Wolfman:
Welcome to what Tony called
"The Wolfman Challenge, the best of 7 Game Series". On this webpage
you will find the full report of what took place during this
series.. This, no doubt will probably be the first of a number of
challenges to come in the near future between Tony and I.
Each of us, has had
his own success participating in various mail leagues, face to face leagues and
computer/internet leagues over the years. As Tony shared
with me in a phone
conversation we had after the series ended, he is more of a numbers /
stat guy who lets the dice chances and probabilities guide him
in his play where as my style is more taking chances and
following my intuition. Tony decided to follow the rules
used by the CBA for post season play and that Skokie would have
the home field advantage (the first two and last two games at
home, if necessary) in our park using a DH while the pitcher
would hit in Pittsburgh's park.
You will find that this
report is broken down into various sections. First, you are presented with a
summary of how the 2012 Skokie Wolfmen performed in real life in
the CBA and as compared to what the Pittsburgh Pirates did similarly in the NTL.
Next we discuss what happened in the actual games and who was
the eventual victor. Then you will see the series final
stats with a summary about the series and an analysis on how
each team performed and why the eventual winner took the series. And finally
there are a few final comments from the participants.
Of course, this is the first time we have been able to report to
the members of our newsletter the results of a series involving
a Strat GM who was a former Major League ball player in action
so we
hope you enjoy this report, so lets begin .....
PERSONALITIES OF THE TWO TEAMS
(
Skokie {Wolfman} vs. Pittsburg {Tony B.} )
The Skokie Wolfmen
(CBA 2012): This team
worked hard via a number of trades and draft picks to be as
balanced a team as possible which included decent starters with
low HRs (& ball park) on their cards; excellent relievers, great
fielding with low "e" ratings; speed and power. The team
record was 102-60, the winners easily of the "Monday Division"
of the CBA. The Wolfmen averaged 5.34 runs/game while giving up
3.93 runs per game. They were located in a power park of sorts
(LH - singles 3, HR - 11; RH - singles 9, HR - 17). This club
hit 255 HRs vs. 166 for their opponents. Due to some late season
trades, they were able to pick up Greg Holland in the pullpen to
go with Mike Adams (remember its 2011 stats), and two sluggers,
Lance Berkman (38 HRs combined in the CBA) with Dan Uggla (28
HRs combined, 36 in real life). This gave Skokie five sluggers
who hit 30 or more homers in 2011 including Tulowitzski (SS, who
hit 42 in the CBA), Beltre (3B, who hit 22) and Teixiera (1B,
who hit 36 homers). The team batting average was .282 (this
included a DH), with 157 stolen bases and only 68 errors (least
in the league). Top average hitters were: J. Bourgeois .368 (vs.
lhp limited duty); Ethier .340 (vs. rhp); E. Chavez .340 (vs.
rhp); and Y. Molina .332. Tulowitzski led with 100 runs
scored and Teixiera had 114 RBIs. Skokie as a team had a .341 OB
with a .483 sluggling percentage.
From the
pitching perspective, Skokie's starters were 75-40 with a
3.92 ERA and the relievers were 27-20 with 46 saves (among 9
relievers, no top closer), and a 3.20 ERA. Collectively Skokie
had a 3.68 ERA which is good for a team in a DH Conference.
Mike Adams had a 1.22 ERA in 74 innings, Matt Cain was the ace
at 18-7 in 222 innings with a 3.85 ERA. The conference
that Skokie was in not only had the DH but had more teams
orientated toward hitting and power. Skokie used 8
starting pitchers during the season based on the strength and
weaknesses of their opponents but the other top starters for
Skokie were Vogelsong, Humber and Lilly who combined with Cain
for a 53-29 record. Along with Adams and Holland in the
bullpen were S. Marshall, League, Casilla, D. Oliver and J.
Lopez.
In the 2012
CBA World Series, Skokie went 12-2 in the playoffs with a .251
batting average, 4.8 runs per game, 20 home runs and 23 stolen
bases. The key hitters were Molina at .328 with 16 RBIs and
Tulowitski at .291 with 12 RBIs. Pitching wise, Skokie had a
3.32 ERA (would have been lower but one game in the 1st round
Cain gave up over 10 runs), with Cain at 3-1 and the relief
staff gave up only 8 runs in 51 innings of relief. The reason
Skokie won the CBA title is they were scoring timely runs or in
the close games, their relief held their opponents down at the
end of the game (won 4 games in the first round by 1 run each).
The
Pittsburgh Pirates (NTL 2013):
The statistics of the
Pirates led by Tony B. had many similarities with the Wolfmen.
They won their conference at 101-61 but lost in the world
series. The NTL only had two divisions of six teams each only
from the National League. This team played in a pitcher's
park which had,
(LH & RH: singles - 7, HRs - 2). The team hit .277 and
averaged 4. 84 runs/game vs. 3.37 for their opponents.
This team only hit 126 HRs vs. 150 for their opponents and there
was no DH. Top hitters were Melky Cabrera at .351,
Denorfia at .329, Sandoval at .322 and Rizzo at .313. A. Hill
led the team with 23 HRs and 105 RBI. This team also had a low
amount of errors of only 61 but didn't steal many bases.
They had an onbase average of .339.
The strength
of this team was no doubt their pitching. They had a team
ERA of 3.13, with five starting pitching winning 10 or more
games: Lohse (17-9); Dickey (18-7); Latos (16-6); Sabathia
(11-7); Vogelsong (11-12); S. Romo had 36 saves (49 for
the team) with M. Boggs at 1.64 ERA in 71 innings .
Comparison of Skokie vs. Pittsburgh:
Skokie had a stronger power
team with a lot of Ball Park Homers but a little bit weak with
their on-base percentage. Whereas Pittsburgh was more a small
ball team which would rely on their pitching to keep them in the
games. Skokie had the potential of four games at home so
the key would be if Skokie could overwhelm Pittsburgh in their
park with their power (getting a lot of runs at one shot with
big homers) and then play ok in Pittsburgh in a pitcher's park,
then they should win. But if Pittsburgh pitching could stop
Skokie's power, especially hitting homers with a bunch of guys
on base and score enough runs, they could take this series. Two
fairly matched teams indeed. In the next session we will
take a look at the box scores of each game with a summary of the
key moments which took place in each game.
BOX
SCORES AND SUMMARIES OF EACH GAME
BOXSCORE: 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates At 2012 Skokie Wolfmen
12/1/2014
GAME #1 - Dickey vs. Cain
Pirates AB R H
RBI AVG Wolfmen
AB R H RBI AVG
M.Prado 3B 4 0 1 0
.250 T.Tulowitzki SS
4 0 0 0 .000
J.Jay CF 4 0 0
0 .000 E.Chavez LF,CF
4 0 1 0 .250
A.Hill 2B 4 0 1 0
.250 L.Berkman 1B
4 0 0 0 .000
M.Morse RF 3 0 1 0
.333 B-J.Bourgeois PR
0 0 0 0 ----
A-C.Denorfia
E-M.Teixeira 1B 0 0 0
0 ----
---PR,RF 1 0 0 0
.000 Y.Molina C
4 1 0 0 .000
A.Rizzo 1B 4 1 1 0
.250 A.Ethier RF
2 0 1 0 .500
D.Ross DH 3 1 1 1
.333 D.Uggla DH
4 0 2 1 .500
F-M.Carpenter
C-M.Aviles PR,DH 0 0 0 0
----
---PH,DH 1 0 0 0
.000 B.Upton CF
3 0 0 0 .000
M.Montero C 3 1 0 0 .000
D-N.Schierholtz
--PH,LF
1 0 0 0 .000
M.Cabrera LF 3 1 2 1 .667
A.Beltre 3B
4 0 0 0 .000
R.Tejada SS 2 0 1 2 .500
O.Hudson 2B
3 0 0 0 .000
-- - -- ---
-- - -- ---
Totals
32 4 8 4
Totals
33 1 4 1
A-Pinch Ran For Morse In 6th Inning
B-Pinch Ran For Berkman In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Ran For Uggla In 8th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Upton In 8th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Bourgeois In 9th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Ross In 9th Inning
Pirates......... 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
- 4 8 3
Wolfmen......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
- 1 4 0
Pirates (1-0)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
R.Dickey WIN(1-0) 9 4 1 0 4 8 0 0.00
Totals
9 4 1 0 4 8 0
Wolfmen (0-1) IP
H R ER BB SO HR ERA
M.Cain LOSS(0-1) 8 8 4 4 2 5 1 4.50
S.Casilla 1 0 0 0
0 1 0 0.00
Totals
9 8 4 4 2 6 1
ATTENDANCE- 46,016 DATE- Monday, December 1st 2014 TIME- Night
WEATHER- Bad
T- 3:00
LEFT ON BASE- Pirates: 4 Wolfmen: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Pirates: 1 Wolfmen: 1
ERRORS- A.Hill, A.Rizzo, R.Dickey
DOUBLES- R.Tejada(1st), A.Ethier(1st)
TRIPLES- M.Cabrera(1st)
HOME RUNS- D.Ross(1st)
RBIs- D.Ross(1st), M.Cabrera(1st), R.Tejada-2(2nd), D.Uggla(1st)
SACRIFICE HITS- R.Tejada
WALKS- M.Montero, M.Cabrera, T.Tulowitzki, A.Ethier-2, O.Hudson
STRIKE OUTS- M.Prado, A.Rizzo, D.Ross-2, M.Carpenter, M.Montero,
E.Chavez,
Y.Molina-2, D.Uggla, B.Upton, N.Schierholtz, O.Hudson-2
GIDP- A.Rizzo, B.Upton
2-out RBI- D.Ross, D.Uggla
RLISP 2-out- J.Jay-2, L.Berkman, R.Tejada, N.Schierholtz
Melky Cabrera had 2 base hits and R.A. Dickey pitched a complete
game at
Morrison Memorial where the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Skokie
Wolfmen 4 to
1.
In the top of the 2nd inning Pittsburgh scored 3 runs when they
had 3 base
hits. That early run support was all that Dickey(1-0) required.
Pittsburgh
totaled 8 hits on the night.
The losing pitcher was Matt Cain(0-1). He pitched 8 innings
giving up 8 hits
and 2 walks.
Game Summary:
This game was all Dickey as
he held the power hungry Wolfmen to only 4 hits with no homers.
The big blow for the Pirates was their 3 run rally off Cain in
the 2nd when Rizzo led off with a single and Montero walked
making it one out with 1st and 2nd, then Cabrera singled Rizzo
home and Tejada followed with a double to knock in two more runs
for a 3-0 lead. Ross hit a solo homer in the 6th for a 4-0 lead
and Skokie could only bring in one run in the bottom of the 8th
(Uggla singled home Molina) for a 4-1 Pirate win and taking the
lead of the series 1-0.
==========================
BOXSCORE: 2013
Pittsburgh Pirates At 2012 Skokie Wolfmen 12/2/2014
GAME #2: Lohse vs. Vogelsong
Pirates
AB R H RBI AVG Wolfmen
AB R H RBI AVG
J.Jay CF 2 1 1
1 .167 O.Hudson 2B
3 1 0 0 .000
B-C.Denorfia
E.Chavez LF
3 0 1 0 .286
-- PH,CF 1 0 1 0
.500 Y.Molina C
4 0 1 0 .125
D.Dejesus RF 3 0 0 0 .000
L.Berkman DH 4 1
1 3 .125
C-M.Prado PH,LF 1 0 0 0 .200
A.Ethier RF
4 1 1 0 .333
M.Carpenter 3B 4 0 0 0 .000
T.Tulowitzki SS 4 1 1
0 .125
A.Rizzo 1B 4 0 1 0
.250 B.Upton CF
4 0 2 1 .286
A.Hill 2B 3 0 1 0
.286 M.Teixeira 1B
3 1 1 2 .333
M.Montero C 4 0 1 0 .143
A.Beltre 3B
4 1 3 0 .375
P.Sandoval DH 4 0 0 0 .000
M.Cabrera LF,RF 4 0 2 0 .571
R.Tejada SS 2 0 0 0 .250
A-W.Bloomquist
-- PH,SS 2 0 0 0
.000
-- - -- ---
-- - -- ---
Totals
34 1 7 1
Totals
33 6 11 6
A-Pinch Hit For Tejada In 7th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Jay In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Dejesus In 8th Inning
Pirates......... 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 -
1 7 0
Wolfmen......... 0 2 0 1 0 0 3 0 X -
6 11 0
Pirates (1-1)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
K.Lohse LOSS(0-1) 6-2/3 9 5 5 1 5 1 6.75
J.Peralta 0 1/3
1 1 1 0 0 1 27.00
L.Lynn
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
Totals
8 11 6 6 2 5 2
Wolfmen (1-1)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
R.Vogelsong WIN(1-0) 6 2/3 4 1 1 1 6 1
1.35
M.Adams HOLD(1st) 0 1/3 0 0 0 0
0 0 0.00
S.Marshall
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 ----
S.Casilla
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
B.League
1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Totals
9 7 1 1 1 6 1
ATTENDANCE- 47,488 DATE- Tuesday, December 2nd 2014 TIME- Night
WEATHER- Bad
T- 2:38
LEFT ON BASE- Pirates: 8 Wolfmen: 6
DOUBLE PLAYS- Pirates: 1 Wolfmen: 0
DOUBLES- C.Denorfia(1st), M.Cabrera-2(2nd), E.Chavez(1st),
A.Ethier(2nd),
T.Tulowitzki(1st), A.Beltre-2(2nd)
HOME RUNS- J.Jay(1st), L.Berkman(1st), M.Teixeira(1st)
RBIs- J.Jay(1st), L.Berkman-3(3rd), B.Upton(1st),
M.Teixeira-2(2nd)
SACRIFICE HITS- E.Chavez
WALKS- A.Hill, O.Hudson, M.Teixeira
HIT BY PITCH- J.Jay
STRIKE OUTS- M.Carpenter-2, M.Montero, P.Sandoval, R.Tejada-2,
O.Hudson-2,
L.Berkman, A.Ethier, B.Upton
GIDP- A.Beltre
2-out RBI- M.Teixeira-2, L.Berkman-3
RLISP 2-out- O.Hudson-2, A.Ethier, W.Bloomquist-3, A.Rizzo
WEB GEMS- Top 3rd: Troy Tulowitzki robbed Melky Cabrera of a
base hit.
Third baseman Adrian Beltre hit 2 doubles at Morrison Memorial
where the
Skokie Wolfmen beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6 to 1.
Ryan Vogelsong(1-0) had a solid outing for Skokie. He went 6 and
2/3 innings
allowing 4 hits and 1 walk. For the game Skokie out-hit
Pittsburgh 11 to 7.
Kyle Lohse(0-1) took the loss. He surrendered 9 hits and 1 walk
in 6 and 2/3
innings.
Game Summary:
The Wolfmen were shocked in
Game #1 at home by only scoring one run off of Dickey and really
needed this game to square the series. As the Wolfman knew he
would be going for games 3-5 to a pitcher's park and then lose
their ballpark home run advantage. So this was a due or die
game. Fortunately Vogelsong was almost unhittable and the Skokie
relief came through while Skokie saw its power come alive.
Teixiera hit a two run homer in the 2nd and Berkman's 3-run
homer in the 7th (off of Peralta's card, just this homer
basically at 4-9 vs. a lefty on his card) sealed the 6-1 win for
Skokie.
==========================
BOXSCORE: 2012 Skokie Wolfmen At 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates
12/4/2014
GAME #3 - Humber vs. Vogelsong (Pirates)
Wolfmen
AB R H RBI AVG Pirates
AB R H RBI AVG
O.Hudson 2B 4 0 0
0 .000 J.Jay CF
4 0 1 0 .200
E.Chavez CF 3 0 0 0 .200
D.Dejesus RF 1 0
0 0 .000
H-D.Uggla PH 1 0 0 0 .400
D-R.Dickey PH 0 0 0
0 ----
Y.Molina C 4 0 2 0
.250 J.Peralta P
0 0 0 0 ----
L.Berkman LF 4 0 0 0 .083
M.Boggs P
0 0 0 0 ----
A.Ethier RF 3 0 0 0 .222
G-M.Morse PH 1 0
0 0 .250
T.Tulowitzki SS 2 1 1 0 .200
S.Romo P
0 0 0 0 ----
M.Teixeira 1B 2 1 0 0 .200
M.Carpenter 3B 2 0 0
0 .000
A.Beltre 3B 3 0 0 0 .273
E-M.Prado PH,3B 2 0 0
0 .143
P.Humber P 1 0 0 0
.000 A.Rizzo 1B
4 1 1 0 .250
A-J.Posada PH 1 0 1 2 1.000
A.Hill 2B
3 1 1 0 .300
B-J.Bourgeois PR 0 0 0 0 ----
M.Montero C
2 1 0 0 .111
S.Marshall P 0 0 0 0 ----
M.Cabrera LF 3 0
2 1 .600
S.Casilla P 0 0 0 0 ----
R.Tejada SS
3 0 1 1 .286
M.Adams P 0 0 0 0
---- R.Vogelsong P
1 0 0 0 .000
F-N.Schierholtz
C-C.Denorfia PH,RF 1 0 0 0 .333
-- PH 1 0 0
0 .000
G.Holland P 0 0 0 0 ----
-- - -- ---
-- - -- ---
Totals
29 2 4 2
Totals
27 3 6 2
A-Pinch Hit For Humber In 5th Inning
B-Pinch Ran For Posada In 5th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Vogelsong In 5th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Dejesus In 5th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Carpenter In 5th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Adams In 8th Inning
G-Pinch Hit For Boggs In 8th Inning
H-Pinch Hit For Chavez In 9th Inning
Wolfmen......... 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
- 2 4 1
Pirates......... 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 X -
3 6 0
Wolfmen (1-2)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
P.Humber LOSS(0-1) 4 5 3 3 1 4
0 6.75
S.Marshall 0 1/3 1 0 0
1 0 0 0.00
S.Casilla 1 2/3 0 0
0 0 0 0 0.00
M.Adams
1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
G.Holland
1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
Totals
8 6 3 3 2 8 0
Pirates (2-1)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
R.Vogelsong WIN(1-0) 5 3 2 2 3 4
0 3.60
J.Peralta HOLD(1st) 2 0 0 0 0
4 0 3.00
M.Boggs HOLD(1st) 1 0 0 0
0 1 0 0.00
S.Romo SAVE(1st) 1 1 0
0 0 0 0 0.00
Totals
9 4 2 2 3 9 0
ATTENDANCE- 46,613 DATE- Thursday, December 4th, 2014 TIME-
Night WEATHER- Bad
T- 2:38
LEFT ON BASE- Wolfmen: 3 Pirates: 4
DOUBLE PLAYS- Wolfmen: 1 Pirates: 1
ERRORS- P.Humber
DOUBLES- Y.Molina(1st), J.Posada(1st)
TRIPLES- M.Cabrera(2nd)
RBIs- J.Posada-2(2nd), M.Cabrera(2nd), R.Tejada(3rd)
SACRIFICE HITS- R.Dickey
WALKS- A.Ethier, T.Tulowitzki, M.Teixeira, D.Dejesus, C.Denorfia
HIT BY PITCH- M.Montero
STRIKE OUTS- O.Hudson-2, E.Chavez-2, Y.Molina, L.Berkman,
A.Ethier, M.Teixeira, P.Humber, J.Jay-2, M.Prado, A.Rizzo-2,
R.Tejada-2, R.Vogelsong
GIDP- M.Carpenter
2-out RBI- M.Cabrera
RLISP 2-out- M.Teixeira, R.Vogelsong, R.Tejada, A.Rizzo-2,
A.Ethier
WEB GEMS- Bot 2nd: Yadier Molina blocked the plate, saving a
run!
Left fielder Melky Cabrera had 2 base hits as the Pittsburgh
Pirates defeated
the Skokie Wolfmen 3 to 2 at PNC Park.
Ryan Vogelsong(1-0) gave a fine effort for Pittsburgh. He went 5
innings
surrendering 3 hits and 3 walks. Skokie tried unsuccessfully to
come back in
the 9th.
Vogelsong got help from Sergio Romo who earned his 1st save.
Philip
Humber(0-1) was the loser. He gave up 3 runs and 5 hits in 4
innings.
Game Summary: Again early
in the game the Pirates struck with two runs in the 2nd although
a good throw from the outfield threw out a potential 3rd run
that inning. This inning started with Rizzo and Hill singling in
the top of the 2nd (1st & 3rd, no outs), then with one out,
Cabrera singled off Humber and his throwing error allowed Rizzo
to score with Hill to 3rd. Tejada again single in Hill but
Cabrera was thrown out at the plate, the Pirates were up 2-0.
Then in the 4th, the winning run scored when Montero was hit by
a pitch and Cabrera tripled him in for a 3-0 Pirate lead. Skokie
finally broke through in the 5th with two men on, Posada pinch
hitting for Humber in the 5th hit a ball off the wall and
doubled in 2 runs but again the Pirate staff and their relievers
shut down Skokie to only 4 hits preventing Skokie from tying the
game as they lost 3-2 with Romo getting the save in the 9th. I
would say this was the key game of the series. If Skokie could
have found its power or its top hitters would have gotten on
track, it might have turned this series around. The Skokie
relievers also shut down the Pirates the rest of the way. Series
then stood with the Pirates up 2-1. Skokie had to win the next
game.
==========================
BOXSCORE: 2012 Skokie Wolfmen At 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates
12/5/2014
GAME #4 - Cain vs. Dickey
Wolfmen
AB R H RBI AVG Pirates
AB R H RBI AVG
T.Tulowitzki SS 5 0 0 0 .133
M.Prado 3B 5
0 1 0 .167
Y.Molina C 5 1 2
0 .294 J.Jay CF
5 2 4 1 .400
L.Berkman LF 3 2 2 0
.200 A.Hill 2B
5 0 1 1 .267
A-E.Chavez LF 2 0 1 0 .250
M.Morse RF 4
1 3 1 .500
A.Ethier RF 3 1 3 0
.417 G-M.Montero PH 1
0 0 0 .100
C-B.Upton CF 2 0 0 0
.222 A.Rizzo 1B
3 0 0 0 .200
N.Schierholtz
D.Ross C
3 0 1 0 .333
-- CF,RF 5 1 2
3 .286 M.Cabrera LF
4 0 0 0 .429
D.Uggla 2B 3 1 1
3 .375 R.Tejada SS
1 0 0 0 .250
B-O.Hudson 2B 1 0 0 0 .000
D-P.Kozma PH 1 0
1 1 1.000
M.Teixeira 1B 2 0 0 0 .143
J.Peralta P 0 0
0 0 ----
A.Beltre 3B 4 0 1 0
.267 J.Putz P
0 0 0 0 ----
M.Cain P 3 0 0
0 .000 F-M.Carpenter PH 1 0
0 0 .000
S.Casilla P 0 0 0 0
---- R.Dickey P
2 0 0 0 .000
E-W.Bloomquist
-- PH,SS 2
1 1 0 .250
-- -- -- ---
-- -- -- ---
Totals
38 6 12 6
Totals
37 4 12 4
A-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Berkman In 5th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Uggla In 5th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (CF) For Ethier In 5th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Tejada In 6th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Dickey In 6th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Putz In 9th Inning
G-Pinch Hit For Morse In 9th Inning
Wolfmen......... 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 -
6 12 0
Pirates......... 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 -
4 12 1
Wolfmen (2-2)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
M.Cain WIN(1-1) 8 2/3 12 4 4
3 4 1 4.32
S.Casilla SAVE(1st) 0 1/3 0 0 0 0 0
0 0.00
Totals
9 12 4 4 3 4 1
Pirates (2-2)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
R.Dickey LOSS(1-1) 6 11 6 6 2 4 1
3.60
J.Peralta
2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.08
J.Putz
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Totals
9 12 6 6 2 6 1
ATTENDANCE- 50,049 DATE- Monday, October 20th 2014 TIME- Night
WEATHER-Average
T- 3:06
LEFT ON BASE- Wolfmen: 8 Pirates: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Wolfmen: 2 Pirates: 1
ERRORS- M.Cabrera
DOUBLES- L.Berkman(1st), A.Beltre(3rd), J.Jay(1st), A.Hill(1st),
M.Morse(1st),
W.Bloomquist(1st)
HOME RUNS- D.Uggla(1st), J.Jay(2nd)
RBIs- N.Schierholtz-3(3rd), D.Uggla-3(4th), J.Jay(2nd),
A.Hill(1st),
M.Morse(1st), P.Kozma(1st)
SACRIFICE HITS- M.Cain
WALKS- M.Teixeira-2, A.Rizzo, D.Ross, R.Tejada
STRIKE OUTS- T.Tulowitzki, L.Berkman, N.Schierholtz-2,
M.Teixeira, M.Cain,
M.Prado, J.Jay, A.Hill, M.Cabrera
GIDP- D.Uggla, A.Hill-2
2-out RBI- M.Morse, N.Schierholtz, D.Uggla-3, P.Kozma, A.Hill
RLISP 2-out- T.Tulowitzki, R.Dickey, A.Rizzo, M.Cain,
W.Bloomquist, M.Teixeira, M.Montero-2
In a two run game the Skokie Wolfmen got by the Pittsburgh
Pirates by the
score of 6 to 4.
Skokie had 4 runs cross the plate in the top of the 5th inning
with the help
of 4 hits. The key at-bat was by Dan Uggla who helped quiet the
crowd when
he rifled a three-run blast. Pittsburgh threatened in the 9th
but their
rally came up short.
The victory was credited to Matt Cain(1-1) who went 8 and 2/3
innings,
allowing 4 runs. Santiago Casilla recorded the save, his 1st.
R.A.
Dickey(1-1) took the loss. He was hit hard and gave up 11 hits
and 2 walks
in 6 innings.
'I just wanted to give my team a chance to win.' said Cain, 'I
got burned on a
couple of pitches. But we won the game, and that's all that
matters.'
Wolfman:
Skokie started the game off
with a bang against Dickey as Molina, Berkman and Ethier all
single to load the bases in the top of the 1st and Schierholtz
singles in two runs to give Skokie a 2-0 lead. Jay's homer off
Cain in the bottom of the 1st made it 2-1. In the 3rd the
Pirates tie it at 2-2 when Morse doubles home Jay and Ross
almost got Morse home for another run but he is stopped at 3rd.
The big innings for Skokie were in the 5th with 2 outs and no
one on base, Berkman doubles and stops at 3rd on a single by
Ethier, Schierholtz singles in Berkman with Ethier to second but
the big blow is a three run shot by Uggla which gives Skokie a
6-2 lead. In the 6th, with runners on 1st and 2nd and two
outs Tejada singes home another run for the Pirates making it a
6-3 game. In the 9th the Pirates put up a big rally against Cain
who was doing fine as with one out, Bloomington doubles, Prado
singles Bloomington home for a 6-4 lead and Hill doubles,
putting runners on 2nd and 3rd (the tying runs) with two outs.
Casilla comes in to relieve Cain and gets Montero to ground out
for a 6-4 Skokie win. The series is now tied two games apiece
with a crucial game 5 coming up.
==========================
BOXSCORE: 2012 Skokie Wolfmen At 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates
12/6/2014
GAME #5: Lilly vs. Lohse
Wolfmen
AB R H RBI AVG
Pirates
AB R H RBI AVG
T.Tulowitzki SS 4 0 1
2 .158 C.Denorfia CF,RF 4 1
1 1 .286
E.Chavez CF 4 1
1 1 .250 R.Tejada SS
4 0 1 0 .250
Y.Molina C 4 0
0 0 .238 M.Prado 3B
3 1 1 0 .200
L.Berkman LF 4 0 0
0 .158 M.Cabrera RF,LF 3 1
2 1 .471
A.Ethier RF 4 0
1 0 .375 A.Hill 2B
4 0 0 0 .211
D.Uggla 2B 3 0
0 0 .273 M.Morse 1B
3 0 1 1 .455
M.Teixeira 1B 2 1 0
0 .111 A-A.Rizzo 1B
1 0 0 0 .188
A.Beltre 3B 3 1
1 0 .278 W.Bloomquist LF
3 0 1 0 .286
T.Lilly P 2
0 0 0 .000 B-J.Jay CF
0 0 0 0 .400
M.Adams P 0
0 0 0 ---- M.Montero C
2 1 1 1 .167
C-N.Schierholtz PH 1 0 0 0 .250
K.Lohse P 2 0 0
0 0 .000
G.Holland P 0 0
0 0 ---- M.Boggs P
0 0 0 0 ----
S.Romo P 0
0 0 0 ----
-- -- -- ---
-- -- -- ---
Totals
31 3 4 3
Totals
29 4 8 4
A-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Morse In 7th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (CF) For Bloomquist In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Adams In 8th Inning
Wolfmen......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 -
3 4 0
Pirates......... 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 X -
4 8 0
Wolfmen (2-3)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
T.Lilly LOSS(0-1) 5 6 4 4 0 3 2
7.20
M.Adams
2 1 0 0 1 2 0 0.00
G.Holland
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Totals
8 8 4 4 1 5 2
Pirates (3-2)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
K.Lohse WIN(1-1) 7 1/3 2 2 2 1 5 1
4.50
M.Boggs HOLD(2nd) 0 2/3 2 1 1 0 0 0 5.40
S.Romo SAVE(2nd) 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0.00
Totals
9 4 3 3 1 5 1
ATTENDANCE- 45,694 DATE- Tuesday, October 21st 2014 TIME- Night
WEATHER- Bad
T- 2:17
LEFT ON BASE- Wolfmen: 2 Pirates: 5
DOUBLE PLAYS- Wolfmen: 1 Pirates: 0
DOUBLES- T.Tulowitzki(2nd), M.Cabrera(3rd)
TRIPLES- M.Prado(1st)
HOME RUNS- E.Chavez(1st), C.Denorfia(1st), M.Montero(1st)
RBIs- T.Tulowitzki-2(2nd), E.Chavez(1st), C.Denorfia(1st),
M.Cabrera(3rd),
M.Morse(2nd), M.Montero(1st)
SACRIFICE HITS- M.Prado, M.Cabrera, K.Lohse
WALKS- M.Teixeira, M.Montero
STRIKE OUTS- Y.Molina-2, L.Berkman, D.Uggla, T.Lilly, C.Denorfia,
R.Tejada,
A.Hill, M.Morse, K.Lohse
GIDP- A.Hill
2-out RBI- M.Morse, T.Tulowitzki-2
RLISP 2-out- M.Montero, C.Denorfia, E.Chavez, A.Rizzo-2
Melky Cabrera had 2 base hits and Kyle Lohse went 7 and one
third strong
innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Skokie Wolfmen by a
score of
4 to 3.
Pittsburgh started with a bang, jumping out to an early lead in
their half of
the first plating an isolated run. Chris Denorfia ripped a solo
home run.
Sergio Romo relieved and was untouched by Skokie as he recorded
the save, his
2nd.
Lohse(1-1) went 7 and 1/3 innings allowing 2 runs for the win.
Ted Lilly(0-1)
suffered the loss. He surrendered 6 hits and no walks in 5
innings.
Game Summary:
A key game here as
Lilly faces Lohse. Skokie is a bit concerned going with Lilly as
the Pirates hit quite well against left handers so they try to
keep Lilly in the game as long as possible. Again as has
been the Pirates trait in this series, they begin cobbling away
at Skokie as once again the Skokie hitters are silenced through
the first six innings. In the first, the Pirates score a run on
Denorfia's homer off Lilly (1-0). In the third they strike again
as Montero hits a homer off Lilly (his card, 2-0). In the 4th,
Cabrera doubles and Morse singles him in for a 3-0 lead and then
again in the top of the 6th, Prado triples and Cabrera singles
him home for a 4-0 lead and Lilly exists. The Skokie relief
holds the Pirates down the rest of the way and hopes their team
can rally. In the top of the 7th Chavez hits a rare homer
for a 4-1 score. Skokie comes alive in the 8th again making a
come back, as Teixiera walks and Beltre singles, first and
second and finally Tulowitzki doubles both runners home for a
4-3 score but Chavez can't bring Tulo home. Then Romo comes in
the 9th and takes Skokie down 1-2-3 to preserve a 4-3 Pirate
victory and 3-2 series lead. Skokie will have to do it in their
home park as they need to really start hitting much better as
again they could only scratch 4 hits vs. the Pirate's pitching.
=========================
BOXSCORE: 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates At 2012 Skokie Wolfmen
12/8/2014
GAME #6: Latos vs. Vogelsong
Pirates
AB R H RBI AVG Wolfmen
AB R H RBI AVG
J.Jay CF 5 0
0 0 .300 O.Hudson 2B
5 1 3 1 .188
D.Dejesus RF 4 2 1 0
.125 E.Chavez CF,LF 5 0
1 0 .238
M.Carpenter 3B 3 2 1 0 .091
L.Berkman DH 5 0 1
0 .167
B-M.Prado 3B 1 0 0 0
.188 Y.Molina C
4 0 0 0 .200
A.Hill 2B 4 1 0
0 .174 A.Ethier RF
4 0 2 0 .400
A.Rizzo 1B 5 1 2
2 .238 T.Tulowitzki SS 4 0
0 0 .130
M.Montero C 4 0 2 3
.250 N.Schierholtz LF 2 0 1
0 .300
P.Sandoval DH 2 0 0 1 .000
A-B.Upton PH,CF 1 0 0 0
.200
M.Cabrera LF 4 0 1 0
.429 M.Teixeira 1B 4 1
2 1 .231
R.Tejada SS 4 0 0 0
.188 A.Beltre 3B
4 0 1 0 .273
-- -- -- ---
-- -- -- ---
Totals
36 6 7 6
Totals
38 2 11 2
A-Pinch Hit For Schierholtz In 6th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (3B) For Carpenter In 8th Inning
Pirates......... 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 -
6 7 1
Wolfmen......... 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 -
2 11 2
Pirates (4-2)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
M.Latos WIN(1-0) 5 2/3 7 1 1 0
3 1 1.59
J.Peralta HOLD(2nd) 1 1/3 2 1 1 0 1 1
3.18
J.Putz
1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
S.Romo
1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Totals
9 11 2 2 1 5 2
Wolfmen (2-4)
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
R.Vogelsong LOSS(1-1) 7 5 5 4
1 5 0 3.29
M.Adams
0 1/3 2 1 1 1 1 0 2.45
S.Casilla
1 2/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00
Totals
9 7 6 5 3 7 0
ATTENDANCE- 44,619 DATE- Thursday, October 23rd 2014 TIME- Night
WEATHER- Good
T- 3:12
LEFT ON BASE- Pirates: 8 Wolfmen:10
DOUBLE PLAYS- Pirates: 0 Wolfmen: 1
ERRORS- R.Tejada, O.Hudson, E.Chavez
DOUBLES- D.Dejesus(1st), M.Carpenter(1st), M.Montero(1st),
O.Hudson(1st),
A.Ethier(3rd), N.Schierholtz(1st)
HOME RUNS- O.Hudson(1st), M.Teixeira(2nd)
RBIs- A.Rizzo-2(2nd), M.Montero-3(4th), P.Sandoval(1st),
O.Hudson(1st),
M.Teixeira(3rd)
CAUGHT STEALING- E.Chavez
SACRIFICE HITS- A.Hill
WALKS- D.Dejesus, P.Sandoval-2, B.Upton
HIT BY PITCH- M.Carpenter
STRIKE OUTS- J.Jay, A.Hill-2, A.Rizzo, P.Sandoval, M.Cabrera-2,
O.Hudson,
L.Berkman, Y.Molina-2, A.Ethier
GIDP- R.Tejada
RLISP 2-out- A.Hill, M.Teixeira-2, R.Tejada, L.Berkman-2, J.Jay,
A.Rizzo-2
WEB GEMS- Top 3rd: Orlando Hudson robbed Ruben Tejada of a base
hit.
Catcher Miguel Montero had 2 base hits and 3 RBI as the
Pittsburgh Pirates
defeated the Skokie Wolfmen 6 to 2 at Morrison Memorial.
Pittsburgh took the lead for good in the 4th inning as they
scored 3 runs on 4
base hits. Skokie had 11 hits in the game while Pittsburgh had
7, but
Pittsburgh had the more timely hits.
The victory went to Mat Latos(1-0) who went 5 and 2/3 innings,
allowing 1 run.
Ryan Vogelsong(1-1) was the losing pitcher. He pitched 7 innings
giving up 5
hits and 1 walk.
Game Summary:
This was a close game
in the beginning as it was a pitching duel between the Pirates
Mat Latos and the Wolfmen's Vogelsong. For one of the 1st
time Skokie took a lead first as Hudson hit a homer off Latos in
the 3rd but the Pirates came back with 3 runs in the 4th as
Dejesus doubled and with two outs, Rizzo singled in Dejesus and
took 2nd on the throw, Montero singled in Rizzo and took 2nd on
the throw and then Sandoval singled in Montero (Skokie lost
every running challenge to throw out the lead running even with
a low chance of success). So it was looking bad for Skokie as
again Skokie was having trouble hitting the Pirate's pitching.
Teixiera hit his 2nd homer of the series in the 7th off Latos to
make it 3-2 but then in the 8th, all hell broke lose, neither
Vogelsong nor Adams could stop the Pirates as they had a HBP,
sacrifice where the running was safe at 2nd (1st and 2nd FC),
then Rizzo singled home another run, and Montero doubled in two
more runs as the Pirates won the game 6-2 (Putz and Romo shut
Skokie down in the last two innings even though they had 11 hits
for the game but they just couldn't score runs as both of their
runs came via solo homers) and the series 4-2. The key games for
the Pirates were their one run wins in Game 3 and Game 5 plus
their ability to hold down the Skokie hitting machine down
almost completely.
Final Analysis of the Wolfman's Challenge
In
this section we share the
complete team stats for the Pirates and the Wolfmen with an
analysis about the two combats about why the series turned out
as it did - please read on .....
The Series Statistics
Primary Player Statistics For 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Totals After 6 Games
==========================================================================
NAME BAVG GM AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO HB SH DP SB CS E
P.Kozma 1.000 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Morse .455 4 11 1 5 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Cabrera .429 6 21 2 9 3 2 0 3 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 1
D.Ross .333 2 6 1 2 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
J.Jay .300 6 20 3 6 1 0 2 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0
C.Denorfia .286 4 7 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
W.Bloomquist .286 3 7 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Montero .250 6 16 3 4 1 0 1 4 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
A.Rizzo .238 6 21 3 5 0 0 0 2 1 4 0 0 1 0 0 1
R.Tejada .188 6 16 0 3 1 0 0 3 1 5 0 1 1 0 0 1
M.Prado .188 6 16 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0
A.Hill .174 6 23 2 4 1 0 0 1 1 4 0 1 3 0 0 1
D.Dejesus .125 3 8 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Carpenter .091 5 11 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 0
P.Sandoval .000 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
N.Hundley ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
R.Johnson ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Cuddyer ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B.Belt ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A.Pollock ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL PITCHERS .000 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1
----------------- ---- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- -- --
TEAM TOTALS .246 6 195 22 48 12 3 5 21 12 36 3 6 6 0 0 5
NAME ERA W L PCT G GS CG SH SV IP H R ER HR BB SO
S.Romo 0.00 0 0 ---- 3 0 0 0 2 3.0 1 0 0 0 0 1
L.Lynn 0.00 0 0 ---- 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0
J.Putz 0.00 0 0 ---- 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 0 0 0 1 0
M.Latos 1.59 1 0 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 5.2 7 1 1 1 0 3
J.Peralta 3.18 0 0 ---- 4 0 0 0 0 5.2 3 2 2 2 0 7
R.Dickey 3.60 1 1 .500 2 2 1 0 0 15.0 15 7 6 1 6 12
R.Vogelsong 3.60 1 0 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 3 2 2 0 3 4
K.Lohse 4.50 1 1 .500 2 2 0 0 0 14.0 11 7 7 2 2 10
M.Boggs 5.40 0 0 ---- 2 0 0 0 0 1.2 2 1 1 0 0 1
E.Volquez ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S.Marshall ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Sabathia ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T.Watson ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team 0 +0
----------------- ---- -- -- ----- --- -- -- -- -- ----- --- --- --- -- --- ---
TEAM TOTALS 3.23 4 2 .667 6 6 1 0 2 53.0 46 20 19 6 13 38
Team Summary: The runs scored betweeen the two teams was the Pirates 22, Skokie 20 - but for the most
part the Pirates were able to average 3-4 runs per game while their pitchers held Skokie from getting on base
very much with only 8 runs scored by Skokie in the Pirates four victories. Morse and Cabrera were the hitting
stars for the Pirates with Montero and Tejada providing a number of cluth hits. Pitching wise the Pirates
did a great job holding Skokie's power down and had a better batting average and ERA as compared to
what the Wolfmen were able to do. Romo shutdown Skokie 3 times in the 9th inning.
Primary Player Statistics For 2012 Skokie Wolfmen Totals After 6 Games
======================================================================
NAME BAVG GM AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO HB SH DP SB CS E
J.Posada 1.000 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A.Ethier .400 6 20 2 8 3 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0
N.Schierholtz .300 5 10 1 3 1 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0
A.Beltre .273 6 22 2 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
D.Uggla .273 4 11 1 3 0 0 1 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0
E.Chavez .238 6 21 1 5 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 1
M.Teixeira .231 6 13 4 3 0 0 2 3 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
B.Upton .200 4 10 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0
Y.Molina .200 6 25 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0
O.Hudson .188 5 16 2 3 1 0 1 1 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 1
L.Berkman .167 6 24 3 4 1 0 1 3 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0
T.Tulowitzki .130 6 23 2 3 2 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
J.Bourgeois ---- 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Aviles ---- 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B.Lillibridge ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL PITCHERS .000 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 1
----------------- ---- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- -- --
TEAM TOTALS .228 6 202 20 46 14 0 6 20 13 38 0 2 3 0 1 3
NAME ERA W L PCT G GS CG SH SV IP H R ER HR BB SO
S.Marshall 0.00 0 0 ---- 2 0 0 0 0 0.1 2 0 0 0 1 0
B.League 0.00 0 0 ---- 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0
S.Casilla 0.00 0 0 ---- 5 0 0 0 1 5.2 0 0 0 0 1 2
G.Holland 0.00 0 0 ---- 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 2
M.Adams 2.45 0 0 ---- 4 0 0 0 0 3.2 3 1 1 0 2 5
R.Vogelsong 3.29 1 1 .500 2 2 0 0 0 13.2 9 6 5 1 2 11
M.Cain 4.32 1 1 .500 2 2 0 0 0 16.2 20 8 8 2 5 9
P.Humber 6.75 0 1 .000 1 1 0 0 0 4.0 5 3 3 0 1 4
T.Lilly 7.20 0 1 .000 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 6 4 4 2 0 3
J.Lopez ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Team 0 +0
----------------- ---- -- -- ----- --- -- -- -- -- ----- --- --- --- -- --- ---
TEAM TOTALS 3.63 2 4 .333 6 6 0 0 1 52.0 48 22 21 5 12 36
Team Summary: Skokie was unable to come up with consistent rallies to score key runs and in the two
games they won, this was due to 3 run homers (one by Berkman and another by Uggla). The Skokie starters
had trouble stopping Pittsburgh from scoring runs early on although the relievers (especially Casilla) were able
to shut Pittsburgh down late. The top three hitters of Skokie were basically ineffective (as compared in the CBA
playoffs where opposing teams couldn't stop them) including Molina, Berkman and Tulowitzski who
combined hit under .200 with 5 RBIs. We would say this was Pittsburgh's key to winning that they basically
shutdown these hitters. Only Ethier and Schierholtz seemed to have some success against the Pirate's pitching.
So to say it in the simple form, good pitching stopped good hitting in this series especially that the Pirate's
were able to allow Skokie to score only 3 runs in their two loses at home where they were averaging in
the CBA 5-6 runs a game normally.
Comments from Brizzolara and the Wolfman
Tony Brizzolara, the champion
It is always enjoyable to play someone new in a
Strat series. I thought I might be at a slight
disadvantage when I realized Wolfman's league used
the DH for some of the teams in his league (his
conference) and that his was one of them. I
had to figure how to configure my lineups with a DH.
I also was very worried that he was planning to use
Matt Cain (a 6L - backwards righty) for three starts
(assuming we went seven games). My teams weakest
offensive lineups were against backwards righties.
You don't face too many of them so I did not focus
on this.
I played a few practice games
with the computer managing Wolfman's team and I did
fairly well, but I knew with such a small sample one
can't rely on this for a completely accurate
prediction of the actual results. I didn't have a clue
about how Wolfman would manage too but I soon found out
....
The games were well fought and
yes, I was probably more fortunate than Wolfman as
far as the luck department was concerned. Not
overly so, but somewhat. It wasn't long before I
determined Wolfman relied a little more on intuition
than I did. I am very much a numbers person and try
to play the percentages (though I know even though I often don't
always make the most optimum choice, I try my best). Wolfman
threw for runners much more often than I would. I
seldom throw on runners advancing and take the sure
out at first. Wolfman risked those throws several
times and I was safe the majority of time. That led to a
couple of multiple run innings. He also tried to
squeeze (yes, it was a 73% chance) when trailing by
more than one run. I didn't play my infield in and was
happy to trade an out for a run. Of course, I got
lucky and the squeeze did not work out.
All in all it was fun and a great
series. I do think the teams were closely matched
and if we played again, the results could be
reversed, but there is no rematch scheduled for the
immediate future, so I
will rest on my laurels for now.
Thanks Wolfman for the series and
the article. I will continue to be out there in the Strat community for many years to come.
Wolfman Shapiro, the defeated challenger
A person might
think if one of our Strat brothers, like Tony, who is an
ex-Major Leaguer, that he might not be on top as a Strat
baseball manager as some of us who have played for years, but as
I watched Tony play and used his team to its ultimate
advantage, working with his players optimally and counting my
strategic moves, it was clear Tony knows this game very well . I
think our teams were very compatible and evenly matched but as I
have watched in many of the Netplay playoff series I have been
involved with in the CBA for over 7 years, the Strat dice were
definitely not with us. I just couldn't get my boys to hit
consistently as they did in the 2012 CBA playoffs where we went
12-2 and won the World Series. I don't wish this to
sound like part of the reason we lost was just bad luck, because
this is not the case at all. There is no doubt Tony is a very
schrewd and talented manager who certainly knew what he was
doing and setup his team to counter our strengths and weaknesses
perfectly. Also as Tony shared above, we did take a lot of
chances in going for extra bases or to throw out runners, and
this day it just didn't go our way in some of the final key
games.
I am truly honored to have had this chance to
play against Tony and perhaps we will challenge him again
someday soon. But
to conclude, as they say, "good pitching with good fielding can stop good
hitting" which is exactly what we saw with both the K.C. Royals
and S.F. Giants in the 2014 playoffs and World Series.
RETURN TO INTERVIEW WITH TONY BRIZZOLARA
