2002 CFOD PLAYOFF PREVIEW Park City Climbers (85-77, League WC #2 Tie) vs San Francisco Piazza's (85-77, League WC #2 Tie) This special "round 0" series matchup features two teams that were on the edge of contention all season long, and only through a strong September did they make it into the post-season. Kind of. The winner of this series becomes the "official" #2 league wildcard and faces the Coneheads, the loser goes back into the pool as if they had missed the playoffs. Park City stumbled out of the gate, losing their first 9 games in a row and dropping 13 of their first 15, but slowly made their way back into contention and swung a few deals along the way. A strong September pushed them into the position they're at now. Once again, Pedro Martinez was the man among boys, finishing with a league best 2.04 ERA and a 18-6 record. The rest of the starters didn't pitch more than 136 innings, but one of them was the rookie effort of one Mark Prior (13-2, 3.79 ERA in 23 starts) and the other was the mid-season acquisition of Randy Johnson (6-6, 3.66 ERA in 17 starts). Draftee Mariano Rivera did his usual stellar stuff in the closer spot, saving 26 games with a 2.10 ERA. After a 1 year stint with the Coneheads, Jim Thome returned to the Climbers, and responded with a monster 50 homer, 133 runs scored and 122 RBI season. Outfielder Jermaine Dye had 36 homers and 116 RBI's, while hitting .324. The Piazza's appeared to be relegated to an also-ran role this year before a strong September (from September 1 to the end of the season they had the 4th best record in the league, and tops in their division) propelled them back into playoff contention. It was only a 4-6 record over their last 10 games that put them into a "round 0" situation. The mix of youngsters and veterans paid off in the lineup. Ichiro (who qualifies in both categories) once again dominated the top of the lineup, stealing 39 bases and scored 116 runs. Veteran 1B Fred McGriff had 27 homers with 94 RBI in 450 at bats, while rookie Eric Hinske's first season was a rousing success, hitting .342 with 19 homers, 90 runs scored and 79 RBI. For true efficiency, check out the season Marquis Grissom had: in just 230 at bats, Grissom hit .352, slugged .761 with 25 homers, scored 51 runs and 59 RBI's. Mini-Bonds. On the pitching side, Kerry Woods has finally evolved into the ace starter position, finishing with a 14-11 record and a 3.42 ERA. #2 and #3 pitches Kirk Rueter combined for a 27-19 record. Closer Joey Eischen had 25 saves and a 2.72 ERA. In regular season action, the teams tied 6-6. Park City will have home field advantage due to their larger run differential. ******************************************************************* GAME ONE -- Piazza's (Wood) at Climbers (Martinez). In a battle between staff aces, it would be natural that a pitcher's duel breaks out. In the bottom of the 2nd, Herbert Perry scored the first run of the game, with a solo shot off of Kerry Wood. The game was still 1-0 in Park City's favor going into the 6th. Rafael Furcal and Eric Hinske singled. Fred McGriff hit a DP grounder to Perry, but Perry's throw to Counsell hit the dirt, and the runners were safe on the error. Bases loaded, 0 outs. Pedro was still on the mound. Gary Matthews grounded to 2nd for an out, scoring Furcal at third. Tie ball game at 1. Jim Thome gave the Climbers the lead again in the bottom of the inning, hitting a solo shot off Wood. 2-1 Climbers after 6. Mariano Rivera was on the mound for the Climbers in the top of the 9th, trying to protect the one run lead. First batter, Sandy Alomar, flied out. Marquis Grissom struck out for out #2. The last batter, Ichiro, grounded out to Perry to end the game. Park City edges San Francisco in game 1 by a score of 2 to 1. CLIMBERS LEAD 1-0. 10/3/2002, SFP02-PKC02, Pacific Bell Park 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2002 Piazza's 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 8 1 9 2 2002 Climbers 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 x 2 5 1 6 0 Piazza's AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Ichiro rf 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 1 0 0 0 Furcal ss 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .333 0 1 1 0 Hinske 3b 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .667 1 1 0 0 Colbrunn ph 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 McGriff 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 4 0 0 0 Gant ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Izturis 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Matthews lf 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 0 Singleton cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 0 Fryman ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Mordecai 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Relaford 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250 2 3 0 0 Rhodes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Alomar c 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 9 1 0 0 Wood p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 1 0 0 DeShields ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Plesac p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Grissom cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 33 1 8 1 2 0 0 1 12 1 0 1 0 3 0 24 7 1 0 Climbers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Counsell 2b 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 4 1 0 0 Cirillo ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Febles 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Lawton lf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Cabrera ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Embree p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Wilson,J ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Thome 1b 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 6 0 0 0 Dye rf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .333 1 0 0 0 Kingsale rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Woodward ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Rivera,M p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Perry 3b 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 0 3 1 0 Varitek c 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 12 0 0 0 Erstad cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 0 Martinez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Gonzalez ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Trammell lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 27 2 5 2 1 0 2 3 9 0 0 0 1 1 0 27 7 1 0 Piazza's INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Wood L 0-1 6.0 4 2 2 2 4 102 58 24 2 0 1 0 2 3.00 Plesac 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 28 15 5 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Rhodes 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 12 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 8.0 5 2 2 3 9 142 83 32 2 0 1 0 2 Climbers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Martinez W 1-0 7.0 7 1 0 0 11 110 75 29 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Embree H 1 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 14 9 5 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 Rivera,M S 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 14 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 9.0 8 1 0 1 12 138 93 37 0 1 0 0 0 SFP: DeShields batted for Wood in the 7th Colbrunn batted for Hinske in the 8th Gant batted for McGriff in the 8th Fryman batted for Singleton in the 8th Grissom inserted at cf in the 8th Izturis inserted at 2b in the 8th Mordecai inserted at 1b in the 8th Colbrunn moved to 3b in the 8th PKC: Gonzalez batted for Martinez in the 7th Cirillo batted for Counsell in the 7th Cabrera batted for Lawton in the 7th Trammell inserted at lf in the 8th Febles inserted at 2b in the 8th Wilson,J inserted at ss in the 9th Kingsale inserted at rf in the 9th GWRBI: Thome Temperature: 63, Sky: clear, Wind: out to right at 18 MPH. ******************************************************************* GAME TWO -- Piazza's (Moyer) at Climbers (Prior). Once again, pitching ruled this contest. It may have not seemed that way in the first, when Eric Hinske walked, and scored on a Fred McGriff doubled. But that would be the last run San Francisco would score for a while. Park City scoring opportunities were numerous and plentiful. In the bottom of the 1st, Jack Wilson singled. Jim Thome singled, and Wilson tried to stretch it to 3rd. Ichiro threw to third and got him out. Jeff Cirillo singled and Craig Wilson walked to load the bases with 2 outs and the Piazza's still up by 1. Gene Kingssale drilled the ball to the warning track, but it died out and was caught. 1-0 Piazza's after 1. The next opportunity for scoring came in the bottom of the 6th. Kingsale singled and was sacrificed to 2nd by Wiki Gonzalez. Darin Erstad walked. Kingsale set up a potential SF situation by stealing 3rd with 1 out. The next batter, Mark Prior, hit a grounder to McGriff. McGriff took the chance and threw home instead. Charles Johnson got the ball before Kingsale made it home, made the tag, and Kingsale was out. 1-0 San Francisco. The Climbers finally put themselves on the board in the 7th. Thome hit a triple and scored on Jeff Cirillo's sacrifice fly. Tie ballgame at 1. With the game still tied at 1 going into the 9th, the Climber's Alan Embree shut down the side. As did San Francisco closer Troy Percival in the bottom of the 9th. The game would go into extra innings. The first scoring opportunity came in the top of the 10th for the Piazza's. Sandy Alomar walked, and Kelly Stinnett singled, bringing Climber closer Mariano Rivera into the game. Ichiro hit a screamer towards Rivera, who caught it for out #1. Rafael Furcal flied out to Kingsale. 2 outs. Hinske strikes out with 2 on, ending the inning with the game still tied. Park City's chance to win the game outright came in the bottom of the 12th. Jim Thome grounded out for out #1. Carlos Febles walked. A Jimenez sacrifice moved Febles over to 2nd with 2 outs. A single would win the game. Gene Kingsale hit a deep fly ball which could have been trouble, but it died out into the waiting mitt of Gary Matthews. 1-1. San Francisco finally scored again the top of the 14th inning. With Scott Schoenweis on the mound, Matthews hit a 0 out base hit. Matthews proceeded to steal 2nd to put himself into scoring position. Chris Singleton grounded out, moving Matthews to 3rd. A sacrifice fly would score a run, but Park City helped out even more, as an errant pitch got by Wiki Gonzalez, allowing Matthews to score. 2-1 Piazza's. Dan Plesac was on the mound for San Francisco trying to protect a 1-run lead. Chris Woodward started things out for Park City with a 0 out single. Plesac was pulled, and James Baldwin, the 7th pitcher to appear for the Piazza's this game, came on board. Orlando Cabrera was at bat, and grounded out, moving Woodward into scoring position. Jim Thome was issued the intentional walk to face Carlos Febles. A hit would tie things up, an extra base hit would win it. But it was not to be. The intentional walk proved the right move, as Febles hit into a game ending double play. San Francisco comes out on top of a marathon, 2-1 in 14 innings. SERIES TIED 1-1. 10/4/2002, SFP02-PKC02, Pacific Bell Park 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 2002 Piazza's 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2002 Climbers 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 14 R H E LOB DP 2002 Piazza's 0 1 2 11 2 10 2 2002 Climbers 0 0 1 10 0 15 3 Piazza's AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Ichiro rf 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .182 4 1 0 0 Furcal ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 5 3 0 0 Hinske 3b 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 1 1 0 0 McGriff 1b 5 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 7 3 0 0 Mordecai ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 0 Matthews lf 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 .111 6 0 0 0 Singleton cf 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222 5 0 0 0 DeShields 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 3 2 0 Grissom ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Relaford ss 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 1 4 0 0 Johnson c 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 8 0 0 0 Grace ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Alomar c 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 1 0 0 0 Moyer p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Santana p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Gant ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Rhodes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Percival p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Stinnett ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Eischen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Colbrunn ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 0 0 0 0 Plesac p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Baldwin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 50 2 11 1 1 0 0 4 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 42 15 2 0 Climbers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Counsell 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 0 2 0 0 Trammell ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Woodward 3b 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 0 1 0 0 Wilson,J ss 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .667 2 2 0 0 Varitek ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Cabrera ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 2 2 0 0 Thome 1b 5 1 2 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .333 12 0 0 0 Cirillo 3b 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250 0 2 0 0 Munson ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Febles 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 2 0 0 Wilson,C rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 5 0 0 0 Embree p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Rivera,M p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 0 Perry ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 0 0 0 0 Jimenez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Schoeneweis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Kingsale lf 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 2 0 0 0 Gonzalez c 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 14 0 0 1 Erstad cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 0 Prior p 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Lawton rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Ensberg ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Dye rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 1 0 0 0 49 1 10 1 0 1 0 7 7 1 0 1 0 1 1 42 13 0 1 Piazza's INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Moyer 5.0 4 0 0 3 5 106 64 23 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Santana BS 1 2.0 2 1 1 1 1 33 20 9 0 0 0 0 0 4.50 Rhodes 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 13 9 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Percival 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 13 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Eischen 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 23 15 7 0 0 0 0 1 0.00 Plesac W 1-0 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 26 15 8 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Baldwin S 1 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 7 2 3 0 1 0 0 1 0.00 14.0 10 1 1 7 7 221 131 58 0 1 0 0 2 Climbers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Prior 7.2 5 1 1 2 7 112 74 29 0 0 0 0 1 1.17 Embree 1.1 2 0 0 1 4 26 16 7 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Rivera,M 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 9 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Jimenez 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 39 24 8 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Schoeneweis L 0-1 2.0 3 1 1 0 1 26 19 7 0 0 0 0 2 4.50 14.0 11 2 2 4 14 212 140 54 0 0 0 0 3 SFP: Grace batted for Johnson in the 8th Gant batted for Santana in the 8th Alomar inserted at c in the 8th Grissom batted for DeShields in the 9th Relaford inserted at ss in the 9th Furcal moved to 2b in the 9th Stinnett batted for Percival in the 10th Colbrunn batted for Eischen in the 12th Mordecai batted for McGriff in the 13th Mordecai moved to 1b in the 13th PKC: Varitek batted for Wilson,J in the 7th Cabrera inserted at ss in the 8th Lawton inserted at rf in the 8th Ensberg batted for Lawton in the 8th Dye inserted at rf in the 9th Trammell batted for Counsell in the 9th Munson batted for Cirillo in the 9th Woodward inserted at 3b in the 10th Febles inserted at 2b in the 10th Perry batted for Rivera,M in the 10th Temperature: 67, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 17 MPH. ******************************************************************* GAME THREE -- Climbers (Johnson) at Piazza's (Rueter). After their extra inning marathon in game two, there was a lot of bloodshot eyes in the dugouts for game three. In the top of the 2nd, Craig Wilson and Jason Veritek tagged Rueter for solo home runs for the quick 2-0 Park City lead. The Piazza's made their move in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Ron Gant walked, and Mark Grace singled. A Randy Johnson wild pitch advanced the runners to 2nd & 3rd with 0 outs. Rafael Furcal walked to load the bases. 0 outs. Izturis hit a grounder right at Johnson, who fielded it to home for the out but Varitek couldn't convert the double play. Still 2-0 Park City with 1 out. The next batter, Sandy Alomar, singled, driving in 2 runs and tying up the game. With 2 outs, Ichiro brings everyone home with a shot over the wall. 3 run homer, and San Francisco takes the 5-2 lead. The Climbers would get within 2 on a Jeff Cirillo sacrifice fly, but the Piazza's would pull away for the rest of the game, scoring 4 more times. Arthur Rhodes pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 9th to complete the game. San Francisco wins game 3 by a score of 9 to 3, and take the lead in this round 0 series. PIAZZA'S LEAD 2-1. 10/5/2002, PKC02-SFP02, Camden Yard 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2002 Climbers 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 1 7 0 2002 Piazza's 0 5 0 1 1 0 1 1 x 9 10 1 5 1 Climbers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Counsell 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 3 3 0 0 Wilson,J ss 4 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .571 1 5 1 0 Thome 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .231 11 1 0 0 Cirillo 3b 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .200 0 2 0 0 Wilson,C rf 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 1 0 0 0 Kingsale lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 2 0 0 0 Varitek c 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 5 0 0 0 Erstad cf 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .091 1 0 0 0 Johnson p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 2 0 0 Febles ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Schoeneweis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Trammell ph 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 0 0 0 0 White p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Perry ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 0 0 0 0 33 3 7 3 3 0 2 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 24 14 1 0 Piazza's AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Ichiro cf 5 1 3 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .313 3 0 0 0 Grissom rf 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 1 0 0 0 Matthews rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .100 0 0 0 0 Colbrunn 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 0 1 1 0 Gant lf 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 6 0 0 0 Grace 1b 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 7 1 0 0 Furcal ss 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273 3 2 0 0 Izturis 2b 4 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 3 3 0 0 Alomar c 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400 4 0 0 0 Johnson c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Rueter p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Fryman ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Rhodes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 34 9 10 9 1 0 2 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 27 8 1 0 Climbers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Johnson L 0-1 4.0 5 6 6 3 2 80 49 20 1 0 0 1 0 13.50 Schoeneweis 2.0 2 1 1 0 0 28 22 8 0 0 0 0 0 4.50 White 2.0 3 2 1 0 2 34 24 10 1 0 0 0 0 4.50 8.0 10 9 8 3 4 142 95 38 2 0 0 1 0 Piazza's INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Rueter W 1-0 8.0 7 3 3 2 4 108 70 34 2 0 1 0 1 3.38 Rhodes 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 7 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 9.0 7 3 3 2 4 115 75 37 2 0 1 0 1 PKC: Febles batted for Johnson in the 5th Trammell batted for Schoeneweis in the 7th Perry batted for White in the 9th SFP: Matthews inserted at rf in the 8th Fryman batted for Rueter in the 8th Johnson inserted at c in the 9th GWRBI: Ichiro Temperature: 73, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: left to right at 14 MPH. ******************************************************************* GAME FOUR -- Climbers (Zambrano) at Piazza's (Tejera). After their game 3 pasting, Park City was looking for a little payback, and a chance to even up the series. The Piazza's scored first in the bottom of the 2nd, when Fred McGriff singled and eventually scored on a fielder's choice. The Climbers took the lead in the 5th inning, on a 2 out, 2 on, 2 RBI double by Jim Thome. 2-1 Climbers after 5. In the 6th inning, the bases were filled with Park City hitters with 0 outs. Darin Erstad grounded to McGriff, who threw to home for the run-preventing out #1. Zambrano struck out for out #2, still with the bases loaded. The next batter, Craig Counsell, singled, and started one of those crazy fielding situations where all the fielders are in a panic about what to do. Kingsale scored to make it 3-1. Wiki Gonzalez scored to make it 4-1. The ball was thrown home .. or in the general direction. It went over Charles Johnson's head to let Erstad score as well. 5-1 Climbers. Park City added 4 more in the 9th for the emphasis. The Climbers win game 4 by a score of 9-2, and even up the series. SERIES TIED 2-2. 10/6/2002, PKC02-SFP02, Camden Yard 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2002 Climbers 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 4 9 9 2 8 1 2002 Piazza's 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 6 1 10 0 Climbers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Counsell 2b 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .214 2 4 0 0 Wilson,J ss 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 0 3 1 0 Thome 1b 3 1 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 9 1 0 0 Cirillo 3b 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .300 0 1 1 0 Wilson,C rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .111 1 0 0 0 Embree p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Schoeneweis p 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Kingsale lf 4 2 2 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 1 0 0 0 Gonzalez c 4 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273 7 1 0 0 Erstad cf 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 4 0 0 0 Zambrano p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000 1 1 0 0 Dye rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 2 0 0 0 33 9 9 8 2 0 1 8 5 0 0 0 1 2 0 27 11 2 0 Piazza's AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Ichiro rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .300 2 0 0 0 Furcal ss 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .267 1 5 0 0 Hinske 3b 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 0 4 0 0 McGriff 1b 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .300 10 1 0 0 Mordecai ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 0 Matthews lf 4 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .214 1 0 0 0 Singleton cf 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .154 1 0 1 0 Relaford 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .222 3 3 0 0 Baldwin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Johnson c 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 6 1 0 0 Tejera p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Jackson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Fryman ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Stone p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Izturis 2b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .600 0 0 0 0 34 2 6 2 1 1 0 5 8 0 0 1 0 0 0 27 15 1 0 Climbers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Zambrano W 1-0 6.1 4 1 1 5 5 109 61 29 0 1 0 1 0 1.42 Embree H 2 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 12 7 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Schoeneweis 2.0 2 1 0 0 2 22 16 8 0 0 0 0 1 3.00 9.0 6 2 1 5 8 143 84 39 0 1 0 1 1 Piazza's INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Tejera L 0-1 5.2 5 5 4 5 4 91 49 28 0 0 1 0 0 6.35 Jackson 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 13 9 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Stone 1.2 2 3 3 3 1 35 17 9 0 0 0 1 0 16.20 Baldwin 0.1 2 1 1 0 0 9 7 3 1 0 0 0 0 6.75 9.0 9 9 8 8 5 148 82 44 1 0 1 1 0 PKC: Dye inserted at rf in the 7th SFP: Fryman batted for Jackson in the 7th Mordecai batted for McGriff in the 7th Mordecai moved to 1b in the 8th Izturis inserted at 2b in the 9th GWRBI: Thome Temperature: 58, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 26 MPH. ******************************************************************* GAME FIVE -- Climbers (Martinez) at Piazza's (Wood). Meeting #2 between the aces. In the 2nd inning, Jermaine Dye doubled and moved to 3rd on a wild pitch. The extra base running wouldn't be necessary, as Herbert Perry took Kerry Wood deep for a 2 run shot. In the 4th, Jim Thome walked, and Dye was the one who hit a 2-run home run to make it 4-0. Park City would continue to score, and San Francisco would continue to not to. The Climbers pitching staff combined to throw a 5-hit shutout, as Park City wins game 5 by a score of 7-0, and are 1 win away from advancing to the official round 1 series against the Coneheads. CLIMBERS LEAD 3-2. 10/8/2002, PKC02-SFP02, Camden Yard 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2002 Climbers 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 7 9 1 4 0 2002 Piazza's 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 8 1 Climbers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Counsell 2b 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .235 2 4 0 0 Lawton lf 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 2 0 0 0 Trammell ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 0 0 0 0 Thome 1b 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211 6 0 0 0 Dye rf 3 2 3 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .444 1 0 0 0 Cirillo 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .300 0 0 0 0 Woodward ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 0 0 1 0 Wilson,J ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 1 0 0 0 Perry 3b 4 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222 1 2 0 0 Schoeneweis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 0 Varitek c 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .100 13 0 0 0 Erstad cf 4 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222 0 1 0 0 Martinez p 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 0 0 0 0 Kingsale rf 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 1 0 0 0 33 7 9 7 2 0 2 4 9 0 1 0 0 0 1 27 7 1 0 Piazza's AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Ichiro rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .292 2 0 0 0 Furcal ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .263 2 1 0 0 Hinske 3b 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .188 2 1 0 0 McGriff 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 5 0 0 0 Fryman ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Colbrunn 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 1 0 0 0 Matthews lf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235 2 0 0 0 Singleton cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .118 1 0 0 0 Relaford 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .167 3 3 0 0 Alomar c 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .417 4 0 0 0 Burba p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 DeShields ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Baldwin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Johnson ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Wood p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 0 Stinnett c 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 5 1 0 0 32 0 5 0 1 0 0 2 13 0 0 0 1 0 0 27 8 0 0 Climbers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Martinez W 2-0 7.0 5 0 0 1 11 108 70 28 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 Schoeneweis 2.0 0 0 0 1 2 28 16 7 0 0 0 0 0 2.25 9.0 5 0 0 2 13 136 86 35 0 0 1 0 0 Piazza's INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Wood L 0-2 4.2 7 6 6 2 4 83 52 22 2 0 0 1 1 6.75 Burba 2.1 0 0 0 1 2 27 18 7 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Baldwin 2.0 2 1 1 1 3 39 20 9 0 0 0 0 0 5.40 9.0 9 7 7 4 9 149 90 38 2 0 0 1 1 PKC: Kingsale inserted at rf in the 8th Cirillo inserted at 3b in the 8th Wilson,J inserted at ss in the 8th Trammell batted for Lawton in the 9th Trammell moved to lf in the 9th SFP: Stinnett inserted at c in the 5th DeShields batted for Burba in the 7th Fryman batted for McGriff in the 8th Colbrunn inserted at 1b in the 9th Johnson batted for Baldwin in the 9th GWRBI: Perry Temperature: 70, Sky: cloudy, Wind: left to right at 14 MPH. ******************************************************************* GAME SIX -- Piazza's (Moyer) at Climbers (Prior). A lot of pressure on young Mark Prior's shoulders. Win this won ad the Climbers advance in the playoffs. Lose it and it goes to a decisive game 7. Park City scored first in the 2nd inning. Jeff Cirillo and Craig Wilson singled with 0 outs, and Gene Kingsale executed a sacrifice bunt to move them to 2nd & 3rd. Wiki Gonzalez grounded out to first, letting Cirillo score. Darin Erstad completed the 2 run inning with an RBI single. In the 4th inning, with the bases loaded and 1 out, Cirillo hit a 2 RBI single to make it a 4-0 Climbers contest. In the 8th inning, Mark Prior was relieved after throwing 7 innings and 109 pitches, eerily similar to Pedro Martinez's 7 shutout innings and 100+ pitches in game 5. Huh. That manner of pitching management seemed almost ... rational. Anyways, Jose Jiminez came on to start the 7th inning for the Climbers. With a runner on base and 2 outs, Rafael Furcal hit an RBI triple. 4-1 Park City. Mariano Rivera came on in relief. Eric Hinske was at the plate. Hinske hit a grounder to Thome. Thome flipped it to Rivera covering first, but Rivera dropped it! Furcal scored on the error, and it became a 4-2 game. Representing the tying run at the plate, Fred McGriff singled. 2 on, 2 out, and Gary Matthews was at bat. Rivera settled down and shut Matthews down, striking him out to make it 4-2 after 8 innings. Rivera pitched into the 9th inning, aiming to protect a 2-run lead. Rivera got 2 quick outs, but Sandy Aloamr hit a double with no one on base. Mariano Rivera was pulled in favor of Alan Embree. Embree intentionally walked Marquis Grissom to put runners at 1st & 2nd to bring Ichiro Suzuki to the plate. San Francisco's season hung on this single at bat, and it was up to their franchise player to come through. A double would likely tie the game. A home run would put the Piazza's ahead. But it was not to be. Suzuki grounded out to first, ending the game. Park City wins game 6 by a score of 4 to 2, and advance to a round 1 confrontation with the California Coneheads. CLIMBERS WIN 4-2. 10/9/2002, SFP02-PKC02, Pacific Bell Park 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2002 Piazza's 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 6 0 8 1 2002 Climbers 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 x 4 11 1 7 0 Piazza's AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Ichiro rf 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 1 0 0 0 Furcal ss 4 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .261 1 2 0 0 Hinske 3b 4 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 1 3 0 0 McGriff 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 10 0 0 0 Matthews lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 1 1 0 0 Singleton cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .100 1 0 0 0 Jackson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Gant ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 0 0 0 0 Relaford 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .188 2 2 0 0 Johnson c 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 6 1 0 0 Grace ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400 0 0 0 0 Alomar c 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .462 0 0 0 0 Moyer p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 2 0 0 Grissom cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .143 1 0 0 0 33 2 6 1 2 1 0 3 7 0 0 1 0 1 0 24 11 0 0 Climbers AB R H BI D T HR BB K SB CS IW HP SH SF AVG PO A E PB Counsell 2b 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286 1 3 0 0 Wilson,J ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .313 0 5 0 0 Thome 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .182 11 3 0 0 Cirillo 3b 4 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429 0 0 0 0 Wilson,C rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .154 3 0 0 0 Kingsale lf 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .389 1 0 0 0 Gonzalez c 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .267 7 0 0 0 Erstad cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .227 2 0 0 0 Prior p 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 2 2 0 0 Jimenez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 Rivera,M p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 0 Embree p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 32 4 11 4 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 1 1 0 27 13 1 0 Piazza's INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Moyer L 0-1 6.2 11 4 4 1 6 99 61 31 0 0 1 0 1 3.09 Jackson 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 14 11 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 8.0 11 4 4 1 6 113 72 35 0 0 1 0 1 Climbers INN H R ER BB K PCH STR BF HR IW HP WP DP ERA Prior W 1-0 7.0 3 0 0 1 5 109 71 25 0 0 0 0 0 0.61 Jimenez 0.2 1 2 1 1 0 17 9 4 0 0 0 0 0 3.38 Rivera,M H 1 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 35 24 6 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Embree S 1 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 6 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 9.0 6 2 1 3 7 167 105 37 0 1 0 0 0 SFP: Grissom inserted at cf in the 7th Grace batted for Johnson in the 8th Alomar inserted at c in the 8th Gant batted for Jackson in the 9th GWRBI: Gonzalez Temperature: 48, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 11 MPH.