The IronPigs and Haymakers had a rematch of the 2011 World Series. Each team had the best record in their respective conference but each team took a different road to reach the finals. The IronPigs rode the arms of their pitching staff to a league best 3.23 ERA during the regular season. The Haymakers belted out 242 homeruns which tied them for second
in the league. The Haymakers made a strong push by making some mid season trades to bolster their pitching staff which aided them in garnering the all important 1st round bye. The series promised to be an interesting juxtaposition of irresistible force and immoveable object. Which would prevail?
Game 1: Medlen vs. Greinke
The series started at the Pig Pen where the oufield fences distances are measured in yards, rather than feet. Both starters pitched well and the game was tied at 1 after 9 innings. Lehigh Valley came out the victor in the
11th inning. After an out was recorded,
Albert Pujols doubled. Eric Chavez struck out, unable to help the
rally. Billy Butler then doubled
making Lehigh Valley the victor and beginning a joyous home town celebration. Troy was out-hit by Lehigh Valley, 10 hits to
4. Koji Uehara(1-0)
allowed no runs in 1 and 1/3 innings, and picked up the victory. Rafael
Soriano(0-1) absorbed the loss in relief.
He gave up 1 run and 1 hit in 2/3
of an inning. It was Uehara's 4th win in the post season.
IronPigs lead the series 1-0
Game 2: Niese vs. Beachy
The IronPig fans were very happy to collect a win in game 1 and go into game 2 with their best starter on the mound, looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Fortunately for the Haymaker faithful, the game was not decided on paper. Troy broke a tie with a run in the 9th inning.
After two were out, Bernadina
delivered a single. Bernadina was
running on the next pitch and he stole
second. Fernando Rodney (0-1) then uncorked a
wild pitch that found its way to the
backstop. Chase Headley came up and he
lined a base-hit. Adam Laroche came up to bat
and reached on an error. Troy finished
with 11 hits in the
victory.
Series is tied 1-1
Game 3: Anderson vs. Johnson
The venue changed to Haymaker Grounds where the outfield fences are approximately 25' beyond the infield dirt. IronPig outfielder and NASBL stolen base leader, Juan Pierre was even thinking longball in this stadium. A side story included the axiom that, frequently, professional sporting events are won by the team with the largest Johnson. If that is the case, 6'-7" Josh Johnson should never lose to anyone except 6'10" Randy Johnson. The Unit was not pitching for the IronPigs, so no worries there.
Albert Pujols hit
2 doubles at Haymaker's Grounds where the Lehigh Valley IronPigs beat the
Troy Haymakers by the score of 7 to 2. Troy was unable
to claim the lead after Lehigh Valley went ahead in the 4th inning as they
scored 2 runs on 3 base hits. Lehigh
Valley rapped out 9 hits for the
night. The winning pitcher
was Brett Anderson(1-0) who allowed 1 run in 5 innings. Unfortunately for the Haymaker faithful, Josh Johnson(0-1)
did not get the memo that "size matters" and took the loss. He allowed 5 hits and 2
walks in 6 innings.
IronPigs lead the series 2-1
Game 4: Strasburg vs. Bumgarner
NASBL TG Cy Young award winner Steven Strasburg took the mound for the IronPigs in game 4. He was faced by Troy ace Madison Bumgarner. Ryan Cook closed
it out for Troy as the Troy Haymakers bested the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs
6 to 4 at Haymaker's Grounds. The game was delayed in the 4th inning when the benches cleared after
IronPig manager Burns pulled Strasburg with runners on the corners and 1
out. Troy manager Anderson took issue with pulling a starter that had
not given up any runs to that point. After order was restored, the
Haymakers responded by plating 6 runs against the IronPig bullpen. The big moment was
provided by Josh Hamilton who made the
crowd come alive when he clubbed a two-run home run. Lehigh Valley could do
no damage in the 9th. Joel Peralta(1-0)
allowed no runs in 2/3 of an inning, and picked up the victory. Peralta
got help from Cook who was credited with his 1st save. Charlie Furbush(0-1)
was hit with the loss in relief.
Series tied 2-2
Game 5: Greinke vs. Medlen
Troy fans were elated to find their team playing at home in a tie series with their best pitcher on the mound for game 5. The winner of this game takes a commanding 3-2 series lead heading into game 6. The IronPig bats came alive in this game. Robinson Cano
slammed 2 homeruns and had 5 RBI as the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs defeated the Troy
Haymakers 7 to 3 at Haymaker's Grounds. Cano enjoyed a
fine evening at the plate. He lofted a
three-run 'big-fly' in the 1st inning
and bombed a two-run dinger in the 5th inning.
Lehigh Valley had 13 hits for
the night while Troy had 8. Zack Greinke(1-0)
allowed 3 runs in 6 innings, and picked up the victory. Fernando Rodney
got the save, his 1st. Kris Medlen(0-1)
was hit with the loss. He gave up 6 runs in 4 and 1/3 innings of
work.
IronPigs lead the series 3-2
Game 6: Niese vs. Beachy
The series heads back to the spacious confines of the Pig Pen for game 6 with the IronPigs holding a 3-2 series lead. Ryan Cook had an
impressive outing at The Pig Pen as the Troy Haymakers beat
the Lehigh Valley
Iron Pigs in 12 innings by the count of 4 to 2. The game was
deadlocked at 2 after nine full innings.
Troy tied the game with a 1 out homerun off IronPig closer Houston Street. Troy won the game in the 12th
inning. Edwin Encarnacion led off and
got things going when he drew a walk. Corey Hart next to the plate and he slapped a
single. Fernando Rodney then let
one get away for a wild pitch. Allen
Craig came up and he stroked a
one-base hit. Aaron Hill was the next
batter, but he struck out. Rodney then
uncorked a pitch that was ruled a passed ball.
Russell Martin dug into the
batters box next, but he struck out.
Alcides Escobar followed, but he was set
down on strikes. Although they lost,
Lehigh Valley did out-hit Troy 11
to 5. Sean
Marshall(1-0) picked up the victory, allowing no runs in 1/3 of an inning. Marshall
was helped out by Greg Holland who recorded his 1st save. Charlie
Furbush(0-2) was the loser in relief. He
pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up no hits and 1 walk.
Series tied 3-3
Game 7: Bumgarner vs. Anderson
This is what professional sports is all about. Winner takes all and the loser goes home. Put up or shut up time. Two quality left handed starters faced off in game 7. Madison "not Bumwarmer" Bumgarner faced off against Haymaker manager Ken Anderson's nephew Brett Anderson in game 7. It is expected that future Anderson family gatherings will be heated to say the least. Billy Butler had
2 base hits and 2 RBI as the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs defeated the Troy
Haymakers 6 to 2 to close out the NASBL World Series at The Pig Pen. Brett
Anderson(2-0) pitched well for Lehigh Valley in their victory. He went 8 and 2/3 innings
surrendering 8 hits and 1 walk. Overall
Lehigh Valley out-hit Troy 13
to 8. Huston Street
earned his 1st save. Madison
Bumgarner(0-1) was hit with the loss. He allowed 6 hits and no walks in 1 and 1/3
innings.
IronPigs win series 4-3
Interesting statistics from the World Series:
1) IronPig team ERA was 2.96 and the Haymakers team ERA was 4.32
2) IronPigs scored 32 runs in the series and the Haymakers scored 22 runs
3) IronPigs batted 278 with 8 homeruns
4) Haymakers batted 209 with 4 homeruns
5) Haymakers had two players that batted over 300 with a combined total of 11 at bats
6) IronPigs had 5 players with batting averages over 300 and a combined total of 94 at bats
7) Haymakers had 10 stolen bases and IronPigs had 6
8) Josh Hamilton had a rough series batting 143 with 3 rbi and 2 runs scored
9) Billy Butler batted 385 with 5 RBI and 4 runs scored
10) Robinson Cano batted 364 with 6 rbi and 6 runs scored
11) Both teams had a .986 fielding percentage
In a controversial vote, the game selected Ryan Cook as the series MVP. Cook edged out IronPig 2b Robinson Cano for the award.
Congratulations to Ken for an amazing season and for the powerhouse team that he put together! Since we also faced off in 2011, Las Vegas has opened the betting lines at 12 to 1 of the IronPigs and Haymakers facing off two years from now in the 2015 NASBL World Series.