This post brings the latest update in the Sim League series, after the division series. Old posts are below:
- Introduction to the league and rules
- Eastern Conference Teams
- Western Conference Teams
- Update after Game 40
- Update after Game 80
- Update after Game 100
- All-Stars
- Update after Game 120
- Update after Game 141: No-hitter!
- Update after Game 153
- Update after Game 159
- Full Season Update - after Game 162
- Awards and Playoff Preview
- Wild Card Round
Game 1
Darry Kile started for Charlotte, putting the leadoff hitter on in each of the first two innings before getting the second hitter to ground into a double play. He allowed a solo shot to Adrian Beltre in the bottom of the third, to start the scoring. Pedro Martinez cruised for Providence through the first three frames. In the top of the 4th, he put the first to hitters on but struck out the next 3. He did allow a run in the top of the 5th, as Rondell White singled and stole second, and was then driven on a Rey Sanchez single. In the bottom of the 5th, Providence regained their lead on a Carlos Beltran RBI single. Beltran had mostly been a bench player in the season, but was given the start here. In the bottom of the 6th, Kile got in trouble. Down 2-1, he loaded the bases, allowed a run, and was pulled with no outs. Jeff Shaw came in, got two quick outs, but then walked Jim Thome to bring in a run before striking out Gary Sheffield to end the inning. These extra insurance runs were necessary as Pedro got into trouble in the top of the 7th, allowing two runs on an RBI double by Cal Ripken Jr.. Providence’s pen locked it down in the 8th and 9th, holding the narrow 1-run lead.
Providence 4, Charlotte 3
W: Pedro Martinez, 1-0
L: Darryl Kile, 0-1
S: Alan Embree, 1
Player of the Game: Adrian Beltre, 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Game 2
Charlotte sent Barry Zito to the mound to try to tie the series. He allowed an RBI single to Adrian Beltre to open the scoring in the 4th. Down 1-0 in the 5th, Zito loaded the bases and then walked Rafael Palmeiro and Chad Kreuter, bringing in a pair of runs. He then allowed a sacrifice fly to Jose Ortiz and an RBI single to Adrian Beltre before loading the bases again. Down 5-0, with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Zito was allowed to face #9 hitter Melvin Mora. His manager’s faith was not rewarded, as Mora crushed a grand slam. Zito was pulled for Travis Harper, who got out of the inning and came out again for the 6th. Harper allowed four straight hits to start the inning, the last of which was a 2-run double to Chad Kreuter. He recorded two outs, before Betran hit a 3-run homer to extend the lead to 14-0. Harper came back out in the 7th, and walked the bases loaded with no outs. Rob Bell relieved him, got a quick out, but then walked Kreuter on the pitcher’s chart (on a 15!). Jose Ortiz drove in another run on a sac fly, but Bell allowed no further damage in the 8th or 9th. On the other side, Brian Anderson was excellent for Providence. He threw a complete game shutout, scattering 10 hits and walking no one to put Providence one game away from advancing.
Providence 16, Charlotte 0
W: Brian Anderson, 1-0
L: Barry Zito, 0-2
Player of the Game: Brian Anderson, CGSO, 9 IP, 10 H, 0 BB, 6 K
Game 3
Charlotte pitched Sterling Hitchcock, who had an excellent regular season, in a must-win game 3. Hitchcock was scoreless through 4, allowing a few hits and walks but no other damage, despite loading the bases in the 3rd. David Wells for Providence was even better, perfect through 4 (and striking out 6 in that time). Wells allowed his first hit in the 5th, and after 7, the score stood at 0-0. Hitchcock was pulled in the top of the 8th, for John Franco, who had been great in the play-in series. Franco gave Providence the lead here, allowing a lead off double to Jose Ortiz followed by back to back triples for Adrian Beltre and Carlos Beltran. Rafael Palmeiro added an RBI single a few batters later, and Chad Kreuter a 2-run single, before Franco was able to get out of the 8th. These 5 runs were all Providence needed, as Wells continued his brilliance. He allowed his second hit of the night in the bottom of the 9th, a 2-out double to Roberto Alomar, but struck out Cal Ripken, Jr. to end the game and sweep the Webs. Charlotte was held scoreless for the final 20 innings of the series.
Providence 5, Charlotte 0
W: David Wells, 1-0
L: John Franco, 0-1
Player of the Game: David Wells, CGSO, 9 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 11 K
Memphis-Birmingham
Game 1:
Both teams put the first two batters on in the first, before Jay Buhner (for Memphis) and Juan Gonzalez (for Birmingham) hit into double plays. Pitchers Mike Sirotka and Omar Daal kept the score 0-0 through 3, with JuanGon hitting into another double play in the bottom of the 3rd. In the bottom of the 4th, Birmingham loaded the bases with no outs. Ken Caminiti grounded into a double play, but at least this one scored a run. Memphis tied the game at 1 in the top of the 5th on a Richard Hidalgo single. In the bottom of the 7th, Caminiti broke the tie with an RBI double, scored on a Tom Goodwin RBI single, who then was knocked in by a Rickey Henderson double. In the top of the 8th, Gregg Olson replaced Mike Sirotka, and immediately gave back most of the lead as he allowed three straight singles, recorded an out, and then gave up a 2-run single to Miguel Cairo. Mike Remlinger came into the game in the top of the 9th to hold the 1-run lead. He struck out Hidalgo, but then walked Mark Grace and Jay Buhner, before allowing back to back singles to Barry Larkin and Herbert Perry, the latter tying the game at 4. He struck out Chad Curtis, but with 2 outs and the bases loaded, walked the 8th and 9th hitters, Cairo and Einar Diaz, to go down 6-4. Tom Gordon induced the 4th Birmingham double play of the game in the bottom of the 9th, and the visitors took game 1.
Memphis 6, Birmingham 4
W: Terry Adams, 1-0
L: Mike Remlinger, 0-1
S: Tom Gordon, 1
Player of the Game: Miguel Cairo, 2-4, R, 3 RBI
Game 2:
Bruce Chen took the mound for Birmingham, and was the only pitcher to throw a no hitter in the regular season. That wouldn’t be the case for him in this game, allowing a 2-run homer to Jay Buhner in the top of the first. Pete Harnisch allowed a leadoff single in the bottom half, but Juan Gonzalez hit into yet another double play two batters later to end the inning. In the top of the 3rd, Einar Diaz knocked in a run on a single, and a sac fly by Chad Curtis in the 4th made it 4-0. Jorge Posada continued Birmingham’s trend of untimely double plays in the bottom of the 4th. In the bottom of the 6th, with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Magglio Ordonez struck out to end the threat. An RBI double by Henderson made the score 5-0 in the top of the 7th, but it was unneeded as Harnisch and the bullpen shut things down the rest of the way, putting Memphis one win away from the league championship series.
Memphis 5, Birmingham 0
W: Pete Harnisch, 1-0
L: Bruce Chen, 0-1
Player of the Game: Pete Harnisch, 7 IP, 0 R, 8 H, BB
Game 3:
Birmingham got off to a good start in game 3, with Jason Giambi hitting a solo homer off Tom Glavine in the top of the first. In the top of the third, Edgardo Alfonzo hit a solo homer of his own, followed by back to back doubles by Giambi and Juan Gonzalez to make it 3-0. Magglio Ordonez added an RBI single, and Birmingham led 4-0. They added two more runs the next inning, on an RBI double by Ordonez and RBI single by Ken Caminiti. Dave Mlicki no-hit Memphis through 4, but allowed three straight hits in the bottom of the fifth, culminating in an Einar Diaz 2-run double. Tim Crabtree relieved Mlicki in the bottom of the 7th, but allowed a walk and three singles, Richard Hidalgo driving in a run and Jay Buhner two to bring Memphis within one run, 6-5. With two men on and one out, Barry Larkin grounded into a double play to end the threat. Gregg Olson shut out Memphis in the 8th, and Mike Remlinger came on to protect the 1 run lead, just like in Game 1. He walked two batters, but unlike in Game 1, he didn’t allow a run, and Birmingham finally got a win.
Birmingham 6, Memphis 5
W: Dave Mlicki, 1-0
L: Tom Glavine, 0-1
S: Mike Remlinger, 1
Player of the Game: Jason Giambi, 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI
Game 4:
Kris Benson pitched for Memphis. He put the leadoff man on, but got a double play to end the inning. In the top of the 2nd, he loaded the bases with no outs, but got out of it without allowing a run. Birmingham’s pitcher, Ben Sheets, loaded the bases with 2 outs in the bottom of the inning, but struck out Einar Diaz. In the top of the 4th, Benson put runners on the corners but was able to avoid a run. With runners on the corners in the bottom of the 4th, Einar Diaz got out on his own chart to end the inning. Kris Benson had been playing with fire all game, and finally allowed a run in the top of the 5th to a Juan Gonzalez solo homer. A Mark Grace RBI single in the bottom of the 5th knotted the game at 1. In the top of the 6th, Benson again put runners on, but induced a double play to end another potentially bad inning. He recorded two outs in the top of the 7th, before walking the bases loaded. Tom Gordon came in to protect the 1-1 tie, and struck out Jorge Posada. Despite allowing runners in scoring position in almost every inning, Benson somehow went 6 ⅔ with only 1 run allowed. The game was still tied 1-1 after 9. In the top of the 10th, Magglio Ordonez doubled, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a Damian Jackson sacrifice fly. That was all Birmingham needed, tying the series with a 2-1 win.
Birmingham 2, Memphis 1
W: Mike Remlinger, 1-1
L: Rod Beck, 0-1
Player of the Game: Magglio Ordonez, 3-5, scored game-winning run
Game 5:
The final game of the series saw a rematch of Omar Daal and Mike Sirotka. The score was 0-0 until the top of the 5th, when three hits and a walk put Memphis on the board, runs scoring on a Rickey Henderson sac fly and a Richard Hidalgo RBI single. Memphis added two more in the top of the 6th, on RBI singles from Henderson and Miguel Cairo. Vlad Guerrero grounded into a double play on his own chart in the bottom of the 7th, ending a Birmingham threat. In the top of the 8th, Mark Grace hit an RBI single. Later in the frame, with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Barry Larkin missed a chance to extend Memphis’ lead, getting out on his own chart. However, the 5-0 lead was enough as Omar Daal pitched a brilliant game. He finally allowed runs in the bottom of the 9th, on a 2-run homer by Juan Gonzalez, but that was it for Birmingham, as Tom Gordon got the last out and the road team won all 5 games in the series.
Memphis 5, Birmingham 2
W: Omar Daal, 1-0
L: Mike Sirotka, 0-1
Player of the Game: Omar Daal, 8.6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 3 BB
Calgary vs. Las Vegas
Game 1:
Adam Eaton allowed runs in the first two innings, as the top regular season team Las Vegas scored on a Bobby Higginson RBI single in the first and a Matt Lawton RBI double in the second. Eaton settled down after that, finishing 6 innings with just 2 runs. Matt Morris shut down Calgary for 6 innings as well, but came back out in the 7th and put 2 runners on with 2 outs. Closer Jeff Nelson came in to hold the 2-0 lead and immediately walked Will Clark to load the bases. Next batter Andruw Jones cleared the bases with a 3-run triple and scored on Scott Rolen’s single. In the bottom of the 8th, down 4-2, Jeff Kent led off the inning with a double, but the next three hitters struck out. Calgary added an insurance run in the top of the 9th, Rolen doubling in Jones. In the bottom, Las Vegas put two on with two out, but Calgary closer Gabe White struck out Kent to end the game.
Calgary 4, Las Vegas 2
W: Adam Eaton, 1-0
L: Jeff Nelson, 0-1
S: Gabe White, 1
Player of the Game: Andruw Jones, 3-5, 3 RBI, 2 R
Game 2:
Jeff Suppan for Calgary and Mike Hampton for Las Vegas traded zeroes for three innings. Hampton then got hit, allowing a 2-run homer to Matt Stairs in the 4th and a solo homer to Doug Mirabelli in the 5th. In the 6th, Hampton imploded, allowing an RBI single to Royce Clayton and then a three-run homer to Will Clark. Las Vegas finally scored on a Mark Johnson single in the bottom of the 7th and a Jeff Kent solo homer in the 8th. Up 7-2 in the 9th, Calgary added two more insurance runs on an Andruw Jones homer. These were unnecessary as Las Vegas couldn’t score in the 9th.
Calgary 9, Las Vegas 2
W: Jeff Suppan, 1-1
L: Mike Hampton, 0-1
Player of the Game: Jeff Suppan, 6 ⅔ IP, R, 3 H, 3 BB
Game 3:
Las Vegas made a few changes to their lineup for Game 3, as the top team in the league found themselves in a must-win game down 2-0. Calgary started C6 Livan Hernandez, who threw a shutout in the play-in rounds, so Las Vegas put BJ Surhoff in the lineup over Ruben Mateo, to increase the on-base. Mark Grudzielanek started at shortstop over Tim Bogar as well, as Las Vegas needed to improve offense production over the last two games. The top of the first started off well for Las Vegas, with Troy Glaus singling in Matt Lawton. In the bottom, Las Vegas failed to turn a one-out double play with two on, a play that would have been made had Bogar started at short. However, they got out of the inning two batters later without allowing a run. In the bottom of the 2nd, Las Vegas starter Octavio Dotel gave up three straight advantages, but all were walks. He then walked Will Clark to bring in a run, and Andruw Jones hit a sacrifice fly to score another. Las Vegas tied the game at 2 in the top of the 4th on a Bobby Higginson single, but in the bottom of the 4th, Andruw Jones hit a 3-run homer and Jeffrey Hammonds hit a solo shot, to give Calgary a 6-2 lead. In the bottom of the 6th, Hammonds hit a 2-run double to extend the lead to 8-2, but was thrown out at home two batters later. In the top of the 9th, Mark Wohlers walked Bobby Higginson and then allowed back-to-back doubles to F.P. Santangelo and Surhoff. With an 8-4 lead, no outs, and a man on second, closer Gabe White came into the game and retired the first two batters he faced. He then gave up the advantage to Lawton, who grounded out on his own chart to end the series. Despite being the top team in the league wire to wire, Las Vegas failed to win a game in the postseason.
Calgary 8, Las Vegas 4
W: Livan Hernandez, 2-0
L: Octavio Dotel, 0-1
S: Gabe White, 2
Player of the Game: Andruw Jones (2), 3-3, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB, SF
Portland vs. Albuquerque
Game 1:
John Halama for Albuquerque and Kerry Wood for Portland both pitched gems. Despite having only 3 strikeouts on his chart, Halama struck out five straight batters, starting in the 2nd inning. Not to be outdone, Wood struck out five straight a few innings later. Halama was pulled after 8 innings and no runs allowed, in a 0-0 game. Hoffman shut Portland out in the top of the 9th. Wood game back out in the bottom of the 9th, as he had a no-hitter going. He got two outs before allowing a single, and immediately got pulled for closer Scott Sullivan. Sullivan immediately allowed a walkoff double, and Albuquerque took game 1. Kerry Wood had one of the best games of any pitcher in a dice-rolled game I’ve played. His final line was 8 ⅔ IP, 1 hit, 1 run, and a ridiculous 18 strikeouts. Unfortunately, he also took the L.
Albuquerque 1, Portland 0
W: Trevor Hoffman, 1-0
L: Kerry Wood, 0-1
Player of the Game: John Halama, 8 IP, 0 R, 10 K
Game 2:
Albuquerque got off to a hot start in the bottom of the first, with Todd Helton, Charles Johnson, and Roger Cedeno all hitting RBI doubles off of Andy Ashby. Jose Canseco added a solo shot in the bottom of the third to make it 4-0. Portland scored their first runs in the series in the top of the 4th. Facing Wilson Alvarez, they scored three on a Trenidad Hubbard RBI double and Chuck Knoblauch and Kevin Stocker RBI singles. Down 4-3, #9 hitter and OB6 catcher Kelly Stinnett hit a three-run homer, to take a 6-4 lead. Stinnett was not the team’s regular season catcher, but they opted for slightly more power in this series. Albuquerque came back an inning later, with a Jose Canseco sacrifice fly cutting the lead to 6-5. Raul Mondesi, another player who was a regular season backup, then hit a big three-run double to make it 8-6. Portland threatened twice more, but hit into double plays both times, and Albuquerque won game 2.
Albuquerque 8, Portland 6
W: Wilson Alvarez, 1-0
L: Andy Ashby, 0-1
S: Jeff Zimmerman, 1
Player of the Game: Raul Mondesi, 1-4, 3 RBI
Game 3:
Portland was home for a must-win game 3. They jumped out to a big lead in the bottom of the second, as Jason Schmidt allowed an RBI double to Chuck Knoblauch, a 2-run single to Kelly Stinnett, and an RBI double to Jermaine Dye. Todd Helton hit a solo homer off of David Cone in the top of the third to make it 4-1, but Portland got the run back in the bottom on a Tony Batista RBI single. Raul Mondesi continued to rake for Albuquerque, cutting the lead to 5-3 on a two-run homer in the top of the 4th. They tied the game an inning later, on back to back singles by Roger Cedeno and Shannon Stewart. Jeff Cirillo hit an RBI single in the top of the 8th to put Albuquerque ahead. That was all they needed, as just like Game 2, Portland threatened a few times late but hit into double plays each time.
Albuquerque 6, Portland 5
W: Doug Brocail, 1-0
L: Justin Speier, 0-1
S: Jeff Zimmerman, 2
Player of the Game: Todd Helton, 3-5, HR, R, RBI
- Game 1: Memphis @ Providence
- Away pitcher: 00 BS Pete Harnisch (12-8, 3.68)
- Home pitcher: 01 BS Pedro Martinez (18-5, 1.75)
- Game 2: Memphis @ Providence
- Away pitcher: 01 BS Tom Glavine (11-14, 3.89)
- Home pitcher: 00 PR Brian Anderson (8-12, 4.51)
- Game 3: Providence @ Memphis
- Away pitcher: 01 PR David Wells (11-9, 5.14)
- Home pitcher: 01 BS Kris Benson (10-15, 4.06)
- Game 4: Providence @ Memphis
- Away pitcher: 00 PR Vladimir Nunez (12-9, 3.89)
- Home pitcher: 00 BS Omar Daal (17-7, 3.34)
- Game 5 (if necessary): Providence @ Memphis
- Away pitcher: 01 BS Pedro Martinez (18-5, 1.75)
- Home pitcher: 00 BS Pete Harnisch (12-8, 3.68)
- Game 6 (if necessary): Memphis @ Providence
- Away pitcher: 01 BS Tom Glavine (11-14, 3.89)
- Home pitcher: 00 PR Brian Anderson (8-12, 4.51)
- Game 7 (if necessary): Memphis @ Providence
- Away pitcher: 01 BS Kris Benson (10-15, 4.06)
- Home pitcher: 01 PR David Wells (11-9, 5.14)
- Game 1: Calgary @ Albuquerque
- Away pitcher: 00 BS Jeff Suppan (15-11, 3.66)
- Home pitcher: 00 BS John Halama (19-11, 4.26)
- Game 2: Calgary @ Albuquerque
- Away pitcher: 01 BS Livan Hernandez (16-8, 4.33)
- Home pitcher: 00 BS Wilson Alvarez (15-10, 4.02)
- Game 3: Albuquerque @ Calgary
- Away pitcher: 00 BS Jason Schmidt (9-10, 5.14)
- Home pitcher: 01 PR Paul Wilson (9-9, 3.56)
- Game 4: Albuquerque @ Calgary
- Away pitcher: 01 PR Shawn Estes (14-6, 4.62)
- Home pitcher: 01 BS Adam Eaton (14-9, 5.14)
- Game 5 (if necessary): Albuquerque @ Calgary
- Away pitcher: 00 BS John Halama (19-11, 4.26)
- Home pitcher: 00 BS Jeff Suppan (15-11, 3.66)
- Game 6 (if necessary): Calgary @ Albuquerque
- Away pitcher: 01 BS Livan Hernandez (16-8, 4.33)
- Home pitcher: 00 BS Wilson Alvarez (15-10, 4.02)
- Game 7 (if necessary): Calgary @ Albuquerque
- Away pitcher: 01 PR Paul Wilson (9-9, 3.56)
- Home pitcher: 00 BS Jason Schmidt (9-10, 5.14)
Not a lot of excitement there other than the one series. Though there were a few games there. What would have been the result in the Kerry Wood game had he been in there? Would it have changed the results at all?
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