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liberty-ca · 12-25-2025, 01:22 PM

BNN WORLD SERIES GAME 2 RECAP
LONG BEACH DIABLOS AT SACRAMENTO PRAYERS
Sunday, October 16, 1988 — Sacramento Stadium

Final: Long Beach 5, Sacramento 2
Series tied, 1–1
By Chad G. Petey, Baseball News Network (BNN)

Diablos Strike Back: Series Tied as Prayers Lose Game 2

SACRAMENTO, CA — The party atmosphere at Sacramento Stadium was cut short Sunday night. If Game 1 was chaos and courage, Game 2 was control — and it belonged almost entirely to the visitors.

Behind a poised, muscular outing from right-hander Jonathan Perdieu, the Long Beach Diablos evened the 1988 World Series at one game apiece with a composed 5–2 victory over the Prayers, draining the noise from Sacramento Stadium and resetting the tone of the series as it shifts south.

Perdieu went 7.0 innings, allowing just 5 hits, 2 runs, and striking out five, repeatedly neutralizing Sacramento’s traffic before it could become threat. When the Prayers did reach, Perdieu slowed the game, elevated pitches, and trusted his defense.

“That’s October baseball,” Perdieu said. “You don’t overpower a team like Sacramento — you outlast them.”

★ ★ ★

EARLY EDGE, MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Sacramento actually struck first.

In the bottom of the first, Eli Murguia manufactured a run with his legs — walking, stealing second, advancing on a wild pitch, and scoring on a groundout. Two batters later, Edwin Musco crushed a two-out solo homer (his fourth of the postseason) to give the Prayers a 2–0 lead before many fans had settled into their seats. It would be the last time Sacramento felt comfortable all night.

From the second inning on, Perdieu found his rhythm. He retired 12 of the next 14 batters, mixing sinkers and late-breaking sliders to force early contact and kill rallies before they breathed.

“We jumped him early,” Musco said. “But he adjusted fast. Faster than we did.”

★ ★ ★

THE FOURTH-INNING SWING

The game turned — decisively — in the top of the fourth.

After Daniel Mele opened the inning by launching a 416-foot solo home run, Long Beach kept pressing. Kyle Thomas singled, and then Jose Montoya delivered the moment of the night — a two-run triple into the right-field gap off David Garza, flipping the game from a one-run Sacramento lead into a 4–2 Diablos advantage.

Montoya finished 3-for-4 with a triple, a pair of singles, and a run scored, continuing a postseason in which he has quietly become Long Beach’s most reliable bat.

“Winning the game is always the first objective,” Montoya said, understated as ever. “Everything else follows.”

Long Beach added another run in the fifth on Zach Donati’s solo homer, pushing the margin to 5–2 — and that was more than enough.

The 9th inning offered Sacramento a glimmer of hope as Alex Mendoza and Sam Strauss reached base to bring the tying run to the plate, but Robbie Bass clamped down and closed the final two innings with authority, striking out three and stranding two runners in the ninth to secure the save.

★ ★ ★

SACRAMENTO STALLED

The Prayers simply couldn’t generate lift.

Sacramento finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, grounded into a momentum-killing double play in the fifth, and stranded seven runners overall. Alex Velasquez, so electric in Game 1, was limited to a single and a double, and Hector Iniguez struck out three times in four trips.

The bullpen did its job — Chris Ryan (2.1 IP, 3 K) and Aaron Gilbert, clearly bothered with a blistered finguer (1.2 IP, 0 H) kept the Diablos quiet late — but the damage had already been done.

★ ★ ★

BY THE NUMBERS

Long Beach out-hit Sacramento 11–7
Perdieu: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 107 pitches
Diablos: 3 extra-base hits in the fourth inning alone
Sacramento: 0 runs after the 1st inning
Attendance: 25,024, second straight sellout-level crowd

★ ★ ★

SERIES SHIFTS, PRESSURE SHIFTS

“This was a reset game,” manager Jimmy Aces said. “They punched back. Now it’s our turn.”

With the series tied 1–1, the World Series moves to Diablos Park for Games 3, 4, and 5 — a different park, a different atmosphere, and a reminder that nothing comes easily in October.

Sacramento has drawn first blood. Long Beach has proven they won’t flinch.
The World Series is officially a fight.

12-25-2025, 01:22 PM	#104
liberty-ca Major Leagues Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: New Westminster, BC Posts: 360	BNN WORLD SERIES GAME 2 RECAP LONG BEACH DIABLOS AT SACRAMENTO PRAYERS Sunday, October 16, 1988 — Sacramento Stadium Final: Long Beach 5, Sacramento 2 Series tied, 1–1 By Chad G. Petey, Baseball News Network (BNN) Diablos Strike Back: Series Tied as Prayers Lose Game 2 SACRAMENTO, CA — The party atmosphere at Sacramento Stadium was cut short Sunday night. If Game 1 was chaos and courage, Game 2 was control — and it belonged almost entirely to the visitors. Behind a poised, muscular outing from right-hander Jonathan Perdieu, the Long Beach Diablos evened the 1988 World Series at one game apiece with a composed 5–2 victory over the Prayers, draining the noise from Sacramento Stadium and resetting the tone of the series as it shifts south. Perdieu went 7.0 innings, allowing just 5 hits, 2 runs, and striking out five, repeatedly neutralizing Sacramento’s traffic before it could become threat. When the Prayers did reach, Perdieu slowed the game, elevated pitches, and trusted his defense. “That’s October baseball,” Perdieu said. “You don’t overpower a team like Sacramento — you outlast them.” ★ ★ ★ EARLY EDGE, MISSED OPPORTUNITY Sacramento actually struck first. In the bottom of the first, Eli Murguia manufactured a run with his legs — walking, stealing second, advancing on a wild pitch, and scoring on a groundout. Two batters later, Edwin Musco crushed a two-out solo homer (his fourth of the postseason) to give the Prayers a 2–0 lead before many fans had settled into their seats. It would be the last time Sacramento felt comfortable all night. From the second inning on, Perdieu found his rhythm. He retired 12 of the next 14 batters, mixing sinkers and late-breaking sliders to force early contact and kill rallies before they breathed. “We jumped him early,” Musco said. “But he adjusted fast. Faster than we did.” ★ ★ ★ THE FOURTH-INNING SWING The game turned — decisively — in the top of the fourth. After Daniel Mele opened the inning by launching a 416-foot solo home run, Long Beach kept pressing. Kyle Thomas singled, and then Jose Montoya delivered the moment of the night — a two-run triple into the right-field gap off David Garza, flipping the game from a one-run Sacramento lead into a 4–2 Diablos advantage. Montoya finished 3-for-4 with a triple, a pair of singles, and a run scored, continuing a postseason in which he has quietly become Long Beach’s most reliable bat. “Winning the game is always the first objective,” Montoya said, understated as ever. “Everything else follows.” Long Beach added another run in the fifth on Zach Donati’s solo homer, pushing the margin to 5–2 — and that was more than enough. The 9th inning offered Sacramento a glimmer of hope as Alex Mendoza and Sam Strauss reached base to bring the tying run to the plate, but Robbie Bass clamped down and closed the final two innings with authority, striking out three and stranding two runners in the ninth to secure the save. ★ ★ ★ SACRAMENTO STALLED The Prayers simply couldn’t generate lift. Sacramento finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, grounded into a momentum-killing double play in the fifth, and stranded seven runners overall. Alex Velasquez, so electric in Game 1, was limited to a single and a double, and Hector Iniguez struck out three times in four trips. The bullpen did its job — Chris Ryan (2.1 IP, 3 K) and Aaron Gilbert, clearly bothered with a blistered finguer (1.2 IP, 0 H) kept the Diablos quiet late — but the damage had already been done. ★ ★ ★ BY THE NUMBERS Long Beach out-hit Sacramento 11–7 Perdieu: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 107 pitches Diablos: 3 extra-base hits in the fourth inning alone Sacramento: 0 runs after the 1st inning Attendance: 25,024, second straight sellout-level crowd ★ ★ ★ SERIES SHIFTS, PRESSURE SHIFTS “This was a reset game,” manager Jimmy Aces said. “They punched back. Now it’s our turn.” With the series tied 1–1, the World Series moves to Diablos Park for Games 3, 4, and 5 — a different park, a different atmosphere, and a reminder that nothing comes easily in October. Sacramento has drawn first blood. Long Beach has proven they won’t flinch. The World Series is officially a fight.