Troy, NY: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Charles Dickens couldn't have said it any better. After a trilling and exciting 110 win season, the Troy Haymakers could not stop the powerful Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, who win the NASBL World Series in 6 games. It was a great series, set up by an epic game 1 that set the tone for the rest of the games.
Game 1: Josh Johnson vs Brett Myers. Troy started the series off with Joey Bats belting a 3-run homer in the bottom of the first. The Iron Pigs hit 3 solo shots off Myers to tie the game by the third inning and jumped ahead by the 6th by a score of 7-5. Troy valiantly battled back in the 7th and 8th to tie the game at 7. In the 10th inning, Jason Werth hit a 2-run blast off Huston Street to take the lead and Wagner held on in the bottom of the 10th to pick up the victory. Werth, who hit .230 with 6 homeruns for Lehigh Valley as a mid season pickup, shows his worth by belting 2 homeruns in the game.
Game 2: Clay Buchholz vs Francisco Liriano. The Iron Pigs jump to an early 4-0 lead, but the Haymakers battle back and take the lead thanks to some well placed hits by David Murphy. Troy takes the lead in the 5th and holds on for a 6-4 victory.
Game 3: Chris Carpenter vs John Lester. The series moves to Lehigh Valley where the Iron Pigs jump out again to an early 3-0 lead. They would add another run in the 4th off Carpenter, and it was enough to hold on to the victory. Lester scatters 4 hits and 5 walks over 6 and a third and the bullpen closed the door on Troy. David Murphy came up big with a pinch hit 2 RBI single in the seventh, but it wasn't enough as Lehigh Valley wins 4-3 and takes a 2-1 series lead.
Game 4: John Garland vs Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda and the Iron Pigs bullpen throw a gem of a game, scattering 6 hits and only giving up 1 run as Lehigh Valley coasts to a 4-1 victory. Jason Werth hits a big 2-run homer early in the game to set the pace.
Game 5: Madison Bumgarner vs Josh Johnson. The Iron Pigs fans smell blood as they hope their team can win on their home turf, but young phenom and emergency starter Madison Bumgarner baffle the Lehigh Valley bats. Bumgarner and Guerrier combine for a 9 hit shutout as the Haymaker bats score 4 in the 5th and 5 in the 8th to force the series back to Troy.
Game 6: Clay Buchholz vs Francisco Liriano. The excited Haymaker fans were quickly quieted in the second inning when the Iron Pigs plated 4 runs. It proved to be all Buchholz would need as he and Soriano combine for a 6 hit shutout; and send over 50,000 fans to their local watering holes to cry in their beers and exclaim, "Wait 'til next year!"
Congrats to Kevin and his great team on winning the NASBL World Series!!
4 comments:
It was a great series Ken. Game 1 was particularly nerve wracking on both sides. It was a shame that someone had to lose.
Congratulations on a great season to the Troy Haymakers and their rabid fans. Troy is a tough place to play for a visiting team.
The offseason has officially begun. Happy trading!
Congrats to both LVI and the the new NASBL Champ TRY. You both built power house teams!
Congratulations Kevin! You put together an awesome team and played your cards well.
And congratulations also to Ken for a great season by any standard. I experienced the Iron Pigs buzzsaw in the playoffs myself and got taken to school.
Way to bring the crown back to the South Kevin. That's at least three in a row for the Tastes Great and two out of the last three for the South!
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