REBELS SMASH TRADITION

On the same night younger brother Chris advanced to the World Series, big bro Ronald Melkonian’s Philadelphia Rebels broke a franchise trend to stay alive in the quest for their first title.

Game Four of the 2011 BARB first-round playoff series between Philadelphia and Frostbite Falls was the seventh playoff game in Ronald Melkonian’s well-traveled franchise’s history. The first three came in 2008, when the then-Lexington Rebels were swept in three games by the Flying Squirrels. In that playoff series, Melkonian used Dan Haren in relief in all three games, but Lexington lost two games by one run apiece and the other by two runs.

The close games continued as the new Philly Rebels made the 2011 playoffs. Each of the first three games was decided by one run. Melkonian, after landing on the losing end of the first two, finally turned the tables in winning Game Three.

And that’s when the string broke. Frostbite Falls, up a game in the series, decided to start talented but wild rookie Jhoulys Chacin, thinking he’d pitch well as long as he had control.

Chacin didn’t have control for long.

After a perfect first inning, Chacin walked Alex Rodriguez to open the second. Torii Hunter was hit by a pitch one out later, and after a fly out Mike Aviles stepped up and went long.

PHILADELPHIA 3, FROSTBITE FALLS 0

Citizens Bank Park went wild! Cliff Lee was on the mound (what’s with Melkonian riding his outstanding pitchers?), and handing a three-run lead to the crafty lefty was like hitting a three-run bomb off him with Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson to back it up…

But I digress. Frostbite Falls owner Andrew Haynes was cringing in the press box after the inning, but he hoped his youngster could settle down and give the offense a chance to swing the team into the World Series.

Things looked up in the bottom of the third, as Chacin induced two fly outs among the first three hitters. The batter in the middle drew a walk, and after the second can of corn, A-Rod stepped to the plate. The result was the same as the second inning, and Rodriguez trotted to first.

With runners on first and second and two out, Mike Noakes decided to start warming up a reliever. He couldn’t get him into the game soon enough. Adrian Gonzalez drew a walk on a full count, loading the bases. Hunter stepped up and didn’t take the bat off his shoulder either, and Ackley crossed the plate to make it 4-0.

Noakes got the word from pitching coach Dave Righetti that Fausto Carmona was ready. Carmona was only on the roster to be a long reliever, so Noakes was hesitant to bring him in. Certain Chacin wouldn’t walk a fourth straight hitter, Noakes left the righty on the bump in an increasingly hostile situation to face Matt Wieters.

The decision turned out to be a rare mistake from the masterful Noakes. Wieters pushed the count to 2-2, and Chacin, hoping to make the catcher put one in play, laid a fat one at the belt.

GONE.

Unbelievable. After seven hitters in the third inning, Philadelphia had put three balls in play for two outs and one hit, but the result was five runs. Carmona came on and induced a groundout, but the damage was done.

PHILADELPHIA 8, FROSTBITE FALLS 0

The Flying Squirrel offense finally showed signs of life in the fourth, when Jose Reyes doubled, Evan Longoria singled and Jeff Francouer doubled for two runs. Another Squirrel crossed the plate on a Rickie Weeks homer in the fifth, and Frostbite drew within “slam range” on a Jayson Werth run-scoring, sixth-inning two-bagger.

PHILADELPHIA 8, FROSTBITE FALLS 4

The Rebels went on to add single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Lee came out after six innings, having given up four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts in his third appearance in four games in the series. Jose Valverde and Takashi Saito finished the game.

PHILADELPHIA 10, FROSTBITE FALLS 4

Ronald Melkonian was ecstatic, finally seeing his team win a playoff no-doubter. Despite being out-hit 10-6, Philly showed patience (seven walks) and pop (two homers and a double) to gain momentum going into the deciding Game Five, which would be played in Frostbite Falls two days later.