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Westheim · 04-23-2015, 04:20 PM

2002 PLAYOFFS

The FLCS pitted the 97-65 Blue Sox and 96-66 Gold Sox against one another. While the Blue Sox were the most well-travelled team when it came to October baseball with their ninth appearance, the Gold Sox had not been to the postseason since winning it all in ’85. Who’d sock it to the other?

The Blue Sox had been extremely successful at playing small ball, hitting for the best average and enjoying the highest on-base percentage in the Federal League, and barely hitting any home runs at all to score the second-most runs in their league. Their pitching was splendid. In the FL, a 4.25 rotation ERA was good enough for 3rd, whle their bullpen ranked 2nd. Javier Cruz, Dennis Fried, and Dave Crawford had won 54 games between them, while Stanton Taylor had gone 7-19 with an ERA just slightly above theirs. They were ALL in the low 4’s for ERA. Closer Jose Escobar saved 41 contest, but also lost six games. In their lineup they had a few incredible beasts. OF Juan Ortíz had hit 21 homers, but had also struck out a lot, while in the infield Leborio Catalo had not only knocked exactly 200 hits, but had also walked 136 times for an insane .474 OBP! Two key pieces were missing however, as SS Bob Townsley was out for the year with a broken wrist, while CF John Hensley would miss the FLCS with an elbow sprain, but *might* make it back for the World Series.

The Gold Sox’ main strength was their insane rotation, where Carlos Castro (21-7), Victor Bernal (17-9), and Chang-se Park (16-15) had all occupied the first three spots in the FL ERA race, and Castro had won the Triple Crown. The problems started right here, however, with Bernal being injured and out, and the back half of the Gold Sox’ playoff rotation was not nearly as stellar. Their bullpen was also merely average, with a closer in Scott Hood that was rapidly alternating between lockdown and blowup, losing nine games over the year. The real problem for the Gold Sox might be their offense: it just wasn’t any good. They were last in extra base hits and home runs, predictably almost last in slugging, and also second-to-last in walks! One wandered how they scored runs at all, and they in fact didn’t. Their 721 runs scored were below average in the FL. If their was any game-changing batter they had, it was outfielder Pedro Pujols, who hit .323 and hit 16 homers, which was almost 25% of the team output.

They say, good pitching beats good hitting in the playoffs. Problem for the Gold Sox: they lack a third of their good pitching, putting incredible strain on Castro and Park to not get beaten. One can’t imagine that the Gold Sox can out-hit the Blue Sox. Best guess: Blue Sox in six.

Both CLCS contestants won triple digits, with the Titans winning 106 to the Thunder’s 100 games. Interestingly, if you discount the ’96 Raccoons and ’99 Bayhawks, one of these two teams has won the CL pennant every year since 1994. Factoring in the Raccoons it’s just three teams plus the one-time Bayhawks all the way since 1991. Both these teams made it to the World Series three times since 1994, and both went 2-1 in the final round. These were also the two most recent champions, with the Thunder winning in 2000, and the Titans in 2001.

The Thunder led the Continental League in most pitching categories, and were top 3 in all but strikeouts (5th). Vaughn Higgins’ 3.45 ERA was the worst in their playoff rotation, and him, Pancho Trevino, and Aaron Anderson were all ten games over .500 over the year. Their bullpen had six rock-solid pitchers, most of which had WHIPs in the 1.10s or better. It was a staff that was hard not to like. Their offense wasn’t nearly as good. They were good, but they were nowhere near what the Titans would throw at them. They had four double-digit home run hitters in Takahashi Higashi (20), Artie Barnes (17), Tomas Cardenas (13), and David Vinson (10). They also had a marvelous allrounder in Joey Humphrey. But the bottom of their lineup was thin, especially since neither Higashi nor Cardenas were good anywhere other than first base. Their only significant injury was infielder Bob Grant, who was not a great hitter at age 33, but could have helped the bottom of the order tremendously if healthy.

The Titans were quite different from the Thunder. Their pitching had spots, but not only good ones. While 18-7 Jorge Chapa and 20-9 Jason O’Halloran were as good as always, both Bryce Hildred and Ray Conner were soundly over 4 ERA-wise. In their bullpen, they had a lights out trio at the back end in closer John Bennett, who had saved 48 games and had won eight, and setup men Ramiro Román and Xavier Herrera, neither of which had an ERA over 2, or a WHIP over 1.20. The rest of their bullpen was not nearly as good. Their strength lay in offense, having scored 767 runs over the course of the season, which was very close to the league lead. They were on base a lot, 2nd in OBP, with the most walks and least strikeouts in the CL. They were average in home runs, but above average in extra base hits, giving them enough fuel to move all those walkers around. While there were no single standout players in their lineup, it was a densely packed unit where it was very hard to single out one particular weak spot – with one exception. Their two catchers, Luis Lopez and Corey Bader, were BOTH out with injuries. Their primary catcher was now Fernando Diéguez, who had 68 AB over the year, and Pete Baggett, who had never even appeared in the regular season – ever!

Overall, the Titans’ lineup is still better stuffed than the Thunder’s. The Thunder in turn have a marked advantage between the pitching staffs. It is a close call, but the Thunder look like they would prevail in six or seven games.

2002 CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Gold Sox @ Blue Sox … 0-3 … (Blue Sox lead 1-0) … NAS Dennis Fried 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, W;
Thunder @ Titans … 2-5 … (Titans lead 1-0) … OCT Takahashi Higashi 3-3, BB, 2B;

Gold Sox @ Blue Sox … 5-8 … (Blue Sox lead 2-0) … Gold Sox’ Carlos Castro is crushed in 5-run third
Thunder @ Titans … 5-3 … (series tied 1-1) … OCT Takahashi Higashi 5-5, 2B, 2 RBI;

Blue Sox @ Gold Sox … 1-5 … (Blue Sox lead 2-1) … DEN Andres Gamez 8.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, W;
Titans @ Thunder … 5-2 (10) … (Titans lead 2-1) … OCT Artie Barnes 4-5, 3B;

Blue Sox @ Gold Sox … 0-1 … (series tied 2-2) … DEN Chang-se Park 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, W; NAS Dennis Fried 8.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, L;
Titans @ Thunder … 3-4 (12) … (series tied 2-2) … BOS Ray Conner 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K;

Blue Sox @ Gold Sox … 2-5 … (Gold Sox lead 3-2) … DEN Samy Michel 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI;
Titans @ Thunder … 2-3 … (Thunder lead 3-2) … OCT Aaron Anderson 8.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W;

Gold Sox @ Blue Sox … 1-7 … (series tied 3-3) … NAS Juan Ortíz 2-4, BB, HR, 2B, 3 RBI;
Thunder @ Titans … 3-6 … (series tied 3-3) … BOS Mark Austin 2-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI;

Gold Sox @ Blue Sox … 3-5 … (Blue Sox win 4-3) …
Thunder @ Titans … 2-3 … (Titans win 4-3) … BOS Gonzalo Munoz 2-4, HR, 3 RBI;

…

2002 WORLD SERIES

The Blue Sox pitched tremendously, holding the Gold Sox to 20 runs in the 7-game FLCS, but couldn’t hit a lot themselves. In the end, it was perhaps that additional game they won during the regular season that made them advance, as all games were won by the home team in the series, and most of them were pretty darn close. The Blue Sox are improved now, adding CF John Hensley to the fold again, who only appeared in 91 games due to injuries, but who at 32 is still a stud both with the bat and with the glove, being arguably the best centerfielder in the ABL now.

The Titans were not able to replenish, but at least they didn’t lose any additional personnel. Their offense had not been able to come through against the Thunder, scoring only 27 runs in seven games, but their rotation had held up very well, and they allowed only three runs per game themselves.

The series, which is a rematch of the 1998 Classic, which the Titans won, is almost too close to call. The Blue Sox might have a slight advantage due to superior pitching, but everybody thought that of the Thunder as well.

Blue Sox @ Titans … 1-5 … (Titans lead 1-0) … BOS Jason O’Halloran 7.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W; BOS Vicente Elizondo 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI; BOS Gonzalo Munoz 3-3, RBI;

Blue Sox @ Titans … 1-6 … (Titans lead 2-0) … BOS Ray Conner 8.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W; BOS Mark Austin 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI;

Titans @ Blue Sox … 5-0 … (Titans lead 3-0) … NAS Dennis Fried 8.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, L; all runs scored in the ninth and are unearned after a Leborio Catalo error

Titans @ Blue Sox … 2-7 … (Titans lead 3-1) … NAS Steven Walker 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI;

Titans @ Blue Sox … 4-5 … (Titans lead 3-2) … O’Halloran surrenders five unearned runs in the fifth on errors by Hector Ramirez and himself

Blue Sox @ Titans … 4-5 … (Titans win 4-2) … NAS Phil Taylor 3-4, 2 2B, RBI;

Dennis Fried enters the bottom 9th with a 4-0 lead and on a 3-hit shutout. He gets going by hitting PH David Mendez. Vicente Elizondo flies out, but Masaaki Matsumoto battles hard to draw a walk which gets Fried out of the game and Jose Escobar in. His first pitch is popped up to right by Rudy Garrison for the second out, advancing Mendez to third, and Mendez then scores on Gonzalo Munoz’ single. Then Mark Austin singles, and Matsumoto scores, 4-2. Daniel Silva hits a double into deep center, which ties the game and puts the golden run at second base for Hector Ramirez. Escobar tries to somehow collect another out, but Hector Ramirez rams his second pitch in line drive fashion into the left center gap, uncatchable for anybody, and Silva strolls home with ease as the park erupts in madness.

2002 WORLD CHAMPIONS
BOSTON TITANS
(3rd title)

04-23-2015, 04:20 PM	#1259
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,938	2002 PLAYOFFS The FLCS pitted the 97-65 Blue Sox and 96-66 Gold Sox against one another. While the Blue Sox were the most well-travelled team when it came to October baseball with their ninth appearance, the Gold Sox had not been to the postseason since winning it all in ’85. Who’d sock it to the other? The Blue Sox had been extremely successful at playing small ball, hitting for the best average and enjoying the highest on-base percentage in the Federal League, and barely hitting any home runs at all to score the second-most runs in their league. Their pitching was splendid. In the FL, a 4.25 rotation ERA was good enough for 3rd, whle their bullpen ranked 2nd. Javier Cruz, Dennis Fried, and Dave Crawford had won 54 games between them, while Stanton Taylor had gone 7-19 with an ERA just slightly above theirs. They were ALL in the low 4’s for ERA. Closer Jose Escobar saved 41 contest, but also lost six games. In their lineup they had a few incredible beasts. OF Juan Ortíz had hit 21 homers, but had also struck out a lot, while in the infield Leborio Catalo had not only knocked exactly 200 hits, but had also walked 136 times for an insane .474 OBP! Two key pieces were missing however, as SS Bob Townsley was out for the year with a broken wrist, while CF John Hensley would miss the FLCS with an elbow sprain, but might make it back for the World Series. The Gold Sox’ main strength was their insane rotation, where Carlos Castro (21-7), Victor Bernal (17-9), and Chang-se Park (16-15) had all occupied the first three spots in the FL ERA race, and Castro had won the Triple Crown. The problems started right here, however, with Bernal being injured and out, and the back half of the Gold Sox’ playoff rotation was not nearly as stellar. Their bullpen was also merely average, with a closer in Scott Hood that was rapidly alternating between lockdown and blowup, losing nine games over the year. The real problem for the Gold Sox might be their offense: it just wasn’t any good. They were last in extra base hits and home runs, predictably almost last in slugging, and also second-to-last in walks! One wandered how they scored runs at all, and they in fact didn’t. Their 721 runs scored were below average in the FL. If their was any game-changing batter they had, it was outfielder Pedro Pujols, who hit .323 and hit 16 homers, which was almost 25% of the team output. They say, good pitching beats good hitting in the playoffs. Problem for the Gold Sox: they lack a third of their good pitching, putting incredible strain on Castro and Park to not get beaten. One can’t imagine that the Gold Sox can out-hit the Blue Sox. Best guess: Blue Sox in six. Both CLCS contestants won triple digits, with the Titans winning 106 to the Thunder’s 100 games. Interestingly, if you discount the ’96 Raccoons and ’99 Bayhawks, one of these two teams has won the CL pennant every year since 1994. Factoring in the Raccoons it’s just three teams plus the one-time Bayhawks all the way since 1991. Both these teams made it to the World Series three times since 1994, and both went 2-1 in the final round. These were also the two most recent champions, with the Thunder winning in 2000, and the Titans in 2001. The Thunder led the Continental League in most pitching categories, and were top 3 in all but strikeouts (5th). Vaughn Higgins’ 3.45 ERA was the worst in their playoff rotation, and him, Pancho Trevino, and Aaron Anderson were all ten games over .500 over the year. Their bullpen had six rock-solid pitchers, most of which had WHIPs in the 1.10s or better. It was a staff that was hard not to like. Their offense wasn’t nearly as good. They were good, but they were nowhere near what the Titans would throw at them. They had four double-digit home run hitters in Takahashi Higashi (20), Artie Barnes (17), Tomas Cardenas (13), and David Vinson (10). They also had a marvelous allrounder in Joey Humphrey. But the bottom of their lineup was thin, especially since neither Higashi nor Cardenas were good anywhere other than first base. Their only significant injury was infielder Bob Grant, who was not a great hitter at age 33, but could have helped the bottom of the order tremendously if healthy. The Titans were quite different from the Thunder. Their pitching had spots, but not only good ones. While 18-7 Jorge Chapa and 20-9 Jason O’Halloran were as good as always, both Bryce Hildred and Ray Conner were soundly over 4 ERA-wise. In their bullpen, they had a lights out trio at the back end in closer John Bennett, who had saved 48 games and had won eight, and setup men Ramiro Román and Xavier Herrera, neither of which had an ERA over 2, or a WHIP over 1.20. The rest of their bullpen was not nearly as good. Their strength lay in offense, having scored 767 runs over the course of the season, which was very close to the league lead. They were on base a lot, 2nd in OBP, with the most walks and least strikeouts in the CL. They were average in home runs, but above average in extra base hits, giving them enough fuel to move all those walkers around. While there were no single standout players in their lineup, it was a densely packed unit where it was very hard to single out one particular weak spot – with one exception. Their two catchers, Luis Lopez and Corey Bader, were BOTH out with injuries. Their primary catcher was now Fernando Diéguez, who had 68 AB over the year, and Pete Baggett, who had never even appeared in the regular season – ever! Overall, the Titans’ lineup is still better stuffed than the Thunder’s. The Thunder in turn have a marked advantage between the pitching staffs. It is a close call, but the Thunder look like they would prevail in six or seven games. 2002 CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Gold Sox @ Blue Sox … 0-3 … (Blue Sox lead 1-0) … NAS Dennis Fried 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, W; Thunder @ Titans … 2-5 … (Titans lead 1-0) … OCT Takahashi Higashi 3-3, BB, 2B; Gold Sox @ Blue Sox … 5-8 … (Blue Sox lead 2-0) … Gold Sox’ Carlos Castro is crushed in 5-run third Thunder @ Titans … 5-3 … (series tied 1-1) … OCT Takahashi Higashi 5-5, 2B, 2 RBI; Blue Sox @ Gold Sox … 1-5 … (Blue Sox lead 2-1) … DEN Andres Gamez 8.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, W; Titans @ Thunder … 5-2 (10) … (Titans lead 2-1) … OCT Artie Barnes 4-5, 3B; Blue Sox @ Gold Sox … 0-1 … (series tied 2-2) … DEN Chang-se Park 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, W; NAS Dennis Fried 8.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, L; Titans @ Thunder … 3-4 (12) … (series tied 2-2) … BOS Ray Conner 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K; Blue Sox @ Gold Sox … 2-5 … (Gold Sox lead 3-2) … DEN Samy Michel 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Titans @ Thunder … 2-3 … (Thunder lead 3-2) … OCT Aaron Anderson 8.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W; Gold Sox @ Blue Sox … 1-7 … (series tied 3-3) … NAS Juan Ortíz 2-4, BB, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Thunder @ Titans … 3-6 … (series tied 3-3) … BOS Mark Austin 2-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI; Gold Sox @ Blue Sox … 3-5 … (Blue Sox win 4-3) … Thunder @ Titans … 2-3 … (Titans win 4-3) … BOS Gonzalo Munoz 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; … 2002 WORLD SERIES The Blue Sox pitched tremendously, holding the Gold Sox to 20 runs in the 7-game FLCS, but couldn’t hit a lot themselves. In the end, it was perhaps that additional game they won during the regular season that made them advance, as all games were won by the home team in the series, and most of them were pretty darn close. The Blue Sox are improved now, adding CF John Hensley to the fold again, who only appeared in 91 games due to injuries, but who at 32 is still a stud both with the bat and with the glove, being arguably the best centerfielder in the ABL now. The Titans were not able to replenish, but at least they didn’t lose any additional personnel. Their offense had not been able to come through against the Thunder, scoring only 27 runs in seven games, but their rotation had held up very well, and they allowed only three runs per game themselves. The series, which is a rematch of the 1998 Classic, which the Titans won, is almost too close to call. The Blue Sox might have a slight advantage due to superior pitching, but everybody thought that of the Thunder as well. Blue Sox @ Titans … 1-5 … (Titans lead 1-0) … BOS Jason O’Halloran 7.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W; BOS Vicente Elizondo 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI; BOS Gonzalo Munoz 3-3, RBI; Blue Sox @ Titans … 1-6 … (Titans lead 2-0) … BOS Ray Conner 8.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W; BOS Mark Austin 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI; Titans @ Blue Sox … 5-0 … (Titans lead 3-0) … NAS Dennis Fried 8.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, L; all runs scored in the ninth and are unearned after a Leborio Catalo error Titans @ Blue Sox … 2-7 … (Titans lead 3-1) … NAS Steven Walker 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI; Titans @ Blue Sox … 4-5 … (Titans lead 3-2) … O’Halloran surrenders five unearned runs in the fifth on errors by Hector Ramirez and himself Blue Sox @ Titans … 4-5 … (Titans win 4-2) … NAS Phil Taylor 3-4, 2 2B, RBI; Dennis Fried enters the bottom 9th with a 4-0 lead and on a 3-hit shutout. He gets going by hitting PH David Mendez. Vicente Elizondo flies out, but Masaaki Matsumoto battles hard to draw a walk which gets Fried out of the game and Jose Escobar in. His first pitch is popped up to right by Rudy Garrison for the second out, advancing Mendez to third, and Mendez then scores on Gonzalo Munoz’ single. Then Mark Austin singles, and Matsumoto scores, 4-2. Daniel Silva hits a double into deep center, which ties the game and puts the golden run at second base for Hector Ramirez. Escobar tries to somehow collect another out, but Hector Ramirez rams his second pitch in line drive fashion into the left center gap, uncatchable for anybody, and Silva strolls home with ease as the park erupts in madness. 2002 WORLD CHAMPIONS BOSTON TITANS (3rd title) Attached Images __________________ Portland Raccoons, 94 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.