2009 World Series
The 2009 Joe Shlabotnik Baseball League World Series featured the underdog Oakland Athletics (86-75) against the top ranked Seattle Mariners (90-71). Although the Mariners' strong bats led by Mark Texeira finished the season with the best record in the league by 3 games, the Mariners had just barely won the season series, taking 12 to the Athletics' 11 wins. Coming into the series, there were also questions about how the Mariners would fair under the management of a live manager, having spent all of the season under the artificial intelligence guidance of a garage computer.The Series started out in Seattle's Safeco Field, with Game 1 featuring Oakland right-hander Derek Lowe (13-12, 3.04) against Seattle's blossoming youngster Felix Hernandez (11-9, 4.34) (famously acquired from Oakland in the off-season in a deal that sent Vlad Guerrero to the Athletics). Early inning jitters were visible for both pitchers as they labored through the early innings. Seattle got 2 runs in the bottom of the 2nd, one on a J.J. Hardy RBI double, and the other on a King Felix RBI single up the middle to drive in Hardy from 3rd with 2 out. That proved to be the game winner, as Hernandez settled down and worked effectively through 7 innings allowing only 1 run in the third. He struck out pinch-hitter Ramon Vazquez to end a threat in the 6th and when A's threatened with 2 on and none out in the 7th he got Kevin Youkilis to ground into a 6-4-3 double-play. The Mariner's bullpen pitched 2 effective innings of relief and Seattle went on to win by a score of 2-1.
Seattle 1, Oakland 0
Game 2 in Seattle had Oakland's youngster Chad Billinglsey (13-12, 2.75) going against the Mariners' Ace and Cy Young Contender Roy Oswalt (19-8, 3.18). A two-out solo home run by Russell Martin in the 2nd put the A's up 1-0, but the Mariners' would equalize it on a two-out RBI single by Orlando Hudson in the bottom of the 5th, but the A's would grab back the lead quickly in the top half, scoring two small-ball runs started by an error by Mariners' catcher Gerald Laird. In the 7th, after loading the bases with no-out, Oswalt looked like he was going to wiggle out of the jam after he struck out Chris Dickerson and Ramon Vazquez, but Adam Dunn chased Oswalt out of the game with a big two-run double off the right-centerfield wall, making the score 5 to 1. The Mariners would get a run back in the 8th with a Carlos Lee solo home run, but that would be it and the Athletics' took game two 5-2, splitting the series in Seattle.
Oakland 1, Seattle 1
After a travel day, Game 3 opened in Oakland with Ben Sheets (6-14, 4.62) going for Seattle and Johan Santana (14-16, 3.27) pitching for the boys in green and gold. Both pitchers were on the top of their games each allowing 4 hits through 7 innings. The Mariners had a huge chance to score in the top of the 5th, when Johnny Damon clubbed a double into the gap in right-center field, but Grady Sizemore got to the ball quickly and the relay throw gunned down Ben Sheet at the plate. In the 8th with two out, Chris Dickerson drew a walk, and stole second as Laird's throw nearly sailed into centerfield, and a pitch later, Russell Martin's double down the line brought him home for the only run of the game to win 1 to 0. The game marked Johan Santana's third consecutive scoreless outing a streak numbering at least 26 innings, as he attempts to win over fans frustrated with his past under-performance, marked with their clamoring for him to be traded for anything, including Logan Kensing.
Oakland 2, Seattle 1
Down in the series 2-1, Seattle sent Adam Wainwright (10-7, 3.65) who, before the game, their manager called their 'secret weapon" against Oakland's Scott Baker (13-5, 3.47) in Game 4. The secret weapon turned out to be a secret weapon for Oakland as Wainwright surrendered 5 home runs in the game, back to back shots by Adam Dunn and Kevin Youkilis in the 1st, and then back to back shots again to Youkilis and Grady Sizemore in the 5th. Vlad Guerrero added a 3 run homer in the 7th to chase Wainwright and Oakland rolled to a 10-2 victory putting them only 1 game away from a World Series Championship. Carlos Lee added his second home run of the series to make it six total home runs that were hit in the game.
Oakland 3, Seattle 1
Struggling to stay alive in Game 5, Seattle sent out Game 1 starter Felix Hernandez to try and keep the Athletics from celebrating on their home field and send the series back to Seattle where they would be able to make a come back, while Oakland countered with their game one starter Derek Lowe. In just the opposite of what had happened the previous night, after Oakland had gotten on the board with a 2 run triple by Kevin Youkilis in the first, Seattle exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 3rd inning, as the first 7 batters of the inning reached base against Derek Lowe, highlighted by a 2 run home run by Mark Texeira, his first hit of the series after opening the series 0-14. Carlos Lee added his third homer of the series the next inning, and the Mariners never looked back on their way to a 13-3 rout, spoiling the hopes of the Oakland crowd. Hernandez pitched a gem of a game, a complete game 6-hitter, to send the series back to Seattle.
Oakland 3, Seattle 2
Back in the friendly confines of Safeco Field for Game 6, the Mariners sent out their ace Roy Oswalt, hoping to send the series to a game seven, while the A's sent out Chad Billingsley hoping to clinch it all. Both pitchers pitched well through 6, and the score remained 0-0 until the 7th. After an Orlando Cabrera single put runners on the corner with one out, Chris Dickerson came into hit for Billingsley and drove the runner in with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Ramon Vazquez got his first hit of the series breaking an 0-12 slump and bringing up Adam Dunn with runners at the corners and two outs. Just like in game two, Dunn got a fastball from Oswalt, but this time he got all of it, driving it out of the park for a three-run homer, and driving Oswalt out of the game. That would be all that the A's needed as the bullpen duo of Grant Balfour and Mariano Rivera shut down the Mariners. Grady Sizemore added a homerun in the 8th for good measure and the A's ended the World Series with a 5-0 victory.
Oakland 4, Seattle 2
Other Series Notables
Adam Dunn was named Series MVP, hitting .409/.500/.809 with 2 Homeruns and 7 runs batted in, including key hits in Games 2, 4 and 6.