Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 5 1
Mexico City 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 7 1
HR: None
GWRBI: C. Ruffin
Chicago IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
D. Evans W (1-1) 9.0 7 2 2 3 6 0 125 79 4.50
Mexico City IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
J. Galván L (1-1) 9.0 5 4 4 6 3 0 144 79 3.50
Cats redeemed himself for his rocky Game 2 start and Clarence Ruffin added a 2 out, 3 run double in the 8th to put the Chicago Defenders within one game of the World Series. "His fastball was really lighting it up", said catcher Tim English, who was interviewed instead of his battery-mate because the reporter was growing tired of AYB references. "And his change? For the sake of Mexico City, I won't mention the change." The series continues (and may conclude) in Mexico City tomorrow.
Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Paris 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 8 0
London 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 1
HR: None
GWRBI: Gros
Paris IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
M. Hopstaken W (1-0) 9.0 5 1 1 1 6 0 120 71 1.00
London IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
C. Boden L (1-1) 9.0 8 2 2 1 1 0 111 73 2.00
Paris wasn't happy with the Game 2 performance of Urbanus Gruppe and so went with 19-game winner Melvin Hopstaken instead. Hopstaken, who was really only average in the regular season against London (2-3, 3.70 ERA) came up roses against them this time around. Moise Gros is also showing he can play several levels harder in the postseason. In the regular season he hit .280 against the Monarchs, which is good but not at his regular levels. So far in the series he has hit .444 (8 for 18) and has two game-winning RBI to his name.
NOTE: Monarchs RF Cameron Wakefield left the game with a dislocated shoulder. He is not expected to return to the playoffs.
Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 1 7 11 2
Mexico City 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 10 2
HR: J Rodriguez (2)
GWRBI: B Young
Chicago IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
P. Ruíz W (1-0) 9.0 10 3 1 2 2 1 145 90 1.00
Mexico City IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
M. Ramos L (0-1) 7.2 10 6 6 3 8 0 124 75 7.04
C. Díaz 1.1 1 1 1 1 0 0 21 10 6.75
Mexico City's pitching was uncharacteristically mediocre this entire series, and Game Five was the capstone. Mario "Don Quixote" Ramos, brought in from Spain to, theoretically anyway, provide the Aztecs with the kind of pitching staff that would set records in the regular season and blow through the playoffs, struck out a lot of guys when it didn't matter and gave up a lot of hits when it did. The Defenders never trailed in this one, and as the game became increasingly less in doubt, the Mexico fans did things with their beer bottles that we dare not speak of.
Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Paris 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 2 6 10 3
London 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 4 7 0
HR: Perrin (1)
GWRBI: Guilbert
Paris IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
U. Gruppe W (1-1) 9.0 7 4 3 4 6 0 151 90 3.71
London IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA
B. Weld L (0-1) 7.0 7 4 4 1 3 0 104 65 5.14
L. MacKimmie 2.0 3 2 2 0 1 1 32 18 9.00
Losing RF Cameron Wakefield proved to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back for the Monarchs. They were already without their first string "camel", the Sopwith Camel Byron Feveryear, and also had to play the entire month of September without LF Joe Hollinger and stud 2B Isayu Konda. Additionally, even though the Longstop Orin Perrel insisted his ankle was fully recovered, he hit just .111 for the series and never got untracked. When fully half your lineup is out, it's hard to make the playoffs, let alone win games once you're there.
But this series isn't about London's injury problems, it's about Paris's grand display of clutch. Urbanus Gruppe tired late, but he pitched well enough to win and more importantly put the Revolution in good position to use ace Joel Lemoine for 3 games in the World Series. They'll need him, as Chicago is tough.