanted to place a new team in New York, and found a couple of buyers in a pair of Tammany Hall politicians. The new team was unofficially called the Highlanders. The New York Highlanders did not see much success, outside of taking the pennant race into the last week of the 1904 season, largely became their owners did not invest much into the team. The team officially gained the Yankees nickname in 1913, the same year they moved into the Polo Grounds. Two years later the team was sold to "Colonel" Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L'Hommedieu "Cap" Huston. The Yankees weren't much better, but Ruppert was willing to spend money, and in the 1919-20 offseason, they made a huge transaction by purchasing George Herman "Babe" Ruth from the Boston Red Sox. Ruth played a brand of baseball that had never been seen before, one built on power and slugging. Under the direction of manager Miller James Huggins, the Yankees instantly became contenders, winning 95 games in 1920 and then three straight pennants from 1921-1923. They won their first World Series title in 1923, the same year they moved into majestic Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won three more pennants and two more titles in the 1920s when Ruth was joined by Henry Louis "Biscuit Pants" Gehrig. They won only one pennant and title from 1929 to 1935 when the Philadelphia Athletics and the Detroit Tigers commanded attention in the American League, but New York went on a tear with the arrival of Joseph Paul DiMaggio in 1936, winning four World Series title in a row. The Yankees were not affected much by the war years, winning a trio of pennants and two titles from 1941-1943. They won again in 1947, and five straight from 1949-1953. Their team had star power as well as talent, led by manager Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel as well as superstars Edwin Charles "Whitey" Ford, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra, and Mickey Charles Mantle. The streak ended when the Cleveland Indians won the pennant in 1954, but the Yankees went on to capture nine pennants and four World Series titles from 1955-1964.
The sale of the team to CBS and the decimation of their farm system led to a period of failure and futility not seen among Yankees fans in fifty years. The purchase of the team by Cleveland shipping magnate George Steinbrenner led to another glory period as the team won four pennants and two titles from 1976-1981. The period was otherwise marked by strife as the Steinbrenner fired managers at a rate of more than one per season while Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson was making waves with his mouth as well as with his bat. Jackson's departure after 1981 led to another fallow period for the Yankees, a period during which Steinbrenner found himself suspended then banned for illegal campaign contributions and hiring a gambler to dig up dirt on future Hall of Famer David Mark Winfield. During this time the Yankees upper management was able to make shrewd player development decisions that eventually led to the arrival of superstars such as Derek Sanderson Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Under the calm hand of manager Joseph Paul Torre, the Yankees began their dynastic domination of the American League in the Wild Card era, winning four pennants and World Series titles in five years from 1996-2000. The Yankees continued to dominate the American League landscape, winning pennants in 2001 and 2003, but began faltering in the post-season as they failed to win another World Series title. That eventually led to the departure of Torre. The Yankees hired a new manager in Joseph Elliot Girardi in 2008, but fell to 89-73 in 2008 and failed to make the playoffs in a complete season for the first time since 1993.
Meanwhile the Texas Rangers would be envious of just a fraction of the Yankees' success, but the team was destined for failure from the very beginning. The Rangers had their genesis with the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion, the first expansion team since the New York Highlanders joined the American League. The original plan was to award the team to Minnesota, but then Washington Senators owner Calvin Griffith decided to move his team to the Twin Cities, and so the District of Columbia would be granted the expansion franchise instead. The new Senators began play at the old Griffith Stadium and nothing seemed to have changed, except that the new team was made up of discarded scrap heap players obtained from the expansion draft. The new Senators lost 100 games, then lost 100 or more the next three seasons. The team wouldn't have a winning season until 1969, when slugger Frank Howard and manager Ted Williams led Washington to a surprising 86-76 record. That was still 23 games behind the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles, and the Senators fell into futility the next two seasons. By then the team was bleeding money, and owner Robert Short was desperate to move to a more profitable location, just as Griffith did a decade earlier. He found a willing party in Tom Vandergriff, mayor of Arlington, Texas, which already hosted the minor league DFW Spurs, who played in Turnpike Stadium. When Vandergriff agreed to expand the ballpark to Major League standards, the move was agreed upon by both parties and the American League. The fans in Washington finally came around to the team's last game of the 1971 season, and started a riot with two outs in the ninth leading to a forfeit.
The team, now known as the Texas Rangers after the law enforcement agency of the same name, moved into Turnpike Stadium, which itself was redubbed Arlington Stadium. The first season in Texas got off to a rough start when the first few games of the 1972 season were delayed due to the player's strike. The team was also terrible, losing 100 games in their first two seasons. The Rangers had some good seasons in the 1970s, including a 94-win campaign in 1977, but they were otherwise miserable and even that 1977 season was marred by a one-sided spring training fight between outfielder Lenny Randle and manager Frank Lucchesi, and the presence of four managers in a span of less than ten games. The Rangers were off to a franchise-best 33-22 start in 1981 and were within striking distance of the Oakland Athletics when the strike hit. The split-season format gave them another chance at a post-season, but the team went only 24-26 in the second half and they watched as the Kansas City Royals clinched a playoff spot despite an inferior record overall. The 1986 Rangers were off to another strong start, but in the span of three games they lost a one-hitter when the first hit came in the bottom of the ninth, and then became victims of Don Sutton's 300th win. Texas made a splash in the 1988 winter meetings when they traded for Rafael Palmeiro and Julio Franco, and also made a flashy free agent signing of Texas pitching legend Nolan Ryan. The new signings contributed from the start, with Ryan providing the most excitement, striking out 301 batters in 1989, then throwing no-hitters in 1990 and 1991. His greatest achievement came on July 31, 1990 when he defeated the Milwaukee Brewers for his 300th career win. Meanwhile the Rangers never won more than 86 games during Ryan's five-year tenure with the team. Texas finally finished first in 1994, but that was because the season was ended by the strike, and their 52-62 record was an embarrassment to baseball. Texas won a division title for real in 1996, then won two more in 1998 and 1999, but went 1-9 in the Division Series both years. Afterwards the team fell back into mediocrity.
New owner Tom Hicks had tried to inject life into the team with the signing of former Seattle Mariners shortstop Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez to a record-breaking ten-year, $252 million deal. The contract left little room for any other pieces, and while Rodriguez provided three fantastic seasons, hitting 57 home runs in 2002 and winning the MVP award in 2003, the Rangers finished last all three seasons. General manager John Hart tried to unload A-Rod and his massive contract after that season. They had a deal in place with the Boston Red Sox that would bring them enigmatic slugger Manny Ramirez as well as minor league prospect Jon Lester. The deal would have included a restructuring of Rodriguez's contract. A-Rod agreed to it, but the Major League Baseball Player's Association vetoed the trade. A few months later the New York Yankees came calling. They ended up with a deal that would bring outfielder Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later to the Rangers. Texas had a list of Yankees prospects New York was willing to part with, a list that also included Robinson Cano. Instead, Hart went with a young shortstop named Joaquin Arias. The Rangers ended up being in contention in 2004. Their 89-73 record was their best since 1999, but Texas ultimately finished three games behind the Anaheim Angels in the division. Afterwards the team fell back into mediocrity, finishing with an average of 78 wins from 2005-2008. The most significant moves during this period was the hiring of Cornell graduate Jon Daniels as general manager, and the trade of slugger Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves for a quintet of prospects.
The battle between the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers took on an extra meaning due to the teams' shared history. The team's final game of the 1971 season that ended in a forfeit was against none other than the Yankees. When the Rangers had finally won the American League West and advanced to the post-season in 1996, 1998, and 1999, they played the Yankees in the Division Series all three years. In 1996 the Yankees were just one year removed from blowing a 2-0 series lead to Randy Johnson and the Seattle Mariners in their first post-season appearance since 1981. Rangers right-hander John Burkett, acquired in an August trade with the Florida Marlins, out-pitched David Cone to give Texas a one-game lead. The Rangers held a 4-2 lead after five innings of Game 2, but the bullpen allowed the Yankees to chip away until the game was tied, and New York finally won in the 12th on a walk-off error. The Rangers held a 2-1 lead going into the ninth of Game 3, behind a strong performance from starter Darren Oliver. Oliver allowed the first two batters to reach in the ninth, then Mike Henneman allowed both of them to score. Texas botched a four-run lead in the final game and ended up losing the game and the series. The Rangers scored only two runs in six games in the 1998 and 1999 Division Series and were swept away both years sending them into a decade of hell. The 2009 Rangers were determined to be different. They had their old superstar Nolan Ryan as team president, and hired Mike Maddux, the longtime Brewers pitching coach and brother of 300-game winner Gregory Alan, as their new pitching coach. The Texas Rangers had long been a team built around power hitting, but Ryan and Maddux set out to build a culture built around pitching and defense, emphasizing the need to pitch deep into games. Most analysts scoffed at the new approach, and the Rangers seemed to prove them right with a 10-11 record in April, but the Rangers surprised the baseball world rocketing to 20 wins and taking first place in the division in May. They were boosted by their usual strong offense as well as a pitching staff that was pitching deeper into games and allowing fewer runs, largely thanks to a massively improved defense. They had the best record in the American League going into the series against the Yankees. However, New York also strengthened their team after the embarrassment of the 2008 season. Steinbrenner opened up his pocketbooks and signed the three of biggest free agents in pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and first baseman Mark Teixeira. Like the Rangers, the Yankees got off to a slow start, but also found their groove in May, embarking on a nine-game winning streak. They took two of three from the Rangers in Texas in May and had the second best record in the American League going into the series. The teams split the first two games of the series, with Burnett dominating the Rangers on June 2 and Scott Feldman outpitching Andy Pettitte on June 3. The bad blood showed up with Burnett throwing a pitch behind the head of Nelson Cruz, which earned him a six-game suspension earlier in the day. The Yankees found themselves tied with the Boston Red Sox, and needed a win to remain on top of the division. Manager Girardi entered a lineup that included two former Rangers as well as a player that could have been a Ranger. Meanwhile Texas manager Ron Washington submitted his own lineup to home plate umpire Brian Knight.
Texas Rangers
2B Ian Kinsler
3B Michael Young
DH Hank Blalock
RF Nelson Cruz
LF David Murphy
CF Marlon Byrd
1B Chris Davis
C Taylor Teagarden
SS Elvis Andrus
P Brandon McCarthy
New York Yankees
LF Johnny Damon
RF Nick Swisher
1B Mark Teixeira
3B Alex Rodriguez
2B Robinson Cano
DH Hideki Matsui
CF Melky Cabrera
C Francisco Cervelli
SS Ramiro Pena
P Chien-Ming Wang (王建民)
Yankees starter Wang was probably the most frustrating player for the Yankees in 2009. Wang was born and raised in the island of Taiwan, whose political status is so complicated it can fill a book several times the length of all five parts of this series. Baseball was introduced to Taiwan through its 50-year occupation by Japan from 1895-1945. The sport soon became a source of pride for an island that was searching for an identity. In 1931, a team from Taiwan participated in the prestigious Japanese Koshien tournament among high school teams and shocked the nation by placing second. Almost 40 years later, the Red Leaves Little League team shocked the world by defeating the Little League team from Japan that won the Little League World Series that year. A year later, a team of players from Taiwan qualified for the Little League World Series, and shocked the world by taking home the Little League World Series title. Teams from Taiwan would go on to dominate the Little League World Series, taking home 17 titles from 1969 to 1996 after which rules regarding residency requirements were passed to restrict teams from Taiwan. Besides the Little League World Series, teams from Taiwan also dominated other tournaments held by Little League International, including the Junior League, Senior League and Big League World Series. Teams from Taiwan would later compete in the Summer Olympics. They placed third in 1984 when baseball was a demonstration sport, and then capture the silver in 1992. Wang grew up in the city of Tainan under the shadows of the international successes. He grew to be taller than most of his peers, and played basketball as well as baseball. He was chosen for the IBAF U18 Baseball World Cup in 1997. While applying for his passport he learned that the person he thought was his father was really his uncle. It was a huge blow for young Wang and he considered giving up the game, but he was persuaded to keep going. His performance in international competition earned the attention of teams all over the world. Wang ultimately signed with the New York Yankees in May 2000 as the Yankees had his idol Roger Clemens.
In the past the majority of players from Taiwan played in Japan. The Chinese Professional Baseball Leagues started in 1989, giving players a chance to play stateside. The sport reached a level of popularity that at one point two leagues were playing concurrently, but game-fixing scandals led to a sharp decline in public trust and popularity. Meanwhile the Major Leagues seemed like a pipe dream to the players. The first player from Taiwan to play in America was knuckleballer Shin-Ming Tan (譚信民), who was lent to the Fresno Giants by Japan's Seibu Lions in 1974. The first players to actually sign with Major League teams did so in 1999. It was the Los Angeles Dodgers that took the first steps, signing outfielder Chin-Feng Chen (陳金鋒) and left-handed reliever Hong-Chih Kuo (郭泓志). Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies signed pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao (曹錦輝) in October 1999. Wang was just the fourth player from Taiwan to sign with a Major League team. He was sent to A-ball Staten Island and pitched very well in 2000, but a shoulder injury cost him a year of development in 2001. He returned to pitch another dominant year with Staten Island in 2002, the same year Chen became the first Taiwanese player to make his Major League debut. A year later Wang advanced to AA Trenton where he struggled while Tsao became the second Taiwanese player to hit the Big Leagues and became the first Taiwanese pitcher to win a game. Wang took another step in 2004 and finished the year with five terrific starts in AAA Columbus. He also pitched for Chinese Taipei in the summer Olympics in Athens. He opened the 2005 season in AAA, but an injury to starter Jaret Wright led the Yankees to call him up.
Wang made his Major League debut on April 30, 2005 and pitched well with a no-decision. He won three of his first five starts, and impressed the Yankees and his fans with his poise and his sinkerball. A shoulder injury he suffered in July kept him out for two months, but he came back and finished the season at 8-5. Wang made the team as the number three starter in 2006 and while he struggled in April, he showed improvement with every month, and finished at a team-best 19-6 with a 3.63 ERA. He was the Yankees ace over future Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina. A tough complete-game loss on June 18 against the Washington Nationals that ended in a walk-off home run by Ryan Zimmerman cost him a chance at 20 wins. Wang started and won Game 1 of the Division Series against the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees went on to lose the next three games and the series, but Wang finished second in Cy Young voting behind Minnesota's Johan Santana. Wang's successful season made him the most popular man in Taiwan. His steadfastness helped him become the "Light of Taiwan" amidst corruption scandals involving Taiwan's first family. The 2007 season was more of the same for Wang as he won 19 games for a second year in a row with a team-best 3.70 ERA. He also had a chance to pitch with his idol Clemens. The season ended on a sour note as he was blown out in two Division Series starts against the Cleveland Indians. Wang was off to another terrific campaign in 2008 which included an Opening Day win against the Toronto Blue Jays and their ace Roy Halladay. He scuffled in a few disaster starts in May and early June, but turned things around on June 10 against the Oakland Athletics. He turned in another solid start against the Houston Astros on June 15, but in the top of the sixth inning he reached on a failed sacrifice bunt. An error sent him to second, and he scored on Derek Jeter's single. He was limping by the time he touched home, and he was later diagnosed with a torn Lisfranc ligament in his right foot. The injury would cost Wang the rest of the 2008 season. He still felt discomfort when pushing off the mound during spring training of 2009. He was effective enough to get the win in an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs, but his struggles would be exposed in the regular season. He was the number two starter behind Sabathia, but was knocked around for seven runs in three and 2/3 innings in his first start. Things went from bad to worse as he gave up 16 runs while getting only seven outs in his next two starts. That led the Yankees to put their former ace on the disabled list. He came back a month later and made three effective relief appearances, including two perfect innings against the Texas Rangers in Arlington on May 27. That convinced Girardi to give Wang another chance in the Major Leagues. At that time the only other player Taiwan in the Majors was Kuo, who was on the disabled list with an elbow injury. Wang could feel the weight of an entire country riding on this start.
The path that Rangers starter Brandon McCarthy took to the Major Leagues was far less dramatic. McCarthy was born in Glendale, California, outside Los Angeles, but moved to Colorado Springs for high school. He stood at 6'8", but failed to get any draft attention after high school. He traveled east and attended Lamar Community College, where he went 12-0 and helped the team place in the Junior College World Series. His success led to him getting drafted in the 17th round by the Chicago White Sox. McCarthy signed just three days after the draft, and spent two full seasons in rookie ball. He advanced to A-ball in 2004, and by the time the season was over he had pitched in high-A and AA ball. He earned an invite to Major League camp for the 2005 season before starting the season with AAA Charlotte. He was called up to make his Major League debut in a spot start on May 22, 2005. He ended with three stints in the Majors and held his own. He spent all of 2006 in the Major Leagues, spending most of the year in the bullpen, but a 4.68 ERA left more to be desired. That off-season the White Sox traded him to the Rangers for Texas's top pitching prospect John Danks. The Rangers put McCarthy in the rotation for 2007, but he was largely ineffective as he dealt with a right shoulder injury. He suffered an elbow injury during spring training in 2008, and didn't get into any games until August. McCarthy was finally healthy in 2009 and opened the season was the number three starter, but he struggled with ineffectiveness before giving Rangers fans a taste of his potential with a complete game shutout against the Houston Astros on May 24. He had another solid start on May 30 against the Oakland Athletics which lowered his ERA to 4.35. The Rangers hoped he could build upon that success against the Yankees.
It was 1:08 when Wang threw his first pitch to Ian Kinsler to lead off the ballgame, three minutes after the originally scheduled start time. Despite the criticism about ticket prices, 45,713 were sold at the start of the ballgame, over 90% of the stadium's capacity. Kinsler had established himself as one of the best second basemen in the game, and was off to another great start in 2009, especially on April 15 when he went six for six and hit for the cycle. However, he took a long route to get to that success. Kinsler was born in Tucson and raised in nearby Oro Valley. He overcame asthma to become a baseball star in high school, helping his team to two state titles. He was drafted in the 29th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but chose to attend Central Arizona College instead. The Diamondbacks drafted him again a year later, but it was only in the 26th round, and he opted to transfer to Arizona State instead. The Sun Devils were a college baseball powerhouse, but Kinsler spent most of his time on the bench playing behind Dustin Pedroia. Kinsler was spotted by the coach of the University of Missouri while playing in summer league, who convinced the kid to transfer. While Missouri wasn't as strong of a program, Kinsler got a chance to start every day and dominated. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 17th round of the 2003 draft, and he finally decided to sign. He advanced through the minors and turned heads with his defense at shortstop. He had a breakout year offensively in 2004, hitting .402/.465/.692 in a half-season with the A-ball Clinton LumberKings. His numbers dropped of some in AA but was still tremendous. He spent all of 2005 in AAA Oklahoma where he transitioned to second base. Kinsler made the team out of spring training in 2006 and since then had been an important piece for the Rangers. However, he was caught looking on a full count for strike three, a questionable call that left Kinsler shaking his head.
The next batter was Michael Young, the longest tenured player with the Rangers. Young was a southern California boy, born in Covina and attended high school in La Puente. He was drafted in the 25th round out of high school in 1994, but chose to attend University of California in Santa Barbara instead. After three years at Santa Barbara, the Toronto Blue Jays made him their fifth round pick in 1997. Young was a third baseman in college but the Blue Jays made him a middle infielder, which delayed his advancement, but through it all he always had a strong bat. Young was working his way through AA when he received news that he was included in a trade for Esteban Loaiza, the pitcher for the Texas Rangers. Young did his work with AA Tulsa after the trade, and was rewarded with a September callup where he got into two games. He was assigned to AAA out of spring training in 2001, but he was called up at the end of May and wound up in the lineup. He was only average in his first year, but quickly became one of the most respected players in the game. He reached 200 hits from 2003-2007, and led the American League with a .331 batting average in 2005. A year later he hit the go-ahead triple off of future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman and was named All-Star MVP. He was able to man shortstop and then second base, winning a Gold Glove at the latter position in 2008. The emergence of the Rangers' top shortstop prospect led him to agree to a move to third base. He was still able to contribute with a .332/.379/.530 slashline. He swung at Wang's first pitch, but lined a lazy fly ball to center field. That brought up Hank Blalock. Blalock was the hero at the All-Star three years before Young's heroics, hitting a go-ahead home run against Eric Gagne. At that time he was playing in his first full season, having made his Major League debut the year before but spending significant time in AAA. It seemed like Blalock would be a potential superstar after finishing the 2003 season with a .300/350/.522 slashline. He had another great year in 2004, but his bat began to peter out. It rebounded in 2007 and 2008, but he was lost to injury those years, first with Thoracic outlet syndrome and then with hamstring injuries. He was off to a weak start in 2009, and struck out swinging against Wang.
Leading off for the Yankees in the first was Johnny Damon. Damon was spending his fourth year with New York after four seasons with the Boston Red Sox. He had helped the Sox come back from an 0-3 deficit to win the American League Championship Series against the Yankees, contributing with a grand slam in Game 7, and then homered against in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Damon was actually seen as the future superstar with the Kansas City Royals, not far from where he was born in Fort Riley, Kansas. Damon grew up in Orlando, but the Royals made him their first-round draft pick out of high school in 1992. He was electric in the minors with his blazing speed and surprising power, and was in the Majors by August 1995. The Royals held him in such high regard they paired him with Hall of Famer George Brett in a promo prior to the 1996 season after he had played just 47 games, then bought him a house in nearby Overland Park. It took Damon a few years to break out as the Royals sank to last place, but he finally did in 1999, hitting .307/.379/.477, then improved that to .327/.382/.495 in 2000 when he also led the AL in runs and stolen bases. However, he was getting to be too expensive for the small-market Royals, and they traded him to the equally small-market Oakland Athletics. He struggled, but his free agent demands led him to sign a four-year, $31 million deal with Boston, which became a plot point in the book and movie Moneyball. Damon became a fan favorite in Boston, but once the contract expired they would not go past three years. Damon signed with the Yankees instead where he continued to contribute. He lined a fly ball to right of McCarthy that just went foul. After he took the count full, Damon hit another fly ball that stayed fair for a home run and to give New York a 1-0 lead. McCarthy could only shake his head and pitch to Nick Swisher. Swisher was the Yankees' top trade acquisition in the off-season after one year with the Chicago White Sox. He was heavily profiled in the Moneyball book. He was the son of former catcher Steve Swisher and played baseball at Ohio State University. He was a superstar with the Buckeyes, and the Athletics made him their top pick in the 2002 draft, drafting in a spot they earned from Boston for the loss of Johnny Damon. Swisher worked his way quickly through the minors, and became a classic Billy Beane player, posting high on-base percentages despite low batting averages. The A's traded him to Chicago after the 2007 season that was the worst for the team in almost a decade, and then the Yankees did the same a year later. Swisher was doing more of the same for the Yankees, posting a .380 OBP despite a .244 average. He lifted both numbers by driving McCarthy's pitch off the left-field wall, giving him a double.
The Yankees' next batter was one very familiar to the Texas Rangers. They had made Mark Teixeira their first round draft pick out of Georgia Tech in the 2001 draft. Teixeira had attended Georgia Tech instead of signing with the Baltimore Orioles, who had drafted him in the ninth round in 1998, and he won the coveted Dick Howser trophy in 2000 as the collegiate player of the year. He ended up signing with the Rangers, but too late to play in the minors in 2001. He tore up pitching in high-A and AA ball in 2002, and was named the #1 prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2003 season. He made the team out of spring training, and posted a strong season. His batting numbers continued to improve as the Rangers were able to count on him for 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. However, they were never able to finish higher than third, and they made the difficult decision to trade him to the Atlanta Braves, trying to return to the playoffs after their streak of division titles ended the year earlier. Teixeira was strong, but the Braves fell short. Atlanta stumbled out of the gate in 2008, and so they traded him to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels did make the post-season and Teixeira dominated against the Boston Red Sox, but Anaheim still lost the season. The Yankees targeted him in the off-season and signed him for eight years and $180 million. He was off to his usual strong start, but lifted a fly ball to left field. Rangers left fielder David Murphy made the catch, but he dropped the ball while transferring the ball to make the throw. Third base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ruled that the ball was dropped, and Teixeira was safe at first despite being halfway to the dugout. That brought up the other former Ranger, Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod remains a sore spot for the Texas Rangers. He was a superstar with the Seattle Mariners, who had made him the overall #1 draft pick out of high school in 1993. He was in the Majors by the age of 18 in 1994. He spent his first two seasons shuffling between the Majors and minors, but he got to play with Randy Johnson and played in the 1995 Division Series against the Yankees. He broke out in 1996, leading the league with a .358 average, then posted a 40/40 season in 1998, two tremendous seasons but he had to watch as the Rangers' Juan Gonzalez take the MVP both years. He signed his massive contract with the Rangers and hit .305/.395/.615 with 156 home runs while playing in all but one game in those three years, but Texas finished last each year, never winning more than 73 games. A-Rod continued his star play in the regular season after the trade to New York, and won MVP titles in 2005 and 2007. However, he was never able to earn the love of Yankees fan, who compared him unfavorably against captain Derek Jeter. He had to cede the shortstop position to his former friend, and their close relationship cooled. Part of A-Rod's problem was his failure to produce in the post-season. He was strong in the 2004 Division Series against the Minnesota Twins, but combined to go .200 in the next four post-season series as the Yankees lost each time. He was off to a rough start in 2009, going .250/.400/.534 as teams continued to pitch around him, and then against McCarthy he lined a fly ball to right field. Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz made the catch, and threw the ball back to the infield. Swisher was tagging and going to third, but Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus caught Teixeira going to second, then chased him down and tagged him out for the double play. It was up to Robinson Cano to add to the lead. Cano was the prospect the Rangers passed on. He son of former pitcher Jose Cano, Robinson was signed by the Yankees at 18 out of the Dominican Republic. He made his Major League debut in May 3, 2005 and quickly established himself as one of the top offensive second basemen. He stumbled in 2008 as he hit only .271/.305/.410, but quickly got off to another strong start in 2009. He hit a screaming liner, but it was snagged by Rangers first baseman Chris Davis.
The Rangers took their swings against Wang in the second. Leading off was Nelson Cruz, who took one of the most circuitous routes to the Rangers lineup. Cruz grew up in the Dominican Republic and was initially more of a fan of basketball, but eventually switched to baseball and was signed by the New York Mets. He spent three seasons in the Dominican Summer League before the Mets traded him to the Oakland Athletics. He made his stateside debut in the Oakland system, but advanced only one level a season, showing power but little else. He was still in high-A ball in 2004, but broke out offensively hitting for average as well as power. He stormed all the way to AAA by the end of the year, but the A's swapped him to the Milwaukee Brewers. He continued his slugging in the Brewers system, and made his Major League deut as a September call-up in 2005. He was sent back to AAA in 2006, and then the Brewers threw him in as an extra body in a trade deadline deal that sent slugger Carlos Lee to Texas. The Rangers kept Cruz in the Majors, but struggled. He split time between the Majors and AAA in 2007 and 2008. He was designated for assignment in the latter year and was exposed to waivers, but no team cleared him. He spent only the last month and a week in the Majors in 2008, but broke out to a .330/.421/.609 line in 31 games. He finally broke camp with the Rangers and was one of the top hitters on the team, hitting .297/.365/.600. He lined a sharp grounder to third, but A-Rod fielded the ball and threw out Cruz by a few steps. Next up was David Murphy, a native of Klein, Texas outside of Houston. He was drafted in the 50th round out of high school, but chose to attend Baylor University instead, and became their star player. He jumped all the way to the 1st round when he was picked by the Boston Red Sox. Murphy made his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2006. He spent most of the 2007 in AAA, appearing in only three games with Boston, before the Red Sox packaged him in a deadline deal to Texas for former Cy Young winner Eric Gagne. Murphy played two games in AAA before getting the call to the Majors. He performed well in 43 games and was in the Major Leagues for good in 2008. He got off to a slow start in 2009, going hitless in his first ten games, but he was starting to heat up. Wang fell behind 3-0, but got a strike. Murphy hit a sinker right back towards Wang. That led to Marlon Byrd. Byrd had been an integral part of the Rangers outfield since signing as a free agent before the 2007 season. He had attended Georgia Tech prior to Teixeira, but developed a severe infection in the tibialis anterior muscle in his lower leg. The infection threatened his right leg before surgeons were able to rescue it by removing the muscle. He survived a long rehab before going to Georgia Perimeter College where the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in the 10th round in 1999. Byrd advanced and made his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2002. He was in the Big Leagues for good in 2003 and had a solid year, but a sophomore slump in 2004 eventually led to a trade to the Washington Nationals. He spent two mediocre seasons in Washington before going to Texas rejuvenated his career. He was hitting .295/.316/.476, but struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Yankees led off the bottom of the second with Hideki Matsui. Matsui was a superstar with the Yomiuri Giants, the most popular team in Japan. Matsui was already such a feared hitter in high school he was intentionally walked five times in a game at the Koshien tournament. Matsui broke out in 1996 and became a power-hitting slugger as well as an iron man, playing in every game after sitting out in August 1993. He gained the nickname Godzilla, although it was mostly for his pocked face left behind by severe acne. Matsui soon desired to bring his talents to Major League Baseball, and he turned down a contract extension with Yomiuri and declared his free agency after 2002. The Yankees signed him for four years and $52 million, and Matsui broke out with a strong season. He hit a grand slam in his first home game, and homered again in Roger Clemens's 300th win on June 13, 2003. He finished a close second in the Rookie of the Year voting, but he only improved the following two seasons. He broke his wrist in May 2006 costing him most of the season, but he was still productive at 34 even as his bat slowed down. He grounded out to second. Up next was Melky Cabrera. Cabrera was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2001 and debuted as a September call-up in 2005. He sparkled as a defensive center fielder in his three full seasons, but his bat left more to be desired. He was off to a solid start in 2009, hitting .313/.363/.458, but struck out swinging against McCarthy. That brought up Francisco Cervelli, who was starting in place of regular catcher Jorge Posada who had just come back from a serious hamstring injury the week before. Cervelli was signed out of Venezuela and debuted in September the year before. He started the 2009 season with AA Trenton, but was called upon Posada's injury. An injury to the normal backup Jose Molina forced Cervelli into a starting role. He struggled with the bat, hitting an empty .286/.302/.310, but he endeared himself to the team through his defense. However, he struck out as well to end the inning.
Wang was strong as he went into the third inning to face the bottom of the Rangers order. He first faced Chris Davis. The Yankees had tried drafting Davis out of Longview High School in Longview, Texas, but it was in the 50th round and Davis chose to attend Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. He was drafted in the 35th round a year later, but went back for another year in Corsicana, and built up his power stroke and the Rangers took him in the 5th round in 2006. He sped up the minor league ladder, hitting 36 home runs in high-A and AA ball in 2007. He made his Major League debut on June 26, 2008 and had a solid season. He made the team out of spring training, but fell into a brutal slump, and was still hitting .191/.247/.422 albeit with 12 home runs. He fell behind 0-2, but lined a ball down the left field line. It bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Taylor Teagarden came up to bunt. Teagarden was making a rare start as the backup catcher to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was the key piece of the Mark Teixeira trade. Teagarden was born in Dallas and grew up in the DFW area, graduating from a high school in Carrollton. He was drafted in the 22nd round out of high school, but chose to go to the University of Texas in Austin. He was the starting catcher for the Longhorns team that went to the College World Series all three years, and won the title in 2005. The Rangers picked him in the third round of the 2005 draft. Injuries requiring back surgery and Tommy John surgery cost him almost all of 2006, but he hit well in his return. He struggled offensively in AA and AAA in 2008, but still made his Major League debut in July 2008. He made the Opening Day roster in 2009 but was struggling offensively. He could still be counted on to get a bunt down, sending Davis to third. That brought up Elvis Andrus, another key piece in the Teixeira trade. Andrus grew up in Venezuela, where he idolized Venezuelan native and Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel. The Atlanta Braves signed him in 2005. He dazzled with his glove in the minor leagues, but his bat left more to be desired. The Braves traded him to Texas, where he showed significant improvement offensively with high-A Bakersfield in 2007 and AA Frisco in 2008. Andrus made the team out of spring training, where he was able to play with his former idol. Andrus was holding his own offensively, but grounded the first pitch to A-Rod at third.
The Rangers lineup was facing Wang for a second time. He was mostly in control. He made one mistake to Davis but he was one out away from erasing it. He pitched carefully to Ian Kinsler, getting him to a full count. Wang went back to his trademark pitch, but he bounced it in the dirt in front of the opposite hitter's box and it got away from Cervelli. Kinsler jogged to first while Davis raced him with the Rangers' first run. Michael Young grounded a ball to A-Rod, who tried to toss to second baseman Cano for the force, but Kinsler was safe and so was Young on the throw to first. Wang also worked carefully to Hank Blalock, who still got a hold of a sinker and lined it to left field for a single. Kinsler raced home to give the Rangers the lead. Wang came back to strike out Cruz, but the damage had already been done. Brandon McCarthy took the mound with a 2-1 lead, and he got to face rookie Ramiro Pena, who was playing shortstop instead of Derek Jeter. Pena was signed out of Mexico in 2005. He shined with the glove, and that helped him make the Yankees out of spring training. He primarily came in as a defensive replacement, but still came in with the occasional start. This was only his 19th start. He was hitting only .239/.282/.299, and popped a foul ball to third day. Damon came up for his second at-bat of the day. He was hoping to hit another home run and got close, but Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz jumped up at the wall and snagged it for the second out. Swisher struck out to end the inning.
After a rough third inning, Wang came out to try to turn things around in the fourth. However, David Murphy led off by lining a single to left, the third left-hander to hit the ball the opposite way against Wang. Marlon Byrd follow by hitting a ground ball that straddled the left field line. It stayed fair, hitting the bag, and Byrd went into second for a double with Murphy staying at third. Chris Davis lined the first pitch into right field for another double. Murphy and Byrd both scored easily and the Rangers were up 4-1. Boos started ringing down for Wang, but he came back to strike Teagarden out on three pitches. Andrus grounded out to second base, but Davis was able to advance to third. Kinsler grounded out as well to limit the damage. Brandon McCarthy now had a 4-1 lead, but Mark Teixeira lined a double down the right field line to lead off the bottom of the fourth. The Yankees had a perfect opportunity to cut in on the Rangers' lead, but A-Rod grounded out on the first pitch leading to more boos. Cano grounded out as well with Teixeira going to third. McCarthy walked Matsui to put runners on the corners, but Cabrera hit a comebacker to end the threat. Wang came out for the fifth inning and got off to a good start, getting both Young and Blalock to ground out to A-Rod at third. However, Nelson Cruz blasted a hanging slider over the center field wall into the Rangers bullpen for his 16th home run. That led Yankees manager Girardi to make the walk of shame to remove Wang, calling in rookie Alfredo Aceves. Aceves was originally signed by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Mexico in 2001. The Blue Jays sent him to the Dominican Summer League, but he couldn't handle the Dominican Republic and went back to the Mexican League. He pitched in Mexico for five seasons before the New York Yankees signed him in 2008. He advanced up the minor leagues quickly and was in the Majors by August, where he pitched well. He started 2009 back in AAA, but was called back in May and pitched well out of the bullpen. He was making only his tenth appearance of the season, but walked David Murphy. Murphy tested the arm of catcher Cervelli by swiping second on the second pitch to Marlon Byrd. Cervelli threw the ball but the throw went wild, bouncing off the glove of second baseman Cano and Murphy went to third. Byrd ended up walking on four pitches, but Davis popped out to end the inning.
Brandon McCarthy now had a 5-1 lead and got to face the bottom of the order in the bottom of the fifth. However, Francisco Cervelli lined a single up the middle to lead off, and then Ramiro Pena did the same with a blooper, putting runners on first and second. McCarthy tried to keep it together, but he went 3-0 against Johnny Damon. McCarthy came back to bring the count full, but Damon walked anyways to load the bases. Mike Maddux came out to talk to his starter, but McCarthy walked Swisher as well also on a full count, forcing home a run. That brought up Mark Teixeira, who drove a dagger in the hearts of his former team with a grounder that just went under the glove of the diving Rangers third baseman Young. It went all the way to the short wall as all three runners scored and Teixeira went into second with a double. With the game now tied, Rangers manager Ron Washington went to the bullpen himself, calling on former Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings. Jennings was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, attending high school in Mesquite. He was drafted in the 54th round of 1996 by the Arizona Diamondbacks, making their first picks in the June draft. Jennings opted to go to Baylor instead where he dominated collegiate hitters, earning him a first-round draft pick with the Colorado Rockies three years later. Jennings sped up the minor league ladder and was in the Majors by August 2001. He homered while pitching a complete game shutout in his debut. He appeared in seven games with an above-average ERA but maintained his rookie eligibility. He made the Opening Day roster in 2002 and ended up as Colorado's best pitcher, going 16-8 with an above-average 4.52 ERA. He was a clear choice for Rookie of the Year. Jennings would be unable to duplicate those numbers, as he struggled in the thin air of Colorado. He finally had a solid season in 2006, but still went 9-13. The Rockies knew his stock was never higher and traded Jennings to the Houston Astros, where he completely bombed. He signed with the Texas Rangers, but made only six starts before going down with an elbow injury. He re-signed with the Rangers who put him in the bullpen for the first time in his career, and he managed to pitch with reasonable success. However, he was facing the heart of the Yankees lineup, and A-Rod drove a fly ball to deep right field. Right fielder Nelson Cruz got to the ball early enough to keep A-Rod at first, but Teixeira scored the go-ahead run. Cano lined another single to advance A-Rod to second. The Yankees had two runners on and still nobody out, but the Rangers finally got a break when Matsui lined a ball right into the glove of second baseman Kinsler. A-Rod was inching towards third, so Kinsler threw to shortstop Andrus for a double-play. Cano stole second to test the Rangers catcher, but Cabrera grounded out to finally end the inning.
It was now a game of the bullpen as Aceves came out to work on the Yankees in the sixth. He got off to a strong start, getting Teagarden to ground to third base and then striking out Andrus after a seven-pitch battle. That brought up Ian Kinsler, who had struck out and walked. He took a big hack on the first pitch but pulled it foul into the left field stands. He took another big swing on the next pitch and drove it to left field again. It banged against the foul pole and the game was tied. Michael Young was next and he lined a single to left field that just bounced off the glove of Yankees shortstop Pena. Blalock finally flied out to end the inning. Jennings came out for his second inning of work. Cervelli flied out to center for the first out, but Jennings walked Ramiro Pena on four pitches. Damon popped out to third baseman Young in foul territory, bringing up Swisher with two outs. Jennings got one strike against the Yankees right fielder, but then Pena decided to test the Rangers catcher as well. Teagarden's throw was on the money and Pena was out, ending the inning. Aceves struck out Cruz to first out of the inning, but with two of the next three Texas batters batting left-handed, Girardi went to the left-handed rookie Phil Coke. Coke was drafted by the Yankees in the 26th round out of San Joaquin Delta College in 2002, only a year after he was picked in the 49th round out of high school. Coke struggled mightily early in his minor league career, but he broke out in 2006, and was in the Majors as a September call-up two years later. He was on the Opening Day roster but struggled, putting up a 4.79 ERA in 22 appearances. He still struck out Murphy on eight pitches, and then Byrd flew out. Nick Swisher finally got his chance to bat against Jason Jennings to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Swisher singled on a full count, and then was lifted for rookie speedster Brett Gardner. Gardner was the Yankees' third-round pick in the 2005 draft out of the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Gardner impressed with his speed, stealing 58 bases in high-A and AA ball in 2006. He had 154 minor league stolen bases by the time the Yankees brought him up as a September call-up in 2008. Gardner made the Opening Day roster in 2009 and split center field duties with Melky Cabrera. Cabrera was the starter this day, but Gardner came in as the pinch-runner. It didn't work out as Teixeira grounded into a double play. Jennings to into a protracted battle with A-Rod, but the pitcher came out ahead as Rodriguez grounded out.
The Yankees made some defensive changes as the game moved into the eighth inning. Gardner stayed in the game as the center fielder, while Cabrera moved over to play right field for Swisher. Phil Coke was still out to face the left-hander Davis, who struck out. Coke went on to face Teagarden, who hit a sharp liner that the pitcher reached out and snared for the out. With Coke having thrown 19 pitches, Yankees manager chose to call on another rookie David Robertson to throw to the rookie Andrus. Robertson was born in Birmingham, Alabama and raised in Tuscaloosa. He was undrafted out of high school and went on to play baseball at the University of Alabama in his hometown Tuscaloosa. Alabama was known for its football team, but the Crimson Tide baseball team advanced to the NCAA tournament during Robertson's tenure, with him serving as the closer. Robertson was eligible for the draft as a sophomore in 2006. Yankees drafted him in the 17th round, and Robertson signed after some intense negotiations. Robertson was sent to A-ball, but dominated and ended the season AA having posted a 0.96 ERA in 84 and 1/3 innings. It was more of the same in AA and AAA in 2008, and Robertson was in the Majors by June 29, 2008. He struggled in 25 appearances and found himself assigned to AAA to open 2009. Injuries to the bullpen led him to show up again, and he was sharp, carrying a 2.16 ERA after ten appearances. He was very efficient, throwing one pitch. Andrus hit it out to left field, where left fielder Damon was waiting for the easy out.
C.J. Wilson came out to pitch the eighth inning for the Rangers. The left-handed Wilson was splitting closing duties with Frank Francisco, but was out to keep the game tied. Wilson was born and raised in Orange County, going to school in Fountain Valley. He went undrafted after high school, so took his game to Santa Ana College, where he sparkled while starting and relieving, but still didn't get any draft attention. He transferred to Loyola Marymount University, where he was finally picked by the Rangers in the fifth round. Wilson was primarily a starter as he went up the minor league system. He had advanced to AA Frisco by 2003, but suffered from a torn ulnar collateral ligament requiring Tommy John surgery. He came back in 2005 and pitched well enough to get a call-up to a Major Leagues in June. Wilson struggled in six starts, but he was strong when placed in the bullpen. He became a full-time reliever in 2006 but struggled, leading to a stint in the minors. He was sharp in his return, and spent the entire season in the Majors in 2007 and took over closing duties after Eric Gagne was traded. Wilson was named the closer in 2008, but while he saved 24 games, he was blasted to a 6.02 ERA. He had some disastrous appearances early in 2009, but settled down and had four saves and four holds as well as a 2.82 ERA after throwing one and 1.2 scoreless innings on June 3. He came out and walked Robinson Cano to lead off the inning. Matsui flied out for the first out, and Wilson went to work on Melky Cabrera. Cabrera was a switch-hitter and batted right-handed against the southpaw Wilson. He struggled against left-handers in 2008, but he had homered once against a left-hander in 2009. He made it two by slugging a home run into the left field stands and the Yankees now led 8-6. Wilson came back to get Cervelli out on a fly ball and struck out Pena, but the damage was done and the Yankees had the lead.
With the Yankees holding a two-run lead, the Yankees are now able to call upon their transcendent closer Mariano Rivera. Rivera had been the closer for New York since 1997 and had been on the mound for the Yankees' three straight World Series titles from 1998-2000. He led the league in saves three times, and had six seasons of 40 or more. He was closing in on 500 saves, a mark reached only by Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres, and was going for his 494th. He was also well respected through baseball for his quiet dignity and his strong faith. He wore the number #42 which was otherwise retired after 1997 season in honor of Jackie Robinson, and strove to honor Robinson's legacy with his performance. Rivera had come a long way since his childhood spent mostly in a fishing village in Panama. His father was a fisherman and Rivera had worked as a fisherman as well. He played soccer and baseball, and dropped out in the ninth grade to work on his father's fishing boat. He quit the fishing business after his uncle died from an injury, and after another incident when he nearly drowned after his father's boat capsized. Rivera played baseball with an amateur team as a shortstop, but he was put into the game as a pitcher after the starter pitched poorly. Rivera was dominant, and this reached the ears of the Yankees. They scouted Rivera and signed him at the age of 20. They dispatched him to rookie ball, where he posted a 0.17 ERA as a reliever. They began experimenting him as a starter and he continued to pitch well, although an elbow injury delayed his development. Rivera continued to advance, and after a strong start in AAA Columbus in 1995, the Yankees called him up and he made four starts. He was awful and found himself back in Ohio. He was recalled in July and improved slightly, but Rivera found more success late in the season as a reliever. He was a set-up man for closer John Wetteland in 1996, and dominated hitters with his four-seam fastball. The Yankees let Wetteland leave in free agency after the season and installed Rivera as closer in 1997. He had three blown saves in the span of a week in April, but righted ship, then picked up a cut fastball that summer, and the rest became history. The Rangers sent the top of their lineup against Rivera. He started out by striking out Kinsler. He got to a full count on Michael Young, but the veteran lined a pitch to right field. Right fielder Cabrera made a diving attempt but couldn't come up with the ball, and Young went to all the way to second with a double. Hank Blalock battled Rivera for six pitches before lining the seventh pitch up the middle for a single, with Young going to third. Rivera now has to work to Cruz who had homered in the fifth to knock Wang out of the game. Rivera struck him out for the second out of the game. Murphy was next, and he popped Mariano's second pitch up. A-Rod made the easy catch and the Yankees came away with the win.
Once again the Yankees had triumphed over the Texas Rangers in a game that took 2 hours and 58 minutes. New York would move ahead of Texas for the top record in the American League. David Robertson would get the win after having thrown only one pitch, while C.J. Wilson gets the loss. The Rangers would play unevenly for the rest of June as they would cough up the lead in the American League West. They would post a strong month in July, but the Angels were better and the Rangers were chasing after a Wild Card spot instead. Even that turned out to be out of reach as the team went 29-32 in the last two months of the season. They would finish with a 56-53 record after June 4 to end at 87-75, a better record than the top teams of the AL Central but they were ten games behind the Angels and were eight out of the Wild Card spot. Wang continued to struggle, making five more starts and getting blown out in each one. He picked up his only win against the New York Mets on June 28, allowing two runs in five and 1/3 innings. Mariano Rivera would get the save to reach the 500 mark. Wang ended up requiring shoulder surgery that cost him the rest of the season. Meanwhile the Yankees won in spite of their former ace. They went 15-11 in June, and got stronger as the season progressed. They won 21 of 28 games in August, and their record of 71-37 after June 4 and 103-59 overall record were both the best in all of baseball. The Yankees went on to sweep the Minnesota Twins in the Division Series, and knocked out their post-season nemesis the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALCS to clinch their first pennant in six years. They faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. The two teams split the first two games in New York, but the Yankees won two of three in Philadelphia, winning Game 4 in the ninth after Johnny Damon stole two bases on one play. The Phillies forced a Game 6 in New York, but Andy Pettitte out-pitched future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. Mariano Rivera recorded the last five outs and was on the mound again as the Yankees clinched another title.
The Yankees and Rangers continued to cross paths over the years. The Rangers managed to win the AL West in 2010 with a strong month of September that included a sweep of the Yankees in Texas. They had beaten out the Yankees in the trade deadline by landing prized pitcher Cliff Lee. The Rangers then won their first post-season series with Division Series victory against the Tampa Bay Rays, who won the AL East. The Yankees were the Wild Card entry, but swept the Minnesota Twins to force a showdown in the ALCS. The Rangers blew a 5-0 lead in the last three innings of Game 1 to lose and the nightmares continued, but the Rangers won three straight behind the performances of Colby Lewis, Lee, and Derek Holland. The Yankees defeated C.J. Wilson, who had shifted back into the rotation, to force a Game 6. The Rangers bats came to life in Game 6, and officially clinched the pennant when rookie closer Neftali Feliz caught A-Rod freezing on a curveball for strike three. The Rangers' first World Series trip was short as they lost to the San Francisco Giants in five games, but it introduced the Rangers as a powerhouse. Texas made a huge splash in the off-season by signing veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre, and both the Rangers and Yankees clinched division titles again. The Rangers won the Division Series over the Rays with Beltre hitting three home runs in the deciding game, but any hopes for a rematch ended when the Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers in the Division Series. Texas still knocked off Detroit for their second straight pennant, but their season ended in heartbreak against the Wild Card St. Louis Cardinals. The Rangers and Yankees then entered a state of post-season frustration. The Rangers blew a division lead in the last day of the season in 2012, then lost the inaugural Wild Card Game. The Yankees didn't blow a lead in the division or the Division Series, but was swept by the Tigers. Neither team made the playoffs in 2013 or 2014, with the Rangers losing a tie-break game in the former year against the Rays. The Rangers captured the AL West title again in 2015 and 2016, but lost both years to the Toronto Blue Jays, blowing a 2-0 series lead in the former year. The Yankees were Wild Card entrants in 2015, 2017, and 2018, losing the Wild Card game in '15, the Division Series in '18, and the ALCS in '17. It's now been a decade since the Yankees' last title, but they still have their 27 World Series championships to fall back on. The Rangers don't have that luxury, as they are the oldest franchise that has yet to win a title, a testament to their legacy of failure.
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Twins 11, Indians 3
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Minneapolis, MN
Fans in Minnesota were preparing to watch their Twins take on the Cleveland Indians in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. They were cognizant that this would be the last year of baseball in the Metrodome, as the Twins' new home Target Field was under construction just a mile and a half away. The Metrodome had opened in 1982 and was most notable for its fiberglass fabric roof supported by air pressure, the first of its kind in Major League Baseball. The design of the roof allowed the sound made on the field to reverberate and reflect back onto the field, giving teams a decided advantage. The Twins had used it to their advantage in winning the World Series in 1987 and 1991, during which Minnesota lost only one playoff game at home. It was the last ballpark to open without any consideration for luxury suites, which made it affordable for the average fan, but also frustrated management for stifling profits. Twins owner and billionaire Carl Pohlad, had been wanting a new ballpark since 1994, but it took a whole decade and numerous legislation before the Twins were finally able to secure public financing for a new ballpark to be built. Construction for Target Field finally started in 2007, and were nearing its end by 2009.
The drama involving the Metrodome became a crucial part of the Minnesota Twins during the 1990s and 2000s. The Twins had been in Minnesota since 1961. Major League Baseball had targeted the Minneapolis-St. Paul as a potential site for a team when looking for their first round expansion. However, Washington Senators owner Calvin Griffith was finding his team to be financially untenable in Washington DC and was given permission to move his team to Minnesota, where they became the Minnesota Twins. The Senators had left behind a complicated legacy. They were one of the inaugural teams in the fledgling American League, but were frankly awful. The joke was that the Senators were "first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." The Senators signed a pitcher from Idaho named Walter Johnson in 1907, but the team still lost 102 games that year and 110 two years later. However, the "Big Train" clicked in 1910, and two years later the Senators became pennant contenders, finally winning the World Series in 1924. Washington won additional pennants in 1925 and 1933, but had failed to finish in the first division since finishing fourth in 1946, and eventually their fanbase deserted them in the 1950s. The Twins were warmly welcomed as they played in Metropolitan Stadium, former home of the minor-league Minneapolis Millers. The Twins had a stockpile of talent including slugger Harmon Killebrew, outfielder Tony Oliva, and pitchers Jim Kaat, Jim Perry, and Mudcat Grant. They made the Twins competitive from the start, and powered to 102 wins and the American League pennant in 1965, where they lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They remained competitive, winning the AL West in the first two years of division play. The Twins suffered in the 1970s with the advent of free agency, and moved into the Metrodome when it was completed in 1982. The Twins had managed to stockpile more young talent, led by the gregarious Kirby Puckett, and that sparked a second golden age for the Twins in Minnesota. They won the pennants and then the World Series in both 1987 and 1991, the latter on Jack Morris's, gutsy 10-inning shutout. The success went away just as abruptly, as the Twins continued to suffer due to free agency. Efforts to secure a new ballpark began, but owner Pohlad wanted public financing. Voters in Minneapolis soundly defeated any measures for public financing, and Pohlad threatened to sell the team to owners that would move the Twins to North Carolina, although that fell apart when voters in Greensboro, North Carolina failed to approve a stadium. Eventually commissioner Bud Selig began a proposal to authorize the contraction of two teams. While they were never named, the Twins were rumored to be one of the teams. However, years of losing led to the acquisition of more young talent, and the Twins became competitive again, finishing above .500 in 2001 and winning the American League Central three straight years from 2002-2004 under the leadership of manager Ron Gardenhire. The Twins were also able to secure financing from Hennepin County. They had to jump through several legal hoops, but the Twins were finally getting a new ballpark. The Twins were able to maintain their success, winning the division again in 2006. They lost a tie-break game against the Chicago White Sox in 2008, but were hoping to leave the Metrodome on a high note. Sports Illustrated predicted big things for the team, but the Twins were frustrated by some inconsistent play. They had a losing record of 26-28, but still found themselves in second.
The Cleveland Indians were also trying to find success. They had the distinction of holding the second longest active World Series drought in Major League Baseball, behind only the cursed Chicago Cubs. The Indians were another one of the original American League franchises, and one of the four that had been in the same city their entire tenure. The Indians had went through several name changes in their early years. They were known as the Blues, the Bronchos, and eventually the Naps after their captain and most popular player Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie. They finally adopted the name "Indians" after Lajoie was sold to the Philadelphia Athletics. The reasons for the name adaptation is still unclear, although a popular explanation is to honor Native American baseball legend Louis Sockalexis, who had played for the Cleveland Spiders from 1897-1899. The Indians had some success in their early years, winning the pennant and the World Series in 1920, the same year their popular shortstop Ray Chapman died after getting hit by a Carl Mays pitch. The Indians remained competitive, but got overshadowed by the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Athletics before winning another title in 1948 behind the 31-year-old player-manager Lou Boudreau and their super-rotation of Bob Feller and Bob Lemon. They eventually acquired future 300-game winner Early Wynn, and two-time MVP Hal Newhouser, and that helped them to a franchise-best 111 wins, winning the pennant and ending the Yankees' streak of five straight titles. However, they were swept by the New York Giants, and while they remained competitive for the first few years they eventually fell into second-division purgatory. Their biggest highlight in the 40 years between 1955 and 1994 may have been Early Wynn's 300th win on July 13, 1963. Sports Illustrated thought that the Indians would become good in 1987 and put them on the cover of the baseball preview magazine with the blurb "Believe it! Cleveland is the best team in the American League." The Indians responded by losing 101 games. Cleveland suffered more tragedy in 1993 when their closer Steve Olin and free agent reliever Tim Crews were killed in a boating accident during spring training. The team played the 1993 with a heavy heart, but by then they had a solid young core that included speedy center fielder Kenny Lofton as well as sluggers Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome. They were in playoff position when the strike hit, and erupted in 1995, winning 100 games, and rolling over the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners in the post-season before getting stopped by the Atlanta Braves and their super-rotation. They won another pennant in 1997 and held a lead in the 9th inning of Game 7, but closer Jose Mesa couldn't get the save, and they ended up losing to the upstart Florida Marlins. The Indians remained competitive through 2001, winning the AL Central six out of seven years, but then struggled to remain competitive as their core departed in free agency. They also started getting heat from the Native American community over their use of their logo Chief Wahoo, in use since 1947. The Indians stuck to their logo and stormed to the AL Central title again in 2007. They defeated the Yankees in the Division Series, but blew a 3-1 series lead to the Boston Red Sox in the League Championship Series. The Indians finished at 81-81 in 2008, and a slow start that saw them losing their first five games had them solidly entrenched in last place, even after splitting the first two games in the series.
If anything this game is going to be a big one for Jason Kubel. The outfielder from Palmdale, California was trying to solidify his role on the team. The Twins' biggest names were catcher and two-time batting champion Joe Mauer, 2006 MVP Justin Morneau, and leadoff hitter Denard Span. Kubel was drafted in the 12th round out of high school in 2000. It was a position where players were more likely to wash out in the minors than play in the Major Leagues. He spent two seasons in rookie ball where he put up good numbers but failed to generate much power. The power came as he worked his way up the minor league chain, and jumped all the way to the way to the Major Leagues in 2004. He held his own, and even made it onto the post-season roster. He looked to be the outfielder of the future for the Twins, but he collided with a teammate while playing in the Arizona Fall League that off-season. He ended up suffering extensive ligament damage in his left knee, requiring surgery, and he missed all of the 2005 season. He came back by 2006 and showed some flashes of brilliance, but struggled with his knee as his numbers collapsed in the second half of the season. He came back to hit .272/.335/.461 in 2007 and 2008, numbers that were above average but were far from what was expected, especially for a player that had to spend more time in the designated hitter role than playing in the outfield. The Twins brought out his arbitration years before the 2009 season, and Kubel broke out big time in 2009. He came out swinging, and hit for the cycle on April 17. He was hitting .336/.373/.536 through a 20-1 shellacking of the White Sox on May 21, but he jammed his left-knee and had to come out of the game. He missed three games, and wasn't quite the same upon his return, hitting .185/.313/.222 in the eight games since. Manager Gardenhire still trusted Kubel enough to put him in the clean-up spot for the June 4 game. Indians manager Eric Wedge also submitted his line-up to home-plate umpire Joe West.
Cleveland Indians
RF Ben Francisco
3B Jamey Carroll
C Victor Martinez
LF Shin-Soo Choo
SS Jhonny Peralta
DH Mark DeRosa
1B Chris Gimenez
CF Trevor Corwe
2B Luis Valbuena
P Fausto Carmona
Minnesota Twins
LF Denard Span
DH Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
RF Jason Kubel
3B Joe Crede
SS Brendan Harris
C Mike Redmond
CF Carlos Gomez
2B Matt Tolbert
P Scott Baker
Twins starter Scott Baker had been trying to regain his success that made him a crucial part of the Twins rotation. He had been dealing with injuries and inconsistency since becoming a regular starter in 2007. Baker was born and raised in Shreveport, and performed well enough at Captain Shreve High School to get drafted in the 36th round upon graduation in 2000. He opted not to sign and went instead to Oklahoma State University. He performed well in his three years, and was their staff ace in 2003. That caught the attention of the Minnesota Twins, who made him their second-round draft choice that year. Baker signed shortly afterward, and started his minor league journey by dominating in A-ball. He jumped three levels in 2004 and ended the season pitching with AAA Rochester. He spent most of 2005 in Rochester, but saw action in three separate stints with the Major League club. He pitched well in the Majors in 2005, but wasn't quite as sharp in 2006, as his ERA jumped up to 6.37. He started the season in Rochester in 2007, but was called up in mid-May and became a key part of the rotation. He threw eight scoreless innings and defeated the Indians on August 5. Later that month he took a perfect game all the way to the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals, but walked the leadoff batter and allowed a single two batters later. Baker made the team out of spring training 2008, but missed over a month due to a groin strain. He missed the start of the 2009 season due to shoulder troubles and struggled in his return, allowing 21 runs (all earned) in 20 and 2/3 innings for a 9.15 ERA. He pitched better thereafter, but still had a 6.32 ERA going into the game with an ugly 2-6 record.
The Indians starter Fausto Carmona was also trying to rediscover the magic that turned him into one of baseball's best pitchers in 2007. He was also trying to hide the fact that his real name was Roberto Hernandez Heredia, and that he was 28 years old instead of 25 that he claimed to be. The secret would come out when he was arrested in January 2012, but at that time Carmona was focused more on lowering his ERA, which stood at 6.60 after eleven starts. Carmona was signed by the Indians near the end of 2000 out of the Dominican Republic. He was using the name and the age of a friend. This was a year after the Los Angeles Dodgers was found to have falsified documents related to the age of their top prospect Adrian Beltre, but Carmona was still able to sneak the truth past the Indians and Major League Baseball officials. Carmona went to the Indians baseball academy and pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2001 before making his US debut in 2002. He advanced fairly quickly, and was in AAA Buffalo by 2004. He was brought up to the Majors in 2006. He won his first game with the Indians, but then lost the next two. He was sent back down to AAA before being brought back as a reliever. He pitched better, and was given another shot at starting at the end of the year, but he ended the year 1-10 with a 5.42 ERA. Carmona made the team as a starter after Cliff Lee went down with an injury, and after an initial rough patch, he sparkled down the stretch and went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting. That earned him a four-year $15 million extension, but suffered a hip strain that cost him most of 2008. He was the Indians' number 2 starter, but struggled heavily, having won only two of his first 11 starts.
It was 12:10 Central Time when Baker threw his first pitch to Indians leadoff hitter Ben Francisco. 20,897 tickets were sold, 46% of the Metrodome's capacity. Francisco had been leading off for the Indians for only two games, after spending most of the season hitting in the bottom third. The California native supplies decent power and went 2 for 5 in the Indians win the day before. However, Baker got him to pop up to Twins first baseman Morneau in foul territory. Jamey Carroll bats next. Carroll was drafted by the Montreal Expos out of the University of Evansville in 1996, and toiled in the minors for seven seasons before making his debut with Montreal in 2002. He moved with the team to Washington before getting purchased by the Colorado Rockies. He spent two seasons in Colorado and was part of the Rockies' run to the World Series, and the Indians traded for him after the season. He spent most of 2008 as a table-setter, and had broken out in 2009, hitting .302/.423/.372. However, he couldn't help but strike out. Victor Martinez was the Indians' offensive threat and ranked as one of the top hitting catchers. The Venezuelan backstop had raked since his first full season in 2004, and was a big part of the 2007 team that made it all the way to the ALCS. He was off to his strongest start, going .352/.425/.567 with nine home runs amidst the Indians' poor start. He wasn't able to get anything started, hitting a weak liner back to Baker.
The Twins were ready to take their hacks against the man they thought was Fausto Carmona. Denard Span led off, as he had been doing for most of his games since coming up in 2008. Span was the Twins' first-round draft pick in 2002, but he spent six seasons playing in the minors before finally making it into the Major Leagues. He had good stolen base numbers and a tremendous on-base percentages, but he was held down by a distinct lack of power. Span had been making moves since then, and had a .395 on-base percentage, which he boosted by working Carmona for a leadoff walk. Up next was Joe Mauer, the Twins catcher and hometown hero and the best hitter in the American League thus far in 2009. Mauer was born and raised in St. Paul. He was a star with Cretin-Derham Hall High and had helped the US Junior National Team to a gold medal at the world tournament in 1999. The Twins had the worst record in the American League in 2000, and they held the number one draft-pick for 2001 back when the number one pick alternated between the American and National Leagues. Even though most people viewed pitcher Mark Prior as the top draft prospect, the Twins went with Mauer. They wouldn't regret it as Mauer would hit in every minor league level he played in, and he was in the Majors by 2004. He led the American League in hitting in 2006 when the Twins won the AL Central. He would repeat the feat in 2008 while also winning a Gold Glove for his defense. And he was having his best year thus far in 2009, hitting .425/.508/.849 and also contributing with 12 home runs, just one off from his career high. And Mauer showed off that batting eye with another walk. That brought up Justin Morneau. Morneau played baseball and hockey and basketball growing up in British Columbia. He ultimately decided to focus on baseball when the Twins drafted him in the third round in 1999. He showed plenty of promise with his bat, and was playing in the Majors by 2003. He struggled in his first few seasons hitting .248/.313/.461 but with 45 home runs from 2003 to 2005. He broke out in a big way in 2006. He struggled in April and was still hitting .208 by the end of April, but he began heating up and finished the season hitting .321/.375/.559 with 34 home runs as the Twins took home the AL Central. He ended up winning the MVP narrowly over the Yankees' Derek Jeter. Morneau continued to rake and had a second place finish in MVP voting in 2008. He was off to another solid start and was hitting .338/.414/.632, and he gave the Twins a 1-0 lead with a single.
Up next was Kubel, who was wanting to put his recent struggles behind him. With no outs and runners on first and second, he was hoping for another base hit to add to the lead. Instead he took hold of a Carmona pitch and pounded it over the center field fence for a three-run home run and the Twins had a 4-0 lead. Joe Crede came up to bat with the bases empty. The longtime Chicago White Sox put himself in White Sox history with two home runs in the sweep against the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series. He became a free agent after the 2008 season and signed a contract with the Twins. He was providing strong defense at third base, but his bat left more to be desired, and he flied to center field. Brendan Harris was traded three times from 2004 to 2007 as he played for the five teams before landing in Minnesota as part of the trade that also brought Delmon Young to the Twins for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza. He finally found a home as a super-utilityman that can play second, third, and shortstop, and was starting to contribute with the bat as well. He lifted a long fly ball that bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. That led to Mike Redmond, who had the thankless task as being the back-up catcher. He had starts mostly on days when Mauer was playing at designated hitter. Redmond had played a similar role with the Florida Marlins and had won a World Series in 2003 when he backed up Ivan Rodriguez. He had been with the Twins since 2005 and was a consummate professional. However, he grounded a ball to third and Harris had to stay at second. Carlos Gomez took his turn. The Dominican outfielder got his start with the New York Mets. He played one season in New York before getting included in the trade that sent longtime Twins ace Johan Santana to the Mets. Gomez had the most Major League experience of all four players the Twins got, and he performed well in the 2008 season. However, his bat took a step back in 2009, and he lifted a fly ball to center to end the inning.
Scott Baker had a 4-0 lead as he went to face the Indians in the second inning. Choo was signed out of high school in Korea by the Seattle Mariners. He spent five seasons in the minor leagues where he became noted for his exceptional batting eye and high on-base percentages. The Mariners called him up in 2005 where he became just the second Korean positional player to make the Majors, but Choo struggled, getting only one hit in 18 at-bats. He played only six games in Seattle in 2006 before they sent him to Cleveland for Ben Broussard. He continued to go up and down the minors before he broke out in 2008, hitting .309/.397/.549. He was off to another strong start in 2009, but struck out against Baker. Jhonny Peralta was signed by the Indians out of the Dominican Republic in 1999. He made his Major League debut in 2003, but continued to spend plenty of time in the minors until he was given a chance to play every day in 2005. He made the most of it, and contributed with a strong glove to go with above-average offense. He played a big role in the 2007 playoff run, but he was struggling with his bat in 2009. And he grounded out to third. That would bring up Mark DeRosa, the veteran infielder the Indians traded for in the off-season, giving up a trio of minor leaguers including Chris Archer. DeRosa had several solid seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs. He blasted Baker for several foul balls, but struck out on the eighth pitch.
The Twins' number nine hitter Matt Tolbert led off the second. Tolbert made his Major League debut in 2008 after four seasons in the minors. He was a useful utility-man during his two stints with the Big League club. He started the 2009 season with AAA Rochester, but was recalled when the Twins were unhappy with Alexi Casilla's uninspired play. Tolbert struggled with the bat, and was hitting below the Mendoza Line. His fly ball to center didn't help matters. Carmona was facing the Twins lineup the second time around, and got Span to ground out. However, Joe Mauer lined a single to left, and then Justin Morneau walked. That brought up Jason Kubel, whose three-run home run was the big blow in the first inning. Carmona worked carefully to Kubel, but fell behind 3-1. He was forced to throw a strike, and Kubel blasted it over the wall for another three-run home run. Crede struck out, but the Twins now had a 7-0 lead after two innings, and the Indians hadn't gone over their lineup once.
Chris Gimenez led off the third inning. He had made his Major League debut a day earlier as a defensive replacement for Victor Martinez in Cleveland's 10-1 win. Gimenez was drafted in the 19th round of the 2004 draft out of the University of Nevada in Reno. He spent two seasons with the Lake County Captains in A ball showing some power and the ability to play all around the field including catcher. He took a big step forward with high-A Kinston Indians in 2007, and made it to AAA Buffalo a year later. He moved to the Columbus Clippers when they joined affiliation with Cleveland, and he got called up to the Majors when Grady Sizemore went on the Disabled List for elbow inflammation. Gimenez sat on the bench in the first two games, and only played the field in his debut. Now he was taking his first swings in the Major Leagues, but ended up striking out. That brought up another rookie, Trevor Crowe. Crowe had been more heralded, as he was the Indians' first-round draft pick in 2005. He struggled with his bat in A-ball, but took a big step offensively in 2006. He was set to start the season with AAA Columbus, but an injury to David Dellucci forced the Indians to add Crowe to the Opening Day roster. He played sparingly but struggled with his bat, and was sent back down to Columbus before getting recalled in May. He was still hitting only .171/.261/.220, and was caught looking for the second out. And finally came the Indians' ninth man, Luis Valbuena. On December 6, 2018, Valbuena would become the first Major League player that played a game on this day to lose his life. He was riding in a car with winter league teammate and former Pirates outfielder Jose Castillo when the driver swerved to avoid an object located in the middle of the road. The car crashed into a rock, killing both Valbuena and Castillo and the driver. The incident turned out to have been orchestrated by bandits which robbed both players. Nine and a half years before that tragic day, Valbuena was a rookie infielder trying to make it in the Majors. He was signed out of Venezuela by the Seattle Mariners in 2002. He made his stateside debut in 2005. He played three games in AAA Tacoma that year, but didn't make it to the Majors until September 2008. He made little impact, and went to Cleveland as part of the three-team deal with the New York Mets involving J.J. Putz, Sean Green, and Jeremy Reed. Valbuena started the season in AAA Columbus, but he dominated and was called up in May. The successes in AAA didn't translate to success in the Majors, but he worked a walk to end Baker's perfect-game bid. However, Francisco flied out to end the inning.
Indians manager Eric Wedge went to the bullpen early, as he brought in Tomokazu Ohka for the bottom of the third inning. Ohka was a reliever with the Yokohama Bay Stars in Nippon Professional Baseball, but he was eventually converted to a starter when he arrived to Major League Baseball in 1999. He worked almost exclusively in the starting rotation from 2000 to 2007 when he played for five different teams. He spent all of 2008 with AAA Charlotte in the Chicago White Sox organization, and then signed a contract with the Cleveland Indians that off-season. He was assigned to AAA Columbus, but the Indians' early season struggles led to Ohka getting recalled in the end of May. He pitched five innings in a long relief role on May 30, and was now tasked to do the same. He began to get outs that Carmona couldn't, getting Harris and Redmond to ground out to Indians shortstop Peralta. Carlos Gomez lined a single to center, but then Tolbert popped to Peralta. Baker continued to stifle the Indians hitters. Carroll was called out on strikes, then Martinez popped out, and Choo grounded out. Ohka went for his second inning of work, getting Span to fly to center, then Mauer grounded out. Justin Morneau worked a full-count walk, but Ohka finally retired Kubel after seven pitches, when he grounded out to first.
The game moved into the fifth innings, and the Indians were still without a hit. Peralta couldn't get it done, lining out to short. However, Mark DeRosa grabbed hold of Baker's first pitch and lifted it to right field. It fell for a hit and DeRosa raced around to second with a double. However, Baker calmly retired Gimenez on a ground ball while DeRosa held at second, and then Crowe struck out. Ohka came out for the fifth inning. Joe Crede grounded a single up the middle to lead off the inning. However, he watched helplessly from first base as Ohka got to full counts against Harris and Redmond, but got Harris to pop up, then Redmond flied to center. Gomez popped up to end the inning. Baker had been dealing as the game went into the sixth, but Valbuena hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the center field fence. Baker reached back and struck out Francisco, but then Carroll singled. Valbuena came all the way around to score and the Indians were on the board. Martinez grounded to second on the first pitch, but Carroll was on the move and the only play was at first. Choo was next, and he hit a sizzling grounder up the middle. Baker deflected it off his elbow and it went to Twins shortstop Harris. However, Harris threw it away and Carroll was able to come around to score while Choo was safe at first. Choo stole second as Baker was working to Peralta, but Peralta struck out to end the inning. Ohka went for his fourth inning of work. Tolbert grounded out to start the inning. However, Denard Span blasted a home run to deep right field, only his fourth home run. Joe Mauer followed with a single, and then Justin Morneau homered of his own on Ohka's first pitch. Jason Kubel followed with a double for his third hit of the day. Ohka was in trouble, but then he got Crede to fly to center. Kubel was able to tag and go to third, but he couldn't get home as Harris grounded out.
Baker came out for the seventh inning. DeRosa struck out for Baker's tenth strikeout of the day. Up next was the rookie Chris Gimenez, making only his third plate appearance. Baker threw a ball and a strike, but then left a hittable pitch that Gimenez was able to take and drive to deep left-center field. It flew over the wall and Gimenez had his first hit and his first home run. Trevor Crowe followed with a single, but Valbuena and Francisco both flied out and the inning was over. Ohka pitched the seventh inning, but in the meanwhile manager Wedge made some defensive changes. Carroll left the game, while Peralta and Valbuena both moved counter-clockwise to play third and shortstop respectively. Josh Barfield came in to play second base. Barfield is the son of former Blue Jays and Yankees All-Star outfielder Jesse Barfield. Josh followed his father into baseball, but never with as much success. He had been with the Indians since 2007 but could never find consistent playing time. He stood at second and watched as Ohka retired Redmond and Gomez on fly balls, while Tolbert grounded to first. Scott Baker had 106 pitches through seven innings, and Twins manager Gardenhire went to the bullpen, calling on lefty Sean Henn. Henn was drafted by the New York Yankees out of McLennan Community College in Waco and found himself in the Major Leagues by 2005 as the Yankees struggled with injuries to their rotation. He was never able to stick either in the rotation or in the bullpen, and let him go to the Padres via waivers. He became a free agent that year, and the Twins signed him to a minor league contract. He started the season as a reliever with AAA Rochester, and received a call-up in mid-May. He allowed two runs in his first appearance, but then had five scoreless opportunities. He was given a chance to make it six and made the most of it, striking out Barfield and Martinez. Choo grounded out to second to end the inning.
Wedge made another change of his own for the bottom of the eighth. Jensen Lewis came in to end Ohka's five innings of work. Lewis had been a crucial part of the Indians bullpen since his Major League debut. He struggled in the first two months of the 2009 season, with a 5.33 ERA in 21 games. Meanwhile Gimenez showed his versatility by moving from first base to catcher, giving Victor Martinez the rest of the night off. The Indians' regular first baseman Ryan Garko came out to handle first base. Lewis got Span to ground out to Garko, but then the heart of the Twins order came to do damage again. Joe Mauer singled, and then Justin Morneau doubled, with Mauer holding at first. Wedge decided to make use of the open base and ordered an intentional walk on Jason Kubel instead of giving him a chance for three three-run home runs. Joe Crede lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Mauer, but then Harris struck out. The Indians had one more opportunity, but it would come against Sean Henn. Henn got Peralta to ground out and DeRosa to pop up and the Indians were down to their last out. Chris Gimenez came up as Cleveland's last hope. He came through, lining a single to center field. Henn followed by walking Trevor Crowe. Luis Valbuena came up with a chance to keep the inning alive, but he went down swinging and the Twins had themselves an easy victory.
The game took two hours and 40 minutes to complete, and moved the Twins to 27-28, while the Indians sank further into last place with a 23-33 record. The Indians continued to tumble, going 9-18 in the month of June. Their play eventually stabilized and they were almost respectable in July and August. They went 42-64 after June 4, and all that did was help them move into fourth place, and they would finish at 65-97. The Twins continue to struggle to find consistency, going .500 in both July and August. They would start heating up in September, putting up winning streaks of six games and five games. They ended the season on a four-game winning streak, and that led them to end in a tie with the Tigers for the top of the AL Central. They played a bitterly-fought tie-break game that was a see-saw affair until the Twins finally walked off on a single by Alexi Casilla, the same play whose listless play led to Matt Tolbert making the Majors. The Twins had went 60-48 to finish at 87-76. They ended up getting swept by the New York Yankees, continuing their streak of futility against the Evil Empires. Joe Mauer ended the season hitting .365/.444/.587 with 28 home runs and was named the American League MVP. Jason Kubel had also finished strong, going .300/.369/.539 also with 28 home runs but he finished 24th, two spots behind Victor Martinez, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline. The Twins won another division title in 2010, but once again they were swept by the Yankees. Then they collapsed, finishing in last place four out of the six seasons between 2011 and 2016. They made it to the playoffs as the second Wild Card team in 2017, but once again lost to the Yankees. On September 2, 2018 they were kicked around and lost 18-4 to the Texas Rangers. In their desperation they sent their first baseman to the mound when he allowed five runs on six hits in his one inning of work. However, during the Twins half he homered, becoming the first Twins pitcher to hit a home run since the advent of the DH rule. That player was none other than Chris Gimenez. The Indians went through several more mediocre years before hiring Terry Francona for the 2013 season. They improved by 24 games and made the playoffs as the first Wild Card team. Three years later they won the division title and made it all the way to the seventh game against the World Series, where they would fall in ten innings to the cursed Chicago Cubs. They won the division the two years afterwards, including a 102-win season in 2017 that saw them record a 22-game winning streak. However, they were unable to advance past the Division Series in either year.
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Athletics 7, White Sox 0
U.S. Cellular Field
Chicago, IL
The Chicago White Sox prepared to host the final game of the four-game series against visiting Oakland Athletics in their home ballpark U.S. Cellular Field. The ballpark originally opened as Comiskey Park in 1991. It served to replace the White Sox's decrepit old ballpark, also known as Comiskey Park, which had been the White Sox's home since 1910, making it the oldest baseball stadium still in use in the 1990s. The ballpark saved the White Sox from moving to Florida, as owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn wer threatening, but it was outdated as soon as it opened, as it took design elements from the old ballpark instead of some of the retro stadiums that would open in the years to come. It featured one of the highest upper decks which limited its number of obstructed views but also put fans further away from the action. A few rounds of renovations had spruced it up, but it still ranks near the bottom of most stadium rankings. It shared the name as its predecessor until 2003 when U.S. Cellular brought naming rights.
The ballpark might not have been so had the team been better, but the Chicago White Sox has had one of the dreariest histories of any American League franchise. The White Sox was originally a member of the Western League, the precursor to the American League. The team was owned by Charles Comiskey, a former player-manager with the St. Louis Browns of the American Association and the namesake of ballparks for almost 100 years. The team made the jump with the American League, and was instantly a success, winning the first ever American League pennant. They won it again five years later, and despite an anemic offense that gave them the nickname the "Hitless Wonders," the scrappy White Sox still defeated their cross-town counterparts the Cubs in the World Series, largely behind the pitching led by Big Ed Walsh. The White Sox remained competitive into the 1910s, winning the pennant the World Series for a second time in 1917, but the players began chafing under the avaricious nature of their owner. They were paid less than counterparts and had to launder their own uniforms, which led to players wearing dirty uniforms, giving the team the nickname "Black Sox." While the White Sox was cruising to another pennant in 1919, a group of players were having meetings with gamblers regarding the possibility of throwing the World Series. The meetings were attended by some of Chicago's biggest stars, including ace pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Lefty Williams, third baseman Buck Weaver, and outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson. Questions were raised when the favored White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds in eight games. A grand jury was eventually formed and the players were indicted, during which the White Sox lost a close pennant race with the Indians. The players were acquitted of all counts, but the newly appointed Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis went ahead and banned all eight players, even Weaver who insisted to his dying days that he attended meetings but never took part in the fix. That sent the White Sox into 30 years of futility where they finished no higher than third, even despite the presence of stars Luke Appling and Ted Lyons. Chicago regained its competitiveness in the 1950s with the arrival of men like Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, and future 300-game-winner Early Wynn. They often finished behind the New York Yankees, but managed to capture their first pennant in 30 years in 1959, but they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The White Sox remained contenders in the 1960s and 1970s, but failed to taste the post-season until 1983, and even then they lost the American League Championship Series. Tom Seaver won his 300th game with Chicago on August 4, 1985, that was the only high point between 1983 and 1993 when the White Sox won another division, behind the slugging MVP Frank Thomas. The World Series drought eventually passed 80 years as baseball entered the 21st century. The White Sox watched as the baseball world celebrated the Boston Red Sox for bursting their streak in 2004, then they went out and did the same in 2005. With the demons of the Black Sox exorcised, the White Sox won another division title in 2008, but lost the Division Series to the shocking Tampa Bay Rays. They were hoping for another post-season run in 2009, but they found themselves tied for second with a 25-27 record.
Their opponents the Oakland Athletics had the post-season success that the White Sox lacked, but did not have the stability. The A's began play as the Philadelphia Athletics, under the direction of owner/manager Cornelius McGillicuddy, known to the baseball world as Connie Mack. They were an inaugural team with the American League, and won the pennant in 1902. They won another in 1905, but lost the World Series to the New York Giants, who dominated the Mackmen with pitching. Mack eventually developed strong starting pitching of his own, led by 300-game winner Eddie Plank. They won four pennants from 1910-1914, including three World Series titles. However, the arrival of the Federal League in 1914 led to the departure of several key players, and the A's went 36-117 in 1916, a .235 winning percentage still the lowest in modern history. The A's remained perennial losers until 1925, which saw the arrival of a new set of superstars in Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and future 300-game winner Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove. It took a few years before the A's were able to break through the Yankees domination, but they did just that, winning 313 games between 1929-1931, capturing pennants all three years and World Series titles in the first two. The A's remained competitive for a few years, but with the onset of the Great Depression, Mack eventually dismantled the team, and they never really recovered. As Mack faded from the scene, his sons eventually began a power struggle, one that eventually led to the sale of the A's to Arnold Johnson, who owned the Kansas City Blues minor league team. Johnson went and moved the Athletics to Kansas City, where they played in the former ballpark of the Blues. During this time the A's functioned almost like a farm team for the Yankees, trading several key young players to New York. The A's never won more than 73 games during the Johnson Era, which ended when the owner died of a stroke. The team was purchased with Charles O. Finley, who severed the relationship with the Yankees and devoted resources to player development, but also had quirky gimmicks including the purchase of Charle-O the mule. He was also looking to move the team to a more profitable location before finally settling on Oakland, which happened prior to the 1968 season. By then the A's were stocked with young talent, including Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Bert Campaneris, Vida Blue, and the charismatic slugger Reggie Jackson. The team banded together in their hatred of Charlie O. and won five straight division titles from 1971-1975, three straight pennants from 1972-1974, and three straight World Series. The onset of free agency led to the A's being gutted and falling out of contention, but another superteam rose from the ashes of the old one, one built on power. Led by the Bash Brothers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire as well as lawyer-manager Tony LaRussa, the A's bludgeoned teams into submission, winning three straight pennants from 1988-1990, but only one title in 1989. The small-market A's were unable to sustain the team financially, and that led to another fallow period. However, the A's were led by Sandy Alderson and his protege Billy Beane, both of whom relied on market inefficiencies to build winning teams for lost cost. The philosophy was eventually made into a book by Michael Lewis, Moneyball, later adapted to a Best Picture-nominated motion picture. The A's made the playoffs five times from 2000-2006, never finishing below .500. They went through rare losing seasons and 2007 and 2008 and were 21-30 even after winning twice against Chicago.
The White Sox were eager to avoid a series loss and earn a split in the four-game series, and to aid them in that quest they called up Gordon Beckham, their #1 prospect as rated by Baseball America. Beckham was Chicago's first-round draft pick the year before out of the University of Georgia. Beckham was born and raised in Atlanta, playing football and baseball in high school. He went undrafted and went on to college ball. He starred at shortstop as a freshman and helped the Bulldogs get to the College World Series. He did it again in 2008, a year when he led all of NCAA college baseball in home runs. He was named the player of the year for the SEC, and was a finalist for the Golden Spikes award, given for the best amateur player. He ultimately lost to Florida State's Buster Posey, but he was still one of the most touted players in the draft. The White Sox held the number eight pick in the draft that year and used it on Beckham. He signed after some intense negotiations, but still found time to get in 14 games at A-ball Kannapolis, when he continued to tear up pitching, hitting .310/.365/.500 with three home runs. Beckham was invited to Major League camp in spring training after a successful stint in the Arizona Fall League, but he was ultimately assigned to AA Birmingham. He continued to play well, but he was shifted in the infield to third base, as the starting third baseman Josh Fields was not getting things done with the glove or with the bat. Beckham was eventually promoted to AAA Charlotte, where he hit an otherworldly .464/.448/.679. With Fields hitting .244/.309/.331, the White Sox decided that it was time to introduce Beckham to Major League competition. Beckham got the call, with Wilson Betemit getting designated for assignment. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen put the young rookie at the eighth spot in the lineup. Meanwhile, Oakland manager Bob Geren also made up his lineup for home plate umpire Dan Bellino.
Oakland Athletics
SS Orlando Cabrera
2B Adam Kennedy
LF Matt Holliday
DH Jason Giambi
C Kurt Suzuki
1B Bobby Crosby
RF Aaron Cunningham
CF Rajai Davis
3B Gregorio Petit
P Brett Anderson
Chicago White Sox
LF Scott Podsednik
SS Alexei Ramirez
RF Jermaine Dye
1B Paul Konerko
C A.J. Pierzynski
DH Josh Fields
CF Dewayne Wise
3B Gordon Beckham
2B Jayson Nix
P Mark Buehrle
White Sox start Mark Buehrle was a grizzled veteran and the last link to the super-rotation that helped the White Sox to the 2005 World Series. He was born and raised in St. Charles, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. He played baseball in high school, but failed to make the varsity team in his first two years of high school. He was close to giving out, but finally gave it another go and made the team. He was recruited to Jefferson College in nearby Hillsboro, and played with them for one year before the Chicago White Sox picked him in the 38th round of the 1998 draft. At the time the draft-and-follow rule was still in effect and Buehrle went and pitched another year at Jefferson. He became an ace and the White Sox offered a contract, which he signed. Buehrle was dispatched to A-ball in Burlington, where he held his own for a 20-year-old facing older competition. He was brought up to AA Birmingham and was even better, posting an 8-4 record with a 2.28 ERA. The White Sox brought him up in July where he primarily pitched out of the bullpen. He shined amidst one of the most offensive-heavy periods and made the post-season roster after the White Sox won the American League Central. A year later he made the team out of spring training and was inserted into the starting rotation. He was solid, going 16-8 with a 3.29 ERA, and he became Chicago's Opening Day starter in 2002, a role he held every year except 2007. He had a solid year in 2005, replicating his 16-8 record and posting a career-low 3.12 ERA, as the White Sox won 99 games and the Central division. He scuffled in his Division Series start but still hung on for the win. Then he started Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after the White Sox had lost Game 1, and tossed a complete game victory. The other Chicago starters took his lead to send the White Sox to their first World Series since 1959. Buerhle did not pitch well in his Game 2 start in the World Series, but came out of the bullpen two days later in the bottom of the 14th and retired the last batter for the save. Chicago would win the title the next night. Buehrle was uncharacteristically awful in 2006 with a 4.99 ERA, but came back to shine in 2007, the same year he won his 100th game and also pitched a no-hitter. He was still the workhorse in the rotation even at the age of 30, and he was 6-1 with a 2.71 ERA.
Meanwhile the Athletics were turning their hopes to a 21-year-old rookie making his 10th career start, the fourth straight rookie starter the team was throwing out, following Trevor Cahill, Vin Mazzaro, and Josh Outman. Brett Anderson was born in Midland, Texas, close to where his father Frank was coaching at Howard College in Big Spring, Texas. The Anderson family eventually went on to Stillwater, Oklahoma when Frank accepted the position as head coach at Oklahoma State. Brett was a dominating starter with Stillwater High. He pitched on the US Under-18 National Team and also played in the Connie Mack World Series for 18 and under players. Anderson was preparing to go to Oklahona State to pitch for his father, but the Arizona Diamondbacks changed those plans when they drafted Brett in the second round of the 2006 draft. They went through some intense negotiations before Brett finally signed on September 1. He made his minor league debut in 2007 when he pitched very well with A-ball South Bend, and decently in high-A Visalia. He was preparing for another minor league season when he found out he was one of six players the Diamondbacks were sending to Oakland for starter Dan Haren. Anderson spent another year in high-A ball with the A's affiliate at Stockton before dominating upon his return to his birthplace in AA ball. Anderson shined in spring training, and made the Opening Day roster as the fourth starter. He went through some growing pains and was 2-5 with a 5.70 ERA, but he was still very much an important part of Oakland's future.
It was 1:07pm Central Daylight Time when Buehrle threw his first pitch to the veteran Orlando Cabrera. An announced crowd of 18,219 was present, just below 45% of the stadium's capacity. Cabrera was a familiar figure to the Chicago White Sox, having been their starting shortstop in 2008, but signed with Oakland as a free agent in early March. He was just one of two Major League players from Colombia, joining San Francisco Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria. He played most of his career with the Montreal Expos, the team who had signed him in 1993, but became an important part of the curse-breaking Boston Red Sox team in 2004. The former Gold Glover was starting to lose his step with the glove, but he was still solid offensively, although he started by flying to center. That brings up Adam Kennedy, the longtime member of the Anaheim Angels that had been with the Oakland for less than a month after they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays where he spent the season thus far playing with AAA Durham. It was a stark fall from grace for the player that had once hit three home runs in a game, which he did in Game 5 of the 2002 ALCS with the Angels, a performance that helped him win the ALCS MVP. Kennedy had sparkled with Oakland, and was hitting .348/.429/.554, but he also flied to center.
Oakland hoped Matt Holliday could deliver a spark. He had been their big off-season acquisition. The Stillwalter, Oklahoma native had been phenomenal with the Colorado Rockies, the team that drafted him in 1998 and brought him up in 2004. In five years in Denver he had hit .319/.386/.552 with 128 home runs. He finished second in MVP voting in 2007, and the same year he was the NLCS MVP. However, he was traded to Oakland shortly after the 2008 season came to an end. He got off to a rough start in April, but his bat started heating up in May, and he grounded a ball past the rookie third baseman Beckham that went for a single. Up next was Jason Giambi, the prodigal son for the A's that is back after seven difficult years in New York. The A's originally drafted Giambi out of California State Long Beach in the second round of the 1992 draft, and he made his debut with them on May 8, 1995. He broke out offensively in 1997, and by 1999 he established himself as a power hitter that can draw walks. He hit 43 home runs with 137 walks while hitting .333/.476/.647 and won the MVP award as Oakland won the AL West. His slashline improved in, but his home run totals fell to 38, and he finished second in MVP voting to rookie sensation Ichiro. That off-season he signed a 7-year, $120-million contract with the Yankees where he continued his offensive production, but became prone to slumps as the Yankees never won a title. He was also embroiled in the BALCO scandal where he was implicated as a steroid user, which he admitted to. His bat fell off after 2007 and the Yankees let him go after his contract expired. He resigned with Oakland, but he was a shadow of his former self, hitting .219/.356/.379 but with 32 walks. He flied to right to end the inning.
The White Sox led off their half of the first with their leadoff man, Scott Podsednik. Podsednik was back in Chicago after an ill-fated year in Colorado. The native of West, Texas (which is located in central Texas between Dallas and Austin despite its name) became a hero to White Sox fans when he was the sparkplug for the 2005 team that won the World Series. Chicago had acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers after he led the National League with 70 stolen bases the year before. He hit .290/.351/.349 with 59 steals. He notoriously went the whole season without a home run a year after hitting 12, but blasted two in the post-season, including a walk-off in Game 2 of the World Series against the Houston Astros. He didn't have the same speed as he did in the past, but he was hitting .295/.339/.375. And he led off beating out an infield single on a Baltimore Chop, then stole second base as Anderson was pitching to Alexei Ramirez. It was a hit and run that Ramirez swung and missed, but Oakland catcher Suzuki's throw was off-line, allowing Podsednik to steal his fifth bag of the season. Ramirez was a star in Cuba and had played for them in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He defected in 2007 and signed with the White Sox. He had a successful season and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, but his bat took a step back in 2009 as he was hitting .249/.297/.328. He grounded a comebacker that Anderson snagged and threw to first for a walk.
Up next were the two post-season heroes of Chicago's World Series run. Jermaine Dye was the World Series MVP when he hit .438/.526/.688 and led the team in hits. He was spending his first season in Chicago after spending three and a half seasons in Oakland where he struggled with injuries. The native of Vacaville outside of Sacramento had previously played in the 1996 World Series with the Atlanta Braves, but he didn't blossom with his bat until after a trade to the Kansas City Royals. Dye was nearing the end of his career, but he still hit .284/.344/.563 with 14 home runs. However, he was caught looking on an inside pitch. That brought up the 2005 ALCS MVP Paul Konerko. Konerko was a super prospect with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had drafted him out of high school in Scottsdale, Arizona in the first round in 1994. He came up with the Dodgers in 1997, then played with rookie Adrian Beltre a year later, but his bat never developed and Los Angeles traded him to the Cincinnati Reds. He continued to struggle offensively, and the Reds traded him to Chicago for Mike Cameron. He started hitting almost immediately and became a star, already ranking in the top ten in franchise history in hits, doubles, RBIs, runs scored, bases on balls, and was already second in home runs behind future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas. He was still strong, hitting .297/.353/.476, but he grounded to third to strand Podsednik at second.
The A's led off the second with their catcher, Kurt Kiyoshi Suzuki. Suzuki was born in Hawaii to a family of Japanese descent, and went on to California State University Fullerton. Cal State Fullerton is a baseball powerhouse, and Suzuki helped add to the mystique by helping the team to two College World Series appearances, helping them to a title in the latter year. He won the Johnny Bench Award as the top collegiate catcher, and also the Brooks Wallace Award as the most outstanding player. The A's drafted him in the second round in 2004 and he made his Major League debut by June 12, 2007. He started his career backing up Jason Kendall before taking over as the starter a later that year. He was solid defensively and could hold his own with the bat. However, he grounded out to the pitcher Buehrle. Next up was Bobby Crosby. The son of former 1970s infielder Ed Crosby, Bobby was a Rookie of the Year winner back in 2004 when he blasted 22 home runs despite a weak .239/.319/.426 slashline. His numbers improved in 2005, but struggled with injuries, and his bat fell off. He was trying to remain in the starting lineup, but his .205/.312/.316 made it difficult to justify, and he popped up right above the pitcher's mound, where first baseman Konerko made the catch.
Buehrle next went to work on rookie Aaron Cunningham, who was playing in only his 33rd career game. He was actually the White Sox's 6th round draft pick in 2005 out of Everett Community College in Washington State. Chicago traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who in turn traded him to Oakland for Dan Haren in 2007. Cunningham made his Major League debut on August 31, 2008 and played in 22 games. He was called back up in May 2009 and had gotten in 10, mostly as a defensive replacement but he was starting his sixth straight game. And he walked on four pitches. Buehrle was frustrated with the call, but kept his cool while working to the speedy Rajai Davis. The A's picked Davis from waivers in April 2008 after he had gone 1 for 18 with the San Francisco Giants. Davis had already played with the Pittsburgh Pirates who had drafted him in the 38th round of the 2001 draft. He became a revelation with Oakland, hitting .260/.288/.372 but with 25 stolen bases in 31 attempts. He had struggled in 2009 and was hitting .182/.250/.182 and had been caught stealing three times with six stolen bases. He took Buehrle to a nine-pitch battle before getting called out on an inside fastball he felt was strike three.
The White Sox were hoping to draw first blood as A.J. Pierzynski led off the bottom of the second. The veteran catcher had been a fan favorite since signing with Chicago early in 2005, primarily from his heads up play in Game 2 of the ALCS. The game was tied the 9th inning when struck out swinging, but he raced to first when the home plate umpire did not make the out call because the ball allegedly touched the ground. Chicago would rally to win the game then the Series. His outspoken personality made him as unpopular with players as he is with fans, but the White Sox couldn't argue with his bat, as he was hitting .299/.333/.448 from the catcher's position. And he brought his batting average above .300 by grounding a single past the diving first baseman Crosby. The White Sox hoped Josh Fields could get his bat going and get the run over. Fields had been Chicago's first round draft pick in 2004 out of Oklahoma State University, where he played for Frank Anderson. Fields advanced quickly up the minor league chain and was in the Majors by September 2006. He had a decent season in 2007 with 23 home runs and picked up a Rookie of the Year vote, but Fields regressed in 2008 and spent most of the season with AAA Charlotte. He was hitting a disappointing .244/.309/.331 which led to Beckham's call-up, and he hit a slicing fly ball that right fielder Cunningham was still able to run down.
The next batter was Dewayne Wise, a defensive specialist whose bat was suspect. He had come to Chicago prior to the 2008 season after spending time with five different organizations and spent more time in the minors than the Majors. He was installed as the center fielder on Opening Day, but missed six weeks after separating his shoulder on an amazing catch. He was playing in only his seventh game since he return, and was still looking for his first hit, and his slashline was sitting at .161/.188/.161. Anderson hit him in the sides, putting a runner in scoring position for the young rookie Gordon Beckham making his first Major League plate appearance. Beckham took the count to 2-2, and then grounded a pitch to third baseman Gregorio Petit. Petit threw to second to go for a 5-4-3, but Beckham beat out the relay throw at first, and he got himself on base for Jayson Nix. Nix was still relatively new to the Majors Leagues. He was the younger brother of Laynce Nix of the Cincinnati Reds and was drafted out of high school in Midland, Texas by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of 2001. Nix would struggle to advance up the minor league chain but finally made the Majors in 2008. He played in only 22 games before getting sent to the minors after getting designated for assignment. He ended up playing with the US Olympics team in Beijing and won a bronze medal. He was a free agent at the end of the season and signed with Chicago. He started the season in the minors but was called up in May, and he was still playing in his 44th career game. And he ended the inning by hitting a comebacker to Anderson.
It was the top of the third inning when the A's finally gave their number nine hitter a chance to hit. Gregorio Petit was signed by Oakland out of Venezuela at the age of 16 in 2001. He didn't make his stateside debut until 2003 and advanced up the ladder at a rate of one stage per year until 2007, when he made the jump to AAA Sacramento after hitting .306/.366/.403 with AA Midland. He made his Major League debut on May 18, 2008, but spent most of the season in Sacramento. He started the season in the minors again in 2009 before getting two callups in May. He had three hits in his first game, but his bat slowed down, and now in his ninth game he was hitting only .261/.261/.304 and was playing only because of soreness by the regular second baseman Jack Hannahan. Petit lined a single up the middle, bringing the top of the order back up. Buehrle showed off his defense by snaring a low hard line drive up the middle. It happened so quickly Petit didn't have time to go back to first and Buehrle threw over for the double play. Kennedy hit a grounder to shortstop Ramirez and the inning was over. The White Sox sent the top of their order in their half of the third. Podsednik led off with a fly ball to center. Alexei Ramirez followed with a line drive that fell into right field for a single. However the Athletics got a double play of their own to erase the runner when Dye hit a comebacker. Anderson grabbed the ball above the ball and threw over for the 1-6-3 double play.
The game was still scoreless going into the fourth, but Matt Holliday led off by hitting a sharp grounder up the third base line. The rookie third baseman Beckham could only lunge at it as it went into the left field corner as Holliday settled into second with a double. Giambi followed with a sharp ground ball. White Sox first baseman Konerko made the play, but his only play was to Buehrle covering first as Holliday made it to third easily. The A's had a prime opportunity with a runner on third and one out, and Kurt Suzuki took advantage of it by hitting a fly ball to center field. Holliday tagged and scored easily as center fielder Wise's throw was well off the plate. Crosby grounded out to second, but the damage was already done. Brett Anderson had a lead to work with going into the bottom of the fourth, but he now had to contend with the heart of the White Sox order. Konerko hit a long fly ball out into center field, but Oakland center fielder Davis caught it just in front of the warning track. Pierzynski hit a long fly ball into right field, but the wind kept it in foul territory, and right fielder Cunningham made a sliding catch for the second out. Davis made a running catch on a blooper by Fields and the inning was over.
Mark Buehrle wanted to make sure Oakland's fourth inning rally was only a blip and dominated the A's hitters in the fifth. He struck out Cunningham on four pitches. Then Davis hit a fly ball out to center for an easy out, and Petit struck out for a quick and easy inning that is more typical for Buehrle. The game moves into the bottom of the fifth, with Dewayne Wise looking for his first hit since April 13. Any thoughts that the hit-by-pitch in the second inning would intimidate Wise went out the window as he grounded a single up the middle. That puts a runner on base for Beckham, but Beckham lifted a fly ball to center field and Wise had to retreat to first. Nix came up to bat, but as Anderson prepared to throw his first pitch, he moved his front foot slightly before going to the pitching motion. Two umpires called the balk as the pitch went for a ball, sending Wise going to third. It was a bad mistake for the rookie pitcher, but he got a break when Nix grounded out to third, with Wise having to hold at second. Then Podsednik was called out on strikes on a borderline pitch to end another scoring opportunity.
Mark Buehrle went to work in the sixth hoping to get through another inning just like the fifth. However, he led the inning off by walking Orlando Cabrera to put the leadoff runner on. Kennedy came up to bunt and on Buehrle's second pitch be lays down a beauty, and the pitcher's only play is at first. With first base open, manager Guillen opted to intentionally walk Matt Holliday to face the struggling Jason Giambi. Despite his low batting average, he could still punish pitchers, and he lined a hanging cutter deep into the right field stands for his 404th career home run. Kurt Suzuki followed by lining a single to left-center field and Buehrle's struggles continued. Crosby flew out to center, but Buehrle's first pitch to Cunningham got away for a wild pitch, and Suzuki went in to second. Cunningham grounded a ball to shortstop Ramirez, who threw to first for the out. Alexei Ramirez led off the bottom of the sixth, and tried to get things started by lining a into shallow center field. Dye was unable to advance the runner, flying out to right center field as center fielder Davis made the catch while avoiding a collision with right fielder Cunningham, but Paul Konerko hit a slow comebacker that a diving Brett Anderson was unable to field and went for an infield single. Pierzynski had the opportunity to do some damage, but he swung at the first pitch and hit a grounder to second baseman Kennedy that he turned into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.
Mark Buehrle went back out to work in the seventh inning. Davis led off and hit a soft liner in the direction of third base. The bat snapped and went in the same direction, but third baseman Beckham grabbed the ball while avoiding the flying bat. Gregorio Petit followed and hit a fly ball to right field. Right fielder Dye tried to make a sliding catch, but the ball hit the base of the glove and bounced away as Petit reached first on the error. He is quickly erased as Cabrera hit the first pitch right back at Buehrle, and he threw over to get the 1-6-3 double play. Brett Anderson was back out after the seventh inning stretch. The White Sox hitters were desperate for some offense and were ready to make Anderson work. Fields saw seven pitches, but then hit a high popup to second. Wise came next and forced Anderson to throw eight pitches, but he was called out on strikes on a curveball. Beckham came up for his third plate appearance and saw seven pitches before striking out. Brett Anderson had thrown 22 pitches, but still got the one-two-three inning. Mark Buehrle came out for the eighth inning having thrown just 90 pitches. He faced the heart of the Oakland order, the same hitters that did damage against him earlier in the game, but he carved them up. Kennedy grounded out to short, Holliday struck out on three pitches, and Giambi also grounded out to short.
With Anderson having thrown 109 pitches, Oakland manager Geren called on Michael Wuertz to come in to pitch. The A's had acquired him in a trade with the Chicago Cubs just prior to spring training. Wuertz had been an effective reliever with the Cubs, who had drafted him in the 11th round out of high school in Austin, Minnesota in 1997. He made his debut on the Opening Day roster in 2004, but was back in the minors with AAA Iowa when Greg Maddux won his 300th game on August 7. He did pitch in Tom Glavine's 300th win on August 5, 2007, but in a losing cause. He had been effective with Oakland, putting up a 2.52 ERA while getting a pair of saves. Jack Hannahan had also come in to play third base for Petit. The White Sox hoped to come back with the bottom and top of their order, but Nix struck out on a full count, then Podsednik hit a popup into foul territory. Ramirez struck out as well to end the inning.
The White Sox had only three more outs to work with, but first they had to make sure the deficit stays at four runs. To do so they sent in their most experienced and most effective reliever Octavio Dotel. The well-traveled 35-year-old seemed to have found a home on the South Side. He was signed by the New York Mets out of the Dominican Republic in 1993, and made his Major League debut with them on June 26, 1999. He struggled as a starter, and they traded him to the Houston Astros, who converted him to a reliever and used him as a closer with regular closer Billy Wagner out. He became an effective weapon out of the bullpen, and they traded him to the Oakland Athletics in a three-team trade in order to get Carlos Beltran from Kansas City in 2004. Dotel didn't have the same success in Oakland, and he back to New York to play for the Yankees, then saw time with the Royals and the Atlanta Braves before signing with Chicago prior to the 2008 season, his seventh Major League team. He appeared in 72 games in 2008, and he had already been in 21 games in 2009 with a sparkling 1.00 ERA with one run in 18 innings. He got off to good start when Suzuki flied to left. However, Bobby Crosby ground a single on the first pitch, then stole second on the first pitch to Aaron Cunningham. Cunningham then hit a hanging curveball into the left field stands for a two-run home run, and all of a sudden Dotel's earned run count increased 300%.
His day went further downhill as Rajai Davis lined a hit past the diving third baseman Beckham. Left fielder Podsednik made it close with a good throw, but Davis was still safe with a double. A wild pitch to Jack Hannahan sent Davis going to third, then Hannahan walked on the next position. Orlando Cabrera hit a fly ball to center for the second out, but it was deep enough that the speedy Davis was able to tag and score to make it 7-0. Manager Guillen had seen enough, and called on the left-hander Wes Whisler to face the left-handed Kennedy. Whisler had made his Major League debut just two days prior, throwing a scoreless inning in Chicago's loss to the A's. It was a long road for Whisler, the Indianapolis native who was first drafted out of high school in Noblesville in the 41st round by the Cubs in 2001. He went instead to the University of California Los Angeles where he pitched and played first base. The White Sox picked him in the second round in 2004, and he embarked on a lengthy journey through the minor leagues. He was primarily as a starter, but finally made it to AAA Charlotte in 2008, when he went 12-10 with a 3.81 ERA. He didn't get a call-up and went back to Charlotte in 2009. He made 10 starts and was 5-3 with a 2.81 ERA and finally got his long-awaited promotion. He pitched out of the bullpen, and got the job done by getting Kennedy to ground to first to end the inning.
With the A's now ahead 7-0, manager Geren called on Santiago Casilla instead of closers Andrew Bailey or Brad Ziegler. Casilla was originally signed out at the age of 19 of the Dominican Republic as 16-year-old Jairo Garcia in 2000. He progressed through the minors and made seven appearances in the Majors as Garcia before admitting his age. He was only given two games in the Majors in 2006, but in 2007 he was called up in June and pitched the bullpen the rest of the season. He was solid in 2008, and was pitching well in 2009, before going through a rough patch, allowing six runs in two games to send his ERA rocketing to 6.05. Geren hoped Casilla can get things back on track, but the White Sox was sending the heart of their lineup. Dye led off with a groundout to short, but Paul Konerko followed with a booming fly ball to left-center field that went for a double. Geren had relievers warming up in the bullpen, but Casilla got Pierzynski to fly to center. Fields struck out after a six-pitch battle and the shutout win was finally complete.
It took just 2 hours and 15 minutes for Oakland to complete the victory and win the series by winning three straight. They went on to sweep the Baltimore Orioles and take one against the Minnesota Twins to extend their winning streak to seven games, but they picked up only six wins through the end of June and ended up with a losing record. They went 17-10 in September, went into a seven-game losing streak to finish the season at 75-87, having gone 53-57 after June 4, and remained in last place since May 3. The White Sox managed to recover some dignity, by going on a seven-game winning streak of their own to wrap up June going into July. That allowed them to tie the Detroit Tigers for first in the division on July 23, 2009, the day that Mark Buehrle pitched a masterful perfect game, the first since Randy Johnson's five years earlier. Dewayne Wise made the play of the game in the bottom of the 9th, going back on a fly ball off the bat of Gabe Kapler that he caught over the yellow line, and kept control of the ball as he went tumbling to the ground. That would be the highlight of the season. Chicago traded for Padres ace Jake Peavy who was the steal of the trade deadline, but still tumbled out of contention, finally ending the season at 79-83, having gone 54-55 after the June 4 mark. Gordon Beckham had a decent season, ending with a slashline of .270/.347/.460 while playing plus defense. He finished 5th in Rookie of the Year voting, ahead of Brett Anderson.
The White Sox would never fully recover. Beckham's bat regressed in 2010, and he never became the power hitter that people were envisioning, finally leaving in a trade to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2014, when he was hitting .221/.263/.336. They went 88-74 in 2010 but finished second by six games. The 88 wins would be their most in the 2010s as they sank into futility, losing 100 games in 2018 for their first season with 100 losses since 1970. They drafted a dynamic left-hander named Chris Sale out of Florida Gulf Coast University who would become one of the best pitchers in the game, but had to trade him to Boston when it became clear they were not going anywhere. Meanwhile the A's made a quick recovery. They were back to .500 in 2010 when they finished in second. 2011 was a down season, and they were 22-30 by the beginning of June in 2012 and were 13 games behind by the end of the month. However, they went on fire, going 19-5 in July and 18-10 in August. They ended the season on a six-game winning streak, erasing a 5-game deficit with 10 games left to play, and swept the Texas Rangers to clinch the AL West in the last day of the season. A year later they outlasted the Rangers again for a second straight division title. However, they lost in five games to the Detroit Tigers in both seasons. In 2014 the A's were riding high. They had the best record in baseball by the trade deadline, when they traded for ace starter Jon Lester who had won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox. However, the A's went 22-33 after that and ended with the second Wild Card spot, forced to play the Wild Card Game on the road against the Kansas City Royals. Oakland held leads three times in the game, including a 7-3 lead going into the eighth, but still lost in seven games. After that the A's fell into last place for three consecutive years. They seemed to be headed towards another disappointing finish in 2018, but went 35-17 in July and August to put a scare in the Houston Astros, the defending champions. They cooled down in September but still finished 97-65, their best record since the Moneyball year in 2002. However, they lost yet another Wild Card Game, and Oakland's post-season failures continue.
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Rays 3, Royals 2
Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
It was the early afternoon when the Tampa Bay Rays took on the visiting Kansas City Royals in their home ballpark Tropicana Field. Tropicana Field had been the home of the team since they first debuted as an expansion franchise in 1998. The stadium had been standing since 1990 when it was known as the Florida Suncoast Dome as Tampa Bay tried to lure another professional sports team to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The city was hoping to lure the White Sox from Chicago, but those plans fell through when Chicago agreed to fund the New Comiskey Park. Tampa Bay was a finalist for expansion in 1993, but Major League Baseball ultimately went with Denver and Miami. There were talks of the San Francisco Giants selling to an owner that would move the team to Tampa Bay, but the sale was blocked and the Giants were eventually sold to a group that would keep the city in San Francisco. For several years the only team that played in the Florida Suncoast Dome was the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. They were eventually joined by the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League, when the stadium was renamed the ThunderDome. Yet Tampa Bay's ultimate goal was a Major League Baseball franchise, and that finally came to fruition as Tampa Bay was awarded a franchise for 1998. The completion of Amalie Arena in 1996 allowed the renovation of the Thunderdome to fit Major League standards, and it gained a new name with the purchase of naming rights by Tropicana. Even then, Tropicana Field routinely ranks as among the worst in Major League Baseball. By 2009 it was one of only two domed ballparks, and the scheduled opening of Target Field to replace the Metrodome would leave Tropicana Field the sole survivor. And even more than the Metrodome, Tropicana had some of the strangest ground rules, with catwalks low enough come into play. The location in St. Petersburg as opposed to Tampa also made it more difficult for fans to reach. Not even the presence of a water tank housing rays can attract much fans.
For the longest time, team that played in Tropicana Field hasn't been much better. The team began play in 1998 as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and even though it attracted Tampa Bay natives Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff, the team sunk to a 63-99 record. While their National League expansion counterparts improved to win 100 games and a division title in 1999, the Devil Rays remained in last place with a 69-93 record. In fact, through their first ten seasons Tampa Bay finished in fourth place only once, when they won 70 games in 2004, which was then a franchise record. They lost 100 games three times, including a low of 55-106 in 2002. After the 2007 season, the team decided to do a little bit of rebranding. They struck out the "Devil" in their name to become the Tampa Bay Rays, a reference to a ray of light. They also had a strong cast of young talent from years of high draft picks. Even then most analysts didn't feel that the team could break through the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox, which have dominated the American League East for the better part of ten seasons. However, third year manager Joe Maddon was ready to prove them wrong. Through the trust he put in his young players and his often unconventional thinking, the Rays stormed to a 97-65 record, finishing ahead of the Red Sox and the Yankees to clinch the AL East. They then knocked off the White Sox in the Division Series to set up a match-up against Boston, which still made the playoffs as the Wild Card team. The Red Sox won Game 1, but Tampa Bay came back to win the next three to put them one win from the World Series. Boston took the next two to force a Game 7, just as they did a year earlier against the Cleveland Indians when they came back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the pennant. However, the Rays proved to be tougher than the Indians, and took the game and the pennant by a 3-1 score, with September call-up David Price getting the save. The Philadelphia Phillies ended Rays' the magical season by winning the World Series in five games, but there was still plenty of optimism going into 2009. A 9-14 start in April put a limit on the optimism as the team fell into last, but the Rays came back and clawed their way back to a 27-28 record by winning the first two games against the Royals.
The victories sent the Royals' losing streak to six games, and it showed how far the team had fallen since they were the most successful expansion team. The Royals entered the American League as an expansion team in 1969. Kansas City was awarded the team after the departure of the Athletics left Missouri Senator Stuart Symington so angry he threatened to revoke baseball's antitrust exemption. They began play in 1969 and were named the Royals after the American Royal livestock show that is a Kansas City staple. The Royals were owned by pharmaceutical giant Ewing Kauffman who took a hands-off approach, leaving the team to general manager Cedric Tallis and his lieutenants Lou Gorman and John Schuerholz. The Royals were surprisingly competitive in their first season, as they went 69-93 and finished with better records than two established teams. They were over .500 by 1971, and was competing for the American League West by 1975, when they had a solid young core of Amos Otis, Hal McRae, and third baseman George Brett. They went on to win the division three straight years from 1976-1978, including a Major League best 102 wins in 1977. However, they endured heart-breaking defeats to the New York Yankees in the Division Series, none more so than in 1976 when Chris Chambliss's walk-off home run in Game 5 sent the Yankees to the World Series. After a down season in 1979, the Royals returned to the post-season in 1980, sparked by Brett's chase for a .400 batting average. He finished at .390, but he helped the Royals win the pennant with a clutch three-run home run off of reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage. The Royals fell to future 300-game-winner Steve Carlton and the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, but it was still a proud season for Kansas City. After a handful of down seasons where Kansas City couldn't win a single post-season game, the Royals returned to the post-season as heavy underdogs against the 99-win Toronto Blue Jays in 1985. The Blue Jays took a 3-1 series lead, and it looked to most observers that the Royals were in way over their heads. However, a combination of pitching, defense, and George Brett led to Kansas City pulling off a stunning upset victory. The same analysts felt the Royals couldn't do the same against the 101-win St. Louis Cardinals, especially not after Kansas City fell behind 0-2 at home and 1-3 overall. However, they won Games 5 and 6, getting a slight assist from umpire Don Denkinger in the latter game, and forced a Game 7. The Royals stomped their interstate counterparts 11-0 in Game 7 for their first World Series title, only the second expansion team to win a World Series. The celebratory mood faded after the team finished 76-86 in 1986, and manager Dick Howser was diagnosed with a malignant glioblastoma, a brain tumor that would eventually kill him in 1987. After that the Royals couldn't recover, finishing well out of contention and even into the dreaded realm of a last place finish, which they achieved for the first time in franchise history in 1996. Things got even worse as they lost 100 games four times in five seasons from 2002-2006, with only an 83-79 season in 2003 wedged in between accomplished largely with smoke and mirrors. They finished 75-87 in 2008, only their third best season since 2000. They started out strong in 2009, keeping hold of first place through May 15, but their six-game losing streak sent them plummeting to fourth with a 23-29 record.
But the 2009 Royals had something that was missing from the team for the longest time, which was a feeling of optimism. They had a solid cast of young players. They had a general manager in Dayton Moore who seemed to have a clear direction, which he called the Process. Moore was a protege of Schuerholz, who was general manager for the Royals in their 1985 title season, then went to the Atlanta Braves and turned them into a National League dynasty. And they had Zack Greinke, who after five seasons had finally established himself as the best pitcher in the game. Greinke was the Royals' first-round draft pick out of Apopka, Florida just north of Orlando. Greinke signed after a month and still had time to jump three rounds of minor league baseball, finishing with high-A Wilmington. Greinke spent several months dominating batters in Wilmington in 2003 before getting brought up to do the same with AA Wichita. He was excellent in AAA Omaha, and he was brought up to the Majors in May 2004 when he was just 20 years old. He was a force for a Royals team that otherwise went 58-104 despite being so full of promise. The team was expecting big things out of Greinke in 2005 which would be his first full season. However, his season went straight to hell. He went 5-17 with a dreadful 5.80 ERA for a team that finished at a franchise-worst 56-106. The young man who was aloof as a good day became irritable and confrontational. The Royals granted him a leave of absence from baseball, when he was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. He started taking antidepressants and sought out counseling. He was able to return to the game slowly, finally pitching three times out of the bullpen in September. The Royals eased him back into the game in 2007, spending time both in the rotation and in the bullpen. He pitched his best in September. He spent the entire 2008 season in the rotation, and overcame a rough patch in the summer to finish with a 2.18 ERA in five September starts. And he was off to a fantastic start in 2009. It took him four games and 24 and 1/3 innings before he was even scored upon. His ERA in April was 0.50, and it was still 1.10 going into June. He had total command of all his pitches, and he had 88 strikeouts against only 12 walks. Unfortunately for the Royals and manager Trey Hillman, Zack Greinke was not scheduled to start on June 4, 2009. Instead it was a different starter that was penciled in to face Joe Maddon's Rays that both managers gave to home plate umpire Dan Iassogna.
Kansas City Royals
CF Coco Crisp
2B Alberto Callaspo
1B Billy Butler
DH Mike Jacobs
RF Jose Guillen
3B Mark Teahen
C Miguel Olivo
LF David DeJesus
SS Willie Bloomquist
P Gil Meche
Tampa Bay Rays
CF B.J. Upton
LF Carl Crawford
3B Willy Aybar
1B Carlos Pena
2B Ben Zobrist
RF Matt Joyce
DH Joe Dillon
C Michel Hernandez
SS Reid Brignac
P James Shields
James Shields was an integral part of the Rays rotation in 2008. He led the Rays starters with a 2.88 in four-postseason starts, and he picked up Tampa Bay's only win in the World Series. His poise won him the nickname Big Game James. Shields born and raised in Santa Clarita, California. He was cousins with San Francisco Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand, as their mothers were sisters. Shields was four years younger than his older cousin, and forged his own path to the Majors. He was both a star pitcher and a slugger in high school and was heavily recruited by colleges, including receiving a full scholarship to college baseball powerhouse Louisiana State University. However, the Rays changed his course by drafting him in the 16th round in 2000. Shields eventually signed after two months of negotiations and didn't make his debut in the minors until 2001. He was solid pitching in two minor leagues, but suffered a serious shoulder injury that cost him all of 2002, and when he came back his fastball wasn't the same, and he was hit hard in both 2003 and 2004. It was his cousin Rowand that got Shields started on a workout plan. He also took lessons from pitching coaches that emphasized a change-up to develop a change of pace. He saw significant improvement in the minors and the Arizona Fall League in 2005. After a strong start with AAA Durham in 2006, the Rays were ready to call him up and James Shields made his Major League debut on May 31, 2006. His ERA that first season was below average, but showed steady improvement in 2007 and 2008. By 2009 he was spending his second season as Tampa Bay's Opening Day starter. He was hit hard by the Boston Red Sox, but shook off the rough start to put up a 3.53 ERA as he prepared to face the Royals.
Royals starter Gil Meche had also overcome adversity. He was in the third season of a five-year, $55 million contract that was jeered throughout the league, but he was fantastic in the first two years. Meche was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. He made a name for himself as an amateur, pitching in the World Junior Baseball Championship in 1995 and was named the Most Valuable Pitcher at the National Amateur All-Star Tournament. He was limited in his senior year by a severe viral infection, but the Seattle Mariners still drafted him in the first round of the 1996 draft pick. They offered enough for him to forgo a scholarship to Louisiana State University. Meche pitched in the Arizona Fall League in 1996 before making his minor league debut in 1997. He pitched well despite being one of the youngest players in the league, and found himself advancing up the minor league chain until he made his Major League debut on July 6, 1999 at the tender age of 20. Meche posted an above-average ERA and finished with an 8-4 record. He was off to a terrific start in 2000, but suffered a dead arm and ended up missing the rest of the season after July 4. He ended up having two shoulder surgeries in 2001 that cost him the whole season. He returned in 2002 with AA San Antonio but was hit hard, as he posted a 6.51 ERA pitching in both starting and relief. He made the Major League team in 2003 after a strong performance in the winter leagues, but continued to post below-average ERAs, spending time in AAA Tacoma. He went 43-36 with a 4.75 ERA from 2003-2006 and became a free agent. Most teams were surprised by Moore's massive contract, but Meche turned out to be worth the money in his first two years. He led the American League with 68 starts in those two seasons, and brought his ERA down to 3.82, 16% better than league average. His record was 23-24 due to some terrible run support, but he's been an anchor in the Royals rotation. His 2009 season was not quite as strong, but he was still making every start, and he had a decent 4.33 ERA despite a 2-5 record.
It was eight minutes after four when James Shields fired the game's first pitch to Coco Crisp. Just 16,103 tickets were sold, just 43.5% of Tropicana Field's capacity, not an uncommon occurrence in St. Petersburg. The real number of fans at the ballpark may have been less. Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp was playing in his first year with Kansas City after being traded from the Boston Red Sox in the off-season. Crisp, whose nickname brought back memories of the Cookie Crisp cereal, was an alumni of the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program in Los Angeles. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Los Angeles Pierce College in 1999, but he was sent to Cleveland as a player to be named later in the Chuck Finley trade in 2002. He made his Major League debut shortly after the trade and was a solid contributor. Another trade sent him to Boston and he won the World Series in 2007. A year early on June 4, 2008, Crisp took out second baseman Akinori Iwamura in a hard slide, and Shields hit him as payback the next day. Kansas City traded for him hoping to inject some life in their moribund offense, but Crisp was not the same as he dealt with shoulder pain. He would strike out.
Shields faced Alberto Callaspo next. Callaspo was in his second season as a Royal. He was originally signed out of Venezuela by the Anaheim Angels, but was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. He made his debut that year and played behind Randy Johnson in 2007 before another trade sent him to Kansas City. He hit .305/.361/.371 in mostly part-time play, and took on a larger role in 2009. His bat improved and was hitting .299/.353/.443, but he too would strike out. Billy Butler came up next. The 23-year-old was one of the Royals' most promising young players. He was Kansas City's first-round draft pick out of Jacksonville, Florida in 2004, and he tore up minor league pitching and make his Major League debut on May 1, 2007. He performed well as a rookie, but suffered a sophomore slump in 2008. He was still trying to find himself, hitting .272/.335/.422, but lined a single up the middle. Kansas City hoped Mike Jacobs could keep the inning going. Jacobs was obtained in the off-season from the Florida Marlins in a trade for reliever Leo Nunez. He had originally debuted with the New York Mets, who had drafted him out of Grossmont College in the 38th round in 1999. He showed considerable power, blasting 11 home runs in just 30 games. The Mets traded him to Florida where he continued to mash homers, hitting 69 in three seasons, although his slashline was only .258/.314/.483. The Royals were in desperate need of power and traded for Jacobs. He had a team leading nine home runs, but was also hitting .238/.317/.457, and on the first pitch he hit a lazy fly ball to center field to end the inning.
Leading off for the Rays against Gil Meche was Melvin Emanuel "B.J." Upton Jr, one of the many young players that contributed to Tampa Bay's stunning turnaround a year earlier. Upton was the older brother of Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Upton Brothers were born and raised in the South Hampton Roads area in Virginia, the source of a wealth of talent. He was drafted out of high school with the #2 overall pick by the Devil Rays in 2002. He was a highly polished player and was in the Majors by August 2, 2004 after one and a half years in the minors. He held his own with the bat, but his glovework was atrocious. He spent all of 2005 in AAA Durham, the same year Justin was chosen as the #1 overall pick by Arizona. B.J. was back in 2006, and had taken a big step forward with his bat and the glove. He hit .300/.386/.508 with 24 home runs in 2007. He maintained the OBP a year later even if his batting average and slugging took a step back. Upton was off to a rough start, hitting .218/.312/.311. He tried bunting his way on, but it traveled too far out and was thrown out. Up next was Carl Crawford, who at 27 was already the Rays' all-time leader in hits. Crawford born and raised in Houston, and played basketball and football in high school as well as baseball, but baseball was where he shined and the Devil Rays named him their second round pick in 1999. He dazzled with his speed, and made his Major League debut by July 20, 2002. He led the AL in stolen bases four times in five seasons from 2003-2007. His numbers took a dip in 2008, but he made up for it with his showing in the ALCS against the Red Sox. He was playing very well in 2009, hitting .324/.387/.443, and he tied a modern-day record record on May 3 when he stole six bases in a game against Boston. He hit a chopper to shortstop Willie Bloomquist that the shortstop fielded and threw to first. The throw arrived at first baseman Billy Butler's glove on a bounce as Crawford was crossing the bag. First baseman Sam Holbrook signaled safe. Replays showed that the throw still beat Crawford, but at the time there was no instant replay for calls on the bases, so Royals manager Hillman could only come out and politely give his opinion.
With the speedy Crawford aboard, Meche went to work on Willy Aybar. Aybar came to Tampa Bay in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, and became a useful utility player, able to play all around the infield. It was a long road back for Aybar who went through a difficult year in 2007. The Los Angeles Dodgers originally signed Aybar out of the Dominican Republic in 2000 and he made his Major League debut on August 31, 2005. He played well in Los Angeles, and was traded to Atlanta mid-season 2006. He was mysteriously suspended in April 2007 after missing treatment appointments for wrist and hand injuries. As it turned out he was at a drug treatment facility getting rehab for alcohol. Aybar never did play with the Braves in 2007. He was traded to the Rays and he came up big in the ALCS. He was still in mostly in a utility role but was seeing more time as a designated hitter and he was hitting .260/373/.404. A wild pitch by Meche that catcher Olivo just missed sent Crawford to second base, but Aybar flied to center field. Crawford was able to tag and move to third. With two outs and a runner on third, the Rays counted on slugger Carlos Pena to drive the run home. Pena had spentn time with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox before finally finding a home in Tampa Bay. He was famously traded from the A's to the Tigers, a move that was dramatized in the movie Moneyball even if in real life he was with AAA Sacramento at the time. Pena had power everywhere he went, but couldn't get on base enough. The Devil Rays finally gave him a home after he signed with them on a minor league contract. Pena broke out in a big way, hitting .282/.411/.627 with a team-record 46 home runs. His numbers took a step back in 2008, but his OPS was still second on the team just .003 behind Evan Longoria. He was hitting .228/.363/.554 in 2009, and his 17 home runs was the most in the league. Meche worked carefully to Pena and ended up walking him in six pitches.
The RBI opportunity would fall to Ben Zobrist. That Zobrist was in the Majors at all was a bit of a miracle. He was born and raised in Eureka, Illinois, but didn't get any scholarship offers upon graduation. A devout Christian, Zobrist prepared to go into the ministry before his high school coach convinced him to go to a summer showcase event. He did well enough to get a scholarship offer to Olivet Nazarene University. He did well enough that he was able to transfer to Dallas Baptist University, where he was selected in the sixth round of the 2004 draft by the Houston Astros. Zobrist hit well in the minors and was up to AA Corpus Christi when he was included in the trade to Tampa Bay for Aubrey Huff. Once with the Devil Rays Zobrist spent a few days at AAA Durham before making his Major League debut on August 1, 2006. He made the trip between Tampa Bay and Durham numerous times the next three seasons, making the Majors only because of his ability to play multiple positions. In 2008 Zobrist met Jaime Cevallos, who called himself a "Swing Mechanic." Together they retooled Zobrist's swing and saw almost immediate results. The player who hit .200/.234/.275 in 2006 and 2007 hit .253/.339/.505 in 2008 with 12 home runs. He saw further improvements in 2009 and was hitting .303/.414/.659, and he hit a grand slam for his 10th home run the day before, already the fourth grand slam of his career. He lifted a high fly ball to deep left field, but left fielder David DeJesus caught it at the wall to keep the game scoreless.
The Royals had their veteran outfielder Jose Guillen to lead off the second. Guillen was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 1992, and had made his Major League debut in 1997. He had played for eight teams in his career, including a stint in Tampa Bay from 1999-2001. He some pop in his career and the Royals signed him for three years and $36 million. However, Guillen was suspended just three days after his contract for acquisition of HGH. He was named in the Mitchell Report just a week later, but the suspension was eventually rescinded in April. Guillen led the team with 20 home runs, but also hit only .264/.300/.438 and was involved in a confrontation with a fan on August 26. He missed part of April with a hip injury, but came back after two weeks and had a solid May to bring his batting line to .263/.365/.409, but grounded to third.
Up next was Mark Teahen, who was the key return in the mid-season trade of Carlos Beltran in 2004. At that time Teahen was a highly touted prospect with the Oakland Athletics, having been their 1st round draft pick in the Moneyball draft of 2002 out of St. Mary's College, which had given Randy Johnson a scholarship offer in 1982. Teahen made the Royals Opening Day roster in 2005 and struggled with the bat, but his offense took a big step forward in 2006, as he hit .290/.357/.517 with 18 home runs. He never reached those heights, but was hitting .281/.351/.438 thus far in 2009. He would ground to shortstop for the second out. That would bring up Miguel Olivo, who was getting the bulk of the starts while their regular catcher John Buck was out with a herniated disc. Olivo had been with the Royals since 2007. He was signed by the Oakland Athletics out of the Dominican Republic in 1996, but never played for the A's as they traded him to the Chicago White Sox for sidearming Chad Bradford. Oligo debuted with the White Sox, but they included him in the trade to Seattle for Freddy Garcia. From Seattle he also saw time in San Diego and Florida before arriving to the Royals. He was the backup to Buck, who was the starting catcher as another player Kansas City received in the Beltran deal, but Buck's injury led to Olivo getting the bulk of the starts. He was hitting only .246/.271/.430, and struck out to end the inning.
Meche went to work on the bottom half of the Tampa Bay lineup, starting with Matt Joyce. Joyce was acquired in the off-season from the Detroit Tigers in a trade that sent Edwin Jackson to the Tigers. Joyce had just finished his rookie year, when he hit .252/339/.492 with 12 home runs. He made the Opening Day roster due to B.J. Upton's injury, but got only one hit and was sent to AAA Durham until he was recalled on May 30. He had five hits in two games, before going hitless on June 3. He ended up lining a fly ball that left fielder DeJesus caught on a running grab. That would bring up Joe Dillon, who was sent over from Oakland a month earlier in a trade for Adam Kennedy. Dillon was originally drafted by the Royals in the 7th round in 1997, but the Minnesota Twins drafted him in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. He made his Major League debut with the Florida Marlins after he had retired briefly before playing in Japan for a year. He returned to the US with the Milwaukee Brewers with whom he played 85 games. The A's selected him off waivers before swapping him to the Rays. He played mostly with AAA Durham before a call-up on May 27. He was playing in only his sixth game with Tampa Bay and was hitting .182/.250/.455. He lined a single up the middle to put a runner on for Michel Hernandez.
Hernandez was in his second season with the Rays after signing a minor league deal. He originally defected from Cuba and signed with the Yankees in 1998. He saw action in five games with the Yankees in 2003 before a prolonged journey that saw him go through six organizations including the Devil Rays in 2007. He was reacquired by the Tampa Bay in 2008 and he played in five games with the team in September. He started 2009 in AAA Durham, but was called up due to an injury to regular backup Shawn Riggans. He was playing in only his 14th game but was hitting .289/.319/.400, and he also lined a single to left field, with Dillon going to second. The Rays' number 9 hitter Reid Brignac came up with runners in scoring position. Brignac was Tampa Bay's 2nd round draft pick out of high school in St. Amant, Louisiana. He advanced in the minors slowly before making it to AAA Durham in 2008. He made his Major League debut on July 4, 2008 and played in four games, but went hitless. Injuries led to him getting called up again May 22 and he had six hits in only his 16th Major League game. A hit could drive in a run, but he hit a lazy fly ball to left. That brought up Upton as Tampa Bay's last chance. Olivo let a ball get away, but kept the runners from advancing. B.J. could only ground into a force out at second to end the inning.
James Shields came out to face the last two men in the Royals order in the third inning. David DeJesus had become a key part of the Royals lineup with his solid bat. He was born in Brooklyn but grew up in New Jersey and was drafted out of high school in the 43rd round, but went instead to Rutgers. The Royals picked him out of Rutgers in 2000, and he made his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2003. He was in the Majors for good in 2004, and received Rookie of the Year votes as he hit .287/.360/.402. He hit .287/.359/.426 with the Royals from 2005-2008. He was off to a poor start offensively in 2009, but hit a long fly ball off the wall that left fielder Crawford couldn't corral, and DeJesus went into second with a double. That brought up Kansas City's number nine hitter Willie Bloomquist. Bloomquist was in his first year in Kansas City after a long career with the Seattle Mariners, who had drafted him in the third round out of Arizona State in 1999 and called him up in 2002. Bloomquist had been a plus defender at shortstop but struggled with the bat. He was off to a good start and was hitting .284/.358/.400 with six home runs. He grounded a single under the glove of first baseman Pena, but DeJesus had to hold at third.
The Royals had runners at the corner with no outs with the top of the order. Crisp tried a bunt for a squeeze, but popped it straight up. Catcher Hernandez made a diving attempt but came up empty. Two pitches later Hernandez blocked a ball in the dirt and kept DeJesus at third. Crisp hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Aybar. Aybar saw DeJesus going down the line, and instead of going for the double play, Aybar faked a throw home before rushing to the bag. However, DeJesus beat the tag and slid in to third. Shields was in a definite pressure situation with the bases loaded, but he came through by getting Callaspo to hit a comebacker he was able to throw home and turn a 1-2-3 double play. The Rays now had two outs with runners on second and third, but had to get through Billy Butler to get out of the inning. Shields got the count to 3-2, but Butler lined the seventh pitch into right-center field that split the outfielders. Bloomquist and Crisp scored easily, and Butler cruised in with a double and the Royals had a two-run lead. Shields got into another full count against Jacobs, but this time got the strikeout to limit the damage.
Gil Meche now had a two-run lead to work with, but he couldn't relax as he was facing the heart of the Rays order in the bottom of the third. Carl Crawford led off, and he worked a full count walk. He took off on the second pitch, and while catcher Olivo's throw beat the runner, shortstop Bloomquist couldn't corral the throw and Crawford was safe with a stolen base. Tampa Bay had a runner in scoring position, but Aybar lined a ball to left that left fielder DeJesus chased down. Carlos Pena came up again with a runner in scoring position, and once again Meche pitched him carefully. Meche almost had him struck out on a foul tip, but catcher Olivo couldn't keep the ball in the glove. Pena eventually walked on the tenth pitch. The Rays had two runners on, but Meche limits the damage by getting Zobrist to fly out to center, and Joyce popped up to third in foul territory and the Royals get through the third with the lead intact. The Royals went into the fourth hoping to add to their lead, but James Shields makes sure that won't happen. He struck out Guillen before getting Teahen out on a popup. Olivo struck out, and the inning came to a quick end. The Rays still had to score runs, and they had to rely on the bottom of their lineup. Joe Dillon got things going to lead off the inning by dumping a single over the head of shortstop Bloomquist for his second hit. Hernandez followed with a Baltimore chop. Meche fielded the ball off the mound and threw Hernandez out, but Dillon was able to advance into scoring position with one out. Brignac had a chance, but hit a lazy fly ball to left that was an easy out. Meche pitched around B.J. Upton and walked him on four pitches. However, he gets Crawford swinging to end another Rays threat and end the inning.
The game moves into the fifth, and it was Shields's turn to face the bottom of the Royals order for the second time. DeJesus and Bloomquist had given him trouble in the third, but this time DeJesus hit a grounder off the glove of first baseman Pena. Second baseman Zobrist grabbed the rebound and threw to first in time to get the runner. Then Bloomquist flied out to center field, and Crisp did the same to end the inning. Meche started the bottom of the fifth inning by walking Willy Aybar, the third straight inning where Tampa Bay got their leadoff runner on base. Pena had another chance to do some damage after walking twice, but Meche challenged him and he grounded out harmlessly to first base. First baseman Butler makes the tag, but Aybar advanced to second, and the Rays had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs for the fourth out of five innings. Zobrist took the count full but grounded out to second with Aybar taking third. Any hopes of a run scoring ended when Joyce hit a soft liner to third baseman Teahen.
The game goes into the sixth and Shields had retired seven batters in a row, but Alberto Callaspo led off with a single up the middle. Billy Butler followed and grounded a ball up the middle. Shortstop Brignac made a diving stop and flipped the ball with the glove to second baseman Zobrist, bur Zobrist couldn't corral the throw and Callaspo was safe. Shields was in another difficult situation, but he struck out Jacobs on seven pitches with the bat flying into the stands. Guillen then grounded the first pitch to third baseman Aybar, and he tagged the third base bat before throwing to first to complete the double play. The Rays were running out of outs. Dillon had two hits and thought he had his third when he blasted a high fly ball to left field, but left fielder DeJesus caught it on the warning track. Hernandez then grounded out to short. Reid Brgnanc was next. He took the count to 2-2, and lined the ball into right center field. The ball rolled all the way to the wall, and Brignac cruised into third with a stand-up triple, the first in his young career. Tampa Bay had another runner in scoring position, but Upton strikes out to ruin another opportunity. James Shields went into the seventh trying to keep the deficit at two. He retired Teahen on a fly ball to center, then Olivo struck out. DeJesus hit a popup that third baseman Aybar caught in foul territory to end the inning.
Meche had been pitching well, tossing six innings and getting in and out of trouble. However, his pitch count was up to 107. Royals manager Hillman wanted to see if his starter can get through the seventh inning and save his problematic bullpen. However, Carl Crawford got hold of a flat change-up and lined it into deep right field for a Huge home run. That ended Meche's day as manager Hillman brought in the lefty John Bale. Bale had been a useful part of the Royals bullpen, able to come out and make a few spot starts. The Royals had signed him out of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp where he played for three seasons and served as both a starter and a closer. Prior to that he had made 27 relief appearances with the Toronto Blue Jays, who drafted him out of the University of Southern Mississippi in the 5th round in 1996, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Cincinnati Reds. Bale missed the beginning of the season due to thyroid surgery and spent some time with AA Northwest Arkansas but made his return on May 22, but he allowed three runs and had an 8.10 ERA. His first hitter Aybar lined a fly ball to deep center field, but center fielder Crisp caught it in front of the warning track. Pena followed by striking out, but Ben Zobrist walked on four pitches. With Bale working on Joyce, Zobrist took off for second on the fifth pitch of the at bat, but Joyce fouled it off. Zobrist took off again two pitches later, but catcher Olivo couldn't handle the ball and Zobrist was safe with another stolen base. The Rays had a runner in scoring position, but once again it was wasted as Joyce struck out on the next pitch. Shields came out with 98 pitches and tried to get through eight innings. Bloomquist grounded out on a comebacker off of Shields's right leg on the follow through. Shields chased down the ball and tossed to first to retire the runner. Crisp flied to left on the first pitch, and Callaspo grounded to second.
The Rays had only six outs left to work with as the game went into the bottom of the eighth, and they had to face Jamey Wright, the veteran that is on his second stint with Kansas City, having signed as a free agent after two years with the Texas Rangers with whom he became a full-time reliever. Wright had previously pitched four times during the Royals' miraculous 2003 season, and went 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA. He had his most success with the Colorado Rockies, who signed him out of high school in Oklahoma City as their first round pick in 1993, their first year of existence. He was in the Majors by July 3, 1996 and went 25-33 with a 5.57 ERA from 1996 to 1999. The ERA was still barely below league average given the thin air of Colorado. Since then Wright had pitched for six different teams. He had been fairly effective in 2009, with a 3.51 ERA in 20 appearances, but he had allowed seven unearned runs. Tony Pena, the son of the longtime catcher and the former Royals manager, came in to play short while Bloomquist shifted to second in place of Callaspo. Joe Dillon led off and lined his third hit of the game into center field, bringing his batting average up to .333. Hernandez barely missed a double on a ball that that went just foul before grounding a ball to the right side. Second baseman Bloomquist made a stop just short of the outfield grass and threw to short to force Dillon. Brginac struck out and Wright was just one out from getting out of the inning with the lead intact.
He tried to sneak a fastball by B.J. Upton for strike one, but it caught too much of the plate and Upton blasted it into left-center field, and with one swing the Rays had the lead. Crawford grounded out to first, and Wright was able to beat him to the first base bag, but the damage had been done. With the lead in hand, manager Maddon was able to get the ball to former Royal J.P. Howell. Tampa Bay had been looking for a new closer since their incumbent Troy Pervical went down due to a recurring injury. Randy Choate had gotten the last two saves, but Howell has been more effective, even if he already been credited with three blown saves. Howell was a superstar at the University of Texas in Austin and was the Royals' top pick in 2004. He was in the Majors by June 11, 2005, but was hit hard in 15 starts, going 3-5 and putting up a 6.19 ERA. He was in AAA Omaha when Kansas City traded him to the Rays, and he wasn't any better, going 2-9 with a 6.46 ERA in the Majors from 2006-2007. He was shifted to the bullpen in 2008 and he dazzled, putting up a 2.22 ERA as a set-up man. He was off to another good start pitching in multiple situations, and had a 2.36 ERA in 26 games. He was in to protect the lead and get his second save of the season. The first batter Butler had three hits, but he hit a fly ball all the way to the warning track in right. Right fielder Joyce almost lost the ball, but made the catch. Jacobs hit a more standard ground ball to second, then Guillen struck out swinging on three pitches to end the ballgame.
The loss, which took a relatively brisk 2 hours and 41 minutes, was Kansas City's seventh in a row. They never recovered fully, and a 15-13 September merely brought them out of last place, and they finished in fourth at 65-97, having gone 42-67 after the 4th of June. The Rays went on a roll in June, but like most of the 2000s couldn't catch New York or Boston. They went 56-50 after June 4 to finish at 84-78, enough for third place in the AL East. Zack Greinke did end up with a tremendous season. He went 16-8 and led the American League with a 2.16 ERA while striking out 242 for a new Royals record. Some analysts thought his win total was kind of low, but he still won the Cy Young by an overwhelming margins, over a trio of 19-game winners. Greinke couldn't duplicate his success in 2010, and Kansas City traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers that December for four prospects. Most analysts thought the return was somewhat bare as the Royals would continue their losing way, dropping 90 or more all the way through 2012. Tampa Bay managed to recover from their injuries and captured post-season spots in the next two seasons, winning the division in 2010 and securing the Wild Card in 2011. However, they dropped both series against the Texas Rangers. Neither team made the playoffs in 2012, and that off-season the Royals made a trade with the Rays. Kansas City sent a trio of prospects, including their top hitting prospect Wil Myers, for pitchers Wade Davis and James Shields. Kansas City was eviscerated for the trade, especially given how Shields had barely been average with a 3.76 ERA from 2010-2012.
Nevertheless the Royals went 86-76 for their best record since the strike-shortened 1994 season as some of their young players such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon matured. Meanwhile Myers was solid, hitting .293/.354/.478 and winning Rookie of the Year as the Rays defeated the Texas Rangers in a tie-break game and the Cleveland Indians in the Wild Card Game before falling to the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series. Anaysts all over were going "I told you so." Yet something curious happened in 2014. The Royals went 89-73 to clinch the first Wild Card spot behind players such as Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis, and Alcides Escobar, all players that came in the Greinke and Myers trades. They defeated the Oakland Athletics in an epic Wild Card Game that saw them coming back from deficits of 2-1, 7-3, and 8-7, the latter in the 12 inning as they won 9-8. Then they breezed through the AL playoffs, sweeping both the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Baltimore Orioles to win their first pennant in 29 years. They took the San Francisco Giants to seven games, but lost with the winning run on third. A year later they were back for an encore, winning 95 and the AL Central. They defeated the upstart Houston Astros, coming back in Game 4. Then they dispatched the Toronto Blue Jays to win their second straight pennant. They faced off against the New York Mets in a match-up of the first two expansion teams to win World Series titles. The Royals won Game 1 in a tense 14-inning affair, and from there they took three of the next four and they had their first title in 30 years. The Royals fell off to an 81-81 record in 2016 then continued to falter as they dealt with tragedy such as the loss of popular young starter Yordano Ventura in a car accident. The Rays remained dismal for a few years before coming back with a 90-72 season in 2018 where they popularized the use of the opener. The fortunes of these two teams will surely continue to go back and forth.
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Marlins 4, Brewers 3
Land Shark Stadium
Miami, FL
After a busy schedule of afternoon games, the first of the few remaining night games began with a match-up between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Florida Marlins at Land Shark Stadium in the city of Miami Gardens, which split off from Miami six years earlier. Land Shark Stadium was the latest of the carousel of names that had been given to the home of the same stadium that had been the home of the Florida Marlins since the team was incorporated in the 1993 Major League expansion. The stadium first opened in 1987 as the home of the Miami Dolphins football team. It was originally dubbed Dolphin Stadium in the planning stages, but it received the name Joe Robbie Stadium, after the owner of the Dolphins. The name stayed even after billionaire Marlins owner H. Wayne Huizenga bought out the Marlins and the stadium, but in 1996 he sold the naming rights to Fruit of the Loom, who changed the name to Pro Player Park and later Pro Player Stadium after their line of sports apparel. The name remained even after Fruit of the Loom filed for bankruptcy and the Pro Player brand was ended before reverting back to Dolphins Stadium and later Dolphin Stadium, the original planned name. Eventually Huizenga decided to sell the Dolphins and the stadium, which went to billionaire Stephen Ross. He made a deal with singer Jimmy Buffet to secure naming rights for the stadium, and the group went with Land Shark Stadium after the LandShark Lager that is brewered and served with Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. The name change was announced less than a month before. It was quite a journey for the stadium that is first and foremost a football stadium and as a result provided poor conditions for players and fans, but the city of Miami was finally passing measures for the construction of a new ballpark, with final squabbling over the amount of public investment.
Of course the Florida Marlins had one of the worst reputations among all Major League Baseball franchises, despite winning two World Series titles. They frequently rank near the bottom in both winning percentage and attendance, and have suffered through messy ownership situations. The City of Miami was awarded a franchise in 1990 for the expansion of two National League teams in 1993, with Huizenga being the principal owner. The team was named the Marlins after minor league teams that had played off and on from the 1950s to the 1980s. They had some difficulties from the very beginning. Pittsburgh Pirates president Carl Barger was hired as the first Marlins president, but collapsed with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm during the 1992 winter meetings and died, two weeks before Rollen "Bud" Johnson died of the same condition. The team went ahead and started play and was wildly successful, drawing over 3 million fans to finish 5th in the National League in attendance. In addition their 64-98 record was bad but not enough to finish in last place. The team didn't get all that much better the next few seasons, but they were stockpiling talent including ace Kevin Brown and slugger Gary Sheffield. The team also hired manager Jim Leyland from the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 1997 season along with numerous other free agent signings. The Marlins got off to a hot start, going 8-1 before settling comfortably into second place. They clinched their first winning season in early September, and ended up clinching the Wild Card with a 92-70 record. The team then swept the Division Series over the San Francisco Giants, then pulled off a stunning upset over the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series, thanks partially to Eric Gregg's generous strike zone. They then faced the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. The teams alternated wins, with the Marlins winning Games 1, 3, and 5. They were down 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th, but came back in the ninth against Indians closer Jose Mesa. The game went into the 11th before Edgar Renteria drove in Craig Counsell with the walk-off victory. The Marlins were World Series champions. The joys of victory were short-lived as Huizenga sold off almost all of the players from the World Series winning teams and the Marlins fell to 54-108. Huizenga sold the team to John Henry who later sold it to art-dealer Jeffrey Loria. Florida suffered through five losing seasons, and were 16-22 in May when manager Jeff Torberg was fired. He was replaced by 73-year-old Jack McKeon, who recognized the talent the Marlins had, including catcher Ivan Rodriguez, infielders Luis Castillo and Miguel Cabrera, and pitchers Josh Beckett and Dontrelle Willis. He turned the team around and they clinched the Wild Card with a 91-71 record, just their second winning record. The Marlins once again knocked off the Giants in the Division Series, then topped the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS in seven games, thanks heavily to an error by Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez. They then upset the heavily favored New York Yankees in six games to capture their second World Series title. The Marlins didn't have a fire sale, but Loria kept shrinking the payroll until it was the lowest in baseball. The Marlins managed to tread water, but never remained competitive. They finished 84-77 in 2008 and were 25-29 after taking two of the first three games in the four-game series.
Their opponents the Milwaukee Brewers also had a troubled history. Milwaukee has a long history of hosting professional baseball, even hosting one of the inaugural teams of the American League, called the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee was able to lure the Braves from Boston, where they were wildly successful early on, claiming back-to-back pennants in 1957-1958 and winning one title. They also found a lifelong fan in Allen Huber "Bud" Selig. However, attendance plateaued and the Braves eventually moved to Atlanta. Selig hoped to bring baseball back to Milwaukee and got the Chicago White Sox to agree to play a few home games in Milwaukee County Stadium. He was hoping that Milwaukee would be awarded an expansion franchise to begin play in 1971, but the teams went elsewhere instead, including to Seattle. Selig tried to purchase the White Sox to move them to Milwaukee, but owners vetoed the transaction. Meanwhile Major League Baseball pushed the opening of the expansion teams ahead by two years under the threat of having their antitrust exemption removed, and the Seattle Pilots started play in 1969 instead of 1971 as originally planned. The Pilots were little prepared and had to play in the antiquated Sick's Stadium. Fans stayed away as the team sank to a dismal 64-98 record and were on the verge of bankruptcy. Selig jumped in but owners blocked the sale because it meant a move to Milwaukee. Other potential sales were rejected. The Pilots went into spring training with their futures in doubt. The Pilots owners officially declared bankruptcy, and the bankruptcy judge ordered the sale to Selig, who promptly told the team to move to Milwaukee where they would become the Brewers. Selig successfully brought Major League Baseball back to Wisconsin, but couldn't do anything about the Pilots' lack of talent. The team would suffer through eight losing seasons before they acquired enough good young players to become competitive, but by 1978 they had third baseman Sal Bando and pitcher Mike Caldwell to go along with youngsters Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. The Brewers surged to a 93-69 record, but still finished in third. They kept falling short until 1981, when the strike gave them a chance to compete for the post-season. They took it and won the American League East in the second half, but their first trip to the playoffs fell short as they lost the Division Series to the New York Yankees in five. A year later the Brewers won the division for real led by Yount, Molitor, Cooper, manager Harvey Kuenn, and future 300-game-winner Don Sutton, acquired in an August trade and went 4-1, including the division clinching game. Milwaukee then knocked off the California Angels in the American League Championship Series and took the St. Louis Cardinals to seven games in the World Series, but ultimately fell short. The Brewers then settled into a pattern of mediocrity, rarely being overtly terrible but never being competitive. The arrival of one new expansion teams in each league for 1998 created a situation with 15 teams in each league. In order to avoid year-round interleague play, one American League team had to switch leagues. The Royals would not consent, but Brewers owner and acting commission Bud Selig were more than happy to make the switch, making them the first Major League Baseball team to switch leagues. The Brewers wouldn't be much better in the National League, falling to 56-106 in 2002. They finally made a run in 2008, assisted greatly by the July acquisition of CC Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians. Milwaukee was still behind the New York Mets in the Wild Card spot, but won six of their last seven to clinch the Wild Card.
The Brewers' first post-season in appearance in 26 years would be short-lived, as they finished 3-1 as they fell to the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Phillies in four games. However, optimism was still high going into the 2009 season. They made an attempt to re-sign their half-season ace Sabathia, but he ultimately signed with the New York Yankees. Still, the Brewers made a free agent splash of their own, signing future Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman from the San Diego Padres in January. Hoffman's journey to the Major Leagues was arduous. He was the youngest son of Ed Hoffman, who was well known as the "Singing Usher" with the California Angels. His older brother Glenn was nine years his senior and played in the Majors from 1980 to 1989 and was the manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998 when Adrian Beltre debuted. Trevor had to have his left kidney removed as an infant, but he was still able to pursue his baseball career. He was a shortstop in high school, but had to give up a scholarship to the University of Arizona due to his previous nephrectomy. He went to nearby Cypress College before transferring to Arizona without the scholarship. He led the Wildcats in hitting and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 11th round of 1989. He was unable to convert his hitting into the minor leagues, but the Reds were impressed with his strong arm and convinced him to become a pitcher. Hoffman first started pitching in 1991 and saw almost immediate success. The Reds tried him in the rotation with AA Chattanooga in 1992, but moved him back into the bullpen with AAA Nashville. Hoffman was looking to compete for a Major League spot when the Florida Marlins changed his outlook by drafting him in the expansion draft. He made the Marlins Opening Day roster and pitched well out of the bullpen as a set-up man for closer Bryan Harvey before Florida traded him to San Diego for slugger Gary Sheffield. Hoffman struggled early on with the Padres, but showed improvement and opened the 1994 as the set-up for closer Gene Harris, the man who was once traded along with Randy Johnson. Harris blew three saves in the first 18 games and Hoffman was installed as the new closer. He was fantastic, saving 20 games before the strike. He injured his shoulder in the off-season and eventually had to have surgery after which he lost his dominant fastball. However, he had been working on his change-up, and used it as a lethal kill-pitch. Trevor Hoffman became the most consistent reliever, saving 40 or more games five times from 1996-2001, including a high of 53 in 1998. He lost most of 2003 due to another shoulder injury that required surgery, but he came back to reach 40 saves four straight seasons from 2004-2007. He passed Lee Smith to become the all-time leader in saves in 2006, then became the first pitcher to record 500 saves, which he did in a Greg Maddux victory in 2007. He had a few famous flame-outs, including during the 1998 World Series against the Yankees and in the 2007 tie-break game against the Colorado Rockies. The Padres were ready to move on after 2008 when the team fell to 63-99 and allowed their longtime closer to become a free agent. Hoffman signed with Milwaukee, but a strained rib cage cost him most of April. During that time the Brewers fell to a dismal 9-10 record. He returned on April 27, and was dominant like he had never been before. He went 16 appearances without allowing a run while saving 14 games, which pushed him just one of from the league lead. Meanwhile the Brewers rushed into first pace, standing at 31-22 even after losing two of three to Florida. Manager Ken Macha hoped to have Hoffman come out to save the game, while Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez hoped to secure the series win with the lineup he submitted to home plate umpire Damien Beal.
Milwaukee Brewers
2B Craig Counsell
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
CF Mike Cameron
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
C Mike Rivera
P Dave Bush
Florida Marlins
LF Chris Coghlan
3B Emilio Bonifacio
SS Hanley Ramirez
1B Jorge Cantu
RF Jeremy Hermida
2B Dan Uggla
C John Baker
CF Cody Ross
P Josh Johnson
Josh Johnson had become the ace of the Marlins staff as Opening Day starter Ricky Nolasco flamed out to a 9.07 ERA. Johnson was born in Minneapolis, but grew up in Jenks, Oklahoma outside of Tulsa. He was a dominant pitcher in high school and intended to play with the University of Oklahoma, but the Marlins changed those plans by drafting him in the fourth round of the 2002 draft. He signed almost immediately afterwards and was sent to the rookie leagues, where he dominated hitters, allowing only one earned run in 15 innings. He advanced up the minor league chain even though his ERA crept up and his winning percentage went down. He went 12-4 with AA Carolina in 2005 even with a 3.87, and that convinced the Marlins to call him up in September. He pitched well in four games, and Johnson made the Opening Day roster in 2006. He spent all of April in the bullpen before being moved to the rotation where he was strong for most of the season before struggling to a 5.17 ERA in three September starts. He still finished the season 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA and received two first-place votes in the crowded National League Rookie of the Year race. The Marlins looked to Johnson as a future rotation stalwart, but he missed the start of the 2007 season with some elbow problems. He came back in June and made only four starts where he was mostly terrible before getting shutdown again. He ended up having Tommy John surgery in August, two days before Tom Glavine's 300th win. He made a relatively speedy recovery and was back in the Marlins rotation by July 10, 2008. He finished with a 7-1 record and an above-average 3.61 ERA. He was in the Marlins rotation at Opening Day for the first time in his career in 2009. He was the number two starter to begin the season, but was fantastic, posting a 2.66 ERA while going 4-1. The Marlins hoped to ride him to a series victory.
Brewers starter Dave Bush had not quite had the success as his mound opponent. He was born in Pittsburgh but was raised in small-town Berwyn in southeastern Pennsylvania. Bush was a catcher in high school, and went unnoticed and undrafted upon graduation. He enrolled in Wake Forest University where the team converted him to a pitcher. He became the Demon Deacons closer and helped them to an ACC Tournament championship in 2001. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays chose him in the fourth round of the draft that year, but Bush opted to return to Wake Forest for his senior year and to complete his degree in psychology and sociology. His draft status went up after another successful year out of the bullpen, and the Toronto Blue Jays picked him in the second round of the 2002 draft. He signed shortly afterwards and pitched well in low-A Auburn and high-A Dunedin. The Blue Jays made the decision to convert Bush into a starter for the 2003 season. He made 14 starts with Dunedin and AA New Haven and posted identical 7-3 records and sub-3.00 ERAs. He pitched well with AAA Syracuse in 2004 and the Blue Jays called him up. Bush made his Major League debut on July 2, 2004 and pitched well in a tough loss. He eventually became one of the Blue Jays' more dependable starters, going 5-4 with an above-average 3.69 ERA. He ended the season with a shutout of the New York Yankees. Bush was on the Blue Jays Opening Day roster but his numbers took a tumble both at the Major League level and with AAA. Toronto then included him in a trade to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of the package for first baseman Lyle Overbay. Bush would be a dependable innings eater with Milwaukee, never quite reaching the promise he showed his rookie season. He went 33-31 from 2006-2008 with a 4.57 ERA that was slightly below average, but his 581.1 innings led the team during that span. His 2009 season had been similar to his previous three years in Milwaukee, steady but uninspiring, with a 4.38 ERA in 10 starts and one relief appearance.
It was 7:10 when Josh Johnson threw the first pitch to leadoff hitter Craig Counsell. Only 11,623 tickets were sold, just 30% of Land Shark Stadium's capacity for baseball and the smallest announced attendance of any of the games on June 4. Marlins fans had fond memories of Counsell, as he was a World Series hero in 1997. He had come to Florida in a trade with the Colorado Rockies that July, and he hit .421/.522/.474 in the Division Series and NLCS. His numbers fell to .182/.345/.227 in the World Series, but he came through with timely hits, and scored the eventual winning run in the bottom of the 11th of Game 7. The Marlins eventually traded him away to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1999, and since then he had played with the Arizona Diamondbacks with whom he won another World Series title in 2001, before settling down in Milwaukee where he had played since 2007. Marlins fans didn't mind seeing him line to first. He was followed in the lineup by J.J. Hardy. Hardy was the Brewers' 2nd round draft pick in 2001 out of high school in Tucson, Arizona. He had dealt with shoulder injuries and an ankle injury that cost him most of 2004 and 2006, but he had recovered to make an All-Star team. He was an important part of the 2008 team that won the Wild Card, hitting .283/.343/.478 while playing solid defense, but he had slumped severely in the first month of the season before recovering to a .238/.321/.381 slashline. However, he flied to left. That brought up Ryan Braun, the right-handed half of Milwaukee's power duo. Braun was born and raised in Los Angeles, but went undrafted due to his firm intent to go to college. He went to the University of Miami and dominated, getting named the ACC Baseball Player of the Year in 2005 and was named as a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. The Brewers picked him in the first round, fifth overall. He sped through the minor league system and debuted in the Majors on May 25, 2007. He excelled offensively from the start, hitting .324/.370/.634 with 34 home runs and leading the National League in slugging. He beat out Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki by just a two-point margin. His slashline went down in 2008, but he still led the Brewers in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, slugging and batting average, and finished third in MVP voting given Milwaukee's Wild Card finish. He was having another fantastic season in 2009, hitting .312/.421/.538, but Josh Johnson caught him looking at strike three on a 97-mph fastball.
The game moved to the bottom of the 1st and the Marlins sent their rookie Chris Coghlan to lead off. Coghlan was Florida's first round draft pick out of the University of Mississippi in 2006. He had led the Rebels to two Super Regional appearances. Coghlan advanced up the minor league chain fairly quickly, and made his Major League debut less than a month earlier, on May 8. He was still struggling to adapt to Major League pitching, as he was hitting .200/.337/.280, and he struck out on a curveball in the dirt. That brought up Emilio Bonifacio, who was playing his first season in Florida after coming over in a trade with the Washington Nationals. He came up in the Arizona Diamondbacks system after signing with them out of the Dominican Republic in 2001 and had played in 19 Major League games in Arizona before getting traded to Washington. He made the Marlins Opening Day roster and celebrated with an inside-the-park home run on Opening Day. That was still his only home run as he was hitting .250/.298/.304, and he grounded out to third on a drag bunt. Next up for the Marlins was Hanley Ramirez, the Dominican infielder who had been the Marlins' biggest star since coming over from the trade with the Boston Red Sox for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota. Ramirez was a sensation in his rookie year, hitting .292/.353/.480 and contributing with 51 stolen bases and 119 runs, both of which ranked in the top five in the National League. He narrowly won the Rookie of the Year award over Washington's Ryan Zimmmeran by only four points. He seemed to get better, hitting .317/.393/.551 from 2007-2008 with 62 home runs and 250 runs scored. He was hitting .344/.414/.557 in 2009, and that was before he lined a comebacker that hit Dave Bush square in the right elbow. The ball deflected to second baseman Counsell, but Ramirez beat the throw to first. Bush was evaluated by the Brewers training staff, but after a few warm-up throws he felt good enough to face Jorge Cantu. Cantu was in his second season with Florida after signing as a free-agent. He was born in McAllen, Texas just across the Mexican border, but raised in both America and Texas. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a free agent at 16 in 1998 and was in the Majors by July 16, 2004. He played three and a half seasons in Tampa Bay before getting traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 2007. The Reds released him, and he signed a minor league deal with Florida. He made the Opening Day roster and provided power in the lineup, becoming part of the first group of infielders to have 25 or more home runs. He was still providing a lot of power in 2009, but he ended the inning by flying out to right. The Brewers led off their second with Prince Fielder, one of the premiere sluggers in the National League since his rookie year in 2006. Prince is the son of Cecil Fielder, the former slugger with the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers among other teams. Prince had appeared in a McDonald's commercial with his famous father, and later went into the game of baseball as well. He was the Brewers' first-round draft pick in 2002 with the seventh overall pick. He made his Major League debut on June 13, 2005, but played in only 39 games, allowing him to retain his rookie eligibility in 2006. He blasted 28 home runs, the most by a rookie in either league. His home run totals increased to 50 in 2007, joining his father as the only father-son duo to reach 50 home runs. His numbers too a mild dive in 2008, but he still swatted 34 home runs as the Brewers made the playoffs. He was sitting at 12 home runs, but he grounded out on a comebacker to Josh Johnson.
That would bring up the veteran Mike Cameron. Cameron had been in Milwaukee since signing as a free agent prior to the 2008 season. He contributed with an above-average bat to go with his usual solid defense to help the Brewers to the playoffs. That had been his trademark that took him from his hometown of LaGrange, Georgia to the South Side of Chicago to Cincinnati to Seattle to New York to San Diego to Milwaukee. He was a member of the 2001 Mariners team that won 116 games. He also missed 50 games in a terrifying collision with teammate Carlos Beltran while with the Mets in 2005. He recovered from that horrific injury and was still hitting well with the Brewers at age 36, but he was called out on strikes. That left it up to Corey Hart to become the first Brewer to reach base. Hart had been a mainstay in the Milwaukee since 2007. He was originally drafted in the 11th round out of high school in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2000. He made it up for one game in 2004, and was up and down between Milwaukee and AAA Indianapolis and Nashville until 2007, when he made the team out of spring training. He went on to have a 20/20 season, and was an All-Star by winning the final vote in 2008, but lifted a fly ball that center fielder Ross caught on a run.
Dave Bush continue to test his arm while pitching to Jeremy Hermida. Hermida was highly touted as a high school player in Marietta, Georgia, and was drafted in the first round, 11th overall, in the 2002 draft. He advanced quickly through the minors and was in the Majors by August 31, 2005. He made an impression by blasting a grand slam in his first at-bat, and then went on to hit a solid .293/.383/.634. That rocketed him up to #4 on Baseball America's top prospects, but his numbers took a step back in 2006 as he hit only five home runs in 99 games. He recovered some of his power in in 2007, but his numbers took another step back a year later. He had been trying to find some more consistency, but he was called out on strikes. Dan Uggla came up next. Uggla has established himself as a power-hitting middle infielder, and a rare Rule 5 draft success story. He was an 11th round draft pick out out of the University of Memphis by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, and showed considerable power in the minor leagues, blasting 21 home runs with AA Tennessee in 2005. However, Arizona left him off the 40-man-roster, and the Marlins plucked him in the Rule 5 draft. He went on to hit .282/.339/.480 with 27 home runs in 2006, and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. His power continued, as he became the fastest second baseman to reach 100 home runs just two days earlier. He also learned to take a walk, and he walked on a 3-1 pitch.
The Marlins trusted in John Baker to advance the runner. Baker finally found a home with the Marlins after swapping between Florida and Oakland. He was the A's fourth round pick out of the University of California Berkeley in the Moneyball draft of 2002. The Marlins selected him in waivers in December 2005, only to be put back on waivers and re-selected by Oakland two weeks later. He spent 2006 with AAA Sacramento before getting traded back to the Marlins. He finally made his Major League debut on July 9, 2008, and he platooned with Ronny Paulino. Baker was doing good work, but flew to center. The responsibility would fall to Cody Ross. Ross was another player that wandered between organization before finding a home in Florida. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 4th round out of high school in Carlsbad, New Mexico in 1999 and played six games in the Majors with Detroit in 2003, but was traded to Los Angeles and Cincinnati before getting traded to the Marlins for cash consideration. Ross was still up and down the minors, but he broke out in 2007 by hitting .335/.411/.653 in 66 games. He continued to perform well in more of a platoon role in 2008, and finally getting regular starting time in 2009. It was worth it as he blistered a flat fastball to left field. Uggla got all the way to third, but had to hold there as Ross went in for a double. Unfortunately for the Marlins the pitcher Josh Johnson was next, and he was a .107/.140/.146 hitter in his career and was hitting .080/.148/.080 in his career. He had blasted only two home runs, both in AA Carolina. And he hit a weak grounder to end the inning and the prime scoring opportunity.
The Brewers sent the bottom of their lineup for the third inning, with Bill Hall leading off. Hall had been a regular with the Brewers since 2004, primarily for his ability to play multiple positions. He was drafted out in the 6th round out of high school in Nettleton, Mississippi in 1998 and was primarily a shortstop in the minors. He made his Major League debut as a shortstop in September 2002. However, the Brewers asked him to add second base to the mix, and soon he was playing third base as well. He moved to center field in 2007 to accommodate the arrival of Hardy and Braun and Rickie Weeks, and to third base in 2008 as Braun moved to the outfield. He was still playing third in 2009, but the Brewers were getting increasingly concerned with his declining bat, as he was hitting only .215/.285/.361, a stark drop from his 2006 numbers. And he led off the inning with a strikeout. That brought up Mike Rivera. Rivera had served as a back-up catcher off and on since 2006 a year after the Brewers signed him out of the independent Atlantic City Surf after he had failed to stick with the Detroit Tigers who had signed him out of Puerto Rico in 1997 and the three other organizations to employ him. He spent all of 2008 in the Majors after splitting time between Milwaukee and AAA Nashville in the seasons prior, but played in only 21 games while backing up the iron-bodied Jason Kendall. He was making only his 9th start of the season, and worked a walk, his first of the season. Next up was the pitcher Dave Bush, who was wearing a wrap on his sore elbow. He still showed no fear as he dropped a sacrifice bunt down the first base line, but Counsell flied to right to end the inning.
The game moves to the bottom of the third, with Bush having to don a long-sleeve shirt to cover his wrap. Meanwhile the news of Randy Johnson's milestone victory had made its way to Florida. Chris Coghlan led off the inning and fell behind 0-2, but he fought back to a 2-2 count and lined a flat curveball into left field. Bonifacio came up and hit a fly ball to left. Coghlan was running on the play and had to race back to first, making it in time. Ramirez was next and hit an easy fly ball to center. Coghlan kept on running and was all the way to third by the time center fielder Cameron threw the ball back to first for the double play. It was an embarrassing rookie mistake, and one that seemed to stand out more when J.J. Hardy led off the fourth by blooping a single that center fielder Ross had to field on a bounce. Braun was up next and he hit a soft grounder to shortstop Ramirez. Hanley's only play was at first and he got the out, but Hardy advanced to second. Johnson had to deal with Prince Fielder, and he blasted a ball towards right field. Right fielder Hermida made a diving attempt but missed the ball completely. It rolled to the warning track, and center fielder Ross fired to back to the infield, but shortstop Ramirez bobbled the relay and Fielder motored around all the way to third with a triple with Hardy scoring easily. The infield came in, but Johnson made up for it by striking out Cameron on almost the same pitch. And Hart hit a fly ball that Hermida tracked down with little trouble to strand Fielder at third and limit the damage.
Nevertheless Dave Bush had a 1-0 lead to work with as he faced Jorge Cantu in the bottom of the fourth. Cantu hit a sharp ground ball down the left field line past the diving third baseman Hall and Cantu jogged easily into second with a double. Hermida hit a ground ball towards shortstop Hardy. Hardy ranged to the right to make the stop, but he stumbled and Hermida made it to first with an infield single, although Cantu had to remain at second. Uggla thought he had walked on a 3-1 pitch but it was called a strike, and he followed it by hitting a long fly ball to center. It was deep enough for Cantu to race to third. John Baker came up trying to hit a fly ball to score the tying run. He did one better by blooping a single into center field, scoring Cantu and getting on base himself. Ross hit the first pitch with a fly ball, and with Josh Johnson coming up to the plate, Dave Bush felt more comfortable in getting out of the inning. However, his second pitch was a flat fastball. Johnson took a wicked hack, and the ball flew off his bat and landed past the center field fence for a three-run home run. The crowd kept clamoring until Johnson came out for a curtain call. Coghlan was called out on strike to end the inning, but the damage had been done and the Marlins now had a 4-1 lead.
Josh Johnson went to work after giving himself the lead, and he got Hall to hit a grounder to third. Third baseman Bonifacio's throw was high, but first baseman Cantu leaped to make the catch and touched the bag before the runner. Mike Rivera was hit in the left hand on a fastball that got away and got an evaluation of his own before taking his base. Bush was allowed to hit for himself and came up to bunt, but he bunted foul twice before having to swing away and lined a ball to right center. It sliced away from center field Ross who rushed over and made a diving catch for the second out. Counsell hit a ground ball to second and the inning ended uneventfully. Bush came back out to pitch, and pitched efficiently. Bonifacio grounded out to second after four pitches. Ramirez flied to center on the first pitch, and it took Cantu three pitches before he flied to left. Josh Johnson came out for the sixth inning. Hardy grounded out to first on the second pitch for one out. However, Ryan Braun lined a single into right, with right fielder Hermida playing it conservatively, fielding the ball on the bounce. Prince Fielder followed with another line drive to right-center field that just eluded second baseman Bonifacio. All of a sudden there were two runners on and the tying run on base. However Johnson bared down and struck out both Cameron and Hart swinging and the Brewers' rally was ended. Bush came out for the seventh and walked Jeremy Hermida on a full count. Bush got to another full count against Uggla. However, he got a called strike three on a fastball on the outside corner, and catcher Rivera threw out Hermida who was running on the play. It was a crucial double play, and one that hurt more when Baker grounded to second to end the inning.
Josh Johnson was still out on the mound in the seventh, and got Hall to ground to third on the first pitch. He then struck out swinging on three pitches. The pitcher's spot in the order was next, but with Dave Bush having delivered six innings after getting smashed by a line drive, manager Macha called on pinch-hitter Mat Gamel. Gamel was the Brewers' 4th round draft pick out of Chipola College, and made his debut as a September call-up in 2008. He started the season with AAA Nashville, but was called up on May 14 and had made seven pinch-hitting appearances. He was overwhelmed by Johnson's disappearing curveball and struck out. With two left-handed batters due up for the Marlins in the bottom of the seventh, manager Macha called upon left-handed side-armer Mitch Stetter. Stetter was the Brewers' 16th round draft pick out of Indiana State University in 2003 and made his debut as a September call-up in 2007. He was a useful LOOGY (Lefty One Out GuY) in 2008, and found himself with a larger role in 2009, although he gave up Gary Sheffield's 500th home run on April 17. He was more sharp on this occasion, getting Ross on a fly ball to right and striking out Johnson. Coming up to bat was not the left-handed Chris Coghlan but the right-hander Brett Carroll to upset the platoon match-up. Carroll had played in 49 games in 2007-2008 after being a 10th round pick in 2004 out of Middle Tennessee State University and looked absolutely lost at the plate, hitting .152/.200/.197. He was still added to the roster in 2009 mostly as a defensive replacement, and had seen better results at the plate, going to .222/.276/.259. Macha responded by calling on right-hander Todd Coffey. Coffey came over on a waiver claim from the Cincinnati Reds. He sported a 6.05 ERA in 17 appearances with the Reds but was one of the Brewers' best relievers in September, with nine scoreless appearances. He stepped in as closer as Trevor Hoffman was out with the injury and still had a 2.49 ERA in 23 appearances. Carroll stood no chance and couldn't check his swing on a ball in the dirt to strike out and end the seventh.
Josh Johnson was still pitching in the eighth, although the defense had shifted behind him with Brett Carroll taking over in right while Jeremy Hermida moved to left to replace Coghlan. Johnson was still effective, as Counsell grounded to second while Hardy flied to center. However Ryan Braun turned on the first pitch and lined it off the wall in left-center field for a double. With the left-handed Prince Fielder coming up, Marlins manager Gonzalez made a pitching change of his own, calling on the southpaw Dan Meyer. Meyer was a waiver claim off the Oakland Athletics with whom he had gone 0-6 with a 7.98 ERA in 17 appearances including seven starts. The former first-round draft pick out of James Madison University in Virginia had pitched much better in the National League, with 26 appearances already under his belt and a solid 2.25 ERA. However, Fielder turned on a 91-mph fastball and lined it over the center field fence for the Huge home run, forcing manager Gonzalez to come back out and call on the right-hander Leo Nunez. Nunez had come over in a trade with the Kansas City Royals where he served as an effective setup man. In reality, Nunez was named Juan Carlos Oviedo and was 27 instead of 26 as most people believed. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000, but didn't make his Major League debut after getting traded to Kansas City. He scuffled in his first two years in the Big Leagues, but settled down in 2007, and was a terrific set-up man for closer Joakim Soria. He had continued to pitch well in Florida, with a 3.38 ERA in 27 appearances, and struck out Cameron for the veteran's Golden Sombrero.
Todd Coffey came out to pitch the bottom of the eighth, with two right-handers coming up. Bonifacio was the exception being a switch-hitter, but he grounded out to second. Coffey had no problems dispatching Ramirez on a ground ball to short, and striking out Cantu on three pitches. The game goes to the ninth inning, and the Marlins bring in their closer Matt Lindstrom. Lindstrom had taken over closer duties late in the 2008 season, and had been mostly effective, getting nine saves, although his ERA stood at 5.82 thanks to a disastrous outing on April 24 against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing seven runs on just two outs. Lindstrom was drafted by the New York Mets in the 10th round in 2002 out of Brigham Young - Idaho in his hometown of Rexburg, Idaho. He had a blazing fastball, but a troublesome ERA with AA Binghamton led the Mets to move him to the bullpen in 2005. He was traded to the Marlins after the 2006 season and made the team out of spring training in 2007. He posted solid numbers before the disastrous outing in April. Corey Hart led off by grounding a sharp ground ball to shortstop Ramirez. Ramirez knocked the ball down with a diving play, but Hart beat out the throw. The Brewers called upon veteran left-hander Jody Gerut to face the right-handed Lindstrom in place of Hall. Gerut was acquired in a trade with the San Diego Padres for Tony Gwynn Jr. on May 21, and he had made seven pinch-hitting appearances, getting two hits in the process. However, he hit a soft grounder that easily went for a 4-6-3 double play even with Hart charging towards second baseman Bonifacio. Rivera came to bat for himself and struck out to end the game.
The Milwaukee Brewers were still in first with the loss, but their lead had fallen to half a game, and would disappear with the St. Louis Cardinals' victory later that night. They would recover and hang onto first place a little bit longer, but they would fall out of first after losing five times in six games to start out July, an ugly month that would see them go 9-17. They recovered to go 29-30 from August onward, but that was only enough for them to hold onto third with an 80-82 record, with a 49-59 record after June 4. Trevor Hoffman would finish with 37 saves, fifth in the league to bring his totals to 591, but it was of little comfort. The Marlins was only heating up. They would go 17-11 in June to propel them into second, and continued to finish .500 or better in each of the remaining months. Their 61-46 record after June 4 was the second best in the National League, and they finished the season at 87-75, their best record since the 91-win team that won the World Series in 2003. Unfortunately, it was not enough for the team to clinch a Wild Card spot, as they finished five games behind the Colorado Rockies, the only National League team to outperform them.
Nevertheless the Marlins felt good about their future as Josh Johnson became an ace, finishing the season 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA. He would end up leading the National League in 2010 with a 2.30 ERA, 14 points better than Roy Halladay, but it would be Halladay that came out on top on May 29 in the Marlins' stadium, now called Sun Life Stadium. Johnson allowed only one unearned run in seven innings, but Halladay was literally perfect. The Marlins finished at 80-82, which would still be their best record in the 2010s. They opened Marlins Park to great fanfare in 2012 having acquired veterans Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Carlos Lee, and Carlos Zambrano while transforming their identity into the Miami Marlins. The team drew 2.2 million, their highest total since 1997, but ended up 69-93 and another last place finish. The Marlins developed numerous young players including Mike "Later Giancarlo" Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, and Jose Fernandez, the young pitcher who risked his life to defect from Cuba before settling in Tampa, where he was the Marlins' 1st-round draft pick in 2011 and two years later won Rookie of the Year after going 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA, the only bright spot in a team that lost 100 games. He was off to another great start in 2014 before going down with Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2015, and was back to his dominating self in 2016, going 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA and 253 strikeouts in 182.1 innings. He pitched eight shutout innings on September 20 against the first-place Washington Nationals. Five days later, he was dead, having died in an early-morning boating crash and with alcohol and cocaine in his system. It was the devastating loss of the future face of the franchise. A year later Jeffrey Loria finally sold the team, and it was to a group owned by former Yankee legend Derek Jeter. He gutted the team, trading off all of their young and expensive stars leaving only a flaming hulk that went 63-98 in 2018. The Brewers had different fortunes. They had another down year in 2010 before exploding to a 96-66 record in 2011 to win their first division title since 1982. Ryan Braun was the superstar as he went .332/.397/.597 with 33 home runs and took home the MVP. The team knocked off the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Division Series before falling to the Cardinals in the NLCS. They struggled to remain competitive as the team was struck by the shocking news of Braun's steroid suspension in 2012. He was able to successfully appeal the suspension, but wasn't able to escape the fallout of the Biogenesis fallout a year later. Milwaukee still retooled under the direction of general manager David Stearns, who took over in 2015, after the Brewers finished 68-94. The team improved every year and finished a game out of the second Wild Card spot in 2017. They would clinch the division a year later winning a tie-break game over the Chicago Cubs behind the hot bat of Yelich, the slugging outfielder they pilfered from the Marlins. They swept the Division Series against the Colorado Rockies, and took the NLCS to seven games before finally falling against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Brewers' future still look bright, even if they had lost the game on June 4, 2009.
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Rockies 10, Astros 3
Minute Maid Park
Houston, TX
The great state of Texas gets a baseball game on June 4, as the Houston Astros take on the visiting Colorado Rockies in their home ballpark of Minute Maid Park, nestled within downtown Houston. The ballpark had previously been the subject of the most mortifying naming rights incidents in baseball history. The ballpark was commissioned in the mid-1990s after the Astros had spent 30 years in the historical Astrodome, which was no longer generating enough revenue. Owner Drayton McLane threatened to sell the team to a group that would move the team to Washington DC. The city of Houston and Harris County banded together to fund a new ballpark. There were initially disagreements about the location of the ballpark, but Kenneth Lay, the chairman of the energy corporation Enron, agreed to provide significant financial contributions to the project only if it was located downtown. This proposal was agreed upon by all parties, and was decided to incorporate Houston's Union Station which had fallen out of use in the 1970s. As the result of Lay's contributions the Astros entered into a 30-year naming rights deal with Enron. Enron Field would open in 2000 and feature a retractable roof as well as some other stadium quirks including the addition of a train that runs in the outfield, the Crawford Boxes in left field located just 315 feet from home plate, and the imposing Tal's Hill located in center field. The ballpark was well received, and hosted the first two games of the 2001 Division Series as the Astros won the National League Central in their second year in the new stadium. However, around that time Enron was coming face to face with one of the biggest financial disasters the nation has ever seen. Enron was an oil and gas titan that proudly announced itself as the "seventh largest company in America." However, executives knew that the growth sustained in the late 1990s and 2000 was built upon fraud. By 2001 Enron stock started trickling down, before crashing and burning in October. The company had declared bankruptcy by the end of November. The Astros were mortified. They went to the courts to end the naming rights prior to the 2002 season. The ballpark went as Astros Field before coming into an agreement with Minute Maid to have the ballpark renamed Minute Maid Park.
Of course the Houston Astros have been involved in history both good and bad. The Astros were the first Major League Baseball team to come into Texas. A group of businessmen had been trying to purchase baseball teams to come to Houston for years, but the efforts remained unsuccessful. They joined forces with other owners in forming the Continental League, which forced Major League Baseball to expand. They awarded Houston an expansion franchise for 1962 on the condition that they secure territorial rights from the Houston Buffaloes, the minor league team which had played in Houston since 1888. The conglomerate settled matters by purchasing the Buffaloes and incorporated it within the new franchise. The team began play as the Houston Colt .45s and played in Colt Stadium. However, baseball in Colt Stadium turned out to be a miserable experience, with suffocating heat and humidity and man-size mosquitoes. The Colt .45s lost 96 games three straight seasons. However, Astros owner Judge Roy Hofheinz was building a domed stadium. It broke ground in 1962 and was completed in time for the 1965 season, the first domed stadium in sports history. Hofheinz celebrated the achievement by renaming the team the Astros, in honor of NASA building the Manned Spacecraft Center nearby. The domed stadium was known as the Astrodome. The Astros celebrated the achievement by losing 97 games. The groundskeepers found it very difficult to maintain natural grass in the Astrodome, as roof panels had to be painted to reduce glare. The ownership group went and found an artificial turf known as ChemGrass that was being used in some schools. It was installed in the Astrodome and was renamed AstroTurf, and soon became used in ballparks all over the country. The Astros still struggled to be competitive, finally finishing at .500 in 1969, the same year their expansion counterparts the New York Mets won 100 games and the World Series. The team made a few changes in the 1970s by adopting rainbow uniforms. They also acquired some strong young players such as Jose Cruz, Cesar Cedeno and Joe Morgan. Morgan was traded to the Cincinnati Reds after the 1971 season where he won two MVP titles and two World Series titles, but came back as a free agent in 1980, the same year they signed future 300-game winner Nolan Ryan as baseball's first $1 million man. The Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a tie-break game to win their first division title, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series.
Houston would reach the playoffs two more times in the 1980s, but fall short each time, with the 1986 NLCS against the Mets being especially heartbreaking. They lost in Game 5 in 12 innings to fall to 3-2 and held a 3-0 lead going into the ninth in Game 6 with Cy Young winner-to-be Mike Scott waiting fin Game 7. However, the Mets scored three times in the ninth, then once in the 14th and three in the 16th. The Astros were able to come back in the 14th and scored twice in the 16th, but Kevin Bass struck out with two runners on and two outs to end the game and the series and the season. The Astros went on to have middling years, but along the way they managed to acquire a new cast of young players, including Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. They would eventually be joined by Derek Bell and Sean Berry and eventually Lance Berkman to form what Astros fans called the Killer B's. Together they made the Astros competitive once again in the mid-1990s, and culminated in three straight NL Central titles to cap off the 20th century. The 1998 team was the most successful as the Killer B's were joined by Moises Alou from the Florida Marlins fire sale. A mid-season trade brought along Randy Johnson who had his two most dominating months in his career, and the Astros cruised to a franchise-high 102 games. However, the Astros were shut out in the Division Series, losing twice to the Atlanta Braves and once to the San Diego Padres. The Astros had a down year in their first season in Enron Field before winning another division title, when they were once again swept by the Atlanta Braves. After two competitive seasons, Houston made a splash by signing Andy Pettitte and 300-game winner Roger Clemens from the New York Yankees. They initially struggled as Pettitte went down with an elbow injury and were .500 at the All-Star break, but the mid-season hiring of manager Phil Garner led the Astros to come back at a furious pace to clinch a Wild Card spot. They faced their nemesis the Braves in the Division Series, but won the series in five games behind young starter Roy Oswalt. They them took the 105-win St. Louis Cardinals to seven games in the NLCS, but Clemens was ineffective and the Cardinals won the rights to get demolished by the Boston Red Sox. The Astros followed a similar recipe in 2005 and were seen as dead in the water in June, but once again raced back to clinch another Wild Card spot. They took the Division Series from the Braves, although the final game took them 18 innings. Then they knocked off the Cardinals in a NLCS rematch, although they couldn't clinch at home when Albert Pujols homered against closer Brad Lidge in Game 5. Oswalt still led them to victory in Game 6, and the World Series was finally coming to Texas. The joy was short-lived as the Astros were swept by the Chicago White Sox. Houston tried to come back from the dead in 2006, but fell short of the division and the Wild Card. They tried to remain competitive in 2007 and 2008 by trading young players for veterans, but only only finish 86-75 in 2008. They took one last shot in 2009, but remained in last with a 23-29 even after winning three straight against the Rockies in a four-game series.
The Colorado Rockies hasn't seen as much drama as the Astros have throughout their history, but they have also been around for 30 fewer years. Denver was also a potential area targeted by the Continental League in the late 1950s, but the league folded when Major League Baseball agreed to expansion, and Colorado did not get a team until the 1993 expansion. The new expansion franchise was awarded to Denver with Mickey Monus of the Phar-Mor chain of drugstores being a principal owner. However, Monus was implicated in an embezzlement scandal, and the franchise struggled to find a new owner willing to keep the team in Denver before a new owner showed up at the last minute. The Colorado Rockies began play in Mile High Stadium, the home of the Denver Broncos. The stadium's massive seating capacity allowed the Rockies to set a new attendance record with 4.48 million fans. The Rockies also had a brutal offense and finished near the top in runs and batting average, although they finished 67-95 due to a pitching staff that finished last in ERA. The Rockies moved into Coors Field in 1995, but balls continued to fly out at near-record pace. The team finished first in hits, runs, batting average, triples, and home runs, led by the Blake Street Bombers of Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, Andres Galarraga, and Larry Walker. Their pitching finished in last once again, but the Rockies finished 77-67 to capture the first ever National League Wild Card slot. They lost in four, but excitement over the team remained high. Major League Baseball eventually came to realize the thin air led to less drag force and increases the offense while putting pitchers' ERAs at risk. The Rockies introduced a humidor to store their balls in 2002 which reduced home runs, but Colorado still became a death trap for pitchers. It also explains why the Rockies had only one winning season from 1998 to 2006. The Rockies seemed like they were going nowhere, sitting at 76-72 on September 15 and sitting four and a half games out from the Wild Card spot. They then won 11 straight, and 13 of their last 14 games to come into a tie with the San Diego Padres for the Wild Card. They emerged triumphant after 13 innings for a miraculous post-season appearance. They then swept their way past the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS to capture their first pennant in team history. The Boston Red Sox rained on the Rockies' parade with a World Series sweep, but it was still the most satisfying season in team history. Colorado expected to contend again in 2008, but the team took a huge step back and finished at 74-88.
The Rockies were hoping for some better results in 2009, but the team got off to an 8-12 record in April by which they were dead last. They sunk to 18-28, after a loss on May 27. Two days later longtime manager Clint Hurder, who had managed the team since 2002, was fired, with bench coach Jim Tracy taking over for the game that night. The Rockies beat the Padres and won against the next night, but dropped four straight to put them at 20-32, including three straight against the Astros. The team got even worse news on June 2, the day of the second game of the series. They found out that the son of backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba along with two other family members were kidnapped in Torrealba's home country of Venezuela. Torrealba had been with the Rockies since December 2005 when he came over in a trade with the Seattle Mariners for fellow Venezuelan Marcos Carvajal. Torrealba had previously been with the San Francisco Giants who had signed him in 1994. He made his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2001 and played with them for parts of five seasons, and he was the final out in Greg Maddux's 300th win on August 7, 2005. San Francisco eventually traded Torrealba to Seattle for Randy Winn, and the Mariners traded him to Colorado. Torrealba eventually became a fan favorite especially when he came through with some big hits in the 2007 playoff run. He was getting most of the playing time at catcher with regular catcher Chris Iannetta out with an injury, but the news of the kidnapping hit the team hard. The families of ballplayers in Venezuela always had to assume the risk of kidnapping. A well known example had been the kidnapping of the mother of former Montreal Expos closer Ugueth Urbina in 2004. Even ballplayers themselves had to watch their step. Two years after the Torrealba kidnapping, catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped. Bandits were also responsible for the death of former Cleveland Indians Luis Valbuena in 2018. Torrealba flew down to Venezuela as the police negotiated with the kidnappers for two days. The Rockies anxiously awaited news from Venezuela, but they were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when they heard that the kidnapped family members were released. Manager Tracy had one less thing to worry about as he filled out his lineup card which he gave to home plate umpire Lance Barksdale along with Astros manger Cecil Cooper.
Colorado Rockies
CF Ryan Spilborghs
SS Clint Barmes
1B Todd Helton
LF Matt Murton
RF Brad Hawpe
3B Garrett Atkins
2B Ian Stewart
C Edwin Bellorin
P Jason Hammel
Houston Astros
CF Michael Bourn
SS Miguel Tejada
RF Hunter Pence
LF Carloss Lee
1B Lance Berkman
C Ivan Rodriguez
3B Geoff Blum
2B Edwin Maysonet
P Wandy Rodriguez
Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez hadn't had as much worries, being from the Dominican Republic where Major League Baseball teams were able to construct academies with greater amounts of security. However, Wandy is a good example of the other illegal activities that come out of the Dominican Republic, falsified identities. He was one of the many young boys who put their hopes in baseball. He was unable to impress any Dominican trainer/scouts or buscones as a light-hitting outfielder, but he had a good arm and was converted to a pitcher. The problem was he was nearing 20, old for a Dominican. He borrowed the name and age of a 17-year-old friend, and signed with the Houston Astros in 1999 under the name of Eny Cabreja. He was able to get around the increasing crackdown by Major League Baseball of false identifies and forged documents, but Wandy came clean before the 2002 season. The Astros kept him after his successful season in rookie ball in 2001. He made steady progress before making his Major League debut on May 23, 2005. He pitched in the Astros rotation alongside titans like Clemens, Pettitte, and Oswalt and went 10-10, but with an ugly 5.53 ERA. He still made it onto the post-season roster although in a relief role. He made it back into the rotation on Opening Day in 2006, but continued to struggle and found himself back with AAA Round Rock before finishing the season 9-10 with a 5.64 ERA. He showed steady improvement through 2007 and 2008 even after he missed time due to injury in the latter year. Wandy opened the 2009 season as the number two starter for the Astros and was sharp, keeping his ERA below 2.00 for much of the season before two subpar starts brought it up to 2.26.
Jason Hammel hadn't had to face as much adversity in his path to Major League Baseball. He was born in Greenville, South Carolina, but grew up in Port Orchard Washington west of Seattle. He was a top pitcher in high school and was drafted in the 23rd round by the nearby Mariners in 2000. He chose not to sign and went to Treasure Valley Community College in eastern Oregon instead. He spent two years serving as a team mascot while also doubling as a pitcher. He performed well enough that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays drafted him in the 19th round in 2001, but Hammel chose to go back to Treasure Valley. Tampa Bay tried again in 2002, drafting him in the 10th round. He finally decided to sign. Hammel pitched two games in rookie ball and didn't alow a run before getting brought up to low-A Hudson Valley, where he was hit hard. He improved greatly with A-ball Charleston in 2003, and made steady progress before ending the 2005 season with AAA Durham. He made the Rays out of spring training in 2006 but allowed 10 runs in eight and 1/3 innings and found himself back in the minors. He spent 2006 and 2007 shifting between Durham and Tampa Bay before finally sticking in 2008 pitching largely out of the bullpen. The Rays captured the AL East title, but Hammel found himself left off the post-season roster. He was hoping to make the team again, but the Rays surprised him by trading him to the Rockies for minor leaguer Aneury Rodriguez two days before Opening Day. Hammel made ten starts with Colorado, and he struggled mightily in the thin air of Colorado while pitching well on the road. He had a 4.83 ERA and a 1-3 record, but Tracy had confidence in him on the road.
It was six minutes after seven in Houston when Wandy Rodriguez threw the first pitch to Ryan Spilborghs. An announced attendance of 26,671 was at the downtown ballpark, 65% of capacity, and Minute Maid Park's roof was open. Spilborghs had been manager Tracy's leadoff hitter off and on, but it has been his first season as a regular member of the Rockies' roster. He was a native of Santa Barbara and attended the University of California in Santa Barbara, where the Rockies drafted him in the seventh round in 2002. He made his Major League debut by July 16, 2005 and he played in one game on the Big League level while spending most of his time with AA Tulsa or AAA Colorado Springs. He made frequent trips between Denver and Colorado Springs before making the Opening Day roster in 2008. An oblique injury cost him much of the 2008 season, but he otherwise broke out to a .313/.407/.468 batting line. His 2009 numbers hadn't been quite as good, but he was doing well staying healthy, although he grounded to third for the first out. That brought up Clint Barmes, normally the club's second baseman who was playing in his natural position of shortstop while Troy Tulowitzki was out with a hand injury. Barmes's tenure with Colorado has been tumultuous. He was the club's 10th round draft pick out of Indiana State University in 2000, and sped through the minors before making his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2003. He was on the Opening Day roster in 2005 and was off to a hot start, winning Rookie of the Month in April. However, that June he suffered a broken collarbone in a fall which he initially said happened while he was carrying groceries, but he later admitted was actually deer meat gifted to him by teammate Todd Helton. He came back in 2006 but was not quite the same, as he hit only .220/.264/.335 a year after hitting .289/.330/.434. His continued struggles in 2007 led him to spend most of the season with AAA Colorado Springs. A year later the Rockies tried him out at second, and he spent more time there before Tulo's injury. He ended up walking.
That would bring up Todd Helton, the teammate of the deer meat incident. Helton has been a solid contributor for well over a decade. He was a phenomenal high school player at Knoxville, Tennessee, playing footbal and baseball, and was picked in the 2nd round in 1992. He went to the University of Tennessee instead, and played both football and baseball. He was a backup quarterback his first two years with the Volunteers, but an injury to the senior starter led to Helton taking over the starting job. He started three games before suffering a knee injury of his own, forcing Tennessee to go to third-line freshman quarterback Peyton Manning. Helton felt his future was in baseball anyways, and recovered sufficiently to win the Dick Howser trophy in 1995. That year the Rockies named him their first round draft pick, eighth overall, nine spots ahead of Denver native Roy Halladay. Helton was in the Majors by August 2, 1997 and hit an impressive .280/.337/.484, but he retained his rookie eligibility and broke out in 1998, improving his numbers to .315/.380/.530 with 25 home runs and 97 RBIs. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Chicago Cubs's Kerry Wood. He only got better, culminating in a 2000 season when he hit .372/.463/.698 with 216 hits, 59 doubles, 138 runs, and 147 RBIs. He only finished 5th in MVP voting as the Rockies finished fourth. He continued to be productive, hitting .331/.439/.575 that was still good for a 148 OPS+ even in the thin air of Colorado. He helped the Rockies to their first pennant, but a year later he struggled to a .264/.391/.388 mark as he dealt with a back condition. He returned in 2009 determined to regain his hitting form, and he was doing fine thus far, hitting .311/.369/.506. And he singled to left on a full count, sending Barmes to second. Pitching coach Dewey Robinson came out to talk to Wandy while Matt Murton came up aiming to give Colorado an early lead. The red-headed former Cubs outfielder had bounced to Oakland and finally to Colorado after his offense dried up. He began the season with AAA Colorado Springs before getting called up in the end of April and served mostly as a pinch hitter. However, he struck out. The responsibilities now fall to Brad Hawpe. Hawpe was a Fort Worth native who went to Navarro College and Louisiana State University, where he was drafted in the 11th round in 2000. He had been a solid contributor from 2006-2008 and was hitting .353/.432/.620, but he grounded to second and the inning was over.
The Astros led off with Michael Bourn, who was also a native son in addition to being their leadoff hitter. He was born and raised Houston. He was drafted by the Astros out of a Houston high school in the 19th round in 2000, but chose to go to the University of Houston instead where he gained a reputation for speed. The Phillies picked him up in the 3rd round in 2003, and he debuted with Philadelphia on July 30, 2006. However, the Astros still coveted his speed, and traded for him, sending closer Brad Lidge to Philadelphia. He struggled in his first year in Texas, hitting .229/.288/.300 and scoring only 57 runs despite 41 steals. His bat was coming around in 2009, as he was hitting .295/.368/.389 with 18 steals, but he lifted a soft fly ball to shallow left. He was followed by Miguel Tejada, the power-hitting shortstop playing his second season with the Astros under a dark cloud of legal matters. The A's had signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 1993. He didn't lie about his name, but he would admit in 2008 to being two years older than his stated age. Nevertheless he was in the Majors by August 27, 1997. Tejada showed power quickly, but had little else until his breakout year in 2002. While it was players like Scott Hatteberg that got the attention in Moneyball, Tejada was the team's MVP as he hit .308/.354/.508 with 34 home runs. He signed with the Orioles in free agency, and in his first season he led the American League with 150 RBIs. However, a year later Tejada was accused by Rafael Palmeiro for giving a tainted supplement that led to the legend's positive test. Tejada was later named in interviews with former teammate Jason Grimsley and showed up in the Mitchell Report. He was charged with lying to Congress, for which he pled guilt. He faced a prson sentence but got one-year probation instead. He went back to baseball, and took his rage out on hapless pitchers, as he was hitting .358/.384/.538. However, he also flied to center. That brought up Hunter Pence. Pence was born in Fort Worth and grew up in Arlington as a Texas Rangers fan. He was drafted in the 40th round out of high school in 2002, but went instead to Texarkana College and later to University of Texas at Arlington. The Astros drafted him in the second round in 2004, and he was in the Majors by April 22, 2007. He had a successful rookie season when he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, and became known for his quirky personality. He was cruising to a .357/.421/.516 in 2009, but that still wasn't enough to keep him from grounding out to end the inning.
The Rockies led off the second with Garrett Atkins. Atkins was struggling badly, which frustrated the organization, given his monster hitting in the four preceding seasons. He was born and raised in Orange County, and went to the University of College in Los Angeles after being drafted in the 10th round in 1997. He had a terrific campaign in UCLA and ended up in the 5th round of the 2000 draft. He was in the Majors by August 3, 2003, but still spent plenty of time with AAA Colorado Springs until 2005, when he hit .287/.347/.426 and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. He hit .301/.364/.482 from 2005-2008 and was a big part of the team that won the pennant, but he slumped badly in 2009 and was hitting .188/.264/.273, leading to talks of demoting him to the minors. The troubles continued as he hit a weak comebacker back to the pitcher Wandy. Atkins's struggles led to a larger role for Ian Stewart, the next hitter. Stewart was Colorado's first round draft pick in 2003 out of high school in Westminster, California. He was in the Majors by August 11, 2007, but played only sparingly as he was blocked in the Big Leagues by Atkins. Stewart made the Opening Day roster as a second baseman, but he was playing more third base with Atkins's struggles. His .188/.289/.427 was similar to his mentor's, but his superior defense led to more playing time at the hot corner. He also lined a single to short left field that just eluded left fielder Lee. That brought up Edwin Bellorin, the backup catcher from Venezuela who was in the Majors only because of Yorvit Torrealba's family emergency. He was originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998 before signing as a minor league free agent with Colorado after the 2006 season. He played three games in 2007 and three more in 2008, usually as a defensive replacement. This was only his second Major League start, and he struck out, bringing up pitcher Jason Hammel, a career .091/.091/.182 hitter. He struck out as well.
The Astros led off with their popular clean-up hitter Carlos Lee. "El Caballo" had been a fan favorite since signing a six-year, $100 million contract prior to the 2007 season. Lee was born in Panama and was signed by the Chicago White Sox in 2004. He made the Majors on May 7, 1999 and was a big part of the White Sox lineup from 1999-2004. He was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, who sent him to the Texas Rangers before the 2006 trade deadline. He was the subject of a furious bidding war which Houston won out. He was very effective, hitting .308/.360/.545 in 2007 and 2008 60 home runs and 219 RBIs, the latter of which led the team. He was off to another solid start, but grounded out to third. Next up was Lance Berkman, the last member of the Killer Bs that helped the Astros become a force in the National League for 10 years from 1996-2006. Berkman was born in Waco, Texas before settling in New Braunfels. He attended Rice University in Houston, and took the team to the College World Series in 1997. He was named Collegiate Player of the Year, and was drafted by Houston in the 1st round. He was in the Majors by July 16, 1999, and became a solid contributor in his first full season. He was a fearsome power hitter and helped the Astros to three playoff appearances including the pennant in 2005. He led the Astros in hitting almost those with at least 10 at-bats. He was off to a rare slow start a year after leading the National League with 46 doubles, and was hitting only .240/.367/.463, all of which would be career lows. He struck out swinging on a disappearing curveball. That would bring up Ivan Rodriguez, the legendary catcher who signed with Houston in the off-season. "Pudge" made his name with the Texas Rangers, the same team that drafted the short and squat catcher in 1988. The Rangers were impressed with the youngster's arm, and made the Majors by June 20, 1991. He was catching 300-game-winner Nolan Ryan by his second game, and became known for his defensive prowess. His bat eventually caught up with his glove, and he hit .316/.352/.521 from 1995-2002. He dealt with numerous injuries, and the Rangers led him go to the Florida Marlins. All he did was hit .297/.369/.474 and won the NLCS MVP as the Marlins went on to win the 2003 World Series. He signed with the Detroit Tigers, and became a leader and a mentor, and turned the franchise around, helping them from 119 losses the year before he signed to a pennant by 2006. He also won three Gold Gloves to give him 13 total, the second most by a position player. His declining bat led to a trade to the New York Yankees in 2008, and he signed with Houston in March. He was closing in on the record for most games caught, held by Carlton "Pudge" Fisk, but his bat was only a shell of his former self, and he grounded to second
The Rockies were back to the top of their order leading off the third, providing a challenge to Wandy Rodriguez as each hitter has seen him once. And the familiarity showed its ugly face early on, as Ryan Spilborghs lines a sharp grounder down the third base line past the diving third baseman Blum. The ball rolled into the left field corner and Spilborghs jogged into second. Clint Barmes was next and he faked a bunt, but then lined a ball down the right field line. Spilborghs scored easily, and Barmes motored all the way to third with a triple as right fielder Pence struggled to pick up the ball. The Rockies scored again as Todd Helton dumped a single to center. Wandy was down already and had a runner at first, but he focused his attention on the batter Murton, and struck him out for the first out. Hawpe was next, and he hit a slow grounder to second. Second baseman Maysonet fielded it on the edge of the outfield grass and threw to first for the out. Helton advanced to second, but with two outs Wandy only had to retire the slumping Garrett Atkins to limit the damage. He tried to throw a fastball middle-in on a 1-0 count, but it caught too much of the plate. Atkins reached out and pounded it to the center field wall above the yellow line for a home run. Stewart grounded to second to end the inning, but he was now down 4-0.
The 4-0 stood more stark given the Astros' inability to break through Jason Hammel. They needed to chip away, but would have to do it with the bottom of their lineup, leading off with Geoff Blum. The journeyman veteran was playing in his second stint with the Astros. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 7th round of the 1994 draft out of the University of California in Berkeley, and debuted on August 9, 1999. He played parts of three seasons with the Expos before getting traded to Houston. He was somewhat uneven in his first go-around, and they eventually traded him to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after the 2003 season. He would play for the San Diego Padres and the Chicago White Sox, and was on the World Series roster when the White Sox defeated Houston in 2005. He returned in 2008 and played fairly regularly. He was hitting an empty .277/.349/.338 and grounded to second. It was up to rookie Edwin Maysonet to break up the streak of seven hitters retired. Maysonet was born in Puerto Rico but went to Delta State University, where he was drafted in the 19th round in 2003. He struggled through the minor leagues before finally getting rewarded with a September call-up in 2008. He started the 2009 season with AAA Round Rock, and earned a promotion in May with starting second baseman Kazuo Matsui hurt. He had some solid games with the bat, and came through with a single past the diving third baseman Atkins. Wandy was up, and as a career .111/.133/.121 hitter, everybody knew he was going to lay down a bunt. He laid down a beauty as Maysonet went to second. The lineup wrapped around again bringing up Michael Bourn. Bourn swung at Hammel's first pitch and lined it down it down the first base line. First baseman Helton dived for it, but it bounced off his glove into foul territory. First base umpire Randy Marsh called it fair, and Maysonet scored easily while Bourn sped into second with a double. Tejada had designs on driving in another run, but he struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt and the inning was over.
The game moved into the fourth with the Rockies trying to regain their four-run lead. It didn't seem likely as the Rockies had the bottom of the order up, and Wandy retired the Bellorin on a grounder just in front of home plate and Hammel on a groundout to second. That brought up the Rockies' leadoff hitter Ryan Spilborghs. Wandy got ahead 0-2, and tried to bury a curveball inside, but it hung and Spilborghs lifted it into the Astros bullpen in right field for a 5-1 lead. Barmes grounded out to third, but the Rockies got their run back. Hammel went into the bottom of the fourth full of confidence, and responded by striking out Pence and Lee, the latter on a check swing, before Berkman flied out to Tal's Hill in deep center on an over-the-shoulder catch by center fielder Spilborghs. That was the end of the Astros for the fourth. Wandy had allowed two home runs after allowing only one in his first 11 games and 67.2 innings, and he went into the fifth full of fire and vinegar. He struck out Helton and Murton on nasty breaking pitches before coming face to face with Brad Hawpe. Wandy tried another curveball on a 1-1 count, and Hawpe hit it to deep left-center field for another home run. That led to Garrett Atkins, who started the home run barrage in the third. Wandy figured Atkins couldn't do it again, but fell behind 2-0 and threw a get-me-over fastball. Atkins drove it deep to the back of the Crawford Boxes in left field for a second home run. Things only continued to get worse as Ian Stewart lined the first pitch to the left-field wall for a double. Manager Cooper called for an intentional walk to Edwin Bellorin, and Hammel struck out to end the inning, but the Rockies ran up the lead to 7-1 with the pair of two-out home runs.
The Astros sent up the bottom of their order for the fifth. Ivan Rodriguez led off and hit a sharp ground ball to third baseman Atkins. Garrett Atkins was feeling pretty good with his two home runs in the game, but he couldn't get the glove down and let the ball go through the five-hole for an error. Geoff Blum walked, and the Astros could see a glimmer of hope. However, Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca paid Hammel a visit, and the pitcher responded by getting Maysonet to fly to right, and that brought up the pitcher's spot, but Matt Kata came up to pinch-hit. Kata was signed by the Astros in the off-season after he spent 2008 with the Rockies and the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he never got out of AAA Indianapolis. Kata was a Cleveland, Ohio native who was drafted out of Vanderbilt in the 9th round of 1999 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made his Major League debut in June 15, 2003 and played in Randy Johnson's perfect game on May 18, 2004. However, he never got regular playing time in the Majors and wound up spending more time in AAA. He started the season with AAA Round Rock before getting called up on June 2. He came in as a pinch-runner and later played second. This time he pinch-hit and flied to left. Bourn ended the inning by grounding to first. Russ Ortiz came out to pitch the sixth. The veteran out of Van Nuys, California and the University of Oklahoma had 110 wins in the Majors, helping the San Francisco Giants to a pennant in 2002 and winning 21 games with the Atlanta Braves a year later. However, he fell apart in 2005, going 7-22 with a 6.94 ERA for three teams and drew his release. He had Tommy John surgery in 2007 and sat out all of 2008 before trying to revive his career in Houston. He struggled as a reliever / spot starter, before lowing his ERA to 4.74 ERA with three sharp relief outings. He retired Spilborghs on a fly to right before Clint Barmes grounded a single past the lunging shortstop Tejada. Barmes made the mistake of testing catcher Pudge's arm and was thrown out . Then Helton struck out. However, the heart of the Astros order couldn't get anything done against Hammel. Tejada lined to deep right field, then Pence and Lee both grounded to short to end the inning with Hammel tossing just six pitches.
Russ Ortiz came out for a second inning of work in the seventh. He had little trouble retiring the heart of Colorado's order. Murton grounded to second, then Hawpe lined to left, then the hitting hero Atkins did the same but to right. The Rockies made a defensive change for the seventh, taking Atkins out and shifting Stewart from second to third. Omar Quintanilla came in and took over second. Quintanilla had been a useful utility middle infielder. The El Paso native was the first round draft pick in 2003 by the Oakland Athletics out of the University of Texas at Austin, and came to Colorado in a July 2005 trade. He made his Major League debut at the end of the month. His offensive issues had limited his playing time, and was mostly coming in as defensive replacement in 2009. Hammel tried to quiet Houston for the seventh, but Lance Berkman led off with a double on a line drive off the visiting scoreboards in left field. Hammel recovered with two quick outs, as Pudge grounded to short then Blum popped up to third. Hammel could get out of the inning by retiring Edwin Maysonet, but the rookie lined an RBI single to center. That brought up the birthday boy Darin Erstad as the pinch-hitter. The longtime Angel was turning 35 that day. The Jamestown, North Dakota native went to the University of Nebraska after getting drafted in the 13th round in 1992. He played baseball and football and was a punter on the team that won National Champion. He did well in baseball and was drafted first overall in 1995 by the California Angels. He was in the Majors by June 14, 1996 and balanced superb defense with pretty good offense. He had hist best year in 2000 when he hit .355/.409/.541 with 240 hits, but his production went downhill from there. He spent a year in Chicago with the White Sox before arriving to Houston. He had revived his career with a good season in Houston in 2008 following two years of declining production, but had more of a part-time role in 2009. He ended up taking a walk, but Bourn flied out to end the inning.
The Astros called upon their former starter Brandon Backe to pitch the eighth. Backe was a key member of the Astros rotation during their playoff runs in 2004 and 2005. Backe was born and raised in Galveston, and was drafted in the 36th round of the 1996 draft out of high school. He went on to Galveston College where he got some pitching experience, but was primarily an infielder as he was drafted in the 18th round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998. Backe struggled offensively in the minors, and had advanced only to AA Orlando by 2000. The Devil Rays liked his arm and wanted him to convert to a pitcher. Backe was resistant, but ultimately relented. He did well enough in relief and made his Major League debut on July 19, 2002. Tampa Bay tried him in the starting role but mostly pitched in relief until he was traded to his hometown Astros for Geoff Blum. He started the 2004 season in the bullpen before entering the rotation in August. He pitched well and helped the Astros clinch the Wild Card on the final day. He had another good season in 2005, but shined in the playoffs as the Astros won the pennant. Elbow problems that eventually required Tommy John surgery cost him most of 2007. He came back but was never the same, and things got worse while he was involved in a fight at a friend's wedding in his hometown in Galveston. He still started the season in the minors and pitched well with AA Corpus Christi and AAA Round Rock, but allowed two runs in one inning in his one Major League appearance after getting called up. He hoped he can turn things around in Colorado, but Ian Stewart led off with a hard-hit single to left, then Edwin Bellorin hit a slow roller through the hole on the right side, and Stewart reached third on the hit-and-run.
The Rockies called upon rookie Dexter Fowler to pinch-hit. Fowler was a 14th-round draft pick out of high school in Milton Georgia in 2004. He advanced up the minors slowly, but impressed with his speed until he jumped from AA Tulsa to the Majors in September 2008 after winning a bronze medal in the Olympics. He started 2009 on the Opening Day roster and saw regular playing time, but he had gotten the day off before coming in. He ended up taking the walk on four pitches to load the bases. Ryan Spilborghs lifted a fly ball to center. Stewart came home with the run, but Backe had one out. Barmes lined a slow roller to short. He was thrown out, but both runners were able to advance. Backe intentionally walked the dangerous Todd Helton for Matt Murton, who had struck out three times. Another strikeout would give Murton a Golden Sombrero and end the inning, but lined a single to right-center on a 2-2 count to drive in two runs, and the Rockies now led 10-2. Hawpe flied to right to end the inning, but Colorado now had an eight-run lead.
The Rockies execute a double-switch with Fowler entering the game in center and Spilborgh moving to left. Meanwhile Murton exited in favor of journeyman pitcher Jason Grilli. The Rockies are Grilli's fourth Major League team, having come over in a trade with the Detroit Tigers on April 2008. His father Steve was a reliever in the 1970s, and Jason followed his father into the sport. He was originally drafted out of high school in the 24th round in 1994, but went to Seton Hall University instead. He was drafted in the first round, fourth overall, by the San Francisco Giants in 1997, but he never played a single game with San Francisco. He was sent to Florida Marlins in a trade for Livan Hernandez and made his debut May 11, 2000. He struggled early on. Through 2005 he had made 16 starts for three teams and was 6-6 with a 6.20 ERA. The Tigers finally sent him to the bullpen and he saw an immediate improvement. He was excellent in 2008, but got in a rough patch in 2009, with a 5.89 ERA. Colorado hoped he can pitch well and regain his confidence with this eight-run lead. He got off to a good start, as he retired Tejada on a comebacker, then struck out Pence on three pitchers. However, Carlos Lee poked a single into center field. Then Lance Berkman walked on four pitches, bringing up the veteran Ivan Rodriguez. Grilli threw his first pitch in the dirt leading to a mound meeting with manager Tracy. He recovered and took the count full, but Pudge blooped a single to short right field, scoring Lee with the Astros' third run. Grilli got into another full count to Blum, but he flew out to end the inning.
Backe came out to pitch the ninth. He was much sharper, retiring Quintanilla on a screaming lineout to first baseman Berkman before Stewart and Bellorin flew out. Houston came out for their last chance to come back, while Colorado sent another struggling veteran to the mound to get the last three outs. Alan Embree had signed with the Rockies in the off-season after two years with the Oakland Athletics. It was a long and winding road for Embree, who had gotten his start with the Cleveland Indians. They had drafted him in the 5th round in 1989 out of Vancouver, Washington. He was a starter early on and made his debut on September 1992. However, he struggled to a 7.00 ERA in four starts. He required Tommy John surgery in 1993, and he struggled mightily upon his return a year later. The Indians shifted him to the bullpen, and he performed admirably in the minors, but never found such success in the Majors. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves in late March 1997 and he sparkled. He eventually became a journeyman, pitching for ten teams. He was a member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that won the World Series. He signed with the Rockies but had been struggling, with a 6.60 ERA in 22 appearances. However, he led off by striking out Maysonet. That brought up pinch-hitter Jason Michaels. Michaels was in his first year with the Astros after a career spent mostly with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Indians. He was drafted four times before finally signing after going in the 4th round to the Phillies in 1998. He made his Major League debut in 2001 but didn't play regularly until 2004. He was reduced to a part-time role, but his .171/.277/.293 slashline hadn't helped things. And he popped to third. Michael Bourn stood as the potential last out, but he wasn't ready to take on that role, and lined a single to right. That brought up Tejada, who had one last opportunity to extend a 17-game hitting streak. However, that would not happen as he grounded a ball to shortstop Barmes, who threw to second to force Bourn.
It was a disappointing outcome for the Astros who had been trying to climb out of the National League Central basement. The ugly game took an excruciating 2 hours and 47 minutes. Houston still went on to post a winning month of June, and managed to pass the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 20. A strong month of July helped them get above .500 and take hold of second place for a few days, but they went back to being uneven in the last two months of the season to finish in fifth at 74-88, having gone 51-58 after the events of June 4. On the other hand, this win was a springboard for the Colorado Rockies. They went on to put together an 11-game hitting streak before losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on June 16. They picked themselves up and won six more in a row, and jumped from 21-32 in last to 37-33 in third. Their 21-7 month of June brought back memories of 2007, and they continued their excellent play. Yorvit Torrealba returned to the team in July and provided an emotional boost as well as an offensive one, as he hit .316/.371/.395 after his return. The Rockies were never able to chase down the Los Angeles Dodgers, getting within one game on October 2 after winning the first game of a showdown three-game series in Los Angeles. The Dodgers took the last two games and the Rockies were denied their first division title. Nevertheless the team had gone a baseball-best 71-38 after June 4 to finish at 92-70, winning the Wild Card by a comfortable margin. However, they didn't have the October magic from 2007 and ended up losing to the defending world champion Phillies in four games.
The Rockies were hoping that they could continue their success. They finished with a winning record in 2010, but were far from a playoff spot. Then they continued to collapse, finishing no better than 75-87 from 2011-2016. Todd Helton had finished 2009 with a .325/.416/.489 slashline, but injuries got to him and he finished at .264/.353/.416 in four seasons before he finally retired. The Rockies could never find the pitching to back up their powerful offense. However, they were able to obtain an impressive collection of talent from years of losing. Chief of those was Nolan Arenado, the talented third baseman that was the team's second round draft choice in 2009, five days after the win. He was a magician with the glove, and also had considerable power. They also got just enough pitching to help the Rockies win the second Wild Card spot in 2017, only to lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card Game. They returned to the Wild Card Game a year later and defeated the Chicago Cubs, only to get swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the Division Series. The Rockies locked down Arenado to a long-term contract and hoped it would be the start of something better.
Meanwhile the Astros were on the precipice of disaster. They finished 76-86 in 2010 before completely collapsing in 2011, finishing 56-106. The Astros were in the process of getting sold to businessman Jim Crane, which was approved along with the approval of the move of Houston to the American League, two events most felt was connected. One of Crane's first moves was to hire a new general manager, Jeff Luhnow, from the St. Louis Cardinals. Luhnow looked at the team and he saw only broken down old veterans and a second baseman from Venezuela generously listed at 5'6". He made no efforts to improve the team and started unloading bad contracts. Along the way he took the plunge into analytics. He used the numbers to draft a strapping young shortstop from Puerto Rico with the overall number 1 pick in 2012, a move that caused scouts to scratch their head. The Astros continued to lose, finishing 55-107 in 2012, and a horrendous 51-111 in 2013, their first season in the AL, ending the season on a 15-game losing streak. Houston wasn't quite as bad in 2014, going 70-92 and finishing fourth. Their team philosophy to intrigued Sports Illustrated that the venerable magazine put the Astros and young center fielder George Springer on the cover that season and called them the 2017 World Series champs, a move that earned scorn all over the baseball world. Houston surprised baseball by jumping to a hot start in 2015 before fading to 86-76 with the second Wild Card spot. They knocked off the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Game and were six outs from bumping off the Kansas City Royals in the Division Series before blowing the game and the series. A slow start doomed them to a third-place finish in 2016, earning calls of "I told you so," but the Astros got off to another hot start in 2017. They faded briefly before trading for Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander, and rocketed to 101 wins and won their second pennant, with the diminutive second baseman blasting three home runs Game 1 of the Division Series and Verlander striking out 13 in a complete game in Game 2 of the ALCS. Houston got into a bitter battle with the Dodgers in the World Series, but held on to win their first title in seven games, with cover boy Springer earning MVP honors. The Astros won 103 games in their title defense, but lost the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox. Nevertheless, their future shines as bright as any other team in baseball.
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Giants 4, Nationals 1
Nationals Park
Washington DC
The San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals began preparing for the regularly scheduled game from June 4, 2009 at around 8:15 at night Eastern time. The late start was necessitated by the rainout of the game from the day before, which led to the two games to be rescheduled as a traditional double-header. Traditional double-headers were becoming a rare breed, as teams prefer day-night double-headers as they would be able to charge admission for two games. However, a traditional double-header was necessary given the fact that the Giants would not have any more trips to the nation's capital, and more rain was in the forecast for June 4. The Nationals have previously played two day-night double-headers since moving into Nationals Park in 2008, but this was the first traditional double-header that the ballpark would host. Nationals Park was a jewel of a ballpark located in the Navy Yard neighborhood along the Anacostia River. The Nationals had previously played in RFK Stadium, the cookie-cutter ballpark that was the home to the old Washington Senators, and Nationals Park was a welcomed addition given its view of downtown Washington, including the US Capital building, and the cherry trees that would blossom every spring.
Unfortunately for Nationals fans the team hadn't played very well since moving into their new ballpark. Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off home run on Opening Night in the new ballpark was a rare victory for the beleaguered team. The history of the Nationals traces back to 1968, when an expansion franchise was granted to Montreal, Quebec. It would be the first Major League Baseball team outside the United States, but Montreal had a rich history that included being home to the Dodgers AAA affiliate the Montreal Royals, where Jackie Robinson played for a season before his historical debut. The team was dubbed the Montreal Expos, after the Expo 67 World's Fair. The Expos had the usual growing pains experienced by most expansion franchises. They won't post a winning season until 1979, by which the team was stock with young talent including Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Rusty Staub and pitcher Steve Rogers. The teams were in contention for the division in 1979 and 1980, falling short both years, but they won the second half of the split season of 1981. They knocked off the first half champions, the defending World Series winners Philadelphia Phillies, in the first ever Division Series, but lost a heart-breaking series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Expos remained competitive, but never sniffed another division title until 1994, when the team had players such as Larry Walker, Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom, and future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. The Expos had the best record in baseball when the strike hit. The team was not the same when play resumed. They lost their best players, and fans stayed away. The Expos owners couldn't convince voters to approve the building of another ballpark. There were talks of the Expos being one of the teams designated for contraction, or else being relocated. Eventually art dealer Jeffrey Loria brought a controlling interest in the team. He sold the team to Major League Baseball once contraction plans died, and the team was unable to add pieces even when they were in contention. By 2003 they were playing games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and in 2004 it was announced the team would be moving to Washington DC, where they would be renamed the Nationals. The move devastated fans in Montreal, and wasn't well received by Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, but the Nationals were welcomed with open hearts by Washington DC fans, who had been waiting for another team since the Washington Senators departed for Texas after 1971. The Nationals surprised the baseball world by holding onto first through the end of July. Ultimately they fell apart and finished in last place, but still had an 81-81 record. This turned out to be a mirage, as the Nationals fell to 71 and 73 wins the next two seasons. Then in 2008, their first season in their new ballpark, they collapsed to 59-102. They got off to another awful start in 2009 and had a 15-36 record (the equivalent of being 48-114) even after winning on June 2 to end a six-game losing streak.
Their opponents the San Francisco Giants was another team that went through relocation. The New York Giants had been playing in the National League since 1883, when they were known as the Gothams and was one of the teams created to replace the Troy Trojans, which ceased operation after 1882. They competed for glory with their American Association counterparts the New York Metropolitans, both of whom were owned by John Day and Jim Mutrie, the latter of whom allegedly called his team "My Giants." It was the Giants that ultimately came out on top, buoyed by stars such as 300-game winners Tim Keefe, Mickey Welch, and Christy Mathewson, as well as players like Roger Connor, Amos Rusie, and George Davis. The Giants dominated the National League during the early years of the World Series era, led by Mathewson and charismatic manager John McGraw, winning ten pennants from 1904 to 1924 and three championships, the latter two against their cross-town rivals the New York Yankees. However, the 1920s saw the Giants' popularity wane when compared to the Yankees, whose big slugger Babe Ruth took the world by storm. The Giants continued to find success after the retirement of McGraw, but saw their popularity fall to the Brooklyn Dodgers. They had some magical moments, including Bobby Thomson's pennant clinching home run in 1951, and the World Series title in 1954 marked by Willie Mays's Catch and Throw, but attendance fell in the 1950s. The Giants began negotiations with moving the team to San Francisco under recommendation from Dodges owner Walter O'Malley, who wanted to move his team to Los Angeles. The move would happen after the 1958 season, beginning a new era for Major League Baseball. The Giants were an instant hit in San Francisco despite playing their home games in the windy Candlestick Park. The Giants had superstars such as Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, and future 300-game winner Gaylord Perry. They won a pennant in 1962 and remained competitive throughout the 1960s, but the 1970s were not kind to the team. There was talk again of moving the team to Toronto, but owner Bob Lurie kept the team in San Francisco. They didn't become competitive again until the late 1980s, when stars such as Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell brought the team back into relevance. Their biggest coup was signing Barry Bonds from Pittsburgh before the 1993 season. The team won 103 games that year but still lost the National League West in the last day of the last season before Wild Card play. Under the leadership of Bonds the Giants became competitors in the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning three division titles and the National League pennant in 2002. However, as Bonds was winning MVPs and setting home run records, he became embroiled in the performance enhancing drug controversy. The team became overwhelmed by his drama and his ego, and sank below .500 from 2005 to 2007, the year he broke Henry Aaron's legendary record of 755 career home runs. The Giants remained at 72-90 in 2008, even after Bonds went unsigned amidst legal troubles.
The 2009 Giants were a young club, but they had another veteran that was chasing history. Randy Johnson had 295 wins at the end of the 2008 season that he spent with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was only five wins away from the magical 300-mark. The Diamondbacks were unwilling to sign him, but the Giants were willing to sign the Livermore native to a one-year, $8 million contract. He became a mentor to a young rotation that included 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, Matt Cain, and the elder statesman of the group in Barry Zito. However, the Giants struggled to score runs, finishing in the bottom half of the National League every year since 2005. The team stumbled to a poor start where they struggled to win on the road. Johnson was pitching poorly, and even though he won his 299th against the Atlanta Braves, the team stood at 25-25 after blowing a 5-2 lead and losing 10-6 against the Nationals on June 2. June 3 was supposed to be the marquee day for the Big Unit, but it started to rain at around 4:00pm around when the gates were opening. The rain came off and on. The Nationals kept delaying to try the game in, but it was 10:47pm when the game was called, and it was rescheduled at 4:35 as part of a traditional day-night double-header. Randy Johnson was still scheduled to start the first game of the double-header, but the raindrops persisted into the proposed start time, delaying the game until 5:11 when rookie Jordan Zimmermann was able to throw the first pitch, a strike to Aaron Rowand. Zimmermann had been the one of the Nationals' top pitching prospects since he was drafted in the second round out of the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point in 2007. He pitched very well in A-ball and AA in 2007 and 2008, and was in the Majors after two games in the minors in 2009. He won his first two starts, but then had an ugly month of May that sent his ERA upward to 6.07. However, he struck out Rowand and Edgar Renteria, and got Randy Winn to ground to first to end the first inning. Randy Johnson had a 5.71 ERA that wasn't much better, but he was also sharp, getting Alberto Gonzalez out on a groundball to short, Nick Johnson on a screaming line drive, and Ryan Zimmerman on a ground ball up the middle.
The Giants was able to get something going against Zimmermann in the second. Bengie Molina struck out, but then Fred Lewis singled to left-center. Lewis was a speedster since he was drafted in the second round of 2002 out of Southern University and A&M, stealing 121 bases in the minors from 2002 to 2006 when he made his Major League debut. He wasn't able to translate that into success in the Major League level, but he didn't need speed to get to third when Travis Ishikawa doubled. Ishikawa was drafted in the 21st round of the same 2002 draft, but showed strong defense with decent power and jumped from AA to the majors in 2006. He spent all of 2007 in the minors, but was making use of his first chance to play a full season. Juan Uribe was next. He was a second cousin of former Giants shortstop Jose Gonzalez Uribe, who died in a car accident on December 8, 2006, a year after Juan Uribe won a World Series with the Chicago White Sox. Uribe was a free agent for the first time after the 2008 season, signing with his "uncle's" former team. He then gave the Giants a lead with a sharp groundout to Nationals second baseman Ronnie Belliard. Emmanuel Burriss was next. The Washington DC native fell behind 0-2 before lining a single to center field, deep enough to score Ishikawa with the second run. Randy Johnson struck out, but armed with a two-run lead, he struck out Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns and got Elijah Dukes to ground to third in between. Zimmermann went back to dominating the Giants, getting Rowand to ground to third and striking out Renteria before getting Winn on a groundout to first. Randy was also sharp, getting Belliard and catcher Wil Nieves to ground to short and getting the opposing pitcher to tap to himself. In the fourth, Molina struck out again, then Lewis grounded to short and Ishikawa hit a fly ball to left. Gonzalez grounded out to short to lead off the bottom of the fourth, but then Nick Johnson walked for the Nationals' first baserunner. Randy still got Zimmerman to fly to right, and Dunn popped out to first. Uribe lined a fly ball to deep center field, but it was caught in front of the track. Then Burriss grounded to the pitcher, and Randy was called out on strikes.
Elijah Dukes led off the fifth with the Nationals' first base hit, a broken bat single up the middle. Austin Kearns was next. Kearns had been a big part of the Nationals outfield since coming over from a trade with the Reds in 2006, but his bat disappeared in 2008, and was showing no signs of returning in 2009. Nevertheless, he worked a walk, and a passed ball sent Dukes to second. Up next was Ronnie Belliard. The veteran had 25 plate appearances against the Big Unit during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, and the Nationals, with whom he had been since signing as a free agent in 2007. Belliard hit a sharp line drive that hit the mound. It bounced into the glove of the diving second baseman Burriss, who tossed it with his glove to shortstop Renteria, who threw to first for the double play. It was a crucial play that saved a run and rescued the inning, especially as Nieves grounded out. Zimmermann and Zimmerman combined to frustrate the Giants in the sixth, as Rowand and Renteria grounded to first, and then Winn popped to third. Meanwhile Randy faced a pinch-hitter, Anderson Hernandez, who was originally penciled in as the shortstop the night before but came off the bench due to the double-header. Hernandez hit a comebacker that Randy knocked down. He chased after the ball, and made a diving throw to nail the runner. The next batter was Alberto Gonzalez. Gonzalez was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Venezuela in 2002, but he was traded to the Yankees along with Steven Jackson, Ross Ohlendorf, and Luis Vizcaino for the man he was facing, Randy Johnson. Gonzalez made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 2007, but was traded once again to Washington a year later. He grounded towards shortstop Renteria, who picked up the wet ball but threw low. Ishikawa couldn't corral the ball and it went for an error. Next Nick Johnson doubled to left-center. Gonzalez was able to score easily. Nick went to third on a ground ball by Zimmerman, but Dunn popped out to third base to end the inning.
The game soon went to the bullpen. Ron Villone came out for the Nationals. He was a reliever with four different teams from 1995 to 1998 before signing with the Cincinnati Reds after he was released by the Cleveland Indians. The Reds converted him to a starter, and he pitched the game of his life on June 30, 1999, throwing eight one-hit innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks and preventing Randy Johnson from getting win number 253. Villone bounced around and was briefly teammates with the Big Unit with the New York Yankees in 2006 before a minor league contract with the Nationals after the season started. He began the year with AAA Syracuse, but he was called up in May and was fantastic, making 16 appearances without allowing a single run. His five outs against the Giants on June 2 were key, and along the way he picked up his third win of the season. On this day he got Molina to pop to first, Lewis to ground to first, and struck out Ishikawa. The Giants countered with Brandon Medders, as Randy had jammed his shoulder on the Hernandez play in the sixth. Medders was with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2005 to 2008, and had pitched in some of Randy Johnson's games. He was non-tendered after 2008, and signed by the Giants as a non-roster invitee. He made the team out of spring training, and was a valuable reliever for the Giants, with a 2.78 ERA in 22 games. He struck out Dukes and Kearns, and got Belliard to pop to second. Mike MacDougal came out for the Nationals. He was an All-Star closer with the Kansas City Royals, who then traded him to the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox used him in relief, but released him after he put up a 12.46 ERA in five games. The Nationals signed him and sent him to AAA Syracuse. He posted a five 3.24 ERA in eight games with two saves, and brought him up in the end of May. He allowed two unearned runs in one inning, but was given a chance to keep this game close. MacDougal was up to the task. He got Uribe to pop to first, then Burriss grounded to second. Giants manager Bruce Bochy allowed Medders to hit for himself. MacDougal greeted the reliever with a pitch over his head. A terrified Medders went down on three pitches.
Brandon Medders went out to pitch the eighth. He got a strike and a ball against catcher Wil Nieves, but Nieves lined the third pitch to center for a single. That was enough for Bochy, who called upon his lone lefty, Jeremy Affeldt. Affeldt was teammates with MacDougal with the Royals in the early 2000s. They had tried him in both a starting and relieving role before they gave up and traded him to the Colorado Rockies. He eventually became a solid reliever with the Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds in 2007 and 2008. The Giants signed him to become their top left-handed reliever, and he had delivered, posting a 1.93 ERA in 27 appearances. He was up to the task, getting pinch-hitter Cristian Guzman to fly to center, then Gonzalez to ground out, but Nieves went to second on a hit-and-run. Affeldt then faced Nick Johnson, who had two of the best swings against Randy Johnson. Affeldt took the count full, but then walked him. With runners on first and second and the dangerous Ryan Zimmerman coming up, Bochy called for his closer, Brian Wilson. Wilson was a 24th round draft pick out of Louisiana State University in 2003. He had missed the College World Series winning year, and then missed the 2003 College World Series run due to Tommy John surgery, which led him to fall to the 24th round. He recovered in time for the 2004 season. While Wilson was a starter in college, he was converted to a reliever at A-ball Hagerstown. He took to the role and found himself in the Majors by 2006. He had more of a set-up role in his first two seasons, first to Armando Benitez then to Brad Hennessey, the losing pitcher in Greg Maddux's 300th win. Wilson took control in 2008 and broke out, saving 41 games despite a 4.62 ERA. He kept the role in 2009, saving 12 games despite a 4.07 ERA. Wilson showed his hair-raising stuff by walking Zimmerman. He took Adam Dunn to a full count despite being ahead 1-2, but threw a fastball right at Dunn's knees that home plate umpire Tim Timmons called a strike.
The Giants kept their 2-1 lead into the ninth, and got to face Joel Hanrahan. Hanrahan was initially a draft pick with the Dodgers in 2000, and was a starter in the minors, but never got out of the minors. The Dodgers eventually non-tendered him, where he was picked up by the Nationals. He started the season in AAA Columbus, but eventually got the call to the Majors. He was terrible in his 11 starts, but in 2008 the Nationals made him a reliever, and he put up a good season, posting a 3.95 ERA with nine saves. He broke camp as the Nationals closer but was terrible, blowing his first two save opportunities and had a 5.55 ERA. He then made things worse, allowing a single to Aaron Rowand and a double to Edgar Renteria to put runners on second and third. Up next was Randy Winn. Winn was originally drafted by the Florida Marlins in 1995, but was picked by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1997 expansion draft. Winn started the 1998 season in the minors, but was called up in May. He was the victim of Roger Clemens's 3,000th strikeout but otherwise had a decent rookie campaign. He spent the next two seasons shuffling between Tampa Bay and AAA Durham, but was finally in the Major Leagues for good in 2001. He had himself an All-Star season, then was traded to Seattle for manager Lou Piniella. He had two decent seasons in Seattle before getting traded to the Giants for Jesse Foppert and Yorvit Torrealba, the latter of whom was the final out in Greg Maddux's 300th win. Winn was a useful player with the Giants, providing good batting averages but little power. He broke through by lining a double just past third base that scored Rowand and Renteria to make it 4-1. Bengie Molina followed. Molina was the oldest of a trio of brothers all of whom became catchers. He was born and raised in Puerto Rico before going to Arizona Western College where he was signed by the California Angels as an undrafted free agent. He made it to the Major Leagues in 1998, and was behind the plate when the Angels won the World Series. He spent one year with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2006 before signing with the Giants, providing veteran leadership for San Francisco's young rotation. He could also swing the bat, and served as the team's primary clean-up hitter. He was hitless in the game, but contributed with a single to send Winn racing to third. That was enough for Nationals manager Manny Acta, who pulled Hanrahan for left-hander Joe Beimel. Beimel came up as a long reliever / spot starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001, but was never very good at either role. He bounced between the Minnesota Twins and Devil Rays before ending up with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He became a valuable left-handed reliever with Joe Torre's Dodgers, putting up a 3.04 ERA in 216 games. He signed a deal with the Washington Nationals in the off-season to serve as a set-up man, but hadn't had the same success, with a 4.87 ERA. He also got to face pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval, who lined a sacrifice fly to center that scored Winn. Next another pinch-hitter, Andres Torres, hit a fly ball to center that didn't score a run. Uribe finally grounded out to Beimel to end the inning.
Brian Wilson came out in the bottom of the ninth to save history. He started out getting a full count to Dukes and Kearns, but came back to strike both of them out. Up next was Ronnie Belliard, who had a hit taken away by Burriss's amazing play. He hit another sharp liner towards the young Giants second baseman. Burriss was only able to knock it down. He picked the ball up and threw it to first baseman, but Belliard was able to beat it out, and the Nationals had another shot. It all came down to Wil Nieves. Nieves was born in Puerto Rico. For the longest time it was believed that he was the younger brother of longtime Padres outfielder Melvin Nieves, but the two were not related. The Padres still picked young Wil in the 47th round of the 1995 draft. He spent seven years in the minor leagues honing his catching skills before finally getting a call-up to the Major Leagues and making his debut on July 21, 2002, the same day he got his first hit off of Randy Johnson. He played 28 games but hit .181/.224/.250, and was sent back to the minors. He stayed in the minors even after getting selected off waivers by the Anaheim Angels. The Angels traded him to the New York Yankees, who made him a September call-up in 2005 and 2006, but he never had a chance to catch the Big Unit, coming in only after Randy was replaced by Jose Veras on September 23, 2006. The Yankees eventually let him leave as a free agent, after which he signed with the Washington Nationals, who initially sent him to AAA Columbus but eventually called him up where he served as back-up catcher. He made the Opening Day roster for the first time in 2009. An injury to starting catcher Jesus Flores forced Nieves into a bigger role, and now he stood as a batter that stood between Randy Johnson and his 300th win. Brian Wilson's first pitch was a fastball that measured at 96.87mph coming out of Wilson's hand that caught the outside corner for a called strike one. His next pitch was 98.15mph and was slightly above the strike zone, but Nieves fouled it off for strike two. Brian Wilson knew this last pitch would be big. The only thing that would be bigger if he was on the mound with a chance to clinch the World Series. He reached back and threw a fastball timed at 98.92mph coming out of his hands, his fastest pitch of the night. It had little horizontal movement and stayed near the middle of the strike zone, but Nieves swung through it for strike three. After a career that began 20 years earlier on September 15, 1988, Randy Johnson finally had his 300th win. The team came out for hugs, and the team had ordered pizza for the pitchers. While Randy gave a press conference about his achievement, the rest of his teammates had little time to celebrate. They still had another game to play. Giants manager Bruce Bochy and Nationals manager Manny Acta swapped lineup cards with home plate umpire Rob Drake, who had the duties for the second game of the double-header.
San Francisco Giants
CF Aaron Rowand
SS Edgar Renteria
LF Andres Torres
1B Pablo Sandoval
3B Rich Aurilia
C Eli Whiteside
RF Nate Schierholtz
P Matt Cain
Washington Nationals
SS Cristian Guzman
1B Nick Johnson
3B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Adam Dunn
RF Elijah Dukes
CF Willie Harris
C Josh Bard
2B Anderson Hernandez
P Ross Detwiler
Ross Detwiler was the other one of the Nationals' top pitching prospect. The St. Louis native grew up rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals as he grew up in nearby Wentzville. He was the ace of the Missouri State University baseball team when the Cardinals took home the 2006 World Series. The Nationals couldn't resist his sizzling fastball that struck out 110 batters in 89 innings in his 2007 season, and took him in the first round of the 2007 draft with the sixth overall pick, and he didn't waste any time in signing. He pitched nine games in the minors before making his Major League debut as a September call-up, where he pitched one scoreless inning in relief. He spent all of 2008 with High A Potomac as he struggled with his command, but a strong start with AA Harrisburg and AAA Syracuse led to him getting a call-up in mid-May. He made three starts of varying success, but was still looking for his first Major Lague win. He was hoping it would come in the same double-header when a pitcher won his 300th game.
Matt Cain had his wins, with 36 of them in total. However, he was also looking to share an unfair label as a pitcher that couldn't win, one that came largely from his 44 losses. Cain was born in Dothan, Alabama, but eventually moved to Germantown, Tennessee close to Memphis. He dominated in high school and was prepared to play ball at the University of Memphis, but the Giants led him to change his plans by choosing him in the first round of the 2002 draft. Cain signed shortly afterwards and spent time in rookie ball. He advanced quickly up the minor league chain, and made his Major League debut on August 20, 2005. He was terrific in his seven starts in 2005, and was in the Giants rotation as a 21-year-old in 2006. He went 13-12 with an above-average 4.15 ERA. He lowered his ERA in 2007 and 2008 to 3.65 and 3.76 respectively. He also increased his innings totals to 200 and 217.2 innings. However, thanks to some shoddy run support, he finished at 7-16 in 2007, and 8-14 in 2008. He was overshadowed by Lincecum, who made his debut in 2007 and was a Cy Young winner in 2008. Cain still had the poise of a veteran beyond his age, and many considered him a breakout candidate for 2009. He was the Giants' number three starter when the season started, behind Linecum and Randy Johnson. He dazzled in his first start, a 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers where he allowed only one run in seven innings. He continued to pitch very well, and was 6-1 with a 2.31 ERA, numbers which were more impressive than Linecum's 4-1 record and 3.01 ERA.
It was 8:15pm Eastern time when Detwiler threw the first pitch to Aaron Rowand. The announced attendance was not given for the double-header's first game, but 16,787 was announced for the nightcap, just 40% of Nationals Park's capacity of 41,888. The crowds seemed even smaller than that as the announced attendance was just based on ticket sold, and not everybody with a ticket came out for the game. Furthermore, many fans were watching from the covered seats as rain came on in spurts. The lineups in the second game had a few changes, but Rowand was one player that was playing in both games, and had contributed with a single in the ninth inning of the first game. Rowand was a cousin of Rays pitcher James Shields. He was drafted in the 40th round out of high school, but chose instead to go to Cal State Fullerton, baseball powerhouse that won the College World Series the year before Rowand attended. The Titans never advanced behind the Regionals, but Rowand was dazzling enough that the Chicago White Sox made him their first round draft pick in 1998. Rowand made his way up to the Majors by 2001, and dazzled with his defense. He was the center fielder on the 2005 team that won the World Series, after which he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for future Hall of Famer Jim Thome. Rowand had a down season where he broke his nose on a catch, then a strong season where he was named an All-Star. He turned and signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the Giants, but struggled mightily with his bat in 2008. He was struggling again until Bochy put him in the leadoff role on May 20. He went on fire, hitting .393/.414/.696 and led off the game on June 2 with a home run. He tried to do it again in the nightcap, but flied to center. He was followed by Edgar Renteria, who had two strikeouts and an error, but also recorded his 400th career double in the first game. Renteria was signed by the Florida Marlins out of Colombia a year before they began play. Colombia was not known as a baseball powerhouse, but Renteria became the fourth player from Colombia to make the Majors in 1996 and had a strong season where he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. A year later he broke the heart of Indians fans everywhere when he drove in the game-winning run in Game 7 of the World Series. He stayed in Florida after the fire sale of 1998, but was traded at the end of the season to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he became Roger Clemens's 4,000th strikeout victim on June 13, 2003. He became a free agent and signed a massive contract with the Boston Red Sox, but struggled. He was traded twice more over the rest of his contract before signing with the Giants. He continued to struggle with his bat and was hitting .245/.330/.331, then flied to right field. That brought up Andres Torres. Torres was born in New Jersey but grew up in Puerto Rico before going to college at Miami-Dade College. He was drafted twice before signing with the Detroit Tigers in 1998. He had a few cups of coffee with the Tigers from 2002-2004 then with the Texas Rangers in 2005 before disappearing into minor league purgatory for three years. He signed a minor-league contract with the Giants in 2009 but made the Opening Day roster. A hamstring strain sent him to the disabled list, but he came back to play in this historic double-header. However, he flew out as a pinch-hitter in the first game, then struck out in the nightcap.
Nationals manager Manny Acta tabbed Cristian Guzman to lead off after he had flied out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth in the first game. Guzman was signed by the New York Yankees out of the Dominican Republic before getting included in the trade for former Rookie of the Year Chuck Knoblauch. Guzman made his Major League debut in 1999, and he became known for his speed, particularly in the art of triples. He led the league in triples three times from 2000-2003. He signed a four-year, $16.8 million contract as one of the Nationals' first moves since moving to Washington DC, but he had a disastrous year in 2005, going .219/.260/.314. He missed all of 2006 and most of 2007 with a shoulder injury, but recovered to put up a .319/.354/.446 slash-line in 2007 and 2008, and also hit for the cycle against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 28, 2008. He was having another strong season in 2009, and led off with a double against Cain. That brought up Nick Johnson, who dealt the most damage in the first game, going one for two with a double and a hard-hit line-drive out with two walks. Nick Johnson was born and raised in Sacramento, and was drafted by the New York Yankees in the third round of the 1996 draft out of high school. He was a terrific hitter with power and patience in the minors, but missed all of 2000 with a hand injury. He came back to post a .407 on-base-percentage with AAA Columbus in 2001, and that led the team to bring him up to the Majors. He went only .194/.308/.313 in 23 games, then went .262/.383/.434 in 225 games in 2002 and 2003. The Yankees included Johnson with Juan Rivera and Randy Choate as part of the ill-fated Javier Vazquez trade with the Expos. He was average with the bat again, but blossomed when the team moved to Washington DC. He hit .290/.419/.501 in the first two seasons in Washington, but missed all of 2007 with a broken leg. He was hurt for most of 2008 but finally seemed to be healthy in 2009, and was hitting .330/.435/.449 after his output in the first game. He continued the success with a single, sending Guzman to third. Up next was Ryan Zimmerman, who was still one of Washington's top hitters even after going hitless in the first game. Zimmerman was a star player in Virginia Beach, and went to the University of Virginia, where he blossomed as a strong defensive third baseman with a solid bat to boot. The Nationals held the fourth pick in the 2005 draft and picked Zimmerman. He was terrific in the minors and got a call-up that September. He played well to become the starting third baseman for Washington in 2006, and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in a year when he hit 47 doubles, 20 home runs, and 110 RBIs. He also had a flair for the dramatic, hitting walk-off home runs against the Yankees on June 18 and Marlins on July 4. His clutch hitting continued in 2008 when he hit a walk-off home run in the first game in Nationals Park. He took the next step with his offense, putting together a 30-game hitting streak in April and May. He was still hitting .318/.388/.542 after the first game. And he put the Nationals on the board early with a sacrifice fly.
Adam Dunn followed as the clean-up hitter. He would prefer to forget the first game, as he went hitless with two strikeouts and ended innings three times, including the crucial bases-loaded strikeout in the eighth. Dunn was playing his first season in Washington after seven and a half seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and half with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The native of New Caney, Texas outside Houston became known for his prodigious power, incredible strikeout total, and good batting eye. He hit 46 home runs in 2004 but also set a new single-season record for strikeouts with 195 while walking 108 times. He hit 40 home runs the next four seasons while striking out at least 164 times and getting at least 100 walks. His three-true-outcome play style has persisted with his 16 home runs, 40 walks, and 58 strikeouts. He made it 41 walks with a four-pitch walk, during which a wild pitch sent Nick Johnson to second. Elijah Dukes would come up next. He was one of the game's most controversial players, but part of that came from his troubled childhood. He was born in Homestead just outside Miami. He was only eight when Hurricane Andrew destroyed his city. His family moved to Tampa, but had to settle into the poorest neighborhood where crime and drugs were rampant. His father went to prison for murdering a drug dealer. Young Dukes took his frustrations out on the ballfield, but also off of it, which led to legal charges since the age of 13. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays still chose Dukes in the third round of the 2002 draft, when he signed for more money than he had seen before in his life. Dukes worked his way up through the minor league system, but his advancement was slowed by his uncontrollable rage. Dukes made the Majors in 2007 and showed considerable power, but he was also a free-swinger. The Devil Rays gave up on him and traded him to the Nationals at the end of the season. He had a solid year in between injuries, and was on the Opening Day roster. Legal issues and hamstring injuries halted his momentum, but he did get a single in the first game. He grounded out to advance the runners. That brought up Willie Harris, who could play multiple positions in the outfield and the infield. Harris was a 24th round draft pick in 1999 who still made his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles after two seasons. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox, where like Rowand he was on the 2005 World Series winning team. From Chicago he went to the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves before signing with the Washington Nationals. His versatility made up for an average bat, but he ended the first inning with a strikeout.
The Giants opened the second by sending up their popular young infielder Pablo Sandoval, who had been lovingly dubbed "Kung Fu Panda" by fans for his roly-poly physique and his electric play. Sandoval was only hoping to make the Majors when he was signed out of Venezuela in 2003. He posted high batting averages but showed little power in his tenure in the minors until 2008, when he blasted 20 home runs in 112 games in high-A and AA ball. That earned him a ticket to the Major Leagues, and he electrified the team with his high level of play, when he manned both corner infield positions and also catcher. He made the Opening Day roster and continued to rake, even if was shifted away from catcher. He drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the first game, but he grounded out in his first plate appearance. He was followed in the batting order by Rich Aurilia, the veteran who was making his second tenure with the Giants. Aurilia was drafted by the Texas Rangers, but the Rangers traded him to the Giants for John Burkett during the 1994 strike. Aurilia blossomed in the minors with the Giants and was called up by September 1995. He played several solid seasons for San Francisco before leaving via free agency after 2003. He spent time with Seattle, San Diego, and Cincinnati before signing with the Giants prior to the 2007 season. He had served as a veteran leader, but saw his role diminished by 2009. He still poked a single to center field, bringing up Eli Whiteside. Whiteside took over the role of backup catcher as Sandoval was moving towards the corner infield. Whiteside was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and appeared in nine games with the team during the 2005 season. However, he spent the next three seasons playing in the minor leagues, never hitting enough to get a Major League callup. The Giants signed him after he was released by the Minnesota Twins. He spent all of 2008 with the minors, but received a callup in May. He was playing in only his third game back with the Majors, and he popped a foul ball that was caught for an out. That left the job of advancing the runner to Nate Schierholtz, the former second round draft pick who was spending his first full season in the Majors. Schierholtz had primarily been serving in a pinch-hitting capacity, but was starting to see more playing time as a starter. He was making only his 10th start of the season after sitting out the first game, but he ended the inning by lining to third.
The Nationals had their other catcher Josh Bard to lead off the bottom of the second. Bard had started the season with the Boston Red Sox, with whom he had played during 2006 and gained notoriety for his inability to catch knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, but Boston released him during spring training. He signed with Washington just two days later and made the team out of spring training. He spent time in Washington and AAA Syracuse while serving as a backup to incumbent Jesus Flores, but Flores suffered a stress fracture in his shoulder on May 9, after which Bard was brought back and shared catching duties with Wil Nieves. Bard was catching the nightcap after Nieves caught the first game, but he lifted a fly ball to center field. That led to Anderson Hernandez, hitting in the eight-hole in front of the pitcher. Hernandez was the hero in the Nationals' June 2 victory going three for five and scoring two runs, including the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth. He was originally signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Detroit Tigers, and advanced slowly, spending parts of four seasons in A-ball. The Tigers traded him to the New York Mets before the 2005 season, and he hit well in the minors with the Mets to earn a September call-up. He showed up on the Baseball America list of the top Mets prospects, but struggled to find consistency, and he was included as the player-to-be-named-later in a trade for reliever Luis Ayala. Hernandez did well in the Majors after the trade, and was on the Major League team in 2009 after one game with AAA Syracuse. He was a pinch-hitter in the first game and hit the comebacker and was thrown out on Randy Johnson's diving throw, but got the start in the nightcap and hit a double. That brought up pitcher Ross Detwiler who failed to get the bunt down and ended up striking out swinging. Guzman followed and also struck out to end the threat.
The Giants led off the third with Emmanuel Burriss, whose contributions in the first game included an RBI single and also his amazing play on the double play ball that would show up on highlight reels all night. Burriss was a native of Washington DC, which became somewhat of a black hole for baseball players due to a lack of suitable baseball diamonds. Burriss put in his work in high school and summer league and got a chance to play at Kent State University. His work at Kent State earned him the attention of the Giants, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 draft. Burriss impressed with his glove and his bat, and made the jump from A-ball in 2007 to AAA in 2008. He spent less than a month in AAA before making his jump to the Major Leagues, where he showed he could contribute, hitting .283/.357/.329 and playing good defense. He made the team out of spring training in 2009 and got out to a rough start in April, but he heated up in May, and was hitting .272/.330/.301 after his hit in the first game. However, he would strike out against Detwiler. That would bring up Cain. Cain had only 24 hits in 207 at-bats, which made for an uninspiring .116 career batting average, but he did wallop four home runs, two each in 2007 and 2008. He surprised the crowd by grounding a single into right field, bringing up the top of the order. Unfortunately, neither Rowand nor Renteria were able to get him home, as Rowand lined to center and Renteria flied out. The Nationals were hoping to add to the lead with the heart of their order coming up in the bottom of the inning, but Nick Johnson led off with a popup that was an easy out. Ryan Zimmerman walked, but then Cain struck out Dunn, and then Dukes hit another easy popout.
The Nationals still had a lead going into the fourth inning. There was a window of opportunity to play before some worsening weather came in. They were hoping to make the game official before the weather came, but Andres Torres made things difficult by singling to left field, then stole second. Detwiler got Sandoval and Aurilia to ground out, but Torres was able to take third. Another out would end the inning and get the game to the bottom of the fourth, but Eli Whiteside lined a single to right field and Torres trotted him with the game-tying run. Schierholtz struck out, but the damage had already been done. The Nationals needed another run, and Willie Harris gave the team a jolt of energy by powering a fly ball to deep right-center field. His speed allowed him to race all the way around to third with a triple. A hit or fly ball of decent length would be enough to score the run and give the Nationals the lead once again. Bard and Hernandez both hit fly balls, but they were too shallow to bring home the run. The Nationals' hope would fall to the pitcher Ross Detwiler, who was still looking for his first hit in addition to his first win. It was not to be, as Detwiler struck out on three pitches.
Ross Detwiler's night would continue to go downhill in the fifth. Burriss led off with a ringing double down the right field line. The Nationals got a boost when Cain was unable to get the bunt down and popped up instead, which Detwiler was able to catch easily. However, Rowand lined a single to center, and Burriss raced around to score the go-ahead run. Renteria followed with another single sending Rowand to third. Torres struck out for the second out, but the barrage of hits continued when Sandoval doubled. Rowand scored but Renteria had to hold at second. Aurilia eventually got Renteria in with a single. Sandoval rounded third, but slipped and fell on the wet grass, and had to scramble back to third. Whiteside flied out to end the inning, but the damage was done and the Giants had a three-run lead. The Nationals tried to come back against Matt Cain, but Guzman grounded out before Nick Johnson struck out. Ryan Zimmerman lined a single, but Dunn strike out to end the inning and make it an official game. The rain started coming down again as the Giants took their turns batting in the sixth, and they made designs to add to their lead. Nate Schierholtz led off with a double down the right field line. Burriss flied out and Cain struck out, but then Aaron Rowand walked to put runners on first and second. By then the rain had increased to the point where umpiring crew chief Jeff Kellogg called for the tarp to be rolled out. It was around 9:52 at night when the tarp came out. The game was already in the books as official, but the crew still waited for an hour and seven minutes before finally calling the rest of the game at 11:00 to give the Giants a double-header sweep.
The two loss sent the Nationals tumbling to a hopeless 15-38. They were focused firmly on the future, and they took their first step towards the future five days later with the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. They held the first pick for having the worst record in baseball in 2008, and also the tenth pick for failing to sign their 2008 first-round draft pick Aaron Crow. With their #1 draft pick they selected Stephen Strasburg, the overwhelming consensus top choice, then selected Drew Storen for the tenth pick. They went on to put up a halfway respectable season in August, but otherwise the losing continued, and they lost Jordan Zimmermann to Tommy John surgery. They finished at a 44-65 pace that sent them to 59-103, once again the worst in baseball. That gave them the top choice in 2010, which they used to select the other consensus top pick, Bryce Harper, who had appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16. By then Strasburg had stormed onto the scene with an electric Major League debut, although he too would be lost to Tommy John surgery in 2010. Harper would follow two years later, after which Zimmermann and Harper had returned. Together they took Washington to a 98-64 record and the National League East title. They faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the Division Series, and held a 7-5 lead after eight innings in Game 5. However, Storen melted down and allowed four runs while trying to get the save. Strasburg was not available, as he was shut down after 159 innings in an effort to save his arm in his first season after Tommy John surgery. The Nationals won the NL East again in 2014, with Zimmermann pitching a no-hitter on the last game of the season. However, the Nationals fell in the Division Series. Their opponents were the San Francisco Giants, who had a success streak not previously seen in their history.
The Giants were 27-25 after the double-header sweep. They ended up having a strong June that wasn't enough for them to chase down the Los Angeles Dodgers, but put them solidly in the lead for the Wild Card spot. However, they had a more pedestrian showing in July and August, allowing the Colorado Rockies to catch up. A strong September would help them keep ahead, but they ended up going 13-14 in September and they wound up 88-74, four games behind the Wild-Card winning Rockies. Tim Lincecum ended up winning his second straight Cy Young award, and Matt Cain had a solid season with a 14-8 record and a 2.89 ERA The Giants headed into 2010 with plenty of optimism, especially with the arrival of highly-touted prospects Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, both of whom made their debuts as September call-ups in 2009. Posey would win Rookie of the Year, while Bumgarner would go 7-6 with a 3.00 ERA. The Giants ended up leading the National League West, then knocked off the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series and the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. They then defeated the Texas Rangers in five games for their first World Series title since 1954, with Lincecum getting two wins and Cain and Bumgarner both contributing with one. The 2011 season would be a lost cause for the Giants with Posey lost for the majority of the season with a broken leg from a collision, but they would come back with a vengeance in 2012. Posey led the league in hitting and also won MVP, while San Francisco won another division title with a 94-68 record. They came back from an 0-2 deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds in the Division Series, then topped the Cardinals in the NLCS. Then Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs in Game One of the World Series, sparking another sweep for their second title in three years. The Giants could never get things going in 2013, and went 88-74 to clinch the second Wild Card spot. Yet Bumgarner dominated in the Wild Card Game, then the Giants knocked off the Nationals and then the Cardinals in a NLCS re-match. They then defeated the Kansas City Royals in seven games for their third title in five season.
2015 was the year of Randy Johnson's Hall of Fame induction, but it was a lost season for both the Nationals and the Giants as both teams missed the playoffs despite winning records. The Nationals in particular had plenty of discord, with closer Jonathan Papelbon grabbing Bryce Harper in the throat at one point in the season. Both teams made the playoffs again in 2016, with the Nationals winning the NL East and the Giants getting a Wild Card slot. The Giants advanced past the Wild Card game behind the arm of Bumgarner, but both teams ran into buzzsaws in the Division Series, with the Nationals falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Giants losing to the Chicago Cubs. The Giants fell to last place in 2017 while the Nationals continued their futile attempts to win a post-season series. Both the Nationals and the Giants had been among the most successful teams in the National League in the past ten years, but only the Giants had turned that into the ultimate goal of a World Series title, just as they also triumphed in the double-header on June 4, 2009.
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Cardinals 3, Reds 1
Busch Stadium
St. Louis, MO
The schedule of games continued as the St. Louis Cardinals looked to wrap up a four-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds in Busch Stadium. The Cardinals have felt comfortable in Busch Stadium since it opened in 2006. The current Busch Stadium is the third iteration of ballparks that were given the name Busch Stadium, after longtime Cardinals owner August "Augie" Busch Jr. The first Busch Stadium had been known as Sportsman's Park, and it had been the home of the St. Louis Browns since they came to the American League from Milwaukee in 1902. The Cardinals moved in to share the ballpark in 1920. The arrangement lasted for over 30 years, although the stadium remained under the ownership of the Browns. In the early 1950s the Browns went through some financial troubles, and owner Bill Veeck chose to move the team to Baltimore. A year before the relocation, he sold the ballpark to Busch, the beer titan who had brought the Cardinals early in 1953. Busch renovated the ballpark and tried to name it Budweiser Stadium after the beer he brewed. The name was vetoed so Busch named it after himself instead. The first Busch Stadium stood until 1966, when Busch Memorial Stadium opened as the first as the multi-purpose cookie-cutter stadiums. It stood as the home of the Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams. It became known for its rooftop façade resembling the gateway arch, which was completed a year before the ballpark. The stadium served its purpose for 30 years before the Cardinals were angling for a new ballpark. The debate stormed for almost a decade before St. Louis County and the Cardinals agreed to a plan that would build a new ballpark downtown adjacent to the existing ballpark. Construction began in 2004 and continued as the Cardinals kept playing in the old building. The plans were for part of the new ballpark to be built on location occupied by Busch Memorial, which obviously couldn't happen with the old ballpark while still standing. Demolition of the old ballpark started shortly after the 2005 season ended, and the new ballpark was still having new seats installed by the time it opened in the 2006 season. The new Busch Stadium included a stunning view of the St. Louis skyline, with the Gateway Arch visible beyond right-center field. A Ballpark Village occupying the rest of the former location of Busch Memorial was planned, but the plan stalled and the site sat unused.
The St. Louis Cardinals had been the most successful franchise in the National League for the better part of 60 seasons, although for the first two decades of the 20th century it had struggled to keep up with the American League Browns. The Cardinals actually got their start as the St. Louis Browns in the 19th century. They were one of the inaugural teams in the American Association, where they played for one year as the Brown Stockings before shortening their name to the Browns. Their owner was the eccentric German beer baron Chris von der Ahe, who made the Browns the cream of the crop in the American Association, led by the formidable rotation mates Dave Foutz and Bob Caruthers as well as player-manager Charles Comiskey, winning four straight pennants and defeating the Chicago White Stockings in the World's Series in 1886. The Browns were invited to join the National League, which they did in 1892, when they became overwhelmed by the intense competition, and finished in the second division every year until von der Ahe had to sell the team to the Robison brothers before the 1899 season. The Robisons renamed the team the Perfectos and wanted to make a splash. Since they also owned the Cleveland Spiders, they transferred all of the Spiders' best players to St. Louis including pitcher Cy Young, shortstop Bobby Wallace and outfielder Jesse Burkett. The ploy worked for the Perfectos, who finished in the first division. Meanwhile, the Spiders crashed and burn to a 20-134 record and was subsequently contracted. The Perfectos were renamed the Cardinals after the red stripes on the Perfectos jerseys, but the Cardinals struggled especially after the American League began play and signed many of St. Louis's best players including Young. They finished in the second division in the National League for all but three seasons from 1901 to 1920 and had to move into Sportsman's Park with the cross-town Browns. The team hired Wesley Branch Rickey as field manager in 1919, and while he was leading the Cardinals back to respectability, he was buying up stakes in minor league clubs and using them as training grounds for budding young players. Rickey left the managerial spot in 1925, giving the reins to moody young outfielder Rogers Hornsby. Hornsby led a young team as well as the old, washed up 300-game-winner Grover Cleveland Alexander. The team won 89 games to beat out the Reds for the pennant. Then they pulled off an upset in seven games over the New York Yankees, with Alexander coming out of the bullpen in Game 7 to strike out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded, and Babe Ruth getting caught stealing to end the game and the Series. Rickey's revolutionary farm system helped keep the Cardinals flushed with great young players, such as Dizzy Dean and Ducky Medwick of the "Gashouse Gang" in the 1930s to Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter during the war years of the 1940s. The Cardinals captured seven pennants in the 30s and 40s, and five World Series titles, which allowed them to pass the New York Giants for most titles among National League teams, behind only the New York Yankees. The Cardinals went into a bit of a lull in the 1950s, but came back strong in the 1960s, behind the arm of Bob Gibson, the legs of Lou Brock and the glove of Curt Flood. They won three pennants in the decade, finishing with titles in 1964 and 1967. The Cardinals remained competitive into the 1970s, but could never come out on top, but the hiring of Whitey Herzog as manager in 1980 changed the team's dynamic. The Cardinals became a team built on speed and defense, a combination that gained the name "Whiteyball." The Cardinals of the era won three more pennants and another title in 1982. They efforts to win their 10th title fell short as they lost in seven in both 1985 and 1987. The 1990s saw the Cardinals reliant on the longball, especially with the acquisition of slugger Mark McGwire, but they won only one division title that decade. They returned to a focus on pitching and defense in the 2000s, and that culminated in a World Series championship in 2006 for a team that otherwise went 83-78 in the regular season. The Cardinals did better with an 86-76 record in 2008, but finished fourth in a six-team division. They found themselves chasing the Milwaukee Brewers after losing two of three to the Reds, sending them to 30-23.
The Cincinnati Reds has a history as long as the Cardinals, but without quite as much success. Like the Cardinals, the Reds began play in the American Association in 1882 as the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Cincinnati won the first American Association title, and then remained competitive until it received an invitation to join the National League prior to the 1890 season. They accepted and shortened their name to the Reds. Cincinnati was reasonably successful with the National League, as they had defense extraordinaire Bid McPhee and also acquired Jake Beckley in the 1897 season. The advent of the 20th century was not particularly kind to the Cincinnati Reds, as they oscillated between strong years and weak years before powering to a pennant in 1919. The Reds were underdogs to the Chicago White Sox, who had won the World Series two years earlier. The Reds shocked the baseball world by winning four of the first five games in the best-of-nine series. However, more attention was paid to the fact that the White Sox were making silly errors. The White Sox won the next two games to put some excitement back into the series, but the Reds battered Chicago starter Lefty Williams for four runs in the first and one more in the third, and came away with the victory. Word eventually came out that eight members of the White Sox met with gamblers to throw the game, but the Reds continued to insist they won because they were the better team. It didn't matter as Cincinnati went back and became also-rans, finishing in last five times in seven season from 1931-1937. They captured the pennant in 1939 under the guidance of manager Bill McKechnie, but ended up getting swept by the dynastic Yankees in the World Series. Catcher Ernie Lombardi was unfairly labeled a goat when he was hit in the groin by a cutoff throw in the fourth and final game while not earing a cup, and then collided with runner Charlie Keller, allowing Joe DiMaggio to race all the way around the bases. The Reds suffered a tragedy in 1940 with the mid-season suicide of backup catcher Willard Hershberger in August. The team was already in first at the time, but they bound together and won 100 games and the pennant, then won the World Series in seven games for their first title in 21 years. Cincinnati then fell into three decades of dormancy when they won only one pennant, in 1961 when they had young stars Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, but lost to the Yankees in the World Series. The hiring of manager Sparky Anderson in 1970 completely turned the team around. They had plenty of young talent in outfielder Pete Rose, third baseman Tony Perez, and catcher Johnny Bench. Anderson provided steady leadership, and the team erupted for 102 wins, but lost the World Series to the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles. The Reds won five more division titles in the 1970 after acquiring second baseman Joe Morgan from Houston. They won a combined 210 games in 1975 and 1976, then won the World Series both years, defeating the Boston Red Sox in an epic seven-game battle in 1975 and sweeping the Yankees in 1976. Anderson was inexplicably fired after 1978 after which the team won one more division title, but was swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds then collapsed and lost 101 games in 1982. They stabilized behind the arrival of young players like Barry Larkin and Eric Davis while Rose took over as manager. The Reds received a blow when Rose was found to have betted on Reds games and received a permanent ban from commission A. Bartlett Giamatti. Somehow the Reds recovered and won the World Series the next year, but fell into mediocrity by the 2000s, with eight straight losing seasons after a 74-88 year in 2008. Cincinnati got off to a strong start in 2009 and was 28-24 after winning two of three against the Cardinals. They were hoping to win the series to spring back into the division.
The Reds were certainly hoping that the Cardinals would be distracted by a bizarre piece of news that appeared in the sports pages that day. The report was that the lawyers of Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had brought a lawsuit against the social media site Twitter over the presence of a parody account. The suit, which was initially submitted as a complaint a month earlier, states that the posts from the parody account "TonyLaRussa" was making light of some unfortunate events and was leading to "trademark infringement" and "trademark dilution" as codified in the Lanham Act. Tony La Russa had been in baseball for almost 60 years, ever since he was signed out of a Tampa high school by the Kansas City Athletics in 1962 as a "bonus baby." The "bonus baby" rules stipulated a player signed above a certain amount had to spend the next two seasons on the Major League roster, much like the Rule 5 rules. La Russa was allowed one year in the minors before making his Major League debut in 1963. He made an appearance as a pinch-runner in Early Wynn's 300th win on July 13, 1963, but he was limited by a shoulder injury he suffered in the off-season. He was able to clear waivers in 1964 and spent most of his playing career in the minors, making only a few occasional Major League appearances with the Oakland A's, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. During this time La Russa had gotten a bachelor's degree, and began working on a law degree. He began his managerial career in the minor leagues in 1978. He spent part of the 1979 season as the first base coach for the Chicago White Sox before getting the permanent job on August 2, 1979. He was inquisitive and analytical and led the White Sox to a division title in 1983, their first trip to the post-season since 1959. He was also the manager when Tom Seaver won his 300th game on August 4, 1985, although he was ejected in the sixth inning. However, La Russa's former A's teammate Ken "Hawk" Harrelson became the White Sox general manager fired La Russa and his pitching coach / confidant Dave Duncan after a 26-38 start. It took only two weeks before the Oakland Athletics hired both La Russa and Duncan. He turned around a moribund franchise and won three straight pennants from 1988-1990, although he won only one World Series title in 1989. La Russa became admired for his use of statistical data, and was profiled in depth by analyst George F. Will in his book "Men at Work." La Russa won one more division title in 1992, but faded with three straight losing seasons, and the A's decided to part ways with him. The St. Louis Cardinals, having recently fired manager Joe Torre, swooped down and hired La Russa. He rewarded the team with a division title in his first season at the helm in 1996, and took a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series against the Braves, but Atlanta captured three straight to win the pennant. The Cardinals were caught up in the love affair with the long-ball once acquiring former A's slugger McGwire in a trade, but had three non-competitive years before La Russa turned things around and won five division titles from 2000-2006 and secured the Wild Card spot once. The Cardinals fell short of the World Series until 2006, when despite having their worst record in the 2000s knocked off the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and the Detroit Tigers. However, La Russa was dealt some of the biggest blows of his managerial career in 2007. During spring training, he was found by police asleep at the wheel in Jupiter. He failed a sobriety test, and a breathalyzer showed his blood alcohol content to be above the legal driving limit and the manager was arrested for driving under the influence. Only a month after the incident, and seven months before he would plead guilty, Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock was killed after the car he was driving struck a parked tow truck. His blood alcohol content was almost double the legal limit. The Cardinals ended up with their first losing season since 1999. La Russa tried to keep a low profile, but when the parody account made light of Hancock's death, he could no longer keep quiet. To his credit La Russa did not comment on the lawsuit as he filled out his lineup card, while Reds manager Dusty Baker did the same which both men delivered to home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn
Cincinnati Reds
3B Jerry Hairston
CF Chris Dickerson
2B Brandon Phillips
RF Jay Bruce
1B Ramon Hernandez
LF Laynce Nix
SS Alex Gonzalez
C Ryan Hanigan
P Aaron Harang
St. Louis Cardinals
2B Skip Schumaker
CF Colby Rasmus
1B Albert Pujols
RF Ryan Ludwick
LF Rick Ankiel
C Yadier Molina
3B Joe Thurston
P Chris Carpenter
SS Brendan Ryan
Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter was making a comeback from elbow problems that had dogged him in 2007 and 2008, including a Tommy John surgery. He had dealt with multiple injuries that had threatened his career, but he managed to come back from most of them. Carpenter was born and raised in New Hampshire, and he played both baseball and hockey in high school. He excelled as a pitcher, and led his high school team to the state championship. The Boston Globe named him to their All-Scholastic team in 1993 during his senior year, and Toronto Blue Jays named him their first round draft pick that same year. Carpenter had a commitment to play baseball in Creighton, but ultimate signed. He debuted in rookie ball in 1994 and was reasonably successful. However, he struggled with his command as he advanced up the chain to high-A Dunedin and AA Knoxville. He showed enough promise in AAA Syracuse that he was called up to make his Major League debut on May 12, 1997. However, he allowed 16 earned runs in only 11 and 1/3 innings and was sent back to Syracuse before finishing the season 3-7 with a 5.09 ERA. He showed some improvement in 1998, the same year the Blue Jays promoted another young starter who would become one of Carpenter's best friends, Roy Halladay. He had some elbow problems that cost him some time in 1999, but he posted similar numbers by the end of the season. His 2000 was a total meltdown, as he went 10-12 with a 6.26 ERA. He stayed in the Majors the entire season unlike his friend Halladay, who went 10.64, but he was banished to the bullpen in August. Carpenter improved in 2001 and managed to post a 4.09 ERA, his career low by that point, but he regressed again in 2002 as he had three stints on the disabled list for a shoulder problems. The Blue Jays released Carpenter after he refused to sign a minor-league deal, and he signed with the Cardinals two months later. He rehabbed in the minors but the shoulder didn't heal properly requiring more surgery. The Cardinals non-tendered the injured pitcher before signing him again for just $300,000. He made the team out of spring training and turned out the best season of his career, going 15-5 with a 3.46 ERA as the Cardinals cruised to the post-season with 105 wins. He missed the post-season with a nerve problem, but he returned in 2005 and went 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA. He made three strong starts in the post-season, but the Cardinals fell to the Houston Astros in the NLCS. Carpenter was nevertheless voted the Cy Young award over Dontrelle Willis and 300-game-winner Roger Clemens. Carpenter had another fantastic year in 2006, and helped spearhead the Cardinals' miraculous run through the post-season, beating the Tigers in Game 3 to help the Cardinals take a 2-1 World Series lead. Carpenter had the Opening Day start in 2007, but pitched poorly against the Mets and future 300-game-winner Tom Glavine, and suffered from elbow inflammation. He had surgery to remove bone spurs, and eventually needed Tommy John surgery. He returned to make three starts in 2008, but had numbness and weakness and was shut due to nerve problems. He returned in 2009 and made two starts, but had to leave the second one early due to an oblique tear. He was out for a month and made three fantastic starts. He had allowed only two earned runs and carried an 0.62 ERA going into his fourth start after coming back.
Aaron Harang the Reds starter did not have the injury problems of his opponent, but he was working through some effectiveness issues of his own after being among the best pitchers in the game. The 6'7" Harang was born and raised in San Diego. He was an effective starter in high school, and was drafted in the 22nd round upon his graduation in 1996. He chose not to sign and went instead to San Diego State University, the alma mater for San Diego legend Tony Gwynn. He had a few decent years, but the Aztecs never made the NCAA tournament. The Texas Rangers still drafted him in the sixth round in 1999. Harang did not wait long to sign, and dominated his half-season in rookie ball, striking out 87 batters in 78.1 innings. He advanced to high-A Port Charlotte in 2000 and continue to pitch very well, but that made him a highly-coveted trade chip. The Athletics got their hand on the tall righty as the Rangers traded him and another prospect for second baseman Randy Velarde. Harang continue to pitch well in the Oakland system, and he made his Major League debut on May 25, 2002. He was very effective most of the season before fading after the All-Star break. He started the 2003 season in AAA Sacramento before getting called up once again in May. He struggled and he was once again included in a trade for a veteran, this time to the Reds for Jose Guillen. Harang struggled in Cincinnati both in the Majors and in AAA Louisville, but he made the team as part of the rotation in 2004. He was decidedly average in 2004 and 2005, going 21-22 with a 4.27 ERA that is league average. He got off to a rough start in 2006, but settled down and dominated the rest of the season. He ended the year leading the league with 16 wins and strikeouts with 216, but didn't get any Cy Young votes, the first pitcher to lead the National League in wins and strikeouts to get so ignored by the baseball writers. He improved on the numbers in 2007, winning 16 games while upping his strikeout total to 218 with a career low 3.73 ERA and this time finished fourth in Cy Young voting. He was one of the top pitchers going into the 2008 season, and got off to another solid start, going 2.98 in April, but went 1-4 due to poor run support. He pitched four innings of scoreless relief in an 18 inning game on May 25. Afterwards his season completely fell apart, and he finished with an ugly 6-17 record with a 4.78. He did post a 3.07 ERA in September, and the Reds hope that is indicative of his true abilities. He got off to a strong start in 2009, but had a disastrous performance on May 30 to push his ERA from 3.36 to 4.19. He was hoping to get it down against the Cardinals.
Chris Carpenter delivered the first pitch to leadoff batter Jerry Hairston at 7:16pm. A crowd of at least 39,249 was present, 89% of capacity. Jerry Hairston Jr. was a member of the Hairston Baseball dynasty. His father Jerry Hairston Sr. played mostly with the Chicago White Sox in a career that stretched from 1973 to 1989. His grandfather Sam played four games with the White Sox in 1951. His brother Scott played for the San Diego Padres and had the day off, although he was drafted by the White Sox. Jerry Jr. never had any connection with the White Sox. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles out of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in the 11th round in 1997, and jumped all the way to the Majors by September 1998. He was mostly a part-time player with Baltimore through 2004 after which he saw time with the Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers before going to the Reds in 2008. He hit a remarkable .326/.384/.487 in his first season, but hadn't had the same success in 2009, and he grounded to first. The rookie Chris Dickerson was next. Dickerson was a draft pick in the 16th round out of the University of Nevada in Reno in 2003 and toiled in the minors for six seasons before making his debut on August 12, 2008. He hit well in 31 games and was on the Opening Day roster in 2009. He struggled with the bat in April before heating up in May. He delivered with a single up the middle. That brought up Brandon Phillips, the popular veteran second baseman. Phillips was originally drafted in the 2nd round out of high school in Stone Mountain, Georgia in 1999 by the Montreal Expos, but he never played a game in Canada. The Expos sent him to the Cleveland Indians in the Bartolo Colon deal in 2002, and he made his Major League debut later that September. He scuffled in his first full year in 2003 before spending most of the next two seasons with AAA Buffalo. He was traded to the Reds in April 2006, and his career took off. He hit .276/.323/.453 from 2006-2008, and won a Gold Glove in '08. He got three hits in the game on June 3, but this time he grounded into a double play to end the inning.
It was the Cardinals' turn to take a whack at that, and they led off with Skip Schumaker. Schumaker was a bit of a late bloomer, not finding regular playing time until 2008, and not playing his current second base position until 2009. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2001 draft out of the University of California in Santa Barbara. He made his Major League debut on June 8, 2005 but saw only limited playing time until he broke out in September 2007. He hit .373/.382/.467 that month, and then .302/.359/.406 in 2008. The departure of Adam Kennedy led to a void at second base, and Schumaker stepped in, having played shortstop in his amateur career. He was getting adjusted to his new position, but was still doing fine work at the plate, and he walked. He was followed by the rookie Colby Rasmus, playing in only his 48th game. Rasmus was born in Columbis Georgia, but raised in Alabama. He played in the Little League World Series in 1999 and his team from Phenix City went all the way to the finals before losing to Japan. He went on to play high school baseball in Seale, Alabama, and dazzled scouts. The St. Louis Cardinals had the 28th overall pick in 2005, and used it on Rasmus, the superstar outfielder. Rasmus advanced fairly quickly through the minors, showing off patience and power with some speed. He made the Opening Day roster and was holding his own with the bat. However, he struck out swinging on a high fastball.
Manager LaRussa wasn't particularly worried, because he had his best player coming up: Albert Pujols. Pujols had been the Cardinals' best player for all but two seasons since his debut in 2001, and was a close second in 2002 and 2004. Pujols was born in Santo Domingo, the capital of the baseball-mad Dominican Republic. He was in high school when he emigrated to America with his father and grandma, settling first in New York City before moving to Independence, Missouri in the Kansas City area. He dominated in high school, but did not draw much interest from scouts who did not think much of baseball in the Kansas City area. He enrolled in Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City and dominated, but did not draw much interest from scouts who did not think much of baseball in the community college setting. The Cardinals did draft him in the 13th round in 1999. He signed too late for the minor league season and didn't debut in the minors until 2000. He dominated in the minors, which did draw a little bit of interest from the scouting department. He went to spring training as a non-roster player, and dominated in exhibition games. That drew the attention of manager LaRussa, who put Pujols on the Opening Day roster as a utility player. He ended up playing 161 games and dominated, hitting .329/.403/.610 with 37 home runs and 130 RBIs. He won the Rookie of the Year unanimously, and finished fourth in MVP voting. He continued his torrential hitting, blasting over 30 home runs, driving in over 100 runs, and hitting over .310 every year. He worked hard to turn himself into a magnificent defender at first base and an above average baserunner. He had won two MVP awards including in 2008, and might have won more if his first four seasons did not coincide with the years Barry Bonds won four straight MVP awards. He was off to another great start in 2009, hitting .343/.469/.680. If there was one problem with Pujols's game it would be his tendencies to ground into double plays. His ground balls are hit so hard that an infielder getting to the ball would have enough time to turn the double play if there's a runner on first. Sure enough Pujols hit a hard grounder to third, and it went for a 5-4-3 double play.
The Reds led off the second with Jay Bruce, their cleanup hitter even after just more than one year of service time under his belt. Bruce was highly touted even in high school in Beaumont, Texas. The Reds took notice, and drafted him in the first round of the epic 2005 draft, 12th overall. It took some time for him to get acclimated to professional pitching, but once he did there was no stopping him. He made his Major League debut on May 27, 2008. He had a successful season as a 21-year-old, hitting .254/.314/.453 with 21 home runs, finishing 5th in Rookie of the Year voting. He was on the Opening Day roster and while he struggled to hit .216/.294/.474, he showed significant power, and his 14 home runs led the team. He hit a ball to deep right center field, but it fell short of the warning track and it went for an out. That brought up Ramon Hernandez, the backup catcher who was filling in at first base while regular first baseman Joey Votto was on the disabled list for "stress-related issues." The Venezuelan veteran was in his first season with the Reds after coming over in a trade for the fiery Ryan Freel and a pair of minor leaguers, including one named Justin Turner. Hernandez spent most of his career with the Oakland Athletics, and was on the Moneyball team in 2002. He was hitting well, but he was no Votto at the plate, and was called out on strikes. Up next was Laynce Nix, the older brother of rookie Jayson Nix of the Chicago White Sox. Laynce had been in the Majors since July 10, 2003, when he debuted with the Texas Rangers, who had drafted him out of Midland, Texas high school in the 4th round of the 2000 draft. Nix had played 100 games in the Big Leagues only in 2004, being minor league fodder most of the time. He signed with the Reds in the off-season, and made the team out of spring training. He was hitting fairly well with regular playing time, hitting .287/.339/.594, but he flied to right to end the inning.
The Cardinals led off the second with Ryan Ludwick, who had resuscitated his career in St. Louis after several unfulfilling seasons with four American League organizations. Ludwick was originally drafted by the Oakland Athletics out of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas in the 2nd round of the 1999 draft. He showed tremendous power, but that made him trade bait, and was traded to the Texas Rangers, with whom he made his Major League debut on June 5, 2002. He showed power but little else in three seasons with Texas and the Cleveland Indians, hitting .237/.299/.416 in 104 games from 2002-2005. He signed with the Detroit Tigers for 2006 but never got out of AAA Toledo. He signed with the Cardinals that off-season and finally found regular playing time. He delivered, hitting .288/.362/.551 with 51 home runs in 2007-2008, making an All-Star team the next year. A strained hamstring in May 2009 cost him some production, but he led off with a single to right. The next batter, Rick Ankiel, was another player with a compelling history. He was a superstar pitcher in high school in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and the Cardinals took him in the 2nd round of the 1997 draft. He was 25-9 with a 2.50 ERA and 416 strikeouts in 298.2 innings in two minor league seasons and was in the Majors by August 23, 1999. He went 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 175 innings as a rookie in 2000, ending up second in Rookie of the Year voting. He started Game 1 of the Division Series against the Atlanta Braves but struggled with his control, throwing five wild pitches. Things didn't get much better in the NLCS against the New York Mets. He was sharp in spring training in 2001, but when the season started his control problems reared its ugly head, and didn't get better even in the minors. Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2002 and most of 2003. He made it back to the Majors in 2004, but decided to convert to an outfielder in 2005. The move mystified the team, but he showed power and a strong arm, but missed all of 2006 with a knee injury. He resumed his quest in 2007 and blasted 32 home runs with AAA Memphis. He was called up to the Majors in August, and hit .285/.328/.535 with 11 home runs in 47 games. He showed it wasn't a fluke as he blasted 25 home runs in 2008. A whiplash injury suffered in a collision with the wall cost him most of May. He was weak coming back, but he grounded another single to right field, sending Ludwick to second.
There were two runners on for Yadier Molina, the youngest of the Molina Catching Brothers. His middle brother Jose was a backup with the New York Yankees, and oldest brother Bengie was in the midst of catching Randy Johnson's 300th win. Yet both brothers admit Yadier was the best of the three. Yadier was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He developed his defensive skills early on, although his bat lagged behind. The Cardinals still drafted him in the 4th round in 2000. His defense continued to improve, and his offense started to catch up as well, as he excelled at making contact using the opposite field. He made his Major League debut on June 3, 2004 and impressed with his strong arm and his play calling. His offensive skills didn't transfer to the Majors, but he still saw regular playing time behind the plate. He was instrumental in the post-season in 2006 not only for his defense, but he also hit .358/.424/.547 after going .216/.274/.321 in the regular season. His bat improved dramatically from that point, and he hit .304/.349/.392 in 2008. His batting average dropped to .263 in 2009, but he still had a .346 on-base percentage, and he worked a walk to load the bases for Joe Thurston. Thurston signed with the Cardinals that off-season and impressed with his ability to play both middle infield position as well as the outfield. He had only a spattering of games in the Majors from 2002 to 2008 but finally found regular playing time in 2009. He made the most of it and was hitting .267/.377/.435. However, he hit a line drive that went foul by inches, then popped to short. That brought up pitcher Carpenter. Tony LaRussa became known for some of his unconventional moves, and batting the pitcher eighth with regularity was certainly one of them. Carpenter was a lifetime .089/.115/.097 hitter, but had made seven starts in the eight-hole, including in all three May starts. He hadn't much success, and grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
If Carpenter had any frustrations over his offensive failures in the second, he didn't show it as he came to the mound in the third. The first batter he faced was Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez was the younger of the two shortstops of that name in the 2000s. This Alex Gonzalez was born in Venezeula, and was signed by the Florida Marlins in 1994. He made his Major League debut on August 15, 1998, the season of the Fire Sale. He struggled that first year but recovered nicely in 1999, making the All-Star team. He missed most of 2002 due to injury, but came back in 2003 with career highs in OBP, slugging, home runs, and RBIs as the Marlins made the playoffs as the Wild Card. He got to play against the other Alex Gonzalez, playing for the Chicago Cubs, in the NLCS. It was the Cubs' Gonzalez that was the goat with the critical error, but the Marlins' Gonzalez was mostly MIA with the bat in the series. He came through in the World Series, as his walk-off home run in Game 4, and game-tying double in Game 5 were crucial in the Series victory over the New York Yankees. He signed with the Reds prior to the 2007 season after one year with the Boston Red Sox. He played well in his first season before a knee injury cost him all of 2008. He was struggling in his return to the game, and lined to center. That brought up Ryan Hanigan, still a rookie despite seeing action the two previous season. Hanigan was a rare undrafted free agent to make the Majors, having failed to get drafted out of high school in Andover Maryland or out of Rollins College. He played in the Cape Cod League in 2002 and earned himself a contract with his tremendous play. He worked his way through the minors before making his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2007. He played sparingly his first two seasons, but made the team as a back-up catcher in 2009. He saw more action with Ramon Hernandez covering first for Votto, and made the most of his playing time, hitting .329/.416/.408, but hits a chopper to short. That led to pitcher Harang, hitting in the traditional number nine spot, partially due to his career .088/.099/.098 batting line. He grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Cardinals led off their third with Brendan Ryan, who has made peace at hitting ninth for St. Louis. He was happy enough to be in the Majors. He was the Cardinals' seventh-round draft pick out of Lewis-Clark State College, where he was known as a great defender with a plus-bat. He maintained that reputation throughout the minors, hitting for average with an absence of power but with some speed on he bases. He made his Major League debut on June 2, 2007 and had a good year with the bat. He suffered a severe sophomore slump in 2008, partially marred by a right oblique strain. He missed more time in 2009 due to a left hamstring strain, but his hitting had improved when he was able to play. Yet he was called out on strikes to open up the inning. The Cardinals lineup wrapped around to bring up Skip Schumaker. He worked the count full, and then grounded a single in the 5.5 hole to right field. Rasmus hit a towering pop-up to shallow left that shortstop Gonzalez caught, bringing up Albert Pujols. With two outs Harang no longer needed Pujols to hit into a double play, but started the at-bat trying to get a quick strike with a fastball. Pujols blasted it over the center field wall for his 17th home run of the season, and 336th of his career. Ludwick knocked shortstop Gonzalez down with a hard grounder, but the veteran was able to throw to first for the out. Still, the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead into the fourth.
Chris Carpenter now had a lead to work with as he faces the top of the Cincinnati order in the fourth, and he continued to frustrate the Reds hitters. Hairston led off and grounded to short on the first pitch. Chris Dickerson also swung on the first pitch and dumped a single into short center field, but Phillips grounded into a double play, although it took him four pitches to do so. Still, Carpenter had gone through four innings and had still faced the minimum. Aaron Harang came out in the fourth determined to keep the Cardinals from adding to their lead. Ankiel drove a ball into deep center field, but center fielder Dickerson caught it on the warning track just in front of the wall. Molina lined a sharp grounder down the third base line, but third baseman Hairston made a diving stop, then threw to first in time to nab the Cardinals catcher. Thurston bounced to first baseman Ludwick, who ran to the bag himself, and St. Louis got nothing in the fourth despite hitting the ball hard. The Reds now came to fifth trying to get something going, but Bruce hit a fly ball to deep center field, but center fielder Rasmus caught it at the warning track and it was just a loud out. Hernandez worked the count full, but bounced to short, then Nix flied to left. And Carpenter was still in control. The Cardinals pitcher led off the fifth trying to add some more runs for himself. He took the count full, but then grounded to short. Harang also got into a full count against Ryan, but the St. Louis shortstop lined to right on the eighth pitch. And Schumaker grounded to first on just a 1-0 count to end the fifth.
Chris Carpenter hoped to continue his economic approach into the sixth inning. He got off to a good start as Gonzalez grounded to short on the first pitch. Hanigan struck out, then Harang grounded to first, and Carpenter walked off to give his offense a chance to do their work. They came through for their ace. Colby Rasmus lined a single into left field, bringing up Albert Pujols, the man who had driven in the game's only run. Harang tried to get ahead, and Pujols hit it into deep left-center field. It hit the base of the wall, barely eluding the glove of left fielder Nix. Rasmus scored easily, while Pujols pulled into second with a double. Ryan Ludwick then hit a grounder towards second baseman Phillips. The veteran Gold Glover made a nifty stop, then debated racing Pujols to the second base bag before making a hurried throw into first. The throw was nowhere near third baseman Hernandez and hit the runner in the foot. Still, Ludwick was safe at first on the error with Pujols advancing to third. Harang now had to work very carefully to keep the deficit at three. Ankiel worked him tough and gotten into a full count, but swung through a slider for a crucial first out. Then Molina bounced into a 4-6-3 double play and Harang breathed a sigh of relief as he limited the damage. The Reds now tried to get get something going against Chris Carpenter with the top of their lineup. However, Hairston grounded to short, and Dickinson did the same to second. Phillips then struck out meekly to end the top of the seventh. The Cardinals went to work in the bottom of the inning hoping to get another opportunity against Aaron Harang. It wouldn't come from Thurston as he popped to short. However, Chris Carpenter got hold of a high fastball and grounded it sharply down the third-base line. Third baseman Hairston was only able to watch it go into left field for the Cardinals pitcher's first hit of the season. Brendan Ryan grounded another single in the hole between first and second, and St. Louis had another two runners on. Schumaker then grounded one to first baseman Hernandez. He threw to shortstop Gonzalez, who threw it back for a 3-6-3 double play.
The Cardinals make a defensive change as the game goes into the eighth inning. Schumaker was out of the game, with Thurston moving from third to second, and Brian Barden taking over at second. The San Diego native was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 6th round out of Oregon State University in 2002 and made the Majors in 2007. He was back with AAA Tucson when the Cardinals selected him off waivers in August. He spent much of 2008 with AAA Memphis before making the Opening Day roster in 2009. He had spent most of his season as a defensive replacement. It was still Chris Carpenter on the mound, and he got Bruce to pop to short and Hernandez to ground to the new third baseman Barden. Carpenter then went to work on Laynce Nix. The count was 1-1 when Nix connected on a flat breaking ball and pounded it into the right field seats for his third home run in two games. The lead was down to 3-1, but Gonzalez grounded again to Barden and the Reds could get no more. The Cardinals were determined to restore their lead to two runs with Aaron Harang on the mound and the heart of their order coming up. Harang got into his fifth full count on the game against Rasmus, but Ramus was only able to fly to right. Next up was Pujols, the man who had driven in all three St. Louis runs. Harang elected to pitch to the Cardinals first baseman again. Pujols swung mightily at the first pitch and hit a low liner towards left field, but third baseman Hairston reached up and snagged it for the second out. Then Ludwick struck out on three pitches to end the inning.
The Reds had only three more outs as they went out to face Chris Carpenter, who had only 85 pitches through eight innings. Hanigan led off with a lazy fly ball to right for one out. With two more outs remaining, Jonny Gomes came out to pinch-hit for Harang. Gomes was in his first year with the Reds after several years with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It was a pressure situation, but the fact he was here at all was a minor miracle. Gomes was born and raised in Sonoma County in California wine country. He had an impoverished childhood, and sports was a way to overcome his difficult situation. And yet there were times he almost didn't make it. He was riding in a car with friends while in high school when the driver lost controlled and crashed into a telephone pole. The crash killed his best friend, but Gomes suffered only minor injuries. He took his friend's legacy into Santa Rosa Junior College, and caught the attention of the Devil Rays, who drafted him in the 18th round. He signed and began his minor league career. Gomes had a reasonably successful season with high-A Bakersfield in 2002, hitting 30 home runs. He was visiting family for Christmas in the off-season when he felt some mild chest pain. He thought it was heartburn, but the pain only got worse. He tried to tough it out but went to the hospital when he felt like he could no longer breathe. He was diagnosed with a heart attack and was told that had he waited a few more hours he would have gone into sudden cardiac death. Gomes went into the 2003 season with a new outlook on life, and hit his way into September call-ups in 2003 and 2004. He had his first full season in 2005 and erupted to hit .272/.372/.534 with 21 home runs, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. His offense took a step back until he was hitting just .182/.282/.383 in 2008. The Rays non-tendered him, and he signed a minor-league contract with the Reds. They sent him to AAA Louisville and he took the assignment and hit well enough to return to May 22, spending most of his time pinch-hitting. All of his trials were in the past as he came up to face Chris Carpenter, but he couldn't help but fly to right for the second out. Then Hairston grounded to short to end the game.
It took Chris Carpenter 95 pitches to wrap up his first complete game since 2006 in a game that took only 2 hours and 5 minutes, the shortest nine-inning game of the night. The win moved the Cardinals into a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place, but went on a five-game losing streak to fall back into second place. They finished June with a 12-17 record that could have been damaging, but the Brewers didn't do anything to separate themselves from the pack, and St. Louis moved back into first with a strong month of July. It was the Chicago Cubs that threatened near the end of the month, but the Cardinals put away all doubts with a 20-6 month of August. They won the NL Central with ease, finishing 91-71 after going 60-48 following the game on June 4. The two stars from that game in June would be the leaders for the Cardinals in the 2009 season. Albert Pujols would end up hitting .327/.443/.658 and led the league with 47 home runs with 135 RBIs. He would capture his third MVP award. Meanwhile Carpenter would end the season 17-4 with a league-leading 2.24 ERA. He finished second in the Cy Young voting, but took home the Comeback Player of the Year. The Cardinals also traded for Matt Holliday from the Oakland Athletics, and he dominated in his two months, hitting .353/.419/.604 in 63 games. Meanwhile the Reds sank from contention behind a weak June and July, finishing both months at 19-34. They finished the season strong, going 20-11 in September and October, but that was only enough for them to end up in fourth with a 78-84 record, having gone 50-59 after June 4. The Cardinals season would end abruptly in October as they were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series. The series turned on a bad play in Game 2. St. Louis had a 2-1 lead with two outs in the ninth, when Holliday let a fly ball go through his arms before the Dodgers rallied for a walk-off win.
The strong September for the Reds were no flash in the pan, as they followed it up with their bet season in a decade. Joey Votto overcame the anxiety issues that he admit had sidelined him in June 2009, and Cincinnati also had a full season of work from Scott Rolen, who they picked up in the trade deadline a year earlier. They finished 91-71 and won their first division title since 1995 while the Cardinals ended up second. The Reds went on to get swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series, getting no-hit by Roy Halladay in the opening game. A year later it was the Reds missing the playoffs while the Cardinals squeaked in as the Wild Card on the last day of the season. However, St. Louis had gotten hot at the right time. They knocked off the Phillies in the Division Series, then toppled the NL Central-winning Brewers in six games to win the pennant. They played a fierce World Series against the Texas Rangers. Albert Pujols blasted three home runs in Game 3, but the Cardinals found themselves down two games to three in Game 6, and were down to their last strike twice, but pulled off a stunning comeback, then won Game 7 with ease to capture the title and send Tony LaRussa into retirement a winner. Even though Pujols left as a free agent after the 2011 season, both the Reds and Cardinals made it into the playoffs in 2012, with Cincinnati capturing the division and St. Louis capturing the second Wild Card spot. This was the first year of the new Wild Card Game after too many Wild Cards were winning the title, and the Cardinals prevailed on the road against the Atlanta Braves. They then surged back from an 0-2 deficit two win the Division Series over the Reds before falling in NLCS to the San Francisco Giants. The two teams reversed roles in 2013 with Cincinnati winning the second Wild Card spot and the Cardinals winning the division. The Reds weren't able to duplicate the feat and lost the Wild Card Game to the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the Cardinals surged back into the World Series where they lost a bizarre series to the Boston Red Sox. The Reds collapsed after 2013 and suffered four straight last place finishes from 2015-2018. Meanwhile the Cardinals surged on, winning division title in 2014 and 2015, but fell to the Giants in the NLCS in the former year and then to the Chicago Cubs in the latter. They had winning records from 2016 onward, but were out of the playoff picture, a strange period of irrelevance they were unaccustomed to.
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Phillies 3, Dodgers 0
Dodgers Stadium
Los Angeles, CA
Most of the West Coast teams were either on the road or had the day off on June 4, 2009. That left only one game being played in the Pacific Time Zone. It was past 10 Eastern Time when the two teams with the best record in baseball met in the first of what would be a four-game series in Dodger Stadium. Dodger Stadium had been the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1962, and in the 37 years since it opened it had become one of the most historic and celebrated ballparks in baseball. The Dodgers initially played in the Los Angeles Coliseum upon their arrival from Brooklyn. The stadium was in no way, shape, or form suitable for baseball, and so owner Walter O'Malley decided to arrange for the construction of a new ballpark. He financed the ballpark with private financing, and selected a location in Chavez Ravine. Chavez Ravine was once the site of a couple of poor but self-sufficient Mexican American neighborhoods. In 1951 the city of Los Angeles started buying up the land of Chavez Ravine, which they saw as just poor urban blight, and offered to buy the houses before evicting families through eminent domain. The city had planned to build a neighborhood of high-rise apartments, but a public referendum forbidding public housing ended the project. Most of the original neighborhoods were already razed, and the area sat unused for years. O'Malley eventually chose Chavez Ravine as the site for his new ballpark. The City of Los Angeles eventually voted to give him the land but offered no public financing. O'Malley had no problems with that and financed the ballpark himself. However, the last 20 or so families living on Chavez Ravine had to be evicted, often through force. Still, O'Malley had his ballpark, and the Dodgers became one of the baseball's top franchises. The ballpark was and remains celebrated for its simplicity and beauty, paired with the voice of Vin Scully for decades. By 2009 it was already the third oldest Major League Baseball ballpark, with the old Yankee Stadium shuttering its doors the year before.
Dodger Stadium's historical status is appropriate, given the Dodgers being one of the most historical franchises in baseball. They have been at the forefront of numerous innovations, including integration and westward migration. The Dodgers began play in the borough of Brooklyn as the Brooklyn Atlantics in the American Association in 1884. They played as the Grays and the Bridegrooms and the Grooms as they joined the National League in 1890. They eventually became the Superbas as the 20th century got started before playing a few year as the Dodgers, after the term "Trolley Dodgers" as the city called pedestrians. They used that name for only two years before going back to the Superbas and eventually the Robins, after Brooklyn's popular manager Wilbert Robinson. The team remained the Robins for several years, but eventually reverted back to the Dodgers after Robinson retired after the 1931 season. Brooklyn saw some success in the 19th century, but for most of the first four decades of the 20th century they were hanging in the second division. The team won two pennants as the Robins in 1916 and 1920, but never threatened in the World Series. By 1939, folks in Brooklyn were going around calling the team "Dem Bums." However, around that time the Dodgers were acquiring strong young talent, and won another pennant in 1941. They lost to the cross-town New York Yankees, but unlike their previous pennants the Dodgers didn't fall immediately back into the second division. They remained competitive with the presence of players like Pete Reiser, Pee Wee Reese and Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons. Part of their success was through the hiring of visionary Branch Rickey from the St. Louis Cardinals. He brought numerous innovations, but his biggest contribution was the Great Experiment: the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1945, and his promotion to the Majors in 1947. The move brought resentment to the National League, but there was no doubt that Robinson made the Dodgers better, as Brooklyn won the pennant again in 1947. The Dodgers won the pennant six times during Jackie's 10-year-career, as they were joined by other superstars like Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella and Duke Snider. Even their flameouts were legendary, such as in 1950 when they lost on the last day of the season and were unable to force a tie-break series, and on the Shot Heard Around the World a year later. The Dodgers lost to the Yankees four times from 1947 to 1953, bringing up the tired refrain "Wait 'til Next Year." Next Year finally came in 1955 when the Dodgers upset the Yankees in a legendary seven-game series highlighted by the play of Johnny Podres and Sandy Amoros in Game 7. The Dodgers took the Series to seven games again in 1956, but once again came up short. The Dodgers traded Jackie Robinson to the hated New York Giants two months after the World Series, but he refused to report and retired instead. Meanwhile, the Dodgers were planning on ending their long association with Brooklyn. Walter O'Malley purchased the Dodgers in 1950, and were unhappy with Ebbets Field, the Dodgers' cozy home since 1913. He pushed for a new ballpark in Brooklyn, but New York official Robert "Not Grove" Moses wanted the team to move to Queens and blocked the sale of land in Brooklyn to the Dodgers. O'Malley chose instead to pack up and move to Los Angeles, which he did after the 1957 season.
They settled into the Los Angeles Coliseum, where they won another title in 1959 before settling into Dodger Stadium in 1962. Their first season in Dodger Stadium ended in heartbreak as the team lost another tie-break series to the Giants, echoing the series from 1951. However, the Dodgers got the last laugh as the Giants lost in dramatic fashion to the Yankees while Los Angeles won titles in 1963 and 1965 behind the strong arms of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale and the legs of Maury Wills. The trio led the Dodgers to another pennant in 1966, but they were upset by the Baltimore Orioles, after which Koufax retired due to an arthritic left elbow. The Dodgers fell out of contention, because that's what happens to a team when they lost the best pitcher in baseball history, but Drysdale was able to set a new record for scoreless innings. The Dodgers were eventually able to return to the playoffs in 1974, when they fashioned together the best young infield in baseball in Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey to go along with future 300-game-winner Don Sutton. Los Angeles won three pennants in the 1970s, but lost all three times, the latter two times to the Yankees. The Dodgers became the team for Mexicans as 20-year-old Mexico native Fernando Valenzuela became a sensation, leading the Majors in strikeouts while winning the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards. The team made the playoffs by winning the National League West in the first half of the season, then battled their way to the pennant, and eventually got revenge against the Yankees. The Dodgers continued their success in the 1980s, leading the National League in wins. The decade climaxed in 1988, when Orel Hershiser broke Drysdale's 20-year-old record for scoreless innings. They then upset the Mets behind the arm of Hershiser, and then toppled the favored Oakland Athletics in the World Series, also behind the arm of Hershiser, although the injured MVP-to-be Kirk Gibson provided the dramatic moment when he hit a walk-off home run in Game 1 despite being barely unable to walk. The Dodgers went into a lull in the 1990s, but around that time they once again stood at the forefront of player acquisition, signing the first Korean player in Chan Ho Park, and then the first Japanese player in 30 years in Hideo Nomo, who became a sensation much like Valenzuela did in 1981. Los Angeles also signed a 15-year-old out of the Dominican Republic (although they pretended he was 16), and he would debut in 1998 before becoming a baseball legend over a decade later. The Dodgers finally make the playoffs again in 2004, the first of three post-season appearances in five years. They were never able to make it past the NLCS, but got off to a hot start in 2009 and were sitting at a 37-18 record that was the best in baseball.
The Philadelphia Phillies don't quite have the history of the Dodgers. In fact, no team has suffered through more losses than the Phillies. However, they were able to stick it to the Dodgers when it counted. Unlike the Dodgers, the Phillies began play in the National League instead of the American Association when they debuted as the Philadelphia Quakers in 1883. They went 17-81 in that first year, and never got much better. They adopted the name the Phillies, which had long been a nickname for the club, in 1890. It took over 30 years before the Phillies were finally able to taste the post-season, which they did in 1915 after watching the cross-town Athletics win three World Series titles in four years. Despite featuring the Hall of Fame pitching tandem in Eppa Rixey and future 300-game-winner Grover Cleveland Alexander, the Philadelphia lost in five games. The Phillies were second division teams for most of the next three decades. They were able to generate tremendous offense playing in the bandbox Baker Bowl, with its 280-foot right field fence, but never had the pitching for sustained success. Philadelphia finally got their hands on a fine young pitcher in Robin Roberts, and in 1950 Roberts teamed with relief ace Jim Konstanty and center fielder Richie Ashburn and other "Whiz Kids" to capture their first pennant in 35 years. They had to hold off the Dodgers who made a late charge, but pulled off a stunning 10-inning victory in Brooklyn on the last day of the season to capture the pennant. Then they were promptly swept in the World Series by the New York Yankees. The Phillies returned to mediocrity, but in 1971 the Phillies were able to draft a third baseman from Ohio University named Michael Jack Schmidt. They also traded the popular Rick Wise to the Cardinals for a left-hander named Steven Norman Carlton. The Phillies remained bad for the first half of the 1970s, but the duo teamed with a spirited cast to capture three straight NL East titles from 1976-1978. However, they lost the NLCS each year, the latter two to the Dodgers. By 1980 the Phillies remained the only non-expansion team that never won a World Series title, and even the Mets had beaten them to one. That year Schmidt and Carlton had among their best seasons as the Phillies won another division title. They topped the expansion Houston Astros to face another expansion team, the Kansas City Royals. The Phillies won the first two games, but Kansas City won two at home to force a tie. However, Philadelphia rallied in Game 5, and Carlton shut down the Royals in Game 6 for the Phillies' first championship. Philadelphia returned to the World Series in 1983 and 1993, defeating the Dodgers in the former year and the Atlanta Braves in the latter, but those were the only high points for almost 30 years. In 2007 the Phillies were mired in fourth in May despite a talented roster and manager Charlie Manuel's job seemed to be in jeopardy. However, the team got hot in July and managed to chase down the Mets and clinched the division on the final day. Philadelphia was swept in the Division Series by the Colorado Rockies, but they came back to repeat as NL East champions in 2008. They knocked off the Milwaukee Brewers in the Division Series before facing the Dodgers in the NLCS. The two teams were 2-2 in NLCS play, but the Phillies prevailed to break the tie. Philadelphia had to wait out a rainout in Game 5 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, but finally captured their second World Series title.
The champagne was barely dry when the Phillies started looking towards defending their title in 2009. Barely a week has passed before Phillies fans received some stunning news. Philadelphia's respected general manager Pat Gillick was resigning from his position. Gillick had been the general manager since before the 2006 season, when he took over a good-but-not-great team that he inherited from the previous GM Ed Wade. Gillick set about unloading some of the aging veterans on the team, clearing the way for some of the younger players to take on larger roles. It all came together with the Phillies' World Championship in 2008. However, the 71-year-old Gillick decided it was time to take a step back and resigned to take over as an advisor. Taking over the wings was Gillick's assistant general manager, Ruben Amaro Jr. Amaro was born and raised in Philadelphia. His father Ruben Amaro Sr. was a longtime infielder with the Phillies and settled in the city after his retirement. Jr. was a batboy when the Phillies won their first World Series in 1980 while Sr. was the first-base coach. He went on to the prestigious William Penn Charter School, the alma mater of actor Adam Goldberg, and went on to Stanford University. Amaro was a four-year standout at Stanford, and was on the team when the Cardinals won the College World Series in 1987. The California Angels drafted Amaro in the 11th round in 1987. He made his Major League debut in 1991 but played only ten games before getting traded to his hometown Phillies. The Phillies would in turn trade him to the Cleveland Indians, who carried Amaro on their post-season roster in 1995. He was released after the World Series and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays ending up back in Philadelphia. He played three years in his hometown before retiring after the 1998 season when he hit .187/.224/.262. He was named the assistant general manager and worked under Wade and Gillick, and also former general manager Paul Owens. After ten seasons in the assistant role, Amaro was ready for the big time. He didn't sit pact, making a few trades including trading for touted prospect John Mayberry Jr., and also a couple of free agent signings including Miguel Cairo, the last out from Roger Clemens's 300th win almost six years earlier. He also signed a chubby catcher from Venezuela named Willians Astudillo. The Phillies season started with tragedy, as Philadelphia's longtime announcer Harry Kalas died in the press box at Nationals Park before the team's seventh game. The devastated Phillies spent no more than two games out of .500 in April, but they decided they had to win in Kalas's honor and heated up in May. They were 31-20 after embarking on a six-game winning streak, and were looking to extend it against the Dodgers, who had take two of three in Philadelphia in May. Manager Manuel and his Dodgers counterpart Joe Torre filled out their lineup card, which they handed to home plate umpire Chris Guccione.
Philadelphia Phillies
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Chase Utley
CF Jayson Werth
1B Ryan Howard
LF Raul Ibanez
3B Pedro Feliz
RF Eric Bruntlett
C Carlos Ruiz
P Cole Hamels
Los Angeles Dodgers
LF Juan Pierre
SS Rafael Furcal
2B Orlando Hudson
3B Casey Blake
1B James Loney
C Russell Martin
RF Andre Ethier
CF Matt Kemp
C Clayton Kershaw
Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw had been one of the top pitching prospects in baseball for several years, although he was still struggling to match that success in the Major Leagues. The lefty was born and raised in Dallas. He was raised by his mother after his parents divorced when he was ten, but Kershaw was busy with sports, which he often played alongside his best friend Matthew Stafford. He played soccer and hockey and basketball, and became a baseball star in high school at the prestigious Highland Park. He struck out 139 in 64 innings, and also pitched a perfect game in the playoffs. USA Today and Gatorade both picked him as the Player of the Year. He was highly touted in the draft. Despite the warnings that some teams have in regards to drafting high school pitchers, the Dodgers had no such qualms when they made Kershaw their first round pick and seventh overall, behind a quintent of college age pitchers and third baseman Evan Longoria. Even with his high profile, Kershaw wasted little time in signing, although it helped that the Dodgers were willing to give him a $2.3 million signing bonus. Kershaw went in to rookie ball where he dominated, striking out 54 in 37 innings. He went on to A ball in Great Lakes and later AA in 2007 when his ERA went up slightly, but he struck out 163 batters in 122 innings. He was invited to Major League camp in 2008 where he announced his arrival with a nasty curveball that shocked even Vin Scully. Los Angeles still optioned Kershaw back to Jacksonville, but he was pitching well when the Dodgers decided to call up the 20 year old, who made his Major League debut on May 25, 2008. Kershaw struggled in the bright lights of Major League baseball and returned to Jacksonville at one point. He had a 5.18 ERA before finally getting his first Major League win against the Washington Nationals on July 27. A repeat engagement in DC a month later as Kershaw was knocked around for five runs in two and 1/3 innings, and allowed a home run and single to Cristian Guzman who would later complete the cycle. Kershaw finished the season 5-5 with a 4.30 ERA. He was still trying to get his bearings in 2009, and carried a 4.34 ERA into the highly anticipated start, which was only his 31st in the Major Leagues.
Phillies starter Cole Hamels had already found some success, having been the MVP in both the NLCS and the World Series in 2008. However, like Kershaw he was also trying to find his footing in 2009. Hamels was born and raised in San Diego. He was strong academically, and survived a broken humerus in his pitching arm to become a highly touted prospect. A few teams were scared off by the lefty's arm injury, but the had no such qualms, and selected Hamels in the first round, 17th overall. Hamels didn't sign until August after which the minor league season was over. The Phillies were delighted by their young prospect's talent, but were somewhat taken aback by his immaturity. He dominated A-ball and high-A-ball in 2003, but made only four starts in 2004 and six starts in 2005 due to elbow tendinitis and a broken hand suffered in a fight. He made his AAA debut in 2006 and allowed just one run in 23 innings in three starts, an 0.39 ERA. That convinced the Phillies to call up their young prospect, and he made his Major League debut May 12, 2006. Hamels made three strong starts, but suffered through a dreadful patch in June and July. He settled down and finished his rookie season 9-8 with a 4.08 ERA. Hamels worked hard in the off-season, and came back stronger than ever in 2007. His work paid off as he turned in a solid year, finishing 15-5 with a 3.39 ERA, although he missed time due to an elbow strain. He lost his one post-season start, but still picked up a few Cy Young votes. Hamels was even stronger in 2008 but he saved his best work in the post-season. He made five starts, and won four games while dominating opponents to the tune of a 1.80 ERA in 35 innings. His two wins in the NLCS helped him garnish the MVP award. He won only one game in the World Series, but pitched well in the clinching Game 5 to pick up the second award. Expectations were high going in 2009, but Hamels had some elbow tightness. He was cleared to start the season on the Opening Day roster, but he didn't pitch on the fourth game of the season, and he was hammered for seven runs in three and 2/3 innings in his first start. Some felt that it was because he was pitching in the thin air of Colorado, but he was hammered in his next start, and then left the next two starts early. Hamels pitched slightly better in May, but allowed six runs in six innings against the Washington Nationals, even if he picked up the win. The Phillies were not sure what they would get from their ace, who had a 5.21 ERA going into the start.
It was 10:10 at night on the east coast when Clayton Kershaw threw his first pitch to Jimmy Rollins, but it was right at 7:10 for the 33,839 fans at Dodger Stadium. The announced attendance was only 60% of capacity for the ballpark with the highest seating capacity in baseball, but few of the fans cared. Rollins had been one of the best shortstops in the National League both offensively and defensively, but he was having a difficult start to the 2009 season. Rollins was born and raised in the baseball hotbed of Alameda County. He was a cousin of 90s outfielder Tony Tarasco and shined brightly in high school, enough for the Phillies to draft him in the second round in 1996. He signed and worked his way to the Majors as a September call-up in 2000. He led the league in triples and stolen bases as a rookie in 2001, finishing third in Rookie of the Year vote. He went on to lead the league in triples three more times. He was otherwise average offensively until 2004, when he broke out with the bat. He had a 36-game hitting streak to end the 2005 season, but it ended only three games into 2006. He had his best season in 2007, when he played in all 162 games and set a new record with 778 plate appearances and 716 at-bats. He also hit .296/.344/.531, with career highs in batting average and slugging percentage. He threw down the gauntlet in January of that season, calling the Phillies the team to beat in the NL East on paper. It seemed like a bad prediction as Philadelphia got off to a weak start, but they came back to win the division on the final day, and Rollins was awarded the MVP. Another good year in 2008 led to another playoff appearance, but he was struggling to a .229/.270/.336 line in 2009. And he popped to third. That brought up Rollins's double play partner Chase Utley. Like Rollins, the Southern California native was also drafted in the 2nd round out of high school, by the Dodgers of all team, but Utley chose to go to University of California Los Angeles. He became their star second baseman, and was drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round in 2000. Utley was not good but not great with the bat in the minors, and that delayed his Major League debut to 2003. He played only sparingly behind Placido Polanco before getting inserted as the regular second baseman in 2005. He was an instant sensation, hitting for average and power while playing tremendous defense. He hit .305/.385/.541 from 2005-2008, and led the team in all three slashlines in 2008. He did the same in the NLCS among those with 10 plate appearances, and was off to another typically great start in 2009 even after getting off-season hip surgery. However, he couldn't handle Kershaw's offerings and struck out.
Jayson Werth was next, and sports runs deep in his bloodlines. His grandfather was Dick "Ducky" Schofield, who played on the 1960 Pirates that upset the New York Yankees in the World Series. His uncle Dick "Not Ducky" Schofield was a longtime shortstop with the California Angels, and played in Don Sutton's 300th win on June 18, 1986 before playing for the Toronto Blue Jays during their World Series run in 1993. His mother Kim was a track and field star, and married Jeff Gowan, a collegiate football and baseball player who played some minor league ball. They divorced not long after Jayson was born, and Kim remarried Dennis Werth, a utilityman for the Yankees and Kansas City Royals. With such a talented heritage Jayson was a sensation as a kid. He was hyped enough to be a first round draft pick out of high school at Chatham, Illinois by the Baltimore Orioles in 1997. Werth was primarily a catcher in the minors, but his offense sputtered amidst the rigors of catching. The Orioles got inpatient and traded Werth to Toronto, where they began playing him at other positions including first base and outfield. Werth saw time in the Majors in 2002 and 2003, but the Blue Jays ran out of patience as well and traded him to the Dodgers. He tore up minor league pitching with AAA Las Vegas, but he couldn't reproduce that success in the Majors, partially hampered by a broken wrist that didn't heal properly in 2005. He missed all of 2006 due to the wrist injury before trying to revive his career with the Phillies. Werth became a revelation, hitting .282/.379/.483 in 2007-2008. He save his best work for the World Series, as his .444/.583/.778 slashline led all of the regular position players. He was off to a weaker start in 2009, but it was boosted by a strong .346 OBP. Then he worked a walk on a full count, putting a runner on for the Phillies' primary power hitter Ryan Howard. Howard was born and raised in the St. Louis area, and went to Missouri State University in Springfield. He dazzled scouts with his power, and Philadelphia made him their 5th round draft pick in 2001. He continued to show off that power stroke in the minors, and walloped 46 between two levels in 2004. That earned him action in the Majors as a September call-up. He was in the Majors for good in May 2005, and hit 22 home runs in 88 games to win the Rookie of the Year award. That was only a setup for 206, when he hit .313/.425/.659, and blasted 58 home runs, the most by any player since Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001. He didn't let up, blasting 47 more in 2007 and 48 in 2008. His 153 home runs were by far the most in baseball from 2006-2008. He had 16 thus far in 2009, but couldn't get the 17th, grounding into a force-out to end the inning.
The Dodgers' leadoff hitter, Juan Pierre, had been one of baseball's top speedsters in the 2000s. Pierre was born in Mobile, Alabama, and was named after the San Francisco Giants' Hall of Fame hurler Juan Marichal. He grew up in Alexandria, Louisiana and played well enough to get drafted in the 30th round in 1995, but he went to Galveston College. He was drafted again, but in the 48th round, so he transferred to his birth city and played for the University of South Alabama. He finally signed after the Colorado Rockies drafted him in the 13th round in 1998. He tore up the minor league basepaths, stealing 151 bases from 1998-2000 before the Rockies called him up on August 7, 2000. He hit .310/.353/.320 and earned Rookie of the Year votes despite playing in only 51 games. His speed played a big role in Colorado, but the Rockies never got anywhere and traded Pierre to the Florida Marlins prior to the 2003 season. He played in all 162 games with the Marlins and went .305/.361/.373 with a league-leading 65 stolen bases as the Marlins won the Wild Card, the pennant, and the World Series. Pierre continued his brand of baseball with the Marlins and Chicago Cubs before coming to the Dodgers in 2007. He dealt with injuries and became more of a backup, especially after the Dodgers acquired enigmatic slugger Manny Ramirez in 2008. Manny's 50-game suspension for PEDs on May 7 thrust Pierre back to a starting role. He filled it just fine and was hitting .371/.434/.483, which would all be career highs. And he came through with a single over Hamels into center field.
Hamels kept an eye on Pierre as he went to work on Rafael Furcal. Furcal had been a staple at shortstop with the Dodgers since signing with them before the 2005 season. Furcal was planning on being an engineer before he was signed by the Atlanta Braves out of the Dominican Republic after the 1996 season, joining two of his older brothers. He got his start as a second baseman and dazzled with the glove primarily as a second baseman. The Braves shifted him to shortstop in 1999, and he took to the change, advancing two levels in that one year. However, the 1999 season would also be marred with personal tragedy. One of his brothers committed suicide, and another died in an accident. He soldiered on, and made the jump to the Majors after only three games in AA Greenville. He played well, hitting .295/.394/.382 with fantastic defense, and won the Rookie of the Year award. He helped contribute to the Braves' 15 straight division titles, but also had some issues with alcohol, getting arrested twice for DUIs. The Braves eventually let him leave as a free agent, and he signed with the Dodgers. He did well, hitting .286/.352/.402 with his usual top-notch defense in 2006-2007. A back injury cost him most of 2008 , after which he signed another contract. His bat had regressed noticeably, even more so when he grounded into a double play after ruining a stolen base attempt by Pierre with a foul ball. The bases were now empty for Orlando Hudson. Hudson was a native of Darlington, South Carolina. He was drafted high school in the 33rd round in 1996, but opted to go to Spartanburg Methodist College. His draft position dropped a year later, falling to the 43rd round before he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. They signed him the next year as a draft and follow and he started his minor league journey. He played well defensively at both second and third base, and made his Major League debut at second base on July 24, 2002. He was tremendous defensively while also being almost average with the bat. He won a Gold Glove in 2005 before the Blue Jays traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He won two more Gold Gloves and played behind Randy Johnson. However, a dislocated wrist ended his 2008 season on August 9, and his health became a concern as he went into free agency. The Dodgers took a flier and signed him for one year, and he had come through beautifully. He was playing his usual strong defense, and was also hitting .329/.410/.468. However, he struck out on a foul tip to end the inning.
The game moved to the second with Raul Ibanez leading off. Ibanez was a late bloomer. He was born in New York and raised in Miami, and went to Miami-Dade College after getting drafted in the 54 round in 1991 out of high school. The Seattle Mariners took him in the 36th round a year later, and he decided to sign. He was primarily a catcher coming up through the minors before eventually getting moved to the outfield. He made his Major League debut on August 1, 1996, but never saw regular playing time in five seasons with Seattle. He became a free agent after 2000, and the Kansas City Royals signed him. He finally got regular playing time and found his hitting stroke, going .291/.347/.492 in his three seasons in Kansas City. The Mariners were intrigued and signed him again after he became a free agent. He showed that his Kansas City success was not a mirage, as he put up a very similar .291/.354/.477 slashline in five years as a Mariner that was actually more valuable given the hitting environment in Seattle. He re-entered free agency, and despite being near his 37th birthday, the Phillies gave him a three-year deal, and he rewarded them by hitting .337/.395/.703 with a team-leading 19 home runs. However, he turned 37 just two days earlier and struck out. Next up was Pedro Feliz. Feliz's defense at third had been quite valuable for the Phillies. He was signed by the San Francisco Giants out of the Dominican Republic in 1994. He struggled offensively in the minors, but his defense helped him to the Majors as a September call-up in 2000. He was primarily used in a utility role but his playtime increased through 2005, the year after he played in Greg Maddux's 300th win. He finally stepped in as the starting third baseman in 2006 and played there for two years before signing with the Phillies. His defensive work suffered in 2008 as he dealt with some back issues, but he drove in the go-ahead run in Game 5 of the World Series, which turned out to be the clincher. His defense and bat rebounded in 2009, but that wasn't enough to keep him from grounding out to second, bringing up Eric Bruntlett, the man who scored the Series-winning run. Bruntlett was making a rare start after spending most of the season as a backup, a role he was familiar with as a member of the Houston Astros. He had overcome long odds for most of his career. He was drafted in the 72nd round out of high school in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1996, but chose to go to Stanford. He spent four years with Stanford, playing in the College World Series three times before getting drafted in the 9th round by the Astros in 2000. He advanced fairly quickly and was in the Majors by June 27, 2003. He played mostly in the backup role, but saw some action in the 2005 World Series before getting traded to the Phillies with Brad Lidge. He appeared in a career-high 120 games in 2008, still mostly as a backup, but he made history by scoring the run that decided the World Series. He was making only his sixth start of 2009 and was hitting only .135/.190/.243, and grounded to short to end the inning.
The Dodgers' second started with Casey Blake, the veteran spending his first full season with the Dodgers. The Phillies had drafted Blake in the 11th round in 1992 out of high school Indianola, Iowa, but he chose to go to Wichita State University. He was drafted twice before finally signing after his senior year in 1996 after the Toronto Blue Jays picked him in the seventh round. Blake was in the Majors by August 14, 1999, but he struggled to make an impression, playing in only 49 games from 1999-2002 with three teams. He had been released by the Minnesota Twins before the Cleveland Indians signed him, then named him their starting third baseman. He broke out, setting career highs in batting average and slugging percentage while playing great defense. He kept up his solid work, until the Indians traded him to the Dodgers for a reliever and a minor league player named Carlos Santana. He struggled with the bat, but delivered some strong defense. He was hoping to improve things in 2009, and was hitting .295/.368/.542. It didn't happen against Kershaw as he struck out. He was followed by James Loney, one of several young players that came up in 2006 to help the Dodgers find success. Loney was born and raised in the Houston area. He played with the RBI program, and excelled on the mound and at the plate in high school in Missouri City. The Dodgers drafted him in the 1st round in 2002 and developed him as a first baseman. He advanced through the minors quickly and was in the Majors by Opening Day of 2006 as he filled in for an injured Nomar Garciaparra. He returned to AAA Las Vegas upon Nomar's return, but made an impression with his hitting that led to another call-up. He still had his rookie eligibility in 2007, when he went .331/.381/.538. He declined in 2008, but was still above average. He continued his success in 2009, and he grounded a ball to first baseman Howard deep in the outfield grass. Hamels was slow getting to first and Loney was safe on an infield single, putting a runner on base for Russell Martin, another of the 2006 rookies. Martin was born in Ontario, Canada, but grew up in Montreal. The Montreal Expos drafted him out of high school in the 35th round in 2000, but he went to Chipola College, where he became the Dodgers' 17th round draft pick in 2002. He was initially a third baseman but the Dodgers moved him to catcher in 2003. He took the the position, and advanced quickly, making the Majors by May 5, 2006. It didn't take him long to take over the starting catcher role, as he finishing 9th in Rookie of the Year voting. He had kept it with a solid bat and plus defense. His hitting took a huge step back in 2009, which was evident as he grounded into a double play.
Clayton Kershaw was still strong going into the third, and he got to face the bottom of the Phillies order. Carlos Ruiz had been celebrated as one of the top defensive catchers. He had to overcome much in his life to get to that point. He was born and raised in Panama, but lost his father in a car accident when he was only father. Ruiz had to go to work at a young age to support the family. He moved to the Dominican Republic to pursue baseball, and signed with the Phillies after the 1998 season. He debuted stateside in 2000 and worked his way up the chain slowly until making his debut on May 6, 2006. He played mostly a backup role in 2006, but stepped in as the primary catcher a year later. His leadership skills stood out as well as his defense, and helped Philadelphia come back to win the division title. His hitting declined in 2008, as he hit .219/.320/.300 all year. However, his defense picked up as the Phillies clinched the division again. His bat came to life in the NLCS and the World Series, as he hit .344/.432/.531 as Philadelphia took the pennant and the World Series title. A strained oblique cost him most of April, but when he came back he showed that his offensive abilities from the previous post-season hadn't disappeared with his injury. He was hitting .291/.419/.477, but he was called out on strikes on a nasty curveball that dropped into the strike zone. That brought up the pitcher Hamels, who was a decent hitter for a pitcher, with a career slashline of .169/.204/.195. He was still a left-handed hitter facing the lefty Kershaw, and he struck out as well. That led to the top of the order coming back up for Philadelphia. Rollins didn't strike out, but he merely grounded to short.
The Dodgers send the bottom of their order to face Cole Hamels in the third, hoping one of their young players can get on base. Andre Ethier was first up, the third of the rookies from 2006. Ethier was born to a family of baseball players, although none had reached the Majors like the Schofield. He was born and raised in Phoenix. He went to Arizona State University after high school, but couldn't break into the team as a freshman. He went instead to Chandler-Gilbert Community College. His strong performance only got him drafted in the 37th round in 2001, but it was enough for him to get another chance with the Sun Devils, and he played alongside Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler. His draft stock shot up and he was picked in the 2nd round by the Oakland Athletics in 2003. He advanced to AAA Sacramento by 2005, but the Dodgers sent two players to acquire him at the end of the season. Ethier started the season with AAA Las Vegas, but got called up by May 2, and was impressive from the start, finishing with a .308/.365/.477 season, ending up fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. He suffered a mild sophomore slump, but improved his numbers to .305/.375/.510 in 2008. He got off to a strong start in 2009, but slumped in May. He hit the first pitch to shallow left field for an out. That brought up Matt Kemp, the fourth and final rookie from 2006, and at 24 the youngest of the quartet. Kemp was born and raised in Midwest City, Oklahoma, outside of Oklahoma City. He was a solid baseball and basketball player, and was drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round in 2003. He struggled early on in the minors, but his bat and his power developed quickly, and he was in the Majors by May 28, 2006. He had more of a part-time role as a rookie, but broke out in a big way in 2007 after returning from a shoulder injury, hitting .342/.373/.521. He kept it up with a solid season in 2008, and was hitting .310/.376/.483, outstanding numbers for a number eight hitter. Yet that was not enough to keep him from striking out on three pitches. Finally there's the pitcher Kershaw. Kershaw had been a decent hitter with AA Jacksonville in 2008, hitting .267/.256/.256, but his Major League marks has been an ugly .087/.143/.087. He reached out and lined a single over the leaping second baseman Utley to right-center for the first baserunner. Kershaw rounded first and excitedly raced towards second, but the throw from right fielder Bruntlett was on target, and Kershaw was out to end the inning.
The game moves into the fourth with neither side having much offense. Kershaw goes to work on Chase Utley. He gets ahead 1-2 before the count went full. On the eighth pitch, Utley lines a ball down the right field line and he cruises into second with a double. The Phillies had the heart of their lineup to bring Utley in for an early lead. Werth grounded out to short on a short roller, but Utley alertly raced to third. Kershaw goes to another full count against Ryan Howard after starting out 3-0, but Howard lined a fly ball to deep center field just in front of the warning track. Utley was able to tag and score easily with the game's first run. Ibanez struck out on a filthy curveball, but the Phillies was able to take the lead. The Dodgers tried to get that run back. Pierre aggressively went for a drag bunt on the first pitch, but hit it a little too hard, and second baseman Utley was able to snag it and toss it to first with his glove for the out. Furcal and Hudson also grounded out on swinging ground balls to end the fourth. The Phillies went into the fifth looking for more offense, and Pedro Feliz got things going by lining the first pitch into right-center field. He made it to second on a double as the ball rolled to the wall, then he advanced to third as Bruntlett grounded to first. Manager Torre called for an intentional walk on Carlos Ruiz to face Hamels. Hamels bunted Ruiz to second for a sacrifice, but Feliz held at third. Kershaw elects to pitch to Rollins and gets him to fly to right on a 3-1 count and the threat was extinguished. It was still a 1-0 lead for Hamels, but he breezed through the heart of the Dodgers lineup. Blake grounded out to second, Loney flied to center, and Martin hit a sharp grounder to third.
Kershaw had labored after his third-inning single, and had already thrown 87 pitches after five innings. Utley led off with a long fly ball to left-center, but left fielder Pierre used his speed to catch it on the run. Jayson Werth followed with a low liner that just eluded the reach of shortstop Furcal as it went for a single. Kershaw pitched carefully to Ryan Howard and got ahead 1-2, but lost him on a walk. The Dodgers held two meetings on the mound, giving rookie Ronald Belisario time to start warming up in the bullpen. Kershaw was allowed to pitch to Raul Ibanez with his pitch count over 100. Ibanez drove a ball to left-center field that rolled to the wall. Werth scored easily on the double. Howard was held at third, but that was enough for manager Torre, and he reluctantly brought in Belisario, who was finally in the Majors after a 10-year trek through the minors. He was signed by the Florida Marlins out of Venezuela in 1999, and made his stateside debut in 2001. He had advanced to AA Carolina by 2004, but missed all of 2005 with Tommy John surgery, and all of 2006 with an unknown suspension. The Marlins cut him loose, and he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but they were unimpressed as well and let him go. The Dodgers signed him for 2009. He missed some time with visa issues, but performed well and made the Opening Day roster. He was sharp with a 2.23 ERA in his first 27 appearances. And he got the job done by getting Feliz go hit a broken-bat ground ball to shortstop Furcal. Ibanez raced to third, but Howard hesitated and had nowhere to go as Furcal threw to catcher Martin who ran over and tagged the hulking slugger out. Bruntlett hit a sharp liner to first to end the inning. The Dodgers had another attempt to break through to Cole Hamels. Andre Ethier got things off to a good start by lining a long fly ball off the right field wall. The ball richocheted to right fielder Bruntlett, made an accurate throw to second, but Ethier just beat it out for a double. Kemp flied to left at the warning track, and Ethier had to stay at second. The pitcher's spot was next, but pinch-hitter Mark Loretta came up instead. The veteran was spending his first year in Los Angeles after two with the Houston Astros. He had a solid career that dates back to 1995, but was more of a pinch-hitter now. He was still getting the job done for the most part, hitting .288/.408/.339, but popped to second. Then Pierre grounded out to second to end the inning.
Cory Wade came out to prevent any more damage in the seventh. The Indianapolis native was drafted out of Kentucky Wesleyan College in the 10th round of the 2004 draft. He bounced between the rotation and the bullpen in the minor leagues before making the Majors on April 24, 2008 exclusively as a reliever. He was very sharp as a rookie in 2008, but took a loss in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Phillies. A sore shoulder sidelined him for two weeks in April, and he had struggled to a 4.82 ERA. Manager Torre still hoped he can get the job done against the bottom of the Phillies lineup. However, Carlos Ruiz led off with a line drive up the middle for a single. Hamels came up to bunt, but he popped one in the air, and catcher Martin caught it with ease. Ruiz still found a way to get to second by stealing the base with Rollins at bat, but Rollins flew out to right. Manager Torre called for an intentional walk of the left-hander Chase Utley, who had hit the ball hard twice. Jayson Werth made the Dodgers pay for their hubris by grounding a ball up the middle for a single on an 0-2 count. Ruiz was running on the play and scored easily to make it 3-0. With a pair of left-handers coming up, manager Torre went for the platoon advantage by bringing in left-hander Brent Leach. The Mississippi native was finally in the Majors after a long journey that included Tommy John surgery while pitching for the University of Southern Mississippi. He transferred to Delta State University after coming back, and did well as a closer. The Dodgers drafted him in the 6th round in 2005 and tested him out as a starter before putting him back as a closer. He had a 0.69 ERA with AA Chattanooga and was rewarded with his Major League debut on May 6. He had struggled against Major League hitters, with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games, but he was able to strike out Howard on three pitches. Hamels came out in the seventh now with a three-run lead. If he still had his failed bunt on his mind he didn't show it, striking out Furcal. Then Hudson grounded out to short, and Blake flied to center just in front of the wall.
Brent Leach was still out in the eighth to pitch against Ibanez, the other left-hander in the heart of the Phillies lineup. He gets the job done, retiring the veteran on a groundout. With Leach's job successfully completed, manager Torre brought in the veteran Guillermo Mota. Mota was back for his second stint with the Dodgers, having played or them from 2002-2004. The veteran was originally signed by the New York Mets as an infielder out of the Dominican Republic in 1990. He had trouble offensively and had only made it up to high-A St. Lucie by 1996. The Montreal Expos drafted him in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft and converted him into a pitcher. He had some success, but his career took off in 1998 when he was converted to the bullpen. He made his Major League debut on May 2, 1999, and had been a bullpen fixture since. His most eventful years came with the New York Mets. They purchased him from the Cleveland Indians in August 2006 and pitched for them in the post-season. He picked up the win in Game 1 of the Division Series against the Dodgers despite allowing three runs and blew a lead. Then he allowed two runs to blow a 6-4 lead in Game 2 of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. He was the first player to be suspended 50 games for PED use that off-season, but he served his time and was back in time to allow an inherited runner to score to blow Tom Glavine's first attempt at 300 wins against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 31, 2007. He came out in Glavine's second attempt and allowed a single to Jason Kendall for his one batter, but the Mets held on to win. Mota spent 2008 with the Milwaukee Brewers and played in the Division Series against the Phillies before coming back to Los Angeles. He had scuffled to a 6.53 ERA, but retires Feliz on a sharp liner to third, then Bruntlett struck out. That gave the Dodgers another chance to get something done against Cole Hamels with six more outs left. Hamels got the three in the eighth fairly easily, striking out Loney on a full count before Martin lined to right field and Ethier grounded to short.
The game goes to the ninth with Mota trying to keep the deficit at three. Carlos Ruiz made it a more difficult task by singling to center field. Hamels was allowed to hit for himself, having thrown only 83 pitches in his eight innings. This time he got the bunt down, laying a beauty in front of home plate. Rollins had a chance to drive in the run, but he flied to center. Manager Torre called for another intentional walk on Chase Utley. Werth had made the Dodgers pay in the seventh with an RBI single, but this time he just hit a one-hopper to second baseman Hudson who threw to first for the out. Still, Hamels had a three-run lead as he came out in the bottom of the ninth to go for the win and the shutout. Matt Kemp gave the Dodgers some hope when he hit a blooper into center field, just out of the reach of second baseman Utley. Rookie Jamie Hoffman came in as the pinch-hitter having made his Major League debut on May 22 after a story with many twists and turns. Hoffmann grew up in New Ulm, Minnesota and played baseball and hockey. He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes out of high school in the 2003 NHL draft. He was prepared to start his hockey career at Colorado College when a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers came up and signed him to a contract. Baseball was his first love, growing up a fan of the Minnesota Twins, and he signed. He put up good numbers in the minors against players that were drafted, and Dodgers put him on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Hoffmann played well with AA Chattanooga and AAA Albuquerque, and an injury to Xavier Paul led to a spot on the Major League roster for Hoffman. He made two pinch-hitting appearances before hitting a three-run home run in his first start on May 24. That was about all he had done as he was hitting .167/.150/.444, and hit a long fly ball to center. Pierre followed with a lineout to left. Kemp raced to second on defensive indifference as Hamels worked to Furcal, but Furcal grounded to short on the next pitch.
It took Cole Hamels only 2 hours and 31 minutes and 97 pitches to throw his complete-game shutout against the Dodgers. It was the third shutout in his career, but the first one thrown in under 100 pitches, a feat some modern-day fans dub the Maddux, after 300-game winner Greg Maddux who specializes in pitching to contact and maintaining low pitch counts. It was a strong start for the defending World Series champions in the showdown series. The Dodgers wouldn't go away quietly and won the next two games on walk-off hits before the Phillies salvaged the last game for the split. After that they went on their merry ways. Los Angeles would go 14-12, a far cry from their dominating first two months, but they remained six games ahead of the second-place San Francisco Giants. A successful July would create some distance before finding themselves with a losing month in August, when their lead dropped to as low as two games. They spent September building up a lead before a four-game losing streak sent them into a showdown with the Colorado Rockies, who had taken over second and was just two games behind. The Dodgers lost the first game to drop their lead to one, but on October 3 the Dodgers defeated the Rockies 5-0 withe Kershaw throwing six scoreless innings and the bullpen combining for three more. Los Angeles scored all their runs in the seventh, giving Taiwanese lefty Hong-Chih Kuo (郭泓志) the victory. The win gave Dodgers a two-game lead with one more to play, and the National League West title. They won the last game of the season as well to put them at 95-67. Their 58-48 record after June 4 was worse than the Giants and the Rockies, but still enough to help them clinch. Meanwhile the Phillies felt good with the split, and they followed that up with a road series win against the New York Mets. They returned to Philadelphia ready for some home field advantage after the long road trip, but the homestand couldn't have been more disastrous. They played nine games and won only one, then went on the road again and lost three of four and six of nine. Their lead which stood at four games evaporated. They salvaged some pride going into the All-Star break, but knew they needed some reinforcements. So they went and signed future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. They ended July with a 20-7 record, then with Pedro in the rotation they built up a massive lead, and won the division by six games with a 93-69 record, with a 61-49 record after June 4 that was better than the Dodgers'.
Both the Dodgers and the Phillies were in the post-season. Although they were facing different opponents, both teams dispatched their opponents with relatively ease. The Dodgers swept the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Phillies beat the Rockies in four to force a rematch in the NLCS. It was the first time both teams were facing each other since the showdown in June. The Dodgers had won the season series 4-3, and the series started in Los Angeles due to the Dodgers owning the best record in the National League. However, the Phillies were unconcerned. Game 1 was a showdown of the same two pitchers from June 4. Hamels was not pitching another Maddux as the Dodgers scored in the second on a home run by James Loney, but the Phillies offense exploded for five runs in the fifth. The Dodgers could never come back and lost 8-6. Los Angeles took Game 2 in a 2-1 win decided by the bullpen, with Kuo getting the win over former Dodger Chan Ho Park. The series moved to Philadelphia, and the Phillies pounded out 11 runs to take Game 3 by a score of 11-0. Philadelphia came back from a 3-4 deficit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in Game 4 with Jimmy Rollins's walk-off double, then the Phillies clinched their second straight pennant the next night. The Phillies couldn't handle the 103-win New York Yankees and lost the World Series in six games, but there was still a bright future in Philadelphia.
The Phillies began retooling for the future. They traded for Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt and put together one of the greatest rotations in 2010. Halladay contributed with a perfect game on May 29, and the Phillies won another division title with a 97-65 record. They knocked off the Cincinnati Reds in the Division Series, with Halladay throwing a no-hitter in Game 1 to set the tone. Then they took on the San Francisco Giants to attempt their third straight pennant, but the Giants won Game 1 behind two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum and that set the tone, as San Francisco claimed the pennant in six. Halladay won his second Cy Young, but it was of little comfort. They had a full season of their super-rotation in 2011, and rode it to a franchise-record 102 games. They took on the Wild Card winning Cardinals in the Division Series, but they couldn't close out a 2-1 lead and found themselves in a Game 5 with Halladay opposing his old friend Chris Carpenter. "Doc" pitched valiantly, but the Cardinals scored a run in the first on a Rafael Furcal triple and a double, and that was all the Cardinals needed. Even worse, Howard tore his Achilles tendon on the last play of the game. The Phillies were never the same after that. They fell to 81-81 in 2012, then averaged 92.8 losses from 2013-2017 as they became one of the worst teams in baseball. Hamels ended up getting traded to the Texas Rangers in 2015. Chase Utley was traded to the Dodgers of all team that year. Amaro's tenure with the Phillies ended after that season. Even worse, former ace Roy Halladay died in a plane crash on November 7, 2017. Amidst all the tragedies the Phillies formed a new young core that led them back into contention in 2018. They made the bold move of signing Bryce Harper in the off-season and there is hope in Philadelphia.
Whiles the Phillies trotted out their super-rotation, the Dodgers found themselves in unfamiliar territory: out of contention. They went 80-82 in 2010 with the same core, then missed the playoffs the next two seasons. However, Clayton Kershaw was finally coming into his own and fulfilling his promise as being the best pitcher in baseball. He went 21-5 in 2011 with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts, leading the National League in all three categories to win the Pitching Triple Crown and the Cy Young award. Matt Kemp also became a superstar, hitting .324/.399/.586 and finishing second in the MVP race. The Dodgers finally came together and captured the NL West in 2013 for the first time in four years, with Kershaw winning a second Cy Young. They averaged 93 wins from 2013-2016 and took home the division title each year. Kershaw took home another Cy Young in 2014, and won the MVP as well, becoming the first Dodger to win the MVP since Kirk Gibson in 1988. However, none of those seasons resulted in a pennant. The 2017 team was putting around and found themselves in third on June 1. They ended up going 41-10 in June and July, and won 104 games. Then they knocked off the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago Cubs in the Division Series and NLCS for their first pennant since 1988. They got into an epic battle with the Houston Astros, but fell short in seven games as trade acquisition Yu Darvish was tipping his pitches, including in the anti-climactic Game 7. Los Angeles had an even worse start in 2018 and found themselves tied for last on May 16. That was a wake-up call, as they clawed back into contention, winning the NL West by one game. They then knocked off the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers for their second straight pennant. Alas, they ran into the buzzsaw that was the 108-win Boston Red Sox in the World Series. They were able to win only Game 3, and it took them 18 innings to do so. Nevertheless, the Dodgers are well equipped to remain competitive well into the future.
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Cubs vs. Braves, PPD
Turner Field
Atlanta, GA
As the night games got under way, there was still one game that was waiting to begin, a match-up between two of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves in Turner Field, the home of the Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally designed as the Centennial Olympic Stadium, the central stadium in the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. It was the site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and also hosted track and field events. It got to witness Donovan Bailey setting a new world record in the 100m dash, Michael Johnson doing the same in the 200m dash, and Carl Lewis winning his fourth straight Olympic gold in the Long Jump. Before the stadium was built, the Atlanta Braves had already signed a lease to move there after the Olympics, bidding farewell to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, their home since moving to Atlanta. Once the Closing Ceremonies were completed, the stadium was re-purposed to become suitable for baseball. The conversion took a few months but was ready by Opening Day in 1997. Turner Field opened to great fanfare, but from the beginning there were some problems. The ballpark's downtown location turned out to be rather inconvenient as it limited parking spaces, and was not close to any public transportation stops. And while the initial re-purposing was successful, but additional renovations were needed to improve the fan experience. Furthermore, the ballpark had required more maintenance than an average baseball stadium. The Braves still had several more years on their lease, but the questions as to whether or not the Braves would renew that lease was up in the air.
It was quite a perplexing problem for one of the two remaining teams from the initial National League season in 1876 still active in 2009. The Braves started out as the Boston Red Stockings in the National Association in 1871. They were a spin-off of the Cincinnati Red Stockings that played ball in 1869 operated by the baseball Wright brothers Harry and George. The team was very successful, winning four pennants under the likes of Al Spalding and later James "Deacon" White, but the National Association was a mess of an entity, with teams jumping in and folding. Hulbert led six of the most successful Association franchises along with two expansion teams and formed them into the National League, including the Red Stockings. The Red Stockings won the very first game, beating the Philadelphia Athletics 6-5, but finished in fourth. The National League went through some growing pains, with six of its original members gone by 1880, but the Red Stockings were going strong. They won eight pennants between 1876-1899, and picked up a most glorious nickname in 1883 when they became known as the Boston Beaneaters. They had plenty of star powers, including the Heavenly Twins Hugh Duffy and Tommy McCarthy, and then a trio of future 300-game-winners including Old Hoss Radbourn, John Clarkson, and Kid Nichols. The 1900s were not a good decade for Boston, who sank to the bottom of the standings as their old stars moved on. They tried different names including the Doves and Rustlers before settling on the Braves in 1912. The Braves were off to another terrible year in 1914 and sat in last through July 18. However, the team turned their season around, going 50-14 from August on and captured the pennant by over 10 games, then swept the Philadelphia Athletics, unrelated to the team they defeated in 1876. They picked up the moniker "Miracle Braves," but like any miracle the success was short-lived. By 1917 the Braves were back in the second division, and the team hit the nadir in 1935. The team had finished 4th in two straight years behind manager Bill McKechnie, and owner Judge Emil Fuchs went out and signed the biggest name in baseball, New York Yankees outfielder Babe Ruth. He felt that would be enough to put the Braves over the top, but Ruth was only a shell of his former self. He hit only .181/.359/.431 despite a three-homer game on May 25, and retired on June 1. The Braves crashed and burned to a 38-115 record. Fuchs sold the Braves, and new Bob Quinn tried renaming the team the Bees. That didn't work out and the name reverted in 1941. The Braves were hit hard by the war years, but after the war ended the team got their hands on a pair of young pitchers Johnny Sain and Warren Spahn. Spahn and Sain became a dynamic duo, and led the team to a pennant in 1948, but they lost to the Cleveland Indians. Despite remaining competitive, Boston lost interest in the Braves, and it became clear the city couldn't support two franchises. That eventually led to the team packing up and moving to Milwaukee.
Milwaukee welcomed the Braves with open arms. They set an attendance record at Milwaukee County Stadium, and the Braves rewarded the city with a competitive team. They had a strong core that included third baseman Eddie Mathews, future 300-game-winner Spahn, and a young right fielder named Henry Aaron, who debuted in 1954. The Braves couldn't break through the New York connection until 1957, when Aaron's walk-off home run clinched the pennant. The Braves faced the Yankees, and the series went to seven games, but it was former Yankee farmhand Lew Burdette that was the hero, tossing a complete-game shutout in Game 7. The two teams faced off again, but this time the Braves ended up on the wrong side of history as the Yankees got revenge. The Braves continued to play well, posting a winning record every year they were in Milwaukee, but they could never duplicate the successes of 1957-1958. Eventually attendance started dwindling and new owner Bill Bartholomay wanted to move a team to a larger city, and made the move to Atlanta in 1966. The Braves tried to celebrate their move by signing a young pitcher out of USC named George T. Seaver, but the pick was voided because USC had played two exhibition games. Other teams were allowed to enter the Seaver Sweepstakes, but the Braves were disqualified. The Braves were mostly dismal in their early years in Atlanta, although knuckelballer Phil Niekro and veteran Aaron led the Braves to the first National League West title in 1969. That was only a mirage as Atlanta fell back into mediocrity. Aaron made some news in the early 1970s by chasing the home run record of former Brave Babe Ruth, which he finally did on April 8, 1974. Ted Turner bought the team in 1976 and tried his hand at managing for one game, but used his Turner Broadcasting System to broadcast Braves game over a new market. The Braves hired Yankees first-base coach Bobby Cox as manager, and he proved to be a good judge of talent, moving catcher Dale Murphy into center field. However, Turner inexplicably fired Cox in 1981, replacing him with former Braves catcher Joe Torre. Torre led the Braves to a surprise division title in 1982, but the Braves were swept in the Division Series, then fell back into mediocrity. Cox was rehired as the general manager in 1986, and he made the move to acquire several young players, including Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and David Justice among others. After the Braves finished last for the fourth time in five seasons in 1990, Cox made the bold move of firing manager Russ Nixon and hiring himself as manager after securing John Schuerholz as the new general manager. The Braves won the division and then the pennant in 1991, and that began one of the most remarkable runs in baseball history. From 1991 to 2005, the Braves won 14 straight division titles, along with five pennants, and the 1995 World Series title. Even as players grew old or signed elsewhere, the Braves were able to restock their roster with future Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Chipper Jones among others. The streak came to a screeching halt in 2006 as Atlanta fell to 79-83. They finished with another losing record in 2008, going 72-90. Cox was hoping for one last hurrah in 2009, but they were 26-26 and mired in third place.
If the Braves prided themselves as being the oldest franchise in professional sports, the Chicago Cubs could claim title as being the oldest professional franchise to play continuously in the same city. The team got their start in 1871 as the Chicago White Stockings in the National Association. The team had to be put on hold as the Great Chicago Fire devastated the city in October of the year, but came back in 1874. It was White Stockings president William Hulbert that organized the National League. Along the way he signed Al Spalding and Deacon White from Boston and Adrian Constatine "Cap" Anson from Philadelphia. Through his trickery, the White Stockings won four National League pennants from 1876-1882, although Hulbert died of a heart attack in 1882. The White Stockings moved on behind Spalding, who had taken over as president, and player/manager Anson, and won two more pennants in 1885 and 1886 with Michael "King" Kelly the superstar alongside rotation stalwarts John Clarkson and Jim McCormick. The team was renamed the Colts in 1890, but could never duplicate their former success. Anson's release in 1898 so devastated fans they took to calling the team the Orphans. This lasted five years before the team officially took on the name the Cubs in 1903. The Cubs were one of the top teams in the National League, led by manager Frank Selee, infielders Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance, and ace Mordecai "Miner" Brown. They battled the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates for National League supremacy, falling short from 1903-1905 before breaking through with a still-standing record of 116 wins in 1906. They faced the cross-town "Hitless Wonders" White Sox, but were defeated in a major upset, as the Cubs couldn't solve the White Sox pitchers led by Big Ed Walsh. The Cubs repeated as pennant winners in 1907 and 1908, the latter in one of the most controversial pennant races in baseball history. The Cubs defeated the Detroit Tigers in the World Series both years, but little did they know the New York Giants whom they defeated in the 1908 tie-break game and their manager John McGraw were silently cursing the team. The Cubs went on to have several up and down years, winning pennants in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945, but couldn't quite come through with a World Championship. They lost in some of the more bizarre fashions. The Cubs held an 8-0 lead in the seventh inning of Game 4 in 1929, and a win would tie the Series. However, the Cubs went on to allow 10 runs, with center fielder Hack Wilson losing two balls in the Sun. The Cubs were trying to come back against the Yankees in Game 3 in 1932 and were heckling the heck out of Babe Ruth in a tied game. Ruth pointed towards center field, and then walloped the ball out of the ballpark. And then in 1945, Billy Sianis, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, along with his goat Murphy were ejected from Game 4 due to Murphy's foul odor. Sianis allegedly declared that the Cubs won't win anymore.
The Cubs would fall off the cliff and became also-rans. They became known as lovable losers and would do things such as getting rid of the traditional managerial role and instead appointing a "college of coaches," which they tried in the early 1960s. It resulted in a winning season in 1963, but that may have been due to the cast of young players which included Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Ron Santo. They were eventually joined by pitcher Ferguson Jenkins and the Cubs got off to a hot start in 1969, the first year of division play. However, in September a fan released a black cat in Shea Stadium, and the Cubs eventually collapsed, finishing second by eight games. It wouldn't be until 1984 that the Cubs would get another taste of the post-season. The team was led by a dynamic young second baseman named Ryne Sandberg, and also featured veteran pitchers Dennis Eckersley, Lee Smith, and Rick Sutcliffe, the latter of whom was acquired in a trade and went 16-1 to win the Cy Young award. Chicago improved from 71 wins in 1983 to 96 wins and won their first division title. They fought the San Diego Padres to five games, but in Game 5 first baseman Leon Durham let a ball roll through his legs, and a 3-2 lead turned into a 3-6 deficit. The Cubs won another division title in 1989 with Sandberg being joined by future Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Greg Maddux, but they were knocked out by the San Francisco Giants. Sammy Sosa became a hero in 1998, slamming 66 home runs to win MVP as the Cubs won the Wild Card against the Giants in a tie-break game. However, they were swept in the post-season by the Braves, with their former ace Maddux winning the deciding game. Chicago had their greatest heartbreak in 2003. They won the NL Central, and then defeated the Braves in the Division Series for their first playoff series win since 1908. They had to get past the upstart Florida Marlins in the NLCS, but held a 3-2 Series lead going into Game 6, and led the game 3-0 going into the eighth with ace Mark Prior on the mound. The Marlins ended up scoring eight runs with the crucial play being an error by Alex Gonzalez, but most of the fans in the "Friendly Confines" placing the blame of a Cubs fan named Steve Bartman, who reached for a foul ball two batters earlier preventing left fielder Moises Alou from catching the ball. The Cubs blew another lead in Game 7 and the curses of McGraw and Sianis remained strong. Chicago won back to back NL Central titles in 2007 and 2008, and even had the best record in the National League in the latter year, the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' last title. Alas, Chicago was swept in the Division Series in both years. The Curse was impossible to ignore by 2009, but they went 10-11 in April. A five-game winning streak pushed Chicago into second, but an eight-game losing streak sent them plummeting to fourth, where they stood despite a 26-25 record.
As both teams prepare for their games, Braves fans were trying to process what had transpired the day before. On June 3, 2009, the Atlanta Braves released veteran left-hander and 300-game-winner Tom Glavine, potentially ending his career. Glavine was on a minor league rehab assignment coming back from shoulder and elbow surgery and had a strong start with A-ball Rome, throwing six shutout innings on June 2. Tom Glavine had been an integral part of the Braves dynasty in the 1990s. He won a Cy Young award in 1991, the first year of Atlanta's streak, and later won another in 1998. His signature moment came in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series against the Cleveland Indians, when he threw eight scoreless innings allowing just one hit as the Braves clinched the World Series title that night. He had won 242 games in a Braves uniform with five 20-win seasons through 2002, but an off-season communication fiasco led to him signing a contract with the New York Mets. Glavine struggled during his first year in New York, but managed to recalibrate his pitching style working with pitching coach Rick Peterson. He also survived a scare when he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his left shoulder, but arrived at the 300-win plateau on August 5, 2007 with an 8-3 win against the Cubs in Wrigley Field. However, Glavine's time in New York ended on a disastrous note. He took the mound against the Florida Marlins on the last day of the 2007 season with the Mets tied with the Philadelphia Phillies atop the NL East, and proceeded to allow seven runs while getting only one out. Not only did the Mets lose the division, Glavine angered Mets fan even more when he said he was not disappointed but not devastated with the end results. Glavine ended up making his return to Atlanta in the off-season. However, the reunion was anything but triumphant. He strained his hamstring in April and ended up having to go on the Disabled List. Even worse, a shoulder injury ended his season in August, having gone 2-4 with a career-worst 5.54 ERA in only 13 starts in 2008. Glavine signed a one-year $1 million contract for 2009 with performance bonuses but was also recovering from surgery. He recovered to the point where he was making rehab starts, but was called into the office of general manager Frank Wren and was told he could retire on the spot or be released. Glavine chose the release. The Braves did their lip service and said it was not a financial issue, but instead the team preferred to give more opportunities to younger pitchers such as pitching prospect Tommy Hanson who was set to make his Major League debut that week. Fans didn't quite buy the team's explanations, but had no other but to watch. Meanwhile Braves manager Cox and Cubs manager Lou Piniella had their lineups ready. However, it was raining and the tarp was on the field. Both teams were waiting to see if the rain would let up enough for them to hand the lineups to home plate umpire Gary Cedarstrom.
The Braves' listed starter was one of these young pitchers. 23-year-old Jair Jurrjens was set to make the 50th start of his career. Jurrjens was born and raised in the island of Curaçao in the Dutch Antilles. Curaçao was the home of longtime Braves center fielder Andruw Jones, who was the first player from the island to become a star in the Major Leagues, and one of Jurrjens's role models. Unlike Jones, Jurrjens took to pitching. He made a splash at the age of 16 when he helped lead the Curaçao to the Senior League World Series, one of the many tournaments organized by Little League International. His performance caught the attention of Major League Baseball teams, and the Detroit Tigers struck first, signing the youngster to an amateur contract. The Tigers sent Jurrjens immediately to the rookie leagues, and he went 2-1 with a 3.21 ERA, a good performance for a 17-year-old. He started the next season in rookie league, but after dominating Detroit advanced him to short-season A ball in Oneonta. Jurrjens struggled in seven starts, but he pitched well with A-ball West Michigan in 2005. He played on Team Netherlands with the first World Baseball Classic in 2006, but struggled, although he continued to make steady progress in the minors. The Tigers called him up to the Major Leagues, and he was only 21 when he made his debut on August 15, 2007. He made some history by being the first pitcher from Curaçao to make the Major Leagues. Jurrjens pitched seven games and went 3-1 with a roughly 4.70 ERA. Meanwhile, the Tigers finished second in the American League Central and they had gotten brutal defense from their shortstop Carlos Guillen. The Braves were interested in acquiring some younger players, and they were intrigued by Jurrjens and center field prospect Gorkys Hernandez. Atlanta had Edgar Renteria, who was a terrific defender at shortstop and was a pretty good hitter. Atlanta got in touch with the Tigers, and they worked out a deal that would send Renteria to Detroit, with the Braves getting Hernandez and Jurrjens. Jurrjens made the team out of spring training and was solid. He won Rookie of the Month in June when he went 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA. He tired in the second half of the season, but still went 13-10 with a 3.68 ERA. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. Jurrjens was the number two starter in 2009, and he was fantastic. He allowed five runs in five innings on May 29, but he still had a 2.59 ERA, and manager Cox felt good with him on the mound.
Meanwhile Piniella and Cubs fans were looking forward to their prospective starter, the fiery Carlos Zambrano. "Big Z" was coming back from a six-game suspension that he had incurred in his last start. He was trying to protect a 2-1 lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates with runner Nyjer Morgan on third but threw a wild pitch. Catcher Geovany Soto grabbed the ball and threw to Zambrano covering home, umpire Mark Carlson called Morgan safe. In the ensuing argument Zambrano bumped umpire Mark Carlson to earn the ejection. Then he imitated Carlson's, ejection hand signal, threw the ball out onto center field, and smashed a Gatorade machine. Later he missed the team fight to Atlanta for the series against the Braves. This display of emotions had endeared him to the Cubs, but also frustrated them. Zambrano was born and raised in Venezuela, and was signed by the Cubs in 1997 just a month and a half after he turned 16. He advanced through the minor leagues relatively quickly, and was in the Majors by August 20, 2001 when he pitched in the nightcap of a double-header. His first taste of the Majors was disastrous, as he allowed seven runs in four innings and was sent back to AAA Iowa. He went to the bullpen upon his return in September and wasn't much better, finishing with a 15.26 ERA. Zambrano dominated AAA the next year, and had a better showing as a reliever and a spot starter. He showed that he could stick in the Majors in 2003, finishing 13-11 with a 3.11 ERA, and he had the best season of his career a year later, when he went 16-8 and posted a 2.75 ERA which would remain his career best. However, he struggled in the playoffs in the former year and he couldn't keep the Cubs from blowing the Wild Card in the latter. Over the next few years, Zambrano established himself as one of the best pitchers in the National League, tying the league lead with 16 wins in 2006, then winning a career-high 18 in 2007. His career highlight came on September 14, 2008. He was pitching against the Houston Astros in Milwaukee, a move necessitated due to the impending arrival of Huricane Ike. He had just come back from rotator cuff tendinitis, but he was dominating. He not just shut out the Astros, he also threw a no-hitter. Besides Zambrano's pitching, he could hold his own with the bat. His .239/.246/.387 was very good for a pitcher, and in 2008 he had gone .337/.337/.554, for an OPS+ of 123. He was also adept at hitting the long ball, getting at least one in every season since 2003, and putting up a career high of six in 2006. However, his temper gets the best of him frequently, and in his biggest anger outburst he got into a fight with his own teammate. On June 1, 2007, he confronted his catcher Michael Barrett for some misplays, then shoved him. Even so the Cubs were glad to have Zambrano on the mound, especially sine he would be going after his milestone 100th career win.
Alas, it was not to be. The rain had started before the original start time never let up. The umpires waited for one hour, and then one hour went to two. Soon it was past 9:00, and it was two hours and 20 minutes since the original start time of the ballgame. With that the umpires called the game, rescheduling it for June 22. Jair Jurrjens would wait to make the start the next day against the Milwaukee Brewers, but the Braves were shut out by Yovani Gallardo. Meanwhile the Cubs traveled to Cincinnati, and Zambrano pitched six and 2/3 scoreless innings, and hit a home run as the Cubs won 2-1 with Zambrano getting his 100th career win. The rainout would push Tommy Hanson's highly anticipated debut back a day, and he finished the season 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA. The game was made up on June 22, an off day for both teams. The Braves would won 2-0 with Javier Vazquez and three relievers shutting out the Cubs. Chicago would go 57-53 after the rainout and would finish 83-78, in second place but well behind the division-winning St. Louis Cardinals and the Wild Card Colorado Rockies. Meanwhile the Braves would go 60-50 to end up at 86-76, but that was only enough for third.
The Braves would end up going to the playoffs a year later as a Wild Card for Bobby Cox's final fare-well before his retirement, but the Braves were defeated by the San Francisco Giants. The Braves would reach the playoffs three more times, but never reach the same height as they did in the 1990s. Meanwhile Tommy Hanson's ERA crept up every year and the Braves would trade him to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after the 2012 season. He went 4-3 with a 5.42 ERA in Anaheim and that would be it for his Major League career. He tried comebacks but they were never successful, and he would die from "catastrophic organ failure" brought on by drug use on November 9, 2015, ending his comeback and his life. The Cubs would flounder around for several years, but 2015 would be the year Chicago turned things around. They had hired Theo Epstein as general manager after the 2011 season. He would retool the roster, and by 2015 the team won 97 games and a spot in the Wild Card game, which they won knocking out the Pirates, then topped the Cardinals in the Division Series as well. Their path to a pennant would end prematurely as the New York Mets swept them in the NLCS. They would establish new heights in 2016, winning 103 games before knocking off the Giants and the Dodgers in the Division Series and NLCS. They faced the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. It was the Cubs that came out on top in a match-up of cursed teams, but it took them until the 10th inning of Game 7 before it finally happened, but the drought finally ended at 108 years. The Cubs returned to the playoffs the next two seasons but couldn't repeat, but the Cubs finally got a chance to taste sweet victory.
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United 2, Red Bulls 0
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Washington DC
The double-header between the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals were not the only sports games to take place in Washington DC on June 4, 2009. At 7:30, around the time the Giants were wrapping up the first game of the double-header and also Randy Johnson's 300th win, Major League Soccer's D.C. United was ready to host the New York Red Bulls at RFK Stadium, three miles away. Major League Soccer had began play in 1996 in response to the 1994 World Cup being awarded to the United States. There had been several outdoor soccer leagues in the US in the past, the most recent in Division I was the North American Soccer League, which was in play from 1968 to 1984. It had ultimately folded due to poor revenues and unsustainable expansion. Other lower division leagues sprang up in its absence, but Major League Soccer was created to fill the void. There were some doubts as to the league's ability to survive. While the first season was a success, attendance floundered as the league had frequent rule changes. By 2002 the league appeared to be headed towards the same demise as the NASL, with low attendance in football stadiums and the contraction of two teams before the season. The US National Team's success in the 2002 World Cup where they reached the quarterfinals led to a revival. Major League Soccer's decision to adapt the rules of the International Football Association Board led to the end of constant rule changes. The integration with other international teams led to further evolution, especially with soccer superstar David Beckham signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007. Even before that the league was ready to pursue expansion once again, adding new teams beginning in 2005. Attendance had also risen to a point where owners were ready to construct soccer-only stadium. However, as of 2009 the DC United was still calling RFK Stadium home.
Robert F. Kennedy Stadium opened back in 1961 and was the first multi-purpose stadiums to use the cookie-cutter circular design. It was commissioned in 1958 to replace Griffith Stadium, which had been the home of the Washington Senators since 1911 when Walter Johnson was still a young pitcher and the Washington Redskins since the team moved south from Boston in 1937. The departure of the original Senators didn't affect the plans as a new Senators team was formed in its place. District of Columbia Stadium, as the structure was called then, opened in 1961 and hosted a game between the Redskins and the New York Giants. The Senators started play there beginning in the 1962 season. The stadium was rededicated Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in 1969 in honor of the late Senator who had been assassinated the year earlier. RFK Stadium hosted both the Redskin and Senators until 1971, when the baseball team made plans to move to Texas and become the Texas Rangers. The last baseball game held in RFK Stadium for almost 40 years ended in a forfeit as fans started a riot. While several NASL teams called RFK Stadium home, the Redskins were the primary occupants until 1996, when the D.C. United began play. The two teams would play concurrently for a year until the Redskins moved into Jack Kent Cooke Stadium (now FedEx Field) for the 1997 season. The D.C. United had sole possession of RFK Stadium until 2005 when the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington DC and were renamed the Washington Nationals, marking Major League Baseball's return to the nation's capital for the first time in 34 years. The Nationals played at RFK Stadium for three years until Nationals Park was completed in 2008, leaving the D.C. United its sole occupants once again.
The D.C. United had been perhaps the most success franchise in Major League Soccer during the league's first decade of existence. When the league was conceived in 1994, Washington DC was the first city to be selected to host a Major League Soccer franchise. The team would be known as "United" as a nod to the city's status as the United States capital, and also hearkened to European teams like Manchester United. They were coached by Bruce Arena, the longtime coach of the US National Team. When the league opened play in 1996, the D.C. United made the playoffs for the MLS Cup, the league's championship, on the strength of finishing second in the Eastern Conference. They defeated the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in three games, and then knocked off the Tampa Bay Mutiny, the team that won the Supporter's Shield for the best record. They then faced off the Los Angeles Galaxy, the best team in the West in a one-game showdown. The United pulled off a 3-2 win with the winning goal being scored by Eddie Pope four minutes into extra time. They would go on to win the National Challenge Cup, the single elimination tournament. They would go on to win the Supporter's Shield in 1997 and captured a second straight MLS Cup, although they didn't have as much success in the National Challenge Cup or the CONCACAF Champions' Cup which they entered from winning the MLS Cup the year before. The United made sure to put their focus on the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1998. They were the only team from the United States to play, but made the most of it, defeating Joe Public from the Trinidad % Tobago by a dominating score of 8-0, and then Club Leon from Mexico to face another Mexican team, Deportivo Toluca, in the finals. D.C. United took the win, with the game-winning goal being scored once again by Pope. It was the first time a team from the United States won the CONCACAF. The team reached the MLS Cup finals once again, but dreams of a third straight title fell short as they lost to the expansion Chicago Fire. They saved face in the Copa Interamericana when they defeated Brazil's Vasco de Gama, winner of the CONMEBOL's top tournament Copa Libertadores. The D.C. United won a third MLS Cup in 1999, but then the institution of a salary cap and the departure of Arena as the United coach led to a complete re-haul of the team, and led to several years of substandard finishes.
The D.C. United finally made the MLS playoffs again in 2003 when they were led by a new coach Piotr Nowak. They were quickly knocked out in the semifinals, but it represented an improvement. The 2004 season brought a new source of excitement with the arrival of Freddy Adu, the 14-year-old Ghana-born soccer prodigy. The United took home the second-spot in the Eastern Conference, and then knocked off the MetroStars once again in the Conference Semifinals, just as they did eight years ago. They then won the Conference Finals against the New England Revolution, which had upset the Supporters Shield-winning Columbus Crew. That set up a MLS Cup Finals matchup against the Kansas City Wizards, which they won by a score of 3-2 for their fourth MLS Cup. The D.C. United became a top team in Major League Soccer once again, reaching the playoffs again in 2005 and winning Supporter's Shields in 2006 and 2007. However, they were unable to duplicate their success in the MLS Cup playoffs, losing to their nemesis Chicago Fire in the Conference Semifinals in 2005 and 2007, and then to the Conference Finals in 2006. 2008 marked a sudden decline in the United's fortunes. They finished with a losing record of 11-4-15 and fell two points short of qualifying for the playoffs. They managed to save some face by taking home the U.S. Open Cup, the new name for the National Challenge Cup. The United hoped that the 2009 season would hold better fortunes for the team. It started out on a promising note. Through the first seven games the United had won three with one loss and three ties, giving them 12 points which allowed them to sit atop the Eastern Conference tied with the Toronto FC. And just as suddenly they found themselves unable to win a game. Four games ended in ties, and they suffered a loss to the New England Revolution. All of a sudden they were at 16 points and had fallen behind their nemesis the Chicago Fire in the standings and tied with both Toronto and Kansas City. They were still in good position, but needed to win a game to reverse their fortunes.
Thankfully their opponents on June 4 were the New York Red Bulls, who were last in the Eastern Conference with nine points, from just two wins and three ties. They were also the team formerly known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, and they had been the punching bags of Major League Soccer for years, dating back to 1996 when they qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs and lost to the United in the semifinals. Since then they have had several re-brandings. In 1998 they dropped the "New York/New Jersey" portion of their names and called themselves simply the MetroStars. They reached the playoffs that first year but didn't even wait until facing the D.C. United before getting knocked off. The next year they finished with 4 wins, 3 shootout wins, and 25 losses, good for 15 points in 32 games, still the worst team in Major League Soccer history. They recovered and reached the playoffs five more times as the MetroStars, advancing to the Conference Finals only once in 2000 when they had a franchise-best 17-3-12 record, and they lost to the Chicago Fire. In 2006, the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, famed for their Red Bull energy drink, entered Major League Soccer by purchasing the MetroStars and changed the name to Red Bull New York along with new uniforms and names. The Red Bulls also hired former D.C. United coach Bruce Arena to be their new coach, and they signed a few superstars. They reached the playoffs behind Arena, but still couldn't get out of the Conference Semifinals, falling to the United in 2006. Arena left the team after the 2007 season, but the Red Bulls made the playoffs with the final Wild Card spot, triumphing by two points over the United. They then knocked off defending champions Houston Dynamo to reach the Conference Finals for the second time in their history. Then they stunned Real Salt Lake in the Conference Finals for their first berth in the MLS Cup. Their opponents were the Columbus Crew, who had won the Supporter's Shields, but the Red Bulls had won two of the three regular season matches. They hoped they can come out on top for their first MLS Cup. It was not to be, as the Crew finished on top by a score of 3-1. The Red Bulls hoped that their success would continue in 2009, but it was not to be as they dropped their season opener 3-0 to the Seattle Sounders Football Club. They had two ties and two losses before a win over Real Salt Lake, but then dropped three more games, including a home game against the D.C. United on April 26. A second victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on May 8 was followed with another tie and two more losses. They were hoping to reach 10 points against the United on the road. Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio put out his best players in his lineup. Meanwhile United coach Tom Soehn made a few changes.
New York Red Bulls
F Juan Pablo Angel
F Dane Richards
MF Jorge Alberto Rojas
MF Danleigh Borman
MF Jeremy Hall
MF Seth Stammler
MF Albert Celades
DF Kevin Goldthwaite
DF Mike Petke
DF Carlos Mendes
GK Jon Conway
D.C. United
F Ange N'Silu
F Luciano Emilio
MF Fred
MF Chris Pontius
MF Santino Quaranta
MF Rodney Wallace
MF Clyde Simms
DF Marc Burch
DF Dejan Jakovic
DF Bryan Namoff
GK Josh Wicks
The Red Bulls sent their starting goalkeeper Jon Conway to mind the net. Conway had been with the Red Bulls since 2006, the year of their rebrand. Conway was born in Media and raised in Aston, both of which were located in southeast Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia. He played soccer as a kid, and was the goalkeeper on the Lower Merion Gorillas soccer club and helped them to Under 13 state championships in both Indoor and Outdoor Soccer. From there he went on to play other youth clubs before going off to Rutgers. He had a successful career as a goalkeeper and was picked by the San Jose Earthquakes in the third round of the 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. He played on loan for the Bay Area Seals of the United Soccer League before joining the Earthquakes. He suffered a broken ankle early in the season and spent most of his tenure in San Jose as a backup, getting into only 18 games from 2000-2005. He was on the Earthquakes teams that won the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003, but both times he sat on the sidelines. After the 2005 season, the owners of the Earthquakes threatened to move to Houston after San Jose refused to build a soccer-specific stadium. Major League Soccer allowed the move in theory, but the new team in Houston would come as an expansion franchise called the Dynamo. While most of the star players made the move to Houston, others were traded off, including Conway, who was sent to the MetroStars shortly before their takeover. Conway shared goalkeeping duties with veteran Tony Meola and allowed a goal against average of 1.00 in 12 games. He played in 14 games in 2007 and had a 1.10 GAA. He finally had a chance to be a starter in 2008 and played in 28 games. The Red Bulls were in the midst of an intense playoff battle when the team received the stunning news that Conway and defender Jeff Parke were suspended for 10 games for violating the substance abuse and behavioral health policy, testing positive for androstatriendione and bolderone metabolites. It was a shocking news, and led to the elevation of 23-year-old rookie Danny Cepero, who led the team into the playoffs and took over as they went all the way to the MLS Cup. Conway came back early in 2009 and helped the team to their first win of the season, but otherwise the losing continued.
The D.C. United countered with their own goalkeeper Josh Wicks, newly acquired that off-season form the Los Angeles Galaxy. Wicks was born in a US Army base in Landstuhl in what was then West Germany. He lived a typical military life before finally settling in San Bernardino, California. He played collegiate soccer with California State University, Bakersfield, playing with the Des Moines Menace in the United States League Premiere Development League. He went undrafted in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, but signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps which was then in the United Soccer Leagues First Division. He spent two years with the Whitecaps and helped them to a championship in 2006 before signing with the Portland Timbers in the same league. He had a fantastic season and recorded a 0.60 GAA with 14 shutouts and was named the Goalkeeper of the Year in the league. He originally signed again with the Timbers, but was placed on loan to Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy for some pre-season appearances. He impressed and was given a full-time deal. He appeared in six games but didn't have quite the same success, winning only one game with three draws and two losses. The Galaxy traded him to the DC United for a 2010 draft pick. He came in as one of three goalkeepers in consideration for the starting job, but Wicks had some early success and was given the start, his third consecutive start.
There were only 11,226 fans in the seat at kickoff around 7:30, only 24% of RFK Stadium's capacity. It was the smallest crowd of the 2009 season. Part of it was due to the rainy weather that had plagued the DC area, but the United had yet to draw 20,000 in a home game, which usually heightens the emptiness of the cavernous old stadium. Nevertheless D.C. would give it their all. The United was on the offensive early in the game, putting pressure on Conway and the New York defenders. Then in the 15th minute, defender Bryan Namoff took a pass from a teammate. Namoff plays on the defense, but the Rockford, Illinois native had been a midfielder during his amateur years in the development league and also when his MLS career began in 2001. He converted to defense fairly early in his career, but he still finds himself in the middle of the offensive scrum at times. Namoff wove around a few Red Bulls defenders before delivering a shot, but Conway made a diving save. Five minutes later it was midfielder Chris Pontius that had another golden opportunity. The Orange County native had a successful career at the University of California Santa Barbara and was the United's first round pick in the 2009 SuperDraft. He made an immediate impact, scoring a goal in the season opener against the Los Angeles Galaxy. He had two more, including the game-winner in the April 26 match against the Red Bulls in extra time. Pontius rushed past a New York defender and delivered a shot, but it went wide of the net. The Red Bulls were able to bring the ball back into the United side. Midfielder Albert Celades was given a free kick. He kicked it to the left of the D.C. goal, where defender Kevin Goldthwaite redirected the ball towards fellow defender Mike Petke. Petke, a New York native, had played on the D.C. United team that won the MLS Cup in 2004, but after a stint with the Colorado Rapids, returned to the team that originally drafted him. Petke had 13 goals in his career but none in 2009. He intercepted the ball and kicked it high towards the United goal, but Wicks jumped up to make the grab.
United midfielder Clyde Simms received the game's first yellow card in the 27th minute, but the game remained scoreless into the 36th minute. D.C. had a throw-in after the Red Bulls kicked the ball out of bounds. Pontius did the honors and threw the ball towards forward Ange N'Sile. N'Silu sent the ball down the field, where Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio redirected it towards countryman Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva, who is better known to soccer fans simply as Fred. Fred was born in the urban city of Belo Horizonte. He was playing professionally in his home country since he was 18, playing for four Brazilian teams from 1997-2006. In 2006 he signed his first international contract, going to the A-League in Australia for the Melbourne Victory. He had solid season in Australia, then went onto the MLS with the D.C. United. He had a successful first MLS season with seven goals in 2007, but he had his biggest moment in 2008 in the U.S. Open Cup, when he scored the game-winning goal in the finals. Fred returned to the A-League that off-season when he went to play on loan with the Wellington Phoenix, but his season was cut short when his father was killed in a car accident in his native Brazil. He returned to the D.C. United in 2009 with a heavy heart, and came under criticism for his inability to score. As it turned out his daughter had a cranial disorder which required surgery that finally happened in May. He came back with his first goal in the United's previous game, although it was the only goal scored in the loss to the New England Revolution. Fred took the ball from Emilio and took it towards the goal. He calmly avoided New York's sliding defender Carlos Mendes and took it to the edge of the line. He passed the ball back towards the field before it went out of bound and both Emilio and Santino Quaranta converged.
Luciana Emilio was a veteran out of Ilha Solteira in Brazil. He was playing professionally by the age of 16, and had played internationally by 18. He played in Germany, Honduras and Mexico before joining the D.C. United in 2007. He was an instant sensation, winning the MLS Golden Boot with 20 goals as well as the Newcomer of the Year and the MVP award. His goal totals went down but was still leading the team with five goals. Santino Quaranta had only one goal in the season and never played professionally outside the United States, but his story had a lot more twists and turns. Quaranta was born to an Italian family living in Baltimore, Maryland. He played soccer in his childhood, and was a top player in high school. Before his junior year he transferred to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, a prep school to develop top soccer prospects. He went on to join the Project-40 and was picked in the first round eighth overall by the D.C. United, who held the pick in a trade with the San Jose Earthquakes for defender Jeff Agoos. Quaranta debuted in the 2001 season, only four months after his 16th birthday to set a record for the youngest player in MLS history. He excelled despite his youth, scoring five goals in only 16 games. However, injuries limited his playing time. He got in only one game in the MLS Cup-winning 2004 team. He came back in 2005 and scored another five goals, but played only four games in 2006 before he was traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy. He played in 18 games in parts of two seasons with the Galaxy before he was sent packing again to the New York Red Bulls of all teams. He was nowhere near the superstar that teams expected, but unbeknownst to teams Quaranta was dealing with a serious issue. He had a serious addiction to opioids like Oxycontin, which he started taking as a result of his injuries early in his career, and that later went to alcohol and cocaine. He had tested positive for cocaine in 2006 before his trade, but kept on using the painkillers until he was contemplating suicide. Instead of taking his life, he turned to MLS. They got him into a substance abuse program where he completed detox and rehab. The D.C. United gave him another chance and signed him, and he set a career high by playing 27 games, scoring five goals. He had a similar workload in 2009 but only had one goal until he beat Emilio and Red Bulls midfielder Danleigh Borman to the ball. He pushed it past Conway, who still had his attention directed towards Fred and the D.C. United took a 1-0 lead.
The United now had the lead, but the Red Bulls quickly threatened, and it was Danleigh Borman that had the golden opportunity. Borman was born in South Africa and played youth soccer there before heading to the United States to play soccer in the University of Rhode Island. He played for the development league and was drafted by the Red Bulls in the 2008 Supplemental Draft. He made his debut that year and scored two goals in 15 games. He had yet to score a goal in 2009, but had a golden opportunity as he took a pass in the penalty area. However, he overran the ball after stopping, and before he can get a shot off Wicks came by and made the diving save. It was a missed opportunity for New York as the game went into the second half. The United made a change before the second half, swapping N'Silu for veteran Argentinean Christian Gomez. Gomez was normally a starter but was on the bench to start the game. He was a major part of the 2004 MLS Cup winning United team, signing mid-season after a long career in Argentina. He was an All-Star in his three full seasons and won the MVP award in 2006 before the United traded his rights to the Colorado Rapids. He played only one largely ineffective season in Colorado before they sent him right back to D.C. He had a goal in the season opener but was still searching for the second in June. In the 49th minute, Gomez took the ball midfield and dribbled it outside the box where he shot. The shot was deflected by Conway, but Emilio caught up to the ball. He passed it back to Gomez, who attempted to drive the ball in with a header, but it skipped over the top of the net.
The game moved past the 60-minute mark. The Red Bulls had been quiet in the second half, but in the 63rd minute, a pass went untouched and went rolling into the United side. Simms and Red Bulls forward Dane Richards went chasing after the ball. Richards was from Jamaica and had played college ball in San Jacinto College where 300-game winner Roger Clemens had played baseball over 20 years later before moving on to Clemson University. He was drafted by the Red Bulls in the 2007 SuperDraft, and had scored some clutch goals in the playoffs. Richards beat the United midfielder to the ball and directed a shot towards the goal. However, Wicks was there to deflect the shot. Shortly afterward D.C. coach Soehn came and made a substitution, taking Emilio out for United legend Jaime Moreno. Emilio responded by throwing a rack of water bottles onto the field. He had been given a yellow card just four minutes earlier, and the charade earned him a red card from head referee Terry Vaughn. The United did not have to play a man down as Emilio was on the bench, and they came by for another threat late in the 73rd minute. D.C. had the ball in the Red Bulls side, and the ball came to an unguarded Pontius. He made his shot, but Conway was right there to make the save.
The score was still 1-0 in the 86th minute. The ball was passed into the United side of the field. D.C. defender Marc Burch tried to gain control of the ball with a header, but Richards was able to peel off and reach the ball on the bounce. He kicked it towards Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel, the last player the United wanted to see with the ball. Angel had been New York's top scorer in the previous two seasons. He had gone to the Red Bulls in 2007 after an extensive career in his native Colombia, in Argentina, and with Aston Villa in the English Football League Championship. He led New York with 19 goals in his first season, finishing behind only Emilio for the Golden Boot, and then had 14 in 2008. His four goals were already on the top of the team, and made an attempt for five with the equalizer. His kick was headed towards the lower left corner, but Wicks dove to deflect the ball for a save. Angel had another attempt seven minutes later with a free kick, but his kick went over the top of the goal.
Soon the 90th minute mark was reached, but the game still had four minutes of extra time. In the 92nd minute Moreno gained control of the ball in the United side and rushed it past the half-way line. He passed it to Gomez to avoid Red Bulls midfielder Nick Zimmerman just outside the penalty area. Gomez carried it into the box where Conway rushed out in an attempt to defect the ball. However, he missed the ball and his outstretched arms tripped up Gomez. Referee Vaughn called for a penalty kick to be taken by the United's captain Jaime Moreno. Moreno had been in the Major League Soccer since the league's inception, and he had held the MLS record for goals since 2007. Moreno was originally from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the largest city in Bolivia. He played professionally since he was 17, and at 20 he went to play for Middlesbrough in the EFL Championship, but he spent most of the season on the bench. He signed with the MLS in the middle of the 1996 season, and joined the D.C. United. He was inserted into the starting lineup and played for a United team that won the MLS Cup. He came into his own in 1997, leading the league with 16 goals, and added one more in the MLS Cup as D.C. repeated as champions. He was a major part of the United the next four seasons as they took home another MLS Cup in 1999, but his 2002 season was marred by injuries. He ended up getting traded to the MetroStars after the season for Mike Petka. He played in only 11 games with the MetroStars due to back injuries, and was traded back to the United. He took on an intense training regiment and rounded back into form, helping the United recover from four underwhelming years and take home their fourth MLS Cup. Moreno had another fantastic season in 2005 before starting to slow down, but not before scoring his 109th goal in a match against the Red Bulls to take over the lead for most goals. He had two in 2009 to give him 125 in his career, and lined the ball to the right well past the diving Conway to make it 2-0. There was only one minute left in extra time after the United finished celebrating Moreno's goal. It was still enough time for Red Bulls forward John Wolyniec to get a yellow card from confronting Wicks, but the game would end seconds later for a 2-0 D.C. United victory.
The win pushed the United into second place on their own, and they briefly went back on top of the Eastern Conference with a win over the Chicago Fire nine days later. However, that was the last they would see on the top, as they went 1-4-3 in their next eight games. They did advance to their second straight finals at the US Open Cup, but fell to the expansion Seattle Sounders. The game was marred by Josh Wicks stomping on Seattle's Fredy Montero after a goal, earning himself a red card. D.C. still had a shot at the MLS playoffs, but three straight losses in September and October sent them tumbling out. A win over the Columbus Crew in the penultimate game of the season game them some hope, but they tied the Kansas City Wizards at the end, putting them in a three-way tie with the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake for the final playoff spot. Real Salt Lake advanced on the tie-breaker, and the D.C. United could only watch as Real Salt Lake upset the Supporter's Shield winning Crew and the Fire to reach the MLS Cup against the Los Angeles Galaxy. The game went to a penalty shootout and Real Salt Lake came out on top, the first time since 2005 the lowest seeded team won the MLS Cup. Things were much worse for the Red Bulls. The loss was their third in a row, and New York's losing streak reached five games before a tie against the Sounders. Then they lost six straight. Even though the Red Bulls ended the season with a win, they still went 5-6-19 to end with 21 points, nine behind the San Jose Earthquakes for 14th place, and the fewest since Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA scored 20 and 18 respectively as expansion teams in 2005.
Both teams went into the 2010 season hoping for something better. The Red Bulls went for a dramatic makeover. The team hired a new coach. New York had fired Osorio late in the 2009 season and brought on assistant coach Richie Williams as interim. They hired Hans Backe as well as several other personnel changes, and moved into a new stadium, Red Bull Arena in Harison, New Jersey. New York made a dramatic turnaround, finishing first in the Eastern Conference before falling to the San Jose Earthquakes in the Conference Semifinals. The Red Bulls went on to become one of the top teams in the MLS, finishing with Supporter's Shields in 2013 and 2015 and making the playoffs every year since their embarrassing 2009 season, although they have yet to return to the MLS Cup. Meanwhile the United suffered through the highs and lows. Soehn resigned after the 2009 season, and they hired new coach Curt Onalfo, but he wouldn't even last the season as the team fell to 6-4-20, a 22-point showing that brought back memories of the 2009 Red Bulls and was dead last in the MLS. Moreno would retire after that difficult season, and a year later Jeff Cunningham of the Columbus Crew passed Moreno's all-time MLS goal mark. Quaranta would also retire from MLS that year, playing briefly overseas before heading into coaching.. After another playoff miss in 2011, the United made their first post-season in five years in 2012. They toppled the Red Bulls in the Conference Semifinals before falling to the Houston Dynamo in the Conference Finals. The United went into 2013 with much promise, but had a rude wake-up call as they finished 3-7-24 for a 16-point showing that was the worst in MLS history. Only the 1999 MetroStars and 2001 Tampa Bay Mutiny had fewer points, and they each played fewer games. A third US Open Cup victory was of little consolation. But like the 2010 Red Bulls the 2014 United had a dramatic turnaround, finishing on top of the Eastern Conference. However, the Red Bulls of all teams ended their season in the Semifinals. The Red Bulls would end the United's season in the Semifinals, and they wouldn't even exit the knockout round in 2016. D.C. would miss the playoffs in 2017, their last year in RFK Stadium. They moved into Audi Field four miles away in 2018 and made the playoffs, but fell in the knockout round once again. The D.C. United are 15 years removed from their last MLS Cup and had watched as the Galaxy beat them to five titles. The New York Red Bulls are still searching for their first. With the league now expanded to 24 teams it's become a much tighter competition, but both teams can still hope and play their best.
---------------------------------
Penguins 4, Red Wings 2
Mellon Arena
Pittsburgh, PA
Just
after the Pittsburgh Pirates finished their 11-6 defeat of the New York
Mets, the proud sports fans of Pittsburgh began making their way across
the Andy Warhol Bridge to the Mellon Arena one and a half miles away,
where in four and a half hours the Pittsburgh Penguins would be taking
on the Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 of the National Hockey League's
Stanley Cup Finals. The Mellon Arena had been a part of downtown
Pittsburgh since it opened as the Civic Arena in 1961. It was originally
designed as the home of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, and was the
first arena with a retractable roof. Several minor league and college
teams called the Civic Arena home, but it officially became the home of
the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1967. In fact, the Civic Arena was
responsible for the name of Penguins. The people of Pittsburgh had
called the Civic Arena by the nickname "The Igloo" given its white domed
appearance, and that inspired the name Penguins. The Penguins had
played in the arena for over 40 years, even after Mellon Financial
purchased naming rights in 1999. The end of the Mellon Arena was near,
as the Penguin's new arena had been under construction across the street
since 2008. However, the Mellon Arena was still holding tall as the
Penguins were in the midst of their rematch against the Red Wings. The
two teams had played each other in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. The
Penguins had dropped the first two games in Detroit before winning Game 3
at home. Game 4 turned out to be a turning point as the Red Wings won
it by a score of 2-1. Pittsburgh took Game 5 in three overtime periods
on the road before falling in Game 6 in the Mellon Arena. It was a
mortifying experience, losing at home with the series on the line. That
Game 6 was a year ago to the day, and the Penguins were hoping to
exorcise those demons, but the 2009 Cup Finals had followed the same
playbook thus far. Detroit captured the first two games on home ice
before the Penguins won Game 3 in Mellon. The Red Wings were hoping for a
Game 4 victory that would send them a win away from clinching, while
Pittsburgh was determined to turn things around.
This
was an important series for the Penguins, who was once a proud
franchise that had suffered through some difficult years, but that had
been the Penguins throughout their history. The Penguins were one of six
teams that joined the NHL in 1967, the first round of expansion after
the league played with just six teams for 25 years. The arrival of the
penguins displaced the Pittsburgh Hornets, which was a minor league
franchise for none other than the Detroit Red Wings. The early Penguins
suffered through some difficult times. They reached the playoffs in 1970
and 1972 but were unable to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Even
worse, their top young player in 1969-70 Michael Briere suffered a
severe car accident that would eventually kill him after leaving him in a
coma for 11 months. The team also fell into debt and that eventually
led to some of the most difficult years for the team. In 1975 the team
made the playoffs and fought their way to the Quarter-Finals against the
New York Islanders. They held a 3-0 Series lead, but suffered the
indignity of the first "Reverse Sweep" in the NHL since the Detroit Red
Wings in the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals. Even worse, the team had to
declare bankruptcy after the doors of the Civic Arena were padlocked. It
seemed like the team would have to move or fold, but new owners were
eventually found that would keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The team
was also able to continue their success, reaching the playoffs six more
times in the next seven seasons, but remained unable to advance past the
Quarterfinals. Pittsburgh would fall back into oblivion, averaging a
26-45-8 record from 1982-1988, including a 16-58-6 record in 1983-84
that was the worst in team history. There were more relocation rumors,
but the Penguins received the first overall pick in the 1984 NHL draft.
They used it on the overwhelming #1 pick in the draft, a forward from
Montreal named Mario Lemieux. None of Pittsburgh's other picks worked
out, as they passed on goaltender Patrick Roy, right wing Brett Hull,
left wing, Luc Robitaille, or a center from Billerica, Massachusetts
named Tom Glavine.
The
presence of Lemieux was enough to bring the Penguins back into
respectability, but it took the arrival of stronger supporting cast that
brought Pittsburgh back into the playoffs, which they did in 1988-89,
beating the New York Rangers in the Division Semi-Finals before falling
to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Division Finals. Another playoff miss
in 1989-90 led to another high pick in the 1990 NHL draft, which they
used on a Czechoslovakian named Jaromir Jagr. With Lemieux and Jagr
forming a lethal top line, the Penguins went on to win their first
Stanley Cup in 1991 over the Cinderella Minnesota North Stars. They
would repeat a year later by sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks, but fall
short of a three-peat, losing to the New York Islanders in the Division
Finals despite surviving a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Disease in Lemieux to
win the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL. The Penguins
would remain a dominant team in rest of the 1990s. However, they would
never reach another Stanley Cup Finals that decade, losing to the
Florida Panthers in the Conference Finals in 1996. A year later, Lemieux
suddenly announced that he would be retiring at the end of the
playoffs, which turned into a five-game loss against he Flyers in the
Conference Quarterfinals. The Penguins continued to play well on the
ice, but the success was sustained by large contracts to star players.
They eventually found themselves once again heavily in debt. They had to
declare bankruptcy for a second time in the middle of the 1998 season,
making the Penguins the only professional sports team to file for
bankruptcy more than once. Once again it seemed the team would have to
fold or relocate. In the end it was Mario Lemieux that came to the
rescue. He was the team's largest creditor from deferred salary, and he
proposed that the money be forfeited for controlling interest in the
team. The bankruptcy court and the other NHL owners agreed to the
arrangement, and Mario Lemieux would become the owner of the Pittsburgh
Penguins. In the middle of the 2000 season, Lemieux made another
shocking announcement that he was returning to play. The 35 year old
made a successful returning, leading the Penguins to one more playoff
appearance, where they topped the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres
in the first two rounds before their miraculous run ended against the
New Jersey Devils.
However,
the Penguins' bankruptcy and their low attendance in the aging Mellon
Arena led to the shedding of expensive contracts, and even the presence
of Lemieux in the regular lineup couldn't keep the Penguins from falling
out of the playoff picture in 2001-02. This began a five-year span
where Pittsburgh ranked among the worst teams in the league. They
finished well out of playoff picture in the four seasons not ended by
the lockout, highlighted by a 23-47-8-4 record in 2003-04 for a points
total of 58 that was dead last in the NHL. The upside of the low
finishes was prime position in the NHL draft. They held the third
overall pick in the 2003 draft, but traded up to the first spot for a
55th pick and right winger Mikael Samuelsson. They used the number one
pick on a goaltender from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. A year
Pittsburgh held the number two pick behind the Washington Capitals. The
Caps used the pick on the Russian Alexander Ovechkin. The Penguins
drafted a center also from Russia. They held the number one draft pick
in 2005 after the lockout, and used it on the overwhelming top prospect,
a center from Nova Scotia that was playing in the QMJHL. They had the
number two pick in 2006, and picked a center from Thunder Bay, Ontario
whose older brother was getting established with the Carolina
Hurricanes. With Lemieux calling it a career for the second time after
the 2005-06 season, the young players were ready to step up. With the
young players on the loose and new coach Michael Therrien leading the
way, the Penguins increased their win totals by 25 and improved by 47
points, jumping from last in the Atlantic Division to second, securing a
spot in the playoffs, but losing in the Conference Quarterfinals to the
Ottawa Senators. A year later they won 47 games for a second straight
year and capturing the division title. They avenged their loss by
sweeping the Senators, then knocked off the New York Rangers and the
Flyers to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since their
second straight title 16 years earlier. However, their spirited run
ended at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.
Of
course, the Red Wings are one of the NHL's most successful franchises,
and had been in the midst of one of their most successful runs. As one
of the Original Six franchises, Detroit's 11 titles rank third all-time
behind the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The National
Hockey League was one of many professional hockey leagues to compete for
the Stanley Cup, the premiere hockey championship trophy since 1892. It
began play in 1917 out of the ashes of the National Hockey Association,
which was suspended due to disputes between teams. Teams from the NHL
would play for the Stanley Cup against the Western Canada Hockey League
and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. The WCHL and the PCHA would
eventually merge to form the Western Hockey League, which eventually
folded in 1926. That left the NHL as the only top professional hockey
league. With only seven teams in the NHL, there were proposals for
expansion teams. Three new franchises would join, including the Detroit
Cougars, named after the Victoria Cougars of the WHL, after the Detroit
team purchased the rights of several of Victoria's players. The Cougars
spent their first season in Windsor, Ontario while their arena the
Detroit Olympia was being built. The Cougars didn't see much success,
and eventually changed their names to the Falcons in 1930 and then to
the Red Wings in 1932. The name Red Wings was a tribute to the famous
1880s Montreal Hockey Club known as the Winged Wheels that Norris played
on, as well as the automobile industry that was so big in Detroit. The
owner James Norris suggested the change, and also designed the iconic
logo of a wheels with wings. Norris was also able to pour enough
resources in the club to make them competitive, helping them to Stanley
Cup titles in 1936, 1937, and 1943 along with three other Stanley Cup
Finals before financial pressures from the Great Depression and World
War II led to just six more teams, the Original Six. The Red Wings came
to dominate the Original Six Era, led by the "Production Line" of center
Sid Abel, left winger Ted Lindsay, and right winter Gordie Howe. From
1943-1966, the Red Wings made the playoffs 21 times in 23 seasons, made
12 Stanley Cup Finals, and won the Cup in 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955.
The
1966-67 season saw the Red Wings slump to a 27-39-4 record for 58
points, tied with 1958-59 for their lowest totals since the Original Six
Era. While the Red Wings of the 1950s were able to bounce back, the Red
Wings of the 1960s were unable to do so, especially as the NHL added
six new teams via expansion. The Red Wings were dead in the water,
making the playoffs only twice from 1966-1983 and losing in the
Quarterfinals both times. In 1983 another lost season led to the team to
drafting fourth in the NHL draft. They picked a center from British
Columbia named Steve Yzerman. Yzerman energized the team, helping them
to playoff appearances in his first two seasons. They still had some
down years where they missed the playoffs, but Yzerman was joined by
several other great players, including the Russian center Sergei Federov
in 1990, the Swedish defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom in 1991, and a
goaltender out of Peace River, Alberta in 1992. In 1993, the Red Wings
Scotty Bowman, the head coach of the 1970s Montreal Canadiens dynasty
who had just led the Penguins to back to back Stanley Cup Finals
appearances. Bowman guided the Red Wings to heights not seen in almost
30 years. The Red Wings reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1995 for the
first time since 1966, although they lost to the New Jersey Devils. A
year later the Red Wings won 62 games, the most in NHL history, and 131
points that was second only to the 1976-77 Canadiens team that Bowman
had coached, although the Red Wings were upset by the Colorado Avalanche
in the Conference Finals. There was no stopping the 1996-97 Red Wings.
They got revenge on Colorado, then topped the Philadelphia Flyers and
their Legion of Doom for their first Finals win since 1955. They
repeated a year later, then after three early playoff exits they won for
a third time in 2002. After that the core started splitting up. Bowman
retired after the 2002 Cup victory. Federov left as a free agent to the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2003, and Yzerman retired in 2006. The Red
Swings continued to be a dangerous team, but were unable to return to
the Stanley Cup Finals until 2008 after they knocked off the pesky
Dallas Stars in the Conference Finals. Then they defeated the Pittsburgh
Penguins for their fourth Stanley Cup title in 11 years.
The
Red Wings prepared for their title defense. They had won back-to-back
cups three times in their history, and were eager to make it fourth. The
team kept most of their core, making one key deal, signing right wing
Marian Hossa from none other than the team they just defeated, the
Pittsburgh Penguins. Detroit breezed through the regular season,
finishing 51-21-10 for 112 points, tops in the Central Division and
second only to the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference. They then
swept the Columbus Blue Jacks in the Quarterfinals. The Anaheim Ducks,
who had won the Cup in 2007, pushed the Red Wings to the limit, but
Detroit came out on top in Game 7. Then the Red Wings had little trouble
defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in five games. The only problem was
that Detroit lost two of their key players in the victory against
Chicago: centers Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper. The path for the
Penguins was anything but smooth. Besides losing Hossa in the
off-season, Pittsburgh also lost several other key players including
alternate captains Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts as well as Georges
Laraque, Jarkko Ruutu, and backup goaltender Ty Conklin, the latter whom
also went to the Red Wings. The Penguins still had their young core
players, and got off to a decent start, defeating the Red Wings in
overtime in Detroit on November 11, 2008 as part of a six-game winning
streak. However, the club was hit hard by injuries, including the loss
of defenseman Sergei Gonchar before the season opener. As the calendar
turned to December, the wins began to be few and far between. They lost
five in a row around the New Year's, and then suffered a 3-0 loss in
regulation against Detroit on February 8. After a 6-2 loss against the
Toronto Maple Leafs on Valentine's Day 2009, the Penguins were 27-25-5
and found themselves 10th in the conference, five points out of playoff
position.
General
manager Ray Shero made the difficult decision to part with coach
Therrien, and promoted Dan Bylsma, the coach of the AHL Wilkes
Barre/Scranton Penguins. Pittsburgh lost Bylsma's debut game in a
shootout, but then won two straight. Meanwhile Shero went to work in the
days before the trade deadline, making two very significant trades.
First he traded defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Anaheim Ducks for a
prospect and left wing Chris Kunitz, who had won a cup with the Ducks in
2007 but found his production fall from 60 points in 2006-07 to just 35
in 62 games in 2008-09. Then he went and acquired veteran Bill Guerin
from the New York Islanders. Guerin had been on a New Jersey Devils
team that won the Stanley Cup in 1995, and then went to the playoffs
with the Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, and San Jose
Sharks in his career. The Philadelphia Flyers actually had a trade in
place for Guerin, but couldn't clear salary cap space before Pittsburgh
swooped down to make the trade. The Penguins went 18-3-4 after the
Valentine's Day massacre to finish at 45-28-9, clinching a spot in the
playoffs in the season's 80th game. They captured the 4th seed in the
playoffs winning the tiebreak over the Flyers with 45 wins over
Philadelphia's 44. The Penguins won the season series 4-2, then won the
post-season series by the same margin. Pittsburgh fell behind 0-2 in the
Conference Semifinals against the Washington Capitals with their
mega-star Alexander Ovechkin, but the Penguins won three straight and
eventually won in seven games to break Washington's heart. Then they
swept the Carolina Hurricanes to come to mark their triumphant return to
the Stanley Cup Finals. Back to back 3-1 losses against the Red Wings
in Detroit brought back memories of 2008, but the Penguins came back to
life with a 4-2 win in Game 3. The Penguins went into Game 4 determined
to avoid the home loss that had put the team on the brink of defeat in
2008. Bylsma prepared his lineup while Detroit coach Mike Babcock did
the same.
Detroit Red Wings
LW Johan Franzen
C Henrik Zetterberg
RW Jiri Hudler
LW Tomas Holmstrom
C Valterri Filpulla - Starter
RW Marian Hossa - Starter
LW Mikael Samuelsson
C Darren Helm
RW - Dan Cleary - Starter
LW - Ville Leino
C Kris Draper
RW Kirk Maltby
D Niklas Lidstrom - Starter
D Brian Rafalski - Starter
D Niklas Kronwall
D Brad Stuart
D Jonathan Ericsson
D Brett Lebda
G Chris Osgood
Pittsburgh Penguins
LW Chris Kunitz - Starter
C Sidney Crosby - Starter
RW Bill Guerin - Starter
LW Ruslan Fedotenko
C Evgeni Malkin
RW Maxime Talbot
LW Matt Cooke
C Jordan Staal
RW Tyler Kennedy
LW Pascal Dupuis
C Craig Adams
RW Miroslav Satan
D Brooks Orpik - Starter
D Sergei Gonchar - Starter
D Hal Gill
D Rob Scuderi
D Mark Eaton
D Kris Letang
G Marc-Andre Fleury
The
Penguins put their faith in the 24-year-old goaltender Marc-Andre
Fleury, who was their first-round draft pick that they traded from the
Florida Panthers in 2003. Fleury had played in every Penguins playoff
game since his NHL debut in 2003. Fleury was born in Sorel-Tracy in
Quebec and was active in hockey from a young age. He played in the
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament before moving on to
junior ice hockey with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League. He was selected to be a goaltender for Team
Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2003 and helped them to the
Gold Medal Game, where they ultimately fell to Russia 3-2. He was still
selected by the Penguins in the draft, who immediately put their new
goaltender in play in their first game of the season. He held his own
for an 18-year-old thrust into action with the best hockey league in the
world, and went 4-14-2 before he was allowed to play for the World
Junior Championship. Fleury helped Team Canada get back into the Final
Match, but they lost 4-3 to the United States for Canada's second
straight silver medal. Afterward Fleury went back to Cape Breton before
going on to AHL Wilkes Barre/Scranton, where he played all of 2004-05
while the lockout halted NHL play. Fleury started the 2005-06 season in
the AHL again before getting another call-up. He out-performed the
Penguins' other veteran goaltenders and took over the starting goalie
job. He played in 67 of Pittsburgh's 82 games in 2006-07, going 40-16-9
and helping the team return to the playoffs, although the Penguins lost
in five games. An ankle sprain took Fleury out of action for almost
three months in 2007-08, but he was sharp when he did play, especially
upon his return. He did his best work in the playoffs, playing in all 20
games with a 1.97 GAA and three shutouts. He played 109:17 in the
stunning triple-overtime win in Game 5, but accidentally knocked the
puck into his own net in the third period of Game 6 on June 4, 2008,
which turned out to be the game-winning goal. Fleury was determined to
make up for that mortifying mistake. He played in 62 games with a
35-18-7 record and 2.67 GAA in the regular season. His playoff numbers
weren't quite as good, but it was enough for the Penguins to reach this
point again.
Meanwhile
the Red Wings turned to their reliable veteran Chris Osgood, who was
behind the net for three of their four Stanley Cup victories during his
career but was suffering through his worst season. Osgood was born in
Peace River, Alberta and played junior hockey with the Medicine Hat
Tigers. He missed the Tigers' back-to-back championship seasons, but did
well enough that the Red Wings drafted him in the 3rd round of the 1991
draft. He played another year with the Western Hockey League before
playing part of two seasons with the AHL's Adirondack Red Wings. He had
played in four games in 1993 before getting called up to the NHL, making
his debut on October 15, 1993 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had a
strong performance and eventually took over as a starter for a team
that won the Central Division. However, he couldn't stop the Red Wings
from losing to the San Jose Sharks in seven games in the Conference
Quarterfinals. Osgood took on more of a backup role in 1994-95 as
Detroit acquired veteran goaltender Mike Vernon and mostly watched from
the sidelines as the Red Wings went all the way to the Stanley Cup
Finals. He turned in a fantastic performance in the 1995-96 season,
going 39-6-5 with 2.17 GAA as he and Vernon combined to win the William
M. Jennings trophy for fewest goals against. He also finished second in
the Vezina Trophy for top goaltender. He and Vernon shared playoff
duties, but the Red Wings fell in the Conference Finals. A year later he
watched as Vernon led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup Champions.
Vernon was traded after the season and Osgood took on the
responsibilities of the top goal. He made the most of it, going 33-20-11
with a 2.21 GAA in the regular season, then putting up a 2.12 GAA in
the post-season as Detroit won their second straight Stanley Cup. Osgood
had several more great seasons with Detroit, but saw his GAA increase
and his save percentage decrease. After a 2000-01 season when the Red
Wings won the Central Division but fell to the Los Angeles Kings in the
Conference Quarterfinals, Detroit went and acquired Dominik Hasek from
the Buffalo Sabres, putting Osgood on waivers. He was acquired by the
New York Islanders and helped them to the post-season before they traded
him to the St. Louis Blues. He made two more post-seasons, but none of
his teams won a single series. He signed a free agent contract with
Detroit in after the end of the lockout. The Red Wings had won another
Stanley Cup with Hasek, but the veteran had signed with the Ottawa
Senators. Osgood's first two years upon his return were marred by groin
injuries, then he had to share goaltending duties with Hasek when the
veteran returned to the Red Wings. However, Hasek struggled early in the
2007-08 playoffs, and Osgood took over. He was lethal, putting up a 93%
save percentage with a 1.55 GAA as the Red Wings won another Cup. He
took over as primary goaltender but struggled, as his save percentage
fell to 88.7% and his GAA rose to 3.09. Backup Ty Conklin took over much
of the goaltending duties. However, Osgood found his magic touch in the
playoffs, and took the Red Wings back into the playoffs, where he was
looking to lead the Red Wings back to another Stanley Cup.
It
was 8:00 when the veteran and well-respected referee Bill McCreary
prepared for the initial puck drop in front of a sellout crowd of
17,123, nine off from the standing room maximum. McCreary was a member
of the McCreary hockey family. Two of his uncles had played for the NHL.
His uncle Bill McCreary Sr. had played for the Detroit Red Wings in
1957-58, while his uncle Keith McCreary was an inaugural member of the
Pittsburgh Penguins. Bill McCreary was a fine player in his own right
growing up in Guelph, Ontario, the hometown of Detroit's Kirk Maltby. He
played in junior hockey, but became an official when his career could
advance no further. He rose up through the ranks in the OHL then the
AHL, and was called up for NHL duties in November 1984. He became known
as a tough but fair official, and had been selected for playoff duties
numerous times. He was a referee in the finals dating back to 1994, and
was on the ice in Game 6 of the 1999 finals that was decided in triple
overtime when the Dallas Stars' Brett Hull scored the series-winning
goal with a skate in the crease. This was McCreary's 14th finals
appearance. The Red Wings won the initial faceoff behind center Valtteri
Filppulla. He passed it to winger Dan Cleary who skated it into the
Pittsburgh zone and took a shot from a wide angle but it was easily
deflected by Fleury. The two teams fought for the puck, but ultimately
defenseman Brooks Orpik sent the puck out of the zone. His Pittsburgh
teammates skated it into the Detroit zone, but defenseman Brian Rafalski
disrupted a pass and the puck was taken back into the Penguins zone by
Johan Franzen. Pittsburgh quickly regained control and took it back into
their offensive zone. Niklas Kronwall checked the Penguin with the puck
but knocked him off his feet sending both players flying into the
wall.
That
Penguin player was none other than Pittsburgh's star center Evgeni
Malkin. Malkin was the Penguins' top draft pick in 2004, second overall
behind Alex Ovechkin. Malkin was from Magnitogorsk in the former Soviet
Russia. His father worked for the massive iron and steel works that
dominated the city, and had played club hockey with Metallurg
Magnitogorsk. Young Evgeni started playing hockey at the age of three,
and later also played for Metallurg, by then in the Russian Superleague,
since the age of 17. Evgeni played against Ovechkin, the star of Dynamo
Moscow. The two played together in the 2003 U-18 World Championship and
captured bronze. Pittsburgh drafted Malkin in 2004, but the NHL season
was put on hold due to the lockout. Malkin spent two more seasons
playing with Metallurg with the expectation to join Pittsburgh in 2006
once his contract expired. The Metallurg front office had no intentions
of letting their star player go to the USA. Malking held out as long as
he could but he finally succumbed to the intense pressure and signed a
contract. However, his American agent J.P. Barry had a plan. When the
team went to Finland for training camp, Barry was there and took Malkin
to the US embassy and applied for a visa, then the two men flew to Los
Angeles. Metallurg was angry at the deception but could do nothing as
Malkin had taken the proper steps to cancel the contract and leave his
team. He officially signed with the Penguins, but his debut was delayed
when he dislocated his shoulder in a collision with teammate John
LeClair in his first preseason game. He would not return until October,
but he did not show any rust, scoring a game in his first six games. He
ended the 2006-07 season with 33 goals and 85 points, capturing the
Calder Trophy. He was even better in his second season, taking control
when the Pittsburgh captain suffered an ankle injury. He finished with
47 goals and 106 points, finishing second in Hart Trophy voting behind
his old friend Ovechkin. He performed well in the playoffs, but the
Penguins ultimately fell. Malkin fell to 35 goals in 2008-09, but put up
an astounding 78 assists to finish with 113 points, helping him to the
Art Ross Trophy for the league scoring champion. Malkin was just as
dominating in the playoffs, with 33 points to lead all players. He
dominated the Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring
six goals in just four games including a Hat Trick in Game 2, and
adding three more assists.
Play
continued in Pittsburgh and Malkin gained control of the puck, although
without the interference call on Kronwall. He passed it to Ruslan
Fedotenko, who in turn sent it behind the net to Maxime Talbot, whose
fight in Game 6 of the Conference Quarterfinals gave the team momentum.
Talbot sent it back around as he was getting checked by defensman Brett
Lebda. Malkin and Kronwall went to intercept, but Malkin went down again
while tussling with the Detroit defenseman. This time he draws the
penalty, sending Kronwall to the box for two minutes for tripping. This
gave a golden opportunity for Pittsburgh, who was in the bottom half in
power play percentage in the regular season with just 17.22% success
rate, but turned it up in the playoffs, converting 21.4% including 50%
in the first three games of the finals. Detroit had one of the worst
penalty kills in the regular season with 78.29% and that number dropped
to 71.4% in the post-season. Pittsburgh won the faceoff, but the Red
Wings were able to clear the puck. The Penguins brought it back, but
after a couple of bone-crushing checks the puck was cleared a second
time. A dump into the Detroit zone was intercepted by goaltender Osgood
who brought it back down. A minute had gone by in the power play and the
Penguins hadn't a single shot attempt. Malkin led the second power play
unit back into the Red Wings zone for another attempt. He battled for
the puck in the glove side corner with defenseman Brian Rafalski, but
wrestled it loose and passed it to a pair of teammates who made shot
attempts. The first shot was blocked by Osgood while the second went
wide and bounced off the backboard. Malkin had skated behind the net and
got a hold of the loose puck and sent it through the legs of a
distracted Osgood into the open net for a power play goal to give the
Penguins a 1-0 lead.
Mellon
Arena went crazy at Malkin's 14th goal in the playoffs. The Penguins
were eager to capitalize on the goal, but went off-sides in a zone
entry. The two teams spent times in their attacking zone with no shot
attempts until over four and a half minutes in when Detroit's Jiri
Hudler sent a slap shot that was blocked by Fleury. Hudler got the
rebound and passed it to Brad Stuart who made a shot, but Fleury made
the save and got the whistle. The Penguins won the resulting faceoff and
brought it into the Detroit zone, but the Red Wings took it back.
Marian Hossa took a shot that went wide, and the Penguins regained
control and dumped it back into the Detroit zone. Stuart tried passing
to a teammate, but it went untouched down the line for an icing. There
were two more quick whistles afterwards before the first TV timeout when
Fleury sealed the puck. Detroit won the faceoff once play resumed but
Pittsburgh brought the puck back into the Red Wings zone before Stuart
iced the puck again. Detroit won the faceoff and brought the puck to the
Penguins zone. Stuart made a shot that was stopped by Fleury.
Pittsburgh went on the attack but Osgood denied a shot and sealed the
puck. The Penguins continued their attack after the faceoff, but the Red
Wings continued to frustrate them, sending the puck out of their zone.
At eight and a half minutes Detroit was able to control the puck in the
attacking zone. Henrik Zetterberg tried to stuff the puck in behind the
neck. Fleury denied that attempt but the puck went to defender Brett
Lebda whose one-timer was deflected by Zetterberg out of play. The Red
Wings continued to pound Fleury with shots following the faceoff that
ended with Kronwall's shot at the blue line gloved by the Pittsburgh
netminder. The Penguins finally got the puck out of their zone. Talbot
had a backhanded attempt that Osgood denied.
Neither
side could gain a clear advantage as the game passed the halfway point
of the first period. Bill Guerin checked Filppulla in the middle of the
Red Wings zone. The Finn was still able to get the pick out and to Tomas
Holmstrom whose shot was saved by Fleury. An angry Holmstrom went after
Pittsburgh defenseman Rob Scuderi but he was held back by the Penguin's
Hal Gill while the officials went to calm the storm as another TV
timeout started. The Red Wings kept the puck in the Pittsburgh zone
after the faceoff, but couldn't get a shot in as a delayed penalty was
called. Detroit kept the pressure on for 20 more seconds until
Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz touched the puck to get the whistle, and Mark
Eaton went to the box for cross-checking Holmstrom. The Red Wings had
the best power play percentage in the regular season with 25.50% and
continued at 25.0% in the playoffs, but they had been held to only one
successful power play in six against the Penguins, who had one of the
best penalty kills in the regular season at 82.71%, and had increased
their kill rate to 83.6% in the playoffs. Pittsburgh successfully
deflected every shot attempt and cleared the puck four times and it was
an unsuccessful power play attempt. The Penguins had just gotten back to
full strength when the puck caromed into the air on a pass by Detroit's
Kirk Maltby of the stick of Fedotenko. Eaton attempted to clear but
Rafalski kept the puck and took a shot. The puck was stopped by Fleury
but went loose. Fleury dived and sealed it just as Maltby fell to the
ice trying to push the puck in. When play resumed neither side had any
clear chances and Zetterberg iced the puck. Miroslav Satan had a shot
right out of the faceoff, but it was denied by Osgood and the players
piled around the Detroit net before the TV timeout.
The
Penguins won the faceoff after play resumed, but neither team could
control the puck as it went slipping around the Red Wings zone. Filppula
finally used a nifty spin move to get the pick out of the Detroit zone
and into Pittsburgh's, but Bill Guerin gains control of the puck and
shoots it out of play. The Penguins won the faceoff and went on the
attack. Kronwall intercepted a puck in his defensive zone, but couldn't
corral the puck, creating a two-on-one opportunity with Malkin and
Fedotenko. Fedotenko took a one-timer shot, but it was denied by Osgood
who held onto the puck for the whistle. Malkin had a shot after the
faceoff, but Osgood deflected it and Franzen took it to the Pittsburgh
zone with a chipped dump over the stick of Orpik but his lobbed shot was
grabbed by Fleury for the whistle. The Penguins won the faceoff and
Kunitz skated the puck into the Red Wings zone, but his shot went wide.
As he went for the caroming puck Detroit defenseman Jonathan Ericsson
got there at the same time. As Ericsson steadied himself at the wall,
the stick sailed up and struck Kunitz in the face, drawing a penalty.
The Penguins had a chance for a fifth power play goal in the series, but
the dreams of a 2-0 lead went out the window when Guerin lost control
of the puck just outside the face-off spot. He spun around to look for
the puck, but in doing so his stuck caught the face of defenseman Stuart
who was picking himself off the ground after slipping, drawing another
high sticking penalty. Guerin tried to argue he didn't touch Stuart, but
replays showed he did to set up a 4-on-4 for a minute 50.
Neither
team was able to get a clear shot for most of the 4-on-4. Stuart made a
shot attempt that was deflected by Scuderi out of play. After the
faceoff both teams fought for possession in the Penguins zone. Scuderi
attempted a pass to Talbot, but Darren Helm was there to intercept the
puck. Helm was a 22-year-old forward out of St. Andrews, Manitoba. He
played junior hockey with Selkirk before going to the Medicine Hat
Tigers Western Hockey League. The Red Wings selected him in the fifth
round of the 2005 draft but remained with the Tigers for two more
seasons, helping Medicine Hat to a league championship. He played for
the Grand Rapids Griffins with the American Hockey League before seeing
seven games of NHL action at the end of the season. He played in the
playoffs and had a goal and an assist in Games 4 and 5 of the 2008
Stanley Cup Finals against the Penguins. He spent most of 2008-09 in
Grand Rapids again but had 16 games of NHL action before getting more
playoff action. He had three goals in the first three rounds, but had
only an assist in Game 2. Helm saw the black jerseys and took a shot.
Fleury was screened by a falling Cleary and the puck went into the short
side of the net for an unassisted equalizing goal, silencing the Igloo.
The rest of 4-on-4 and the Detroit power play went by uneventfully. The
Red Wings kept the pressure on once the teams went back to full
strength. Fluery stopped a shot by Franzen, and Pittsburgh was able to
bring the puck into the Detroit zone, but Osgood poked the puck past
Malkin and Franzen led three Red Wings back into the Pittsburgh zone. A
shot was deflected, and the puck ended up in the neutral zone as the
first period ended. Detroit had the shot advantage 19-11, but the game
was tied 1-1 going into the second.
The
second period began with a dump into the Detroit zone, but Osgood was
about to turn away a few shot attempts and the puck went into the
Pittsburgh zone. Kunitz was able to clear the puck, but Zetterberg to
the puck back in quickly. He rounded the net and passed to defenseman
Brad Stuart. The veteran Stuart had been one of the most physical
players in the series. He was born in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta and
was the third round draft pick by the San Jose Sharks in 1998 out of the
Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. Stuart was a high-offense defenseman in San
Jose for six seasons before he bounced to Boston and Calgary and Los
Angeles before landing in the Red Wings in a deadline deal trade in
2008. He was paired with Kronwall and helped the Red Wings to the
Stanley Cup with assists in the first four games of the finals and a
goal. He re-signed with Detroit and continued his heavy-hitting play in
the regular season and playoffs. He had goal in Game 1, but was nicked
for a -2 plus-minus in Game 3. He had a few hits already in Game 4, but
as he took the puck from Zetterberg he took a shot towards the goal,
hoping maybe teammate Filppula can deflect the puck in. Instead the puck
went unimpeded into the net while Fluery was screened by two of his
teammates. It was a mortifying moment for the Penguins faithful, as they
could see the nightmares of 2008.
The
Penguins were desperate to prevent the eerie sense of deja vu, but
couldn't keep the puck in the Detroit zone as the Red Wings continued
their attack. There were several face-offs in the Pittsburgh zone from
deflections out of play, a Fleury save and an icing. A potential odd-man
rush resulted only in a blocked shot by Pascal Dupuis. An icing by the
Red Wings resulted in a face-off win by Detroit, but Pittsburgh was able
to get it back into the offensive zone. Osgood stopped a shot by
Fedotenko. The Penguins kept the puck in the zone with some solid
forechecking, but a penalty was called on Malkin for hooking Ericsson.
Malkin was in the process of shooting when the whistle was blown. Osgood
made the stop, but Holmstrom and Mikael Samuelsson both went after the
Pittsburgh alternate captain. The officials were able to rescue Malkin
and deliver him to the penalty box, but Detroit had a power play,
killing whatever momentum the Penguins had. The penalty kill went
smoothly for Pittsburgh, with the Red Wings committing an icing in
between several clears by the Penguins. Talbot even had a short-handed
opportunity that was stopped by Osgood. There were only ten seconds left
on the power play when Kronwall took a shot. It was deflected behind
the net. Orpik went for it along with his former teammate Hossa and
Holmstrom. The puck inched out and Holmstrom turned around to chase it,
but Orpik had his stick out. The Detroit forward tripped over the stick
but a penalty was still called on the Pittsburgh defenseman, setting up a
two-second 5-on-3 followed by another Detroit power play.
The
spirits in the Mellon Arena sank deeper when Detroit won the face-off.
Malkin came out of the box and charging towards the puck which was
heading towards Rafalski after a clearing attempt by Scuderi. Malkin
gained control of the puck and sped down the ice for a short-handed
breakaway. Malkin shot just as Franzen caught up to him, but it was
stopped by Osgood, leading to boos from the crowd. Detroit skated the
puck back into the Pittsburgh zone, but it was cleared relatively
quickly. The Red Wings brought the puck back and dumped it into the
Penguins zone. Fluery passed it along to Eaton who passed it over to
Talbot, who passed it on to Jordan Staal. Staal was the Penguins'
first-round draft choice in the 2006 draft, second overall. Staal was
the third of four hockey playing brothers from Thunder Bay, Ontario. His
eldest brother Eric won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in
2006. His second brother Marc played for the New York Rangers. His
youngest brother Jared was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2008 and
was still playing for the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League.
Jordan had played for the Petersborough Petes in the OHL. He dazzled
scouts for his skating abilities and was picked by the Penguins second
overall. He made the jump straight into the NHL at the age of 18 and
scored a short-handed goal in just his third game. He had seven
short-handed goals out of 29 goals overall in his rookie season and
finished third in Calder Trophy voting behind Malkin and Colorado's Paul
Stastny. He scored only 12 games in 2007-08 but came up strong in the
Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring two games in Game 4 of the Semi-finals
shortly after returning from his grandfather's funeral. Staal was able
to return to in 2008-09, scoring 22 goals with 27 assists. He had gotten
an assist on Malkin's goal in the first period as he took the first
shot before Kris Letang shot wide. He was still looking for his first
goal in the Stanley Cup Finals as he skated between Rafalski and Niklas
Lidstrom. Rafalski caught up to Staal deep in the Detroit zone and tried
to get in front, but Staal flicked a quick backhander past Osgood for
the short-handed goal. The boos in Pittsburgh turned to cheers as the
Penguins scored the equalizer. The Red Wings still had over a minute of
power play, but Pittsburgh was able to kill it with ease, with Matt
Cooke ending it with a clear. Detroit went without a single shot in the
second of two straight power plays.
Detroit's
Dan Cleary brought the puck back but was unable to get a shot off. The
players checked each other ferociously until Malkin intercepted a shot
attempt by Stuart. Malkin carried the puck down in a two-on-one with
Ericsson. Ericsson caught up and made a dive to block a pass, but the
puck deflected back to Malkin who made a second successful pass to his
teammate, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. Crosby was Pittsburgh's pick
in the 2005 Entry Draft, a gift for them owning the first overall
selection. Crosby was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on August 7, 1987,
and grew up in nearby Cole Harbour. His father Troy played hockey in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and was one of the last players
drafted in the 1984 draft. Troy Crosby never played in the NHL, but
taught the game to his son Sidney. Sidney was skating by the age of
three, and was shooting pucks into a net sitting in front of the dryer.
Crosby went to junior high in Halifax and was playing well above his
level in minor hockey, but suffered abuse from jealous opponents. That
led to him transferring to Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Faribault,
Minnesota, a school with one of the strongest hockey programs, and
helped them to a U18 AAA Championship. He went on to play for the
Rimouski Oceanic with the QMJHL and won several scoring awards. Crosby
was drafted by the Toronto team in the World Hockey Association, which
attempted to establish itself during the NHL lockout. Crosby refused to
sign, and returned to another successful season with Rimouski. Crosby
was a no-doubt choice for the first overall pick, which went to the
Penguins. Crosby was a sensation as an 18-year-old rookie, scoring 39
goals and recording 102 points, becoming the youngest player ever to
score 100 points in a season, but finished four points behind Alex
Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals for the rookie scoring lead. Crosby
also finished second to Ovechkin for the Calder Memorial Trophy. The
Penguins finished last again in 2005-06, but a year later Crosby was
joined by Malkin and Staal and together they helped Pittsburgh to 105
points. Crosby was the catalyst, scoring only 36 goals but recording 84
assists to bring him to 120 points. He won the Art Ross trophy for
leading scorer, and also won the Hart Trophy as the league MVP, but the
Penguins were k nocked out in the first round by the Ottawa Senators.
Crosby was named the captain, making him the youngest captain in NHL
history. Later he signed a contract extension with the Penguins, but
Crosby's 2007-08 season was marred by an ankle sprain that cost him 21
games. Crosby returned in time for the playoffs, and had a NHL-leading
27 points, but the Penguins fell to the Red Wings. Crosby was back in
action in 2008-09 and scored 33 goals with 70 assists for 103 points. He
had 14 goals and 29 points in the playoffs, including a hat trick
against the Capitals in Game 2 a month earlier, although those three
goals were Pittsburgh's only goals as the Penguins lost the game. Crosby
had been quiet in the first three games of the finals, recording only
an assist in Game 3. However, he took the puck from Malkin and dunked it
into the net past a lunging Osgood for the go-ahead goal and his first
goal in the Stanley Cup Finals since Game 3 a year earlier.
Pittsburgh
went wild, celebrating for a full two minutes while the Red Wings
wondered what went wrong. The Penguins remained on the attack when play
resumed, continuing to pelt Osgood with shots. Detroit was able to bring
the puck into the Pittsburgh zone after corraling a deflected shot by
Guerin, but they were only able to get a shot by Stuart that was
deflected before the puck went back into the Detroit zone. A TV timeout
finally happened after a shot attempt by Dupuis was deflected out of
play. Pittsburgh won the face-off afterwards and continued to attack
Osgood, with a shot by Eaton and another by Fedotenko on a deflection,
but the veteran goaltender made the save. After a brief time in the
Pittsburgh zone, the Penguins were back on the attack and a Malkin shot
was deflected out of play. After the face-off the puck spent time in
both zones before going back into Detroit's zone. Zetterberg got to the
puck but so did Pittsburgh's Tyler Kennedy. Kennedy was drafted in the
fourth round of the 2004 draft. He was born and raised in Sault Ste.
Marie, in Northern Ontario and played with the Sault Ste. Marie
Greyounds of the OHL. He played parts of two seasons with the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL before making his debut in
2007. He missed a month of his rookie season due to mononucleosis but
came back as a depth scorer. He didn't score a goal in the playoffs, but
had four assists. After putting up 15 goals and 35 points in 2008-09,
Kennedy had three goals in the first three rounds. He was still looking
for his first point in the finals, but he beat Zetterberg to the puck
and passed it back to Kunitz, who passed it over to Crosby. Osgood
turned to face the Penguins captain, who made a quick pass to Kennedy
who poked it into the wide open net for his first goal in the finals.
The
Penguins had scored three goals in less than six minutes to turn the
game completely around. The Red Wings had just over five minutes left in
the period to get the Huge goal. They had an offensive zone face-off
after Pittsburgh iced the puck, but the puck went back into the neutral
zone, and Detroit went offsides in the zone re-entry leading to the
long-awaited second TV timeout. The Penguins continued to frustrate
Detroit's attempts to make any serious scoring opportunities. Hossa did
have a shot but it was blocked by Fleury, with the force of the shot
knocking the Pittsburgh goaltender off his feet. The puck was eventually
knocked out of play for the third TV timeout. The Penguins tried to
dump the puck into the neutral zone after play resumed, but the puck hit
the linesman to remain in Detroit control. The Red Wings brought the
puck back into neutral zone where it sailed between a line change for
Pittsburgh. Meanwhile Crosby skated over the blue line for an offsides
call. The Red Wings had the puck in the Pittsburgh zone after the
face-off, but a shot by Ville Leino caromed off a falling Kris Draper.
Another shot by Maltby went past Leino who couldn't stay on his feet
after a check by Orpik. The Penguins were able to bring the puck back
into the Detroit zone, but it was cleared back into the neutral zone
where an eight-second battle along the wall ensued, finally won by
Detroit. They brought it into the offensive zone, but Fleury deflected a
shot by Samuelsson. The seconds tick down the Penguins brought the puck
back in. Guerin had the puck but was leveled by a check by Hossa.
Crosby went diving for the loose puck, but Franzen was able to move the
puck away. Detroit had control of the puck in the waning seconds, but
Malken was able to intercept a pass by Zetterberg. He raced into the
Detroit zone on a breakaway, but Osgood gloved the shot right before the
buzzer. The goal was denied, but the Penguins still had the 4-2 lead
going into the final period.
The
Red Wings did not like their position. They had been down by two goals
after two periods 14 times in the 2008-09 season, and had come back to
win only twice, both times against the Chicago Blackhawks in the regular
season. However, the Red Wings weren't going to give up hope. They have
scored 106 third period goals in 82 games in the regular season, plus
19 more in the playoffs in 16 playoff games. The Penguins were not ready
to sit back and relax just yet. They have held a two-goal lead after
two periods 20 times in the season, and had gone 18-1-1 after allowing
84 third-period goals in the regular season and 19 more in 17 playoff
games. Both teams know about blowing two-goal leads in the final 20
minutes. In fact that had happened in the first regular season match-up
between the two teams. On November 11, 2008, the Penguins traveled to
Joe Louis Arena in Detroit for their first match against the Red Wings
since the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. Pittsburgh scored first on a goal by
Sidney Crosby, but then Detroit added two goals before the end of the
first period, including one on the power play by Holmstrom. The Red
Wings scored two more goals in the second period on goals by Franzen and
Pavel Datsyuk, while Pittsburgh was only able to get a goal by Talbot,
so the Red Wings led 4-2 after two. They Detroit made it 5-2 on a power
play goal by Zetterberg, but Malkin answered with a 5-on-3 goal after
Franzen and Filppula went into the box five seconds apart. The Penguins
couldn't connect on the remaining power play time, but Staal added a
goal shortly after the game returned to even strength. Hudler scored a
goal on a shot that trickled off Fleury and went into the net before
Letang could clear it from the crease to make it 6-4 Detroit, but the
Penguins weren't ready to give up. Staal scored the Huge goal with 4:09
remaining, then scored with 22.8 seconds to spare after Pittsburgh
pulled the goalie. Not only did it complete Staal's hat trick, it tied
the game and sent it to overtime. Then three and a half minutes into
overtime, the Penguins had a two-on-one with Staal and Fedotenko, and
Fedotenko drove in the game-winner on a one-time from Staal. It was a
breathtaking comeback, one the Penguins couldn't reproduce in their
other regular season match-up on February 8 or any of three previous
games from the series. Even then, the game from November must have been
on the mind of some of the people in Mellon Arena.
The
third period began with the Penguins winning the face-off and
challenging Osgood on a shot by Cooke, but the Red Wings eventually went
on the attack. Hossa had a nice pass to Holmstrom waiting in front of
the crease, but Fleury sent the puck away with a poke check. Fleury
later made a save on a Filppula shot, then Holmstrom shot the rebound
wide. Kronwall followed with a shot that Filppula sent wide at the net
front. Filppula had an opportunity poked away by Kunitz. After
Pittsburgh cleared the puck out of their zone, Detroit went right back
at it with a shot by Helm. Malkin finally got the the puck out of their
zone after a Leino shot was blocked, but the Red Wings forced it out
leading to an offsides. The Penguins won the face-off, but Detroit
quickly got it back into the Pittsburgh zone, with Leino getting another
shot. Gill had tried to clear the puck out of the zone on a backhand,
but Zetterberg kept the puck in for a Samuelsson shot that Fleury
blocked. Another clear attempt by Gill was deflected out of play. Hossa
had another shot after the face-off but Fleury made the save. After four
minutes of attack by Detroit, the Penguins were finally able to get
shot attempts by Satan and Letang, but Osgood stopped both. Craig Adams
knocked down Stuart after Letang's shot leading to players getting in
each other's faces, but the linesmen restored order before things got
out of hand. The Red Wings had an opportunity after the face-off, but
Fleury stopped Hudler's shot. Zetterberg tripped on the play in a
collision with Fleury, but no penalty was called. After that neither
side could keep the puck in their offensive zone for an extended period
of time until the Osgood had to hold onto a shot attempt by Crosby,
leading to the first TV timeout. The puck kept going from zone to zone
after the face-off, and Pittsburgh's defense was starting to stifle the
Red Wings's attack. The frustrations were getting to Detroit. the
linesmen had to separate Stuart and Fedotenko after the Russian had a
shot held by Osgood.
The
Red Wings managed to have a few chances just before the halfway point
of the period, but Scuderi blocked a shot by Leino while being sprawled
on the ice, while a pass attempt to Maltby went wide and was taken away
by Kunitz. The Igloo was able to breathe a sigh of relief as Kunitz took
the puck out, but became nervous once they saw Crosby fall to the ice
after a hit by Maltby. The Penguins captain struggled to get up on the
play and retreated to the bench. The action continued and Detroit
continued to attack the zone but the Penguins always had answer. At one
point Kronwall had a shot that Fluery blocked. He tried to hold it, but
Eaton and Cleary were wrestling besides the net and the Pittsburgh
goaltender had to let it go behind the net. Helm grabbed it with a shot
that Fluery denied. The puck went to Kronwall who tried to skate it
closer to the net, but Talbot poked it away and carried it into
Detroit's zone for a shot but it was stopped by Osgood. Franzen grabbed
the puck and carried it into the Penguins zone with Helm, but his shot
was also blocked. The puck went back across the ice and ended up behind
Detroit's net. Osgood sent it to Rafalski, but Staal came on quicker
than he expected and he had to hurry his pass. He got it through and
Franzen had another shot in the Pittsburgh zone, but he juggled it and
Fleury grabbed it for another TV timeout. Crosby was back on the ice
after the play and the Penguins faithful were able to relax. There were
still seven minutes to go and Pittsburgh was on the attack, making a few
shots Osgood had no choice but to hold. The clock kept ticking down and
the Red Wings weren't able to get any chances. despite spending time in
the offensive zone The 15-minute mark just passed when Gonchar iced the
puck the process of clearing the puck. Rafalski and Filppula had some
great shots after the face-off, but Fleury stopped both, sealing the
latter to set up the last TV timeout.
There
were four and a half minutes left to go after play resumed. The
Penguins won the face-off and Crosby led a three-on-two into Detroit's
zone, but Rafalski intercepted a pass to Kunitz. Zetterberg brought the
puck into the Penguins zone on a dump-and-chase, but Scuderi was able to
catch up and clear it with ease. The Red Wings had four more minutes to
make a comeback, but another entry into the Pittsburgh zone ended when
Malkin stole the puck, but Lebda kept him from taking a shot. Fedotenko
tried to pass to Talbot standing in front of the net, but Lidstrom poked
the puck away. Letang kept the puck in the Detroit zone. He passed it
to Fedotenko, who fed the puck to Malkin, but his shot was deflected out
of play by Stuart. Detroit won the face-off, but Ericsson's pass to
Holmstrom was off and the Penguins still controlled the puck. The Red
Wings got it back after Staal's dump, and took it back down to the ice.
Detroit executed a beautiful tic-tac-toe play, but Filppula's shot
attempt was stopped by Fleury. There were now three minutes left, and
the Penguins had the puck in the attacking zone. Staal attempted a
one-timer that was stopped by Osgood. Cooke got a hold of the deflection
and attempted another shot, but Osgood stopped and held the puck. There
were just 2:39 left on the clock with the face-off. Detroit won the
face-off, but a hand pass led to another stoppage of play. The Red Wings
were planning on pulling Osgood, but had to hold off as the Penguins
won the face-off. He finally exited with under two minutes left. Hudler
took a shot but it went wide. The Penguins gathered the puck, and Kunitz
had a breakaway to the empty net. However, Kronwall hooked him and
Kunitz had to take a one-handed swipe, and the puck went wide. Kronwall
was called for the penalty, but the Red Wings got a break as Pittsburgh
was not rewarded a goal. Osgood was back out for the Penguins power
play. Detroit managed to keep the puck out of their zone, but the
Penguins were content to let the time run out. The puck never went past
the center line in the last minute, but just before time expired Cleary
tripped Orpik. The two tussled for a few minutes, but it didn't matter
in the end. The Pittsburgh Penguins had won Game 4 and tied the series.
The
Penguins had to feel good about evening the series at home, something
they couldn't do the year before. Yet they knew they didn't have time to
relax as the series shifted back to Detroit. The Red Wings got a boost
of their own as their star center Pavel Datsyuk came back for his first
game since Game 2 of the Conference Finals against the Chicago
Blackhawks. He factored in the first goal of the game, getting the
primary assist on another goal by Dan Cleary. Detroit piled it on in the
second. Chris Osgood got an assist on Valtteri Filppula's goal 1:44
into the second, then the Red Wings converted on three power play goals.
It was a brutal game with Craig Adams and Matt Cooke both getting game
misconducts as part of 52 minutes of penalties, but the Red Wings
prevailed with a 5-0 shutout. Once again Detroit could clinch the Cup in
the Igloo. However, the Penguins were not ready to give up without a
fight. The game was scoreless in the first, but Jordan Staal gave
Pittsburgh a lead 51 seconds into the second. Tyler Kennedy added
another goal in the third, allowing the Penguins to withstand a goal by
Kris Draper to force a Game 7 in Detroit, where the Penguins hadn't won
since the wild comeback on November 11. Yet they had a firm belief that
they can get the job done. And it was Maxime Talbot that stepped up to
the occasion. He scored two goals in the second period, while Marc-Andre
Fleury allowed only one. The Pittsburgh Penguins were Stanley Cup
winners for the first time since 1992. Evgeni Malkin took home the Conn
Smyth with his 14 goals and 36 points in the playoffs, including seen
power play goals. Sidney Crosby was also no slouch, leading the way with
15 goals and getting 31 points of his own. Marc-Andre Fleury played in
every playoff game. His save percentage and goals against average were a
step beneath his performance the year before, but he got the wins when
it counted.
Most
analysts predicted that both teams would remain competitors for the Cup
in the next several years. And for a while it seemed like it would be
the case. Both the Penguins and the Red Wings were able to top 100
points in the next three seasons. However, they never did manage to make
it back to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Red Wings lost two years in a
row to the San Jose Sharks in the Conference Semifinals, and couldn't
even get past the Nashville Predators in the first round of 2011-12.
Meanwhile the Penguins lost to the Montreal Canadiens in 2009-10, then
lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning and their cross-state rivals
Philadelphia Flyers in the next two years. Pittsburgh made it all the
way to the Conference Finals in the lockout-shortened 2012-13, but they
were swept away by the Boston Bruins. Detroit couldn't even get that
far, getting knocked out in the Conference Semifinals against the
eventual Stanley Cup winners Chicago Blackhawks. After that season, the
NHL realigned going from six divisions to four, and as part of that
Detroit was moved into the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference.
The Red Wings still made it into the playoffs in their first three years
in the East to make 25 straight playoff appearances, but went in as a
lower seed and suffered first round exits to the Bruins and to the
Lightning twice. Coach Mike Babcock left after the second of those
seasons. The new coach managed one more playoff appearance, but suffered
three straight losing seasons, the first time that had happened since
their dark days in the 1970s and 1980s. They also missed the playoffs
three straight years for the first time since missing five straight from
1978-1983. Meanwhile the Penguins continued to make the playoffs. They
finished first in the new Metropolitan Division in 2013-14, but lost in
the second round to the New York Rangers. Then went in as a wild card
and fell against the same foe a year later after coach Byslma was fired.
Eventually his replacement was canned as well, replaced by coach Mike
Sullivan. With his steady hand and the continued strong play of Evgeni
Malkin and Sidney Crosby, the Penguins went back to the promised land,
winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016-17. Their hopes for a
three-peat fell at the hands of their nemesis the Washington Capitals,
but their future is still as bright as can be.
---------------------------------
Lakers 100, Magic 75
Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA
An hour before Clayton Kershaw threw his first pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies, another game was happening just over three miles away in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Lakers were taking on the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the 2009 National Basketball Association Finals in their home arena Staples Center, next to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Staples Center opened in 1999 and served as the home for both the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA, as well as the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League. The Staples Center was originally planned as a new home for the Los Angeles Kings. The plans were originally laid in 1995, but years of intense negotiations followed between the owners of the Kings and the City of Los Angeles. There were disagreement regarding the amount of public financing and whether or not the Lakers and the Clippers would be involved. Things got intense and certain points it seemed possible that nothing would happen at all, but in the end the promise of the revitalization of downtown Los Angeles led to an agreement in 1997. The arena opened in 1999 to great fanfare given its prime location as well as being the home of three major sports franchises. The Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's NBA joined in 2001 to make it four.
The Lakers were the most notable of the four tenants, winning three NBA Championships and going to two more since moving into the Staples Center. Then again, the Lakers have been among the premiere teams in the NBA since their inception back in 1947. Basketball had been played throughout the United States since it was invented by James Naismith at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1892. Teams began to organize into professional teams by the 1920s, and one of the earliest efforts to organize professional basketball teams was the National Basketball League, which began play in 1935 as the Midwest Basketball Conference before changing its name in 1937. The league was rather informal and only required a team play ten games on the road. One of these teams was the Detroit Gems, who played one season in 1946-47. The Gems went 4-40 and ended up in dead last. The owner disbanded the team and sold them to a pair of businessmen from Minnesota named Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen. They moved the team to Minneapolis and named them the Lakers, after the abundance of lakes in Minnesota. The Lakers had a chance to draft players from the Professional Basketball League of America, a league that tried to compete with the NBL, and picked George Mikan. They soared to the top of the NBL and won the league title in 1948. A year later they jumped to the competing Basketball Association of America and won another title. After that year the BAA merged with the NBL to form the National Basketball Association but things didn't change as the Lakers won another title. They lost the Division Finals in 1951 to the Rochester Royals, but came back to win three more times. The Lakers continued to enjoy success throughout the mid-1950s, but the original owners sold the team to businessman and lawyer Bob Short in 1957. The Lakers suffered an abysmal season in 1957-58 immediately after the sale. They recovered to make the playoffs the next two seasons, but they never recovered their attendance.
In 1960, Short made the fateful decision to move the team west to California, just as the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants of baseball did three years earlier. The Lakers were the first NBA team on the Pacific coast, and settled into the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. They returned to dominance behind Elgin Baylor and Jerry West and reached the NBA Finals seven times in their first decade in Los Angeles. However, they never won a single title, losing six times to the Boston Celtics, with whom the grounds for a rivalry was laid. The Lakers acquired the legendary Wilt Chamberlain in a trade in 1968, and in 1971-72, and he teamed together with West to help the team to 69 wins, a record that would stand for over 20 years. The Lakers also breezed to another NBA titles. The retirement of West and Chamberlain would create a void that would lead to two down years, but one that was alleviated by the acquisition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from the Milwaukee Bucks. He would help the Lakers back into the playoffs, although the era would be defined by the assault of the Houston Rocket's Rudy Tomjanovich by Los Angeles's Kermit Washington in a fight in 1977. The Lakers of this era would not win a title until 1979, when the Lakers drafted Earvin Johnson from Michigan State University in 1979. The Lakers won a title that year, and then won four more in the 1980s behind coach Pat Riley, including two against their rivals the Celtics. The Lakers' second era of dominance came to a gradual halt in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement after the team lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals in 1989. Two years later another loss in the Finals was followed by the shocking announcement of superstar Magic Johnson that he tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and that he was retiring immediately. The Lakers remained competitive through the rest of the 1990s, but never finished first and never made the Finals while the Chicago Bulls and their superstar Michael Jordan as well as the Houston Rockets came to dominate the NBA. However, the seeds for a future dynasty were established after the 1996 season. On July 18, 1996, the Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal as a free agent. A week before that, they sent Serbian center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for the rights to Charlotte's first-round draft pick.
Kobe Bryant was the son of Joe Bryant, a forward who had played for three NBA teams in a career that lasted from 1975-1983. Their youngest son was born in 1978, when Joe was playing with the Philadelphia 76'ers. He was named after Kobe beef, the brand of Wagyu beef raised in Japan. Young Kobe played basketball, emulating his father. When Joe Bryant's NBA career ended after 1983 he signed with the basketball team Rieti, Italy, and he brought his family to Italy including six-year-old Kobe. Kobe continued his basketball education in Europe. He also played soccer, but basketball soon became his primary focus. He received video tapes of Lakers games from his grandfather in America to study, and returned to the US to play in summer leagues. He was 13 when his father retired for good, and moved the family back to the United States, settling in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia. He became a superstar player with Lower Merion High School, and played in a summer camp with a younger player named Lamar Odom. Bryant was heavily recruited by top colleges, but he made the decision to go pro. He received several accolades in his senior year in 1995-96, including Naismith High School Player of the Year and was named a McDonald's All-American. In 1996 he became only the same player since 1975 to go pro directly out of high school, following Kevin Garnett the year before. Kobe desperately wanted to play with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he worked out in Los Angeles. The Lakers were interested in the young point guard, and wanted to unload Divac to free salary cap space to sign O'Neal. They found a willing taker in the Charlotte Hornets, who agreed to the deal the day before the Draft. Divac originally threatened to retire than to get traded, but later backed off and the trade was made a few days later. Bryant debuted in the NBA that season after a stint in the Summer Pro League and formed a strong duo with O'Neal. The Lakers advanced to the post-season in their first three seasons together, but never advanced to the final. The 1999-00 seasons brought new changes to the Lakers, including the move to Staples Center, and the arrival of a new coach in Phil Jackson.
Phil Jackson was born in rural Deer Lodge, Montana to a highly religious family. They focused heavily on their faith as well as playing sports. The Jackson family had moved to Williston, North Dakota by the time he went to high school, and young Phil played baseball, football, and basketball as well as took part in track and field. He was a star basketball player and helped his team to a state championship his senior year. He went on to the University of North Dakota where he helped the team to success in the NCAA Division II tournament. He was eventually drafted by the New York Knicks in 1967. He debuted with the team and helped the Knicks become strong contenders. They reached the NBA Finals three times in the early 1970s, although Jackson missed the 1969-70 season due to a back injury requiring spinal fusion. He was on the team when the Knicks lost to the Lakers in 1972, and when they won the rematch in 1973. During his career Jackson started studying Eastern philosophies, which the Philadelphia Phillies' Steve Carlton also did. His counter-culture ways alienated him from the basketball establishment, but he could carry it with him for most of his career. Jackson continued his playing career until 1980, when he was a player / assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets. Jackson went full-time into coaching, coaching in lower-level leagues for most of the 1980s until the Bulls were willing to hire him as an assistant coach under Doug Collins. During this time the Bulls had another assistant coach named Tex Winter, who helped develop the triangle offense, an offensive strategy that emphasized offensive flexibility. In 1989, the Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the Detroit Pistons who then went on to defeat the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Jackson was hired as the new head coach, and he kept Winter on as an assistant coach. The Bulls went to the Conference Finals again in Jackson's first season although they lost to the Pistons once again, and then went on to capture three straight Finals led by Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The Bulls faltered when Jordan retired to play baseball, but came back and won three more titles from 1995-98, setting a new record with 72 wins in 1995-96 to top the Lakers' record from 1971-72. Friction with the Bulls general manager led to him retiring after the final title in 1998. However, when the Lakers came calling in 1999 he decided to in-retire, bringing along Winter once again.
Jackson teamed up with O'Neal and Bryant and together they formed a lethal alliance that allowed the Lakers to finish first in their division, then storm all the way to the NBA Finals, which they won in six games over the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers then won again in 2001 and 2002 for their first three-peat since 1951-54 when they were in Minneapolis. However, there were some conflicts beneath the surface. Bryant wasn't a big fan of the triangle offense, and he had plenty of disagreements with both his coach and also O'Neal. Furthermore, in the 2003 off-season Bryant was accused of rape sexual assault by a 19-year-old in Eagle, Colorado, while Bryant admitted to the sexual encounter but claimed it was consensual after the accusations remained public. The charges were later dismissed once the accuser became unwilling to testify, but Bryant's reputation was shot. Amidst all of the drama the Lakers fell in the post-season in 2003 and 2004 despite acquiring Karl Malone and Gary Payton in the latter season. Then they missed the playoffs entirely after Jackson resigned and O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. Jackson was rehired at the insistence of Bryant. Together they made they playoffs in 2006 and 2007, and Kobe scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors in January 22, 2006, the second most in a single game by an individual player, but the Lakers were bounced in the first round both years. The 2007 off-season would be an era of confusion as Bryant demanded a trade, but later backed down on the demands especially as scathing videotapes showed up. Bryant went into the 2007-08 season giving his all, and was aided by the acquisition of Pau Gasol in a mid-season trade from the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers ended up with a division title for the first time since 2003-04, and advanced all the way to the NBA Finals where they faced off against their old rivals the Boston Celtics. The Celtics had a strong team with veterans Ray Allen and Paul Pierce as well as Kevin Garnett, and won the Finals in six games. The Lakers went into the 2008-09 season with a strong desire to make up for their loss, and won their first seven games, and were 21-3 after 24. They ended the season 65-17 capturing another Pacific Division title, then they knocked off the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets in convincing fashion, setting up a Finals showdown with the Orlando Magic.
The Orlando Magic has been inexorably linked to the Lakers, even if they've had only a fraction of the history and the success of their potential opponents. The Magic began play as a part of the second round of NBA expansion that had started in 1988. The roots for the franchise in Orlando began with Orlando businessman Jim Hewitt, who teamed with Pat Williams, the departing general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers to bring an expansion team to Orlando. They held a news conference on June 19, 1986, a day after Don Sutton won his 300th game. A contest was held to decide on a name for the potential team, and Magic was chosen as the winner, an appropriate selection given the presence of Walt Disney World and Magic Kingdom in the area. The team made a deal with the City of Orlando to approve an arena, and Orlando was picked as one of four potential NBA franchises in 1987, with the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat joining in 1988 and the Magic and the Minnesota Timberwolves coming a year later. The Magic played their games in Orlando Arena, built specifically for the Magic. The Magic were a popular draw among Orlando citizens who had little other sports options, but struggled in the standings during those early years. They were eventually sold to Richard DeVos, one of the founders of Amway. In 1992, the Magic finished with the second worst record in the NBA but lucked out by winning the Draft Lottery to get the #1 pick. They drafted Shaquille O'Neal out of Louisiana State University. O'Neal made an immediate impact and helped the Magic come one point away from a playoff spot. The Magic won the first pick in the Draft Lottery again a year later, and traded their pick to the Golden State Warriors for Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway out of Memphis State. Hardaway formed a lethal combination with O'Neal, and they advanced to the playoffs in 1993-94, losing in the first round to the Indiana Pacers. A year later they took first place in the Atlantic Division, and then defeated the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls who had gotten Michael Jordan back, and a revenge match with the Pacers to reach the NBA Finals for the first time, although they got swept by the Houston Rockets. The Magic won the Atlantic Division again a year later and advanced to the Conference Finals again, but they couldn't get past the Bulls who had added Dennis Rodman to play with superstars Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The Magic suffered another loss that off-season as O'Neal declared himself a free agent and signed with the Lakers. The Magic did the best they could with Hardaway, but he left for free agency too. They later signed both Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in 2000, but Magic could never get past the first round. By 2003-04, with Hill out for the whole season with an ankle injury the Magic finished with a 21-61 record.
The losing came with an unexpected benefit, as the Magic won the Draft Lottery for the third time. They made an unexpected choice and took Dwight Howard out of the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Howard was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Both of his parents were big into sports. His father was a Georgia State Trooper and also served as the Athletic Director of his son's school. His mother was a basketball player with Morris Brown College. Howard played the game early in life, but became serious about the game when he was nine. He idolized Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and soon enrolled himself in Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. By his senior year he was celebrated as one of the best high school players in the country, winning the Naismith Prep Player Award, among others, and was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game. He played in the game and was named a co-MVP. When it came to decide his future he decided to emulate his idol Garnett and declare himself eligible for the draft. The Magic had a chance to draft Emeka Okafor of the University of Connecticut, but went with Howard instead. Howard found himself on a team that looked completely different. He played in every game and led the team to a 15-game improvement, but that was still not enough for the playoffs. They missed the playoffs again in 2005-06, but Howard showed definitive improvement in his second season. By 2006-07, the Magic made the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, but the stay was short-lived as they were swept by the Detroit Pistons. That off-season the Magic fired their coach and was originally set to hire University of Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan, who was coming off two straight NCAA Division I titles, but Donovan decided to return to Gainesville so the Magic turned to Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy had been a coach with the Miami Heat for parts of three seasons, but he was dismissed before they went on to win the NBA Finals. In his first season in Orlando, Van Gundy led the Magic to a Southeast Division title, then they defeated the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Semifinals. A year later the Magic won another division title with a 59-23 record, second best in team history. They knocked off the Philadelphia 76ers and then the defending champion Boston Celtics, before shutting down the heavily favored Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals to reach their first NBA Finals in 14 years. They remembered the Lakers as being the team that signed their big man Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers also had 14 tiles while Orlando was searching for their first. And even though the series was starting in Los Angeles, the Magic were determined to put up a fight as Van Gundy put up his starting lineup. Meanwhile Lakers coach Jackson did the same.
Orlando Magic
PF Rashard Lewis
C Dwight Howard
SF Hedo Turkoglu
PG Rafer Alston
SG Courtney Lee
Los Angeles Lakers
SG Kobe Bryant
PF Pau Gasol
PG Derek Fisher
SF Trevor Ariza
C Andrew Bynum
It was 6:00pm Pacific time during the opening jump ball occurred in front of a capacity crowd of 18,997 settled into their seats. The crowd includes such celebrities as Jack Nicholson, a longtime season-ticket holder, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, David Arquette, Andy Garcia, Denzel Washington, Tyrese Gibson, Kanye West, Maria Shriver, and sports legends Bill Russell, Lisa Leslie and Billie Jean King. Dwight Howard represented the Magic, while Andrew Bynum did the honors for the home team. Bynum had been an integral part of the Lakers since debuting at the age of 18, the youngest player ever to play an NBA game. He was drafted out of high school at Plainsboro, New Jersey. He showed promise, but suffered from knee problems in both 2008 and 2009, missing over two months of the season due to a torn right Medial Collateral Ligament. He was healthy enough to play in the playoffs, but was still not at peak performance. Howard won the jump ball, sending the ball to teammate Rafer Alston. The ball made its way back to Howard, but the Lakers' Bynum suffocated him and he missed the shot. Bynum got the rebound and brought it back to the other side. After a personal foul on Bynum by Rashard Lewis, Bynum eventually scored the game's first points with a dunk. The Lakers would commit a personal foul of their own, with Derek Fisher fouling Lewis.
Once play resumed, Hedo Turkoglu put Orlando on the board with a three-pointer. Turkoglu was the first player from Turkey on the NBA and had played for the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs before blossoming with the Magic. The Lakers and Magic trade baskets by Bynum and Alston, but Los Angeles's Pau Gasol had a turnover to Alston, and that led to Howard 's first basket to give Orlando a 7-4 lead. Kobe Bryant answered with his first shot of the game to cut the lead to one. Both teams were unable to make their shots for the next minute until Derek Fisher rebounded his own missed shot to score the basket to give the Lakers the lead again. Turkoglu scored to bring the lead back to Orlando's side, while Bynum made the rebound on a missed shot by Kobe and made the basket for two more points. Bynum eventually made a shooting foul on Dwight Howard, leading to the game's first free throws. Howard made one of the two free throws to tie the game. Kobe followed with a jump shot, while Turkoglu made one as well after he was fouled by Trevor Ariza. Howard blocked Kobe's layup in the Lakers' next possession, but he was called for goaltending and Los Angeles retakes the lead. Howard missed the shot after he was blocked by Gasol, but Gasol missed a jumper as well. Turkoglu fooled Ariza but missed the jumper, while Kobe was also blocked. Rookie Courtney Lee had been impressive since getting drafted out of Western Kentucky University. He had suffered a facial injury in the first round of the playoffs, but was able to play with a protective mask. He tried a jumper that missed, but made his own rebound and made the second shot to tie the game. Bynum was fouled by Howard on a shot, after which the Lakers used their first timeout.
Orlando coach Van Gundy made the first substitutions, taking out Lewis and Lee for Michkael Pietrus and Tony Battie. Bynum made both free throws, but Dallas native Battie made a game-tying dunk after a missed jumper was followed with a loose ball foul on Gasol. Gasol and Pietrus both had missed shots. Kobe did as well, but he made the rebound and Fisher eventually made the basket. Gasol's basket after Battie missed a long shot gave the Lakers a 20-16 lead. However, Howard was fouled by Bynum then after Howard made both of his free throws, and Turkoglu did the same once he was followed by Ariza. Lamar Odom and Luke Walton came in for the two Laker transgressors, while Battie and Lewis switched again. Gasol made a dunk after an alley oop with Walton, but that would end up being Los Angeles's last baskets in the first quarter. It would necessarily be easy for the Magic. Dwight Howard picked up his second foul on an offensive foul, after which Marcin Gortat would give the big man a breather. Gasol would miss the shot after being fouled, and Lewis would eventually be fouled by Odom after Pietrus had missed a three-pointer. Lewis made both free throws during which Jordan Farmar replaced Fisher. Turkoglu would steal the ball from Gasol in Los Angeles's next possession, but he would miss a jumper after the ball was pushed out of bounds by the Lakers. Kobe missed a shot, and it was rebounded by Gortat, and that led to a basket by Alston. Both teams would miss shots in the last 35 second of play, and the Magic would take a 24-22 lead into the second quarter.
The Magic would get a huge boost to begin the second half. Jameer Nelson, Orlando's big point guard, came into the game for his first action since a serious shoulder injury four months earlier. Nelson was a top player with St. Joseph's University, and he had helped the Hawks to a #1 seed and an Elite Eight appearance in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. He was drafted in the first round by the Nuggets, but eventually traded to Orlando for a first-round draft pick in 2005. Nelson formed a potent duo with Dwight Howard, but he tore his labrum in his right shoulder in a game against he Dallas Mavericks on February 3, 2009. He was expected to miss much time, but came back in the second quarter. Besides Nelson, the Magic had Gortat, Lee, Lewis, and Pietrus to start the quarter. Los Angeles countered with Farmar, Gasol, Odom, Walton, and Slovenian Sasha Vujacic. The Lakers tied the game with a Lamar Odom jump shot 14 seconds into the second quarter, but the Magic pulled ahead on a dunk by Gortat and a three-pointer by Lewis with Nelson getting assists on both baskets. Odom scored on a dunk after Walton missed a layup, but Nelson countered with his first basket in four months. Walton scored to cut the Magic lead to three, after which Orlando would struggle to score, missing a pair of threes and a jump shot by Lewis. Los Angeles couldn't capitalize as Odom turned the ball over twice. Lee eventually made a layup and the Magic had a 33-28 lead.
The Lakers did not like where they were at, down by five early in the second quarter, and coach Jackson called for a timeout. Kobe Bryant came in for Gasol why Bynum replaced Vujacic. Walton scored on Los Angeles's first possession after play resumed. Walton is the son of NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton, and was drafted by the Lakers out of the University of Arizona. He was mostly a reserve but came up big in the playoffs. Neither team would score again until Walton made another basket a minute and a half later to pull within one. The Magic had a turnover and two missed shots while Bynum missed two baskets. After Pietrus missed another shot, Kobe made another basket and the Lakers finally regained the lead. Orlando called a timeout after which coach Van Gundy made his own changes, bringing Turkoglu and Dwight Howard back in for Lee and Gortat, while Fisher replaced Farmar on the Lakers side. Any hopes that these changes would make a difference would fade away as the Magic missed their next two shots while Kobe made two more jump shots on pick and roll plays. Orlando called for a 20-second timeout, but the collapse continued. Howard missed a jump shot while Turkoglu turned over the ball to Kobe after a rebound. Thankfully for the Magic, Los Angeles missed three shots of their own, and Howard was fouled by Bynum on a shot. Howard was only able to make one of his two free throws, and Pau Gasol comes in for Bynum who had three fouls already. Gasol hails from Spain and had a good career with FC Barcelona in Spain's top league after a successful junior career with Cornella. He moved to the NBA after he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks who traded his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol became the first foreign winner of the NBA Rookie of the Year and became top player for Memphis. He set multiple Grizzlies records before getting traded to the Lakers early in the 2008 season for multiple players and multiple draft picks and the rights to Pau's brother Marc. Gasol was a key player in Los Angeles's run to the 2008 finals, and had been a key player in 2008-09 as well. And for the next 28 minutes he was about to make Dwight Howard's life a living hell.
Derek Fisher came out with a three pointer in the Lakers' first possession. Fisher was largely a backup in Los Angeles's first three titles under Phil Jackson as he struggled with injuries. He made the legendary 0.4 second shot against the Spurs in Game 5 of the Conference semifinals, after that he spent several seasons playing for the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz. He was voted as president with the National Basketball Players Association as a member of the Jazz in 2006, and still held that role into 2009. He helped Utah to the NBA Finals but they had lost to the Spurs. After that he was granted his release and re-signed with the Lakers so his daughter can get further treatment for retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer. Fisher played well in his first season back, but had been struggling in the 2009 playoffs. However, the three-pointer gave him seven points. Howard was fouled by Gasol, but he wasn't ready to stop his aggressive defense. Howard made both free throws, but Kobe made two spectacular plays with a Pietrus three-pointer by Pietrus sandwiched in between. In the first, he dribbled around Pietrus, then recovered a deflection attempt by Nelson and made the fading jump shot. In the second he dribbled up to and shot over Pietrus into the basket. An official timeout happened after a Turkoglu airball. Ariza came back into the game for Walton after the timeout, and the Lakers continued their attack, led by Kobe Bryant. Bryant contributed with a big alley oop for Odom. Then he made a block on a three-point attempt by Nelson. Nelson made a two-point basket after Kobe missed a jump shot, but Gasol followed with a basket with an assist by Kobe. Lewis sent a three-point attempt over the basket, and a flurry of activity followed to prepare for the last minute of the first half. Lee, Gortat and Battie came in for Lewis, Howard, and Pietrus, while Josh Powell came in for Gasol. The Lakers made four attempts in one possession before Fisher made a layup after an in-bound play. Turkoglu was fouled by Odom and made both free throws, but Kobe made a layup to end the first half. The Lakers' second quarter domination gave them a 53-43 lead going into half-time.
Kobe Bryant had 18 points in the first half with six assists, but he was raring to go in the second half. Kobe was joined by Ariza, Bynum, Fisher, and Gasol, while the Magic had Howard, Alston, Lewis, Lee, and Turkoglu. Kobe opened the half by making an layup. Lee missed a pair of shots even after Howard made an offensive rebound. Kobe answered with a fading jump shot. Howard couldn't make a basket with Bynum guarding, but Bynum missed on a layup as well after the rebound. Lewis makes a three pointer, and that would be the end of scoring for a minute. Kobe missed a shot with intense pressure by Lee, while Gasol prevented a layup by Lewis. Bynum picked up his fourth foul after Fisher missed a basket, and Odom came in to prevent the youngster from fouling out. Howard was fouled by Odom after missing a layup, but he made only one free throw. Kobe missed another shot while being surrounded by blue jerseys, and the Magic thought they had the Laker figured out. However, after Turkoglu lost the balls out of bounds, Kobe drew a shooting foul on Lee, and made both free throws. Lee connected on a three-pointer, but committed a personal foul against Kobe, after which Pietrus came in for him. Orlando's night got worse as Lewis fouled Gasol, after which the Spaniard made both free throws. Both Alston and Ariza missed on three-point attempts, after which the Magic couldn't capitalize on a personal foul as Alston missed another three. The Lakers took advantage with Kobe making a shot while being fouled by Pietrus, and made the free throw.
Gasol forced an offensive foul on Dwight Howard, and Orlando's night continued to worsen, especially as Odom made a basket while being fouled by Turkoglu. Odom missed the free throw, but Alston missed his third three-point attempt in three minutes. Gasol made a layup forcing the Magic to call a full timeout down by 18. Lewis and Kobe both missed jump shots coming out of the timeout. Orlando was benefited by two quick fouls on Turkoglu by Ariza, and Alston by Fisher. Alston had two free throws and made both, but Kobe answered with a layup as that barely beat he shot clock. The Magic missed two shots by Lewis and Turkoglu during which Nelson re-entered the game for Alston. Kobe made the rebound, and shot over Howard to pass 30 points. Then after Turkoglu turned the ball over on a pass that went out of bound, Kobe made another shot while being fouled by Pietrus, and made his free throw. Pietrus connected with a three for the Magic's first field goal since Lee's three-pointer five and a half minutes earlier. Odom missed a shot, but Gasol blocked a shot by Nelson. The ball deflected to Kobe, who was fouled by Turkoglu. Los Angeles took a full timeout after which Kobe made both of his free throws. Turkoglu missed a shot, after which Kobe took the rebound. He passed to Ariza who connected with a three-pointer to extend the Lakers' lead to 25. Kobe committed his first foul of the game on a shot attempt by Howard, but Howard made only one free throw. Lee came in for Turkoglu, while Shannon Brown entered in place of Fisher. Kobe had a rare misplay, missing a jump shot and then turning the ball over to Howard, but the Magic couldn't capitalize, with Lee missing a three. Gasol made a layup on an offensive rebound on Ariza's missed shot and the Lakers' lead was up to a game-high 26. Pietrus made a layup before Kobe missed a buzzer beater. Still, Kobe's 18 points in the third quarter helped the Lakers to an 82-58 lead as the game goes into the last 12 minutes.
The Magic had only 12 more minutes to erase a 24-point deficit, and desperately needed to reverse a shot percentage that had fallen to just above 30%. They carried Gortat, Lee Lewis, Nelson, Pietrus, while the Lakers had Brown, Farmar, Gasol, Odom, and Walton. The quarter started out poorly for the Magic as Lewis missed a shot, then committed a personal foul on Odom. When play resumed, Gortat committed a shooting foul on Walton. Walton made only one free throw, after which Nelson grabbed the rebound and made the shot. The Lakers missed a pair of shots but Nelson turned the ball over on a bad pass, then Nelson committed a personal foul while interrupting an alley oop attempt. Gasol connected on a hook shot. Walton would commit a foul, but Nelson missed the shot. Odom made a basket while being fouled by Gortat, then made the free throw to bring the lead to 28. Both teams missed a few shots before Pietrus made a shot while being fouled by Walton. An official timeout took place before Pietrus's free throw, during which Alston and Howard came in for Lewis and Nelson while Gasol swapped for Bynum. Pietrus missed the free throw, after which Bynum was fouled by Gortat on an offensive rebound attempt. Turkoglu came in for Pietrus as Bynum made one of his two free throws. Both teams missed shot attempts before Turkoglu was fouled by Walton, after which Turkoglu made both free throws. Former Duke star J.J. Redick came in for Lee, and immediately stole the ball on a bad pass by Farmar. With 7:16 to go, Jackson inserted Kobe after a ball went out of bounds. Turkoglu missed the basket once the ball was thrown back in, but screened Kobe enough for the Laker to miss his shot. Howard was fouled by Farmar, but made only one of his two free shots while Fisher came into the game for Farmar. Kobe missed a pair of shots, but he blocked a dunk attempt by Gortat. Both teams kept missing shots, and the Magic eventually took a full timeout with 5:13 remaining.
The chances were dwindling for the Magic, especially as Pau Gasol re-entered the game for Odom after the timeout. Alston missed a three-point attempt in the first possession after the timeout. Bynum missed his shot attempt, but Kobe stole the ball on a pass attempt by Turkoglu, and was fouled by Alston. Nelson and Pietrus came in for Alston and Turkoglu before Kobe made both of his free throws to bring him to 38 points. Gortat made a jump shot, but Gasol followed with a basket of his own that hit nothing but net. Pietrus missed on a two-pointer hen he was blocked by Gasol, but grabbed a rebound and turned around to hit a three. Kobe missed a two-pointer and Gasol did as well on a rebound but Walton finally tipped the ball in. Pietrus missed on a layup, but Howard made the rebound and allowed Redick to make a three-pointer. Kobe followed with a jumper to give him an impressive 40 points for the game. Nelson missed a jumper, and Howard was fouled by Gasol on the offensive rebound, leading to another Magic full-timeout. The Lakers almost completely changed their lineup with Brown, Powell, Vujacic and Didier "D.J." Ilunga-Mbenga coming in for Kobe, Bynum, Fisher, and Gasol. Orlando only took Gortat out for Battie before Howard made only one free throw. Both teams were missing shots as the game was winding down before Pietrus was fouled by Vujacic. Howard entered the game as Pietrus made only one of two free throws. With only one minute to go, the Lakers let the shot clock expire. The Magic could only get one shot in, a missed shot by Pietrus. Josh Powell hit a three-point shot as time expired, and the Los Angeles Lakers had a 100-75 blowout close out Game 1 of the Finals.
The Lakers dominated all aspects of the game, holding the Magic to only 29.9% field goal percentage, and only 34.8% from beyond the arc. The Magic had 29 free throw attempts from 23 fouls, but at the same time they held Dwight Howard to only 1 in 6 shooting from the floor, limiting his damage to only the 16 free throws he attempted, making only 10. While Kobe Bryant dominated with 16 of shooting and eight for eight in free throws for his 40 points, Pau Gasol was solid, hitting 16 points in addition to his defense. Game 2 was not quite as much of a blowout. While Dwight Howard was still held to only 17 points, Rashard Lewis broke out for 34 points, with Hedo Turkoglu added 22 more. However, while Kobe was held to only 29 points, Gasol scored 24 and Lamar Odom gave 19 more. The game went into overtime with both teams tied at 88, but Orlando's aggression cost them as the Lakers made nine free throws to capture the game 101-96. The series moved to Orlando, and the Magic capitalized on the home field advantage, more than doubling their field goal percentage to 63% and pulling out a 108-104 win as Kobe still scored 31. Game 4 went into overtime once again with both teams tied at 87, but Los Angeles dominated the overtime period, pulling to a 99-91 win. The Magic couldn't muster much offense in Game 5, falling 99-86. Kobe Bryant led both teams with 162 points and was an easy pick for the Finals MVP.
Both teams went into the 2009-10 season eager to build upon their success and make a return to the Finals. The Magic made a huge transaction, picking up Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets to pair him with Howard, although they lost out on Hedo Turkoglu. The move seemed to have worked out as the Magic finished the season with a 59-23 record identical to the year before. They then swept past the Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks before facing the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals. However, they were unable to recover from an 0-3 deficit to the Celtics, ultimately losing in six. Meanwhile the Lakers traded Trevor Ariza for the rights to deal with Houston Rockets superstar Ron Artest, signing him to a five-year contract. Los Angeles went only 57-25, but still finished first in the Pacific Division. The Lakers then rolled through the playoffs, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz in the first two rounds before pulling off a tight match-up against the Phoenix Suns, ultimately winning in six, setting up a rematch with the Celtics. The two teams played a hard-fought seven game series, but the Lakers ultimately came out on top. Afterwards, the Magic packed up and moved to the Amway Center. The Magic reached the playoffs in 2010-11 and 2011-12, but failed to get out of the first round either years. Meanwhile the Lakers continued to dominate the Pacific Division those two years, but ultimately fell short in the Conference Semifinals both year, getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 and then the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012. The latter season was the first with coach Mike Brown, after Phil Jackson retired for good after the 2011 debacle. The Lakers made a surprising four-team trade after the 2012 season, where they netted none other than Dwight Howard, the man they stopped in 2009. Along the way they jettisoned Andrew Bynum, sending him to Philadelphia. Los Angeles still had Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol as well as former Suns superstar Steve Nash, and they captured a playoff spot, but were swept by the Spurs.
The Magic fell to piece in that 2012-13 season. The loss of Howard had hurt, but they also no longer had the services of Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, and Vince Carter, having been traded in December 2010 to reacquire Hedo Turkoglu. They were also without coach Stan Van Gundy, having been fired in favor of Jacque Vaughn. Even with Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, and J.J. Redick on the team, the Magic fell to a dismal 20-62 record without Howard. They still have yet to recover, finishing up better than 35-47 that they achieved in 2015-16, and no better than fifth except a fourth place finish in 2017-18 and a second place finish in 2018-19, but out of the playoff picture. The Lakers would join the Magic in non-competitive purgatory, finishing last with 27-55 in 2013-14. The team bottomed out with a 17-65 record in 2015-16 that was worst in the worst in team history. That was also the last season with Kobe Bryant, who would announce his retirement after the season with a heartfelt poem on November 29, 2015 titled "Dear Basketball." Two years later, Kobe would team up with animator Glen Keane and composer John Williams to turn Dear Basketball into a short film. The film was a hit, and even with Kobe's rocky past it was nominated for and won an Academy Award. The honor didn't help his former team, who was in the midst of another lost season, helmed by their former player Luke Walton. The Lakers made a huge splash in the off-season, signing Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James to a four-year, $154 million deal. However, LeBron dealt with nagging injuries, and ultimately finding themselves out of the playoffs again. It's a difficult fall for a once-proud franchise, but the Lakers will always have the 2009 NBA Finals to look back on.
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Odds & Ends
That
was it for all of the action in the major team sports, but it was far
from the only sports excitement happened on June 4, 2009. Over in Paris
one of the Grand Slam tournaments of tennis was taking place in Paris,
France. The Roland-Garros, better known as the French Open, is the top
clay court event in the world. It had been taking place since 1891 and
was initially played among only members of the French clubs. The
tournament opened up to all amateurs in 1925. Initially the competition
was held only between men, but women were allowed to join in 1897, and
doubles events were added after the turn of the century. Professional
tennis players would eventually be invited to join in 1968. The event
had been taking place in the Stade Roland Garros since 1928. It was
initially constructed to host the Davis Cup Finals, and was named after
the landmark French pilot and World War I hero Eugene Adrien Roland
Georges Garros. It initially contained one court, named Court Central
until 2001 when it was named after tennis executive Philippe Chartrier. A
second court was later built and was eventually named after Suzanne
Lenglen, and French women's champion from early 20th century. Additional
courts were later added to accommodate the tournament's expansion.
The
tournament had began on May 24 and included 128 men and women in the
singles match-ups, plus 64 doubles teams. By June 4 the tournament was
nearing its end. The biggest news of the tournament came earlier when
four-time French Open champ Rafael Nadal was upset in the fourth round,
his first loss in the French Open in his entire career. The tennis world
was still reeling over the shock five days later, but the tournament
must go on. There were still a flurry of activity at some of the other
courts as Boys and Girls' Singles and Doubles were holding their
quarterfinals while the wheelchair division were also hosting their
semifinals. The Court Suzanne Lenglen was host to the Men's doubles
semifinals and the Legends over and under 45 round-robin tournament. The
mixed doubles was having their finals on the main Court Philippe
Chartrier. However, the main attraction on this day was the women's
singles semifinals. The women's tournament did not have the same draw as
the men's single tournament, but there were still some intriguing
storylines. Former number 1 player Mario Sharapova was coming back from a
rotator cuff tear that had kept her out for over a year. In addition,
four-time winner Justine Henin was staying retired, leaving Serena
Williams and Ana Ivanovic the only previous winners in the draw.
Ivanovic was on the downswing after her triumphant victory the year
before, and lost in the fourth round. Williams had won in 2002, and lost
in the quarterfinals after having lost the #1 rank only six weeks
earlier. Meanwhile the new Women's Tennis Association #1 ranked singles
player was facing untold pressure, having attained the rank without a
Grand Slam singles victory.
As
it turns out the new number 1 was playing in the first match of the
day. Dinara Safina was born in Moscow, Russia to a Tatar family. Her
family was deeply rooted in tennis. Her father directed the Spartak
tennis club, and her mother was a former player herself. Her brother
Marat, six years her senior, had won the US Open and Australian Open,
and was ranked #1 for nine weeks in November and December 2000. That put
plenty of pressure on young Dinara, but she blossomed when her family
moved to Spain. She debuted on the WTA scene shortly after her 16th
birthday in the Portugal Open. She won her first professional tournament
three months later in the Idea Prokom Open in Sopot. She made her
debuts in Grand Slam tournaments in 2003, but only managed to advance
past the first round in the US Open. She continued to grow, defeating
Sharapova in the 2005 Kremlin Cup for her first victory against a #1
ranked player. She reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 French Open
getting past Sharapova once again to get there, and repeated the feat in
the US Open. She made her top ten debut that year. She didn't have that
sort of success in 2007, but she managed to win the women's double in
the US Open. Her 2008 tennis season got off to a poor start, but managed
to reach the finals in the French Open before falling to Ivanovic. She
played in the 2008 Olympics and made it all the way to the finals, but
fell to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva. She shook the loss off and made
it all the way to the semifinals of the US Open before losing to Serena
Williams. She started 2009 hot, reaching the finals in the Sydney
International and later the Australian Open. She lost both, and also
fell in the Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, and Dubai Open, but
performed well enough in each that she was able to claim the #1 rank
from Serena Williams. She silenced the doubters by capturing the Italian
Open and the Madrid Open. With those two victories, she went in to the
French Open motivated to capture her first Grand Slam title. To do so,
she would have to get past the Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova. Cibulkova
was born in Czechoslovakia, and was only three when the country broke
off. She grew up playing tennis in Bratislava. She went pro in 2004 but
didn't debut in the Grand Slam until 2007. She excelled at playing on
clay and made it all the way to the third round in the French Open. She
fell in the third round again in 2008, but made it all the way to the
semis in 2009 after knocking off Sharapova. Cibulkova held an early
two-game lead before Safina found her groove and won in straight sets
6-3, 6-3.
That
brought on the second of the semifinals, which pitted fellow Russian
Svetlana Kuznetsova with the Australian Samantha Stosur. Kuznetsova was
born in what was then Leningrad in the former Soviet Union. She was born
to a family of cyclists. Her father was a renowned cycling coach, and
her mother was a former cycling champion. Her brother 12 years her
senior and won a silver medal in team pursuit in the 1996 Olympics in
Atlanta. Young Svetlana did not show any interest in cycling, instead
becoming enamored with the sport of tennis. She would later become a big
fan of Marat Safin. She moved to Spain as a teenager to focus on her
tennis training. Kuznetsova debuted on the International Tennis
Federation scene in 2000 where she got to meet Safin's sister Dinara
Safina, but it was bittersweet as Safina won the match. Kuznetsova began
taking part in WTA tournaments in 2001, and made her Grand Slam debut
in the 2002 Australian Open, losing in the second round. She found her
first Grand Slam success in the 2003 Wimbledon, defeating Sharapova to
make it to the quarterfinals, but lost to Henin. Kuznetsova also found
some success in the doubles circuit, pairing with tennis legend Martina
Navratilova. She had her greatest success in 2004 when she won the US
Open, defeating Lindsay Davenport and Dementieva. However, her title
defense was short-lived as she fell in the first round in 2005, and she
fell out of the top 10 despite reaching the quarterfinals in the
Australian Open. Kuznestova rebounded, reaching the finals of the 2006
French Open before losing to Henin. She made the quarterfinals in the
French Open and Wimbledon in 2007 and the finals in the US Open. She was
unable to win any of the tournaments, but reached the #2 rank. She was
unable to take the next step to record the #1 rank. She did not win a
single title in 2008, making the semifinals in the French Open but
losing to Safina. Her 2009 season got off to a good start, reaching the
quarterfinals in the Australian Open, but losing to Serena Williams. She
went on an extended losing streak before making the semis in the Sony
Ericsson Open. She defeated Safina in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, but
lost to her rival in the Italian Open. She got past Serena Williams in
the quarterfinals but was facing a tough competitor in Samantha Stosur.
Stosur was born in Brisbane, Australia but grew up in Adelaide. She went
pro in 1999 and found her greatest success in doubles play, capturing
three Grand Slam doubles titles in 2005 and 2006, eventually gaining the
#1 ranked doubles player in 2006. She started showing strange symptoms
of inflammation and swelling and strange aches and pains in July 2007.
after a month of suffering she was eventually diagnosed with Lyme
Disease. She missed the rest of the 2007 season and didn't return until
2008, but she managed to capture a mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.
Stosur had never had the success in singles that she had in doubles,
never making it out of the third round in any Grand Slam titles until
she defeated Dementieva in the French Open. From there on out she
defeated two unranked players for the semifinals match-up against
Kuznetsova. Kuznestova took the first set 6-4, but Stosur won the second
set in a tie-break. That was it for Stosur as the Russian took the
final set 6-3.
That
set up the highly anticipated all-Russian finals match between the two
rivals Safina and Kuznetsova, which took place two days later. It was a
highly anticipated rematch of the semifinals from the year before, but
this time the match turned out to be anti-climatic as Kuznestova won in
straight sets. Safina still held onto the #1 ranking and she made it all
the way to the Wimbledon semifinals. However she was crushed by Venus
Williams, winning only one game. She never made it out of the third
round of the US Open, and lost hold of the #1 rank. She had to retire
from the WTA Tour Championships, citing a back injury that had been
bothering her. Safina's back had continued to plague her, and that led
her to retire in 2011. She later backed off from the retirement
decision, and requested wildcards for other tournaments. She never did
play in another tournament and officially retired in 2014 having never
won a Grand Slam. Kuznestova never quite had the same success, but she
managed to qualify for the Tour Championship, where she defeated
Dementieva for her first win in the tour championships since 2006. She
ended the season with a #3 ranking. Kuznestova also went through some
difficult times from 2010 to 2012 as she suffered from nagging injuries
and inconsistent play. She had to return to qualifying for tournaments
and went unseeded by 2013, but managed to make the quarterfinals in the
Australian Open. Her win in the 2014 Citi Open was the first since the
2010 Southern California Open. Kuznestova remained a top player for the
next few years, but suffered a hand injury that slowed her down in 2017.
Numerous first round exits led to her falling out of the top 100, but
she won the Citi Open in 2018 offering some home for the future.
Meanwhile
the best years for Cibulkova and Stosur were yet to come. Cibulkova
made the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2010, and later won her first
WTA title in the 2011 Kremlin Cup. She made her first Grand Slam finals
in the 2014 Australian Open, before losing to Li Na. Cibulkova lost most
of the 2015 due to an injury in her left Achilles tendon, but came back
by winning four titles in 2016, allowing her to qualify for the WTA
Finals. She defeated Kuznestova to advance to the championship round and
beating Angelique Kerber for the Finals tournament championship. She
finished the year ranked #5, and advanced to #4 with a few strong
performances in 2017, but she quickly faded, falling out of the top 20.
Stosur continued her resurgence in the singles realm, advancing all the
way to the French Open finals, having to defeat Henin, Serena Williams
and Jelena Jankovic, but suffered an upset at the hands of Francesca
Schiavone. Nevertheless Stosur still advanced to a #4 ranking early in
2011. Her biggest triumph came later that year when she defeated Serena
Williams for the US Open title. She had qualified for the WTA Finals in
2010 and 2011. 2012 was another successful year, but played poorly in
2013, unable to advance past the fourth round in any of the Grand Slam
tournaments. She suffered early exist until reaching the semifinals in
the French Open for the fourth time in 2016. Stosur was still able to do
play well in doubles, winning the Wimbledon mixed doubles tournament in
2014. She also captured the women's double title at the Australian Open
in 2019, her first women's double win since the 2006 French Open. It
proves Samantha Stosur can still be a threat down the road.
---------------------------------
There
were several golf tournaments going on during June 4. The Ladies
Professional Golf Association tour was starting their State Farm Classic
in Springfield, Illinois. The European Tour was holding the Wales Open
in Newport. And the Nationwide Tour would have started their Princes
George's County Open in Mitchellville, Maryland, but the rainstorms that
struck the east coast postponed proceedings. And yet the golf event
that drew the most attention was the Memorial Tournament from the PGA
Tour. The Memorial was founded in 1976 by Jack Nicklaus. It took place
at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio just north of
Columbus. Nicklaus designed the course with inspiration the course at
Muirfield, Scotland. While Nicklaus had his designs in mind since 1966,
construction did not begin until 1972, and the Golf Club opened two
years later, one of two golf courses in the Muirfield Village community.
The Memorial Tournament started two years later, and the Golf Club had
also hosted the Ryder Club and Presidents Club among others.
As
one of the four "invitational" tournaments, 120 golfers on the PGA were
invited to take part. Golfers consisted as past winners from various
tournaments, money leaders, top amateur and college players, and leaders
on the FedEx Cup point list. While the defending champion was
three-time Memorial winner Kenny Perry, all eyes going into the
tournament was another three-time winner, Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods.
Tiger's golf exploits were already legendary. He was born in California
and was coached by his father Earl. He started to play golf at the age
of two, and became renowned for being a golf prodigy, appearing on TV at
the age of three. He was winning tournaments by the age of seven and
won three straight Junior Amateur Championships. He went on to have a
stellar career at Stanford University, having overcome a stuttering
problem. Tiger was playing in his first major tournament in the PGA Tour
by 1995 as the only amateur to make the cut, and left college to turn
pro in 1996. He was named the Tour's Rookie of the Year award that first
year, then went on to win the Masters in 1997 for his first major. He
was named #1 in the Official Golf Ranking, and was the 1997 PGA Player
of the Year. After a down year in 1998, Tiger went on a sustained series
of success, capturing seven of 12 possible major tournaments between
1999-2002. He won four straight majors from 2000-2001, and his
performance at the 2000 US Open had been called one of the greatest
individual performances of all time. His three straight Memorial wins
from 1999-2001 were just yet another tournaments on his road to
greatness. Tiger had some down years in 2003-2004, failing to win even a
single major and falling off from #1 in the rankings. However, he was
dealing with some problems with his left knee. He already had two knee
surgeries, and his swing was putting too much stress on that knee. He
made the necessary adjustments, and went back to dominating from
2005-2007, a period that was marked by the loss of his father to
prostate cancer. Things were going well, but his knee gave him problems
once again in 2008. He gutted through a difficult US Open win two months
after his third knee surgery. Just two days after the tournament, he
revealed he had a torn anterior cruciate ligament and required another
surgery. He missed the rest of the season and the first two months of
2009 before making a return in March. He was rusty early on, but
captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the end of the month, his
66th PGA win. He had several other opportunities to get the 67th, but he
came just short.
Tiger
got off to a strong start in the first round, hitting fairways off the
tee in 16 of 18 holes. He ended the day three strokes under par with a
69, but that was only enough for him to come into a tie for ninth. The
surprising leader was Luke Donald, a British golfer who had been on the
PGA tour since 2002. Donald was born in Hemel Hempstead in England. He
excelled as a junior golfer before moving to America for university. He
ended up at Northwestern University, and captured the NCAA Golf
Championship in 1999. His score was one better than Tiger Woods's three
years earlier. He won the Haskins award for collegiate golfer of the
year. He turned pro in 2001 and had six invitations to PGA Tour events.
He earned his tour card that year for the 2002 season, and won his first
tournament in November 2002 with the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. He
also joined the European Tour in 2003. He helped the Europeans win the
Ryder Cup in 2004, and made his Masters debut a year later, finishing
tied for third with Retief Goosen behind Tiger and Chris DiMarco. He had
another top three finish in the PGA Championship in 2006. However, like
Tiger, Donald had to miss most of the 2008 season, this time with a
wrist injury. He came back but was still searching for his first win
since the 2006 Honda Classic. Donald shot a decent -2 in the first nine
holes, getting a bogey in the first hole but getting three birdies,
including the last two holes. He became unstoppable in the second half,
birdying his first four holes. He made putts on the first try in nine
straight holes before finally missing on the final hole. Nevertheless he
put up a -6 in the second half giving him an overall -8 score and a
three-stroke lead over golfers Thomas Aiken, Jason Day, Jim Furyk, and
Ted Purdy. Perry was at even.
Alas,
things were too good to last for Luke Donald. He wound up with five
bogeys in the second round for a +4 and dropped out of the lead. By the
time the tournament wrapped up four days later his score was down to a
-2 and he was tied for 14th. The surprising winner was none other than
Tiger Woods. Tiger also had a bad day on round 2 and seemed all but
dead. However, he surged to a -3 in round 3, including an eagle on the
part-5 11th hole. He was still in seventh place going into the last day.
He was divine in final day, repeating the 11th hole eagle. He also had
seven birdies to go with only two bogeys to post a -7 score for the day,
which allowed him to jump six spots to win by one stroke over Furyk,
his fourth Memorial. Tiger had another great year, almost winning the
PGA Championship and capturing his second FedEx Cup after placing second
in the Tour Championship. Later he helped the US win the Presidents
Cup. As strong as his golfing was, his life was about to go off the
rails. On November 27, only two days after a National Enquirer story
broke about an extramarital affair, Tiger was involved in a small car
accident. The news took a life of its own and overwhelmed Tiger's
golfing career. He took a break from golfing, and he was never quite the
same upon his return. Meanwhile Luke Donald was rounding into form.
While Tiger Woods was floundering through 2011, Donald was excelling in
America and overseas. He started by capturing the WGC-Accenture Match
Play Championship. He later won the BMW PGA Championship and finished
second in several others to lay claim to the world #1 ranking. Donald
got into a fierce competition with Rory McIlroy for the world #1 ranking
in 2012, but ultimately fell short. He began struggling in 2013, dealing with injuries and making swing changes to compensate. Tiger would win his 5th Memorial tournament in 2012, but injuries to his back slowed him down starting in 2013. He missed
tournaments and missed cuts, and there was some doubts whether or not he'd even be able to swing the club again. However, after his fourth back surgery he started his comeback trail as a more mature figure. He won the 2018 Tour Championship for his
80th PGA tour victory and first since 2013. Then in April 2019 he took home the green jacket in the Masters. It was his 15th majors victory, and the first since the US Open in 2008. These two golfing greats may be
nearing their last legs, but time would not diminish the excitement they had generated at the Memorial.
---------------------------------
Besides
the 13 Major League Baseball games that took place, there were also 53
games being played in four levels of minor league ball throughout the
country. Those include four games that were postponed and rescheduled
due to the storms from June 3 that had canceled Randy Johnson's
first attempt at 300, but don't include the 11 games that were postponed
due to the continued weather issues, including every game scheduled in
the High A Carolina League. There are too many games to go into detail,
but one game that is worth mentioning took place in Banner Island
Ballpark in Stockton, California between the Stockton Ports, an
affiliate of the Oakland Athletics and the High Desert Mavericks, an
affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The game was a standard affair with
both teams trading runs until the home team took a 5-3 lead into the
ninth. Dominican-born closer Leonardo Espinal went for a six-out save,
but allows a single, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt. Reliever Steven
Sharpe came in, but throws a wild pitch to score a run. Sharpe
intentionally walks slugger Ian Bladergroen, but a fielder's choice ties
the game. Sharpe gets out of the inning with no damage, but the game
was tied. The Ports couldn't score in their half of the ninth, so the
game goes into the extra innings. The Ports had runners in scoring
position in the 10th and 11th, but the run couldn't score. The game was
eventually suspended after the 14th and resumed on June 5. The Mavericks
scored on a bases loaded walk in the top of the 17th, but Stockton
answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning. The Ports had
the bases loaded for the winning run, but a strikeout ends the inning.
The game eventually goes into the 21st. High Desert DH Joe Dunigan
walked, and the Italian-born Alex Liddi singled. The Mavericks executed a
double steal. Vemezuelan Catcher Raul Padron threw the ball away and
Dunigan scampered home with the go-ahead run. The Ports end the damage
there. Stockton put runners on first and second, but two fly balls ended
the inning. The game took 7 hours and 34 minutes and was the longest
game in California League history by time. Here are the other minor
league games from June 4, 2009.
AAA International League
Syracuse Chiefs 7, Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees 3
WP: Jorge Sosa
LP: Paul Bush
Syracuse Chiefs 8, Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees 6 (8 innings)
WP: Cory Doyne
LP: Edwar Ramirez
SV: Wilfred Ledezma
Indianapolis Indians 1, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 0
WP: Brian Slocum
LP: Steven Register
Lehigh Valley IronPigs 4, Indianapolis Indians 2 (7 innings)
WP: Carlos Carrasco
LP: Daniel McCutchen
SV: Tyler Walker
Gwinnett Braves 12, Rochester Red Wings 5
WP: Todd Redmond
LP: Jason Jones
Pawtucket Red Sox 7, Louisville Bats 3
WP: Clay Buchholz
LP: Sam LeCure
Buffalo Bisons 1, Norfolk Tides 0
WP: Kyle Snyder
LP: Ross Wolf
SV: Elmer Dessens
Toledo Mud Hens 4, Durham Bulls 3
WP: Freddy Dolsi
LP: Dale Thayer
Columbus Clippers vs. Charlotte Knights, PPD
AAA Pacific Coast League
Oklahoma City RedHawks 6, Memphis Redbirds 0
WP: Bryan Corey
LP: Evan MacLane
Nashville Sounds 5, Iowa Cubs 2
WP: Chris Narveson
LP: Jeff Samardzija
SV: David Johnson
Round Rock Express 4, Omaha Royals 1
WP: Casey Daigle
LP: Greg Atencio
SV: Brendan Donnelly
New Orleans Zephyrs 3, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
WP: Rick Van Den Hurk
LP: Shawn Estes
SV: Nate Field
Albuquerque Isotopes 2, New Orleans Zephyrs 0 (7 innings)
WP: Steve Randolph
LP: Daniel Barone
SV: Henry Bonilla
Tacoma Rainiers 8, Reno Aces 5
WP: Chris Seddon
LP: Bryan Augenstein
SV: Randy Messenger
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 16, Fresno Grizzlies 8
WP: Kurt Birkins
LP: Steve Palazzolo
Sacramento River Cats 19, Salt Lake Bees 10
WP: Jerry Blevins
LP: David Austen
Las Vegas 51s 8, Portland Beavers 6
WP: Brett Cecil
LP: Matt Buschmann
AA Southern League
Chattanooga Lookouts 3, Mobile BayBears 2
WP: Jesus Rodriguez
LP: Josh Ellis
SV: Matthew Sartor
Carolina Mudcats 12, Tennessee Smokies 3
SP: James Avery
LP: Casey Lambert
Mississippi Braves 4, West Tenn Diamond Jaxx 0
WP: Edgar Osuna
LP: Justin Souza
Montgomery Biscuits 3, Jacksonville Suns, 0
WP: Brian Baker
LP: Aaron Thompson
SV: Rayner Oliveros
Birmingham Barons vs. Huntsville Stars, PPD
AA Eastern League
Connecticut Defenders 8, New Britain Rock Cats 4
WP: Zach Ward
LP: Waldis Joaquin
Trenton Thunder 7, Bowie Baysox 0
WP: Christian Garcia
LP: Troy Patton
Portland Sea Dogs 3, Binghamton Mets 2
WP: T.J. Large
LP: Julio De La Cruz
Harrisburg Senators 1, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 0
WP: Jack Spradlin
LP: Danny Farquhar
Reading Phillies 7, Akron Aeros 4
WP: Joe Savery
LP: Hector Rondon
SV: Jason Anderson
Altoona Curve 4, Erie SeaWolves 3
WP: Daniel Moskos
LP: Jonah Nickerson
SV: Jeff Sues
AA Texas League
Arkansas Travelers 6, Corpus Christi Hooks 1
WP: Jordan Walden
LP: Polin Trinidad
Midland RockHounds 4, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 1
WP: Jason Fernandez
LP: Blake Wood
Springfield Cardinals 5, San Antonio Missions 3
WP: Mat Latos
LP: Brad Furnish
Tulsa Drillers 1, Frisco RoughRiders 0
WP: Jon George
LP: Pedro Strop
SV: Andrew Johnston
Class A Advanced Florida State League
Brevard County Manatees 7, Sarasota Reds 6
WP: Brett Whiteside
LP: Mike Bohana
SV: Roque Mercedes
Fort Myers Miracle 9, Clearwater Threshers 8
WP: Santos Arias
LP: Chris Kissock
Daytona Cubs 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3
WP: Craig Muschko
LP: Jeremy Hall
Dunedin Blue Jays 9, Palm Beach Cardinals 5
WP: Chuck Huggins
LP: Mark Diapoules
Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, St. Lucie Mets 5
WP: Matt Hoffman
LP: Angel Calero
SV: Robbie Weinhardt
St. Lucie Mets 4, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2
WP: Scott Shaw
LP: Andrew Hess
SV: Manny Alvarez
Tampa Yankees 9, Jupiter Hammerheads 3
WP: Sergio Mitre
LP: Jeff Allison
Class A Advanced California League
Bakersfield Blaze 4, San Jose Giants 0
WP: Tim Murphy
LP: Scott Barnes
Modesto Nuts 11, Visalia Rawhide 2
WP: Joey Williamson
LP: Pedro Rodriguez
Rancho Cucamonga Quake 5, Lancaster JetHawks 2
WP: Tim Kiely
LP: Erick Abreu
SV: Ysmael Carmona
High Desert Mavericks 7, Stockton Ports 6 (21 innings)
WP: Edward Paredes
LP: Derrick Gordon
Class A Advanced Carolina League
Salem Red Sox vs. Frederick Keys, PPD
Lynchburg Hillcats vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks, PPD
Potomac Nationals vs. Myrtle Beach Pelicans, PPD
Kinston Indians vs. Winston-Salem Dash, PPD
Class A South Atlantic League
Delmarva Shorebirds 2, Lakewood BlueClaws 1
WP: Ryan O'Shea
LP: Santo Hernandez
Greenville Drive 5, Asheville Tourists 3
WP: Fabian Williamson
LP: Adam Jorgensen
Lexington Legends 9, Bowling Green Hot Rods 6
WP: Brian Wabick
LP: Marquis Fleming
SV: Pat Urckfitz
Lexington Legends 7, Bowling Green Hot Rods 3
WP: Kyle Greenwalt
LP: Frank De Los Santos
Savannah Sand Gnats 7, Charleston RiverDogs 4
WP: Eric Beaulac
LP: Casey Erickson
Lakewood BlueClaws vs. Delmarva Shorebirds, PPD
Hickory Crawdads vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers, PPD
Lake County Captains vs. Hagerstown Suns, PPD
West Virginia Power vs. Kannapolis Intimidators, PPD
Augusta GreenJackets vs. Rome Braves, PPD
Class A Midwest League
Dayton Dragons 6, South Bend Silver Hawks 3
WP: Josh Ravin
LP: Ryan Cook
SV: Aguido Gonzalez
Lansing Lugnuts 4, Fort Wayne TinCaps 2
WP: Jonas Cuotto
LP: Simon Castro
SV: Matt Daly
West Michigan Whitecaps 4, Great Lakes Loons 3
WP: Tyler Conn
LP: Robert Boothe
Peoria Chiefs 4, Beloit Snappers 1
WP: Justin Bristow
LP: Brad Tippett
CV: Chris Siegfried
Burlington Bees 5, Quad Cities River Bandits 4
WP: Blaine Hardy
LP: Adam Veres
SV: James Thompson
Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 2
WP: Ryan Chaffee
LP: Wily Peralta
Clinton Lumberkings 6, Kane County Cougars 5
WP: Ryan Moorer
LP: Scott Deal
SV: Cheyne Hann
---------------------------------
While 26 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams had games scheduled for June 4, 2009, there were four teams that had the day off. The Arizona Diamondbacks had just completed a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, while the San Diego Padres had just completed one against the Philadelphia Phillies. While the Dodgers and Phillies faced each other that night, Arizona and San Diego had a night off before starting a four-day series of their own that would go from Friday June 5 to Monday June 8. Meanwhile the Baltimore Orioles had just completed a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle and got the day off before going on their separate ways. The big hero in the Mariners victory on June 3 was Adrian Beltre, the overpriced veteran who was suffering through a difficult, injury-marred season. Adrian recorded three hits to bring his career totals to 1,634. The three hits included his 333rd double, his 246th home run and a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. While these four teams did not have a game on June 4, 2009, they still occupied an important part of baseball history.
The Arizona Diamondbacks had the shortest history of the four idle teams. 2009 was only their 12th season in Major League Baseball. However, the highs and lows they've experienced in those 12 years is enough to fill decades in the histories of other franchises. The city of Phoenix was awarded a franchise in the last round of expansion. Baseball had been a constant presence in Arizona due to spring training and had been, but any efforts to expand into the state had fallen short due to the weather in the summer. However, Phoenix was undergoing a rapid growth in the second half of the 20th century and was nearing 1,000,000 residents by the 1990 census, a market too large for Major League Baseball to ignore. Jerry Colangelo, the owner of NBA's Phoenix Suns, put together an ownership group and submitted a bid that also included a retractable-roof ballpark. The bid was approved in 1995, although there was plenty of back and forth before it was decided that the new team, officially dubbed the Arizona Diamondbacks, would play in the National League. The ownership group was hard at work growing the franchise, building Bank One Ballpark and hiring Buck Showalter as manager. They officially began play in 1998. Arizona was predictably bad, finishing last with 65-97. Yet the team drummed enough support that the owners were able to make a splash that off-season, signing or trading for Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley, Matt Williams, and yes, even future 300-game-winner Randy Johnson. The Diamondbacks went on a worst to first run and won 100 games and the NL West in 1999, their second season. Their first post-season lasted only four games, and they blew an August lead in 2000 to finish outside of the wild card race. However, in 2001 they won 92 games and another division title, knocked off the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves to win the pennant, and toppled the New York Yankees in an epic seven-game performance. Their World Series title in only their fourth season was the first title by any Arizona team, and was the fastest expansion team to reach the top. Arizona won another division title in 2002, but their fortunes fell just as quickly. By 2004 the team that had won a title three years earlier was finishing only 51-111. Their ace Randy Johnson finished only 16-14 despite having arguably the best pitching season in the National League, and he was traded away to the Yankees that off-season. The 2004 season also witnessed the end of Colangelo's tenure with the team. The Diamondbacks remained mediocre for two more seasons, but the young talent stockpiled after that 2004 season blossomed into a team that won the division in 2007. They swept the Chicago Cubs before getting swept themselves by the red hot Colorado Rockies. With the Big Unit back in the fold, Arizona held first place into September in 2008 before falling just short. The 2009 season was greeted with some controversy as Johnson was allowed to leave for San Francisco, and the team got off to a rough start in 2009. That led them to drop manager Bob Melvin for A.J. Hinch. Through June 3 they were 23-31, ahead of only the disappointing Rockies and hapless Washington Nationals in the National League.
The rest of the 2009 season would not be kind to the Diamondbacks. Arizona split the four game series with San Diego and saw them fall to last thanks to the resurgent Rockies. The team did take a flier on an infielder from Texas State University in the eighth round. The Diamondbacks stabilized and put up a winning record in July and August, but September saw them lose nine of ten games from September 3-13, sending them plummeting back into last, a deficit from which they never recovered. They had gone 47-61 after June 4 to finish at 70-92, both the worst in the National League West. In their efforts to jump-start their team, Arizona traded young pitchers Daniel Schlereth and Max Scherzer to the Detroit Tigers in a three-team trade that netted them All-Star Edwin Jackson and the Yankees' young future star Ian Kennedy. The efforts seemed to be in vain as the Diamondbacks sank to a 65-97 record, although Jackson threw a no-hitter five days before he was traded. They reacted by jettisoning Hinch and hiring former MVP Kirk Gibson. Arizona became the most surprising team in 2011 as Ian Kennedy went 21-4 with a 2.88 ERA, and Justin Upton, their #1 overall draft pick in 2005, became an MVP candidate. The team went worst to first for the second time in franchise history, finishing at 94-68. They endured a hard-fought five-game battle in the division series, but lost to the Milwaukee Brewers. Arizona was unable to turn that showing into long-term success, up going 81-81 in both 2012 and 2013 before plummeting back to last in 2014 with a 64-98 record, second worst in their history. However, during this period their 2009 eighth round draft pick Paul Goldschmidt became one of the best players in the National League. The team suffered some more losing seasons as the front office attempted to surround "Goldy" with quality supporting players, but the efforts finally paid off in 2017, when free agent signing Zack Greinke and young pitching prospect Robbie Ray became two of the best pitchers in the game. The Diamondbacks went from fourth to second, then defeated the Rockies in the Wild Card Game. They post-season ended shortly afterwards, getting swept by the Dodgers in the division series. Arizona suffered through another disappointing year before committing to another rebuild, trading Goldschmidt to St. Louis for several young players and a draft pick. It's yet another marker in the wild ride that is the history of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Meanwhile their June 5 opponents the San Diego Padres were steady as can be. Unfortunately for Padres fans their team identity are as perpetual losers. San Diego had long been a baseball goldmine, producing talent such as Ted Williams. The city was also the site of a renowned minor league team called the San Diego Padres. In 1967 Padres owner C. Arnholt Smith won a bid for an expansion franchise. He moved his minor league team to Oregon and made the new expansion team the Padres. However, the team was forced to begin play in 1969 at the request of Missouri senator Stuart Symington, and the Padres were predictably terrible, going 52-110 in their inaugural year. The team terrible, and were even no-hit by Dock Ellis on June 12, 1970 even though the Pirates hurler was high on LSD. By 1973 the team was bleeding money, and things got so dire that Smith sold the team to a group planning on moving the team to Washington to become the third iteration of the Washington Senators. However, the sale was tied up in the courts, and a desperate Smith sold instead to McDonald's "founder" Ray Kroc. Kroc pledged to keep the team in San Diego, but was so incensed by their inept play he blasted the team through the public address system to tear the team apart. The team was so motivated by his speech that they went on to lose 102 games for the second straight year. Yet the team had a bright young star in Dave Winfield, and he teamed with star southpaw Randy Jones to help the Padres avoid the cellar in 1975. They were soon joined by seasoned veterans such as Rollie Fingers, Rich "Goose" Gossage and future 300-game-winner Gaylord Perry, along with other young talent such as Ozzie Smith, Alan Wiggins and a former basketball star named Anthony Keith Gwynn. Kroc died of heart failure in 1984, and the team led by manager Dick Williams and Gwynn stormed to a franchise-record 92 wins and their first division title. They then toppled the Cubs in the NLCS, but their magical season ended with a World Series loss to the Tigers. The Padres returned to mediocrity, having only one season where they won as many as 89 games in the next decade. They had some young talent in the early 1990s, but traded them all off, although it netted them a young fireballer named Trevor Hoffman. San Diego bottomed out with 101 losses in 1993, but in 1995 they hired the back-up catcher on that 1984 team as manager. Bruce Bochy struggled in his first at the helm, but led the Padres to two division titles in 1996 and 1998. In the latter season they upset Randy Johnson and the Houston Astros, then Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and the Atlanta Braves to capture their second pennant. Their World Series hopes lasted even shorter than 14 years earlier, getting swept by the Yankees. The Padres fell back into losing as they saw their franchise icon Tony Gwynn record his 3,000th hit, then retire following two injury-marred seasons. Nevertheless Bochy remained steadfast and the team was competitive again in 2004. They won back-to-back division titles in 2005-06, although their 82-80 record in 2005 was the worst ever by a division winner. Even though Bochy left to manage the Giants, San Diego was on their way to a third straight in 2007. However, the team collapsed in September and ended up behind the Diamondbacks and in a tie with the Rockies. The two teams played a hard-fought tiebreak game, one that saw their future Hall of Fame closer Hoffman blow a two-run lead in the 13th. San Diego never recovered from the near-miss and collapsed to a 63-99 record in 2008. Padres fans hoped 2009 would be an improvement, and they ended May with .500 record. However, they were swept at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, sending them to 25-28.
The Padres split the series with the Diamondbacks, but then cratered in the summer. They had three separate losing streaks of five games or more in June and July, and were mired in last by the time August came around. San Diego became sellers at the trade deadline, trading 2007 Cy Young winner Jake Peavy among others. The Padres actually played better after the trade deadline, finishing one game above .500 in August. They continued their winning ways in September, putting together three winning streaks of three or more games to finish at 18-11 for the month plus the three games in October. San Diego faced the Giants and 300-game-winner Randy Johnson in the final game of the 2009 season. The 46-year-old came on in relief to protect a one-run lead, but allowed a tying run before striking out Padres All-Star Adrian Gonzalez for his 4,875th and final strikeout. The Giants ended up winning in ten innings. San Diego's dreadful summer put them at 50-59 after June 4 and 75-87 overall, but it gave them some hope for the future. That bright future seemed to arrive in 2010. They fought their way to first in the middle of April, and held the first place position for most of the season. They had a three-game lead going into September, but struggled to win consistently. They found themselves overtaken by the Giants, led by their former manager Bochy. The Padres ended the season in second, missing out on the division title by two games and the Wild Card by just one. Then the team had to sit and watch Bochy win the World Series with a dominating victory over the Texas Rangers. By then the Padres had been undergoing a slow transfer of team ownership to former Diamondbacks CEO Jeff Moorad. The sale meant that the team couldn't afford extending their superstar Gonzalez, and he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. The Padres went back to their losing ways, finishing at 71-91 in 2011. Their progress was frustrated by the withdrawal of Moorad from purchasing the remaining shares of the team in 2012. The team would eventually be sold to a different group of owners. The team would finish at 76-86. They continued to finish between 76 and 77 wins between 2012 and 2014 before sinking into the depths once again. They placed all their bets in the 2018 off-season by signing former Orioles superstar Manny Machado for 10 years and $300 million, a sign of their dedication for the future.
The history of the Baltimore Orioles dates back to the 19th century. The team was a member of the minor league Western League as the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers made the jump to a Major League with the rest of the American League in 1901. The initial plan was to move the team to the larger market of St. Louis, but an owner wasn't found until the beginning of 1902, so the team played one year in Milwaukee before moving to St. Louis and becoming the Browns. The Browns finished second in 1902 and that sparked considerable fan interest even if they did become of the worst teams in the American League. They constantly outdrew their National League counterparts the Cardinals. The arrival of pitcher-turned-first baseman George Sisler helped the Browns back into the first division, but by then the Cardinals also strengthened up to become one of the most dominant teams in the National League. So attendance for the Browns dried up and so did the team's competitiveness. The Browns didn't win their first pennant until 1944 when the rest of the American League was decimated due to World War II, and they still lost the World Series to none other than the Cardinals. The difficulties of the war eventually led them to sign the one-armed outfielder Pete Gray for the 1945 season when the team finished third. The return of regular players sent the Browns back into the second division. Not even the zany antics of owner Bill Veeck could rescue the team from losing the battle for St. Louis supremacy. Veeck knew there was no future for the Browns in St. Louis, and knew the other American League owners wanted him out, so he sold the team to a group that moved the team to Baltimore where they became the Orioles.
The Orioles had a rich history from half a century earlier. They were one of the top teams in the National League in the 1890s with such luminaries as John McGraw, Hughie Jennings and Wee Willie Keeler. That team was contracted after 1899, but an American League team of the same name was formed. The team played two seasons and lost to Cy Young in Young's 300th win before folding as well. A third Baltimore Orioles played in the minor league International League in the 1910s and 1920s and featured some of the greatest players of all time, including Babe Ruth and 300-game-winner Lefty Grove, but they eventually folded as well. The Browns/Orioles brought Major Legue Baseball back after a 50-year absence. They were initially as bad as the Browns that left St. Louis, but general manager Paul Richards signed a third baseman from Little Rock, Arkansas named Brooks Robinson. It took young Robinson several years before he was able to catch up to Major League pitching, but his defensive brilliance was evident from the beginning. He was eventually joined by other young stars such as John Wesley "Boog" Powell, James Alvin Palmer, and a 30-year-old Frank Robinson. All of a sudden the Orioles were no longer the laughingstocks of the American League. They made a run for the pennant in 1960 and 1964, before capturing it in 1966 behind the strength of Frank's Triple Crown season. They faced the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of three World Series titles since 1959, but the Orioles defeated Los Angeles's one-two punch of Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax in Games 1 and 2, and then won the next two games by scores of 1-0 for the franchise's first World Series victory. The Orioles had a down season in 1967, but hired minor league manager Earl Weaver halfway into the 1968 season. The fiery Weaver led the Orioles to become the most dominant team from 1969 to his retirement in 1982. The Orioles won over 100 games three years in a row from 1969-1971 and three pennants. However that legendary run produced only one title, in 1970 as they were upset by the Miracle Mets in 1969 and the Pirates in 1971. They continued to be dominant but couldn't find their way to another World Series until 1979, when they were upset in seven games by the "We are Family" Pirates. The Orioles won 100 games a year later, but finished second behind the 103-win New York Yankees. By then the Orioles had another crew of young talent, including first baseman Eddie Murray, Cy Young award winners Mike Flanagan and Steve Stone, and a Maryland native working his way through the minors named Calvin Edward Ripken Jr., son of the longtime Orioles coach. That crew formed the core of an Orioles team that won another title in 1983.
Life was good for the Orioles, but just as abruptly things fell apart. Baltimore had two losing seasons in 1986-87, but things hit rock bottom in 1988. The Orioles started the season 0-21 before finishing at 54-107. Baltimore continued to wallow in mediocrity but got their hands on a smart young right-hander named Mike Mussina. He combined with a veteran cast that included Ripken and Roberto Alomar and Rafael Palmeiro. The Orioles became the most popular team after the devastating strike of 1994. Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's celebrated record for consecutive games played on September 6, 1995. The record captured America's attention and was the most celebrated accomplishment of the year. A year later, the team made the playoffs again as a Wild Card after a 13-year drought. They upset the Cleveland Indians in the Division Series before falling to the New York Yankees in a controversial American League Championship series marred by the Jeffrey Maier incident. A year later Baltimore captured the AL East outright, and toppled Randy Johnson and the Seattle Mariners in the Division Series. However, while Mussina pitched like an ace in the ALCS, the offense disappeared and the Indians got revenge. Just as abruptly, the Orioles fell back below .500 in 1998. Some felt it was due to the resignation of 1997 Manager of the Year winner Davey Johnson after a feud with owner Peter Angelos. Others felt it may have been time for the aging core. Either way the Orioles continued losing. The resignation of general manager Pat Gillick after 1998 didn't help matters as the Orioles floundered and made poor decisions. The avarice of owner Angelos put additional constraints. The losing continued into the 2000s, and the team was embarrassed in 2005 when it was announced that superstar Palmeiro tested positive for steroids two weeks after his celebrated 3,000th hit. The Orioles had 11 straight losing records going into 2009. A five-game losing streak in April offset a 6-2 start, and the Orioles sat at 24-30 after Adrian Beltre's walk-off single on June 3.
The losing continued after their off-day, as the Orioles ended up getting swept by the Oakland Athletics. The team managed a five-game winning streak in late June to put them at 32-37, but that would be the closest Baltimore would get to .500 after June 4. The team went 9-16 in July, and that was good compared to their combined 16-40 record in August and September, highlighted by a 13-game losing streak from September 17-30 that was the longest in 2009. They followed that with four straight wins to finish out the season, but all that did was keep them from losing 100 games as well as the overall #2 pick in the 2010 draft. They finished with an American League worst 64-98, highlighted by a 40-68 record after June 4 that was also the AL's worst. 2010 was shaping up to be another lost season as they started out 2-16. They also missed out on the two most highly touted draft prospects in Bryce Harper and Jameson Taillon. Instead they got a consolation prize in Manny Machado, a Dominican American infielder from Miami. The Orioles suffered through two more losing seasons, but something curious happened in 2012. The team made up of bit pieces of busted prospects such as Adam Jones and Chris Davis was actually good. They were in first through the end of May. The team eventually fell out of first as most people were expecting, but the Orioles brought up their prospect extraordinaire Machado for his Major League debut on August 9, and they went back to winning. Baltimore made a run at the division in September before settling for 93-69, two games behind the Yankees and tied with the Texas Rangers for the Wild Card lead. They played Texas in the inaugural AL Wild Card Game and demolished them and their touted Japanese import Yu Darvish. They fell to the Yankees in the Division Series, but it was a dramatic turnaround for the long down-trodden team. The Orioles finished third in 2013, but stormed to their first division title in 17 years in 2014. They swept their way to the ALCS before falling to the red hot Kansas City Royals. They had one more run at the post-season in 2016 when they advanced to their second Wild Card Game, but lost in 11 innings to the Toronto Blue Jays when manager Buck Showalter refused to bring in other-worldly closer Zach Britton. The Orioles were in the fringes of the Wild Card race when they ruined Adrian Beltre's 3,000th Hit Day on July 30, 2017, but finished with a five-game losing streak to end up back in last place. Any hopes this was an anomaly was immediately disproved when the team collapsed to a franchise-worst 115 games. In particular Davis had went from a 53-home run behemoth in 2013 to one of the worst players in baseball history, and the collapse continues into 2019. It was far from being pretty, but fits right in with the Orioles' culture of mediocrity.
Meanwhile, even though the Seattle Mariners won the game on June 3, 2009 behind Adrian Beltre's walk-off single, that wasn't enough to erase their legacy of failure. The history of the Seattle Mariners dates back essentially to the formation of the Seattle Pilots in the late 1960s. There have been efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Seattle for years before an ownership group finally succeeded with the arrival of the Pilots. However, the expansion was expedited, and the Pilots were unable to field a proper team or build a proper stadium, as the Pilots had to make do with Sicks' Stadium, the aging home of the former minor league Seattle Rainiers. The Pilots bolted for Milwaukee after the year, and the City of Seattle, King County, and Washington State all filed a lawsuit against the American League. In the meanwhile they built the Kingdome for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and outfitted it with the possibility of accommodating a baseball team. The efforts finally paid off when Seattle was granted an expansion team in exchange for having the lawsuit dropped. The Mariners ownership group included comedian Danny Kaye and started play in 1977. However, like the Pilots, the early Mariners weren't very good. They lost 98 games in their first season, and somehow managed to lose even more a year later, dropping 104. The most exciting moment in their first decade was either Gaylord Perry's 300th win on May 6, 1982, or Funny Nose Glasses Night two days later. They did sign a 19-year-old kid out of Puerto Rico named Edgar Martinez that off-season. All of that losing did do some good, as Seattle held the first overall pick of the 1987 draft, and they used it on George Kenneth Griffey Jr., the son of longtime Cincinnati Reds outfielder George Kenneth Griffey Sr. Then with another lost season in 1989, the Mariners shipped disgruntled lefty Mark Langston to Montreal for three pitchers, including a 6'10" giant named Randy Johnson. It took a few years for the core to grow, but that culminated in an 83-79 record in 1991, their first winning record in franchise history. A year later they were bought by an ownership group that included Nintendo executives. The Mariners collapsed to 64-98 in 1992, earning them another first overall pick for 1993. They used that on a Miami area high schooler named Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez.
The Mariners were heading towards another lost season in 1995, and it seemed like the Mainers would have to leave Seattle, especially after a bill for a new stadium was defeated and superstar Griffey was lost due to a wrist injury. However, Seattle went on a winning streak and ended in a tie atop the division. The Mariners defeated the California Angels in a dominating performance by Randy Johnson, sending them to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They fell behind the Yankees 0-2, but won the next three games behind the hot bat of Edgar Martinez. The magical season ended at the hands of the Indians, but it was enough for the Washington State government to approve the construction of a new stadium. The Mariners remained competitive over the next two seasons, losing a tight division battle to the Rangers in 1996 and capturing the AL West in 1997, although their post-season stay was short as they fell to the Orioles in four games. Seattle fell back below .500 in 1998 and 1999 despite strong seasons from their superstars. Even with the increased fan interest the Mariners were unable to compete with the growing salaries, and they ended up trading these same superstars, with Johnson going to the Houston Astros at the 1998 trade deadline and Griffey going to Cincinnati after the 1999 season. Even with those two monster players gone, the Mariners managed a Wild Card in 2000. They defeated the Chicago White Sox in the Division Series before falling to the Yankees in the ALCS. "A-Rod" was allowed to leave after the 2000 season, and the Mariners went instead for Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki. With Ichiro becoming an instant superstar, the Mariners went on what was one of the most dominant season in Major League history. They ended up winning 116 games, tying the 1906 Chicago Cubs for most in a season. Only a dramatic comeback by the Indians on August 5 kept them from 117. However, like the Cubs the Mariners couldn't convert that into a World Series title. They didn't even make it to the World Series, falling in five games in the ALCS. Seattle won 93 games in the next two season, but that wasn't enough for even a Wild Card spot. Almost immediately the Mariners fell back into mediocrity, going 63-99 in 2004. They thought Beltre would be an answer and made him their top free agent signing that off-season, but they remained mediocre, with three losing seasons with a 88-74 season from 2007 in between. They bottomed out with 101 losses in 2008. The Mariners got off to a decent start in April, but still found themselves 26-28 after Beltre's walk-off hit.
The Mariners were unable to get into a consistent winning streak after the off-day, but climbed back over .500 before the end of June. They put up winning records every months after June, but it was never more than two games over .500, and the Mariners found themselves 85-77, ten games out from the Wild Card spot. Beltre was lost for most of the season due to injuries both in his shoulder and in his, ahem, testicles. "King Felix" Hernandez did bloom as a top-rate starting pitcher, and won a Cy Young in 2010. That wasn't enough as the Mariners suffered through another 101-loss season.. Felix remained the only bright spot for the team for several years, climaxing with a perfect game in 2012. Seattle made another big-name free agent signing before the 2014 season, signing second baseman Robinson Cano from the Yankees. This one worked better as the Mariners went 87-75, but they missed the Wild Card Game by one game. They then alternated winning seasons with losing ones, falling short of the playoffs each time. The most devastating came in 2018 when Seattle started the season red hot and held first place into June. They still had a comfortable lead for a Wild Card spot at the All-Star break, but couldn't maintain their winning form afterwards. Meanwhile the Oakland Athletics went on a tear, and the Mariners missed the playoffs by eight games. They sold off all of their aging veterans, keeping their young stars. Surprisingly, Seattle got off to a surprising start, but as Mariners fans know all too well it is too early to celebrate.
It has been 10 years since the events of June 4, 2009. Ten years is not a significant amount of time in one's lives, but for a professional athlete 10 years is a significant time. It is already a significant achievement to reach the Major Leagues in whatever sport one plays, and to spend ten years in the sport is something even fewer can accomplish. The 408 professional athletes that played in one of the games from June 4, 2009 (323 MLB, 22 NBA, 38 NHL, at least 25 MLS) were all in different stages of their careers at that time. Some were established veterans nearing the end of their careers. Others were neophytes that had just started their Major League journeys. There were even two that made their Major League debuts on that day. In the 10 years that had followed players dropped out, either through voluntarily retirement, or they were waiting for Major League calls that never came. Some tried to extend their careers by going overseas. We had one that had lost his life in a tragedy*. And yet through it all there are still players that have persisted, and are still playing in the highest leagues of their profession, ten years after the events of June 4, 2009. Here are the players that had stuck through thick and thin.
Major League Baseball (41)
Brett Anderson (Oakland Athletics)
Elvis "Baby Shark" Andrus (Texas Rangers)
Gordon Beckham (Detroit Tigers)
Emilio Bonifacio (Durham Bulls, AAA)
Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers)
Jay Bruce (Philadelphia Phillies)
Melky Cabrera (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers)
Robinson Cano (New York Mets)
Francisco Cervelli (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Jesse Chavez (Texas Rangers)
Shin-Soo Choo (Texas Rangers)
Nelson Cruz (Minnesota Twins)
Chris Davis (Baltimore Orioles)
Rajai Davis (Syracuse Mets, AAA)
Ross Detwiler (Charlotte Knights, AAA)
Jacoby Ellsbury (New York Yankees, 60-day IL)
Dexter Fowler (St. Louis Cardinals)
Brett Gardner (New York Yankees)
Carlos Gomez (New York Mets)
Curtis Granderson (Miami Marlins)
Cole Hamels (Chicago Cubs)
Matt Joyce (Atlanta Braves)
Matt Kemp (Syracuse Mets, AAA)
Howie Kendrick (Washington Nationals)
Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Ian Kinsler (San Diego Padres)
Russell Martin (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Andrew McCutchen (Philadelphia Phillies)
Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals)
Kendrys Morales (New York Yankees)
Daniel Murphy (Colorado Rockies)
Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox, 60-day IL)
Hunter Pence (Texas Rangers)
Albert Pujols (Los Angeles Angels)
David Robertson (Philadelphia Phillies, 60-day IL)
Pablo Sandoval (San Francisco Giants)
Kurt Suzuki (Washington Nationals)
Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals)
Jordan Zimmermann (Detroit Tigers)
Ben Zobrist (Chicago Cubs)
Major League Soccer (4)
Marc Burch (Memphis 901, USL)
Dejan Jakovic (Los Angeles FC)
Chris Pontius (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Rodney Wallace (Sporting KC)
National Basketball Association (5)
Trevor Ariza (Washington Wizards)
Pau Gasol (Milwaukee Bucks)
Dwight Howard (Washington Wizards)
Courtney Lee (Dallas Mavericks)
J.J. Redick (Philadelphia 76ers)
National Hockey League (11)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Jonathan Ericsson (Detroit Red Wings)
Valtteri Filppula (New York Islanders)
Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas Golden Knights)
Darren Helm (Detroit Red Wings)
Niklas Kronwall (Detroit Red Wings)
Chris Kunitz (Chicago Blackhawks)
Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Brooks Orpik (Washington Capitals)
Jordan Staal (Carolina Hurricanes)
*RIP Luis Valbuena (1985-2018)
And I'll be remiss if I don't mention the minor league players. The 53 minor league games featured 1,310 players in varying stages of their professional career. Some of the players were just starting on the path towards their dream of Major League glory, while others had gotten a taste and were anxious to return. There were the Major League veterans in town for a rehabilitation assignment, while others were assigned to their fates as roster filler. Over the years the fates of these players were just as varied as their nationalities. Some were forced out by the cruelties of professional baseball. Others had a taste of the proverbial cup of coffee. Even more became the roster fillers, playing on for a dream that would never come. And others had achieved Major League success, earning millions and MVP awards and World Series rings and international acclaim. Yet time stands still for no one, and upon the 10th anniversary of that fateful day only 57 of the former minor league players are currently on a Major League roster.
Yonder Alonso (Chicago White Sox)
Alex Avila (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Tim Beckham (Seattle Mariners)
Charlie Blackmon (Colorado Rockies)
Jerry Blevins (Atlanta Braves)
Clay Buchholz (Toronto Blue Jays)
Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco Giants)
Carlos Carrasco (Cleveland Indians)
Welington Castillo (Chicago White Sox)
Starlin Castro (Miami Marlins)
Robinson Chirinos (Houston Astros)
Tyler Clippard (Cleveland Indians)
Zack Cozart (Los Angeles Angels)
Brandon Crawford (San Francisco Giants)
Travis d'Arnaud (Tampa Bay Rays)
Daniel Descalso (Chicago Cubs)
Josh Donaldson (Atlanta Braves)
Lucas Duda (Kansas City Royals)
Mike Dunn (Colorado Rockies)
Jarrod Dyson (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Marco Estrada (Oakland Athletics)
Wilmer Flores (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Todd Frazier (New York Mets)
Carlos Gonzalez (Chicago Cubs)
Dee Gordon (Seattle Mariners)
Javy Guerra (Toronto Blue Jays)
Blaine Hardy (Detroit Tigers)
Josh Harrison (Detroit Tigers)
Eric Hosmer (San Diego Padres)
Chris Iannetta (Colorado Rockies)
Jon Jay (Chicago White Sox, 60-day IL)
Erik Kratz (San Francisco Giants)
Martin Maldonado (Kansas City Royals)
Cameron Maybin (New York Yankees)
Mark Melancon (San Francisco Giants)
Mitch Moreland (Boston Red Sox)
Charlie Morton (Tampa Bay Rays)
Juan Nicasio (Philadelphia Phillies)
Dan Otero (Cleveland Indians)
Steve Pearce (Boston Red Sox)
Wily Peralta (Kansas City Royals)
Manny Pina (Milwaukee Brewers)
Jose Pirela (San Diego Padres)
Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)
Anthony Rizzo (Chicago Cubs)
Miguel Rojas (Miami Marlins)
Austin Romine (New York Yankees)
Hector Rondon (Houston Astros)
Jeff Samardzija (San Francisco Giants)
Carlos Santana (Cleveland Indians)
Jean Segura (Philadelphia Phillies)
Eric Sogard (Toronto Blue Jays)
Donovan Solano (San Francisco Giants)
Hunter Strickland (Seattle Mariners, 60-day IL)
Pedro Strop (Chicago Cubs)
Mark Trumbo (Baltimore Orioles, 60-day IL)
Justin Turner (Los Angeles Dodgers)
An additional 35 players are still toiling for one of the affiliated minor league teams, waiting for another chance to prove themselves on the Major League level, or waiting for a call that may never come. Their perseverance is just as impressive.
Fernando Abad (Sacramento River Cats, AAA)
Jim Adduci (Iowa Cubs, AAA)
Brandon Barnes (Columbus Clippers, AAA)
Brandon Beachy (Richmond Flying Squirrels, AAA)
Zach Collier (Harrisburg Senators, AA)
Collin Cowgill (Fresno Grizzlies, AAA)
Jake Elmore (Indianapolis Indians, AAA)
Alcides Escobar (Charlotte Knights, AAA)
Danny Farquhar (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRaiders, AAA)
Tim Federowicz (Columbus Clippers, AAA)
Ryan Flaherty (Columbus Clippers, AAA)
Tuffy Gosewisch (San Antonio Missions, AAA)
Brandon Guyer (Charlotte Knights, AAA)
Hernan Iribarren (Louisville Bats, AAA)
Corban Joseph (Las Vegas Aviators, AAA)
Sean Kazmar Jr. (Gwinnett Stripers, AAA)
Pete Kozma (Toledo Mud Hens, AAA)
Ryan Lavarnway (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRaiders, AAA)
Jose Lobaton (Tacoma Rainiers, AAA)
Adam Moore (Nashville Sounds, AAA)
Hector Noesi (New Orleans Baby Cakes, AAA)
Chris Parmelee (Tulsa Drillers, AA)
Francisco Pena (Sacramento River Cats, AAA)
Cliff Pennington (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRaiders, AAA)
Shane Robinson (Lehigh Valley IronPigs, AAA)
Andrew Romine (Lehigh Valley IronPigs, AAA)
Wilin Rosario (Rochester Red Wings, AAA)
Marc Rzepczynski (Reno Aces, AAA)
JB Shuck (Indianapolis Indians, AAA)
Chris Stewart (El Paso Chihuahuas, AAA)
Ruben Tejada (Syracuse Mets, AAA)
Josh Thole (Oklahoma City Dodgers, AAA)
Bobby Wilson (Toledo Mud Hens, AAA)
Rob Wooten (Louisville Bats, AAA)
Eric Young Jr. (Tacoma Rainiers, AAA)
RIP Greg Halman (1987-2011)
Sources
Woooow, when I started this part I expected it to just be a simple summary of a couple of baseball games and a few games in other sports. I never imagined a 140,000-word behemoth where I go over the history of every single Major League Baseball team as well as a select few other teams in MLS, NHL, and NBA. I also never expected it to include biographies of over 300 baseball players. But as you know, once you go down a rabbit hole you can never imagine how deep you can go. As far as sources go, there are a few sources that I returned to time and time again. Primary of those is...Wikipedia! That was where I got a lot of information about history of ballparks and history of franchises not in baseball. I referred a lot to Sports Reference sites, primarily Baseball Reference. They have the play by play for all of the baseball games from June 4 and a lot of history of ballplayers. There are several games where the full games are available online, including the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals games. I relied on those to get a lot of the play by play. For the rest I was able to find some condensed games, but it is easier to just refer to the play by play. Meanwhile I relied on other sources for specific details. Usually that comes into play whenever I need additional detail that is not available on Wikipedia or Sports Reference. I will list them individually by game.
Pirates 11, Mets 6
I did refer a little bit to Sports Illustrated for their 2009 season preview. I went to CNBC to look up news about the Mets' relationship in the Madoff scandal. This was one of the games unavailable online, so I had to refer to the ESPN and the New York Times game story for some additional information. I looked up the Pirates' transactions on ESPN so I can identify the pieces that had to move for McCutchen to make his Major League debut. The Baseball Cube has a list of Baseball America's top 10 prospects for each team per year. I referred to this numerous times for other teams. I couldn't find Ross Ohlendorf's senior thesis in its entirety, but information about it is available online. The New York Daily News has information about Mike Pelfrey's injuries. I also had to look online for info about injuries to Alex Cora and to Ryan Doumit. I had to go online for some information about Carlos Beltran's relationship with Mets fan, finding information on ESPN and USA Today. ESPN also had information about Ramon Vazquez's contract. You can probably find videos of Wright's amazing catch anywhere, but this site has GIFs with multiple angles. I looked up some sources for just how historic Ken Takahashi's debut really was, and this article confirms that there really only were three older. I referred online for information about Sean Burnett's two Tommy John surgeries. ESPN also had a nice article about Jesse Chavez that gave a lot of his history. Steven Jackson's college stats were available on the Baseball Cube. I couldn't track down the name of the scorer for this game, but that's not from lack of trying. I did find this touching article about longtime scorer Tony Krizmanich.
Angels 6, Blue Jays 5
Once again this is another game that was not available online, so I did have to rely on the ESPN game story. Some of the information about Rogers Centre's history came from a 20th anniversary post from City News. There were a lot of news about Nick Adenhart's tragic death, but some of the most detailed facts about Adenhart's early life came from Baltimore Sun's coverage, possibly given Adenhart's Baltimore connection. ESPN had more information about the crash itself. While Gary Matthews Jr.'s catch is not at Wright's level, it's still worth a watch. Dirk Hayhurst's own blog became a resource for his career. The controversial play between A-Rod and Clark and McDonald generated a lot of good columns, such as this one from the Chicago Tribune. Jay Jaffe writes a lot of good articles about the Hall of Fame candidates, and I relied on his work for information about Darren Oliver's unique career. Fox Sports had information about his comeback.
Red Sox 6, Tigers 3
Dontrelle Willis's bizarre drop-off had been written about a lot, but this article by ESPN is one of the best with tracking his steady decline. Tim Wakefield's own career was the subject of a story from the New Yorker. Similarly, Boston Magazine had a profile of Dustin Pedroia that proved to be very useful. I had to go way back to look up information related to J.D. Drew's contract controversies, but SABR had me covered. ESPN was the source of the transactions that resulted in Jeff Larish and Clete Thomas getting called up. Jason Bay's draft experiences that made its way into the was found in a story from the New York Daily News. I had to look up the front offices portion of the 2009 Tigers Media Guide to look up the name of the trainer. Jacoby Ellsbury's lineup adventures came from an article by NESN. George Kottaras's professional history came from an article from Boston.com. Kevin Youkilis's injury notes came from the Boston Herald.
Yankees 8, Rangers 6
There were a lot of question marks about the weather in New York on June 4, 2009, but I finally found some information on the Old Farmer's Almanac. The inside story of how the old Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins and how the new Senators came to be came from the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. The information about A-Rod's trade to Boston that was vetoed came via the Boston Globe. NJ.com had information about some of the other prospects from the deal. A lot of Wang's history in baseball came from the Taiwan Wiki Page. I referred to Wang's page as well as the page about Tan Hsin-Ming, the trailblazer from the 1970s. The MLB preview page on the Wang documentary included a lot of extra information about his career. The information about the first exhibition game at Yankee Stadium came from a Yankees blog. Some of Brandon McCarthy's history came from Beyond the Box Score. I referred to The Baseball Cube for information on Michael Young's stats at UC Santa Barbara. New York Daily News was a source for Nick Swisher's early life. Details about Marlon Byrd's long journey from his infection came from Cleveland.com. Hideki Matsui's journey from Japan to the Yankees came from GoldSea. Jorge Posada's May injury news came from NJ.com. Some of Taylor Teagarden's UT exploits came from a Longhorns fansite. Jason Jennings's Baylor exploits came from the Waco Tribune. David Robertson's college exploits also came from a fansite.
Twins 11, Indians 3
Like two of the previous games, this game was not available online, so I had to refer to the ESPN game story. I looked online for information about the noise level at the Metrodome, and found some good articles at the UPI and the Chicago Tribune. The history of the Indians name is long and confusing, but Joe Posnanski did his best to unravel the mystery. I tried to include an extra storyline for every game, but had a difficult time thinking of one for this game, so I just went with an extended history of Jason Kubel. I included information from the Minnesota Post, Bleacher Report, and Twin Cities Pioneer Press. The Fausto Carmona false-identity case was also very fascinating, and I got news from ESPN and Cleveland.com. Chris Gimenez's history was summarized very succinctly at the San Benito newspaper. The news of Trevor Crowe's journey to the Indians roster was from Bleacher Report and Cleveland.com. The tragic death of Luis Valbuena was covered in a multitude of sources, but ESPN is always a faithful source. His journey to the Majors was covered in Banished to the Pen. Cleveland.com had a good article about Tomo Ohka's comeback trail.
Athletics 7, White Sox 0
The history of New Comiskey Park / Guaranteed Rate Field is a lot more complex than I might expected. I found some information on CBS Sports about a potentially different ballpark, while the Baltimore Sun had a review of the ballpark when it first opened. The arrival of Gordon Beckham was covered in an ESPN note from the Associated Press, and ESPN had a list of the transactions that led to the call-up. Mark Buehrle's trail to the Majors came from an article from St. Peters. Wes Whistler has a baseball academy where he mentioned his history. You can apparently email him there as well. I don't believe I will.
Rays 3, Royals 2
Zack Greinke became the subject of my extra news item, and a lot of his history came from Joe Posnanski's article about him from Sports Illustrated. NBC Sports had an article about James Shields and his connection to his cousin Aaron Rowand. Gil Meche's career was profiled in Baseball Prospectucs as well as Minor League Ball at SB Nation. The Hardball Times had an article comparing Meche to Chris Carpenter. The New York Times featured an article about Willy Aybar's battle with alcohol that was posted conveniently on the Herald Tribune. Ben Zobrist's road to the Big Leagues was covered in the Christian Index. Meanwhile his conversion to a power hitter was covered in Drays Bay on SBN Nation. The Jose Guillen aborted suspension was a little bit confusing, but I found some information on ESPN and the Wichita Eagle that clarified things. An ESPN fantasy blog had some information about Guillen's struggles in early 2009. Bleacher Report provided a history of Matt Joyce reaching the Majors. The Royals Beat by Dick Kaegel had some history about John Bale. Meanwhile Troy Percival's last days was covered in ESPN.
Marlins 4, Brewers 3
The history of the Seattle Pilots is certainly a fascinating rabbit hole, but I looked online for a few articles specifically about the bankruptcy, finding a couple of sites. I got additional information about Trevor Hoffman's kidney issues. Wake Forest had a good article about Dave Bush's time there.
Rockies 10, Astros 3
The history of Minute Maid Park is tied closely with the Enron Scandal just because of the naming rights. The scope of the scandal is way too broad for this post, but I did look up a Forbes article that had a good summary. The history of the Rockies was also a fascinating history and the Denver Post had a good summary about the man that rescued the team. The effects of the thin air on offense in Colorado is also an interesting question, and I looked up an article from the University of Wisconsin and another from the University of Illinois in an attempt to quantify that. The chaos surrounding the Rockies managerial situation was taken from ESPN. The Yorvit Torrealba kidnapping case was big news, and I relied a lot of resources, ultimately finding some good ones from Westword and USA Today. The Los Angeles Times and the News Tribune had other articles about the dangers that Hispanic players face. The Houston Chronicle had a good story about Wandy Rodriguez's early life especially with examining the falsification of his age. The Kansas City Star had an article about Jason Hammel. I had to go on the Denver Post to look up information about Ryan Spilborghs's injury. The connection between Todd Helton and Peyton Manning is fairly well documented, but Spink award winner Tracy Ringolsby had a great article about it. Brandon Backe's history is fairly complex. The Houston Astros website had a story about his history, while the Houston Chronicles had an article about the fight at the 2008 wedding that he claims led to the end of his career.
Giants 4, Nationals 1
Yes, I admit I kind of cheated and included a story about Randy Johnson's 300th Win and a little bit about the rainout. I admit Zack Hample's blog had an entertaining story about the rainout while ESPN had some additional information, including when the game was finally called. I had to go to ESPN for information for how Ron Villone was called up. I relied on PitchFX to get the specifics for pitches thrown in the Johnson 300 game. Bleacher Report had some good articles about Nick Johnson's injury history and Elijah Dukes's early life.
Cardinals 3, Reds 1
I admit I had a hard time coming up with a good storyline for this story, but Tony LaRussa's Twitter lawsuit was as good as any. I relied on information from Mashable, Scribd which had the full complaint, ESPN, and Digital Media Law Project. Whew! Viva El Birdos had a good article about LaRussa's playing career, and ESPN had information about his DUI arrest. In case you're interested, his arrest and interview in jail are available on YouTube. Ahem. Minor League Ball on SB Nation had information about Aaron Harang as a prospect, while USA Today and Boston Globe had a history of Jonny Gomes's sordid history, including his heart attack and the accident that killed his friend.
Phillies 3, Dodgers 0
The history of Dodger Stadium is an unpleasant reminder of the ugliness of sports. There have been plenty written about the history of Chavez Ravine, but I relied on articles by KPCC and Curbed Los Angeles so I can write my quick and easy version. Los Angeles Times had an op-ed that talked about the financing of Dodger Stadium. Bleacher Report had an article about Clayton Kershaw's early life, especially his friendship with Matthew Stafford. Cole Hamels's early career was covered in The Good Phight at SB Nation. While Kershaw and Hamels were rare high school phenoms that made good, Tom Verducci of SI.com had an article detailing the risks that comes with drafting high school pitchers. Jayson Werth and the Schofields is a fun story that was covered in the Passion 4 Baseball blog. The Los Angeles Times was the source for Rafael Furcal's injuries and Jamie Hoffmann's life and career.
Cubs 0, Braves 0, PPD
I tried. I really tried, but I just couldn't find an article that had the projected lineup for this postponed game. Not even the Times Free Press had it. Not even ESPN had it. ESPN was the source for several other information, including Tom Glavine's release, his earlier health scare, and his DL stints in 2008. The Atlanta Journal Constitution had a good article about Jair Jurrjens's early life and career while a Long Island Ducks fansite featured an interview with him where he talked about his relationship with Andruw Jones. MLB Trade Rumors had information about the trade that brought him to Atlanta. Carlos Zambrano's colorful career was recounted with NBC Sports and SportsMockery. The tantrum that got him the suspension is available on YouTube.
United 2, Red Bulls 0
This game was really hard just because the game is not available online, and it's surprisingly difficult to find any information about it. Heck, even Wikipedia had errors on the 2009 DC United schedule. I ultimately found the error by looking on the United website. All I had was the game stories from the Washington Post and Washington Times. In the end I stumbled across Santino Quaranta's goal on YouTube, and that eventually led to a video of the Condensed Game which included the lineup and some of the key plays. I also found some good game photos from Getty Images. The Lower Merion Soccer Club history had information about Jon Conway's youth soccer history. The Brotherly Game site on SB Nation had additional information about Conway's career. NJ.com and the New York Daily News had information about his PED suspension, while the New York Post had information about his eventual return. The Portland Timbers website had a story of Josh Wicks's transfer to the Los Angeles Galaxy, while the DC United had a story about his trade. Santino Quaranta's battle with drug addiction was very fascinating, and there were powerful stories on Sports Illustrated as well as the Washington Post. The Post also had information on Christian Gomez's trade. Soccer America had an article about Jaime Moreno.
Penguins 4, Red Wings 2
This game is available online in its entirety, but I also watched the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions DVD for some additional inside information. The NHL website had a brief history of the Penguins including their bankruptcy troubles. Real Clear Sports had more information about their bankruptcy. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette had information about the demolition of the hospital that occupied the site of the current Penguins arena. The Athletic had a great oral history about the moves that the 2008-09 Penguins made to make them champions while the Last Word on Hockey had a more standard article about that trade deadline. I had to look on the NHL website for the start times of each game of the Finals. The Post Gazette also had a great story on Evgeni Malkin's early career, including the defection that brought him to the NHL. Highlights of the November 11, 2008 game is available on YouTube.
Lakers 100, Magic 75
The construction of the Staples Center made for some great tabloid fodder. The Los Angeles Times had a great article about the influences. I had to look on NBA Hoops Online for information about the Detroit Gems. The LA Times also had information about the trade that got Kobe to the Lakers. ESPN had an information about Phil Jackson's career from North Dakota to the Lakers. The Triangle Offense is a complicated beast, but I did the best I can looking at a Grantland article. Some of the celebrities that were at the game was available on pictures from Getty Images.
Odds and Ends
I included some of the other big sports news in this section. I never realized that there was so much going on at the French Open until I looked at the schedule. An interview of Dinara Safina with Paul Fein had some information about her history. Samantha Stosur's own website had some history about her battle with Lyme disease. I never did figure out why Luke Donald moved to the US, but Northwestern had a good article about his collegiate history. The Gold Channel had the entire standings for the Memorial and included all of the individual performances for each round. The PGA Tour website had some information about Tiger's performance. I realized that the minor league baseball website had box scores and play by play for each minor league game. I sure as heck am not going to do a writeup about every bloody game, but I did go through every team and looked up the scores and winning and losing pitchers for each game. I did look up the Stockton Port website for my short write-up of the 21-inning game. The Hardball Times had a good article about the life of C. Arnholt Smith, the first owner of the Padres and his purchase and eventual sale of the Padres.
I included some of the other big sports news in this section. I never realized that there was so much going on at the French Open until I looked at the schedule. An interview of Dinara Safina with Paul Fein had some information about her history. Samantha Stosur's own website had some history about her battle with Lyme disease. I never did figure out why Luke Donald moved to the US, but Northwestern had a good article about his collegiate history. The Gold Channel had the entire standings for the Memorial and included all of the individual performances for each round. The PGA Tour website had some information about Tiger's performance. I realized that the minor league baseball website had box scores and play by play for each minor league game. I sure as heck am not going to do a writeup about every bloody game, but I did go through every team and looked up the scores and winning and losing pitchers for each game. I did look up the Stockton Port website for my short write-up of the 21-inning game. The Hardball Times had a good article about the life of C. Arnholt Smith, the first owner of the Padres and his purchase and eventual sale of the Padres.
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