POSEY THE QUESTION

"King Felix" outdueled C.C. Sabathia on short rest, but neither figured in the decision in the opening game of the 2010 BARB playoffs. The key question was not about a pitcher, but rather an odd decision concerning rookie C Buster Posey, one that may have a role in the outcome!

Frostbite Falls, who had just managed to edge Brooklyn on the road to earn a playoff spot, sent Hernandez (13-10, 3.55 in the regular season) out just one day after 'King Felix' had thrown 12 pitches in relief. The Squirrels gave their ace an early lead when rookie RF Jason Heyward singled with one out in the first, stole second, and then scored on a single by Albert Pujols.

Yuma came back to bloody Felix's nose in the third, however. Chone Figgins (getting a start at 2B over the banged-up Brian Roberts) singled with one down, then made it all the way home when a drive off the bat of Ryan Braun was misplayed by Carlos Beltran. Braun belted it over Beltran's head, and the Puerto Rican's throw attempting to force Figgins went into the dugout. Confusion! Pumped up, Hernandez then left a ball up to Joey Votto, who had drilled 26 HR in the regular season. Votto's 27th of the year and first of the playoffs was on a 1-1 pitch, and gave the Firebirds a 3-1 lead!

Hernandez settled down, however, and GM Andrew Haynes watched his lineup chip away at C.C. Sabathia (11-8, 3.09 in the regular season). The big lefty had four complete games in BARB this year, but gave up an RBI double to Michael Young in the fourth and a leadoff HR to Jayson Werth in the sixth to tie the game up. Unable to locate his breaking ball, Sabathia would go seven frames but walk four while fanning only two as hitters sat on his fastball.

So it was with the game tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the 7th that a move came from Yuma's bench that set the crowd buzzing: with rookie phenom Buster Posey scheduled to bat, the youngster was called back in favor of veteran C David Ross. In fairness to Ross, the backup had slugged over .600 against righties in limited duty but...still....David Ross over Buster Posey? In a tie game, leading off, with nobody on? "That...." gasped Commissioner Scott Hatfield. "That's just not baseball as I know it."

Ross put a charge into the crowd, however, smacking a 1-0 pitch for a double. 'King Felix' showed his mettle next, dispatching SS Yunel Escobar and pinch-hitter Vlad Guerrero on ground balls that got Ross to third. Ross was stranded when Hernandez punctuated his final inning by fanning Denard Span.

And.....gooseeggs would follow. Huston Street worked two perfect frames for the Firebirds, keeping the score 3-3. That led to the bottom of the ninth, and Yuma's best threat. Nick Masset allowed a leadoff single to Ryan Zimmerman. Eric O'Flaherty relieved to work on the left-handed hitting Nick Markakis. Oops! Markakis lined a single, sending Zimmerman to third. With nobody down, the hometown Firebirds had the winning run ninety feet away!

That brought up Ross again, and more than few fans noted the irony. What if Ross, the unheralded pinch-hitter, should deliver in this situation? A nervous Andrew Haynes, sensing destiny, went to his bullpen for the third straight hitter, calling on Jason Frasor while closer Joakim Soria heated up down in the pen. Frasor got ahead 0-2, then Ross fouled off some pitches before working the count full. Frasor's 3-2 slider was fouled, too....into catcher Victor Martinez's glove! Strike three, one, and a collective groan from the Yuma faithful.

Frasor then intentionally walked pinch-hitter Chase Headley to load the bases and Soria was brought in to face yet another pinch-hitter, OF Adam Jones. Soria's 3-2 pitch was grounded to first. Pujols came home to force Zimmerman, though, and for the second time in as many at-bats Denard Span struck out with the go-ahead run aboard!

What a letdown! In the top of the tenth, Yuma closer Rafael Soriano relieved Street, but he failed to keep the game scoreless. Pinch-hitter Adam Lind flew out to deep right and Carlos Beltran lined sharply out to Votto. With two down, pesky rookie Jason Heyward singled over the glove of Escobar, bringing up the ever-dangerous Albert Pujols. The Frostbite Falls star had bashed 46 HR in the regular season along with a league-leading 129 ribbies. No hitter has bashed more post-season HR in BARB than this guy. Why pitch to him?

Ask Soriano, who missed with a 1-0 fastball and tried to go upstairs on the next pitch. Pujols PULLED the ball.....LF Adam Lind looked up.....GONE! HOME RUN, ALBERT PUJOLS, a two-run shot, giving Frostbite Falls a 5-3 lead in extra innings.

But the game wasn't over yet, and the bottom of the 10th would be no thing of beauty, but a nailbiting trainwreck. The Squirrels had already used four relievers in the ninth, including their closer. Chris Perez (1-5, 5.14 in 49 regular-season games) would be the fifth hurler summoned from the pen as part of a double-switch that put Rickie Weeks in the game at 2B. Chone Figgins walked on a 3-2 pitch, and Ryan Braun on a 3-1 pitch to put the go-ahead run at the plate, nobody down. Then, on a 2-1 pitch to Joey Votto, Perez bounced a slider that eluded Martinez, sending Figgins and Braun up ninety feet. The tying runs were in scoring position, nobody down, and Yuma's big bat (Joey Votto) at the plate.

Perez fell behind Votto and the Squirrels went ahead and intentionally passed the Yuma 1B. GM Andrew Haynes then went to the pen for the sixth time in the game, calling on Jhoulys Chacin to pitch to Ryan Zimmerman. Chacin fanned the Yuma third-sacker for the first out, and the left-handed hitting Ryan Markakis topped a ball to Pujols--too hard! that the Squirrels 1B was able to turn into a force play, nailing the speedy Figgins runing on the play at home plate! TWO DOWN......and now came David Ross.

Really? Again, with the drama, and David Ross? "Where have you gone, Buster Posey?...a lonely nation turns its' eyes to you, woo woo woo." Ross worked the count full....and WALKED WITH THE BASES LOADED AND TWO OUT, scoring Ryan Braun. Frostbite's lead had narrowed to 5-4, and the bases were still loaded.

Really?!?! Yes, that's exactly how it played out. At this point, the Frostbite brain trust could be forgiven for having a nervous breakdown. The Squirrels called on their pen for the eighth arm of the day: usual fourth starter Matt Garza (11-6, 4.46 in 29 regular-season starts). Garza was brought in to face IF Ryan Theriot, who had come in to play short in a double-switch back in the ninth with Soriano. Theriot fell behind, 1-2, then hit a fly ball...

...which was a can of corn for Jayson Werth, who squeezed it for the final out!

GAME OVER!!! The wild-card winning Squirrels had upset the Yuma Firebirds at home despite entering the game with much of their staff gassed from the final week of play, using eight pitchers to hold on and win 5-4! Heroics aplenty, and yet all observers could think about was the general reaction to lifting Buster Posey. Ross, who had distinguished himself with a leadoff double and a bases-loaded walk, seemed annoyed by the media frenzy. "Look, that's just what our manager did, and we fell one run short. It's not the end of the world!"

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