Metropolis has the lead going into Game Four of the NLCS, but Fleetwood has the momentum after cruising to an easy win in Game Three. Both teams send their #4 starter to the mound for the match up - Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Walkers and Anibal Sanchez for the Avengers.
Fleetwood tried to take control of Game Four just like they did Game Three - by putting up a crooked number in the bottom of the first. They loaded the bases with two walks and a single and were looking for a clutch hit to get on the board. Chase Utley delivered and laced a double down the line to score Mookie Betts and Kevin Kiermaier for a quick 2-0 Fleetwood lead.
Metropolis put together a similar rally in the top of the third inning. Walks by Jayson Werth and Andrew McCutchen brought the Avenger second baseman, Robinson Cano, to the plate with two outs. Just as Utley did, Cano ripped a double down the rightfield line. Werth scored easily and McCutchen raced home ahead of Kiermaier's throw, tying the game at two.
The game stayed tied into the fifth inning, when Matsuzaka lost his control. He walked Werth and Jose Reyes to start the inning. Matsuzaka did get a ground ball from Chris Iannetta, but it was slow enough that each of the runners moved up ninety feet. McCutchen came up with two runners in scoring position and Fleetwood called to the bullpen for Antonio Bastardo. The new Walker pitcher played up to the name on his jersey. No, not "Bastardo." The name on the front of the jersey - "Walker" - as he walked McCutchen to load the bases. That brought Cano to the plate again, this time with a chance to put the Avengers in the lead. He didn't disappoint, as he hit another double, this one just over center fielder Mike Trout's outstretched glove. Cano's blast drove in all three runners and put Metropolis ahead 5-2. Amazingly, Cano's two doubles were the only Avenger hits to that point and all of the five runners he drove in reached base via walks.
Sanchez tried hard to give the runs back in the bottom of the fifth, as he walked Trout and Kiermaier to lead off the inning. That was enough for Metropolis, who brought Craig Kimbrel in to face Miguel Cabrera. The wildness may have been contagious, as Kimbrel threw a slider which catcher Iannetta couldn't handle and allowed the runners to move to second and third. However, Kimbrel buckled down and retired Cabrera, Francisco Cervelli and Utley without allowing a run to score.
Metropolis scratched out an insurance run in the seventh, using an error, a walk and a Jose Bautista single to push their lead to 6-2. Fleetwood answered with a single run in their half of the inning, as Kiermaier and Cabrera hit consecutive doubles to start the frame. Trout drove in another run in the bottom of the eighth, but it wasn't enough for the Walkers, who dropped Game Four 6-4.
Metropolis had just three hits, but each of them drove in a run and they benefited from eight walks and a Fleetwood error to score their six runs. The Walker hitters collected nine hits and six walks, but stranded 11 runners and have to view this as another game they could have won with only a couple of extra breaks.
The Walkers will turn to their series ace, Hisashi Iwakuma, for Game Five to try and extend the series. Metropolis will counter with Carlos Carrasco to try and send Metropolis to its fourth-straight Brassball World Series.
 |
| Chase Utley's double started the scoring. |
Metropolis put together a similar rally in the top of the third inning. Walks by Jayson Werth and Andrew McCutchen brought the Avenger second baseman, Robinson Cano, to the plate with two outs. Just as Utley did, Cano ripped a double down the rightfield line. Werth scored easily and McCutchen raced home ahead of Kiermaier's throw, tying the game at two.
 |
| Robinson Cano's double in the third tied the game at two. |
Sanchez tried hard to give the runs back in the bottom of the fifth, as he walked Trout and Kiermaier to lead off the inning. That was enough for Metropolis, who brought Craig Kimbrel in to face Miguel Cabrera. The wildness may have been contagious, as Kimbrel threw a slider which catcher Iannetta couldn't handle and allowed the runners to move to second and third. However, Kimbrel buckled down and retired Cabrera, Francisco Cervelli and Utley without allowing a run to score.
 |
| Mike Trout's single in the eighth wasn't enough. |
Metropolis had just three hits, but each of them drove in a run and they benefited from eight walks and a Fleetwood error to score their six runs. The Walker hitters collected nine hits and six walks, but stranded 11 runners and have to view this as another game they could have won with only a couple of extra breaks.
The Walkers will turn to their series ace, Hisashi Iwakuma, for Game Five to try and extend the series. Metropolis will counter with Carlos Carrasco to try and send Metropolis to its fourth-straight Brassball World Series.
BOXSCORE: 2015
Metropolis Avengers At 2015 Fleetwood Walkers 10/25/2015
Avengers AB
R H RBI AVG Walkers AB
R H RBI AVG
A.McCutchen CF 1
2 0 0 .406
M.Betts DH 4 1
1 0 .235
R.Cano 2B 4
0 2 5 .361
M.Trout CF 3 0
1 1 .229
J.Bautista 1B 3
0 1 1 .111
K.Kiermaier RF 3 2
1 0 .194
P.Sandoval 3B 3
0 0 0 .111
C-S.Smith PH,RF 1 0
0 0 .231
S.Pearce DH 4 0
0 0 .179 M.Cabrera 1B 5
0 1 1 .189
B.Harper LF 4
0 0 0 .200
D.Norris C 0 0
0 0 .455
J.Werth RF 2
2 0 0 .360
A-F.Cervelli PH,C 3 0
0 0 .111
J.Reyes SS 3
1 0 0 .241
C.Utley 2B 5
0 1 2 .303
C.Iannetta C 4
1 0 0 .045
D.Wright 3B 4 0
1 0 .182
J.Segura SS 3 0
1 0 .357
B-D.Robertson PH 1 1
1 0 .333
D-M.Gonzalez SS 0 0
0 0 .250
D.Jennings LF 4 0
1 0 .111
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 28
6 3 6
Totals 36 4
9 4
A-Pinch Hit For
Norris In 5th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For
Segura In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For
Kiermaier In 8th Inning
D-Subbed
Defensively (SS) For Robertson In 9th Inning
Avengers........
0 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 0
- 6 3 0
Walkers.........
2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
- 4 9 1
Avengers
(7-1) IP H
R ER BB
SO HR ERA
SCORESHEET
A.Sanchez 4 4
2 2 5
2 0 2.45
A1 C3
C.Kimbrel 2 2
1 1 1
2 0 1.29
C4 D3
F.Abad 2 3
1 1 0
0 0 1.80
D4 E3
J.Benoit
WIN(1-0) 1 0
0 0 0
0 0 2.53
E4
Totals 9 9
4 4 6
4 0
Walkers
(5-4) IP H
R ER BB
SO HR ERA
SCORESHEET
D.Matsuzaka
LOSS(1-1) 4 1/3 1
4 4 5
4 0 4.63
A1 B9
A.Bastardo 0 1/3 1
1 1 1
0 0 6.75
C1 C2
T.Wilhelmsen 3 2/3 1
1 0 2
3 0 2.87
C3 D8
D.Pomeranz 0 2/3 0
0 0 0
0 0 5.40
D9
Totals 9 3
6 5 8
7 0
ATTENDANCE-
47,573 DATE- Sunday, October 25th 2015 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Gerry
Davis, Brian Gorman, Bruce Dreckman, Sam Holbrook
T- 3:10
LEFT ON BASE-
Avengers: 4 Walkers:11
DOUBLE PLAYS-
Avengers: 0 Walkers: 2
ERRORS- C.Utley
DOUBLES-
R.Cano-2(3rd), K.Kiermaier(1st), M.Cabrera(2nd), C.Utley(6th),
D.Robertson(1st)
TRIPLES-
D.Jennings(1st)
RBIs-
R.Cano-5(8th), J.Bautista(2nd), M.Trout(4th), M.Cabrera(3rd),
C.Utley-2(3rd)
STOLEN BASES-
K.Kiermaier(1st)
WALKS-
A.McCutchen-4, J.Bautista, J.Werth-2, J.Reyes, M.Betts, M.Trout-2,
K.Kiermaier, D.Norris-2
HIT BY PITCH-
P.Sandoval
STRIKE OUTS-
J.Bautista, S.Pearce-3, B.Harper-2, J.Werth, M.Trout-2, F.Cervelli,
D.Wright
GIDP- R.Cano-2
WILD PITCHES-
A.Sanchez
2-out RBI-
C.Utley-2, R.Cano-2, J.Bautista, M.Trout
RLISP 2-out-
D.Wright-3, M.Trout-2, J.Bautista, S.Pearce, C.Utley-2
TEAM RISP-
Avengers: 3 for 7 Walkers: 3 for 17
In a good matchup
it was the Metropolis Avengers 6, the Fleetwood Walkers 4 at
John Locke Field.
Joaquin
Benoit(1-0) won the game with a masterful relief performance. He did
not allow a
baserunner in his 1 inning reducing his ERA from 2.79 to 2.53.
Fleetwood went
down quietly in the bottom of the 9th.
The losing
pitcher was Daisuke Matsuzaka(1-1). He
gave up 4 runs and 1 hit in
4 and 1/3
innings.
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