xiberger Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 Game 158: Diamondbacks (82-75) @ Dodgers (91-66) D'backs Edge Dodgers In Extra Innings Left: Luis Castillo drove in all three runs for the D'backs; Right: Aaron Rowand robs Barry Bonds of extra bases. Roger Clemens of the Dodgers and Mike Hampton of the Diamondbacks turned the game into a real pitchers' duel. Both starters surrendered just one run on three hits, although Clemens stayed on the mound three innings longer than his opponent. The Dodgers opened the scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning on Kenny Lofton's two-out RBI single. However, the visitors from Arizona quickly replied in the very next frame. Luis Castillo tied the game with his 13th home run of the year. After eight innings, both teams only had three hits. In the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers had runners on first and third with just one out, but Greg Myers grounded into a double play to end the inning. Clemens was finally pulled for pinch hitter Jose Vizcaino in the tenth. "It was my last chance to win this year's Cy Young Award", the Rocket commented on his longest appearance of the year. "Unfortunately, it didn't turn out the way I had planned." In the 13th inning, the D'backs scored two runs on Castillo's third hit of the night. Although the Dodgers managed to score one run in the bottom of the inning, it was not enough to keep the game going. In the end, Arizona's Troy Percival recorded his fourth win of the year, and Jesse Crain got his first save in the big leagues. The loss put LA one game behind Colorado in the NL West, but Clemens & Co. need just one more win to clinch a playoff berth. Boxscore: ARI 3 – LAD 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 Game 159: Diamondbacks (83-75) @ Dodgers (91-67) Mission Accomplished! LA Clinches Playoff Spot Left: 2B Jose Vizcaino dives and comes up with the ball; Right: The Dodgers celebrate making it to the playoffs. The Dodgers have succeeded in achieving their main goal for the 2005 season - to make it to the playoffs. They did so by winning another thrilling extra-inning battle with the D'backs, 1-0. Center fielder Kenny Lofton broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the tenth inning to drive in the game's only run. With a runner on third base and two outs, Lofton lined a ball to right field. Arizona's second baseman Luis Castillo dove for it, but could not make the catch. "Sometimes one hit is all you need", Lofton smiled after the game. Once more, both teams pitched excellent, shutting down the opposing side over nine innings. Kevin Brown started the game for the home team, while Joel Pineiro took the mound for the visitors. In only his second start after the injury [a fractured leg], Brown gave a convincing performance by pitching seven fabulous innings in which he allowed just three hits. "I'm feeling absolutely great", the right-handed hurler stated afterwards. "My leg isn't a problem anymore, and now I'm looking forward to showing my stuff in the playoffs." Ultimately, the game boiled down to a duel of the closers as LA's Trevor Hoffman and Arizona's Troy Percival faced each other in the tenth inning. Whereas Hoffman had no trouble retiring the side, Percival could not keep the Dodgers from scoring the game-winning run. After Lofton's walk-off hit, his teammates stormed the field in celebration. "It's a big night for my players, and I'm very proud of them", manager Jim Tracy said at the press conference. "And all of you who thought they were too old, think again!" Boxscore: ARI 0 – LAD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RmembrZito75 Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Congrats on making the playoffs man. Good luck winning the World Series! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro23 Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Post Season... Here you come. Congrats man and good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfgiantsflgators Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 well damn :razz: congrats on sticking with this thing and achieving a playoff birth...if only i could wish you luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 26, 2007 Author Share Posted March 26, 2007 Thanks for the kind words, guys. I'll do my best in the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 26, 2007 Author Share Posted March 26, 2007 Update: In Game 1 against the D'backs, catcher Benito Santiago suffered a minor PCL strain. He'll miss the rest of the regular season, but should be available again in the NLDS. On a side note, the NL East is preparing for a huge showdown. The Phillies and the Nationals are tied for the divsion lead (88-71) with a three-game series at RFK Stadium coming up. The winner take it all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 27, 2007 Author Share Posted March 27, 2007 Game 160: Dodgers (92-67) @ Padres (65-94) Frisky Friars Win On Rally In Sixth Left: Moises Alou watches his two-run homer in the sixth inning; Right: The Padres leave the field after the win. A sixth-inning rally propelled the Padres to a 4-3 victory over the Dodgers. In front of a sold out crowd at Petco Park, the home team scored all four runs on long balls, all coming off LA's starting pitcher Kenny Rogers. The lefty had been in control of the Friars over five innings, but got pounded in the sixth. Pinch hitter Bernie Williams started the frame with his seventh home run of the year. Two batters later, Moises Alou hammered a two-run bomb into the seats, and Adam Melhuse capped a big inning for SD with another solo shot. The game had started well for the Dodgers who scored a pair in the fourth inning and one run in the sixth. Barry Bonds, Greg Myers, and Larry Walker accounted for the visiting team's three-run lead after six innings. Up to that point, Rogers had not allowed much for the Padres. He had given up just four hits and struck out three batters before the hosts finally awoke from their sleep. "All of a sudden, I couldn't get the ball past the hitter", Rogers said after the game. In the ninth inning, the Padres handed the ball to Eric Gagne. The closer surrendered a lead-off hit to Frank Thomas, but his defense helped him out in the next at-bat. Greg Myers' ground ball was turned into a double play by SD's infield, bringing the Dodgers down to their last out. Vinny Castilla then flied out to left field to end the game. Gagne earned his 41st save of the season, and starter Jake Westbrook was awarded with his ninth win. Boxscore: LAD 3 – SD 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac51 Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Good Luck for the Playoffs!!! Viel Glück für die Play-Offs auch aus dem fernen Deutschland ;-))) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 27, 2007 Author Share Posted March 27, 2007 Game 161: Dodgers (92-68) @ Padres (66-94) Knuckler Wakefield Destroys Dodgers Again Left: CF Jermaine Dye is tagged out at home plate; Right: SP Tim Wakefield once more dominated the Dodgers. For the second time of the season, LA's Steve Sparks and SD's Tim Wakefield faced each other in a knuckleball duel. And once again, it was Wakefield who left the field victorious. Although he gave up a run in the game's opening inning, Wakefield dominated the visiting team and finally improved to 4-0 against the Dodgers in 2005. "He's one of toughest pitchers to hit in all of baseball", LA's outfielder Larry Walker commented on Wakefield after going 0-for-2 with a walk against the opposing starter. The Friars replied instantly to LA's early lead. The home team scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Veteran Moises Alou tied the game with an RBI single, bringing home lead-off hitter Placido Polanco from third base. Gerald Laird and Jermaine Dye also drove in one run each during that inning, and Alex Gonzalez's base hit would have scored a pair if it had not been for Kenny Lofton's strong throw to home plate. The center fielder got the ball to catcher Greg Myers just in time to tag out Dye, thus limiting Gonzalez to only one RBI. After a rocky start, Sparks eventually settled in, shutting down the Padres over the next five innings. However, he allowed another runner to score in the seventh when Miguel Cairo made it 5-1 for SD with an RBI double. Despite picking up his third defeat in a row, Sparks tried to focus on the positive aspects of his outstanding year. "I'm still very happy with my performance in 2005", the 40-year-old told the press. Sparks finishes the regular season with a record of 11-7, and his 2.48 ERA ranks second-best among all Major League starting pitchers. Boxscore: LAD 1 – SD 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 27, 2007 Author Share Posted March 27, 2007 Update: A long season is coming to an end. With only one game left in the regular season, the playoff spots have been filled. In a dramatic finale at RFK Stadium, the Nationals have won the first two games of the series to clinch the NL East. They will face the winner of the NL West, since the Cardinals (winner of the NL Central) have the best record of all NL teams and therefore will play the Wild Card team. In the AL, the Athletics, the Royals, the Twins (Wild Card), and the Devil Rays will advance to the postseason. Despite having dropped the last two games against the Padres, my Dodgers still have a chance of winning the title in the NL West. If we win the last game and the Rockies lose in New York, it's party time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfgiantsflgators Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 if the baseball gods are listening, please lead the rockies to victory congrats on getting to the end of the season. thanks for sticking with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 28, 2007 Author Share Posted March 28, 2007 thanks for sticking with it. Right back at ya! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ro290190 Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Number1 on things that you will never see! Update: the Royals, and the Devil Rays will advance to the postseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 28, 2007 Author Share Posted March 28, 2007 Game 162: Dodgers (92-69) @ Padres (67-94) Golden Boys Win Game And Division Title Left: Eric Young drew one of three bases-loaded walks in the 13th inning; Right: Mark Guthrie recorded the win. With a heart-stopping 3-1 win over the Padres, the Dodgers claimed the NL West division title in the final game of the 2005 regular season. After nine innings, both teams had scored five runs each, thus forcing a decision in extra innings. LA's closer Trevor Hoffman loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eleventh inning, but relief pitcher Mark Guthrie managed to retire the side and keep the game going. "I came into the game facing a very difficult situation", Guthrie stated afterwards. "Lucky for me, things turned out pretty well." In the twelfth inning, SD's Brad Lidge - who had been amazing up to that point - allowed two Dodgers to get on base. With runners on first and second and two outs, the Padres went to their reliever Dave Borkowski. Unfortunately for the home team, the right-hander did not have nerves of steel like Guthrie had displayed the inning before. Borkowski walked four (!) straight batters, thus allowing three runs to score for LA. "You could see that he [borkowski] was nervous when he came to the mound", Frank Thomas said. "All we had to do was sit in the batter's box and wait." Guthrie stayed in the game in the bottom of the twelfth inning, trying to seal the deal for the Dodgers. Even though the Friars scored another run off the lefty, Guthrie finally recorded the game-ending out to start the celebrations. Due to Colorado's 1-4 defeat in New York, LA literally won the division in the last minute. "We struggled mightily over the last couple of weeks", Dodgers manager Jim Tracy admitted. "But, all in all, I think we deserve to be on top of the NL West because we've had a tremendous year. And it's not over yet..." Boxscore: LAD 8 – SD 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEOLINK Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 wow very nice playoff spot win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred13 Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 I'm not sure if I've posted here, but I've been following this dynasty and i must say xiberger, it has been quite a good one. I commend you for being able to stick through an entire season and I can't wait to see what happens in the playoffs. Best of Luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfgiantsflgators Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Golden Boys Win Game And Division Title boooo! :toothless: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac51 Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Game 162: Dodgers (92-69) @ Padres (67-94) Golden Boys Win Game And Division Title Herzlichen Glückwunsch!!! Well done!!! Good luck for the playoffs!!! Alles Gute!!! Sac51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 28, 2007 Author Share Posted March 28, 2007 As you might have already seen, I've uploaded all the player/team pages from this dynasty. You can access them by clicking on a player's name in any of the boxscores. I'm going to upload a season wrapup later today. It will include the final standings and the various season awards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsox Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Hey xiberger, This is a nicely executed dynasty. Very well done. BTW, was Fred McGriff able to get to 500 HRs? I can't find him in the big league roster. Did you send him down? Also, the minor leagues don't seem to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 McGriff was traded to the Indians as part of the Maddux-Thomas trade around the All-Star break. You can find his player page here. Unfortunately, the Crime Dog could not reach the 500 HR mark in 2005. The home run he hit for my Dodgers remained his only long ball of the season. btw, something seems to have been wrong with the team pages. I reuploaded the pages and it should work now. I didn't upload the minor pages because I don't really care about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 Standings, Stats & Scores: Hall of Fame: CP Trevor Hoffman Hall of Shame: 3B Vinny Castilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superciuc Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 How about season awards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiberger Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 2005 Wrapup: Final Standings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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