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