Surprise takes a quick 2-0 lead in games, with series moving to Buda, where John Patterson gets to make his first appearance, needing to stop the gushers of blood.
I'll let Eric give the details, as he describes things in a far more humorous fashion, and the results of games 1 and 2 require a hand that will provide a little levity.
Suffice to say that only on a computer is Jason Giambi worthy of praise for cat-like quickness and condor-like reach around the bag. Of course, Jason Marquis might be expected to suffer a gruesome outing in any forum.
The World Series did indeed get started last night and I'd be glad to provide a few details for anyone who cares. Whether they will amuse...that remains to be seen. Both teams got here by outlasting Travis teams in 7 games, but they are healthy to start the Series.
This is the 4th World Series appearance for Buda and Surprise/Laramie. Buda won championships in 1999 and 2001, but lost to Bethlehem in the legendary Juan Castro game of 2002. Laramie's last WS was in 2003, when they fell in 7 games to Castle Rock. Laramie's other 2 WS losses were in 1991 and 1993, including one to Don's former team from Erie. So, will this be the year that I finally break my streak of playoff disappointment and win this damn thing? I've only been trying since 1988!
G1: Garcia vs. Peavy. Buda threatened early with 2 long fly balls by Cliff Floyd, but he didn't quite have the distance. Surprise killed a pair of rallies with double plays before Giambi juiced one over the fence for 2 runs in the 4th. Buda put 2 runners on in the 5th, but Crisp failed to drive them home. Surprise made it 3-0 in the 5th on doubles by Rollins and Kennedy. Buda finally solved Peavy in the 6th when A-Rod found a gap and ended up with an RBI triple. However, Peavy regrouped and retired the next 3 batters to strand A-Rod. It looked like he was going to escape again in the 7th when he struck out 2 batters after a leadoff single. However, he made a big mistake to Coco Crisp, who sent it into the seats. TIE GAME! A Johnson double chased Peavy, but Shackelford prevented further damage. In the bottom of the 7th, Rollins singled for his 3rd hit of the game. Jimmy stole 2nd and Surprise called on PH Orlando Palmeiro, who delivered a huge RBI double! That was all for Garcia and the Buda pen held the score at 4-3. Shackelford had an easy 8th and Surprise failed to extend their lead. In the 9th, the Zombies turned to Scot Shields. Young flied out, Morneau lined out, and Iguchi whiffed. Game over as Surprise escaped with a tough 4-3 win.
Game 2: Marquis vs. Pettitte. Well, this game was far less dramatic. The Zombies pretty much devoured the brains of the hapless Jason Marquis, scoring 2 in the 1st and 2 in the 2nd. A Buda run in the 3rd made them very angry, so they blew it open with 5 more runs. The 3rd inning explosion included homers by White, Wilson, and Mora. Pettitte cruised after that and we avoided any injuries as Surprise won 10-1. The one bright spot for Buda came in the 7th, when they finally got Rollins out.
So, I'm certainly happy with how the series has gone so far. However, I've suffered too many playoff disasters to start celebrating early. Buda is certainly capable of beating us 4 out of 5 and the luck may change as the series heads to his place. I'll be shocked if we do sweep, but I appreciate Don's fatalism. We're scheduled to resume on Thursday night. Stay tuned!
For the official record, the amusing references to Giambi's fielding prowess never actually involved an X-fielding roll for him.
