Rockie Mountain High
In a classic series, the Rockies claim their first Redwood SOM title with a thrilling extra-innings Game 7 victory over the Giants
The 2019 World Series had a little bit of everything. Nail-biter finishes. Pitching masterpieces. Lead changes. It was very, very exciting!
In the end it was the Rockies prevailing for their first Redwood SOM championship. But as we often say in our league, Never Easy. Seven games wasn't sufficient to determine the outcome; the Giants and Rockies needed a couple of extra innings to get to a result. And, for the third season in a row, the third-seed, wild-card, 45-35 team won it all, as the Rockies outlasted the number-one-seed Giants in seven games (plus). A fantastic series, congratulations to both teams, and WAY TO GO ROCKIES!
Game One: Rockies (Jacob deGrom) at Giants (Chris Sale). Sale was magnificant as he spun a masterful two-hit shutout in the series opener, and deGrom was just about as good, limiting the Giants to a single run. The Giants scored in the bottom of the first as Corey Dickerson doubled in Jeff McNeil who had started things off with a single. And that is all the Giants managed the rest of the game, as deGrom held them scoreless, striking out 12. But Sale was that good and then some. The Rockies never got a runner as far as third base as Sale struck out 16 and faced just two over the minimum. The 2019 series started off as a pitchers' duel, but it didn't stay that way for long. Giants 1, Rockies 0. Sale gets the very well-deserved win, deGrom the hard-luck loss. Giants lead series one game to zero.
Game Two: Rockies (Charlie Morton) at Giants (Justin Verlander). This one was quiet until the top of the fifth, when the Rockies scored their first run of the series on a Yusiel Puig single and a Trevor Story double. They added two more in the sixth on a dinger by D.J. LaMahieu, scoring Francisco Cervelli ahead of him. In the bottom of the inning the Giants answered back, scoring two on a Nolan Arenado single, a Francisco Lindor double, and a Ronald Acuna single scoring them both. The Rockies added a couple of insurance runs in the top of the ninth as Trae Turner pinch-singled and Tommy Pham followed with a 2-run shot. Rockies 5, Giants 2. Morton picks up the win scattering seven hits over 5 2/3 innings, Verlander takes the loss, and Jose Leclerc picks up the save with two scoreless innings. Series tied one game each.
Game Four: Giants (Jamison Tallion) at Rockies (Miles Mikolas). The offenses came alive in this one. The Rockies put up a five-spot in the second, fueled by a Cervelli triple, Mikolas' three-run homer and Tommy Pham's double. The Giants responded with a solo shot by Acuna in the second; in the third Miguel Andjuar went deep for the Rockies and Arenado hit a two-run homer for the Giants. In the sixth, the Giants picked up two more on Arenado's single followed by doubles by Justin Smoak and Acuna. That made it 6-5 Rockies, and in the bottom of the inning Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run shot for some breathing room. Rockies 8, Giants 5. Mikolas gets the win, Leclerc picks up the save; Tallion gets the loss. Series tied at two games each.
Game Six: Rockies (Charlie Morton) at Giants (Justin Verlander). The Rockies struck first in the top of the first as Puig went deep with the bases empty. The Giants' Salvador Perez answered in the bottom of the second with a three-run shot of his own. But in the top of the third, Andujar came up with a three-run shot of his own for the Rockies, giving them a 4-3 lead. But Perez did it again in the bottom of the fourth, hitting a two-run shot this time to give the Giants a one-run lead. The Giants added two more in the bottom of the sixth in a rally featuring a Smoak double and a RBI single by Randall Grichuk. The Rockies added one in the top of the seventh, but that was it, as the Giants held on to force a seventh game. Final score 7-5 Giants. Verlander gets the win, and Blake Trienen picks up a save; Morton gets the loss. Series tied at three games each.
Game Three: Giants (Clayton Kershaw) at Rockies (Garret Cole). Kershaw dominated the Rockies in their home park, delivering a complete-game, one-hit shutout. The Rockies' only hit was a pinch-double by Domingo Santana in the home half of the sixth; otherwise Kershaw walked two and that was it. Meanwhile the Giants scored in the second on a Lindor homer; added another in the sixth as McNeil singled, advanced to third on a Justin Upton single and scored when Lindor grounded out. Two Giants home runs in the ninth by Acuna and McNeil sealed the deal. Giants 4, Rockies 0. Kershaw, with the complete-game one hitter, gets the win; Cole gets the loss. Giants lead series two games to one.
Game Five: Giants (Chris Sale) at Rockies (Jacob deGrom). Both pitchers were dominant in this tense cliff-hanger. The Rockies scored two in the bottom of the third on a two-run shot by Puig, scoring deGrom, who had singled, ahead of him. Dickerson responded for the Giants with a sixth-inning solo shot. And that was it for scoring. Rockies 2, Giants 1. deGrom strikes out nine and gives up just two hits for the complete-game win; Sale takes the loss despite striking out 11 in seven innings and yielding just three hits. Rockies lead series three games to two.
Game Seven: Rockies (Garret Cole) at Giants (Clayton Kershaw). An all-time classic Game 7; one of the best if not the best in league history. The Giants scored first, tallying a run in the bottom of the third as Dickerson's single drove in McNeil, who had doubled. In the top of the fourth, the Rockies matched that, as Max Muncy's double plated Story, who had singled. 1 to 1 at that point. The Rockies took a one-run lead in the top of the sixth, with LaMahieu's double driving in Cervelli. 2-1 Rockies. But in the bottom of the frame Grichuk drove in Lindor with a two-run dinger, making it 3-2 Giants. And there it stayed until the top of the ninth, as the Rockies faced elimination. Pham struck out, and Puig flew out to center field, leaving Story as the Rockies' last hope.
And he came through with a story-book home run to tie the game. The Giants failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, and Game 7 went into extra innings.
The tension was palpable. Nobody scored in the tenth. In the top of the eleventh, with two out and nobody on, Puig rose to the occasion, going deep to give the Rockies a 4-3 lead.
Then came the bottom of the eleventh.
After two quick outs, the Giants' Buster Posey singled, putting the tying run on and bringing the winning run to the plate. Grichuk, who had homered in the sixth, stood in. Leclerc delivered, and Grichuk hit a frozen rope down the third-base line . . . right into the glove of Rockies' third baseman Travis Shaw. Final score, in eleven: Rockies 4, Giants 3. Leclerc gets the win in relief; Craig Kimbrel absorbs the loss, also in relief. Rockies win series four games to three.
And he came through with a story-book home run to tie the game. The Giants failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, and Game 7 went into extra innings.
The tension was palpable. Nobody scored in the tenth. In the top of the eleventh, with two out and nobody on, Puig rose to the occasion, going deep to give the Rockies a 4-3 lead.
Then came the bottom of the eleventh.
After two quick outs, the Giants' Buster Posey singled, putting the tying run on and bringing the winning run to the plate. Grichuk, who had homered in the sixth, stood in. Leclerc delivered, and Grichuk hit a frozen rope down the third-base line . . . right into the glove of Rockies' third baseman Travis Shaw. Final score, in eleven: Rockies 4, Giants 3. Leclerc gets the win in relief; Craig Kimbrel absorbs the loss, also in relief. Rockies win series four games to three.
The Rockies won their first title with strong pitching and timely hitting. Yusiel Puig was awarded MVP honors, although there were many suitable candidates on the Rockies' roster. They and the Giants gave us a series to remember!
Congratulations to the 2019 Redwood SOM Champion Rockies!
Final 2019 Regular Season Standings
Larry Division
- x-Mets (46-34), .575, 0.0 GB
- Reds (36-44), .450, 10.0 GB
- Red Sox (31-49), .388, 15.0 GB
Moe Division
- x-Yankees (41-39), .513, 0.0 GB
- Pirates (40-40), .500, 1.0 GB
- Athletics (32-48), .400, 9.0 GB
Curly Division
- x-Giants (47-33), .588, 0.0 GB
- y-Rockies (45-35), .563, 2.0 GB
- Cardinals (42-38), .525, 5.0 GB
x - Clinched Division Championship
y - Clinched Wild Card
x - Clinched Division Championship
y - Clinched Wild Card
Post-Season Madness 2019
Divisional Playoffs
Giants (Number 1 seed) vs. Yankees (Number 4 seed)
Giants win series 4 games to 0
MVP: Francisco Lindor
Mets (Number 2 seed) vs. Rockies (Number 3 seed)
Rockies win series 4 games to 3
MVP: Jacob deGrom
Giants (Number 1 seed) vs. Yankees (Number 4 seed)
Giants win series 4 games to 0
MVP: Francisco Lindor
Giants win series 4 games to 0
MVP: Francisco Lindor
Mets (Number 2 seed) vs. Rockies (Number 3 seed)
Rockies win series 4 games to 3
MVP: Jacob deGrom
Rockies win series 4 games to 3
MVP: Jacob deGrom
World Series
Giants (Number 1 seed) vs. Rockies (Number 3 seed)
Rockies win series 4 games to 3
MVP: Yusiel Puig
Giants (Number 1 seed) vs. Rockies (Number 3 seed)
Rockies win series 4 games to 3
MVP: Yusiel Puig
Rockies win series 4 games to 3
MVP: Yusiel Puig
2020 Draft Order
1. Red Sox
2. Athletics
3. Reds
4. Pirates
5. Cardinals
6. Yankees
7. Mets
8. Giants
9. Rockies
2. Athletics
3. Reds
4. Pirates
5. Cardinals
6. Yankees
7. Mets
8. Giants
9. Rockies
Next action: Hot Stove action starts now! See you in February!
Next action: Hot Stove action starts now! See you in February!
