Cardinals Win Epic 7-Game Series With Dodgers: Head To KPSL World Series
When you look at this on paper, Josh’s team is better than mine. Line up is better. Defense is better. Bullpen is much better. My starting pitching is better, but again, look at the whole and Josh had the better team.
In games one and two, I scored three runs in the eighth both times against ridiculous bullpen cards. First against Chapman and then against miller. In game seven. Josh had the bases loaded in the eighth with the best card in the series at bat. Luck.
In between all of that, it was a hard fought series that swung on an at-bat here and there. I made one really stupid decision which should have cost me the series. In the end it came down to who rolled better. And I guess that was me.
It was as much fun playing this game as I have arguably ever had. It was a fun, tense, series that was managed well on both ends. Just fun.
GAME 1
Cardinals 3
Dodgers 2
WP: Banda
LP; Chapman
S: Estevez
Location: St. Loo
The goings on: In the second at bat of the series, Ohtani went deep against Skeens. That would be his only dong of the doings. Skenes recovered and went 7 2/3 with 10 strikeouts. Pretty Good. But Josh had Yamamoto going and he gets paid too. He went seven giving up just run on a Paredes RBI double in the fifth. In the top of the eighth (with two outs), Bryce Turang doubled, Ohtani was intentionally walked Goodman walked the old fashioned way. Fermin and his jabroni card pinch hit. I went to Anthony Banda, who walked him and Josh had a 2-1 going into the bottom of the eighth. Josh went with Chapman with his obscene card. Willson Contreras pinch hit and walked. Friedl came in to run. Freddie Freemen then doubled. Down 1 with no one out I held Friedl at third. Hays pinch hit for Yelich and struck out. One down. Chapman had faced three and could be relieved. Josh stuck with him vs. Altuve. Altuve skied out to drive in the game tying run. Now two outs and a runner on second for slap hitting Masyn Winn. Josh Sticks with Chapman. Winn get the clutch single to drive in the go-ahead run. 3-2 cards. Out comes Esteves to face the Dodgers in the top of the ninth. He gets Big Blue in order and the Cardinals snag game 1.
GAME 2
Cardinals 5
Dodgers 4
WP: Pomeranz
LP: Miller
S; Estevez
Location: St. Loo
The goings on: This time it was the Cardinals who scored first with Bader doubling home Freddie Freeman before the game’s first out. Emmet shehan was the surprise starter for LA, but his righty reverse card tied up the Cards for the next five innings. The dodgers tied the game in the third as Tovar homered off of Woodruff. In the top of the seventh, Merrill and Tovar singled and Pages walked to load the bases for Ohtani with no outs. Ohtani hit a 2bA++ to dive in two and chase Woodruff. Goodman then added a single to make it 4-1 midway through the seventh. With Jason Adam on in relief, The Cardinals had two on with two outs. Josh went with Mason Miller. Bader singled to make it 4-2 and miller closed the inning without any more pain. In the bottom of the eighth, Miller returned with four more hitters left. He walked Paredes and give up a two star single to William Contreras. First and third with no one out for yellich, he hit a sac fly to make it 4-3. Up came TJ Friedl who went in for defense in 7th. Miller has an amazing card. But when a lefty like friedl rolls a 4/11, it becomes a 1-12 homer. I got the split and miraculously the Cards led 5-4. In the 9th, Estevez came on and got the first two batters. Then Freddie Fermin who was brought in for defense had to bad (no other catcher) and roped a double. The other fermin pinch hit and walked. Then Perkins pinch hit and walked. So you have Estevez on his last batter against Shaw (who also was in for defense). He got a pop to second and the Cards escaped with a 2-0 series lead.
GAME 3
Dodgers 4
Cardinals 2
WP: O’Brien
LP: Gausman
S: miller
Location: Dodger Stadium
The goings on: The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead off of Rasmussen behind Paredes and Freeman (freeman had also missed a diamond shot). The dodgers came back behind homers by Merril and Goodman (welcome to LA, homer heaven). In the seventh, I stuck with Gausman and Josh stuck me with another goodman homer – this one a two-run shot to make it 4-2. The Cardinals got nothing off of O’Brien in the eighth and Miller in the ninth and the dodgers secured their first win of the series.
GAME 4
Dodgers 6
Cardinals 4
WP: Wheeler
LP: Nelson
S: miller
Location: Dodger Stadium
The goings on: I fucked this one up pretty good. The cardinals led 2-1 into the bottom of the seventh. Nelson had been great, but the plan was to pull him after six because of his weakness against righties. But Nelson was going so well I decided to press my luck. Mistake. Steer led off with a double and Riley homered off my card to make it 4-2. Then Goodman doubled, merril singled and Tovar homered (second in the series – fuck him) to make it a 6-1 game. My stupidity gave Josh the game. We added two in the ninth on a cronenworth homer, but we lost 6-4. We had the chance to take a 3-1 lead and I blew it. If we were to lose the series, it would be because of that blunder.
GAME 5
Cardinals 4
Dodgers 3
WP: Skenes
LP: Ohtani
S: Esteves
Location: Dodger Stadium
The goings on: There was one decision that would play huge the rest of the way. With Yamamoto fully rested, Josh opted to go with Ohtani pitching against Skenes. If Josh won, it would give him his ace in a potential series clincher. Even if he lost, Josh would have Yamamoto and Rasmussen for the last two games. It was risky, but I might have done the same thing. I went with Skenes figuring that I would ride him as long as I could. In the top of the third, the Cardinals cobbled together four runs against Ohtani. Winn singled. After Willian Contreras struck out, Freddie Freeman and bader singled to load the basses for Tyler Freeman. Ohtani walked him to make it 1-0. Paredes then singled to make it 2-0. Yelich would later single in two more. It was 4-0 with Skenes on the mound in a homer-friendly park. Could the Cardinals protect this lead? Drip drip drip came the Dodgers. In the bottom of the third, Perkins tripled home wood. After Ohtani was stuck by a pitch, pages grounded to third to end the threat. In the 5th, Wood homered to make it 4-2. In the 6th, Pages homered to make it 4-3. Skenes stayed on. He would strike out 12. Entering the ninth he had 1 batter left. He struck out pages and left the game in estevez’ hands. Pinch hitter Fermin doubled. Man on second with one out. Goodman, who had two homers the game before popped to second. Turang than bounced to second to end the game. The Cardinals went home needing just one more win.
GAME 6
Dodgers 4
Cardinals 1
WP; Yamamoto
LP: Woodruff
S: Miller
Location: St. Loo
The going on: Yamamoto proved Josh’s strategy solid as he gave up just one hit and shut down the Cardinals. Shaw and (Go fuck yourself) Tovar homered to give the Dodgers a 4-1 lead. We had no shot and we faced a game seven at home.
GAME 7
Cardinals 2
Dodgers 1
WP: Gausman
LP: o”brien
S: Estevez (4)
Location: St. Loo.
The goings on: You wanted tense. I give you tense. Ed and Steve had finished their series and were on chart duty. Gausman vs. Rasmussen. Two good starters. In the top of the first, Freddie Freeman got hit by a pitch. He then stole second. With two outs Yelich stroked a clean single, I sent Freeman home on a 1-12 chance – safe. 1-0 Cardinals in the first. In the bottom of the second, the Cardinals had the chance to bust it open. Winn singled and an error by Fermin gave me second and third with one out. Josh brought the infield in. A GB pB nailed the runner at home. Two outs. Friedl hit a ballpark single but could not get the roll. It stayed 1-0. In the top of the third Turang walked and stole second. Fermin made up for his error by singling him tome to tie the game at one. Gausman would strike out 9 of the next 11 hitters to completely shut down the Dodgers attack. In the bottom of the seventh, O’Brien was in. Cronenworth led off with a double. Friedl sacrificed him to third. Bader hit a sac fly to make it 2-1. Would it hold. In the top of the eighth Gausman was on. With one out he walked turang and Tovar (really, just fuck him) singled him to second. First and second with one out in the eighth. I went with my closer, Estevez who promptly walked Fermin to load the bases for Ohtani. This was it really. The best bat in the deck vs. an OK closer in game seven. Estevez got the strike out. Now it was Pages with two outs, he popped to third. End of threat. I started breathing once again. I think Josh might have soiled himself. In the bottom of the ninth, Estevez had four hitters left. He needed but three with a pop and two grounders to second base.
The Cardinals had survived. They now move on.
