Holy War Year 3

[AlecTrevylan006]

Game 6
Yanks - 4 @ Sox - 0
Suddenly, the Yankees regained their plate discipline, tiring opposing pitchers and working counts in their favor, and actually getting unintentional walks.  Schilling was scoreless over 5 2/3, but had to be pulled in the 6th for Gary Sheffield, who promptly hit a long ball to left.

El Duque held the Sox scoreless until he was relieved by Mussina in the 6th, and Mussina dominated the rest of the way.

Tim Wakefield gave up a 3-run bomb to Matsui to put the game out of reach in the 9th (1 run charged to Foulke).

Looks like the prophecy of no team winning a home game is coming true... he regained his plate discipline while I have none whatsoever.

Yankees - 4 @ Red Sox - 0
WP: E. Duque (2-2)
LP: K. Foulke (0-2)
HR: A. Rodriguez (2), H. Matsui (3)

~~Red Sox~~
J. Damon: 0-4, 2 K
O. Cabrera: 0-4, 2 K
M. Ramirez: 1-4, 2 K
D. Ortiz: 0-0, 4 IBB
J. Varitek: 0-3, 2 K, BB
T. Nixon: 0-1, K
a.) K. Millar: 0-3, K
B. Mueller: 1-4
M. Bellhorn: 0-1, reach on error
b.) D. Roberts: 1-3, SB, GIDP
C. Schilling: 0-1, sac
-K. Foulke: 0-1, K

==Pitching==
C. Schilling: 5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 1 H, 11 K, 0 BB
K. Foulke L (0-2): 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 R, 2 H, 3 K, 0 BB
T. Wakefield: 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 R, 2 H, 1 K, 1 BB

~~Yankees~~
D. Jeter: 1-4, 3 K, R, SB
A. Rodriguez: 1-3, BB, HR, RBI, R, K
G. Sheffield: 0-3, K, IBB
H. Matsui: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, 3 K
B. Williams: 0-4, 2 K
J. Posada: 2-4, K
J. Olerud: 0-4, 2 K
M. Cairo: 0-3, K
E. Duque: 0-1, K
a.) J. Giambi: 0-2, K

==Pitching==
E. Duque W (2-2): 5 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 1 H, 6 K, 2 BB
M. Mussina: 4 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 2 H, 7 K, 3 BB

[AlecTrevylan006]

It was a tight game early on. With the Yankees having reacquired their plate discipline, they wore down Pedro right from the first inning. But the Sox replied with pressure of their own, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the 4th, but Mueller grounded into a force and Dave Roberts struck out to get the yankees out of the jam.

By the 5th inning, Pedro was nearing his pitch limit, and was utterly gassed. Ater giving up a leadoff single to Olerud, he somehow managed to strike out Ruben Sierra with a 50 mph curveball. He stayed in to face the opposing catcher, who singled to right to make it first and third. Pedro was pulled from game 7 after only 4 1/3 IP, and Keith Foulke came in in relief.

But he didn't offer much relief. He promptly walked Jeter and Arod on full counts, forcing in a run. Then Sheffield scorched a grounder to short. The shortstop threw to second and on to first, but the umpire ruled that he missed the bag, allowing a run to score on the force out.

After how the Sox had been playing, the Fenway faithful though about leaving. In the bottom of the 5th, Kapler pinch hit for Foulke and hit a homer to left to trim the deficit to one.  Damon popped to short, but Orlando Cabrera lined a double to the gap. Manny Ramirez stepped up, and blasted the first pitch out of the park to left, giving the Sox a 3-2 game 7 lead.

Curt Schilling came in in the top of the 6th and retired th eside in order. Mussina kept the Sox off the base paths, but Schilling did not allow a runner in 4 innings of work, even striking out the unholy trinity of Arod, Sheffield and Matsui in the top of the 8th.

The Sox put together a threat in the 8th after Manny reached on error and Ortiz was walked, but Millar lined to short on a hit and run and Manny was doubled off second.

Jorge Posada and Kenny Lofton struck out back to back in the bottom of the 9th as Schilling closed out Alec's first ever World Series victory, Game 7 at home in Fenway, by a final of 3-2

Yankees - 2 @ Red Sox - 3
WP: C. Schilling (2-1)
LP: E. Duque (2-3)
HR: M. Ramirez (2), G. Kapler (1)

~~Red Sox~~
J. Damon: 1-4, K
O. Cabrera: 1-4, 2B, R, GIDP
M. Ramirez: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
D. Ortiz: 0-0, 4 IBB
J. Varitek: 1-4, 2B, GIDP, K
T. Nixon: 0-1
b.) K. Millar: 0-2, IBB, K, LIDP
B. Mueller: 0-3
M. Bellhorn: 0-0
a.) D. Roberts: 1-3, SB, 2 K
P. Martinez: 0-1
-K. Foulke
b.) G. Kapler: 1-1, HR, RBI, R
-C. Schilling: 0-1

==Pitching==
P. Martinez: 4 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 R, 4 H, 6 K, 1 BB
K. Foulke: 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 0 H, 0 K, 2 BB
C. Schilling W (2-1): 4 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 0 H, 6 K, 0 BB

~~Yankees~~
D. Jeter: 0-3, K, BB
A. Rodriguez: 0-3, 2 K, BB, RBI
G. Sheffield: 0-3, BB, K
H. Matsui: 1-4, 2 K
B. Williams: 0-3, K
J. Posada: 0-3, K
Olerud: 2-3, 2B, R
M. Cairo: 0-0
a.) T. Clark: 0-1
b.) R. Sierra: 0-2, 2 K
E. Duque: 1-2, R
b.) J. Giambi: 0-1

==Pitching==
E. Duque L (2-3): 6 IP, 3 ER, 3 R, 6 H, 4 K, 4 BB
M. Mussina: 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K, 1 BB

[AlecTrevylan006]

SERIES MVP = Manny Ramirez (.321/.333/.607, 2 HR, 7 RBI)
Pedro and Schilling also made cases, and Mussina did as well in the loss

We now have stats from 3 Holy War world series (19 games) and 5 more games of original RBI. There's deinitely an elevated level of play in the postseason, but here are our stats...

BEST AVG CAREER
D. Ortiz: .333 (12 AB, 67 IBB)
K. Lofton: .314 Avg (35 AB)
M. Ramirez: .312 (77 AB)
H. Matsui: .260 (73 AB)
J. Olerud: .258 (31 AB)

MOST HOMERS
7 homers: Arod
5 homers: Manny, Sheffield
4 homers: Matsui
3 homers: Damon, Mueller

HIGHEST OPS
Ortiz: .333/.899/.667 = 1.565 (12 AB, 67 IBB)
Manny: .312/.316/.545 = .862
Arod: .233/.253/.562 = .815
Matsui: .260/.260/.493 = .753
Lofton: .314/.314/.429 = .743

WORST HITTERS
Mark Bellhorn: .167/.167/.208
Nixon: .195/.195/.220
Posada: .214/.214/.229
Williams: .200/.200/.300
Sierra: .167/.211/.306
Varitek: .197/.208/.329

PITCHING LINES
Pedro: 4-2, 2.07, 57 K, .770 WHIP, 74 IP
Schilling: 3-3, 1.78 ERA, 59 K, .676 WHIP, 60 2/3 IP
Wakefield: 1-1, 2.19 ERA, 16 K, .892 WHIP, 12 1/3 IP, 3 saves
Foulke: 0-5, 5.57 ERA, 16 K, 1.143 WHIP, 21 IP

Duque: 7-6, 2.54 ERA, 101 K, 1.163 WHIP, 120 1/3 IP,
Mussina: 4-2, 0.84 ERa, 51 K, 1.186 WHIP, 43 IP
Gordon: 0-0, 2.57 ERA, 3 K, 1.000 WHIP, 7 IP
Rivera: never pitched in post season