1990 NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES #1

Clovis Cougars @ Steel City Sluggers

Preview: National League West Champion Steel City play host to the Clovis Cougars in this Division Series playoff match-up. Sluggers, coming off a 106 win season, should be favored over Clovis who grabbed the first Wild Card slot with a 94 win campaign.

Game #1: 16 game winner John Tudor takes the bump for Steel City while David Wells takes the hill for Clovis.
First inning saw both Rickey Henderson and Tim Raines get on board for their respective teams but neither could advance past second. The second and third went by quietly. The fourth saw Tudor go through the middle of the Cougar line-up with ease. Bottom of the fourth and Sandberg walked but with two outs Barfield made a nice shoe top snag of a Chris Sabo liner to keep the game scoreless. In the fifth a walk and an error put Cougar runners at 1st and 3rd but with the pitchers spot coming up Tudor pitched through the mini-jam. The sixth and seventh passed with little offense to speak of as the two pitchers continued to mow through batters. In the Clovis half of the eighth, Henderson singled, stole second and moved to third on a fly out, Steel City walked Murray intentionally to set up a confrontation with Greenwell whom Tudor jammed for a pop out and keep the game scoreless. Wells had departed for a pinch hitter leaving the game in the hands of the Clovis bullpen. Lee Smith came on and retired the side in the eighth for the Cougars. Tudor pitched through eight before Barry Jones took his place; Jones over powered the Cougars in their half of the ninth. Bottom of the ninth saw Smith retire Grace, Sandberg, and Henderson in order. Just what the doctor ordered, extra innings, 0-0 score, first game of the playoffs. Top of the tenth, Pena leading off for the Cougars, he pounds one into the plate and Fisk can’t hold on to it. Pena on first with the error, Gantner comes in to run and put some speed on the bases. First pitch and Gantner takes off figuring that Fisk is still upset over the dropped ball, Gantner slides in SAFE, the gamble paid off. Gladden, pinch hitting, drops a perfect bunt down and moves Gantner to third with one out. Henderson is walked intentionally to face Lenny Harris. Patterson takes over on the mound for Jones. Harris lifts a Patterson pitch into left where Candaele gathers it in, here comes Gantner, here comes the throw….SAFE! Cougars take a 1-0 lead. Clovis threatens for more but comes up with just the one; will it hold up?
Clovis closer Randy Myers heads out to the hill. Fisk leads off but pops out to the catcher. Sabo lifts an easy fly for the second out. Candaele is the Sluggers last hope but he lifts one into center that Gladden easily corrals and the Cougars have snatched game one by a 1-0 score.
Final Score: Clovis 1 – Steel City 0

Game #2: Sluggers will try to rebound against the Cougars with Zane Smith opposing Randy Johnson.
Despite a Henderson single and stolen base Cougars can’t score against Smith. With one out Grace doubles to the wall and Sandberg follows that up with a double of his own to give the Sluggers the quick 1-0 lead after one. Johnson pitches out of a jam in the second while Smith continues to work his way through the Clovis line-up without incident through the third. In the fourth Murray tripled but died at third when Smith struck out Barfield and got Greenwell to ground out. In the bottom of the fourth Johnson got into trouble again when he walked Candaele and Dunston followed by a successful sacrifice bunt by Smith. Raines grounded out deep into the hold but Candaele scored and then Grace singled past Harris at third base for the third run of the game for the Sluggers. In the fifth Harris doubled in a run for the Cougars to narrow the gap to 3-1. Johnson worked through the Slugger fifth and then in the sixth Rickey Henderson hammered one far and deep off of Smith to make it a 3-2 game. In the bottom of the seventh Johnson departed for Myer with the Sluggers still on top by a 3-2 score. Grace saw one he liked and sent it deep over the center field wall for a 4-2 Slugger lead. Burns would come on in the eighth and set down the side as well as one more in the ninth when RJ Reynolds made a nice catch of a Barfield drive. Patterson came on with one out and retired Greenwell and then Todd Jones came in and nailed it down by striking out Jim Gantner.
Final Score: Steel City 4- Clovis 2

Game #3: Clovis comes home and sends 17 game winner Bud Black out to face Slugger lefty Bruce Hurst.
Things got exciting in a hurry as Grace drew a walk and Dave Henderson singled putting runners on 1st and 2nd for Petralli who laced one into left, Sluggers decided to test Rickey’s arm in left when they sent Grace to the plate, the throw,,,,he’s OUT! Henderson guns him down!! Hurst kept things in control when he retired the Cougars in order in his half. The second saw Black settle down and retire the three Sluggers he faced. Bottom of the second and Murray doubled to lead off but the Cougars could not move him around. The Sluggers got a double from Grace in the third but they also could not get him around. Bottom of the third with one out and Henderson took Hurst way out and into the bleachers for a 1-0 Clovis lead. It stayed that way into the sixth when Raines singled for Steel City and Grace perfectly executed a hit and run to put runners on the corners without any outs. Sandberg grounded one to third, Harris made the play but the run scored. Dave Henderson struck out and Petralli poped out to end the rally but the score was knotted at 1 apiece. With one out for Steel City in the seventh the normally light hitting Casey Candaele rode a Black fastball over the fence to give the Sluggers a 2-1 lead. The lead was short lived however when Reed singled and Thon moved him to second on a ground out sending Pena to the plate with two outs. Pena lined one into right and the Cougars sent Reed home without a throw to tie it back up again at 2 each. It stayed tied through the eighth, ninth, tenth as Clovis got stellar work out of Lee Smith who went all three innings only giving up one walk. The Sluggers pen was no slouch either as Schatzeder and Jones were just as effective. Into and through the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth as Myers for Clovis and Patterson and Burns for Steel City matched zeroes. Into the fourteenth, and Brian Meyer on the mound for Clovis and Sandberg, Mosesby, Reynolds all go down. Bottom of the frame and Burns still on the mound for the Sluggers; Greenwell goes down swinging, Murray flies out, and up comes Dan Gladden…the pitch…it’s socked to left…deep…deep….deep…..OUT OF HERE! Clovis wins it in a walk off!
Final Score: Clovis 3 – Steel City 2

Game #4: Game 4 and Clovis looking for the knockout blow sends McKaskill to the hill to face the Sluggers veteran Dennis Martinez.
Sluggers got the ball rolling quick when Candaele led off with a walk, Grace singled him to third, Sandberg singled scoring Candaele. Henderson walked, a double play garnered two outs but a run scored. Petralli walked, Moseby walked to load them up and the bullpen was heating up fast. Dunston promptly ripped a single that scored Sandberg and sent Petralli to the plate but a strong throw from Henderson cut him down at the plate but not before three runs had scored for Steel City. In the second the Sluggers added a fourth run when Candaele (who is this guy?) doubled and then Grace did the same to knock him in. All the while Martinez was having little trouble with the Clovis line-up. McCaskill settled down and got through the next three innings unscathed but so did Martinez leaving Steel City with a 4-0 lead heading into the sixth. Dave Pavlas took over on the mound for the Cougars while Martinez kept mowing them down until Barfield blasted one over the left field wall to cut the lead to 4-1. It stayed that way until the ninth when Dunston took Myer deep with a runner on to give Steel City a commanding 6-1 lead. Bottom of the ninth and Clovis got a pair of singles but Martinez held tight and retired Gladden for the complete game victory.
Final Score: Steel City 6 – Clovis 1

Game #5: This is it, the deciding game. Starters Wells and Tudor will reprise their game one match up for all the marbles.
Clovis got a lead off double from Henderson but could not move him around while Steel City got a base hit from Candaele followed by an error but couldn’t push a run across either. In the second the Cougars went down without incident but the Sluggers Shawn Dunston blasted one over the fence for an early Slugger 1-0 lead. Tudor pitched in and out of trouble for the Sluggers but maintained the 1-0 lead through five innings. Into the sixth, Kent Anderson singled for the Cougars and Thon bunted him over to second, Pena worked a walk but Willie Wilson, pinch hitting for Wells popped out for the second out. Henderson then punched one through deep short that plated the tying run and brought Murray to the plate. Steady Eddie dumped one into left that sent Pena around to score and give the Cougars the lead 2-1. Lee Smith came in and gut punched the Sluggers with two scoreless innings. Into the seventh with Clovis clinging to a 2-1 lead. With one out Reed doubled and with two outs Thon singled him in to give Clovis a 3-1 lead. In the eighth with Barry Jones on the mound up came Eddie Murray who “rocks one high and deep…” for a 4-1 Clovis lead. The Clovis fans who had made the trip were getting on pins and needles as Randy Myer came on to pitch, it would be his game now to save or lose. bottom of the eighth, Grace bounces one to Murray, Sandberg lifts and easy one to Gladden, Dave Henderson does the same. The top of the ninth passes quickly, on to the bottom of the ninth. Myer still on the mound and in control. Raines fouls out to Pena, Reynolds pops out to Pena in front of the plate. Sabo works a walk; Slugger fans, quiet for several innings begin to stir. Dunston steps up and with a 2-2 count…”the offering….right in there….he’s called out on strikes…Game over!”
Final Score: Clovis 4 – Steel City 1

Summary:  The Clovis Cougars pull off the upset, taking the series from the Sluggers 3 games to 2. Candaele .389, and Grace .333, were the hitting stars for the Sluggers. Dunston chipped in with 2 homers for Steel City. For Clovis the story was 13 innings of relief from Smith and Myer with 0 runs and only 1 hit allowed. Henderson was the Cougars hitting star with a .348 average to go with 2 steals and 2 homers. In addition, Rickey threw out two runners at the plate to aid the Cougars cause.