Sorry that I didn't publish on Sunday, but I was out of town and could not access my wi-fi. Now that I'm back, I will publish this.
Here we are in week four, and guess what: It's time for game one of the Ultimate World Series! I will show you the starting lineups, starting with the home team.
BOMBERS:
SS: Honus Wagner
CF: Tris Speaker
2B: Rogers Hornsby
1B: Jimmie Foxx
RF: Hank Aaron
LF: Stan Musial
3B: Chipper Jones
C: Mike Piazza
P: Walter Johnson
SLUGGERS:
2B: Nap Lajoie
LF: Ted Williams
RF: Babe Ruth
1B: Lou Gehrig
CF: Willie Mays
C: Johnny Bench
3B: Brooks Robinson
SS: Joe Sewell
P: Grover Cleveland Alexander
Let's get this show on the road, shall we?
The first inning started with a face off between Nap Lajoie and Walter Johnson. Lajoie went after the first pitch and grounded out for the first out. Ted Williams also followed with a groundout. With a 2-0 count, Babe Ruth reached on an error to make it to first. But everything ended up fine when Walter Johnson struck out Lou Gehrig to end the inning in 13 pitches.
In the bottom of the inning, Grover Cleveland Alexander induced a first pitch groundout against Honus Wagner. Tris Speaker then grounded out softly, and Rogers Hornsby flew out to complete a five pitch inning.
So after the first we're tied 0-0.
Willie Mays started the second inning with a weak groundout. Johnny Bench then flew out, and after getting to a full count, Brooks Robinson grounded out to end the Sluggers' half of the second.
Jimmie Foxx started the Bombers' half of the second with a flyout, and Hank Aaron did the same. Stan Musial ended the inning with a flyout, as the score remains 0-0. Looks like we've got a pitcher's dual on our hands.
In the top of the third, Joe Sewell grounded out weakly to get to the pitcher's spot. Grover Cleveland Alexander took the first pitch Walter Johnson gave him, turned on it, and ripped a triple. But Nap Lajoie flew out, too shallow to tag up on. Scoring started when Ted Williams hit an RBI single and drove in Alexander. Babe Ruth followed with a groundout, but the Sluggers were on the board, leading 1-0.
The bottom of the third started with a three pitch strikeout of Chipper Jones. Mike Piazza then grounded out on the third pitch he saw. Walter Johnson then got a little taste of revenge as he hit a first-pitch single off of Grover Cleveland Alexander. Then, after falling behind 1-2, Honus Wagner reached on an error to put a man in scoring position for Tris Speaker. Speaker singled to load the bases. Rogers Hornsby then came to bat. He swung first pitch and drove in two with a double, giving the Bombers a 2-1 lead. Jimmie Foxx grounded out, but the Bombers took a 2-1 lead.
The fourth inning started with Lou Gehrig grounding out first pitch. Walter Johnson then proceeded to strike out Willie Mays, and then coaxed a soft groundout out of Johnny Bench to complete a seven pitch inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Hank Aaron flew out for a second time, and Stan Musial grounded out. Chipper Jones then grounded out to end the inning.
Four innings are through, and its the Bombers leading, 2-1.
The fifth inning started with a matchup between seventh hitter Brooks Robinson and Walter Johnson. Robinson flew out first pitch for the first out. Walter Johnson then did the impossible and struck out Joe Sewell. As he was walking back to the dugout, Sewell broke his bat across his knee and threw it at the batboy before taking out his frustration on a nearby cooler. Grover Cleveland Alexander then grounded out to end the top of the fifth.
The eighth hitter Mike Piazza went after Alexander's first pitch and grounded out weakly for out number one. Walter Johnson then singled off of Alexander. Man, these pitchers have been hitting better than the rest of their lineups. Honus Wagner then grounded out for the second out. Grover Cleveland then struck out Tris Speaker on five pitches for the third out. But after five, it's still a 2-1 Bombers lead.
The sixth inning was kicked off with a reach on error by Nap Lajoie. The defense hasn't been helping out for any side very much this game. Anyway, with a runner on first, Ted Williams flew out. Babe Ruth then turned on an 0-2 pitch and crushed an RBI triple to even the score at two. Lou Gehrig then grounded out and Ruth was unable to score. And Willie Mays grounded out to end the top half of the sixth. Nonetheless, the Sluggers were able to tie up the game at two apiece.
In the bottom half of the sixth, Rogers Hornsby grounded out on the first pitch. Jimmie Foxx then flew out to the warning track for out numero dos. Hank Aaron then grounded out for the third and final out of the inning.
We are two-thirds of the way through game one, and the score is even at 2-2.
Walter Johnson came out again to pitch the seventh, at a healthy 65 pitches through the first six. He was due to face Johnny Bench, Brooks Robinson, and Joe Sewell. Johnny Bench singled on the first pitch, only the fourth hit of the night for the Sluggers. First baseman Hank Greenberg then came to bat in replacement for Brooks Robinson. He flew out on the first pitch. Joe Sewell then flew out for the second out. Then Mickey Mantle came to pinch hit for Grover Cleveland Alexander. He walked on five pitches, the first walk issued today. With runners on first and second, it was all up to Nap Lajoie. After getting to a hitters' count at 2-1, Lajoie found a pitch he liked and drove an RBI double to give the Sluggers a 3-2 lead! Ted Williams then struck out to end the inning, but the Sluggers were in the lead for the first time since the second inning.
Greg Maddux came on to pitch for the Slugger in the seventh with a 3-2 lead. George Brett took over at third. After seeing ball one, Stan Musial grounded out for the first out. After fouling off three straight pitches, Chipper Jones fell victim to his second strikeout of the game. Mike Piazza went after the first pitch and flew out to end the seventh.
With two innings of play left, the Sluggers have a 3-2 lead.
Shohei Ohtani came on to pitch down 3-2 in the top of the eighth. The flamethrower started things off by striking out Babe Ruth on four pitches, a good start. Lou Gehrig then grounded out first pitch for the second out. Willie Mays then grounded out to end the inning.
Greg Maddux remained in the game to pitch the eighth. He faced Shohei Ohtani, who grounded out. Honus Wagner then hit a single. Tris Speaker then hit a first pitch single to put a man in scoring position for Rogers Hornsby, who grounded out on the third pitch he saw. After getting to a 3-1 count, Jimmie Foxx hit a single to load the bases. Greg Maddux was pulled in favor of Mariano Rivera, who was now trying to get a four out save. After throwing a first-pitch ball, he was able to get Hank Aaron to ground out to strand the bases loaded.
After eight, its the Sluggers 3-2.
Shohei Ohtani came back to pitch the ninth. The batters due were Johnny Bench, George Brett, and Joe Sewell. Johnny Bench flew out for out number one. George Brett flew out on the first pitch for out number two. Now Lefty O'Doul came to bat for Joe Sewell. He singled on the fifth pitch of the at-bat. Eddie Collins then came to bat for Mariano Rivera, not destined to get the save after all. He took a walk with a full count to men on first and second. But Nap Lajoie couldn't drive him in as he grounded out to end the inning.
In the ninth, Cal Ripken Jr. came to short and Trevor Hoffman came on to get the save against Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Chipper Jones. Down 3-2, let's see if the Bombers can come back to win game one. Hank Aaron flew out to the warning track on the first pitch for the first out. Stan Musial grounded out for the second out. It all comes down to this batter. The lefty Ty Cobb will pinch hit for Chipper Jones. With 2-0, Cobb hits one hard. It's a double! The Bombers are still alive, as lefty Mel Ott pinch-hit for Piazza. He swung first pitch and doubled! It's a tie game! It's a tie game! And with the winning run on second, lefty Shohei Ohtani came to the plate. Trevor Hoffman is pulled and Sandy Koufax, lefty, comes into the game. Joe DiMaggio pinch-hits for Ohtani. This batter could end the game. DiMaggio hits a 1-0 pitch and singles! There are runners on the corners for Honus Wagner. He flies out to end the inning,
Nonetheless, an amazing performance by the Bombers to come back and tie the game. It's headed to the tenth.
Billy Wagner came on for the Bombers to pitch the tenth. Mike Schmidt went to third base to replace Chipper Jones and Bill Dickey replaced Mike Piazza. Ted Williams grounded out on the first pitch for out number one. Babe Ruth then flew out first pitch. Lou Gehrig then tripled. Wagner then walked Willie Mays on six pitches, and Larry Walker pinch hit for Johnny Bench. He grounded out to end the inning.
Sandy Koufax came back out to pitch the tenth for the Sluggers, and Yogi Berra came to catch. The second hitter Tris Speaker swung 3-0 and flew out. Next, Rogers Hornsby grounded out for the second out, and Jimmie Foxx struck out for out number three. We are still deadlocked at three going into the eleventh.
Billy Wagner came back to pitch the eleventh for the Bombers. He faced George Brett, who flew out for the first out. Cal Ripken Jr. then took his first plate appearance of the game. He took the second pitch from Wagner deep for a solo home run! The Sluggers were on top again, 4-3. Luke Appling then pinch hit for Sandy Koufax. He grounded out. Now Nap Lajoie came to the plate for the sixth time tonight. He swung with a 3-0 count and grounded out to end the inning. But the Sluggers have regained the lead on the Cal Ripken go-ahead homer.
Christy Mathewson came on to get the save for the Sluggers. He was due to face Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Mike Schmidt. Hank Aaron grounded out for out number one. Stan Musial also grounded out, and now the Bombers were down to their final out. They fought so hard all game. Are they going to lose now? Mike Schmidt was the batter. He hit the first pitch for a single. Yes, the Bombers are still alive, and now have the tying run on first for Bill Dickey. He swings 2-0. And grounds out!
That's the game! The Sluggers win it in the eleventh on a Cal Ripken Jr. solo home run. What a game. Sandy Koufax got the win for the Sluggers, throwing 1 1/3 innings in relief while giving up only one hit and striking out one. Christy Mathewson got the save. Billy Wagner took the loss for the Bombers, giving up one run across two innings on two hits and a walk.
The Sluggers scored 4 runs on 8 hits and made one error. The Bombers scored three runs on 11 hits and made 2 errors.
