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Ring, ring, ring...
"Hello? Andrew here."
"Drew, buddy, it's coach Innis from Bunn High School? How are you, my friend? I'll bet you're sky high right now."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"We're loving it here in North Carolina watching the Dodgers cruise in the World Series. So tell me, Big Z, how does it feel to be getting the ball in a game that could clinch the World Series championship for the Los Angeles Dodgers?"
"Pretty nerve-wracking, actually, coach. I'm all butterflies. I don't remember being this nervous for any thing in my life. Not even on draft day. Not even when I asked Gretchen to the prom..."
Yep, our boy Andrew Zarzour will get the ball for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Four of the World Series. The 21-year-old, 7-foot-2 southpaw will get the chance to give LA a 4-0 sweep of the mighty Red Sox thanks to LA's 7-3 win over Boston in Game Three. The Dodgers took command of that one early, scoring five runs in the first three innings and then holding off a late Sox charge.
Dan Smith got the win for LA, striking out six in 6.2 innings. He did allow nine hits and three runs, but all the runs came after the Dodgers had built a nice 6-0 cushion. Damian Jackson and Josh Hamilton were the offensive heroes for Los Angeles. The No. 1 and No. 2 hitters had six hits between them (two doubles and a single each). Hamilton had three RBIs. Jackson scored four times.
While this dynasty story is mostly about Zarzour, his good friend Josh Hamilton might be the Dodgers' post-season MVP. He's batting .488 since the playoffs started with 10 RBIs. A-Rod has one more RBI but no one else is even close in pure batting average.
Big Z will go up against Derek Lowe in Game Four. Word has it that a member of the O'Farrell family will throw out the first pitch in Fenway tomorrow night, hoping to provide a little Boston magic. We'll see what happens...
(Frankly, I'm surprised LA has done this well against a Boston team I thought was pretty darn good - Hope Z can close it out. The LA pitching has been first-rate so far...)
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