Harmony Grove and San Francisco hooked up for their second consecutive CL LCS series, following last year's sweep by HAR on their way to the league title.
Game 1
Stammen vs. Mahle
In the first, HAR would load the bases, but Stassi fouled out to end the threat. After that, there wasn't much traffic on the bases for either team. In the 3rd, Correa had a 1-10 chance on a BP HR pull, but he pulled a 14 for the flyout....a recurring theme for HAR hitters in SF's park. In the 5th, it was SF's turn to load the bases, but Cronenworth grounded out to end that threat. In the 7th, HAR put two runners on with two outs and Tauchman had a 1-10 chance on a BP HR pull....and again HAR was on the losing side of the pull of 18. In the top of 9th of the still scoreless game, HAR's Zunino had a 1-5/Flyout chance, but he pulled an 11 to keep the game scoreless. In the bottom of the 9th, SF put runners on the corners with one out, but Mateo and Taylor both struck out to keep the winning run at third, and so, we go into the 10 with no runs scored. In the bottom of the 10th, Story leads off against Kimbrel and rolls a 6-2 for the 1-10 BP HR chance, and he pulls a 1 for the walk-off homer. SF 1-0
Game 2
Lynn vs. Gomber
Apparently very upset about 10 scoreless innings in game one, HAR came out like gang busters in game two. Springer led with a double and Harper followed with a homer. Zunino doubled, Correa singled to put runners on the corners, and one out later, Bryant groundout brought home Zunino. Yandy Diaz then doubled and HAR jumped out to a 4-0 lead. In the 3rd, it was SF's turn to miss a BP HR chance, but this time it was a lefty on a 1-16 chance, and Fraley pulled an 18 and SF was turned away. A Springer single would score Lopez in the 4th for a 5-0 HAR lead, but in the bottom half, SF got on the board with a solo homer from Grandal and the HAR lead was 5-1. In the 7th, SF's Garver had a 1-10 BP HR chance, and he pulled a 20 for the flyout. In the 8th, a Culberson groundout scored a run following a leadoff two-base error by HAR's Bryant at third, cutting the lead to 5-2. But Kimbrel came in and shut the door to close out the 5-2 HAR win.
Game 3
Kim vs Ryu
In the battle of Korean lefties, runs were scarce...a recurring theme in this series. A Zunino HR in the second (no pull needed) put HAR up 1-0. Then......nothing. Nada, zilch, goose eggs for the rest of the game. SF managed just four baserunners, while HAR countered with just six, and HAR's per usual expert management of their bullpen resulted in the 1-0 win, the second 1-0 game of the series (after just 3 games)
Game 4
Weaver vs. Lucchesi
After being shut out in the previous game, SF's Brett Phillips broke the streak by leading off the game with a homer and 1-0 SF lead. But HAR would answer in their half on Correa's two-out, two-run homer on a 1-4 HR/Flyout pull of 1. Then SF again fell into a funk, going scoreless for the next 8 innings and totally just 4 baserunners. HAR put two more on the board in the 6th on Ortega's two-run bomb and HAR takes the 4-1 win. HAR now leads the series 3-1 and is one win from moving on to the World Series.
Game 5
Stammen vs. Mahle
SF strikes first again with a Tucker double in the first, but HAR ties it in their half on a Harper groundout. In the 4th for SF, a Luplow single scores a run, and Fraley follows with a two-run homer off Tapia and SF is up 4-1. But HAR answers in their half again, as Stassi hits a two-run homer off Mahle to cut the lead to 4-3. In the 5th, HAR loads the bases with no outs, but JD Martinez hit into a DP and Harper grounded out and the lead remained 4-3 SF. SF extended the lead to 5-3 in the 6th on a Story sac fly, then tacks on two more in 7th on a Tucker double and Grandal single. Now trailing 7-2, HAR makes some noise in the 8th, scoring two runs on a Zunino single and Diaz groundout. SF closer Kittredge continues into the 9th with a 7-5 lead, but HAR is not done as a JD Martinez singles on a 1-7 chance. Harper flies out for the second out, but Correa singles to the tying run at second and winning run at first. Knebel relieves a tired Kittredge and he strikes out Bryant to end the game and stave elimination, 7-6.
Game 6
Lynn vs. Gomber
HAR strikes in the first on a double-play groundout from Correa to go up 1-0. They then load the bases, but Pujols grounds out to limit the damage. SF answers in their half on a Tucker single to tie it at one. In the 2nd, SF's Fraley hits a solo shot and a walk to Nunez, Urias hits a two-run homer and SF leads 4-1. In the 4th, HAR's misses yet another 1-10 HR/Flyout chance to keep the score 4-1. That score holds into the 6th until HAR's Diaz raps a run-scoring single to cut the deficit to 4-2. SF's Rasmussen comes on in the 8th and shuts down the HAR bats to notch the 4-2 win and tie the series at three games apiece, forcing the decisive game 7.
Game 7
Kim vs. Ryu
In the deciding game, the two teams would trot out a total of 22 pitchers (HAR-12, SF-9) over 9 innings. Only one pitcher from either team would 2 or more innings, and that was SF starter Ryu (3 1/3). In the bottom of the 2nd, SF's Taylor would single and then with two outs, Luplow would get the HR 1-19/DO chance, and he would pull a......20! Instead of a 3-0 lead, SF had to settle for a 1-0 margin. In yet another game where runners and runs were scarce, the 1-0 SF lead held into the 5th until Yandy Diaz and HAR finally got a HR 1-10/Flyout chance on a 9 pull, and the score was tied at one. With the score still tied at one, SF loaded the bases in the 7th with two outs, but Kimbrel struck out Tucker to end the threat. In 8th, Harper managed a sac fly to score the go-ahead run for HAR, 2-1. But in the bottom half, Kimbrel walked the first two batters of the inning, and a thinning HAR bullpen turned to Luke Weaver. SF's Culberson laid down a sac bunt to put the trying run at third and the go-ahead run at second with one out. Wade then worked a walk and with Walsh coming up, HAR turned to Drew Smith. But Walsh laced a clean single to score both runners and SF took a 3-2 lead. Kittredge came on in the 9th to close it out and he put down HAR in order for the 3-2 win and the 4-3 series victory.
SF, down 3-1 in the scores, notched four straight wins to exact some revenge from last season's HAR sweep. This was a remarkable series, where there was two 1-0 games, no win was larger than a 3-run margin, and the deciding game 7 was a 3-2 game with the score tied 1-1 through 7 innings. By our rough estimate, HAR went 1 for 7 in ballpark HR pulls in SF! San Francisco had just 12 hits and 4 runs scored in the first four games of the series, falling down 3-1 and on the brink of elimination. HAR lost the series, but actually outscored SF 20-18. SF hit just .153 for the series, but somehow managed to advance. As always, Travis is truly masterful in handling his talented and deep bullpen, but he just couldn't get the pulls when he needed them. It is always a pleasure meeting up with him on Netplay, as he has a ton of patience as I was lamenting my dice rolling through the first four games. We now move on to face each again for the third time this postseason in the World Series.
It makes me physically ill handing over my money purchasing the strat game every year, by far the worst day of the entire year! :)
Very competitive series, Kimbrel walks in the 8th tiring him early left enough of a crack in the door to allow SF to break through. Rick did a great job managing his team, and its easy to be patient and listen to complaints when strat has happened to you a million times!
Just one game one write up correction, Tauchmann is a lefty and thus his missed bp hr was rolling an 18 on a 1-16....with two MFing runners on....but I digress.
