Thread: Exciting Baseball Sunday

Forget football. There are some very important baseball games in the National League on this the last day of the regular season. Four teams are fighting for two postseason spots.

The Mets completed a historic late-season collapse by losing to the lowly, last place Marlins 8-1 thereby snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Incredibly, the Mets lead the National League East by a comfortable 7 games on Sep. 12 but did not win their division (the Phillies are NL East champs by beating the Nationals) or the Wild Card. Their season is over. I don't know if that has ever been done before.

The Padres only needed to win one game this weekend to clinch the NL Wild Card but lost both games to the Brewers. The best they can hope for now is that the Rockies lose a game. But the Rox are not cooperating.

The Rockies put together the longest winning streak in the majors this year - 11 games - to keep their postseason hopes alive but a loss Friday night (breaking that streak) put them on the brink of elimination. They defeated NL West champs Arizona Saturday and are wining 4-1 going to the 9th. If they can get 3 outs and win the game they force a playoff game tomorrow against the Padres.

Ya gotta love baseball. 162 games during a season and so much comes down to the final game.

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GO PHILLIES!!!!!!!!
The wife and I were at the game and it was incredible. What a scene! Pandemonium at the end!

YES!!!!! Phils win their division and are in the playoffs for the first time since 1993. As much as I like the Eagles, I am far more excited to see the Phillies playing in October again. Their pitching staff is one match away from turning every game into a 4 alarm blaze but their bats don't quit.

I'm giddy. Football season? Hell, we've got October baseball in Philly. GO PHILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

Forget football.

Bruce,Bruce,Bruce

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

Bruce,Bruce,Bruce

Sorry. I'm a baseball guy. Football doesn't do much for me.

I'm glad the Phillies won the NL East because that means the Mets lost. I am usually for whoever the NY teams are playing against.

I have my tickets for tomorrow's Rockies - Padres tiebreaker game. Go Rockies!

Bruce,

Cubs and Rockies are my two favorite teams. Let's a have a home run derby at Wrigley!

Erol Kartal
Pro Inspect

Sounds good to me, Erol.

John, my wife and I went to the game on Saturday. You guys got the better of the games but we still loved being at a game with that type of atmosphere. It's been missing around here far too long.

Now THAT was a good game!

.................1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.910111213...R.H.E
.SD (89-74) 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 ---8 15 0

COL (90-73) 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 --9 14 1

Very exciting game Bruce. You must have had a great time.

Good luck to your Rockies...........but not too much .

GO PHILS!!!!!!!!!!!

I went online after getting home and bought tix for the NLDS & NLCS. Game 3 of the NLDS vs. Philly was completely sold out but I got a handfull for Game 4 so I am hoping I can trade one for Game 3. (The Rox are not used to this postseason stuff and they are calling these 'Game 1' and 'Game 2'. I guess they think of them as the first and second games at home but Games 1 & 2 are being played in Philly. Oh, well.)

I also grabbed a few for the NLCS for after the Rox get through with the Phillies. The Rox finished one game better in the wins column (the difference being the tiebreaker game) BUT remember the Rox finished the season 14-1. That's a lotta Mo.

The Rockies have won the first game of the postseason 4-2. They need two more wins to advance to the NLCS. (Boy, I hate these short 5 game series. You really need 7 games to determine the better team.)

Let's see - the Rockies have now won 15 of their last 16 games. They are one hot team right now. I hope the Phillies win one game because I have tickets to Sunday's game. I'd like the Rockies to clinch Sunday night at Coors Field. I'll be 26 rows directly behind Home Plate.

ARRRGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! The Phils need to come back tomorrow and get a win and they need far more from their top players at the plate then they got today. I don't know if Chase Utley struck out 4 times in one game all year but he picked a bad time to do it today. Howard and Rollins had bad days at the plate too. With a performance that bad, I'd have to say the pressure got to them and affected their approach at the plate.

LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!!!

Jeff Francis had a good outing today (except for that one inning). He is mature beyond his years. I have a ball he signed for me when he pitched here in AAA (Colorado Springs Sky Sox). As a matter of fact, almost the entire Rockies team are former Sky Sox players. It is great to see these kids on their way up and become successful major league players.

Go Rockies! Let's split in Philly (so I get to use my ticket on Sunday).

I'm really getting disgusted here. The Phillies bullpen is like gasoline over an open flame. It looks like the Rockies are gonna wrap this series up on Saturday. That will be very disappointing for me as a Phillies fan if they can't even manage one win. Teams that go down 0-2 in these five game series are 1-21 in coming back. I can't see the Phillies changing that with the way they've played these first two games.

The Rockies train is rolling along under full steam and it will be tough to stop. But you never know when it will jump the tracks and derail.

Matsui was a single away from hitting for the cycle today. That's never been done in the postseason. And he missed it by the easiest hit to get.

I was selfishly hoping for a split in Philly so I could use my ticket for an incredibly good seat for Game 4. Without a little help from the Phillies on Saturday I'll have to be content with getting my money back (except for handling fees and transaction fees, of course).

I am working on getting a ticket for Saturday's game in exchange for an NLCS ticket. It's debatable who will get the better end of the bargain there but I really want to see that game Saturday.

Now I think I'll settle back and watch the Yankees lose.

Go (whoever is playing against the Yankees)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Nick Ostrowski

I'm really getting disgusted here.

Nick - Of course you're getting disgusted: you're a Phillies fan!
In my new guise as a Pollyanna, all I can say is: we beat the Mets four games in a row in New York, right? I don't see why we can't beat the Rockies three games in a row in Denver! Go Phillies!

"The Rockies train is rolling along under full steam and it will be tough to stop. But you never know when it will jump the tracks and derail."

Casey Jones you better watch your speed!

I can't get this out of my head. I'm incredulous as to how Jose Mesa ended up in that game yesterday. He flat-out stinks and his pitches have no movement. The game wasn't a blow out yet and Charlie Manuel is throwing in the mop-up crew.

Oooooohhhhh!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by John Arnold

I don't see why we can't beat the Rockies three games in a row in Denver!

Coors Field is gonna be a tough place for the Phillies to play this weekend. I can't imagine it being any louder than it was at the tiebreaker game Monday night but I'm sure it will be. It wasn't easy but I scrounged up tickets to the game. I'll be sitting on the 3rd base side, lower level.

By the way, they would not play three games in Coors Field. Only two. Game 5 (if needed) would be played back in Philly on Tuesday.

I'm not counting the Phillies out yet. Baseball is a crazy game and anything can happen, especially in a short 5 game series. Yogi Berra was right - it ain't over 'til it's over. (Just ask Bill Buckner.)

Anybody remember the 1995 ALDS? The Yankees won Games 1 & 2 but the Mariners came back to win Games 3, 4 & 5.

I like the Rockies' chances right now.

You just had to bring up Bill Buckner. Poor guy has almost had to leave the country.
How about Yankees up 3-0 on Red Sox and the Red Sox come back and win 4 in a row then win the World Series First time since 1918. Now thats crazy.
Still hope Nick.

I'm not giving up until the last out is recorded. We've waited 14 years for postseason baseball in Philly and I plan on hanging on to every last thread of hope.

Nick,

The Phillies are not alone. Interestingly all 4 Division Series matchups have a team up 2-0. The Rockies won both games on the road against the Phillies. The D-backs won both games at home against the Cubs. The Red Sox won both games at home against the Angels. And the Indians won both games at home over the Yankees. (Hmmm, only one team went 2-0 on the road.)

Check out this statistic:

Just seven teams in baseball history have overcome 0-2 deficits to win a best-of-five series:

Year Team Opponent
1981 LA Dodgers Houston
1982 Milwaukee Calif. Angels
1984 San Diego Chi Cubs
1995 Seattle NY Yankees
1999 Boston Cleveland
2001 NY Yankees Oakland
2003 Boston Oakland

Of that group, only the Yankees won the series after losing the first two games at home.

The Phillies didn't make it easy for the Rockies. They played well but the Rockies found a way to win just like they have 17 of their last 18 games. The Phillies were unfortunate to run into the Rockies while they are red hot.

2-1. I love a low scoring game. And a nice, clean game with no errors.

Jeff Baker had the game winning hit. I've watched him play many AAA games.

The little guys are all contributing. That is what makes it hard for other teams. They bear down on the heavy hitters and the light hitting guys kill 'em, e.g., Matsui hitting a grand slam, triple and double in game 2. Tonight Matsui had 2 hits (one a triple), a walk and an RBI.

Torrealba (the Rockies catcher) couldn't throw out your grandmother but tonight he had two hits, a walk and scored a run.

A couple of strange things happened during the game. We had a nice, warm fall day but we knew a cold front was coming in. Less than a minute before the Rockies took the field the cold front arrived in dramatic fashion. A gust of wind blew in a huge dust cloud from left field and the temperature dropped 15 degrees in a matter of minutes. From then on it was cool and windy.

Then after the first pitch of the second inning the stadium lights went out. The players left the field. The lights came back on after 14 minutes and play resumed. Weird.

I think the Phillies did make it easier for the Rockies than it needed to be Bruce. Three stinking hits out of that lineup and one run. A total of 8 runs through three games. They did not answer when the bell rang and I have to say I'm pretty much disgusted with how they didn't even put up a fight. I can take them losing the series but I can't take them wilting under the pressure when this is what you play for. Not to take anything away from the Rockies because they deserved to win and would be a great representative for the NL in the World Series. But it was like the Phillie offense forgot how to hit and they were making bad decisions at the plate. I don't think the Phillies were mentally prepared for playoff baseball and it showed.

Luckily I was at the Springsteen concert last night. Otherwise, it would have been a night to forget.

Originally Posted by Nick Ostrowski

Luckily I was at the Springsteen concert last night. Otherwise, it would have been a night to forget.

What an odd coincidence. When the lights went out in the second inning they played Springsteen.

Was the song "Dancing In the Dark"?

I don't remember which song. I just remember it was Springsteen. I'll ask my buddies if they remember.

The magic Rockies ride continues. Another series, another sweep. Now maybe I can get a little rest before the Series.

Game 3 was wet and cold but the Rockies heated the place up with their timely hitting. It was a very good game but I could have done without the constant rain throughout the game.

Arizona started the first inning by getting runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. It was looking like the D-backs were intent on scoring early but it was not to be. The next hitter lined a shot to the pitcher (one out) who turned and threw to 2nd (two out) and I thought I was going to see a triple play but Matsui (2nd baseman) took the throw and was not able to throw the runner out at 1st. If Matsui had let Tulowitski (shortstop) take the throw he could have easily thrown the runner out before he made it back to 1st. That would have been Tulo's second triple play of the year (he had only the 13th ever unassisted triple play back in May or June). Still the double play took the wind out of the D-backs' sails and they did not score that inning.

The weather was much better for Game 4 - very cool but dry. And the game was very satisfying also. I was not the only one who took a broom to the game.

The Rockies took an early lead with clutch hitting. The bullpen was very effective until Fuentes faltered and gave up an 8th inning 3-run-homer cutting the lead to 6-4. But Corpas came in to get the final out in the 8th and shut down the D-backs in the 9th. How fitting for Byrnes (a lightning rod for Rockies fans' wrath after his comments in the media that the Rockies were lucky to have won the first two games and that the D-backs were the superior team) to make the final out on a check-swing tap to Tulo and be thrown out sliding in on his face at 1st.

I really thought Coors Field (or is it now Miller-Coors Field?) would have gone more wild than it did when the last out was recorded but it was almost as if everyone expected the win. The crowd was much more charged up after the dramatic win in the tiebreaker game - scoring 3 runs off Hoffman in the 13th after going down by 2 runs.

Now the Rockies (and I) can get plenty of rest and watch the American League teams battle it out. Let's hope that series goes 7. The more they wear each other down the better.

My next task is to get tickets to the World Series. Games 3, 4 and 5 are at Miller-Coors Field Sat, Sun & Mon (27, 28, 29). That's gonna be a hard ticket to get but I feel good about my odds.

Go Rockies. Rocktober continues.

Colorado Rockies 2007 National League Champions. It really doesn't seem real. The Rockies were one out from being eliminated and now they are going to the World Series. Amazing!

It was cool to watch the NL Pennant being hoisted. I hope there is an even bigger one to come.

Yeah, there were riot police outside the stadium after the game. There are always troublemakers about after something like this. After the Avs won their first Stanley Cup several cars were burned and businesses looted. I didn't hang around to find out what happened tonight.

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

Colorado Rockies 2007 National League Champions. It really doesn't seem real. The Rockies were one out from being eliminated and now they are going to the World Series. Amazing!

It was cool to watch the NL Pennant being hoisted. I hope there is an even bigger one to come.

Yeah, there were riot police outside the stadium after the game. There are always troublemakers about after something like this. After the Avs won their first Stanley Cup several cars were burned and businesses looted. I didn't hang around to find out what happened tonight.

Congratulations Bruce. Red sox may be in trouble. Girl was killed by rubber bullet in Boston (hit her in the eye) after World Series win in 2004.

Enjoy the ride Bruce. These things don't happen often and when they do, it seems magical. I was in attendance when the Phillies won the NLCs in 1993 and the feeling is out of this world. Good luck to the Rockies. Let's keep the World Series title in the NL.

Originally Posted by David Banks

Congratulations Bruce. Red sox may be in trouble. Girl was killed by rubber bullet in Boston (hit her in the eye) after World Series win in 2004.

Bruce- Red Sox not in trouble after all.Trouble is I have not been to sleep before 1-AM in past week. Game does not start till 8:20 Eastern. Any bets? Lobster for? Rocky Mountain Oysters, Buffalo,Elk steak.
Should be fun! I will not wish you luck this time!

Great Boston victory last night.
Here is a feel good story about young transplant patient from Texas who is going to the game tonight.
Heart Recipient Cheers on Red Sox - AOL Sports

Hang In There Bruce,

I haven't Heard No Fat Lady Sing.

That was brutal last night. The Rockies are a much better team than they displayed. Their pitching was horrible. I watched Speier pitch a lot at AAA this summer and he had much better control than last night ( walked in 3 runs without getting an out!).

I got skunked on tickets for the WS games at Coors Field. Of over 30 people I know or have talked to who tried to buy tickets on-line NOT ONE was able to buy tickets. I suspect ticket brokers were able to buy many of the tickets instead of fans wanting to go to the games.

I'll be outside Coors Field Saturday and Sunday night (and Monday if necessary) with my finger in the air. I have been able to buy a ticket to World Series games outside the stadium 3 times before (I already had tickets 8 other times). This time it may be harder because it is the Rockies' very first World Series. But I am sure I can get a ticket - it's just a matter of how much I have to pay. If the Rockies get murdered again tonight ticket prices should take a dip.

There are tons of amateur scalpers who have dreams of getting rich on their extra tickets. But, just like the stock market, you can lose if you hang on too long. The professional scalpers have already made their money off buyers who panicked when they couldn't buy tickets on-line. The amateurs have seen the asking prices on StubHub, eBay and CraigsList and think they can sell their tickets for simlar prices. I expect there to be a LOT of amateur scalpers outside Coors Field Saturday trying to unload their tickets for greatly-reduced prices.

I was offered tickets in the Pavillion (left field bleachers) for $725 each ($125 face price). Another guy had a single in far upper right field nose bleed for $800 ($90 face). Good luck. I'm figuring I can buy a single for 50% over face right before the game. Most amateur scalpers also have tickets for themselves and want to watch the game. They will have to decide if they want to stay outside and try to find a sucker or go ahead and take a small profit and go on inside and watch the game. Once the game starts the value of their tickets goes down and down.

Wish me luck.