He was an insurance policy in the 2011 off-season for the Firebirds, but in the opening game of their playoff series with the St. Francis Friars, Rafael Furcal was the man of the moment, as the Yuma shortstop clubbed a pair of big home runs to knock out surprise starter Bronson Arroyo, part of a 17-hit attack and a 13-2 triumph for the home team.
Yuma, the defending West champs, also exploited the poor defense of IF Neil Walker, who was getting a start at the hot corner to get an extra bat in the lineup against Sabathia (1-0, 3.00). Sabathia's only two runs allowed, in fact, came right off the bat. Fourth OF Aaron Cunningham, a surprise starter with Shin Soo-Choo on the shelf, lead off with a double, and scored two batters later when Jose Bautista lined a two-bagger to the RF gap. Walker then scored Kelly Johnson from third on a slow-hit grounder to Furcal, and the Friars led, 2-0.
Um. Not for long. Furcal led off the bottom of the first with a solo shot to make the score 2-1, and in the fourth, the Firebirds exploited Arroyom and Walker's defense. With two down, and Ryan Zimmerman at first by way of a walk, Vladimir Guerrero and Martin Prado both doubled past the dives of Walker to plate the first run. Shane Victorino then grounded a single between Walker and Ramirez, with two runs scoring. Rod Barajas, a perennial double play candidate, then hit a pop fly single just over Walker's head into (extremely) short right field to extend the inning.
That brought up Furcal, who.....SM
ASHED the first offering from Arroyo, DEEP the other way to right, up...and OUT! A two-out, three-run bomb, to cap a six-run, back-breaking inning:YUMA 6, ST. FRANCIS 2!
Fans of the Friars could only wince as this game unfolded. While Walker had not been called for an error, the many hits bunched in his direction, and of many types, provided mute evidence that the rookie was no substitute for injured Kevin Youkilis at the hot corner.
Arroyo (0-1, 15.75), from this point of view, had not so much pitched badly as he had run into a buzzsaw of hot hitting, exploiting his defense.
The slugging Firebirds would go to hang a run on Zach Britton, and then (for good measure), hit back-to-back (Markasis, Braun) bombs in the sixth off Ricky Nolasco, who would end up absorbing another five runs on the reeling St. Francis pitching staff. Luke Gregorson, handed a 9-2 lead after six, worked the final three frames for the "save", and the Firebirds, the league's top team in 2011 in the regular season, were off to a tremendous start:
YUMA 13, ST. FRANCIS 2!
A disappointed Scott Hatfield could only lament the loss of Youkilis and Choo down the stretch. "To see our club without Youk," said one club official, "while Philadelphia has the services of Andre Ethier, is tough to swallow."
Down a game in their playoff series with the Squirrels, the Rebels turned to Max Scherzer in a pitcher's duel to start, and back to Game 1 starter Cliff Lee in the ninth for a possible save, before disaster struck....!
As in Game 1, the Squirrels struck first, scoring a pair of runs off Scherzer in the bottom of the second. Perennial MVP candidate Albert Pujols (52 HR, 139 RBI) singled, and that brought up Longoria, who had hit the go-ahead (and game-winning) HR in Game 1. Longoria bombed away AGAIN, a two-run shot to give Frostbite Falls a 2-0 lead. Jose Reyes walked, and when Game 1 hero Drew Stubbs doubled into the LF gap with nobody out, it looked to be a short outing for Scherzer. But Andre Ethier (bad knee and all) threw to Mike Aviles, whose relay throw to Wieters at the plate cut down the speedy Reyes attempting to score.
Given an out and a chance to get oriented, Scherzer got out of the rest of the inning with no damage....and just as in Game 1, the Rebels came right in the top of the frame to tie the game, this time against Tim Lincecum and the Squirrels defense. Ichiro Suzuki led off with a half-liner that Jayson Werth let clank off his glove going to the line for an error. Rookie 2B Dustin Ackley and 1B Adrian Gonzalez both singled to score the first run, and with two down LF Andre Ethier (the Rebels toughest out down the stretch) got the tieing run in from third with one down, hitting a slow roller to Longoria. Thus after two-and-a-half, the score remained:
FROSTBITE FALLS 2, PHILADELPHIA 2!
And so things stood for...well...quite awhile. Scherzer fanned eight Squirrels over the next five-plus frames, including a pair of fan jobs against Longoria. Less spectacular, but equally effective, was Squirrels starter Tim Lincecum. "The Freak" had given up a pair of unearned runs in the third, but then retired 13 of the next 15 hitters, issuing just a pair of walks, the second with one down in the top of the eighth to Gonzalez. This last free pass, on Tim's 113th pitch, led to the stringy-haired righty's exist, but LHP Eric O'Flaherty restored order in relief, fanning both "A-Rod" and Ethier.
The visitors broke through in the top of the ninth against Flaherty, however, when the southpaw walked Torri Hunter. Chris Perez relieved Flaherty with Aviles at the plate, but Hunter stole second on a busted hit-and-run, reaching scoring position while Aviles struck out. Wieters hit a slow roller to first to move the go-ahead run to third, and pinch-hitter Logan Morrison delivered a solid single to left to score Hunter:
PHILADELPHIA 3, FROSTBITE FALLS 2!
Andrew Bailey got Suzuki for the last out, but the damage was done. Frostbite Falls would need to rally in the bottom of the ninth in order to avoid allowing the Rebels to tie the series, 1-1. And here, frankly, is where the series became bizarre. J.J. Putz entered the ballgame, bidding for the save. Longoria, the hero of the Game 1, beat out a soft single. As the tying run, the home team played "small ball" and sacrificed the 3B to second.
One down, and that brought up left-handed hitting Adam Lind as a pinch-hitter, who delivered a solid single to right. The Squirrels sent Longoria, and RF Ichiro Suzuki's peg home was off-line, allowing Lind to reach second on the throw! Mark Ellis pinch-ran for Lind, and with one down and the winning run at second, the Rebels elected to intentionally walk Rickie Weeks.
So it was that Michael Young, long-time starting IF for the Squirrels, came up to bat. The Rebels had lost faith in Putz, and pulled him in favor of.....journeyman Matt Belisle? With a glaring Ronald Melkonian in the box seats making hand gestures, it seemed that the club's mercurial owner had taken a personal interest in the moves his squad would make. No matter: Belisle singled to load the bases with nobody out for the left-handed hitting Jason Heyward.
Just one problem with that, though....the only southpaw on Philadelphia's unlikely playoff roster was...Cliff Lee, the starter who had not made it through the fifth inning in Game 1. Again, no matter: the Rebels called on Lee to pitch to Heyward with one down, and to his credit, Lee got Heyward to swing at an 0-2 pitch. And miss. Grab some pine, meat, and with two down....
...the right-handed hitting Jayson Werth, and yesterday's starter. Werth, shortening his stroke, went after the first pitch, punching a soft single to right....easily SCORING the speedy Stubbs with the winning run, a walkoff win in the worst way for Rebels fans:
FROSTBITE FALLS 4, PHILADELPHIA 3!
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