GAME SEVEN

In BARB’s previous nine seasons, only two World Series had gone the full seven games: Frostbite Falls’ 2006 triumph over Yuma and the Firebirds’ first title in 2007 against Darwin. Now we add number three. Pottsylvania and New England have been neck-and-neck, with both teams appearing to seize momentum at one time or another. Neither could gain the upper hand through six games, so one final contest is required. Who will be your BARB champion heading into 2013? Read on…

As with Game Six, the final game in the series provided a pitcher rematch. Pottsylvania, the host for Game Seven, threw veteran C.C. Sabathia. He had outdueled his opponent, New England’s Gio Gonzalez, in Game Three of the Series, 4-1. Both hurlers had recorded double-digit strikeouts in that one, so the rubber match was expected to be more of the same.

The Yankee Stompers threatened right off the bat. After Michael Bourn struck out to begin the game, Andre Ethier grounded a single to right and soon sped to second on a Sabathia wild pitch during Miguel Cabrera’s at-bat. Cabrera walked, but the extra runner backfired on New England as Carlos Beltran grounded up the middle to Erick Aybar. The shortstop stepped on second and fired to first for an inning-ending double play.

The visitors threatened again in the third. Miguel Montero hit a one-out single and moved up on a hit-by-pitch, but he was too aggressive on Andre Ethier’s flyout and was nailed at third by Matt Kemp’s perfect throw.

The Pottsylvania bats finally started to make some noise in the fourth. Paul Konerko and Aramis Ramirez hit back-to-back singles after two were out, and when Gonzalez made an error A.J. Pierzynski reached to load the bases. Josh Reddick was too anxious and went after the first pitch he saw, however, and the frame ended with a harmless fly to center.

Pottsylvania’s failure to plate a runner soon put them in a hole. The Yankee Stompers loaded the bases on two singled and a walk before anyone was retired. Sabathia stepped up his game and struck out Montero, but Michael Bourn singled to left. Dustin Pedroia scored easily and J.J. Hardy rounded third. Desmond Jennings came up firing and send a seed toward the plate, where Pierzynski set up and tagged Hardy before he could touch! Instead of one out and the bases still loaded, two were down and runners only stood at first and second. Ethier then grounded out to end the inning. It was a lead for New England, but not as large an advantage as it could have been.

NEW ENGLAND 1, POTTSYLVANIA 0

In the top of the sixth, Beltran atoned for his earlier double play. The second batter of the inning (after a Cabrera groundout), Beltran liked what he saw in an 0-1 Sabathia offering and crushed it out to right-center!

NEW ENGLAND 2, POTTSYLVANIA 0

Gonzalez finally cracked in the bottom of the inning, as Matt Kemp matched Beltran with a shot to left.

NEW ENGLAND 2, POTTSYLVANIA 1

Pottsylvania was the first to go to their bullpen, inserting Carlos Marmol after Sabathia gave up his eighth hit of the game, a single to Ethier. Cabrera, however, struck out against Marmol and the game moved to the crucial bottom of the seventh.

Whether it was more of a sense of urgency or just Gonzalez making bad mistakes, the Creeper hitters made more solid contact and put together a rally. Pierzynski, Reddick and Jennings all singled to knock Gonzalez out of the game with no outs. LaTroy Hawkins got Carlos Pena to ground to Pedroia in a drawn-in infield, and Pierzynski was retired at the plate.

That’s when manager Will Clark made one of the biggest decisions of his career. For the second straight game, he ordered a squeeze bunt. Aybar put it down perfectly and was retired at first, but Reddick slid across the plate to tie the score.

Allen Craig was next with runners on second and third and two away. The youngster proved up to the challenge, dumping a single just over Hardy’s reach and into the outfield grass to score Jennings for a Pottsylvania lead! Kemp followed with another hit, this to almost the exact same spot where Craig’s dropped, to plate Pena and further increase the Creeper lead.

POTTSYLVANIA 4, NEW ENGLAND 2

In a matter of 18 pitches, New England had given up a lead and was facing a two-run deficit with only six outs to go. Pottsylvania again reached into their deep bullpen and sent Luke Gregerson to the bump to start the eighth, but the Yankee Stompers worked two runners on base with two out for Yonder Alonso. Clark pulled strings again and brought in Aroldis Chapman, who hadn’t worked since the Game Three victory. No matter. Alonso took the count to 2-2 but pounded the next pitch into the ground to Ramirez, who fired to first to end the inning.

The hosts threatened in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with one out against “reliever” Roy Halladay, but Doc settled down in his temporary new role and kept the Creepers from scoring.

The game went to the top of the ninth with every Creeper and Boise Brawler fan fidgeting nervously. Just three outs from their shutdown closer separated their club from a long-coveted world championship.

The 9-1-2 hitters, Montero, Bourn and Ethier, were due up. Montero had a 2-0 count advantage, but he grounded out to short. Bourn had the opposite at-bat, falling behind 0-2 before reaching on a single. Ethier represented the tying run. If he could reach, the biggest bats in the lineup would step up with chances to tie the game and possibly put New England in the lead. Ethier fell behind 1-2 and then put a 92-MPH Chapman slider into play, but RIGHT AT RAMIREZ! The long-time Creeper third baseman (he came to Pottsylvania in a 2006 trade with Yuma) fired to Craig at second for the second out! Craig turned and fired it to Konerko…IN TIME!!! THE CREEPER DOME EXPLODED IN CELEBRATION AS THE TEAM RUSHED THE FIELD! POTTSYLVANIA WINS THE 2012 BARB WORLD SERIES!

In the owner’s suite, Jeff Moore could be seen doing a mix of the “Tebow” and the “Tiger”—a big fist pump while doing a lunge. It was vindication for one of BARB’s original, and longest-suffering, owners. With shrewd drafting and trading, Moore’s club had come a long way from his 51-111 Boise team of the 2003 inaugural season.

“It’s taken 10 years, two cities and one blunder we’ll never live down,” Moore said, “but we finally have a trophy. New England has shown themselves a quality club to rival perennial powerhouse Yuma in the West and we tip our caps to them.”

One fan was spotted in a Boise Brawlers jersey of current Creepers coach Mike Bordick, sitting in his seat and weeping. Those in the press box debated among themselves—was he weeping with joy or because he thought that would be his only chance to see the Jumbotron at the Creeper Dome read, as it did at that moment, “CREEPERS-WORLD CHAMPS”?

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN?

It was certainly a well-played series on both sides. The Yankee Stompers, however, were left wondering if they would be the team celebrating if only they had come through in the clutch one or two more times. New England did, after all, out-hit (.249-.240), out-HR (6-2) and out-pitch (2.82-3.06) Pottsylvania. Pedroia (.241, 0 XBH, 2 RBI), Cabrera (.231, 1 RBI) and Corey Hart (.214, 2 RBI), much of the meat of the Yankee Stomper lineup, failed when their team needed them most, and in the end it made a difference.

New England owner James Herndon had proven there is a place for newcomers in BARB, as in just two seasons he had taken a 56-96 team to the World Series, knocking off much of BARB’s old guard in the process.

WORLD SERIES MVP: MATT KEMP

The five-tool center-fielder, whom Moore held onto despite being hounded with trade offers over the years, was deemed the player most responsible for the championship. Kemp struck 10 hits in 26 at-bats (.385) with a home run and four RBI. The homer and two of the RBI came in the Game Seven clincher. Other Creepers with major impacts were Reddick (six RBI before falling off in the final few games), Sabathia (1.88 ERA, 17 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched) and Chapman (two saves in two appearances).

Thus ends another scintillating Bullard Alternative Reality Baseball season. Congratulations to the World Champion POTTSYLVANIA CREEPERS.

Moore's World Championship parade outfit...