The Phillies jumped off to a 2-0 lead against Jonathan Sanchez, but wouldn't touch home again as they lost to the Giants 3-2 to lose the NLCS 4-2.
The game winner was again delivered by Juan Uribe, who hit a two-out, eighth inning homer off Ryan Madson that dropped gently into the first row of right field seats.
Cody Ross was selected as the series MVP. Not bad for a guy that was claimed off waivers from Florida in August, hey?
The Giants are seeking their first World Series title since 1954 when they were still in New York, while Texas is making its first October Classic appearance in the club's 50 year history.
Tim Lincecum takes on Cliff Lee to start the World Series on Wednesday at AT&T Park. The NL finally won an All-Star game to earn home-field advantage in the World Series, and that’s good news for the Giants. They're 9-0 in interleague play against Texas at the Bay.
Ex-Buccos Freddy Sanchez (.360) and Javier Lopez (1-0, 2.08 ERA) have pulled their weight through the playoffs.
Lincecum has proven his one of the elite pitchers in baseball only a few years into his career. To already possess 2 Cy Young's is very impressive considering his stature. The matchup of Lincecum vs Lee is incredible.
ReplyDeleteIt is a terrific matchup to be sure, but for much of the 2010 season Lincecum wasn't nearly as bulletproof as he had been previously. The knock on him when he was drafted was that he had a "max effort delivery", which supposedly means he's a more likely candidate for a physical breakdown that a bigger guy with a smoother delivery.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I buy that; I favor the old Mets pitching style that was used so effectively for so many years by Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, and that lefthander who ended up with the Rangers for a couple of years late in his career whose name I can never remember. (Tom Something? Help me out, Ron!)
If the bulk of your pitching strength comes from leg drive, as the old Mets pitchers used to demonstrate, 'twould seem to me that the little guys wouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage just because they are smaller. It would then become purely a question of mechanics. Mark Prior, to name just one example, was (and is) fairly big, but he's never been able to stay healthy for any length of time. So size alone is not necessarily an indicator of the likelihood of future arm problems.
You're right about pitchers, Wil - I think work is a good thing for their longevity, not something to be avoided, especially if you learn to drive to the plate, as taught to every pitcher from little league on up.
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head, jerry Koosman pops up from that era. Is he the dude you were thinking of?
Koosman was another one. I'd forgotten about him! But the other guy I was thinking about was John (not Tom) Matlack. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAh, Wil, I entirely forgot about Jon Matlack. The guy I always kinda liked was their back ender, Gary Gentry. He gave the Mets three or four good years and then fell off the face of the earth.
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