AL Championship Series

Saints win series 4-3

Game 1 - October 11, 2011 at Wrigley Field.  The Coolers came up short to the Saints 5-1.  Felix Hernandez was on his game early, holding  the potent Cooler offense in check securing the game 1 victory for the Saints.  Cooler Ace Zach Greinke, coming off a stellar game 5 victory against the Bluefish, was in trouble from the get go. Saints hurt him with 2 out rallies in the 2nd and 4th innings giving the Saints a 4-0 cushion, and all they would need on the day. Ryan Hanigan had a 1-2 performance including the games only HR to lead the Saints.

Game 2 - On October 12, 2011, the thermometer plummeted to 45 degrees at Wrigley Field.  This time the Coolers jumped out early, jumping out to a 2-0 1st inning lead as Chris Denorfia lead off with a single, stole 2nd and scored on a double by Nick Markakis. Robinson Cano brought Markakis in on a hard shot to 3rd for the second run. Unfortunately that was all the Coolers would muster.  Cooler Starter Tim Hudson continued to cling to a 2-1 lead thru 4 innings, but a 2 run shot by Cory Patterson, pushed the Saints into a 3-2 lead, and the Saints proceeded to to hit 2 more HRs to push the lead to 5-2.  Saint manager Brandon Orlando then worked his pen to perfection, shuttling in 5 pitchers over the last 3 inning, stoping cold the Cooler batters. Francisco Rodriguez got the save.  It was Stephen Drew leading the way for the Saints with a 3-4, one HR and one RBI game. Juan Uribe went 3-4 with a homerun and one RBI.  After 2 games the Saints have outhit, and out-homered the Coolers, and headed home with a 2 game lead on the deflated Coolers!

Game 3 - October 14, 2011 at Safeco Field.  Looking to take a commanding lead, the Saints sent out knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey as the Coolers countered with Chris Carpenter.  The Coolers got just what they needed as Carpenter went the distance throwing a complete game, keeping the hot Saints off balance all night. The Cooler bats finally got some timely hitting and put this one out of range with a 5 run 8th highlighted by Marco Scutaro’s Grand Slam, leaving the score 8-0 after the top off the 8th. The Saints finally got on the board as Uribe went deep in the bottom half of the 8th. The Final was 8-2, and the Coolers have a pulse!

Game 4 - The temperature at game time was a comfortable 70 degrees on October 15, 2011 indoors at Safeco Field.  The Saints looking to rebound, and take a commanding lead in this ALCS, did just that, thumping the Coolers by a 6-2 tally. Gavin Floyd dominated, pitching 7.0 innings of two-hit ball.  The Saints exploded in the 2nd inning.  Two singles sandwiched around a walk set the stage, as the Coolers came unraveled. With bases loaded and no outs, game 3 hero Marco Scutaro booted a potential double play ball opening the flood gates, as the Saints put a big crooked 6 on the board. A bases clearing 3 RBI double by Posednik sealed the deal, as the Saints take a 6-2 win and 3-1 game lead over the demoralized Coolers.

Game 5 - October 16, 2011 at Safeco Field.  Manager Brandon Orlando, confident but admittedly nervous turned to game 1 winner “King” Felix Hernandez, to send the Coolers packing, and the Saints to their 1st World Series. The Coolers countered with Ace Zach Greinke, needing the victory to stave off elimination. Once again the Coolers got a much needed dominating performance, as Greinke allowed only one earned run in 7.0 innings. The Coolers bats frustrated all series, as seemingly every “Long Drive” was caught, continued to chip away, and Alex Rios put the game out of reach with 7th inn, 2 run shot for a 5-1 Cooler lead.   Mariano Rivera nailed down the save.  Game 4 goat, Marco Scutaro led the Coolers going 3-3 with one RBI.  Champagne on hold, back to Wrigley we go!

Game 6 - Everyone had on jackets and coats as it was 45 degrees on October 18, 2011 at Wrigley Field.  The Coolers once again hoping to stave off elimination, sent 20 game winner Tim Hudson to the mound, as the Saints countered with Game 2 winner David Price. Cooler Manager Roberto Blanco, trying to shake things up, benched Kouzmanoff, Ortiz and Castro, hoping to light a fire, and lift the Coolers to victory.  Both teams came out swinging the bats, and after 5 inn, the game was knotted at 3-3. The Saints continued to add to their total in the 6th and 7th inn, and led 6-3 for the “7th inn Stretch”. The Saints bullpen had been lights out all series with a lead and smiles and high 5′s where abundant in the visitors dugout. But the tables finally turned as the Coolers staged a 2 out rally, getting 3 consecutive singles to close to 6-5 after 7.   Both teams went down in order in the 8th, and the stage was set for a dramatic 9th. After 1 out, the Saints got consecutive singles by Patterson and Posednik, forcing Manager Blanco into bringing Rivera in.  Manager Orlando gambled, sending Patterson on a straight steal of 3rd, but defensive sub Ramon Castro gunned him down for out #2, and Rivera induced Saint slugger Hamilton into a force out at 2nd. But the Saints still led, 6-5, and had “K-Rod” in to slam the door against the bottom of the Coolers order. But surprise starter Chipper Jones greeted Rodriguez with a lead off HR, tying the score at 6. The Coolers went down in order after that, but clearly the momentum had changed.  The Saints tried to regroup, quickly getting a lead off walk by Konerko and subsequent sb by pinch runner B.J. Upton, but Rivera got the next 3 in order, including 2 K’s, giving the Coolers a shot in the bottom of the 10th. The Coolers countered with a lead off single and an error on K-Rod, and were in business, 1st and 2nd no outs.  Trever Miller came on in relief, and PH David Ortiz laced a bullet into left. This time it was Manager Blanco’s turn to gamble, sending a slow footed Adrian Gonzalez home, and he was nailed for out #1, but the Coolers still had runners at 1st and 2nd. Alex Rios then came up and promptly lined a single to left center, as Cano raced home with the winning run as the Wrigley faithful went “Bonkers”. A series that once looked like a Saints rout has come down to a game 7, winner take all!

Game 7 - October 19, 2011 – Wrigley Field. Temperature at Clark and Addison was 45 degrees with a blistering 16 mph north wind blowing straight in from the left field bleachers. The Coolers, having won 3 of the last 4 in the series clearly had momentum on their side especially after game 6, went to 15 game winner Chris Carpenter. The Saints countered with knuckleballer R.A Dickey who lost to Carpenter in game 3. Brandon Orlando was admittedly nervous having a knuckleball pitcher on the mound with the conditions at Wrigley. Both teams changed their line-ups for game 7 with Big Papi David Ortiz and his .167 average sent to the Coolers bench. It was the Saints bench coach Matt Dowling’s 38th birthday. What a setting for Matt, a lifelong Cubs fan, to be at Wrigley for game 7 of the League Championship Series.

The Coolers started the scoring in the bottom of the 3rd. Dickey got the first two hitters out, then an innocent single by Chris Denorfia to center was followed by a hard hit double down the first base line by Alex Rios scoring Denorfia from first to give the Coolers an early 1-0 lead. Both pitchers were dealing until the Top of 5th when the Saints got on the scoreboard with a crooked number. The Saints got two straight singles to open the inning by Howie Kendrick and Ryan Hanigan; both were sacrificed over by a well executed bunt from Scottie Pods. With runners at second and third with one out, Juan Uribe hit a high hopper to Adrian Gonzalez at first. Gonzalez took the sure out at first allowing Kendrick to score and Hanigan to move to third. Game tied at 1. With two outs, Corey Patterson stepped to the plate and hit a blast to deep right carrying all the way to Sheffield Avenue. For Patterson it was his third homer of the ALCS giving the Saints a 3 to 1 lead and would end up being the eventual game winner.

Both teams stayed with their starters through 8 innings but in the top of the 9th the Saints struck again. Paul Konerko singled to lead off the inning and was immediately pulled for pinch runner BJ Upton. Tim Stauffer replaced Chris Carpenter. Upton stole second, forcing Coolers manager Robert White to intentionally walk Stephen Drew. Howie Kendrick sacrificed the runners over to second and third. Ryan Hanigan and his ALCS .412 average was then given a free pass. With one out, and the bases loaded, Scott Podsednik walked scoring Upton from 3rd. 4 to 1. Uncanny for Tim Stauffer to lose his command but he was obviously rattled as he proceeded to walk the next hitter Juan Uribe scoring Stephen Drew and giving the Saints a 5 to 1 lead. Lefty Pedro Feliciano was inserted forcing Saints manager to pinch hit for the red hot Corey Patterson who had a woeful .136 average against lefties this season. Jeff Keppinger pinch hitting was induced by Feliciano into an inning ending 5-4-3 double play.

Onto the bottom of the 9th, manager Brandon Orlando showing confidence in his starter stayed with R.A. Dickey who had only thrown 86 pitches through 8 innings. Dickey got the first out with Nick Markakis grounding out to Juan Uribe at third. With one out, Jorge Posada singled between Kendrick and James Loney (defensive replacement for Konerko) bringing up Adrian Gonzalez. Dickey struck out the AL MVP candidate with a nasty knuckler. Chipper Jones followed with an infield single to short. So with two out, and runners on first and second, Brandon Orlando, sporting number #44 for his beloved friend “Griff,” came out from the 1st base dugout with his famous Peach Skoal pinched in his bottom lip and signaled for the righty. Not KROD this time but J.J. Putz. Orlando was questioned after the game about Putz over KROD and in his Chicago brogue his answer was quick and to the point; “I went with the guy I thought would get the 27th out.” Putz retired Robinson Cano on a fly ball to BJ Upton in center field. Captain time at Wrigley!!!!!!!!!! Saints win 5 to 1 and go to the World Series for the first time under GM/Manager Brandon Orlando.

Congratulations to Robert White and the California Coolers…..his team drew the short end of a series that really could have gone either way!

MVP - Corey Patterson

.407 Avg, 3 HR, 6 RBI