Six years after bringing home their first NASBL World Series championship, Stephen Beard's Lake Champlain Cannibals have scratched their way to a second coveted trophy.
Having beaten out Doug Sherlag's Isotopes by the narrowest of margins (1 game) for the Tastes Great Wildcard, Lake Champlain had to run a gauntlet comprised of John Moscariello's Tastes Great South champion New Jersey Trash Heap, Stan Pietruska's powerhouse 99-win Hawaiians, and finally the return of Frank Pennylegion's Seattle Pilots to their 2nd consecutive World Series appearance.
Game 1: LCC's Clayton Kershaw (13-10, 3.75, 257 k's) vs SPL's Felix Hernandez (17-9, 3.56, 210 k's). Seattle took early advantage of Kershaw's characteristic wildness. The NASBL regular-season leader in walks (134) and wild pitches (19) brought both into play early, as Seattle put together four 1st-inning runs on an Ichiro Suzuki double, walks to Willy Aybar, Mark Texeira, Jermaine Dye, and Brendan Harris. Interspersed were a wild pitch that allowed a run, and a Freddy Sanchez single. Lake Champlain answered back with a Curtis Granderson 3-run homerun in the top of the 2nd, but LCC still trailed by a run in the bottom of the 8th. Things got worse when Seattle tallied 3 runs on singles by Texeira, Jack Cust, Jimmy Rollins, and Ichiro (as well as a Rickie Weeks error.) But as they had earlier in the game LCC answered back with the longball in the top of the 9th. With Seattle closer Heath Bell (1-4, 3.38, 25 saves) on the mound, a single by rookie Everth Cabrera drove in fellow rook Garrett Jones, and a JD Drew walk and a Ryan Zimmerman 3-run homer tied the game. But Seattle superhero Joe Mauer (.347/41/110) removed all mystery, hammering the first pitch by Alfredo Aceves for a game-winning homerun. SPL 9 - LCC 8. SPL leads the series 1-0.
Game 2: Injury-prone LCC starter Erik Bedard (2-3, 4.82 in 15 starts) vs Seattle horse and post-season hero Cliff Lee (9-17, 4.95). The normally accurate Lee unaccountably walked two Cannibals in the first, but managed to escape unscathed. However, in the top of the 3rd Lee wasn't as lucky when his control deserted him. Cannibal Juan Pierre slapped a "wild in the zone" triple into the corner, then scored on a rare Cliff Lee wild pitch. As in game 1 though, the Pilots had an answer. A Freddy Sanchez base hit and a David Dejesus walk put two ducks on the pond for Willy Aybar, who obligingly doubled in a run. A walk to MVP candidate Joe Mauer loaded the bags for the Pilots, and a Ryan Zimmerman error allowed 2 more runs to cross the plate. LCC brought the game to within 1 on a Hideki Matsui solo shot in the 7th, then Seattle once again brought Heath Bell on to close out the game. As in game 1, Bell was not equal to the task. Garrett Jones singled, and came all the way around to score the tying run on a JD Drew double. With the game tied in the top of the 10th, LCC was again able to use their footspeed to scratch out another run. Troy Tulowitzki singled, then went 1st to 3rd on another single by midseason acquisition Adam Lind. Tulowitzki scored the go-ahead run on a Brian McCann sac fly. But as in game 1, Lake Champlain's bullpen was unable to close out the game. The Pilots soundly strafed LCC bullpen workhorse Mike Wuertz. A Mark Teixeira walk set the stage for an Aaron Rowand RBI double to tie the game. Then Rowand came around to score the winning run on a Russell Branyan base knock. SPL 5 - LCC 3. SPL leads the series 2-0.
The series shifts to Lake Champlain.
Game 3: Top Seattle offseason acquisition Javier Vazquez (17-10, 3.61, 269 k's) vs LCC's second-year southpaw Jonathan Sanchez (11-6, 4.70, 180 k's.) On paper, Seattle had a big edge in the pitching matchup. But down on the field, the Lake Champlain hitters, charged up by the familiar post-season music (Guns and Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle") were swinging for the fences. LCC struck early and often, tallying 3 homeruns against Vazquez in his 6 innings of work, then adding 2 more longballs against the Pilot pen for good measure. While Seattle also mustered a 2-run shot by Willy Aybar, it was not nearly enough as Lake Champlain cruised to a 9-2 victory and narrowed the Seattle series lead to a single game.
Game 4: King Felix vs LCC forgotten man Randy Wolf (10-7, 6.08). Mothballed for most of the postseason, Wolf and his ability to control opposing left-handed bats were summoned for a rare playoff start. The well-rested Wolf did not disappoint. LCC hitters gave their southpaw hurler an early 4-0 lead on a pair of 2-run homers by Garrett Jones and Ryan Zimmerman, and Wolf made it stand up with a complete game featuring 8 scoreless innings, and marred only by a 9th inning Jermaine Dye solo shot. LCC 4 - SPL 1, series tied at 2-2.
Game 5: Two lefties locked horns, with veteran Cliff Lee facing off against 2nd year man Clayton Kershaw. Seattle drew first blood for the first time in The Jungle, as uber-hitter Joe Mauer went yard in the top of the first. This touched off a see-saw affair hugely reminiscent of the game 1 and 2 back and forth battles. Lake Champlain's JD Drew hammered a solo shot in the 2nd to tie the game, and the Cannibals (temporarily) seized the lead in the 3rd on a 2-base Jermaine Dye error on a Tulowitzki flyball, followed by an RBI double by former long-time Pilot Paul Konerko. But Seattle tied the game up in the 6th on a brace of doubles by middle-infield duo Brendan Harris and Freddy Sanchez. The lead though was short-lived. Another Konerko double, followed by a homerun from backup Cannibal catcher Henry Blanco put LCC in front for the briefest of moments. Another homerun by the amazing Joe Mauer in the 7th, and a bases-loaded RBI walk by pinch hitter Mike Lowell against Cannibal ROOGY Jason Frasor had the game tied. But the balance shifted yet again in the bottom of the 8th, as a Brian McCann walk, a Rickie Weeks RBI triple, and a Ryan Zimmerman sac fly provided the final margin of victory. LCC 6 - SPL 4, Lake Champlain leads the series 3 games to 2.
The series again shifts, this time back to the west. Seattle manager Frank Pennylegion states "we need a miracle now," while Lake Champlain skipper Steve Beard is quoted as saying "It worries me that the home team has won every game so far. A couple of days ago, I liked it. Now, not so much..."
Game 6: Bedard vs Vazquez. The Pilots' offense takes off quickly with an Ichiro leadoff single. And as always, Joe Mauer is operating well at altitude. The Seattle slugger slams a 2-run blast to give the Pilots an early lead in this critical game. Vazquez controls the Lake Champlain bats until the 5th inning, when a Rickie Weeks homerun (his 3rd of the series) ties the game at 2. As in Game 5 though, Seattle has an immediate answer. Brendan Harris singles, and David DeJesus doubles. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Pilot leadoff hitter Ichiro Suzuki does what he does best, guiding a 2-run single over the heads of the infielders and just in front of the oncoming Curtis Granderson. Lake Champlain then unleashes a barrage of baserunners in the top of the 6th. Three singles, two walks, and a big 3-run double by Hideki Matsui score four runs for the Cannibals, giving LCC a 2-run lead. But again the resilient Pilots have an answer. Cleanup hitter Mark Teixeira leads off the bottom of the 6th with a solo shot that brings the Pilots within a run, before Aaron Rowand walks and goes 1st to 3rd on a Russ Branyan single before scoring to tie the game on a Freddy Sanchez sac fly. LCC is not done though. In the top of the 7th, a Garrett Jones leadoff double keys yet another 4-run rally, putting LCC up by 4 with 3 to play. Yet again, Seattle immediately responds with the stick. A Ronnie Belliard single and a (guess who) Joe Mauer triple score a run, and Mauer scores a second run on a Teixeira groundout. Amazingly though, these 7th and 8th runs are all the Pilots are destined to get on this night, and in this postseason. Four LCC relievers are able to close out the 8th and 9th innings, giving Lake Champlain the 10-8 victory and the World Series victory, 4 games to 2.
While congratulations go out to Frank Pennylegion on his excellent job guiding his Seattle Pilots to their 2nd consecutive World Series appearance, the 2010 NASBL World Series champions are... The Lake Champlain Cannibals!
No comments:
Post a Comment