2014 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

American League League Championship Series  –  Tijuana Bottle Rockets vs. Hollywood Werewolves

Series Preview:   Hollywood and Tijuana won a combine 211 games and have been perennial playoff teams in the American League over the years. Tijuana has 3 division championships and 1 trip to the World Series that crowned them champions (2010). Hollywood on the other hand has won 5 division championships (the last 3 in a row) and 2 trips to the World Series – with no Championships. These 2 storied franchises now face off in the ALCS for the second time in 3 years, with Hollywood winning 4 games to 2 in 2012.

Game #1:  Tanner Roark takes the mound vs Clayton Kershaw. The 19 grade Roark vs the 20 grade Kershaw is sure to produce a low scoring game. It did not disappoint. Both starting pitchers pitched scoreless frame vs scoreless frame until we head to the 8th inning. With 2-outs and Miguel Cabrera stepping to the plate, let’s listen to the call. The pitch to CABRERA … muscled to deep left … this one has a passport … adios, amigo it’s long gone! Hollywood leads 1-0! From there, Hollywood turns to the pen for a 1-0 win and a 1-0 series lead.

Game #2:  Anibal Sanchez vs Cliff Lee. In the top of the second, Yasiel Puig singles to right. Edwin Encarnacion then rips a double to left, scoring Puig, giving Tijuana a 1-0 lead. It stays that way into the 5th inning when Ben Zobrist hammers a homer to make it 2-0 Tijuana! Sanchez cruises into the 8th when with 1-out, Jay Bruce singles. Hollywood calls on Emilio BONIFACIO to hit for light hitting Starlin Castro. He delivers with a single to left. Jayson Werth follows with a Fielder’s Choice RBI and Hollywood cuts the lead to 2-1. Sanchez settles down and that is all Hollywood would get. Tijuana wins 2-1 and ties the series at 1.

Game #3:  The series shifts 148 miles south to Tijuana with David Price vs Zach Grienke. Ian Kinsler leads off the 2nd inning with a single. After stealing 2nd, he scores on a Castro 2-out single. Then Hollywood looks to increase its lead when Werth hammers a 2-run homer to make it 3-0 Hollywood. Tijuana fights back with a Justin Upton homer in the 3rd to cut it to 3-1 Hollywood. Then after Eric Chavez singles, he scores on a Shin Soo Choo’s double to right field to make it 3-2 Hollywood. Tijuana continues to fight back with a 1-out single by Puig in the 4th. After moving to 2nd base on an Encarnacion single and loading the bases with an Upton single, Price is pulled in favor of Louis Coleman. Zobrist greets him rudely, driving in 2-runs and giving the Bottle Rockets a 4-3 lead. That was all they need and they take the series lead 2-1.

Game #4:  Hollywood turns to Kershaw and Tijuana turns to Homer Bailey. Werth leads off the game with a single and scores on a Cabrera single for a 1-0 lead. Tijuana does something that no one has been able to do vs Kershaw, they score a run on a Hanley Ramirez homerun to tie the game. Then in the 2nd, with 2-outs, Kershaw loses Upton which proves costly as Zobrist doubles home the lead run making it 2-1 Bottle Rockets. They extend the lead in the 4th when Puig homers to make it 3-1 Hollywood. Tijuana looks to take that 3 games to 1 series lead as Homer Bailey heads to the 9th. Christian Yelich walks to start it off. Miggy flies out for 1-out. Paul Goldschmidt walks to put the tying run at the plate in Alex Gordon. Gordon doubles down the right field line scoring Yelich and cutting the lead to 3-2. Bailey is pulled in favor of Chris Withrow. Looking for a little spark, Hollywood calls on Bonifacio again, this time hitting for Ian Kinsler. He hits a weak grounder to Encarnacion who throws out Goldschmidt trying to score the tying run. After some pinch hitting-pitcher changing jockeying, we settle into Jeff Baker PH for George Kottaras, who PH for Wellington Castillo, vs Neal Cotts. Bonafacio steals second to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2-outs. Here’s the call…. GORDON takes his lead at third … he comes home … the swing … his bat snaps it two! the barrel is headed out toward short … and the ball pops over second into shallow right it’ll be a base hit … GORDON scores … tie game! … BONIFACIO is well around third… they’re waving BONIFACIO in… here comes the throw home… here’s the play at the plate … and he’s … in standing … Hollywood takes a 4-3 lead. Koji Uehara finishes his own game off to even the series at 2 with the 4-3 win.

Game #5:  Hollywood turns to Cliff Lee once again as Tanner Roarke gets the call again for Tijuana. In the top of the 2nd, Goldy leads off with a double and promptly scores on a Wellington Castillo single. Tijuana evens it up in the 3rd after Upton doubles and scores on a Zobrist single. Hollywood heads to the 4th with Gordon walking to lead it off. Then Miggy doubles put runners at 2nd & 3rd with no outs. Gordon scores on an errant throw home by Hanley Ramirez and Hollywood takes the lead at 2-1. Yelich singles home Miggy and Hollywood now leads 3-1. It stays that way into the 8th inning when Hollywood turns to Coleman once again. With 1-out, Miggy makes a bad throw to first that proves costly. With 2-outs, Choo doubles home a run to cut the lead to 3-2. Then after Ramirez walks, Joe Mauer ties the game with a single at 3-3. The teams trade goose eggs into the 14th inning. With 2-outs, Tijuana turns to Alexi Ogando to face Miggy. Miggy greets him with a double, which forces them to Intentionally Walk Glody for light hitting backup catcher Ryan Hanigan. Hollywood, looking to stir up that magic once again, calls on Bonifacio. Here’s the call…. The runners take their lead … OGANDO fires it in … BONIFACIO bruises it…heading for the gap in left center … base hit … UPTON running it down…CABRERA is well around third … GOLDSCHMIDT is around second… they’re waving CABRERA in…. here comes the throw home… here’s the play at the plate … and he’s … safe…ahead of the throw … WEREWOLVES lead 4-3!! Hollywood turns it over to the only relievers left, who respond. Hollywood stages another comeback and wins 4-3 once again to take the lead of 4-3

Game #6:  David Price is once again ineffective as he gives up 3 runs in the first 3 innings and is pulled in favor of Jered Weaver. Trailing 3-0 in the 4th, Ian Kinsler takes matters into his own hands, hammering a 3-run homer to tie the game at 3. Goldschmidt then gives Hollywood a 4-3 lead in the 6th with a homer of his own and the crowd is going nuts, as they see 3 innings till the World Series. With Weaver still on the mound in the 7th, Billy (don’t call me Brett) Butler, doubles to lead it off. Javier A Lopez enters the game and uncorks a wild pitch to put the tying run at 3rd. Ramirez knocks into a fielders choice to tie the game at 4 as they now look like the comeback kids. It stays that way into the 11th inning when Eric Chavez homers off Coleman to give Tijuana the lead at 5-4. They hold on to even the series at 3 games a piece.

Game #7:   Hollywood once again turns to Kershaw. Hollywood jumps out to a 1-0 lead in the 2nd thanks to a Miggy homer. With Kershaw on the mound, that is really all Hollywood needed. He goes the distance as they take no chances in the 3-0 shutout clincher. Hollywood takes the series 4 games to 3.

Series Summary:  There was really no star on either side as it was a team effort. It was a hard fought series that saw 2 comebacks from both sides, however game 4 was the one that hurt Tijuana. Losing Puig in game 5 hurt. Kershaw would be the closest to a star as anyone.