Given that the regular season ended almost 4 months ago and the calendar has flipped over into 2013, you may have thought that the 2012 ARBA World Series would never be played. Maybe you don't care either, but if so, why are you reading this? Huh?
Anyway, the World Series did finally start this week after an interminable delay while Santa Fe's megalomaniacal despot had his perfectly servicable Santa Fe stadium razed to the ground and replaced with a bigger and more garish version across the street. After all, how can he be expected to enjoy the action without a massive video display hanging over the field, fireworks, rotating luxury boxes, Frappacino fountains, a gecko lizard petting zoo, a historical museum and mausoleum, and gold statues of himself at every entrance?
Defending and all-too-frequent champion Santa Fe Gecko Lizards returned to another World Series by dispatching Sewell in 6 games and sweeping Bethlehem. The Shiner Blondes barely survived a 7-game battle with New Monmouth and then defeated frequent playoff foe Harmony Grove in 6 games. This is a rematch of last year's World Series, which Santa Fe won in a brutal 7-game war. With the stage properly set, on to the much-anticipated series!
Game 1: Hamels vs. Halladay. Wright led off with a long home run to give SFE the early lead, but the pitchers held these mighty offenses in check for the next 3 innings. SHI blew a golden opportunity in the 3rd when Ryan stumbled and was thrown out at home. Halladay finally cracked in the 5th, when little Maicer Izturis doubled home Molina to spark a 3-run inning. However, Hamels promptly gave back the lead on a Raburn 2-run HR. Izturis struck again with a shocking homer in the 7th and PH Andruw Jones added a 2-run shot in the 8th. Casilla and Axford shut down SFE to preserve the 6-3 SHI win.
Game 2: Dickey vs. Lincecum. Timmy frustrated SHI early, allowing them to reach base, but then tricking them into CS that were inevitably followed by another hit. He also injured SS Ryan, which was just mean. Bautista blasted a 2-run HR in the 3rd to give SFE another early lead. That 2-0 lead still held in the 7th, when SHI loaded the bases with no outs, only to somehow blow it again! Molina led off the 8th with a homer off Oliver and SFE turned their precious 2-1 lead over to legendary and venerable closer Mariano Rivera. He easily finished the 8th, but Cabrera doubled with 1 out in the 8th and then scored on an ugly misplay by 3B Wright. Another single put runners on the corners, but Rivera rallied to strike out the next 2. Casilla singled to lead off the SFE 9th, but failed to score. Hey, we get extra innings! With Rivera still pitching, Markakis singled and Jack Frakkin' Wilson added another one. After a weak flyout that failed to score a run, the mighty Izturis delivered again with an RBI single. Marmol took over and allowed a couple more runs on a sac fly, walk, WP, and more defensive butchery, this time by 1B Downs. SHI did leave the bases loaded to bring their LOB total to 15, but Grilli worked around a HBP to close out the shocking 6-2 victory. I should note that some of the other hits were almost certainly due to SFE defensive misplays, which were legion, but I can't remember or determine exactly which ones. Perhaps Tom kept a running log...
After his precious Gecko Lizards somehow lost their two opening games in this new palace of decadence, Tomlinson threatened to burn it to the ground and start over. After being reminded that this would delay the scheduled Britney concerts, he settled for flogging the architects instead.
So the series moved back to Shiner with the Blondes holding a 2-0 lead. However, they remembered all too well their 2-0 lead in last year's World Series that was quickly erased by 3 consecutive SFE wins. Whatever happens, it won't be easy...
Game 3: Pineda vs. Ogando. Yet again, SFE drew first blood with a homer, this time a 2-run shot by Big Papi in the 1st. SHI answered by loading the bases with no outs, then failing to score. They had better luck in the 2nd, taking advantage of a Pence E to cut the lead to 2-1. Pence did redeem himself in the 3rd by leaping over the wall to rob Molina of a HR. The 2-1 score held up until the 6th, when Big Papi tagged Ogando with another HR that made it 3-1. SHI quickly cut the lead to 3-2 on another sac fly. This run was even earned, but the double was probably misplayed. The DO+E to start the 8th was definitely a misplay, with CF Pence doing the honors again. Molina drove home the tying run, but Pineda got a K and kept pitching. The SHI bullpen remained untouchable and we went to extra innings again! In the 11th, SHI closer Axford was pitching in a rare non-save situation and made a mistake against the dangerous Napoli. Gone! Clinging to a 4-3 lead, SFE called on Rivera again. He allowed a 1-out single, but struck out the side to close it out and get SFE on the board. Pineda overcame some horrific D to go 10 strong innings and pick up the win. Yeah, I knew it wouldn't be easy.
Game 4: Halladay vs. Hamels. Back in G1, Halladay was rolling before the 3-run 5th. This time, he stumbled in the 3rd as bottom of the order pests Izturis and Ryan got the rally started and scored on a Cabrera triple. SHI added 2 more to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Or not so commanding, as once again Hamels failed to hold a lead. Pence homered in the 4th and Raburn added a 2-run blast in the 5th. Still not satisfied, Hamels served up a pair of doubles and SFE suddenly led 5-4! Oh no! That was actually the first SFE run without a HR as their previous 13 runs scored on 8 HR. In the bottom of the 5th, Molina came through again with an RBI single that tied the game, but frequent hero Izturis stranded a pair. In the 8th, the score was still tied and Halladay was still pitching. With 2 outs, Izturis kept the inning alive by finding Raburn attempting to play 2B. Ryan made the error count by lacing an RBI double into the gap! Cabrera drove him home with another hit and SHI led 7-5. In the 9th, Janssen started strong with a pair of outs, but then allowed a DO and was replaced by...Scott Elbert? Elbert promptly allowed a single and looked to the dugout for Axford. However, SHI surprisingly stuck with him against Wright and he responded with a huge strikeout to end it! Casilla picked up the win with another dominant relief effort. Cabrera and Ryan each had 3 hits, with Cabrera also contributing 3 RBI.
Shiner was now 1 win away from ending this thing and nobody suspected what unspeakable horrors lay just ahead...
