#1 Toontown jumped on Elmer Dessens and this one was over early; final was 10-3. Ramon Santiago hit his 1-5 HR/TR split 3 times for 1 HR and 2 triples. Lady Luck did spare us two Magglio Ordonez ballpark HRs so I can’t complain.
#2 A wild affair with 6 lead changes but it was the Burgesses who were on top 9-8 at game’s end. Yorklis Perez blew an 8-6 lead in 8th when he walked Hocking and Macias. He got Jacque Jones and Thome but Bret Boone got a 1-19 split for HR and bullseye he rolled a “1”. Visualize upper deck shot as “he got all of it”. Sosa and Eischen (S, 6, 2.13) finished up.
#3 Another close game but this time the Rabbits won 2-1. Castillo and Wilson Alvarez matched goose eggs for 7 innings. I lifted Alvarez and immediately the Rabbit bats scored 2 off Sosa/Eischen. We get a solo HR from Burnitz in 9th to avoid shutout
#1 WIL 8-5. Burgesses rallied from 5-1 deficit in 7th inning. Key play was when Daryle Ward LF-5 botched a LF(X) chance with 2 out allowing 2 tying runs to score. Karim Garcia reduced to pinch hitting only as his ABs dwindle made most of chance converting a BP HR in 11th for 8-5 win. HAL had walked Bordick intentionally to get to Santana but Garcia pinch hit for him. Johan Sanatana won it with 4 no hit relief innings.
#2
#3 Grays win finale 5-2. Freddy Deadhead Garcia beats us again; this time a 2 hitter. Both were off x-chart; one off Spivey and one off Daryle Ward LF-5. We had some chances as there were 5 BBs yielded but we plate just two runs. Brian Tallet is roughed up and takes loss.
#1 Burgesses sneak by a LHP Kirk Reuter. We have been terrible against LHPs all year so this series vs Greenheads has been a constant worry for us in our quest to play >.500 ball as we will see 3 LHPs. Burgesses 4-5-0, Greenheads 1-5-0. Jacque Jones had to come in when Jose Macias got injured and yes he did hit the tie breaking 2 run dinger in 6th off LHP Reuter. Maroth (9-8, 4.81) threw a complete game---usage not an issue with Maroth J.
#2 Burgess fans are stunned deliriously silly yet by another victory vs LHP. This time the unlikely hero was John Mabry who cracked a 2 run HR off lefty Kenny Rogers. A BP HR off Rogers’ card, just like Jacque Jones was off Reuter’s card. The G-Heads did come back to tie 5-5 but Bret Boone hit his sweet spot 1-8 which against lefties is a split 1-19 HR, 20 TR. Well, he got the “20” so he’s on third but I called on the immortal Randy Velarde and a sac fly scored the winning run in the 8th, allowing Jorge Sosa to pick up relief win #16. Santana with save #16. WIL wins 6-5. We have win #82 as a team so assuming we make playoffs, we will not be an embarrassment to Brassworld. What a relief!
#3 We strand 12 baserunners and Mark Mulder (15-7) and 2 relievers put the squeeze on the Burgess offense. We had major rallies in 7th and 8th but manage just 1 run. Mabry hit HR no. 12. He and Thome have combined to hit 64 HRs together but some of these are pinch hit jobs. PIG wins it, 6-2.
#4 Jim Thome smacks 2 HRs (meets his real-life quota of 54) driving in all 3 runs as Burgesses take finale 3-1. Jimmy Haynes bested Sidney Ponson and relievers DeJean and Santana (S, 17th) closed it out.
#1 Odalis Perez saved his best for last: a 2 hit CG shutout as WIL wins 4-0. Chris Singleton in his last starts strokes a clutch 2 run single. Bret Boone later converts a BP HR chance, no simple feat at Bruton Parish Commons.
#2 Gargoyle bats silent again as they fall 3-1; their sole run was unearned. Jared Fernandez hurled 6 shutout innings before departing. Jim Thome provided all the offense needed with a 2 run jerk (55) in the 1st inning. Eischen earned save #7.
#3 Wil sweeps with 4-1 victory in 2003 grand finale. Santana burned 5 of the 6 innings he had left; he got us out of a bases loaded no out jam in 4th with only a sac fly against us. In 9th, first two runners got on, but Eischen and DeJean closed it out.