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World Series, 2004 |
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In 2002, the Golden Falcons were
heavily favored after setting a DMBL
record by going an astounding 120-42 in the regular season, but the
Sugar Bears shocked them in five; in 2003, the Sugar Bears were heavily
favored as they attempted to become the first team in DMBL history to
win three straight league titles, but were burned by the Golden Falcons
in an epic seven-game series. This year, however, the two teams
appeared almost perfectly matched: The Golden Falcons went 100-62, the
Sugar Bears right behind them at 99-63. The Sugar Bears appeared to
have the edge in offense; the Golden Falcons had the better starting
rotation. Each had an excellent bullpen and a veteran coaching staff.
They had split their regular-season encounters, six games apiece, with
each team going 4-2 at home. And both had slipped into the World Series
only after surviving a scary seven-game series with a tenacious
underdog. The Las Vegas line read "pick 'em" as the curtain drew back
for the 13th Diamond Mind Baseball League Championship. Game 1: It's On! Newark owner Craig
"Butch" Garretson was optimistic before Game 1. "I actually like
being the road team, because all you have to do is split," Garretson
said. "And it's a lot easier to win out of two on the road than to win
two in a row at home." Garretson's words would prove prophetic as the
home field would turn out to be no advantage at all in this wild
series. Meanwhile, Arkansas owner Mike "Stump"
Matiash seemed more concerned about who would throw out the
ceremonial first pitch. "Damn it, I made all my former players into
coaches," Matiash mused. "Brian Harper, Bret Saberhagen, Dan Wilson,
Trevor Hoffman, Barry Larkin, Rob Dibble...
Does anyone have the phone number for Kurt
Manwaring?" Eventually, though, Matiash would give the honor to a
true Golden Falcon great, Bip Roberts, who hit
.334 (.431 OBP) with 251 hits and 43 doubles in 1993.
Shields' post-season went from a "C"
to an "F" in the blink of an eye. Getting it started was a guy who
knows all about post-season pressure, veteran lead-off man Kenny Lofton, who wears five DMBL championship
rings as a member of the '98, '99 and '03 Golden Falcons, plus Meanwhile, Pedro appeared to be on
cruise control. After committing the cardinal sin of pitching --
walking the first batter of the game -- Martinez retired the next three
Sugar Bears in a row. He ran into a bit of trouble in the 2nd inning,
giving up a lead-off single to Greg Myers, but
again made it look like he'd dodge that bullet by quickly retiring the
next two batters, and getting ahead of rookie Hideki
Matsui with two inside fastballs for called strikes. But Matsui
tenaciously hung in there, fouling off pitch after pitch before finally
lining a slider on the outside corner just inside the third base bag
for a double, putting runners on the corners. Carlos
Guillen then laced a line drive one hop off the wall, bringing home
Myers, but Berkman nailed Matsui at the plate with a terrific throw
from left field to end the inning. The crowd was still murmuring about
all those Sugar Bear line drives when they came up again in the top of
the 3rd and again Martinez allowed the lead-off runner to touch first
base --
and second and third and home, as Bobby Abreu rocketed
a 2-0 pitch over the batter's eye in center field to cut the deficit to
4-2. After getting the next batter, Pedro was pummeled into submission
with a single by Jim Thome, a double by Bill Mueller, a two-RBI single by Myers, a walk
to Manny Ramirez and an RBI single by Chipper Jones. Suddenly it was a 5-4 Sugar Bear
lead and now Pedro was the one taking an early shower. Newark was able
to tack on another run when Matsui greeted Kevin
Brown with an RBI ground-out, but then Brown struck out Guillen to
finally close out the five-run inning. The two teams took a break from
scoring in the 4th, but it was right back to the action in the next
inning when Ramirez led off the 5th with a walk and advanced to second
on a Jones single. Reliever Damaso Marte
appeared to dodge a bullet when he got Matsui to ground into a 6-4-3
double play, moving Ramirez to third, but Guillen got the run in anyway
by smashing a double in the gap, making it 7-4. Abreu then walked, but
Marte then got a fly out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 5th,
Bonds slammed his second home run of the game -- a solo shot off Newark
reliever Tim Spooneybarger -- to make it a
two-run game again, but Matsui responded with a solo shot of his own in
the top of the 9th to run the score up to 8-5. In the bottom of the
9th, closer John Smoltz came on to slam the
door but -- Game 2: A Gem From Jerome You can't blame Newark manager Don Mattingly
for feeling like he was playing with house money before Game 2 in
Quisenberry Memorial Field. "The worst we can do is go back home
even-up," he said. "And the best we can do... I don't even want to
think about it." But Arkansas manager George Brett
was feeling the pressure. "Game 2 is too early to be using the words
'must win,' but this is a must win," Brett said. "We're home and we've
got the guy who should win the Most Valuable Pitcher Award on the
mound. If we head into Newark down 0-2, I really doubt we'll be coming
back home." After the ceremonial first pitch was tossed out by Arkansas
native Billy Bob Thornton, Brett's personal
choice for the McDonald Award,
Curt Schilling Game 3: We're Not Dead Yet!
Game 4: Who's Your Daddy?
Game 5: Back to Arkansas
"This is the pivotal game of the series," Newark play-by-play man Mike Francesa said before Game 5. "Whoever loses
Game 5 will need to win two in a row if they want to close this thing
out and I just don't see that happening. If Newark wins tonight they
win it in six; if Arkansas wins tonight they win it in seven." The game
would be a rematch of Game 2
starters Jerome Williams and Curt Schilling, and former Golden Falcon Tom Candiotti got it started with a knuckleball
fluttering over home plate for the ceremonial first pitch.
Game 6: No Exit in New Jersey Oddly enough, the Sugar Bears had never won the final game of a World
Series in front of their home
fans, winning the final game in Vancouver in 1997 and in 2001, and in
Arkansas in 2002. In fact, the only World Series to end in Newark
was their disappointing defeat at the hands of these same Golden
Falcons a year before, and the Sugar Bears hungered to erase the
humiliating memory of watching an opposing team celebrating on their
field by ending the series tonight with a home win. But Arkansas didn't
mind a return trip to Newark; after all, they'd pounded out 9 runs here
in Game
3, and 9 more in Game 4,
so the friendly confines of the Cereal Bowl were certainly to their
liking. They also liked the return of southpaw Eric
DuBose, who they'd tagged for 5 runs, 8 hits and 3 walks in 6.1
innings in Game 3.
Game 7: Road Rules
So far, the road team had won every game in the series, a league first
-- and especially odd considering that the Sugar Bears and Golden
Falcons were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in home winning percentage this
season. Could the Sugar Bears continue the "road warrior" series and
win Game 7 in Arkansas? Or would the Golden Falcons finally use
home-field advantage and defend their nest? With all three previous
games in Quisenberry Memorial Field settled by a two-run margin,
prognosticators were expecting yet another gritty, hard-fought game.
Some predicted another nail-biting pitcher's duel, as in Game 2
and Game
5; others foresaw another knock-down slugfest like Game 1
or Game
3. The Sugar Bears hoped it would be more like the latter as they
were sending a shell-shocked Scot Shields Updating the Record Books This was the first World Series in
DMBL history in which every game was won by the road team. (Though in 1996
-- Arkansas over the Austin Outlaws -- every game was won by the home
team.) It was also the first World Series that featured the same two
teams facing each other for the third straight year. Newark became just
the second team to play in four consecutive World Series -- Arkansas is
the other team, having played every year between 1992 and 1996 (no
World Series was played in 1995 due to the strike). But Arkansas went
2-2 over its four-series stretch, while Newark went 3-1. In the
all-time
standings, the Sugar Bears are now second with four league
championships, one behind Arkansas and one ahead of the Vancouver Iron
Fist; the only other team in DMBL history to win a World Series is the
Jerusalem Rabbis
(now known as the Stanhope Mighty Men). Newark's 17-1 win in Game 7
was the most lopsided victory in World Series history and tied for the
all-time record for most runs scored in a World Series (Arkansas blew
out the Iron Fist, 17-3, in Game 3 of the 1994
championship). Newark's 17 runs were most scored in any post-season
game in the DMB Era (1997-present), and was the most runs scored in the
post-season since
Austin crushed Vancouver, 23-2, in Game 6 of the first round of the
1996 playoffs... Newark and Arkansas combined for 80 runs, the
second-most ever
scored in a series in the DMB Era; they averaged 11.43 runs per game,
which ranks third in the DMB Era behind the 12.80 rpg Arkansas and
Vancouver scored in 1999, and the 12.17 rpg Newark and Vancouver
averaged in 2001. All-time, the Falcons and Outlaws still have the
record with 92 combined runs in the '96 series, and Arkansas and
Vancouver hold the combined rpg average record with 14.0 in '94...
Newark's 6.14 rpg was the most scored in the World Seriers since these
same Sugar Bears averaged 6.67 rpg against Vancouver in 2001. The
all-time record, 8.2 runs per World Series game, was set in '99 by the
Golden Falcons over the hapless Iron Fist.
By the Numbers A 17-run game is going to skew the
stats; in fact, before the start of Game 7,
Arkansas had out-scored Newark, 36-26, even though the series was tied
at three games apiece. But after the Game 7 massacre, the numbers all
point toward Newark. As a team, the Sugar Bears hit .288 with a .345
OBP, .494 SLG (.839 OPS), with 14 2B, 13 HR, 43 R and 43.7 RC, compared
to Arkansas's .247 BA, .328 OBP, .414 SLG, .743 OPS, 13 2B, 9 HR, 37 R
and 32.9 RC.
For the post-season, Arkansas's top
batter was -- who else? -- Bonds, who hit .348 with a 1.496 OPS, 10 HR,
15 R, 19 RBI and 22.9 RC in the 14 games. Newark's top performer was
Abreu, who hit .391 with a 1.226 OPS, 3 2B, 4 HR, 16 R, 7 RBI and 18.2
RC in the two series. Not Bad, Kid After looking at the numbers Newark's
offense put up in the series, it follows that Arkansas's pitching staff
took a
beating (3-4, 1 SV, 6.00 ERA, 13.9 R/9) compared to a
good-but-not-great performance by the Sugar Bears (4-3, 3 SV, 4.71 ERA,
12.7 R/9). The difference was in the starting pitching: While both
rotations allowed a generous 15 or so baserunners per 9 innings,
Newark's three rookies were able to contain the damage to just a 4.86
ERA, while Arkansas's had a 7.75! What was the difference? Newark's
starters only allowed 3 HR in 37.0 IP, while Arkansas's gave up 11 in
36.0. The bullpens were about as good as advertised: Newark relievers
had a 4.50 ERA, 9.3 R/9 (19 H, 5 BB, 3 HBP) and 17 K in 26.0 IP, while
Arkansas's bullpen allowed a 3.67 ERA, 12.3 R/9 (25 H, 11 BB, 1 HBP)
and 27 K in 27.0 IP. The top starter of the series for
either team was a 21-year-old rookie who started the year with the
Harrison Rats. Jerome Williams Fans around the league have a new
chant for Pedro Martinez, whose bizarre
"daddy" comment after Game 1
will probably be remembered as long as his brutal performance in Game 7
(1.0 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 0 K). The beat-down erased Pedro's brilliant
start in Game 4
(7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 7 K) and destroyed his World Series line
(1-2, 13.94 ERA, 21.8 R/9). But Arkansas's other ace, Curt Schilling, also came up empty for the Falcs
(0-2, 6.17 ERA, 14.7 R/9)... Looking at all 14 games of the
post-season, Kim turned out to be Arkansas's best starter, winning
three of his four starts (3.23 ERA, 9.7 R/9, 7 BB, 22 K in 30.2 IP). He
also picked up a save in his only relief appearance. Williams was the
most effective starter for the Sugar Bears, going 3-1 in his four
starts (2.57 ERA, 13.8 R/9, 16 BB, 16 K in 28.0 IP). And the Bud Black Award Goes To... Barry Bonds
had awesome numbers, but his team lost. Looking at the Sugar Bear
roster, a few names jump out as likely candidates: Jerome
Williams, Jim Thome, John
Smoltz or Bill Mueller. But ask them, or
any other Sugar Bear, who the post-season MVP was and they'll all
agree: No one did more to bring home the championship than Bobby Abreu. Abreu led the league in OBP and runs
created, the most you can ask for a lead-off hitter.
TWIB may have Ozzie Smith, but we have the better Smith -- Zane Smith, former pitcher for the San Antonio Slingers and Sacramento Seahawks. He writes this column exclusively for the Diamond Mind Baseball League. Click Here for past articles. |
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For the
first time in league history, the same two teams faced off for the
title of Diamond Mind Baseball League champion for a third straight
year. Like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, Jimmy Connors
and John McEnroe, Vanilla
Ice and MC Hammer, two great powers had
reached their peaks
at the same moment in time. The first encounter was won by the Hanover
Division champs; the second clash went to the best of Morris. And now
it's World War
III as the Morris Division champion Arkansas
Golden Falcons and the Hanover Division champion Newark Sugar Bears face off for the rubber match
and bragging rights as the DMBL's mightiest dynasty -- at least, until
they meet again next year!
After the National Anthem,
sung by American
Idol runner-up 
two more
from the '93-'94 Iron Fist. Lofton manufactured a run by beating out a
swinging bunt for a single, stealing second, advancing to third on a
single and then trotting home on a deep sac fly by Andres
Galarraga, and just like that the defending World Champs had taken
a 1-0 lead. But that was just the start of Shields's problems -- and,
in fact, Galarraga would be the only player he'd retire tonight. The
next batter was Barry Bonds, and he wasted no
time, crushing the first pitch he saw deep into the right field
bleachers for a two-run home run and a 3-0 Arkansas lead. Lance Berkman then walked, was chased to second
on a single to left by Juan Gonzalez, and then
scampered home on a bullet base hit by Jason
Phillips. Just like that, the Golden Falcons had taken a 4-0 lead
and were into Newark's bullpen.
just as he had in the 
(18-6, 3.83 ERA, 10.9 R/9,
215 K in 204.2 IP), took the mound. Schilling pitched around two
first-inning singles, but then got tagged for two runs in the bottom of
the 2nd on three straight hits -- a single followed by back-to-back
doubles -- by Manny Ramirez, Chipper Jones and Hideki
Matsui. He then retired the next three in a row, but immediately
got in trouble in the very next frame, giving up a lead-off home run to
Jim Thome, followed by
consecutive singles by Bill Mueller and Greg Myers to put runners on the corners. Ramirez
then brought home the fourth run of the game with a sac fly, before
Schilling finally got the last two outs. He ran into trouble again in
the 4th, giving up a one-out solo home run to Bobby
Abreu and then hitting Marcus Giles with a
pitch before retiring the next two batters to wriggle out of his fourth
jam in four innings.
Jason Phillips
was Arkansas's first base runner, reaching on an error in the bottom of
the 3rd, but Williams got the next two outs before walking the bases
loaded to bring up Andres Galarraga. The Big
Cat came through with a clutch RBI single, leaving the bases loaded
with two out for none other than Barry Bonds.
But Williams went right after the Falcons' clean-up hitter, getting him
to chase two inside fastballs and then freezing him on an 0-2 changeup,
striking him out for the second time today. Momentum firmly behind him
and now staked to a 5-1 lead, Williams retired nine of the next 10
batters he faced before finally fading in the bottom of the 7th,
allowing a lead-off walk and back-to-back singles to cut the lead to
three. Mattingly then called on Tim Spooneybarger,
who got out of the inning for the cost of another run on three
consecutive ground outs. Spooneybarger and John
Smoltz combined to give up no hits and no runs over the final two
innings. Fifty-five thousand Arkansas fans looked up in stunned
disbelief as Newark's 21-year-old rookie and two relievers had combined
on a three-hit performance for a 
Down 2-0 with three of the
remaining five games to be played in The Cereal Bowl, Newark fans were
understandably giddy before Game 3, and all the chatter on WFAN Sports
Talk Radio had been about the 
But he then made a critical mistake,
grooving a 2-0 fastball to Barry Bonds with
two outs and a runner on first base. Four hundred and thirty feet
later, it was a 2-1 Arkansas lead. But the Sugar Bears struck back in
the bottom of the 5th, scoring a run on a Hideki
Matsui ground-out to tie the score. Smelling blood, the Sugar Bears
exploded in the next frame, with Marcus Giles
and Greg Myers each blasting two-run home runs
to make it a 6-2 game. Brick City fans were now nine outs away from
going up 3 games to none, but the Golden Falcon
offense still had some salvoes to fire. After giving up back-to-back
singles to open the inning, DuBose got the first out of the inning on a
comebacker, but veteran Larry Walker then
delivered his first hit of the series for an RBI single. That brought
up Bonds with runners on the corners and one out, and for the third
time in the series Newark called on Tim
Spooneybarger. It was a curious call as Spooney had faced Bonds
twice before -- giving up a home run in Game 1, and a walk in Game 2.
Bonds would continue his hot hitting against the reliever, mashing the
first pitch he saw deep into the Newark night for a game-tying
three-run home run.
Spooneybarger stopped the
bleeding there, but the Golden Falcons kept bashing away at the bullpen
over the last two frames, with a two-run home run from Corey Patterson in the 8th to take the lead, and
in the 9th another home run from Bonds -- his third of the game,
believed to be a 
Addressing his
embarrassing performance in 
worked Shields -- now over 100
pitches -- for his first walk of the night. It would be his last as
well, as Mattingly finally gave in, calling on Mike
Stanton -- the only reliever who
hadn't pitched for the Sugar Bears in this series. Stanton got
Patterson to fly out, but Galarraga continued his hot hitting, crushing
a breaking ball into the upper deck for a three-run home run and a
back-breaking 7-2 lead. Martinez snuffed out a two-out rally in the
bottom of the 7th when Hideki Matsui singled
and Carlos Guillen doubled to put runners on
second and third, but Abreu struck out to end the inning. The Falcs
tacked on two insurance runs on an RBI double by Patterson and a sac
fly by Bonds, and Kevin Brown came on to pitch
two scoreless final innings to shut up the Newark fans. The 
Newark jumped out to an early
lead on a two-out solo home run by Jim Thome
in the 1st inning. But Schilling would be on cruise control for the
next five frames, scattering three hits -- all singles -- and no walks,
striking out six. Williams wasn't as good -- but more importantly, he
was lucky. Corey Patterson tried to get
something going in the 1st with a one-out single, then stole second.
But he made one of the cardinal sins of baseball, making the final out
at third base, when Manny Ramirez gunned him
out trying to tag up on a sac fly. A similar play bailed out Williams
in the 3rd. Sean Burroughs led off the inning
with a walk, then Julio Lugo poked a texas
leaguer into shallow center. Running hard all the way, Burroughs
charged around second base -- only to look up and see third base coach Rob Dibble frantically screaming and pointing
back to first base! Bobby Abreu had made one
of the all-time great circus catches in center field, a diving grab to
snare the line drive just before it touched turf. Burroughs watched
helplessly as Abreu tossed the ball to first for an easy double play.
The Golden Falcons wasted another opportunity in the bottom of the 4th,
when Kenny Lofton beat out a bunt for an
infield single, only to get erased when Patterson grounded into a 4-6-3
double-play. Andres Galarraga then doubled,
setting up the obvious intentional pass to Barry
Bonds, and then Williams struck out Lance
Berkman to preserve the shutout. In the bottom of the 5th, the
Falcs ran themselves into more trouble when Orlando
Hudson led off with a walk but was gunned down trying to steal.
The cushion came just in time
as Williams's tight-rope act finally caught up with him in the bottom
of the frame. Lugo got it started with a single, advanced to third on a
Patterson double, then scored on a Galarraga ground-out to make it 3-1.
After Bonds drew his second-straight intentional pass, Berkman smashed
a line drive into right-center that bounced one-hop against the wall.
But, amazingly, Patterson had made yet another Arkansas baserunning
blunder. Apparently forgetting there were two outs, Patterson waited
halfway between second and third to make sure the ball was down before
taking off for home. Meanwhile, Abreu had played the carom beautifully
and fired a strike home, nailing Patterson at the plate for his second
outfield assist in the game, and the fourth Arkansas baserunner killed
on the basepaths. Newark couldn't scratch Schilling or reliever Damaso Marte for another run over the final three
frames, but Williams would make the 3-1 lead hold up -- though,
naturally, it wouldn't be easy. First he gave up a lead-off walk to
Lugo in the 8th, then a one-out single to Patterson, but got out of the
inning; in the 9th, he gave up a lead-off single to Berkman and a
one-out walk to Burroughs. Finally seeing enough, Newark manager Don Mattingly went to closer John
Smoltz for the final two outs and he complied, closing out the 
Native New Jersey funny man Joe Piscopo threw out the first pitch and,
fittingly, the game turned into a laugher. Unfortunately for Newark
fans, the Golden Falcons were doing all the laughing. The Golden
Falcons sent eight men to the plate in the 1st inning, pounding out two
doubles and three walks -- but somehow only managed to score two runs,
with RBIs by Larry Walker and Barry Bonds. They added another run in the top of
the 2nd, when Corey Patterson doubled,
advanced to third on a balk, and then scored on Ronnie
Belliard's check-swing roller down the first base line. Walker, No.
33, then took one between the 3's on the back of his jersey and that
was enough for Don Mattingly, who once again
showed a quick hook and pulled DuBose before the game could slip
farther away.
the next batter, Keith
Osik, drew a walk, then advanced to second
on a single by Andres Galarraga. Foulke then
hit Patterson to load the bases. On the next pitch, Foulke again came
inside and this time nipped Adam Everett --
forcing in a run on a hit-by-pitch! As if that wasn't embarrassing
enough, Foulke then walked the light-hitting Belliard to force in
another run, making it a 7-0 lead. Mattingly took the ball from Foulke
and nearly had to call in a police escort to get him off the mound and
into the clubhouse as the fans were screaming for blood. Tim Spooneybarger came on in relief and finally
got the first out of the inning when Walker smoked a one-hopper to Jim Thome, who fired home for the force but Greg Myers's throw back to first wasn't in time
for the double play. That would cost the Sugar Bears another run as
Bonds -- the ninth batter in the inning -- would hit a fly ball into
relatively shallow right field. Patterson tagged at third and raced
home; Everett, expecting the play at the plate, tried to sneak up a
base as well. But Manny Ramirez, knowing he'd
never get the fleet-footed Patterson at home, instead nailed a very
surprised Everett at third to finally stop the bleeding.
In
seven innings of work, Kim gave up just six hits -- five singles and a
double -- with one walk. The Sugar Bears could only come up with two
runs against him, and by then the Falcons were fully committed to the
"prevent defense." Myers singled home Bill Mueller
in the 4th, and Thome scored on a Ramirez ground-out in the 6th.
And that was the ballgame; Kevin Brown again
closed it out with two scoreless relief innings, and the 
to
the hill for the third time in this series. After watching the rookie
get pounded to the tune of a 13.50 ERA, 20.2 R/9 in his first two
starts, owner Craig "Butch" Garretson had
opined to reporters that Jerome Williams (2-0,
1.26 ERA, 13.2
R/9) should start Game 7 on three days' rest, but pitching coach Mike
Grace convinced manager Don Mattingly to
stick with Shields. "He was money in Honolulu,"
Grace said, reminding Mattingly how Shields had bounced back from an
awful outing in 
promptly
cleared them -- launching a high fly ball into the right-field
bleachers for a grand slam! Martinez regrouped by getting the second
out on a
ground-out, but Chipper Jones then singled up
the middle to prolong the inning. Hideki Matsui then
cashed in with a tape-measure shot into the upper deck in right field.
Martinez got a fly out to retire the ninth and final batter of the
first inning, but the Golden Falcons were already facing a daunting 6-0
deficit. And it would only get worse. In the top of the second, Abreu
again led off with a double, then scored on a Marcus
Giles single. With the handful of Sugar Bear fans in the crowd
hooting their "Who's your daddy?" chant, a flustered Martinez handed
the ball to George Brett and slunk back to
the dugout.
who delivered a single off
the
southpaw to knock in Newark's third run of the inning and ninth run of
the game. Marte then retired Carlos Guillen --
once again, the ninth hitter in the inning. At least in the third
inning only six men woudl come to the plate, but then again, they'd
also come up with three runs: back-to-back walks to Abreu and Giles,
followed by back-to-back RBI singles by Thome and Mueller. That brought
in another reliever, Brad Lidge, who finally
figured out a way to retire Myers by getting him to bounce into a
double-play -- but even that produced an RBI to make it an even dozen
runs for the Crunch With Punch. In the 4th inning, four more runs would
come home as Jones and Matsui started the inning with back-to-back
singles, then Abreu walked -- he reached base in all five of his plate
appearances -- to load the bases. Giles then smashed a long drive
one-hop against the wall for a bases-clearing double, but was thrown
out trying to sneak into third on the relay throw home. Even that
wouldn't turn back the tide as the Sugar Bears would still tack on
another run in the 4th as Thome worked a two-out walk, then scored on a
Mueller double.
The Sugar Bears had scored 16
runs in four innings, the Golden Falcons
were already on their fourth pitcher (Kevin Brown),
and Shields had allowed just three baserunners (two hits and a HBP) and
no runs over the first three innings. The Falcs finally rallied --
somewhat -- in the bottom of the 4th, when Barry
Bonds led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a
one-out walk by Sean Burroughs, and scored on
a throwing error by Giles. That was it. Over the last five innings, the
Golden Falcons would manage just three more baserunners -- no more than
one in an inning, and none reaching second base -- as Shields, and then
Mike Stanton, kept throwing
strikes and grinding out innings as the champagne chilled in the
clubhouse. The Sugar Bears tacked on an "insurance run" in the 8th on a
solo home run by pinch-hitter Jeff DaVanon --
at this point, Mattingly had cleared the bench to ensure that every
player had at least one World Series at-bat -- and then the thousand or
so Newark fans who had made the trip to Little Rock had the
satisfaction of watching their beloved Sugar Bears celebrate the 
Other notable milestones:
Records are
sketchy, but it's believed that Barry Bonds set
a World Series mark with three home runs in 
And just as it had been all year,
Arkansas's unimpressive overall numbers came despite a heroic
performance from Barry Bonds, who hit .333
(8-for-24) with 7 runs and a 452 OBP, and led all players in SLG
(1.083), OPS (1.535), home runs (6), RBIs (14), runs created (12.4),
intentional walks (2), isolated power (.750), total average (2.000),
secondary average (.958), extra base hits (6) and total bases (26), and
tied for the lead in walks (5). Bonds's performance may have been
enough to win him the 
Newark's coaches also made sure that all 16
batters on the roster had at least one plate appearance, but for the
most part the damage was done by the every-day players. Bobby Abreu continued his hot hitting from the
Honolulu series, hitting .423 with a team-high 1.362 OPS, with 2 2B, 3
HR, 9 R and 3 RBI. He tied with Bonds with 5 BBs, finished right behind
him with 12.0 RC, and led the league with a .516 OBP and 21.6 RC/27
outs. Abreu led the Sugar Bears in isolated power (.423), total average
(1.800), secondary average (.615) and total bases (22)... Newark also
got strong performances from rookie Hideki Matsui,
who led the league with a .440 BA and posted a 1.241 OPS, 2 2B, 2 HR
and 8 RBI, as well as Bill Mueller (.387,
1.019 OPS, 4 2B, 5 RBI), Jim Thome (.321,
1.066 OPS, 3 HR, 10 R) and Greg Myers (.286,
.810 OPS, 2 HR, 9 RBI). They more than made up for sub-par numbers from
Carlos Guillen (.259, .630
OPS in 27 PA), Chipper Jones (.231, .555 OPS
in 28 PA) and Manny Ramirez (.200, .500 OPS in
30 PA)... Rookie Marcus Giles was a
disappointing 4-for-30 (.133) but he made 'em count, slamming a double
and a home run for 3 runs and 6 RBIs. The same goes for rookie Jeff DaVanon, who 1-for-2 but the one was a home
run... The other bench warmers (Wil Cordero, Bobby Kielty, Paul Lo Duca,
Mark McLemore, Eduardo Perez and Mike Piazza)
didn't have a hit, run or RBI, though Kielty and Perez each drew a walk.
came up huge for the Sugar Bears,
winning 
Oddly enough, Arkansas's
best starter was reliever Byung-Hyun Kim,
who came out of the bullpen for two solid starts (2-0, 4.50 ERA, 10.3
R/9), and their best reliever was starter Kevin
Brown,
who came out of the 'pen for a series-high five games, pitching 10.2
scoreless innings, with 10
Ks, 9 hits, no walks and no hit batsmen (0.00 ERA, 7.6 R/9, 8.4 K/9),
though he didn't get a win, save or even a hold to show for it...
Another starter pressed into relief duty, Roger
Clemens, picked up a save in two appearances (2.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2
BB, 3 K)... Octavio Dotel, a potent weapon for
the Golden Falcons against Tijuana in the second round (1 SV, 0 R, 4 H,
3 BB, 8 K in 7.0 IP), was a non-factor in this series, facing only two
batters (1 groundout, 1 hit-by-pitch). Scott
Williamson also saw limited duty (2.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K)... Brad Lidge (4.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K) and Damaso Marte (6.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 6 BB, 8 K) got
hammered.
Tellingly, he led off each of Newark's wins
by getting on base. Not only that, but Abreu also was spectacular in
the field, recording an astounding four assists -- the most of any
outfielder in the post-season -- including two baserunner kills in the
pivotal