The baseball playoffs began on Friday with two wild card play in games. They were one game playoffs between the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles and the Cardinals won each upsetting the home team and advancing to play the number one seed.
In the case of the Orioles they will be taking on their division rivals the New York Yankees and the Cardinals will be taking on the Washington Nationals.
In the Braves/Cardinals game there was some controversy as a infield fly was called in the eighth inning. When you first saw the play the thought is that the ball was in the outfield how could an infield fly be called?? The answer to that though is, it can be called anywhere in the field as long as an infielder has a reasonable chance to catch the ball. The call itself wasn’t wrong the more I have reviewed it and gone over the rule. The only thing that may have been wrong was that the umpire called it too late. He seemed to call it an infield fly as the ball was coming down. The display that the fans in Atlanta put on was despicable and that should never happen.
The other game was a close game for the most part and then the Orioles scored a couple of ninth inning runs to put the game away. The Orioles and Yankees split their 18 games this season and it will be the first time that divisional opponents will meet each other in the first round. I believe the Yankees are a better team and will win in four games. In the postseason though anything could happen. I think that the Nationals will also win and the Red/Giants matchup is very intriguing. I would say that the Reds would win but that is a very tough series to pick. The Oakland Athletics are a hot team but the Tigers have a triple crown winner and one of the best pitchers in baseball. I think the Tigers will probably win that series in five games.
It should be a fun and exciting postseason and I will keep it all covered here on the blog. I will have full Yankees coverage coming tomorrow. I also do want to do a Mets season in review article in the near future.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
The New York Mets end the season with a win over the Miami Marlins
The New York Mets defeated the Miami Marlins by the score of 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon. The game took place at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. Jeremy Hefner started for the Mets and pitched well and the bullpen was good. Ruben Tejada led the Mets offense. Tom Koehler started for the Marlins and pitched ok and their bullpen was pretty good. The Marlins offense was led by Petersen and Murphy.
Hefner won his fourth game of the season pitching 7 1/3 innings giving up five hits and two runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. Elvin Ramirez pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and two walks, Manny Acosta retired the only batter that he faced and Bobby Parnell pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. Parnell saved his seventh game of the season. Koehler lost his first game of the season pitching five innings giving up six hits and three runs with three strikeouts. Chad Gaudin pitched two innings giving up three hits and a run with two strikeouts, Dan Jennings pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a walk and A.J. Ramos pitched 1 2/3 innings striking out two.
Tejada had three hits, Justin Turner had a hit and Ike Davis had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk. Scott Hairston had a hit and two RBI, Lucas Duda had a hit and Andres Torres had a hit and an RBI. Hefner had a hit, Tejada and Davis each hit a double. Turner hit a triple and Torres, Hairston and Davis each hit a homerun. The Mets were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Kelly Shoppach had a passed ball and Baxter had an outfield assist.
Petersen had two hits, Gorkys Hernandez had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Jose Reyes had a hit. Mike Stanton drew a walk, Carlos Lee drew a walk and Solano had a hit and drew a walk. Murphy had two hits, Petersen and Murphy each hit a double and the Marllins were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Reyes had a stolen base.
Torres hit a solo homerun in the third to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Hairston hit a two run homerun in the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0. In the sixth Davis hit a solo homerun to make it 4-0 and that would be the Mets final run of the game and season. Hernandez hit an RBI single in the sixth, a passed ball in the eighth scored the second and final run of the game. The final score was 4-2 Mets.
The Mets and Marlins were both disappointing this season. The Mets finished with a 74-88 record and the Marlins were at 69-93. The Mets at least for them didn’t finish in last place.
Hefner won his fourth game of the season pitching 7 1/3 innings giving up five hits and two runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. Elvin Ramirez pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and two walks, Manny Acosta retired the only batter that he faced and Bobby Parnell pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. Parnell saved his seventh game of the season. Koehler lost his first game of the season pitching five innings giving up six hits and three runs with three strikeouts. Chad Gaudin pitched two innings giving up three hits and a run with two strikeouts, Dan Jennings pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a walk and A.J. Ramos pitched 1 2/3 innings striking out two.
Tejada had three hits, Justin Turner had a hit and Ike Davis had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk. Scott Hairston had a hit and two RBI, Lucas Duda had a hit and Andres Torres had a hit and an RBI. Hefner had a hit, Tejada and Davis each hit a double. Turner hit a triple and Torres, Hairston and Davis each hit a homerun. The Mets were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Kelly Shoppach had a passed ball and Baxter had an outfield assist.
Petersen had two hits, Gorkys Hernandez had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Jose Reyes had a hit. Mike Stanton drew a walk, Carlos Lee drew a walk and Solano had a hit and drew a walk. Murphy had two hits, Petersen and Murphy each hit a double and the Marllins were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Reyes had a stolen base.
Torres hit a solo homerun in the third to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Hairston hit a two run homerun in the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0. In the sixth Davis hit a solo homerun to make it 4-0 and that would be the Mets final run of the game and season. Hernandez hit an RBI single in the sixth, a passed ball in the eighth scored the second and final run of the game. The final score was 4-2 Mets.
The Mets and Marlins were both disappointing this season. The Mets finished with a 74-88 record and the Marlins were at 69-93. The Mets at least for them didn’t finish in last place.
The New York Yankees clinch the best record in the AL with victory over the Boston Red Sox
The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox by the score of 14-2 on Wednesday night. The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees and pitched well, the bullpen finished it off well and Robinson Cano led the offense. Daisuki Matsuzaka started for the Red Sox and was bad, their bullpen didn’t do much better. The Red Sox offense was led by Cody Ross.
Kuroda pitched seven innings giving up seven hits and two runs. He won his 16th game of the year and walked two and struck out four. Cody Eppley pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out one, Clay Rapada pitched to one batter and struck him out and Freddy Garcia pitched a perfect inning striking out the side. Matsuzaka lost his seventh game of the season pitching 2 1/3 innings giving up six hits and five runs with a walk and two strikeouts. Clayton Mortensen pitched two innings giving up three hits and two runs with two walks and two strikeouts, Pedro Beato pitched an inning giving up a hit and two runs with a walk and a strikeout and Scott Atchison pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit. Chris Carpenter pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up three hits and five runs with two walks, Craig Breslow pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a walk and Junichi Tazawa pitched a perfect inning.
Derek Jeter had a hit, Brett Gardner had a hit and Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and two RBI. Alex Rodriguez had two hits and drew two walks, Robinson Cano had four hits, six RBI and drew a walk and Nick Swisher had two hits, an RBI and drew two walks. Mark Teixeira had an RBI and drew a walk, Curtis Granderson had two hits and four RBI and Raul Ibanez had a hit and drew a walk. Russell Martin had a hit including a double, Rodriguez and Suzuki each hit a double. Granderson and Cano each hit two homeruns and the Yankees were 5-13 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Suzuki had a stolen base.
Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit, Dustin Pedroia had a hit and drew a walk and Daniel Nava had a hit. Ross had two hits and an RBI, Ryan Lavarnway drew a walk and Pedro Ciriaco had two hits. Jose Iglesias had a hit and an RBI. Pedroia, Ciriaco and Nava each hit a double. The Red Sox were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Pedroia had a stolen base and Ross was caught stealing.
Ross hit an RBI single in the first to put the Red Sox up 1-0. In the second Granderson hit a three run homerun to make it 3-1 Yankees. Cano hit a two run homerun in the third to make it 5-1 Yankees. Cano hit a two run homerun in the fifth to make it 7-1 Yankees. In the sixth Cano hit a two run single making it 9-1 and the rout was on. Iglesias hit an RBI single in the seventh to make it 9-2. Granderson hit a solo homerun in the seventh to make it 10-2. That homerun set the Yankees single season franchise record for team homeruns with 245. Suzuki hit a two run double to make it 12-2. In the seventh still Swisher hit an RBI single and Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly making it 14-2 and that was the final score.
The Yankees finished the regular season with a record of 95-67 and the Red Sox are headed home finishing a terrible season. The Sox were 69-93. The Yankees will play their next game on Sunday on the road. They aren’t sure where they will play yet though. The Texas Rangers will host the Baltimore Orioles in a one game playoff on Friday and the winner will play the Yankees in their home ballpark for the first two games. The Yankees will have games 3-5 in their building. The Yankees finished the regular season with the best record in the AL and will have home field advantage through the ALCS.
Kuroda pitched seven innings giving up seven hits and two runs. He won his 16th game of the year and walked two and struck out four. Cody Eppley pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out one, Clay Rapada pitched to one batter and struck him out and Freddy Garcia pitched a perfect inning striking out the side. Matsuzaka lost his seventh game of the season pitching 2 1/3 innings giving up six hits and five runs with a walk and two strikeouts. Clayton Mortensen pitched two innings giving up three hits and two runs with two walks and two strikeouts, Pedro Beato pitched an inning giving up a hit and two runs with a walk and a strikeout and Scott Atchison pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit. Chris Carpenter pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up three hits and five runs with two walks, Craig Breslow pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a walk and Junichi Tazawa pitched a perfect inning.
Derek Jeter had a hit, Brett Gardner had a hit and Ichiro Suzuki had a hit and two RBI. Alex Rodriguez had two hits and drew two walks, Robinson Cano had four hits, six RBI and drew a walk and Nick Swisher had two hits, an RBI and drew two walks. Mark Teixeira had an RBI and drew a walk, Curtis Granderson had two hits and four RBI and Raul Ibanez had a hit and drew a walk. Russell Martin had a hit including a double, Rodriguez and Suzuki each hit a double. Granderson and Cano each hit two homeruns and the Yankees were 5-13 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Suzuki had a stolen base.
Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit, Dustin Pedroia had a hit and drew a walk and Daniel Nava had a hit. Ross had two hits and an RBI, Ryan Lavarnway drew a walk and Pedro Ciriaco had two hits. Jose Iglesias had a hit and an RBI. Pedroia, Ciriaco and Nava each hit a double. The Red Sox were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. Pedroia had a stolen base and Ross was caught stealing.
Ross hit an RBI single in the first to put the Red Sox up 1-0. In the second Granderson hit a three run homerun to make it 3-1 Yankees. Cano hit a two run homerun in the third to make it 5-1 Yankees. Cano hit a two run homerun in the fifth to make it 7-1 Yankees. In the sixth Cano hit a two run single making it 9-1 and the rout was on. Iglesias hit an RBI single in the seventh to make it 9-2. Granderson hit a solo homerun in the seventh to make it 10-2. That homerun set the Yankees single season franchise record for team homeruns with 245. Suzuki hit a two run double to make it 12-2. In the seventh still Swisher hit an RBI single and Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly making it 14-2 and that was the final score.
The Yankees finished the regular season with a record of 95-67 and the Red Sox are headed home finishing a terrible season. The Sox were 69-93. The Yankees will play their next game on Sunday on the road. They aren’t sure where they will play yet though. The Texas Rangers will host the Baltimore Orioles in a one game playoff on Friday and the winner will play the Yankees in their home ballpark for the first two games. The Yankees will have games 3-5 in their building. The Yankees finished the regular season with the best record in the AL and will have home field advantage through the ALCS.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The New York Yankees rally to tie and then beat the Boston Red Sox in 12 innings
The New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox by the score of 4-3 in 12 innings on Tuesday night. The game was played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. David Phelps started for the Yankees and pitched pretty well. The Yankees bullpen pitched well and Raul Ibanez led the Yankees offense. Jon Lester started for the Red Sox and was in trouble all night but limited the damage. The Red Sox bullpen was pretty good and their offense was led by Dustin Pedroia and James Loney.
Phelps pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up three hits and two runs with two walks and four strikeouts. Boone Logan faced two hitters and struck out one, Joba Chamberlain pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one and Dave Robertson pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts. Rafael Soriano pitched two innings giving up two hits and a run with a walk and two strikeouts and Derek Lowe pitched two innings giving up two hits and a walk with a strikeout. Lowe picked up his ninth win of the season. Lester pitched five innings giving up eight hits and an unearned run with a walk and a strikeout. Rich Hill pitched an inning giving up two hits and two strikeouts, Junichi Tazawa pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Craig Breslow pitched an inning giving up a hit. Andrew Bailey pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up three hits and two runs with two walks, Mark Melancon pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings with a strikeout and Vincente Padilla pitched an inning giving up a hit. Andrew Miller took his second loss of the season pitching 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with two walks and a strikeout.
Derek Jeter had two hits, Nick Swisher had two hits and drew two walks and Alex Rodriguez had two hits and drew a walk. Robinson Cano had two hits, Russell Martin had a hit and Francisco Cervelli drew a walk. Curtis Granderson had two hits and drew a walk, Eduardo Nunez had two hits and an RBI and Ibanez had two hits and three RBI in pinch hitting duty. Ichiro Suzuki had a hit, Swisher, Jeter and Nunez each hit a double. Ibanez hit a homerun, the Yankees were 4-11 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base. Granderson had a stolen base and Gardner was picked off.
Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit, Pedroia had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Daniel Nava drew a walk. Cody Ross had an RBI, Loney had two hits and an RBI and Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a hit and drew a walk. Pedro Ciriaco had two hits and drew a walk, Pedroia hit a double and Loney hit a homerun. The Red Sox were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Ciriaco had a stolen base and committed an error. Breslow had a pickoff.
In the first inning the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead. Pedroia hit an RBI double and Ross had a sacrifice fly. The Yankees cut the lead to 2-1 in the second on a Nunez RBI single. The score stayed that way until the ninth inning. Loney hit a solo homerun to make it 3-1. Ibanez hit a two run homerun in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at three. The Yankees won the game 4-3 in the 12th inning when Ibanez hit an RBI walk-off single.
The Yankees have won the first two games of this three game series. The Yankees record improved to 94-67 and the Red Sox record dropped to 69-92. The Yankees and Red Sox will play the final game of the regular season on Wednesday night. If the Yankees win they will clinch the number one seed in the American League and not play until Sunday against the wild card team in their home ballpark. If they lose and the Orioles win then they have to play a one game playoff to determine the division winner.
Phelps pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up three hits and two runs with two walks and four strikeouts. Boone Logan faced two hitters and struck out one, Joba Chamberlain pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one and Dave Robertson pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts. Rafael Soriano pitched two innings giving up two hits and a run with a walk and two strikeouts and Derek Lowe pitched two innings giving up two hits and a walk with a strikeout. Lowe picked up his ninth win of the season. Lester pitched five innings giving up eight hits and an unearned run with a walk and a strikeout. Rich Hill pitched an inning giving up two hits and two strikeouts, Junichi Tazawa pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Craig Breslow pitched an inning giving up a hit. Andrew Bailey pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up three hits and two runs with two walks, Mark Melancon pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings with a strikeout and Vincente Padilla pitched an inning giving up a hit. Andrew Miller took his second loss of the season pitching 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with two walks and a strikeout.
Derek Jeter had two hits, Nick Swisher had two hits and drew two walks and Alex Rodriguez had two hits and drew a walk. Robinson Cano had two hits, Russell Martin had a hit and Francisco Cervelli drew a walk. Curtis Granderson had two hits and drew a walk, Eduardo Nunez had two hits and an RBI and Ibanez had two hits and three RBI in pinch hitting duty. Ichiro Suzuki had a hit, Swisher, Jeter and Nunez each hit a double. Ibanez hit a homerun, the Yankees were 4-11 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base. Granderson had a stolen base and Gardner was picked off.
Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit, Pedroia had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Daniel Nava drew a walk. Cody Ross had an RBI, Loney had two hits and an RBI and Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a hit and drew a walk. Pedro Ciriaco had two hits and drew a walk, Pedroia hit a double and Loney hit a homerun. The Red Sox were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Ciriaco had a stolen base and committed an error. Breslow had a pickoff.
In the first inning the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead. Pedroia hit an RBI double and Ross had a sacrifice fly. The Yankees cut the lead to 2-1 in the second on a Nunez RBI single. The score stayed that way until the ninth inning. Loney hit a solo homerun to make it 3-1. Ibanez hit a two run homerun in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at three. The Yankees won the game 4-3 in the 12th inning when Ibanez hit an RBI walk-off single.
The Yankees have won the first two games of this three game series. The Yankees record improved to 94-67 and the Red Sox record dropped to 69-92. The Yankees and Red Sox will play the final game of the regular season on Wednesday night. If the Yankees win they will clinch the number one seed in the American League and not play until Sunday against the wild card team in their home ballpark. If they lose and the Orioles win then they have to play a one game playoff to determine the division winner.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The New York Mets lose a close one in Miami to the Marlins
The New York Mets were defeated by the Miami Marlins by the score of 3-2 on Monday night. The game took place at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. Jeurys Familia started for the Mets and was very wild but was able to limit the damage. The Mets bullpen wasn’t very good and their offense was led by David Wright. Wade LeBlanc pitched ok and their bullpen was pretty good. The Marlins offense was led by Gorkys Hernandez.
Familia pitched four innings giving up one hit an no runs with six walks and three strikeouts. Elvin Ramirez pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk, Manny Acosta pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout and Jon Rauch pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with a walk and a strikeout. Ramon Ramirez lost his fourth game of the season pitching an inning giving up three hits and a run with a walk and a strikeout. LeBlanc pitched five innings giving up seven hits and an unearned run with two walks and two strikeouts. Tom Koehler pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up three hits and a run, Dan Jennings pitched to one batter and got him out and Ryan Webb pitched an inning giving up a hit. Heath Bell won his fourth game of the season pitching an inning giving up a walk and striking out one, Steve Cishek saved his 15th game of the season pitching a perfect inning.
Daniel Murphy had two hits, Wright had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Lucas Duda had a hit. Ike Davis had a hit, Kelly Shoppach had a hit and drew a walk and Jason Bay had two hits. Andres Torres had a hit and drew a walk. Mike Baxter had a hit and an RBI, Shoppach and Baxter each hit a double. The Mets were 5-15 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.
Bryan Petersen drew two walks, Hernandez had three hits and drew a walk and Jose Reyes had an RBI and drew a walk. Mike Stanton had a hit and an RBI, Carlos Lee had a hit and drew two walks and Rob Brantly had a hit and an RBI. Donovan Solano drew a walk, Gil Velazquez had a hit and Scott Cousins drew a walk. Austin Kearns drew a walk, Gregg Dobbs had a hit. Brantly hit a double, Hernandez hit a triple and Stanton hit a homerun. The Marlins were 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Petersen and Hernandez were caught stealing. Velazquez committed an error and Petersen had an outfield assist.
In the fifth Wright hit an RBI single giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Baxter hit an RBI double in the sixth to make it 2-0 Mets. Stanton hit a solo homerun in the sixth to make it a 2-1 game. Reyes hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to tie the game at two. The Marlins took a 3-2 lead in the eighth on a Brantly RBI double. 3-2 would be the final score of the game as the Marlins held on to the lead.
The Mets record fell to 73-87 and the Marlins record improved to 68-92. The Mets and Marlins are both playing out the string and will play two more games before they are off for the off-season.
Familia pitched four innings giving up one hit an no runs with six walks and three strikeouts. Elvin Ramirez pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk, Manny Acosta pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout and Jon Rauch pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with a walk and a strikeout. Ramon Ramirez lost his fourth game of the season pitching an inning giving up three hits and a run with a walk and a strikeout. LeBlanc pitched five innings giving up seven hits and an unearned run with two walks and two strikeouts. Tom Koehler pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up three hits and a run, Dan Jennings pitched to one batter and got him out and Ryan Webb pitched an inning giving up a hit. Heath Bell won his fourth game of the season pitching an inning giving up a walk and striking out one, Steve Cishek saved his 15th game of the season pitching a perfect inning.
Daniel Murphy had two hits, Wright had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Lucas Duda had a hit. Ike Davis had a hit, Kelly Shoppach had a hit and drew a walk and Jason Bay had two hits. Andres Torres had a hit and drew a walk. Mike Baxter had a hit and an RBI, Shoppach and Baxter each hit a double. The Mets were 5-15 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.
Bryan Petersen drew two walks, Hernandez had three hits and drew a walk and Jose Reyes had an RBI and drew a walk. Mike Stanton had a hit and an RBI, Carlos Lee had a hit and drew two walks and Rob Brantly had a hit and an RBI. Donovan Solano drew a walk, Gil Velazquez had a hit and Scott Cousins drew a walk. Austin Kearns drew a walk, Gregg Dobbs had a hit. Brantly hit a double, Hernandez hit a triple and Stanton hit a homerun. The Marlins were 2-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Petersen and Hernandez were caught stealing. Velazquez committed an error and Petersen had an outfield assist.
In the fifth Wright hit an RBI single giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Baxter hit an RBI double in the sixth to make it 2-0 Mets. Stanton hit a solo homerun in the sixth to make it a 2-1 game. Reyes hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to tie the game at two. The Marlins took a 3-2 lead in the eighth on a Brantly RBI double. 3-2 would be the final score of the game as the Marlins held on to the lead.
The Mets record fell to 73-87 and the Marlins record improved to 68-92. The Mets and Marlins are both playing out the string and will play two more games before they are off for the off-season.
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