BLA 2009 World Series results

[czar]

Please post the World Series results here.

[CHRjeff]

The Granbury Matadors continued an impressive stretch since manager A.J. Allen assumed control of the team, capturing their second BLA world championship in the past three seasons by beating the Charlestown Chiefs in six games.

Randy Winn was named the series MVP after batting .417 and leading the Oates Division champs in runs scored and RBI. He saved his best for last, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in a 7-3 title-clinching victory at Rogers Centre.

Charlestown, which won the Zimmer crown, was undone by a lack of timely hits in three consecutive one-run losses and shaky defense in Game 6 that led to two three-run innings by Granbury. Manny Ramirez, .360 with two homers seven RBI in the series, and Carlos Pena hit four homers with seven RBI but only a .182 average.

"We feel lucky to have squeezed out four wins against a great opponent," Allen said. "It will be a long time until the Matadors are back in this position."

Hiroki Kuroda won both of his starts, including a victory in the final game, to lead a Matadors pitching staff that rebounded after allowing 15 runs in the opener. The Chiefs looked like they'd run away with their first title in two finals appearances by blasting Granbury for a 15-7 victory in which Matadors ace C.C. Sabathia surrendered 12 of the runs.

No. 2 starter Derek Lowe trailed 3-0 after five innings in Game 2, but Max Ramirez changed the course of the series with a pinch-hit grand slam that capped a six-run sixth for the Matadors. They hung on for a 6-5 victory in which they dodged a bases-loaded jam with one out in the seventh. Carlos Pena and David Wright each struck out against Brian Bruney to end the threat.

Game 3 was a 1-0 classic, as the Matadors scored their only run on a pinch-hit groundout by Aaron Miles in the fifth inning. Chiefs starter Jamie Moyer allowed only two hits but was a tough-luck loser as five Granbury pitchers combined on the five-hitter.

"That's where A.J. is so good," Chiefs manager Jeff Wilson said. "He's not afraid to pinch-hit in a scoring situation for a guy [Kuroda] who had allowed only three hits to that point. But A.J. knew he had a good bullpen and monitored it cautiously throughout the whole series."

Game 4 wasn't as close as the 7-6 final indicates. The Matadors struck for four runs in the first against Dan Haren but had to hang on again as the Chiefs scored five times in the final three innings. Charlestown then had to hang on for a 6-4 victory in Game 5 that forced the series back to Rogers Centre.

But Moyer, 92, was unable to pitch Game 6, and the Matadors finally got to rookie Chris Volstad with a three-run fifth that featured three infield hits and made the score 4-0. The Chiefs countered with three runs of their own in the home half of the inning, but saw Granbury score three more times in the top of the sixth.

The Chiefs had only one hit the final four innings.

Said Manny Ramirez: "It is what it is."

[LKAjimmy]

Congratulations, A.J., on a great season and a remarkable playoff run!

[czar]

Wow! Congratulations, A.J., on a terrific post-season and your second BLA championship.

Though the Matadors had no better than the sixth-best record among the eight playoff teams, they galloped through the post-season, knocking off three 100-win teams (WEA Wood, LAG LilRascals and CHR Chiefs) along the way.
They are the first No. 4 seed to ever win the BLA World Series, and I don't think A.J. would mind my pointing this out now, but GBY's 90-72 regular season record is the worst ever to win the Series.
The Matadors' dash through the post-season, however, points out what a great equalizer the playoffs can be.

In four BLA seasons, A.J. has now won two World Series and three Oates Division titles.

How A.J. was able to put together his championship team stands as an example to all BLA managers that you don't need a juggernaut on paper to tweak your team for a run at the title. A.J. clearly had a strong nucleus coming back, including a few players who won the 2007 BLA championship. But he was wise enough to hold onto that nucleus and spend his draft picks on smoothing out the holes in his lineup.

The Matadors' first round pick in '09 was pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who went on to win 19 games for A.J.
In the second round, GBY took outfielder Randy Winn, who scored 103 runs and batted .288.
SS Cristian Guzman was A.J.'s third-round pick, and Guzman batted .309. He then used his 4th and 5th round picks to fill a void at 2B. The duet of Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles combined to bat .288 with a combined 36 doubles, 17 HRs and 97 RBIs.

He added that to a lineup and pitching staff that already included C.C. Sabathia (17-10), Derek Lowe (16-9), Brad Hawpe (30 HRs, 94 RBIs) and Alex Rodriguez (38 HRs, 125 RBIs), and it produced a worthy champion.

Our heartiest congratulations go out to A.J.

Congratulations, too, to Jeff Wilson, whose runnerup CHR Chiefs won 105 games during the regular season and reached the World Series for the second time.

[czar]

All-time BLA World Series results

2009 -- Granbury Matadors (A.J. Allen) def. Charlestown Chiefs (Jeff Wilson), 4 games to 2
2008 -- Arlington Daily Gnus (Gil LeBreton) def. Lake Arlington LandSharks (Jimmy Burch), 4 games to 1
2007 -- Granbury Matadors (A.J. Allen) def. White Rock Cosmos (Charles Polansky), 4 games to 3
2006 -- DeCordova Bend E-9s (Johnny Paul) def. New Orleans Voodoo (Rick Prieto), 4 games to 2
2005 -- Huntsville Executioners (Steve Campbell) def. Arlington Daily Gnus (Gil LeBreton), 4 games to 3
2004 -- Boston Green Monsters (John Miller) def. Arlington Daily Gnus (Gil LeBreton), 4 games to 1
2003 -- Maui Stingrays (Steve Campbell) def. Newmarket Stablelads (Simon Gonzalez), 4 games to 1
2002 -- Arlington Daily Gnus (Gil LeBreton) def. Newmarket Stablelads (Simon Gonzalez), 4 games to 1
2001 -- Arlington Daily Gnus (Gil LeBreton) def. Charlestown Chiefs (Jeff Wilson), 4 games to 1
2000 -- Arlington Daily Gnus (Gil LeBreton) def. LaGrange LilRascals (Alan Lehmann), 4 games to 1
1999 -- Cumberland Hillbillies (Tom Stokes) def. Arlington Daily Gnus (Gil LeBreton), 4 games to 2
1998 -- Lake Arlington LandSharks (Jimmy Burch) def. Cumberland Hillbillies (Tom Stokes), 4 games to 1
1997 -- New York Primal Screams (Steve Campbell) def. Arlington Daily Gnus (Gil LeBreton), 4 games to 1

[LAGalan]

Congrats, AJ. It was a year stacked with good teams. Yours played best. You deserved it.