2046 WORLD SERIES
Portland Raccoons (96-66) @ Denver Gold Sox (110-52)
Game 6 – Bubba Wolinsky (7-4, 3.09 ERA) vs. Roberto Pruneda (19-8, 2.78 ERA)
Okay, we’re here, the trophy is here, the Sox are also here, still not quite sure what happened to them in Portland.
The good news was that Jesus Maldonado’s back was barking, but he would be able to play and maybe even soldier through it before being overcome and consumed by agony. Dr. Padilla listed him as day-to-day and injected everything he legally could administer to make Maldo’s back hold up.
Now we just needed Bubba Wolinsky to do the same.
POR: RF Mercado – CF Herrera – 3B Maldonado – 1B Toohey – LF Baskins – 2B Gurney – C Gonzalez – SS Waters – P Wolinsky
DEN: 2B I. Villa – RF E. Miller – CF S. Castillo – SS R. Thompson – LF T. Turner – C D. Philips – 1B J. Robinson – 3B Hornig – P Pruneda
Mercado opened the game with a singe to right, but was doubled up by Herrera, which was a weird sight to behold of. Wolinsky didn’t start very well, giving up a double to Ivan Villa on the first pitch. A grounder by Miller and Castillo’s sac fly scored the runner, and the Raccoons were a-trailing. At least Thompson was thrown out stealing after drawing a 2-out walk. Turner got a leadoff walk off Wolinsky in the second, but was doubled up by Phillips.
The Raccoons did precious little for their next run through the lineup, but Toohey had already had a deep fly out in the second, and hit an even deeper fly in the fourth. That one went out and tied the game at one!
Wolinsky lacked stuff, striking out nobody in the early going, but at least kept the Sox to a manageable distance in the field. Herrera had to hustle back on a Turner drive in the fourth, but the game remained tied. Top 5th then, with Gurney opening with a single to center, raising his October average to .136, which still counted as the offensive option over Martell and Castner. The Coons played hit-and-run with Gonzalez, who singled through the left side, allowing Gurney to reach third base with nobody out. Matt Waters fell to 1-2, but slapped a ball over Ivan Villa for an RBI single right after, and the Coons took a 2-1 lead! In a perfect world, Wolinsky then would not have fudged up the bunt attempt, but he did, and the Sox got an out at third base, *maybe* costing a run on Mercado’s single to left-center which now only scored Waters, with Wolinsky holding at second base. Herrera grounded to Hornig for a 5-3 out, but Maldo shoved a ball through the right side! Miller overran the ball, two runs came home! Toohey lined out, but the Raccoons now had a 5-1 lead.
And Wolinsky still had no strikeout – until he rung up Villa to end the fifth with Pruneda on first, where he had ended up on a bad bunt, at least. Things went less well in the bottom 6th. Waters fumbled Miller’s grounder for an error, and Sandy Castillo remained annoying with a single to right. Maldo contained Thompson’s grounder for an out at second base, conceding a run. But Wolinsky then lost Turner in a full count and the Raccoons went to Bob Ibold. He struck out Phillips and Hornig … but unfortunately leaked an RBI single to Robinson in between. It was 5-3 after six.
The #9 spot came up with one out in the seventh. The Coons broke out Manny, who had lost out against Baskins in the World Series, and Manny ripped a triple to center! The Coons left him there – Pruneda nailed Mercado, but Herrera popped out and Maldo flew out… Aaron Curl then put up a zero, getting around a leadoff hit by John Fink in the bottom 7th.
After a fruitless top 8th, the Coons steered clear of the tired top three in the pen and instead brought out Preston Porter. Turner and Robinson hit singles off him with one out. Robinson grounded out to Toohey, the out being made at second base. Hornig had not hit much of anything in the entire series and didn’t start now, either, striking out against Porter to strand the tying runs.
Top 9th, right-hander Matt Simmons being tasked with keeping the Raccoons in reach. Gonzalez singled. Waters walked. Nobody out, Tony Morales batted for Porter and drew another walk, loading the bases for the top of the lineup. Despite veteran Yeom Soung coming on in due time, the Raccoons refused to make outs. Mercado forced in a run with a walk. Herrera singled home a run. Maldo singled home two! Toohey doubled in two more! All the runs! Where had they been!?
Soung retired the next three, but plenty of damage had been done – SIX runs for the Critters, who were now ahead by eight! And who probably made a fatal error by forgoing the top three and instead sending Sean Marucci to the mound. Marucci struck out Pacio Torreo before Ivan Villa bunted his way on. Miller whiffed. One more! Just one more! Castillo hit a fly to right, it beat Mercado, and bounced away funnily to give him an RBI triple. Okay, technically, still just one more…! Thompson – a grounder on the infield. Al Martell, in for defense, to Gurney, at first for defense – and that was it!
Raccoons 11, Gold Sox 4 – Raccoons win series 4-2
Mercado 2-3, BB, 2 RBI; Maldonado 2-5, 4 RBI; Toohey 2-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; Gonzalez 2-5; Waters 1-2, BB, RBI; Fernandez (PH) 1-1, 3B;
(SQUEAK!)
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2046 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
Portland Raccoons
(6th title)