2007 BARB WORLD SERIES, GAME 1

SERIES BEGINS ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF EARTH

Darwin, Australia—The 2007 BARB World Series got under way at the home ball park (Fitness Peak) of the Pacific Division Series champion Darwin Finches, who with the league’s best record (93-63) would have the home field advantage in this post-season. The historic affair, the first Series game played outside the North American continent, began at 10:30 PM local time in Darwin, a very late start start, but televised at 2:00 in the afternoon Pacific time on the West Coast: a night game during the day, if you will.

Oddsmakers doubted the unusual start time would have much effect on the game’s outcome, but there was speculation about each team’s strengths and weakness. Yuma, obviously, had the edge in starting pitching depth, with their top five starters combining for a 60-45 record vs. Darwin’s ".500 Club" that went 51-51. Darwin, on the other hand, had arguably the loop’s best bullpen, with a combined 19 wins and 49 saves, including a league-leading 34 by ageless Trevor Hoffman.

On offense, Yuma did not have the big slugging totals posted by the Finches (201 HR, 808 runs scored), but could perhaps offset that with better overall team speed what with the late-season slump of major trade acquisition Chone Figgins (.163 in 40 games), which had led to Figgins riding the pine. To get offense, Darwin would also have to play several players sub-par on defense, among them 1B David Ortiz, SS Carlos Guillen and 3B Chipper Jones.


YUMA’S ACE SHINES, BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH FOR A WIN?


As if the ‘night game in the light’ was a bad omen for the host Finches, Yuma’s starter Roy Halladay was ‘lights out’! Halladay (15-9, 3.32 in the regular season) would only allow three hits through the first eight innings and would end up going all the way in the affair. Darwin got a credible start from John Smoltz (7-8, 3.20 in 24 games this year) but in the fifth the veteran gave up back-to-back singles to Nick Markakis and Miguel Tejada. Raul Ibanez obliged with a double-play ball which nevertheless allowed the swift Markakis to wing home with the Series’ first run. YUMA LED, 1-0!


And that seemed for a while to be all that Halladay would require! Yovani Gallardo, the third Darwin reliever to follow Smoltz (0-1, 1.80) coughed up two runs in an inning that saw Aaron Rowand uncharacteristically drop a half-liner off the bat of Curtis Granderson. Yuma went into the ninth leading 3-0, and Halladay (having thrown only 96 pitches) was given a chance to finish it out.

Not so fast! Pinch-hitter Jose Lopez singled to lead off the inning and an out later came around to score on a sharply-hit line drive by Lance Berkman, just the fifth hit given up by Halladay in the game. With the bullpen warming, though, pinch-hitter Mike Jacobs grounded harmlessly to Hafner, who stepped on the bag....

YUMA WINS, 3-1!


The Firebirds, denied in seven games in last year’s World Series, had taken the opener of the 2007 World Series. There were few highlights for the Finches, down 0-1, though Berkman (their playoff MVP) had managed two hits. Today, though, it was all about Roy Halladay (1-0, 1.00), who by going the distance had kept the Firebirds from having to go to what was arguably their team’s weak suit, the bullpen.