AL Round 1 Recap by cebola

After splitting the first two games of the series, Charlotte blasted Pittsburgh in the final 2 by a comined score of 28-0 to take the series 3 games to 1. Game 1 was a pitchers' duel through 6 as "The Professor" Alex Gabriel outlasts Carlos Tavarez, who threw on only 1 day's rest. Felipe Estrada knocked in 3 in the 5-0 Charlotte victory. Game 2 was another tight one as we saw a 5-5 tie through 6. Pitt explodes for 5 in the 7th to go on the 12-5 win. Richie Rupe drove in 3, Yank Bryant and Enos Hoffman 2 apiece. Charlotte got 6 runs in the first in game 3, half of it courtesy of a Tom Lewis 3-run bomb. Phillip Bryant (6 innings) and Spike Worthington (3) team up for the shutout. A spent Carlos Tavarez tries to play hero with his team's backs against the wall, by asking for the ball on short rest again (3 days this time). He gets blasted for 14 runs, 11 in the 3rd alone, and Charlotte clinches the series with the 18-0 drubbing. Dennis Larson goes 5-7 with 3 RBI and 4 runs scored. Felipe Estrada is named series MVP for his .333 showing, with 7 RBI and 5 runs.

 

Charlotte moves on to face the 101 win Dodgers.

Congratulations to Pittsburgh on taking a team that had been in the trenches for many seasons and getting them into the playoffs. There's a solid foundation there, especially throughout the line-up, that should keep the Steelmakers a legit contender for seasons to come. Very nice job.


In game one of the other AL series, Jackson's ace Reese "Smokin'" Hemphill got touched for 7 runs (5 earned) in Augusta's 9-2 game 1 victory. Calvin "Sweet as" Sugawara goes 8 strong for the W. Jackson gets a huge lift from Hector Batista in game 2, as he gives up only 2 runs in 7 innings in the 6-2 win. Wes Dickerson clubs a 2 run homer. In game 3, Roy "Purple" Hays outguns Flip "Lennon &" McCartney in the 4-2 Jackson win. In the 3rd, Bryce Dupler gives the Colonels the 3-2 lead they would never look back from. As a rookie last year, Jackson starter Jason Matthews had a huge postseason, pitching strong in several big games, including game 6 of the World Series with his team on the brink of elimination. He gets the job done in game 4 as Jackson takes the series with the 8-2 win. Matthews and Pedro "High" Sierra were duking it out through 6 as Jackson held a 1-0 lead. Mathews did give up the lead in the 7th on a huge two run blast by SS Doug Jennings, but the Colonels answered right back, in a big way, with 7 runs in the bottom half. .219 hitting Conor "Don't Call Me Harmon" Killebrew hit the go-ahead 2-run homer. Wes Dickerson takes MVP honors with his .364 average and 4 RBI. For Augusta, Arnold and Alexander combine to hit .348, but the rest of the offense falls flat. Sugawara was set to go for a game 5 if they had been able to get 9 more outs. Jackson moves on to play Trenton in the next round.

Yet again, another solid season for Augusta, as they get to the tournament for the 5th straight season. Odds are that they make it again next year to give themselves a shot at the title. Good job commish!