Looking for revenge on Marquis, Harmony Grove got it in a big way. While Clemens was hit hard, surrendering 6 runs on 8 hits, including 3 homers, Marquis couldn't come close to repeating his stellar game 3 start. He gave up 3 homers and 7 runs in 2.1 IP, and Villone, Miller, and Duchscherer each allowed another homer, as Harmony cruises in a 14-6 laugher. Helton and Ensberg each hit 2 homers and Rafael Belliard had four rbi, including a two run single that broke the game wide open in the 3rd and a two run shot in the sixth. For the second straight year, HAR and BUD go to game 7.
Game 7--Smoltz vs. Patterson
Smoltz takes the hill for game 7, having allowed 16 hits in 8 ip in his first two starts, sporting a 10.13 ERA, facing Patterson (5.25 with 14 hits allowed in 12 ip). Patterson retires the side in order in the first, and Crisp, hitting .091 coming into the game, leads off with a double. Smoltz nearly beans Johnson, who then flew out to left field, before Arod and Floyd launch back to back homers to give Buda a 3-0 lead.
Each team manages just one baserunner in innings 2-4--a single by Dye in the second and Smoltz drilling Johnson, who has to exit the game, leading off in the third. The beaning prompts Travis to pull Smoltz for Wagner, who combines with Cotts to retire 13 straight Pests.
Meanwhile, the Toppers pull within one in the 5th, as Griffey led off with a single, Dye doubled, Matsui hit a sac fly, Belliard grounded out, and Todd Pratt, playing in place of the injured Estrada hits a clutch single to score Dye.
In the 6th, the Toppers tie the game after Iguchi kicked Helton's easy grounder to start the inning, Patterson walks Ensberg, whiffs Ortiz and gets Griffey on a short fly out, runners staying put and bringing up Dye. Dye smashes a double, Helton scores easilty, but Jones makes a perfect throw to the plate, and Mauer tags out Ensberg to end the inning.
The teams go 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 6th and top of the 7th. Cotts gets Mauer to ground out to start the bottom of the 7th, but Michael Young, hitting a robust .125 for the series, ends the string of Buda futility against the Topper bullpen with a walk. Then the absence of Estrada takes its toll. Cotts throws one wide and low and Pratt can't handle it, as Young takes second; scorer says wild pitch. Morneau grounds weakly to first, letting Young get to third. Young then scampers home as Cotts throws ball four to Iguchi into the backstop. Buda up 4-3.
Harmony immediately tries to get that run and more back in the top of the 8th. Lugo hits a single just past Young and Helton clubs a double down the left field line, but Lugo has to hold at third. After a conference on the mound, Patterson stays in to face Ensberg, the infield comes in. Ensberg goes down on strikes, bringing up the lefties Ortiz and Griffey. Villone comes in to face the lefties. Ortiz has had only one single and no rbi since game 4. The infield remains in. Ortiz hits a smash, but right at Iguchi, who takes it on one hop, looks Lugo back to third and tosses to Perez at first for the out.
Freel pinch hits for Griffey, Buda knows Thome is ready to come up instead if need be, but the call goes out for c(3) Duchscherer to try to close the game in the 8th. Thome pinch hits for Freel. He already is 2-3 with a homer in 3 ph apperances. Duchscherer strikes him out, and Buda keeps its one run lead, despite Harmony having placed runners on 2nd and 3rd with no out.
Cliff Floyd single handedly kills any chance for an insurance run by hitting into a fielder's choice with one out and getting picked off to end the 8th. His reward is a defensive replacement in rf.
Dye, Matsui, and Belliard hit three fly balls to the greatest defensive CF of all time (at least before he started getting a little fat), and the fireworks fly.
A very interesting series between two very good teams. While Buda just missed a sweep, it could only manage 4 one-run victories and needed two wild pitches in one inning to survive against a team that was hampered by injuries to Lofton, Griffey and Estrada, while Buda went injury free until Johnson came out of game 7. Furthermore, Clemens wasn't able to pitch game 1, having been used as the game 7 starter in the previous series. Johnson, brittle as he is, has managed to clear his vision, and is ready to start game 1 of the ARBA World Series.
The series provided an interesting contrast in parks. The teams combined for 3 HR in Harmony Grove (Cleveland) in the 3 games, but hit 17 in the four games at Buda (Toronto). HAR outhit BUD .266 to .221, outslugged it .434 to .367, but most of that difference was accounted for by the 6 homer fest in the game 6 14-6 pasting.
ARod takes series MVP with ease, leading Buda in BA, HR, walks, rbi and runs scored, and getting the go-ahead-to-stay hits in game 1 (1st inning HR) and game 3 (8th inning single).
Wagner was brilliant for HAR, allowing just 3 hits and 1 earned run in 9 relief innings. Smoltz scuffled the whole series, allowing 20 hits in 10 ip, after being tabbed game 1 starter, thanks to SOS's efforts in stretching the division series to 7 games, rendering Clemens unavaible for game 1.
Jones, Mauer, Young, Crisp and Morneau managed to go a combined 18 for 123 with 3 HR in the series. Harmony did not have gobs of batters with similar futility, but Ortiz and Matsui had disappointing series, combining to go 10 for 52, but socking 3 hr.
My condolences to Travis who had what I thought to be the better team this year. Of course, I thought I had the better team last year and was in position to go to the World Series then, being up 3-2 in games and 4-0 in game 6 before blowing that series, so maybe this is just things evening out.
