INSTANT CLASSIC

WOW

The title of this post is, of course, a contradiction of sorts: like being 'alone together' or 'plastic glasses.' But, in a sense, it is the truth, my friends. Why? Because the game I am about to describe is arguably one of the best ever produced by the simulation in terms of drama, tension and high stakes. Trailing 1-0 in the 2010 BARB World Series, the wild card-winning Flying Squirrels get into an epic pitcher's duel...in extra innings!.....

The matchup: Tim Lincecum (who led his club with 16 wins and 245 K's) would attempt to hold down a lineup with eight .300 hitters....while his opposite number, Ryan Dempster, led the Elims with 14 wins and 174 K's.

Carlos Beltran, who homered twice in the playoffs against Yuma, singled to start the game and the way Matt Caskey's club played that first inning tells you a lot about their desire to avoid pitching to All-World 1B Albert Pujols. Michael Young grounded back to Dempster with the runner going on a 2-2 pitch. Beltran reached second, and with a base open, the Eliminators did not hesitate to intentionally walk Pujols with one down. Jayson Werth hit a big fly that moved Beltran to third, but Victor Martinez hit a routine ground ball to Hanley Ramirez at short to end the threat.

So...don't pitch to Pujols seemed to be the theme, which is understandable with the big galoot having bombed a BARB record 14 home runs in the playoffs since 2003. As for offense, Worcester was aggressive on the basepaths and at the plate, and it would cost them repeatedly. At the plate, the free-swinging Elims were easy prey for Tim Lincecum's changeup, striking out the side in the fourth and (at one point) retiring 14 straight.

Meanwhile, on the basepaths, things were even more frustrating for the home team. Frostbite C Victor Martinez, not known for stopping the running game, would gun down Carl Crawford and Derek Jeter at second, while also erasing Hanley Ramirez on an ill-conceived (attempted) swipe of third base. So it was that, through eight innings, Lincecum had allowed only seven baserunners (5 H, 2 BB), and his catcher had killed rallies in three separate innings.

Despite the dominance, the Squirrels were similarly mired in offensive futility, as Dempster matched Lincecum zero-for-zero. After a two-out walk to (who else?) Albert Pujols in the third, Dempster would retire thirteen straight before giving up a leadoff single to the eighth-place hitter, speedy Jose Reyes.

Pinch-hit for Lincecum, who had thrown 101 pitches already, in a 0-0 tie? Not likely, reasoned Squirrels GM Andrew Haynes. Instead, playing for one run, the Squirrels brain trust had Lincecum execute a perfect sacrifice to put Reyes in scoring position with one out, bringing up Frostbite Falls' hottest hitter: Carlos Beltran.

Beltran came to the plate with 11 hits in 27 post-season AB's (.407), including two singles in his first two trips against Dempster. He got ahead in the count, 2-1....fouled a pitch off....took a pitch....then swung and missed at a 3-2 slider for the second out! Michael Young (having a terrible series) then pushed a routine grounder right at Ramirez, and the Squirrels were denied for the eighth straight inning!

Delmon Young flew out to begin the bottom of the inning, but 3B Derek Jeter (batting eighth in Worcester's incredible lineup) pushed a four-hopper up the middle underneath Lincecum's glove. With Dempster having thrown 112 pitches, he was lifted in favor of pinch-hitter Lastings Milledge. Milledge quickly fell behind 0-2, fouled off a couple of pitches and took ball one from Lincecum. A decent comeback, but Milledge then took a beautifully-located change on the outside corner for strike three, out #2 and punchout #12 in the game for 'The Freak' !

That brought up Carl Crawford with two down, and Jeter at first, and the following sequence:

Lincecum....threw over to first. Jeter back, safely.

Lincecum....threw over to first. Jeter back, safely.

Lincecum....three over to first, not even close, Jeter back safely.

Lincecum.....PITCHED OUT on the first pitch to Crawford, Jeter going, and Victor Martinez's throw . . . .

ON THE MONEY! Jeter was OUT at second on the tag by Reyes, and Lincecum was out of the inning, 110 pitches in the books.....and a scoreless tie after eight innings.

Wow, but it gets better. Heath Bell was pummeled in two of his three playoff outings, but he was brought on to start the ninth against that man, Albert Pujols. Bell fell behind, 2-1, then got Pujols to protect the plate with some fastballs on the black, his 2-2 fastball being slapped deep but foul by the Frostbite slugger. Bell's sixth pitch was grounded to short, however, and that seemed to ramp up the Worcester setup man's mojo, striking out Werth and Longoria.

In the bottom of the ninth, it was Frostbite's turn to go to the pen. Lincecum was actually given a chance to start the frame, but Carl Crawford pulled a ball sharply between Pujols and Young, and the Squirrels had seen enough. Already trailing in the Series 1-0 and in a scoreless tie, they made the move to their closer, Joakim Soria. Hanley Ramirez got a bunt down to move Crawford into scoring position for the left-handed hitting Robinson Cano. The Squirrels gave the sign for four wide ones, putting runners at first and second.

The home town ELIMINATORS, with one down, had the winning run at second, for Mark Teixeira, who . . .

...LASHED a 1-1 fastball on one hop past a diving Longoria, sending Crawford to the plate! LF Adam Lind, no great shakes with the glove, charged the ball! Crawford rounded third! Lind windmilled his throw to the plate, hitting the infield with one hop...two hops....Martinez blocked the plate, whirled and...

OUT!!!!! at home plate! Are you kidding me? Adam Lind had made a perfect throw and Martinez had executed a brilliant sweep tag to deny one of the most dynamic baserunners in the league. Joe Mauer then hit a 2-2 pitch harmlessly out to left, threat averted....sending the scoreless tie to extra innings.

It gets better.

In the top of the 10th, Jason Heyward greeted Bell with a singled to left-center. Playing for one run, Jose Reyes bunted to third, sending Heyward to second. Now the tough choice: keep Soria on the mound, and risk handing the game to a lesser reliever in a must-win situation....or let the pitcher hit for himself and hope against hope? Frostbite stuck with Soria, and it was here that they were snake-bit. Sensing a key moment, the Eliminators brought in their ace closer, Mariano Rivera. The legendary Panamanian got two strikes on Soria, wasted a pair, and then tried to strike him out with his remarkable cut fastball.

Only the cutter didn't do what it should, and Rivera plunked Soria in the elbow! As 'The Mexicutioner' (Soria's actual nickname, people) writhed on the ground, the Squirrels got their reliever out of harm's way as a precaution, calling on Rickie Weeks to pinch-run at first. That brought up Frostbite Falls' hottest hitter in the post-season, CF Carlos Beltran.

The Eliminators apparently had gotten the memo about Beltran's recent heroics, however. They intentionally walked Beltran to load the bases. Rivera then went to work on Michael Young: fastball, fouled off for strike one. Another foul, for strike two. Another foul, for good measure. And, on the fourth pitch, Young tried to check his swing....but fouled it to Mauer, who DROPPED the third strike! For a moment, a confused Young did not run....and so Mauer threw to first, Teixeira whipped it back home to nail Heyward running on the play, an inning-ending two-fer! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

On to the bottom of the 10th, where Jason Frasor would pitch and (on the double switch) Weeks play second. Frasor went full count on two hitters, but retired the three he faced to move things to the eleventh. Rivera, out for another inning of work in the top of the eleventh, would again show a cat-like ability to dodge trouble. Albert Pujols hit a 1-1 cutter up the middle for a single. Werth reached first when Jeter couldn't handle his hard smash to third. Runners at first and second, nobody out! But....Victor Martinez hit the first pitch he saw right to Cano, who started a 4-6-3 twin killing to take the starch out the Squirrels. Evan Longoria then struck out for the sixth time in this Series.

In the middle of the 11th, the score between these two powerhouse clubs was still a 0-0 tie....but all good things come to an end, including the outing of Mariano Rivera. Backup C Jarrod Saltalamacchia was summoned to pinch-hit for the ace closer, a sign of a thin bench. But 'Salty' elivered a single on Frasor's 2-2 pitch, then went all the way around to third when Carl Crawford hit a long drive into right center for a base hit.

TENSION! The home team had the winning run 90 feet away with nobody down. But Hanley Ramirez flailed at an 0-1 slider with Saltalamacchia inexplicably committing to the plate. Ramirez's ground ball was flagged by a rambing Ricky Weeks, whose throw to the plate was IN TIME to nail Worcester's backup catcher! For a moment, it appeared that Weeks would save the ball game and preserve the scoreless tie....

...until Robinson Cano ....

...doubled in the gap on a 1-1 pitch, sending the Carl Crawford Train down the same track it had been derailed in the ninth! This time, there would be no miracle throw at the plate. Crawford scored without a throw, the Eliminators had a walkoff Series win with one out in the bottom of the 11th:

WORCESTER 1, FROSTBITE FALLS 0!

Worlds probably don't do this incredible game justice, or reflect the likelihood of this outcome. Worcester had taken a 2-0 lead in the Series despite scoring only two runs in over 20 innings! The two clubs had combined for 43 strikeouts in that span, and two clubs known for their offense instead were involved in the greatest pitcher's duel in BARB postseason history.

Now, the Squirrels, facing an 0-2 deficit, will take the Series back home to Frostbite Falls and see if they can force a fifth game, a sixth game or even a seventh game....!