HF World Series - LAD(1) vs CLE(3)

The Dodgers shocked no one getting to the finals.  To be honest, Cleveland didn't shock anyone either.  In real life the Tribe underachieved and got shocked by a Yankee team that got hot at the right time.  On paper they were a legit #1 seed, so they earned their place in the "show".

Managers Keith MacDonald and Stan Skawinski are top notch pilots, so their presence in the finals should come as no shock to anyone reading this.

While the series was going on, Keith hit me with PBP updates.  I have to say it was nail biting, especially game 7, which had more twists and turns than a backwoods road in the French Alps (obscure cycling reference).

Here is the running commentary from Keith to me over Discord:

Game 3 hero

Game 1:

CLE up 2-0 after 2 innings, two solo homers

3-0 after 6.5, another solo homer

6-0 after 7.5

bug issue - it is mixing up game stats with replay stats

CLE wins game one 6-0

 

Game 2 

Rich Hill vs Bauer

CLE puts up 6 in the first

on 2 hits

Dodgers answer with 1: 6-1 after one

10-1 after 3.5 innings

11-1 after 7.5 innings

CLE goes up 2-0 with an 11-1 game win.

and for some reason, it claims that the Dodgers with 52 players are 21 over the limit...previously it has been 7 over the limit

 

Game 3: 

Dodgers up 1-0 after 1

CLE up 3-1 after 2

Darvish is tipping his pitches...CLE up 6-1 after 3

Dodgers score 2 in the 4th....down 6-3 after 3.5

7-3 after 4

Seager 3 run homer

7-6 after 4.5

2 run homer for CLE - 9-6 after 6

10-6 after 7

10-7 after 7.5

top of the 9th, two men on, one out - crash

time to see what I can do against Miller

2 outs, bases loaded

Eibner pinch hits and brings in 2

bases loaded - 2 outs, down 10-9

Old Man Chase Utley at bat

WALK! tied at 10!

walk...Dodgers up 11-10

Bellinger brings in 2, 13-10

Kenley in to pitch the bottom of the 9th...Dodgers up 13-10

error showed up again....Baez has to pitch to a batter (he is not tired, so it is not horrible)

Dodgers win 13-10!

CLE leads series 2-1

 

Game 4: 

Chris Taylor hit one deep in the 3rd. LAD up 1-0 after 2.5

Chisenhall ties it up int he 5th

still tied after 8

extras in game 4

to the 11th

to the 12th

Bruce hits one to the warning track...caught - to the 13th

to the 14th

2 on, no outs for the Indians in the 14th

double play,man on third, two outs

Edwin Encarnacion single...CLE wins, goes up 3-1 in the series

 

Game 5: 

Kershaw rematch with Kluber

Joc goes deep in the 2nd, LAD leads 1-0 after 1.5

Lindor ties it in the 5th.

still tied after 7

to the 9th

Joc brings in one in the 9th

(a lot of pick off on first - maybe Dave should look at that)

LAD up 2-1 going in to bottom of 9th

Kenley in to pitch (3rd game in a row)

Dodgers win 2-1. CLE leads series 3-2

had to reconnect between games three times now

it gets stuck on "Loading screen" in lower corner for me, but let's me put in lineup - but can't play game

Run Error 9 - game crashed before start again

 

Game 6: 

Hill vs Bauer

Seager leads off the game with a HR

1-0 after one

Dodgers up 3-0 after 3

Seager with an RBI double

Jackson with a 2 run HR in the 5th

Cody homers in the 5th. LAD up 4-2

Joc pinch hits in 6th and brings in 2

crash,ugh

when we reconnected, it had no one warming up (Maeda had been ready to come in before the crash)

so I had to put in an unwarm pitcher (change of inning)

Dodgers win 6-2

 

Game 7:

Darvish vs Carrasco

Zimmer 2run HR in the 2nd

Grandal ties it

Yu gets pulled after 8 outs

CLE 3-2

Utley scores on a wild pitch in the 5th to tie it at 3

Brantley just put CLE ahead 4-3

AGon ties it in the 6th

tied after 7

tied after 8

CLE has 1st and 2nd with 1 out - Kenley in to pitch

nothing across

to extras

CLE 1st and 2nd with one out

double play!

bottom of 10

Cody, JT and Puig up

Cody K's

JT K's

going to 11

nothing for CLE

Grandal walks

Joc pinch hits for pitcher

Joc fouls out

chase singles...grandal caught in a run down

Kike K's

going to 12

Santana singles

Jose Ramirez walks, 2 on, no outs

This has been a bullpen game

Chisenhall with the RBI

Watson in to pitch

Miller warming for CLE

bases loaded, no outs

DP, one scores, CLE up 5-3

sorry - CLE up 6-4....forgot the score

heading to bottom of 12

Seager, Taylor, Bellinger

Seager single

Taylor K's

Cody reaches on an error

1 and 2, 1 out

DP game over, series over, Cleveland wins

Congratulations to Stan

 

 --submitted by Keith MacDonald--

 

Semi-Finals: Tribe(2) defeats Twins(5) in 6

Thanks to Chris for a great series!  Below is a series recap.

Game 1

The series opens with Kluber facing Santana at Progressive Field.  Kluber starts of strong and winds up with 14 K’s in only 6 IP, but manages to get hit for 4 runs along the way. Santana manages to go 6 plus innings pitching in and out of danger allowing only 2 runs.  Twins hold on for a 5-4 win, holding off a Tribe rally in the 9^th allowing 2 runs, leaving the tying run on first base.

Twins lead series 1-0

Game 2

Carrasco squares off against Berrios in a pitcher’s duel in the second game.  We’ll just call this the Lonnie Chisenhall game, going 3 for 3 with 2 solo homers and a Tribe 2-0 win to even the series.  Obviously both starters have strong outings, and this is just a precursor what to come later in the series.

Series tied 1-1

Game 3

The venue switches to Target Field as Bauer faces Gibson in the all-important Game 3.  Twins jump out to an early lead with a run in the first.  The Tribe answer with 3 in the second.  Gibson lasts only 3 plus innings, surrendering 5 runs, 3 earned, and Bauer goes 5 innings and turns it over to the pen to hold the lead on the way to 6-3 Tribe victory.

Indians lead series 2-1

Game 4

Twin starter Mejia and Tribe starter Clevinger lock up in a pitcher dual.  The teams trade 4^th inning homers by Encarnacion and Sano and head into the 6^th inning where the Twins push 2 across and take a 3-1 lead.  Despite being out hit 10 – 6 the Twins bullpen hold off the Tribe to tie the series at 2 games apiece.

Series tied 2-2

Game 5

Game 1 starters Kluber and Santana face off again, but with a different outcome today.  The Tribe play long ball with Santana, taking him deep 4 times in route to a 5 -2 Tribe victory.  Encarnacion goes yard twice in the win. Kluber goes 6 plus for win, picking up 8 K’s along the way.

Indians lead series 3-2

Game 6

In an epic pitcher’s duel Game 2 starters Carrasco and Berrios face-off in the potential series clincher.  The bats go cold as each team collects only 2 hit each on the day as pitching dominates.  A lead-off homer by Kipnis in the 4^th and a two out double by Ramriez later in the inning and Tribe hold off the upstart Twins to win the series 4 games to 2.

Indians win series 4-2

 

--submitted by Stan Skawinski--

Dodgers (#1) sweep IL All-Stars (#16)

Dodger Stadium
GAME 1
Hutchinson vs Kershaw
Dodgers 8, IL 1

The IL All-Stars were no match for the great Clayton Kershaw and the Dodger bats.  LA jumped out to a 3 run lead in the bottom of the 1st and ever looked back.  Afte the IL scored a solo run in the 2nd the Dodgers returned the favor with 3 more in the 4th and 2 in the 8th.  Chris Taylor (3-4) had 2 runs scored, 2 RBI's courtesy of a double and a triple.  Kershaw gave up 1 on 4 hits in 6 innings, but only fanned 4.  Ross Stripling (2IP) and Sergio Romo (1IP) put up goose eggs over the final 3 stanzas.
Dodgers lead series 1-0

 

GAME 2
Slegers vs A.Wood
Dodgers 2, IL 1

Dodger bats could not get on track, but when Alex Wood gives up 1 un-earned run on 3 hits over 7 innings, you're gonna' win a lot more games than you lose.  LA strung together 3 consecutive singles in the home half of the 1st to take a 1-0 lead, which went away in the 4th on a passed ball.  LA scored the go ahead / eventual winning run in the 7th when Kike Hernandez led off with double and scored on a Utley ground out after a botched throw by catcher Alfaro on a bunt by Alex Wood.  Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen fanned 4 of the 6 batters they faced to blow away the IL All-Stars in their final 2 chances to tie it.  Jansen earned the save.
Dodgers lead series 2-0

 

GAME 3
Hill vs Eshelman
Dodgers 2, IL 0

Once again the Dodger arms stymied the IL's bats.  Rich Hill fanned 11 scattered 4 hits in 7 shut out innings of work.  Josh Field and Jansen got the final 6 outs to lock down the series.  LA only had 4 hits themselves, but made them count by stringing 3 of them together in the 4th to score the only 2 runs of the game.  Justin Turner, who had 2 of the 4 hits, led off with a single.  Cody Bellinger walked and Yasmani Grandal singled home Turner.  Puig grounded into a double play, but in the process Bellinger scored the second and final run of the game.
Dodgers win series 3-0

Editor's Note:  Special thanks to Scot Gordon, who had to endure connectivity issues, then waited for me to come home from Philly to sub for Keith.  Scot did a gr8 job keep the IL AS's close in games 2 and 3, which easily could have gone the other way.