2020 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

The game is a well-pitched game with each starter trading zeroes into the sixth inning.  Freddie Galvis leads off the bottom half of the inning with a walk.  With Galvis on the run, Cristian Yelich slaps a single passed a diving Andrelton Simmons to place runners at the corners with no outs. Yelich steals second to put runners at 2^nd and 3^rd for Matt Chapman. Chapman rips a deep flyball to right, Danny Santana tracks it down and gets rid of the ball quickly.  Galvis is trying to score….the play at the plate…HE’S OUT!!! DOUBLE PLAY CHICAGO on the 9-2 play!!!  oh, those, MOBSTERS … they slay those WEREWOLVES and the go-ahead run …GALVIS just doesn’t have the wheels for that … and he’s not happy with the ump and is arguing… but the manager cools him down.  Yelich moves to 3^rd on the play.  As the crowd settles down after giving it to the ump, Ketel Marte steps in.  Hill looks at third … he kicks and delivers … uh-oh! That ball is hit … way back … CHOO looks up….GONE!!! Marte puts Hollywood on the map with a 2-0 lead with a 2-out homer!  Morton is pulled after 6 scoreless and hands the ball over to the Hollywood bullpen.  First up in the 7^th is Sam Tuivailala.   With 2-outs, Joey Votto doubles off the center-field wall, giving Chicago some life.  Alex Bregman follows.  TUIVAILALA delivers … it’s a shot to left-center … way back … YELICH jumps…it’s off the wall … MARTE grabs the ball … throws it in … VOTTO scores and BREGMAN will make second easily … back-to-back doubles by the MOBSTERS and the score is 2-1. That brings a pitching change with Nelson Cruz coming up.  Hollywood looks to their sole lefty, Adam Kolarek in and he gets Cruz on a fly to left to end the inning and the threat.  Hollywood goes from Joe Smith to Will T Harris as they close them out for a 1-0 series lead.

Hollywood 2, Chicago 1

W – Charlie Morton (1-0)
L – Rich Hill (0-1)
S – Will T. Harris (1)

This game was a doozy; another pitcher’s duel.  Hollywood’s Hanser Alberto leads off the bottom of the 1^st with a single to right.  He’s stranded at first.  In the bottom of the second, Paul Goldschmidt singles to left with 1-out and is wiped out by a Matt Chapman double-play.  Chicago gets their first hit in the 4^th when Niko Goodrum towards right.  Kershaw settles down and gets out of it.  The game stays hitless into the 7^th with Bregman leads it off against Kershaw.  Bregman swings..that ball is muscled to deep left … this one has a passport … adios, amigo it’s long gone! Chicago takes its first lead of the series at 1-0.  With 2-outs, Santana steps in.  The pitch … hit hard and deep … that ball’s hit hard…deep…it’s going for a ride … going back is MARTE … he’ll look but he won’t touch it … it’s long gone! Chicago makes it 2-0! Kershaw is pulled.  Chicago turns the game to the bullpen and Aroldis Chapman shuts the door in the 9^th as Chicago evens the series at 1 game apiece.

Chicago 3, Hollywood 0

W – Julio Urias (1-0)
L – Clayton Kershaw (0-1)
S – Aroldis Chapman (1)

In the pivot third game of the series, each team sends out the average starter hoping to grasp the series lead and onward to their aces.  Hollywood, upset with their offensive production turns to the same re-tooled lineup that won them the Division Series.  They opt for more offense and send catcher Tom Murphy out there instead of in-season starter, Christian Vazquez.  In the same surprising move, they also have him lead off.  Murphy doesn’t disappoint as he singles off Bauer to start the game.  With 1-out, Yelich singles to put runners at 1^st & 2^nd with no outs.  Then Bauer loses his control and walks Marte and Matt Olson, forcing in a run and giving Hollywood the early 1-0 lead.  The pitching coach comes out and settles him down to stop the threat there.  In the 2^nd inning, Chapman leads off with a single and moves to 2^nd on a wild pitch.  Alex Gordon steps in.  CHAPMAN moves quietly toward third … here comes the pitch … hit like a shot…  ARRAEZ waves on it … but it’s by him into right … CHAPMAN rounds third and he’ll score, giving Hollywood a 2-0 lead.  Bauer drops his head and Chicago looks distraught.  They get out of the inning and head to the bottom of the 2^nd.  A look into the Chicago dugout and you see Nelson Cruz yelling at the players to pick their heads up.  “It’s only the 2^nd inning and we are only down by 2”, he is heard saying.  Cruz steps in against Castillo.  The pitch comes in … and a long one … into left field … MARTE looks up … adios! good-bye! … arrivederci!  Cruz has injected new life into Chicago cutting the score to 2-1.  With one out, Shin-Soo Choo steps up and whales on one sending it over the center-field wall, tying up the game at 2!  The crowd is going wild!!!   The 3^rd goes quietly and we enter the 4^th.  With 1-out Galvis walks and Chapman doubles which set up Alex Gordon.  MOBSTERS playing for the out at first … the runners take their lead … he delivers it’s hacked high and far … deep into the right-field corner … could be trouble for CRUZ… it drops … both runners score … giving Hollywood the 4-2 lead.  Hollywood ends up building a 7-2 lead but was never really challenged.  They go on to win 12-6.

Hollywood 12, Chicago 6

W – Diego Castillo (1-0)
L – Trevor Bauer (0-1)

Hollywood leads the series 2 games to 1 and hands the ball back to game 1 winner (their Ace-A) Charlie Morton.  He goes against Chicago’s game 2 winner Julio Urias.  The two starters exchange zeroes into the 4^th inning.  Alberto singles to lead off the inning and he promptly steals second. With 1-out, Paul Goldschmidt steps in.  MOBSTERS playing for the out at first … ALBERTO takes his lead at third … URIAS cranks it up… GOLDSCHMIDT puts a charge into it … long run for CHOO..but he’d need wings to get to this one … kiss it goodbye! Paul GOLDSCHMIDT will circle the bases giving Hollywood a 2-0 lead. With Morton cruising, we move to the 6^th inning still 2-0 Hollywood.  Urias, a little nervous pitching to Goldschmidt, walks him on four pitches.  With 1-out, Matt Olson steps to the plate.  Space on the right … URIAS comes home … and OLSON belts it deep to right..SANTANA retreats to the wall … does he have room? … his eyes are skyward and the ball is outta here! … a two-run dinger giving Hollywood a 4-0 lead! In the 8^th inning, after Marte reaches on an error and Matt Olson steps in one more time.  JACKSON brings it to the plate … OLSON strokes this one … oh, forget about it … good-bye.. another two-run shot and the 2^nd homer for Olson in this game!  Hollywood leads 6-0.  Morton goes another scoreless 8, following his game 1 scoreless 6, and Hollywood goes up in the series 3 games to 1.

Hollywood 6, Chicago 0

W – Charlie Morton (2-0)
L – Julio Urias (1-1)

Hollywood on the brink of the World Series sends Ace-B, Clayton Kershaw to the mound to take on Game 1 starter Rich Hill.  Tom Murphy, still starting since giving the offense a shot in the arm in game 3 again leads off.  Let’s listen to the call.  MURPHY steps in….HILL into the wind … the swing…that ball is muscled to deep left … this one has a chance… CRUZ looks up … that ball is gone!!  MURPHY with the leadoff homer to give Hollywood a 1-0 lead!  The game stays that way into the 3^rd inning.  Alberto singles with 1-out.  It’s followed by a Yelich hit-and-run, placing runners at the corners. Goldschmidt bloops a single over short, scoring Alberto and giving Hollywood a 2-0 lead.  After Marte strikes out, Olson hits a comebacker to Hill who air-mails it over Joey Votto’s head allowing Yelich to score making it 3-0.  Galvis follows with an RBI single and Hollywood extends to 4-0.  At this point, it was a foregone conclusion with Kershaw on the mound as he was nearly unhittable.  Hollywood takes on one more with Olson’s 3^rd homer over the series and Tuivailala and Harris do what they did all year in closing out the game as Hollywood takes the series 4 games to 1!

Hollywood 5, Chicago 0

W – Clayton Kershaw (1-1)
L – Rich Hill (0-2)