Brooklyn was at home, taking advantage of their superior divisional record in the East and winning record against Frostbite Falls. Verlander was superb early, as he and Lincecum had identical lines after three frames: just one hit allowed for each ace, with four K's apiece.
But, in the fifth, Verlander allowed a leadoff double to Michael Young, getting a start at 2B over Rickie Weeks. League RBI leader Albert Pujols then slashed an 0-1 pitch from Verlander past a diving Chase Utley, and Young (running on the play) scampered over to third to put runners at the corners. LF Adam Lind then lifted the first pitch he saw out to the warning track in left, a sac fly that easily scored Young.
That might've been the end of things, but with C Victor Martinez batting, normally sure-handed Moabs backstop Brian McCann allowed a 2-1 slider to get away from him, and Pujols trotted over to second. Perhaps losing concentration, Verlander hung the 3-1 pitch where 'V-Mart' could handle it, as Frostbite's receiver drove the ball DEEP over the wall in right, a two-run HR....and, more importantly, a 3-0 Frostbite lead!
Verlander settled down after that, and Tim Lincecum stayed effective until allowing back-to-back doubles to SS Troy Tulowitzki and McCann to start the seventh. McCann's frozen rope hit the wall on one hop, easily scoring 'Tulo' for Brooklyn's first run. 1B Ryan Howard walked on a 3-1 pitch, and with nobody out, the Frostbite pen began to churn. 2B Chase Utley rolled a ball very slowly to Young at second, who nearly threw the ball away but was saved by Pujols. Still, the out was productive, as both McCann and Howard moved into scoring position. RF Corey Hart then dinked a ball to Young, who recorded the out, but not before McCann could score.
The Moabs then pinch-hit for 3B Brandon Inge to bring the go-ahead run to the plate with two down, but Lincecum reached back and fanned Manny Ramirez on three pitches to end the threat: after seven innings, Frostbite was clinging to a 3-2 lead! That was key, because Jon Lester had come on in the sixth for Verlander and done a credible job, fanning four of the eight hitters he faced to keep the game close.
A defensive substitution in the seventh paid off big for the Squirrels in the eighth, with Brian Schneider coming in to don the tools of ignorance, and solid starter Felix Hernandez making a rare relief appearance on the mound. Victor Martinez, whose 16th HR had given Frostbite the big early lead, would watch from the dugout as Schneider gunned down Shane Victorine moving on a 1-2 pitch for that inning's final out, preserving the 3-2 lead!
Frostbite Falls attempted to add to their lead in the ninth, but impressive rookie Neftali Felix worked around a two-out walk to Carlos Beltran. That brought up Joakim Soria, the Squirrels' closer this season with Joe Nathan out for the year. Soria fanned Tulowitzki and got McCann to fly out for the second out. Howard then singled with two down to extend the game, and Soria's next pitch hit Utley leaning out over the plate!
The winning run was on base, and Corey Hart at the plate. Hart topped a sinker....
....right at Albert Pujols! Pujols tags the bag! Frostbite Falls wins Game #85....and a playoff spot!
With the win, Frostbite Falls will travel to play a best-of-five series with last year's champs, the Yuma Firebirds, who finished with a league-high 90 wins. With ace Tim Lincecum unavailable, the wild-card-winning Squirrels would have to decide between 'King' Felix on short rest, or either Cole Hamels or Matt Garza to being their season with Yuma.
With the win, Frostbite Falls will travel to play a best-of-five series with last year's champs, the Yuma Firebirds, who finished with a league-high 90 wins. With ace Tim Lincecum unavailable, the wild-card-winning Squirrels would have to decide between 'King' Felix on short rest, or either Cole Hamels or Matt Garza to being their season with Yuma.
Meanwhile, two well-rested squads (East champion Worcester and Central winner Casselton) will also meet in a best-of-five, with games being played this Saturday...at BHS, Room N-63!
TOUGH LOSS FOR MOABS
What a wild year Brooklyn has had! A pre-season favorite of many analysts, the Moabs seemed to have the depth that every system would envy, certainly more than their divisional rivals. Through June, Brooklyn had the upper-hand with rookie Neftali Feliz and closer Francisco Rodriguez seemingly unbeatable in the late innings.
But then the wheels fell off: Rodriguez suffered injury and disgrace. LHP Billy Wagner filled in capably, but starting IF Troy Tulowitzki, 2B Chase Utley and 1B Ryan Howard all missed significant time with injury. 3B Brandon Inge had to be recalled from a AAA contract to play the hot corner when other candidates failed miserably. RHP James Shields and Scott Baker regressed, and the club got little production from its outfield. Worcester, which had started slowly after losing CF Grady Sizemore, caught its rhythm and simply began bludgeoning foes with one of the league's best offenses. By August, it was the Eliminators, not the Moabs, leading the East.
Then, cashing in part of their depth, Brooklyn made the year's biggest splash. The Moabs acquired RHP Yovani Gallardo to fill a rotation spot and picked up OF Vernon Wells, OF Corey Hart and DH Manny Ramirez from Arizona GM Ronald Melkonian. The Moabs played winning ball again, but it was never able to catch the leaders, and it took a strong finish in the final two weeks of play for them to hold serve with Frostbite Falls, which had surged back into contention with the return of Evan Longoria. Brooklyn won two of their last three games with the Squirrels to force the one-game playoff....but despite beating Frostbite Falls 15 times in the regular season (major ownage), they came one run short in the season's extended finale.
"It doesn't get much closer than that," commented veteran Commissioner Scott Hatfield to no one in particular. "The only way it could've been more of a nail-biter would've been if the thing had gone scoreless in extra innings. My congratulations to GM Andrew Haynes, and a rueful shrug to GM Eric Caskey, who had a great season fall just short of post-season glory."
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