Tempe  vs. Chicago - MWBL World Series
(Played live via logmein on 9/28/08)

Chicago makes its second World Series appearance since 2005, when they lost
to Tempe 4 games to 2.    The Tempers will make their sixth World Series Appearance in six years,
and 10th MWBL World Series Appearance overall.

The Evil Empire" Tempe Tempers were in their usual place in October, back in the World Series for the MWBL Leading 10th time.  The Tempers came in as underdogs to the Mighty Chicago Mobsters who were representing the American League for the 2nd time.   Tempe had some injuries still lingering from the National League Championships, and Chicago came in healthy as could be.

Game #1 – Chien-Meng Wang (22-5  1.34) vs. C.C. Sabathia (21-5  3.13)

     Chicago loaded the bases in the bottom of the 1st inning, thanks to singles off the bats of Barry Bonds, Chipper Jones, and Gary Sheffield.  Todd Helton who was acquired at the trade deadline from he Virginia Sluggers in exchange for Homer Bailey and Chicago's 1st round pick in the 2009 Draft delivered in the clutch as he tomahawks it into the gap in left center.   All three runs would score as Helton was thrown out stretching it from a double to a triple, but that allowed Sheffield to score the 3rd run of the innings and give the Mobsters a 3-0 lead.   After a walk and two steals later Renteria scored on a Mike Lowell Sacrifice.  In the Mobsters 6th, a double by Granderson scored Norris Hopper and Derek Jeter to make it 5-1 Chicago.  But the mighty Mobsters were not done.  Barry Bonds picks up a Sacrifice fly and an RBI, but Placido Polonco with two outs belted a Home Run down the line in left, leaving the Mobsters up 7-1 at the end of six.   C.C. Sabathia Cruised through 6.1 Innings, and was masterful only allowing 1 hit along the way.  Gary Matthews took Brian Fuentes for a long cab ride in the 8th to give the Tempers some life.  In the 9th after an Alou Single and a Rowand Double putting runners in scoring position for pinch hitter Scott Hatteberg.   Delcarmen was trying to nail it down for the Mobsters, but Hatteberg had other ideas and bruises it for the gap in left center -Alou scored and Rowand was safe easily putting the score at 7-4 with two outs.  Chicago called on "The Closer" to face Mark Ellis.   With the tying run in the on-deck circle the game was closer than what it should have been for Chicago after a 7-1 lead.   Wagner induced Ellis into a ground ball, that was wide of third and backhanded by Chipper Jones, who rifled it across the diamond to Helton at 1st base and the ball game was in the bag for the Mobsters.

Final Score - Chicago 7 - Tempe 4
W - C. C. Sabathia (1-0  1.42)
L - Chien-Meng Wang (0-1 9.00)
HR - Matthews (1) Polonco (1)


Game 2 - Kelvim Escobar (17-8  2.72) vs. Fausto Carmona (17-7 2.57)

     Pitching dominated the 1st two innings and then the flood gates opened on both sides.   A Gary Matthews double and a single by Renteria (went to second on throw home) put the Tempers up 1-0 in the top of the 3rd. Mike Lowell doubled in Renteria making it 2-0, followed by a Rowand single scoring Lowell making it 3-0 Tempe.  Carmona was having trouble stalling the Tempers offense.  Scott Hatteberg singled in Rowand and the Tempers had a daunting 4-0 lead on the Mobsters.  For Chicago a walk by Jeter and a double by Ivan Rodriguez cut the score to 4-1 Tempe.  After a walk to Barry Bonds, Polonco popped a easy fly to right for the 1st out of the inning.  Chipper Jones who spent 12 full season in a Mobsters uniform drove one into the gap in right scoring Rodriguez & leaving Bonds at third.  A walk to David Ortiz put runners on the corner where Sheffield grounded into a double play ball, but beat the throw to first with a little Hustle.   Chicago ended the 3rd down by one.  Aaron Rowand drove in Mike Lowell in the 7th to put the Tempers back up by two.  Curtis Granderson doubled home Delmon Young in the bottom of the 7th to again put the Mobsters down only one.  In the 9th the Tempers has Peter Moylan on the mound with got two quick outs before giving up a Texas Leaguer to left off the bat of Polanco.   Chipper Jones hit a ground ball to the right of second baseman Mark Ellis who knocked it down and held the ball.   So two on, two out bottom of the 9th, down by one - Delmon Young facing Peter Moylan.  The runners took and sold lead, the pitch from Moylan -a little blooper down the right field line dropped in, Polanco scores to tie the game, Chipper Jones was waived around 3rd - the throw to the plate was just a little late and Chipper Jones scores the winning run

Final Score - Chicago 6 - Tempe 5
W - Lee Gardner (1-0  0.00)
L - Kelvim Escobar (0-1  9.00)
S - Billy Wagner 1

Game 3 - Josh Beckett (16-6 3.57). Chien-Meng Wang (22-5  1.34)

     Chicago was up two games to none, but headed into the Evil Empires home field.   Chipper Jones with two outs in the 1st belted a Home Run to give the Mobsters the 1-0 lead.  Victor Martinez scored on a Mark Ellis single to knot it at one in the bottom of the 2nd, but that still had two runners on (2nd & 3rd) with Chien-Meng Wang up.   Tempers manager Chris Douglass looked down his bench and called on Manny Ramirez to pinch hit early in the game for the pitcher.   Ramirez blooped one just over short, but Derek Jeter made an amazing catch, and had the savvy to flip to Polonco to get out of the inning with a double play.
Granderson singled home Polanco in the 6th, leaving Granderson at 1st and David Ortiz at 3rd.   Derek Jeter belted one off the wall in left, Ortiz & Granderson scored, putting the Mobsters up 5-1 at the end of 5 and a half.  Victor Martinez belted a 2-Run Home Run off Starter Josh Beckett and closing the score to 5-3 Mobsters at the end of 6 full innings of play.  After a Bonds double and pinch runner Norris Hopper moving to 3rd on a ground out, Chipper Jones grounded out, but Hopper was able to score on the play.  Chicago tacked on two more in the 8th and Tempe added one in the 8th.  The mobsters headed into the top of the 9th up 8-4.  Polanco scored on a Helton double (took 3rd on the throw home).  A fly ball to right should have been the end of the inning, but right fielder Scott Moore had it pop out of his glove allowing Helton to score Chicago's 10th run.  Brian Fuentes pitched the last out of the game and Chicago had a 3 games to none lead on the Tempers in the series.

Final Score - Chicago 10 - Tempe 4
W - Josh Beckett  (1-0  3.86)
L - Brian Tallet (0-1  5.40)
HR - Victor Martinez (1) Chipper Jones (1)

Game 4 - C.C. Sabathia (21-5  3.13) vs. Kelvim Escobar (17-8  2.72)

     The Tempers were down 3 games to none, but put their best out there needing to just get started and win one.  Chicago didn't want that to happen.  "No need to wake a sleeping giant" said Stray Corrado the General Manager of the Mobsters.
     Barry Bonds lead off the game with a long double off the right-center field wall.   A Chipper Jones double scored Bonds and put the Mobsters up 1-0 early on.  Then it was the C.C. Sabathia show.   Sabathia went 7 solid innings before giving up a solo shot in the bottom of the 8th with no outs to Mosies Alou.   Sabathia settled down and got through the 8th.  Tie score top of 9th, one out and Ivan Rodriguez who's spent 12 full seasons in a Mobster Uniform took it upon himself to un-do the tie score.   Pudge took Jeremy Accardo deep and over Manny Ramirez head, over the left field wall for a solo shot that put the Mobsters up 2-1.   Chicago was one half inning away from their first MWBL World Series Championship.   But the Tempers were not done.  Billy Wagner another 12 year veteran of the Mobsters took the hill with a 2-1 lead.  Could "The Closer" do what he has been asked to do 426 times in his MWBL Career?   On a 3-2 pitch that looked like strike three the umpire called Ball-Four which sent Manny Ramirez down to 1st Base.  Scott Moore would come in to pinch run for Manny.  Edgar Renteria stroked a line drive over Chipper Jones head, Moore rounded third and was headed home - Jones relayed the ball to the plate and Ivan Rodriguez tagged Moore out by two feet.  Renteria took 3rd on the throw.  So the Mobsters & Wagner were still not out of trouble.  Augie Ojeda squared to bunt with Renteria at 3rd and one out, and Billy Wagner took matters into his own hands.  He plunked him.  Straight up, he squared early and Wagner just drilled him.   So with runners at the corner and up by one Wagner was in trouble.   Tempe sent up Aaron Rowand with the tying run on 3rd, and the winning run at 1st.  Ojeda was off with the pitch from Wagner, Rowand smashed a hard line drive right at Placido Polanco who quickly threw to Todd Helton at 1st and doubled off Ojeda.    The Mobsters had done it, they went wild and celebrated between the pitchers mound and first Base.   The Chicago Mobsters were the Mid-West Baseball League's 2008 World Series Champions!

CO - MVP's
C.C. Sabathia   2-0    14.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 W, 8 K's.
Chipper Jones  .471-Avg, .500-OB%, .824-SLG, 1-HR, 3-2B,  5 RBI