HOLLYWOOD ADVANCES TO WORLD SERIES

For Immediate Release
October 11, 2004

Detroit, MI – AP
Detroit and Hollywood hooked up for a live Netmeeting to determine the American League Representative in the 2004 MWBL World Series. The teams match-up in every way. It’ll be interesting if the hitting or pitching take over since both teams can pitch and hit.

Game 1: IN DETROIT: Hideo Nomo v. Mark Prior. Hollywood got off to a fast start when Shawn Green walked to leadoff the game. Mike Lieberthal then stepped to the plate. The pitch … it’s crushed deep to center field … EDMONDS turns and watches … later! it’s long gone! … that sounded like a firecracker off the bat … home run for LIEBERTHAL to give Hollywood a 2-0 lead. Detroit would not back down though. Johnny Damon leads off the 3rd. DAMON whales this one … hangs out a clothesline to deep right…kiss it goodbye! Detroit cuts the lead to 2-1. Carlos Baerga follows with a single and with 1 out, Vinny Castilla steps in. NOMO brings it home … it’s deep … out to GREEN … it’s over his head … it’s long gone! CASTILLA will touch them all for a 3-2 Crime lead!!! Johnny Damon adds another homerun off Nomo in the 5th, but Prior didn’t need it. He was stellar after the first, shutting the Hollywood offense down to the tune of 4 hits while striking out 11 in the 4-2 victory! Detroit takes a 1-0 series lead.

W: Mark Prior 1-0
L: Hideo Nomo 0-1
S: Rheal Cormier (1)

Game 2: IN DETROIT: Kip Wells v. Johan Santana. Hollywood again jumps out to an early lead. After Lieberthal reaches on a Varitek error, Jay Payton step in. Here’s the pitch … a big fly to left … DAMON backpedals … still drifting back look out now! … it’s outta here! … DAMON thought he had a play, but the ball carried just beyond his reach. Hollywood takes a 2-0 lead. In the bottom half of the first, the unthinkable happened. Vinny Castilla pops the pitch high to the right side … into foul territory … LEE moves under it….LIEBERTHAL’s calling for it … they collide! … and it drops … they’re both down…it doesn’t look good … both players will leave the game … The report from the clubhouse…WEREWOLVES catcher LIEBERTHAL … injured for 6 days … first baseman LEE … injured for 1 day! 2 CRITICAL players injured! Trying to shake it off, Hollywood enters the 2nd with that lead. In the top of the second, Detroit’s defense again gets the better of them when Alfonso Soriano drops an easy grounder allowing Michael Young to reach base. That brought up Angel Berroa. SANTANA rocks and fires … BERROA smacks it … straight down the line in left … could it go? it could … and it does! … just inside the left field foul pole … home run for Angel! Hollywood leads 4-0. With 1-out in the inning and Morgan Ensberg on 3rd, Todd Pratt lines one to right down the line … CRUZ races over … reaches up … and makes the catch … both runners tag. CRUZ turns and sets. here’s the play at the plate … and he’s … OUT!…on a close play … double play! he held on to the ball! After that terrific ball hold in the top half, Varitek steps to the plate with 2-outs in the bottom half. VARITEK lofts a high fly … down the line to right…JONES looks as if he’s got it covered … on the warning track … now his back’s to the wall…the leap … and he comes down … empty handed! … VARITEK eases into his home run trot…that ball just wouldn’t die. Detroit cuts the lead to 4-1. Hollywood adds more in the 3rd on a Michael Young RBI double and a Angel Berroa RBI single to left. But Jose Cruz picks up his second assist in the game when he nails Jay Payton at the plate (trying to score on that Michael Young double). Hollywood adds 3 more runs in the game to go on to a 9-4 victory. There was an anxious moment in the 8th when Todd Pratt made 2-errors that help lead to 3-Crime runs. In fact Dan Plesac came in to relieve Eric Gagne with the bases loaded on only 1 out. With the tying run at the plate in Carlos Pena, Hollywood felt a Plesac match-up would be best. Detroit countered with Julio Franco who promptly grounded into an inning ending double play. Hollywood wins 9-4 and ties the series at 1.

W: Kip Wells
L: Johan Santana
S: Dan Plesac

Game 3: IN HOLLYWOOD: Mike Mussina v. Jose Contreras. With the series shifting to Hollywood’s ‘homer-dome’ we figured there would be a lot of scoring in the 3 games. Boy were we ever wrong. Contreras and Mussina matched each other pitch for pitch until the 7th inning. Vinny Castilla reaches with 1-out and is lifted for pinch runner Dave Roberts. Roberts promptly steals 2nd and 3rd base. Alfonso Soriano then hammers a fly ball to right that is deep enough to plate the first run of the game. Detroit leads 1-0! With 1-out in the bottom half, Andrew Jones steps in. Here’s the pitch from MUSSINA … and JONES has hit it … deep left center…this park may not hold it! … it has serious distance … will it hit off the wall? … no!…it’s long gone! … Andruw ties it up! … a home run for JONES … Andruw ties the game! Mussina cannot re-gain his composure and walks Morgan Ensberg, then gives up back-to-back doubles to Michael Young and Angel Berroa and Hollywood takes a 3-1 lead after 7! Hollywood loses Berroa for the rest of the game when he dives back into 2nd base, but is picked off on a line drive double play to end the 7th. The Crime again will not give up as Bengie Molina leads off the 8th against Keith Foulke. FOULKE into the wind … this one is hit … it may carry … it’s way back … bye-bye. over the left field wall. Molina cuts the Hollywood lead to 3-2. Foulks finishes the inning out, then hands the ball to Eric Gagne. Gagne gets Jim Edmonds on strikes and Sean Burroughs on a ground out for 2 quick outs. But Alfonso Soriano doubles and he loses Jose Cruz on strikes which brings up Bengie Molina. He gets him on an easy grounder to Craig Counsell and Hollywood holds on for the 3-2 victory! Hollywood takes a 2-1 series lead.

W: Jose Contreras
L: Mike Mussina
S: Eric Gagne

Game 4: IN HOLLYWOOD: Johan Santana v. Hideo Nomo. Johan Santana was able to come back for game 4 since he was knocked out early in game 2. This pushes Mark Prior to game 5 since he was not ready to pitch. Hollywood again jumps out to the early lead when Tim Salmon reaches on a 1-out walk, then moves to the first Balk I have ever seen. After moving to 3rd on a ground out, Jay Payton comes through with a RBI single to left for a Werewolve 1-0 lead. It stayed that way till the 4th, when Jay Payton returned to the plate. And the pitch … uh-oh! … way back … DaVANON looks up … put it on the board…YES! Hollywood is now up 2-0. Quietly, Hideo Nomo is working on a NO-HITTER for Hollywood. In the 5th, Angel Berroa steps in. The delivery by SANTANA… hit deep … it’s going … it goes! … over the left field wall and SANTANA hangs his head as Hollywood takes a 3-0 lead. Hollywood tacks another one on in the 7th on a Todd Pratt RBI double, but the story is Hideo Nomo. As we enter into the top of the 8th, Nomo is sporting a No Hitter. After strike outs to Soriano and Cruz, Detroit calls on Jason Varitek to pinch hit for Molina. NOMO to the wind … it’s a shot to left center … PAYTON’s racing over … it drops in for a hit and he kicks the ball away … VARITEK’s on his way to second … he’s heading for third…GREEN fires it in … here’s the relay … he’s out! … his ambition outran his feet…oh man, what a play … score that a single for Jason VARITEK … PAYTON picks up an error. But the big news is that Nomo loses his No Hitter! With 2-outs in the 9th, Nomo is pulled as he reached 27 MBF. Dan Plesac, Hollywood’s most consistent reliever, comes in to record the last out. Hollywood takes a 3-1 series lead with the 4-0 1-hit win.

W: Hideo Nomo
L: Johan Santana

Game 5: IN HOLLYWOOD: Mark Prior v. Kip Wells. Another pitcher’s duel as Mark Prior will try to win his second game of the series. The game stays scoreless until the bottom of the 4th when Shawn Green leads off. The pitch comes in … GREEN gets plenty of wood on this ball … headed for the gap in right center..it may carry … go crazy, folks, go crazy! … it’s a home run. Hollywood leads 1-0! They pick up another run in the 5th on a Mike Young double to go up 2-0. So far, Hollywood has had 2 hits, but they have utilized them well. Detroit mounts a comeback in the 7th when Jim Edmonds hammers a double off the base of the Center Field wall, scoring pinch runner Dave Roberts to cut the lead to 2-1. Foulke takes over and gets out of the jam. Trailing 2-1 in the 8th, Johnny Damon steps in against Foulke. FOULKE now … and DAMON whales this one … hangs out a clothesline to deep right…this park may not hold it! … kiss it goodbye! … home run for DAMON…Johnny trots around the bases … he loves a trip downtown … he claps his hands as Detroit quiets the hostile crowd tying it at 2! Detroit leaves Prior out there and he is untouchable. We head into the 9th and Hollywood brings in Eric Gagne. With 2-outs, Jim Edmonds steps in against Gagne. GAGNE to the wind … EDMONDS piles into this pitch … that could be trouble..JONES races it to the wall … back … it’s history! … home run for Jim EDMONDS! Detroit takes a 3-2 lead! EDMONDS will touch all the bases … and he’s sure taking his time. Prior finishes his 3-hitter off himself as Detroit breaths another day to cut the SERIES lead to 3-2 (Can you say Bartman???)

W: Mark Prior 2-0
L: Eric Gagne 0-1

Game 6: IN DETROIT: Jose Contreras v. Mike Mussina. The game stays scoreless until the 4th when Tim Salmon steps to the plate. Mussina lets one go … and SALMON takes MUSSINA for a ride … going back is DAMON … he’ll look…but he won’t touch it … it’s long gone! Hollywood leads 1-0! Mussina cannot regain his composure and Derrick Lee makes him pay. The pitch … and LEE has hit it … deep left center … it has serious distance…will it hit off the wall? … no! … it’s long gone! … a home run for LEE…back-to-back homers and a 2-0 lead for the WEREWOLVES! Jose Contreras cruises into the 6th until Carlos Baerga reaches on a single with 2-outs. With first and second and 2-outs, Johnny Damon steps in. The runners take their lead … the pitch … cut on … and it’s pulled hard to right … base hit..they were off with the hit … BAERGA’s around third … he’s headed for home..here comes the throw … SAFE!…slid around the tag … the throw to third … safe!…and DAMON holds at first … single and an RBI to cut the lead to 2-1! Hollywood then turns the game over to their 3 top guys, Foulke-Plesac-Gagne! For the first time in the series they pitch without incident and Hollywood WINS 2-1!!! They take the series 4 games to 2!
Congrats to Sergio and his Detroit Crime! Awesome series! The story of the series was pitching, NOT hitting.

W: Jose Contreras 2-0
L: Mike Mussina 0-2