2002 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
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| PREVIEW – The 2002 NLCS features the #1 Blarney Drive Bandits (109-53) against the #2 Flora-Bama Mullets (108-54).
The Bandits are powered by the number one offense (6.1 R/G) in MWWL that mashed a league leading 260 homeruns. On the pitching front, their three big lefties dominated all year racking up 62 total wins. They are the number one seed for a reason and their only minor weakness might be their depth in the pen and on the bench. The Mullets leaned on their premium defense (MWWL best 47 UER) and their league leading “swing and miss” pitching (MWWL best 1250 SO) to rack of 30 one run wins during the season. Their offense has some muscle (205 HR), but it doesn’t have the same star power as the Bandits and relies on platoons. The left-handed platooners will definitely be tested in this series. The Mullets won the head to head series 7-5 games but the odds makers have the Bandits favored with the Big Unit fully rested and ready to go three games if needed. |
| GAME #1 – Curt Schilling 21-12 (3.05) vs. Randy Johnson 23-3 (2.33)
The Bandits jumped all over Schilling and sent him to the showers after only three innings. Klesko doubled and Giles homered to start the bottom of the 1st. The Mullets got one back on a Juan Gone solo in the 2nd, but Giles went deep again and Lowell hit a two run homer as the Bandits took a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the 3rd. In the 4th, Vizquel doubled in a run to cut the lead to 4 runs. In the 6th, Gonzalez went deep again to make it a 3 run game. Johnson turned it over to the pen at end of the 7th after facing 28 batters. Embree finished the 7th and pitched a scoreless 8th. Groom came on to close out the 9th. The Mullets countered with the right-handed hitting Wooten who wasn’t on the roster last series to pinch hit. Wooten doubled. Groom got Bell to ground out, but then gave up a triple to Viquel that made it 6-4. Groom got Kennedy to pop up for the second out, but then “Groom looks Vizquel back to third … the pitch … hit hard to center … it may carry open the window, Aunt Minnie … here she comes … KARAAASH!! … that’s too bad Aunt Minnie never made it … Lance Berkman will circle the bases. Mullets 6, Bandits 6. Hunter followed with a double, but Weathers replaced Groom and got out of the inning. The Mullets used their 6th and 7th pitchers of the day Politte and Stewart to get three quick outs in the bottom of the 9th. In the top of the 10th, Piazza walked to start the inning and moved to 2nd on a fielders choice. Mullets pinch ran for Piazza and with two outs Bell doubled him home. Carter came on and closed out the bottom of the 10th as Flora-Bama stole a win on the road. Final Score: Flora-Bama 7 – Blarney Drive 6 (10 Innings) Win: Scott Stewart 1-0 (0.00) |
| GAME #2 – A.J. Burnett 16-7 (3.09) vs. David Wells 18-8 (2.82)
The Mullets jumped out to a 3 run lead in the top of the 1st. Berkman hit his second homer of the series to start the game. Vizquel then reached on an error. He stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a fielder’s choice and then beat a throw home on an infield grounder by Piazza. Kingsale came in and ran for Piazza. Kingsale stole 2nd and then scored on a rbi single from Gonzalez. Giles hit his third home of the series to get one back for the hometown. In the 3rd, a Kingsale hit and run single put runners on the corners and Crede picked up a sac fly RBI. In the 4th, Berkman went deep again to put the Mullets up 6-1. Leiter replaced Wells in the 5th and Flora-Bama added another run a Hunter double. 7-1. In the bottom of the 5th, Klesko hit a two run homer for the Bandits. 7-3. In the 6th, the Bandits loaded the bases with no outs. Lowell hit one to warning track, that scored one run 7-4 and ended Burnets day. Politte got one out, but then hit Cora to re-load the bases and then walked in a run. 7-5. Hammonds came on to face Klesko and got him to pop-up and strand the three runners. In the 7th, Ordonez took Hammonds deep to make it a one run game. The Mullets responded with a Vizquel rbi double in the 8th and Crede solo in the 9th to stop any further comeback. Final Score: Flora-Bama 9 – Blarney Drive 6 Win: A.J. Burnett 1-0(8.44) |
| GAME #3 – Ramon Ortiz 12-9 (2.61) vs. Curt Schilling 21-12 (3.05)
We finally get a pitcher’s duel after two slug fests. In the bottom of the 1st, Berkman singled, stole 2B off Hundley and scored on Hunter single. 1-0. The Bandits tied it in the 3rd on a solo homer by Ordonez. The Mullets went up 2-1 in the 4th when Simon went deep. Berkman made it 3-1 in the 6th with his 4th homerun of the series. Ortiz only allowed four hits over eight innings, but he picked up the loss. Schilling worked around runners on base just about every inning, so he left after going seven innings and facing 30 batters. Mullets then utilized five relieves for the final six outs. Final Score: Flora-Bama 3 – Blarney Drive 1 Win: Curt Schilling 1–2 (6.30) |
| GAME #4 – Randy Johnson 23-3 (2.33) vs. Brian Lawrence 19-4 (2.81)
Facing elimination, Blarney sent out the Big Unit and he didn’t disappoint. Lawrence looked good for Flora-Bama until the usually solid defense let him down in the 4th. Back to back grounders were thrown away allowing two runners to score. Hernandez then doubled in two more runs and Klesko added a rbi single to give the Bandits a big 5-0 lead on 5 unearned runs. Johnson had a no hitter going until the 7th when Crede popped a two-run homer. Johnson finished with 12 SO and 1 hit in seven innings of work. He wanted to stay in the game after what happened in game one, but the Bandits needed him back if the series went 7 games. In the 8th, Lawrence gave up his first earned run of the game on sac fly by Hernandez after Lowell had doubled and move to third on a Bordick sac bunt. Lawrence finally left in the 9th after taking one for the team and facing 38 batters. Burkett pitched a scoreless 9th for the Bandits allowing them to rest Groom. Final Score: Blarney Drive 8 – Flora-Bama 4 Win: Randy Johnson 1-0 (3.29) |
| GAME #5 – David Wells 18-8 (2.82) vs. A.J. Burnett 16-7 (3.09)
In the top of the 1st Giles doubled, but he was thrown out by Gonzalez when he tried to take 3rd on a fly to right field. In the 2nd, Cora walked and took second on a fielder’s choice, but was stranded when Burnett struckout Klesko. In the 4th, Giles doubled and Ordonez walked to start the inning, but Green hit into a double play and Durazo lined out. In the bottom of 5th, Omar Vizquel took Wells deep for a two run homer. In the top of the 6th, Burnett was pulled in favor of the lefty Hammond to face the top of the order. Giles tripled with one out, but was then thrown out at home by Vizquel’s great defensive play on grounder up the middle. In the bottom of the 6th, Simon hit his second homerun of the series to make it 3-0. Carter replaced Hammond and pitched a scoreless 7th. In the top of the 8th, Hernandez doubled off Carter. Sterwart came on and got Klesko. Spivey pinch hit for the next batter Giles and doubled in Hernandez. Ordonez then doubled in Spivey to make it a one run game. 3-2. Stewart got Green to ground out for the second out. Politte was then brought on to face Gant with the tying run at 3rd. Blarney countered with Hundley who walked to put runners on the corners. Neal replaced Politte and got Lowell to fly out near the track. Groom pitched a scoreless 8th inning for the Bandits. In the top of the 9th, Neal got Lane to line out. Ginter pinch hit for Bordick and the Mullets brought in Smith. Ginter walked. Butler then pinch hit for Hernandez and legged out an infield single to put the tying run at 2nd and winning run at 1st. Smith who wasn’t on the playoff squad during the last series, got Klesko and Spivey to pop up behind homeplate for the final two outs of the series. Final Score: Flora-Bama 3 – Blarney Drive 2 Win: A.J. Burnett 2-0 (4.35) |
| SUMMARY – Flora-Bama got the series win in just five games, but it could have easily been a seven game series. The Mullets somehow beat the odds to win a game where the Big Unit was on the mound with a 6-1 lead. They also made the most of their few opportunities in the two low scoring games where they only left 4 total runners on base and stranded 18 Bandit runners.
Berkman picked up his second MVP of the playoffs with four home runs and six RBIs. Giles and Ordonez had similar OPS for the Bandits, but the rest of the team behind them didn’t step up. Flora-Bama also got good performances from their platooners Simon, Gonzalez, and Crede as they each went deep twice in their limited at bats. Burnett picked up two more playoff wins. |