2013 WORLD SERIES
The MWBL 2013 World Series marked the 3rd time the Chicago Mobsters (108-54) and the Tempe Tempers (121-41) have battled each other in the World Series. Tempe won 
the first match up back in 2005 in six games, but the Mobsters evened things up in 2008 with a dominating sweep.
Each team entered the 2013 playoffs as slight favorites to represent their respective leagues, but both teams barely survived the League Championships. Chicago had the #1 ranked offense and #3 ranked defense while Tempe finished the season with the #1 ranked staff and #1 ranked defense.
The starting lineups also showed just how close the two teams matched up.
Chicago Mobsters               Tempe Tempers
Game #1 @ Tempe – Felix Hernandez (14YZG 22-8 2.39 ERA) vs. Matt Cain (17YZ 28-5 1.86 ERA)
Chicago threatened in the 2nd when a double by Buster Posey and a single by Yonder Alonso put runners on the corners with one out. However, Matt Cain managed to get Neil Walker to pop up and then intentionally walked Desmond Jennings to face Felix Hernandez for the easy 3rd out. In the bottom of the 2nd,  Carlos Ruiz doubled, moved to 3rd and then scored on two consecutive infield ground outs. TEM 1-0. In the 3rd, the Mobsters loaded the bases again, but Alonso popped up to centerfield.   In the bottom of the 5th, Tempe pulled Cain and manufactured a run on a pinch hit walk, pinch run SB and a RBI single by Yoenis Cespedes.  TEM 2-0. In the top of the 8th , the Mobsters finally  got to Tempe as Tom Wilhelmsen 19 XYG surrendered a double to Dexter Fowler and Andrew McCutchen showed why 
he should be the AL MVP by crushing one over the fence. With the score tied 2-2, Tempe went to their closer,  Jim Johnson 18ZH, to get the final out in the 8th and pitch a scoreless 9th.  Jason Grilli 14XY pitched part of the bottom of the 8th, but was left in to start the 9th.  Carlos Ruiz put his first pitch of the inning over the fence.
Final Score: Tempe 3 – Chicago 2
WP: Jim Johnson (1-0, 1.1 INN, 0 Runs)
LP: Jason Grilli (0-1, 1 INN, 1 Runs)
HR: Andrew McCutchen (1), Carlos Ruiz (1)
Game #2 @ Tempe –Adam Wainwright (9YZ 17-8 3.66 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte (14YZ 10-2 2.28 ERA)
The Mobsters didn’t waste any time in game two by putting two runs on the board in the 1st on a two run homerun by Chipper Jones. CHI 2-0.  Tempe chipped away with a Ryan Braun walk and a RBI single by Adrian Beltre in the 3rd. CHI 2-1. Another Braun walk and a Cespedes double tied it in the 5th.  In the bottom of the 6th, Chicago’s defense failed Scott Atchison 18ZH with two errors that allowed Tempe to take a 3-2 lead and put runners on the corners. Trevor Rosenthal 18XY was called on to get Chicago out of the jam, but he couldn’t get the Grandy Man. Curtis Granderson, who entered the game in the 3rd, crushed a three run homerun to put the game out of reach. TEM 6-2. A solo homerun by Buster Posey in the 7th was all Chicago could manage the rest of the game. Jim Johnson finished his second game of the series.
Final Score: Tempe 6 – Chicago 3
WP: Tom Wilhelmsen (1-0, 2 INN, 1 Run)
LP: Scott Atchison (0-1, 1 INN, 3 Runs)
Save: Jim Johnson (1 SV 1.0 INN, 0 Runs)
HR: Chipper Jones (1), Curtis Granderson (1) Buster Posey (1)
Game #3 @ Chicago – Brandon Beachy (20YG 10-5  1.60 ERA) vs. C.C. Sabathia (14YZ 25-5 2.71 ERA)
Chicago struck first on a Derek Jeter double and a Buster Posey two out single. CHI 1-0. Tempe tied it up in the 3rd with a Granderson single, Braun double and a Beltre fielder’s choice. Derek Jeter again took charge in the 3rd. He singled, stole second base and then scored on a Chipper Jones double. CHI 2-1. Beachy was strong for Tempe with five solid innings and seven strikeouts. C.C. Sabathia wasn’t quite as dominating, but he was more effective. He gutted out seven innings and managed to strand eight Tempers with only three strikeouts. Scott Atchison pitched a scoreless 8th and Aroldis Chapman 24XYG pitched a perfect 9th to give Chicago their first win of the series.
Final Score: Chicago 2 – Tempe 1
WP: C.C. Sabathia (1-0, 7 INN, 1 Run)
LP: Brandon Beachy (0-1, 5 INN, 2 Runs)
Save: Aroldis Chapman (1 SV 1.0 INN, 0 Runs)
HR: None
Game #4 @ Chicago – Matt Cain (17YZ 28-5 1.86 ERA) – Chris Sale (15YZ 21-7 2.73 ERA)
Chicago’s sloppy play resurfaced in the 1st when Yoenis Cespedes reached 1B on an error, stole 2B, and then moved to 3B on a passed ball. He then scored on a Beltre single. TEM 1-0. In the 4th, Melky Cabrera slugged a solo homerun off Chris Sale to make it 2-0. Melky repeated the long ball on Sale in the 7th to make it 3-0.  Matt Cain picked up where he left off in game one and continued to dominate the Mobsters giving up only two hits in 6.1 innings.  Jeremy Horst 21XYH surrendered a solo homerun to Yonder Alonso in the 8th, but that was all Chicago could manage.  Jim Johnson closed out his third game to pick up his second save.
Final Score: Tempe 3 – Chicago 1
WP: Matt Cain (1-0, 6.1 INN, 0 Run)
LP: Chris Sale (0-1, 7.1 INN, 3 Runs)
Save: Jim Johnson (2 SV 1.0 INN, 0 Runs)
HR: Melky Cabera (1,2), Yonder Alonso (1)
Game #5 @ Chicago – Andy Pettitte (14YZÂ 10-2Â 2.28 ERA) vs. Felix Hernandez (14YZG 22-8 2.39 ERA)
Derek Jeter singled in the 1st and then scored on a double by Andrew McCutchen. CHI 1-0. Tempe responded in the top of the 2nd when Melky Cabrera hit his 3rd homerun of the series with a runner on. TEM 2-1. Pettitte had a shaky 3rd inning so Tempe decided to bring on a right hander in the bottom of the 4th. Jared Burton’s 19YZG first pitch was put in the left-center bleachers by Andrew McCutchen. (a monster shot … they show movies on flights that long). Posey then doubled and later scored the go ahead run on a single by Desmond Jennings. CHI 3-2. Chicago manufactured another run in the 6th on a successful suicide squeeze by Desmond Jennings that allowed Yonder Alonso to score. Felix Hernandez settled down after the early homerun and pitched 7.1 solid innings. In the top of the 9th, a single by Ryan Braun and a double by Cabera put runners on 3rd and 2nd with two outs. Aroldis Chapman regrouped to get Adrian Gonzalez on strikes.
Final Score: Chicago 4 – Tempe 2
WP: Felix Hernandez (1-0, 7.1 INN, 2 Runs)
LP: Jared Burton (0-1, .2 INN, 2 Runs)
Save: Aroldis Chapman (2 SV 1.0 INN, 0 Runs)
HR: Melky Cabrera (3), McCutchen (2)
Game #6 @ Tempe –Adam Wainwright (9YZ 17-8 3.66 ERA) vs. Brandon Beachy (20YG 10-5  1.60 ERA)
Due to fatigue, Chicago was forced again to start their not often used fourth starter Adam Wainwright.  In the 1st, Ryan Braun singled and Yoenis Cespedes slugged a two run homerun. Wainwright was able to get Beltre to ground out, but then gave up a single to Melky Cabrera and a two run home run to Carlos Ruiz. TEM 4-0.  Tempe decided to bolster the defense with the four run lead and brought in Granderson and McDonald at SS. Wainwright stayed in the game and managed to get out of the 2nd without any damage. In the 3rd, Wainwright surrendered a leadoff home run to Beltre. Wainwright still stayed in the game and gave up another hit to Cabrera and then another two run blast to Carlos Ruiz. TEM 7-0. Mercy was finally showed to Wainwright 
and Brad Lincoln came on in relief. Beachy enjoying the 7-0 lead took a not hitter into the 4th. Chicago was able to score one run in the 4th when Melky Cabrera crashed into the wall (15 days INJ) and Chipper Jones’ long fly popped out of his glove.  It was the last hit in the career of Chipper Jones.  In the 7th, Buster Posey hit a solo shot off Beachy. TEM 7-2. Tempe manufactured a run in the bottom of the inning to put the lead back to six. TEM 8-2. Beachy pitched a scoreless 8th and turned the ball over to the MWBL saves leader Jim Johnson in the 9th. Johnson recorded two quick outs before giving up on solo shot to McCutchen. TEM 8-3.  Johnson then struck out Alonso to end the series.
Final Score: Tempe 8 – Chicago 3
WP: Brandon Beachy (1-1, 8 INN, 2 Runs)
LP: Adam Wainwright (0-1, 2 INN, 7 Runs)
HR: Carlos Ruiz (2,3), Yoenis Cespedes (1), Buster Posey (2), Andrew McCutchen (3)
Awards
2013 World Series Most Valuable Player – Carlos Ruiz .421 AVG .450 OBP 1.000 SLG, 3HR, 2B, 6 RBI, 4-0 SB
Starter of the Series – Matt Cain  1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2GS, 11.1 INN, 5 H, 10 SO
Reliever of the Series – Jim Johnson 1-0, 2 SV, 1.69 ERA, 5.1IP 1 H, 5 SO
Stats