A.L. DIVISION SERIES – HOL @ SEV G#5
G
ame 5: Jered Weaver vs Yovani Gallardo. Another battle, a game 2 rematch, where the 2 starting pitchers left with no decisions. The game remains hitless into the bottom of the 3rd when after Marco Scutaro leads off with a walk, Jason Werth singles off Carlos Pena’s glove to put runners at 1st & 2nd with 1-out. The runners take their lead … Weaver delivers … Holliday rams it down the line….it squirts by the diving Pena … this will roll awhile … Bruce is chasing it down…Scutaro rounds third … he’ll score … Werth will score and Holliday pulls up at 3rd with a 1-out triple, giving Severn a 2-0 lead! Then Miguel Cabrera steps to the plate….The infield is deep … Holliday is down the line some at third … the pitch … lined … Kinsler stabs it at 2nd then fires to third … bang! bang! … double play and like that, they get out of the inning trailing only 2-0. Spoiler Alert!!! That was the last hit Weaver gives up.With 1-out in the 4th, Wilson Betemit singles. He promptly steals second and with Brian McCann throwing it away, he moves to 3rd. With the infield back, Alex Gordon bounces to Jemile Weeks, he scoops it and fires home, Betemit slides… HE’S OUT!!! Trying to get Gordon – who just reached on a fielders choice – to 2nd base, Hollywood sends him….McCann makes he throw….he’s OUT! Hollywood ran into the outs that inning…..The game moves to the 6th. With 1-out, Drew Stubbs steps in….the pitch…it’s hit to deep right….Werth looking up…IT’S GONE! Hollywood cuts the lead to 2-1. 
Gallardo tries to get his composure as Carlos Pena steps in. The 3-2 count….THAT ONE IS HIT DOWN THE LINE……..FOUL BALL! Gallardo has a big sigh of relief has he wipes his brow. He delivers the next pitch, but it’s 2-feet outside and Pena walks. Mike Roberts visits the mound to calm Gallardo down which works cause Wilson Betemit strikes out to make it 2-outs. Then Alex Gordon steps in. It’s an inside pitch, Gordon is down…it hit him. He gets up and he’s shaking his hand. Steve Cutler looks to the dugout, he’s calling on Emilio Bonifacio to run for Gordon. Could this be a retaliation for Marlon Byrd going down in game 1? Well, it may be as Gallardo then strikes out Ian Kinsler on 3 pitches to end the inning. The game quietly moves to the 8th inning. Kurt Suzuki walks to lead off the inning. With the tying run at 1st base, Brian McCann is pulled from duty for Ramon Hernandez. Severn is trying to keep that runner at 1st base. Gallardo is pulled as Joaquin Benoit relieves him to a monstrous ovation. As Benoit warms up, what’s this???Paul Goldschmidt grabs a helmet, but he’s not stretching is arms out as if to hit, he’s stretching his legs. Goldschmidt is coming in to pinch run for Suzuki. Goldschmidt may not be fast, but he’s an excellent base stealer. Benoit is ready. Drew Stubbs shows bunt…he pulls it back….there goes Goldschmidt….. the throw … the sweep 
tag … he sneaks in … Hernandez made it close, but Goldschmidt had a great jump; he stole it on Benoit. As Goldschmidt pops up and calls time, Cutler immediately sends Ezequiel Carrera out to 2nd base. A pinch runner for a pinch runner?? This is unprecedented. I guess now he wants to get a faster runner out there now that the base stealing is over. Hollywood wants to put this away in 5, so they don’t have to return to Hollywood. Stubbs stands back in. The pitch…Stubbs shows bunt at the last possible moment…it’s a beautiful bunt, Alex Rodriguez picks it up and has to eat it. There is no where for him to throw. Hollywood sends runners to the corners with nobody out. The Express are playing back for the double play and will concede the tying run. The last thing they want to do is give Hollywood a big inning. Pena facing Benoit. blooped toward second … Week’s backing up…Pagan racing in … and it drops for a hit … Carrera scores … tie game! Trying to stir up a little magic … Cutler is yanking Wilson Betemit and he’s sending Don Kelly to the plate. Kelly squares….he drops a sacrifice bunt in front of Benoit who can only throw to first for the out as the runners move to 2nd & 3rd. Benoit is having a rough go of it…Bonifacio is the batter…let’s listen to the call. Express playing for the out at first … he brings it home … Bonifacio skies one to deep center…PAGAN turns and goes after it … to the track … and has it for the putout … both runners tag….the coach has the windmill churning … he’s trying to score…here comes the throw home…..here’s the play at the plate … and he’s … out by a mile … double play! oh, those, Express … they slay the go-ahead run … the coach was waving him on with two outs and he was going all the way … and they finished his story at the front door … WEREWOLVES gone!
The crowd is going wild! You see Severn breathing a big sigh of relief as the look out at the mound and don’t see Weaver out there. No bases runners of any kind reach base until the bottom of the 10th, when Angel Pagan reaches on an infield single. With Frank Francisco on the mound (the game 1 loser), Severn feels they have a chance. However, he settles down as there is no real threat. We head to the top of the 12th. Jason Kubel facing Scott Downs. He smashes it deep to the right center gap, Pagan chases it down off the wall as Kubel pulls into 2nd base. Cutler trots out Ben Francisco to run for Kubel. Typically, this would be a place for Kelly or Bonifacio, but they are both in the game. Starlin Castro steps in and shows bunt…but he pulls it back and lofts one to short…Marco Scutaro dives with his legs pointed at home plate…..HE’S GOT IT!! He jumps up and looks to 2nd, but Francisco smartly held. Scott Downs breathes a big sigh of relief as he steps in to face David Ross. It must have shook him a little, cause he walks Ross on 4 pitches. Downs relaxes some and gets out of the inning without further incident. We move to the bottom of the 14th. Ramon Hernandez smashes one to right center, Stubbs cant get it…..Hernandez pulls up with a double. Then with 1-out, the fireworks start. Let’s listen in….
Javier A Lopez brings it home … it’s grounded into the hole … goes by Castro and into left….Hernandez’s around third and they’re waving him in….here comes the throw home…..the play at the plate … and he’s … tagged out…oh, those, WEREWOLVES … they have cut off the winning run!
The game moves to the bottom of the 15th and Hollywood sends out Henry Rodriguez…..Jemile Weeks singles to start the inning. Then with the hit-and-run on, Jason Werth singles past a diving Kinsler and Jemile Weeks pulls up into 3rd. The stadium is rocking back and forth as Matt Holliday steps in…..the runners take their lead…it’s popped behind 3rd….Castro’s over in foul territory and make the catch. Miguel Cabrera steps in an Roberts is beside himself on the fact that the offense cannot muster a big hit….. The pitch…..Cabrera flails at the pitch….2-outs!!! In steps Paul Konerko. Pretty much the only hitter on either side that has had some success.
Rodriguez looks Weeks back to third … here comes the pitch … oh, baby! That ball is ROCKED TOWARD CENTER….STUBBS CAN ONLY LOOK UP WHERE HE STANDS….PAUL KONERKO DOES IT AGAIN! IT’S A WALK-OFF 3-RUN HOMERUN…IT’S ALL OVER AS SEVERN WINS 5-2 IN 15 INNINGS.
Winner: Jesse Litsch (1-0)
Loser: Henry Rodriguez (0-1)
Homeruns: Drew Stubbs (1). Paul Konerko (4)
The series heads back to Hollywood with Hollywood leading 3 games to 2.