2004 League Results

August 24: Savannah Wins World Series

The 2004 SJL playoffs began as the Savannah Carpetbaggers traveled to Caracas in a battle of division rivals. Polar Bear fans packed the stadium, expecting to see the league's best team take the first step on a championship run. The Big Unit had something to say about that, however, outdueling Caracas' Mark Buehrle 4-3 as Savannah took an early series lead. The Carpetbaggers seemed poised to stun Caracas, and take a two game lead in the Polar Bears hometown, when they built a 5-2 lead in the 8th inning of Game 2. However, Caracas loaded the bases against starter Jake Westbrook, and Savannah turned to lefty J.C. Romero out of the bullpen. Several pitches later Caracas shortstop Alex Gonzalez launched a grand slam that gave Caracas a 6-5 lead, which the bullpen held to tie the series. The series shifted to Savannah, and Caracas took a 2-1 lead in Game 3 as Zambrano outpitched Escobar 5-3. Game 4 was a slugfest, with both starters being knocked out early. In the bottom of the 9th, Eric Byrnes home run off Juan Rincon broke a 6-6 tie and gave the Carpetbaggers the win. The pivotal Game 5 was a rematch of the series opener, as Randy Johnson faced Mark Buehrle. The Unit did it again, outlasting Buehrle 5-3 to give the 'Baggers a 3-2 lead. Savannah got out on top early in Game 6, scoring four off of Tom Glavine while Jake Westbrook was strong, but the Polar Bears would not go quietly and staged a late inning rally. Miguel Cabrera's two run single made it 4-3 with one out, and brought the winning run to the plate in the form of Vladimir Guerrero. J.C. Romero, Game 2's goat, was once again summoned from the bullpen, and retired Guerrero and Aubrey Huff to give Savannah a World Series berth.

In the other semi-final, Northern Division foes Baltimore and Harrisburg faced off. The opener saw Baltimore's Rich Harden make his first postseason start against Harrisburg's playoff tested ace Kerry Wood. Spurred on by the home crowd, Harden was equal to the task, besting Wood 4-2. Game 2 was tied 3-3 in the 8th inning, when pinch hitter Bobby Crosby delivered a two run double. Hon closer Eric Gagne gave up a rare home run to Trot Nixon, but still managed to close the door on a 5-4 victory. The series shifted to Harrisburg with Baltimore enjoying a comfortable two game lead. Game 3 was also tied going into the late innings until Baltimore slugger Sammy Sosa launched a home run into the left field seats to give the Hons a 5-4 lead. Rafael Betancourt came out of the bullpen to grab the save, and Baltimore took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. The Heroes turned to Ryan Drese to keep their hopes alive in Game 4, and the young pitcher managed to keep his team in the ball game until a 7th inning rally put Harrisburg ahead. Harrisburg closer Billy Wagner nailed down the save, but not without some drama. Game 5 was a rematch of Game 1, Harden vs. Wood, and Harden once again outpiched his opponent. Derek Jeter and Carlos Lee both homered for the Hons in the 7-3 victory that sent Baltimore to the World Series.

All eyes were on the city of Baltimore as the Hons and Carpetbaggers prepared to meet in the 2004 SJL World Series. Savannah sent ace Randy Johnson to the mound, hoping to take an early lead as they had done in Caracas. Baltimore countered with Rich Harden, who once again outperformed a bigger name, beating Johnson 3-2 for his third postseason victory. A two game lead seemed assured for Baltimore when Scott Rolen's grand slam in Game 2 gave the Hons a three run lead. Eric Gagne took the hill with two runs to spare, but the Carpetbaggers torched the ace reliever for four runs as they stormed to a 9-6 come from behind victory. Still, even with the series heading back to Savannah, little had been done to stem Baltimore's momentum. Derek Jeter's grand slam in the 8th inning gave the Hons an 8-4 victory in Game 3. In Game 5, Pete Munro gave Baltimore a quality start against the dangerous Carpetbagger lineup, while Eric Gagne pitched two scoreless innings to save the 5-4 victory. The Baltimore Hons were now only one victory away from a championship, while the Carpetbaggers faced the prospect of needing to win three in a row. Jose Valentin's RBI single in the bottom of the 9th gave Savannah a Game 5 victory, and narrowed the series gap to 3-2. Still, with the series going back to Baltimore, and the Hons needing only a single win, confidence was high among Hon fans. Savannah took a 6-4 lead into the 9th inning in Game 6, but the Hons loaded the bases with two out. J.C. Romero walked in a run to cut the lead to 6-5, bringing up Carlos Lee. Savannah summoned Miller from the bullpen to face Lee, and, in perhaps the Series most dramatic moment, retired the dangerous slugger. A deciding Game 7 had been forced. Game 7 was never much in doubt. Kelvim Escobar pitched well for the Carpetbaggers, while the Savannah bats bounced Baltimore's Chan Ho Park early. Savannah celebrated a 7-3 victory, and a world championship, in front of the disappointed Baltimore crowd. Congratulations to the Savannah Carpetbaggers on their hard fought victory.

Northern_Standings,_Pitching___W___L___pct.__GB___ERA__CG_ShO__RS__Sv___IP_____R___ER___H___BA___BB___K__WP  1  Baltimore Hons            100  62  .617  -    3.96  0  13  5.3 56 1457.1  695 642 1475 .260 564 1194 49  7  Harrisburg Heroes          96  66  .593  4    3.90  5  16  5.2 49 1452    727 630 1398 .249 647 1101 50 11  Newark Five Spot           91  71  .562  9    4.11  7  12  5.5 39 1470.1  716 671 1470 .259 647 1108 52  3  Bird-In-Hand Hexers        87  75  .537 13    4.33  3  12  4.9 51 1447.1  755 697 1469 .260 583 1007 43  9  Moline Greens              82  80  .506 18    3.95  9  12  4.3 47 1447.1  714 635 1354 .244 641 1292 36 15  London Rippers             81  81  .500 19    4.10  2   3  4.7 47 1438    745 655 1453 .260 615 1038 41  5  Chicago Cockroaches        77  85  .475 23    4.41  6  10  4.4 50 1464.1  765 718 1471 .258 610 1257 38 13  Hagerstown Hobgoblins      75  87  .463 25    4.97  3   9  4.4 38 1447    857 799 1562 .273 667 1067 64   Southern_Standings,_Pitching___W___L___pct.__GB___ERA__CG_ShO__RS__Sv___IP_____R___ER___H___BA___BB___K__WP  2  Caracas PolarBears        106  56  .654  -    3.19  9  19  4.9 49 1463    571 518 1237 .227 664 1312 46 10  Savannah Carpetbaggers     94  68  .580 12    3.69 12  15  5.9 32 1450    649 595 1393 .251 580 1191 55  6  Kansas City Whirlwind      81  81  .500 25    4.66 12   9  5.1 42 1453    816 753 1569 .273 615  980 30 12  St. Louis Sprockets        76  86  .469 30    4.37 11   7  4.3 34 1444    766 701 1468 .259 512 1113 42  4  Florida Panthers           74  88  .457 32    4.87  5   8  4.6 46 1442.1  843 781 1548 .273 625 1127 58 14  Ft. Lauderdales Clementes  70  92  .432 36    4.84  6  17  4.3 38 1434.2  818 771 1530 .272 609 1134 52 16  New Orleans Hurlers        57 105  .352 49    4.84  5   9  4.0 29 1434.1  867 771 1528 .271 639 1092 66  8  Raleigh Renegades          49 113  .302 57    5.04  4   6  3.5 22 1442.2  876 808 1567 .275 610  951 54   ____AB____R____H___D___T__HR__RBI__BA__SlgA__OBA__BB___K___SH__F_SF_GDP__SB__CS__LOB__OP__DP__E__OSB_OCS_PB  1 5677  859 1531 329 15 233  846 .270 .456 .348 707 1176  58 23 46 132  66  25 1313 153 117  88  54  17 11  7 5686  844 1564 318 40 197  830 .275 .449 .349 674 1258  72 26 48 103 136  45 1320 160  98 131  79  29 17 11 5799  888 1580 332 27 220  876 .272 .453 .342 642  984  44 15 50 118 150  33 1273 192 118 109  54  22  3  3 5653  793 1515 260 23 205  773 .268 .431 .335 597 1262  78 28 63  97 117  42 1277 170 111  97  54  18 13  9 5632  699 1453 267 25 150  688 .258 .394 .323 563 1021  61 23 48 119  48   8 1277 158 104 116  50  26 11 15 5556  760 1428 287 38 187  749 .257 .423 .330 625 1066  80 28 47 121  27  12 1232 115 134 136  73  30 16  5 5672  712 1445 274 34 176  698 .255 .408 .320 570 1054  80 27 48 122  53  17 1251 157  91 106  65  18  7 13 5642  720 1470 308 34 183  707 .261 .424 .328 589 1065  96 38 45 131  14   6 1287 132 111 120  56  21 12    2 5614  797 1480 290 30 218  782 .264 .442 .332 598 1004 113 36 38  96  59  27 1233 162 116  97  47  27 16 10 5690  952 1585 321 26 265  938 .279 .484 .370 850 1089  60 20 49 158  36   3 1391 142 139  97  61  17  7  6 5699  824 1503 274 20 249  815 .264 .450 .331 590 1258  91 32 35 100  61  12 1232 148 132 119  46  13  6 12 5556  690 1427 291 23 141  678 .257 .394 .327 600  999 100 39 47 114  57  21 1273 138 106 134  57  16  8  4 5653  741 1468 309 20 188  730 .260 .421 .331 626 1065  65 28 43 106  42  29 1297 122 123  83  60  21  8 14 5589  689 1420 278 35 194  676 .254 .420 .312 490 1224  88 34 46  94  55  20 1186 165 114  86  78  22 16 16 5564  640 1328 257 24 168  623 .239 .384 .315 637 1225  65 30 38 112  38  19 1288 158 100 124  73  27 20  8 5552  572 1295 248 20 128  558 .233 .354 .292 470 1214  85 30 32 102  29  22 1148 126 111 122  81  17 13   1  Al Melchior               4-2:  13 5-4, 13 5-4, 13 0-9, @11 7-4, @11 3-11, @11 10-4(10).  7  Dave Hess                 3-3:  11 3-5, 11 5-13, 11 7-5, 13 7-0, 13 2-8, 13 4-3. 11  John Reggio               3-3:  @7 5-3, @7 13-5, @7 5-7, 1 4-7, 1 11-3, 1 4-10(10).  3  Peter Hess                5-1:  @15 4-0, @15 6-4, @15 7-6, 9 7-0, 9 5-0, 9 7-8(10).  9  Rolf Samuels              2-4:  5 1-12, 5 0-6, 5 2-1, @3 0-7, @3 0-5, @3 8-7(10). 15  Bill Young                1-5:  3 0-4, 3 4-6, 3 6-7, 5 0-1, 5 1-3, 5 6-5.  5  Mike Isaacs               4-2:  @9 12-1, @9 6-0, @9 1-2, @15 1-0, @15 3-1, @15 5-6. 13  Doug Krippendorf          2-4:  @1 4-5, @1 4-5, @1 9-0, @7 0-7, @7 8-2, @7 3-4.    2  Ron Young                 4-2:  @14 3-4, @14 6-1, @14 12-4, @12 3-1, @12 2-0, @12 4-10. 10  Dan Skidmore-Hess         3-3:  @6 7-3, @6 17-3, @6 5-2, @4 2-3, @4 4-5, @4 4-6.  6  Nils Samuels              2-4:  10 3-7, 10 3-17, 10 2-5, @16 0-1(11), @16 18-1, @16 4-1. 12  Kip Welborn               3-3:  @8 3-2, @8 2-3(11), @8 1-0, 2 1-3, 2 0-2, 2 10-4.  4  Ron Cox                   5-1:  @16 4-1, @16 0-4, @16 2-0, 10 3-2, 10 5-4, 10 6-4. 14  Manny Rosario / Felo Rosa 2-4:  2 4-3, 2 1-6, 2 4-12, @8 2-3, @8 0-8, @8 1-0. 16  Rod Rebuck                2-4:  4 1-4, 4 4-0, 4 0-2, 6 1-0(11), 6 1-18, 6 1-4.  8  Nick Shosho               3-3:  12 2-3, 12 3-2(11), 12 0-1, 14 3-2, 14 8-0, 14 0-1.  ____________________After_7_-_Ahead__Tied_Behind__1-Run_Ex.In.__v.RHP_v.LHP  1  Baltimore Hons            76- 4 14- 8 10-50   27-23  8- 7   71-46 29-16  7  Harrisburg Heroes         77- 5 13- 6  6-55   20-17  7- 8   65-45 31-21 11  Newark Five Spot          77- 9  8-11  6-51   23-25 12-10   65-42 26-29  3  Bird-In-Hand Hexers       72- 3 12- 9  3-63   23-21  4- 7   64-46 23-29  9  Moline Greens             68- 4 12- 8  2-68   34-26  6- 7   62-60 20-20 15  London Rippers            62- 3 10- 9  9-69   25-25  9- 4   57-65 24-16  5  Chicago Cockroaches       59- 4  9-14  9-67   27-23 10-11   57-65 20-20 13  Hagerstown Hobgoblins     58-12  9- 7  8-68   21-25  8- 8   57-67 18-20    2  Caracas PolarBears        75- 5 18- 5 13-46   36-20 12- 3   76-43 30-13 10  Savannah Carpetbaggers    79-10 10-10  5-48   15-26  7-10   65-46 29-22  6  Kansas City Whirlwind     69- 8  8-19  4-54   27-22  8-11   54-50 27-31 12  St. Louis Sprockets       59-13  7-15 10-58   28-26  4-10   50-61 26-25  4  Florida Panthers          53- 8 10- 9 11-71   23-21  6- 5   46-62 28-26 14  Ft. Lauderdales Clementes 57- 9  8-12  5-71   25-30  6- 5   51-69 19-23 16  New Orleans Hurlers       42- 5  9-12  6-88   17-28  5- 7   42-67 15-38  8  Raleigh Renegades         29-13 12-15  8-85   17-30 10- 9   31-80 18-33  ______________________________vs.1__vs.7__vs.11_vs.3__vs.9__vs.15_vs.5__vs.13___vs.2__vs.10_vs.6__vs.12_vs.4__vs.14_vs.16_vs.8_  1  Baltimore Hons              -    9-3   6-6   8-4  10-2   5-7   5-7   7-5     6-3   5-5   6-4   6-4   5-5   8-2   5-4   9-1   7  Harrisburg Heroes          3-9    -    4-8   8-4   8-4   9-3   6-6   6-6     2-8   5-5   6-3   9-1   6-4   9-1  10-0   5-4  11  Newark Five Spot           6-6   8-4    -    9-3   3-9   7-5   5-7  10-2     2-8   5-4   5-5   2-7   7-3   6-4   7-3   9-1   3  Bird-In-Hand Hexers        4-8   4-8   3-9    -    7-5   8-4   8-4   7-5     6-3   3-7   6-4   6-4   5-4   7-3   7-3   6-4   9  Moline Greens              2-10  4-8   9-3   5-7    -    6-6   6-6   5-7     5-5   5-4   6-4   7-3   4-6   5-5   7-3   6-3  15  London Rippers             7-5   3-9   5-7   4-8   6-6    -    7-5   8-4     2-8   5-5   4-6   6-4   4-6   6-3   7-2   7-3   5  Chicago Cockroaches        7-5   6-6   7-5   4-8   6-6   5-7    -    4-8     3-7   2-8   5-4   5-5   4-5   7-3   6-4   6-4  13  Hagerstown Hobgoblins      5-7   6-6   2-10  5-7   7-5   4-8   8-4    -      3-7   3-7   4-6   5-4   8-2   6-3   3-7   6-4     2  Caracas PolarBears         3-6   8-2   8-2   3-6   5-5   8-2   7-3   7-3      -    9-3   7-5   7-5  10-2   7-5  10-2   7-5  10  Savannah Carpetbaggers     5-5   5-5   4-5   7-3   4-5   5-5   8-2   7-3     3-9    -    9-3   6-6   8-4   5-7   8-4  10-2   6  Kansas City Whirlwind      4-6   3-6   5-5   4-6   4-6   6-4   4-5   6-4     5-7   3-9    -    6-6   7-5   7-5   8-4   9-3  12  St. Louis Sprockets        4-6   1-9   7-2   4-6   3-7   4-6   5-5   4-5     5-7   6-6   6-6    -    8-4   5-7   7-5   7-5   4  Florida Panthers           5-5   4-6   3-7   4-5   6-4   6-4   5-4   2-8     2-10  4-8   5-7   4-8    -    6-6   6-6  12-0  14  Ft. Lauderdales Clementes  2-8   1-9   4-6   3-7   5-5   3-6   3-7   3-6     5-7   7-5   5-7   7-5   6-6    -    9-3   7-5  16  New Orleans Hurlers        4-5   0-10  3-7   3-7   3-7   2-7   4-6   7-3     2-10  4-8   4-8   5-7   6-6   3-9    -    7-5   8  Raleigh Renegades          1-9   4-5   1-9   4-6   3-6   3-7   4-6   4-6     5-7   2-10  3-9   5-7   0-12  5-7   5-7    -    ________Runs____________________Hits_________________Home_Runs____________Runs_Batted_In___ 10 Bonds,Ba      164     3 Suzuki,Ic     268    10 Bonds,Ba      52    15 Ramirez,Ma    142 11 Abreu,Bo      135     2 Guerrero,Vl   217    12 Pujols,Al     47    10 Konerko,Pa    135  1 Jeter,De      131    14 Young,Mi      210     3 Dunn,Ad       47    10 Alou,Mo       135  1 Helton,To     125    13 Tejada,Mi     210    10 Konerko,Pa    44     2 Guerrero,Vl   130  6 Rodriguez,Al  124    11 Kendall,Ja    207    15 Ramirez,Ma    44    12 Pujols,Al     130 15 Damon,Jo      122     1 Jeter,De      206    11 Beltran,Ca    42     3 Dunn,Ad       129 11 Beltran,Ca    122     1 Helton,To     204    10 Alou,Mo       41     1 Lee,Ca        119 10 Alou,Mo       119    15 Damon,Jo      196     2 Guerrero,Vl   40     1 Rolen,Sc      118 10 Konerko,Pa    117    12 Pujols,Al     195    14 Burnitz,Je    39    11 Beltran,Ca    116 13 Tejada,Mi     117    14 Rollins,Ji    193     6 Rodriguez,Al  38     1 Helton,To     116 12 Pujols,Al     116     3 Lopez,Ja      191     6 Ramirez,Ar    38    10 Bonds,Ba      114  3 Suzuki,Ic     114     1 Lee,Ca        191     6 Thome,Ji      37    10 Kent,Je       113 15 Ramirez,Ma    114     2 Huff,Au       189     1 Rolen,Sc      36     7 Drew,J.       113  2 Guerrero,Vl   114     6 Rodriguez,Iv  189         5 tied with 35    13 Tejada,Mi     112  3 Dunn,Ad       113    10 Alou,Mo       185                            6 Ramirez,Ar    111 13 Matsui,Hi     111         2 tied with 184                           14 Burnitz,Je    109  ___Batting_Average__________Slugging_Average_________On_Base_Average___________Stolen_Bases____ 10 Bonds,Ba      .374    10 Bonds,Ba      .836    10 Bonds,Ba      .616     3 Suzuki,Ic      48  3 Suzuki,Ic     .371    12 Pujols,Al     .646     1 Helton,To     .467    11 Abreu,Bo       44  1 Helton,To     .347     1 Helton,To     .622     4 Berkman,La    .446    11 Beltran,Ca     39  2 Guerrero,Vl   .332    15 Ramirez,Ma    .605     7 Drew,J.       .437     1 Jeter,De       36  6 Rodriguez,Iv  .331     1 Rolen,Sc      .591    11 Abreu,Bo      .431     9 Furcal,Ra      36 11 Kendall,Ja    .325     6 Ramirez,Ar    .587    12 Pujols,Al     .412    14 Rollins,Ji     35 12 Pujols,Al     .324     2 Guerrero,Vl   .586     3 Suzuki,Ic     .411    11 Roberts,Br     34  6 Ramirez,Ar    .322     6 Thome,Ji      .582     1 Rolen,Sc      .407     6 Rodriguez,Al   32  3 Lopez,Ja      .316     7 Drew,J.       .574     2 Klesko,Ry     .404     7 Patterson,Co   30  4 Berkman,La    .316     3 Dunn,Ad       .571    11 Kendall,Ja    .404     7 Giles,Ma       25  1 Rowand,Aa     .313    10 Alou,Mo       .570     6 Thome,Ji      .403    15 Damon,Jo       24 15 Guillen,Ca    .311     4 Berkman,La    .561    13 Hafner,Tr     .403     1 Castillo,Lu    23  1 Rolen,Sc      .310    11 Beltran,Ca    .561    15 Ramirez,Ma    .401     7 Lugo,Ju        22  1 Lee,Ca        .310    14 Burnitz,Je    .559    10 Varitek,Ja    .396    12 Rivas,Lu       21 12 Kotsay,Ma     .309    10 Konerko,Pa    .549     2 Guerrero,Vl   .390     6 Baldelli,Ro    20      2 tied with .307     1 Rowand,Aa     .547     8 Chavez,Er     .387     4 Renteria,Ed    20  ________Wins_____________Earned_Run_Average____________Saves________________Strikeouts_____ 10 Johnson,Ra    24     6 Peavy,Ja      2.19     2 Cordero,Fr    44    10 Johnson,Ra    317  2 Glavine,To    18    10 Johnson,Ra    2.51     4 Dotel,Oc      43    12 Sheets,Be     276  1 Thomson,Jo    17     2 Zambrano,Ca   2.71     1 Gagne,Er      41    12 Schmidt,Ja    270  2 Zambrano,Ca   17    12 Sheets,Be     2.80     9 Riske,Da      40     9 Martinez,Pe   253  7 Marquis,Ja    17    11 Clemens,Ro    2.90     5 Benitez,Ar    39     9 Perez,Ol      253  9 Martinez,Pe   16     9 Perez,Ol      2.97     3 Hoffman,Tr    39    11 Clemens,Ro    240 10 Westbrook,Ja  16     2 Glavine,To    3.20    15 Percival,Tr   33    10 Escobar,Ke    215 11 Ortiz,Ru      16    10 Westbrook,Ja  3.26     7 Wagner,Bi     32     4 Oswalt,Ro     213  3 Colon,Ba      15     2 Buehrle,Ma    3.34    16 Smoltz,Jo     24     5 Garcia,Fr     201  2 Buehrle,Ma    15     2 Clement,Ma    3.34    11 Koplove,Mi    18     2 Clement,Ma    193  7 Sabathia,C.   15     1 Harden,Ri     3.41     6 Ginter,Ma     17     2 Zambrano,Ca   189  6 Hernandez,Li  15    12 Schmidt,Ja    3.41    14 Lidge,Br      14     1 Harden,Ri     187 11 Clemens,Ro    15     4 Oswalt,Ro     3.42     6 Biddle,Ro     13     6 Hernandez,Li  183 12 Schmidt,Ja    15    13 Perez,Od      3.46    13 Witasick,Ja   10    14 Lidge,Br      183 15 Weaver,Je     15     1 Thomson,Jo    3.51     7 Mesa,Jo        9     6 Peavy,Ja      182  4 Oswalt,Ro     15     9 Martinez,Pe   3.56         4 tied with  8    16 Bonderman,Je  180